Yeah, of course you can immediately pull guard, but guard pulling is an art itself. If you don't practice it from standing, your guard pull in competition will be easily thwarted and you'll quickly find yourself in a very, very terrible situation (... and you don't want to have to tell people you "pulled mount", do you?). What about judo, you ask? Yes, judo is an excellent addition to your game, and I'll elaborate on why in a later post.

However, one of the best standup styles to integrate into your BJJ game is wrestling, and here are some reasons why: 

An Easy Two

In an IBJJF-ruled tournament, if you face a guard puller, there's an easy two points there just ripe for the picking... and you wouldn't know - or have built the reflexes to catch it - if you haven't practiced your wrestling. Just the slightest touch on your opponent's leg when he/she goes to pull guard, is most likely going to earn you that "easy two". Who wouldn't want to start a match a whole two points ahead?? That way your opponent is going to be concerned about trying to recoup those two points, and in doing so, will most likely make mistakes that you can capitalize on to advance your position or sink a submission. 

The Sprawl Factor

If you face a wrestler, especially a takedown artist, you're going to want to know how to sprawl... otherwise you risk giving your opponent an easy two. Even if you aren't the greatest at taking someone down yourself, knowing how to sprawl - and sprawl hard - is going to make your opponent think twice about trying to take you down. Additionally, knowing how to sprawl - and developing that specific timing associated with great sprawling - is going to help you throughout your jiu jitsu. For example, if your opponent is on his/her back and is trying to reverse the position, knowing how to drop your hips and make yourself as heavy as possible is going to help you thwart your opponent's attempts, keeping you on top and in a better position to dictate the pace of the game. 

Confidence on Your Feet

Probably the most amazing gift wrestling will give you is confidence on your feet. Between learning how to effectively and efficiently take someone down and knowing how to sprawl on a moment's notice, you're going to develop an incredible sense of comfort on your feet. Even if you have no intention of taking your opponent down, that sense of confidence will be apparent, and it'll weigh on his/her mind when he/she is facing you on the competition mat. Maybe there will be a slight hesitation in his/her guard pull, or he/she will think twice about taking you down. That kind of psychological warfare is invaluable.

It's Freaking Fun! 

For those who have never taken a wrestling class, or have only taken a couple of classes, wrestling can seem hard and intimidating. Yeah, the first few sessions will definitely kick your butt and have you seriously questioning the status of your cardio, but once you get enough under your belt to become just a little more proficient... wrestling is freaking fun! Exploring the angles you need to offset your opponent's balance and being able to effectively duck under his/her arms to reach the legs presents a delightful new puzzle. And you'll never forget that delicious feeling of elation that first time you execute a perfectly-timed and technically correct takedown on someone who isn't just letting you do it. 

Even if you never execute a beautiful highlight-reel-worthy suplex takedown in competition... or ever in your life... you will never regret adding a bit of wrestling into your jiu jitsu game. 

Train on... and take 'em down. Oss.

Yes, jiu jitsu is amazing, and for the average practitioner, it does have some incredible benefits. However, for the majority of BJJ athletes, jiu jitsu alone isn't going to cut it when you're trying to maintain peak condition and hit the podium time and time again. In addition to high-level jiu jitsu instruction and training, a BJJ athlete also typically needs a proper nutritional program, in order allow him/her to endure long, hard training sessions, recover quickly and efficiently, and maintain a healthy weight. 

What does that look like, you ask? Read on...

Proper Hydration

Staying hydrated is probably the single-most important thing any athlete - of any sort, not just BJJ - should be doing. However, research shows that most athletes are only drinking half of what they need. According to a University of Michigan sports dietician, proper hydration helps to "delay fatigue, maintain mental focus, regulate body temperature (especially in hot environments), satisfy thirst and to improve the ability to recover from training and competition." Think about it... if you're only half-hydrated, you've impaired all of those factors affecting your ability to perform on the mat.

So how much water should you be drinking? Well, that depends on your own bodily needs, as well as how long and intense your training session is. It's important to "listen to your body" in order to gauge what optimal hydration is for you. However, it's important for a BJJ athlete to know that proper hydration begins long before your training session. It's suggested that an athlete drink 7-12 ounces of fluid 15-30 minutes before a workout or training session, then 4-8 ounces during a workout every 15-20 minutes, with added carbohydrates and electrolytes during longer training sessions.  

Sufficient Protein Intake

It's no secret that athlete's need more protein than the average person. But why? And how much? When you train, not only do your muscles use up glycogen (the sugars that your body stores in your muscles as a source of energy for your cells), but some of the proteins in your muscles also get broken down or damaged. Consuming protein within a couple hours of training provides your body with the amino acids ("building blocks of proteins") it needs to repair, rebuild and grow new muscle proteins. 

Some nutrition guides suggest that protein be consumed within 45 minutes after a workout, others within two hours, in order to maximize its effect on muscle repair and growth. Especially if you're not able to eat a meal within that time frame, keeping a high-quality protein powder supplement in your gear bag is always a great idea. How much protein should you be eating? Many sources suggest athletes consume between 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight; approximately 80 to 135 grams for a 150 pound athlete. 

Nutrient Dense Foods

Nutritionists don't all agree on what constitutes the "perfect diet" for an athlete... some suggest a high-fat diet, others a high-carb diet. However, almost all will agree about one thing: avoiding "empty calories." These are foods that lack the micronutrients - vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals and antioxidants - the cells in your body use to "function, to repair, to build, to maintain, to produce, to clean up, to metabolize, to transport, and to communicate." Fried foods, processed foods, sugary drinks, energy drinks... all of these add to your calorie count without contributing much - or any - nutritional benefit to your body. Particularly if you're preparing for a tournament, these aren't foods that will help you fuel your body for hard training sessions or help it to recovery efficiently afterward. 

Not everyone's nutritional program will look alike. Every individual will have his/her own needs and bodily demands. But as long as your program considers these three general guidelines, you'll know you're on the right track. 

Train... and eat... on. Oss. 

And I might be biased, but I think there's no better activity to get your little girl or boy involved in than Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Here are some tips for getting your kid started in BJJ:

Getting Them to Try It

Unless they already have a little jiu jitsu friend whose been telling them all about how awesome it is, it may be a little difficult to get your child to step on the mat for the first time. It's kind of like going to a new school where he/she doesn't know anyone... it's scary! The best way to get your child interested in the first place is to go with your child to visit a local jiu jitsu academy during the kid's class. Have him/her meet the professor or coach before the class starts - usually he/she will introduce your little tyke to some of the kids who regularly attend - then have him/her watch some or all of the class. Seeing all the other kids have fun and interact with each other will ease any fears your child might have, and get him/her excited to participate in the fun next time! Plus, having him/her see how the class is run, will allow him/her to be more comfortable participating in the class, as the setting and structure will be more familiar. 

Finding the Right Academy

Of course, that's assuming you've already found an academy you like! A lot of kids these days start jiu jitsu because they have a family member - a mom, dad, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc. - who does it. So naturally, they go to their family member's gym. But if that's not your case, you'll want to find the perfect academy for your little guy or girl. As popular as jiu jitsu is becoming, odds are there's a BJJ gym or academy near where you live, work or where your kid goes to school. There are very, very few academies that don't have a kid's class. So that's good news. However, just as you wouldn't go to just any gym yourself, you should also make sure your child's academy will be a good fit for him/her. So do your research... Does the kid's instructor seem friendly and knowledgeable? What do the other parents say about the class? Is there a good number of children around the same size as yours? Do the other kids appear to be respectful toward the coach and do they appear to be learning?

Getting Them Geared Up

Once you've found the right spot for your little dude/dudette, you'll have to get all the right gear for him/her. First and foremost... find a nice, durable gi that fits. Many academies have a small selection of kid's gis available for rent or purchase at the academy, but many more do not. Regardless, especially if your child sticks with jiu jitsu for the long term, he/she will need many more gis in the future. Here are a few kid's gis that we like, many of which come with a free white belt (some don't, so make sure before you buy, in case you'll have to buy the belt separate!). But don't just take our word for it. Do your research. Check out the sizing charts on each gi model to see if your child fits better within a certain range. Have your child try on some of the other kids' gis before or after class to check the fit. While the gi might be the most important element, he/she will also need a rash guard and maybe some shorts and/or spats. You might also want to invest in a kid's mouth guard, too. Jiu jitsu doesn't involve any striking, but there's always risk of being hit by an errant elbow or knee. 

Parental Involvement

Last, but definitely not least... how involved should you be as a parent? If you already do jiu jitsu, you're ahead of the game. As you progress, you can help your child at home. Just take care that you're not over working your child in a way that makes jiu jitsu a job instead of the fun, totally awesome activity that it is, thereby resulting in "burn out". I've seen this happen far too often. If you don't train, I highly encourage that you step on the mat a few times at least, just to experience a little bit of what your child might be going through. Why? Because too many parents who don't train try to "coach" their child, usually by yelling at them. If you've never been on the mat before, let their coach do all the coaching... that's what he/she is there for. Otherwise, you're going to risk frustrating your child, putting too much pressure on him/her, and looking like an ass as you do so. Just sit back and watch your child grow. That or go somewhere else. Go run errands, take a nap, whatever. 

It's almost always a guarantee that your child will absolutely fall in love with jiu jitsu once he/she steps on the mat for the first time. If not, that's okay, too. Jiu jitsu is not for everyone, and there are plenty of activities in the world that he/she will excel at instead. The most important thing is that he/she is involved in something that allows him/her to see the tremendous potential he/she has. 

Train on... Oss. 

The short answer to this is: one is practiced in the gi (jiu jitsu kimono), and the other is not. Duh. But that's a gross oversimplification. While gi and no-gi jiu jitsu are inherently the same, there are subtle differences in how they are practiced.

Want to delve into the nitty-gritty differences between these two sides of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Read on...

Attire

As noted earlier, the most obvious difference between gi and no-gi is the attire. In gi jiu jitsu, practitioners wear a gi, while in nogi jiu jitsu, practitioners typically wear snug-fitting athletic apparel. A Brazilian jiu jitsu gi consists of a jacket, usually made of 100% cotton, a pair of pants - made from either cotton or a poly-cotton ripstop - with a drawstring closure, and a belt that is tied around the waist over the jacket. Male practitioners can opt to go bare-chested or wear a rash guard under the jacket. Female practitioners opt to wear either a sports bra only, or a sports bra and rash guard. In no-gi jiu jitsu, both male and female practitioners usually wear a rash guard paired with grappling shorts - or compression shorts, no pockets - spats, or both shorts and spats. 

Grips

Another obvious difference is in the grips. In no-gi, you don't have the material of the gi to grab and use against your opponent, and you are not allowed to grab and use the material of the rash guard and shorts. This leads many in the gi community to make the - inaccurate - remark, "there are not grips in no-gi." In fact, there are grips, they are just modified. Instead of grabbing the lapel, sleeves and pants, practitioners in no-gi use a lot of monkey and c-grips, grabbing the wrist, back of the neck, back of the ankle, and bend of the elbow. Gable grips are also used to their best advantage in no-gi. 

Athleticism

One of the biggest deterrents for gi practitioners to practice no-gi is the belief that no-gi jiu jitsu requires more athleticism. Yes, the more successful competitive no-gi practitioners typically tend to be more athletic - quicker, more explosive, and better able to scramble - just as with gi jiu jitsu, proper execution of technique can overcome a stronger, more powerful opponent. Additionally, the lack of material-based grips allows for both you and your opponent to slip out of positions a lot easier. Therefore, there tends to be a lot more movement in no-gi jiu jitsu than in gi jiu jitsu, where one can maintain a more secure grip and prevent his/her opponent from moving too much. 

