Using The Cradle To Smash BJJ Guys by Neil Melanson

[@davekn74]

I know alot of people look at it as a battle of styles, which one is better. I teach my students the best way to beat someone is to use something they haven't trained. It's always beneficial to study various grappling styles.

[@karimsayed6292]

davekn74 His talkin about catch wrestling

[@johndoe4073]

10:25 - That knee lock detail is sick!

[@batgwill]

i think it's hilarious that every time he gets in a position to really brain the guy with a big punch he says 'great for mma' and looks at the camera

[@BJJ.Fanatics]

I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of some Melanson ground and pound

[@adamflynn2673]

People seem to act like there is some giant difference between these styles, like once you know one you can't ever use another. There are really just techniques, some work better than others. In my experience, most of the NO-Gi / Catch Wrestling type stuff really does work better without a Gi on, just because the friction of the Gi can get in the way. This technique is different in that the friction actually makes it EASIER to get and hold with a gi. Plus there are transitions to collar chokes all over the place from in there. This one is super useful since most guys who train BJJ are taught to turn into their opponent from side control. The only one at our school I couldn't get into this was our black instructor who pointed out that when you turn into your opponent you are always supposed to duck your head in tight to avoid stuff like this. Good stuff to know from both ends!

[@luchador1764]

Keep that Melanson coming yo.

[@AWood28]

Terrifying grappler. I watched most if not all his content online. He has forgotten more moves than most of us know.

[@TyHatfield]

In Wrestling I called that a crunch cradle, I did the same thing when I set up front corners Nelsons to a crunch Nelson

[@okish02]

I have just started in bjj and have used these concepts of the cradle to my adavntage already to shut down guys already even though i am still learning submissions.

[@ivandrago1133]

Slapping on this cradle is easy in no-gi, but much more difficult in the gi. In the gi, I can still get a modified cradle, but the full deal is much more effort and is only about 50/50.

[@ootsam]

It must suck something fierce to roll with Neil.

[@goodfortune5480]

This guy taught 1.3K BJJ people how to use the cradle, then those people smashed me. Now I will use it to smash white belts.

[@ericr2617]

This video is pure gold

[@poleag]

Instead of doing all these steps to go from nearside cradle to farside cradle, why not just immediately start going for nearside cradle submissions? Guillotine, Missou choke, Anaconda/D'arce, etc.

[@BigJamesGraham]

Jiu Jitsu guys have no idea how to defend or escape cradles

[@roninvaletudo3813]

True. I love jiu jitsu, but I have seen basic wrestling techniques completely dominate some jiu jitsu guys. Many BJJ guys are not use to the heavy top pressure of wrestlers either. Thats why its good to mix BJJ with wrestling, like Josh Barnett or Erik Paulson.

[@jayblaze6410]

Because most don't know how to identify and prevent it

[@thebirthdayskeleton2927]

It's just not a position that comes up in BJJ a lot.

[@mummra7]

i still use a pull-start mower....must be nice to be able to afford a turn-key mower!!

[@luisleduc7222]

Dude, that’s what I keep saying!

[@paultaylor107]

Not sure how you get too this position to start the cradle. Can you use it to pass guard or have you already passed in the scenario?

[@j0hn4th4nd03]

Stop arguing catch vs bjj. Study both. Grappling is Grappling put them together.

[@kickinwinghotboi883]

That's exactly what we're starting to see at ADCC now. BJJ players training in wrestling to make their whole grappling style that much more dominant. It's very interesting to see. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of pure BJJ grappling, it lacks the high intensity excitement that you see in wrestling matches. Things are definitely getting much more interesting. It resembles the way a Catch wrestler would look when in a match

[@brianmccullough8493]

Isn't Gabble grip the strongest? (wrapping the fingers around the blade of the hand)

[@MrJunga]

Sometimes yes. But here the opponent has both his hands ready to pry the fingers away. To make it harder for him he does the finger roll so that both his hands can hide and work on the grip. He explains this in another video

[@TyHatfield]

Yeah if you don't cross train and learn as much as you can and you're wasting your time just doing one thing and trying to be the best at it you'll be really great but why not be the best at a lot of things and learn as much as possible because there's so much there to learn! I love Wrestling, I love judo, I love Sambo, and I love catch but I love small circle stuff like Breaking fingers, wrists, and toes :)

[@rye-bread5236]

Ty Hatfield That's true but with cross training from my experience it can mess you up and prevent you from growing. What I mean is make sure it's compatible. Like Judo and muay Thai would be a good mix. Boxing and wrestling. But kung fu and twd might not be. They might conflict especially if master B doesn't like your flow and tries to retrain you basically.

[@misosong]

2:43....I just noticed he only has 4 toes on his left foot...i'm guessing he lost it doing warrior stuff

[@foxstevens1012]

He actually got it amputated mate because it got injured. So he had to choose between his toe and smashing guys daily at the gym.. his toe lost.

[@RoZaxTheGreat]

Its actually because he couldnt be bothered to let it heal

[@xANTHQNY]

@@RoZaxTheGreat The joint was shattered, would take a year to heal and was causing him a lot of pain. That would be a year without grappling for a toe you don't NEED.

