Neil Melanson has made a career being one of the most prolific MMA and grappling coaches out there.  The words "grappling genius" can get overused, but Neil is one of those true "mad scientists" as the fighters who have worked with him can...

After you've been training BJJ for even a short time, you can begin to attest to how addicting the martial art can be.  You start to find yourself imagining how quickly you could close the distance on coworkers.  Or perhaps how can you...

Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu still work for self-defense?  This is a question that is often asked among the bjj community.  People tend to believe that the day of bjj as a martial art and self-defense are long gone, but is this true?  Well,...

Deep half guard is a very dynamic variation of traditional or standard half guard that truly represents the philosophic approach of "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade".  There are a number of common entries into deep half;let's take a look at...

Yoga and stretching may be the most important things you can add to your Brazilian jiu jitsu training regimen.  Yoga and stretching can help you so much by increasing your dexterity, helping your low back and hip pain, and preventing injuries or working...

Bernardo Faira is easily one of the most well respected and most accomplished athletes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  His reputation precedes him, he has won the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Adult Black Belt World Championships 5x.  He was even able to win...

Getting trapped in the web of a good spider guard player's grips and bicep crushing foot pressure can be one of the most frustrating things to deal with for any BJJ player.  The combination of ridiculously strong sleeve grips with foot pressure on...

Whether you are new to grappling or a seasoned veteran looking to add some new positions to your game, the half guard from the bottom can be a great addition to your guard game if it isn't already.  Once thought of as a...

Training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can give you one of the most comprehensive full-body workouts available today.  It is extremely adaptable to every person regardless of their current fitness level.  From the warm up, to the technique drills, to the live rolling, very few...

As you begin to learn more techniques and apply them in live rolling and even on the competition mats early on, you will find yourself gravitating to certain techniques.  The reasons can vary as to why you gravitate to a specific position or...

Recently, ADCC and UFC veteran Tom DeBlass took to social media to address the age old question of whether or not jiu jitsu competition is necessary to be promoted and ultimately earn your black belt.  There are a wide variety of stances on...

Remember your old friend closed guard?  When you first started out in BJJ, it seemed so simple to wrap your legs around your training partners hips and wrap your arms around their head and they were caught in the web that was your...

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu it is extremely important to have confidence in your escapes.  An aggressive offence will stem from a confident defense.  In bjj, in order to establish a good defense, you have to know your escapes.  Some people notoriously say in...

Do you even Deep Half?  Deep half guard is one of the best guards in the world.  Although it is not extremely popular, there has been high level black belts who have been able to prove its effectiveness.  5x Black Belt World Champion,...

Side control is one of the most dominant positions in bjj, we work so hard to achieve this position by passing the guard or getting a sweep.  Passing the guard is one of the most difficult things in bjj and if we pass,...