Mixed martial arts has exploded over the past decade due to the popularity of the UFC. Many want to become professional fighters and some want to become MMA trainers.
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Tag Archives: mixed martial arts
What Is Gracie Jiu Jitsu?
The Gracie Family is a well-known martial arts family with roots in the Brazilian city of Belém and Paisley, Scotland.
They are renowned for developing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu self-defense martial arts systems.
Continue readingIs Karate Good For Self Defense?
Out of the many styles of martial arts a common question is always asked; is karate good for self defense? The reason for this popular question is because people see karate practitioners doing Kata and think that’s what karate is all about.
Continue readingWhen Will Kickboxing Be In The Olympics?
When will kickboxing be in the Olympics? This is a question that all us combat sports fans around the world ask.
In this article we’ll dive into the combat sport of kickboxing and our opinion on my it has never been added to the Olympics.
Continue readingCan A Boxer Beat An MMA Fighter?
Many die hard fans have been asking for decades the ultimate question, Can A Boxer Beat An MMA Fighter? Some think that a boxer can win, while others think an MMA fighter will crush a boxer.
Continue reading10 Health Benefits of Martial Arts
Today we’ll discuss the 10 health benefits of martial arts. Martial arts can help you defend yourself on the streets, but it also has a lot of health benefits as well. So let’s get into it!
Does watching a martial arts movie thrill and relax you? The hand-to-hand combat, sharp reflexes, and smooth movements can be intense and exciting. Did you know it offers so many other benefits besides the thrill of martial arts?
Mixed Martial art is a combat method that suspends logical and analytical functions of the mind and the body, which allows them to interact instantaneously as a unit. In this article, we will discuss ten benefits of this interaction.
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10 Health Benefits of Martial Arts
Trainees benefit physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from mixed martial arts. Through systematic martial arts practice, trainees can improve their physical fitness (strength, stamina, flexibility, speed, movement and coordination). In addition to physical fitness, martial art training contributes to mental health, self-esteem, self-control, and spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
Martial arts keep participants mentally and physically active and instill a sense of ethical achievement during the program. The following are ten martial art benefits regarding health, mind, and health and wellness.
Below are the 10 health benefits to martial arts and keep in mind this is the first post of a two part series. Part two will be released as soon as next week.
Physical Benefits of Martial Arts
1. Muscle Gain and Weight Loss
When you train martial art consistently, you can transform your body completely. Martial arts involve high-intensity workouts and repeated muscular actions that build strength and burn fat quickly. Calorie burning leads to rapid fat and weight loss.
Also, trainees can gain muscle mass and become more toned. Punching and kicking require a lot of strength, requiring your arms, legs, and core muscles to work hard. By increasing your muscle mass and tone, you can boost your metabolism, which can lead to weight loss. Even while resting, your body burns more calories.
Why Do MMA Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears
2. Cardiovascular Health
Studies have shown that martial arts practitioners have lower heart rates and blood pressures. A 2018 research shows that 16 weeks of martial arts training drastically lowers cardiovascular disease risk. Studies also show HIIT (high-intensity workouts) improves cardiovascular health.
In HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, the more effort you put in, the greater the demand for oxygen. This results in expanded blood vessels and improved circulation, leading to better cardiovascular health. There are some doctors who recommend mixed martial arts training for specific diseases and conditions, like cardio kickboxing and HIIT training that avoids sparring.
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3. Flexibility, Balance, Agility
Martial arts require a specific dose of flexibility. It depends on the individual; some will need more, while others will need less. Regardless of your choice of martial art, your flexibility will improve. In addition to stretching to avoid injuries, martial arts movements will boost your flexibility.
The more challenging your techniques become, such as strikes, high kicks, or ground attacks, the more flexibility you will need. By being flexible, it will be easier to avoid attacks, and takedown attempts more effectively.
Balance:
Many people found that martial art can improve balance as well. Trainees learn to use their bodies in a whole new way, improving their overall balance, stability, and coordination. Whether you are executing moves or blocking or avoiding attacks, stability and awareness are essential.
Agility:
The martial arts will quickly increase your agility, mobility, and quickness. With practice, your muscles can develop fast-twitch fibers, resulting in explosive power and quick bursts of energy, such as striking, evading, and lateral movement. As you become more adept at handling higher speeds, so will your reflexes. Your reflexes improve as you become more accustomed to combative and other stressful situations.
Mental Health Benefits of Martial Arts
4. Stress Relief
Combat sports can significantly decrease your stress levels. Rather than keeping it inside, you can release it by exercising, punching a bag, exercising, or simply relaxing. A 2019 study suggests that martial arts can reduce anxiety, stress, and tension. Also, a martial art like Tai Chi or Karate emphasizes calmness and meditation, two excellent ways to relieve stress.
