Kinesiology of the upa
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The upa or the bridging mount escape is a crucial jiu jitsu movement that often gets ignored. Being mounted against a skilled opponent can be terrifying, especially when strikes are involved. When in bad positions often people will resort to ineffective / energy inefficient movements to attempt to escape. The intention for all jiu jitsu techniques is minimal effort for maximum effect. .
The goal of the upa is to explosively thrust your hips up to unbalance your opponent. The movement needs to be powerful enough to unbalance them while also taking steps to prevent them from rebalancing (posting with foot or arm). Nothing is more demoralizing than repetitively attempting inadequate escapes.
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Key points for the upa
1️⃣Ankle and hip range of motion: by plantarflexing the ankle and extending the hips you can ensure the opponent moves enough to be off balanced. Less movement = less unbalancing.
2️⃣Keep your opponent directly under your hips for maximum hip thrust explosive force. If they move their knees to a high mount the hip thrust will have considerable less effect.
3️⃣Tilt the head for the proper angle. When people explode to the side the force becomes significantly weaker.
4️⃣Trap the foot / arm: This prevents the opponent from either stepping or posting to avoid losing position.
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When the upa is performed correctly it should be effortless. Once the movement is mastered additional elements, such as strikes can be added.
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@jamesdriskill @bretcontreras1 @ricksongraciejj

Undefeated amateur kickboxer and @dynamixmma fighter returns to training following labrum repair on his right shoulder. His current complaint is stiffness and weakness with his jab from the southpaw stance.
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The proper punch mechanics in the Dynamix striking system is thoracic rotation, scapular protraction and shoulder internal rotation for maximum distance and power. While he is primarily an orthodox fighter Coach Antoni encourages all of his fighters to be ambidextrous.
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Due to inadequate shoulder internal rotation his humeral head translates forward which puts unnecessary stress on the joint capsule. .
Treatment included FR work to the posterior capsule and latissimus dorsi, kimura stretch with Level 2 PAILs, general glenohumeral CARs and axial CARs.
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@antoni_hardonk @drandreospina @functionalrangeconditioning @functionalrangerelease

Kinesiology of jiu jitsu: proper posture in the closed guard
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When you are sitting in someone’s closed guard you have one objective: Clear the legs while not getting swept of submitted.
This is more easily accomplished while maintaining balance and proper posture.
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What is proper posture for jiu jitsu? In jiu jitsu when you are sitting in someone’s closed guard you are mainly resisting a forward pull from the guard player. ✳️Physics of balance: To remain balanced you have to keep your center of mass between your base of support. If the guard player manages to pull your center of mass outside your base of support you will be unbalanced.
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❌Faulty posture: Active toes. When you are on your toes your weight is shifted too far forward.
❌Faulty posture: Neutral spine alignment. While this seems correct it is inefficient. If you have neutral spinal alignment and they pull then your center of mass will be much closer to the edge of your base of support. Therefore the force they will need to unbalance you is considerably less.
✅Proper posture: Posterior pelvic tilt. Tuck your tailbone underneath you. When your pelvis tilts posteriorly it shifts your center of mass back. The spinal and pelvic alignment puts you in a mechanical advantage to resist the guard player’s anterior pulling force without having to use a lot of energy.
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Your arms can be used to open the legs and prevent them from sitting up.
✳️The most stable alignment is a neutral spinal with abdominal bracing, however if there is slight flexion it will not significantly decrease your stability.
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When the opponent’s pull increases or if they try a hip heist sweep to unbalance you can “engage your hips” meaning extending / activating your glutes and slightly lifting your hips up to meet their increased force.

Here are some of my go-to techniques and stretches after training to relax and get a great stretch. This will help with soreness and improve recovery so that you can keep training hard!
If you hate waking up the morning after training with sore and stiff muscles, then try these techniques after class to help.

