Zhoozhitzu do Graugardo: Thinking Ahead

I have had Christian Graugart’s blog page listed for quite a while now. To those who are familiar with his site, you know that he provides pretty useful tips on BJJ. I happened to watch his latest video yesterday and was impressed with how easily he dominates his sparring partners. He always seems to be thinking 2 [...]

Traveling, but keeping pace….

I will be traveling often these next few weeks (academic job hunt, weddings, etc..). However, I have maintained the 100 reps a day regimen I set up last week. The positions that I have applied for and that have responded to me are in cities that have plenty of BJJ and submission grappling academies. That is one [...]

BJJ and the Stability Ball

I have finally used a stability ball (my wife’s) as a part of BJJ training. In the past, I have seen a few videos with guys describing the benefits of using it for BJJ, but it never prompted me to act. I tried it out Saturday night just to see what would happen.
It truly does require balance, timing [...]

“Heel Twist Mount Escape”

I watched an interesting video clip on how to escape when mounted. The guys on the clip state it’s a technique that can be used if the traditional escapes fail.
I like to introduce unique techniques to my game because of the shock value. I find that you gain valuable time to pull off some of these moves [...]

Training Chart: Preparing for Tournament

I want to participate in the April 12th tournament in Jacksonville, so I need to alter my training regimen. After a week of knowing about the tournament I hadn’t changed my routine, at all, of a minimum of 30 reps and attending class until yesterday. I drew up a chart that I will use to prepare for the event.
I am [...]

Fight Quest: My Addiction to BJJ is Ridiculous

I am sitting here blogging while watching Fight Quest and I’m thinking about how hooked I am to BJJ. I wish this episode could last for 3 hours or more. I’m envious of the total immersion lifestyle. I guess it’s the grass is greener syndrome.
Eventually, in the United States, we will have the level of interest that exists [...]

90 Days In…..

Well, I’ve been working on my BJJ skills for 90 days straight. How am I doing in terms of progress?
Well, I’m not sure. I know that I have improved in many different areas. However, it is hard for me to judge to what degree. My flexibility and mobility has improved and  I have become more [...]

Class: Gassed out in 10 minutes

Last night was exhausting… We worked on guard passes and I gassed out in the first few minutes of class. Breathing wise, I was okay (at first) but I ran out of strength quickly. My goal last night was to begin working harder in practice to prepare for this tournament, but my body had different [...]

Tournament Time - April 12, 2008

Most of my family lives in Jacksonville, FL. While looking up some information on BJJ in the city, I bumped into a website advertising a BJJ tournament.
Perfect!!! 
It is about 62 days from now and it is only 3 1/2 hours from where I live. I noticed that JaxBJJ, the academy that I dropped in on [...]

“The Knuckle Choke”

I promised that I would put up the video of the choke I used in class that I learned from watching the guys at Submissions 101. Since we don’t use the gi and can’t grab clothing at all, we have to be really creative to be able to catch people in chokes. I ‘pulled off’ [...]