Techniques

Of course, without the gi, you can't possibly do any of the awesome lapel chokes that you can with the gi. Additionally, a lot of the modern sport jiu jitsu guards - such as leg lasso, spider guard, worm guard, etc. - are essentially impossible. On the other hand, the lack of gi also makes a lot of techniques and submissions easier to execute. For example, wrestling takedowns are far more successful when your opponent can't grab a hold of your lapel and stiff-arm you away. Some chokes - such as the mata leao and the d'arce choke - are also easier to lock up when there isn't a lot of material around your opponent's neck impeding your movements. The lack of material also makes it easier for you to escape certain submissions, such as arm bars and triangles. 

Tournaments

Gi tournaments - and divisions - are typically the most popular and have larger numbers of competitors. The IBJJF World Championships - fought in the gi - is widely considered the most prestigious event in the world of competitive Brazilian jiu jitsu. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Championships is considered to be the most prestigious no-gi event in the world. While most tournaments, both gi and no-gi, are points-based, there is an increasing demand for submission-only tournaments. This is particularly the case - and far more successfully executed - in no-gi, where the sub-only ruleset favors more the faster, more athletic and dynamic no-gi game in which competitors have fewer opportunities to stall. 

Regardless of whether you prefer gi or no-gi, it is widely believed that practicing in the gi can help your no-gi game, and practicing no-gi can help your gi game. 

Train on... gi or no-gi. Oss.

Even if you don't already know the Choke Republic brand - where have you been... living under a rock?? - you have definitely seen their awesome t-shirt designs in your BJJ academy, major jiu jitsu events, and maybe even on randos walking down the street. Remember the famous "Coffee Then Jiu Jitsu" shirt, complete with shaka-ing Starbucks lady-mermaid? Yeah, that was Choke Republic. 

So what have they brought you this summer?? A fresh new set of designs, that's what! Check 'em out:

Territory Series

Gamer

Bolt

Bones

Laurel Wreath

Sunset

One might assume that kimono referred specifically to a martial arts uniform, but in reality, the Japanese word generally translates to "garment", and literally means "something to wear", as "ki" is "to wear" and "mono" is "thing." It's actually a term more often used for the colorful everyday - and ceremonial - garments traditionally worn in Japan. While it's not inaccurate to call the BJJ uniform a kimono, more often than not it's called a "gi". But why??

The term "gi" originated in judo, a derivative of the word “keikogi”, which roughly translates to training gear, as "keiko" means "to practice" and "gi" means "suit"... so basically, jiu jitsu practitioners are training and competing in BJJ suits. If you're lucky enough to find a gi that fits like a finely tailored suit, this isn't far from the truth!

Initially, the kimonos used by Japanese samurai were large and baggy, much like the uniforms worn by Aikido practitioners. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, is credited with transforming the traditional training garment into more of what we see today in modern judo, a kimono made of sturdy woven cotton, with a tighter fit and shorter sleeves. At this time, these keikogis were all white.

As Brazilian jiu jitsu developed, into the mid to late 1900s, the BJJ gi also transformed, becoming even more fitted, with longer sleeves (than the traditional judo gis), and more colors (including blue and black). The spread of jiu jitsu competitions also affected the appearance of the jiu jitsu gi, as competitors would seek out sponsorships to help pay for their athlete lifestyle in exchange for a prime advertising spot on their gi. 

Today, there are tons of different jiu jitsu gi brands, each with their own cut and aesthetic style. Most of these gis are made in either Pakistan or China, designed by companies in the U.S., Brazil and Europe, and shipped to nearly every country in the world. 

Here are a few common back ailments and how to manage them:  

Muscle or Tendon Strain

There are a ton of different muscles and tendons (the fibrous tissue that connects the muscles to bone) that make up the back, each of which have their own purpose and function. Because of the nature of jiu jitsu - with all the bending, twisting and inverting that goes on - all of these muscles come into play at one point or another. Now, it'd be one thing if we were doing all the bending, twisting, inverting by ourselves, but because we are doing so with the weight and pressure of another human being - sometimes one that is much larger - we are at an increased risk for muscle strains, particularly in our lumbar region (lower part of the back). A strain is the overstretching or tearing of muscles or tendons in the back, which, in addition to pain and stiffness, can be accompanied by muscle spasms. 

The best treatment for strains are ice, rest and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen). Taping the afflicted area with kinesiology tape can relieve some of the pain and inflammation (See our Guide: Taping Injuries in BJJ for more information), but you'll need a buddy to help you... unless you're super crazy flexible (you weirdo). What's most important is that you stay off the mat for a couple days. Yeah, yeah, I know... better said that done.

Ligament Sprain

Sprain and strain are often used interchangeably, but a sprain most commonly refers to overstretching or tearing of the ligaments, which is often accompanied by bruising. Ligaments are the tough, fibrous tissues that connect the bones together. Again, the lumbar region is usually most affected by this type of injury, as it's the epicenter of a lot of our twisting and inverting movements in jiu jitsu. Various sets of ligaments connect each of our vertebrae together, as well as connects our neck and sacrum to our spinal column. The main causes of a sprain include over rotation or excessive bending of the spine (which in jiu jitsu can happen on a daily basis... both voluntarily and involuntarily).

Both strains and sprains can last anywhere from a five days to a month, but you can easily minimize that time by taking it easy. Just as with muscle and tendon strains, ice (followed by heat therapy after the first 48 hours), rest, NSAIDs and taping are your best options. Remember, if you don't stay off the mat, you could potentially risk tearing the already weakened ligament, which will prolong your recovery time exponentially. 

Bulged or Herniated Disks

Another common injury is when the intervertebral discs (the cartilage between each vertebrae that acts as a cushion and shock absorber for the spine) become compressed and bulge outward or herniate ("rupture"). Bulging and herniation are basically the same phenomenon, in increasing intensity: the tougher outer cartilage of the disc (annulus fibrosus) is weakened, causing it to bulge out the side or even rupture, allowing the soft goopy inner cartilage (nucleus pulposus) to protrude, which irritates the nerve in that area. According to Recharge Sports Injury Center, "Many factors decrease the strength and resiliency of the disc and increase the risk of disc herniation. Life style choices such as smoking, lack of regular exercise, and inadequate nutrition contribute to poor disc health. Poor posture, daily wear and tear, injury or trauma, and incorrect lifting or twisting further stress the disc. If the disc is already weakened, it may herniate with a single movement or strain such as coughing or bending to pick up a pencil." Eek. Long story short: take care of yourself both on and off the mat.

Most mild to moderate cases can be treated through non-surgical methods, including NSAIDs and ice/heat therapy to reduce the inflammation, as well as stretching and particular exercises to strengthen the muscles and reduce spinal pressure, chiropractic spinal manipulation or even epidural steroid injections (ESI). For most people, recovery takes approximately four to six weeks. However, more severe cases may require surgery, called a "discectomy", to remove a portion of the disc that's touching the spinal nerve. 

Prevention is the Best Medicine 

When it comes to back injuries, you can prevent a lot of them by simply taking the time to properly warm up and stretch. This is something that way too many jiu jitsu practitioners - including myself - neglect in their training regimen, but is the single most important thing you can do to increase your longevity on the mat. 

Train on... and don't forget to stretch. Oss. 

Keep in mind the operative word here is "majority." Just because some people consider it taboo, doesn't mean you have to blindly follow it. Definitely decide for yourself what you believe and go with that. Without further ado, here are our top five taboos in jiu jitsu: 

Washing Your Belt

One of the oldest superstitions in Brazilian jiu jitsu concerns washing your belt. A lot of old - and new - school practitioners refuse to wash their belts, considering it a kind of "washing away of knowledge" obtained on the mat. Athletes in general are a superstitious lot, with all kinds of habits and practices that make absolutely no sense to anyone else but them. This is natural and completely normal (and quite humorous, as well). Whether you subscribe to this superstition or not, it's important to know why some do not... The primary reason concerns hygiene; your belt, like any article of clothing, absorbs sweat and houses bacteria. Therefore, a lot of BJJ practitioners regularly was their belts, if not daily. 

Belt Promotion Gauntlets

A lot of academies have this peculiar tradition during their belt promotions: the gauntlet. No, it's not a medieval metal glove. The word itself actually comes from the Swedish word "gatlopp," meaning to "run the gauntlet," which referred to "a form of corporal punishment in which the party judged guilty is forced to run between two rows of soldiers who strike out and attack them." While a typical BJJ gauntlet isn't meant to be a form of punishment, it still involves two rows of your fellow practitioners inflicting some well-meaning and friendly (usually, anyway) abuse upon the newly promoted student with their own belts. While this practice continues in a lot of academies as a sort of "rite of passage," many academies have begun to abandon it, largely due to outside criticism or their own beliefs that it can be brutal, excessive or unnecessary. 

Going Creonte

The word "creonte" originated in the Brazilian jiu jitsu community and is used to refer to a student who switches academy affiliation, particularly if he/she had a very long-standing relationship with the former academy. This term is usually associated with more traditional BJJ academies, while more modern academies - many of which were built on drawing upper belts from other academies and locales - typically shrug it off. There is quite some heated debate concerning the word, however. Those who subscribe to it argue that a student, who has been given years of training and support from the original academy, is unforgivably disloyal when he/she leaves to join another academy. Those who oppose it claim the original professor and/or academy is afraid of being seen as inferior and that a student has every right to leave if he/she feels another academy will fit his/her needs, personality or game better. 

Cross Training with Other Academies

Related to the idea of a creonte is that of a student from one academy training periodically - or regularly - at another academy. This is also a hotly contested topic.  For some, training at other schools not only demonstrates a lack of respect for the original professor and academy, but can also create problems as it relates to competition and representing a team. If a student is training at two (or more) different academies, who does he/she represent? If he/she giving away too much of the academy's game and strategy to a competitor? On the other hand, proponents of cross-training argue that it only helps a competitor grow his/her jiu jitsu, and that of the academy as well, as he/she is bringing back fresh ideas. Of course, there are those academies that have great relationships with each other, and thus cross-training is completely accepted; as well as those academies that are bitter rivals, in which cross-training is strictly prohibited. 

Dating Within the Gym

And now to the taboo that afflicts any kind of gym environment: dating within the gym/school/academy. Whether it is open or on the down-low, if there is a substantial group of both men and women on the mat, odds are there is some dating going on. Which is a perfectly normal phenomenon with any group of people in which the members share the same passion and spend lots of free time together. However, this can cause issues. In the case of a breakup, who gets the gym? If both individuals choose to stay, it can cause some tension on the mat, even for the other practitioners. However, there are definitely some jiu jitsu couples who have demonstrated that a relationship with someone from the same academy is perfectly fine. These couples typically do a good job of keeping their occasional arguments away from the mat. 

As I mentioned before, whatever side you take and however you feel on these subjects, that's on you. You're entitled to your own opinions... just as long as you keep training and allow others to have theirs. 

Train on... respectfully. Oss.

