Long-form essays from the Imperial Ground coaching team. Four pillars: longevity, starting out, wellbeing, and movement-as-medicine.
Why a martial art that looks intense from the outside is one of the most sustainable training methods available after 35, and how the Imperial Ground curriculum is designed for the next thirty years, not the next thirty months.
Pillar 2 · Starting OutA plain guide for someone who's never trained any martial art, written for the specific reality of being a beginner in this city. What to expect on day one, how to choose between Gi and No-Gi, what's actually in the bag, and the questions nobody asks out loud.
Pillar 3 · WellbeingThe mental-health argument for BJJ has been made, badly, a thousand times. Here's the version we actually believe, about why a community that knows your name and watches you struggle is medicine that no app can replicate.
Pillar 4 · MovementThe grappling positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are also the positions of getting up off the floor when you're 70. A look at why "training" and "ageing-well practice" are increasingly the same conversation, and what BJJ specifically does that other sports don't.
Safety · InjuriesHow often do people get hurt in BJJ, and where? Figures from studies of over 2,000 practitioners, honestly explained. Plus: chokes and hygiene.
Safety · ChokesHow fast does a choke work, and how often does it cause serious harm? What the studies show, where they fall short, and the two rules we train by.
Belts · Blue BeltHow long does it take to go from white to blue belt in BJJ? An honest range, the IBJJF rules, and what we look for before we promote anyone.
Research · OverviewIs BJJ good for you? We reviewed 159 papers on BJJ and related combat sports: what is well supported, what is only an early hint, and what is not.
Fitness · Body FatCan you lose weight with BJJ? What studies show on endurance, body fat and calories, and why you don't need to get fit before you start.
Women's Class · DüsseldorfBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a room with only women: Thursdays at 18:00 in Düsseldorf-Derendorf, with Coach Anke, beginners welcome. Your first class is free.
Starting Out · After 40Starting BJJ at 40, 50 or 60? What studies on older adults and injury risk show, where they fall short, and how to start with control.
Starting Out · The First WeeksThe first weeks of BJJ are rarely comfortable. What the studies say, where they fall short, and how we make your first weeks easier.
Mental Health · ResearchWhich is better for your mental health, BJJ or CrossFit? What the first head-to-head study found, what it cannot show, and what we take from it.
Research · Trauma and StressWhat small studies of veterans and first responders report about BJJ and stress symptoms, why they prove little, and why BJJ is not therapy.