BJJ techniques with Mahamed Aly

Free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lessons from a 4x IBJJF World Champion. Guard passing, escapes, back defense, half guard and self-defense, taught in English and in Portuguese. Watch them here, then come and drill them with a coach on the mat.

13 lessons in English, from the One Way Martial Arts channel and guest sessions.

7 Essential Lessons for White Belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Mahamed Aly shares seven lessons every white belt should know to progress faster in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, starting with the most important one: consistency beats talent, and technique beats strength.

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BJJ Escapes for Beginners

Tired of tapping out? A few escapes from the dominant positions beginners get stuck in most, such as mount and side control, taught step by step.

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Defending Armbars for BJJ Beginners

Simple ways to defend the armbar from different positions, with concepts you can apply the next time you train.

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Armbar Details for Beginners

The key details that make the armbar work for newer students, and the concepts to start applying in your next training session.

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Side Control Attacks

Details for attacking from top side control that help you save energy and dictate what happens, in training or in competition.

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Half Guard for Beginners: The Prayer Concept

For beginners struggling under heavier opponents in half guard: how the prayer concept creates room to move, get underhooks, sweep and take the back.

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Passing Half Guard: Control the Hips and Shoulders

How to position yourself to pass half guard, shut down your opponent's shield and frames, and why controlling the hips and shoulders makes the pass easier.

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Lasso Guard for Beginners

Tricks, angles and basic techniques from the lasso guard for students who are new to jiu-jitsu.

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How Do I Get a Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt?

Mahamed Aly explains what a blue belt really means, how promotion systems differ between academies, why competition helps you develop, and why your training goals matter more than the color of your belt.

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World Champion Tips for Your First BJJ Competition

4x IBJJF World Champion Mahamed Aly shares practical tips for people who have never competed before: how to prepare, what to expect and how to approach your first jiu-jitsu tournament.

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Armbar escape for white belts

A guest lesson from Mahamed Aly: how to get your arm back when someone already has the armbar locked in. Built for people in their first months on the mat, when this is the submission that catches you most.

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Two finishes for when the armbar stalls

You have the position but the arm will not come free. Instead of forcing it, Mahamed Aly shows two submissions to switch to from there.

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Rolling and choke details with Mahamed Aly

A guest session filmed in 2019: live rolling, then the choke details Mahamed Aly relies on from the positions that come up most often.

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Questions about these lessons

Who teaches the techniques in these videos?

Mahamed Aly, head coach and co-owner of One Way Martial Arts in Alexandria, VA, and a 4x IBJJF World Champion. He teaches the English lessons on the One Way Martial Arts channel and the Portuguese ones on his own channel.

Are the videos in English or Portuguese?

Both. Use the tabs at the top of this page to switch. The English tab holds lessons filmed at the academy in Alexandria plus a few guest sessions he taught elsewhere in 2019. The Portuguese tab holds his earlier instructional videos from Brazil, covering guard passing, back defense, half guard and self-defense.

Do I need to be a member to watch these?

No. Every video here is free to watch and you do not need an account. If you want to train the positions with a coach correcting you, your first class at One Way Martial Arts is free.

I am a complete beginner. Where should I start?

Start with the escape and guard-recovery lessons rather than the submissions. Getting out of bad positions is what keeps a beginner calm enough to learn everything else, and it is the first thing taught in a BJJ Fundamentals class.

Does watching videos replace training?

No. Video shows you the shape of a technique, but nobody learns to apply it without a live, resisting partner and a coach fixing the details. Use these to prepare for class or to review something you drilled, not instead of going.

Is self-defense covered in these techniques?

Yes, and it is not a separate subject. Self-defense is what you are learning the entire time you train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The escapes, the back defense and the no-gi techniques in these videos are the same skills that keep you safe if someone bigger takes you to the ground.

Train the basics at home

The One Way Special Sauce is our own white-to-blue-belt course: the same basics we drill in BJJ Fundamentals class, filmed and broken down so you can study them between sessions.

It is open to everyone. Train with us in Alexandria and it gives you the curriculum to review at home. Train somewhere else, or nowhere yet, and it still works on its own.

Course one

Top Game: BJJ Basics

Everything from the top: holding position, passing the guard and keeping the pressure that makes people give up the position rather than fight it.

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Course two

Bottom Game: White to Blue Belt

Everything from underneath: building your guard, recovering it when it is gone, escaping the positions beginners get stuck in, and sweeping back on top.

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Both together

Top and Bottom: the full basics

Both courses together, which is the way we would actually teach it. Most beginners lose rounds on the side they never studied, so covering both is what closes the gap.

Get both courses

The courses are hosted on whitetobluebeltbjj.com and give you a year of access. They are there to support your training rather than replace it: nobody learns to apply a technique without a live partner and a coach correcting the detail.

Drill it with a coach watching

Video shows you the shape of a technique. A coach fixes the detail you cannot see. Your first class is free, in any program, with no obligation.

Book your free trial Call (703) 951-4440

5416 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 22304 · Van Dorn Street Metro (Blue Line) · Free parking