REVIEW: Yuri Simoes DVD – High Efficiency No-Gi Top Game

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Yuri Simoes DVD High Efficiency no gi Jiu Jitsu: Top Game Review

Let me introduce myself. I’m David Almar, Gracie Barra, Brown Belt. I come from a heavily Gi-based academy. In all honesty, I haven’t even dabbled in No-Gi training until blue belt. This led to my game being very Gi oriented. Don’t get me wrong, I love working in the Gi and will never stop. No-Gi, on the other hand, seems to be a new calling of mine. But the gaps I have in a certain area of the game are horrendous. So, in my pursuit to plug them all I came across a fairly new DVD release. It’s a very specifically structured instructional by one of the best in the game. I present to you “High-Efficiency No-Gi: Top Game”, a Yuri Simoes DVD.

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As the name itself suggests, the DVD is focused solely on the top game. Because of my Gi-heavy background, this is one area of No-Gi that’s been very difficult for me. Without the grips I’m used to, passing the guard is a real nightmare. Especially the closed guard of well-versed opponents. So, getting this Yuri Simoes DVD was a real easy decision for me. What I ended up is everything I looked for. Plus some unexpected bonuses.

A Bit On Yuri

In case you didn’t know, Yuri Simoes is one of the top grappling competitors out there. He is a Ricardo Vieira black belt. He’s a top competitor in both Gi and No-Gi, with the latter the preferred focus of the Brazilian.

Originally, Simoes started training with Mauricio Behring, who inspired young Simoes to become a competitor. After his death, Yuri aligned himself with Ricardo Vieira, eventually getting a black belt from him. In 2010 he traded Checkmat for Atos to train with his brother, but only for a short while. He became a member of Caio Tera’s Asociation in 2013 and his still waving their flag.

Yuri’s black belt came after an amazing 2011 when he won the Mundials, the No-Gi Worlds, and the European. He also won the ADCC in 2015 and has competed on the to No-Gi sub only stage at Eddie Bravo’s Invitational.

Yuri Simoes DVD Review

As you can see, Yuri Simoes knows his BJJ. More importantly, he knows his No-Gi BJJ. He is a very highly technical grappler, who regards technique over athletic abilities. It is one of the aspects that convinced me to get his material. Now, I had no idea what I was getting, since I haven’t seen one of his releases previously. In all honesty, I’m not sure he has one. Regardless, this Yuri Simoes DVD is more than enough for me.

Yuri is a very articulate person that can rely on information precisely and thoroughly. As far as I’m concerned, his instructions cover everything. The most stunning part of the DVD is its simplicity. Youri doesn’t get tangled in tangents or ridiculously complex moves. He keeps everything short and sweet, just the way I like it. His understanding of body mechanics is impressive, to say the least. he understands the opponents’ reactions so good that every little detail he stated in his material, I got to experience first hand on the mats. And boy, does it work!

Let’s look at what you will find in this awesome Yuri Simoes DVD, spread across 4 discs. You’ll be able to learn the following subjects in great detail:

Top Game Concepts

What I really like about this DVD is the focus on concepts. Yuri doesn’t just throw a bunch of techniques that do not relate to each other. He offers a system of top game moves that ensure a final result.

In the first couple of discs, Yuri’s materials almost all about passing the guard. And not just about a couple of passes that have nothing to do with each other. His concept-based approach to rendering the closed guard ineffective is mind-blowing. It’s a completely different approach than the Gi one, but a highly successful one. I find it very useful and managed to pull it off in rolling a few times.

Another really helpful concept is one of breaking frames. Frames can be a very annoying structure for passers, as I’ve discovered much to my displeasure. Yuri’s strategy for dealing with them is perfect – simple and effective. And his stuff on putting pressure on turtled up opponents is unbelievable. Nobody is going to be able to stall you from the turtle position any longer!

Anybody of any age, height, weight, and skill level, can benefit from this Yuri Simoes DVD. there are not athletic prerequisites required. You can be the world’s most inflexible person and still do all his stuff with ease.

Passing All Guard

Talk about variety! Youri’s instructional is going to give you the upper hand on all kinds of guards. I already mentioned his groundbreaking concepts of closed guard passing. Well, his No-Gi open guard passes are not far behind! He demonstrates how to easily pass them all, from butterfly guard to Reverse De La Riva.

