IS DR. OZ ON TO SOMETHING?
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NUTRITION, CONDITION, TECHNIQUE, SUBMIT
WATCH
YOUR
JIU-JITSU
AND THE LAW
! K C BA
10 Rules You Need to Know
ALS E V E R RRA CAIO TETO ESCAPE ACK HOW TACK THE B AND AT
What To Eat Before You Compete
NO-GI CHOKES
METAMORAIS ION L T A IT V IN O PR
Building Incredible Grip Strength
JIU-JITSU’ST STAGE BIGGES
ATTACK THE TURTLE AND SO MUCH MORE… Cover 11.indd 1
$6.99 US/CAN
Like A Vise
DEC/JAN 2013 / ISSUE 11 • JIUJITSUMAG.COM
LUTA LIVRE STYLE
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CONTENTS Dec-Jan 2013 // Issue 11 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: REGULARS EDITORIAL
8 10 20 24 96 100 104 112 114
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
CHECK-IN What’s New?
GRUB What to eat before you compete
TECHNIQUES ATTACK THE TURTLE
50 58 74
No-Gi Excellence
BACK TO BACK Caio Terra works the back
NO-GI CHOKES Luta Livre Style
SUPPLEMENTS Maybe Dr. Oz is on to something
SPOTLIGHT Henry Akins
GEAR LAB Patch it up
STRENGTH & CONDITION DRILL IT
28 90
Acrobatics with Andre
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING Get a grip like a vise
MEDIC Dealing with injuries
DEFINED E-F
24 FEATURES METAMORIS PRO
34 48 71 80 82
BJJ on a Very Big Stage!
CYBORGS TRAVELS Tour around the world
WOMEN IN BJJ Thoughts on getting more ladies in BJJ
LEGALITIES OF BJJ The rules you need to know.
JIU-JITSU BY THE NUMBERS A look at the stats from the 2012 Mundials
SUCCESS Man on a mission
Someone’s about to pass out.
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100
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ON THE COVER Not someone you want to run across in a dark alley. Caio Terra shows us how to work the back. Cover and article Photos: Jason Boulanger
BACK OFF! Caio Terra
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You’ll be better on the back, and at getting them off yours.
IMPORTED FROM
BRAZIL
NO-GI CHOKES
Lucha Libre and Luta Livre both translated into “wrestling” in their respective language.
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editorial
Is it
2013 YET? ere we go, 2012 is behind us and we made it (actually written before December 21, but fingers are crossed)! The New Year is upon us and it’s time to come up with some new resolutions that we can actually keep. My last really successful resolution was set in January of ’07. My daughter had just turned 8 and I thought to myself that I didn’t want to be a fat dad going to her sports and school functions. My resolution was not to drop 20 lbs, or run 5 miles a week. How I achieved that resolution was not important in that moment; it was more about the end “result.” Between now and then I’ve hit the gym, taken western boxing, Muay Thai, and running, cleaned up my diet, and most thankfully discovered jiu-jitsu. Coming up on 6 years later and I’ve stuck to it. My daughter doesn’t have a fat dad; I’ve managed to keep over 30lbs off for those 6 years and counting. I can speak from my own experience that setting your resolutions, or goals, incorrectly may defeat the purpose. If you make a resolution like, I’m going to roll 5 days a week, you’re not defining the result. Something like, I’m going to have the best half-guard game at my school by June 1st is specific, has a time frame attached to it, and doesn’t preclude you from rolling as often as you’d like. Just putting in the mat time without a clear purpose won’t always help you achieve what your real goal happens to be. So, my biggest resolution this coming New Year is a simple one, but it will yield lots of results if I stick to it, which I will. I competed twice in 2012 and it wasn’t nearly enough. My jiu-jitsu resolution is to double that and compete at least 4 times this year and to win, or at least be on the podium at all 4. Having that goal will mean more time on the mats with a purpose that will, if I stick to it, provide the result I want. Along with that result, it should also translate into better health in general. That’s that beauty of jiu-jitsu, it’s hard, makes you work, but we love doing it.
Don’t cry, we’ve got a surprise for you real soon!
What are your resolutions for the coming year and how do you plan on making them a reality?
Thanks for a great 2012! Everyone here looks forward to an even better 2013!