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5. Boost Self Confidence and Self-Esteem
If you lack confidence or self-esteem, martial arts can help. Martial arts training will give you new skills that will help you defend yourself. Additionally, you will lose weight and gain muscles, which will help you improve your posture and appearance. Having a positive impression of yourself is a great confidence booster.
Martial arts is known to boost your confidence because it teaches how to have a tough mentality and that builds resilience within you. This resilience can help you overcome tough challenges that you may face in life. Another way martial arts boosts your confidence and self-esteem is its belt rewarding system. When you achieve a higher rank belt than your current one, you feel a sense of accomplishment.
This sense of accomplishment and congratulations from your instructor and fellow practitioners, will lift your confidence and have you walking around proud of yourself. This is how everyone should feel in life, confident and proud of their accomplishments.
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6. Improve Focus, Memory and Peace of Mind
Martial arts can improve one’s ability to concentrate. Even in stressful situations, you will learn how to stay focused. One reason martial arts will help you develop focus is their training methods. This includes mastering a single, repetitive task until it becomes second nature and combining them seamlessly while anticipating your opponent’s every move.
Improve Memory:
Martial arts also enhance your memory. With each repetition of an exercise, your pathways and neural synapses will become stronger. So using your memory will be the key to successfully combining the elements. Muscle memory will also improve as a result. By repeating certain techniques and moves, you will become more proficient and faster at doing them.
Offers Peace and Calm:
Outside spectators often perceive martial art as aggressive or violent. However, most martial art require peace, calm, focus, and compassion instead. For instance, peace of mind is the goal of karate, which explains why spirituality and meditation are so important. The goal is to hinder your opponent quickly without being aggressive. It is better to avoid conflict if you can. Keeping calm in difficult circumstances can prevent many conflicts.
The Social Benefits of Martial Arts
9. Building Character, Social Skills
Martial arts is a great way to build character quickly. Your self-confidence will grow, which will allow you to express yourself more freely. Socializing and interacting with others is easier when you have a strong character or personality. Making friends can be challenging if you are a newcomer to an area and dislike going to bars or clubs.
But when you begin martial art training, you will likely meet people who share your interests, and martial arts can serve as a conversation starter. The great thing about martial art training is that you always know that you’re among people with similar interests since you share a martial art gym. You can improve your social skills by learning how to work and communicate with others.
10. Protect Yourself On The Streets
Lastly, martial arts help you increase your awareness and the mental presence you have when in social situations. Martial arts training teaches you to pay attention to your surroundings at all times. Eventually, you will be able to apply it to other parts of your life, such as social gatherings and family life. Knowing that you are capable of taking care of yourself when needed will enhance your self-confidence, while also allowing you to be relaxed around others.
As said earlier martial arts can reduce your social anxiety and help with certain mental and physical ineptness you may have. the objective is to get into a martial arts that provide an encouraging environment for you to train in. This will aid you on your journey to experiencing the martial arts benefits it can provide.
Conclusion
Now you know the 10 health benefits of martial arts. Get started by putting yourself on a new performance level today. In no time, martial arts will benefit you physically, mentally, and socially. These ten martial art benefits can help with your over health and wellness.
Sponsor: Innercity MMA
Why Do MMA Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears?
Have you ever seen an MMA fighters ears? Some people think it’s weird, while others think it’s gross. But it begs to ask – why do MMA fighters have cauliflower ears?
In this blog post I’ll describe how MMA fighters get cauliflower ears, and answer the many questions people have about them.
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Why do MMA fighters have cauliflower ears?
Firstly, it’s called cauliflower ears because the ears look like a cauliflower. The cauliflower ears are caused by repeated trauma to the ears.
The trauma is caused by a fighter getting hit with punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and slaps to the ears.
So what happens is the ear get hit repeatedly over time and build up blood and fluid. This blood clot causes the ear tissue to become hard and the ear eventually shrivels up.
Can you prevent cauliflower ears?
Yes, you can prevent cauliflower ears by wearing the proper head gear when training. And also learn how to defend your head properly in a real fight. Whether you’re standing up or on the ground.
The issue with some people in training is that after a while they get tired of wearing the head gear. Another reason why some don’t wear it because they think they look cooler without it on.
My advice is to wear the head gear at all time. It can not only protect you from getting cauliflower ears, but protect you from any accident that may occur during training.
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Does cauliflower ears hurt?
