In the digital age of jiu-jitsu, there is no shortage of training aids. You can supplement your training with private lessons, seminars, YouTube videos, instructional DVDs, books, magazines, podcasts, GIFs, and internet discussions. You can even take the premium route and subscribe to one of the many technique databases headed up by the likes of Marcelo Garcia or Saulo Ribeiro. Even with this myriad of resources at your disposal, you should take time to do your own research. You should analyze competition footage because it will help you to: Inject new ideas and techniques into your regular training routine. Reverse engineer how techniques work through thought and experimentation, which will help you learn new techniques from instructors as well as...

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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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If you’re interested in starting BJJ, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will arm you with the knowledge you need to pick the right BJJ school for you. When evaluating BJJ schools, these are the key factors to consider: Location - What schools are closest to you and how far are you willing to travel? Schedule - Do they run classes at times that are convenient for you? Classes - Do they offer what you want to learn: gi, no-gi, MMA, judo, wrestling, etc.? Instructor - Are the coaches qualified and do they have good reputations? Culture - Are the instructors and students friendly and helpful? Facility - Is the school clean and does it have any amenities?...

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A few years ago, jiu-jitsu concepts became all the rage, and for good reason. When YouTube jiu-jitsu hit a critical mass, we had no shortage of individual techniques. We could find hours and hours of footage of our favorite competitors and instructors famous and obscure teaching their secrets. With the volume of knowledge going up, students naturally craved a more meaningful way to stitch them together, to zoom out and think about the art at a level higher than individual techniques. So instructors started talking more the concepts and strategies that drive everything from biomechanics to competition strategies. For a while, this elevated jiu-jitsu learning, but now we have a similar challenge with concepts as we have with individual techniques:...

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I learned to play chess when I was in the third grade. One afternoon when no cartoons were on television and I had finished my weekly allowance of comic books (Condorito y Barrabases) I went to my mom and told her I was bored. She took one look at me and told me how about I go read the encyclopedia. For once, I actually listened. I went over to our living room and grabbed the first volume of Barsa Enciclopedia. I remember those red books vividly. They actually had been my dad’s when he was a child, so at this point they were probably 20 years old. As I flipped through the first few pages I found something that caught...

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10th Planet Chicago after 3 hours of crucifix shenanigans. This past weekend I had the adventure of teaching two Mastering the Crucifix seminars in Chicago--a gi seminar at Chicago Martial Arts and a no-gi one at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Chicago. I owe a big thanks to Javi and Dan for organizing this trip after meeting them back at the Rdojo camp, and thanks to Barry from CMA and Josh at 10PJJC for hosting me. Everyone was welcoming and friendly and eager to train jiu-jitsu. After both seminars, I was happy to get very positive feedback from students, first in person and later through Facebook messages. The most common praise was that they felt they really “got” the material and felt they would retain...

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I feel like every so often the idea of cross training gets brought up, especially by the jiu-jitsu personality of the moment, but we still treat it like a novel idea. Cross training should not be a fringe concept that we occasionally pay lip service to only to go back to the same old training routine a few minutes later. I hope that we, as a community, can finally embrace cross training. If we go back to the beginning of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and look at the Gracie clan, we know that Rolls Gracie—who ascended to legendary status and is still regarded as the best out of all of the young Gracie brothers—was an advocate for cross training. He trained and...

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My fight journalism career began 10 years ago with Lockflow.com. From there, I wrote for Ultimate Grappling (which became Ultimate MMA), Fight! Magazine, Victory Belt Publishing, and The Escapist. At the busiest point in my career, I was writing 10 articles a week and producing a video podcast (The Lockflow Show). These days, my fight writing is limited to jiu-jitsu, and even that writing focuses almost entirely on instruction. Here’s why: the fight world does not support actual journalism. This piece is, of course, a reaction to the UFC banning Ariel Helwani from UFC press credentials for life for being a journalist. A source told Helwani about the Brock Lesnar signing, and Helwani broke the news before the UFC could...

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Worlds has been my favorite tournament to watch for a long time. Since I first saw videos from the Tijuca Tennis Club, to the first time I got to watch the black belt finals live from the Pyramid at Long Beach. There's something very special about Sunday at worlds, and it’s something I believe every jiu-jiteiro should experience. Watching the lower belts during the days leading up to the big show on Sunday is great as well, but there is something electric about seeing the black belt brackets play out, especially when the team title is on the line. All the teams sitting together to cheer and chant. Coaches and training partners pace just as nervously as the athletes. Competitors...

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Back in February of this year, I got to go to the three day Rdojo Camp at Garden State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Red Bank, NJ. It’s time that I finally wrote a review. Over those days, I shared an Airbnb rental with Nelson and Hillary as well as Reilly Bodycomb and his grappling Pokémon Elliott Hill. We ran several Magic drafts and debated late into the night about medieval battle tactics, but I’ll write about that another time. The Rdojo camp had a major focus on leglocks (big surprise!) but also went into wrestling offense and defense, kneeride and top game, and a widely varied open-ended Q&A session. The entire camp was filmed by Jason Scully for the Grapplers Guide...

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