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There are levels to competition. While every competitive-minded athlete dreams of competing at the highest levels of his or her sport, the reality is that not everyone will have the opportunity.

For some, that might be due to limitations of age or physical abilities, for others it might be family and career obligations. The time, energy and investment it takes to reach the highest levels of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is comparable to a full-time job, at the very least. It demands sacrifices that many cannot, or are not willing to, make.

That is not to say that the rest of us can’t achieve excellence in our own right. We can use the same strategic training the best in the world employ, in order to reach the top of the podium at our own levels of jiu-jitsu competition.

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For some, it’s love at first roll.

The thrill of that first awkward fumbling of faux-combat, as you scoot around on your knees with your hands clutching air like a toddler. The first time you tap to a woman half your size with a sadistic gleam in her eyes, or to a pimple-faced teenager that smells like hot pockets. The first morning you wake up full-body sore, but already looking into how to change your last name to Gracie.

For others, it takes some time.

“Do I really, actually love this? Is this my thing?” you might ask yourself. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here are four symptoms that show that you have, indeed, fallen in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu... 

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This year's IBJJF No-Gi World Championships were on fire! Amidst all the amazing matches - from jiu-jitsu athletes around the world - our very own Kingz athletes made their mark, delivering stunning victories and inspiring performances.

Capping off an already incredible year, many of them added another gold medal – or two – to their year-end tallies. And it was no easy feat! The divisions were packed, and we witnessed a number of dominating runs, close matches, and a flurry of submissions!

Check out which of our Kingz athletes hit the top of the podium this year...

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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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