Sometimes, I can be a little paranoid.  Like in class, I have these momentary freak-outs because coach always looks directly at me when he's teaching. Why's he looking at me?  Am I bleeding?  Is my nose running?  Am I the stupidest person in...

  New techniques come along daily in the BJJ world. Our Instagram’s are packed full of new and innovative ways to submit, reverse, transition and so on. Some are pretty out there, but all of these different ideas just again show us fast...

  Guard retention could be the absolute most important skill in all of BJJ. Of course, opinions may vary, but you can’t deny the need for solid guard retention on your game. The guard is wall between ourselves and our opponents and if...

  In case you haven’t guessed, this blog is directed at those who are trying to lose weight.  If your BJJ practice is resulting in excessive weight loss, I’m not in a position to help you.  I’m sorry…and also a bit jealous. Along...

  The side smash. I just love the way it sounds. This particularly uncomfortable guard pass has been one of the staples of Rafael Lovato Jr.’s passing system for years. Time and time again we’ve seen competitors at the highest levels succumb to...

  If you’ve been involved with BJJ for any amount of time, then you’ve undoubtedly heard of the knee slice pass. One of BJJ’s most common threats to any guard player, the knee slice is a great choice, gi, or no gi to...

So your spouse, or significant other has decided they want to start training Jiu Jitsu?  You are here because you want some guidance on how to be supportive, but also what you can expect from this journey, right?  Good for you! Having a...

Rather than looking at a specific technique today, I wanted to discuss how we think and act in the training room. When starting out as white belts, we just show up to class and drill whatever the coach is teaching that day.  There...

When it comes to martial arts, or self defense in general  size always becomes an issue, or at least it did. When Jiu Jitsu was introduced it was sold as the martial art that could empower a smaller grappler to take on a...

  The mount is tricky. At least it’s always been that way for me. In my earliest training days, I found it nearly impossible to stay there. Its still a challenge for me, as I am a bit smaller and I really have...

Pressure passing, headquarters, smash pass. There’s a name that’s synonymous with dominate guard passing procedures and it belongs to a man that’s been dismantling guards in a destructive fashion for many years. That man is Rafael Lovato Jr. Lovato’s BJJ career is storied...

If you’re a leg locker, then you know one of the most paramount concepts of attacking the lower body is keeping the knee line. Especially with twisting style leg attacks, this critical principle will always be something that needs careful observation. If we...

  We’re all chomping at the bit to see what Lachlan Giles has in store for his new leg lock instructional. His performance at ADCC this year will go down as one of the most memorable in history and Giles is still riding...

There are a lot of sayings out there about making the most of your time.  One of my favorites is the one that goes: What’s the best time to plant a tree? Forty Years Ago What’s the second best time to plant a...

Picture this;you are in Jiu Jitsu class and people are starting to partner up for rolls, the slight panic of a kid in middle school getting picked for a sports team runs through you. You end up with the new school jiujitiero...