This is a very difficult topic for me to blog on especially from an American Jiu-Jitsu instructor perspective.  In America team loyalty is important BUT students leave their instructors for various reasons all the time.  Are they wrong?  Not necessarily. 

I have thought long and hard about this iss...

There are two ways to get Jiu-Jitsu knowledge... 

For instance, you can stay in bottom side control and keep getting choked over and over and over again until you "accidentally” stumble on the right defense or you can do what very few people will do and simply ASK the instructor or another high rank...

One thing I see with many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students is that they are very athletic, fast and physically gifted.  On the other hand, I also see a lot of people who, while they exercise, and pump iron are emotionally weak.   These are the guys who get mad when they perceive a slight by somebody or ...

If you spend any time in BJJ you know that for one reason or another you will most likely take an extended break from training.  It might be because of a family or job issue but most of the time it’s due to injury.  This can be difficult especially when you are a purple belt or above.  Most higher b...

This Blog is dedicated to all you big guys out there.  How lucky are you to be big?  Very lucky!  

This means in Jiu-Jitsu you can typically have whatever position you wish starting out.  What position do you usually choose?  You choose to be on top ALL THE FREAKIN TIME.  

You are probably thinkin...

I remember the day back in 1997 when I was at my business and I picked up a pen and my back went out.  I remember saying to myself like a dork.  “That was odd.”  I had been training in Jiu-Jitsu for about 4 years and my back hurt ALL the time! Especially from all the neck injuries I acquired.  This ...

I am going to share an idea that Black Belt Phil Migliarese shared with me one time. I am paraphrasing here and he probably doesn't remember. He advised that you should leave your brown belts alone and not try to control them. They are trying to arrange all of their knowledge so don't try to teach t...

Being a Purple Belt is one of the coolest things ever.  The reason is that it's the most difficult belt to get.  Most people quit before receiving it and most purple belts COULD defend themselves out on the street if need be and they have shown themselves to be tough individuals. 

In an age where pur...

I am continuously asked how good of an instructor Professor Pedro Sauer is.  I am often at a loss for words as to how to respond to such a question.  After much thought, I can only come up with one word, “Prodigy.”   

I often liken Professor Sauer to Amadaus Mozart.  Who was the musical genius of h...

I consider myself a Jiu-Jitsu scientist, psychologist, practitioner AND “theorist.”  I like to investigate the mental as well as physical aspects that make Jiu-Jitsu functional for MOST human beings.  

My idea being that if we investigate how the mind works (because the mind controls the body) in c...

Sleep is a big factor in how you heal properly from a good day of training.  I was told several years ago by a sports doctor friend of mine that if you have two nights in a row of non-beneficial (tossing and turning) sleep that many times includes an elevated temperature that you are susceptible to ...

Being a blue belt is a rough time, both in learning grappling fundamentals and putting up with loss and disappointment.  Injury is prevalent and good technique is scarce. This is the time where many students quit because it’s difficult and because it takes so freakin long to get to purple belt, in m...

My Guest Blogger is my good friend Rob Magao.  Rob is a black belt under Professor Pedro Sauer.  Rob and I were sitting in a restaurant a few weeks ago talking about the differences between MMA and Reality Based Self-Defense on the Street.  What we came up with was eye opening for me.  I asked Rob t...

“The Master should want the apprentice to surpass him, but the apprentice should never forget who his master is. If those two things are understood the student should never have to leave.”
                                                                          - Keith Owen
 
Lately, I have been aske...