swedesboro-martial-arts-academy

Chinese Wrestling: What is Shuai Jiao

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 17:57:25 GMT

Finding China’s martial arts renaissance in a 4,000-year-old wrestling system

Reposted from a previous article written by Chris Massari for Bloody Elbow

The Grandfather of the Martial Arts in the Modern Era

Nearly 30 years ago, martial arts forever changed.

UFC 1 was a catalyst to forever reshape the ideology, foundation, education, approach and very make up of self-defense and the martial arts.

Simply put, the Gracie family changed the game.

Without neglecting the history of Shoot Boxing, Catch Wrestling, Pancrase, Vale Tudo and even the philosophies of individuals like Bruce Lee and other multi-martial art disciplines pre-UFC, the practice of “cross-training” wasn’t mainstream among western practitioners, nor was it thought of as something integral to becoming a successful or even competent martial artist. Historical nuances aside, this event in 1993 can be seen as a defining marker in martial arts and how the culture shifted to where it is now.

In that span of three decades, we’ve seen martial arts grow from traditional based systems, rigid, linear and structured, to the basics of mixed martial arts. Slowly dipping their toes into what it means to train in multiple disciplines, before fast forwarding only a few years, where the practice starts to culminate in the ultimate form of cross training found in the “complete martial artists” like George St. Pierre or Jon Jones.

And as mixed martial arts continued to grow and adapt, traditional styles began to die in the early years of internet forums.

The Bullshido days of MMA.

Yet, instead of dying, some traditional systems reinvented themselves and modernized with this changing landscape. Practitioners like Lyoto Machida, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Michael Page or Anthony Pettis to name only a few, began surfacing years later and proving their styles had a place among these modernized systems.

But, unlike other styles, one of the most ancient systems of fighting, Kung Fu and the martial arts of China, hold almost zero influence in 2019 and never regained that foothold of relevancy it once had. After UFC 1 and the ushering in of the next era of martial arts, Kung Fu was faced with the dilemma all traditional martial arts were: adapt or die.

The difference? Unlike Karate or Taekwondo who adapted, Kung Fu never recovered in Western combat sports since, and in some cases, globally too.

The reason is simple. An internet search of “Kung Fu versus” can provide an almost a perpetual stream of videos of Kung Fu experts in Gracie style challenge matches or “dojo storms” against blue belt level grapplers or western boxers with only a few years of training. All of them ended with the same invalidating results, leaving Kung Fu currently on life support.

Gene Ching, the associate publisher of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine and KungFuMagazine.com, as well as a weapons master featured on El Rey Networks’ Man At Arms, was asked why Kung Fu hasn’t found success in Western combat sports.

“One reason is that China has a romantic notion of martial arts, and the kind of braggadocio seen in MMA (ie. Khabib vs. McGregor) doesn’t fit within their cultural view, so it’s not encouraged. When you have MMA fighters challenging Tai Chi practitioners, that’s painfully tone deaf in terms of what each style looks to achieve. But, China is starting to come around. ONE Championship just crossed a quarter billion in total capital, and while that’s Singapore, not China, well, that’s where Crazy Rich Asians is set, right?

Another reason is that Kung Fu is working for a longer game, so it’s more sophisticated, and in this case, to a fault. A practitioner doesn’t really come into mastery until their thirties, and that’s outside the window of MMA competitors. A simpler way to look at this is that if someone pursues Kung Fu in earnest, they have to study dozens of cold-arm weapons. That’s time that an MMA competitor will spend training fighting, so they are more focused. Kung Fu can be stripped down to just sparring, which is essentially what Sanda is, and that has achieved some level of success in MMA.”

The issue with Sanda or Sanshou, is most would barely recognize the difference between it and any other kickboxing related practices. There have been a handful of notable Sanshou-based MMA fighters such as UFC and Strikeforce veteran Cung Le, or Filipino champions like Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon, but the success of a few outliers is not going to win the hearts and minds in a systems’ ability — which Kung Fu desperately needs, unfortunately.

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting…

Kung Fu originally exploded into the Western eye in the 60’s and 70’s thanks to Chinese cinema and more specifically, through the influence of martial arts pioneer and icon Bruce Lee, as well as films from the Shaw Brothers.

These films not only promoted the art of Kung Fu to the West, but really the martial arts as a whole. It can even be argued that if it wasn’t for the Kung Fu film genre, that the martial arts might not have reached the global level of popularity and the cultural influence that it has. These films took Kung Fu and martial arts mainstream.

Still, Kung Fu’s influence has since remained, if not wholly, reserved to cinema and culture exclusively, slowly fading into obscurity in the world of hand to hand combat.

There is one individual though, who wants to change that and will take on anyone, abiding by a philosophy of “the mats don’t lie” as he puts it, in order to prove Kung Fu’s legitimacy and bringing the Chinese martial arts back into the conversation of combat application. He is Lavell Marshall, who is not only accepting all challengers, but is actively seeking them out in competition.

“My goals are to become as great as I knew I could be since I was three years old. To keep going to new levels and reach a place no one’s ever seen in this art.” Marshall states, “Through this journey, I want to show the world how great Shuai Jiao [Kung Fu] is and not just for Shuai Jiao, but for anyone and in any arena. When I’m old the whole world will know what Shuai Jiao is.”

