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.
.
@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.
.
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.
.
@drandreospina @functionalrangeconditioning @functionalrangerelease

The guillotine in my opinion is the most versatile submission in all of grappling. This choke can be used offensively standing as @briantcity showed, but also defensively to counter a takedown, used in the guard, while on top, to pass and to finish a takedown. All that is needed is wrapping your arm around the neck.
.
Most submission holds first require positional control on the ground prior to initiating the submission, however with the ease of application this technique breaks this rule.

The safest place to train your spine is “neutral”, however the ability to maintain neutral spine for ALL daily activities is impractical and unrealistic. When overcoming a heavy load, such as with a deadlift, it is best to maintain neutral however it is important to also train in non-neutral ranges to help build resilience for more dynamic and athletic positions.
.
“You will always regret not training the position that got you injured” – @drandreospina .
Each spinal segment should have the ability to move. Often when you have an area that does not move well a segment above or below will be forced to compensate. The key is to mobilize the hypomobile segment and stabilize / control the hypermobile segment.
.
1️⃣Resisted cat cow: This exercise reinforces segmental motion. It can help to train the control of the spinal musculture (Assuming there is not structural mobility deficit that limits the movement).
2️⃣Positional isometrics: When used for prehab this is used to safely train non-neutral spine positions. In regards to rehabilitation often people with back pain will have aberrant spinal musculture. Find the angle with suboptimal muscle activation or pain. Isometrically contracting against the resistance within 10 degrees of that position it will help re-engage the aberrant movements.

Biomechanics of the heel hook:
•••••••••••••••
The heel hook is arguably the most devastating joint lock because of the ligamentous structures it attacks in the leg.
.
Mechanics of the heelhook:
1️⃣Isolate the lower leg by squeezing the femur.
2️⃣Put the opponent’s toes in your armpit.
3️⃣Connect to the opponent’s heel to use as your fulcrum to apply torque.
Two options for the finish.
?️Rotate the tibia: this primarily stresses the ligaments in the knee.
?️Rotate the foot: this primarily stresses the ligaments in the ankle.
.
Why is this important for a grappler to know?
1️⃣For optimal finishing mechanics you should know joint anatomy to maximize the effectiveness of the lock. This also allows you to troubleshoot if finishing is difficult.
2️⃣You should know what kind of damage you are about to do to your opponent/training partner, especially in the context of your training.
Competition is one thing, but if your training partner isn’t tapping maybe it is better to let it go opposed to crippling them.

Biomechanics of the Armbar
•••••••••••
The armbar, arguably the most iconic technique in grappling, is a submission that involves hyperextension of the elbow joint (humeroulnar joint). While there are two other joints around the elbow region: 1️⃣humeroradial 2️⃣radioulnar joint
the humeroulnar joint is the primary joint involved in elbow extension. After years of grappling many martial artists may lose a bit of range, but the average person should have about 5 degrees of hyperextension.
.
There are a variety of structures that limit hyperextension: 1️⃣muscle
2️⃣ligaments
3️⃣the bony articulation of the humerus and the ulna.
4️⃣The joint capsule is connective tissue that wraps around all three joints and is supported by ligamentous structures.
The primary ligament to limit excessive extension is the ulnar or medial collateral ligament (not to be confused with the MCL in the knee), particularly the anterior fibers which are the strongest and thickest fibers of the ligament. In addition to ligamentous support muscles of the elbow and forearm help to support and resist excessive motion, particularly the wrist flexors and pronators which act as dynamic medial stabilizers.
.
As the UCL is a fairly thick ligament and it is a highly innervated structure, the mechanoreceptors within the structure help detect passive tension. This is why there is a relatively moderate amount of time from when the submission begins and when damage occurs compared to a leg attack.
.
Humeroulnar hyperextension often leads to ligament strain of rupture, however if force is continued then dislocation of the ulna from the humerus can occur. While the muscles may become strained they are not likely to tear, more likely the muscle’s attachment on the ulna will rip off the main structure (avulsion fracture).

Mechanics of the toehold leg lock
•••••••••••••••
A torque force combining plantarflexion and inversion motion to the ankle often results in ligament sprain. With sufficient force ligament rupture and ankle dislocation can occur.

