The gi can be an advantageous tool that we learn how to utilize.  Many people love training in the gi and then there are some who would prefer no gi.  Sometimes the lapels can become a nuisance, but if we learn how to...

When should you start learning leg locks?  The simple answer is today.  End of blog.  Just kidding.  There are many more factors to consider, so we're here to help you out. Let's look at the actual complexities of this question to flesh out...

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not an easy sport.  Training bjj can be very rigorous and it can be very taxing on the body.  Many people that train Jiu Jitsu are between the ages of 30 and 50 years old and it can be...

Do you even pull guard?  Do you even pull guard from the knees?  Well, if you don’t, you should.  In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu we constantly see people who pull guard when they start standing, but if it is on the knees, we typically...

Half guard is one of the most simple and effective guards.  If you spend time developing the half guard, you will be able to nullify a lot of fast paced guard passers and hit moves on everyone.  The half guard has long been...

Half guard is an extremely versatile variation of closed guard which can allow the bottom person who is maintaining the half guard to not only stop the guard pass with the use of their hook, but also help them withstand incredible weight and...

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years and paid zero attention to BJJ competitions and trends, you have no doubt watched the incredible rise in attention that the lower half of the body has been getting in jiu...

 Breaking the posture may be the single most important detail to getting sweeps and submissions in the closed guard.  The closed guard has long been considered the foundation of the guard and it has been utilized at the highest levels of both MMA...

The closed guard can be one of the most difficult positions to pass.  As beginners, many people are exposed to the closed guard early on in their career.  The closed guard is a position that even mainstream MMA fans are familiar with.  This...

The De La Riva guard has long been regarded as one of the earliest and most well-developed versions of open guard that have existed in the history of BJJ.  Popularized by its namesake Ricardo de la Riva who is credited with being the...

Being inside someone’s closed guard is one of the worst places to be.  When we first start training bjj, this is one of the only guards that many people are familiar with and we find ourselves in the closed guard very often.  Many...

Recently, the topic of opening the closed guard has sparked a debate among high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners.  Keenan Cornelius, who is infamous for his innovative approach and known for his mastery of lapels stated that opening the closed guard on the...

The leg weave pass is a powerful antidote to an opponent's half guard or Z guard.  By weaving your arm underneath their top knee shield leg and down over to either secure a grip on the bottom hook leg or all the way...

The use of half guard and all of its variations is all the rage right now.  More and more jiu jitsu practitioners are following the lead of Roberto "Gordo" Correa who was the first well-known competitor who began to popularize the half guard...

Let's talk about "old person" jiu jitsu.  I say "old person", because the previously cliched "old man jiu jitsu" is a little out of date, especially with so many female grapplers out there.  We all face the march of time equally, so let's just...