Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guides
Longer pieces about training rather than about a single technique — what to expect, what to measure, and how the parts of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game fit together. Written to stay true for years rather than to be current this month.
The main types of guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Guard is not one position but a family of them, sorted by how they hold distance. Here is the map, what each is good at, and where to start.
What is an open mat in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
No warm-up, no technique of the day, no coach talking. Just mat space and whoever turned up. What to do with that, and the etiquette that makes it work.
What is rolling in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Live sparring against a resisting partner is the part of training that makes the art work, and the part beginners most misunderstand. What it is, what it is for, and how not to get hurt.
What to expect from your first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class
Most of the anxiety about a first class comes from not knowing the shape of it. Here is the shape of it, including the parts people find surprising.
What to focus on as a white belt
The first year is not about collecting techniques. It is about surviving, escaping, and building the handful of habits everything later is built on.
When to tap in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Tapping is how a sport built on breaking joints and cutting off blood stays safe to do twice a week. Here is when to do it, how, and why waiting is the mistake.
Why beginners get so tired in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Runners and lifters routinely gas out in their first few months and conclude they are not in shape. They usually are. What is missing is the ability to not use energy, which takes longer to build than fitness does.
Why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu works
The claim that a smaller person can control a bigger one is unusual enough that it is worth explaining properly, rather than repeating. Most of the answer is about what the ground does to a fight.
Why people quit Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The drop-off is concentrated early and the causes repeat. Knowing which one is about to get you is most of the defence against it.
Why tracking your training changes what you learn
Memory is a bad witness to a training session. Writing down what happened turns a vague sense of how it went into something you can act on — and usually contradicts what you thought.
Why your guard keeps getting passed
Guard retention is mostly decided before the pass starts. Here is what is actually going wrong and the order to fix it in.