But he doesn’t stop there. The second DVD is all about dealing with the half guard. And by deal I mean smashing it, breaking it apart, going under it and all in all, dominating it. Also, you won’t have to worry about those pesky deep half guard players anymore as well. There’s a really easy and effective past them on the second DVD.

Capping off the passing sequences are the inverted guard passes. This is what I liked the most about this release. The inverted guard is a huge one for No-Gi players and a really popular way of fighting from the bottom. Well, it’s time to put a stop to that and Yuri is the man to help you do it. Believe me, you will love it!

A Few Submissions Here And There

Now, I didn’t expect much submissions in a volume on top game. I thought it would be pass-oriented, with some top positional tips included. e, it’s not like Yuri ha gone submission-heavy, but the DVD did surpass my expectations. Again the way he connects his passing game to submissions is what I really found useful.

For example, he has three finishing options, straight of an over-under pass! Since I already favor those in my Gi game, this one really clicked with me. And, have no worries you have a variety of subs to choose from in regard to other positions. A very cool armbar-kimura combination, a top triangle option from side control and some guillotine wisdom to top it all off. All in all, just the right amount of subs.

Unstoppable Takedown Game

Here’s the bonus part. In all honesty, I didn’t really check all the subjects of the instructional when I went for it. I expected a lot of passing, and I sure got my money’s worth. What I didn’t look for, but still enjoyed seeing were the takedowns. Now, Yuri is known for his high-level takedown game, and he spared no details!

He first introduces takedowns at the end of the third DVD, with the high crotch single leg. Nothing new here, but lots of crucial details that I didn’t previously know. DVD 4 is all about takedowns, from double-leg to Uchi Matas. Yuri covers both takedowns and throws, along with some great counters! Talk about a complete top game! You get to learn how to take the fight down, pass and submit. It doesn’t get more BJJ specific than that, does it? Go get your copy of this awesome top game Yuri Simoes DVD. I more than highly recommend it!

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The Future of Jiu Jitsu: Technology and Modern BJJ

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BJJ World

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The Future of Jiu Jitsu: Technology and Modern BJJ — Dean Lister, ADCC 2013

The art of Jiu-Jitsu has existed throughout the world for hundreds of years. With its roots in feudal Japan, jiu-jitsu (“jujitsu”, then) was used on the battlefield for close combat, in situations where weapons were ineffective. Centuries later Japanese Jiu-Jitsu was introduced to the Gracie family in Brazil, around the year 1914, by Esai Maeda ( also known as Conde Koma).

Helio Gracie took the traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu techniques taught by Koma and modified them to be more effective against larger, stronger opponents–as Helio himself was typically not the largest or strongest person in the gym.

The Gracies began challenging other martial artists throughout Brazil–and eventually, the world–to prove the effectiveness of the newly-fledged Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They accumulated countless victories over other fighters through their Vale Tudo (“anything goes”) matches. Helio fought dozens of times, including legendary matches with Yukio Kato, Wladek Zbyszko, and Masahiko Kimura. Despite being outweighed by nearly 36 kilos by Kimura–not to mention that Kimura was one of the most dangerous Judoka alive–Gracie held his own for 13 minutes, and had his arm broken (hence the origin of the “Kimura” arm lock) yet didn’t tap out… his brother Carlos Gracie had to throw in the towel. Even though Gracie lost the match, he proved to the world that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was a force to be reckoned with in the realm of combat sports. It has skyrocketed in popularity ever since.

We could go into the importance of each key grappler throughout the last hundred years or so (Gracie, Garcia, Bravo, Lister, etc), but the trend has always remained the same: constant evolution and honing/diversifying techniques, but with a relatively limited range of focus, due to geographic location and lineage. Compare traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and they are quite different… compare traditional BJJ to modern no-gi jiu-jitsu, and the differences are even more pronounced. This occurred because the world was so large, and unifying “styles” of jiu-jitsu worldwide was nearly impossible at the time. Then, at the end of the 20th century… the Internet hit the world. Suddenly all forms of artistic medium became readily available–music, films, photos, literature, memes and… MARTIAL ARTS. Jiu-jitsu would never be the same again.

