Eli Knight is a BJJ athlete who currently lives in Paducah, KY and started training BJJ at age 17, roughly one year after he began training Japanese Jiu Jitsu. His entry into grappling came after years of practicing other martial arts – as he puts it “I started in martial arts with Tae Kwon Do and striking focused arts. I was fascinated early on with the grappling aspect, but thought I wouldn’t be any good at it since I was skinny and not athletic. When I saw what Jiu Jitsu was about, it showed me otherwise. JuJutsu, Judo and then Jiu Jitsu through the Brazilian paradigm with the Gracie family, particularly Royce, showed me that grappling was where I belonged.”
Now a black belt, it took Knight approximately 15 years to achieve the honor. He is currently a 2nd degree after getting his black belt in 2011. He still trains at Three Rivers Martial Arts and has done for the past 25 years. It should also be added that his belts have been awarded from BJJ royalty, receiving his blue from master Helio Gracie and then his black from Royce Gracie. He lists these as his proudest moments whilst training BJJ.
Not only this but Royce has had a big impact on his style and says “I emulate a lot of grapplers on different areas. Passing and back takes I try to be like Rafa Mendes or Gordon Ryan. Takedowns I emulate Garry Tonon as best I can with more of a Judo influence than wrestling. When I’m pulling the trigger on submissions I feel like Royce. I typically feel like Royce has obviously influenced my style more than anyone, which makes sense.”
However, Knight is very much a teacher as well as a student. His Youtube channel is very popular and has over 14 million views. Here, he can be found showing all sorts of moves and also focuses on BJJ in a self-defence setting that features street clothing and realistic scenarios.
When playing guard, he states “My favorite guard positions depend on the energy, size and intention of the opponent. I enjoy a lot of open guard systems both gi and no gi, but I also like to play shoulder pin guards, rubber guard and Shawn Williams guard.”. His favourite sweep is also listed as the Flower sweep from closed guard and variations of the move.
Once on top, Knight also advocates standing passing and adds “I generally prefer standing passing. I like the loose passing style, finding the empty spaces and creating deficits for the guard player. I enjoy leg stapling, stepping passes and float passing as well.”. When submissions are concerned he also favours head and arm chokes with the likes of Darces and Anaconda chokes – and prioritises chokes over joint locks.
A veteran practitioner, Knight has also had a few injuries during his time and notes “My worst injury…that’s difficult. My back was my first and longest-lasting injury. I still have a weak bridge from an injury 22 years ago. Right now, my wrist and knee are my worst injuries though.”.
He also references the inner battle that many BJJ practitioners go through in terms of self-doubt which is common whilst journeying through BJJ, adding “The hardest opponent I’ve ever fought was myself. That’s not to put down anyone I’ve fought. I’ve lost. I’ve been outperformed and outclassed. The times I’ve been most discouraged or most overwhelmed were the most painful losses though. That’s why I say myself.”
When asked about his future, Knight sounds quite philosophical and humble about what BJJ has given to him and what he has been able to give back, or as he puts it “For the future, I hope to do what I am doing…just more and better. I’m extremely fortunate. I have worked very hard all my life, but I have also been very fortunate. I want to share this thing, which saved my life in more ways than I can explain, with others. I want to share it with as many people across the globe as I can in the best ways I know how. I would prefer that be in person, but I am happy with online sharing as well. I truly believe that the practice itself can change people’s lives. It did mine.”
For more information, Eli Knight can be found at the below links
Jiu-Jitsu Deep Dive: https://www.martialartsdigitalseminars.com/Jiu-Jitsu-Deep-Dive
BJJ Fanatics Videos: The gi used in self defense
Patreon: Patreon.com/knightjiujitsu
Youtube: YouTube.com/knightjiujitsu
