De-Worming the Worm Guard

The rising popularity of the Worm Guard has made the Jiu-Jitsu world take notice.  We can thank Keenan Cornelius for the boom in competitors utilizing this guard in competitions.  Thankfully we are finally starting to see some technique videos popping up showing how to prevent, pass, and even counter this tricky guard.  I am a firm believer that you don't have to be a fan of any particular guard but it is important to understand it enough to be able to defend against it.  That being said, studying the offensive side of this guard will help you understand defense even more than just working on the counters.  

While that quote is so true...in the event that you DO ALLOW your opponent to establish the lapel control they need to set up the worm guard you need to be familiar with methods to regain that lapel control and focus on passing the guard.  

Isaac Doederlein, Cobrinha brown belt, shows a really cool way to neutralize the Worm Guard and turn it into a back-tack opportunity.  

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2bM1GksF94)

Here, multi-time World Champion Rodolfo Vieira shows how to pass the worm guard with a pressure pass type of approach.

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6dUxlhbO_8)

I would be remiss to not post BJJ Scout's videos here.  He does some excellent work!  There are a variety of counters and concepts in these two videos.  

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYkqZkxv_ZA)

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSh0OfdSkWE)

I have found that the worm guard is 100% dependent on lapel grip control.  Because of this it seems that the most effective way (at least for me) to defend against it is to address the grips. This is particularly true if the grips have been established and your base has been compromised or threatened...they have progressed if you will deep into the guard.  I have spent more time playing with the offensive side of this guard but recently started working on defense/counters.  My advice so far is:

1. Defend the lapel!

2. In the event the lapel control is established...focus on your base!

3. Try and square up to your opponent as much as possible to eliminate the angle they need to sweep

4. Dominate/control their own lapel and use it against them to remove THEIR grip on your lapel.  

Watch Keenan Roll with 7 Black Belts (No Rest)

So Keenan is in Denmark for a seminar (BJJ Globetrotters Fall Camp) this week...that's right there are 151 people in attendance!  I once attended a Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti seminar once and thought that was a big seminar.  I'm not sure what the BJJ culture is like in Denmark but clearly they know a superstar when he visits. After watching the first couple of rolls I can relate to how those black belts must feel.  I've had the pleasure of being dismantled by really good grapplers like Robson Moura and Sean Roberts.  It's kind of like a regular human vs a superstar.  A good reminder of the difference between a regular, everyday grappler and a professional.  Who doesn't dream about being able to effortlessly handle black belts like this?

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXjPKwU1hZs) 

Visit Keenan's website to purchase his 5 disk DVD set: http://keenan-cornelius.com/

You can also see what he offers for free on his YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRgkTBcGRHlRQUVsxoesKBA

Flashback Friday: Keenan Cornelius vs Lucas Leite

So this one happened just a week ago but I couldn't wait to share it once I ran across it.  The match took place at the 2013 Jiu-Jitsu Expo which is becoming a very popular annual event.  Keenan has not disappointed so far at the black belt level so let's see how he fares against the likes of Lucas Leite of Chekmat.

Link for mobile users having issues viewing embedded video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehtxZZ8PD1A

                  

2013 IBJJF Pans (Post Thoughts)

The IBJJF 2013 Pan Championship has come and gone.  This year was bigger than ever spanning over the course of five days.  While the Pan may not be considered the most coveted tournament it seems to be the most attended each year which begs the question..."Why is it NOT the most coveted title?"  There were a few big names missing from the black belt brackets this year as some are heavily focused on other tournaments such as the Abu Dhabi Pro.  Such names as Lovato, Rodolfo, Farias, & Marcelo Garcia just to name a few did not compete this year.  As usual, Budovideos did an excellent job of providing streaming coverage which aerial mat views and selectable mats.  The commentary was top notch as well with the likes of Budo Jake, Shawn Williams, and guests like Kurt Osiander popping in.

