Yoga for BJJ and stretching may be the most important things you can add to your Brazilian jiu jitsu training regimen.  Yoga and stretching can help you so much by increasing your dexterity, helping your low back and hip pain, and preventing injuries...

Dean Lister is one of the best grapplers of all time.  Dean Lister won the most prestigious title ever; he won the ADCC open weight division in 2003.  Dean also went over ten years as a black belt without being submitted.  Dean has...

Anyone who finds their way into a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy and onto those mats can speak to what a unique and life-changing activity BJJ can be.  Your first few classes may be a whirlwind of heavy breathing, confusion and fatigue but at...

The triangle choke is one of the most deadly and high percentage submissions in grappling.  It utilizes the powerful leg and thigh muscles to crush the opponents shoulders, neck and arm together with the hopes of cutting the blood flow off to the...

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there is one simple technique that opens up a collection of other techniques. One technique that can put you in a great position, regardless if you’re standing up or on the ground. That technique happens to be the arm drag. Arm drags work for everyone, no matter size or strength. The […]

When it comes to the half guard, people usually either love it or hate it. The most common issue I hear about it (usually from lower belts) is that the sweeps are too difficult to perform. While I do believe that half guard sweeps are a little more intensive than closed guard sweeps, I wouldn’t […]

The kesa gatame position…it can be tricky. It is a suffocating and uncomfortable position to be stuck in. While you do see it used by Jiu Jitsu competitors, it is huge with Judoka and Wrestlers. The name, kesa gatame comes from Judo. It is a position in Judo used for pins and some submission techniques. […]

One of the most effective chokes that does not get enough love in the BJJ community is the baseball bat choke. The baseball bat choke is a highly powerful choke that can be used by novices, advanced students, and even no gi competitors. The set ups are endless and it can be attained from a […]

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an amazing physical activity that can offer endless benefits to all practitioners regardless of age, gender or physical attributes.  But make no mistakes about it, the core of jiu jitsu is in the arena of self defense.  BJJ is...

When it comes to Jiu Jitsu, gi chokes are some of my most favorite techniques. They are powerful, they work quickly and add a great dimension to the choking game. Out of all the gi chokes, the clock choke is one that I always seem to go to when in correct position. A correctly executed […]

The crucifix position is one of the more underrated positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It can be used as a great way to attack an opponent while he is in turtle. It can be another way of attacking from the back position. The control and the easy submissions that come from that position make it […]

The cross choke in jiu jitsu is one of the most powerful chokes in the gi.  It utilizes both collars and is one of the first chokes many people learn.  The cross choke is also one of the hardest chokes to master.  One...

 A good half guard player can seem to endlessly frustrate all of our attempts to apply pressure and attempt to pass to side control or some other dominate position.  If a bottom half guard player builds strong frames with their arms and combines...

We’ve all been in that position with the flexible lanky guy who plays a crazy open guard.  His legs seem to come out of nowhere every time we are about to pass the guard.  The open guard can be one of the most...

The lasso guard is an extremely popular open guard.  The lasso guard is extremely grip dependent, and for the most part, can only be executed in the gi.  Many high-level competitors have played the lasso over the years, some of them include Michael...