As a BJJ practitioner, I am always looking to improve my takedown and throwing skills. While it isn’t easy, it is something that can be worked on and improved. While most people tend to learn Wrestling takedowns to add to their BJJ game, I am the opposite. I prefer to look towards Judo for my […]

It is 2017 and the Jiu Jitsu world is already preparing for some big tournaments to come. One man that closed out 2016 strong, was Atos black belt, Claudio Calasans. He was able to take home two more titles, those being the Asian Open and the South American Championship. Claudio is easily one of the […]

Luiz Panza is one of the big up and coming stars of the IBJJF black belt circuit. Panza, who is a black belt from the world famous Checkmat has beaten some of the world’s best and won some of the biggest tournaments in Jiu Jitsu. He is particularly known for his use of the closed […]

Bernardo Faria is a champion of many talents in Jiu Jitsu. His deep half and z guard games are well known in the Jiu Jitsu community as his dominating style of pressure passing. But what people forget about the multiple time BJJ champion is that he also has a world class closed guard as well. […]

I love to check out all the instructional videos put out by Travis Stevens. For those of you who do not know who that is, he is a BJJ black belt, Judo black belt and took the silver medal at the Olympics in Judo, using his unique mixture of BJJ and Judo. Travis has a […]

People that train exclusively in the gi can become pretty excellent guard passers. But when those same people come over to the no gi world, those same awesome guard passers find out how difficult in can be to pass the guard when you lose to the kimono, pant and belt grips. While many of the […]

If you know Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, then you know Felipe Pena. The Gracie Barra black belt has won almost every big tournament that matters in Jiu Jitsu. Most recently he has dethroned, “The King” Gordon Ryan in a submission only no gi match. Felipe is a master of open guards, passing and even foot locks. […]

Jose Luis Varella is a GF Fight Team black belt with a love of foot locks. But because Varella is primarily an IBJJF competitor, he has had to modify his foot lock game to fit those rules. Everyone knows how strict the IBJJF is when it comes to techniques, especially leg attack techniques. Jose has […]

The world renowned Jimmy Pedro is a master of everything Judo. The 6th degree black belt and two time Olympic bronze medalist has one of the most comprehensive and complete throwing games of any American Judoka. He also is the Judo coach that has worked extensively with BJJ and Judo star, Travis Stevens. Though he […]

Just about a month ago at the annual BJJ Pro LA tournament, Luiz Panza took home yet another championship win, adding another title to his collection. In his path to the title, he won his division by finishing all of his opponents. But in the finals, his match with Manny Diaz was especially impressive. While […]

The hip escape is single handedly one of the best escapes in all of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The hip escape works as a mount escape, side control prevention and the motion is the basis for most Jiu Jitsu techniques. It is day one stuff. In your first few BJJ classes that you’ve done, you probably […]

Any experienced Jiu Jitsu competitor knows how dangerous the various open guards can be. When you try to pass the guard of a good open guard player, you can quickly see how tricky that it can be. While you need to learn how to pass guard, there is one tool that can work well as […]

Travis Stevens is one of the most badass dudes in modern grappling today. He is a Judo black belt, Judo Olympian with a silver medal, and a BJJ black belt under John Danaher. Travis has also competed in NAGA, Grappler’s Quest and Copa Podio. He has a very well rounded game. Chokes, leg locks, throws […]

Just a little earlier this year, the Grand Slam Rio tournament was one to watch. Some of the best in the world were competing. While some talented black belts were competing, everyone had a feeling that it would come down to two of the world’s best practitioners in the 94KG category.  And those two black […]

For many people, passing the closed guard in no gi is a difficult task. With the gi, you have so many handles and grips to use, that it is with a bit more ease to perform. But when the gi comes off, it is hard to get that guard  pass. You have to know the […]