Up And Coming BJJ Brown Belt Wins Big In South Korea! This past weekend, at the Spyder Invitational Finals in South Korea, brown belt sensation Johnatha Alves, shocked again as he defeated another black belt world champion in the finals of the tournament. Guard...

A brief exploration on the old adage… It is a common statement within the Jiu Jitsu community that training in the gi will make your game more technical. A major facet of this idea is that it is easier to physically control someone...

Can Swimming Help The Ground Be Your Ocean   There is much controversy regarding strength training outside of Jiu Jitsu. Some claim that it hampers our grappling skills while some claim benefits to it. Some of the greatest grapplers ever do not lift...

Aussie ADCC Vet With Another Devastating Leg Attack   The heel hook has become one of the most effective submissions in Jiu Jitsu in part because it is extremely painful but also because it is a newer technique that not everyone practices regularly....

Lasso not as complex as you think   The Lasso Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a position that provides the guard player with extensive control of their opponent’s upper body. The guard can be played against both standing and seated opponents and...

A brief exploration on the benefits of Jiu Jitsu for veterans. Some reasons to train are deeply personal. Some reasons are universal. The idea of Jiu Jitsu being therapy is a common theme within the community. While Jiu Jitsu has had a therapeutic...

An exploration of some of the factors of a great gym culture. Beyond technique, what makes a gym great? It is safe to say the first reason most of us train is for the violence. Something in our past or DNA or both...

Reflections on time spent training. Has anyone else noticed that some practitioners get strange when talking about their Jiu Jitsu age? Like a high school kid trying to buy beer, the math gets funny. The conversation usually goes something like this. “I have...

One thing we love about Tom Deblass is that his closed guard game is simple, effective, efficient and submission focused. If you've ever seen him compete or even watched some of this techniques from his half guard domination DVD series; you'll know that...

Invisible Jiu Jitsu is a concept started by Rickson Gracie and one of his students, Henry Akins. The concept is that you are able to you whole body and weight becomes distributed and aware of your every opponent's move. With the "feeling" of...

Reigning ADCC and No Gi Pan American champion Gordon Ryan (Renzo Gracie Academy) has officially signed up for the 2018 IBJJF No Gi Worlds, in the black belt ultra-heavy (unlimited) weight class. Gordon and the rest of the Danaher Death Squad usually stick...

Add this deadly tool to your passing game   Passing the guard of experienced grapplers can be relentlessly difficult at times, especially when grappling without the gi. If a guard player is good at keeping their knees close to their shoulders and shrimping,...

This weekend, Kasai Pro 4 is going down in New York City, and one of the feature bouts on the card is ADCC Champ Gordon Ryan taking on Kasai 185-pound champion Matheus Diniz. Gordon and Matheus revive the long-standing competitive rivalry between New...

  Can BJJ Keep You Safe on the Street? Law Enforcement Officers are in physical confrontations more often than perhaps any other armed professionals or citizens. This has led to many discussions within the martial arts and Law Enforcement communities regarding what martial...

Cormier becomes first athlete to defend title in multiple divisions   This Saturday, Daniel Cormier, the 2 UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion made history by defeating Derrick Lewis in the second round with a rear naked choke.  In doing so, he successfully...