BJJ is about good technique and using as little strength and energy as possible. It's a lot like running a business. A business only has so much money to run on. If you spend too much money in business and don't get anything back for your investment your business goes bankrupt. If while you are "rolling" with your partner and you use too much muscle trying for a submission or a better position then you are losing your precious energy and are little by little that much closer to being bankrupt or in this case exhausted. I want to add that your body also needs to be as relaxed as possible while you roll in order for your hips to be to be free to react, so your brain doesn't tighten up and you can think of moves and so you don't suffer injury. The next time you are having trouble during your training, think about your hips. Are they tight or relaxed and moving? Most times, if you just relax a little more, your hips and mind free up and you will do better and you will be forced to use less muscle.

I've run a martial arts school for the past 14 years and I've seen some really awesome schools and then some really crappy ones. The most awful schools I've seen are stand up martial arts instructors who have been around for 25 or 30 years who run Dungeon Dojos and a close second are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA schools. Many BJJ schools are run by men from Brazil who run the school like they have them in Brazil. This would be dirty, littered and unsanitary. I've seen schools that stink to high heaven, fuzzy mats, no toilet paper or paper towels in the bathroom, filled up bloody garbage cans, toilets that haven't been cleaned ever, students with dirty gi's, protective gear that is never disinfected and the list goes on and on. In Brazil it's really no big deal because they have a lot of fighters who want to train. In America it's different. Average Americans expect to train in a clean gym. A clean school is the "least" an owner can do. There is nothing worse then passing staph and ringworm around from student to student. Running a school isn't about the style you teach. I have seen so many pathetic and unqualified martial arts instructors with full schools because they run the school like a business. If BJJ/MMA is going to dominate the martial arts landscape then school owners are going to have to step up. Don't think that just because you are the greatest BJJ instructor in the world that you are going to have a full school. You have to do more to keep the American student! I'm constantly helping my students, sending good job cards and emails out and making sure if I don't see my students in class I give them a call. There is so much more then just opening your doors and throwing some mats down in having an awesome school! I think in the next decade you will see American BJJ instructors with overflowing schools and the Brazilians who haven't come on board with not so many. If you want to see Brazilians with awesome schools then look no further then the Gracie Academy or my instructor Pedro Sauer. They are on board!!

The following review I received from a Mr. Jason Panack of www.ko-reviews.com. For the record I don't know this man other then a couple emails. I'm going to let the review speak for itself. "Keith Owen is perhaps the best BJJ instructor that you've never really heard of. A black belt under Pedro Sauer, his "Favorite Moves" instructional DVD is off the charts! I was really, REALLY impressed with this DVD and highly recommend it to anyone out there who is studying BJJ. The DVD is all in the gi, but I think there is a lot to apply with no-gi as well. He covers submissions, counters, escapes, sitting mount, side control, S-mount, turtle position, north-south and much more. Owen is an instructor who uses very clear language and is excellent at explaining techniques. He explains techniques from the opponents point of view and what you should be thinking of during the technique to set him up. I've seen many more famous BJJ instructors fail where Owen has succeeded. The production value is fantastic. Probably the best I've seen for a BJJ instructional recently. It appears that everything has been filmed digitally becauses the images are crystal clear. The sound is perfect and you can always hear Owen as he explains techniques. There were several things that impressed me with this DVD. The first is the level of technical expertise. You may think that all BJJ DVD's are pretty decent...they're not. Owen offers extended explanation and small subtle details that make a huge difference in application and success. I've seen guys with incredibly thick Brazilian accents say things like, "Ok, you got the arm now fall down into the armbar." That's it. Next technique. Owen offers precise and detailed instruction that makes the techniques "technical" and "tight". Another thing I really enjoy is that he teaches from a perspective of experience that you believe. Sometimes you have guys who are naturals say things like, "You just do X, Y and Z" or you have guys that aren't qualified to teach or dont' have the knack sort of explain things is a robotic way. Owen teaches in a way where you really feel like he's performed these techniques successfully many times. He says things like, "You think you could do this, but it won't work, the guy usually does X and then you go for Y". He says this in a confident and assured tone that helps you to feel comfortable going for these techniques in live practice. The final thing I really like about this DVD is that nearly everything he showed was something new. I haven't seen anything Keith Owen is doing on any other DVD. The techniques are new or are explained in such a technical way that even old techniques feel new. He talks a lot about setups, baiting your opponent and transitions. If you want BJJ from the Rickson Gracie lineage, this is exactly what you've been looking for. For the blue belt to black belt level BJJ practitioner, this is probably the "perfect" DVD. I always give people fair and positive reviews, but if you are looking for the next great BJJ instructional, this is it. No joke. You may not know who Keith Owen is, but after watching this DVD you'll be glad you do now."

