Great group – thank you for the outstanding support from SBG Africa. The day began with people standing and opening up the closed guard. The day ended with almost no one being able to stand or open.
It’s structure that gives you strength in Jiu-Jitsu. I’m not here to teach you the “new”. I’m here to make your game much better, in one class. – Matt Thornton

While in South Africa, Coach Matt also found time for family and tribe, visiting with old friends and teammates who he hadn’t seen in as much as 17 years! Just another example of the unbreakable bonds, resistant to distance and time, that form by being part of the global SBG community!

17 years later .. ( we tried to get Luca to do a handstand)

Chris Haueter on Timkast

The grandfather of SBG and bonafide BJJ legend, Chris Haueter went on Timkast last month. Timkast is a podcast hosted by retired rockstar and radio talent, Tim Krukowski. On the show, Chris discusses everything from BJJ, to art and design, and urban planning!

Chris Haueter will be coming to the SBG HQ in Portland at the end of June for a two day seminar. Be sure to sign up for his seminar before it sells out. Haueter is a member of the “Dirty Dozen”, one of the first 12 Americans to receive a BJJ black belt, and has been studying the art ever since. His depth of knowledge is unmatched, and alongside his knowledge base, he also has a wealth of fascinating anecdotes that make his seminars both informative and entertaining. The Haueter seminar will take place between 11am and 1pm on June 30th & July 1st, with a reduced price for all SBG members! Sign up today!

Is Nonviolent Martial Arts Possible?

In this Youtube video, SBG President Matt Thornton discusses the idea of nonviolence as a legitimate strategy as we go about the world.

Matt outlines that while the ideal of nonviolence, and martial arts that strive towards it like Aikido, can and should be admired, it is sadly utopian, and as such does not address the harsh reality of the world around us. His answer instead, is to find a healthy, balanced relationship with the idea of violence, accept its existence in today’s world and throughout history, and avoid fetishizing it through healthy exposure to it, as through MMA and BJJ.

More seminars for Matt!

SBG Canada growing strong 🦍💪🏻 Congratulations to all the new blue and purple belts, as well as our newest brown belt, Curtis Peter-Rennich… Well done all! – Matt Thornton

The Matt Thornton seminar tour stopped off back in Canada in May, as the SBG President took his material to Alberta.

While there, not only did he delve into the inner workings of the closed guard and leave everyone with better BJJ thnt before, but he also took part in awarding some brand new belts to the SBG Canada students.

A host of new blue and purple belts were awarded, as well as a brown belt. Congratulations to Curtis Peter-Rennich on his new brown belt, and to all of those promoted for their hard-work and dedication!

Curtis, SBG’s newest brown belt, had this to share on the experience:

“So this happened tonight. Not sure if it’s really sunk in yet, nonetheless it is an awesome feeling and crazy to think of another milestone crossed and chapter opening.

Thanks to all the people who I have had the pleasure to roll with over the years. It’s always those people who make you better at this sport. So to be brief (because this could go for ever) in my thank you’s. Matt Thornton, Travis Davison, Sam Karpyshin, Steve Winjet, Anthony Stauffer, James Pugsley and all the people mostly in Edmonton, Montana, Portland, and everywhere else I’ve trained thanks for the rolls and those to come!

Cant wait to learn and discover more!”

Following the successes in Alberta, Matt headed down to Alabama, where the good folks of SBG Alabama were able to absorb the same, game-changing closed guard fundamentals. As Coach Adam Singer put it : “Coach Matt killing the closed guard game. #SBG”

Coach Matt killing the closed guard game. #SBG

10 Principles of Fundamental Jiu jitsu

SBG Burien head coach and SBG brown belt, Jei Kennedy, shared a graphic with the tribe via social media last month. The poster shared 10 principles he had outlined to discern whether his jiu jitsu was truly fundamental.

