Passing the Guard

Passing the guard in my opinion is one of the most important components of the BJJ game and the reason for the success of such all time greats as Roger Gracie and Rodolfo Viera.

My thinking is that first you need to develop a strong bottom game, a good guard. Which one you prefer is upto you, whether closed guard, open guard, half guard. I prefer the half guard because I have a lot of moves from this position and I give a hard time for my opponents trying to pass me.

The second most important component is passing. 50% of the time you spend on top and here you have to first work your passing before trying to go for any submissions and controlling your opponent.

There are basically two types of passes available - 1) standing speed passes (e.g. Torreando pass) trying to pass the legs from standing and 2) passess from the knees mainly through applying pressure to the opponent

There is a multitude of different passes and I think the trick is to find the ones that work for you and perfect them. Here is a video of Rodolfo Viera passing technique that I found useful and fits well with my passing game:

Roger Gracie back to Jiu Jitsu!

We have all enjoyed Roger Gracie's mma career to date and no doubt if he continues he will have some success but I would like to dedicate this post to ask Roger to return back to BJJ!!

Roger Gracie has had an incredible career on the BJJ circuit but every fan in the world and every grappler that I talk to would like to see him return. We all want the best BJJ fighter in the world compete! Metamoris was awesome but we gotta get Roger BACK!!

Please comment on this post if you would like to see Roger Gracie BACK!! 

- Xande vs Roger Gracie?

- will Rodolfo Viera be able to pass Roger Gracie's guard?

- how would Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida do against Roger?

- Andre Galvao vs Roger Gracie No-GI Superfight at ADCC?

It is only us, the fans, can convince Roger so please guys comments welcome and share this post on facebook!!

Changing of the Guard

Jiu jitsu is constantly evolving. The new generation of bjj superstars that included the "holy trinity" Roger Gracie, Marcelo Garcia and Ronaldo Jacare, have now moved on to new things, either MMA or bring up new competitors onto the scene. Few others have been as dominant as these three during the first decade of the twenty first centuary but now it is time to see new legends emerge.

The biggest three that have now emerged in my view are Rafael Mendes, Rodolfo Viera and the ever improving Marcus Almeida "Buchecha" who looks like the new king of BJJ GI competition. The latter two are the two dominant monsters at absolute with few, save Braulio, who can stop their dangerous attacking game.

For many fans it would be a dream to see Roger back in the game meeting the young lions with the GI and of course it would also be interesting to see Roger back in ADCC as well. 

I believe there are a couple of tournaments that are drawing more and more attention and the biggest is the Abu Dhabi Pro Worlds. With cash prizes awarded to the elite competitors and great media coverage it is exciting to see the sport taking the next leap. 

It is now interesting to see the new breed of bjj fighters rising up. Keenan Cornelius and Mendes brothers are bringing a new style to bjj and it is interesting to see them compete against the old school fighters and what will come of it. 

Marcelo Garcia, Saulo, Roger Gracie, Lovato, Renzo and many others are bringing in their students to compete and it is exciting to see how they do against the mature crowd. It is amazing how the sport continues to evolve and many new guys are able to impress.

Rodolfo Viera vs Andre Galvao, Abu Dhabi Pro Cup

How great would it be to see Rodolfo Viera in a gi match against Roger Gracie. This could be a great fight and certainly a super match people are going to want to see.

They could stream this live on the internet and people will pay to see this one. Rodolfo is a star but would be great to see him in a fight against an all time great like Roger.

Check out this link: http://www.graciemag.com/2011/09/promoter-wants-rodolfo-vs-roger-gracie-in-canada/

Looks like someone really wants to see this one happen.

Big Grapplers After ADCC 2011

1. Rousimar Palhares - known as Toquinho is not only a quality UFC fighter but also a nasty grappler when it comes to ADCC rules events. His heel hooks are just plain scary and his aggressive grappling style is something of a warning to his opponents.

Even though he did not win anything, he sure showed he is a real grappling force today

2. Andre Galvao - he showed he is the best at the moment. No doubt his tactics are great as well.

3. Marcelo Garcia - still the best pound for pound grappler in the world, he showed after a tough 2009 ADCC that he still has what it takes to win, and win impressively.

The way he finished Vitor Estima and several other guys was just terrifyingly impressive. His technique is flawless and the x-guard/guillotine master is sure to reign supreme for probably many years to come

4. Rodolfo Viera - with Roger Gracie absent from the 2011 Mundials, Rodolfo has shown he is the new rising star in the sport. He still has a long way to adapt to grappling though, but I look forward to seeing how this guy will develop in the next few years

5. Rafael Mendes - if there is someone that consistently is better than his foes, its Rafael. He has this amazing ability to take the match to the positions where he has the edge and execute the advantage. Cobrinha is a great rival/