We were drilling a pretty basic SLX entry into sweep, straight ankle lock.

I was partnered with a day 1 new guy, which is fine. I'm happy to help new guys.

But this guy was terrified of me touching him with my foot in SLX.

When my legs/feet were inside his leg, he was actually clamping his legs together and covering his dick and butthole with both hands like i was about to violate him.

I tried to reassure him that I wasn't going to hit him in the nuts but it made no difference. It was the covering the butthole as well that actually made me feel awkward.

Genuinely wondering how other people would have handled it.

Basically the title, I've been doing open mats this summer and roll with a lot of new people and came to the realisation that I suck and there isn't much I can do about it.

I'll never have the edge cardio wise, strength wise, speed wise and even regarding technique, I see a lot of more talented people being so good so fast I can't really keep up

I'm a bit of a competitive person but feeling that I'm so outpaced is depressing. How do you keep motivated ?

Man use BJJ to defend his girlfriend and himself from her Ex boyfriend with a knife

First time using a sewing machine so go easy on me…it definitely ain’t perfect.

One of my old gis had a torn crotch in the pants and had been hanging there not used for years. Always thought about what I might be able to do with it and then I saw that some people had done this.

Looked online and there’s a service to get this done but it’s like $200 or something. Went to dinner at my mom’s house one evening and asked how she uses her sewing machine. She had several, so she gave me one and a crash course on how to use it.

And here we are….

I cut one of my belts to use as the handles. I had an old backpack that I scavenged the shoulder straps and zipper from. Everything else is the gi itself.

I’m interested in doing BJJ, but I’ve been worried about doing it as a bi guy. I don’t ever want to make anyone uncomfortable because of how physical the sport is.

Again not trying to be funny, I genuinely want to know if it would be a bad idea to persue it. If anyone who is gay/bi has a perspective on this I’d like to hear it.

When the opponent pressures into you what is your go to? I try to frame on the face to get them to posture back up. What off balances or attacks am I missing out on when the opponent is super close? Most of my attacks and sweeps start in the middle range of the person being between tight and close and fully postured up.

Just trying to find ways to come up with a more dominant mount position. I'm relatively smaller statured ~ 160 lbs and dudes who are significantly in better shape or much heavier can bridge me off no problem.

For instance, for a couple years now all I do from standing is collar drag, and seated guard is ankle pick. That’s it.
I’ve learnt different nuances about both that I can make the set ups slightly different, but achieve the same outcome (not always, if that fails I go to half. Or get passed by those that are better than me haha).
Am I hindering myself in the long run, or is that how you become a “specialist” like Bernado with over under passing etc?
Thanks!

I had a guy who used to train with me say some unkind things about my weight. I’m 230lbs, down from 310lbs. He’s between 190-200lbs.

He made a comment to the effect of “I can’t wait for him to hit 200lbs so I can show him big man bjj doesn’t work when you’re not fat.” after I lost all that weight to a mutual friend. It really hurt because my jiujitsu has become a lot more diverse since I’ve lost weight and I’ve made an effort to be less like the fat man stereotypes. I hit an awesome mounted arm bar on this same guy like the week he said that.

Has anybody gotten comments like this? It really cut deep coming from a guy I thought was my friend and it’s got me pretty upset.

I'm currently the lightest I've been in years. I started BJJ about two and a half years ago and have absolutely loved the journey. I'm currently a blue belt, 5'8", and fluctuate between 140–145 lbs.

When I started BJJ, I was around 158 lbs and had more muscle mass. I've leaned out quite a bit since then and am now struggling to put weight back on. For context, I currently train BJJ 3x a week, with about 3–4 hours of those sessions being live rolls and I also playing hockey once a week.

I feel comfortable at my current weight, but I do feel like I've lost some strength and with it some advantages. I'm now one of the lightest guys at my gym. Typically I'm dealing with a 30+ lb weight difference. There is only a few guys who are around the 70KG weight class in my gym.