Yes, cauliflower ears do hurt in the beginning, as the ears begin to callus. Keep in mind that your ear is damaged and as the tissue weakens and blood and fluid builds up it is going to hurt.
Fighters also mention it hurts when they sleep on either one of their ear. Now this may be only in the beginning because there is no mention of the pain through out their career.
Can cauliflower ear cause loss of hearing?
The National Library of Medicine did a case control study with wrestlers who had cauliflower ears. They concluded that people with cauliflower ears were more likely to get loss of hearing than someone who didn’t have cauliflower ears.
So based on the study you can get loss of hearing if you have cauliflower ears and you don’t seek treatment for it.
I haven’t heard a fighter mention they have loss of hearing from their cauliflower ears, but then again a lot of fighters are quiet about their issues. And to be honest they have every right to be, it’s none of our business.
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Can a cauliflower ear explode?
Yes, a cauliflower ear can explode. I’ve seen it twice in the gym and it sure is messy. In both separate occasions we didn’t try to treat the men ourselves. We droved them to the hospital to get professional medical help.
The most recognized moment when the world saw a cauliflower ear explode was the UFC match between Jessica Eye and Leslie Smith. Leslie took a right hand to right side of her head and her cauliflower ear exploded.
The callus on her left cauliflower ear fell off and blood starting spewing everywhere. It was a grewsome scene to watch. All members of the audience was shocked.
Can cauliflower ears get infected?
Yes, cauliflower ears can get infected in the earlobe. Poor blood circulation to the ear may cause infection in some people, and even slow down the process of the ears healing.
Also keep in mind that the ear is now damaged and has folded inward. That’ means you have no way of cleaning the inside of the ear, and if you have no way of cleaning it bacteria may form.
That goes for any part of our body. We have to clean it or bacteria will grow and it will become infected.
Does cauliflower ears go away?
No, cauliflower ear will not go away on it’s own. If you have cauliflower ear your ear has been damaged and the look won’t go away.
In some cases the only way to reverse cauliflower ear is to have corrective surgery. Keep in mind that this does not work for everyone. Please consult your physician before considering surgery.
The best way to avoid getting cauliflower ears is to wear the proper head gear when training.
10 MMA fighters with the worst cauliflower ears
- BJ Penn
- Frankie Edgar
- James Thompson
- Alexander Gustafsson
- Rany Couture
- Leslie Smith
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueria
- Rafael Dos Anjos
- Kazushi Sakuraba
Do all MMA fighters have cauliflower ears?
You’d be surprised to know that not all MMA fighters have cauliflower ears. In fact, most MMA fights don’t have cauliflower ears.
Many people think that because fighters go through tough training and they take a lot of strikes to the head, that they all have cauliflower ears. This is the furthest thing from the truth.
Although mishaps can happen during training and in a real fight, the majority of MMA fighters know how to protect themselves, thus avoiding the cauliflower ear.
10 MMA fighters that don’t have cauliflower ears
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Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former middleweight champion who is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2006-2020.
Anderson Silva is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days.
Silva is a master at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and this black belt has never really been hit in the face or head during his whole career.
If you watch matches of him on Youtube Silva is skilled at ducking, bobbing and weaving around and away from his opponents strikes.
Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou is a professional mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division.
He is best known for his knockout victory over former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, which made him the first African-born fighter to win a title in the UFC.
Although Francis Ngannou has only been an MMA fighter for a few years, he’s now known as a mega star across the world.
It’s clear to see that any fighter that faces Ngannou can’t really hit him. His 6’3 and 262 frame of all muscle is intimidating. His knock out power makes fighter hesitant to get close to him.
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Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker is an Australian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
In 2017 he became the UFC interim middleweight champion by outpointing Yoel Romero. Whittaker is known for having a strong stand up brawl game, but hasn’t taken much damage to his ears.
Stephen Thompson
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is an MMA fighter who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Hew has 16 wind and 6 losses in the UFC and although he was a big prospect in his division, he has never won a championship title.
Because of his dominate karate style fighters have not really got a chance to punch him in the side of his head much.
This preserves his ears and is why he doesn’t have the cauliflower ears. That and he wears head gear during training.
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Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler is an MMA fighter who is under contract with the UFC. His last bout was in 2021 when he won a TKO victory over Nick Diaz.
He was not only the UFC Welterweight champion but also the former EliteXC Middleweight Champion. Like the others on the list he has no cauliflower ears.
Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya is an undefeated Nigerian fighter who is currently signed to the UFC. He debut in the UFC in 2018 and since then has fought all the elite fighters in his middleweight division.
Nick named “The Last Stylebender” he is known for his slick, smooth, and highly skilled Muay Thai stand up game.
