The next time you complain that you’re all thumbs, think about the amazing achievements of the Brazil-born Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Jean Jacques Machado. As one of the five marvelous Machado brothers (Carlos, Roger, Rigan and John) and nephew of BJJ co-founder Carlos Gracie, Jean Jacques Machado was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome. This is a congenital birth defect that left his left hand with only his pinkie and thumb. However, it wouldn’t be long before Machado would be better known for his grappling skills and signature rear-naked choke.
Machado began studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Carlos Gracie at an early age. Under Gracie’s tutelage, Machado received his black belt and went on to win every major competition and capture every major BJJ title in Brazil from 1982 to 1992. Machado gained further notoriety by winning a variety of sambo, grappling and BJJ competitions in the United States. However, he eventually attained worldwide recognition when he won first place in his weight class at the highly prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Submission Wrestling Championships in 1999.
Because of his accomplishments, Machado remains one of the most well-regarded grappling instructors in the world. For more on Jean Jacques Machado’s academy and his online seminars, check out JeanJacquesMachado.com.
– January 4, 2013
Discover easy-to-learn escapes that will save you from match-ending submissions in this FREE martial arts ebook — 4 Submission Escapes From Jean Jacques Machado. Get started on learning how to turn the flow of any match to your advantage!
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– November 30, 2011
Based on their acclaimed best-selling book of the same name, Jean Jacques Machado and Jay Zeballos’ highly anticipated three-DVD set, The Grappler’s Handbook: Gi and No-Gi Techniques, serves as a martial arts multimedia companion wherein the two Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters demonstrate takedowns, chokes, holds and submissions in living color and
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– November 2, 2011
In this exclusive Brazilian jiu-jitsu video filmed at Black Belt, Jean Jacques Machado — former national and international grappling tournament champion, recent red-and-black-striped belt recipient (from Rickson Gracie), 2011 Black Belt Hall of Fame Instructor of the Year, and author of the best-selling The Grappler’s Handbook Vol. 1: Gi and
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– September 22, 2011
I remember when I was still a relatively new white belt I entered an in-house tournament at the academy. I got absolutely crushed: two matches, two losses — both by submission. Even though I was down on myself, I kept pushing forward.
Months later, I was finishing up a training session
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– September 21, 2011
In this exclusive martial arts video filmed at Black Belt, former national and international grappling tournament champion and author of the best-selling The Grappler’s Handbook Vol. 1: Gi and No-Gi Techniques and The Grappler’s Handbook Vol. 2: Tactics for Defense shows you two effective finishes from the mount.
Jean Jacques Machado’s
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– September 20, 2011
There are many similarities between a Brazilian jiu-jitsu student and a grapevine.
A long time ago, growers found out that if you indulge the vine — giving it lots of water and rich soil — it will produce mediocre grapes. They discovered that in order to produce grapes that are of
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– September 16, 2011
Staying focused sounds simple enough, but it’s something a lot of Brazilian jiu-jitsu students struggle with.
Every aspect of training is valuable, but people often focus on the parts they enjoy most. It is important to arrive on time and participate in every part of the class: from warm-ups to drills
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– September 15, 2011
One of the main reasons I spent five years as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt is because I was only able to attend a class once a week for the first three years of my training.
At that point in my life, I had other responsibilities and really had to dig
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– September 13, 2011
People have different reasons for training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Some might be masters in other forms of martial arts and want to gain some experience in ground grappling to help round out their curriculum. Others might be aspiring MMA fighters. Then you have the “weekend warriors.” These are the people
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– September 9, 2011
I recently completed co-author duties with Jean Jacques Machado on his newest book — The Grappler’s Handbook Vol. 2: Tactics for Defense. In this new volume, I wrote a preface of my own that detailed some of my experiences as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu student. The preface was posted on BlackBeltMag.com
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