Video Library
An interview covering four decades on the mat, followed by breakdowns of the fundamentals we drill in class.
Professor James Boran sits down with This Week in BJJ to talk through the road that took him from Ivy League linebacker to one of the Dirty Dozen, the first twelve Americans ever promoted to black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He covers his early training with the Gracie family, the move from Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido into jiu-jitsu, and why he opened the academy in Costa Mesa.
The second half of the interview moves onto the mat. Professor Boran breaks down his counter to the scissor sweep, showing the base and weight distribution that stop the sweep before it starts, then the path straight into the pass. A clear look at the detail-first way technique is taught in class.
One of the first submissions every student learns at Boran BJJ. This drill walks through the arm isolation, the hip position that keeps you heavy, and the controlled finish: the fundamentals that make the armbar work against a resisting partner.
Holding mount is harder than getting there. Professor Boran shows how to stay heavy, ride the escape attempts, and use your hooks and posture to shut down the bridge and the elbow-knee escape before your partner can build any frame.
A classic guard sequence connecting the kimura grip to the hip-bump sweep. Because the sweep and the submission threaten each other, your partner cannot defend both, so this drill trains the timing that makes the pair work together.
The knee slice is one of the highest-percentage passes in modern jiu-jitsu, in the gi and without it. This breakdown covers the grips, the angle of the slicing knee, and how to keep your shoulder pressure on so the pass finishes in a settled side control.
Boran Jiu Jitsu at Home
The videos above are a selection. Professor Boran posts full technique breakdowns and drills you can work through at home between classes.
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