Let your opponent feel the stress Let your opponent feel the stress, this is a common phrase here at Savarese BJJ (www.njbjj.com). Always let the other guy feel the stress. Also, a common problem I see all the time is that of a BJJ practitioner or any grappler doing a good job getting to a […]
Leglock theory for no-gi BJJ Some leglock theory for no-gi BJJ that we teach here at Savarese BJJ (www.njbjj.com) goes as follows. Break them down to a hip: One of the distinguishing characteristics of the revolution in leg locking that has swept the world was the heavy emphasis on leg locking from bottom position. In […]
Covering distance in BJJ Covering distance in BJJ in its essence: Don’t worry about the speed with which you move, concern yourself with the distance you have to cover. Very often, I am asked by students if they are too slow or old or too unathletic to be effective in Jiu-Jitsu. Certainly it’s an impressive […]
The mental battle vs open guard The mental battle vs open guard or the great challenge of open guard is understanding your desire for offense with your need for defense. Open guard play is probably one of the most frustrating elements of Jiu-Jitsu for most players. It offers almost limitless possibilities for attack with sweeps […]
Don’t freak out in BJJ Don’t freak out in BJJ. Freaking out isn’t going to help. It is natural when you find yourself in a bad situation in Jiu-Jitsu to feel some degree of panic. No one likes losing, even in the Academy, and so the intensity always goes up as the danger of losing […]
The importance of the hook sweep The importance of the hook sweep was taught to me very early in my BJJ journey. Mastery of the hook sweep also known as the sumi gaeshi, has always been an essential part of my approach to Jiu-Jitsu. In my purplebelt and brownbelt days training at the Renzo Gracie […]
Don’t give your back in BJJ! Don’t give your back in BJJ! It’s also better to have the floor on your back than an opponent on your back. We are big on this at Savarese BJJ (www.njbjj.com). The worst situation in a grappling match is to have an opponent on your back. From there he […]
Controlling the head in BJJ When it comes to controlling the head in BJJ, the theory goes “He who controls the head, controls the body”. The human body is essentially a skull connected to a spine and everything else hangs off that. As such, if you control the head, you control the movement of the […]
Jiu-Jitsu passing the guard theory A Jiu-Jitsu passing the guard theory is to separate the knee and elbow. Just like we teach when passing to connect your elbow and knee many times, we have to separate that connection while passing. When you can separate knee and elbow you can pass and pin. One of the […]
Intensity in your BJJ training Intensity in your BJJ training will rise as you rise. The first thing you’ll notice when you compare a competition match or a very hard sparring match where neither of you wants to lose versus a relaxed gym match where you’re focused more on technical growth rather than winning is […]