So what do we got for you this time? The latest release from Kingz Kimonos, featuring not one, or two, or three... but FOUR new gi models! Check them out:

Classic 3.0 Jiu Jitsu Gi

Personally, the Classic has always been one of my favorites of Kingz. Super streamlined, super classy, and not too light that I feel like it'll rip the second one of my teammates grabs a hold of it. For those of you who are already Classic fans - like me - the Classic 3.0 brings you the same amazing features, with fresh new colorways to add to your collection. Made with a light weight, yet sturdy 450 GSM Pearl Weave Plus jacket and 10 oz cotton drill pants, the white gi features blood red, the blue gi features dove grey, and the black gi features cool mint green embroideries and patch details. Also available in Kingz' popular women's cut! 

Nano 2.0 Jiu Jitsu Gi

Competitors rejoice! Kingz also decided to refresh their highly popular ultralight gi! The original Nano was a total hit among the jiu jitsu community, as it was one of the few truly ultralight gis in the market that featured cotton rather than ripstop pants. With ultra-streamlined embroideries, a super lightweight 400 GSM jacket and 8 oz cotton pants - bolstered with as many reinforcements as they could without sacrificing weight - the Nano is a competitor's best friend. And can we talk about how stylish it is?? In addition to a slightly heavier fabric (we're talking a teeny tiny bit, 400 GSM versus 370 GSM, in response to reviews about the original Nano being too light), Kingz has also refreshed the colorways and added a sick grey version to the lineup! Also available in a women's cut!

The One Jiu Jitsu Gi

Kingz really is all about the people. Since the beginning, they've provided a basic gi model at an amazing price, without sacrificing quality. They've continued to commit to that idea with The One Jiu Jitsu Gi, a basic gi that is far from basic. Featuring a 400 GSM High-Tech Pearl Weave jacket, 10 oz cotton pants, streamlined Kingz crown logos and their new One logo, the One Jiu Jitsu Gi is a sweet, sweet gi, perfect for everyday training and at a price point that allows you to have one, two, heck... ten in the closet. Available in women's and kid's cuts!

Sport Jiu Jitsu Gi

If you thought Kingz' product release was just about refreshed gi models... you thought wrong! Check out the all new Sport Jiu Jitsu Gi, the latest model in Kingz' gi lineup. Inspired by football ("soccer" for you 'mericans out there) and fast cars, the Sport Jiu Jitsu Gi features wicked cool racing stripe Kingz patches down the shoulders and one leg, a lightweight 400 GSM Pearl Weave Jacket and ultralight weight 7.5 oz polyester/cotton ripstop pants. Only available in black and white! 

Yeah, we know your interest is piqued... with so many new fresh models, how can you possibly decide which one to get?? Why not try them all? I mean... you really can't have too many gis. 

Train on... Oss.

So we thought we'd dedicated this blog to document some of the more modern guards out there in the BJJ world today. Check them out:

De La Riva ("DLR")

Although this guard had been previously employed in judo during the 1970s, the development of the De La Riva Guard in BJJ is attributed to Ricardo De La Riva during the 1980s. While not the most modern of the modern guards, it deserves note here because it is a foundation position for many of the modern guards that followed it.

Reverse DLR

Also known as the "Spiral Guard," the Reverse DLR Guard emerged in the early 2000's and is largely attributed to legendary rooster weight Caio Terra. Reverse DLR also serves as a foundation for a lot of other modern guards, and is the entry point to the Kiss of the Dragon back take.

50/50 Guard

An appropriately named leg entanglement, the 50/50 Guard is one in which your opponent is essentially in the same position as you are, with an equal opportunity for both fighters to execute techniques. This is a great guard for those who enjoy foot locks, heel hooks... or just stalling a match to win by advantages.

X-Guard

Largely attributed to BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia, the X-Guard is another foundational modern guard that has seen a ton of different variations - usually in the form of a hybrid X type guard. Predominantly used for sweeping or going to the back, some practitioners have found sneaky attacks from this position.

Single Leg X

A favorite guard of some of world's top modern BJJ practitioners, the Single Leg X is another guard that sees a lot of variations and hybrids. A strong guard for both gi and no-gi styles, when executed properly, the Single Leg X provides a ton of opportunities for sweeping, going to the back, attacking legs, etc.

Tornado Guard

Popularized by Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, the Tornado Guard, or Inverted Guard as it is sometimes called, is not for the faint of heart... or the inflexible. But for those who can fold themselves like a piece of sandwich bread, the Tornado Guard provides some highlight-reel-worthy sweeps and attacks. 

Rubber Guard

An invention of the notorious Eddie Bravo, the founder of the 10th planet system and a pioneer in the intentional evolution of jiu jitsu, the Rubber Guard is another guard that requires just a bit of flexibility. This guard is great for those who like to play from closed guard.

Spider Guard

A guard that can only really be played in the gi, the Spider Guard is another modern guard that has become the foundation for a lot of other hybrid modern guard variations, like the Lo Guard, a hybrid of the DLR and the Spider, and Dom Bell's Tarantula Guard. The strength of this guard lies in its ability to manipulate the base of your opponent by controlling his/her upper body.

Lasso Guard

For those of you who aren't fans of the Spider Guard - like me, with my short legs - the Lasso Guard is great alternative that allows for just as much base manipulation without having to be as dextrous with your feet. Plus, the position opens up a lot of great triangle and omoplata attacks. 

Lapel Guard

These days, the Lapel Guard has become almost an umbrella term for a lot of different guard variations that use your opponent's lapel against him/her. You can't mention lapel guards without talking about jiu jitsu phenom Keenan Cornelius, the inventor of many highly effective lapel guards, such as the Worm Guard and the Squid Guard.

Whether you're an active competitor, or just a weekend hobbiest, it's important that you recognize the constantly evolving nature of jiu jitsu and keep abreast of all the new positions and techniques that are floating around out there. If you don't... you do so at your own peril when you find yourself facing some hotshot modern jiu jitsu player. 

Train on... and evolve. Oss.

However, there are a few questions you should ask yourself to figure out how often YOU should train BJJ. Read on... 

How much do you want to? 

How often you should train will be dictated largely by your will; how much do you really want to train? Are you absolutely obsessed with the gentle art and want to train every day, all day, and only that for the rest of your natural born life? Or do you just love it and want to hit the mats a few times a week to get your adrenaline and endorphin fix, in between the days you do other things that you love? Either is fine, and completely normal, believe me. What's most important about this question is that you can answer it honestly and without any outside influence. Make sure you're training only as much as you want to, not as much as someone else wants or expects you to. When it becomes about what someone else wants, you'll quickly find your will to train deteriorating... and nobody wants that. 

How much can you? 

That first question will be significantly tempered by how much you can train. Maybe you have a full-time job and a family. Even if the will to train every day is there, your available "me time" is just not there. You have obligations, which is cool. Congratulations on being a successful adult. But because jiu jitsu is such an excellent vehicle for relieving stress, regardless of how busy you might be in your real life, you should make the time to hit the academy a few times a week... for your own health and sanity (which only has positive effects on your family and work relationships). Or maybe you do have the time, but you have physical limitations on how hard and often you can go. As someone in my 30s, I know that my ability to recover is not what it used to be, so instead of breaking my body to keep up with all these superhuman kids, I train less, but train smarter.

What are your goals? 

Then you have to factor in your goals. Do you want to be a world champion athlete? You're not going to do that by training just a few times a week. There are people out there busting their butts each and every day to make it to the top. You're not going to get there by cruising. Do you just want to stay in shape? You probably don't need to train seven days a week (unless you want to... or like me, you have a terrible addiction to sweets); four or five days a week is fine. Do you want to become a black belt in 8-10 years (that's pretty fast, btw)? Then you should be training often and consistently. If you don't really have any goals, and you're there just to have fun, you can train however often you feel like it. 

How do you feel? 

Which brings me to my final consideration: how do you feel? However often you decide to train, you should always listen to your mind and your body. Have you been training six to seven days a week, hard, and you feel like your 90-year-old grandpa when you get out of bed? Then you should probably tone it down a bit. Are you forcing yourself to get into your car because you feel like crap and you kind of dread going and getting smashed on? Don't go. If your mind and body aren't feeling it that day, you may not be able to perform as well as you can and you might get hurt, or worse, burned out. Of course, there have been times that I've felt a little "meh" and forced myself to go train, only to feel 100x better afterward and glad I did it. But there's a fine line, and you should make an effort to recognize where that line is for you. 

However often you train jiu jitsu, remember to always have fun.

Train on... often. Oss. 

Well, not to be a buzzkill, but the percentage of BJJ athletes that can actually live off of sponsorships is depressingly low. That being said, until you become a celebrity jiu jitsu star, you can make your jiu jitsu journey a little easier - and cheaper - by seeking out a sponsor or two. It's possible... but you have to know how to go about it. 

Here are a few things to consider: 

Know Your Value

Bottom line: companies want athletes who will represent their brand in highly-visible ways, in order to attract more customers to their brand... basically, you're a glorified sales person. With that in mind, you have to analyze your value the way the company would. Are you active and visible in the jiu jitsu community? Do you regularly compete - and do well - at tournaments? Do you have a large social media following? Do you post regularly? These are all things a company will look for when considering their ROI ("return on investment") into your jiu jitsu career. When crafting your message to sponsors, you should be able to highlight your value to them, with numbers (of followers, of tournaments, of medals, etc.) if possible. Business people love numbers. 

Know Your Target Sponsor

It makes a huge impression on a potential sponsor if you know what their company and brand is all about. They can tell if you're just peppering the market with generic "Sponsor me please" messages. It's lazy, and it does nothing for your chances of landing a coveted sponsorship with that company. Instead, take some time and do your research. Aside from what they sell, what is their motto? What do they value? Do their values align with yours? Not only will this enable you to craft a more personalized message, it allows you to gauge whether or not you would be a good representative of their brand. 

Reach Out in a Professional Manner

Nothing makes my eyes roll more than when a "jiu jitsu athlete" posts a message in the comment section of a company's random instagram post asking for a sponsorship... usually misspelled and with poor grammar. And an emoji. Ugh. A sponsorship is a contract between you and the company, establishing a professional relationship in which you will represent the brand in exchange for money, gear, or services. Sometimes there is actually a physical contract involved. Does that sound like the kind of thing that can be initiated via Instagram? Granted, more and more companies are using social media to communicate with their customers, but you should at the very least send a well-thought, well-written and proofread direct message, either via email or the company's social media inbox (or both, for good measure).  

Follow Up

Companies, especially in the jiu jitsu industry, receive hundreds - if not thousands - of messages each day asking for sponsorships, or guidance on products, or returns, or any number of thing. Just because you took the time to send out a nice message once, does not mean they will see it and put it on the top of their priority list. It never hurts to follow up. Of course, don't be a pest about it... remember, they have a business to run, so they likely have a million things to do each day. But a friendly reminder a week or two later could mean the difference between not hearing back at all, and getting their attention. 

Think Outside the Box

We all want that fat, high-profile sponsor - like Kingz, Tatami, or Virus - but unless you're hitting it big at all the major IBJJF tournaments, the odds are slim that you'll land one of those. Of course, don't let that stop you from trying! But also consider some lesser known and up-and-coming brands, who would gladly trade some gear or services for some additional exposure. Also, consider brands outside the current jiu jitsu market. There are some companies that would love to step a foot in the door of a new and growing market like jiu jitsu. Don't be afraid to reach out to them. 

Sponsorships are out there, you just have to be willing to sell yourself and put the work in to get them. And always - ALWAYS - remember that once you do get a sponsorship, you are now representing the company. Be aware of what you say or do, because that could affect the relationship you have with your sponsor. 

