Passing the guard is one of the most difficult things to do in all of grappling. Against anyone who is even close to your own skill level it can be a real battle! But there's one simple thing you can do to make it MUCH easier. Ready? Here's the secret... Begin your guard pass IMMEDIATELY after you sweep or throw your opponent! Don't sweep and then back out to reset your grips - it'll … [Read more...]
Your First Attack from Butterfly Guard
The 'Butt Double" is a high percentage guard attack that's also a low risk way of guaging the distance, feeling out your opponent and setting up other attacks. It's called the "Butt Double" because a) you start sitting on your butt and b) you come up forward like you would in a double leg takdedown. You can use it anytime your opponent is backing up or drawing back from you in the open … [Read more...]
A Doctor (and BJJ Black Belt) at Covid Ground Zero
Dr Nicholas Tyau is an internal medicine specialist who was working at a hospital in the Bronx, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in North America, during the spring of 2020. He's also a longtime BJJ practitioner who recently got his black belt (congratulations!!!). In this podcast we talk about the chaos that the pandemic created in the NY hospitals, the controversy over death … [Read more...]
Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu, the Number One Martial Arts Book on Amazon
I'm super stoked because I just found out that Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu is now the number one book in the Martial Arts AND the Wrestling category on Amazon.com!! And it seems to be creeping up the Exercise and Fitness section too. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT A COPY!! I appreciate your support immensely, because the risk to reward ratio of publishing a book is very high. Let me know … [Read more...]
A Quick Podcast and Video About Deliberate Practice
Have you heard the saying, "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect!" A big part of perfect practice is being deliberate about your practice. That means having a plan. Knowing why you're training that day, what you're going to be working on, and how long you're going to be working on it. The idea is to break down your training into chunks small enough so that you … [Read more...]
Guidelines for Opening Up Jiu-Jitsu Academies During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Last Updated Sept 10, 2020)
Everyone is itching to train again, and for many jiu-jitsu school owners opening up is a matter of financial survival. But just to make things even more complicated, as we learn more about this virus it means that the science, policy and best practice need to keep on evolving That's why I talked to Dr Chris Moriarty who has published a 6 phase process for reopening schools and getting back … [Read more...]
Jessica Cox, The Armless Pilot Who Flies Planes with Her Feet
Jessica Cox was born without arms but she didn't let that stop her from becoming the first woman to get her pilot's license using her feet to fly the plane. And she has a couple of black belts as well. Check out this episode; I'm sure you'll come away super-inspired and ready to smash your own limits! You can listen to the conversation below in the Youtube video player, or as episode 282 of … [Read more...]
The Cheapest Grappling Mat
I've trained on a lot of different types of mat in my day: wrestling mats, foam core mats, puzzle mats, and rock hard old school Judo straw tatami, just to name a few. And I've also rolled around on a lot of non-matted surfaces including concrete, wood and carpet. (Of all those surfaces, carpet is the WORST by far!! The carpet burns you can get on your head, back and elbows are … [Read more...]
Training BJJ Outdoors
In this episode of my podcast I talked to my friend, black belt, and school owner Jeff Shaw about 2 two main things: the history of BJJ, and how BJJ can survive in a time of coronavirus. When it comes to BJJ and covid I particularly like how he's started having outdoor classes with dedicated training partners (essentially small training pods). This is something you can set up as well with just … [Read more...]
An Amazing Triangle Choke Setup from Open Guard
The triangle choke submission is one of the most powerful attack from the open guard. Your opponent should be continuously about this technique when he's in your guard. However too many people just 'shoot' the triangle time after time without any kind of setup and hope for the best. Yes, a setup-free triangle can work if your opponent is inexperienced or asleep at the wheel, but it's not … [Read more...]
Do Masks and Face Coverings Work to Prevent Coronavirus Transmission?
I'm a jiu-jitsu black belt with a strong background in biology (BSc and MSc) who has been working in emergency response and hazmat for over 20 years (currently a captain in the fire department) and have been a strong advocate of taking COVID-19 seriously. Back in March I went on record saying that COVID was a huge concern for jiu-jitsu practioners. Since then I've published tips for training … [Read more...]
World Champ Robert Drysdale on the Early History of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil
Robert Drysdale is one of the most highly decorated American grapplers in history. He remains the only person not born in Brazil to win both the IBJJF World Championships with the gi and the ADCC Open Division without the gi. Today we talked about his research on the early history of jiu-jitsu in Brazil, his upcoming documentary called, “Closed Guard: The Origins of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil”, and … [Read more...]
Mental Practice In BJJ
How to Use It to Boost Your Learning and Performance, by Itamar Shatz Have you ever gone over a certain BJJ move in your head, because you felt that doing so can help you learn it? If so, then you’ve engaged in something called “mental practice”, which is the act of visualizing actions in your head in order to improve your ability to perform them in reality. Research on the topic suggests that … [Read more...]