Lavell “Shaolin” Marshall: A Jack of all Grappling Trades and a Master in One, Throwing Backs to the Mat

Marshall is a Shuai Chiao Black Belt and a multiple-time national Shuai Jiao champion on team USA, who competes regularly in Shuai Jiao internationally. He is also a state Judo Champion and has competed in Jiu-Jitsu as well. In particular, he is the star of a viral video that has made the rounds around the internet several times , where Lavell displays his grappling prowess involving a spazzy white belt. Marshall has even begun venturing into other grappling art competitions too and is finding success there in Mongolian Bökh , Kazakh Kures , Belt Wrestling , and Russian Sambo.

Lavell, who also holds a Judo Brown Belt, Taekwondo Black Belt, and Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, is a student from the famous Shuai Chiao fighting lineage of Chang Tung Sheng, Master David Lin and his teacher, Sifu Omar Harvin. Marshall, who has also appeared in Netflix’s second season of Luke Cage.

He has gone onto move to Inner Mongolia, where has also found great success in Mongolian wrestling, also called Bohk. He is the only foreigner to become a professional Inner Mongolian wrestler and the only foreigner to win a Mongolian Wrestling Nadaam (Games).

His accolades include include:

Chinese Shuaijiao (Chinese Wrestling):

USA Chinese Shuaijiao National Champion 75kg
USA Shuaijiao Nationals Winner 5x (75kg and 82kg)
Shuaijiao World Cup Winner at 82kg
Baoding International Invitational Shuaijiao Championship 3rd place 82kg
Langfang Invitational Shuaijiao Professional Tournament 3rd place 100kg

Inner Mongolian Bokh (Mongolian Wrestling):

64-wrestler Naadam (Games) Champion
32-wrestler Naadam Champion
64-wrestler Naadam 2nd place
64-wrestler Naadam 3rd place
128-wrestler Naadam 4th place
512-wrestler Naadam Top 64
Multiple time Top 16 and Top 8 in various Inner Mongolian Naadam

As far as the grappling world goes, the four kings are Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, and Sambo, and when it comes to the purely throwing arts, Judo is deity. Kung Fu may be viewed to most modern martial arts as very low on the totem pole of fighting systems, but it’s even worse when it comes to grappling, making what Marshall does that much more exciting.

He is not just an outlier in the grappling disciplines of the West. He is also the only one using a Chinese system at a high level in multiple grappling disciplines, and winning on what is traditionally an area of fighting that Kung Fu is considered one of the worst in.

Kung Fu is known as a striking art and made mainstream by Bruce Lee and again, Chinese cinema. Films of all nature in the action genre focus on the striking nature of Kung Fu. Whether it’s Drunken Boxing, Crane Style, 5 Animals, or Wing Chun, generally speaking, Kung Fu is thought of as a martial arts with zero grappling based principles or history.

Because there’s no wrestling in Kung Fu, right? Judo was the first real throwing art, right?

Wrong.

Ancient Chinese Secret: China’s Oldest Combat Based System

Shuai Jiao or Shuai Chiao, often incorrectly referred to as “Chinese Judo” and sometimes known as Chinese Wrestling , dates back over 4,000 years ago as an ancient system of military close combat or Kung Fu, in which it was referred to then as jǐao dǐ (角抵) or jiao li (角力) and translated as “horn butting”, before reaching its modern term of Shuai Jiao.

During different periods of time and Dynasties, this art was extremely popular and was not only an art of the military, but entertainment as well . It was then in the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912) that it was the art of the Shan Pu Ying , The Battalion of Excellency in Catching, who were the bodyguards to the Emperor and when it truly flourished with Chinese, Manchuria Buku and Bökh really beginning to mesh.

At one point, even women participated in entertainment based wrestling events, in the same garb as the men, shirtless with undergarments similar to Sumo. Lavell explained in more detail, this Chinese and Japanese wrestling connection, as well as other influences to Asia abroad.

“Sumo has its origins in Shuai Jiao. During the Tang Dynasty when it was called Xiang Pu, it went over to Japan and was taught to a few people. Down the line with modifications, it became Sumo. Many people will dispute this, but one thing we can’t dispute is that Japan was heavily influenced by China, and so was Sumo.

“As for Bökh, there are two main styles, Inner Mongolian and Mongolian. Inner Mongolian has developed along Shuai Jiao, so aside from uniform, it has much of the same techniques, just with a different emphasis. Mongolian Bökh also has close relations because of the Mongols taking over China and encouraging people to wrestle. Much of what is seen today is thousands of years of crossover between the two.”

Since Shuai Jiao is almost completely unknown in the West, there has been confusion that this 4,000 plus-year-old art actually borrowed techniques from more modern throwing systems, rather than the other way around.

Matt Gelfand, an international and national Shuai Jiao champion, elaborates by stating:

“Shuai Jiao can be considered the father of Chinese martial arts and also the father of most Asian wrestling or grappling arts. It’s a wrestling based art with combat and close quarter applications. However, unlike most Kung Fu styles, the focus is on throwing and takedowns as opposed to striking.”