[@supernalbjj]

I heard a overzealous hooker bit it of in a brothel in chang mie, after he neck crank wrestle fucked her.

[@chamcham123]

He is also blind in one eye. He had some kind of disease that made him blind in both eyes. Through treatment, he regained vision in his right eye. He is a true warrior. A missing toe and only one eye working. But still one of the most innovative MMA coaches. One of the few catch wrestling based MMA coaches. Check out his other videos at the BJJFanatics and FanaticWrestling websites. He seems to specialize in adapting catch wrestling (and some judo) for MMA.

[@parabel5437]

Once you have Passes the top leg couldnt you try to get a lockdown on the other leg?

[@anthonymorlett146]

Do you mean when he gets the cradle? Depends if he gets you in lockdown you can't cradle you can do a body lock tho. If you meanwhile he has the Cradle... maybe if the dude your going with is much stronger, or flexible.. It can be extremely hard to keep a cradle vs someone bigger .. I'm, 153 lbs but after 2 years of Cradling people I can say it just depends on the elbow pinch to keep the head!!! But This video I notice I have to work on my footwork and hip switch!! lol always something you miss

[@modgrip805]

I came here for heel hooks dammit!

[@fitepitsnbonfires]

Okay ,this is interesting!hmm the cradle choke

[@Firstname_Surname]

4 toes on the right foot, damn son

[@gillenmara1811]

Damn, How'd u catch that. I had to go back and look again, lol

[@Firstname_Surname]

In the military you get a sharp eye for these kinds of things hehe.

[@gillenmara1811]

Nice! You've obviously been trained well. Good eyes!

[@supernalbjj]

I heard a overzealous hooker bit it of in a brothel in chang mie, after he neck crank wrestle fucked her.

[@kingnatre]

wow looks good subscriberino

[@followerOfJesus723]

F**k!!! This guard passing technique is SICK! Niel is a BRILLIANT grappler!!

[@hhill5489]

@teknomogul tell that to the Blackzillians who had him as their lead groundfighting coach. Chief

[@hhill5489]

@teknomogul maybe you know better than Randy Couture, Karo Parisyan, Gray Maynard, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Anthony Johnson (etc.) Who all used him as a coach then

[@hhill5489]

@teknomogul besides the fact that he moved across the country and none of them are really fighting anymore?

[@blusuck]

butterfly grip O_o cool

[@clifblake]

What city and state are you guys Neil?

[@okish02]

I used this on many b jj Guys using my wrestling and stuffed them

[@superlyger]

Tokimitsu ishizawa AKA kendo Kashin-defeated and broke Ryan Gracie’s ribs in Pride FC 15.

[@seanredman5311]

superlyger many Japanese catch wrestlers beat bjj guys in mma fights and were scary as fuck

[@kuroskml01]

Look up the Gracie Hunter, dude was amazing.

[@martinjnagy]

4:22

[@PFOLEY]

WOW....

[@sofialantz1957]

nice but against somebody dosent know about wrestling or .

[@63doughnut]

Looks like that ruined his whole day.

[@alexsung4159]

very destructive.. Jesus Christ. I always wait til someone fucks up til they try to choke me with their arm... then I go for arm triangle.. but u can force it then... huh amazing...

[@anonymouse7095]

When you first demonstrated the arm triangle, you emphasized clamping the elbow against his ribs, but you didn’t do that in subsequent demonstrations. Did you forget or is that detail not important?

[@j.leonardo260]

Oh do this move and you'll have the secret answer and you'll beat any BJJ you ever face again!!!!

[@Mrtll]

This is evil😂

[@peteramarillo1817]

Wresting and catch wrestling doesn't work when you are at the bottom on your back. ground and pound doesn't work from the bottom. What's a wrestler going to do in that situation? Catch wrestling has no guard. Neither does wrestling

[@fergusjenkins9785]

You don't need to get defensive buddy he isn't saying bjj doesn't work.

[@highsoflyify]

Peter AMarillo yes they have no guard, but they have nonetheless lots of defensive moves (like scrambles and escapes). Where do you think came moves like sprawl, sit out, granby roll and the wrestlers bridge from? ;) And I'm sure Neil does also lots of BJJ stuff (atleast NoGi), so there is no reason for a catch vs bjj flame-war

[@oneDonly]

Peter AMarillo lol bro they get back to top position.

[@jrowlandj]

The man who greatly improved Gracie BJJ, Rolles Gracie, did so by traveling the world and incorporating the many styles of grappling he encountered into his BJJ. It's an evolving art, and the fact is that guys who can use more tools win more fights. Submission wrestling and BJJ are both awesome. All one need do to gain some respect for Catch is to look up Ad Santel. He ran through multiple high-level judokas in the early 1900's, black belts. Check him out.

[@22Judoka]

Outstanding response!

[@nunyabusinezz1837]

A 15 minute video for that? Really?

[@drstuartjacobsen]

im confused..did this guy give a catch wrestling black belt or bjj black belt to randy couture?