Mike Velez Editor & Publisher
EDITIORIAL STAFF Editor & Publisher Mike Velez Associate Editor Deb Blyth Contributing Authors Seymour Yang, Jeremy Reid, Mark de Grasse, Dr. John Park, Dan Faggella, Kenny Johnson, Andre Borges, Hywel Teague ART & PHOTOGRAPHY Art Director Dave Palacios Contributing Photographers Jason Boulanger, John Cooper Kenny Jewel, Mike Lee, Mike Calimbas, Kristen Mendes PRODUCTION /ADVERTISING Production Director Paula Fountain Advertising Sales Mike Velez, Greg Rivera Circulation Manager Tom Ferruggia CHANGE OF ADDRESS & SUBSCRIPTIONS Phone: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 227 Web: jiujitsumag.com ADVERTISING /SALES INFO Available upon request, Contact: Jiu-Jitsu Magazine PO Box 2405 Chino Hills, CA 91709 ph: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 221 fax: 909.591.1251 NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION The Curtis Circulation Company Jiu-Jitsu Magazine (ISSN 2157-6173) is a publication of Recon Media Inc., PO Box 2405 Chino Hills, CA 91709; Phone: 877.834.3552; Fax: 909.517.1601email: info@jiujitsumag.com. Subscription rates are $27.99 for 6 issues (1 year), $42.99 per year Canada, and $67.99 per year for foreign airmail. All rights reserved, The entire contents are copyright 2013 Recon Media Inc, and may not be reproduced in any manner in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The views and the opinions of the writers and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Recon Media Inc., the Publisher, or the editorial staff. The Publisher assumes no responsibilities for advertising claims, errors, and omissions. Some of the techniques described in this magazine can be dangerous. Always practice safe procedures and use common sense. Recon Media Inc., and the Publisher can not be held responsible from any injuries or damage caused by these techniques. Perform at your own risk. Jiu-Jitsu magazine is published bi-monthly. Application to mail at Periodicals Postage rate is pending at Chino, CA and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Jiu-Jitsu Magazine PO Box 2405, Chino HIlls, CA 91709.
mikev@jiujitsumag.com 100% Recyclable. Save the Planet. Roll Frequently, Read Jiu-Jitsu Magazine Printed in the U.S.A
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FUJI
RASH GUARD
Been wanting to rock some amazing feudal Japanese artwork but aren’t quite ready to commit to getting some ink? Fuji’s got the answer. It’s the new Fuji Musashi Rash Guard. It’s a tribute to famed samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Incase you don’t know who that is here are some quotes from his legendary book, Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy:
“In battle, if you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.” “If you wish to control others you must first control yourself.” “From one thin, know ten thousand things.” “The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them.” “You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.” That’s Musashi, pretty good stuff. The rash guard is a long sleeve for maximum protection and made of high-quality compression fabric that wicks sweat off you. Available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL and retails for $69.99. www.fujisports.com
DEFENSE SOAP SUPER SHIELD Are you the guy that stinks in class but don’t realize it?
Let’s face it, you stink! Maybe not your game, but that tired gi or yours or worn out rash guard probably has a distinct odor that’s following you around no matter how many times you wash it. The minds at Defense Soap have come up with something new for your regular wash routine. It’s called Super Shield Plus. It’s a laundry additive that, according to them, shields fabrics from bacteria, viruses, and mold. It’s also formulated not to interfere with the wicking properties of rash guards and other materials. It’s hypoallergenic and 100% free of any perfumes and dyes. Have one of those HE washing machines? No problem, it will work in all washing machines. According to Defense Soap Super Shield Plus works by modifying your gi and gear at the microbial level. Microbes are attracted to the treated surface by a positive charge and punctured by the long chain molecules. The microbes are then “electrocuted” and killed. Since the microbe barrier technology stays in place the fabric is protected for up to 30 washes. These bad microbes could be MRSA, staph, ringworm, and herpes. One bottle will treat up to 480 loads. That should last a while. These are all some lofty claims. We’ve already begun using Super Shield Plus around here and will have a full report in our next issue. A 32 oz. bottle sells for $24.99. www. defensesoap.com
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In September, British grapplers took part in a 24 hour long grappling marathon, dubbed the Grapplethon, to raise funds for charity. During the event, which involved around 30 members of Gracie Barra Bristol, grapplers took part in lengthy shifts to ensure that a least one pair were sparring on the mats at any given time. The event was screened live on the Internet and over £2,500 ($4,000) was raised for charity Meningitis UK. “When I decided to organize an event to raise money for the charity, I knew exactly how I wanted to do it - grappling,” says event organizer, Can Sönmez.