How to heelhook proof your knees
•••••••••••••••••
The heelhook is arguably the most devastating joint lock in grappling because of the potential damage it can cause to the knee and ankle. With the recent rise in popularity with this leglock how can you minimize the risk for heelhook-related injuries?
.
1️⃣Maximize mobility: Increased joint mobility means there is more time before an injury occurs. This will give more time to attempt an escape.

2️⃣Joint specific end range stability: Active control of extreme ranges will help make those ranges more resilient to injury. This can help mitigate an injury if one occurs.

3️⃣Weight bearing resistance training: Ligament hypertrophy occurs via direct loading. Resistance training is an excellent way to properly load the tissue.

4️⃣Know when to tap: Even if your ligaments are strong and your knee is mobile there is a point everyone has to tap. The intention of this video is to minimize injury and tapping is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
.
Reference: Grzelak, P., Podgorski, M., Stefanczyk, L., Krochmalski, M., & Domzalski, M. (2012). Hypertrophied cruciate ligament in high performance weightlifters observed in magnetic resonance imaging. International orthopaedics, 36(8), 1715-1719.

Do you have tight hips from jiu jitsu?
•••••••••••••••••••••
Has extensive time playing guard lead to tightness in the front of your hips? Too often people stretch without checking if it should be stretched.
.
Assessment: controlled articular rotation (CARs) are an excellent tool to assess for range of motion deficits. If you feel thigh tightness when you bring your leg back or are unable to get your thigh past parallel with your torso you may have hip flexor / quad tightness. .
Treatment:
1️⃣Passively stretch your hip flexor for approximately 1.5-2 minutes. Make sure to tilt your tail bone under you to avoid overly stressing your lumbar spine or hip joint.
2️⃣PAIL/RAIL: Neurologically activate your new range by actively isometrically loading your hip flexor / quad. After a prolonged hold follow by isometrically holding your glut / hamstrings. Repeat. ❌Do not continue if there is pain.
This allows for improved ACTIVE mobility vs only improving less useable PASSIVE flexibility. ✳️cramping may occur: this is neurological confusion from your body not understanding how to active the shortened range. This diminishes with practice.
.
Don’t let mobility deficits interfere with your options for potential jiu jitsu techniques.

Flying submissions are an excellent way for jiu jitsu players to deal with an opponent with superior standup grappling.

Talocrural joint manipulation with x-guard cradle
••••••••••••••••••••
My training partner had a “tight” ankle after a session of drilling heel hooks. Quick assessment revealed a mild hypomobile talocrural joint. A functional release technique- x-guard leg cradle was used for proper positioning to isolate the ankle. After the manipulation my training partner had more mobility and less complaints of stiffness. .
A follow up with ankle CARs and PAILs to re-educate the nervous system for improved long term ankle mobility.
.
With the recent popularity of leg locks in modern Jiu jitsu competitions it is important for practitioners to maintain adequate ankle mobility.
.
@drandreospina

Flexibility vs. Mobility
•••••••••••••••••••
Flexibility: The ability to passively lengthen a muscle(s) through a range of motion.
Mobility: The ability to move a joint freely through it’s full range of motion.
.
While many people pursuing MOBILITY often they choose exercises that primarily improve their FLEXIBILITY. While flexibility is a component of mobility FLEXIBILITY does NOT equal MOBILITY. Once a new range is reached an active component is necessary to be able to use the new range effectively.

“The choke is the King, the armlock is the Queen, and the footlock is the dirty thief in the night. – @deanlisterbjj .
Heel hooks are a high percentage submission in nogi grappling because they defy many principles in Jiu jitsu.
.
Jiu jitsu is a grappling system designed to control and disable an opponent by achieving dominant positioning. This generally involves bringing the opponent to the ground, clearing the legs to establish a pin before finishing the opponent.
Leg locks break all of these rules. Leg attacks can be entered from standing, inferior positions (such as mount), or used instead of passing. Heel hooks and other leg attacks challenge the accepted model and prove to be an effective alternative.

FR Americana joint mobilization with level 2 PAILs. We’re addressing a shoulder external rotation deficit post op shoulder surgery.
.
Repost @dynamixmma (@get_repost)
・・・
BJJ = Americana to destroy the shoulder
⬇️
Physical therapy = Americana to rehab the shoulder
•
We’re blessed to have @doctor_kickass on the team to fix people when they’re broken ???‍⚕️???

“MARCELOTINE”
•••••••••••••••
One of my favorite guillotine variations. This variation was popularized by Marcelo Garcia.