The D’arce choke is a big player in the no gi realm. A close relative of many other forms of strangulation, the D’arce is applied just a bit differently, with the choking arm entering at the armpit instead of the neck area. ...

  Live rolling is one of those elements that make Jiu Jitsu unique among the martial arts.  It gives us an opportunity to put our skills to work in a setting that is more realistic than when we simply drill. But what do...

One of the weirdest positions that grappler can use in Jiu Jitsu is the butterfly guard. This position is often weird for both the guard player and guard passer. Although the butterfly guard has been around for a long time, not many of...

Reverse de la riva is a common guard use in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, especially in the no-gi format, where open guards are not as effective as they would be in the gi. The name reverse de la riva comes from the fact that...

Whether we’re speaking in terms of self defense or recreation jiu-jitsu, there may not be a more important theme then guard retention. The ability to recompose, maintain, and use your guard are among the most important skills in all of BJJ.  In a...

But is it really?  This is a statement I have heard many many times and it has always made me wonder if there was any truth to the fact that pulling guard couldn’t land you in a good position.  This is ridiculous. It...

Yeah, another article about the berimbolo. Instead of talking about whether the berimbolo works or not, I want to discuss an option you can use from open guard that is related to the berimbolo that any grappler of any size or skill level...

An element of Jiu Jitsu that keeps most students attending day after day is the development and practice of new techniques. If you watch high level Jiu Jitsu matches from the nineties and early two thousand, you will see a lot of closed...

New students approach Jiu Jitsu in many different ways. Some students quickly become obsessed with Jiu Jitsu and attend every class possible and try to roll with everyone. Other students are more inhibited and even fearful and need motivation and support from existing...

It’s no secret defending takedowns is hard work, especially against an opponent that is explosive and trains takedowns often.  Typically, wrestlers are really good at takedowns and bring that skill set with them as they make the transition to Jiu Jitsu. Whoever wins...

Sport Jiu Jitsu, or self defense Jiu Jitsu.  Is there a difference? What is the difference.  Is it possible to blend the two into unified method that will be likely to work in a sport or self defense situation?   The short answer is...

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of being stuck in a good lockdown, you know it can be an arduous task to dismantle the position and get free. What’s worse, is someone who’s actually well versed in the systems of the lockdown. There...

It is no secret to anyone that knows me that the triangle submission is hands down my favorite submission to look for in live training.  The triangle gives us so many options, the first of which is that we get to use our...

Self defense is such a common topic of conversation these days.  You can hardly scroll through Facebook or Instagram without seeing some self proclaimed “self defense expert” trying to sell you an at home video training series.  In just 5 minutes a day...

The open guard in Jiu Jitsu is one of the most dynamic positions that a grappler can utilize. Personally, the creativity and complexity of the open guard is what drew me mostly to begin training Jiu Jitsu years ago. When compared to other...