“I’m delighted that so many BJJ practitioners were willing to donate their time and bodies for the cause.” “We wanted to use our passion to help raise money to fight meningitis, which can kill within four hours.” “I was happy that we had such a good turn out, which included 13-year-old Jess Holloway.” “She had never done BJJ before, but ended up sparring for 96 minutes with her brother.” “There were also people with direct experience of meningitis, including Martin Palmer, who was hospitalised for a month with viral meningitis and still suffers after effects.” “A big thank you goes to Grace Barra Bristol for making the event so successful.”
GETTING Your Z’s?
Yes, it’s time to wake up!
Recent studies have been confirming what a lot of us have probably figured out for quite a while. Sleep is very important when it comes to athletic performance. Not just the night before an event, but producing regular sleep patterns. When you lose sleep you’re reducing the performance in your cerebral cortex in the frontal lobe of the brain. This part of the brain is responsible for most mental functions important in jiu-jitsu; focus, concentration, decision-making, information processing, and flexibility. Sleep is also a very significant stimulator for growth hormone release. Along with helping to increase muscles mass GH stimulates the immune system. So be sure to mix in plenty of sleep in your regular training routine. Here are some tips for improved quality of sleep: • Try to stick to a schedule, go to bed around the same time each night and wake around the same time each morning. • Roll or train at least two and a half hours before you’re ready to go to sleep. • Lay off the caffeine, alcohol, or other stimulants at least 5 hours before going to bed. • Try to control your environment where you sleep, keep it quiet, dark, and cool. • Quit the snooze. An hour of sleep where you’re constantly hitting the snooze button every 10 minutes doesn’t compare to an hour of solid sleep. So, if you have to wake up at 6:00AM, set the alarm for 6:00AM and get up! • Shoot for at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.
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Kingz by MEERKATSU We’ve heard that the Meerkatsu doesn’t sleep, and that must not just be legend. How could he possibly sleep with all the new gear that’s coming out featuring his distinctive artwork? The latest product to hit the market are two new long sleeve rash guards from Kingz. The new rash guards use high-density polyspandex material and feature one of two distinct designs. The first is called KOI and, as you’d expect it’s a pretty angry koi getting ready to strike across the front and back panels. The KINGZ logo runs along the top of the sleeves. The other is called DRAGON and as you can imagine it features a giant dragon’s head on the back and two intertwined dragons on the front with the KINGZ logo across the middle. Also new from KINGZ is a clean looking CROWN rash guard that features a crown logo on the front. All three gi’s are made from Moisture Management material and feature 6-thread flat-lock stitching along the seams. Available in small through double-X. The Meerkatsu designs retail for $54.99 and the Crown goes for $49.99 www.fightersmarket.com
SPEAKS What are your jiu-jitsu resolutions for the coming new year? Chad del Rosario To amputate my arm if it doesn’t get better soon.
Eddie Winslow Find another job that allows me to train more.
Kristopher Buranasombati Train to compete at least once a month. Competing helps motivate me to learn at a greater pace.
IN A JAR!
Get the most out of your strength and conditioning workouts. Everybody’s looking for an edge that will help them get the most out of the time they put in at the gym. Ultimate Nutrition just released Horse Power X at the Mr Olympia in Las Vegas. The new blend features many of the supplements we’ve written about in these pages like Beta-Alanine, Creatine Monohydrate, Caffeinie, Razberi-K® (raspberry ketones) and many more. It comes in two flavors, either Pink Lemonade or Blue Raspberry. We’ve tried it and let’s just say it’s got a kick. www.ulimatenutrition.com
Melissa Benedict As a female blue belt, I’d like to: flow calmly and with control, build a solid technical game, make myself uncomfortable all the time and learn from it, learn to better deal with the use of my partner’s strength over technique, continue to appreciate and support my training partners, stay fit, and have fun on the mats! Chris Keppel As a white belt just getting into the sport, I want to focus on changing my life. My new found love for this sport has inspired me to be a better father, husband, friend, and co-worker. Dumisani Thomsen Work on my cauliflower ear and break at least one finger.
Reid Jensen Wear my JIU-JITSU MAGAZINE hoodie sweatshirt everyday!!!