A Phoenix in the Ashes: Reclaiming the Middle Kingdom’s Martial Glory and Where it’s Future Lies

If Kung Fu is going to have a future, then it must look to its past. An ability to excel in combat sport and to adapt to a sports-based setting, regardless of tradition or practices linked to “self-defense” is the only way to rise from it’s defeated state. The biggest hurdle Kung Fu is currently facing in the modern martial arts landscape, and more precisely in the West, is simple: results. And the only one holding it back from those results, is itself.

“Many teachers would say it’s because their techniques are “lethal”… but, realistically, most just haven’t made the jump to sport training,” Gelfand states. “Arts like Western and Thai Boxing have been tried and tested in the ring for a long time, as they make it a point to simplify concepts to fit [a sport setting]. Kung Fu styles like Praying Mantis, Wing Chun and Dragon Style involve catching and breaking limbs, which can’t really apply to sport. Most techniques, when broken down to sport concepts, look almost exactly like western boxing. If you look up Sanda or Sanshou (Chinese Kickboxing) you’ll get a glimpse of how that translates.”

Between YouTube, World Star, mixed martial arts , the internet and media overall, for a martial art to be deemed valid, you need tangible outcomes which are commonly found in some form of combat sport. This isn’t said as a negative either.

Fighting arts of all kind must be shown as capable in combat. It’s in their very design. The reason people don’t question the effectiveness of Jiu-Jitsu, Judo or Muay Thai is that not only can they take what they practice and instantly apply it in some form of sparring or sporting event, they can watch it in action from others in a competition.

The martial arts are a physical embodiment of the scientific method. It’s why they have been ever evolving throughout human history, building the validity and practicality of any given technique through constant testing. The only difference in this method is, if the thesis is proved wrong, the results generally have repercussions, and in the most serious cases, could even result in permanent injury or death.

Meaning, for theories of technique to be scientifically tested over and over again, they must be done where the researchers of this subjects, martial artists, are able to experiment safely and continuously in their study. This leaves sport training as the only way we can continue to evolve the martial arts.

A very easy case to study for this idea is the very rapid evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

One can debate the difference of “sport” versus “real” Jiu-Jitsu, however, there is no denying the Jiu-Jitsu of today is more advanced in its “vocabulary” than it was 10 years ago, let alone 50. And while within the Jiu-Jitsu community there is debate versus how the sport or game aspect of Jiu-Jitsu may have deviated from its original self-defense roots, that is a path most, if not all, combat sports take. They are forged in combat and spawn offsprings meant to foster competition that can be tested over and over again without participants facing the same consequences as war.

The debate of sport and self-defense will continue in Jiu-Jitsu regardless. Nonetheless, there are ways of testing modern Jiu-Jitsu’s competency through MMA and high-level players like Demian Maia, Ryan Hall, Gunnar Nelson, Shinya Aoki or “Jacare” Souza, to name a few, have shown Jiu-Jitsu does just fine in combat or self-defense.

Daniele Bolelli , a professor at California State University and Santa Monica College, host of the History on Fire podcast and author of On the Warrior’s Path, states:

"Historical circumstances have made Chinese martial arts considerably less effective than others at present. It’s not so much that the techniques employed in these arts are bad — in many cases they are quite sound — but the training methods and teaching methodologies are antiquated. The same thing would have happened to Japanese martial arts had it not been for people like Kano Jigoro, and their efforts to modernize the practice of martial arts. Out of all Chinese styles, Shuai Jiao is one of those that offer the most promise in terms of being adaptable to MMA.”

Cultural Renaissance over Revolution: The Future of the Chinese Martial Arts

Without diving into the 4,000 plus years of Chinese history, which includes countless revolutions, uprisings, social unrest, cultural and customs, the big question becomes, if Shuai Jiao is Kung Fu, then why hasn’t it succeeded in the West?

Marshall sheds some light on this extremely valid question:

“It comes down to the fact there aren’t [many] high level instructors and [there’s] no money. It is now growing so things are changing, but because of these reasons it has been hard to develop strong players in the West. Many of the players are hobbyist and don’t train full time like professional athletes. I am one of the exceptions.”

This is where Shuai Jiao provides so much p otential for reviving Kung Fu.

Not only is Shuai Jiao a practice that employs modern principles and can be applied over and over again in a live sparring setting, it can also do so completely removed from theory, philosophy and internal development, while still maintaining traditional and cultural roots so intertwined within Kung Fu.

Shuai Jiao, unlike Sanshou or Sanda, looks like traditional Kung Fu in the purest form. The movements look right out of the movies, but have actual practicality. The training resembles something out of ancient Shaolin, and the techniques themselves present something uniquely Chinese.

Everything about it oozes the aesthetic look of a traditional look Kung Fu system, that maintains both art and combat application.

And because of this, if there is was a martial art that returns Chinese influence to the forefront of combat and even simply conversation, it is Shuai Jiao. In 2015, Sascha Matuszak of Vice’s Fightland stated:

“Shuai Jiao is still on the outskirts of the combat sport cypher, with no real chance of grabbing the mic just yet. But, mixed martial artists are beginning to explore past the well known striking, grappling, submissions triumvirate into other, lesser known styles in search for an edge. At some point the Taiji-infused, Qin Na [Chin Na] influenced grappling and throwing game of traditional Shuai Jiao could prove useful.”