I have been fortunate enough to train jiu-jitsu in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Argentina over the last few years, and it simply amazes me how all of these countries have their own definitive style of jiu-jitsu; different training methods, different drills, different philosophies regarding how they train jiu-jitsu! The Gracie Jitsu Jitsu gym in Ushuaia, Argentina was certainly much different than the 10th Planet gym I train at in Woodbury, Minnesota. It’s overwhelming to consider how many different forms and styles there are worldwide of BJJ alone–let alone every martial art in existence.

After training in jiu-jitsu and eventually becoming addicted to the sport–as I’m sure we all have–I inevitably fell down my first serious Internet Jiu Jitsu Wormhole. I decided to filter the politics and memes and adorable kittens that I looked at daily on my social media feed and replace it all with jiu-jitsu, wrestling, MMA, boxing, et cetera. Video tutorials, articles, theory, competitions, fights… I learned that there is a virtually infinite amount of knowledge out there on the art that we are obsessed with. I discovered that jiu-jitsu is evolving right now, as we speak. I heard guys at our 10th Planet gym in Woodbury talking about the Danaher Death Squad… then in Tokyo, Japan I heard the same names: Garry Tonon, Gordon Ryan, Eddie Cummings, and so on. This led me to the major realization that because of the Internet, and due to the dedication of grapplers worldwide, our sport is now interconnected in ways that we couldn’t imagine just a few short decades ago.

The age of newspaper and telegram is long behind us; now when there’s an international competition, every dedicated jiu-jitsu player on the planet knows about it. Through ADCC, Metamoris, EBI, F2W, the UFC, and countless others, we get to see the world’s best fighters, fighting other elite fighters. When Craig Jones came out of Australia and started doing heel-hooks from Z Guard on high-ranked opponents, grapplers worldwide started looking up Z-Guard techniques and trying to throw them into their game.

Even if you don’t have time to train as often as you’d like, you can use the wealth of online knowledge to still evolve your game–or at least, your understanding of jiu-jitsu. You can learn different setups for armbars or a good defense for the straight ankle lock, and to apply it next time you roll. This was completely not possible even a few decades ago! Back then, You would have to just be fortunate enough to train with highly-skilled instructors, constantly running the risk of dedicating your time to a “3rd-degree black belt,” in a martial art form some weird guy with a mullet just made up. Now you might still end up training with that Mullet-Sifu, but at least you can make an educated decision about whether you continue to train there.

Trying to watch that last heel hook tutorial while your real-world obligations pile up... — Trying to watch that last heel hook tutorial while your real-world obligations pile up…

Martial arts have evolved so rapidly over the centuries, but now we are looking towards a future of combat sports that is simply unfathomable. It is truly amazing to watch such a beautiful sport evolve in front of us–but it’s even more amazing to watch that calf-slicer tutorial 30 times at two in the morning… then go hit it in your next roll. Here’s to the past, and to the future… now go train!

Guest Post Written By:
– Matthias Joyce, blue belt Valhalla Combat Sports – Fridley, MN Next Level Combat – Woodbury, MN

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Unwritten BJJ Rules: Commonly Accepted Mat Behavior Guidelines

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BJJ World

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a sport with many rules. Some of them are there to make the sport better. Some are remnants of a different tie and many consider them aimless in modern BJJ. There are rules that refer to competition environments, and there are rules that dictate conduct on the mats. Among the many BJJ rules, there are some that haven’t been put in writing. These, so-called unwritten BJJ rules are arguably the most important ones.

Unwritten rules are there in any sport and BJJ is no different. The point of having these rules is that they are not official, yet they are crucial to the sport. Having people disregard them often results in the heaviest punishment of all – loss of respect. In an art based on respect as much as BJJ, losing the respect of the community is a big deal indeed. So, following the unwritten rules is actually way more important than following the official rules. Not that they should be ignored – quite the opposite.

What Happens On The Mats…

There is an old saying that goes like this: What happens on the mats, stays on the mats. It is, I think, of wrestling origin. As open to interpretation as this saying might be, it is very true. It is also applicable to every BJJ school around the world. As far as unwritten BJJ rules go, this one is right at the top.

