Easton BJJ – Littleton/Highlands Ranch Kids Competition Team

The kids from Easton Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu went to California this past weekend and proved that they are apart of one of the best programs around! They went out with eight competitors and all eight were able to medal. Six of them won gold, along with one silver and one bronze medal. They conducted themselves as though they had been there a thousand times before and showed that their coaches had prepared them for what they came to do. Congratulations to all who where apart of it.

Jason C. – Gold
Dane M. – Silver
Max F. – Gold
Lauren M. – Bronze
Josh L. Gold
Cameron M. – Gold
Jared C. – Gold
Matthew P. – Gold

F14-Standup

Parrying and covering jab/crosses/and round punches

Same video as last week. Keep your elbows in, and your head down. Every time your hand shoots out for a strike, it should shoot right back to your head to cover. Don’t let it hang out there, get it back in.

F14-Ground:

Maintain low mount, Ezekiel and Americana

The focus here is maintaining the mount. As Professor Easton demonstrates, you need to be forward with your knees under you opponent’s arms, to keep him from having the leverage to buck you off.

I24-Stand up:

Thai clench and skip knees

We’ve talked about the Thai clench too. It’s an excellent opportunity to hit your opponent with elbows and knees. Here, Professor Easton demonstrates the most effective ways to hit someone with your knee. Practicing those drills will make you more fluid when the time comes to do it for real.

I24-Ground:

Armbar-triangle-armbar from guard

This is a great technique, and one every one should be familiar with at some point. It’ll teach to move back and forth while on your back, and it leads to several useful finishes. Notice what Professor Easton says about grabbing the collar. Grabbing someones collar is usually the right move when you don’t have any others.

Every week, we post our jiu jitsu technique videos that demonstrate the maneuver and skills you would learn while studying jiu jitsu at Easton BJJ. If you would like to learn jiu jitsu in Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Denver or any of our other locations, contact us today.

F13- Stand up:

Jab and cross with footwork,

Here Professor Easton demonstrates the basic strikes. No matter what type of punch you’re throwing, there are two things to always be aware of. One, the power of the strike comes from your entire body, not just the arm. Swing your hips into it with every strike, but as Professor Easton warns, don’t over extend it. Two, after every strike your hands go back up to your face and into guard. Don’t drop your guard.

F13-Ground

Basic buck and roll and knee-elbow (focus)

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I23-Stand up:

Thai clench and skip knees

Getting your opponent in the clench is an opportune time to throw some knees. Professor Easton demonstrates some great drills for getting used to throwing a knee quickly and efficiently. Notice how Professor Easton switches his hips for the barn knees, to give them a bigger impact.

I23-Ground:

Scarf hold escapes

Being able to escape a scarf hold is paramount to an effective ground game. It’s not a terribly difficult maneuver, but you need to act fast to pull it off before your opponent catches you in something unpleasant.

Every week, we post our jiu jitsu technique videos that demonstrate the maneuver and skills you would learn while studying jiu jitsu at Easton BJJ. If you would like to learn jiu jitsu in Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Denver or any of our other locations, contact us today.

F12-stand up:

Stop hands to pummel and LBC.

As this is the same video as last week, the same things apply. Watch your opponents footwork to anticipate his next move so your already moving with the counter. And forget to have the high front and low back contact points for that shearing effect on the takedown. It’s the only way the move is going to work.

F12-Ground:

100K attacks and switching sides

I 22-Stand up:

Underhook or overhook to front headlock and single

You’ll notice that Professor Easton grabs the leg opposite of the arm he’s using for the single leg, and says he prefers to go for that one. While he doesn’t explain why, it’s easy to see that’s the better move. First, it gives you better leverage to actually take your opponent down. But more importantly, notice his ending position. Professor Easton ends up on his opponents side. Had he taken the leg straight across from his arm, he would have ended up in his opponents guard. So grabbing the opposite leg saved him some considerable time and effort by leaving him in position to immediately take side control.

I22-Ground

Buck and roll, knee-elbow

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Every week, we post our jiu jitsu technique videos that demonstrate the maneuver and skills you would learn while studying jiu jitsu at Easton BJJ. If you would like to learn jiu jitsu in Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Denver or any of our other locations, contact us today.

Boulder, Denver, and Littleton schools are closed for the day. Please see your other Easton schools websites for an update on their schedule.

Enjoy the snow! Have a great day and we will see you tomorrow.

F11-Stand up:

Pummel and LBC

Professor Easton shows three different ways to take your opponent down depending on his stance. As he explains, it’s critical you have the high front and low back contact points for that shearing effect. It’s the only way the move is going to work.

F11-Ground:

Basic frame and pummel from bottom side control (pummel to back and double leg)

Blocking the arm closest to your head is paramount. If you fail to do so, you’ll be in sorry shape, and it’ll make your life much more difficult. You should also try to make the part where you come out from under your opponent as smooth as possible to keep him from having time to react.

I 21-Stand up:

Snap the head and go

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I21-Ground:

Fan sweep/Kimura/Guillotine combo

Last week, it was about attacking from the side, this week it’s from the bottom.This is a great combo. Depending on how your opponent reacts to your fan sweep, Professor Easton shows various ways you can counter it and end the match with your victory. Those drills in the beginning are also a great way to warm up before any class or mat time.

