Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)

I read an article this afternoon that I found quite interesting. Actually, the article was good, but what I found even better was the format in which it was presented. Question and answer. In this day and age, finding ways to captivate readers is challenging. I enjoy reading Jiu-Jitsu articles similar to the one I […]

There has been some talk recently about a term called Invisible Ju-Jitsu. I’m not sure where it began, but it’s certainly gaining in popularity. I think the time has come for something like this. While Jiu-Jitsu in America is still in its infancy, players who’ve been around for a while may be craving something that […]

I have some good news to report. The Keith Owen/Pedro Sauer ultimate guard pass was a success. I went to class last night with one thing in mind – that was to test out this new guard pass. While I was somewhat discouraged by my last attempt at trying out a technique I found on […]

I just want to remind you all that I bring you the good stuff. If you want to learn and watch videos of those little Jiu-Jitsu secrets, just check me out. I’ll show you the way. Okay, I’m being “uncharacteristically” cocky because I’m about to post a video of what I think may be a […]

I wrote a post a few days ago called, “Finishing a BJJ Triangle Against a Whizzer.” In the post, I included a video, like I oftentimes do. I explained that this looked like a good Jiu-Jitsu setup for the triangle and we should all give it a shot. Well, that’s what I did last night. […]

John finally came back to class, which simply delighted me. I’ve been waiting for him, along with his unique sparring style. I’ve been thinking about how John rolls. As I watch video after video, I have come to the conclusion that instead of using my typical loose tendencies, I need to use pressure. John and […]

I’ve got long legs, so early on in my Jiu-Jitsu career, I learned that the triangle choke is one of my go to moves. Back in the beginning, I think I had some pretty good luck with it, but as the guys figured out my game, they block it very early on. It was great […]

This is a drill I’d like to persuade Jeff to get into. It would help those of us who rely too much on the use of our hands, arms and strength. This is actually an awesome drill for all of us. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed in all Jiu-Jitsu schools I’ve attended, it’s that […]

One of my favorite moves in BJJ, by far, is the Kimura. I swear I can do that all day. I’m pretty good at it too. Many guys I roll with never know it’s coming because I oftentimes go for it while on my back. Another move I’m getting more experience with is the hip […]

Sometimes I wonder why I don’t compete. I think of how much fun it would be to really give something my all and really, really try to win. I crave that. But then I remember my personality. I remember that I won’t be able to do anything else in life while waiting for the competition. […]

GrappleArts.com has quickly become one of my favorite Jiu-Jitsu websites. The personalities over there mesh very well with my own. They are technical, don’t appreciate brute strength and they seem quite intelligent. All things I strive for. So when they have a new video of a technique, I take notice. Today’s technique is pretty good. […]

We set up a few matches for video last night, only one of which I could use. The other two had people in the background who might not necessarily appreciate being on Youtube. Oh well – at least the one I’m able to use was good. Here is another round between Chris and me. I […]

I found three more ways to defend against side control in BJJ. This time, they come from Ricardo Cavalcanti of Carlson Gracie Las Vegas. I’ll tell you right off the bat, these aren’t as slick looking as the side escapes and submissions from Roy Dean I showed you last night. They aren’t demonstrated as technically […]

I am a researcher. I get that from my mother. I used to ask her a question and after I did, she would walk away. She would return moments later with a book in her hand. She would stand in front of me, hand me the book and say, “Look it up.” I quickly learned […]

I’ve talked about the BJJ Shoulder Roll in a few posts already. The Shoulder Roll is really fun to work with because it can throw your opponent off, especially if they are a lower belt. It’s always entertaining to show some of the more advanced techniques to those guys. Now, the Shoulder Roll is just […]

I just finished posting a video where I mentioned that I was working my shoulder roll. There weren’t too many instances of rolling in that video, but during class, I used that tricky technique quite a bit. The shoulder a roll can be a real challenge for your opponent. Once started, many times, guys just […]

A while back, I was talking to Jitsu Jeff about starting a never ending series of Jiu-Jitsu technique videos. I was excited at the prospect of doing something different than what we’ve been watching online for all these years. I was excited to apply some of my style to Jiu-Jitsu. What I didn’t want to […]

A few weeks ago, Jeff went over some Half Guard techniques in class. It was pretty good stuff. One area we covered was the primary reasoning you might want to capture someone in Half Guard in the first place, what to do from there and the steps taken in between. The other area we covered […]

