When a new student walks in the door of an academy, they don’t know what to expect. Chances are, if the atmosphere is right, they will stay, and enjoy a nice long journey, just as many who came before them. They will begin...

Deep half guard is a very interesting position in BJJ. I personally enjoy transitioning to deep half from many of the common BJJ escapes. It’s a go to for me when escaping the back, or the mount, and ending up there presents lots...

It seems that the aspect of Jiu Jitsu new students struggle with the most, on average, is guard retention. I know I did. Guard retention is unique in grappling because unlike submissions, sweeps, and guard passes, it does not place too much emphasis...

One of the most common phrases uttered in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or mixed martial arts is “get under hooks.” Under hooks are a fundamental part of grappling and wrestling that allow the person with the under hook to have substantial...

Let Half Guard Master Tom DeBlass Bring Some Extra Strength to Your Shield in Bottom Half Guard We continually discus the importance of frames in BJJ. It seems no matter the situation a frame will most likely come in to play. Whether we’re...

Delving into the world of takedowns can be extremely overwhelming. If you’re not a career martial artist, and don’t have any basic wrestling experience, it can be tough to fine some steady ground on which to begin the takedown learning process. I’ve always...

Using a two on one grip while playing guard can be extremely useful and tough to deal with when you’re on the other end. Especially in no gi, when the grips are a bit scarcer and things get a little slippery. The two...

On Saturday, February 16, 2019, the Fight 2 Win promotion held their F2Win 102 event at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.   In the main event, 2018 IBJJF World Champion Mahamed Aly, from Team Lloyd Irvin, faced the 2016...

  If you’re a fan of the looser style of guard passing, the toreando pass is probably a heavy hitter in your passing line up. Done properly the toreando can be a great way to use agility and good timing to work your...

The de la riva guard is one of the most effective guard positions used in Jiu Jitsu, especially in the gi. The reason this guard works so well is because it enables the guard player to use all four limbs, both hands and...

Drilling is the one of the best ways to quickly improve any particular skill in grappling. This is why high level grapplers consistently talk about the importance of drills. Drilling, especially high intensity drilling, reinforces the adaptation of the drilled techniques to muscle...

UFC on ESPN: Ngannou versus Velasquez took place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on February 17, 2019.  In the main event, former two time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez faced former title challenger Francis Ngannou. While Velasquez was the...

I’ve always been fascinated how high level BJJ players take the back. The best seems to be able to find it from anywhere and the transitions are downright masterful. Yet in many cases very simple. One of the most common positions to take...

In order to establish oneself is a comprehensively skilled grappler, one must also master the stand up game. This does not mean you have to become an elite wrestler that can contend with the world’s best, but to have a secure enough stand...

With Kron Gracie’s last MMA fight, we were once again reminded of the value of the rear naked choke. This submission from the back is arguably the best submission to get in Jiu Jitsu for many reasons. First, if the rear naked choke...