For Beginners RSS
BJJ Self Defense Part 5: Defending the Low Tech (and Deadly) Headlock!
One of single biggest errors you can make when you’re practising a martial art is to assume that everybody else pract...
BJJ Self Defense Part 4: The Technical Standup
Today we’re going to look at and learn about one of the most fundamental movements in all of BJJ. It’s the “technica...
BJJ Self Defense Part 3: The Street Guard
If you’ve been reading my emails and training in grappling then, by this point, you’re going to be quite familiar wit...
BJJ Self Defense Part 2: Escaping the Mount
The first time I ever saw the Mount position was during a schoolyard fight in grade one. One kid pushed the other kid...
BJJ Self Defense Part 1: Proximity, Panic and Claustrophobia
This might be a bit controversial but BJJ IS A MARTIAL ART!
That means it’s a fighting method, used for stopping (and...
Why Don’t More BJJ Students Ask Questions?
I know I’ve been lucky, but most of my martial arts instructors have encouraged questions.
For example, my BJJ coach,...
The Answer is Out There!
Let’s say that you want to add a new technique – any technique – to your game.
With new techniques there’s always a t...
24 Skills That’ll Save Your Butt on the Mat
It’s easy to get sidetracked in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Whether it’s the Worm Guard, the Berimbolo attack or some crazy...
The Subjectivity of Pain (and Why BJJ Beginners Feel Like Wimps)
When people start grappling they often feel like wimps.
Warmups are difficult, it’s hard to breath on the bottom, sub...
Some Principles and Concepts for an Effective Closed Guard
Too often people forget about the bread-and-butter strategies that have been effective for decades and get seduced by...
How to Train with Beginners so that Nobody Gets Hurt and You Both Get Better
The most dangerous situation in BJJ is training with an absolute novice.
I’m serious! Someone who has never trained ...
Five Great Followups to a Failed Triangle Choke
The Triangle Choke is definitely another one of those Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu signature moves. It’s a super-powerful subm...