BJJ

With more and more people taking to the mats, Brazilian jiu jitsu was a popular topic in 2013. We featured a range of excellent articles covering all aspects of the sport, including strength and ... Continue Reading

“I was up, then all of a sudden I got tired. I could not feel my legs and got swept.” I hear these stories all the time from students either during class or at a tournament. Brazilian jiu jitsu requires a ... Continue Reading

If I saw William Wayland walking towards me in BJJ class and we were the only two people left not rolling, I would most likely fake an injury or pretend to be sleeping. If I saw William Wayland ... Continue Reading

Brazilian jiu jitsu is more than just a sport. It’s more than a martial art. It’s a way to change your life. You hear a lot of people talk about the jiu jitsu lifestyle, but what does that mean? Does it ... Continue Reading

To answer the question of how to get in shape for Brazilian jiu jitsu, we must first look at the requirements of the sport. One of the founding principles of exercise science is the SAID (specific ... Continue Reading

When I walk out of Titans Fitness Academy after Brazilian jiu jitsu class, I don’t want to look as though I’ve just been in a fight. I want to look like a girl again. I want my nail polish to look fresh ... Continue Reading

I frequently joke about something I like to call “jiu jitsu physics.” The main theorem of jiu jitsu physics reads as follows: “Given unlimited mat space, all grapplers thereon will nonetheless congregate ... Continue Reading

I don’t think I was ever formally taught to flow roll in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Just as I pretty much learned how to tie my belt through osmosis and enculturation, I slowly divined what flow rolling is in ... Continue Reading

Anyone who has grappled for any appreciable length of time has experienced various predictable grappling personalities. In fact, there are numerous lists, some of them hilarious, cataloging grappling ... Continue Reading

In an earlier article on the responsibilities of an athlete, I mentioned I’d give an example of how I have owned my training in the past, to provide more clarity about what I mean when I talk about it. As ... Continue Reading

Academia is concerned with making sense of the world. College and university undergraduates engage with the ideas and cultural dictates of “the canon,” which is the body of knowledge that currently exists ... Continue Reading

Okay, XX chromosomes. It’s our turn. Here goes: On the one hand, I fervently believe women deserve the same opportunities and the same access to grappling that men do. On the other hand, I also believe ... Continue Reading

I write a lot about Women’s Grappling Camp. I’m hoping you’re not tired of it and that you see, like I do, that just as BJJ is a microcosm of life for many of us, camp can serve as a microcosm of BJJ. My ... Continue Reading

Photos provided by David Brown Photography. When I was first starting out in Brazilian jiu jitsu, I experienced an internal struggle every day I went to train. On one hand, I was stupid crazy about ... Continue Reading

This weekend, after eight weeks of tournament-specific preparation, I finally competed at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu Jitsu Championship in Montreal, Quebec. The Abu Dhabi Pro Trials are held all ... Continue Reading

The following is written by Sabina Skala, a featured coach here on Breaking Muscle. Click here to get started on her four weeks of free MMA-oriented workouts. “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge ... Continue Reading

Photos provided by David Brown Photography. The longer I train jiu jitsu, the more I learn about what I don’t know. Throughout my time training, acquaintances who have reached black belt level have ... Continue Reading

Photos provided by David Brown Photography. Strategic planning is the first thing to consider when preparing to compete in any sport. Without a game plan, how will you know which areas to focus on ... Continue Reading

The weeks leading up to a tournament are not the time to completely revamp your jiu jitsu game. Over the past eight weeks, I’ve been working with my team at Titans MMA and our affiliate school, Marmac ... Continue Reading

One of the things I love about being involved in so many different fitness activities is always having a reason to shop. This is a list of things I’ve enjoyed using the most in my BJJ tournament ... Continue Reading

“The best way to get in shape for Brazilian jiu jitsu is to do Brazilian jiu jitsu.” I hear this a lot, but is it true? I’m not so sure. Technique is the most important part of the game, but if you’re ... Continue Reading

“Your daily nutritional regimen, including your diet and any supplements you take, is incredibly important because it affects not only the training load of a given session, but also the phase that ... Continue Reading

The term mental toughness brings to mind images of fighters withstanding seemingly intolerable punishment and persevering. We equate it to fighters like Frankie Edgar who has taken brutal beatings in the ... Continue Reading