Entries by savarese

Patience is a virtue in BJJ

Patience is a virtue in BJJ Patience is a virtue in BJJ. As is the virtue of slowness. Working out new ideas and integrating new skills into your set is a creative process. It has to be open-ended, relaxed and loose enough so you can cultivate a new set of habits…and not be afraid of […]

Stay tight and smash in BJJ

Stay tight and smash in BJJ Stay tight and smash in BJJ! Stay compact! Probably one of the biggest problems beginners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu face is that of extending their bodies at times that make them very vulnerable to attack. Most of the fundamental postures of BJJ, particularly the defensive ones, involve contraction of the […]

Gaining an advantage in BJJ

Gaining an advantage in BJJ Gaining an advantage in BJJ  is something to always be looking for during a match or sparring session. Training your mind to see working from neutrality to advantage. The basic insight behind all martial arts is that of gaining some form of prior advantage before committing to an attack. In […]

Going with the flow in BJJ

Going with the flow in BJJ Going with the flow in BJJ is a scientific approach most should adhere to. In Jiu-Jitsu, even with a well-laid plan, your next steps aren’t always predetermined. Furthermore, you see this when you translate your efforts from drilling to sparring, and discover that what seemed certain and stable is […]

Attacking the neck in BJJ/MMA

Attacking the neck in BJJ/MMA Attacking the neck in BJJ/MMA is amust have for your BJJ toolbox of techniques. Futhermore, attacking the neck via the rear naked choke has the most finishes in the history of MMA. An essential feature of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the idea of concentration of force upon a vulnerable target that […]

Sparring with a purpose in BJJ

Sparring with a purpose in BJJ Sparring with a purpose in BJJ is important. Because, the vast majority of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners enter every sparring session with a “let’s see what happens†attitude. Let me tell you something, whenever you enter sparring with a “let’s see what happens†attitude, you will simply end of doing the […]

Tension and Fear in BJJ

Tension and Fear in BJJ Jiu-Jitsu asks you to walk the line between tension and fear in BJJ, especially when it comes to new things. Learning is often difficult. If it wasn’t, you’d already know everything you needed to know. Any time you try to learn something new, whether it’s a total paradigm shift or […]

BJJ happens in real time

BJJ happens in real time BJJ happens in real time and time always catches up. So because Jiu-Jitsu happens in real time, so there are always new decisions to be made. We prefer to make proactive choices wherever we can, but with resistance in the mix, you also have to become comfortable with reactive choices […]

Taking notes in Jiu-Jitsu

Taking notes in Jiu-Jitsu Taking notes in Jiu-Jitsu is something I am a big believer. First of all, I am a believer in the notion that to a large degree, Jiu-Jitsu is a knowledge game. Of course, knowledge is not the whole story. Until KNOWLEDGE is translated into SKILL, it is of little practical value […]

Joint lock submissions in BJJ

Joint lock submissions in BJJ When it come to Joint lock submissions in BJJ, don’t be in a hurry to extend the limb. There are two ways to submit an opponent in Jiu-Jitsu, chokes and joint locks. Overall, I believe chokes are the more effective of the two but joint locks are still a truly […]