Last night at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu during our BJJ Team Training class we took the time to put all of the pieces of the Kimora system together. Over the past two weeks in each of our BJJ Team Training classes we spent each class covering the small details that make each technique work, however it […]
Last Saturday at Crossroads BJJ we covered two sequences or “flows”, one from the feet and another from the ground. A flow is essentially a Jiu-Jitsu kata that allows us to drill techniques and see one possible way that these techniques can blend together. From the feet we covered 3 techniques, an arm drag, a […]
Last night during our Fundamentals of BJJ class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we began with working a self defense technique from the standing position. This class focused on defending the rear naked choke from the standing position. The basis for all of the self defense moves in the Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu curriculum emphesize that you […]
Last night at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu during our Team Training class we held a marathon training session completing over an hour of 10 minute rounds! As you progress in the Martial Art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu you will need to spend more time rolling in order to refine your techniques. At a certain point your Jiu-Jitsu […]
Yesterday during the Fundamentals class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we covered three techniques, a double leg take down to side control, how to move from side control to the mount and from the bottom position how to keep your arms in a safe and defensive position. When performing a double leg takedown it is […]
Last night during our BJJ Team Training class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu we continued adding techniques to our Kimora system. In BJJ having options is never a bad thing, as our overall goal is to develop a set number of options we can execute at the correct time. If you do not have enough options […]
This past Saturday we covered how to escape from the bottom of side control. When you are working to escape a position in BJJ yiu are always looking to move towards open space. This means you will need to be able to move your body effectively in multiple directions and be able to switch directions […]
The hardest attack to defend is the one you don’t see coming, during last nights Fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class we discussed this strategy from the mount position. Working off of the bottom bjj players attempt to escape the top player moved to a position called triple attack, from there we were able to move […]
To be successful in any aspect of life you must first have a strong belief that what you are doing will work, if you do not believe that you will achieve that goal you will not even attempt it. This is why one of the most essential pieces of BJJ is drilling, drilling is the […]
In BJJ it is always Position before submission! This means that before you can attempt a submission you must put your opponent in a position where they can not hurt you. In last nights Jiu-Jitsu class we focused on controlling the fight from the side control position. We spent the class alternating between drilling […]
Last night during the fundamentals of jiu-jitsu class at Crossroads BJJ we worked a series of techniques surrounding the near side armbar from side control. The goal of this class was to help students not only refine the technical aspects of the armbar but also the timing of the submission as well. Understanding where to […]
Last night at Crossroads BJJ in our Team Jiu-jitsu Training class we continued our study of the Kimora. The Kimora is one of the most popular submissions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and can be applied from a number of positions. We continued working from both the side control and north south positions paying close attention to […]
Last night during the fundamentals of BJJ class we introduced the Toreando or Bull Fighter guard pass. The Toreando guard pass is standing guard pass where you control both of the bottom jiu-jitsu players legs and then move around them to land in either side control or the knee on belly position. Off of this […]
Last Night at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu we began working on the Kimora. The Kimora is an extremely powerful and versatile submission that can be applied from a number of different positions. In last night’s class we studied how to finish the Kimora from the north-south position. In Jiu-jitsu and in self defense it is always […]
This past Saturday at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we drilled a sequence of techniques to create a flow drill. A flow drill is what we call a series of techniques that create an endless loop and allows each person to practice each of the techniques. Saturday our flow drill consisted of 4 techniques which looped through […]
Last night during the Fundamentals class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we started off drilling how to break your opponents posture from the closed guard. By breaking their posture you put them in a position where they can’t hit you, or begin to try and pass your guard, which they will need to do in order […]
Last night during the Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Team Training class we worked on using our legs to great a heavy guard. Typically when you think of being heavy in BJJ you think of the person on top, however the bottom player can also be heavy by using their arms and legs to hang their weight […]
Last night during our Fundamentals of BJJ class at Crossroads BJJ in New London County CT we drilled a chain or sequence of techniques starting with a passing the guard and ending in the mount position. During that sequence we covered a number of senerios that can take place if you are not paying attention […]
Last night during the Team Training class at Crossroads BJJ we covered two possible submissions from the guard off of one movement. What separates BJJ from other Martial Arts is the philosophy that you never know what is going to happen in a fight, there are any number of potential reasons to why you could […]
