The butterfly guard is an extremely effective version of open guard that utilizes the legs and hooks made by the feet to prevent guard passing, initiate sweeps, and to set up different attacks.  The proximity with which you are able to bring your...

BJJ is an extremely creative martial art by nature.  No two arm locks or leg locks are exactly the same, even by the same BJJ practitioner.  Training jiu jitsu teaches you to be a problem solver because when you find yourself stuck in...

It's no secret that Tom Deblass' favorite position is the half guard.  It's a position he has been using since he was a blue belt nearly 15 years ago. Since then he has been refining the position on the mats and in the...

The kimura is a powerful submission that causes extreme pressure and discomfort in the shoulder joint by maintaining a double wrist grip on the opponent and essentially forcing the hand and elbow to rotate outside of normal range of motion forcing the submission. ...

Without a doubt, there are very few people that carry the kind of weight in the jiu jitsu community that John Danaher does.  Here at BJJ Fanatics, we were beyond elated to be able to have an opportunity to work with the same...

Tom DeBlass is easily one of the most sought after BJJ and grappling instructors on the planet.  With a seminar schedule that has him booked around the world for the next few years, a home academy, Ocean County BJJ, which is quickly approaching...

Lapel chokes are some of the cleanest, most efficient submissions you can secure when training jiu jitsu in the gi.  The loop choke is one of the deadly subsets of those lapel chokes.  The thing that sets the loop choke apart from other...

Yes, the title is long.  This is no coincidence. It's an article about John Danaher, the resident mad scientist who seemingly spends the majority of his day in the 'blue dungeon' of Renzo Gracie's New York City academy honing the skills of a...

Let's face it, half guard is one of the most effective guard systems for BJJ players of all levels to use if they want to keep those opponents at a safe distance and prevent their guard passes.  Once you've got the fundamental concepts...

Leg locks are all the rage nowadays.  One can barely open up social media without seeing John Danaher's face on a meme or in a video talking about his philosophy of leg attacks.  If you're someone new to the leg game or perhaps...

Half guard is an extremely effective guard style that grew out of the basic need to prevent someone from completing a guard pass.  What was once the last ditch use of one's legs to hook one leg of the opponent's body tightly to...

Perennial jiu jitsu competition fan favorite and social media powerhouse,Tom DeBlass executed a flawless performance at Fight To Win Pro 72 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania recently.  His use of half guard to set up a devastating outside heel hook was a virtual clinic.  He...

In simplest terms, the guard in BJJ serves to keep distance between us and our opponents, typically by using our legs and hips as the first line of defense, supplemented by our arms and the grips of our hands.  The guard can be...

There is an old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me." that can be applied to one's BJJ development.  As we progress, we are constantly adding more and more techniques to our knowledge base in an effort...

One of the most important keys to success in BJJ is having a solid, well-developed guard pass arsenal.  Being able to effectively nullify an opponent's most powerful weapons (their legs and hips) is key to putting yourself in the best possible position to...