In Black Belt action:
Caio Terra defeated Bruno Malficine (points)
Guilherme Mendes defeated Laercio Fernandes (points)
Rafael Mendes defeated Cobrinha (points)
Michael Langhi closed out with teammate Lucas Lepri
Clark Gracie defeated Marcelo Mafra in epic fashion (submission)
Andre Galvao defeated Gustavo Campos
Roberto Alencar "Tussa" defeated Nivaldo Lima (points)
Leo Nogueira defeated Gabriel Vella
Marcus Almeida "Buchecha" defeated Alexander Trans

Open Weight
Marcus Almeida "Buchecha" defeated Andre Galvao (points)

In Brown Belt action:
Joao Miyao took gold in Light Feather
Paulo Miyao took gold defeating Gianni Grippo by choke at Feather
Rafael Henrique Pereira defeated reigning Pan champ AJ Agazarm
Keenan Cornelius took double gold in his weight and the open

Noteworthy:

• Michael Liera Jr (Atos Purple belt) is one to watch as he is becoming very dominant.  He took double gold in his weight and the open.  We will continue to see big things from him.  
• Marcio Andre (Nova Uniao Purple belt) followed up his 2012 Worlds title with a gold at Pan.  He will probably be promoted to brown before the next Worlds tournament.
• Say what you want about the Miyao Bros and Gianni Grippo but their De la Riva/Berimbolo game looked very dominant all day Sunday.  
• Keenan looked as dominant as ever quieting critics that the TLI drama and move to Atos might disrupt his concentration.  
• Rafael Pereira's win over AJ Agazarm at Brown Light came as a big surprise since Rafael's performance in the Brown Belt Kumite was less than stellar.  
• Sean Roberts (Ralph Gracie) got his wish and faced Leandro Lo in the 2nd round of his weight class where he was dominated 43-0 before being submitted by Lo.  You have to give Sean credit for competing at the Pan after receiving his black belt just a week prior.  
• The Great Kurt Osiander took gold in his respective division.
• Cobrinha loses another close final to Rafa Mendes.  I do feel Rafa outworked him at the end of the match getting the decision.  One has to think that Cobrinha will have to truly beat Rafa by points or sub if he is going to get over the hump.  Ref decisions have not been good to him.  
• I was happy to see Caio Terra break out of his funk against Bruno Malficine.  Bruno looked unstoppable on Sunday and Caio executed a brilliant game plan scoring late in the match threatening with a calf slicer at the end.  Caio seemed calm and collected throughout the entire match.  
• Clark Gracie was impressive with his aggressive omoplatas all day.  Good to see him capture gold.  One of the best finals on Sunday.  See the video below.
• I can't say enough good things about Buchecha.  Many people hate watching the bigger guys compete because they can be boring. You never seem to get this with Buchecha.  He moves with the speed and technique of a Lightweight.  The absolute final between him and Galvao was epic.  

Clark Gracie vs Marcelo Mafra (Medium Final)

Buchecha vs Andre Galvao (Open Final)

AJ Agazarm vs Rafael Henrique Pereira (Light Final)

Caio Terra vs Bruno Malficine (Rooster Final)

                          

                                    Paulo Miyao vs Gianni Grippo (Feather Final)

Keenan Cornelius vs J. Miyao (Brown Belt Open Semi-Final)

Black Belt Finals HL's

Academy Results

Novice:

1 - Gracie Barra - 46
2 - Lotus Club Jiu-Jitsu - 34
3 - Gracie Elite Team - 31 

Adult Male:

1 - Alliance - 85
2 - Atos Jiu-Jitsu - 83
3 - Gracie Elite Team - 36 

Adult Female:

1 - Alliance - 43
2 - Gracie Humaita - 31
3 - Atos Jiu-Jitsu - 30 

Juvenile:

1 - Gracie Elite Team - 39
2 - Alliance - 36
3 - Gracie Barra - 19 

Master and Senior:

1 - Gracie Barra - 199
2 - Alliance - 142
3 - Gracie Elite Team - 129 

All results can be found here: https://www.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/PublicResults?

