Andrew Smith
Hey folks! For as long as I can remember, I've always been passionate about both teaching and martial arts. The creation of TeachMeBJJ was expedited by the pandemic, as it became apparent that I might be able to contribute something meaningful to folks like you who are unable to get to a jiu jitsu academy as consistently as you'd like (or at all!).
TL;DR version: I'm a 3rd degree black belt in BJJ, a black belt in judo, and I've run my own BJJ school (Revolution BJJ) with some very good fellow instructors and friends for 15 years now.
After traveling to compete in BJJ for most of my weekends and teaching jiu jitsu seminars across the country, about five years ago, I turned some of my focus toward creating BJJ Path in order to share my system of techniques with the community. Thinking back to my obsession with learning BJJ in the last 90s, I remembered scouring magazines and any other printed materials I could devour in order to learn jiu jitsu. I realized that I might be able to help some learn the techniques and concepts of jiu jitsu better by having a video along with an accompanying paragraph describing the moves, something I hadn't seen very much of.
BJJ Path has continued to evolve to include 3 easy ways to devour information:
With live classes and a BJJ tutorial encyclopedia, we were much closer to offering everything you need to train from home, but there was still a piece missing: rolling. While this is the most challenging piece of the puzzle, one thing that has become an effective stopgap is Black Belt Feedback, wherein I or another black belt provides feedback and a breakdown of your rolling experience with your partner, or your competition experience.
Slowly but surely, we're getting there. With your help, we can go much further together, and as technology makes better experiences possible, we'll be a part of that journey, constantly looking to improve your experience over time. I'm incredibly grateful for your support and curiosity. Thank you for being a part of my journey into bringing you everything you need to train BJJ from home. We're just getting started.
Hey folks! For as long as I can remember, I've always been passionate about both teaching and martial arts. The creation of TeachMeBJJ was expedited by the pandemic, as it became apparent that I might be able to contribute something meaningful to folks like you who are unable to get to a jiu jitsu academy as consistently as you'd like (or at all!).
TL;DR version: I'm a 3rd degree black belt in BJJ, a black belt in judo, and I've run my own BJJ school (Revolution BJJ) with some very good fellow instructors and friends for 15 years now.
After traveling to compete in BJJ for most of my weekends and teaching jiu jitsu seminars across the country, about five years ago, I turned some of my focus toward creating BJJ Path in order to share my system of techniques with the community. Thinking back to my obsession with learning BJJ in the last 90s, I remembered scouring magazines and any other printed materials I could devour in order to learn jiu jitsu. I realized that I might be able to help some learn the techniques and concepts of jiu jitsu better by having a video along with an accompanying paragraph describing the moves, something I hadn't seen very much of.
BJJ Path has continued to evolve to include 3 easy ways to devour information:
- browsing by theme: I started by dividing everything into "position" or "submission" and went from there, so you can find something even if you're not sure how to search for it
- search: self explanatory; if you know the name of something, you can quickly figure out whether there's a tutorial for the technique or concept, and hop right in
- rabbit holes: I added both wiki-style links embedded in the text, where related techniques are referenced that might also be useful to learn; and also deliberate recommendations that follow you on the sidebar if you're on a laptop or PC (and at the bottom if you're using a mobile device)
With live classes and a BJJ tutorial encyclopedia, we were much closer to offering everything you need to train from home, but there was still a piece missing: rolling. While this is the most challenging piece of the puzzle, one thing that has become an effective stopgap is Black Belt Feedback, wherein I or another black belt provides feedback and a breakdown of your rolling experience with your partner, or your competition experience.
Slowly but surely, we're getting there. With your help, we can go much further together, and as technology makes better experiences possible, we'll be a part of that journey, constantly looking to improve your experience over time. I'm incredibly grateful for your support and curiosity. Thank you for being a part of my journey into bringing you everything you need to train BJJ from home. We're just getting started.