brazilian jiu jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a highly technical, grappling-based martial art. The priority, for both student and instructor, is to become highly proficient in the techniques. Many martial arts purists prioritize ... Continue Reading

"Don't use strength” is something you hear a lot in Brazilian jiu jitsu. While it is commonly taken as a golden rule, I interpret it more as a training method used to develop certain skills, not as an ... Continue Reading

Many years ago, I was training Brazilian jiu jitsu with my instructor on a crowded mat. Another pair rolled into us, and my instructor stopped our training and asked them to move. Repeatedly. But they ... Continue Reading

Sometimes it seems like an inordinate number of column inches are dedicated to news stories about the lousy things people in the jiu jitsu community do. Particularly in recent years, there has been ample ... Continue Reading

Students often think of Brazilian jiu jitsu as a journey that will one day take them to a black belt. If you are a new student or someone thinking about starting Brazilian jiu jitsu, realize you are going ... Continue Reading

It’s almost time. Class is nearing the end, and you cannot wait for your instructor to set the timer for live rolling. Rolling rounds at the end of class is the favorite part for most people who do ... Continue Reading

It’s Saturday morning. You wake up early because the nerves make it difficult to sleep. You check your bag to make sure you have everything you need. Your gi is clean and your water and belt are packed, ... Continue Reading

One of the best parts of my job as an auditor is that I get to visit companies in lots of different towns and cities. While I enjoy all the new shopping opportunities that provides, my favorite part is ... Continue Reading

The other morning I woke up to find that my right ear was clogged. I jammed my pinky in there, just like you’re not supposed to do. I moved my jaw around hoping for that pop of relief that you can ... Continue Reading

Ever step on the mat after taking some time off and think to yourself, “It’s only been a week, why am I so tired?” Or thought you would be in better shape your first day back at the academy because you got ... Continue Reading

Losing, but winning. A few questions come to mind when I think of this statement. Such as, “How does that make any sense?” “How do I feel any sense of accomplishment if I just lost?” Or “Did I make that ... Continue Reading

I’m a tax auditor and I’m on the road a lot for work. Most of the time when I visit companies, they put me in a little room by myself. It can get pretty lonely with no one to talk to. During one of my ... Continue Reading

"That's gross and I'm never doing that." That was my thought the first time I saw people training Brazilian jiu jitsu. The idea of rolling around with sweaty people, especially without a gi, seemed ... Continue Reading

Non-grapplers tend to argue that Brazilian jiu jitsu players live in their own world, and if you think about it a bit creatively, you can see how true this is, even from the perspective of scientific, ... Continue Reading

When I woke up yesterday I felt like garbage. I hadn’t had a drink the night before, but I woke up dehydrated with a killer headache and a slight case of the shakes. The last thing I wanted to do was go to ... Continue Reading

Our Brazilian jiu jitsu team is knowledgeable, experienced, and passionate about their sport. We have six team members on board, writing articles, athlete journals, and even workouts designed for BJJ ... Continue Reading

Disclaimer From the Author: This one's a bit of a rant, because the feelings are still somewhat raw. And it still doesn’t say exactly what I’m trying to convey. Please proceed with caution and a little ... Continue Reading

It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving and you have had enough. All you’ve been doing since Thursday is eating. If you are anything like me, my Thanksgiving tends to start Thursday and continue throughout the ... Continue Reading

My business partners and I just finished another successful Women’s Grappling Camp over Veterans’ Day weekend, this one hosted by our friends at Charles Gracie BJJ Academy of Reno/Carson City. More on that ... Continue Reading

You’re in the finals of the biggest tournament in which you have ever participated. The score is tied with thirty seconds left. You find yourself stuck in closed guard on the top. Suddenly you get swept, ... Continue Reading

The majority of students in a Brazilian jiu jitsu academy are not the competitors you see on the cover of the latest BJJ magazines. The majority of Brazilian jiu jitsu students are recreational ... Continue Reading

In every major sport, a strength coach will spend hours designing programs that are sport and position specific. An offensive lineman and a running back have different requirements based on the position ... Continue Reading