That’s why it’s so hard to inflict damage onto him, his strikes make it hard for you to get close.
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Andre Arlovski
Andre “The Giant” Arlovski is currently signed to the UFC. He competes in the Heavyweight division as a 43 year old.
He is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is one of the most iconic and popular fighters in UFC history.
Andrew holds the record for most bouts as well as wins in UFC heavyweight history.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is an MMA fighter in Bellator. He was a former light heavyweight contender in the UFC.
He was mostly feared for his one punch knockout power. Anthony is a great fighter so it’s easy to see that his ears has to blemishes on them.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
She is a former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and free of cauliflower ears.
Weili Zhang
Weili Zhang is a mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting in the UFC. She is an incredible talent and is the former UFC Strawweight champion.
Weili Zhang has been praised for being the first ever Chinese champion in UFC history. Although she lost her belt to Rose Namajunas, she is preparing hard for the rematch to regain the Strawweight belt.
The Black Belt Blueprint: An Intelligent Approach to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
“The Black Belt Blue Print” is a must have for true students of jiu jitsu. Concise, yet comprehensive, it’s the guidebook I secretly yearned for when I began training. With wisdom and experience on every page, this book will enhance your journey in the gentle art.” Roy Dean – BJJ Black Belt
Click on image above
Written by Roger Gracie’s first black belt and founder of the Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood, Nicolas Gregoriades, this is a comprehensive guide to the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
It features a detailed and holistic approach to the training methods, techniques and concepts which underpin the art.
Top 10 Reasons Why MMA Is So Popular
Why is MMA so popular? This is a question that I often get from casual sports fans. They see that MMA has become popular over the years, and wonder how it became such a phenom of a sport.
It is a sport and style of martial arts that you see everywhere now, even celebrities are showing their support and love for it.
In this article I will list the top reasons why MMA is so popular and the ground work it took to get us to this point.
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1 – The UFC
The UFC without a doubt has to be the biggest contributor to why MMA is so popular. During the earlier years of the UFC, Dana White the CEO of the UFC, said they couldn’t get it sanctioned anywhere.
People saw it as human cock fighting. And to be honest, in the early days it was. At the early development of the UFC there weren’t any rules when fighting.
It was a no holds barred type of thing. No weight classes, no rounds, no separation, no time outs, and no judges. You fought until your opponent quit or got knocked out.
The thing that changed everything was drafting and overseeing a bill that regulated the competitions – just like they did boxing.
UFC 28 was the first UFC event that was sanctioned by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board – held under the newly formed “Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts”.
The rules implemented:
- Fingerless gloves
- Weight classes
- No kicks to the groin (Point deducted)
- No kicking a fighter that has one knee on the mat (Disqualification)
- No eye gouging (Points deducted)
And a slew of other rules. The one match that propelled the UFC into the major spotlight, and changed the face of the organization, was the Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale between Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar.
It was an amazing – bloody war of a fight, and it really set the level of entertainment that fans could expect to see from MMA for years to come.
Today, UFC has grown internationally. It is currently sanctioned in 49 states, championed and supported by A-List celebrities, and adorned by people all over the world.
The UFC has pushed MMA into the spotlight and to the point of it being one of the most popular sports on the planet!
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2 – More People Getting Into MMA
Ever since the UFC has gained much popularity more people are getting into martial arts. You often hear coaches and owners of martial arts gyms saying that registration has significantly increased because of the UFC.
You’ve hear more people openly talk about their favorite fighters, going to martial arts events, and watching the Pay Per-view events together.
As mentioned before, A-List celebrities are embracing MMA. Even government official like the former president of the U.S. Donald Trump is close friends with Dana White.
You can see these Celebrities at the events, and on social media see them talking about their favorite fighters.
It’s amazing to see how much love MMA is receiving, and this love expands it’s popularity even further.
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3 – The Best Fighters Fight Each Other
One of the exciting things about mixed martial arts that contribute to it being so popular, is that the best fight the best.
Over the years boxing has declined in viewership and popularity, because the best fighters are avoiding fighting each other.
They all have something I call the “Mayweather Jr. complex”. This is where the best boxers of today avoid each other because they don’t want to lose and put a blemish on their record.
They want to try to mimic the record of Floyd Mayweather Jr. with 50 wins and 0 loses. The only issue with this is that Floyd fought the best!
MMA competitions differ in that the owners of the companies hire fight makers to put on the most exciting fights, and the only way that happens is if the best fighters, fight the best.
All the major organization like the UFC, Bellator, and One Championship have their best fighters fight each other, and as a result the matches are phenomenal! A great fight leads to more viewership and more ticket sales. More people want to be apart of it, and it becomes even more popular.