The saying relates directly to the point of respect we discussed earlier. Namely, people that come on the mats to train are there to learn and have fun before anything else. Despite the respectful conduct that is associated with BJJ, grappling is first and foremost a combat sport. This means that people engage in combat, as controlled as it is, and tempers tend to flare up. Despite most people not taking rolling seriously, there are certain kinds of people, or simply, certain situations that “get out of control”. It might be during a particularly hard pre-competition rolling session, or after a significantly bad day out of the gym. Whatever the reason, fusee is sometimes short and leads to unwanted words being exchanged on the mats.

Rule #1

Two points are very important to remember and they both fall under the unwritten BJJ rules category. First, whatever happens, shouldn’t be taken personally. Secondly, as long as there’s no clear intention of causing serious bodily harm, all can be forgiven. As such, it is important to remember that this heated behavior during sparring matches should never extend outside of the gym. The relations between friends and teammates should never reflect mat business outside of the gym.

Rule #2

This brings us to another possible version of understanding the aforementioned saying. To clarify, this one concerns rolling itself and, more precisely, what happens during rolls. It is actually very simple: rolling is training and there should be no bragging about what happens during rolls.No need to boast to your friends how you got that higher belt in a submission. There’s also no need to advertise your grappling success in the training room on social media. These are training partners, not opponents you’re rolling with. You need your training partners in order to evolve and advance. Bragging about what you did in training is one certain way of alienating people and losing valuable training partners. And for what?

Breaking Unwritten BJJ Rules

Sadly the Jiu-Jitsu community is not without examples of unwritten BJJ rules being broken. And not just by anyone, but highest-level athletes that should serve as an example.

In a much-anticipated event at Polaris 3, two of the top grapplers in the world, Jake Shields, and AJ Agazarm squared off. Now, seeing as this is a competition scenario, the aforementioned rule does not apply. However, with the modern trend of trash-talking, peoples tempers tend to be short and explosive. Such was the case with Shield and Argazam, with their bout being marked by slaps and vile behavior.

The reason behind this unsportsmanlike behavior actually stems from AJ breaking the “what happens on the mats…” rule. Namely, during the build-up to the fight, he took to social media, disclosing information about training sessions he used to have with Shields. He outlined in no uncertain terms that he “used to own Shields in the practice room”. AJ went even further, saying that shields had good wrestling, but not the submission skills to match it. As such, he said he easily bested the UFC veteran whenever they trained together.

If AJ’s point was to get into Shield’s head, he did it in the most disrespectful manner possible. The result was as disrespectful as can be expected, with Shields “Stockton slapping” AJ and refusing to shake hands. Not something we like to see in the respect-reigned world of BJJ.

Beyond The Realm Of Jiu-Jitsu

The Polaris 3 incident is, sadly, not the only one of its kind. in the period leading up to UFC 170, Daniel Cormier was set to fight relatively unknown Patrick Cummins. The latter was at one time a training partner of Cormier’s in the art of wrestling.

Cummins broke a major unwritten rule when he disclosed what allegedly happened. Both athletes are Olympic-level wrestlers that were preparing for the world’s greatest sports event. According to Cummings, he dominated current light-heavyweight champion Cormier so much, that he made him cry. What actually happened is known to but a few, however, Cummins’ action landed him no laudits. He lost his fight against DC in the octagon. He also failed to mention that DC was the one that ended up at the Olympics.

All in all, the mats are a special place for most of us. While competitors are highly focused athletes, with clear goals, the majority of people training BJJ do not fit in that category. People just look to come on the mats, roll, learn and get their minds off things. Actually, some people look for an escape from the drama on the mats, not more of it. So, let’s all respect the unwritten BJJ rules to a T and elevate the art instead of smearing it with hate.

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WARNING: Martial Arts Instructor Beats Up His Students

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BJJ World

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WARNING: Martial Arts Instructor Beats Up His Students

This is probably the worst beating of students ever recorded. It’s pretty weird how come this guy has so many students. This instructor name is Satoru Sayama! Satoru is a Japanese professional Wrestler and Mixed Martial Arts promoter.

