Jiu Jitsu training teaches one to explore and find the most efficient way to use one's body against another body to control and ultimately submit one's opponent.  Strength is typically eschewed as not the most important element of one's arsenal when learning, but...

 One of the most frustrating positions an opponent or sparring partner can assume is the turtle position.  Think about it, they are perfectly balled up and if they're smart they are keeping their elbows tight and behind the thighs.  Though generally frowned upon...

The journey to black belt is a long and winding road that will find you having many moments of frustration and many more of ecstatic joy and move through the various color belts achieving what few people ever attempt.  You participate in one...

Pressure passing is one of the best ways to deal with a tricky guard player.  Pressure passing has a common misconception of being a strength application.  Many bjj practitioners also assume that pressure passing is utilized more by heavier people. That is simple...

Much has been written about the painful shoulder submission, the Kimura.  The powerful technique where one controls the wrist of their opponent with a powerful figure-four grip on one's own wrist and utilizes leverage to torque the shoulder by driving the opponent's wrist...

Every world class jiu jitsu competitor has a particular style or technique they are known for and makes up the foundation of their BJJ game.  Lucas Leite is a multiple time world jiu jitsu champion who fights for the Checkmat affiliation under Professor...

The history and development of jiu jitsu can have some very interesting parallels to one's personal development.  In the beginning, most beginners are exposed to closed guard and the submissions and sweeps that can be initiated from this fundamental position.  As we begin...

One of the best guards in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu today is the Single Leg X Guard.   The Single Leg X guard has several benefits and has proven itself effective at the highest levels of competition.  Many World Champion Black Belts utilize the Single...

The cross choke is one of the first gi chokes that you learn in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Many people say that “it is the first choke you learn and the last one that you master.”  Bjj has a multitude of different gi chokes,...

The X Guard is one of the most popular guards in sport Jiu Jitsu today.  There are several reasons that make the X guard an incredible option for the open guard player.  The X guard has incredible sweeping power, and it is one...

Whether you are a jiu jitsu beginner or a seasoned competitor, there is one goal that we all share--to get better at BJJ.  "Better" might have varying subjective meanings for each person, but at it's foundation, jiu jitsu is a martial art focused...

Yes, you heard that right.  You are a walking advertisement.  Every time you have a friend, family member or coworker comment on those lbs you've lost, or you rep your academy t-shirt out in public, you are helping to spread what we practitioners...

Recently, we wrote post on the power of the underhook, if you’d like to check it out, click here, today we are going to discuss the power of the cross face.  The cross face and the underhook go extremely well hand in hand,...

The underhook is an extremely important element to almost all Jiu Jitsu positions.  It is an effective tool from standing positions as well as guard and passing positions.  Learning when an underhook is necessary is extremely beneficial for a Jiu Jitsu Practitioners growth....

One of the very first techniques I learned on the jiu jitsu mats was the armlock.  Simple, straight-forward and one of the most commonly used submissions. Over the years, I've seen or been instructed on countless variations of this foundational submission attack.  Conversely,...