AJ Discianni doesn’t mince words when it comes to what he considers one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most outdated practices: traditional warm-ups. As a black belt under Brad Court at Paramount Jiu-Jitsu and co-owner of New Asgard Martial Arts in Pennsylvania, Discianni has built a reputation for challenging the status quo in the sport he’s dedicated over a decade to perfecting.
During a recent appearance on the Jits and Giggles podcast, Discianni pulled no punches about the state of modern BJJ instruction.
“I’m 11 years in, and I’m still going to gyms where they’re doing 15-minute warm-ups of jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups.”
He said with evident frustration. His position is simple:
“They pay me to do jiu-jitsu, not to do push-ups.”
This isn’t just personal preference but a business philosophy rooted in customer service. Discianni argues that students invest their hard-earned money to learn martial arts not to perform calisthenics they could do at home for free.
“That hopefully shouldn’t be a hot take, but there are a lot of people who’ll probably be really upset because they have to figure out how to teach people for a full hour now.”
He noted, highlighting what he sees as a fundamental problem: instructors using warm-ups to fill time rather than maximize technical instruction.
The warm-up debate represents a broader issue Discianni identifies throughout BJJ culture.
“The level of jiu-jitsu is so low.”
He stated bluntly, pointing to examples like competitors at Pan-Ams getting disqualified for not knowing basic rules. He believes the sport suffers from an immaturity that permeates every level, from instruction methods to competition culture.
At New Asgard, which Discianni operates with his wife Cat, the approach is different. Classes are structured to maximize mat time and technical development. Their competition team has logged nearly 300 matches this year, with Discianni and Cat attending virtually every tournament to coach their students whether they’re world champions or white belts competing in local events.
“Everybody gets treated the same.”
Discianni explained about their coaching philosophy. The 79-year-old hobbyist receives the same level of discipline and attention as their multiple-time world champion competitors. This uniformity extends to their teaching methodology, which prioritizes actual jiu-jitsu over filling time with activities unrelated to the art.
