The gi version of the knee slice or knee cut pass is one of the first passes that one learns to employ when someone's closed guard gets broken.  It can also be a very effective pass against more advanced guards, with the key...

There are probably as many opinions about how to get good at jiu jitsu as there are current practitioners out there on the mats.  So why do so many people who put on a gi or step on the mat for the first...

Life moves at a breakneck pace.  Between school, careers, and family responsibilities there can sometimes seem to be very little time for activities or hobbies like BJJ.  There always seems to be something pulling us away from activities the world may see as...

Chokes from the mount position are some of the most devastating and high percentage techniques that one can employ in their game.   If you are able to effectively keep yourself perched on top of someone's solar plexus and upper body, while manipulating your...

The classic triangle choke can be a very high percentage submission attempt if executed well.  There are a number of factors that need to be on point for a clean triangle submission to be achieved.  In the classic 101 triangle that we all...

ADCC is the biggest tournament in no gi grappling period.  It is the pinnacle of Submission Grappling.  ADCC 2017 was last weekend and there were so many incredible matches, submissions, upsets, and more.  We saw people rise to the top and we saw...

We all have those guys in our academies that love to play that pesky De La Riva guard, some of them even try and berimbolo us.  This can be a nuisance to many of us.  How can we beat the De La Riva...

The deep half guard has been around for decades.  Many of the top tier competitors have utilized this guard in some of the most prestigious grappling events.  Some of the famous deep half guard players include Bernardo Faria, and Jeff Glover.  Both of...

D'Arce Choke Basics The D'Arce choke is one of the most popular chokes in the family of head and arm triangle variations.  The history of the technique and how it got the name D'Arce choke is an interesting study in the ever changing language...

Many people have difficulty passing peoples guards in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Passing someone’s guard may be the most difficult part of bjj.  If you get a guy with a good open guard that is long and flexible it can be so hard to...

De La Riva guard has exploded with popularity in the last decade.  Many of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors in the world have innovated the infamous De La Riva Guard.  Some of the competitors famous for using this guard are Caio Terra,...

The half guard position has been going through a renaissance lately primarily through the popularity and prevalence of half guard being used by world class practitioners like Bernardo Faria and Tom DeBlass amongst others.  A solid bottom half guard can make a smaller...

What does it mean to be "Old School" with regards to BJJ?  What types of techniques or positions are favored by those considered old school and those considered new school.  Is there really such a thing as "old school BJJ".   It has always...

Take a moment and think back to a simpler time, when you were just starting jiu jitsu and all you knew was the closed guard.  Ah life seemed to be so easy, all you had to do was keep your opponent wrapped up...

Rafael "Rafa" Mendes is considered one of the greatest featherweight BJJ competitors in history with 6 IBJJF world titles at black belt and multiple gold medals in ADCC.  His dominance began very early as he has held world titles at every belt level...