Micah Caputo As an avid competitor how important do you think it is to compete in order to improve your BJJ game? Pablo Popovitch In my opinion, it is very important. People react different in competition. They fight with strategy, more energy and most don’t accept defeat easily. At the...

INSIDE BJJ would like to introduce our newest contributor. Dan Faggella is a writer, national Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor and mixed martial arts academy owner. At 23, Dan has recently received his masters degree is Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dedicated to...

Guys, if you have an iPhone it’s time to be cool and support the female Jiu-Jitsu community. World Champion Leticia Ribeiro has just released her new X-Guard app on iTunes. It’s $9.99 – that’s three drinks at Starbucks. Forego the drinks and buy the app – you...

Special thanks to Jared Espina and Powerhouse Jiu-Jitsu in Kapaa, HI. I had the chance to drop in and train and speak with Jared while I was in Kauai and it was a pleasure. I’ve interviewed quite a few Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu athletes and Jared Espina is one of the most humble, honest, and...

INSIDE BJJ Congratulations on your recent championship at the 2011 Worlds. This is your sixth World Championship. How was your preparation for the tournament? What is your opinion on your performance? Leticia Ribeiro Thanks. We trained a lot for this tournament as a team. Being together all...

“The secret of this sport is, while you’re the nail, hang in there, let them hit you, until the day you become the hammer, then you smash them back!” -Renzo Gracie Hi, I have been training for 4 months now and the other day I had a problem on the mat. My partner’s gi...

INSIDE BJJ There is not a lot of information available about you. Tell Inside BJJ readers how you got started in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? When did you start training? Who did you train under? How long did it take you to receive your black belt? How did you end up on the Gracie Fighter team? Samir...

Overview Recently, I was given a “Submission Light Gi” to review by Submission Fight Company. I was chomping at the proverbial bit to get my hands on this Gi because my submission skillz were feeling rusty and what better than the word “Submission” on my Gi to help kick...