Turn your closed guard into the danger zone for your opponent Closed guard sometimes gets a bad rap.  It can be perceived as just a stalling position if the person on bottom is just holding on and not trying to reverse or submit. ...

Seth Daniels Seth Daniels is a true martial arts Renaissance Man.  He has grappled his entire life.  He is a former wrestling standout, a Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.  It is his impact as an event promoter and creator of one...

The spectacle that will be UFC 229 kicked off in the normal “McGregor esque” fashion this Friday, with a loud and spite filled exchange of words between McGregor and the UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Conor wastes no time with his jabs at...

Hollywood star describes BJJ Benefits Recently, actor, comedian and BJJ practitioner Russell Brand posted a video to social media, sharing initial insights on the humble beginnings of his journey into the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.   He points out some of the initial...

Setting Your Sights On That First Comp So there’s a competition coming up in a couple months.  You never really considered competing in the past because you either like to just watch, you don’t feel that you have a competitive mindset, or you’re...

Classic Butterfly Guard Never Goes Out of Style With so many guards out there it’s hard to know where to start. As a beginner often times the newest/hottest guard seems like the place to start learning, but often times where beginners will find...

PED Suspension Mired in Mystique Jon Jones is widely considered to be one of the greatest pound for pound MMA fighters of all time. He came on to the scene with a unique fury, that left most of his opponents perplexed and unable...

The first time I was ever exposed to the reverse x-guard, I was in New Jersey at Ocean County BJJ. For those of you who don’t know, this is Tom DeBlass' academy, and the training is always tough. But this weekend it was...

Rickson Gracie has recently expressed his disapproval of the rubber guard and its applications. Calling it inefficient, awkward, and stating he feels that using the position can provide some vulnerability to the practitioner wishing to employ it. Eddie Bravo gave Gracie a short introduction...

Danaher Prodigy Enters Quintet 3 We’re hearing increasingly more buzz about Quintet, the new 5 on 5 grappling team challenge. With a new ruleset and somewhat unorthodox format, the promotion is making headlines, bringing out some of the biggest BJJ and MMA stars...

Seeing submission availability helps maintain dominance Recognizing that the arm bar from the back has become available should definitely be on your radar. It’s a critical skill. But as we progress through the submission, and should it begin to unravel, we’ll need methods...

Jiu Jitsu can help open the door to many amazing opportunities and friendships that can span the globe.  One of my favorite BJJ photographers out there is Lisa Albon who resides in San Diego and publishes her photos under LisaLisaPics.  Back in 2015,...

Sharing BJJ Should Be Every Practitioner's Goal As a practitioner of BJJ, seeing your child step on to the mat for the very first time to begin their own BJJ journey can invoke a whole host of feelings. We feel a sense of...

Black Belt DeBlass Says Losses Will Happen, But We Must Own Them And Not Be Just OK With Them ADCC and UFC veteran Tom DeBlass took to his social media today to address the notion of loss and how he expects those around...

BJJ Black Belt Navy Seal Says There's One Time To Procrastinate There's are days when you just don't feel like going to BJJ.  Maybe you don't feel like working out or putting time in on an important project.  What do you do when...