Where Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Meets Natural Movement
Solo drills are a big part of Brazilian jiu jitsu. Most schools teach similar variations of the movements we do in BJJ as solo drills.
Author: Josh Vogel
Josh grew up skateboarding, running, climbing trees, and building (and destroying) tree houses in the suburbs of New Jersey in the 1990s. When he moved to Philadelphia in 1997, he continued skateboarding, but eventually fell in love with martial arts, first with the Chinese internal martial arts traditions. It wasn't until 2003 that Josh discovered Brazilian jiu jitsu. Josh learned how to practice, compete, and teach this art from the Migliarese brothers in Philadelphia and continues to work full time as an instructor at their academy, Balance Studios, in Philadelphia.
Around 2007, Josh's kettlebell coach, Jason C. Brown, exposed him to the concept of Natural Movement, encouraging him to explore the work of Erwan Le Corre, Frank Forencich, Ido Portal, and other leaders in the modern movement community. From there Josh studied Movnat in workshop format, practicing his skills and eventually becoming certified as a Level 2 coach in the system.
Josh is currently a BJJ black belt, a Level 2 Certified Movnat coach, and a Level 1 Kettlebell Athletics coach. He continues to expand his knowledge of human movement by exploring hand balancing, bouldering, parkour, and other skill sets, as well as pursuing continuing education by attending seminars in the Ido Portal method, Rafe Kelley's system, and Dewey Nielsen's approach, as well as that of other physical culturists.
You can learn more about Josh's work, seminars, online lessons, or private lessons at Josh Vogel Art. You can subscribe to Josh's monthly newsletter where he shares techniques, articles, and videos of BJJ by going to The Sloth Report.
Posts from this author
Low-Key Strategies for Skill Building
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What’s the Point? Check In With Your Goals
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The Skill of Walking
Walking is one of the basics of human movement. As with any basic skill, you can develop it in a myriad of ways with great
Do You Rely Too Much on Strength?
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Be Silent to Be Efficient
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Movement in Urban Semi-Nature
Amazing lush foliage, giant trees with an intricate and unusual weave of branches through which to navigate and swing, stones aplenty to hoist and heave,
The 1% Solution for Better Movement
This article is for anyone who wants to get better at anything. I’ve applied the concept I’ll explain to pretty much everything, from Brazilian jiu
Is What You See What You Get? Focus Your Internal Camera
When you go to a doctor for an ailment, you generally have a list of symptoms ready when the doctor asks what’s wrong. The doctor
The World Is Your Gym
What if it were possible to blur the line between the gym and the rest of the world? For those who want to challenge their
From Rehearsal to Reality: How to Train for Chaos
In every physical endeavor, there is what looks good in practice, what happens in real life, and the space between the two. This is perhaps
Practical Movement Training: The Real-Life Workout
The motto “be strong to be useful” is thrown around a lot in movement circles. One of the best ways to accomplish both goals is
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