In each class, I am trying to get at least one video. It’s not the easiest thing because, as was the case last night, a lot of the guys are whooped. Me included. I mean, I was exhausted. The rolling session with Chris made things even worse. Chris is a strong guy and has grown […]

One really prevalent part of my BJJ game is the triangle. I love it. I’ve got pretty long legs and I move around very well. That’s a recipe for a tough time – for my opponent. I’ve had guys get so frustrated with my legs that they just burst out and use all their strength […]

There are two commonly asked questions regarding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. One of them is whether or not Jiu-Jitsu is any good when it’s compared to other martial arts and the other is whether or not Jiu-Jitu is any good when it comes time to get dirty in a street fight. Let’s talk about the first question […]

There is an area of Jiu-Jitsu that I really don’t think much about anymore. I don’t think about it because I am quite happy where I’ve been training for the past four years. I’ve grown as a person and have learned some very valuable skills. I’ve also made some great friends. The area I’m talking […]

Rich is, hands down, one of my favorite guys to roll with. Since he’s lighter than I am, he has to rely on technique, which, through the years, he’s become quite proficient at demonstrating. Not to toot his horn or anything, but he’s thoughtful and careful in what he does. I actually see him think […]

I will be posting a few videos in just a moment. They show a good friend of mine and me showing off some flow rolling after today’s class. I suppose our instructor had the same line of thought as I did this past week when he suggested that we brush up on this area of […]

There is a serious epidemic sweeping the nation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It afflicts nearly every academy countrywide and greatly hinders student progress and advancement. It’s something that can be easily corrected, if we only accept that we need to change some things we’ve learned in life so far. So dramatic. If I asked each and […]

I’m going to do my best to not get philosophical during this post. A bit of my personal philosophy may creep in here and there, but I’ll try my best to be as normal a human as possible. Listen, we are all in the same boat. Life is going to throw us curve ball after […]

One of my favorite BJJ players by far is Roy Dean. The reason for this is my admiration of his use of Jiu-Jitsu technique as opposed to his use of muscle. He’s also one of the few true Jiu-Jitsu intellectuals I know of. In Jiu-Jitsu, there is an overwhelming temptation to use your muscular gift […]

Whenever I roll with John, I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. He is a very unpredictable man. He’s also quite strong, so I oftentimes have a challenge on my hands. Last night, John and I enjoyed two rolling sessions, only one of which was worth putting online. The other, I don’t […]

This is pretty awesome. I haven’t seen this type of analysis before, but I will make a point of it in the future. In this segment, Rener Gracie and Ryron Gracie take a look at and give their own breakdown of the chain of events that led to the Nate Diaz win against Kurt Pellegrino. […]

If you watched my previous video, you’ll notice that Chris is in contrast to Zach. When sparring with Chris, I am forced to use much more strength and pressure. I understand that Jiu-Jitsu relies primarily on technique, but strength does creep in here and there. Chris is an extremely tough competitor. He wasn’t easy to […]

I am starting to take a few videos each class. My goal is to roll with at least two guys each night in an effort to; 1. let you see what it’s like to spar in Jiu-Jitsu with various styles (light, hard or in between), 2. give the guys a chance to watch the videos […]

I took this video quite a while ago, but just recently decided to post it. Although it looks like quite possibly the sloppiest Jiu-Jitsu on the planet, it’s really a great way to loosen up before class or cool down after. I’ll be posting more video of my Jiu Jitsu rolling sessions in the future. […]

This is a Jiu Jitsu submission I can’t seem to pull off. I have been working on it for a few months now and it’s been nothing but frustrating. It’s called the “Triangle Choke from Bottom.” Here’s a video of the move: Triangle Choke from Bottom Cross Side Control After watching this video, it’s become […]

We’ve been changing things up this Summer in Jiu Jitsu class. One, and the most obvious area we alter is our gi. We don’t wear it. The Summer months afford us something very special and that’s hot, sticky weather. To deal with this, we choose to roll no-gi. I really like this because I learned […]

Wednesday night was pretty exciting. We had a few guys from other schools come in to our BJJ class to teach us a some things and then spar with us later on. There were three guys; two brown belts and a purple belt. Names aren’t important. In Jiu Jitsu class, all I see is belt […]

We had a friend from my Muay Thai school join us this morning for some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I was pretty excited about this because he was my guest. I never brought in a guest before, so I wanted to really make sure he enjoyed himself. This friend of mine is a blue belt. He’s […]