Finding the right gift for someone can sometimes be a challenge.  The stores are filled with holiday gifts that are equal parts cliche and thoughtless.  What is the best gift you can give someone who shares your love of BJJ and grappling?  The...

We are currently knee deep in the holiday season and you are probably looking for some last minute gift ideas for your favorite jiu jiteiros or even yourself.  What better to have your friends or significant others get you than some of the...

There are few positions that inspire despair as much as having your back taken with the hooks in.  Wearing your opponent as a backpack and defending against the many chokes and limb attacks they can throw at you can make for an anxiety...

There is an unwritten rule in BJJ, according to Tom DeBlass, where training partners and even opponents tacitly agree to "trade techniques" back and forth, with one person attempting a technique and the other person attempting an escape or counter.  This non-verbal and...

What is Pure Jiu Jitsu?  Is there such thing as “pure” Jiu Jitsu?  That all depends on how we define that term, pure Jiu Jitsu can be an extremely subjective.  When we refer to it in this article we are talking about Jiu...

So word on the street is that your 2018 New Year's resolution is to become a leg destroyer.  You've been watching all these leg lock gunslingers from the Danaher Death Squad like Garry Tonon, Gordon and Nicky Ryan, and Eddie Cummings among others...

Coming up through the jiu jitsu ranks as you develop your personal game plan you will gravitate to certain positions based on a number of factors like your body style, age, and overall athleticism.  If you are a bigger, stronger practitioner, you may...

The holiday season is supposed to be filled with good times, family get togethers and gifts, but the reality is that it is a stressful time filled with crowded malls, last minute shopping and other stresses.  It is easy to let yourself get...

From the very first BJJ class we take, we are taught that the mount is one of the most powerful positions is the top mount position.  As good as that looks and sounds on paper, think about the first time you ever found...

Are you familiar with the name Frederico Silva?  Are you familiar with the name Lucas Lepri?  Well, Frederico Silva is the cousin of 4x Black Belt World Champion and 2x ADCC silver medalist Lucas Lepri.  He is a relatively new competitor on the...

Connecting the dots in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is no easy task; it is one of the most difficult parts.  You have to be able to see certain things, recognize patterns, and develop a game where you have a fast paced thought process.   This...

Often times in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu we can get hyper focused on one goal at hand and it can detour us from the main goal of a roll, the submission.  What we mean by this is that we may just be thinking of...

The arm bar and the triangle are some of the most versatile submissions.  They have long been considered traditional submissions and they have long been taught as fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  There is a reason for this, they are extremely versatile submissions. ...

Tis the season to be spending too much time shopping and eating fast food rather than taking care of yourself and your health.  It's okay, you think, the next 30 days or so will be meaningless when I set my 2018 New Years...

It turns out that patience is a virtue on the mats, as well as off.  In a martial art like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, how can patience be an effective skill to develop and how can it impact our BJJ performance? Patience and the...