What to Do When Your Progress Stalls Out
As you advance in your study of jiu-jitsu, you can expect to hit a slump in those middle belts. Life as a white belt is tough in many ways, since you’re on the receiving end of so many beatings, but the path forward is also clearly laid out: just keep coming to class, pay attention to your instructor’s teachings, and keep learning and trying to apply the techniques. Often, around the end of blue belt, and more so in purple and even brown belt, it is common to feel like the old routine is not working like it used to, that you are not getting as much out of class as you used to, and you are left feeling directionless...
A Guide to Opponent Analysis
How do you analyze an opponent’s game as you enter fight camp? Marshal breaks down his process (with a real-life example) in this post.
Meet the Pandas – Weaponized Nerdjitsu – Jonathan Thomas
Jon Thomas blew up the internet with his highly detailed and expertly explained BJJ instructionals, and he has been on a tear in the competition circuit lately. Now we're proud to call this mathematical-engineer-turned-black-belt a Panda Nation Grappler. Daniel Bertina has the story in this all new interview.
The Panda Workweek
The other day someone asked me what I did before Inverted Gear. This caught me by surprise, it’s been a while since I thought about the time before all my energy was devoted to selling uniforms with a silly upside-down panda on them. This got me thinking about why I started the company and how my vision has changed over the years.Before I started Inverted Gear, I taught BJJ and had a part time job at my instructor’s painting company. I was there for about a year, and I learned so much about business during this time. But I wanted to create something of my own, and this is when the gi idea came along. The driving force for me,...
Where to Begin Your Mobility Training?
When starting a mobility program, you can quickly get overwhelmed figuring out where to start and what to do. No ready-made routine will work for everyone, but we can lay out what goals are common to almost everyone, especially BJJ practitioners, and what to start working on. To get all caught up on this mobility series, you can read the previous articles here: Laying the Groundwork for a Mobility Practice Myth Busting Stretching Starting a Daily Mobility Practice: Controlled Articular Rotations In a hurry? That third article about Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) is the most important one for what we’re going to do below. Not in a hurry and want to learn about Functional Range Conditioning, the system this mobility...
Tips for a Kickass Comeback
Time off the mats does not need to be time wasted. Nelson tells the story of how a few surprises (like the early arrival of his son) took him out of training for 3 months, but he found a way to make the most of it. Good inspiration if you're currently sidelined.
Catching the Snitch Hidden in Crystal Lake
In his new blog post, Marshal talks about how a technique you learned five years ago can suddenly become relevant today.
What to Do When Someone Passes Out
With summer heating up and us all playing a sport where we try to choke each other unconscious for fun, it makes sense to know how to make sure our training partners are OK when they pass out. Matt wrote this guide to help you out.
Give It a Try, They Said. It’ll Be Fun, They Said: How Learning Jiu-Jitsu Is Like Learning a Language
In her latest article, Val explores insights from language-learning that might help your BJJ.
My Gym Flooded
Not even a year after Marshal takes over a BJJ program, the gym floods. What does that mean for the gym community and the future?