What is Innovation in Jiu-Jitsu?

I'll have much more to say about this in the days to come. And while I think this is ultimately an irrelevant issue for jiu-jitsu (which will be what it will be), I do think it is interesting to ask: (1) what drives creative variation in jiu-jitsu, (2) when do these variations become true innovations, and (3) when, if ever, do these innovations actually start to represent an evolution in the art of jiu-jitsu that must be recognized by all who practice it.

My short answers are (1) everything from boredom to physical limitation to competitive experience, (2) when the techniques prove able to deliver consistent success under testing - ideally by more than one competitor , and (3) when the techniques survive from one generation to another. But more later.

Rei Roger: The King is Back

BJJ Eastern Europe has been referred to as the TMZ of Jiu-Jitsu news. That said, this is as exciting a potential development in jiu-jitsu as we've seen in awhile.

What I love the most is train and compete with the gi and I am going back to doing that. I almost entered the 2014 Worlds. I’m not done quite yet!

Read the rest of the report here.

Submission Hero of the Week: Mitch Clarke

The fact that every week does not feature a submission hero of the week is the fault not of the stars, but of ourselves, who are often not paying close enough attention to the jiu-jitsu-in-mixed-martial-arts-magnificence that is all around us.

So congratulations to Mitch "Danger Zone" Clark for a great Jeff Glover-esque darce choke finish in the UFC Saturday night!

Rodrigo Lopes v. Tom Tegner at Five Grappling Tournament

My professor since 2005 back in competition!

And if that armbar looks familiar, this may be why ...

"Better Fewer, But Better"

After not posting training diaries for a little over a month, I think they are gone for good.

At the end of the day, the posts were never especially popular. And you have to write one for every training session or the point is lost. And since I'm not training with competitive intensity - see the Monkey Bar Gym folks for that - I just don't see a reason to maintain intimate logs of day-in, day-out training.

Instead, I'll post a weekly digest of what was most meaningful out of a week's training, some theme or concept that seemed to best characterize what jiu-jitsu is all about. I'll also have a post talking about whatever it is I'm teaching and why.

So fewer lists of techniques in odd shorthand. But I'll try and keep the cool pictures and drawings of ancient grappling combatants going all the same.