Train on... Oss. 

On the one hand, that's part of what makes being a jiu jitsu practitioner so special; because it is so challenging and so many people give up, sticking with it is a source of pride in and of itself. On the other hand, repeatedly getting beaten by anyone and everyone makes it hard to actually stick with it. When you're repeatedly getting smashed on the mat, it's less your body and more your mind that takes the real beating. If left unmanaged, this constant bruising of your confidence may set you on a path toward quitting jiu jitsu before you've even had a chance to realize how far you've come, and how much you have to look forward to in your jiu jitsu journey.

So here are some pointers on how you can manage your confidence when you're constantly getting smashed. Read on: 

Small Victories

Until you've gathered enough tools in your jiu jitsu toolkit, you're not going to be winning very many matches. Especially if your training partners are better than you are - and you should seek those out - you're going to be out-techniqued a lot. If you focus entirely on the outcome of the match, you'll easily get discouraged about losing time and time again. However, if you focus on the little things you do right - the "small victories" - you'll be able to see your growth, maintain your excitement about learning jiu jitsu and salvage your confidence. Finally passing the guard of a training partner that you don't normally pass, executing a perfect scissor sweep, or having the courage to throw up an arm bar from guard... those are all small victories; the things that you couldn't do before and now you can. That's progress, and you should be proud of that. 

Think Long-Term

Brazilian jiu jitsu is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're trying to become an expert BJJ practitioner as fast as possible, you are going to put a lot of undue stress on yourself to continually improve, and win, win, win. This creates unrealistic expectations, and when you don't meet those, you're going to become more and more frustrated, then maybe even quit altogether. If you remind yourself to think long-term, you'll be better able to take each day at a time and to keep yourself from obsessing about your perceived lack of improvement. With this long-term vision, you'll note that there will be ups and downs, but you're always moving forward, closer and closer to whatever jiu jitsu goals you might have. 

Choose Your Training Partners

As a female athlete, and usually the smallest person on the mat, I've spent many a training session - and still do - getting out-muscled. This is fine. No matter who you are, there will always be someone out there just a little bit - or a lot a bit - stronger than you are. That being said, I never shy away from rolling with stronger opponents, because it just forces me to be even more technical. However, there are some individuals on the mat that I just do not train with, because I know their goal is to win at any cost. They have no problem using their superior strength and/or technique to smash me mercilessly and without conscience. This kind of mentality is toxic for your growth, and death for your confidence. While they are under no obligation to just let you win, your training partners should acknowledge that you're just embarking on your own journey and have an interest in helping you learn. You are well within your right to choose those kinds of training partners, and say "no" to the others. 

Compete

Becoming a "competitor" is not for everyone, but I believe everyone should compete, at least once or twice in their jiu jitsu career. Win or lose, every competition is worth at least two or three months of training, because you come back with a better sense of how far you've come and what you have to improve on. It's hard to see your growth when you're always training with the same mat sharks day in and day out. When you compete, you face someone your own size and experience level, who may have never fought you before and doesn't know anything about your game. So the opportunities for winning - and therefore getting a nice little boost to your ego - are exponentially higher. Even if you don't win, you'll be able to see that, yes, you have actually been retaining some of this jiu jitsu stuff. Which is exciting and only helps to keep you coming back to the mat. 

Regardless of whether you've just started jiu jitsu, or you've been training for a decade or more, you'll continually have to manage your ego and your confidence. The beauty about Brazilian jiu jitsu is that no one is ever on top all the time. One day you could be the best in the world, and another day you could be tapping to a lower belt. It's important to keep in mind that it's "OK".

Hopefully, these tips help keep you moving forward on your jiu jitsu journey. 

Train on... with confidence. Oss. 

BJJ is an activity that requires knowledge and practice, so obviously one might ask how long it takes to get a proper understanding of jiu jitsu. However, this is not an easy question to answer.

First of all, obtaining an "understanding" of BJJ is quite relative. The casual observer can gain enough of an understanding of jiu jitsu to know what a sweep, pass, arm bar and choke looks like. But when it comes to understanding the intricacies of a particular sweep, or how one position connects to another, then to another... that takes years of practice and dedicated implementation. For many, obtaining the coveted black belt can take anywhere from six to 15 (or more) years. Even then, many a brand new black belt has been known to say that their real journey of learning the gentle art had just begun!

For those who don't shy away from the long haul, getting a sufficient understanding of jiu jitsu is dependent on 1) how you define an "understanding" and 2) how you learn. I can't address your answer to number 1, but I can give you some tips regarding your number 2:

Be Consistent - An understanding of jiu jitsu - of anything really - requires the cumulation of endless hours of practice. However, if those endless hours are piece meal and inconsistent, you can be guaranteed to have a long, slow journey toward your next belt. Being consistent allows you to easily build off of the previous sessions and build a strong foundation for the next session, without having to go back and review something that you had forgotten because you took a few weeks off.

Identify Your Learning Style - Not everyone learns the same. While jiu jitsu is a very hands-on practice, recognizing how you learn will allow you to modify your individual practice to favor that learning style or supplement your in-class instruction with something that enables you to learn the techniques more easily. 

Study - As much as you'd like to - especially after you've gotten the "jiu jitsu bug" - you can't live on the mat. There's only so much hands-on training that your body can take before your overstrain yourself. So studying is indispensable to your journey. Luckily for you, many high-level professors and academy owners offer online websites full of video instructionals. And of course, there's also YouTube. 

Wherever your journey takes you, and however long it takes, know that your journey is yours and yours alone. 

Train on. Oss.

On average, most jiu jitsu practitioners receive their black belt in anywhere from 6 to 15 years. For most academies, this depends on a number of factors: 

Time on the mat

Nothing beats time on the mat. You can't progress in your jiu jitsu career without putting in hours upon hours of time on the mat, and practical experience trumps any other kind of experience. YouTube Cowboys will not receive their black belt without time on the mat, no matter how many John Danaher videos they religiously watch. You have to be able to feel the technique, feel how it works or doesn't work, feel how it must be adapted depending on your opponent's movements or reaction. You can't fully learn a technique unless you apply it. Of course, there's something to be said about supplementing your jiu jitsu practice with study. Jiu jitsu is a physically intensive activity. Depending on how old you are - or even if you're a young whipper snapper - packing in too much jiu jitsu takes a toll on your body or causes burn-out. Exercising your brain will allow you to continually advance in your progress without compromising your body or your journey. 

Amassed knowledge

Every person learns at a different rate. Two people can be training for the exact same time, yet have a very different level of amassed knowledge. And that's okay. Everyone's journey is his or her own. It certainly doesn't mean one person is better than another... nevertheless, this definitely causes some people stress. It's hard not to compare yourself to others, especially when your homeboy that you started with is getting promoted to brown, while you feel like you're stagnating in your purple belt. The worst thing you can do is freak out and quit jiu jitsu. The best thing you can do is assess why you're not learning as fast and come up with strategies to help yourself improve. 

Competitive experience

It's no secret that competitors advance through their belts a lot faster than hobbyists. This isn't because of some inherent bias in the jiu jitsu community. It's because competition affords you an incredible experience to learn what works and what doesn't work, with opponents that are going 100 percent. I tell my students that every competition is worth about three months of solid training. Plus, competition gives your professor the best view of how you compare to others in your belt division. If you're getting smashed, obviously you should spend a little more time developing in your current rank. But if you're dominating your division each and every time you enter a competition, you're probably ready to rank up or risk being called a sand-bagger by the opposing teams. 

Professor's judgment

Ultimately, the decision lies with your professor. Even if you've been sitting on a belt for years, you're dominating your divisions and you've demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the gentle art, you're professor just might not promote very easily. Or he or she might not like you (I've seen it happen). Or - God forbid - you had actually asked to be promoted. One thing that is ingrained into the Brazilian jiu jitsu culture is: you do not ask for your belt. Don't even give hints. If you ask, you've just added more time onto your journey. And to be really honest, if you're asking for your next belt, why are you really doing jiu jitsu anyway? Are you doing it just to say to the ladies "I'm a BJJ blackbelt"? Pfft. Get out of here. Then you don't deserve it. Sure, work hard toward earning your black belt, but don't let that be the primary reason you're doing jiu jitsu. 

Again, there's no clear cut answer to this question, but hopefully I've provided some enlightenment on how you might advance through your belts and one day - hopefully - achieve that prestigious title of "professor". 

Train on... Oss. 

Dying aside, let's get one thing straight: Brazilian jiu jitsu is a martial (i.e. "fighting") art. As such, there's an unavoidable element of risk and potential for injury. Here's what you can expect: 

• You will get bruises, especially when you first start out and your body hasn't adjusted to the forceful grabbing by your opponent or the innumerable impacts of someone's elbows, knees and other random body parts. Don't worry, your body quickly adjusts and you'll stop bruising so easily after a month or two. If it doesn't, make sure you're getting enough vitamins in your diet. 
• You will get the occasional black eye from a stray knee, elbow or accidental headbutt. It happens. When you have two people rolling around on the floor, both trying to obtain a more dominant position and often moving in wild and unpredictable ways, odds are your face is going to get in the way. It may or may not result in a full-blown shiner, but you will get some discoloration. Concealer comes in handy if you're worried about going out in public.
• You will roll your ankle or strain some other ligament sometime during your career. If you don't, you've got some serous Luck O' the Irish on your side. Again, you and your opponent are moving around in sometimes unpredictable ways, so it will happen that you'll plant your foot or hand in an unstable position, allowing for the possibility that it will be rolled or twisted. When it happens, stop the roll, assess the damage, wipe away your crocodile tears and get it taken care of. 
• You may break something. Considering how many people are practicing the gentle art around the world, actually breaking something is exceedingly rare. It does happen, but this is either due to an extreme - and freak - accident, or because you didn't tap when you should have. Again, jiu jitsu is a martial art. The risk of breaking something is far higher when you're engaged in a fighting discipline, than when you're sitting on the couch watching television. Just get into the habit of tapping early and tapping often. 

Again, whether or not jiu jitsu is "safe" really depends on your definition of the word. If you're looking for a hobby or sport in which you won't have to worry about breaking a nail, you should probably look elsewhere. If you're looking for something that's combative but you don't want to be punched in the face on the daily, jiu jitsu is going to be that "safe" alternative. 

The beauty of Brazilian jiu jitsu is that you can always tap. Unless you're paired with a real disaster of a human being, everyone you train with will respect the tap. If you feel pain or you're unable to breathe, just tap. 

Train on... safely. Oss. 

However, returns are a hassle... both for you and for us. And on top of that, it's not the most eco-friendly practice, as this TED Talk points out. So we've decided to give you some tips to help you minimize your returns, improve your shopping experience, and keep more products out of the landfill. Read on...

Do Your Research

Especially during Black Friday, when there's this "rush" to omg-get-it-quick-before-they're-all-sold-out... it's easy to make impulsive buys without doing your homework about what's the best fit for you, or whoever you're buying for. The most common reason for product returns is - you guessed it - a wrong size. That's understandable. With online shopping, you can't "try on" anything... yet. I'm sure sometime in the future this might be a possibility. What you can do is research what size might be the most appropriate for you. There are many resources available in this regard: 

• Sizing guides - most brands/products will have a sizing guide. This should always be your first stop before buying an article of clothing. Check out both our provided sizing guide, as well as the brand's guide. 
• Reviews - After that, skim the reviews. See what previous buyers had said about the product, and particularly about its fit. Often some generous reviewer has included his/her height and weight, which gives you a very useful reference point when choosing your own size. 
• Customer Service - Customer service often gets a bad rap, but you should know that these brave guys and gals have heard it all, and answered it all, so they are highly knowledgable about appropriate sizing. Particularly at inletpalms, almost all of our CS representatives train, so they really know their stuff when it comes to the fit of gis and training gear. 
• Social Media - Especially in the jiu jitsu community, there are a ton of online forums and Facebook groups where you can pose your questions about the fit or quality of certain brands. In my experience, people love to give advice, so you are bound to get any number of responses... some great, and some not-so-much, but hey, it's the thought that counts. 

