Probably one of the biggest questions all BJJ newcomers have when is, “What should I focus on?” And with all the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu techniques out there it’s a good question. It can be overwhelming trying to decide on which specific techniques and positions to focus on.

But in this video I’m going to lay down a pretty good rule for you. This is something I’ve done since I was a BJJ White Belt and continue to do as a Black Belt. I also implement this idea into training my students with a lot of success.

So let’s jump into it.

When it comes to Jiu-jitsu. When you’re up against someone of similar skill, you’ll probably spend the bulk of your time passing guard and trying to sweep or submit from the bottom. Early on this will mostly be full guard or maybe half guard if you have short legs. Maybe you’ve never really thought about this before but I promise you if you think about it you’ll see this as accurate.

If you go watch any of my matches you’ll notice most are won this way. If I’m able to pass the guard I generally win. If I get the sweep I generally win.

This is true for most BJJ players. And the reason for this is positional control.

Most BJJ players live and die by the mantra “position before submission” and this is what it really boils down to when we are talking about guard passing. If the person can pass guard they control the position. If the person can retain their guard and use sweeps and submissions effectively, they control position.

Now there is still another whole battle to be fought once you’re in a dominant position. But winning the guard passing battle (on top or bottom) is what puts you in that dominant position first. So it is always a good place to focus on no matter what level you’re at.

Hope the talk is useful to you. Thanks for watching the video!
-Chewy
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Getting stuck in a tight side control in BJJ is the worst. One of the worst parts about it is that you can’t get your hands into proper position to setup proper frames and escape techniques. In this video I share a really simple technique you can use to get your arms into good position and escape side control.

Now while I don’t show a specific escape. This technique will help you get into a strong position to use whatever escape your prefer in your Brazilian Jiu-jitsu game.

The big key to it is getting the arms into good position. When in doubt in Brazilian Jiujitsu, if you can get inside position with your arms you’re generally in good shape for setting up a technique.

So hopefully this technique is useful for you with escaping a tight side control position.

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In today’s video I share the big difference from how I trained BJJ when I was younger and how I train BJJ now that I’m a bit older and wiser. I’m sharing this because I received a question from a young guy who says he gets embarrassed when a teammates whom he beat, adjust and beats him.

I resonate with this question because I struggled with this same situation from White Belt to Purple Belt. Most of it stemmed from insecurity but it was a real issue. As I gained some age, experience and some tips from my coaches I started changing my perspective on training.

And in the video I’ll share my Black Belt focus on training which has been super useful.

If you’re struggling with a similar situation then I hope the video is useful.
-Chewy
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Jacob “Stitch” Duran joins The Chewjitsu Podcast to share how he learned to be a cutman and how he dealt with set-backs on his path to become one of the top cutmen in the world.

Thanks to the podcast sponsors:

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In this video I answer a question about teaching a person who is a felon. The question comes from Jake who is training with a convicted felon and wanted to know if I would ever do the same?

In the video I explain that I have taught several felons BJJ. Their charges were related to drugs when they were younger, their debt was paid to society and they became people who desperately wanted to change their life around.

Now I have told some people that they cannot train due to charges. A couple in particular were related to sexual crime charges. I personally don’t feel comfortable teaching people like that Brazilian Jiu-jitsu especially since we have kids around.

But hopefully this video helps Jake and if you have ever had a similar question, hopefully it’s useful for you too.

Thanks for watching.
-Chewy
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In today’s video I answer a question from a young guy about training BJJ after a tough breakup. I assume he’s asking because he’s struggling to deal with the negative feelings associated with a relationship ending.

I know this is not the normal Brazilian Jiu-jitsu video but I think it’s a worthwhile topic to discuss. Our relationships, or lack thereof, directly impact our headspace and ability to do things.

So in this video I share some ideas that have been helpful to me when dealing with a tough breakup. The main idea is use this as time to focus on yourself and own improvement. My hope is that it helps the young guy, and you if you’re struggling as well, with dealing with the negative emotions after a break up.

Thanks for watching and I hope the ideas in the video are useful!
-Chewy
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Today’s video comes from a viewer in Europe who is a BJJ Blue Belt and as involved with a program where he will be helping teach police officers Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. He said that they’ve done 1 class already and that many of the officers were receptive but some of them weren’t. His question to me is about tips on coaching these people.

In this video I share some ideas on teaching people Brazilian Jiujitsu that don’t want to learn it. I also share the idea of the 1st stage of learning Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or any martial art.

If you’re in a situation similar to Grabrielle then I hope the video is useful to you.

Thanks for watching.
-Chewy
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Got a good question from Johnnie, a 25 year old grappler with dreams of opening his own gym someday and being able to compete with the best in the world.

When it comes to goals and dreams it’s similar to some of the fundamentals a buddy taught me when we were doing some long range shooting years ago.

In this video I share an analogy based on some fundamentals a friend told me with some long range shooting. I’m not an expert just for the record.

You’ll need to be in a stable position.
You’ll need sight alignment in your scope.
Follow through on your trigger so don’t jerk the rifle off target.

And in my experience it’s similar to long term goals.

I remember taking the leap into the gym biz-nass stuff at the age of 25. I spent 2 years getting out of any debt to put myself in a more stable position to withstand the chaos of quitting my well paying job.

I knew exactly what I wanted and everyday kept my sights and daily actions aligned with my clear target. Finally I followed through by doing what I had to do everyday and didn’t allow myself to get pulled off the target of my goals. And this formula worked great for me in helping me blow way past what I thought was even possible. It’s not fast, but most things worth while usually aren’t.

So for you Johnnie, I’d say this. Get the better job to put yourself and family into a more staple position. It’s your duty as a husband and father and duty comes first. The world needs strong men for their families. Next, keep your sights and actions focused on your long term goal. This means keep training and improving while not getting sucked into the rat race of buying the most expensive car or house you can afford.

Define what YOU want, not what society wants you to do.

Finally have follow through. Working, fathering and training will be exhausting. But if you keep your goal clearly in your sights you’ll remember why you’re doing this stuff.

And for any of you with long term goals or dreams wanting to do something similar I’d encourage you to do the same.

Thanks for watching!
-Chewy
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In today’s video I’m going to show you a BJJ strategy or concept of using Guard Passing and Leg Locks today. This video was recorded several months ago after a conversation with one of my Brazilian Jiu-jitsu students. During the chat I told him that most of my best leg lock submission setups come from Guard Passing situations.

That’s right, my best setups for things like heel hooks, toe holds, ankle locks, etc. All come from Guard Pass situations.

Here’s why. . .

In the video I explain how anytime an extremity moves away from the body it becomes weaker and more vulnerable. Well if you’re passing someone’s guard they’ll be forced to use their legs for retention of their guard. During this situation where their legs extend you can use this moment as a chance to attack the leg.

This is true for almost any position. For example if someone extends their arms you can armbar them.

Another idea that you can takeaway is that if we attack the persons legs they’ll feel threatened and pull their legs back making it easy to pass. So in essence leg locks and guard passing can work great in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Hope you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.
-Chewy
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If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.