Stick hits to heads, head punches, body punches, kicks… This guy uses everything he has to beat up his students. As this is pure bullying of young guys what would you do if this is your instructor? Or what would you do if you ever find yourself in a situation like this?

If John Danaher Asks You To Do Something You will do it Correct or He Will Strike You!

Tom DeBlass’ Explanation on John Danaher’s Hitting of Student During Class

Tom DeBlass’ Explanation on John Danaher’s Hitting of Student During Class

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BJJ World

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Tom DeBlass' Explanation on John Danaher's Hitting of Student During Class

Day ago Tom DeBlass wrote on his Facebook Profile how John Danaher hit the student after he wasn’t doing something the way he should. You can read that article HERE.

And after BJJ Community reacted very negative on John Danaher’s behavior, Tom DeBlass offered an explanation on what he said and what that really means. Check out the explanation from Tom Deblass and tell us is the behavior of John Danaher justified at all?

If John Danaher Asks You To Do Something You will do it Correct or He Will Strike You!

If John Danaher Asks You To Do Something You will do it Correct or He Will Strike You!

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BJJ World

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If John Danaher Asks You To Do Something You will do it Correct or He Will Strike You!

If you think that you’re having a hard time in your academy with your instructor you should check this story from Tom DeBlass.

Tom DeBlass explained what’s going on when John Danaher is teaching you. He brings the real story of a guy who got stricken on his back by three vicious strikes to his back.

“Prepare for an amazing story..
Everytime training with the Danaher, you truly don’t know what to expect. Often times during a private lesson an argument will break out always ending with John winning with a plethora of vicious verbal attacks. It’s simple, however, if you execute the technique he is asking you to do, he is happy. If you don’t execute, he is very very disgusted. Yesterday David was asked to go in turtle position as John was demonstrating. For some reason, David hunched his back. After the 2nd time, John tried to correct him and David didn’t listen, John rained down three furious vicious double forearm strikes to David’s back. (David then listened) This ranks among the top 3 moments in my life, I was so damn happy. Next time you message me about having a tough training day ask yourself if you can last 5 minutes in our world”

We can’t say that Grappling martial arts are full of behavior like this. Maybe some traditional grappling Martial arts like Japanese Jiu Jitsu where students are taught that their instructors are some kind of masterminds. But in modern time it’s pretty unacceptable that an instructor put his hand on you. Especially not if you’re doing something wrong in the class you pay for.

Although we can’t say if Tom DeBlass overstated this a bit more than it really is so so we’ll wait for his explanation. We’re sure it will come very soon!

What’s your opinion on this? Would you tolerate this kind of behavior?

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Jiu-Jitsu RAP by J.T Tenacity – The Best Jiu Jitsu Song Ever

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BJJ World

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Jiu-Jitsu RAP by J.T Tenacity - The Best Jiu Jitsu Song Ever

The song is made by J.T. Tenacity. He is a leader in the health and fitness industry helping to drive and pioneer Kettlebell Training in Australia and was 1/8 who were the first certified trainers in Australia. JT has coached and trained multiple world champions during his stays in Brazil and has competed in many world championships. He has also served as a personal advisor and mental coach to some of Melbourne’s business Elite.
JT brings humour, insight and technical understanding that can help anyone to improve personally and professionally. His no BS style cuts through the nonsense and small talk to deliver the Tenacity philosophy- ‘Never Give Up’.

Is this the best Jiu-jitsu rap song ever? Check out these rhymes they’re mind-blowing.

You can also check Ralek Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu rap song as it’s probably the worst one ever.

African Martial Arts Styles That You Didn’t Know About

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BJJ World

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When we talk about martial arts, people usually make a straight connection with Japan or China. This impression is mainly due to mainstream movies from the past century. Not to take anyway from the rich history of Eastern martial arts, but they’re not the only creed of fighting systems in the world. Actually, most regions in the world have their own brand of martial art styles. BJJ is so popular that there’s rarely someone that’s not aware of it. Europe has been marked by wrestling since the days of the ancient Greek Olympic Games. America has plenty of boasting rights when it comes to boxing. But are you aware of African martial arts?

