I believe Jiujitsu is very dependent upon grips and the grip fighting game. Collars, sleeves, pants, belts, underhooks are all part of a constant struggle for grip superiority.
  At Davis Martial Arts in Humble Tx, Jiujitsu is the backbone of our schools programs. Grips and grip fighting play a major role in our day to day training. Retaining guard, sweeps, throws, chokes, all dependent upon the grip. Mini battles of grip domination can determine the outcome within the "WAR" of a 5 minute role.
  Drills are essential to develop a strong grip game. Standing grip fighting. Grip fighting from closed guard.  Gi twisting and pulling. Our kids play tug of war with the gi top. The main rule, DONT LET GO. They have made vast improvements by establishing what we call the "WINNERS GRIP." These are all examples of things a Jiujitsu practitioner should be doing at least once a week. to help improve their grips.
  Chokes. Well, if your looking to collar choke someone, then your grip game needs to be on point. Ezekiels, loop chokes, cross collar, bat chokes. The list is endless. The hunt for the perfect grip to secure that all ending choke submission is what its all about. Guys can resist the pain of an arm or ankle lock, to a point. But, trying to resist the Darth Vadar death grip of your schools Jedi (Rod Morrow), forget it. Tap City or your sleeping.
  Try passing the guard when your team mate has the "Kung Fu Death Grip" on your lapel and sleeve. Not gonna happen. Grip fighting is not just about grip retention, its also about grip breaking as well.
  Humble Jiujistu is dedicated to training our people to the best of their abilities. Drills, techniques, free rolling all play a part in your development in Jiujitsu. WORK YOU GRIPS! Train hard. Work hard. Strive to be your best. WORK YOUR GRIPS!
                                     Davis Martial Arts Academy
                                     Practice Makes Permanent

  Reffing a Jiujitsu tournament is a tough job. Knowing the rules is not enough. You have to have trained some to understand the rules and techniques that go along with the point scoring system. 
  I have been training Jiujitsu for 16yrs and reffing for most of that, to say I have a complete mastery of tournament rules would be a far stretch. Training at Davis Martial Arts in Humble Texas has giving me a lot of opportunities to not only train, but learn the rules involved with tournament play.
  Scoring: Like other competitive sports, tournament Jiujitsu has a set of rules that governs the point scoring system.  Takedowns, sweeps, passing guard, knee ride, mount, and back mount are all scoring positions or situations. Out of all of these, the sweep and pass are some of the most argued situations that I tend to deal with.
  Sweeps: In order to score 2 points with a sweep, the original position must start from a guard position. Closed, open, spider, half, are all examples of guards. A competitor must transition from the bottom to the top position from a guard position, in order to receive the points and maintain control while on top. Some competitors and coaches tend to argue the points based on their own observations or feeling of where the sweep may or may not have originated from and ended. As a ref,when competitors start a  "DOG FIGHT" or scramble, we must try and keep in mind where the position originated. Which can sometimes be very difficult when if the action drags on, or if they get close or cross boundaries lines. Difficult to do to say the least. All the while the coaches and team mates are screaming and yelling, "HOW IS THAT POINTS, or WHERES MY SWEEP POINTS REF?" Decisions/decisions. Make the wrong on and coaches will eat you alive. 
  Pass: The pass is an unusual situation, in order for the person on top to secure the 3 points, they must first have been in a guard to start off, then clear the legs and hips and secure a control position with the opponent flattened out and stable for 3 seconds. A classic situation is generally in the beginning of matches or when the competitors stand up. In the transition of a take down, the bottom competitors does not establish a guard and the top competitors gains side control. A lot and I mean a lot of coaches scream at me, "WHERES MY SIDE CONTROL POINTS REF?" Nooooooooooooooooooo!! You would think by now, as long as Jiujitsu has been in the Houston area, guys would know that there are NO SIDE CONTROL POINTS!
  Scoring vs Submission:  Submit your opponent. Jiujitsu is about the submission. In a tournament situation you have guys that chase the medals by somewhat subverting the rules through the point game. if you want a decisive victory, submit your opponent.
  I recently had a complaint that I as a ref, just pick and choose who wins. The score was tied at the end of the match, the other competitor was more active, with several submission attempts. Now the complainee had a submission attempt himself. So, of course when the match ended, tie score, someone has to lose. I chose the more active competitor. He then complained that he was on top the entire match so he should win. This was true, but, the guy on bottom was working his ass off while he was surviving by holding on. In my opinion he lost. It sucks to be a ref at that point. Someone is going to be mad. Someone is going to complain. Someone has to lose. DONT LEAVE IT UP TO THE REF. Submit your opponent and there are no discussions. 
  Jiujitsu guys are very assertive. Coaches always have to have their guys back, right or wrong. I get it. I don't stress over the yelling and complaining anymore.  I just try my best to explain the situation and go on. 
  Bottom line guys, SUBMIT YOUR OPPONENT!!!! Don't leave it up to a ref because someone is going home with  out the win either way.
  Jiujitsu in the Houston/humble area has come along way in a short time. It just keeps getting better and better. Larger tournaments. Better competition. Pro shows. This is a historic time for our art.
  Humble Jiujitsu is proud to be part of history in the making. Davis martial Arts in Humble Texas is where I train. find a gym near you and go out, have fun, and change your life.
                                      Davis Martial Arts Academy  
                                      Practice Makes Permanent
 

  I had the honor this weekend of witnessing first hand the power of Jiujitsu in the Houston area. F2W pro show put on an event to rival all. 25 matches of some of the top competitors Texas has to offer. From kids to adults, the line up was an action packed card that kept you in your seat.
  I have had the opportunity over the years of reffing and witnessing a lot of matches. This however took the cake. Some of the youngest top notch grapplers from Texas went toe to toe in a submission only style event. Add to that, the teen and adult divisions followed with some impressive bouts.
  Davis Martial Arts in Humble Texas is proud to be a part of the up and coming Jiujitsu community here in Texas. The growth of the art just within the Houston area is astounding to me. Seeing the events like F2W on Saturday, always reminds me of the humble roots from which we have come. 400 plus competitors in the early tournament event, to a packed house of on lookers for the Pro-show in the evening.
   I remember being kicked out of gyms because the tournament ran too long. I can remember when a local tournament of 50 competitors was a big deal. I remember when tournaments were every 2-3 months usually in another town. Now, if you want, you can compete at least once a month just down the street.
  The F2W shows, along with Seth Daniels and Brett Boyce, have always put on great tournaments. They want exactly what the competitors want. An organized event with lots of competition, running smooth, efficient, and on time. This what F2W always offers.
  Humble Jiujitsu and myself would like to thank Brett and Seth for showing tournament groups and organizations what and how tournaments are supposed to be run.
   Never would I have believed that there would be a full house of spectators, sitting down for 3-4 hours to watch Jiujitsu matches. Not MMA guys, strictly Jiujitsu. I loved the whole thing. Elevated mats. Professional announcer. Entry music. Light show. Cameras streaming the event to the web. Freakin awesome...
     For sure, F2W tournaments and Pro show will go down in history and I am glad that Davis Martial Arts was and is part of it. Support these guys and any local Jiujitsu school. The BJJ community is small, but were growing everyday. Get on board and don't get left behind. Jiujitsu is for everyone. Lets train!!!
                                      Davis Martial Arts Academy
                                      Practice Makes Permanent