Ideas on this beautiful submission... When I first started training, leg locks and wrist locks were considered dirty moves.  I was fortunate that my schooled allowed them but not everyone trained them.  I would always feel a surge of excitement would someone would...

Ideas on this badge of honor... Like a child waiting for Santa Claus, I keep waiting for my cauliflower ear to come.  My wife is thrilled that my ears are intact. They are spotless like someone who has never seen the inside of...

Ideas on the Dojo Storm… Gordon Ryan recently said the following. “I love how people say ‘BJJ is built around respect and honor.’ No, it’s not! It is built around savage Brazilians kicking the shit out of people just because they could. Storming...

Exploring a great cause... In America, we are richly blessed with material goods in comparison to many other parts of the world. The holiday season is around the corner. It should be a reminder to help out those who are in need.  Many...

The Fans Were Head Over Heels for This Pass Renato Canuto's star is on the rise.  This Checkmat black belt from Sao Paolo who now lives in Las Vegas has made his mark on the jiu jitsu scene in recent years.  At just...

The structure of repetitions… Bruce Lee is famously quoted as saying, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times.” The idea of practice is a key component to...

Chunking, slowing it down and feedback… Bruce Lee is famously quoted as saying, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times.” The idea of practice is a key...

Getting the whole picture… I walked into the gym recently to over hear this conversation between two white belts, “It is like Rhonda Rousey said, ‘I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has...

 Even a back take can have a silver lining What's that old cliche about teaching an old dog new tricks?  Recently during a visit to Carlos Farias' academy in Arizona, Bernardo Faria met Parker Lapp and that cliche was turned on its head...

Giving sleight of hand a whole new meaning After a recent seminar in Indiana, Bernardo Faria spent some time with black belt Patrick Robinson who is a school owner there to try to figure out some very special BJJ "tricks" that Patrick shared. ...

If you train at a Brazilian JiuJitsu Academy, you have undoubtedly heard one of your fellow teammates say, or post on social media about their upcoming "fight," when referring to their pending Brazilian JiuJitsu competition. Why do some JiuJitsu practitioners refer to their...

Ideas on cutting weight for the Jiu Jitsu athlete... I know.  It is a bold choice to discuss cutting weight the day before Thanksgiving. But here we go… Weight cutting is a common practice in combat sports. There are times when the battle...

Exploring the view points... Gordon Ryan recently posted the following on his Facebook, “The biggest names in BJJ definitely do NOT compete under all rule sets. Which top 10 athlete has competed gi/no gi points with time limit, gi/no gi no time limit,...

Arnold Berdon, Rachael Ostovich’s husband, claims self-defense. The Honolulu Police Department spokesperson stated Rachael Ostovich’s husband was arrested on suspicion of second degree attempted murder. If found guilty, Berdon could be facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Honolulu Police Department...

Recently, my home academy Leverage Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which happens to be Tom DeBlass' first affiliate hosted both Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan for a No Gi Super Seminar.  These two have have the competitive resumes that only the rarest of athletes could...