The choke is what people see. The escape is what lets you get there. How to escape back control, the turtle, north-south and knee on belly, the three principles behind every escape, and why Gracie Jiu Jitsu teaches them first.

A joint lock asks your opponent how much they're willing to pay. A choke doesn't ask them anything. The difference between chokes and joint locks in jiu jitsu, what the numbers say, and what works in competition, on the street and against bigger opponents.

Side control scores zero points in competition, and in judo it wins matches. What side control is in jiu jitsu, how to hold it with position rather than strength, and how to escape it.

A new student holds the mount for about two seconds. How to get to mount in jiu jitsu, how to keep it with balance rather than strength, and how to escape it under a heavier opponent.

Beginners think whoever ends up on their back has lost. In BJJ it's the opposite. What the guard is, the three types you'll meet first, and how Royce Gracie won from the bottom.

A sickly kid who sat on the sidelines, lost his two most famous fights, and still changed martial arts forever. The real story of Helio Gracie, without the legends.

Typing "BJJ near me" and getting ten results? How to turn them into the right decision: why distance matters more than coaches admit, what to check in a trial class, and where the quality bar sits.

Three words that explain all of jiu jitsu: Position Before Submission. Why a submission without control is a gamble, what the positional hierarchy looks like, and what it gives you off the mat too.

What is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and how is it different from sport BJJ? The family history, the principles, UFC 1, and the lineage running from Helio Gracie to Tel Aviv.

"I'm 43, a father of three. Is there any point in me starting?" The question I get every week, and the answer that surprises everyone: in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, starting after 35 comes with the biggest advantages of all.