Shannon Chong To learn from my mistakes... realizing that getting tapped out is inevitable and is not a losing experience but a learning experience.
Have you made your resolutions yet?
Dusty Perry Jiu-jitsu was last years resolution and the its the only one I’ve kept. I could never imagine my life without it now. Jan 5th 2012 I’ll never forget the date. It’s like the day my son was born. Amazing sport. This years resolution is just to live a healthier lifesytle. Watch my family grow, provide for them, eat better, and train smarter. Sounds like a good year to me. Getting my blue belt would be nice too. I have been training pretty hard the past year. Either way. I’m a lifer.
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HE DOES IT AGAIN! Congratulations to Caio Terra On his 5th Straight IBJJF No-Gi World Championship
www.versaclimber.com | www.caioterra.com | www.gameness.com
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GETTING THE M out of
OST
JIU-JITSU
MAGAZINE
VIDEO
Flexibility – A low rating means additional flexibility won’t
We’ve shot video of many of the techniques covered. In future issues, we will have a QR code for each article, but until then, you can find a link to instructional videos on our website, jiujitsumag.com
really aid you. A high rating means that you’ll find this technique easier if you’re very flexible.
Strength – A low rating means that very little physical strength is necessary to perform. A high rating means that using greater strength will be beneficial in performing this technique.
Drill and PRACTICE We cover quite a few techniques in this issue and we hope that we give you plenty of detail for each. You have two months before the next issue comes out (we’re bi-monthly), so take your time and drill the techniques we discuss with your partners and practice, practice, practice! If you get a solid understanding of just six techniques we cover in this issue you’ll have a huge advantage over those who don’t read JJM.
The Skills TRIANGLE
You’ll see these scattered throughout the magazine in the technique articles. These give you an indicator of what qualities will
WE LOVE OUR READERS! DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT US Reader Jeovanni Bonilla read Jiu Jitsu Magazine during his Wedding/Honeymoon in Negril, Jamaica. Photographed with his wife, Robyn. Thanks, Robyn and Jeovanni Bonilla
Agility – A low rating means that this technique can be performed slowly, a high rating means that the ability to perform quickly will be an advantage. This is a simple guide to aid you. Having the greatest flexibility, strength, and agility will not outweigh solid technical skill and paying attention to the fine points of a technique. This system is a work in progress, and we hope to perfect it soon with feedback from our readers.
START THEM OFF
DOG JITSU Even my dog loves your magazine. Keep up the good work. John Onorato
EARLY Samantha, Mich ael, and Domenic Rowland’s learning young on a family road trip to the OB X. Bryan Rowla nds
SPREADING JIU-JITSU My name is Eric Aultman and the picture attached shows a group of underprivileged kids in Kenya, Africa. I recently brought a group of teens there on a mission trip. We laid out some mattresses and introduced them to Jiu-Jitsu. Most of these kids have never seen a magazine and they all took turns checking it out and participating in the class. Thanks for the great tools your magazine provides.
Someone’s been reading 50 shades...
help you perform the technique with greater ease. This doesn’t mean that you must possess these qualities; it simply means that you will be able to perform the maneuver with greater ease if the rating is higher in a quality you possess. For example:
Eric Aultman Youth Pastor 14 | Jiu-Jitsu Magazine
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NEW EVENT
WITH PLENTY
OF YEARS BEHIND IT ARLĂƒO SANTOS IS A MULTITIME WORLD CHAMPION AND AN INTEGRAL PART IN PUTTING TOGETHER THE ABU DHABI WORLD PRO. This March he’s hosting the first Super Cup of BJJ event in Colorado. We sat down with Master Santos with a few questions about himself and the tournament.
