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If you’re looking to get serious about your progress in Brazilian jiu-jitsu – whether you’re a competitor or not – it’s important to cross train. BJJ is such a dynamic, physically demanding sport, that the risk for injury is a tad higher than in other sports. The best defense against such injury is to make sure your limbs are strong, flexible and, most importantly, balanced. Just training jiu-jitsu will not accomplish that. In fact, because we tend to favor one side or another, we tend to become more imbalanced the more jiu-jitsu we train, putting ourselves at greater risk of injury.

That’s all well and good, but few of us can afford having a gym membership, a yoga membership, and a jiu-jitsu membership. And we all know which one is non-negotiable. An alternative to a gym membership is an at-home kettlebell regime.

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In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, no matter how much of a submission hunter you may be – or want to be – the fact is: positional dominance is crucial. In this Kingz blog series, we’re delving into some of the key positions in the world of jiu-jitsu. Up on base: the back control.

Back control is one of the most – and for some, the most – dominant positions in BJJ… as you’ll see in the “hierarchy of BJJ positions” charts, back control reigns supreme. When you secure your opponent’s back, you put your opponent in an incredibly vulnerable and defensive position, increasing the likelihood that he/she will get desperate and make a mistake that will ultimately secure you the win, either via points or by submission.

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Brazilian jiu-jitsu isn’t just about all that fancy stuff on the ground… You have to get there in the first place. And while many of you might prefer to go the easy route and pull guard – but, why?? – a better bet is to start the match off in a more dominant position.

But not all takedowns are created equal. And if you don’t have a strong wrestling and judo background – where you’ve honed your takedown and throw games over years of incessant, mind-numbing drills – you don’t have a collection of options to choose from for different scenarios and reactions from your opponent. For those of us who are amateurs – at best – on our feet, I highly encourage you focus on just 3-4 simple, high percentage takedowns.

So, where do you start? There are many, many takedowns out there… some are great for jiu-jitsu, and some might put you in a more compromising position. Never fear, here are a few “BJJ friendly” takedowns to add to your arsenal...

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As the excitement of the 2024 Summer Olympics in France winds down, I’ve been getting a lot of questions – both from people on and off the mat – about why Brazilian jiu-jitsu isn’t an Olympic sport. Considering breakdancing and badminton are on the roster, why not jiu-jitsu?

The answer lies in a combination of factors related to the sport's governance, structure, and the complex criteria for Olympic inclusion. I am certainly not an expert on this, but I can summarize some of the major information and arguments out there in the jiu-jitsu community today.

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In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, no matter how much of a submission hunter you may be – or want to be – the fact is: positional dominance is crucial. Yes, you might be able to throw a hail Mary submission and get it… but that’s going to be relatively rare. In our new Kingz blog series, we’ll be covering some of the more basic positions and techniques in the world of jiu-jitsu. Starting with the “mount.”

The mount is one of the most dominant positions in BJJ. If you’ve ever seen one of the “hierarchy of BJJ positions” charts, you’ll see that mount is right up there at the top, just underneath back control.

So, learning how to effectively control and attack from this position is fundamental to improving your overall jiu-jitsu game. In this blog post, we will cover the essentials of mastering the mount in BJJ, including key principles for controlling the position, how to transition into other positions, and a few common submissions.

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