Just Jiu Jitsu

It’s time to wrap up our Rickson series! In this episode we cover his fighting style, training mentality and his overall influence on jiu jitsu.

Rickson Gracie stands head and shoulders above 99.9% of people who have ever trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From a young age he showed unrivaled talent and unlimited potential. As he grew up he did not disappoint. With an undefeated record in jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts, Rickson has received universal acclaim from fighters and fans. In this episode we discuss the early years of his life.

This week we open our inbox and pull out a listener email. This email happens to be about belt and stripe promotions in jiu jitsu.

In the second episode of our guard passing series we talk about breaking closed guard. Before you can work on passing your opponent’s guard, you have to do two things: nullify and open. First you must control your opponent and nullify their ability to sweep and attack. Secondly you’ll need to open their guard to set yourself up for a pass. We spend this episode focusing on these first two stages of passing.

When you’re faced with the magnitude of information in jiu jitsu it can be overwhelming. It’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in an ocean of techniques and concepts. How do you keep your head above water? In this episode we discuss how to learn efficiently. We look at learning strategies that make it easier to absorb and retain information. Whether it’s taking notes, visualization, or analyzing rolls, we evaluate different means of processing the information you’ll come across while training.

We’re starting an ongoing series on guard passing. It will cover specific types of passes , mechanics, concepts, and strategies. This first episode will go over the big picture of guard passing. It will also touch on ideas that we will expound upon in episodes down the road.

While leg locks have been accepted in mainstream jiu jitsu, wrislocks are still frowned upon in many circles. If leg locks are the wild and dangerous brother, then wristlocks are their creepy little cousin. Where does this negative connotation come from? Should people be afraid to learn wristlocks or are they a valuable weapon for a person’s arsenal? In this episode Kroyler explains why he loves wristlocks and has incorporated them into his playbook. Is it any surprise that a monster like Kroyler would keep wristlocks near and dear to his heart?

Are you ready for a terrifying episode that will cause you to shake with fear? Then you may want to find a true crime podcast because those are much scarier. If you’re willing to settle for a milder experience then stick around because this week we have a go at making an episode with a Halloween theme. Halloween is a time for dressing up and wearing masks. In the world of jiu jitsu, a similar thing happens when people pretend to be something they are not. Whether it’s the way they roll, or how they carry themselves while training. This can be good and bad. Sometimes it might be a little guy who thinks he is massive and tries to smash through a larger opponent, other times it is keeping a calm face when you are in a bad position. Kroyler discusses how to use self awareness to determine what your strengths are and then how to find the best style for your game.

Without Mitsuyo Maeda, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu would be very different from what we know today. Maeda, also known as Count Koma, started training Judo under the legendary Kano Jigoro. After gaining the respect of his peer, he started traveling the world with the sole purpose of demonstrating the efficacy of Judo. During his time in Brazil, he met and trained a fourteen year old Carlos Gracie. Maeda taught Carlos a lot about Judo and the philosophy of self defense. Anyone who trains Brazilian Jiu Jitsu owes a great debt to Mitsuyo Maeda and the fire he started in the minds and hearts of the Gracie family. In this episode we learn about the life and impact that Count Koma had on the martial art we all love.

For those that want to skip ahead to the jiu jitsu talk, it starts at 07:11.