Want vs. Need

Another major reason for returns is that the customer simply didn't want it anymore. This is the "want vs. need" dilemma. You've been there... you're browsing an online catalog and you see a cool rash guard that catches your eye. At that moment, you want it. It will look perfect in your collection, all your training buddies will "oooo" and "ahhh" over it. You gotta have it. You add it to your cart, click purchase, and done. It's yours. Except when that shopping adrenaline high wears off, you realize that you really don't need another rash guard... or maybe you need to pay your gas bill first. It comes, and you immediately send it back (after trying it on, of course, and getting all your sweaty armpit funk all over it). 

inletpalms is a business, so we'd love to sell you as much stuff as possible, but we're also members of your jiu jitsu community. Not only do we want you to like and enjoy the products we provide, we also want you to be able to afford to keep living well and keep training hard. So before you buy, ask yourself: 1) can I afford this, 2) do I really need/want this, and 3) is there a possibility that I might return it? 

If You Really Must...

Now, you've done everything you can to prevent the dreaded return, but you find that you simply must do it. Here's how best to do it: 

• Please, for the love of Bob, don't wear it. Try it on, sure. But don't do it right after training, or a long day of burning through your deodorant, or right after you've just doused yourself in cologne. If an item returns to us with any kind of funk - good or bad - we can't sell it again. We wouldn't want to!
• Fold it back up as best as you can - yeah, we know there are some of you who can't even fold a hand towel - and return it in it's original packaging. Just because you don't want it doesn't mean that you should smush it up into a ball and return it like that. Don't be that guy. 
• FULLY read the Returns & Exchanges policies. This provides you easy-to-follow directions on how to return your item. You won't believe how many emails our poor, brave customer service reps get about returns, from people who are too lazy to look on the website. It takes less than a minute to read the return policies and fill out our return form. 

Just as recycling is becoming a norm - and not just something hippies do - we feel that being conscious shoppers should also become a norm, to keep as much returned items out of the landfill as possible... because the more we do to keep our planet healthy, the longer we - and our future generations - will be able to train jiu jitsu.

Train on... and shop wisely. Oss. 

Ugh. 

So with all of that in mind, it would be silly not to look for ways to cut costs, where and when you can. One of the best ways is by scoring deals on your gis and gear. Here are a few ways that you can: 

Browse the Sale Sections

Almost every retail e-commerce business will have a sale section. We do. These sale sections serve important roles for businesses, because companies often have only a certain amount of warehouse space to hold all of their inventory. And new products - new gis and gear, which can take up quite a lot of space - are always coming out. So in order to make room for the new, companies have to get rid of the old... and quickly. They do that by marking down a lot of perfectly good products that either don't sell fast or which they have a lot of. Unfortunately, the most popular sizes are usually gone when they do this, but you can always cross your fingers and hope! Luckily, with our Sale Section, you can filter by size, so you don't have to waste any time discovering if something in your size exists. 

Coupon Codes

Make sure you follow your favorite brands on social media. Often, they will post special event coupon codes on their Instagram or Facebook, codes which they may not publish on their websites. Here at inletpalms, we regularly post coupon codes for between 10-20% off of your entire purchase (with some brand exceptions, like Hayabusa). That means that you can often get a great deal on a name brand gi or article of no-gi gear at inletpalms, even when the brands themselves aren't advertising a discount. Also, don't forget to sign up for newsletters. Companies love to gather customer emails - mostly to send future deals and advertisements - so in exchange, they often offer a coupon code for a certain percentage or dollar amount off of your first order. 

Holiday Savings

Here's a little secret: companies put a lot of effort into planning their holiday sales events. And each year they tend to start a little bit earlier than that last, banking on the fact that people usually plan their holiday gifting well in advance. Except for you procrastinators... There's no hope for you. Anyway, in order to take the best advantage of these savings - either for yourself or your loved ones - mark your calendar with these common sales days: Valentine's Day, Mother's and Father's Days, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and New Years. Start checking a week or two in advance of the holiday to see if they've posted about their holiday sales. 

Past Models

Keep an eye out for new gi or gear model updates. Companies love to put out new versions of solid favorites, and when they do, the past versions are often put on heavy discount. Unfortunately, you never know when a company will put a new version out - unless their marketing team is on-point and have been posting teasers about a new version - so it's hard to plan your purchase of past gi or nogi gear models. However, that only makes it more important to follow a brand or company on social media; so that you can spot those deals and snap them up before it's too late. 

We hope these tips will help you make your jiu jitsu journey a little more friendly on your wallet. 

Train... and shop... on. Oss. 

Founded in 1969, Fuji Brand has been in the martial arts kimono business for a long time... so it's safe to say that they know their stuff. And while they are principally known as a judo brand - because that's how they started - they have also been producing durable, extremely reasonably priced, and high-quality jiu jitsu gis for a good while. Their standard Fuji Victory Single Weave is still a best seller, and you'd be hard pressed to walk into any jiu jitsu academy and not see at least a few of these puppies. 

However, the Fuji Sekai was Fuji Brand's first foray into producing a high-end gi, specially designed for the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu market. It was an instant hit, particularly in the competition scene. 

Now, Fuji has gone and made it even better. The Fuji Sekai 2.0 features the same quality construction and unbeatable durability as the previous model, including: a lightweight 450 GSM Pearl Weave cotton jacket, and triple-reinforced rip-stop pants made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester. The first version featured a huge rubberized world map in the interior of the jacket, paying tribute to the "Sekai" - meaning "world" in Japanese - of jiu jitsu. They got rid of that, responding to some reviews noting that the texture could irritate the skin sometimes. Instead, with the Sekai 2.0, they limited the iconic world map to the soft shoulder lining. Fuji also gave the Sekai a fresh updated look, without straying too far from their commitment to a classic, understated aesthetic. Removing the clunky embroidered "Sekai" across both shoulders, they added a very attractive vertical Sekai patch down the collarbone (with a matching patch down the left pant leg), the iconic Fuji Kilimanjaro logo embroidered on the opposite sleeve, the traditional Fuji logo across the left pocket area, and a cool block logo embroidered on the upper right hip area and back skirt of the jacket. 

All-in-all, we give this update two hooks up. Check it out for yourself! 



So, needless to say, we put our heads and necks at risk when we practice jiu jitsu. Here's what to expect - and hopefully avoid - in regard to those kinds of injuries: 

Cauliflower Ear

Let's start with hands down the most common affliction: cauliflower ear. If you haven't noticed the gnarled, chewed-up ears on some of the guys - and gals - then you obviously have never stepped on the mat before. Also called "wrestler's ear", cauliflower ear happens when the perichondrium (the layer of connective tissue between your skin and cartilage) separates from the cartilage of your ear, creating a pocket that quickly fills with blood and other bodily fluid. Untreated, abnormal cartilage forms on top of the normal cartilage, and the cartilage may even contract into itself, resulting in a lumpy, misshapen appearance. Cauliflower ear is typically treated by draining the fluid - often repeatedly - and applying pressure in an attempt to re-adhere the perichondrium to the cartilage. I say "attempt" because it's not a guarantee... I speak from personal experience. If you're really concerned about having pretty ears, you can always seek medical assistance to have your ear professionally drained and compressed. In either case, plan to take at least a week or two off training, as fresh cauliflower is incredibly tender to the touch. Of course, you can always try training through it by wearing wrestling headgear, but prepare to live in Guillotine City while you do.  

Lacerations

Jiu jitsu is not a striking sport... but, well, shit happens. At least once - and maybe more than once - in your career, you will get an inadvertent elbow or knee to the head, resulting in a laceration (a cut, in layman's terms). The most common places for these are: around the eyebrows, on the lips, on the chin, and on the forehead or scalp. These range from "simple" lacerations, in which the cut is relatively straight and the edges of the tissue can be easily lined up, to "complicated" lacerations, in which the edges are jagged and the cut is deep, requiring more than one layer of skin to be stitched up. If the cut is small and shallow enough, you can probably get away with a few Steri-Strips to close it up and allow your body to heal itself. However, when we do get hit in in jiu jitsu, it's usually hard enough to warrant going to urgent car and getting stitches put in by a medical professional. In either case, the first thing you should do is stop rolling, get off the mat, gently clean the cut with a mild soap and water, control the bleeding with a sterile gauze, and apply ice and pressure to reduce the swelling. 

Stinger

Common in pretty much all contact sports, a stinger occurs when the "neck is forced sideways and away from the shoulder or pushed backward... This sudden force pinches—or acutely stretches—the nerves in the neck." While it's certainly not as common as in rugby or football, or even other martial arts such as boxing and kickboxing, stingers can still happen in jiu jitsu, especially when training in the gentle art becomes not-so-gentle. When the nerves are pinched, it sends an "intense, electric-like pain" shooting down the back of the neck, and sometimes down the arm and into the hand, causing some numbness and weakness in that extremity. The effects can last anywhere from a few seconds or a few minutes, to even days. Ice and anti-inflammatories are the best on-the-spot treatment for stingers, but I shouldn't have to sound like your mother when I say: if you're experiencing pain and/or numbness for more than a couple days, you obviously should seek medical attention. However, even if it's less than a day, don't mess around with head and neck injuries, especially when they involve the nerves. The goal in jiu jitsu is longevity. So don't be a tough guy and go get it checked out. 

Concussion

On that note, if you get knocked in the head hard enough, or maybe a gnarly takedown sent your braincase crashing into the mat before you had time to roll or tuck your chin - PLEASE learn how to properly breakfall, kids - you are definitely at risk of a concussion. A concussion happens when the brain is basically thrown against the wall of your skull, either from direct impact or a whiplash-type scenario. Symptoms typically include: headache and blurred vision, irritability, difficulty focusing, and fatigue. Again, you don't want to mess around with head injuries, especially when it affects the brain. If your symptoms are bad enough (and note: they may not appear until days after the event), or if the impact knocked you unconscious, you might want to go to the hospital. Otherwise, rest - both physical and mental - is really the only thing you can do for it. Yes, you read that correctly: keep your butt off the mat for a while, at least a week or two. If you're suffering from an associated headache, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen, but don't take an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen and aspirin, as they can increase the risk of bleeding... you don't want that happening in your noggin.

Luckily, serious head and neck injuries are really relatively rare in the jiu jitsu community. But they do happen. The best way to prevent them is 1) taking care of your training partners, and not trying to kill them over some dumb ego trip, 2) trying your best to train in a controlled manner, and 3) avoiding any spazzy training partners, which are usually white belts, but exist at every belt level... even black.

Train on... Safely. Oss.

What doesn't immediately come to mind, yet is probably the most frustrating and awkward thing for a newbie to learn, is sparring. How do you do it? How do you start? What is your goal?

Fear not, young padawan. Here are a few things to keep in mind, in order to make your first sparring sessions as smooth as they can possible be. Read on... 

