FORCA METHOD Blog

X-Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
X-Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Where Precision Outlasts Power There’s a moment during open mat, somewhere around round four, when you hit that wall: legs tired, grip half-gone, mind hazy. Read more...
Triangle Choke
What It Is The triangle choke is a classic submission from guard that uses your legs to trap your opponent’s neck and one arm, cutting off blood flow and forcing the tap. Read more...
Torreando Pass in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What surprises a lot of beginners—myself included—is just how draining passing guard can be in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Read more...
Straight Ankle Lock in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why Don't More People Tap to Straight Ankle Locks? Walk into any Brazilian jiu jitsu academy, and you’ll find students learning the straight ankle lock early in their training—then often abandoning it. Read more...
Spider Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What It Is Spider guard in Brazilian jiu jitsu is a dynamic open guard position built around hooking your feet and controlling your opponent’s sleeves while they’re on their knees or standing. Read more...
Side Control in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Have you ever been stuck under a heavy side control in Brazilian jiu jitsu, counting ceiling tiles and questioning your life choices? Read more...
Rear Naked Choke
What It Is The rear naked choke (RNC) is the go-to finish from the back in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Read more...
Omoplata in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Can the omoplata really control and submit someone who knows it’s coming? Read more...
North-South Position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
How many times have you heard someone say North-South is “just a rest position”? Read more...
Mount in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What It Is The mount in Brazilian jiu jitsu is one of the most dominant positions you can get to, period. Read more...
Leg Drag Pass in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why the Leg Drag Pass Matters in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Every guard player knows the feeling: you’re fighting to recompose, knees pointed at your opponent, and suddenly your hips are twisted by force—one leg pinned and the rest of your frame crumples. Read more...
Kneebar in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
You hear your coach yell “kneebar!” during a scramble. Read more...
Kimura in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why Does the Kimura Work—And Why Does It Fail? You’re deadlocked in half guard. Read more...
How to Take the Back in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What It Is Taking the back in Brazilian jiu jitsu means getting yourself behind your opponent—hips, chest, and legs lining up with their back—securing control, and actively threatening to submit them. Read more...
Heel Hook in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why Heel Hooks Changed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu The first time someone cranked a heel hook on me in Brazilian jiu jitsu, I was shocked at how completely my leg was immobilized. Read more...
Half Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What Surprised Me About Half Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu When I first ended up in half guard during Brazilian jiu jitsu, I assumed it was half-way to being smashed. Read more...
Guillotine Choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Ever had someone’s chin buried into your neck, their arms clamped tight, and suddenly the room closes in? Read more...
Double Leg Takedown in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The Double Leg in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: What Actually Makes It Work Try shooting a double leg takedown halfway through a hard round in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Read more...
De La Riva Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What It Is The De La Riva Guard in Brazilian jiu jitsu is a classic open guard position, especially common in gi competition but increasingly relevant in no-gi. Read more...
D'Arce Choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Few things test your composure in Brazilian jiu jitsu like threading your arm deep for a D’Arce choke and realizing your own forearm is starting to tremble. Read more...
Cross Collar Choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
How do you explain to a new grappler why the cross collar choke in Brazilian jiu jitsu can feel so gentle when it’s set up right—and so impossible to finish when it isn’t? Read more...
Closed Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What It Is The closed guard in Brazilian jiu jitsu is one of the fundamental positions—classic, battle-tested, and still annoyingly effective. Read more...
Butterfly Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why People gas out Playing Butterfly Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu You land on your back, your opponent driving forward, and you dig your hooks in—a foot inside each thigh, knees flared wide. Read more...
Bow and Arrow Choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why This Choke Ends Fights There’s a moment in Brazilian jiu jitsu when you’re defending the back, hands fighting desperately at your collar, opponent riding your hip—then out of nowhere, your neck folds sideways, the fabric bites in, and you’re tapping before you know what’s happening. Read more...
Berimbolo in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Why the Berimbolo Is So Unforgiving—And So Effective Picture this: you’re tangled in open guard, both of you fighting for grips, and someone inverts beneath your hips. Read more...
Arm Bar From Guard
What It Is The arm bar from guard is one of the backbone submissions in BJJ. Read more...
Anaconda Choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What Happens When You Squeeze for the Anaconda? You’ve finally managed to snatch a front headlock in live training. Read more...
Americana in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
What actually happens—mechanically and physiologically—when you finish (or get caught in) an Americana in Brazilian jiu jitsu? Read more...
Frame
In Brazilian jiu jitsu, a **frame** is when you use your arms, legs, or sometimes your whole body as a solid, structured barrier to keep an opponent’s weight off you, manage space, or redirect pressure. Usually, a frame means planting the bony part of your arm (like the forearm or elbow) against their body, locking out your joints so you can resist weight without just muscling it. Frames aren’t just hands pushing—they’re bone-to-body structures, and they don’t move unless you want them to. Frames are what stop you from getting... Read more...
Elbow-Knee Connection
Elbow-knee connection in BJJ means keeping your elbow close to your knee—either actually touching or close enough to shut down space—usually when you’re playing guard or recovering guard. It plugs the holes between your upper and lower body, making it harder for someone to pass your guard, cut through your torso, or isolate your arm. If you’re rolling with anyone who’s even semi-competent, they hunt for space. Your elbow drifting away from your knee is a big “OPEN” sign. That little gap is all it takes for someone to dig... Read more...
Crossface
A crossface in Brazilian jiu jitsu is when you drive your forearm (usually the bone) across your opponent’s face, typically from a top position like side control. The goal isn’t to hurt them—it’s to turn their head away from you, kill their ability to move their upper body, and pin their shoulders to the mat. Crossface pressure is a staple for anyone who wants to actually hold someone down in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Without a strong crossface, your opponent can turn into you, build a frame, start to recover guard,... Read more...
Connection
In BJJ, "connection" means physically linking yourself to your opponent or the mat in a way that lets you control, transfer force, and respond quickly. This could be chest-to-chest, hip-to-hip, a strong grip on a sleeve, or even keeping your shin glued to their thigh. Connection isn’t just about touching—it's about sticking, transmitting movement, and denying space. ## Why It Matters Without solid connection, you lose control. Think about mount with your knees flared out, or butterfly guard with your hooks just dangling. You’ll get shaken off, passed, or swept.... Read more...
Base
In Brazilian jiu jitsu, “base” means your ability to stay balanced, centered, and hard to move—even when someone’s actively trying to off-balance, sweep, or crank you out of position. Good base usually comes down to a low, stable stance, smart weight distribution, and keeping your feet, knees, and hands organized so you’re not easy to tip or flatten. It shows up in every round—top, bottom, scrambles, everywhere. If you have good base, you aren’t easy to knock over or flatten. If your base sucks, people toss you around. ## Why... Read more...
Closed Guard
Closed guard is a classic position in Brazilian jiu jitsu where you’re on your back, legs wrapped around your opponent’s waist, ankles locked behind their back. You’re controlling their posture with your legs and often with your hands or grips. They’re stuck between your hips and chest, with very limited movement unless they break your guard. You can attack with submissions, sweeps, and back takes, but you need to keep your guard closed (ankles locked) to maintain control. ## Why It Matters Closed guard is one of the foundational positions... Read more...