Six time world champion Lucas Lepri is one of the most technical black belt competitors on the competitive scene today.  With back control being the most coveted position out there from which to conduct your submission hunting, it's also the position that most...

  Attacking the turtle is among the most common pathways of getting to the back. Even though the turtle has evolved into a much more dynamic position, there is still a great deal of back exposure for us to take advantage of. Whether...

  All BJJ players owe it to themselves to have a strong understanding of the closed guard and to be able to use it effectively. The closed guard is one of the most recognized positions in all of the sport and its deceptively...

Taking the back and maintaining it is one of the most dominating methods of control in al of BJJ. This happens in a variety of ways and there seems to be a pathway to the back from nearly every position we can think...

Taking the back, the ultimate positional goal in jiu-jitsu. Once there, victory is usually easily obtainable. With that in mind, opponents will fight to the bitter end rather than letting you have the position. There is nothing more annoying than trying to break...

Most grapplers associate butterfly guard with sweeping, or as a transition to other guards. Sure, there is the arm drag back take and the basic butterfly sweep, but most people are aware of those threats and are ready for them in rolling. Your...

Craig Jones came up quick through the ranks of the elite, and in a pretty hasty manner established himself as a force to be reckoned with at the highest levels of competition. His leg lock tool box gave him his first major glimpses...

Can a simple concept help your entire back game? Over the course of our BJJ journey we will be exposed to tons of philosophy, and different ways of thinking. I always find that the simpler and more direct these philosophies are, the more...

We commonly think of using the back-step technique to enter the legs... Many times, as we cut through using the knee slice pass, we can entice our partner by baiting the under hook, or maybe they beat us to it. From there the...

The turtle position may seem like a bad idea for many grapplers, however, lots of high level grapplers are able to defend from the turtle position very well and even use it for attacks. Often times people will use turtle as a means...

You’ve been here a million times. Your opponent has once again retreated to their knees and turtled up. The turtle is a great place to begin acquiring the back position, but its not always as easy as it may seem. If your partner...

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the mount position and taking the back are considered two of the most dominant positions to attack submissions from However both positions require a high level of control in order to prevent being counter by your opponent. Therefore, having...

I’ve always been fascinated how high level BJJ players take the back. The best seems to be able to find it from anywhere and the transitions are downright masterful. Yet in many cases very simple. One of the most common positions to take...

Let’s face it, after you get a few years of experience in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or any other grappling martial art, the closed guard becomes something easy to overlook. It is a position we are all taught from day one. The closed guard...

Stand Up X Guard by Gabriel Arges In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and other grappling martial arts, the X guard is seen as either a form of open guard or a form of half guard. That is probably why you see high level BJJ...