There is one takedown in grappling that everyone knows. In Judo, it is outright banned. In most BJJ tournaments, it is banned up until black belt/expert. And in Sambo, it is seen as a completely essential takedown. The takedown in discussion is the flying scissor takedown. While it is flashy in nature, it is also […]

When it comes to the modern elite of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world, the one man that you cannot ignore is Leandro Lo. Lo is a dominant force in some of the biggest tournaments in the world, including the Pan Am’s, Copa Podio, the Mundial’s and the World Championships. In addition to all the titles […]

Everyone who is into competition jiu jitsu knows that Bernardo Faria has taken his seat as the king of IBJJF competition, winning several absolute titles over the past few years and truly cementing himself as an all time great.  He is known for his pressure as well as his effective guard game, an all around menace […]

For the tutorial, I am going over the oft forgotten wrist lock. Wrist locks are passed over quite a bit for a couple of reasons. The first is the stigma that wrist locks don’t “work”, which comes from the impractical use of them from most TMA’s (traditional martial arts).  The second being that they are […]

Do not let the smile and the friendly demeanor fool you… If one were to do a poll throughout the jiu jitsu community about whom the all time pound for pound king of competition jiu jitsu is, chances are Marcelo Garcia would be in the rankings.  The humble, intelligent Alliance black belt has become one […]

When first starting BJJ, you could find yourself pulling guard a lot during rolling. It is completely understandable. Pulling guard takes less energy and puts yourself in an advantageous position with less chance of a counter. But…it is of the utmost importance to get good at handful of jiu jitsu takedowns so you can work […]

Leg locks are all the rage these days. While the heel hook gets most of the glory, the straight ankle lock tends to be forgotten or passed over for other leg locks. The straight ankle lock when done effectively is a strong, debilitating technique that can secure a victory in no time.

There is a whole new generation of Jiu Jitsu champs right here from the good ole US of A. One of those champs happens to be JT Torres, from Atos Academy in California. Known for his crowd pleasing and active style, JT has become a fan favorite over the years and has brought home many […]

In Jiu Jitsu, we come across many people on a daily basis. In our trainings, we partner up to drill and spar. When we partner up, we expect our partners to be diligent and clean. With so many nasty diseases such as ringworm, impetigo and staph, it is important to maintain a high level of […]

Want a training tip to help you improve quickly and effectively?  Put yourself in bad positions while rolling with training partners of equal or higher level to yourself. Very often I see people trying to “win”.  They roll in such a way that they emphasize their strengths out of fear of “losing” even in the […]

There are few who display the potential of modern jiu jitsu like Leandro Lo.  The Cicero Costha black belt is considered by many one of the pound for pound kings of jiu jitsu because of his ability to win in whatever weight class he enters and his ability to put on strong showings in absolute […]

One of the often overlooked set up points for multiple attacks is the overhook from full guard. Maintaining a powerful overhook on an opponent while he/she is in your guard, allows you more controllable stability for different attacks.  It also works on slowing down an opponent’s pace and allows you to begin to impose your […]

The Kimura is one of the most powerful and versatile submissions in a grappler’s arsenal. It is known by different names depending on what style you practice. In Judo, it is known as the reverse ude-garami. In Catch Wrestling, it is known as the chicken wing/double wrist lock. But in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it is […]

One of the most unique positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the guard. In most other grappling arts, being on your back is a disadvantage and could mean that you are losing the match. Being on your back in BJJ means you are equally as deadly as if you were on top of your opponent. […]

They say that 3% of the population is naturally gifted and can get good at jiu jitsu very quickly and use those skills to win tournaments and be awesome.  The other 97% aren’t so lucky and have to work to get there.  There is however a special secret to getting good at jiu jitsu: mat […]