The Neutral Ground Blog
Articles written by our very own students and coaches!
When the hand is raised
In defeat: If the opponent’s hand is raised. Blame no one, for there needn’t be blame. You put in your effort during and up to this point, the rest is out of your hands. Be thankful for the opportunity, and respectful of your opponent’s hard effort before and during...
Big Guys in Jiu-Jitsu
When I started Jiu-Jitsu, I weighed 330 pounds and was strong as an ox from competitive powerlifting. I was by far the strongest guy at the dojo and was the biggest guy there too. If you actually believe the non-sense that people can say or the Internet memes you...
Jiujitsu is without pain.
Jiujitsu is painless, technical, and flowing. That is a beauty of Jiujitsu. It can be done by all walks of life, with anybody, regardless of stature, and without pain. A jiujitsu technician can go from training with a power lifter to a child, small-framed lady, and...
▶️Diving De la Riva pass to the leg drag. Passagem da De la Riva para o leg drag.@jaco_clothing #jacoclothing #brunomalfacine #allianceorlando #alliance #bjj #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsu
Posted by Bruno Malfacine on Friday, February 19, 2016
Bruno Malfacine – DLR Pass to Leg Drag
Self
As a human being it is difficult for me not to tie my own self-worth to that of my accomplishments or in some cases the lack there of. I think that this is very societal especially in the way that the media influences us from an early age with the concept of winners...
When that move “doesn’t work on him”
We’ve all overheard this one. Two grapplers will be either finishing their rolling or momentarily pause during it, with one of them explaining “that move never works on you”. There are 2 likely reasons for this: 1) The most likely is that your technique was just...
Wrestling Spirit - No Excuses - Motivational Video
Posted by RID | Ringen in Deutschland on Sunday, December 27, 2015
Wrestling Spirit
Strength: How important is it really?
As a powerlifter strength was king. It was all about getting bigger and bigger numbers for me and once I accomplished a big number then I have to get an even bigger number. A powerlifting competition consists of three lifts, the bench, the squat and the dead lift. You...
Toni Lettner Judo Seminar Review
In the real world no one is going to start a fight with you while they are on the ground on their knees and if someone does you can just kick them in the head. During most Jiu Jitsu classes very seldom will you start rolling with your partner from standing unless it...
Xande Ribeiro – X Pass to Torreando
Fredson Sweep
Am I Getting Better???
This is a question that everyone that has trained (any sport) has asked themselves plenty of times. Learning and training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has been one of the most exciting and challenging things that I have ever done in my life athletically. It has been a pursuit...
Showing up Is Not Half the Battle: Mathematics of BJJ Skill Acquisition
Jiujitsu is so open-ended, ever expanding…without clearly defined edges. Progress is difficult to measure as it is difficult to have a clearly defined measuring stick that isn’t also in constant change with you. An ultimate differential equation to math nerds. Judging...
Goal Tracking Your Training
A goal is defined as “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or a desired result.” Are you training with a sense of purpose? If you do not have any goals for your training then unfortunately you are training without a purpose. Now to take that idea a step...
Your Jiujitsu Alphabet
One of the first things you learn in school is the alphabet. If asked what letter comes after “p” you’d most likely say in your head “l-m-n-o-p…Q” It’s so ingrained in us that for the rest of our lives we run that shitty song over in our heads countless times, for...
Promotions
After much reflection I have come to the conclusion that a promotion whether it be a stripe or a belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an acknowledgement that the practitioner is on the right track more so than a symbol of status. Jiu Jitsu is a life long journey and while...
Read moreI’ll give you the answer to the question “What is most important to the heart of a warrior?” The answer is, “To desire with one’s very soul every second of every day to accomplish one’s aim.”
Individual Aim
I’ll give you the answer to the question “What is most important to the heart of a warrior?” The answer is, “To desire with one’s very soul every second of every day to accomplish one’s aim.” The above quote is a Samurai quote. The Samurai were feudal warriors of...
“Filling” the Jar
There’s the famous old story, about a professor’s analogy for time management, demonstrating it with rocks, pebbles, sand, and water put into a single jar, the jar being your total time spent on earth. Each of the rocks, pebbles, sand and water components representing...