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Brazilian Jiu jitsu is notoriously hard on joints because many of the attacks involve forceful joint locks. It is not surprising that many black belts will have injuries that lead to the development of dysfunctional joints.
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@jamesdriskill, @ricksongraciejj black belt, realized after years of jiu jitsu training he needed to address his mobility deficits to minimize his injuries. We determined his mid thoracic limitation was his primary deficit.
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Here I use a FRC concept called hinge training to improve his active thoracic segmentation. He has structural limitations that need to be addressed but I wanted to give him some homework before he headed back north. Good thing he is in close to proximity to @deweynielsen and @bryanmarugg to continue his mobility work.
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@drandreospina @functionalrangeconditioning @functionalrangerelease

These simple bridging exercises can be used for a hip and leg BJJ warm-up, can help build muscle muscular balance and symmetry in the hips, and fight that bent over BJJ posture. Super easy and very beneficial for health and injury-prevention.

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Yoga for BJJ by Josh Stockman

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“Your Guide To A Lifetime Of Enjoying & Improving Your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” Click In The Link Below:
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I received a question on Youtube on how to address inner hip/groin pain. I didn’t get much information on the mechanism of injury, how the injury occurred, or how long the pain has been there so this video is meant to encompass just a few of the techniques that can be used. Trial and error will be something to keep in mind as some techniques may be more effective than others.
I would start with gentle range of motion and movement in the area to a comfortable range. Gradual progression to stretching exercises. Also do the exercises to comfort and discontinue if pain increases. Seeing a medical professional is always a great idea if symptoms do not improve.
I break down a few of the techniques that I have demonstrated throughout some of the videos on the channel and picked the ones that could get some results and improvement.
Make sure to think about the body as a whole and not just look at the hip for treatment, but also address the low back as well as the knee for possible dysfunction or causes of pain at the hip.
The video for using a voodoo band to floss the hip: https://youtu.be/6heuJUtuL0Y

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A great all around hip strengthening exercise for muscle activation of the hips, to assist with balance, and to protect the knees from injury.

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We always hear stuff like: Why waste time on a yoga practice, when [insert elite BJJ fighter] only does BJJ and wins blah blah. But the reality is the more yoga you practice, the more you will see how it connects to your jiu-jitsu and makes it better. These are just some of the positions that look very similar, but the effects of breathing and mindfulness, dexterity and mobility go beyond just jiu-jitsu, they make EVERYTHING better.

What are you waiting for? Go to https://www.yogaforbjj.net and sign up to our 2-week free trial & see for yourself!

Pain or difficulty with bringing the knee to the chest when performing guard retention or with general movement of the hip? This technique will not only improve motion but will decrease tension in the hip flexors as well as reduce pain.
Use the voodoo band and perform a functional movement and strengthening exercises such as a squat to “trick” the hip into flexion without activating the hip flexor muscles so that way you will not increase your pain. The voodoo band is a great option as it can get into areas such as high into the hip joint more easily. Give it a try!
Voodoo Band link: https://www.roguefitness.com/voodoo-floss-bands

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Pain or difficulty with bringing the knee to the chest when performing guard retention or with general movement of the hip? This technique will not only improve motion but will decrease tension in the hip flexors as well as reduce pain.
Use the voodoo band and perform a functional movement and strengthening exercises such as a squat to “trick” the hip into flexion without activating the hip flexor muscles so that way you will not increase your pain. The voodoo band is a great option as it can get into areas such as high into the hip joint more easily. Give it a try!
Voodoo Band link: https://www.roguefitness.com/voodoo-floss-bands

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In the 5th video of the Toe Rehab series, I demonstrate the transition to balance, strengthening, and plyometric exercises. Although these drills are not specific to BJJ, they are a good initial step prior to full grappling. As always, let pain be your guide and discontinue if there is any increase in symptoms. This is 1 week out, the severity of your injury will dictate when or if you should start these exercises. Seeing a medical professional is always a good idea if you are having intense pain, lack of improvement in symptoms, or are just concerned about your injury.
Toe Rehab Taping Video: https://youtu.be/6Xt6CCInFJk

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