Make no mistake about it, African martial arts do exist and are as diverse as the continent itself. Not only they exist but some have very long traditions. Their origins are impossible to pinpoint precisely. As with every other spot in the world, African martial arts are based on a few distinct categories. Continuing on in this article, we bring you the most important grappling, striking and weapon-based fighting styles of Africa.

Grappling Based on African Martial Arts

Call me biased, but I’m going to start with the grappling oriented African martial arts. TO begin with, let’s discover the world of Laamb Wrestling. This is Senegalese grappling art. It’s based on takedowns and similar to Greco-Roman wrestling. Loosely translated as “to fight”, Laamb wrestling is a colorful and ritualistic feat. Matches begin with dancing and shamanic rituals before the fighters entangle. Both fighters are dressed in loincloths and decorated with talismans believed to have magical properties. Fights are scored based on the success of takedowns and even punches are allowed during professional matches.

Another distinct African grappling style is Evala. It is another art based on takedown prowess. In some parts of Africa, Evala is not just a competitive sport geared toward entertainment. It is part of an initiation ritual into manhood. In Togo, older boys have to wrestle in Rvala in order to reach manhood and prove themselves. It bears resemblance to ancient Spartan ways, with boys being separated from their parents during intense training. Unlike Spartan customs, though, Evala training takes place only a week before the boys wrestle.

There is evidence of similar wrestling based styles from Egypt and Sudan as well. Whatever the wrestling style was, there was a clear objective that was common to them all – to pin the opponent. One exception is a grappling style characteristic to Southeast Africa, in which contestants start kneeling or seated. The uniqueness of this style lies in the fact that wrestlers only used a single arm in their matches.

In African martial arts, there are also numerous traditions of women wrestlers. As with their male counterparts, reasons for combat vary, from harvest rituals to courtship strategies.

Striking Based African Martial Arts

From a striking standpoint, the art of Dambe is a major one in Africa. It is a boxing based style of fighting with strong spear fighting relations. In honor of ancient spear fighting traditions, both arms of a Dambe fighter have roles. One is dubbed “the spear” and is wrapped in twine or a glove. The other bears the name of “shield” and is left bare, mostly playing a defensive role. Matches are organized in three-round bouts, with the aim being to “kill” the opponent. Dambe considers a “kill” to be a knockdown, which, given that only one arm was used to punch, was quite a difficult task.

A bare-knuckle boxing-like art coming from Africa is Musangwe. It is specific to South Africa and in particular, The Venda people. They have a centuries-long tradition of practicing art. Traditionally, fights are held every Christmas in the Chifude Valley. There are only three rules that decide when a fight gets stopped. One is when blood appears, the second is in case of a knockout and the final is due to one fighter surrendering. Musangwe boxers fight in searing heat, and the spectacle is witnessed by thousands of people.

Another very interesting representative of African martial arts is Ladjia. It is a martial art that is very similar to Brazilian capoeira. Ladjia is played along with percussive instruments (drums or sticks). It consists of highly acrobatic moves, including punching, kicking, and eye-gouging. As with capoeira, the tempo of the music dictates the pace of the fight. A victory is earned when one fighter gets the other one on their backs.

Weapon Based on African Martial Arts

Martial arts styles based on the use of weapons are very prevalent on the continent of Africa. The rich tradition of spear use has influenced a lot of the stick fighting styles specific to Africa.

Egypt’s stick fighting system is known as Tahtib. It is one more capoeira-like art but including sticks. Considered to be a remnant of pharaonic Egypt, Tahtib is also performed with music. Ethiopia is considered to have the fiercest and most aggressive Tahtib stick fighters on the continent.

More in line with the tradition of spear utilization, Donga is a martial art involving the use of a long stick. It is specific to the Suri tribesmen. They use the long sticks to herd and defend their cattle. There is but one rule in Donga – do not kill the opponent. Everything else is permitted. Donga matches are violent and bloody affairs. There are usually 20-30 participants on each side of a Donga competition, each waiting their turn to fight.

Bearing resemblance to Escrima, Nguni uses two sticks. It is common to the Zulu tribe. Much like Dambe, fighters use one stick for offense, and the other for defense. The hand holding the defensive stick also carries a small shield. Bloodshed, a knockout or surrender bring an end to a match.

