Y’all, we continue to be closed due to COVID, and we won’t re-open until 2021 for sure. We want to keep bringing you jiu-jitsu, though, and use this time productively.
In that spirit, I’m excited to let you in on our next video project.
The fundamentals are the most important techniques in jiujitsu: That’s why we’ve already filmed our entire fundamentals curriculum and put it in an Unlisted YouTube playlist for members.
Everyone has to learn the fundamentals: That’s a requirement to be considered for blue belt, and you can see that list of techniques both in the playlist and on the Blue belt requirements curriculum here. For our Purple belt requirements, though, you’ll notice that there is a little more choice involved. Purple belt is a big, big deal, and it’s at that stage that you really start to define your jiujitsu … so our curriculum asks folks up for purple belt to demonstrate certain moves of their choice that are not listed on the curriculum.
We want everybody, no matter what belt level, to learn, grow and progress. Plus, frankly, I’ve learned a lot of more advanced techniques that I don’t get to show as much as I’d like to — and those are exactly the kinds of techniques that our blue belts need and deserve to get a look at.
To help out with this, we’re filming an extensive Bellingham BJJ Advanced Curriculum.
When complete, this will contain about 200 INDIVIDUAL VIDEOS of jiujitsu curriculum, technique and theory. Every single one of these is battle-tested: These are all sequences I’ve used in competition, in sparring, and in training situations with resisting opponents.
Unlike the blue belt requirements, with a few exceptions, these techniques aren’t going to be required knowledge. They’re intended to be a jumping off point into your learning of advanced jiu-jitsu.
The beauty of this art is that you can train with the very best, and learn their specialties directly from them. That’s why this curriculum is a sampler of many different positions: You might choose to do a deep dive into pressure passing, and seek out folks like Jake Whitfield, Fabio Gurgel or Bernardo Faria for more. You might decide you’re a berimbolo player, and branch out to instruction by the Mendes and Miyao brothers, or Mikey and Tammi Musumeci. Maybe you master the arm-in choke with the assistance of the mighty David Porter. Or maybe someone like Cindy Hales, James Foster, or one of our seminar guests shows you a technique that blows your mind and that becomes your thing.
Your job at blue belt is to continue to master the fundamentals, certainly, but it’s also to see all the jiu-jitsu you can. You’ll never know if you’d be an incredible lapel guard player if you don’t see it. My intent with these videos is to show a group of techniques I’ve learned over the years, that I know for sure work against quality opponents … and then trust that a piece of that will excite you and you’ll make it your own.
Also, it’ll be a lot of fun.
If you have a white belt, continue to focus hard on the fundamentals (with one eye on some of these moves for when we open again). If you have a blue belt or higher, my hope is that you find some gold in these videos — and that you use them to find some gold of your own.
Good hunting!