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4 – The Heavyweights Are Exciting
In combat sports the heavyweights are regarded as the Crem De la Crem. The reason being is that heavyweights are known to carry the sport.
People are excited and pay top dollar to see two big men fighting because they know that nine times out of ten, one will knock out the other.
It’s like watching Muhammed Ali dance around and out box his competition. Or when Mike Tyson use to knock out just about everyone within the first couple rounds.
Or when Franics Ngannou joined the UFC and completely obliterated his opponents with his one pinch knock out power.
People love to see a good knock out by two people they consider absolute giants! Heavyweight fighters in all of the MMA promotions have big and exciting heavyweights.
This adds to the appeal and popularity of the sport.
5 – Superstar Fighters With Big Personalities
MMA promotional companies like the UFC and Bellator have done a great job at turning fighters into superstars.
There are many fighters that stick out more than others due to them creating a persona everyone loves or loves to hate.
It doesn’t matter which end of the spectrum you’re on, if they love you and cheer you on, you will create a cult following and this may lead to more ticket sales.
If they love to hate you as a fighter, millions of people will still tune in because they want to see you lose! Either way the fighter still wins because people are taking about him, and paying to see him.
Here are fighters with larger than life personas that shot them to fame:
- Connor McGregor
- Jon Jones
- Michael “Venom” Page
- Tony Furgeson
- Coby Covington
- Valerie Loureda
- Chael Sonnen
- Derrick Lewis
- Israel Adesanya
- Itsuki Hirat
- Nate Diaz
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6 – MMA’s International Appeal
One of the things that MMA prides itself in is appealing to a world wide audience. Think about, there isn’t a Fortune 500 companies that is local and successful.
In order to have major sales of your product you have to offer it internationally. Mixed martial arts does exactly that.
They have fighters from all over the world representing their respective countries, and their fellow men and women tune in to see their fighter.
7 – Full Body Combat Sport
Unlike sports like boxing and wrestling, MMA is a full body combat sport. Meaning these fighter use the majority of their body limbs as weapons against their opponents.
This makes it really exciting because a fan watching gets to see a fighter do back spinning elbows, front kicks, side kicks, punches to the face and guts, take-downs, submissions and many more techniques.
It’s an amazing thing to witness especially live because you never know what move the fighter will execute next, and you don’t know how he’s win.
Even if it goes to decision you know that the fighter used his full body to entertain you. That’s all you can really ask for as a combat sports fan.
8 – Women Love MMA Also
Let’s face it the majority of women don’t watch or like sports. They don’t have that much interest in it like guys do. They rather watch shows that are more geared towards them, and that is understandable.
The thing my colleagues and I have noticed is a lot of women love mixed martial arts, especially the UFC in particular.
They can name the events that took place, the top fighters, and can tell you when the next major event are taking place. It’s really cool to see.
Women are helping push the MMA culture forward and getting more people interested in it. Women being apart of the MMA experience has boosted its popularity world wide.
9 – MMA Companies Are Ran Successfully
Since the inception of MMA promotions becoming popular many have come and went. Some where riddled with sandal, while others went out of business due to poor management.
In todays MMA world, there are a handful of successful promotions due to solid investors backing them, and also smart management.
A successful company needs a competent C.E.O., president, management team, and staff. Although there are not many MMA promotions, the ones that are popular are doing a good job.
This is the major reasons why they’re around and if they keep up the good work, they will still be hear in the future.
10 – Aligning With Popular And Successful Brands
The final reason why MMA is so successful becuase major promotions like the UFC and Bellator align themselves with the most popular brands through partnership and endorsement deals.
They team up with brands that serve billions of people across the world with their services and products, and can give these MMA companies access to their customer base.
This allows them to grow tremendously in popularity and expand their brand further than if they were not to team up with these reputable companies.
Brands like Reebok, Monster Energy drink, Bud Light, Dave and Busters, Esports, Logitec etc. Have been able to contribute the the expansion of MMA and will continue to do so as the sport and art expands.
The Black Belt Blueprint: An Intelligent Approach to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
“The Black Belt Blue Print” is a must have for true students of jiu jitsu. Concise, yet comprehensive, it’s the guidebook I secretly yearned for when I began training. With wisdom and experience on every page, this book will enhance your journey in the gentle art.” Roy Dean – BJJ Black Belt
Click on image above
Written by Roger Gracie’s first black belt and founder of the Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood, Nicolas Gregoriades, this is a comprehensive guide to the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
It features a detailed and holistic approach to the training methods, techniques and concepts which underpin the art.