CampeonatoId=162&CultureInfo=en-US

Post 2013 European Championships (Noteworthy Matches & Thoughts)

The IBJJF European Championships may not have been packed full with as many household names as we might see at Worlds or Pan but there were plenty of great, high level competitors that filled the brackets last weekend.  From what I have gathered there were some great matches and definitely some notables.

• Terere returned to competition and loses a controversial DQ (knee reap) against Claudio Calasans in the Middle weight Final.

From GracieMag: 

Alan Do Nascimento just brought the venue to tears. After conceding the win to Fernando Tererê in their middleweight match, he handed Fernando Tererê his black belt. He later explained his actions: Fernando Tererê made what I am in Jiu-Jitsu. He taught me since the white belt. This belt, he gave one day and asked for 5 reais and I knew it he was going to buy crack. I told him then that I was going to give him back the belt when when he got back on his feet. There's no better moment than that! I will sleep filled with joy and proud today!"

• This was the first IBJJF tournament that both the Miyao brothers competed at Brown belt
• Team Lloyd Irvin came in 2nd place overall team points in a gi tournament
• Leo Nogueira (Alliance) takes the black belt Absolute
• Mackenzie Dern wins her first title at black belt
• Joao Miyao choked unconscious by Keenan

Just a quick review of the team results from over the weekend.

Adult Male: 

1 - Alliance - 105
2 - Team Lloyd Irvin - 71
3 - Gracie Barra - 64 

Adult Female:

1 - CheckMat - 71
2 - Alliance - 65
3 - Gracie Barra - 44 

Juvenile:

1 - Gracie Barra - 27
2 - Frontline Academy - 16
3 - Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team - 15 

Master and Senior:

1 - Gracie Barra - 245
2 - Alliance - 156
3 - CheckMat - 131 

Novice:

1 - Gracie Barra - 42
2 - Nova União - 31
3 - CheckMat - 30 

Notable divisions:

Brown Adult Male

Light-Feather

FIRST	João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
SECOND	Nicolas Gallard -	Gracie Barcelona
THIRD	Alysson Gustavo Da Cunha Miranda -	Nova União
THIRD	Adam Adshead -	Combat Base UK

Feather

FIRST	Paulo Henrique Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
SECOND	Gianni P Grippo -	Gracie Elite Team America
THIRD	Wojciech Piekut -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Tuomas Kristian Tammilehto -	Brasa

Medium-Heavy

FIRST	Keenan Kai-James Cornelius -	Team Lloyd Irvin
SECOND	Bruno Ferreira Cuppari -	Brasa
THIRD	Tomasz Skórkowski -	Atos JJ International
THIRD	AJ Agazarm -	Gracie Barra

Open Class

FIRST	Keenan Kai-James Cornelius -	Team Lloyd Irvin
SECOND	João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
THIRD	Paulo Henrique Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
THIRD	Christopher Bowe -	Gracie Barra

BLACK - Adult - Male

Rooster

FIRST	Brandon Mullins -	Gracie Barra
SECOND	Koji Shibamoto -	Tri-Force Jiu-Jitsu Academy
THIRD	Jordy A. Jean Antoon Peute -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Takahito Yoshioka -	Tokushima BJJ

Light-Feather

FIRST	Laercio Fernandes -	Alliance
SECOND	Carlos Vieira Holanda -	CheckMat
THIRD	Thomas Lincoln Correa Lisboa -	Alliance
THIRD	Andre Carvalho Monteiro -	BJJ Revolution Team

Feather

FIRST	Rubens Charles Maciel -	Alliance
SECOND	Augusto Lopes Mendes -	Soul Fighters BJJ
THIRD	Osvaldo Augusto Honorio Moizinho -	Institute of Martial Arts - Caio Terra
THIRD	Eduardo Ramos da Silva -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Light