Your Starting Stance

Usually, your instructor will have you start on your knees. This is mostly to reduce the chances that you might get hurt when you are taken down, because like a wobbly little baby giraffe, you really aren't very agile yet. So you're on your knees... WRONG. On your butt? NOPE, leave that for the upper belts. My best advice is to get into combat base (one knee down, toes active, the other knee up and sitting down comfortably). Why? Because when you start on both knees, the very first thing you will do in order to go somewhere is: lift one knee off the mat. So why not just eliminate that step from the start?! That way you're in a much better position to move if your opponent makes a grab for you. If you do happen to start standing, 1) find a comfortable stance and be light on your toes, 2) when you move around, don't cross your feet (that creates a prime opportunity for takedowns), and 3) for the love of Bob, don't look at your opponent's feet. This last one not only limits your vision to just your opponent's feet, but also rounds your back and puts you in a terrible position to defend any kind of takedown or standing guillotine attack (actually one of my favorite things to do to fresh meat... muahaha).  

Your Grips

Even in no-gi, I can tell two seconds into a match if I'm facing a brand-new white belt by his/her hands. Baby white belts do this distinctive fisting of their hands until they go to grab something, and when they do grab, they don't usually grab and hold; they grab and release, even if it's really a decent grip. Then when their training partners grab them in turn, they don't do diddly-squat about that grip. To my dear white belts reading this: be conscious of your and your opponent's grips. Grips are everything in a fight. So... 1) Relax your fists. Shake them out if you have to. If you ball your hands into fists, what's the first thing you do when you try to grab your opponent? You relax them. So, just as with your combat base, eliminate that step and start with relaxed hands. 2) When you grab something, don't release it right away. Grab and hold. That usually makes your opponent redirect his/her focus, for the moment, toward breaking your grip, rather than executing whatever terrible torment he/she had planned for you. And 3) BREAK their grips, first and foremost. When a more experienced practitioner makes a grip on you, he/she usually has something in mind. Take that half second to at least attempt a grip break. You'll never regret it. 

Your Space

If you haven't already noticed, jiu jitsu is a very physical, close-contact sport. If you're a freak about personal space or a little shy about touching people... well, either you have to get over that - and fast - or jiu jitsu really isn't for you. Maybe try underwater knitting. In jiu jitsu, you will be getting into really close and intimate positions with your training partners... like, face-in-the-crotch-area kind of close. That's just the way it is. Now, assuming you're okay with all that, I have one really important rule of thumb for you to follow: when you're attacking, take space away; when you're defending, create space. For example, if you've somehow - by some stroke of luck or the kind generosity of your training partner - passed the guard, "smash him/her like a pancake" (as I say to my kiddos). You're attacking, so you can't give your opponent any space to escape. On the flip side, if your partner has passed your guard - with ridiculous ease, of course - don't proceed to hug him/her to you while you're on bottom. Frame up and shrimp like your life depends on it. Try to create enough space to get your legs between you and your opponent, and then keep them there. 

Your Goal

You're not going to have enough tools in your toolbox to do any submitting just yet, so let's just put that aside for a moment. Until you've drilled your basic submissions 100 times, at the very least, you'll be in no position to properly execute them in live sparring. And don't "just survive." I've heard many a white - and even blue belt - utter that phrase, and it's like fingernails on a chalk board to me. "Just surviving" automatically puts you in the wrong mindset to learn while you are sparring. My advice to you is: 1) Focus on getting to the positions you know - guard, side control, mount - and try to stay there. 2) If you're a few weeks into your journey, go ahead and try a couple techniques you've learned and drilled. Don't be afraid to try, even if it gets you into a bad position. And 3) Focus on what your opponent is doing to you. He/she is undoubtedly leagues ahead of you in technique, so you'll be able to pick up a few things here and there while you're sparring. Then after the roll - PLEASE DON'T DO IT DURING THE ROLL, because that's really annoying - don't be afraid to ask how he/she did something you really liked. 

I hope these few pointers will help you enjoy your first sparring sessions, and allow you to use them in a constructive manner. I can't stress enough: don't be afraid to try something. Don't be afraid to move. You're going to get your butt handed to you anyway, so why not maximize your potential for growth and learning? 

Train... and spar... on. Oss. 

Knees aren't the only things that take a real beating in jiu jitsu. Considering how much you use and rely on your arms in jiu jitsu - and how many attacks there are to this particular appendage - those puppies can be pretty vulnerable to a host of different injuries and afflictions. 

Read on to learn about the most common elbow injuries you might encounter and what you can, or will, have to do about it...

Bursitis 

Bursitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs, called bursae, that act as cushions at the joints, helping to decrease friction between moving tissues, such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin. Bursitis is often caused by repetitive minor impacts - oh so common in many sports - but can also result from more serious trauma to the area. Symptoms include rapid swelling around the joint that is also warm and tender to the touch. Bursitis will usually clear up with rest, icing, elevation, and over-the-counter inflammatories, but more serious cases can be drained, or injected with corticosteroids. Some athletes are still able to train with it, but because it is so painful to the touch and jiu jitsu involves a lot of elbow-to-ground contact, the best option is to rest until it clears up.

Tendonitis

Similar to bursitis, tendonitis can also be caused by repetitive movements, can be accompanied by swelling (though not always), and is quite painful... at least until you warm up, when it fades to a dull ache. There are two types, depending on which tendon it afflicts: lateral epicondylitis, or "tennis elbow," and medial epicondylitis, or "golfer's elbow". Aside from rest, ice and pain killers, there's not too much else you can do on your own, and may in fact be all you need to do. However, for more serious cases, you can see a medical professional for a corticosteroid shot, Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment - in which they take a sample of your own blood, spin it really fast to separate the platelets and good stuff, then inject it back into the affected area - physical therapy, dry needling, or ultra-sonic treatment (to remove tendon scar tissue). If you have to resort to surgery, you probably have a more serious issue than just tendonitis. 

Pinched nerve

Pinched nerves at the elbow - also called "ulnar nerve entrapment" (oooo fancy) - are also relatively common in jiu jitsu and other sports in which the elbow moves repetitively and in unpredictable ways. In fact, the "most common place for compression of the nerve is behind the inside part of the elbow," according to WebMD. Common symptoms include: numbness and tingling in the ring finger and little finger and weakening of the grip. You can typically treat it pretty well with anti-inflammatories (corticosteroid shots are not suggested due to risk of nerve damage), bracing or splinting your elbow, and "nerve gliding exercises." 

Sprains and Strains

Oh yes... no guide on sports injuries is complete without mentioning sprains and strains. What's the difference? A sprain is the stretching or tearing of the ligaments (the bone-to-bone connectors), while a strain is the stretching or tearing of the muscles or tendons (the bone to muscle connectors). Spains and strains occur when a particular part of your body moves beyond its natural range of motion... armbars anyone? Both show very similar symptoms - pain, swelling, limited ability to move the afflicted area - but sprains are typically accompanied by a "pop" sound or feeling when the injury happens, and will include bruising, and strains are often accompanied by muscle spasms. Treatment for both is often just RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation), but see a medical professional if it feels pretty serious. 

Dislocation

Not quite as common as sprains and strains, but dislocations of the elbow can happen. And it's not just the result of a wicked armbar - that you may or may not have had too much ego to tap to - but also if you're getting swept or taken down hard and you plant your hand into the mat, instead of taking the fall. In technical terms, a dislocation happens when the "bone is pulled or pushed out of place." It can be a "partial" dislocation, or a "complete" dislocation, and can range from simple (no major bone injury), to complex (sever accompanying bone and ligament injury) or severe (where even the blood vessels and nerves have been compromised). Treatment? Go to the emergency room. And after they're done with you, take a break from the mats for a little while. Don't mess around with dislocations, especially if you want to have a long jiu jitsu career. 

Fractures

Last, but certainly not least: fractures. I must stress that jiu jitsu is not some kind of paddy-cake sport. Even in the most careful of situations, accidents happen. Elbow fractures can "result from a fall, a direct impact to the elbow, or a twisting injury to the arm," all of which are oh-so-common in the practice of jiu jitsu. Just as with sprains, fractures are accompanied by pain, swelling, bruising and stiffness around the elbow... so it'll be hard to tell at first that it's a fracture rather than a sprain, unless it's a full-on break or "open fracture" (when the bone is protruding from the skin). The best thing you can do is go to the ER and have a professional check it out. Yeah, it will cost a pretty penny - and they might order a CT scan to be sure, which will cost even more pretty pennies - but it's a small price to pay for ease of mind and/or appropriate treatment. 

Once again, don't just rely on your - or my - WebMD skills, no matter how ninja they might be, to diagnose elbow injuries from impact or falling. If in doubt, get it checked out by a licensed medical professional. The sooner you know for sure what the problem is, the faster you'll be able to fix it, and the sooner you'll be back on the mats. 

Train on... safely. Oss.

We'd like to take a moment to recognize the main man behind it all - the guy whose vision brought inletpalms from a small inventory of products run right out of his garage to the leading international e-commerce business it is today: Bruno Munduruca. 

Just recently, at the IBJJF World Master Championships in Las Vegas, Bruno was recognized as the number two ranked black belt athlete in the Master 2 division... that's number two in the WORLD! He already has his eyes set on the number one spot this coming year, but considering he received his black belt little more than a year ago... what a remarkable achievement! 

Few people in the sport can appreciate how difficult it is to balance being a businessman, a family man, and a high-level athlete all at the same time. For a long time, Bruno dedicated most of his time to the former, but now that he's built a strong business - arguably the best online market for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gis and gear in the industry - and gathered a solid team behind him, he's finally had more time to dedicate to his passion. 

And it's been paying off. In the last year, he's been consistently hitting the top of the podium in IBJJF tournaments around the globe, and has even racked up double gold wins at some of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments in the federation, including the European Championships.

Congratulations Bruno, and we look forward to seeing what the next year brings! 

Remember the size-strength differential

Most men who train jiu jitsu are generally bigger and stronger than the women on the mat. And even if they do happen to be the same size, a man will still be far stronger than a woman... by two and sometimes three-fold. That's just a fact. This is why women tend to pick up technique at a faster pace. They basically have no choice. They can't rely on strength to get them through challenging situations, whereas a man in the same situation might be able to blow out of a submission or force a sweep. For the most part, jiu jitsu enables a smaller, weaker person to prevail over a bigger, stronger opponent, but when both parties have an understanding of jiu jitsu, the odds often tilt again in favor of the stronger opponent. So remember, when you're getting your butt handed to you by someone of the "fairer" sex... yes, you can hulk out of a submission or overpower her technical attacks, but it will neither do your nor her jiu jitsu any good. 

Treat her with the same respect you would a male training partner

There is an hierarchy in jiu jitsu, and your belt color indicates where you are in it. The most important thing to understand is that your level in jiu jitsu is determined by how much knowledge you've acquired... not by how many people you've tapped. That female purple belt in the academy has just as much experience and knowledge as that male purple belt. So be conscious of how you treat her and what you say to her. Would you do the same with a male purple belt? If the answer is no, just don't do it. For example, you wouldn't say "good job" to a higher ranked male training partner and risk sounding condescending? Probably not. So don't say it to a higher ranked female training partner. 

