Did you make any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) resolutions for 2012? Any particular part of your game you want to improve upon? What about correcting an issue that you keep getting stuck with when you roll? How about training more? The possibilities could truly be endless. When it comes to BJJ, it is good to have resolutions. All that proves is that you are aware of how you are on the mats, or at least how you think you are. It also shows that you are open to improving yourself and your commitment to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Nothing bad could ever come from having a BJJ resolution or resolutions. As far as the resolutions themselves, well that's up for you to decide. In the meantime, allow me to offer up a few suggestions: BJJ 2012 Resolution 1: WORK ON NOT GETTING SWEPT This is sometimes overlooked as a drilling option in BJJ and I don't know why. Being swept in the midst of rolling drops the level on the rolling confidence meter. It swings the momentum in the favor of your training partner or opponent. In a tournament you have points scored against you. It's a tough pill to swallow. Consider these few items during the course of a roll: Check your balance by properly positioning your weight. If your opponent starts to get shifty or around your collar, sleeve or lapel they are setting you up. Drill a solid sprawl to trap their legs when you have to. Practice "body surfing" when you are off the ground. Control them and watch their hips. Be aware. BJJ 2012 Resolution 1: WORK ON BREATHING PROPERLY There is no shortage of articles written about breathing in BJJ. Controlling and pacing your breathing for BJJ cannot be stressed enough. This is fundamental to your endurance, and plays a huge factor in your ability to train consistently. I can honestly say that I am guilty when it comes to not working on this as much as I should. There are times when I am very aware of my breathing, and times when I get caught up in the roll and forget about it. Needless to say, here are some pointers that work for me: Remember to listen to how the other person is breathing. If they are huffing and puffing slow your breathing down and breathe correctly. If they aren't then breathe like them because you have a real match on your hands. Stick to the old standby method of inhale through the nose and exhale through your mouth. Be explosive when you have to so that you can preserve your endurance. BJJ Resolution 3: LEARN TO POSTURE IN THE CLOSED GUARD As a coach I can honestly tell you that an instructor's dream is a student who has excellent posture in closed guard. The real dirty work in BJJ is the battle that happens to try to open your partner's closed guard. Everybody out there has some kind of method of doing this, but it is all useless if you can't posture in the guard. This may seem like something basic because it is, but it is something you can never lose sight of. Getting broken down, controlled, swept, or submitted from inside the guard can all be lessened with a lot of posture practice. This is the "mental checklist" I use every time I find myself in closed guard: Sit down on your heels or feet to make sure that your center of gravity is low. Use your knees to establish a good "non-sweepable" base. Get grips and make sure your elbows are tucked into your sides. Keep your eyes off of your partner or opponent and look forward at an upward angle similar to looking up a gradual hill. Next time you are out rolling think about these three BJJ Resolutions and how important they are to your training. Sometimes we lose sight of the basic principles in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in favor of something cool. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but in the end we have to remember where we came from. As far as myself my BJJ Resolution is to pop all 24 chokes in this speed video. I have seen this thing floating all over the internet and blogosphere, so me posting it is nothing new. I also saw it after the New Year so it's technically not a resolution, but it is still worth trying. Jason Scully has been putting these videos out lately and they are great. There are a lot of techniques shown in a brief period of time, but for some reason they just click. He has asked that people share his video to help spread the word so here is my chip-in...

read more: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) 2012 Resolutions: The Gi Choke