The move of going from solely playing closed guard, to then playing open guard is a big one. Many people find it difficult to make that jump. The fear of once they open their guard is that their guard will be passed and put in a bad position. While that is a threat, the good […]

This past weekend, some of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters in the world descended upon California to compete at the 2016 No Gi Worlds. There were exciting and dominant performances. There were some surprises and history was made as well. While there were some tough divisions and game competitors, there were some matches that […]

Have you ever heard the term, pulling the trigger? If you have been around combative sporting martial arts, it is probably something that you’ve heard at least once. Usually you will hear it in Muay Thai or Kickboxing. All it means is to not be so tentative. It means to go for your attacks when […]

A big part of what makes jiu jitsu so special is that it allows a smaller more technical practitioner to overcome a larger, stronger but less technical person.  While size not mattering is a myth, because generally between two people of similar skill level the larger, stronger person will tend to be victorious, jiu jitsu […]

The butterfly guard is a fantastic asset for anyone that likes to play the open guard game. And its use has been well documented by its effective use in high level competition. While it is known mainly for its effective sweeps to get on top of an opponent, or to set up X Guard, there […]

The X Guard is one of the most applicable and effective open guards in Jiu Jitsu. X Guard allows for a variety of simple sweeps, back takes and submissions. This particular open guard can change the momentum of a match in just a couple seconds. There are some great techniques you can use to dominate […]

Sparring (or rolling) in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the reasons that the art is so effective. Unlike other styles of martial arts that perform their techniques in the air, with no real resistance, BJJ relies on actually proving its worth through sparring. BJJ students show their knowledge by using their techniques on fully […]

While there are endless combinations of attacks from the closed guard, two that are often overlooked at the collar chokes. Most people opt to go after the standard techniques, such as armbars and triangle chokes, which is fine. But two great techniques from the closed guard happen to be the cross collar choke and the […]

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has different meanings to different people. Some people train in it just for the hobby. Some people want to be Jiu Jitsu champions and to make it their career. While some people want to train in BJJ to be able to defend themselves. But believe it or not, BJJ can be a […]

The knee slice pass is a fantastic pass. It is pretty versatile. It can be done in a floating manner or in a pressure filled way. That alone makes it adaptable depending on what kind of opponent you are going against. While it is a staple of gi, it is a little less popular in […]

The straight foot lock. Often attempted, but not necessarily completely understood. There are a variety of ways to finish the straight foot lock, but there certain concepts and ideas that need to be followed through to perform the foot lock successfully. If you can follow these three concepts and put them into action with the […]

Travis Stevens is a blazing name right now in the grappling world. He took silver at this year’s Olympics in Judo for the United States, and he is the fastest to black belt in BJJ under John Danaher. He is dominant in competition due to his even and strong mix of Judo and BJJ. Due […]

Knee on belly is an interesting position for several reasons.  For starters, it is a position that in and of itself is not as useful for attack as many other top-control positions, but rather it is a transitional position that gives us pathways to other more dominant positions.  While you can submit an opponent from […]

For guard passing, the double under pass is one of the best passes you can perform on an opponent.  The pass allows for you to use your grips, your weight and your pressure to get from your opponent’s guard to side control. The double under pass is used frequently in both gi and no gi […]

The back position allows for a plethora of positions for the attacker and limited defenses for the person being attacked. While there are various submissions, some of the most effective techniques are gi chokes. They are fast and furious, and can put an opponent out cold if he doesn’t decide to rightfully tap. The best […]