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Q: You won your first World Championship in 1996. How has Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition changed since then? The fights have become more dynamic and athletes currently are better prepared physically. Technically, nothing has changed; they use the same techniques as we used in the past. Nowadays, athletes make sure that not only their BJJ is sharp, but they also do rigorous conditioning training combined with a balanced diet. Q: How has your experience creating the Abu Dhabi World Pro helped you with the Super Cup event? I got the experience of starting something from
the beginning. In 2002, the ADCC club I used to give Jiu-Jitsu classes to had groups of a maximum of 4 students only in them. In 2011, I left Abu Dhabi with over 40,000 people training BJJ; over 20 championships created and organized (between local and international); and more than 80 BJJ teachers from Brazil and their families being directly benefited from the opportunities that I created in 9 years work in the UAE. From the ADCC club to military bases, to the royal family and royal guard to 42 public schools in Abu Dhabi taking BJJ as a compulsory subject in the curriculum - SchoolJitsu Program. Being behind the success of the first World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup in 2009 and 2010 with international trials is the greatest lesson I learned from my experience as an athlete and as an
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entrepreneur: Start small and grow sustainably. My plans, in regard to Super Cup - BJJ Tournaments series in the US, are to start to meet the demand of the State of Colorado and neighboring States, then be present in every state to become a national tournament in the United States. In the future, the Super Cup - BJJ is to become a professional world tour of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Q: What can competitors expect at the Super Cup? I am preparing a very professional tournament, open to all athletes and academies, not only from Colorado, but from all States like our neighbors Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, and Wyoming, and also from other countries. Besides BJJ Gi and
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NO-GI for adults - men and women, masters, teens and children (GI only); I am launching a GI Team competition of white and blue belts. There will be 5 athletes of each academy registered for this competition. The goal is to promote the academies that make a strong BJJ basic training. I expect around 500 competitors in this event that will be the first in the Super Cup - BJJ series in the United States.
I received my blue to brown belts - and at Brazilian Top Team, Professors Bebeo Duarte, Ricardo Libório, Ze Mario Sperry and Murilo Bustamante, where I received my black belt in 2001. I would like to thank my two great partners Professors Olavo Abreu and Suyan Queiroz for all the support in Abu Dhabi. Since 2005 they were my right and left arms, helped me to make all Abu Dhabi projects come true, and always believed 100% in all my dreams.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? I would like to thank all my Professors since I started training in 1993 at Carlson Gracie Copacabana – Grand Master Carlson Gracie, Professors Marcelo Alonso, Marcelo Saporitto and Walid Ismail, where
After Abu Dhabi, a special thanks to my Professor Luis Roberto “Bebeo” Duarte and Renzo Gracie for all their support! And lastly, a big thanks to my partner at Prime Jiu-Jitsu Center in Colorado Springs, Professor Marcelo Motta.
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DIET STRATEGIES IN THE DAYS
BEFORE
COMPETITION words: LUCAS DYER - CERTIFIED AND LICENSED SPORTS NUTRITIONIST
OULD YOU PUT LOW OCTANE FUEL IN YOUR CAR? THEN WHY WOULD YOU PUT POOR FOODS (LOW OCTANE) IN YOUR BODY? In the nutrition world the body is like a car. The fuel put into the car is a metaphor for the fuel put into the body. If your car is getting poor fuel (low octane) or not enough fuel, it can run poorly and stall or worse, run out of gas. If your car is getting good fuel (high octane), it can run more efficiently, run faster for longer periods of time, and it won’t run out of gas as long as it is refueled with good fuel. The body works the exact same way. It is very important, especially if you have a competition coming up. If you are putting poor fuel (low octane foods) into your body you will run poorly, more sluggish or worse, gas out. If your body is prepped with good fuel (high octane foods) you will be faster, stronger, and have more endurance to compete. Have you ever watched some competitions and wondered how some can go at a faster pace and always push the pace, but never tire out? A lot of that has to do with their nutrition, or how they are fueling their bodies days before the competition.
To Cut or Not To Cut
Eat well all year-round and you won’t have to cut weight.
From a nutritional approach, there are two aspects to nutrition leading up to the competition: one, for those who are cutting weight (they train at a particular weight, but compete at a lesser of weight), and two, for those who train and compete at the same weight. The nutritional advice is going to vary among these two individuals. Ultimately, they will be consuming the same high octane foods just at different times and in different amounts. The goals for both, however, will remain the same; to make weight and to compete at maximum performance. For the jiu-jitsu practitioner who wants to cut weight, there first has to be a disclaimer that this can be dangerous if not done correctly and can lead to serious health issues. Also, this is not intended to be a “how to cut weight” tutorial, but it will cover some basic approaches. Many competitions are the same day as weigh-ins, making it even more dangerous to cut weight. With this said many competitors in Mixed Marital Arts, wrestling and jiu-jitsu cut weight in order to get the advantage of outweighing their opponent. There are several ways to cut weight and the old days of starving and sitting for hours in a sauna with a sweat suit on are long gone. Nutritionists have learned different ways to expel water from the body with the understanding of how water is retained and where it is stored. One example is a newer highly effective method which uses Epsom salt in a bath with the water as hot as you can tolerate. Typically, it is about one gallon of Epsom salt in the standard sized tub. Unlike a sauna, what Epsom salt does is excrete the water from the subcutaneous levels, meaning it depletes the water from under the skin rather than from the muscles themselves (or intramuscular). This is crucial for not feeling weak or cramping. For example, 3 sittings for approximately 30 to 45 minutes the night prior to weigh-ins can result in an large cut depending on the person. The second method of excreting water and cutting weight is formed around a nutritional standpoint of water manipulation and eating, which is safer.