The Open Guard System In App Form
I recently released the The Open Guard System with Jon Thomas. And today it's available in app format for your phone!! The open guard is the most complicated position in BJJ, so this best-selling instructional is designed to completely overhaul and vastly improve your open guard. This instructional gives you a step-by-step plan to dominate your opponent sweeps and submissions while keeping … [Read more...]
The Ball and Chain Sweep
The Ball and Chain Sweep is one of the highest percentage attacks from the de la Riva guard. This sweep has been used again and again by many high level competitors, and is one of the favorite techniques of BJJ World Champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins. In simple terms, to do the ball and chin sweep you start in de la Riva Guard, kick the guy's back leg away from you, sit up, feed his near … [Read more...]
An Interview with Adam Shoalts, Canadian Explorer
Adam Shoalts, author of "Alone Against the North" and "Beyond the Trees" is a professional adventurer and explorer. He has completed a 4,000 km solo trip across the Canadian Arctic, explored unknown rivers in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and is a fellow in the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. I was thrilled to have him on my podcast, and I hope you enjoy his tales of adventure as much as … [Read more...]
BJJ Training Pods
The 'training pod' concept is one possible way to keep yourself and other people safe during the coronavirus pandemic. It's clear that most coronavirus super-spreader events have certain commonalities, including Being indoors Being in close proximity Heavy breathing, loud talking, or singing Extended periods of contact It's incredibly unfortunate that BJJ checks all of these … [Read more...]
Train Hard AND Train Smart!
There's a saying in the British army that goes, 'Proper Preparation and Planning Prevent Piss Poor Performance.' This is called The Seven P's, and it applies just as much to BJJ as it does to military matters. The truth is that any great accomplishment, from winning a tournament to getting your black belt, requires a TON of preparation and planning. Think of the training, the drilling, … [Read more...]
Longevity in BJJ, Stephan Kesting Interviewed on The Old Roller’s Podcast
I was recently featured on The Old Rollers Podcast hosted by Harrison Helterbrand and we dove deep into maintaining your longevity in the sport, skill development, learning styles and taking charge of your own learning process. It was a great chat and so I thought I would share it with you on my own show - The Strenuous Life Podcast. BJJ Longevity Podcast in Streaming Audio Form You can … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide To BJJ Solo Drills
by Ritchie Yip The ultimate guide to BJJ solo drills is a quick reference to exercises you can do on your own to help you with your Jiu Jitsu. The guide was designed for the absolute BJJ beginner in mind. However, even advanced practitioners may see drills in this guide that they haven't seen before or perhaps they've forgotten about. BJJ Solo Drills: Guard and Bottom Position The first … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Get a Great Control Grip from the Open Guard
One of the most dangerous times in jiu-jitsu is when you're in the guard with opponent standing above you and no way to control him. In this situation he's only one explosive move away from blasting past your legs and establishing a dominant position. To minimise the chance of him passing here (and to keep yourself safe) you don't need amazing reflexes, you don't need incredible flexibility, … [Read more...]
In Depth Interview with Dominyka Obelenyte, 4 Time Pan-Am and World Championship Black Belt Gold Medalist.
Dominyka Obelenyte was born in Lithuania, emigrated to the United States at a very young age, and became a 4 time Pan-Am and World Championship black belt gold medalist. In this interview we talk technique, injury recovery, mindset, effective training, the use and misuse of 'loyalty' in the BJJ world, mental resilience and more. I think you'll really like this interview and find it very … [Read more...]
A Fast and Easy de la Riva Guard Sweep
The de la Riva guard is an essential position in today's grappling repertoire. It's a very deep position with a ton of different options. But sometimes you just want an easy win; a reliable technique to give you some confidence with a position before exploring it further. To get you started here's the Easiest Sweep from de la Riva Guard that I just put onto Youtube last night. This is a … [Read more...]
New Release: The Open Guard System featuring Jon Thomas!!
As of a few minutes ago The Open Guard System featuring Jon Thomas is now available! The whole idea of this instructional is to give you a connected set of plug-and-play systems for the open guard so that you'll always know how to stay safe, advance your position, and then sweep and submit your opponent. Systems are much more powerful than individual techniques because they link techniques … [Read more...]
Mask Wearing and the Culture War During Pandemics in the USA
If you've followed me at all these last 6 months you'll know that I was early to speak to the BJJ community about taking Covid-19 seriously, helped publish guidelines for safely re-opening academies during and after the pandemic, and have continued to try and engage people about this topic on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. As a trained biologist with 2 degrees and 15 years of experience, and … [Read more...]