We receive a ton of messages from people telling us about all the different ways Keenan Online has helped them find quick wins and long term gains on the mat.
And you know what?
It feels great to read them. Because it proves to us something we’ve known for years…
… and that’s that KEENAN KNOWS HIS SH*T.
There are so many YouTube and Instagram accounts out there teaching some serious funky cold medina when it comes to Jiu Jitsu, with moves that may look cool, but most likely wouldn’t work consistently against experienced opponents.
But being able to see people make real progress and actually get good at Jiu Jitsu from the content your overlord has you distributing is a thing of beauty…
… what’s that? No, no I’m not crying, it must be the pollen in the air or something, uh-heeemmmm…
Anyway…
Not too long after 2019 IBJJF Master’s Worlds, we received this awesome message from Michael who was able to use lapel based concepts – in a position other than guard – to win his final match against an incredibly tough opponent.
But I’ll let him explain how he did it…
Just a follow up to my note telling you about my recent win at the worlds and how I credit Keenan’s lapel theory for enabling me to capture gold.
I bought the encyclopedia not too long ago so I really didn’t have enough time to properly watch and rep the moves covered before worlds – but…
Keenan’s explanations on WHY the lapel guard (and the use of the lapel) was so effective made total sense and was an absolute game-changer for me.
I recently lost 50lbs (in a year) so my balance and game had to change. Because of this, I started to begin experimenting with #lapelstuff.
I am a 52-year-old Master 5 Purple belt in the super heavy category and after winning my first two fights (one via points, one via sub) I faced my biggest challenge by far in a super tough competitor from a well known academy.
For a minion jiu jitsu practitioner like myself, there is always a major question whether the brand and quality of jiu jitsu we are taught day in and day out is comparable to the level of the Atos/Gracie/Renzo/Alliance etc gyms.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity to find out…
My opponent in the match for gold was a dominating figure – probably 6’7 with exceptionally long legs – so I knew triangles were most likely going to be a major danger for me.
As the match progressed I could tell he was trying to set up sweeps and triangles from the bottom, so I flipped into lapel mode to start presenting him with some Keenan style American Jiu Jitsu ‘puzzles’ that I figured might not have been taught at the school he trained out of.
Initially, I wrapped an arm and had it pinned quite tightly to his side – I could tell that was worrying him a fair bit.
As Keenan mentioned in his videos – if he’s worrying about me and what I’m doing – then his offense slows down and it did.
Then he turned to his side. From here, I managed to weave his lapel under his knee and locked him down tight.
I was able to cinch it tighter and tighter every time he moved. I got him basically folded over and because of that all of his offensive abilities were nullified and he was 100% in defense mode.
I passed to the side and snagged 3 points and then busied myself trying to work a collar choke for good measure.
As time expired he yelled “FUCK” quite loudly – I LOVE that because it’s the same level of frustration and swearing that I see at my home dojo when I tie up my friends with lapels.
In my mind this was an epic test between more traditional brand of jiu jitsu versus Keenan’s new and innovative “American Jiu-Jitsu”.
It was very interesting to see how frustrated my opponent (who was insanely skilled) became the moment I wrapped him up with his lapel.
This is my second World Masters Gold in two years.. (Master 5 ultra-heavy blue belt in 2018) – but I’m happy to say I’m a #lapelstuff guy now for life.
I was really happy with my performance as my opponent in the finals was a very talented guy who had GREAT instruction from one of the best in the game – and the use of Keenan’s lapel concepts worked wonders.
I’m also proud because I dm’d Keenan on Instagram with a message where I told him I was going to snag gold on his behalf.. and lo and behold… I did.
Thank you Keenan so very much for sharing your system.. now I’m going to start absorbing it as much as I can and hope to start showing more people the power of lapel stuff.
Cheers!
Michael Simmons
2019 World Master Gold Medal Winner (Mstr 5, purple super heavy)
There you have it.
If you too have a story you would like to share on how Keenan Online or the Lapel Encyclopedia helped you level up your game, feel free to send an email with the details of your success to info@keenanonline.com