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 […]

This past weekend, EBI returned to Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre for their eighth edition of their spectacular brand of submission only, no gi Jiu Jitsu. This time, the tournament would feature some of the best middleweights in no gi. EBI 8 had many people talking as Gordon Ryan, the first ever EBI absolute […]

While Royce Gracie gets the majority of the praise when it comes to making BJJ big in the USA, Rickson Gracie was the star to make it popular in Japan. Considered, the family champion, Rickson’s skills are that of legend. Past and current fighters always talk about how amazing Rickson’s Jiu Jitsu is. While, not […]

Action films have always benefited from having martial arts in them. Scenes become so much more exciting when a hero and villain square off, using all of their martial art knowledge to try and defeat one another. While most films use Karate, Kickboxing or other traditional styles, there are films that have featured Jiu Jitsu […]

Anyone that trains in Jiu Jitsu knows how tough it is to finish a rear naked choke on any person that has been doing it for awhile. The defenses of a good Jiu Jitsu student can make a back take turn into a stalemate position. But the back position should be only feared by the […]

Rodolfo Vieira is one of the most dominant competitors to ever step onto the mats. Vieira is one of the top super-heavyweights in the game today. Rodolfo comes from the renowned Grappling Fight Team (GFT), and is one of their most competitive fighters. Doing great at the lower belt levels, he was promoted to black […]

Like any other sport, jiu jitsu has its superstars. Unlike most other sports jiu jitsu has superstars for each area of the sport. The main categories in sport jiu jitsu are: gi and no gi. The top gi guy won’t always be the top no gi guy, though it’s often the case. Therefore, when truly […]

Jiu Jitsu fans everywhere rejoiced as one of the biggest super fights of the year was announced the other day for Grappling Industries on October 22nd in Manhattan. EBI Absolute champ Gordon Ryan of the infamous Danaher Death Squad will take on the 2015 ADCC Absolute champ, Claudio Calasans. This match is due to be […]

For the stand up grappling portion of BJJ, there is one grip that I really enjoy using for training in the gi. The grip is known as the Georgian grip. The Georgian grip is a style of gripping the belt, or the belt and sleeve that originally comes from Georgian wrestling. The grip eventually made […]

One of the hottest techniques in BJJ competition today is the berimbolo. Some love it due to due to the fact that you can gain dominant positions, while others hate it due to the fact that is a sport only technique. Whether you love it or hate it, you cannot deny its effectiveness in competition. […]

The knee on belly position is what I refer to as the ego killer. While it may not hold the top of the positional hierarchy, it is still one of the best positions you can play. The knee on belly position puts your opponent in an uncomfortable state where they cannot stay and rest. If […]

No submission carries the wow factor quite like the twister. The twister became huge after Eddie Bravo beat Royler Gracie in ADCC as a brown belt. Much of Eddie’s material became popular and part of that material was the twister. Banned in most BJJ tournaments (unless in some cases for advanced/black belt divisions), it is […]

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, […]

When it comes to women in Jiu Jitsu, there is no bigger star than Mackenzie Dern. Mackenzie was born into Jiu Jitsu royalty. Her father is Wellington “Megaton” Dias, who is a BJJ legend, a multiple time champion and an 8th degree black belt under Royler Gracie. Mackenzie started training at a young age and […]

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has become one of the most popular martial arts in the world, for both men and women. Woman choose Jiu Jitsu as their preferred style for the same reason that men do. It’s a great work out, it’s great for self defense and the competition aspect is always a fun aspect. There […]