Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)

Yes, that’s right. Here in the state of Maine, we may now hold our beloved Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes once again. There is one caveat though. We can’t touch one another. Which has thrown a monkey wrench into the entire thing, I’d say. Not that anyone in particular wants to touch anyone else, but still. What’s […]

A few years ago, I visited a NAGA tournament to support a few classmates of mine. While I was there, I saw a kid, probably no older than seventeen or eighteen, competing in another area while wearing a bright red gi. I wasn’t sure what to make of the gi, but when I watched this […]

I have no idea why I stopped writing. I think it was because I needed to get some things in my life together. Moving from Florida to Maine would do it – I think. Anyway, this is just a quick post to say that I’m going to be diving back into this blog. Can you […]

All right folks, I’ve got a few random thoughts this morning that I need to get out there. Just some areas I’ve been working on in my game as well as an update that has to do with a gi company I’ve never heard of, but that’s apparently quite popular with the rest of the […]

I’ve been having a small problem while rolling lately and that problem is getting caught up being the bottom player in the north-south position. This usually happens towards the end of the night, when I’m utterly exhausted. I’m pretty sure I got caught on Tuesday evening, as well as last night. When I’m out of […]

We had some more awesome training last night. You know that when everyone stands in a circle at the end of class clapping, it was good training. That’s what we did and that’s what seems to happen more often than not. I’ll admit that I’m sore from it all, but it’s a good sore. During […]

If someone asked me what I think the most important aspect of rolling while wearing a gi is, I’d surely reply that it’s the grip fight. There’s no doubt about it. And just to reinforce what I’m saying here, I want you to think about the very first thing you do when you’re rolling gi. […]

As you may already know, I have a certain affinity for the triangle choke. I think a lot of people do. Whether or not you have the perfect build to be throwing triangles on people, you should really, at the very least, know how to perform many of the set ups – as well as […]

Last night was another hard training night. We learned, drilled and then rolled to oblivion. I’m not sure how long we did what we did, but what I do know is that while we were hanging out after class, there were a few guys patting themselves on the back. Whenever we train like this, we […]

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the cross grip is very important. Many, many techniques follow from this one movement and clamping of the hand. I was reading an article yesterday that mentioned how important it is to avoid applying “muscle to muscle.” Basically, if an opponent is attempting to force you somewhere, don’t counter their force with […]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to move on from my strength fight when someone’s passing my guard. This doesn’t only have to do with last night’s conversation about bigger guys, it has to do with players in general. Small or big – because small guys have games of their own. The principles […]

He calls it a “weird” tip for escaping side control, but it’s really not weird at all. It’s a concept and it’s the type of thing all of us should really be focusing on more than we are. I’m sure you’ve seen my ramblings about how there’s not enough discussion on concepts in BJJ. If […]

Alright, I’m back to working my grip game. On Tuesday night’s class, we went over two back escapes with minor variations of each. Thank you Kevin for covering this in class. Defending back is extremely tricky business, so the more practice, the better. I think not freaking out is probably the best thing to learn […]

Tonight is all about back. I intend to put much more focus on taking back from guard as well as allowing partners to take my back in order to practice my escapes. Also, if I see someone go to turtle, I would like to practice taking back from there as well. I may even throw […]

Just a quick update to let you know that I ordered my Origin Gi Jacket. As I may have mentioned before, I only need a jacket because I already have about 6 pairs of pants. Some old, some brand new. The last thing I need is more gi pants. FYI – Origin doesn’t have an […]

I’ve been looking into finding one or two “go-to” back escapes for my game. One of the things I DO NOT want to do is to confuse myself with having too many options as someone is climbing all over me in an attempt to choke me. While options are nice, there are occasions where simplicity […]

Do you remember your algebra and geometry classes from high school? Or, if you were on the cutting edge, middle school? Or (again), if you were perhaps like me (on the dull edge), in college? Well, if you remember these things from any school, you may remember that they have many parts, such as elementary […]

