Josh Hill

Wrestling Roots, Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt

Josh Hill is a BJJ black belt under Alvis Solis, who in turn received his black belt from Carlos Machado. That lineage matters. The Machado family represents one of the deepest technical traditions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Hill’s instruction carries that DNA throughout every technique he teaches.

But Hill did not start on the mats in a gi. As he explains in his introduction: “My name is Josh Hill, black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Alvis Solis who in turn got his black belt from Carlos Machado. I’ve also been wrestling since probably 1992-93.” That wrestling foundation — over three decades of grappling starting from the feet — gives Hill a perspective on submissions that most pure Jiu-Jitsu practitioners lack. He sees angles that others miss. He applies pressure from positions that feel unfamiliar. And his leg lock entries come from places his opponents do not expect.

The result is a grappler who thinks like a wrestler and finishes like a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. That combination makes him dangerous. And it makes his teaching uniquely valuable for anyone looking to add unconventional weapons to their game.

The Unorthodox Approach

Hill’s Unorthodox Leg Locks course on FightScience is built on a simple premise: the techniques your opponent has never seen are the techniques your opponent cannot defend. Standard leg locks — straight ankle locks, kneebars, heel hooks — are trained and defended at every competitive BJJ academy in the world. The unorthodox ones are not.

Hill is refreshingly honest about this. When demonstrating his unorthodox calf lock, he tells you straight: “Okay, this particular calf lock defines an orthodox. I’ll be very honest, it’s not one that’s a high percentage move, but it is one of those that I keep in my bag of tricks.” That honesty is the hallmark of Hill’s teaching. He does not oversell. He does not pretend every technique works every time. He tells you exactly what each attack is for, when to use it, and what makes it effective against opponents who think they have seen everything.

That bag of tricks is deeper than you might expect. The course covers calf locks, leg attacks from armlock defense, calf locks from side control, and a range of lower body submissions that exploit the gaps in most grapplers’ defensive training. These are the moves that work in competition not because they are technically superior, but because your opponent has never had to defend them.

Where Wrestling Meets Leg Locks

Hill’s wrestling background is not just biographical context. It is the engine that drives his leg lock system. Wrestlers control distance, manage pressure, and create angles in ways that Jiu-Jitsu practitioners often struggle with. Hill applies that wrestling IQ to leg lock entries that start from standing, from guard passing, and from scramble positions where most grapplers are just trying to re-establish guard.

His leg attack against armlock defense is a perfect example. When an opponent defends an armlock by clasping their hands and pulling free, most grapplers reset and try again from the top. Hill transitions directly to a leg attack. The opponent’s defensive movement creates the opening for a submission they were not expecting. That kind of chain wrestling — flowing from one attack to the next based on the opponent’s reaction — is the direct product of decades of grappling that started in a wrestling room.

No Ego, All Technique

Hill’s teaching style is conversational, grounded, and free of ego. He explains what works, what does not, and why. He does not claim to have invented a revolutionary system. He claims to have a collection of techniques that catch people — and he delivers exactly that.

Every technique in the course is demonstrated clearly, with setup, execution, and common counters addressed. Hill’s instruction is paced for learning, not for spectacle. These are videos you drill with, not videos you watch once for entertainment.

What You Get

Josh Hill’s Unorthodox Leg Locks course is available as part of the FightScience Advanced BJJ Competition System — a $397 bundle containing 5 courses, 181 videos, and over 19 hours of instruction from five world-class BJJ practitioners. Hill’s course gives you the attacks that your training partners and competitors have never seen. In a sport where everyone knows the standard playbook, that is a significant advantage.