These are just some examples of African martial arts. Given the diversity of the continent, it is easy to understand how there are countless other styles and variations. Do you know of any unique African martial art? Sound off!

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Top 8 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Women Competitors of Today

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BJJ World

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a sport that is demographically as diverse as it gets. People of all nationalities, age groups, religious beliefs, etc. all engage in training worldwide. This diversity, however, is not reflected in one aspect only. unfortunately, the sport is still not evenly matched between the two sexes. Female practitioners are considerably less than their male counterparts. And Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu women competitors are even scarcer. At least for now.

For one reason or another, BJJ doesn’t seem to attract men and women to the same degree. It is not that women are not welcome, or are not successful in the sport. On the contrary, there are impressive examples of women in Jiu-Jitsu as teachers and competitors at the highest levels. The ratio, however, increased during the last decade, remains very much male-oriented to this day. With the hope of expanding the pool of female subscribers to the art, we bring you 8 of the very best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu women competitors of today. So, follow their example and put the Gi on! You’ll soon be hooked to art with no limitations and can even reach the level of these impressive ladies.

Jiu-Jitsu Women Of Today

Talking about the different ways in which BJJ is beneficial to women is beyond the scope of today’s article. One aspect is very much worth mentioning, though in self-defense. Regardless of competitive aspirations or lack thereof, women training BJJ are going to be able to defend themselves. The techniques are easily transferrable and give the finer half a very high degree of confidence.

Now, almost everyone involved in BJJ, regardless of sex, gets the urge to put their knowledge to the test every now and then. In those terms, competitions offer a great platform for a student to express their style of BJJ. The competition scene might be dominated by the male population in numbers, but not necessarily in quality.

During the last decade, BJJ has seen the rise of several immense Jiu-Jitsu women. Most of them are still competing today, albeit perhaps in different combative formats. Some of these women were pioneers of the sport in a competitive manner, paving the way for others. Now, they represent an example to any aspiring young woman that is contemplating a competitive Jiu-Jitsu career. Anyone can follow in the footsteps of these ladies and go on to become an icon of the sport. And, no, being a black belt is not one of the requirements, so do not wait and start competing now!

#1 Mackenzie Dern

Despite not being associated with BJJ as much during the last year Mackenzie remains one of the top Jiu-Jitsu women of today. Even in her MMA endeavors, she remains a huge ambassador of the sport, demonstrating the supremacy of high-level BJJ against top-class opposition. While we eagerly await her UFC debut, let’s take a look at some of her grappling accomplishments.

Mackenzie is the daughter of renowned black belt Wellington Dias. She has spent her entire life in and around BJJ, competing since the age of 14. Both Royler Gracie and Leticia Ribeiro have influenced Dern during her BJJ journey. Before earning her black belt, Dern won the Worlds at every belt level. The talented champion also won every accolade at featherweight boasting a huge 45 submission wins out of 75 victories. She also had unforgettable wars with Gabi Garcia in the absolute division and is an ADCC champion as well. All in all, she is the face of Jiu-Jitsu Women!

#2 Dominyka Obelenyte

Lithuanian born Obelenyte is the first female Marcelo Garcia black belt. She is a staggering 4 times ADCC champion and one of the top competitors of today. She’s been consistently demonstrating phenomenal skills ever since3 her teenage days as a BJJ competitor. She is one of the youngest ever champions to win an adult world title (at 14).

The 23-year-old began training at 9, starting her journey at Louis Vintaloro’s gym in New Jersey. She discovered Marcelo Garcia not long after and managed to get to brown belt by the time she was 17. A black belt since 2015 she won world championships at many levels, including double gold at the 20th World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Since last year, Obelenyte switched schools and is now associated with Fábio Clemente.

#3 Beatriz Mesquita

Bea Mesquita is a Leticia Ribeiro black belt and one of the most exciting Jiu-Jitsu women competitors out there. Similar to the previous two impressive ladies, Bea was impressive even since her teenage days. She was already a World No-Gi champion and Pan American champion before being promoted to black belt. Mesquita is also very versed in wrestling and Judo, holding numerous competitive accolades in both.