This post is simply a continuation of my “Debunking Jiu-Jitsu” series. I’ve been told time and time again that drilling is the key to success in Jiu-Jitsu. “If you don’t get it now, drill it a hundred more times. And if you don’t get it then, drill it a hundred more.” There’s a mantra out […]

I’m going to confess right off the bat that I love using the triangle during my rolling sessions. Whenever I remember to actually focus on what I’m doing out there, I like to keep my legs in my back pocket to use when I need them. When rolling, people oftentimes forget about legs and to […]

When’s the last time you had a really good night of rolling? A really good night doesn’t happen as often as we’d like. There’s usually some sort of barrier to that – a mismatch of weight, strength, skill. Last night was really good. There were only four of us who showed up. I’m thinking it […]

I have some goals going into tonight’s class. Things I’ve been looking into for a few days and things I know two people up at Fighting Chance can help me with. First, I’m going to work on my “double sleeve grip, standing, spider guard triangle.” This is sweet and I’ve done a lot of it […]

I went into class last night with every intention of working my triangle. I had a few setups in mind and I wanted to see how they worked out. Unfortunately, I ended up rolling with some bigger guys and had to switch up my plans. Bigger guys are extremely difficult to triangle. I had an […]

After last night’s post, I was all up in arms about this open guard thing. I told you that I was going to research it a bit to see what others were saying about the whole concept of the position. I think my goal was to find out if I was doing anything wrong or […]

I just ordered a copy of Jiu-Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro and Kevin Howell. I’ve been meaning to pick this book up for quite some time, but for whatever reason, I kept avoiding it. Perhaps it was because I didn’t want another book floating around the house, or perhaps I was just being cheap. I’m […]

I’ve been thinking about the open guard a lot lately. Probably because I think mine isn’t as good as it used to be or perhaps because I’m finding some pretty stiff competition when I’m trying to pass one. Whatever is causing these thoughts to swirl around my mind most likely isn’t as important as what […]

Last night, we did more of what I described in my last post. We had three guys on the mat and three challengers attempting to pass their open guard. It’s a tough exercise, especially when you’re trying to put into action what you’ve just gone over. I already told you that we went over the […]

Another good time last night, but nowhere near as grueling as the past few classes I’ve had to endure. While we did sweat, the doors were open to offer a slight (warm) breeze and we didn’t free roll at all. Not that I mind that – I actually prefer the strenuous side of BJJ. But, […]

Before heading off to class tonight, I’ve been reviewing some videos on the x-pass. I’ve seen a few pretty good ones over the weekend, so I have a couple of ideas I want to play with. Mainly leg position while blocking the potential de la riva guard and some simple hand position on the opposing […]

Wow, what a night of rolling. I kind of knew what to expect because Kevin updated the Fighting Chance Facebook page with some info. It said, “Come train tonight….get ready for the holiday weekend. We are going to train hard so we can play hard! See you on the mats, Vida Jiu~Jitsu!!” Okay, another one […]

We all know that many chokes in BJJ are similar to one another. Collar setup, wrist setup and the choking arm. What varies slightly is what does what. Does a tight collar grip help more with a particular choke or does a loose one help? Are you going to apply it from the bottom or […]

I’m always on the hunt for great training tips. As you may know, if you’re into BJJ as much as I am, learning this art can sometimes be frustrating. It feels like once you’ve got a handle on things and once you feel somewhat comfortable, you meet a new player or instructor who turns things […]

This post is in the same vein as my previous one about chess. Not completely, but since we’re talking about board games here, there’s definitely a relationship. And trust me, there’s a point to this post, but it’s toward the end. Bear with me and read the entire thing – you may get something out […]

I’m sitting here right now feeling like I was dragged through town by a Jeep. Like I had a rope around one of my ankles and like someone thought it would be funny to see how much pain or how sore they could make me. Well, it worked. I’m sore. I’m dabbling with the idea […]