Am I the only one or did Matt Hamill get robbed of a decision? I was very shocked at the outcome of this match, so shocked in fact that I have to publicly state my opinion. I know that sometimes people see things in a different light then I do but maybe the judges were watching a different fight then I was. I haven’t read or seen what other people are saying about this bout but this clearly looks like they were giving it to the hometown boy. I must admit that coming into the arena playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” was probably not a great way to win friends and influence people but you know Hamill is deaf, maybe he didn’t know what music was playing, so I’m not going to hold it against him. Hamill clearly stalked Bisping in the ring, got in lots more punches then Bisping, took Bisping down continuously.. what more do you have to do to win? I’m thinking that we need to do random vision testing on judges. We don’t need to have the scandals and problems that have plagued boxing for so many years happen to MMA. I’m not saying that any skullduggery took place but man how embarrassing for the UFC and for the fans of London. I’m sure they don’t want to win that way. Bisping is even a good fighter, just had a bad night (or in this case a good night). Bisping’s entrance music was “London Calling.” I think we need to call London and find out if the judges were in the building that night or did they “call in” their decision.

This was an unsolicited review that I received from www.bjjreviews.net I think people so far are liking my work! Favorite Moves by Pedro Sauer BJJ black belt Keith Owen is a collection of random moves that are some of Keith's favorites like the title implies. On the DVD you will find 23 techniques covering such topics as side control submissions, chokes, submission defenses and more for a total length of 74 minutes. The production and audio was professionally done and you will have no problem seeing or hearing what is being taught. Out of all of these techniques I have a few favorites of my own. The Guard Pass for example is a standing pass in which you bait your opponent to apply an arm bar. Once they do go for the arm bar you pretty much passed their guard and take side control. You would think this move is risky to do, but it really isn't. Another favorite is the Guillotine Defense. I've tried other ways to escape this submission, but this is by far the easiest one for me to do. It does contain a lot of details, but even with that, the move was easy to learn. I've added these two moves to my game and have successfully used them while rolling. Another interesting set of moves is the Sitting Mount Four Sub Flow. You literally sit on your opponent's chest allowing you to catch your opponent in a nice arm bar, among other things. It does feel awkward at first, due to the off balance feeling you get, but I am becoming more and more comfortable with it. You can see this for free on Keith's website too. Over the years, I have seen quite a few instructional tapes and DVD's and most overlap each other with the same type of material. I can honestly say I haven't seen the majority of these techniques, which makes this DVD well worth the money. If you are looking for some moves to add to your current game or you want to brush up certain techniques with new details, you should definitely check this out. In the meantime, I will patiently be waiting for Volume 2 coming out this fall!

This is a review I received from Lock Flow and On the Mat contributor Carl Fisher! Keith Owen Favourite Moves Volume 1 – a review by Carl Fisher Keith Owen is a black belt under Pedro Sauer and teaches BJJ in Boise, Idaho in the US; Keith had originally viewed one of my reviews on www.lockflow.com and asked me to write an independent review of his new DVD release, so here it is! Keith begins the DVD with a brief introduction, explaining that the techniques shown in the DVD are his favourite moves that he regularly uses in class when sparring with his students and claims that they are moves that you won't see on any other compilation. There are twenty four chapters on the DVD covering a wide variety of positions including kimura counters; are bar defences; shoulder locks; north south position; escapes; mount attacks, turtle defence counters and many more. In a number of chapters, Keith takes you through four and five techniques from one position, so it's really a true value for money DVD. For the most part of the DVD, Keith's claims to uniqueness holds true; out of all the techniques, I personally have seen a few of the techniques on other DVD's, but as for the rest of the techniques, these are some of the funkiest and eclectic moves around, definitely not seen on other compilations. My favourite technique from the DVD is so simple to use that after seeing it once, I managed to pull it off in class the same night! Which one I hear you cry? Well, that would be telling wouldn't it, I need a few secret moves of my own!! This DVD is crammed full of techniques and is aimed at jiu jitsu practitioners regardless of belt level, there is something on it for everyone. The techniques are easy to execute and don't require any special powers of flexibility and dexterity to pull them off in training. The DVD is titled Volume 1 and I sincerely hope that a Volume 2 is in the pipeline real soon. The DVD is available from www.bjjmoves.com and is priced at $24.95. Anyone needing a product review, contact me @ thefightingphotographer@hotmail.co.uk --> --> --> © 2005-2006 www.lockflow.com -->

"I thoroughly enjoyed this video by Keith Owen from start to finish. The title of the video - Favorite Moves - is appropriate because you really get the sense that Keith is revealing some of his bread and butter techniques and strategies. I particularly liked that he provides a context for each technique: while showing a unique armbar defense, for example, he clarifies that it is a last-ditch escape to use when other defenses have failed. With regards to value there are a LOT of techniques on this DVD, many of which I haven't seen on any other video. The teaching is fast-paced and Keith knows which key points to emphasize for every technique. This DVD is so good that I'm looking forward to Volume 2 already!" Stephan Kesting BJJ Black Belt www.grapplearts.com