Free Guide
Introduction course to BJJHeadStart approach
Thank you for your interest.
Using the next 6 lessons we will introduce you to the BJJHeadStart approach for learning new takedown game. In the Bonus session we will share some insights for those who care. Afterwards we would be happy to hear about your feedback too.
This course is presenting a sample of how we look at takedowns. Takedowns is a part of the skillset you need for BJJ Standup. Join the waiting list for the BJJHeadStart Online Course if you want to improve your overall BJJ Standup training. You can join the waiting list from the section at the end of this course.
Remember that you are joining this course at your own risk. Always warm up well and add resistance to your drills only once you feel comfortable.
Enjoy the course!
Lesson 2: Poor Man’s Uchi Mata
Lesson 4: Alternative Takedown
Bonus Lesson: Why Poor Man’s Takedown?
Feedback: We want to learn too
(There is a video in each lesson for your convenience. Those are just sections from one video that you could also look at one go)
Lesson 1
Mindset adjustments
Goal in mind
Objectives for BJJ standup game
BJJ match starts standing. Purpose of the takedown is to take the fight to the ground with manageable risk and effort. Preferably ending up with advantageous situation to start the ground game.
Remember that it is not about how fancy your takedown looks like. Control is more favorable than speed.
What is the good takedown like?
It will do the trick. Nice throw that puts yourself on bad spot is not what we are looking for.
It is easy to learn/execute. These are not exactly the same, but they go together too. Easier takedown is faster to master.
It is hard to counter.
Always keep those in your mind and you are staying on the right track!
Shortcut to faster results: Grip Dominance
If you are having better grips than your opponent, your opponent is having worse grips than you. And that is what we are going to utilize. Nearly every scenario you can imagine in BJJ standup turns to your favor when you are leading with the grips. You can read more thorough explanation about that in the in the Make dominant grips your superpower - blog post.
Short summary: Building your takedown around dominant grips allows you to remove the requirement of speed and athleticism, increases your changes of securing the takedown at the same time while it makes it hard to counter.
You might think that then you need to be good at gripping. And that is right. You need to be BETTER than your opponent in gripping. But you know what, that is not an impossible task. BJJ players are not in general focusing very much on grip fighting and once you have a clear gripping goal in mind, you are already well on your way.
You will not be able to learn takedowns without any efforts for sure, but with dominant grips you can achieve results way faster than without. Therefore we call this a shortcut.
Now you are ready for your first practical lesson
Lesson 2
Poor Man’s Uchi Mata
In this lesson we cover following topics:
how to perform perform Poor Man’s Uchi Mata from an ideal grip
troubleshooting of the grip
exercise for testing whether you can score with the takedown
Grab you friend to try those instructed steps for example after a training session or on open mat.
Lesson 3
Gripping sequence
In this lesson we cover following topics:
logical gripping sequence for the Poor Man’s takedown
grip fighting mindset
realistic drilling exercise
Grab you friend to try those instructed steps for example after a training session or on open mat.
Lesson 4
Adding alternative takedown
In this lesson we cover following topics:
alternative takedown to another direction from the same setup
exercise for testing whether you can score with the takedown
realistic drilling exercise
Grab you friend to try those instructed steps for example after a training session or on open mat.
Lesson 5
Summary
In this lesson we cover following topics:
recap of the previous lessons
discussion about how to proceed
main points about the learning process for BJJ takedowns
Homework:
When you have a change, start sparring from standing as part of regular training session. Use a partner that you can trust and avoid going 100%.
HINT: When going for the grip fight, Do not accept such grips from your opponent that are blocking your game. Instead do your best to break the grips and start over. Repeat this multiple times if needed. Most likely you will notice that your partner stops fighting for the grips after some time.
Also you should always expect guard pull from your opponent. When that happens you should “switch gears” quickly to join that battle and preferably scramble pass your opponents guard.
Be mindful about what you learn and adjust your game accordingly.
Bonus Lesson
Why Poor Man’s Takedown
In this lesson we will cover the Theory behind the Poor Man’s Takedown
Poor Man’s takedown is a name for the BJJHeadStart concept that we recommend you to study and utilize in your game. This lesson will explain the logic semi-briefly but it helps if you want to better understand the why behind the concept. If you are a fresh practitioner and this feels overwhelming,, maybe revisit this section a bit later.
Some of you might also realize that the logic presented here is actually not relevant to takedowns only. Same concept can be used also to fine tune also ground techniques for BJJ. But more about that later
Full Online Course coming soon!
Thank you
If you think we are doing good job with BJJHeadStart, then we would highly appreciate if you tell that to your friends too.
As always following and liking BJJHeadStart in social media helps us to succeed too. And that enables us to produce more valuable content for you. We are planning to launch a full Online Course soon and the timing depends on the demand. To be notified when that happens, please join the waiting list (above) and complete the e-mail verification.
Thank you for your interest and for the time you spent with BJJHeadStart. Have fun and play safe.
Best Regards
Jukkis from BJJHeadStart
Feedback
We want to learn too
BJJHeadStart has been built using the feedback from the real users. This is really crucial part of making things right. We warmly welcome all the feedback. Thank you!
Please let us know what you think