Now 27, Mesquita first became champion at 10, winning numerous Brazillian Judo championships. It wasn’t before 2006 that she started training wrestling, and subsequently BJJ. Since then, the Brazilian has dominated the competition in all facets of the sport. Both her brown and black belt promotions came on the top of the World Championship podium.

#4 Rikako Yuasa

“Lady Sasa” is a BJJ black belt from Japan that has dominated the Jiu-Jitsu scene lately. She is considered to be one of the most accomplished Jiu-Jitsu women’s competitors of her generation. She’s a World, Asian and European champion at featherweight.

Rikako is notorious for her open guard skills, her lasso guard in particular. Today 27, she started training at 17 with instructor Makoto Ikuta. With Pogona Club Gym. Yuasa soon became proficient in the art and got her black belt from Yukinori Sasa in 2014. A champion at most belt levels, there is still a lot to come from her at black belt. Who knows, you might even end up facing her in competition one day!

#5 Tammi Musumeci

Tammi Alana Musumeci is an Emyr Bussade black belt. Ever since she was 19, she caught the eye of the grappling world with her impressive performances. She showed her value through her 2014 Pan American Championship performance when she beat favorite Mackenzie Dern. Her most memorable performance, though, is at the Worlds where she battled to the end with a broken arm against fellow top competitor Michelle Nicolini.

#6 Michelle Nicolini

When it comes to elite Jiu-Jitsu women fighters, Michelle Nicolini is right there at the top. She is an unbelievable 8 time World Champion as well as ADCC and World Pro champion. She is a Robert Drysdale black belt and one of Checkmat’s most prominent competitors.

Dabbling in capoeira before settling down in BJJ, Nicolini notably fought 4 weight classes above her own in 2010 responding to a challenge. Her signature move is the shin to shin guard, while her toe holds are stuff nightmares are made of.

#7 Gabi Garcia

The only heavyweight on this list, Gabrielle Garcia is by far the most dominant female BJJ competitor. AKA Gaúcha, she is a black belt under Fabio Gurgel and a key competitor of the Alliance team. Known for her battles with notably lighter Mackenzie Dern, she has also been focusing on MMA during the last couple of years.

32-year-old Garcia was born in Rio but got exposed to BJJ after moving to Sao Paolo. She was a prodigy from the start so turning professional was an easy choice. She won the No-Gi Worlds in 2008 and hasn’t stopped since. 32 of her 58 wins are by way of submission. She is currently fighting professionally in MMA in Japan but has a difficult time finding opponents.

#8 Elvira Karppinen

Elvira Karppinen is a 28-year-old brown belt from Finland. She is part of Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. A dancer prior to starting BJJ, Elvira pulled one of the surprises of the year. Beating Mackenzie Dern in the first round of ADCC 2017. Her coach is her husband, 10th PLanet black belt Lauri Karppinen.

Karppinen is a clear sign the top female competitors are not limited to black belts only. Despite not medaling at the ADCC she’s won plentiful medals and has a lot and lots more waiting for her. She is going to be a fierce black belt in the very near future.

Jiu-Jitsu For Women – Dealing With Common Training Issues

https://bjj-world.com/female-bjj-white-belt-defeats-male-bjj-black-belt/

Mackenzie Dern Chokes Mandy Polk for 4-0 in MMA

Hapkido Black Belt vs BJJ Blue Belt in a Grappling Match

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BJJ World

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Hapkido is Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense Martial Art that just like BJJ employs grappling techniques similar to those of other grappling martial arts. And it also employs kicks, punches, and other striking attacks.

Let’s say it’s something like Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, Japanese Ju-Jitsu, traditional Ju-Jitsu or how you like to call it.

Ib this grappling match BJJ Blue belt pulled guard and tapped after 10 seconds on an ankle lock. It’s pretty weird to tap something like this. While it may hurt a bit, but in my opinion, it’s not something to tap. There so no control at all except that one on an ankle. But, better to tap than sorry 🙂

Without taking any credits for Hapkido guy’s victory I would like to ask you, would you tap on submission attempt like this?

You can also check out the grappling match with outsized BJJ Blue Belt vs Hapkido 6th Degree Black Belt:

Out sized BJJ Blue Belt vs Hapkido 6th degree Black Belt