Out now! One to One With Chris Haueter: Closed Guard

We were really lucky to spend some time with BJJ OG and member of the dirty dozen; Chris Haueter recently. Chris received his black belt from Rigan Machado in 1996, a time when most of us had barely heard of Jiu Jitsu. BJJ was only just starting to rise in prominence for the first time outside of Brazil due to the popularity of the early UFC’s and the dominance of Royce Gracie and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

Apart from holding the honour of being one of the first 12 non Brazilian BJJ black belts, Chris was also the first American born competitor to compete at the Mundials and also is a Masters and Pan American champion.

Founding the Combat Base academy when he moved back to the US (Chris is also widely considered to have named this position in Jiu Jitsu as well as numerous other moves) he has continued teaching and giving seminars the world over. He is also the main coach of Matt Thornton, founder of the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) affiliation. SBG Ireland is probably one of the most famous gyms in the world being the home of multiple time UFC champion Conor McGregor and his coach John Kavanagh, who is a Matt Thornton black belt.

As well as holding his black belt for near enough a quarter of a century, Chris has wrestled extensively and trained in Muay Thai/Boxing and is also a USMC veteran. ⁠

Chris is known throughout the community as an inspirational coach with an intellectual approach – his seminars are world-famous, and a truly unique experience. This instructional is not your typical instructional – think of it more like your own private lesson with Chris, a snapshot into his philosophy on one of the key positions in Jiu Jitsu, the Closed Guard. There are tidbits of advice gleaned from decades on the mats, submissions, transitions, and even a few jokes in there; all of which will contribute to improving your closed guard. ⁠

In this instructional Chris will teach you:

– His closed guard concepts and thoughts on JiuJitsu

– How to use your body and grips to control your opponent and break down their posture

– Techniques to advance your position and attack the submission

– Counters to your opponent trying to pass your guard

– Correct finishing mechanics of various submissions