Drilling. How To Do It Right
“Want to drill?” The students will move to the edge of the mat during rolling, to “drill” their techniques. It quickly devolves from executing repetitions of an arm lock to …
What Should I Work On? Part 2
In a previous blog article What Should I Work On?, I wrote about what a first year student of bjj should work on. Of course you attend class and learn the …
Safety on the mats: How to be safe and minimize training injuries!
It is a reality of combat sports that training injuries are a risk. It happens to the best blackbelts in the world, and it can happen to you also. Also, …
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Being the New Guy or Girl at the Academy…
Jiu-jitsu is a long journey. Many people get hooked and set out on the ultimate journey, achieving the rank of black belt. Along the way, there will be hiccups. This …
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A Tip To Improve Your Guard – Make Your Opponent Uncomfortable
Observing a roll between two students of similar experience, I could see that one student had a far more dangerous and difficult to pass than the second. The second student knew …
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Developing Your "A" Game – Tips on Finding Your Strongest Positions
It doesn’t take long into your study of bjj before you start to experience success with some positions or submissions. It seems that whenever you roll, you find yourself in …
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The Whitebelt Problem – Getting Stuck in Side Control: 3 Pieces of Advice
Sometimes at the academy, when I have a group of less experienced students who show up for class I will ask the students which position they want to learn that …
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Healthier Eating – Special Diet Required
One of the most popular questions that budding bjj artists ask is if there is a special diet that will work best for athletes. And if there are, then what …
The Inspiration You Get From a New Stripe or Belt
It is a cliche of martial arts that many practitioners say “I don’t care about belts!”. Their point is valid: your training should primarily be about having fun and acquiring skills. …
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A Great Training Method For Your Takedowns
Many bjj students also supplement their training with judo, and many bjj blackbelts also hold advanced ranks in judo. During my last training trip to Gracie Barra in Rio de Janeiro, …
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