After sustaining a complete tear to his LCL at Kasai against Joao Gabriel Rocha, Gordon Ryan has been working hard on his return to the BJJ competition circuit. It looks like things are beginning to come together for Ryan as he has been...

You can’t argue with success, and, right now, success in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is synonymous with the name Gordon Ryan.  So, in addition to studying Ryan’s techniques, we would do well to spend a bit of time paying attention to Ryan’s overall philosophy....

When you look at the meteoric rise that Gordon Ryan has had in just three short years, it's almost unbelievable. In 2016 he came into EBI 6 on just a single weeks’ notice, a replacement for his injured teammate Eddie Cummings. Relatively unknown...

Gordon Ryan is one of the hottest properties in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and part of the reason is his knowledge of all things related to the guard.  BJJ Fanatics is soon to release Ryan’s new DVD series on The Closed Guard, but in...

November 12th, 1993. The day that the Gracie family introduced the world to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The day that Royce Gracie would enter an 8 man No Holds Barred tournament, and would submit all of his opponents to be crowned the first UFC...

For those of us that have been practicing martial arts for a while, there’s a hidden benefit and unexplainable component to the sport that anyone that has never stepped barefoot on a mat has a hard time understanding. To someone on the outside,...

Stephen Whittier has some unorthodox advice for grapplers who want to improve at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as fast as possible. In the video below, he discusses how our interactions with our teammates can speed up our development. In a nutshell, Whittier begins by...

What’s the difference between a beginning Jiu Jitero and an advanced Jiu Jitsu player? There are a lot of possible answers to this question.  Most people would respond by referring to a belt color.  Others would say it had to do with how...

The closed guard is the first position, at least defensive position, new grapplers learn. For the naïve person, the closed guard looks like a very odd position to be in. It’s even more odd to find that people electively chose that position and...

Side control is a top pin used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to control grapplers who are on their back. The most frequent way people end up getting stuck in bottom side control is after getting their guard passed. From side control, the grappler...

The closed guard is one of the safest and most effective position for a grappler to be in when fighting from their back. It can be used to sweep, submit, and even strike from while allowing the guard player to stay safe from...

Dante Leon has been quietly amassing victories and impressive performances throughout 2019. Most notably Dante had a couple of barn burners at Kasai Pro. The Canadian, representing GFTeam, will be entering into the -77kg weight class at ADCC. While some people are starting...

Applied properly, the straight ankle or foot lock, can be just as devastating and painful as any other lower body submission. When it comes to breaking mechanics, just like any lower body attack, the straight ankle lock has its own unique set of...

Closed guard attacks in the gi are some of the most traditional and classic techniques you can perform in BJJ. Perhaps one of the most recognized positions of our art is the closed guard. Its roots run deep, and its effectiveness is still...

  The Arm bar is one of the most iconic submissions in all of combat sports. On top of that the varieties of the arm bar are endless. Some are performed the bottom, others while on top, and some take place while flying...