Class was Shrimptastic!!

I missed last Friday’s class due to a trip out of town and will miss this Friday as well, so I was a little less prepared for warm-ups this Monday. We often begin our warm-ups wth a lot shrimping, but this class it felt like it lasted an eternity. Although toward the end I believed [...]

Friday’s Class: 4th Session Overall: X-guard

I have had a total of four sessions since I started attenting Smiley’s MMA (Combat Athletix). For the first time in a while I feel a real sense of progression. Being able to train more than twice a week makes me feel as if I can achieve a lot more. I think it has been [...]

Sit-throughs: One of the slickest moves ever invented..

The sit-through is a move that I love to do. When I can pull it off it feels like a magic trick. I first used it after studying a wrestling book about 3 years ago. Since I never wrestled I didn’t have the opportunity to learn it as a child or teenager, so I look at the [...]

The Upa (Bridge): Can you do it when your tired?

The upa or bridge, when properly executed is an awesome way of disrupting an opponents balance, setting them up for a sweep and helping to secure a sweep. However, in my experience of practicing BJJ and watching boatloads of submission grappling and MMA videos, it is highly underused.
Whenever I remember to use it in practice it [...]

Ground and Pound Action: Class

Last night, I arrived a little late to class. When I entered, the guys were in the middle of a striking session with the pads. It turns out that Big “J” will be fighting in his first MMA match this Saturday.  Big “J” is a rare specimen. He is 6′4 or 6′6 (he said he [...]

“You’ve Improved a Lot Since the Last Time We Rolled.”

“You’ve improved a lot since the last time we rolled.” 
Those are the words my head instructor said to me last Thursday. We had a good ten minute roll before he tapped me with a triangle. (Although I am convinced he could have tapped me earlier.) He said it with enthusiasm, so I was glowing inside, even [...]

Joined a Gym

Last week after contemplating my struggles with Big Man in class, I really thought about the use of strength and conditioning in BJJ. Since I am the smallest of the Big Men in class I suffer from what my instructor termed the “law of diminishing returns.” He stated that if I were smaller and wiry [...]

Jiu-Jitsu Dream - Dana White and Purple Belts

I had a dream Saturday night that I was sleeping in a Japanese style dojo. I wake suddenly (in the dream) to hear voices in the next room about promoting someone to purple belt. All of a sudden Dana White bursts into my room holding a white gi and a blue belt. He barks out [...]

Do Most Fights Go to the Ground? (Research I conducted)

By Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.  [Warning: Longer than usual post]

People who have been following MMA, submission grappling and martial arts since 1994 have been aware of the increasing emphasis placed on ground fighting. Yes, a lot of the push is because ground-fighting experts are trying to convince people to become involved in their martial art or [...]

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 [...]