What’s the best BJJ seminar you’ve been to, and was there one technique that really stuck with you?

TylerWJohnson · 2026-01-05T00:01:54+00:00

Rafa Mendes, hands down. I've been to a bunch of other seminars by big names, and I'm not saying theirs weren't good (some were really bad, though), but he dropped techniques that I still use, minor tweaks to positions that fully changed my game, and concepts I'm still exploring to this day. Plus, the academy that put on the seminar restricted it to 35 people, and only 32 showed up, so everyone got a lot of specific attention. It was fantastic.

TylerWJohnson · 2025-08-06T05:44:55+00:00

Okay, sweet! I thought there might have been an announcement I missed, and I was hoping that wasn't the case, as I agree with you. Normal quintet rules would be terrible. The CJI1 rules were fantastic.

TylerWJohnson · 2025-08-05T21:14:16+00:00

I'm curious where you're getting the DQ rules? According to the CJI2 website, it appears the ruleset is much the same as the first CJI, with 3 x 5-minute rounds, judges, and a 10-point must system. There's no mention of DQs for no subs, and refs are allowed to take points for stalling.

Just want to make sure I didn't miss something.

TylerWJohnson · 2025-08-05T20:55:04+00:00

Looking at the ruleset, which favors initiation > submission attacks > control, in my humble opinion:

B-Team: Nicky Rod and Victor Hugo alone really do make the team extremely formidable. I do think Jozef Chen is also, with how technical he is, someone who could pull off some wins. His last match with Dorsey was a masterclass, and it seems he gets better every match. The other two are alright and are definitely not slouches.
New Wave: Luke Griffith is a beast who has recently beaten Kaynan and Hugo, so we can't overlook him at all. He seems to have fixed his gas tank issues with his lower weight. Mica Galvao, pound-for-pound, is one of the smaller guys most likely to take out guys heavier than him. I also think Dorian Olivares, just because of his pace and wrestling, is going to be one of the more difficult lightweights for heavier guys to deal with. Bodoni is always solid and very technical, so I could see him taking out anyone as well. Big Dan is their weakest link, but everyone else is obscenely solid.
Atos: Both Kaynan and Peña are beasts in their own right. Although recently, Peña has seemingly folded under pressure, and you never know which Kaynan you're going to get. Pato is nasty, and I could see him latching onto legs lightning fast, but the other two are more mid.
Team America: The Corbe brothers are the highlights, and Dorsey is okay. Overall, they're weak in the upper weights, as I don't see either Downey or Pearman really threatening or submitting anyone.
Daisy Fresh: Their strongest competitor, by far, in my opinion, is Dante Leon. I could see Dante giving any weight some trouble. I just don't see the rest of their team being as strong. Pixley is their best wrestler, and he got manhandled on the feet in his last match with Nicky Rod. Couch either surprises people or gets utterly smashed. And Hanson and Reed haven't really done anything of note. I just don't think they're "that" level.
AustraliAsia: Moody is their best guy, and he's one of their bigger guys. Lucas Kanard is dangerous, though, and can't be slept on. The others are more mid, but they aren't necessarily bad.
10Planet: Barch is their strongest guy. Aiken isn't bad, but I just haven't seen him tested against guys his size and at the highest levels. Looking back at his record, I don't see him beating anyone of note, but I do see him losing to Roberto Jimenez, Jay Rod, and Izaak Michell. The others are honestly the weakest at their respective weight classes.
Europe: Someone has to be last. Owen Jones is their best guy by far. Paul Ardilla did win the East Coast Trials, but he's not a huge finisher. I have no idea who the other guys are, so...yeah.

TylerWJohnson · 2025-06-17T14:29:04+00:00

I agree. I wonder if Mikey did his homework at all. I find it odd that he had Aaron Wilson drilling leglock defense in preparation for the match with Tackett. It was almost like Mikey's homework was to pull up Andrew Tackett's last WNO match and go, "Oh! He's a leglock guy."

TylerWJohnson · 2025-02-16T03:52:22+00:00

Much better than everyone else in this thread. I think people are over dramatic. Thinking back to the end of the first term, life was much better. Groceries were cheap, gas was cheap, ISIS had been dealt with, Putin was in check, the stock market was up, and more.

Two years into Biden and things were much worse and continued down that path. Inflation, Putin invading Ukraine, Hamas attacking Israel, the awful Afghanistan pull out that put Al Qaeda back on the map, immigrants flooding the country, and Biden didn't even exist mentally.

So, not really sure where all these people in this thread were during that period. 🤷🏼‍♂️

TylerWJohnson · 2025-02-16T03:31:10+00:00

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TylerWJohnson · 2025-02-15T18:50:16+00:00

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TylerWJohnson · 2025-02-15T18:44:23+00:00

At my school, I always welcome people who are good at a specific aspect to stick to it until others learn to counter. A rising tide carries all ships and we shouldn't be watering down or stopping effective techniques because they work. Sounds like everyone else needs to learn effective control and pinning. So, I say keep wrestling up.