FIRST	Michael Josef Russell -	Mauricio Gomes Origin BJJ Team
SECOND	Vinícius Tavares Marinho -	GF Team
THIRD	Gabriel Rodrigues A. Goulart -	Alliance
THIRD	Maxime Silvére Olivier -	CheckMat

Middle

FIRST	Claudio Calasans Camargo Júnior -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu
SECOND	Fernando Augusto da Silva -	Alliance
THIRD	Mathias Fernandes Ribeiro -	Alliance
THIRD	Alan Douglas Pereira do Nascimento -	CheckMat

Medium-Heavy

FIRST	Rômulo Claudio Barral -	Gracie Barra
SECOND	Rodrigo Fajardo -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Renato Guimaraes Cardoso -	CheckMat
THIRD	Vitor Fabio Martins Toledo -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Heavy

FIRST	Dimitrius Soares Souza -	Alliance
SECOND	Leonardo da Costa Maciel -	GF Team
THIRD	Fabiano Junior Leite de Souza -	Alliance
THIRD	Marcelo da Silva Bernardo -	United BJJ

Super-Heavy

FIRST	Bernardo Augusto Rocha de Faria -	Alliance
SECOND	Lucio Furtado Rodrigues -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Mauricio Henrique Cristo Lima -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
THIRD	Filippi Soto Mattos -	Barbosa JJ

Ultra-Heavy

FIRST	Alexander Riis Hilligsoe Trans -	CheckMat
SECOND	Rodrigo Henrique Cavaca -	CheckMat
THIRD	José Ferreira da Silva Júnior -	UAE Jiu-jitsu Team
THIRD	Leonardo Pires Nogueira -	Alliance

Open Class

FIRST	Leonardo Pires Nogueira -	Alliance
SECOND	Bernardo Augusto Rocha de Faria -	Alliance
THIRD	Alexander Riis Hilligsoe Trans -	CheckMat
THIRD	Claudio Calasans Camargo Júnior -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Keenan Cornelius vs Paulo Miyao (Absolute Semi-Finals)

At the 4:35 mark, Keenan attempts a toe-hold which he abandons and momentarily gives up his back.   P.Miyao defends the foot lock well and inverts moving towards his back.  P.Miyao only manages to get one hook in and Kennan double underhooks that same leg and forces P.Miyao back to his guard.  Very well defended and not often that we see Keenan in this kind of trouble against a fellow brown belt.  Even once they land in the guard, there is a brief moment P.Miyao may have been able to work to the back again with Keenan's left arm so heavily committed across his body but he cuts off that opportunity by posting his left foot and shutting down that option.

At the 6:37 mark Keenan is standing, P.Miyao on his back playing open guard during a restart.  Keenan steps his right foot onto  the inside left knee of P.Miyao, slightly passes the right foot of P.Miyao to the side and drops down beating P.Miyao's hip to pass the guard.  Very fast and surprising guard pass!  The match was essentially won here for Keenan and this was a fantastic match in my opinion.  I realize that the double guard pull, fighting for grips and attempted Berimbolo game isn't everyones cup of tea but this is some high level stuff and the entire fight didn't remain in this position.

Keenan Cornelius vs Joao Miyao (Absolute Final)

Cobrinha vs Osvaldo Augusto (Feather Semi-Final)

Cobrinha vs Tanquinho (Feather Final)

Paulo Miyao vs Gianni Grippo (Feather Semi-Final)

Terere vs Claudio Calasans (Middleweight Final)

This was a very disappointing match.  Everyone was happy and excited to see Terere back in the competition scene and off the street.  There is some debate as to what exactly happened during this match, whether he had already been warned for the knee reap prior to the eventual DQ or immediately DQ'd without warning.  It appeared to me that he had already been in violation of the knee reap rule well before the match was finally stopped.  Very anticlimactic finish to what could have been a great match.

