Should I Spar Hard In BJJ Class? As you advanced through your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu career you will notice that most people are on the mat recreationally, which is absolutely fine. To some, jiu jitsu is an opportunity to get some exercise, lose...

The Often Unexplored World of Wrist Locks Sometimes moves in jiu jitsu are thought of as being “dirty.” When this type of thought comes up, I think to teachers’ methodology: if it works it works. When people think of “dirty” moves they often...

How To Establish A Daily Training Mindset For Jitsu and Life. Let us face it, getting your mind absolutely right for any real world situation could lead to better outcomes of that specific task. Of course the same principle exists in any martial...

Half guard has emerged as one of the go to guards of many Jiu-Jitsu player across the globe. Some of the best practitioners on earth have spent heavy emphasis on developing their half guard game. Luckily for us Lachlan Giles has us covered....

How To Drill For An Impassable Guard The jiu jitsu guard is the first line of defense against any opponent, especially for smaller and weaker grapplers. It is a vital and one of the most important skills to be able to control your...

An MMA Drill That Will Elevate Your Striking On The Ground! This drill is to teach how to develop the necessary skills to positionally dominate someone in the turtle position as well as knee on belly in a MMA contest. So it is...

Some people believe Aikido does not work at all and has no value. To some it does. To Roy Dean (a BJJ and Aikido black belt) Aikido does have value to him but like many other Aikido instructors. Roy recognizes that not all...

The turtle position can be quite dynamic. Creating an impenetrable shell, using it for crafty escapes, or even to mount your own offense are just some of the benefits of the position. But when trying to crack it from the top, what’s your...

Ideas on giving advice on the mats... There is nothing worse than seeing two white belts coaching each other on technique. Yet, there is nothing better than receiving a pointer from someone who you respect; feedback from higher belts has been huge in...

Is physical fitness a prerequisite to Jiu Jitsu? The answer is no.  There are a couple of key reasons for my answer in which we will explore. First the muscle groups worked in Jiu Jitsu are unique. There may be some sports that...

How often do you train takedowns? Certainly takedowns are an important component for any grapplers tool kit. This is true for the Jiu Jitsu practitioner. With the majority of our submissions being ground based, it may be beneficial to have another way to...

Cardio for older guys… Recently, the question came up on the BJJ Fanatics group about stamina for the older Jiu Jitsu athlete. I thought I would offer my two cents on the questions. First, for the older grappler, it is unrealistic to have...

Matheus Gonzaga Demonstrates Cross Choke From Mount Who is Matheus Gonzaga? Matheus Gonzaga is an IBJJF purple belt champion in one of the hardest divisions. There were over 100 people in his division at the time. Since then he has also won more...

5 Ways To Be Your Best In Life And On The Mats Let’s face it. Life is short. You are born. You live a little. You learn some Brazilian jiu jitsu. You Die. Between your job, your husband, your wife, your kids, your...

Bernardo Faria Hip Escape One of the best escapes a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner can learn is the hip escape. It is one of the most fundamental principles of jiu jitsu, working both as a mount escape and preventing side control. You will...