Entries by savarese

Self assessment in BJJ

Self assessment in BJJ Self assessment in BJJ is an important thing to look at. Every time train in Jiu-Jitsu we get a very clear idea of how we performed because of the uncertain nature of sparring. If your partner is better than you, they will usually submit or dominate you positionally. If your partner […]

Jiu-Jitsu reveals your character

Jiu-Jitsu reveals your character Jiu-Jitsu reveals your character. The legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said “spoSo many claim they love Jiu-Jitsu yet the moment things get tough their love becomes less. In this case you don’t love Jiu-Jitsu, you love the flavor of the month. The beauty of Jiu-Jitsu is the tough days. It […]

Chris Savarese – Best Matchmaker in Grappling History

Chris Savarese – Best Matchmaker in Grappling History Chris Savarese is The Best Matchmaker in Grappling History according the Grapplers Quest promoter Brian Cimins. Savarese, a blackbelt under Royler Gracie (see pic above) was the Grapplers Quest super fight divisions matchmaker from 2001-2007. He helped Grapplers Quest assemble some of the best talent in the grappling world […]

Women’s highest percentage submission hold vs men

Women’s highest percentage submission hold vs men Stats show that women’s highest percentage submission hold vs men is the heelhook. Observations – women sparring men in Jiu-Jitsu: Probably one of the toughest assignments in all of Jiu-Jitsu is for a woman to submit a male who has the same amount of training time and the […]

Passing half guard in BJJ

Passing half guard in BJJ Passing the half guard in BJJ can sometimes be a chore. But the secret is pressure! Pressure passing…. the power of half guard. There are many ways to create pressure while passing your opponents guard, but in my opinion half guard passing is the best for pressure for the simple […]

Takedown philosophy in BJJ

Takedown philosophy in BJJ There is a lot to takedown philosophy in BJJ. That is because there is a lot more to the standing game of BJJ than takedowns: When most people think of standing skills in Jiu-Jitsu, they understandably think automatically in terms of takedowns. However, there are many other skills of great importance. […]

Every submission has an escape in BJJ

Every submission has an escape in BJJ Every submission has an escape in BJJ. The key is to identify the problem. Every escape involves a set of movements – but invariably there is ONE movement that does the majority of the work of escape. For example in upper body submission holds from guard involving your […]

Best BJJ training is sparring tired

Best BJJ training is sparring tired The best BJJ training is sparring tired. It’s common to feel utterly exhausted some days in the middle of your sparring rounds. Sometimes you come in feeling fine and have a couple of very tough rounds and feel very fatigued. It’s natural to feel like stopping, maybe taking off […]

Dictating pace in Jiu-Jitsu

Dictating pace in Jiu-Jitsu Dictating pace in Jiu-Jitsu is one of the keys to success on the mat. Whatever your opponent wants to do – do the opposite: BJJ can seem like a very complex game at times, but in some ways it is very simple. It is a classic zero-sum game in the sense  […]

How to improve while injured in BJJ

How to improve while injured in BJJ   How to improve while injured in BJJ has an easy answer-watch class. It really is that simple. Watching BJJ class: Whenever my students are injured, I usually encourage them to come in periodically and watch classes from the sideline. Why? When you can’t train your body – […]