Training BJJ is not a solitary activity.  Just like it takes a village to raise a child, as the old saying goes, it takes an academy, an instructor and a lot of training partners over the years to raise a black belt.  One...

Helio Gracie, the patriarch of the Gracie family, who alongside his brother Carlos is most often credited with refining and marketing the martial art now known as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, died in 2009 at the ripe old age of 95 years old.  He...

Life moves at a breakneck pace.  Between school, careers, and family responsibilities there can sometimes seem to be very little time for activities or hobbies like BJJ.  There always seems to be something pulling us away from activities the world may see as...

Anyone who finds their way into a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy and onto those mats can speak to what a unique and life-changing activity BJJ can be.  Your first few classes may be a whirlwind of heavy breathing, confusion and fatigue but at...

One of the most effective chokes that does not get enough love in the BJJ community is the baseball bat choke. The baseball bat choke is a highly powerful choke that can be used by novices, advanced students, and even no gi competitors. The set ups are endless and it can be attained from a […]

The turtle position is one of the most underrated positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  It is imperative for bjj practitioners to feel comfortable attacking and defending from the turtle position.  Why is the turtle so important to learn?  If you are good at...

Anyone who trains BJJ knows that it is an amazing workout.  The average class at every BJJ gym and academy typically begins with a short (or sometimes long) warm-up that could include light jogging around the edges of the mats, calisthenics, stretching, and...

Picture it:  You're at the jiu jitsu academy attending class and your coach or instructor is demonstrating a move where the completion of the move involves a few twists coupled with an inversion onto the upper back and traps as he seems to...

Have you ever heard the term, pulling the trigger? If you have been around combative sporting martial arts, it is probably something that you’ve heard at least once. Usually you will hear it in Muay Thai or Kickboxing. All it means is to not be so tentative. It means to go for your attacks when […]

Sparring (or rolling) in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the reasons that the art is so effective. Unlike other styles of martial arts that perform their techniques in the air, with no real resistance, BJJ relies on actually proving its worth through sparring. BJJ students show their knowledge by using their techniques on fully […]

Whether you are a strict no gi stylist or a gi stylist, it is always good to own a good pair of spats. For those that are not familiar with the term, spats are a type of full length tights made specific for grapplers and submission wrestlers. They keep germs off of your legs, whisk […]

The full guard has endless possibilities. From the fundamentals, to all the creative things you can do from there, it is a position that is very much alive in that aspect. One of the special possibilities from the guard are wrist lock submissions. Wrist locks are quick, painful and can end a match in just […]

The full guard is one of my favorite positions. It is one of the safer positions to play, so it is low risk for you, yet dangerous for your opponents to be there. The guard allows for a ton of control with posture breaking, gi control and limb control. But, probably my favorite reason to […]

For this edition of the product spotlight series, I want to highlight some truly great pairs of shorts. For all of us that train a lot of no gi BJJ, you know you need a reliable pair of shorts. It is frowned upon to wear other athletic shorts that may have pockets or zippers on […]

For people that are new to Jiu Jitsu, the mount position can be a frustrating position. You will probably find yourself there quite a bit when you start to roll. You’ll be taken down, and your opponent will end up in mount, or you might get your guard passed. Either way, getting stuck does happen. […]