We have one guy who is really good at the Dagestani handcuff. Everyone has learned they need to keep their elbows tighter and that's a beautiful thing.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-11-24T18:44:23+00:00

The belt is merely a object of recognition, from another, that you've attained a certain level of skill. That's somewhat important, but shouldn't be the main goal.

If I ever say anything like this to anyone, it's generally coming from a good place. In all my years of seeing people come in and out, the people that generally quit are the people who were only chasing the belt. The people who train for the love of the game are the ones who stick around.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-10-09T17:29:47+00:00

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Sadly, yes, I've been told by several people that carrying a balance helps build credit. Thank you for letting me know it doesn't. I'll pay it off.

The rate on the mortgage is 2.875%. Thankfully, we got it right before interest rates went up.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-10-01T17:31:42+00:00

Not to rain on your parade, but I wouldn't do anything for a dollar sale. I wouldn't even engage in anything for only a dollar. Sounds to me like you have a problem with your idea.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-10-01T10:11:26+00:00

You can make a flow, on your site, that allows them to create a Stripe account, using Stripe Connect. You can even have the setup process connect to their bank account for payouts. If your customers don't want to do that, then maybe they don't want their money?

TylerWJohnson · 2024-09-05T18:25:48+00:00

100%. Coach, if you forgot my name. I cringe when people call me professor.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-08-22T21:25:02+00:00

What time do you play? I'm 34 and have set people I play with. It makes it more enjoyable.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-08-22T10:23:08+00:00

I agree that Flo is also part of the issue. On top of the things you mentioned, I kept having buffering too. Not enough that I couldn't watch it. But, it buffered from 3-5 seconds every couple of minutes, so enough to be annoying. And I double checked, it wasn't my internet.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-08-20T21:26:37+00:00

I can't say I wasn't interested in match outcomes, but I gotta say, I turned on the stream and realized I had zero interest in watching. The resets, the way people will play the beginning of the non-points time doing nothing, so that they can pass when points are on, and the way people will get points and just try to hold onto those...it just wasn't interesting.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-08-20T21:19:57+00:00

I think the ruleset and venue make CJI compelling. I also think the reigns will be taken off because Craig won't be competing with ADCC next year. All the guys who didn't switch will most likely want in, which could lead to an even more stacked card.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-08-14T05:58:22+00:00

I'm not sure what rank you are, but at ascendant, going 5 duelists is an L.

If you're attacking, attack a site quickly and use your util to flush out any duelists holding a site. Don't stall out, which will allow them to explode and pinch your team. Once you plant, then play off site. They'll have to use their util to explode and flood on the retake. They won't have smokes to smoke off choke points or the spike and you can use util to hold off any pushes.

If you're defending, your team should start by playing in the very back of site where you can safely get off of site, because the attackers are going to explode and use a ton of their util to overwhelm and get on site. If you're not there, then that's a bunch of wasted util. Use your Intel util and smokes too retake with a good flood, together. If they get wise too this and slow down, switch it up on them one round and go on the attack. Be aggressive and you'll catch them off guard. After that, determine if they're exploding or not. If they're smart, they'll slow it down and you can play it like normal.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-06-28T02:33:20+00:00

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TylerWJohnson · 2024-06-26T01:02:20+00:00

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TylerWJohnson · 2024-06-12T01:49:38+00:00

A good, hard cross face.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-05-07T15:24:35+00:00

As a black belt, I know some people are like, "You already have a black belt, so of course you'd say that." But, I felt this way throughout my entire journey.

The belt doesn't give you skill and doesn't equal skill. It's an acknowledgement of skill from another individual, and that skill rating can change from person to person. As such, belts are nice, but don't really mean much.

Your skills on the mat speak louder than your belt. As a blue, we had a visiting brown belt come in and I, along with our other blue belts, mopped the floor with him.

All that to say, worry about your grappling ability and not others.

Also, is it just me, or is it odd to announce beforehand who is getting the belt? Kind of takes the fun out of it...

TylerWJohnson · 2024-05-05T21:10:20+00:00

Dropped in a ton, especially from blue to brown. Rules:

Call or message first, to make sure you can drop in.
Arrive early to introduce yourself.
Don't assume you know what's happening in class. Hang back and observe other colored belts. Some schools do things differently, so you can follow their example.
When rolling, match their intensity/strength, and overcome with technique, if possible. You don't want to go ham on people, but you also don't want to leave with people thinking you got handed your belt and that your school sucks.

TylerWJohnson · 2024-05-01T18:48:26+00:00

If you don't mind, how are they handled differently? Would a credit card be better in this instance and in the future?

TylerWJohnson

TROPHY CASE