One of the very first techniques I learned on the jiu jitsu mats was the armlock.  Simple, straight-forward and one of the most commonly used submissions. Over the years, I've seen or been instructed on countless variations of this foundational submission attack.  Conversely,...

The single leg take down is one of the most effective take downs in grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specifically.  In our last blog post, we discussed the double leg take down and how important it is to develop a take down game...

The double leg take down is one of the highest percentage take downs in wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and many forms of grappling.  Wrestling is often overlooked in Jiu Jitsu but can be a game changing addition to a well-rounded bjj practitioner.  One...

Knee on belly is an extremely popular position in Jiu Jitsu, rightfully so.  Whether you’re passing directly to knee on belly or transitioning from side control to knee on belly, it is a great position to maintain control and open up various submission...

   Rodrigo Cavaca's closed guard is a venus fly trap - once you are in there, he uses the gi so well that you might as well just tap.  In the video below, he shows a beautiful series you can use if your...

Rodrigo Cavaca is the best guy int he world for footlocks in a gi - period.  He is a footlock submission machine A lot of people teach footlocks, the problem is that is a gi they are easy to defend- if  the opponent...

When one looks at the majority of high level jiujiteiros, often and surprisingly the half guard is the guard of choice.  The half guard may not appear to be a dominant guard to a layman or a beginner, but as a guard it...

When you pull your opponent into closed guard, it should be the ultimate advantage - even moreso than side control or mount?  Why?  Because you control his posture and you possess way more leverage than he does: your legs control his body and...

Written by Ethan Benda WRONG! “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right”
 - Seinfeld There are A LOT of fallacies about fat-loss and food that continue to hang on regardless of how many times they...

Post Weigh-in Any level of dehydration does some damage, but since we did it the smart way, we minimized it The Damage • Dehydration of organs and tissue, including the brain • Electrolyte deficiency due to sweating • Glycogen depletion from liver, muscle,...

For everyone that starts training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it becomes an instant goal to attain their blue belt. The blue belt has a mystique to most white belts. That is because blue belts are pretty darn competent at performing Jiu Jitsu. A question that I hear a lot is “what can do I to defeat […]

Wrist locks have a bad rap in the Jiu Jitsu community. They are seen now, how leg locks were seen a few years ago. They are seen as cheap and dirty. Some even go as far to say that wrist locks do not take any skill to perform. But those people could not be more […]

The Fireman's Carry is a great takedown for BJJ fighters. Adapted from Wrestling and Judo, the fireman's carry works great for gi and no gi. The use of the lapel creates a lot of opportunities for the fireman's carry during gi base competition, and you see many BJJ competitors use variations of this technique.

The north south position is a submission only position. Since it is a dominant top position, there are no sweeps. It is a position where you can throw some quick and devastating submissions at your opponent. The most well known one is the north south choke, but one of the fastest submissions that you can […]

One of the more neglected open guard styles is the single leg x guard (SLX). It is often passed over for other open guards such as De La Riva or spider guard. But the single leg x is a fantastic guard. It leads into foot locks and sweeps. For those reasons alone, the single leg […]