Lavell, an active Shuai Jiao competitor, is seeing that eruption of Chinese martial arts happening right now. In his opinion, it’s only a matter of time.

When asked if Shuai Jiao could compete with other grappling arts, he states:

“A question I get asked a lot and the answer is, of course, it can! I’ve competed in many competitions from popular grappling styles to ones even more obscure and on international levels for some, and found great success. Most styles of grappling can compete with others as long as you learn to adapt to the ruleset in which you are competing.”

China no longer wants to lose at its national sport, Shuai Jiao, Lavell explained. The Chinese government is backing Kung Fu now, rather than opposing it’s martial elements as they have done in the past:

“But, now the government is putting a lot of money and effort to spread their national art. There is even a pro league now and it is something you can major in at the Universities there.”

China no longer wants to fall by the wayside in something that is so closely linked to their traditions and heritage. Gene Ching states:

“The future looks bright. There’s more research published than ever. There’s more Kung Fu movies than ever. China has become a wealthy nation, and many of the new rich are enthralled with Kung Fu and what it represents. Jack Ma is a perfect example. In his wake, a few other affluent leaders have been working to preserve and revitalize martial traditions. It’s a slow yet steady rise, and it’s certainly not for everyone (no martial art is), but it is continually adapting to serve the diaspora in unique ways.”

Efforts and money are a good start, but the real ch ange won’t come unless there are students learning and then spreading their knowledge. This is, of course, the age-old conundrum that all martial arts face, as growth is found in lineage and preservation through students. Money and access are great assets but ultimately, what will really push Shuai Jiao into the mainstream is successful students which come from tangible results.

The results in hardware found in combat sports.

The career and educational options found in combat sports.

As well as the prestige, financial compensation, and fame that once again, comes from sport.

This is where Lavell Marshall believes he can be at the forefront of this renaissance and one of the driving forces behind the coming wave:

“I want to bring the highest skill level of Shuai Jiao to the West and have people here see its effectiveness. Many people are already starting to see that and largely because of what I post and do, but I want the West to truly dig deep into it and for you to see players of all styles competing and training in it.”

Within the last few years, Marshall has become more and more prominent in the social media world, with an ever growing following. While on the grappling circuit, he is achieving victory after victory in the competition space, putting himself out there to spread this art to other arts through tangible, competitive victores. He’s featured in film, as well podcasts to help inform others about Shuai Jiao. Lavell has been in an all out push in every medium and avenue that he can, in order to gain eyes and grab attention to Shuai Jiao.

Welcome to Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu and MMA

Fri, 09 May 2025 17:47:37 GMT

Welcome to Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu and MMA

Offering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Submission Grappling, Muay Thai/Kickboxing, Women's Self-Defense, Children/Teen Martial Arts and Mixed Martial Arts to the surrounding Swedesboro, Logan Township, Woolwich Township, Harrison Township, Mullica Hill, Paulsboro, Gibbstown, East Greenwich, and Oldmans Township area, in a safe and family friendly environment.

We offer martial arts training for adults, teens, kids, and preschool age children of every level and background, including hobbyists and competitors. Over three decades worth of experience in the martial arts from this veteran owned business.

Jonavin Webb: Gift Wrap Back Control to Armbar for MMA

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:59:17 GMT

Jonavin Webb: Gift Wrap Back Control to Armbar for MMA

Jonavin Webb is a UFC veteran and former Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) welterweight champion, as well as a 2nd Degree BJJ Black Belt under Brian McPherson.

Coach Webb is the head coach of the Team Webb Association, T.W.A., and the Jiu-Jitsu instructor to UFC fighters such as Sean Brady, Joe Pyfer, and Patrick Sabatini. Other black belts under Coach Jonavin include Bellator, UFC, and Invicta Fighting Championship veteran Deanna Bennett, ADCC competitor Daishi Goto, and undefeated FURY Grappling competitor and IBJFF champion Kevin Dantzler.

Academy Hygiene: Colds, Flus, and Skin Infections

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 19:59:35 GMT

Maintaining a clean training space

Below are guidelines and rules that every Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu family and student should follow to minimize the risk to themselves and the entire academy:

