One of the most common questions I am asked when I travel and teach is this. . .”what do I need to work on?” As a coach you will need to get used to being asked this, it is part of the job.

The answer to this question will of course be individualized to a great degree. But over the last Ten Years of Coaching BJJ I have also become aware of certain patterns that most athletes will follow in one form or another. It’s the journey all BJJ players undertake, and to explain my own personal vision of it as a Coach and teacher I often use a map analogy.

Imagine for a moment that the Art and science of BJJ is all diagramed out on a large map. Your job as a teacher and Coach is to help the student to first be able to read and navigate on the map, and then to begin to explore the map. As the individual becomes more adept at traveling the territory of the map, they begin to gain greater degrees of performance skill and understanding of the Art of BJJ.

Using that metaphor, here are some of the major steps I often see. . .(continue)

Ten of Floyd Mayweather’s best boxing tricks, offensive and defensive boxing skills from his fight with Shane Mosley in May 2010.

For the full explanation to all the boxing skills used, read here:
http://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-styles/10-floyd-mayweather-boxing-tricks

Boxing Tricks in order:
1. High Elbow Block
2. Head Pull
3. Shoulder Roll
4. High Guard, Drop-Jab
5. Forearm Crush
6. Leaning Right aka “pull counter”
7. Opening Guard
8. Push Tactics
9. Head & Hooks
10. Slap Hook on the Inside aka “check hook”

From grapplearts.com: 17 Tips for an active half guard

These are some important aspects to focus on and remember when it comes to being on the bottom in half guard

1. Don’t just hold on.  Gone are the days when someone moves into your half guard and then you try to hold onto them for dear life.  The half guard game is a more active, offensive, and aggressive position then it once was.  So if someone ends up in your half guard because they were working a pass, you should know that you have plenty of offensive options from this position and you should work just as hard from the half guard as you would if you were in any other guard.
2. When you’re in the half guard on the bottom, you never want to be flat on your back.  The main reason for this is because when you’re flat on your back you greatly decrease your mobility.  You should be facing your opponent on your side in a position that looks similar to a fetal position.  If you were to let your opponent get your back flat on the mat then he will have a much better chance of stopping your movement on the bottom and you will also feel much more of his weight on top of you.
3. It’s extremely important to make sure you stop your opponent from crossing facing your head and gaining head control.  The reason for this, is because when your opponent gets control of your head and starts to place shoulder pressure on your face this does a very good job of getting your shoulders and back flat on the mat, which in turn decreases your mobility on the bottom.
4. Use the paw grip to stop your opponent from gaining head control on you.  Your opponent is mainly going to try to gain head control on you most of the time by starting first to hook around your head with his arm that is further away from your body so you need to at least take the hand of your bottom arm and control his arm that is attacking your head.  A very effective way to do this is by having all of your fingers close together forming something similar to a paw and controlling at your opponent’s bicep.  Many times stopping your opponent from getting head control is so important that you may have to use a double paw grip to prevent your opponent from getting head control.  This is where you will use both of your hands on his arm that he’s using to establish control.
5. Ideally you want to tuck your head deep under your opponent.  This makes it much harder for him to gain head control on you.  It also gives you a better opportunity to get deeper under your opponent so you can start working more offensive movements. (read more)

Watch Buakaw compete in the 2010 K-1 Max finals against Dutch legend Andy Souwer:

Travel to Gordo’s Novo Leblon academy; get to know the individual cast members a little better; hear Gordo’s explanation of how Jiu-jitsu is viewed by the public here in Rio de Janeiro.

Northside MMA is Chicago’s premiere Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym, offering classes for men and women.

Even though the main event didn’t end in a spectacular submission UFC 145, there were definitely some beautiful moments. In this Gracie Breakdown, Ryron and Rener focus on the amazing side control that Rory MacDonald used to dominate Che Mills. They explain how he set up the crucifix and go over three escape variations that you can use if you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position that Che Mills was in. They also demonstrate a powerful Kimura finish from the top crucifix control that Rory could have used to submit Mills if he opted to do so. At the end, they announce the winner of the last Gracie Giveaway and the next prize, a new Gracie Tactical Backpack and a one month supply of Acai Roots premium acai product – watch and win!

“On December 11th, 2011, Ryan Hall was enjoying dinner in the company of friends, when a man approached the table, requesting a lighter. After informing him the table was comprised of non-smokers, the man became enraged, demonstrating violent behavior and directly threatening Ryan Hall. This video displays the occurrence in its entirety, to show exactly how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be used in self-defense as a means to control and subdue an opponent. Without a single punch thrown, the opponent is first controlled, and in a second encounter choked unconscious as a means to end the confrontation. For more information on Ryan Hall, and training BJJ in the greater Washington DC area, please visit wwww.5050bjj.com”