Brandon Mullins vs Koji Shibamoto (Rooster Final)

The complete results can be found here:

https://www.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/PublicResults?CampeonatoId=154&CultureInfo=en-US

2012 Nogi Worlds (Post Analysis)

Caio Terra (Gracie Fighter) x Fabbio Passos (Alliance)  Rooster Final

I unfortunately missed this match but thankfully Budovideos posted it on Youtube for our viewing pleasure.  Note that at the beginning of the match two funny things happen.  First, there is discussion about the IBJJF forbidding the use of thong underwear for female competitors and Caio takes a timeout prior to the start of the match to fix his hair.  This match was nothing short of brilliant on the part of Caio Terra.  As the match begins, Passos moves into a sitting guard single leg and transitions into deep half guard.  It looks like Passos wanted to sweep into a single leg but Caio is almost two steps ahead of him.  Caio responds by grabbing a kimura before Passos can initiate the sweep which allows him to sneak around to the back of Passos.  VERY SLICK!  Caio moves into the top rear mount position and slaps on a RNC.  As Passos attempts to bring his left arms out to defend the choke Caio traps it with his left knee which enables him to finish easily by RNC.

The stream was improved in some ways this time around by Budovideos.  For this tournament they utilized instant replays which was GREAT.  All too often I miss crucial moments that happen and one glance away from the screen is all it would take to miss out on something amazing.  They also made the mat assignments available so the viewer was aware of everything that was going on.  There was an aerial view provided which made it much easier to know if switching to a different mat was even worthwhile since not all mats always have a match ongoing.  My only complaint about the stream this year was the quality of the video stream seemed to be down a little bit.  There didn't seem to be too much lag (not anymore than normal) but that could be a combination of traffic and/or my Internet connection.

Onto overall impressions from the tournament.  My initial impressions (at the black belt level) was that the brackets seemed a little thin.  I have to wonder if some of this is due to the increasingly busy IBJJF schedule and upcoming IBJJF Pro shows.  The IBJJF Masters/Seniors tournament was less than a month ago as was the Metamoris PPV event.  I was unable to watch the stream on Saturday but did see a good portion on Sunday.  I came away from this having a new found respect for Team Lloyd Irvin.  I have been following them more closely since last summer and they have a recipe for building top level competitors.  Their results at the Worlds this year speak volumes.  DJ Jackson is now officially the first TLI adult male to claim a world championship.  They were only two points behind Alliance in overall adult men's rankings which shocked me.  Some may argue with the style and/or marketing of Lloyd Irvin but it's hard to dispute that they are creating some awesome competitors the likes of Ryan Hall, Jonathan Torres, DJ Jackson, Jordon Schultz & Kennan Cornelius (who by the way submitted everyone on his way to gold).  It will be interesting to see if they can keep this momentum when the 2013 Pan Championships roll around next Spring.

Academy Results

Adult Male: 

1 - Alliance - 82
2 - Team Lloyd Irvin - 80
3 - Gracie Elite Team - 50 

Female:

1 - Gracie Humaita - 53
2 - Gracie Barra - 38
3 - Alliance - 35 

Juvenile:

1 - Gracie Barra - 22
2 - Nova União - 21
3 - Carvalho Teixeira BJJ - 18 

Masters & Seniors:

1 - Gracie Barra - 103
2 - Brazilian Top Team - 86
3 - Nova União - 76 

The remainder of the results can be found here on the IBJJF website.

https://www.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/PublicResults?CampeonatoId=149&CultureInfo=en-US

I've added some videos that Budo just released from Lloyd Irvin's matches.  I thought it would be cool to post them because there aren't a ton of competition videos out there of Lloyd.

Match 1 is against Paul Halme of Peak Performance

Match 2 (final) is against Mark Zuber (assistant instructor from our school NDBJJ)

Keenan Cornelius (TLI) Match 2

Keenan Cornelius (TLI) Match 4 or 5?