Street shoes should never be worn on the practice mats.
Always wear sandals, crocs, shoes, or some foot covering when leaving the mats and washing your feet in the cleaning bath before re-entering the mat.
DO NOT walk barefoot into the bathroom and return to the mat.
Students should shower immediately after EVERY practice and competition, without exception. Please emphasize to your child the importance of thoroughly cleaning every square inch of their body to get the "mat cooties" off. Liquid soap is better than bar soap since many types of skin infections can live on a wet bar of soap. This can cause recurrence of the skin infection and possibly spread it to other family members. Several commercially available anti-bacterial products were specifically designed for wrestlers and Jiu-Jitsu; Defense Soap and Wipes is one example.
Practice clothes should be washed after every practice. Other equipment (shoes, headgear, kneepads, duffel bags, gloves, etc.) should be cleaned and disinfected periodically. All new equipment should be cleaned and disinfected before the first practice.
Students should keep their fingernails trimmed short to prevent scratching themselves or their opponents. Any rough edges should be filed or trimmed.
DO NOT practice if you are sick, even if it's only a cold. Students with a fever or any potentially contagious illness should not participate to prevent the spread to the other participants. Watch film, practice alone, and go for a run, but do not practice if you are sick because you can spread illness to other students and the coaching staff. And if coaches are ill and cannot teach, that affects the entire academy.
Don't let abrasions or open sores go without evaluation by your coach. If a student has any rash, lesion, or other indication of an infectious disease, they will sit out of practice to prevent spreading the disease to hundreds of others in the school. Covering the affected area with a shirt or bandage is not an acceptable remedy. A note from a doctor stating that the skin problem is not contagious can be considered.

If any of our coaches find out a student is sick or has an abrasion, rash, or skin abnormality, we will ask you to leave the mat. To avoid embarrassment, see a doctor if you have skin abnormalities, or if you are sick, please wait until it passes.

Your health not only affects you, but it affects the entire student body and coaching staff. Ringworm, staph, or even the common cold can and will spread through the student body, potentially shutting down classes or causing teammates to miss out on training time.

We ask students and parents to ensure they follow these guidelines, examine their and their children's skin, and take the proper hygiene steps to keep the entire team healthy and safe.

Shuai Chiao: Chinese Wrestling Gi Throws

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 19:02:11 GMT

Lavell Marshall has been studying Martial Arts since age 3 in various styles but found his love in Hung Gar Kung fu and the Standing Grappling art of Baoding Shuai Chiao (Chinese Wrestling) which he continues to train and compete in on an international level. He is a student from the famous Shuai Chiao fighting lineage of Chang Tung Sheng, Master David Lin and his teacher Sifu Omar Harvin and also a student at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC. Lavell went onto received his blue belt under Vlad Koulikov (World champion SAMBO/BJJ competitor, Team USA Combat SAMBO 2008, Multiple NAGA and Grapplers Quest winner).

Lavell would then go onto move to Inner Mongolia, where has also found great success in Mongolian wrestling, also called Bohk. He is the only foreigner to become a professional Inner Mongolian wrestler and the only foreigner to win a Mongolian Wrestling Nadaam (Games).

His accolades include include:

Chinese Shuaijiao (Chinese Wrestling):

USA Chinese Shuaijiao National Champion 75kg
USA Shuaijiao Nationals Winner 5x (75kg and 82kg)
Shuaijiao World Cup Winner at 82kg
Baoding International Invitational Shuaijiao Championship 3rd place 82kg
Langfang Invitational Shuaijiao Professional Tournament 3rd place 100kg

Inner Mongolian Bokh (Mongolian Wrestling):

64-wrestler Naadam (Games) Champion
32-wrestler Naadam Champion
64-wrestler Naadam 2nd place
64-wrestler Naadam 3rd place
128-wrestler Naadam 4th place
512-wrestler Naadam Top 64
Multiple time Top 16 and Top 8 in various Inner Mongolian Naadam

Basic Guard Passing Progressions with Pete McHugh

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 17:28:22 GMT

Peter McHugh is a black belt under Professor Ricardo Almeida and teaches a basic guard passing progression to side control.

Professor McHugh is an experienced competitor in both Grappling Competition & Amateur MMA (3-0 record), as well as a black belt in Kenpo Karate. He is the owner of McHugh Jiu-Jitsu and related academies.

Ricardo Almeida Teaches the Arm-In Guillotine

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:54:55 GMT

Ricardo Almeida, fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie, a former UFC, PRIDE and Pancrase fighter, as well as ADCC silver and bronze medalist, Pan and Brazilian National champion, teaches a quick tutorial on the arm-in guillotine technique from the guard.

Professor Almeida has coached some of the best martial artists to come out of New Jersey, including Frankie Edgar, Tom DeBlass, Corey Anderson, and Marlon Moraes.

Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu falls under the lineage of Renzo Gracie.

This instructional was conducted in 2017 by Coach Chris.

O Goshi Tips with Kayla Harrison

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 20:26:22 GMT

Current UFC Bantamweight contender, former PFL lightweight champion, International Sports Hall of Famer, and 2x Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo, Kayla Harrison, teaches some tips to use the Judo throw, O Goshi or a Hip Toss, in the Gi.

This instructional was conducted in 2017 by Coach Chris.

"I'm trying to beat Superman" - Lavell Marshall

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:17:08 GMT

Lavell Marshall will be visiting Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu and MMA to host a No-Gi and Gi takedown seminar titled, "Improve your No-Gi & Gi wrestling the Shuaijiao and Mongolian Bokh Way."

This is the first time Lavell will be back in the United States from Inner Mongolia in 6 years and we are privileged to be one of the academies he will be stopping at during his trip.

