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Opening Closed Guard: The True Origin Story of BJJ

Opening Closed Guard: The True Origin Story of BJJ Winston Churchill famously said, “History is written by the victors.” The story of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is no different. Without the tireless self-promotion of a few charismatic founding members—rebelling against dogma and resisting pressure to conform—BJJ might not exist in the form we know today. But a

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Profiles & Interviews
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Go to Win or Don’t Go at All: Lessons from My Match with Boogeyman Martinez

Throughout anyone’s grappling career, there are moments where you level up. These upgrades don’t always happen under the lights of a competition mat. Sometimes, they happen in your own academy—when you finally have a breakthrough roll with that purple belt who’s always one step ahead of you. When these moments arrive, your toughest opponent is

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Mindset & Motivation
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Guard Passing Won’t Get You Highlights, But It Will Win You Titles

By Kevin Guard passing is one of the most essential—but often overlooked—skills in jiu-jitsu. Even though many top-level pros are now selling instructionals on their passing systems, most academy students still don’t dedicate themselves to becoming true pressure passers. Why? Because passing guard is hard.And it’s not flashy. Submission-only grappling formats and the re-emergence of

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Competition Strategy
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What Do We Do About Gordon Ryan?

What Do We Do About Gordon Ryan?By Kevin Written in 2022 I’ve been covering Gordon Ryan as a “journalist” since the beginning of his career—long before professional jiu-jitsu got attention from mainstream outlets. I’m not a professional writer. I’m just a guy who loves jiu-jitsu and happened to write for a few decent publications at

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Mindset & Motivation, Profiles & Interviews, Uncategorized
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Conor McGregor’s Complicated Legacy

Written in 2021 Saturday’s knockout defeat at the hands of Dustin Poirier seemed to answer many long-standing questions about Conor McGregor and his legacy. The former two-division UFC champion turned whiskey mogul captivated the fight world for nearly a decade. Watching it all come crashing down felt like a mix of cathartic schadenfreude and sadness.

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Mindset & Motivation, Profiles & Interviews, Uncategorized