It’s Not About How Hard You Can Roll in Jiu Jitsu…

BJJ Classes in Portland

It’s Not About How Hard You Can Roll in Jiu Jitsu… One of the things that separates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from other martial arts is the ability of practitioners to use 100% effort during sparring. This also happens to be one of the reasons the art is so effective. It allows students to test their skills… Read more »

Fight Training Nutrition: The Weigh-In for Competition

Fight Training Nutrition: Background on the Weigh-In   Fight training nutrition plays an important role through all phases of training, but it’s arguably the most important before, during, and after the weigh-in. High-level Boxing and MMA competitions are more likely to have weigh-ins the day before the fight.  Weigh-Ins for Muay Thai can happen the… Read more »

Fight Training Nutrition: Carbs Versus Fats

by Coach Erik N. We often  think of carbs and fats as being unhealthy.  However, in the proper context, carbs and fats both play a crucial role in any athlete’s fight training nutrition regimen. The key is to know when it’s appropriate to eat them, and which kinds of carbs and fats are the best…. Read more »

Coconut Water For Fight Training

by Coach Erik N. Coconut water can be an indispensable tool for martial artists who are doing serious fight training.  We all know that it’s important to stay properly hydrated when exercising.  Coconut water, for some fighters, is a much better choice than plain water. There’s an old saying that states that good fighters don’t… Read more »

Political Jiu Jitsu: Turn Strength into a Weakness

Political Jiu Jitsu has been defined as turning an enemy’s strength into a weakness.  Taking an opponent’s criticism and using it against them is another example. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of news articles relating to the upcoming elections.  I’ve noticed a couple of instances where Jiu Jitsu was thusly used as a metaphor…. Read more »

Not Just a Striker: Bruce Lee Grappling

Bruce Lee Grappling?  He is far better known for lightning-fast strikes, and creating Jeet Kune Do (which we do teach, here at Northwest Fighting Arts).  Bruce Lee borrowed techniques from many martial arts to create Jeet Kune Do (JKD) (including various forms of grappling).  Because of this, many people dubbed Bruce Lee the “Father of… Read more »

Gratitude and Appreciation with Martial Arts Training

wai kru daniel

Gratitude and Appreciation with Martial Arts. As martial artists it is easy to get caught up in the practice and forget to be appreciative of your practice. There are many things we need to be grateful for when we have the privilege of learning martial arts. You want to be thankful for all those who… Read more »

UFC Fight Night 96 is Coming to Portland!

UFC Fight Night 96 will be held at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, October 1st.  The event is expected to be headlined by a bantamweight bout between John Lineker and former two-time UFC Flyweight Championship challenger and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller bantamweight winner John Dodson. UFC Fight Night 96 Submission: The Guillotine Choke   Lineker’s… Read more »