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 […]

There is a style of guard play that has become extremely popular in recent years in jiu jitsu, the Z-Guard.  The Z-Guard is a position in which the guard player has an open half guard with their top leg framed at an angle across their opponent.  Why is this guard so effective?  And what does […]

Mata leao, also known as the rear naked choke is probably the highest percentage finishing technique in all of Jiu Jitsu. No matter how big, bad or tough someone is, they all will fall to the rear naked choke sometime in their lives. Because it is a high percentage choke, you will need to know […]

Bernardo Faria is a BJJ champion who is skilled at so many aspects of Jiu Jitsu. He can beat you up almost anywhere on the mat. With a multitude of championship titles and medals to his name, there are a few areas in particular that he really shines. One of those areas happens to be […]

There is one technique that almost every smaller skilled jiu jitsu practitioner uses when rolling with or competing against a larger, stronger practitioner: the arm drag.  This move is so powerful that it has determined the outcome of major championship matches worldwide.  Why is this technique so powerful?  What mechanism makes it so effective? Unlike […]

If you watch a highlight reel of five time IBJJF world champion Bernardo Faria, one key element of his game becomes apparent: his use of pressure, particularly when passing the guard. Pressure can be an extremely useful tool when dealing with an opponent’s guard, but what makes it so effective? Why is pressure passing such […]

Anyone who knows about the elite competitors of Jiu Jitsu knows of, Bernardo Faria. The BJJ black belt from Alliance has been a slayer of fellow elite Jiu Jitsu fighters across the globe. His matches are always action packed and can easily be made into a highlight reel. Faria, whose game is technical and heavy […]

The often neglected aspect of training is that of practicing escapes. While we always want to practice our offensive game of attacking our opponents, it is not always realistic. No matter how good you are, you at some point in Jiu Jitsu, whether it be on in training or in a tournament, will be put […]

With the development of many “new” guards, there has been a lack of emphasis on the most basic and fundamental guard in recent years: the closed guard. This kind of guard can be used in self defense to manage distance and control an assailant. It can also be used in competition to frustrate and ultimately […]

There are several popular sayings in jiu jitsu about drillers being killers. The reality is that even if you yourself are not a fan of drilling techniques, you can’t deny that some of the biggest, baddest names in the sport of jiu jitsu avidly drill their techniques. They do it sometimes in lieu of rolling, […]

Being able to pass the guard in Jiu Jitsu is absolutely necessary to become truly good within the art. Once you get to the guard, if you do not know how to properly pass, your game will get shut down and that is no good. To be good at guard passing, you have to have […]

One of my favorite half guard styles to play, whether it is gi or no gi is the deep half guard. The deep half guard is what I would call an advanced position. Meaning, you must learn how to play standard half guard before you can play in the deep half. It is a position […]

Bernardo Faria is one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors in the world. A constant force in some of the most prestigious competitions, Bernardo has proven that he has a heavily perfected game for Jiu Jitsu. Faria’s game can work for anyone, but can especially work for older grapplers. The concepts and positions that […]

A lot of people have strong feelings about training gi or no gi. I have heard many purists express a certain disdain for people who train only no gi, only to lose to those people in no gi competition. On the other hand, the vast majority of winners of major tournaments train in the gi, […]

 

Very often we hear tell of this always within reach, but never actually attainable “grind”.  We are told to embrace it, we are told to savor it, and the best of us strive for it on a day to day basis.  The grind is important to sports in general, but holds a special place in one on one combat, including but not limited to grappling and jiu jitsu.

“The grind” refers to the inherent suffering and literal grind of training.  In grappling it literally refers to the sensation of the mat rubbing against you, your gi rubbing against you, and of course person’s pressure and intensity grinding on you.  The grind hurts.  The grind is uncomfortable.  And the reality is that the grind is what is required to really be able to say that you put hard work in.

The grind can mean different things to different people.  It can be reflected in how a person drills or in how they roll.  It can show up in who you choose as your training partners.  Here is a hint: if you want to embrace the grind, always seek someone out who gives you no quarter, someone who forces you to work.  If your training partner is too much better than you, you will not be able to really put in work on the right level, if they are not even close to as good as you, you will not really have a challenge.  For this reason, when it comes to “The grind” it may be best to choose people just above your skill level.

To take it a step further, who you train with is not as important as HOW you train.  If you sit out between rounds, you are not embracing the grind, if you show up late and leave early you are not embracing the grind.  However if you are present and working the entire training session you are on your way.  And it is not easy.  You have to push and motivate yourself on days that you do not feel like it.

Another crucial aspect of The Grind is your willingness to put it on the line should the opportunity present itself.  Competition is not necessary to excel in jiu jitsu, but short of using your jiu jitsu in a fight (MMA or street) it is very likely the best way to test and push yourself and really see how your jiu jitsu stacks up against that of others.  It also teaches you how you react to a level of stress that is unavailable to you in the comfort and confines of your gym.

There are three major aspects of being a successful grappler: technique, physical prowess (speed, flexibility and strength) and toughness.  If you are technical but very weak and weak minded/not tough, your technique will likely fail you.  Technique is a must for toughness and physical prowess to play a roll, but once your technique is up to par, toughness is the most important aspect.  And the only way to develop toughness is through the grind.

But how does “The Grind” develop toughness?  It is similar to a Muay Thai fighter conditioning their shins.  We gradually callous our minds to the point at which bad positions and situations do not evoke terror.  We become capable of maintaining our composure regardless of where we may wind up, and thus are able to mount intelligent defenses and even attacks from positions and situations that before would have left us clueless and ineffective.

The only way to really become excellent at jiu jitsu or grappling in general is the grind.  There are people who can make it all the way to black belt without ever truly embracing the grind, but those people will never make it to the podium, and those people are not really experiencing everything jiu jitsu has to offer.  The best way to know that you have experienced and embraced the grind is when everything else in life seems easy in comparison to your training sessions.  If you reach that level, you are embracing it and you will see benefits from it.

Check out this video in which Bernardo Faria talks about the work he has put in to reach his significant accomplishments.

https://youtu.be/wSWeZNPnyyg