Brandon Mccaghren is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner who grew up in a small town called Speake, Alabama. He began training BJJ aged 26 and says “I needed to lose some weight and my wife found some MMA and Karate classes for us to take together.” Since then, he has continued training and is currently a first degree black belt who is one year off his second stripe.
We asked Brandon about his favorite BJJ positions, he claimed to prefer half guard but his main sweeps are the pendulum sweep from closed guard. When it comes to passing, Mccaghren mostly opts for pressure and adds “I like to pass low and heavy. Very heavy.” He also lists the triangle choke as his favorite submission.
A black belt under the legendary Eddie Bravo it is no surprise that he lists Eddie as having the biggest influence on his style. It is also Eddie’s teacher Jean Jacques Machado who he claims to be the best person he’s rolled with, adding “Oh man, I would have to say Jean Jacques Machado is the best guy I’ve ever rolled with.” Mccaghren now teaches out of 10th Planet Decatur and says this is his biggest achievement in BJJ, stating “I’m very proud of our academy at 10P Decatur and the team that we have built there.”
Like many experienced BJJ practitioners, Mccaghren has had some big injuries in his time and says his worst was “When I busted my neck as a brown belt and had to have a fusion.”
Q&A
Do you think training in no gi is better for injuries compared to the gi? I have heard this from various guys and wanted your take on it as a no gi guy?
“Yes, i think no gi can be easier on you if you are wise. The gi can really hurt the fingers and hands in my experience. No gi can be a little rougher on the neck sometimes because of all the head attacks. But I think generally no gi is less brutal to your body.”
You seem to be good at teaching, was this the case before BJJ as a natural or something you developed over time?
“No, it’s definitely something that was cultivated intentionally. You don’t become a good teacher by accident. Or just by being good at the sport. You gotta seek to grow that part of yourself.”
Does being a gym owner change your perspective on BJJ? I.e. make it less fun as it’s a business and not a hobby?
“I’m sure it changes my perspective dramatically in ways that even I don’t realize. But, truthfully, I love Jiu Jitsu more than ever. To me, it doesn’t feel like a job. I actually can’t believe that I get to do this every day. I feel really lucky.”
You have a background in traditional martial arts, do you think these helped your BJJ in the early days or weren’t relevant?
“Yeah that definitely helped! I think it’s good to have a healthy respect for all martial arts, and look for ways to grow within each discipline. There’s something to learn from all of them, even if it isn’t very ‘practical’ in a fighting sense sometimes.”
Want to learn more about Brandon and some of his moves from 10th Planet? Get his instructional here.