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EATING TO
LOSE WEIGHT A basic approach to this is to start by prepping the body five days out from the weigh-in day. The actual “cut” aspect will not happen until the last 24 hours prior to weigh-ins. The foods that should be consumed during the five day prepping stage are similar to someone who is not cutting any weight. They should stick to the macronutrients of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Foods such as yams, sweet potatoes, whole grain breads, brown rice, black beans, and oatmeal are great for carbohydrates. For proteins stick with 95% or higher lean ground turkey, low sodium chicken breast, egg whites and tuna. Healthy fats should be consumed such as avocados, peanuts, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds or pistachios. Other foods that are crucial during the days leading up to the competition are adding pineapple, yellow bell peppers, bananas, and raspberries to the mix. All of these foods are considered the best of their food group and are the high octane foods that are crucial for maximum performance. The fueling times and amounts will vary from those who compete at the same weight. Prepping the body starts with water intake, which will begin at three gallons a day and then decreasing intake as the weigh-in approaches. On day five and four, three gallons of water will be consumed. On day three, water consumption will decrease to two gallons and on day two, water consumption will decrease to one gallon. Twenty-four hours before weigh-ins, water consumption will decrease to a bare minimum, drinking only sips occasionally depending how much weight you have to cut. This method induces a large amount of water into the body triggering the hormone that helps excrete water. As you force water in, the body starts to excrete water in order to keep up with the large amount of intake. As the days go by and water intake slows, the body still thinks it is taking in large amounts of water, and is still excreting water 24 hours from weigh-ins as if your body was drinking 3 gallons. This expels water from glycogen stores. Most glycogen is stored in the liver, kidneys, and the intestines. Essentially, you are tricking the body into thinking it needs to store water (each glycogen holds about two grams of water).
Water - It’s what we drink.
Meals should always consist of a good balance of the above mentioned macronutrients, however as weigh-ins approach, two to three days out, your body will need more protein, potassium, and less carbs and sodium in order to help cut the weight and maintain energy. For example, five days out for breakfast would consist of 16oz of lemon water, egg whites, oatmeal, a serving of nuts, and a banana. This gives a good ratio of carbs, protein, and fats, and adds extra potassium. Potassium will be key as this will help prevent cramping as water starts to excrete from the body prior to weigh-ins. For example, three days out, cut back on carbohydrates, decrease sodium, and increase potassium intake (banana and yellow bell peppers). Two days out, drastically reduce carbohydrates and sodium (low sodium chicken breast is ok) and 24 hours before competition the food intake nearly comes to a halt. Of course, this will depend on where your current weight is. By this point you should be about 10 pounds from desired weigh-in weight. Eat only one low sodium chicken breast for lunch and one for dinner. On the day of weigh-ins breakfast should be small with little carbohydrates and fats to keep you going until after the weigh-ins. A portion of salt free or low sodium nuts with egg whites will do the trick. Remember that when cutting weight, sodium retains water and potassium helps prevent cramping. So, it is important to have a higher amount of potassium intake closer to weigh-ins than sodium. Also know that there are certain supplements that will help in the process, but use as directed and always fuel first and supplement later.
