Josh Waitzkin is an extremely decorated competitor in Chess, Chinese Push hands (Like Chinese Judo) and BJJ. He is also the author of The Art of Learning. I read this book earlier this year and I believe that it has changed my viewpoint on learning bjj which in turn has helped my performance on the mat. In this vid Josh teaches Tim Ferriss how to execute the Marcelo-tine using his special brand of teaching.

At some point you will encounter fear. If you get involved in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Fear in BJJ will be a frequent visitor. Maybe it sets in when you are going into a BJJ tournament; Maybe fear locks you up when it’s time for live rolling. In any case, you are not alone. We all feel this emotion at some point. Let’s take a moment to establish the basics on overcoming fear.

This week we talk about proper breathing technique for BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). It’s definitely an issue that does not usually get its own lesson… but it should.

Several months ago, I had the honor of tearing my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). It is an essential tendon that is in the center of all of our knees. The ACL helps with all daily movement. I was training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu one night. He caught me in a rough straight ankle lock. My knee made a popping noise. I felt intense pain in my knee. I yelped and I tapped immediately. It wasn’t immediately clear to me the severity of the injury. But over the next several practices it became clear that my knee had suffered an intense injury and match by match I was losing confidence in the joint.

A friend in class asked me to touch on this subject so here it is. Technique vs Strength and when to use each.

At the heart of a promotion is a person who is acting above their recognized level. This is true in most things and very true for a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Promotions do not usually come if you have one foot in blue belt and the other in purple.

In this article, we explore ‘How to get a blue belt in BJJ‘. Brazilian Jiu-JItsu is a difficult and unintuitive sport. Unless you did Judo or Wrestling before you really cannot compare it to anything you have done before. Without some proper coaching, you can spend years at white belt. It is very easy to make mistakes in this sport. Read this article to streamline your promotion. This is not a list of hacks or loopholes in your Jiu Jitsu blue belt. Unfortunately, There is no short road. So tighten your belt and prepare for work!

Firas Zahabi is grappling training coach for many top level MMA fighters like Kenny Florian and George St. Pierre. In this interview Firas lays out the foundations of his philosophy. If you are serious about training you need to watch this video! Many of his thoughts are very applicable to successful lifestyle.

Just like all other sports, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has an etiquette, and Jiu-Jitsu etiquette is closely followed. Offend the rules and the consequences could be bad enough you may have to leave the school. So pay close attention.

One of my favorite sports sayings is “The Ref will moderate the written rules. Your competitors will moderate the unwritten rules.” Here is a mix of written and some unwritten rules. I’ll do this in order of ‘guideline’ to ‘essential’.

Your first day of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu should put a couple butterflies in your stomach. Starting something new is always exciting. Nothing can wreck a new experience like showing up unprepared.