Another great weekend of jiu-jitsu at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu! With classes every of the week there is never any excuse not to get on the mat and get some great training in. Starting with our Saturday afternoon fundamentals of BJJ class and our Sunday morning open mat everybody was able to get on the mat […]
Last night during our BJJ Team Training we added several details to a basic sequence of techniques inorder to make them easier to apply. The main technique of this class was the armbar from the bottom of Guard. The guard is what makes BJJ different from other martial arts, assuming that the fight does not end […]
Last Tuesday during our Fundamentals of BJJ class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu we continued working off of the basic rolling drill. In BJJ or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu it is always important to place more importance on position than submission. If you have excellent control, submissions will come. The Rolling Drill takes you through several of the […]
This past Saturday we started working on the Rolling Drill in our Fundamentals of BJJ class in New London County CT. The Rolling Drill is a series of techniques strung together in a way where each person can repeat the techniques repeatedly, flowing from position to position. This drill is create for developing timing and […]
Last night at Crossroads BJJ in New London CT County we spent some time in our Team Training class understanding how to break the posture. In Jiu-Jitsu the top player having strong posture makes attacking sweeps and submissions very difficult and leaves the top player ins position where they are able to attempt to pass […]
In our Fundamentals of BJJ class at Crossroads BJJ in New London CT we spend a lot of time working on how to escape bad positions because as a new student that is often where you will find yourself against the other more knowledgeable students in the class. So before you can start submitting people […]
In Brazilian submissions come from control however if your training partner has good escapes and understands how to move on the ground we must be able to transition to different control positions, in last nights BJJ class we discussed and drilled how to control your opponents legs when they have a strong elbow escape. Depending […]
This past weekend we started Lesson 1 of the Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Curriculum. Starting on the feet with how to defend a standing headlock. Most of the time when a fight starts it happens before we realize a fight is starting, and you are forced to fight out of a dangerous position. A headlock is […]
Last night during our Jiu-Jitsu Team Training class at Crossroads BJJ we worked a combination of three techniques from the over under position. Working one pass when we are able to keep our training partners leg long, another technique when our training partner is able to stop their leg from getting stretched out and a […]
In BJJ where you put your weight matters, it effects the not only the way your training partner can move put also their level of comfort. In last nights team Training class at Crossroads BJJ we continued our study of the over under pass with our focus being weight distribution. By placing our weight properly […]
In order to deal with different types of Guard players you need to be able to implement different types of Guard passing. In last nights Team Training class we began working the over-under pass. The over-under pass is a low pass which allows you to apply a large amount pressure on your opponents sternum forcing […]
This Saturday at Crossroads BJJ in CT we began class by drilling how to escape somebody pressing you up against a wall. We discussed how to move to reverse the situation as well as options for how to take your opponent to the ground when they are pressed against a wall. On the ground we […]
Last night during the Crossroads BJJ Fundamentals class we covered how to defend yourself when somebody grabs your throat with both hands. By understanding the 3 stages of combat and the possible dangers in each one we can then use that understanding to put ourselves in the position where we have the best chance to […]
Last night during our Team Training program at Crosseoads BJJ we took some time to further our understanding of the armbar. One of the many open Guard concepts taught at Crossroads BJJ is the use of tension, the ability to stretch your opponent out. By creating tension in your training partners body you create situations […]
Today in our Crossroads BJJ Fundamentals class we discussed how to move from the bottom of Guard to our training partners back using a technique called the arm drag. In this particular class we performed this Jiu-Jitsu technique from the butterfly guard. The butterfly guard relies on using your legs to off balance and control […]
Last night during Team Training at Crossroads BJJ we discussed the concept of using off balance to attack and disrupt the top players attempts to pass our guard. Most of the time when a student begins learning BJJ they become hyper focused on using there arms to fight from the guard. Since we use our […]
Yesterday during our Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu we worked a very basic “fight sequence”, starting from the guillotine we covered how to properly apply the choke, then how to defend the submission by taking the fight to the ground and applying a submission of your own. In BJJ every technique has a counter and as we […]
Last night during our BJJ Team Training class we continued our study of the half guard position, specifically the waiter sweep and options which surround the position. All sweeps require the top players weight to be in a certain position and their momentum to be traveling in a certain direction, if the person on top […]
Saturday afternoon is the perfect time for escaping knee-on-belly and once you start training Jiu-Jitsu you’ll realize that it’s never a bad time to escape knee-on-Belly. The knee-on-belly position in bjj is very dynamic allowing the bjj player in the top position an amazing amount of mobility but also the ability to generate an incredible […]
Last we worked on three powerful techniques from the Guard, the Kimora, the guillotine, and the bump sweep. These techniques work together to form a chain of techniques where the defense for one creates the opening for another. It is this mindset, the idea that we are trying to flow into the most efficient technique […]
