Every world class jiu jitsu competitor has a particular style or technique they are known for and makes up the foundation of their BJJ game.  Lucas Leite is a multiple time world jiu jitsu champion who fights for the Checkmat affiliation under Professor...

The triangle choke is one of the highest percentage submissions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA.  It is one of the first submissions that bjj practitioners learn, and one of the last that they perfect. The versatile BJJ triangle choke or sankaku jime...

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu it is extremely important to have confidence in your escapes.  An aggressive offence will stem from a confident defense.  In bjj, in order to establish a good defense, you have to know your escapes.  Some people notoriously say in...

The history and development of jiu jitsu can have some very interesting parallels to one's personal development.  In the beginning, most beginners are exposed to closed guard and the submissions and sweeps that can be initiated from this fundamental position.  As we begin...

Today in the jiu jitsu and grappling world, there are more competitions, more rule sets, and more disagreement about what is the best rule set for these competitions than there has ever been in history.  Up until very recently, the juggernaut organizations behind...

One of the best guards in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu today is the Single Leg X Guard.   The Single Leg X guard has several benefits and has proven itself effective at the highest levels of competition.  Many World Champion Black Belts utilize the Single...

The cross choke is one of the first gi chokes that you learn in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Many people say that “it is the first choke you learn and the last one that you master.”  Bjj has a multitude of different gi chokes,...

The X Guard is one of the most popular guards in sport Jiu Jitsu today.  There are several reasons that make the X guard an incredible option for the open guard player.  The X guard has incredible sweeping power, and it is one...

Whether you are a jiu jitsu beginner or a seasoned competitor, there is one goal that we all share--to get better at BJJ.  "Better" might have varying subjective meanings for each person, but at it's foundation, jiu jitsu is a martial art focused...

Yes, you heard that right.  You are a walking advertisement.  Every time you have a friend, family member or coworker comment on those lbs you've lost, or you rep your academy t-shirt out in public, you are helping to spread what we practitioners...

Recently, we wrote post on the power of the underhook, if you’d like to check it out, click here, today we are going to discuss the power of the cross face.  The cross face and the underhook go extremely well hand in hand,...

The underhook is an extremely important element to almost all Jiu Jitsu positions.  It is an effective tool from standing positions as well as guard and passing positions.  Learning when an underhook is necessary is extremely beneficial for a Jiu Jitsu Practitioners growth....

First and foremost, congratulations for training and sticking with one of the most challenging and rewarding martial arts on the planet.  The road to black belt and beyond is a long one, but with consistent training, you can look forward to earning your...

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...