Grappling: How Can I Increase Mat Awareness?

brazilian jiu jitsu portland

In grappling, mat awareness refers to someone’s ability to know where he or she is on a mat with respect to: Their opponent’s The mat’s boundaries Their own body parts Mat awareness could closely be compared to driving a vehicle. When you first learn how to drive, you’re only worried about one thing: the road right in… Read more »

Famous Women and Self-Defense Jiu-Jitsu Classes

Women’s jiu jitsu mackenzie dern

Famous Women who’ve Taken Self-Defense Jiu-Jitsu Classes In a sport that is largely dominated by men, there are women who have reached the metaphoric summit in Jiu-Jitsu and become very famous as a result. It wasn’t until fairly recently that there’s been an upsurge in women participating in Self-Defense Jiu-Jitsu. Let’s take a look at… Read more »

Learn About Jiu-Jitsu Training

Developing Positive Skillsets and Belief Systems through Jiu-Jitsu Training Jiu-Jitsu is a sport that will push you both mentally as well as physically. Ask anyone who’s been grappling for some time and they’ll tell you that the skills that you gain from Jiu-Jitsu can also transfer over into life. From pushing through obstacles to overcoming negative thinking,… Read more »

What Does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Teach You?

BJJ Classes in Portland

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a special martial art in the sense that it can teach you things that come in handy both on and off the mat. What does Brazilian jiu-jitsu teach you? For one, it teaches you how to defend yourself against stronger and bigger opponents. Secondly, it teaches you how to become a more… Read more »

Can Anyone Do BJJ?

Jiu Jitsu self defense in portland

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a sport that revolves primarily around grappling and submission-based moves. For this reason, it is often said to be one of the most efficient forms of martial arts for one-on-one self-defense situation. Can anyone do BJJ though? In short, yes. This isn’t a sport that discriminates against size, age, weight, or experience…. Read more »

BJJ For Weight Loss?

brazilian jiu jitsu portland

Can I Lose Weight With Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling-based martial art that is designed for the sole purpose of helping fighters control the pace of a fight when in a clinch or when on the ground. Based on this alone, it’s easy to see that a huge amount of cardiovascular training will… Read more »

Troubleshooting Your BJJ Guard

brazilian jiu jitsu portland

Things to Consider When Troubleshooting Your BJJ Guard If you want to be the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition grappler that you can be, it is important that you learn how to recognize your mistakes. In certain cases, you won’t have an instructor or training partner there with you to tell you what you’re doing… Read more »

Landing in Side Control vs. Mount after a Sweep – Tactical Considerations

Northwest Fighting Arts: MMA, BJJ, JKD and Eskrima in Portland Oregon

Whenever you perform most sweeps from the closed, rubber, open, or butterfly guard, you will typically land in one of two dominant positions: the mount or side control. Understanding good Jiu-Jitsu self-defense is being able to submit your opponent from either position, as well as recognizing the transitions to and from there.   Which One… Read more »