July 19 2017 Tonight during our Team Training class at Crossroads BJJ in New London, CT we continued to refine our Jiu-Jitsu techniques from the knee shield position. Our focus was moving under our training partner so we could create the leverage and momentum required to successfully and efficiently transition to the an improved position. […]
July 18, 2017 Tonight was all about knowing what to do from the Turtle position at Crossroads BJJ. If you are unfamiliar with BJJ nomenclature, the turtle position is what we call the position when somebody is on their hands and knees, a position that typically happens when a person is trying to stand up. […]
Tonight during our BJJ team training class we continued our work on the Knee Shield position from half guard. Tonight our focus was moving from a defense position where we are working to prevent the top player from passing our guard to an offense position where we can either sweep or submit. Today our primary […]
Last night at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we promoted our first Female blue belt! After over a year of consistent hard work and dedication Julia earned her Blue Belt and begins the next phase of jiu-jitsu her journey! The blue belt is the most important belt to obtain in bjj, it shows mental toughness, persistence, knowledge […]
Over the last month at the Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team training classes we have been working to build a guard passing system. A system takes a number of techniques and links them together in an intelligent and gives you a though process on when you select each technique within that system. In previous classes we […]
In this lesson of the crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we focused on understanding the arm-bar from the knee on belly position. Starting with what the knee on belly position is, and how to get there. In this particular class we started from the side control position and worked to advance our position while shutting down […]
Tonight in our BJJ Team Training class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Southeastern CT we discussed and drilled the finer points of escaping the side control position. In jiu-jitsu being stuck under side control means you have to be aware of a number of possible attacks to your arms, legs and neck. These attacks could […]
Another great Guard passing Class in the books! Breaking the Closed guard from standing and then working two guard passes and a knee bar submission. In Jiu-jitsu we always want to pick the easiest move. If your opponent blocks the path to the right, go left, if they block left, go right. This way we […]
Lesson 20 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum covers one method of getting into the Belly Pin position and how to escape it. The Belly Pin is a variation of the Back Mount, which is the strongest position in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and the Belly Pin variation makes it even stronger by trapping your opponent between […]
In lesson 14 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium we start with learning how to defend somebody grabs you from behind. This is a very dangerous position to find yourself in because the attacker has the ability to lift you off your feet and throw you to the ground. In this position it is imperative […]
If you want to keep your opponent reacting to you in bjj, you need to know what your options are from each position and what the most common reactions to those options. The more ways your opponent has to react to your options or movements the harder it is to stay ahead simply because it […]
Last night during our no gi team Training we covered how grappling without the kimono changes need to adjust your hand positioning inorder to break the closed guard from the standing position. Without the jiu-jitsu gi for grips we can not use the same hand positions to control our training partners movements. Once we are […]
In Lesson 13 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium we cover bjj techniques from the guard! The guard position is what has made Jiu-jitsu famous and changed how we view a fight. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu the guard gives you the ability to defend yourself on your back, so just because somebody is on top of […]
When you have spend enough time training Brazilian jiu-jitsu you learn to anticipate the most common reactions your sparring will have to your techniques and this ability allows you to think ahead. By training a move so much that you understand the most common ways people will try to stop or counter your techniques you […]
Being comfortable in uncomfortable positions is another way of saying you must stay relaxed even when nothing is going your way. When you are grappling in BJJ and you find yourself in a tough position you must keep calm, if you panic you will begin to make fear based decisions and movements. These fear based […]
The more you drill a technique the more details you will feel, the better you will be able to position your body to apply pressure and the more seamlessly you will be able to move through the individual steps of that technique. This is why each class in our BJJ Team Training program builds off […]
Details matter! In BJJ if you want to excel you must learn and then use as many of the small details you have learned against a resisting opponent. If you neglect the second part of that sentence, if you fail to use the small details you have learned in the technique portion of class during […]
The hardest attack to defend is the one you don’t see coming. In jiu-jitsu this applies to every position, if we can position ourselves in such a way where we have multiple attack options depending on how our opponent reacts. In BJJ an attack not only refers to submissions but also positional advancement like guard […]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gives us the ability to defend ourselves in the worst situations, but as we begin to improve in the Martial Arts we begin to recognize bad situations earlier and then we can prevent situations from going from bad to worse. In our No-Gi BJJ class this week we learned how to do this […]
