The 50/50 guard: BJJ Evolution

In the modern BJJ competition scene, the 50/50 guard is becoming more prevalent and more popular than ever.

10 years ago, no one was doing the 50/50 guard in competition. You just didn’t see it. Nowadays, you can watch it being used with great success in the gi and no gi competition scenes.

The 50/50 guard is definitely a groundbreaking technique to say the least, but some people feel that it is impracticable, or would rather use another set of means to achieve victory in a jiu jitsu match.

However, we have recently been seeing guys like Keenan Cornelius and the Mendes brothers absolutely smashing the competition with 50/50 guard techniques. Not to mention, Ryan Hall has been heel hooking dudes from the 50/50 guard before you probably ever heard of the 50/50 guard.

If you thought an armbar from the 50/50 guard is impossible, think again…

Keenan Cornelius, a Team Lloyd Irvin brown belt has been gaining a lot of popularity after he was able to armbar Joao Miyao from the 50/50 guard earlier this year. It was quite an impressive win to say the least, and in my opinion, the submission somewhat solidified the idea that the armbar from the 50/50 guard is a legitimately dangerous technique. Not only did it do that, but it also made me wonder how much more of this we will see in the immediate future.

Here is a clip of the match:

Keenan Cornelius is definitely a guy to watch out for, as he is one of the top players of the newer generation that is helping jiu jitsu evolve so rapidly. A lot of top guys come out of Team Lloyd Irvin, and Keenan is certainly no exception.

The 50/50 Guard in No Gi competition has been essential for its gain in popularity…

So if you watch the finals match between Rafael Mendes and Cobrinha at the 2011 ADCC  under 66kg weight division, you see a boat load of the 50/50 guard being used.

Check out the clip:

The one dangerous aspect of fighting in ADCC is that they do in fact allow heel hooks. Therefore, you see a bunch of foot lock attempts on Cobrinhas‘ part, many of them being inside heel hook attempts from the 50/50 guard. You’ll see both fighters hiding their inside foot under their outside knee is an attempt to block the potential for a heel hook.

This match just goes to show you how strategic both players have to be while in the 50/50 guard. Not only do you have to defend and prevent heel hooks and other dangerous foot locks, but you also must focus on the entanglement of your legs in relation to your opponents.

Navigating in and out of the 50/50 guard can be difficult sometimes, due to the simple fact that you and your opponent have no advantage over each other, and the guy who makes the first advance to submit or transition usually controls the match from that point on. ( Here is a great article on navigating the 50/50 guard)

BJJ is evolving more and more each day, and I predict that we will see a lot more advances in the 50/50 guard in the future.

As a farewell, here is a sweet clip of Ryan Hall doing damage with an inside heel hook from the 50/50 guard:

  -N

Modern Jiu Jitsu: The Mendes Brothers

BJJ is a game that is evolving every day. The sport and martial art of BJJ has seen more than a few pioneers and innvovators in its time. It is safe to say that BJJ is growing faster than ever.

2 of those innovators and pioneers of the modern jiu jitsu world are the Mendes brothers, Rafael and Guilherme. The Mendes brothers are a very hot topic today in the BJJ community, and with the style of BJJ that they bring to the table, it’s really no suprise.

If you are new to BJJ and haven’t heard of these guys, you need to check them out. With their raw talent and their extremely dangerous style of BJJ, they are surely a force to be reckoned with.

Rafael and Guilherme Mendes

Rafael:

Rafael Mendes in my opinion is the definition of a BJJ phenom, considering he was winning gold medals since blue belt and was smashing guys at black belt before he even turned 21. The scariest part about Rafael is that he is still getting better and evolving. I can’t even imagine what level he will be on in 5 to 10 years from n0w. He represents Team Atos, and received his black belt from Ramon Lemos in 2009. In his recent years of competition, Rafael has been absolutely dominating his weight class. Earlier this year, he defeated his long time rival and featherweight nemesis, Reubens Charles “Cobrinha”, at both The Pan American Championships and The World Championships. Rafael Mendes is an absolute monster on the mats, and is easily one of the top 5  BJJ players currently competing in the world today.

Guilherme:

Guilherme Mendes is also a super talented and hard working BJJ player. He is slightly smaller than his brother Rafael, and also dominates the majority of his weight class. Guilherme is a mastermind when it comes to BJJ innovation. He is a very cerebral BJJ player, meaning that he is an extremely smart player. Guilherme is always analyzing and improving his game through his increasing knowledge of positions, leverage, and body mechanics. Like his brother Rafael, Guilherme is also a black belt under Ramon Lemos.

As we talk about what the Mendes brothers have done as far as pioneering and innovating the jiu jitsu game, lets take a look at some of the techniques that they use on their opponents frequently in their competitive matches.

The Leg Drag:

The Mendes brothers both use this technique often in order to pass the guard of their opponent. It involves dragging the opponents leg across your body in order to face the hips away from you and placing your knee over your opponents leg to complete the pass. Check this clip of the leg drag technique in action:

De La Riva Guard Variations:

De La Riva Guard variations are another common technique displayed by the Mendes brothers. Although these techniques are very popular today and are being done by many BJJ players, the Mendes brothers are masters of it and greatly use it to their advantage. Here is a clip of The Mendes brothers putting their De La Riva Guard variations on display:

The Berimbolo:

The Berimbolo may just be one of the fanciest and most fun to watch techniques that the Mendes brothers have made popular. It involves entangling with your opponent, going inverted, and then taking your opponents’ back. It Looks a little like this:

As you can see, the dynamic between the two brothers is tremendous, and their innovation of the game has been astounding. The Mendes brothers will continue to shine in the BJJ realm for years to come, and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead in their journey through competition. My BJJ coach was lucky enough to attend one of their seminars, and even got the chance to interview them personally (you can check out the article here, it’s a must read!!).

They are truly amazing at what they do, and are perfect examples of what talent and hard work can produce.

-N