Keep the drama off the mat

When you put a bunch of people with shared passion together, it's just natural that sparks will fly somewhere in the mix. We're only human. But it's not cool to act on those feelings while you're still on the mat. Whether you're testing the waters to see if she's interested, already in the midst of a steamy romance, or you're in a full-blown tiff with your significant other... keep it off the mat. The mat is where you and your teammates go to learn, train, and often to get away from whatever craziness life is throwing at them. The last thing they need is for "crazy" to infiltrate their sanctuary. Not only that, but if said woman does not reciprocate your feelings, you may make things very awkward for her if, or when, she has to partner with you. 

Especially if you're a lower belt, your female training partner has a lot to offer you. As I mentioned before, she will likely be far more technical than many male training partners, because she has never had the luxury of strength to compensate for any lack in technique. As long as you treat her with respect and as a fellow teammate, and as long as you be conscious of your size and strength relative to hers, you'll find she will be one of the greatest resources in your own jiu jitsu journey. 

Train on. Oss. 

However, not all jiu jitsu tournaments are created the same. Their size, prestige and rulesets all differ a bit, so you can pick and choose which one suits your tastes. No need to waste energy looking them up... we've listed all the major ones below: 

IBJJF - The International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation is the oldest and one of the most prestigious promotions in our list, featuring large and small events across the globe. In addition to their yearly World Championships - both gi and no-gi - and their major continental events - the Brazilian, European, Pans and Asian Championships - they also offer more local "Open" events held in major cities around the world, as well as a huge event exclusively for competitors age 30 and above: the World Master Championship (which also happens to be one of their biggest events, with nearly 4,500 competitors in 2017). As the oldest competitive jiu jitsu promotion, they have set the standard for most points-based tournament formats. 

ADCC - The ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships is the oldest and most prestigious no-gi - well, "submission fighting" - events in the world. Launched in 1998 by Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the son of then-UAE leader Sheik Zayed and founder of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (hence, ADCC), the event is held every two years and features the top wrestlers, judoka, jiu-jitsu and sambo practitioners in the world. These fighters had either won an international ADCC qualifying event or were invited due to their notoriety in the sport. The ADCC ruleset is an interesting mix of sub-only and points, in which the first half of the match is sub-only (although competitors can still receive negative points for pulling guard during this period) and the second half is points-based, but calculated differently from the IBJJF. 

Fight2Win - What began as a small local Colorado tournament has become one of the most sought-after live event super fight promotions in the United States. Considered "the biggest party in grappling," Fight2Win brings UFC-style excitement to the jiu jitsu mats, where they feature one-on-one match-ups between local competitors. With the Fight2Win, you don't have to be a superstar to get a spot on their card... but you do typically have to be at least purple belt and above, or a juvenile. Fight2Win is a submission-only ruleset, under a specified time-limit, with three judges who will determine the result in case neither fighter gets a submission. Check out their fighter application here.

UAEJJF - The United Arab Emirates Jiu Jitsu Federation is basically IBJJF's biggest competitor on the world scale. As its name suggests, the UAEJJF was founded in the UAE in 2009, where several UAE big wigs - including Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahayan - had discovered and fallen in love with jiu jitsu, and subsequently began a national project to install jiu jitsu into all of the country's public schools, as well as create a professionalized promotion of jiu jitsu events around the world. Like the IBJJF, the UAEJJF is a points- based tournament, but unlike the IBJJF, the UAEJJF offers prize-money for athlete who make the podium. 

EBI - Launched in 2014 by the founder of the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu system, the Eddie Bravo Invitational is a 16-person submission-only tournament. One of the few no-gi only tournaments, participation is by invitation only and the event is broadcast live on UFC FightPass. The EBI also features a unique format designed to maximize the chance of submissions: each match is 10-minutes, and if no submission is achieved by the end of time, the competitors go into overtime, where they each have to be put into a "dead-zone" position - spiderweb or back control - from which they have to escape. The competitor who is able to submit, and avoid being submitted in return, wins. If neither competitor submits during three overtime rounds, the winner is he/she who has the shortest accumulated escape times. Many smaller sub-only promotions have adopted this format. 

Polaris - Founded by the guys at Scramble Brand and Tatami, Polaris is Europe's longest-running professional grappling event, featuring both gi and no-gi matches. Polaris is invitation-only and features some of the best jiu jitsu competitors from around the world. Matches are 15 minutes long and submission-only. However, if a match fails to end with a submission, a panel of judges decide who wins via a tiered set of considerations, in which submissions attempts and aggression are weighed more heavily than positional control. This format makes for strong incentive for exciting matches.  

Copa Podio - A Brazilian-based super fight promotion, the Copa Podio is a live super fight event that pits ten of jiu jitsu's top athletes against each other for a grand prize. Instead of a traditional bracket system, Copa Podio uses a round-robin system, in which the fighters are split into two 5-person groups, and everyone in that group has to fight each other to determine who advances to the finals to face-off against the winner from the other group. The matches are six-minutes long and use the IBJJF ruleset, with the winners earning match points - five for a submission, three for a win by points, two for a win by advantages, and one to each fighter in the case of a draw. 

Absolute Championship Berkut - The ACBJJ jumped on the event bandwagon in 2017, featuring both open championship events around the world, as well as professional super fight events. Notably, the ACBJJ does not allow women to compete in their events. 

Five Grappling - Five Grappling is a California-based promotion that features both a professional super fight event, called the "Five Super League", as well as local tournaments held in states around the U.S. 

Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation - The only Brazilian jiu jitsu federation that has recognition from an international sport organization - the Association for International Sport for All - the SJJIF also boast both continental and country-level associations, which hold events across the globe. 

In addition to these more prestigious promotions, there are a ton of promotions that hold smaller, local tournaments in various regions across the United States. Entry fees are relatively inexpensive, and offer great opportunities to get some fights under your belt, especially for white belts to purple belts. Some of these are: 

• North American Grappling Association (NAGA) - across the U.S. 
• American Grappling Federation - across the U.S. 
• Fuji BJJ Championship Series - across the U.S.
• Jiu Jitsu World League - mostly Western U.S. and Texas
• SubCon - Southern California
• New Breed - across the U.S., but mostly the Southeastern U.S.
• Copa American Grappling Championships - Southeastern U.S.
• Grappling Games - Midwest and Eastern U.S. 
• Grappling Industries - across the U.S. and Australia
• US Grappling - Eastern U.S.

Train... and compete... on. Oss.

It's a combination of physical, mental, emotional and social benefits that gives people exactly what they need in life and makes lifelong practitioners out of anyone... regardless of who he or she might be. Young, old, male, female, strong, weak, black, white, rich or poor... Jiu Jitsu is for everyone. 

What are those benefits? Read on... 

Physical

Jiu jitsu will get you in shape. Of course, if you want to look like a gladiator you still have to put in the work and combine it with a balanced diet. But whatever your baseline is, jiu jitsu will improve your physical fitness, two, three, ten-fold, depending on how dedicated you are. This is because training jiu jitsu is a combination of cardio and resistance training. Each round is about five or six - sometimes even seven to ten - minutes of non-stop movement. You might not be moving fast, but whether you're on the offensive or the defensive, you're constantly moving. Combine that with another human body trying to either trying to subdue and submit you... or trying to prevent you from doing that to him or her. If you're not breathing heavy by the buzzer, you're either in impeccable shape already... or you're just not breathing period. 

Mental

Jiu jitsu is called human chess for a reason. It's a one-on-one sport, you and your opponent, pitting your body and brain against the other person's. You can't just go in with a predefined plan and execute it exactly as you imagined it. You constantly have to strategize in the moment, because your opponent is going to bring his or her own game, and react in ways that you might not be able to predict. The more proficient you become, the faster you're able to recognize your opponent's intentions and foresee the openings for attack or defense. This directly translates off the mat, too. You'll start seeing a significant improvement in your critical thinking skills within weeks of beginning your jiu jitsu journey. 

Emotional

You'll be hard pressed to find someone who can argue that their emotional state of being hasn't improved through jiu jitsu. Of course, there are those exceptions, but for the vast majority of practitioners jiu jitsu is a major stress reliever. There are a ton of studies that show how physical activity - any kind really - serves as a vehicle for stress relief by releasing endorphins and putting you "in the moment". Particularly with the latter, it's incredibly hard not to be in the moment when you have someone trying to strangle you. Whatever is happening off the mat - work sucks, your children are little monsters, your parents are nagging you, your girl or guyfriend is cheating on you - it doesn't exist for that hour or two that you're on the mat learning someone awesome. 

Social

As humans, we are very social creatures. Even the most anti-social among us needs to have a person or people with whom we can interact. We need a "clan". The jiu jitsu community - your team - provides that clan. When you start training at a jiu jitsu academy, you immediately become part of that group. When you train together every day, grow together, sweat on each other, share each other's frustrations and successes... you become as close as family. You become family... jiu jitsu family. 

But don't take my word for it. Take a breath - I know, it's intimidating taking that first step - and go try a class at your local academy. 

Train on... Oss.

Because it is such an important space in your daily life, it's important that you choose wisely. We've detailed a few things to keep in mind: 

It's Okay to Shop Around

Not all academies are the same; each one has it's own vibe and micro-culture. You might find that the first academy you walk into is the one for you... or you may not be too sure. That's okay. It's all about finding the right fit. Most academies offer a free trial period, which usually ranges from a few classes to a week, or even a month. Try out a few academies in your area. Walking through their doors isn't a commitment, nor does trying another academy mean you've ruled out any of the others.

Your Professor and Teammates

One thing that makes the jiu jitsu community so special is the people in it. For the most part, jiu jitsu practitioners are an awesome - and very diverse - bunch of guys and gals. However, regardless of where you end up, there will always be a few teammates that you don't exactly mesh with. That's normal. What isn't normal is if you feel ignored, simply tolerated, or even bullied by the majority of your fellow teammates. This kind of negative collective behavior typically originates from the leader and/or leaders of the group, and is likely entrenched in the micro-culture of that academy. You don't need that. Additionally, make sure that your professor is someone that you feel like you can trust - particularly in regard to his/her level of technique - as well as respect, as a practitioner and a person. If not, you owe nothing to him or her and you should move on and find somewhere else - somewhere better - to train. 

Cleanliness

In jiu jitsu, we get into some really intimate positions, both with our fellow practitioners as well as the surface of the mat. Hopefully your teammates are keeping an adequate standard of hygiene, but the bigger concern is the cleanliness of the academy itself. The surface of the mat - and the cracks in between the mats - can harbor a lot of nasty stuff, like ringworm, staph, or even MRSA. It's not unreasonable to expect the mats at your academy to be cleaned at least once or twice a day, depending on how much they're used. Needless to say, the restrooms and locker rooms should also be clean and tidy, because otherwise that's just gross.

Cost and Amenities

Jiu jitsu is not cheap. You might find monthly rates under $100 at some smaller academies, but the vast majority cost between $125-$150 per month, and some are upwards of $250+. Yearly contracts can help lower your monthly rate, which, if you've decided to commit to that academy, is definitely worth the initial investment. Considering the tremendous benefits that jiu jitsu offers for your physical and psychological health, you can be sure that your money will be well spent... as long as the actual instruction is up to par, because that's what you're ultimately paying for. It also must be said that a cheaper academy doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting inferior training. Some of the best coaches I've met were at smaller, more economical academies. 

As far as amenities go, the most basic academy will have a mat area, a restroom, and a water fountain. Some academies might offer a variety of extra amenities, such as separate locker rooms for men and women, showers, rental gis and gear, a pro-shop, or even laundry service. However, don't walk into any academy expecting them to have all the bells and whistles. 