Every week, we post our jiu jitsu technique videos that demonstrate the maneuver and skills you would learn while studying jiu jitsu at Easton BJJ. If you would like to learn jiu jitsu in Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Denver or any of our other locations, contact us today.

Fundamentals Stand up:

Single Leg

As Professor Easton Demonstrates, make sure you have the hand under the leg palm down in your gable grip. It’s very embarrassing to have the leg only to watch your opponent reach down and casually break your grip. Also, keep your head high. It’s all about leverage, and you don’t want him to have any.

Fundamentals Ground:

Passing Guard

Like Professor Easton says, protect that forward arm. Stay tight, move with confidence and you should be fine. Of, course, rolling in with it is nice; you’re letting your opponent do some of the work for you.

Intermediate Stand up:

LBC

The Lower Back Clinch is a position you’re going to find yourself in a lot. Being able to have several options available as Professor Easton describes makes it a more advantageous position for you.

Intermediate Ground:

Side control top

Last week we talked about proper armbar technique, this week it’s the Americana and reverse arm lock. As Professor Easton says, you want to keep your opponent flat. Once you’re in position, splay your hips and keep them down. The arm lock is a great way to get control of your opponent because it opens so many possibilities. If nothing else, it will make life difficult for your opponent.

Every week, we post our jiu jitsu technique videos that demonstrate the maneuver and skills you would learn while studying jiu jitsu at Easton BJJ. If you would like to learn jiu jitsu in Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Denver or any of our other locations, contact us today.

Fundamentals Stand up:

Mid level Double leg

Two key points here are make sure you’re close enough and keep your head high. As Professor Easton demonstrates, starting to far away will leave you vulnerable. And if you keep your head down, you won’t have the leverage to take down your opponent and may find yourself suddenly on the receiving end of a take down.

Fundamentals Ground:

Armbar from guard, (pendulum and technical)

That movement for changing your angle is fundamental to learning good technique. Also, pay attention to getting your ankle under your knee for the triangle. The deeper you get it in there, the more effective it is and the less time the opponent has to try and stack you.

Intermediate Stand up:

Elbows

In traditional muay Thai, there are 9 different elbow strikes, making them just as versatile as punches, especially in the clinch.  Make sure you use the rotation of your body to put power behind your strike. And don’t forget the skip knee’s drill from last week, which pairs nicely with this one.

Intermediate ground:

Maintaining side control and going to mount

Remember, a lot of jiu jitsu is about hip control. Keep yours low and your opponent’s pinned. Notice how Professor Easton firmly locks his knee and elbow to his partners hips, maintaining control even while switching his hips.

If you want to learn jiu jitsu in Littleton or Highlands Ranch, Easton BJJ is the best choice for the best training!

In just four years of training at Easton BJJ, Elizabeth Tran has already accomplished what takes some jiu jitsu players a lifetime: she has gone from being the greenest beginner to become a high-level purple belt and winning multiple world championships. Always seeking new learning experiences and the toughest competitors, she has traveled from her home base of Denver, Colorado to competitions all over the map – Grappler’s Quest in Las Vegas, the PanAms in Connecticut, the Caxcudo Absolutes in Massachusetts, to name but a few. At 23, she is now a world champion, having taken her division at Worlds at every belt level and in both gi and no-gi categories.

The ultimate dream for any jiu jitsu player, however, is to make the pilgrimage to Brazil to train in the sport’s birthplace. Tran took the opportunity to do so this past summer. She spent a month in Brazil and divided her time between Grappling Fight Team (GFT) in Meier, ProCombat in Campo Grande and GFT in Recreio. Before leaving, Tran noted, “My biggest thing is always learning and just challenging myself. We’re just going to go out there and train, have a good time, and hopefully compete.”
While in Brazil she trained with other Easton BJJ teammates Phil Joo, Mary Hatcliff and Devin Rourke, people whom, in addition to the Easton professors, she views as instrumental to her success as a grappler. During the past four years she has trained at every Easton school, has gone to as many seminars as possible, and makes it a point to learn from training partners and coaches alike. It is the combination of her own dedication and hard work, coupled with the expertise of her peers in the Easton community, that have made her such a successful athlete.

“We’re such a big family, [and] anybody I talk to I learn so much from – advice, technique, everything. Honestly, I could name every single person and how they’ve affected me. Any opportunity that I have through Easton I’ve taken advantage of, and it’s made such a difference in my training.”
Tran has not been victorious in every match, but she takes the few losses she has had in stride, chalking it up to just another opportunity to grow in the sport; “I like those matches because you can prepare yourself every day, you can train all the time and prep yourself for everything, and your match can only last 10 seconds! Then you wake up, and you learn from it.”

On the last day of Tran’s time in Brazil, only hours before having to catch a plane to return home, she competed in the X-Combat tournament in Rio de Janiero. She finished all of her matches with a bow-and-arrow choke, once again dominating the competition in her division. For any Easton BJJ students interested in testing their skills through competition. Her dedication and enthusiasm for personal growth are inspiring and worthy of emulation by all.