Course
Driskill Building Blocks
The building blocks come before the moves.
with James Driskill
$197.00 USD
Enroll now →One payment · Lifetime access · Instant access
A course by James Driskill · 3rd degree black belt under Rickson Gracie · Rickson's teaching assistant and uke
The foundation James Driskill learned at the closest possible range to the source. Not a catalogue of moves — the principles underneath them: breath, connection, structure and survival, across 73 lessons in 7 sections.
The foundation, from the closest possible range
The foundation James learned at the closest possible range to the source. Not a catalogue of moves — the principles underneath them: breath, connection, structure, and survival.
Most people learn techniques for years and still get stuck. James was taught the opposite way: he learned the principles first, on the mat with the man who defined them.
73 lessons across 7 sections. Filmed with The BJJ Project in Vero Beach, Florida.
On the mat with Rickson
The person Rickson demonstrates on
James Driskill · 3rd Degree Black Belt under Rickson Gracie
Preserve the art. Share the principles.
For over twenty years, James Driskill has trained closer to the source than almost anyone alive. He began under Rickson Gracie in Los Angeles in 2003 and became the master's trusted teaching assistant and primary uke: the person on whom Rickson demonstrates the art itself.
Being the uke is not a passive role. James is the one who has to feel whether a technique actually works. When Rickson teaches an elbow escape against a 300lb black belt, James is the one underneath, testing whether the principle holds under real weight and real pressure. Twenty years of that teaches you something a technique library never will.
Building Blocks is what he learned in that seat: the principles beneath the moves, in the order they were meant to be understood.
A lifelong martial artist who came to Jiu-Jitsu through kickboxing, judo and wrestling, James teaches invisible jiu-jitsu — efficiency, breath control, connection, and self-defence principles that guide you on and off the mats. Mindfulness and meditation are not add-ons. They are part of the art.
Who this is for
Building Blocks starts at the foundation on purpose — it's the layer most people skipped.
Problem 01
“I've trained for years and I'm still stuck”
You've collected techniques for a long time, but your game still falls apart the moment someone reacts in a way you didn't rehearse.
The fix
Learn the principles first, in the order they were meant to be understood. Understanding why a technique works is what stops your game collapsing when the reaction changes.
Problem 02
“I'm brand new and don't know where to start”
The sheer volume of moves, positions and terminology is overwhelming, and every source starts somewhere different.
The fix
This is the order you were meant to learn in. No experience required — it begins at posture and base and layers up from there.
Problem 03
“I don't know which foundation is my weak one”
You know something is missing, but not whether it's your breath, your structure, your survival skills or your strategy.
The fix
Take the Journey Score first. It maps your strengths and weaknesses across the foundations in about 10 minutes, so you know exactly which layer to focus on.
Take the BJJ Journey Score →What you build
Seven sections, 73 lessons. Each one adds a layer the next depends on. You're not collecting moves — you're building a structure that holds.
- 01
Foundations
Posture, base and the first thing you should have been taught: how to not lose before you try to win.
- 02
Breath
Breath control as the engine of everything. Stay calm where others panic and gas out.
- 03
Connection
Reading and controlling your opponent through contact. The core of invisible jiu-jitsu.
- 04
Structure
Frames, alignment and leverage so smaller technique beats larger effort.
- 05
Survival
The bad positions, solved. Escapes that work against size, because James has tested them against it.
- 06
Strategy
The dilemmas that make an opponent wrong no matter what they choose.
- 07
Putting it together
How the blocks stack into a game that keeps working as you climb the belts.
Build it right, from the ground up
The principles James learned in the uke's seat, in the order they were meant to be understood.
You are not collecting moves. You are building a structure that holds.
- Learn the principles beneath the techniques, not another move list
- Build breath, connection and structure in the right order
- Escapes tested against real size and real pressure
- A game that keeps working as you climb the belts
Get Building Blocks
The principles James learned in the uke's seat, in the order they were meant to be understood.
Driskill Building Blocks
One payment · Lifetime access · Instant access
- Learn the principles beneath the techniques, not another move list
- Build breath, connection and structure in the right order
- Escapes tested against real size and real pressure
- A game that keeps working as you climb the belts
Building Blocks in full
73 lessons across 7 sections, streaming on any device, forever.
White Goat Community
Ask questions and train alongside other students working the same framework.
White Goat Vaults
The supporting library of breakdowns and reference material.
30-day Golden Goat trial
Full access to the wider BJJ Project membership while you get started.
James Driskill is a 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt under Rickson Gracie, teaching in Vero Beach, Florida.
Questions
- Do I need experience to start?
- No. Building Blocks starts at the foundation on purpose. If you're new, this is the order you were meant to learn in. If you're more experienced, it's the layer most people skipped.
- Is this a collection of techniques?
- No. It teaches principles, not a move list. The point is to understand why techniques work, so your game doesn't fall apart the moment someone reacts differently.
- How is it delivered?
- Streaming, on any device, straight after you join. Watch in any order and come back to lessons as often as you like. Access doesn't expire.
- Who is James Driskill?
- A 3rd degree black belt under Rickson Gracie and Rickson's uke — the person Rickson demonstrates on. He has trained at the closest possible range to the source for over twenty years.
- What is the White Goat Community?
- The student community that comes with the course, where you can ask questions and train alongside others working the same material. Your 30-day Golden Goat trial opens up the wider membership on top of it.
Not sure it's the right one? Take the Journey Score and get matched.