Last month I had the great pleasure of traveling to Las Vegas to coach at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Master Tournament on behalf of Princeton BJJ. It was the first time I had attended this tournament, and I had a ball. My friends and teammates did very well in competition, and Vegas is always a great place for people watching. It’s also a reminder of what a low roller I am. For instance, I cashed out of a Kitty Glitter machine once I had made back the fiver I put into it (though I did come away with 45 extra cents). I always run into friends, instructors, and training partners at tournaments, but this one felt like...

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When Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock told us back in 1988 that “it takes two to make a thing go right/it takes two to make it outta sight,” they could have been talking about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Sure, you can do solitary drills to supplement your training, but the good stuff—live rolling, technique drilling, troubleshooting—requires a partner. Of course we all want to train with the “good” partners, and we aspire to be good partners ourselves. There is a lot of discussion of what that means, and it usually involves admonishments like: don’t spaz, tap when necessary rather than forcing your partner to see to your well-being, wash your gi, maintain a good attitude, etc. It isn’t surprising that...

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