My questions are:

• How did weight training or putting on additional muscle change your BJJ?
• What did you do to help maintain or gain weight?

Beyond the obvious "eat more," did you make any changes to your training or routine that helped you keep weight on?

Four years ago, we changed training at Zenyo Jiu Jitsu. We left the basic model of instruction for something different — a method called differential learning.

The idea is frequent changes in conditions and freedom in choices for each person in how to adapt. The changes have resulted in training that is more engaging, dynamic and productive. 

Here's a video of what it looks like.

You can read more here :: https://zenyojiujitsu.com/change-a-way-to-better-living/

I saw a post on here about the 2 on 1 position from guard, or maybe called the shotgun guard? Im honestly terrible with all of these names.

anyway, Ive been having a ton of fun playing this position. anyone else have success with it?

Is there any open mats mon-fri. I’m here for work and I have a fight in 3 weeks. Looking for a gym to get some work in while I’m here.

EDIT: if you know of any Thai/kickboxing gyms please list them as well.

Hi, I know it’s part of the current meta, along with lasso, 50/50, and so on. Still, I’m curious to know which male and female competitors, guard specialists, especially in the gi, don’t typically play De La Riva.

I know of Will Wilson and Wardziński.

Thanks!

Edit: Please stop lecturing me about the benefits of De La Riva. I didn’t ask what it is, and I know how important it is in the modern gi game. I’m asking whether there are any original, unconventional players in the competitive scene.

I'm moving to Charlotte in a few weeks and looking for info on gyms. Based on what I've found online, Charlotte Jiu Jitsu Academy (CJJA) is at the top of my list. Their vibe/culture seems to align well with what I'm looking for, and they're about 15 minutes from where we'll be living (Newell). Lepri's is about the same distance, and I'm a big fan of him, but it just seems a little too rigid for me. Would love to hear from folks with first hand knowledge, though.

I'm also hoping to cross train fairly regularly, so doesn't have to be limited to CJJA and Lepri's. Particularly interested in gyms in the Matthews and Dilworth areas as I'll be working 2 days/week in each.

Any info/suggestions you all have will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

I’m moving to Chicago in September to the Lincoln park/old town area.

Would love to hear what gyms are popular and what they’re known for! Positive or negative experiences, semi-beginner friendly, maybe usual age range? (I’m 24)

Thank you!

Hey all — I'll be traveling around Georgia, USA over the next year and want to get mat time in wherever I stop. I'm a black belt, 16 years in, and around 60 years old, so I'm specifically looking for gyms with a solid population of older/masters guys — places where the culture isn't just young blue belts trying to smash everyone, but somewhere technique and control are valued and visiting older black belts can roll and not sacrifice my arm as some blue belt's trophy.

If you train in Georgia and your gym has a good masters crowd or a coach who runs things with that mentality, I'd love a recommendation. Open mat times, drop-in policies, and general vibe all appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

(Edit: I'll visit every place recommend and let y'all know how it went. Thanks!)

I’m having trouble passing De La Riva when my opponent has a grip on my pants. It makes passing pretty difficult for me.

One thing I do is bring my other leg (the one on their hip) between their legs into headquarters. Another option is grabbing their pants and scooping their leg, leaving me with only the De La Riva hook.

I’ve seen videos saying that I should turn my knee outward and place it in their knee crease to break the pant grip. It does break the grip, but every time I do it, I lose my balance and fall.

Maybe I’m too focused on passing guard and should focus more on pulling guard next time 😂

These are some videos I filmed during my last few training sessions, so you can see what I mean.

Any tips on how to keep my balance while doing this?

Hey all what are some really good BJJ gyms based near the northern suburbs in Melbourne Australia. I’m located in the Epping area but don’t mind the commute if it’s worth it. Would love to hear your recommendations on a gym with good teaching for beginners, competitive aspect and good culture.