He has been studying Martial Arts since age 3 in various styles but found his love in Hung Gar Kung fu and the Standing Grappling art of Baoding Shuai Chiao (Chinese Wrestling) which he continues to train and compete in on an international level. He is a student from the famous Shuai Chiao fighting lineage of Chang Tung Sheng, Master David Lin and his teacher Sifu Omar Harvin and also a student at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC. Lavell went onto received his blue belt under Vlad Koulikov (World champion SAMBO/BJJ competitor, Team USA Combat SAMBO 2008, Multiple NAGA and Grapplers Quest winner).

His accolades include include:

Chinese Shuaijiao (Chinese Wrestling):

USA Chinese Shuaijiao National Champion 75kg
USA Shuaijiao Nationals Winner 5x (75kg and 82kg)
Shuaijiao World Cup Winner at 82kg
Baoding International Invitational Shuaijiao Championship 3rd place 82kg
Langfang Invitational Shuaijiao Professional Tournament 3rd place 100kg

Inner Mongolian Bokh (Mongolian Wrestling):

64-wrestler Naadam (Games) Champion
32-wrestler Naadam Champion
64-wrestler Naadam 2nd place
64-wrestler Naadam 3rd place
128-wrestler Naadam 4th place
512-wrestler Naadam Top 64
Multiple time Top 16 and Top 8 in various Inner Mongolian Naadam

I cannot stress how beneficial this particular seminar will be to your learning experience as a martial artist, how unique it is, and most of all, how rare it is. Lavell has not been to the US in six years and is doing a personal favor by stopping by our Academy to teach between seminars in South Carolina and Boston. We might not have another opportunity to learn from him for another 6 six years or even longer, maybe ever!

Lavell is a takedown specialist and teaches wrestling styles that are nearly non-existent in the West. He specializes in jacket or gi wrestling, but his knowledge in no-gi is just as vast. This is the kind of learning opportunity that doesn't come around often, especially in the United States and we're very lucky and privileged to have Lavell teach for a few hours.

This is a unique opportunity I hope you can take advantage of!

Time & Date: September 24th at 5:30 PM

Venmo @Swedesboromma or cash at the door

Contact info@swedesboromma.com

Here is a clip of an interview Coach Chris had with Lavell some years back while at SAMBO Fusion in NJ.

Law Enforcement and the Martial Arts

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:33:46 GMT

Professor Brian McPherson of JBM Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy and JBM FIT discusses excessive force, law enforcement, and the martial arts.

As an Adopt-A-Cop affiliate Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu and MMA believes in the importance of training law enforcement and their ability to handle the physical confrontations they must face in their duties, in a calm, controlled, and efficient manner—specifically, the value in the submission grappling arts as part of their regular training.

Professor McPherson is a student under Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida, earning his black belt from Professor Almeida in 2006 and his 1st degree from Master Gracie. McPherson has over 20+ years in law enforcement and military training. He also gave Jonavin Webb's instructor who gave him his black belt and subsequent promotions since.

As a black belt under Coach Webb, Coach Regis and Swedesboro BJJ & MMA fall under Professor McPherson's lineage of Jiu-Jitsu, as well as Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida.

This interview was conducted in 2018 by Coach Chris.

Interview with Team Webb Association Head Coach Jonavin Webb

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:37:23 GMT

interview with team webb association head coach jonavin webb

Years ago, Coach Chris did an interview with Coach Webb for Mpower International Association. Check it out!

Martial Arts in the Digital Age

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 20:49:03 GMT

This post was originally featured on bloody elbow

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own fs om a different source.

As the world remains locked inside and quarantined due to COVID-19, home confinement solutions to this dilemma have been found using the tools of the internet. Martial arts, of course, has been no different. These tools have always been there with the only difference now, it’s become a supplemental necessity, rather than nicety.

When I originally mapped this article out a few months ago, I believed the martial arts world was experiencing an evolutionary point in its history, thanks to an increase of world-class competitors and champions releasing volumes of high-quality instructional content.

Sites such as BJJ Fanatics , who have some of the most notable and prominent instructors providing material from Andre Galvao, Kazushi Sakuraba, Craig Jones, Garry Tonon, John Danaher, and a library of who’s who of elite grapplers that are just too numerous to mention.

However, there’s also Digitsu who feature names like Lucas Lepri, Reilly Bodycomb and Eddie Cummings. Gumroad has a Saenchai series . Techniqly offers a leg attack instructional by Imanari. Or Ryan Hall, one of Jiu-Jitsu’s favorite instructional coaches, recently launched Ryan Hall Online and hosts his own online instruction course in the same way others have before him, such as Buchecha Online , Marcelo Garcia In Action or Gracie University .

These are just examples of the cost-based instructional outlets you can find online. If you then add in free resources like YouTube, Instagram or Facebook, the number of online instructionals to consume becomes endless.

The sheer amount of content available might be at an all-time high, but, haven’t instructionals and these kinds of resources been around for a while? Absolutely.

Plenty of people credit Gracie Jiu-Jitsu In-Action to their introduction to Jiu-Jitsu, and if you want to get niche, catch wrestlers and submission grapplers hold the Submission Master set by Yoshiaki Fujiwara in extremely high regard. And before VHS or DVD, countless individuals would tear out pages from Black Belt Magazine or Kung Fu Magazine to practice the stop motion action images.

