6309 SW Capitol Highway, Portland OR, 97239
503 432 7450
info@southwestportlandmartialarts.com
Since the rower is just a machine, there’s no technique to it, right?
Wrong. We’re going to spend the next 10 weeks working on rowing technique. That doesn’t mean we’ll do it everyday, but there will be rowing in at least one workout a week and we’ll try to use it as a warmup and talk about technique at least two times a week.
For today, we talked about the speed of the pull versus the speed of the return. As a general rule, you should pull the handle about twice as fast as you let it return. Why? Because then you can put more power into each stroke. If you don’t let the rower spin down, you can’t make it go faster.
Try it. I was shocked to see I was keeping a faster pace and getting a longer rest between pulls.
SW Portland Martial Arts Blog
Row
May 17th, 2026Limp Arm
May 15th, 2026
Sometimes, your arm gets stuck. If your partner has deliberately captured it and is holding on tight… you might be able to solve the problem by using the limp arm.
Contrary to the name, it doesn’t simply mean letting your arm go limp. That’s part of it, but the other parts are changing position (or waiting for your partner to change the position) and then whipping the arm while it is limp.
So, suppose you’re in dogfight and your partner has a strong overhook on your arm. If (as you have so many times before) you tense up and try and use strength to escape, it might work, but the better your partner is the less likely this strategy instead. Try dropping your shoulder, letting your arm go limp, and then whipping the limb out of the trap. That is the limp arm.
This scenario comes up in standing positions and lots of other places. A very similar situation happens when your leg is trapped from a kick catch or a single leg attempt – that’s when instead of doing the limp arm technique, you get to do the limp leg technique (that’s not actually the name, but the techniques are remarkably similar – except you drop the hip instead of the shoulder and whip the leg instead of the arm.)
Want to learn more? Come try our BJJ classes anytime or enjoy the full panoply of our Martial Arts schedule.
Women’s BJJ
May 2nd, 2026
Having you been wishing for a women’s only BJJ class to appear on our schedule? Your wish has been fulfilled. Starting today, May 2nd, at 3pm, there is now a class open to all female identifying folks ages 13 and up.
The content will be, as it is with all our classes, tailored to fit who shows up. That means if you’re brand new to the game or if you’ve been in it for years, you are welcome. It also means if you’re in peak physical condition or you’re just coming off of an injury, you are welcome.
Check out our full BJJ schedule here and enjoy a free week. For this class we are also offering sliding scale drop in fees so if our monthly membership feels like an exorbitant cost, pay what you can.
Rubber Guard
April 21st, 2026
What’s the point of rubber guard? Same as any guard – control.
Rubber guard gets associated with having to be extremely flexible and/or have crazy long legs but the truth is that the basic positions don’t require either and the majority of BJJ players will be able to do them. There are certainly moves within the corpus of rubber guard that require extreme physical attributes but this isn’t unique. There are some cool moves that require unusual flexibility, strength, or body type. We don’t avoid teaching those moves, but we don’t generally make them the core focus of a class because they aren’t for most people.
Don’t let the reputation of the rubber guard (or any other moves) scare you off. If we’re teaching it in class, it means we think most folks will be able to get it.
Interested in our BJJ classes? Click here for our schedule.
Position
April 8th, 2026
In CrossFit, we sometimes break down movements into positions. How does this work? Let’s look at the push up as an example as to why this might be useful.
First, we all get into the top of a pushup and look at the key points of the position. The head, hips, and ankles are all in a line. The elbows are locked out. The fingers can be pointed straight ahead or rotated slightly outward depending on wrist comfort.
Second, we’d all get in the bottom of a push up and repeat the process. Again, the head, hips, and ankles are all in a line. The elbows are in against the body.
Finally, after feeling and talking about what both those positions are supposed to be, we’d do a few push ups. Why? Because with this sort of approach many students will see an improvement in technique.
Like everything, it doesn’t always work and it can be overdone, but better technique equals better fitness and we’re all about that.
Interested in our CrossFit classes? Check out our schedule and try a free week.