The Neon Belly Podcast Drew Darce

We're back! On this episode we're talking about Rafa Mendes, his protege Cole Abate, and Rafa's contributions to the NoGi world. Below are some links from some of the techniques and rolling moments discussed in the episode. Thanks for bearing with me. I've had a summer filled with a lot of loss and illness; life goes on, and I'll continue to strive to make the best of life! I appreciate everyone's support so much! Shouts to Less Impressed More Involved's BJJ's Rafa Mendes video this week: 

Rafa Mendes vids: 
Anaconda Choke LessonGuillotine Choke LessonRafa anaconda vs Andre GalvaoRafa armlock from arm saddle vs Andre GalvaoRafa darce vs Keenan Cornelius false reapRafa anaconda vs Cole Abate false reapNoGi Leg Drag lessonRafa guard retention studyRafa NoGi FlowRafa NoGi Highlight Some things I didn't cover in the episode were tempo shifts--moments of speeding up and slowing down. Rafa told us that was a critical element of his JiuJitsu. A massive thing that I didn't discuss is Rafa was one of the first people to really seek out the bottom arm seatbelt (weak side) back control position, and strongly advocated body triangles over hooks. Rafa and his brother Gui also notoriously avoided playing half guard, and they thought it was a poor position for smaller grapplers on bottom position. They were also huge proponents of 'active toes' and not playing top positions on the tops of the feet. 

In the aftermath of Tye Ruotolo vs Garry Tonon, I expect to see Tye being a strong favorite to make the 88kg finals at ADCC, and I see Garry Tonon going into ADCC potentially looking better than ever at 77kg. People not looking at Tye as one of the best pound-for-pound guys on the planet are insane, and people writing Garry off after this loss are also insane. 

We cover a lot in today's episode--heel hooks for recreational players, as well as a super simple tip to get heel hooked less often, as well as ideas on how to start breaking down rolling footage and competition footage for study. To close out, the basics of 'inside position' are discussed, and how this can be learned through studying tape.

Links: The Andrew Wiltse heel hook video and 'Ballerina Foot' heel hook defense video by Craig Jones talked about, as well as a link to The Goldtown MMA YouTube Channel.

Thanks to BMac/10th Planet Decatur for sponsoring the podcast! Here's a link to BMac's Jedi Archive, updated weekly with content. The promo code JEDIDOLLAR will get you one month of access for $1, and it's $29 per month after that: https://bmac.mykajabi.com/a/18466/3rnpEzsV

Thanks for being patient with me, everyone! Today's episode is all about the mount. 

BTW, thanks to BMac/10th Planet Decatur for sponsoring the podcast! Here's a link to BMac's Jedi Archive, updated weekly with content. The promo code JEDIDOLLAR will get you one month of access for $1, and it's $29 per month after that: https://bmac.mykajabi.com/a/18466/3rnpEzsV

The mount is criminally slept on until the upper levels of the game. Some huge tips to improve your mount are staying relaxed, because dead weight = heavy weight. Using your head to pin their head, using the soles of your feet to "palm" their thighs, and using punch or Ezekiel choke threats to kill the kipping escapes are also helpful.

Some useful videos:
Gordon Ryan's Mount Game
BMac Punch Choke Highlight
Craig Jones Ezekiel Choke
Seph Smith Arm Triangle Tips
The Kipping Escape

ADCC has an incredibly unusual ruleset and point system. To help everyone get more familiar with these rules before the West Coast Trials this weekend on Flograppling (https://www.flograppling.com/events/7379684-2022-adcc-west-coast-trial) I wanted to talk about some of the unique aspects of this tournament. I've been watching ADCC live since 2009, and despite becoming very familiar with the rules over the years, there are even a couple new things I didn't know until recording this.

For some footage of things referenced...here's the Craig Jones vs Mason Fowler match from 2019 where you can see multiple instances of Craig not getting scored on due to him having a submission locked up while going from top to bottom. The link is time-coded to 7:44. Notice Craig is never on bottom in this transition for more than 3 seconds without the guillotine locked up. As long as that guillotine is on, points can't be scored against him: https://youtu.be/Quwf3HA9d20?t=464 Also, at 8:41 (https://youtu.be/Quwf3HA9d20?t=521) Craig rolls for a kimura and ends up on bottom, but because he initiated the kimura, points are not scored.

Here is the moment where Rafa Mendes avoided a -1 in the finals for ending up in guard because he initiated an anaconda choke on Cobrinha: https://youtu.be/5-IZHyH1Vro?t=114 and again later in the same match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-IZHyH1Vro&t=359s

Here's the exact moment in the Keenan Cornelius vs Romulo Barral match where Keenan was gets a -1 for having a knee on the mat for 3 seconds during the points-period (2nd half) of the match: https://youtu.be/4Ij4DaVhhO4?t=474

Here's the Gordon Ryan vs Xande match I referenced in regards to regulation vs OT having more weight in the event of a judge's decision: https://www.flograppling.com/video/6012782-xande-ribeiro-vs-gordon-ryan-adcc-2017-world-championships

Feel free to reach out to me anytime at https://www.instagram.com/drewdarce/

Wanted to post some quick thoughts after last night's WNO event.