Reflections on time spent training. Has anyone else noticed that some practitioners get strange when talking about their Jiu Jitsu age? Like a high school kid trying to buy beer, the math gets funny. The conversation usually goes something like this. “I have...

One thing we love about Tom Deblass is that his closed guard game is simple, effective, efficient and submission focused. If you've ever seen him compete or even watched some of this techniques from his half guard domination DVD series;you'll know that...

Invisible Jiu Jitsu is a concept started by Rickson Gracie and one of his students, Henry Akins. The concept is that you are able to you whole body and weight becomes distributed and aware of your every opponent's move. With the "feeling" of...

Reigning ADCC and No Gi Pan American champion Gordon Ryan (Renzo Gracie Academy) has officially signed up for the 2018 IBJJF No Gi Worlds, in the black belt ultra-heavy (unlimited) weight class. Gordon and the rest of the Danaher Death Squad usually stick...

Add this deadly tool to your passing game   Passing the guard of experienced grapplers can be relentlessly difficult at times, especially when grappling without the gi. If a guard player is good at keeping their knees close to their shoulders and shrimping,...

This weekend, Kasai Pro 4 is going down in New York City, and one of the feature bouts on the card is ADCC Champ Gordon Ryan taking on Kasai 185-pound champion Matheus Diniz. Gordon and Matheus revive the long-standing competitive rivalry between New...

  Can BJJ Keep You Safe on the Street? Law Enforcement Officers are in physical confrontations more often than perhaps any other armed professionals or citizens. This has led to many discussions within the martial arts and Law Enforcement communities regarding what martial...

Cormier becomes first athlete to defend title in multiple divisions   This Saturday, Daniel Cormier, the 2 UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion made history by defeating Derrick Lewis in the second round with a rear naked choke.  In doing so, he successfully...

Alliance black belt Thomas Lisboa recently visited the Bernardo Faria Academy to film his first instructional exploring one of his favorite positions the crucifix and the many different variations of the crucifixes he uses in training and competition.  In the video below, Lisboa...

Exploring an Unexpected Benefit of Jiu Jitsu. In the self-defense community, Jiu Jitsu has had it critics. How do you deal with multiple attackers? What do you do if your attacker has a knife? I do not want to explore the various criticism...

Does Jiu Jitsu as an art grow organically over time? Early in my Jiu Jitsu career, I heard two different philosophies regarding Jiu Jitsu. The first was, “I want to teach and preserve Jiu Jitsu the exact way it was taught to me.”...

Another Conor McGregor Khabib Nurmagodov Article - Commentary a Jiu Jitsuero Should Avoid. So the dust has cleared on the Khabib Conor fight. The night was entertaining and historic for many reasons. Yet, this is not an article breaking down techniques, discussing the state...

Exploring the Line Between Passion and Responsibility. If I could go back in time to tell my 10 year old self something it would be this, “Keep looking until you find that thing that you love. Search hard for it. Don’t be discouraged....

Most people on the mat are doing BJJ recreationally. It's to lose some weight, get some exercise, learn how to defend yourself, or just to stay a part of a community. So, do people need to spar every single class? Or is it...

 A Great Technique To Stop The Head Push To Finish The Pass! Perhaps, one of the greatest pressure-based passes in BJJ, the over under pass is a dynamic guard pass that can be used in a variety of ways. It firmly secures the...