So, how is right now different than at any other point? It’s accessibility, quality, quantity, and availability that make our present situation unique, and the Coronavirus forcing martial artists into isolation is only adding gasoline to an already burgeoning fire.

Yes, the Gracie, Marcelo Garcia, Demian Maia, Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, as well as Eddie Bravo and many others have all produced quality instructionals since the 90s that we’re groundbreaking for that period and highly influential.

Nevertheless, they had limits in comparison. Streaming automatically makes the implementation of whatever you’re learning more seamless, efficient and above all, convenient in comparison to a DVD or VHS player. Second, what’s even more crucial than ease of use, is the production itself. Producing a DVD or VHS takes man-hours, physical resources, time, investment, financial demands, and multiple parties and moving parts to create compared to modern tools.

For argument’s sake, as long as you have a cell phone and know how to work editing software, you could record for an hour, take another hour to cut and edit, add the time it takes to upload to the internet and bam! Instructional released.

And in terms of real-world examples, the Self Mastery: Solo BJJ Training Drills by John Danaher released by BJJ Fanatics is exactly that. Created, filmed and released all during the start of quarantines from the coronavirus. An impossibility pre-2010. And if it was, the quality wouldn’t be as good, the reach as wide, or the ability to share it as simple as it is now. So much so, it crashed the BJJ Fanatics site.

And again, yes, Mastering the System , fightTIPS , BJJ Scout , Lawrence Kenshin and countless others have existed on YouTube, all of which are fantastic, educational and extremely valuable. However, they’re free resources, and most professional or world-class instructors are only going to give away so much for free on the internet. That’s why their students pay. That’s why they host seminars. That’s how they pay the bills.

“In a closed world, you were living through your academy and each academy style was very unique due to isolation and lineage,” Loic Thouvenot, better known around /r/bjj/ under the handle ckaa , said.

Thouvenot, who has black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Full Contact Karate, works as a Philosopher specializing in Martial Arts Epistemology in Information Technologies, and is currently working on his Ph.D.. He spoke about the shift from keeping school “secrets” to freely sharing them.

“If we think back, people used to try and reverse-engineer matches from the Danaher Death Squad leglock system,” he said. “Danaher's crew were terrorizing the competition with leglocks and nobody understood why they had more success with it, compared to Sambo guys or the Japanese leg lockers. Everyone tried to reverse-engineer it to get access to the knowledge, because the Renzo guys were not giving any clue freely. Nowadays, you have Danaher himself, explaining why and how to perform and execute these techniques. That’s unheard of.

“I think that Marcelo Garcia was the first to do it really,” Thouvenot continued. “Of course, you had instructionals before him. However, his online site was something groundbreaking and the most important aspect of it is, that even if you could literally "spy" on his classes, he was still the number 1 in his division and subbing everyone. So, the "secret" thing was not so important anymore, because even the best grappler on the planet was explaining everything about himself and still winning. I think people are starting to realize that secrets don't win championships. It can be a tool when you are an up and comer, but when reaching the highest levels of your field, people understand or will understand enough about what you are doing. The new example being, of course, Gordon Ryan.”

Gordon Ryan, arguably one of, if not the greatest No-Gi grappler of all time next to Marcelo Garcia and has released multiple instructionals. Specifically, he’s even gone so far as to break down every match and moment on how he won double gold at ADCC in 2019, from his strategy to decision making in My Evolution Your Revolution . A world-class competitor providing crucial insight that would most likely have been sealed off, except for a select few individuals within his team.

Jiu-Jitsu will never have the cultural impact or influence of boxing. Yet, how many boxing historians, fighters or fans would have killed to listen to Muhammad Ali breakdown Thrilla in Manila and how he dismantled Joe Frazier with round to round commentary, dissection of technique and application of tactics. Probably a lot right?

We're in an information golden age, where instructors and world-class martial artists can put forth invaluable instruction to anyone around the world, for relatively little expense -- like a trip to Boston during a pandemic that launched and crashed a website a few days later.

The trajectory the internet has put the combat arts on is a pivotal shift in its history. Martial arts have always been a restricted and limited information stream, constricted primarily as a student and teacher interaction, typical of any craft or trade:

Master knows technique. Master teaches technique to Student. Student becomes Master. Rinse and repeat.

This distribution of knowledge isn’t always vertical or linear and occurs at other intervals as well. But, without that physical communication, martial arts is limited in its exchange of information.

It also can’t be overlooked that combat education has been open-source for most of its history and has notoriously been taught with varying degrees of gatekeeping since the practice was codified. Access to proper training for centuries was limited to family pedigree, birth, race, class, financial income, or geography, and it generally dictated what you could or couldn’t learn.

A well-known example is Bruce Lee’s famous showdown with Wong Jack Man, which according to tradition and myth, transpired because Lee was teaching Chinese martial arts to foreigners. Within Jiu-Jitsu context, the Gracies not teaching certain tips to foreigners to make technique work eventually caused a rift between the family, and Carlson Gracie who disagreed with this philosophy.

While restrictions to learning are no longer limited in the same fashion as the past, it doesn’t mean the “gatekeeping” has stopped. How often can you browse reddit’s jiu-jitsu hub and find some white or blue belt expressing pushback on cross-training or visiting another academy, directly hindering the growth of their training?