The poster sparked lively discussion among senior members of the tribe, and was widely applauded. It puts classic principles and ideas behind the SBG process, ideas such as the need for his BJJ to be efficient, empirical and essential, together and makes them accessible to all in one place.

Coach Jei’s 10 Principles:

• Empirical
• Beautiful
• Simple
• Expansive
• Continuity
• Efficient
• Long lasting
• Natural
• Accessible
• Essential

Matt Thornton at PSU On Martial Arts & Critical Thinking

SBG President Matt Thornton started his martial arts journey decades ago, and during that time has fought countless battles against mysticism, fake martial arts and misplaced belief in systems based on fantasy. With the rise of MMA to the foreground of modern combat sports, it is remarkable that such battles continue, but still they persist. Matt’s wealth of knowledge, paired with first-hand experience, has given him an unparalleled ability to think critically, and it is this ability that has allowed SBG to separate itself as one of the world leaders in MMA and BJJ.

This month, Matt took that knowledge and gave a talk at Portland State University on Critical Thinking and Martial Arts. For the most part in was well received, in no small part because of Matt’s ability to get his ideas across clearly and succinctly, but not everyone picked up what he was laying down… Matt shared the following exchange from the class, proof that he may be fighting these same battles for some time to come:

Q: so if Kung Fu is bullshit, why did the Shaolin monks practice it for thousands of years?

Back home at Straight Blast Gym Ireland.
“Tough is not how you act. Tough is how you train”
This SBG quote alone always made me seek out the toughest spars and the toughest rolls against the best and most experienced fighters that where around me at that time.
It is a quote and a mentality that made me into a 4 time World Champion.
Hard work pays. I am living proof.

Are You Subscribed To The Gorilla Press? This is what you missed!

Gorilla Press Issue 100

Updates from Matt’s current seminar tours, SBG Seattle Coach Jei Kennedy works to decode fundamentals, and more

Amanda Diggins On Clearing Legs From Guard Top

SBGU The Fundamentals Amanda Passing the Guard Airs June 13th

SBG Ladies Camp Is Almost Here – And You Have One More Chance!

For the first time ever the SBG Ladies Camp will be heading out of the states! Register now and celebrate this momentous occasion in Edmonton Canada! Due to a technical glitch on SBGCamps.com we have decide to re-open early registration for another 3 days! That starts NOW and will only run until this Friday, June 8th, so register now and save!

Click Here To Register.

SBG Podcast Episode 18

SBG University – Updates

We’re currently only a couple of weeks away from officially opening SBGU enrollment!

But what is SBGU?

What can it do for you?

SBGU has been built to be a easily accessible library of SBG coaching. Decades of information has been compiled into “The SBG Archive”. It is a library of over 500 videos painstakingly organized for quick and easy access. Need a submission from a specific position? Problems holding a position? Or simply want some insight on a potential issue with your footwork?

Simply pick that category and go! Great content from sources you know you can trust. Save hours of time searching through other videos and sending them to a coach to get feedback on their legitimacy. Instead you get it right away at your finger tips.

On top of all of this you will get access to weekly videos direct from Matt.

Access to an exclusive online group for questions and answers.

And EARLY access to full curriculum “Modules”, including but not limited to the release of Matt’s Mastering The Mount Series.

Want free access now? Click the link and ask a question! If your question is picked as the question of the month you will get a video response from an SBG coach AND full early access to SBGU for a month, FREE.

SBGU has also started moving forward on new Modules featuring a few of the other SBG Coaches. These “Modules” will be DVD quality and will feature entire curriculum!

This month we also started production on a brand new stand up module.
SBGU is not to be missed, keep an eye out this 20th for the official opening of a limited enrollment.

-Click Here To Stay Updated On SBGU-

-This Weeks Low Stock Items-

Each week we will let you know which two items are starting to trickle down so you can get a chance to get one before they’re gone!

This weeks featured items are the fresh flat brim SBG hats and, believe it or not, our brand new bags! Hop on today while they still last.