Jiu-Jitsu Personalities

I came across an Instagram post a while ago saying how one roll with someone will tell you more about their personality than any personality test. I recently reposted that statement and was pleasantly surprised to find out how many people responded agreeing with me. Unlike the sixteen types of personalities indicated by the popular […]

Podium Promotions: Yeah or Nah?

I recently came across a Facebook post asking if you’d rather be promoted on the podium or in class. First off, who wouldn’t like an unexpected, surprise promotion? I’d be a liar if I said that I’ve never had dreams of being promoted on the podium. If you are a competitor, this is the kind […]

Big Things Come in Small Packages: The Purple Belt Rooster Weight Queen Kaori Hernandez

At just 19-years-old, Kaori Hernadez is taking the adult rooster weight division (107 lbs in the gi) by storm. She has been under the tutelage of her champion professor, Orlando Sanchez, of Gracie Barra Pasadena since 2011 when she was 11. Kaori says that Sanchez used to be a frequent customer at her parents’ business […]

PANS 2018 Photo Recap Shot By Watts: The Brown and Black Belts

Why It’s Important to Be Coachable in Jiu-Jitsu

While it is every coach’s hope to have all of their students be successful students and competitors, it is not always the case and here’s why: not everyone is a “coachable” student right off the bat. Even though many students may display the talent or grit to do well, there are a lot of things […]

PANS 2018 Photo Recap Day 1 & 2: Lower Belts Matter Too

The First Part of Competition: Winning the Battle with the Scale

When we compete for the first time, we hear about “making weight” quite often from our coaches and teammates. We are familiar with weight cutting through MMA with fighters struggling – many times to the point of extreme dehydration and in one case even death. But it’s a little different when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu, […]

Striving for Women’s Equality in the IBJJF /// By: Vincent Inoncillo

About a month ago, on behalf of one of his female brown belt students, 2nd degree black belt Carlos Melo presented the Jiu-Jitsu community with an ordeal of concern. When he asked his student, who is in her fifties, if she was competing at the upcoming 2018 IBJJF Pan Championships, she replied by saying she […]