A man in blue shirt doing a back kick.

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  […]

A room with chairs and a table in it

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 – […]

A man in white shirt and black pants wrestling on ground.

Defense first in BJJ

Defense first in BJJ Something we have really been stressing lately at Savarese BJJ is defense first in BJJ. How good are you at getting out of bad positions? Whenever people ask me to diagnose their skill level one of the first things I observe is their skill at getting out of bad positions. Why? […]

A man is wrestling with another person on the ground.

Back control mastery in BJJ

Back control mastery in BJJ Back control mastery in BJJ can be tricky. it can also take a while to learn. When you’re starting on the path to back control mastery – focus on the upper body first: The back is the most dominant position in a grappling match without striking. Nothing else creates such […]

A man is wrestling with another person on the ground.

BJJ, like a fight, isn’t always fair

BJJ, like a fight, isn’t always fair BJJ, like a fight, isn’t always fair. Life isn’t fair – neither should be your Jiu-Jitsu: Fair play is a wonderful thing but not in Jiu-Jitsu. Your whole game is to create an uneven playing field using mechanics and tactics that put your opponent at a disadvantage that […]