Micro BJJ for Tall People

The Micro BJJ program was created for the smaller grappler, but smaller doesn’t necessarily mean shorter…

If you haven’t heard of Micro BJJ by now and you weight less than 160 pounds, you should definitely look into it. One of my good friends and instructors, Coach Dan Faggella,  has put together hours of instructional footage designed to help the smaller grappler be successful.

Ryan Hall is a good example of a taller but smaller grappler

One of the best parts of the Micro BJJ program is that Coach Dan will take reader requests from people in the Micro BJJ community. Smaller grapplers from all around the world can share thoughts, ask questions, and analyze the game while getting solid feedback.

Dan also runs a website called Science of Skill, where he writes articles, and posts the answers and feedback to some of the reader requests he gets from the Micro BJJ community.

Recently, Dan got a question from one of the Micro BJJ community members that I thought was a very interesting question. The guy who sent the question in was a lighter weight guy, but also very tall. In the article (click here to read full article), Dan goes on to show some Micro BJJ techniques for the taller grappler.

This now poses the question, how can a taller lightweight grappler use Micro BJJ to his or her advantage?

Closed Guard

A tall guy with spider-like limbs and a viscous closed guard. I’m sure most of you have seen this guy before. Maybe some of you know him. Maybe you are him.

It seems to me that a lot of taller guys prefer to use closed guard. There is nothing more frustrating than when you are trying to break a guys’ closed guard and he locks a body triangle on you. I personally think that closed guard is a great game to play if you have the length for it.

In the video, Dan explains that he has seen closed guard work very well for taller but lighter guys. He then shows a nice little technique on how to get to closed guard while avoiding getting squashed by the top guy.

Like I said, closed guard is awesome if you are taller than most. I know from experience that the guys that give me the most trouble are the lanky guys at my own weight. If I am rolling with someone who has long limbs, I try to avoid getting stuck in closed guard, for it can be a dangerous place if you are not careful.

Avoiding Getting Squashed

Another thing that the reader mentioned in his request is that guys were sometimes able to manipulate and pin his legs down because they were longer than most. Essentially, his legs were being eliminated from the picture and he was getting squashed by guys.

Rafael doing a great job bracing and framing off of Rodolfo

Dan addresses this by going into a bit of conceptual stuff. He explains that techniques like the de la riva guard are good for longer guys because they enable you to play and inside game without the threat of being squashed.

He also mentions that in order to not get squashed by your opponent, you have to constantly use your limbs to brace off of your opponent. This means always having a wall of some sort in between you and your opponent. Whether it be a knee across the torso, forearm against the neck, or foot against the hip, bracing and framing will always insure that your opponent will not have the opportunity to squash you.

I completely agree with this for a few reasons. The first being that this works well for any smaller grappler, tall or short. I play a bottom game that involves bracing and framing, and I am constantly trying not to end up flat on my back where I get squashed.

Secondly, being a shorter and smaller guy myself, I know that when I face a taller guy, my goal is to avoid his long limbs by removing them from my path and immediately closing the distance once they are no longer a threat.

So Remember:

If you are a taller but smaller grappler, the closed guard and de la riva guard may work well for you. Also, if you use your limbs as braces and avoid getting pressure applied to your torso, so will avoid getting smashed by guys trying to pass your guard.

Hope you enjoyed, make sure to check out www.MicroBJJ.com and www.ScienceofSkill.com for more on the lightweight grappling game and reader requests!

DVD Review: Micro BJJ Becoming a Giant Killer

Ever wondered how to slay a giant?

If you answered yes to this question, then look no further.

This week I will be reviewing the Latest BJJ DVD that I was able to get my hands on, Micro BJJ: Becoming a Giant Killer.

I myself am a lightweight BJJ guy, so when I got the chance to grab a DVD that’s strictly about beating larger opponents, I was all over it. Lucky for me my own instructor, light featherweight Brown Belt Dan Faggella, put this DVD together. That being said it wasn’t too difficult to obtain.

This DVD is part of the Micro BJJ series that Dan has recently released. Micro BJJ is a resource for smaller BJJ fighters and submission grapplers alike. He has this DVD, which focuses on defeating larger opponents, but also has other DVDs that involve defeating other smaller BJJ guys.

The DVD is broken down into 8 sections:

1. Escapes

2. The Guard

3. Guard Passing

4. Holding Top Position

5. From the Feet

6. Top Strategy

7. Leg Locks

8. Other Attacks

The DVD run time is about 110 minutes, so it’s a ton of content! Dan goes into great detail with the many techniques throughout the DVD, and gives many great examples of different situations.

After watching this DVD many times, I can easily say that it has been a tremendous tool for me in terms of developing my BJJ game. Rolling with larger opponents is difficult for anyone, and Dan really addressed a lot of the problems that I have experienced over the years grappling with larger people.

The sections that I got the most out of were Escapes, Guard, Holding Top Position, and Leg Locks, and this is for a few reasons.

During the Escapes section, I was able to pick up a few great techniques for escaping from inferior positions like bottom side control and bottom mount. If you have ever had someone much larger than you on top of you in side control and they know what they’re doing, then it can sometimes seem impossible to escape from bottom.

Iv’e been using some of the escape techniques with great success lately against larger opponents, and I am seeing myself ending up in those positions less and ending up more in the guard. This brings me to my next favorite section of the DVD: The Guard.

The Guard section of the Giant Killer DVD is great because Dan goes into a lot of concepts of the guard against a larger opponent. He talks about movement potential, and how that affects his range and strategy. You may night understand what all of that is, but if you watch the DVD, you most definitely will.

Holding Top Position was another one of my favorite sections because of the deeper concepts as well. I know from my own experience, that holding top position on a much larger opponent might not last that long. However, after watching this section of the DVD a few times, I have tweaked my top game a little bit and have seen improvements in my overall control from there.

Lastly, I REALLY enjoyed the Leg Lock section of this DVD.

Dan is known for defeating larger opponents in absolute divisions with his leg locks, and this section gives a good outline of the best “go-to” leg locks to use against bigger guys. He actually breaks it down in a way that shows higher percentage leg locks compared to some of the less likely leg locks that can be used against a larger opponent, giving a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

I must say, that the Micro BJJ Giant Killer DVD is a really smart choice if you weigh less than 160 lbs and are looking to improve against larger opponents. Like I mentioned a bunch of times, Dan goes into concepts a lot, and I have found that understanding overall concepts helps greatly in navigating through positions and submissions.

If you want to get your copy of it, click this link, I promise that you will not be disappointed. Like I said, all of Dan’s Micro BJJ DVDs have become some of my best tools and resources for improving my grappling game. You won’t find anything else like this out there, guaranteed.

-N