Bold text and italics are taken from the IBJJF rule book (download PDF from https://ibjjf.com/books-videos). Regular text is my additional notes. The rules are complex, confusing, and at times contradictory. In my opinion, they still cover the majority of situations as well as any. YMMV. Not all referee decisions can be clear cut and the…
Category: Jiu Jitsu
IBJJF Rules – Takedowns
Bold text and italics are taken from the IBJJF rule book (download PDF from https://ibjjf.com/books-videos). Regular text is my additional notes. The rules are complex, confusing, and at times contradictory. In my opinion, they still cover the majority of situations as well as any. YMMV. Not all referee decisions can be clear cut and the…
Core Warmups from Chris Burns
Chris Burns’ core warmups for jiu-jitsu: We did some shin rolls, twists, pigeon, cobra movements to precede these, and on Chris’ video he also does the movements to disengage from a top armbar – turn, both hands on the ground push up to mount, post on the arm you just damaged, windshield wiper the feet…
Excerpt from The BJJ Foxcast Episode 87 with Scott Burr – Older Black Belts
Transcript – Excerpt from The BJJ Foxcast Episode 87 with Scott Burr The interviewer is Alex Martinez About 46 minutes in. SB: I’ve had some interesting conversations with people. For whatever reason, I end up in these conversations with people who are like in their 40s, and they just got their black belt, and what…
What I REALLY want from Jiu-Jitsu
Before anyone outside the obvious places had heard of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I practiced various styles of Kung Fu, starting in 1977. My first Kung Fu instructor started training in 1963. He was one of the rare breed that trained martial arts before Bruce Lee. Like the Dirty Dozen, who were training Jiu-Jitsu before UFC 1…
Injuries, Training Methods, and Eco-Warriors
On a Wednesday in early February 2024, I suffered a broken left arm in training. A crack to the ulna. We were playing a jiu-jitsu game where one partner was trying to pass the open guard, and the other trying to retain their guard. I was in a group of three. One of my partners…
The Limits of Strength and Athleticism
Just try opening this up without tearing the wrapper. Your bench press max has no power here. Look for similar situations requiring patience, sensitivity, and finesse in martial arts and life as well. Maximum results for minimum effort.
Lange’s MMA
Jiu Jitsu is like an ocean, broad, deep, and for all practical purposes, infinite. In early 2007 I signed up at Lange’s MMA to sail across this ocean. We relied on our Captain and Navigator, Anthony Lange, for safe passage on this voyage of discovery, reminded regularly that calm seas do not make a good…
The Jiu Jitsu Belt System
“I don’t care if I’m a white belt for ten years. want skills not belts”. “I’d rather be a white belt submitting blues and purples than a blue belt getting submitted by whites”. Not really. We all decry “belt chasers”, those shallow souls driven only by the next stripe, the next belt … But avoiding…
Productive Jiu Jitsu training without an instructor
Just roll. OR Use a constraints led approach. For example: A is in B’s guard. B can be standing or kneeling, etc. B tries to pass, A defends but cannot sweep or submit, just work guard retention. If A passes, reset. Work for X minutes with A trying to pass, then swap. This is a…