I believe the “Unified Rules” of MMA generally favor the stand-up fighter. I also believe the UFC prefers the stand-up fighter. This makes it ironic that Rorion Gracie (along with some others) started the UFC in 1993 to showcase the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which Royce Gracie did wonderfully. In this video Stephan Kesting [...]
Although I have owned the “E58″ Cliff Keen Signature headgear for about 10 months or longer, I have been consistently wearing it for about the last four months after symptoms of cauliflower ear started to sneak up on my once perfect ears. Now I wear it every time I spar – and depending on what [...]
I would guess that headgears for martial arts have been around a long time; Wikipedia only had so much to say about the topic. Wikipedia did not have an extensive history of the martial-arts headgear. Yet. I am often surprised by how many people don’t wear headgear when training Jiu Jitsu. I would think that [...]
Yesterday I attended Boulder Grappling Academy‘s seminar featuring Relson Gracie. This was my first time meeting and learning from Relson. It was a great experience – I left feeling very excited about upcoming classes. The school was packed and the event brought students from as far as Castle Rock, Colorado (which is about an hour [...]
I was recently thinking about the different people I have rolled with at this point in my Jiu Jitsu career and the characteristics of a good rolling partner. On the one hand, the answer I came up with is “it depends” – it depends on (your) mood, what you and your partner are looking to [...]
Yesterday I was forwarded this great video demonstrating Gracie Jiu Jitsu with Rickson and Royler Gracie. I don’t know the context of the video or where it is from, although the announcers reference Pride Fighting Championships. It demonstrates some Gracie self defense techniques followed by sparring. I like this video for showing what clean, expert [...]
Tying a belt is something we all do as Jiu Jitsu folk; personally, I know it is something I could do better. While it is inevitable that your belt will come undone with enough time when rolling proper technique may help it keep tight a little longer. Below are some of the more helpful or [...]
Sambo is an up-and-coming grappling-focused martial art with Russian roots. Like Jiu Jitsu, Sambo has a lot of appeal and is experiencing impressive growth since its gain in popularity in the US in the early 2000s. Wikipedia describes Sambo as a “modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system” and broadly categorizes it as a [...]
I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) enthusiast and blogger. A blue belt under Relson Gracie, this is where I share insights, stories and reviews related to BJJ. I train in Colorado at Boulder Grappling Academy. Contact me at ryanpeterson DOT me **AT** gmail DOT com. Legal info.