Hywel Teague, editor of Fighters Only magazine, has started his own blog, Notes from Ringside. There’s all kinds of MMA and BJJ related goodness in there, as well as the odd scoop that he is able to scoop with his well-connected scooping devices.
I’m lucky enough to count Hywel as a reader of my humble scribblings, and so I direct you to his blog to return the favour.
Coincidentally, if you see Fighters Only on the shelf at your local magazine store, pick it up, it’s a great read. I especially like the guest editorials, especially when they’re written by me.
My good buddy Hywel Teague over at Fighters Only sent me this link.
It’s him performing some nice solo grappling drills on a balance ball. I just got my hands on one of these things at the start of the year, and let me tell you it’s a great tool for working out on your own.
There are a whole bunch of things you can do with a stability ball to help your grappling.
1) Improve your balance
2) Improve your “flow” on the smooth / round surface
3) Improve your constant downwards pressure; Make your transitions between positions seemless, leaving no gaps for escape
I haven’t done anything more exciting on mine than some funky pushups and stability drills, but that’s partly because my home “workout room” is 1) Japanese-sized and 2) also the laundry room , meaning if I sprawl out on the ball my nose is in my drying underpants and my toes are hanging out the window. But still, I can feel it doing good.
Anyway, on with the drill, with an explanation from Hywel himself. I always wondered how to pronounce his name… Lucky I saw this or else I would have called him “Hyoowul”.
A freestyle solo drill for BJJ players, submission grapplers or MMA fighters.
Stability ball training is very useful for grapplers in that it allows you to develop core strength, flexibility, balance and spacial awareness while working with an unpredictable piece of equipment. You can replicate moves you would usually perform when rolling as well as have fun. This is a drill when done as a warm up but is also beneficial to those are limited to solo training or are sidelined with injury and are unable to grapple.
Video by Hywel Teague, BJJ purple belt, coach certified with Straight Blast Gym International and editor of Fighters Only magazine.
Filmed at Caged Steel gym in Dewsbury, UK. Music: Probot, ‘The Emerald Law’
Click on the link to see some great photos from a Mr. Hywel Teague, who also happens to be the editor of Fighters Only, one of the best MMA magazines out there (whose November edition also includes an article I wrote!)
Martial Farts 