Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

It is difficult to attack a person who uses the guard position against you. Conversely, when an opponent holds you in their closed guard you must improve your position or else risk being swept or submitted. The first step to passing their guard is to break open their interlocked feet.…

An important skill which gives you great advantage in a fight is the ability to take your opponent down to the ground and land yourself in a good position on top. The single leg takedown is an effective way to methodically capture control of the opponent’s leg and take them…

When passing the guard it is important to control your opponent’s legs and hips to prevent them from regaining full guard. From a standing position in his opponent’s open guard, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches the bull fight guard pass as a method for clearing the opponents legs to…

The guillotine choke is when an opponent pulls your head down and grabs around your neck. It is a common move among street fighters and seasoned grapplers alike. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to escape the standing guillotine choke by taking the attacker to the…

In this lesson, an attacker stands behind you and grabs you in a rear choke hold. BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to defend against the choke, escape the disadvantageous position and throw the attacker to the ground.

The collar choke involves manipulating the jacket or gi collar as a method for making an opponent submit. It will render a person unconscious if the choke is not released. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa demonstrates how to apply the collar choke from the guard position.

Learning to escape from potentially vulnerable positions gives a BJJ practitioner great confidence. One such position is when a person turtles up to avoid an attack. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to escape from turtle position and obtain side control.

An opponent may attempt to restrict your movement by gripping your clothing or gi. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to set-up the double leg takedown when starting from the sleeve and lapel gi grips.

Developing an impassable guard takes time and practice. By drilling efficient movement of the hips and building dexterity with your legs, you will begin to react quickly and intelligently to your opponent’s attempts to pass your guard. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches a useful drill for…

The elbow escape is one of the most important moves from the bottom position. By using efficient movement of the hips in coordination with the arms, it can be used many ways to escape an opponent’s hold and improve your position. From the bottom in side control, BJJ World Champion…

An attacker stands beside you and holds you in a headlock. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to maintain proper posture to control your opponent, defend the headlock and throw the attacker to the ground.

The elbow escape is one of the most important moves from the bottom position. By using efficient movement of the hips in coordination with the arms, it can be used many ways to escape an opponent’s hold and improve your position. From the bottom in side control, BJJ World Champion…

An attacker grips you around the chest in a front bear hug. In this vulnerable clinch situation, it is important to create space between you and the attacker to escape their positional advantage over you. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to defend against the front…

The elbow escape is one of the most important moves from the bottom position. By using efficient movement of the hips in coordination with the arms, it can be used many ways to escape an opponent’s hold and improve your position. From the bottom in mount, BJJ World Champion Leandro…

Using the guard to unbalance an opponent not only creates opportunities to sweep, but also helps set-up submission holds. A more seasoned fighter will often attempt to block your sweep by posting with an arm or leg, which may present the right opportunity for you to attack with a submission.…

In this lesson, an attacker stands behind you and grips you in a bear hug. BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches how to quickly escape this dangerous position and throw your attacker to the ground.

The ezekiel choke is a very strong submission technique utilizing the sleeve of your own gi jacket. The mechanical advantage offered by the sleeve allows this choke to be applied with great pressure while using minimal strength. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches the ezekiel choke from…

The elbow escape from bottom position can create many opportunities to gain the upper hand in a fight as grapplers scramble and transition from one position to the next. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches an escape from side control. The leg over position allows great control…

The rear naked choke is one of the most effective techniques to subdue a powerful attacker in a real fight. Requiring minimal strength and applied from a position where the attacker can inflict minimal harm to you, the rear naked choke is a quintessential example of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu technique…

When passing the guard it is important to control an opponent’s legs and hips to prevent them from regaining full guard. From a standing position in his opponent’s open guard, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches a variation of the bull fight guard pass as a method for obtaining side…

The sliding collar choke is an efficient gi choke using the opponent’s jacket collar. This choke can be used to great effect on its own or in combination with other choking techniques. In this lesson, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches the basic application of this choke from a kneeling…

Another important skill for passing guard is stacking your opponent to prevent them from attacking or defending. From a kneeling position, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches a guard pass technique using double underhooks to stack and control the opponent while moving into side control.

The under arm collar choke is another highly effective stranglehold, which is applied using the collar of the opponent’s gi or street clothes. Often catching an opponent by surprise, this choke may be applied to great effect before an opponent is fully aware of the danger. In this lesson, BJJ…