When you have aspirations of opening your own academy, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Doing things your way, being able to train around the clock, the sense of pride you’ll feel from bringing the benefits of BJJ into the lives...

Does X -guard intimidate you? I can recall a mini seminar one of my instructors was giving only a few months after I started training. I saw the advertisement at my academy and immediately I was scared by the term. X-guard. It had...

Talk about luring someone into a false sense of security. Check out this unorthodox loop choke from Alexandre Vieira. What I love about the way Alexandre sets up this particular choke, is that he’s able to coax his opponent into making a series...

When we start training BJJ, we’re all at different places in life. You may be young, old, athletic, or out of shape. You might be in the middle of a divorce, just getting out of high school, or maybe you just moved to...

Paul Moran is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, influential podcaster, and cancer survivor.  He began jiu jitsu in the mid-2000's and began his Open Mat Radio podcast not long after.  In 2012, Paul was diagnosed with rectal cancer and has spent the...

Who doesn’t love a good choke that involves weaving the gi into just the right position to force your opponent to tap? It feels good right? Using another person’s garments against them in battle has a pretty rewarding effect on our psyche. When...

When you think of escaping side control, do only the classics come to mind? Perhaps turning toward your partner, finding some frames, creating a little space, and getting your guard back? Maybe you prefer to thwart your opponent’s pressure and attacks by turning...

John Danaher has done it again.  As if his revolutionary Leg Locks:  Enter the System didn't send enough shock waves through the jiu jitsu and submission grappling world as competitors and average practitioners around the world raced to get their copy of this...

Have you ever learned a particular technique In BJJ class, only to have it completely slip your mind almost immediately after you were exposed to it? Don’t worry. Even when you think your mind isn’t paying attention, it is. Learning BJJ is an...

Your guard is one of the first lines of defense against an opponent.  Being able to keep the opponent controlled and at the proper distance is a crucial skill that you will work on for the entirety of your jiu jitsu life. Having...

I remember it clearly. I walked off the stage of a Fight to Win Pro event after a loss where I’d been beat pretty decisively. The bout was certainly my most difficult test to date. And when Tom DeBlass is in your corner,...

Seth Daniels is a martial artist and entrepreneur who has parlayed his love for jiu jitsu into one of the most prolific grappling events out there today.  He and his team, travel from city to city bringing rock concert style production to legions...

After a tough night of training, how do you make sure that your body recovers and that it is prepared to fire on all cylinders for the next training session? Of course, we have all the common supplements for muscle recovery at our...

As a fairly green BJJ student, the leglock game can be somewhat intimidating. Where do you start? What techniques should you focus on? There’s a lot of information to cut through. Like other sequences in BJJ the leglock paths connect to each other...

For those of us who can not survive without training BJJ for any extended amount of time, we may choose to visit other academies while away from home. Maybe you’re headed for summer vacation or working out of town. Whatever the case may...