Dr. Deng

After 5 weeks of recovery from a skin infection, my leg is finally back to its normal color.

4 days ago | [YT] | 43

Dr. Deng

In this video, Marleen shows how to counter the underhook from half guard bottom. Instead of falling back for the armbar, she stays on top and finishes with a straight armlock:

Push the head down → kill the underhook
Free your knee → knee on hip for lower body control
Overhook tight → wrap the arm close to the shoulder
Step over the hip → leg behind the shoulder
Adjust, hip in, finish

Key insight from Marleen (small grappler vs. big opponent):
Finish from the top. If you fall back for the armbar and can not manage the submission, they'll lift you and escape. Stay heavy, stay in control.

4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 11

Dr. Deng

Suck at Uchi Mata? Good. That's exactly where this setup shines.

Most people think you need a perfect throw to make Uchi Mata work. But here's the secret: failing the throw can be even more dangerous.

In this video, Marleen demonstrates how the overhook Uchi Mata — even when it doesn't land as a takedown — off-balances your opponent just enough to funnel them straight into a front headlock. From there, you've got two brutal options: the D'arce choke or the Anaconda choke.

No Judo black belt required. No perfect timing. Just a simple sequence that turns your "failed" throw into a submission.

1 week ago | [YT] | 6

Dr. Deng

Healing update: The skin infection on my shin is finally fading after almost 4 weeks!🎉

Had to pause BJJ training and teaching for a bit, but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So ready to come back stronger. Onwards and upwards. 🙏🥋

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 15

Dr. Deng

Good news: I can finally go home🫶
Bad news: the doctor said “no stitches” and decided my skin should regenerate itself while the wound keeps draining😅

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 16

Dr. Deng

Marleen just hit one of the most creative submissions I’ve ever seen — and I was on the receiving end 😅

We started from Butterfly Guard. Instead of passing normally, she went to a top cradle, controlled my upper body, and then — out of nowhere — locked up an Ezekiel choke for the tap.

This wasn’t luck. This was intentional, unexpected, and honestly? Kinda genius.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

Dr. Deng

Some people are creative. Some people are annoying. But Marleen is creatively annoying — and she uses it to invent new BJJ moves.

In this video, she takes the popular K Guard system and modifies it… not to make it more efficient, but to annoy me (or maybe both). The twist? Her annoying idea actually works.

Instead of entangling my near-side leg with her far-side leg (like people normally do in K Guard), she uses her near-side leg instead. From there, she flows into calf slicers, back takes, and — because she really loves me — a full Nelson to crank my neck.

Is this the future of annoying-but-effective BJJ? Probably not.
Is it fun to watch me suffer? Definitely.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

Dr. Deng

The recovery of the skin infection on my leg didn’t go as planned, so I got re-admitted to the hospital.

Good news: no surgery needed 🙏
Bad news: my hospital stay continues until the redness disappears😮‍💨

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 9

Dr. Deng

Every BJJ practitioner knows these 5 gi chokes from mount. They're simple, straightforward, and more importantly, they can be used to set up stronger submissions, such as armbar, triangle, and arm-triangle choke. But where did they REALLY come from?

Judo. Or to be more precise: Japanese Jiu-Jitsu.

In this video, Marleen breaks down all 5 chokes—their BJJ names, their original Judo names, and what those Japanese names actually mean in English.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5

Dr. Deng

A small scratch from a long fingernail during BJJ gi training led to a severe Group A Streptococcus infection that nearly got out of control. This is my cautionary tale for every grappler who steps on the mats.

What happened:

A tiny cut on my ankle (an area my gi pants couldn't cover) from someone's untrimmed nail.

Within days, the infection spread from my ankle → shin → calf → upper leg → toward my torso.

My left lower leg swelled to nearly twice the size of my right.

The pain was so severe I couldn't walk. Hospital admission → IV antibiotics → minor surgery to rule out necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria).

Wounds left open to drain fluid and relieve pressure.

The good news: The infection is now under control with antibiotics, and I'm recovering at home. But I still need to clean the wounds myself and wear a compression sock until fully healed.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 2