A woman is doing judo moves on the ground

Connections in open guard in BJJ

Connections in open guard in BJJ Connections in open guard in BJJ are important. Where will you focus your connection from open guard? When you work from your back in open guard, it is crucial you form a solid connection to an opponent so that defensively he will find it difficult to create angles that […]

Two kids are wrestling on a mat in the gym.

Separating knee and elbows to pass in BJJ

Separating knee and elbows to pass in BJJ Separating knee and elbows to pass in BJJ is crucial. When you can separate knee and elbow you can pass and pin. One of the main difficulties associated with passing the guard of a trained opponent is separating his knee and elbow on the side towards which […]

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Jiu-Jitsu is the pursuit of perfection

Jiu-Jitsu is the pursuit of perfection Jiu-Jitsu is not about perfection. Not even the best among us have perfect Jiu-Jitsu, nor has anyone in the past and neither will anyone in the future. Jiu-Jitsu is about the PURSUIT of perfection through the use of rational thinking in response to the myriad problems we encounter and […]

A man in white and black uniform on blue mat.

BJJ: Don’t Stop at the Stop

BJJ: Don’t Stop at the Stop In BJJ, don’t Stop at the Stop. Stopping an opponents move doesn’t end the story. It STARTS the story. Too often, athletes will do good work stopping an opponents move and then subconsciously fall into mode of thinking whereby they think they’ve done enough and settle into neutral position. […]

A person in white and blue uniform on the ground.

How to deal with larger opponents

How to deal with larger opponents How to deal with larger opponents has always been a problem for many BJJ practitioners. Want to know how to deal with the big men or women? Answer is…get behind them! As the head instructor here at Savarese BJJ Academy (www.njbjj.com), probably the most common question I am asked […]