The balance to the tap concept written about in a previous blog entry is  undoubtedly the map concept. If you want to make progress, then you need to map a way towards the success you want to achieve. George Lockhart speaks to this...

With each stripe and belt promotion in jiu jitsu, you are faced with a different challenge. Although each school is different in their promotion eligibility, in general there are techniques and mental aspects to master before moving up to the next step. The...

The back-mount position can be one of the most difficult places to establish good control. In my opinion the back is probably the best position to acquire, but it takes loads of skill to keep someone there. If you can master the controls...

When I first began training, I had not even been on the mat for a month yet, and my academy at the time was offering an x-guard seminar. One of the higher ranked members was a huge fan of the position and the...

How do you make progress? If you are the average player, then you go to class, watch random videos on YouTube and roll like a demon. If you take the game another step further, then perhaps you take notes in a dedicated jiu...

If you're looking for some BJJ Motivation, check out our new BJJ Documentary series called "I Am A BJJ Fanatic". This is our third installment of our new Jiu Jitsu Motivation Docu-Series "I Am A BJJ Fanatic" featuring BJJ superstar Craig Jones.  This...

Today, let’s take a moment to praise the quiet ones.   You know who they are. They’re the ones who come in, take care of business, and depart without making a fuss over themselves. Let’s be clear; it’s not that they’re unfriendly.  They’re...

What kind of guard passer are you? We tend to gravitate toward particular methods of passing from the inception of our training. This may be heavily influenced by our instruction, body type, etc. Regardless, everyone tends to cozy up to the methods that...

Have you ever tried breaking a judoka’s grip on your collar? It’s hard, like their forearms are just made of steel and their fingers just refuse to let go. That strength comes from practice after practice of actively fighting just to get a...

In any relationship, loyalty is a two way street. For it to be real, it must be done of one's own free will. And for it to last the test of time, it must come from all parties involved. Combat Sports are weird...

I don’t do everything right.  In fact, I may not even do half of everything right.  But I like to think I'm a pretty decent father. I have a 17 year-old son with whom I get along well.  When I talk to other...

One of the best things about training Jiu Jitsu is it’s such a vast martial art with so many different techniques available to you.  Inevitably at some point, you will hear people talking about their “game”. What does that mean? When is the...

Choke or armbar, that is the question. Well, it really isn’t, since a good jiu-jitsu competitor should learn both, and an opponent defending arm attacks will leave their neck open, and vice versa. But let’s pretend for a moment that answer is chokes....

As we progress through the ranks, we receive loads of advice. Some hits home, some does not, but we listen intently and choose what fits best for us. As with any endeavor, there are those that have gone before us. In BJJ, these...

The most beautiful parts of modern combat sports is that they truly are for everyone. Young, Old, Tall, Short, Big, Small, Boy or Girl. There are literally thousands of ways to accomplish the goal of defeating your opponent in one on one combat....