Lesson 10 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium focus’ on Back Contol, understand what positions you want to keep with your arms, your shoulders and your chin to make submission attempts much more difficult, allowing you more time to escape and improve your position. Improving your position is what separates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from other martial […]
In tonights team training BJJ class we covered 3 standing guard breaks, two from when we are able to control our opponents sleeve and dominate the gripping game, and one when our opponent hides their hand from us to avoid giving us the control. In our fundamentals of jiu-jitsu class at Crossroads BJJ we primarily […]
Today during the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu class at Crossroads BJJ we discussed the fundamentals of the half guard position. While in jiu-jitsu’s infancy the half guard was seen as primarily a transitionary position, in modern jiu-jitsu it has become an extremely advanced position with several different sub-positions, In todays class the focus was on understanding the […]
Tonight during our Team Training BJJ class we began working on opening the closed guard from the standing position. In order to be a well rounded jiu-jitsu player you need to be able to pass the guard from both standing and the knees and the same goes for breaking the closed guard. In BJJ breaking […]
Lesson 48 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we go some very simple open guard techniques using the concept of moving under somebody’ships so that you can easily lift them with your legs. Once of the main concepts of sweeping somebody is the idea of getting underneath them so that you can off balance them […]
Lesson 47 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum starts from closing the distance when somebody makes it clear they are going to attack you by raising their hands as if they were going to punch you. In this lesson we discuss when and why we would choose to close the distance and then if necessary […]
Working towards strong angles was the theme of Tuesday Nights No Gi BJJ class last night at Crossroads Brazilian Jiujitsu. Students came down to waterford CT to gain a better understanding what angles give you the advantage in attacking off your back or looking for the pass. By understanding angles in BJJ we can begin […]
Last night at Crossroads BJJ held another great class from the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium. From the standing position we drilled the main self defense strategy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, close the distance and bring the fight to the ground where we can use leverage and technique to control a larger, stronger opponent. There are several […]
Get your Holiday training in! We’ll be open at 10am so nobody has an excuse not to train. Come down and get a workout in!
Over the last month we have been studying the triangle in the Team Training Class at Crossroads BJJ, and in an effort to improve our understanding of this powerful submission over the last week we have been discussing and drilling how to hit this submission which is typically attacked from the bottom of guard from […]
Lesson 38 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum starts from the feet with escaping a bear hug. What do you do when somebody has their arms wrapped around your chest and your arms are pinned to your side. This position does not give the attacker a great deal of control over your body and is […]
Lesson 37 of the Crossroads Martial Arts curriculium starts with defending a simple double arm take down. This particular take down is one of the strongest ways to bring a fight to the ground because it gives the person a very amount of control over the center of a persons body. In this class we […]
Last night during our team training class we continued our study of the Triangle choke. The triangle is a strangulation submission where you use your legs and your training partners shoulder to reduce blood floor through the carodid arteries. The reduced blood flow will cause a person to feel sleepy and eventually fall asleep. The […]
This past Saturday the Jiu-jitsu students at Crossroads BJJ covered another lesson from the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium, taking the time to learn new techniques and refine bjj techniques they have seen before. Just like an actual self defense situation, every class in the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculium starts on the feet, this past Saturday […]
It’s not often that a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion travels to Connecticut which is what makes Braulio Estima’s third trip to Connecticut so special. Braulio is not just a BJJ world champion, he has won every major tournament in both gi and no-gi that there is to win. As a 3rd degree black belt in […]
In continuing our study of the Triangle in our Advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class at Crossroads BJJ we started working on the how to get into the triangle from the Mounted position. The mount is one of the most powerful positions in jiu-jitsu and the triangle is one of the strongest chokes in Brazilian […]
Just a reminder: The gym will be closed tonight for a major cleaning! See everybody for our regular class schedule on Saturday!
Using the strongest parts of your body against the weakest parts of your opponents body is one of the most commonly known themes of the grappling martial arts which include throwing arts like Judo, and Wrestling, and ground fighting arts like catch wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The neck is a fairly weak series of joints […]
This past Thursday we covered Lesson 27 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum .Learning to defend yourself against somebody trying to punch you in the face is essential to feeling confident in any self defense situation. In Lesson 27 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we discuss and drill how to deal […]
This past Saturday we covered Lesson 26 of the Crossroads Martial arts Curriculum covers one of the most important positions in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu self defense curriculum, the headlock. The headlock is one of the most common occurring situations in a street fight and for this reason it is spread throughout the Crossroads […]
Hey Everybody we will be canceling classes tonight due to the weather. Stay warm and stay safe.