Wherever you find yourself training for the long term, welcome to our great big jiu jitsu family. Regardless of your affiliation, we're just happy you've found your way to the mats. 

Train on. Oss.

Especially in sport jiu jitsu - where the De La Riva and Single-Leg X guards abound - the knees tend to take a beating. Most practitioners will experience a tweak, or sprain... or worse (but hopefully not)... at some point in their career. It's just the nature of the beast. 

That being said, I thought I'd write this blog about the most common knee injuries and symptoms you might encounter and what you can, or will, have to do about it. Read on...

Appreciate Your Knees

First of all, I think it should be said that you'll never really appreciate how much you use your knees - for everything - until you hurt them. Think of them as efficiently designed pieces of equipment, in which every part plays a specific role in the overall performance of the whole. Break one thing, and not only does the entire thing get out of whack, but you risk compromising the other individual parts if you try to continue using it. So before you tell yourself, "Eh, it'll be okay," make sure you figure out what happened and whether it will, in fact, be okay.

Bursitis 

Bursitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs, called bursae, that act as cushions at the joints, helping to decrease friction between moving tissues, such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin. Bursitis is often caused by repetitive minor impacts - oh so common in many sports - but can also result from more serious trauma to the area. Symptoms include rapid swelling around the joint that is also warm and tender to the touch. Bursitis will usually clear up with rest, icing, elevation, and over-the-counter inflammatories, but more serious cases can be drained, or injected with corticosteroids. Some athletes are still able to train with it, but because it is so painful to the touch and jiu jitsu involves a lot of knee-to-ground contact, the best option is to rest until it clears up.

Meniscus Tear

Your meniscus - actually, there are two menisci in each knee - are the tough, wedge shaped pieces of cartilage between your femur and tibia, which cushions the joints and helps keep it stable. In sports, these tears can happen when the foot is planted and the knee twists, particularly in an aggressive motion. Sound familiar? Yup, jiu jitsu is full of that stuff. Symptoms include pain, stiffness and swelling, limited range of movement, unstableness in the knee, and even locking of the knee (depending on the type and severity of the tear). Many athletes continue training with meniscus tears, especially minor ones. If the tear is in the blood-rich outer "red" zone of the meniscus, it may even heal on its own. However, severe tears - indicated by locking up or significant instability of the joint - will require arthroscopic surgery to trim or repair the meniscus. 

MCL/LCL Sprain or Tear

The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and the Lateral (or Fibular) Collateral Ligament (LCL) are the two supporting ligaments on either side of the knee, connecting the femur to the tibia and fibula, respectively. These ligaments "control the sideways motion of your knee and brace it against unusual movement." However, unusual movement is what jiu jitsu is all about (think knee slice, De La Riva and reverse De La Riva, rubber guard... the list goes on), so these ligaments are easily compromised. Takedowns and uncontrolled jumping or landings can also put these ligaments at risk. Injuries to these ligaments are graded, with 1 being a mild over-stretching, 2 being a more severe over-stretching to the point of looseness (sometimes referred to as a partial tear), and 3 being a complete tear. Symptoms include pain in the area, swelling, bruising, instability and inability to bear weight, and "feeling of the knee giving away." The scary part about a Grade 3 sprain is that "often there will be no pain or severe pain that subsides quickly," so it's easy to dismiss it as a mild sprain. Additionally, because the ligament is completely torn, the knee is deprived of an entire stabilizing structure, so it's easier to injure the meniscus or even the ACL. Most of these injuries can be treated without surgery, with rest, icing, anti-inflammatories, and physical therapy, and can  take anywhere from a few weeks to four months. However, some Grade 3 cases will require surgery. 

ACL Sprain or Tear

Even mention an ACL tear, and nearly every jiu jitsu practitioner around you will wince and squirm. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the major ligaments running diagonally within the knee joint, providing rotational stability to the knee. The ACL runs in front, and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) runs in back, creating an X-shape behind the patella. The ACL can become injured by rapid changes in direction (especially pivoting while the foot is still planted), stopping or slowing down suddenly, incorrect landing, or direct blows to the knee. Symptoms, include pain, swelling, loss of full range of motion, and discomfort while walking or performing any kind of turning movement. ACL injuries are also graded from 1 to 3, with a fully torn, Grade 3, tear requiring surgery. Unfortunately, most ACL tears cannot simply be repaired, and must be reconstructed via a tissue graft from a healthy patellar, hamstring or quadricep tendon, taken either from your own body or that of a cadaver (how delightfully morbid). Recovery from an ACL tear can often take more than six months. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The good news is, you can help prevent ACL injuries through a proper strength training program; stronger and more balanced muscles will help protect the joints from - and during - uncontrolled movements. 

And of course, don't just rely on your WebMD skills - however ninja they might be - for diagnosing knee injuries. If in doubt, get it checked out by a licensed medical professional. The sooner you know for sure what the problem is, the faster you'll be able to fix it, and the sooner you'll be back on the mats.

Train on... safely. Oss.

So you've survived your first few weeks of jiu jitsu. You probably still don't know what to do with your hands, you may or may not have mastered how to tie your belt, you've discovered that you need more than one jiu jitsu gi, and you're starting to recognize some of the standard jiu jitsu lingo. 

Now you're wondering what all this "drilling" stuff is about. Don't worry, we got you... 

Drilling 101

As I've mentioned before, drilling is the part of jiu jitsu training that consists of many, many... many repetitions of a technique or set of techniques. The idea is that if you do something often enough, it becomes "muscle memory" and it takes less conscious effort to do it in the future. 

Now this may sound pretty self-explanatory... "Just do it a bunch of times, right?" Well, yes, but there are some subtleties that you should be aware of that may not always be vocalized:

For the Love of God, Start Slow

The worst thing you can do is try to drill a technique as fast as your professor or coach showed it to you. The only reason they can do it so fast and smooth is because they've done it a thousand times already. Until you've spent as many untold hours on the mat - and have developed the same jiu jitsu acumen - you're not going to look that good. Worse, if you try to go full speed, you're bound to skip some key steps, and you ultimately won't learn how to properly execute the technique. So start slow, go step-by-step. Nobody's going to think less of you for it... we've all been there. Once you begin to get the hang of it, then pick up the tempo.

No, XX Times Each is Not Enough

My biggest pet peeve is when someone - anyone - does a technique a few times and then sits there with his/her partner until the professor calls time. It's said that you have to practice something "between 500 and 5,000 times" before it becomes reflex. If you're there on the mat already, use that time wisely. Make some progress toward that first 500. Otherwise, you'll give the impression that you don't really care enough to put in the work. Few things are more insulting to the person who took his/her time to show you that technique. 

Drilling Outside of Class

Drilling isn't just an activity reserved for that 30 or so minutes during class between warm-ups and sparring. You can drill anytime, anywhere. In fact, it's highly encouraged that you drill outside of class. You can't possibly get your 500-5,000 reps in entirely during class hours. So find a buddy and schedule in some time - an hour at the very least - during the week to work on some of the techniques that you've learned recently and/or those you would like to improve upon. In fact, you might even get lucky and some upper belt will happen by and give you some additional pointers. 

Levels of Drilling

There's no single way to drill. Indeed, there are "levels" of drilling: 

• Single Technique - Just as it sounds, this involves doing a single technique (one sweep, one pass, one takedown, one guard pull, one submission, etc.) over and over again.
• Sequential - This involves linking two or more techniques together, and doing that over and over again. For example: start standing, pull guard, go straight into a sweep, right into a pass, finish with a choke. Then doing that series over and over again.
• Responsive - This takes sequential drilling to the next level, whereby your partner changes the scenarios a little bit. For example, if the sequence is to go from pass to back take, your partner may give you a different guard to pass each time. This kind of drilling is especially useful for the days leading up to tournaments. 
• R&D - This is a more relaxed, open-ended kind of drilling, where you and your partner may do a combination of all of the above, working on a specific technique and exploring any and all scenarios that might arise. This involves a lot of discussion, and you may or may not break a sweat. 

Now that you have a better understanding of the world of drilling, we hope you can see how incredibly beneficial it is to your jiu jitsu journey. 

Train... and drill... on. Oss.

Either way, at some point in your jiu jitsu career, you will have to become familiar with taping. We're here to make sure you're doing it right. Read on... 

Types of Tape

Not all tape is the same. While you might be most familiar with that white, "felt" athletic tape (often left littered across the mat after a training session), there are many types used for athletic support. Which one you choose to use depends on what you're looking to do. In the last decade, kinesiology tape has become a mainstay in the athletic community for relieving pain, reducing inflammation and providing flexible support to any area of the body imaginable. These benefits come from the tape creating "a microscopic lifting action," pulling the skin and fascia away from the inflamed muscle, relieving pressure from the lymph and blood vessels, as well as the nerves that trigger pain responses, essentially activating "both neurological and circulatory healing mechanisms." However, some injuries require more rigid support, preventing the injured joint from moving in a way that could aggravate the injury.  

Preparation

Especially if you're using kinesiology tape - which can cost a pretty penny - you don't want to just slap it on willy-nilly. In jiu jitsu, we sweat. If you haven't properly prepared the area, that tape is going to come off within the first few minutes of the roll. Before you tape up, make sure your skin is clean, dry and free of any oils or creams, so that it sticks well. A pre-tape adhesive spray is also an option if you really want some lasting power. If you're a hairy dude (or dudette, we don't judge), you should also consider shaving the area to be taped, which also makes the adhesive stick better... and helps prevent any painful removal. However, some resources say to avoid shaving, as "hair follicles have receptors, which give your brain feedback."

Know Your Body

The most important thing in taping an injury - or even to prevent an injury - is to know the structure and operation of your ligaments (the bands of elastic tissue around your joints that connect bone to bone). That makes it much easier for you to determine where to place your strips tape in order to support whatever body part it is you're trying to target. Failing to do so will most certainly fail to provide the support you intended, and could even cause more injury by impeding the natural movement of your joint. You don't have to be an expert physical therapist, but you can do some research so you have some basic knowledge of the affected area.  

Notes on Applying

There's no shortage of step-by-step guides and videos out there on exactly how to tape a specific injury, so I'm not going to go into detail on that. However, here are a few guiding principles that you should follow while taping: 

• When taping around a limb, avoid applying the tape perpendicular. Because our limbs aren't the same circumference down the entire length, taping across creates uneven pressure at the top and bottom of the tape. This is not such a problem with stretchy kinesiology tape, but still a good rule to follow. 
• Don't tape too loose or too tight. Loose taping doesn't provide the support needed, but taping too tight will restrict the blood flow below the limb. Some tape loosens up a bit after taping, but if you're starting to lose feeling to your extremities, or if the tape is irritating your skin, remove it immediately and try again. 
• Research, research, research. You can't become a taping master overnight. There are a ton of great taping guides out there from real sports physical therapists. Use them. 

Taping Guides: 

If you haven't already browsed the links peppered throughout the article above, check out these great resources for more information and taping instruction guides: 

• "Strapping and Taping" by Sports Injury Clinic
• "Taping Guide" by First Aid 4 Sport
• "Kinesiology Tape - the Facts" by TheraTape
• "How, When, And Why To Use Athletic Tape" by BodyBuilding.com

Remember, the best way to avoid injury is to tap early, and tap often. However, sometimes shi... "stuff" happens on the mat. Being knowledgable about taping and how to do it effectively will help you get back on the mat in no time!

Train on... safely. Oss.