In Jiu Jitsu, space is important. Space gives us the ability to set up and finish our attacks. One issue that you will run into again and again, is someone trying to take away your space. You will see this a lot from wrestlers and bigger guys. They will drive forward, usually with their shoulders […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The best position in all of Jiu Jitsu to get is being on your opponent’s back. There are so many different back attacks that you put him in the danger zone right away. The control of your arms in the seatbelt position and your legs working either as hooks or a body triangle is incredibly […]

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the art of wrist locking has become somewhat of a lost art. People often scoff at wrist locks, saying that they do not work on resisting opponents and that they are a waste of time. That could not be farther from the truth. Unlike some other submissions on arms and shoulders, […]

In Jiu Jitsu, chokes are still very much the king of techniques. There are some tough people that can power out of certain submissions, but with chokes, it is harder to power out, due to the fact that a good choke only takes a matter of seconds to put someone into unconsciousness. Some of the […]

Attacking the turtle can be a difficult thing for those who are not familiar with the position. The opponent will seem tight, hard to attack and can usually roll away from any attack that does come his way. But if you know some proper ways of attacking the turtle, then it is no different than […]

This past Saturday, Jiu Jitsu fans were treated to an excellent no gi black belt match between two of the best in the world, Danaher Death Squad competitor, Gordon Ryan and Andre Galvao black belt, Keenan Cornelius. Hosted by Grappling Industries in New York, the two highly decorated champions fought each other in a sub […]

As the former champions of the world Jiu Jitsu scene start to step down and retire, there has been an influx of great Jiu Jitsu fighters competing in various tournaments around the country and the world. The World Championships, the Pan Am’s and submission only events such as EBI have been wonderful platforms to show […]

Leg locks are all the rage in submission wrestling and no gi these days. With events such as EBI and Polaris showcasing competitors that are dominating the game with leg locks, people forget about one leg lock pioneer…Dean Lister. Dean Lister, a long time black belt and master of leg attacks, has had some truly […]

Anyone that follows the competitive grappling scene knows of the infamous “Danaher Death Squad” consisting of Eddie Cummings, Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan lead by Renzo Gracie black belt, John Danaher. While you watch those three impressive black belts compete, you’ll notice what they do best…leg locks. But it is not just the locks themselves, […]

Rolling against bigger opponents in Jiu Jitsu can be a real eye opener, but absolutely essential. It doesn’t matter if it is rolling in class, or in an absolute division in a tournament. Sometimes people have unrealistic ideas on how good they are, until they run into someone that is bigger, taller and heavier than […]

For the tutorial, I am going over the oft forgotten wrist lock. Wrist locks are passed over quite a bit for a couple of reasons. The first is the stigma that wrist locks don’t “work”, which comes from the impractical use of them from most TMA’s (traditional martial arts).  The second being that they are […]