An instructor is a limited source of information. Without physically interacting with another source of knowledge, Master or Student, new data or technique can’t be spread, and the evolution of martial arts gets locked into what it was until UFC 1: a handing down of one set of information and principles linearly and creating the insular systems and styles of traditional martial arts.

Thanks to technology however, this can now happen without ever coming in contact with the Master teaching it.

“I’ve seen Eddie Bravo doing it on YouTube and I practiced it, practiced it, and practiced it,” Bryce Mitchell said in 2019, after performing the second twister in UFC history . “I remember every step that he told me. I even know the Peruvian twister – it’s the tighter version. I really paid a lot of attention to that video.”

Imagine the number of martial artists who have nothing to do but watch “film” as they’re locked inside, and will take this new knowledge and apply it the second they return to the mats.

I’m not saying two-week white belts will be executing complex grappling sequences to “bolos” after watching videos throughout their quarantine. But is it a stretch to believe individuals who were closed off in one academy, won’t be exposed to new ideas supplementing training? Or others won’t advance at a minimum in their outlook, thanks to the influence of an instructional?

The instant availability in technique improvement or advancement in just your approach, from streaming, is unprecedented. It almost becomes a real-life loot crate provided by any instructor around the world. Every time a new “DVD” is released or a piece of content uploaded, there comes the potential for a tangible ‘level up’ in your game that can completely enhance your abilities in real, definitive, and practical ways.

“I believe someone can make a big shift in their training and technique through the use of instructionals. That’s a huge yes because I am a perfect example of it,” said Vladislav Koulikov, a world-renowned Sambo practitioner and Shaui Jiao champion, who has produced instructionals of his own on both BJJ Fanatics and Digitsu . “My Jiu-Jitsu journey was a strange one. Until recently, when I met Mike Palladino and Formiga, I had no instructor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or formal training. All of my competition was done by utilizing my Sambo skills. So, to learn Jiu-Jitsu, I watched film. VHS’s in particular back in the day. Instructionals can drastically change your game. The availability of so many great instructors at your fingertips, so to speak, has completely shifted the paradigm of learning.”

We are experiencing a unique and groundbreaking pivot in martial arts history, unlike any other and one that I think will begin to bear more and more fruit in the near future. Unfortunately, this instructional boom seems to have mainly been a BJJ or grappling art only experience thus far.

Thanh Le , a TUF and Dana White's Contender Series veteran, currently fighting for ONE Championship, feels there’s a lack of striking related instructionals on the market currently.

“I honestly think it’s a cultural thing. Striking culture is kind of like a wide receiver persona in the martial arts, at least in my opinion,” Le, who is a BJJ brown belt under Ryan Hall, explained. “It's very image-oriented and very focused on things that you don’t intellectually think through because guys are blessed with it naturally. Things such as speed, power, natural talent, or the ‘vision,’ which is completely wrong. It’s a martial art, just like Jiu-Jitsu is. The tactics, strategies, reads, setups and great positioning are what make a striker great, not just their speed and power.

“I feel like a lot of people who chose Jiu-Jitsu as their art of choice, weren’t usually the most athletic guys in the room. That’s what makes Jiu-Jitsu so awesome! It doesn’t matter if you aren’t an athlete. If you use leverage and know how to base properly, it can overcome natural athleticism with ease. Jiu-Jitsu just naturally attracts the thinker and striking usually attracts more meathead mentalities. It’s actually a goal of mine, to eventually have a site like that for the stand-up arts, but with more about the HOW to fight, the tactical aspect and less focused on combinations or drills.”

This same sentiment is echoed by Thouvenot, who states, “BJJ and MMA are the most intellectual form of combat sports, so it's natural to think of it as the ones having the most success with instructionals. Ironically, I am a striking coach and was a pure striker before going to BJJ. I remember two quick videos that changed my whole striking life: one from Bill Wallace and the other video was truly a gem from Floyd Mayweather Jr., where he explained how he structured his defensive strategy and counter-punching style. If someone can get Mayweather to publish something or create an instructional, it would be something truly great.”

The opportunity for even more diverse instructionals within a combat arts context is only limited by who wants to teach them, and the options for every art to dive into intellectual studies to their approach, is no different then what’s taught in a seminar or within the walls of a gym.

We are in a historic period for the martial arts, where education from the best on the planet is readily available and with steady flows of new content in the equivalent of individuals like Kano Jigoro, Mitsuyo Maeda, Joe Lewis, Farmer Burns, or any other combat legend providing us invaluable information from their technique library. Information that has usually been lost over time is now being recorded, cataloged, preserved and sold.

Right now, in the Lord’s year of 2020, the greatest Jiu-Jitsu competitors in history -- from Marcelo to Ryan, Galvao, and Buchecha -- are doing just that, with more additions regularly. It’s truly a golden age for martial arts education and there has never been a better time to learn.

Original article written by Chris Massari on Bloody Elbow can be found here: https://bloodyelbow.com/2020/04/17/martial-arts-in-the-digital-age-online-instructionals-bjj-jiujitsu-mma