Hey everybody, Due to some scheduling issues we have to move up the time of our Friday Night open mat from 6pm to 4pm tonight. Come in and train a little early and start your weekend off right. Next weeks open mat will be back to its normal time at 6pm. -Dustin
There are two levels of timing when somebody is attacking your neck from behind. There is the initial energy where they are moving into you and then the energy of them pulling you back as they apply a squeeze. If you have perfect timing you will be able to capitalize on their energy […]
Today during our No-Gi Team Training class at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-jitsu we continued with this weeks theme of submissions chains off of Omoplata escape attempts. By understand with directions the person in the submission can move in an attempt to escape and by understanding when they have successfully escaped or are about to escape we […]
In lesson 24 of the Crossroads Martial arts curriculum we discuss what to do when somebody tries to grab you around the neck from behind you. A large part of jiu-jitsu is being able to feel our training partners weight and which direction they are moving. If our training partner moves past a certain point […]
This week in team training we continued to drill and refine the more advanced details of entering the omoplata in the Gi. While there several ways to enter the omoplata they all involve moving the elbow to the front of the body while moving the wrist behind the body using our legs. We have […]
This past Saturday Carlos Machado traveled New England and put on a tour of Seminars at several Tim Burrill Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu locations. The attendees of the seminar ranged in rank from white belt to back and Carlos was able to provide everybody with some knew technical knowledge they could take home. At Crossroads […]
Hey everybody, Unfortunetly due to the poor road conditions and the upcoming forecast we will be canceling both our 6pm and 7:30pm classes tonight. Stay Safe and Stay Warm
Unfortunately due to the weather and poor road condition there will be no 6:00pm or 7:30pm Jiu-Jitsu classes. Stay warm, stay safe and see you all in class tomorow. -Dustin
In Lesson 8 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we begin the self defense portion of class by escaping the headlock from the bottom position on the ground. While all of the techniques we cover in class are applicable in a self defense scenario it is very uncommon to have to apply certain escapes while […]
The last several lessons have discussed what to do when we are put in a headlock from the standing position, and making sure when we bring the fight to the ground we land in the top position. In lesson 7 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we discuss how to escape the position where we […]
In Lesson 6 of the Crossroads Martial Arts Curriculum we continue our study of the headlock and the different different variations you may find yourself in if you are even actually put in a headlock. Of course we always hope that we will never need to use our jiu-jitsu for self defense […]
This past Saturday Crossroads BJJ had its first Q & A class and there was a fantastic showing. The class focused on trouble shooting the knee slice pass and what to do when two common counters are implemented as you attempt to complete the pass. The two methods of attempting to shut down the pass […]
Today’s lesson started with learning what to do when somebody grabs you around the waist. There are a few different ways that this will happen, a person will either be in front of you or behind you, and they will either grab over your arms, or underneath them. By drilling all four different scenarios we […]
By keeping our training partners busy defending our submissions if they want to not get submitted they must spend their time defending versus spending their time working towards bettering their position. If we hesitate between attacks or during transitional periods we provide our training partner an opportunity to improve their position, which is […]
Understanding the small differences in positions wether it be the position of somebodies head, or a shift in there weight is essential to becoming a skilled Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Practitioner. In Lesson 4 we cover a different way to escape being held down with a headlock. While in lesson 3 our training partner had their head […]
One of reasons Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is so effective as a self defense art is you learn how to protect yourself in the most common street fight / self defense situations. Carlos Gracie Sr. and his Brothers spent over 60 years refining and developing techniques that actually work effectively in real street fights before Brazilian Jiu-jitsu […]
One of reasons Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is so effective as a self defense art is you learn how to protect yourself in the most common street fight / self defense situations. Carlos Gracie Sr. and his Brothers spent over 60 years refining and developing techniques that actually work effectively in real street fights before Brazilian Jiu-jitsu […]
Hey everybody since the roads are terrible and it doesn’t look it’s going to stop anytime soon we’re going to cancel tonight’s classes at Crossroads. Sorry to all the crazy’ who were going to make the drive. Stay safe and stay warm!
Lesson One starts with a basic standing headlock escape. The headlock is one of the most commonly used tactics somebody who is untrained will use in a street fight so understanding how to escape is essential to being able to defend yourself. There are two basic variations of a headlock, the first when the attacker […]
Open mat or free training is an essential part of learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ, it is a time where you can ask questions or simply gain some extra sparring time with your training partners. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has a seemingly infinite level of depth to it and in order to learn as much as you […]
This past week two Crossroads BJJ white belts Nat and Rob were promoted to Blue Belt. After a lot of hard work and dedication it was great to see these to guys step up tot he plate and take on the Crossroads BJJ Blue Belt test. As always it was great to see everybody at […]