Holiday Essentials for Muay Thai and BJJ: The Guide: 1. The Bridge Gear gloves: We wouldn’t carry this brand if they weren’t good enough for the pummeler in your life :] 2. Other top glove brands: Top King, Twins, Fairtex (Emily really, really adores these Fairtex gloves...cough...cough...) 3. MMA Gloves:…

The Road to Mastery is Worth the Journey: Black belts are awesome! They signify mastery of our craft, a well-rounded character, and a quiet confidence that comes with being an expert in something. That confidence and quietness becomes a little bit softer when you realize that your expertise is in…

Coach Drew and Coach T at it again to bring you the last newsletter of the year! Over the last few weeks we’ve been studying the knee on belly position and using it effectively to 1. Control our opponent and 2. Dictate what our opponent does. When your knee on…

Cross Choke from Closed Guard This month's video is brought to you by Coach Drew and Coach Luke as they go over the Cross Choke from Closed Guard.  This basic submission is useful for anyone who feels like they get "stuck" in closed guard. Follow these steps to learn the…

Muay Thai is a complex sport.  It's always evolving.  So in order to effectively talk about the learning curve in Muay Thai, this article is broken down into different sections depending on a person's skill level.  Feel free to read the whole article regardless of how long you've been training.…

The Holidays are here once again and we are getting closer to the time of year when our fitness goals can become compromised if not disappear completely. Many people view their fitness as all or nothing, and particularly during the holidays this method of approach will only backfire. The holidays…

Learn how to Move From One Position to the Next Hey Jiu Jitsuieros! (someone should spell check that for us…) Coach Drew and Coach Tim here to bring you the second to last newsletter of 2014! This year seems to have flown by, so take a second to look back…

Hip Bump Sweep from Closed Guard This month's video is brought to you by Coach Drew and Coach Luke as they go over the Hip Bump Sweep from Closed Guard.  This sweep is useful when you are in closed guard and want to transition to mount. Follow these steps to…

Focus on practical advice: There is so much information on exercise and nutrition floating around today it can be overwhelming to even consider what avenue to take for improving your diet. Paleo, ketogenic, gluten free, and calorie counting are just some of the terms that have become popular in the…

There is no “I” in team, but two in “Jiu Jitsu” This Jiu Jitsu thing can be confusing. Without our team, we wouldn’t be able to train. The importance of having and being good training partners cannot be stressed enough (In fact, we’ve done it before!). Our team not only…

Taking it to the Mat Whether you’re competing at a tournament or training at the academy very few things feel as cool as sending your opponent head over heels with a clean throw or take down. Over the last couple of months we have talked about controlling the hips and…

October Update: “Fall seven times and stand up eight” – Japanese proverb Since it’s the beginning of October and we're almost to the spookiest time of the year, we’re going to talk a little about a scary topic: fear, intimidation, and getting outside of your comfort zone.  Now, as we…

Do You Deadlift The Right Way? The deadlift is one of the best exercises that a human can do. It is one of the pinnacle lifts for increasing strength and has been used by athletes of various disciplines ever since its creation.  Whatever you fitness goals, the deadlift can absolutely…

Introduction to Elbow Strikes: The elbow strike is a great weapon to use in close quarters because it is both quick and powerful.  Master this attack and you will have one of the most devastating weapons in your arsenal.  Use it if you find yourself too close to your opponent…

Everyone who trains has experienced plateaus at some time in their life. It’s natural not to always be advancing in your chosen sport, but what separates the good from the elite is how to address and overcome these plateaus. There are many different reasons an athletic individual can plateau, ranging…