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EATING WHEN YOUR WEIGHT IS RIGHT I
f you train and compete at the same weight the fueling process should be similar to the individual cutting weight. The difference is you don’t have to limit your foods or manipulate the body with water tricks. A typical ratio break-down for this is around 15% fats, 30% protein, and 55% carbohydrates. The 15/30/55 daily nutrition plan is recommended for massive power bursts with fast twitch muscle fibers being used, such as that in a takedown or when sprawling out. When training or competing your body is relying primarily on the immediate and anaerobic glycolytic energy systems. Because of this, a high amount of protein is needed to maintain positive nitrogen balance and to repair fast twitch muscle fibers. Since muscle glycogen is the primary energy source, a diet which is low in fat and rich in carbohydrates is indicated. It should be low in fat, because not much fat is used up during training and competition. Rich in carbohydrates, because the muscles’ supply of glycogen needs to be restored everyday, or performance and recovery will be impaired. For example, what this translates to based on a 2500 caloric intake per day is: 15% fat is approximately 375 calories, 30% proteins is approximately 750 calories and the remaining calories are carbohydrates at around 1375 per day. Using these percentages, fuel at least five to six times a day for maximum performance. With the high octane foods mentioned above they can be mixed and consumed in many different ways. The ones listed are foods that will give your body the most of what it needs which are designed for maximum performance.
PRE-COMPETITION
SNACK
What else would you pack your pre-match snack in?
The eating process after weigh-ins is equally as important, if not more, especially if you had to cut weight. When you get to your competition, test your weight on the scale. If there’s room to spare, it’s a good idea to put a little something in your stomach. Pay attention to how much weight you’re under and the volume of the food you consume, keep it small and light. Digestion takes energy and blood flow, so take it easy. Be prepared by packing a cooler with the appropriate foods to replenish your body. These foods should not leave you feeling full and sluggish, such as pasta or meats. Some great examples are: cut up pieces of sweet potatoes, bread with natural peanut butter, energy bars, salted nuts, and fruits. After your matches, a good isolate protein shake that is low in calories and high in protein is great for recovery. The high octane carbohydrates will give you sustained energy needed during the competition. Fruit is a great way to obtain instant energy due to a rise in blood sugar levels.
J
UST AS A JIU-JITSU PRACTITIONER TRAINS TECHNIQUES REPEATEDLY IN ORDER TO MASTER THEM, THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO THE BODY AND HOW IT RESPONDS TO CHANGES IN NUTRITION. Everybody is different and will respond differently. It takes time, it takes practice, and it takes dedication. Eat healthy, eat clean, and eat often. For more info on Lucas visit: www.fittnutrition.com
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supplements
SUPPLEMENTS the
DOCTOR
ORDERED? words: JEREMY REID
HESE DAYS IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME YOU TURN ON THE TELEVISION THERE’S A NEW “MAGIC BULLET” PROMISING TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH OR HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. One guy in the mainstream who’s built quite a following for his diet and health advice is Dr. Oz. When he mentions a specific supplement, sales go through the roof. So, I’ve decided to give you some insight on many of Dr. Oz’s favorite recommendations, and to let you, the jiu-jitsu athlete, know if it’s something that you should investigate further or try for yourself.
Green Coffee Bean Green coffee beans and therefore, green coffee extract, is a new supplement that’s creating quite a big buzz right now. It’s been all over TV and the Internet, with new products popping up daily. With a popular TV doctor endorsing it, everyone is trying it. So, the big question is pretty obvious; does it work or is it just a bunch of hype? Well, I am going to do my best to help you sort through all the hype and buzz and figure out what the actual science is behind it.
Drinking lots and lots of coffee won’t do the same thing.
Green coffee extract is obtained from raw natural coffee beans before any roasting or processing. This, in theory, preserves many important chemicals and compounds often lost or altered during roasting. Green coffee beans are very rich in hydoxycinnamic acids such as caffeic and chlorogenic acids. These are the main components thought to contribute to the numerous health benefits associated with green coffee extract. These include weight loss, lower blood pressure, anti-inflammatory benefits, powerful antioxidants and a metabolism booster to name a few. The caffeic acid is thought to aid the removal of fatty acids stored in the body, while the chlorogenic acids assist
the liver in processing the fatty acids. This increase in fatty acid utilization leads to weight loss and more importantly, stored fat loss. Chlorogenic acid is also thought to alter glucose uptake. It may essentially act as a sort of “sugar blocker” inside the body. This reduction of carbohydrate absorption combined with increased fat utilization can lead to significant decreases in body fat and fat stores. Green coffee extract has also been shown to have strong antioxidant properties. The chlorogenic acid neutralizes free radicals, and addresses the problem of hydroxyl radicals, both of which can lead to cellular degeneration if left unchecked. In fact, it has been shown to be twice as effective as green tea. This all sounds great, but you know me, I want some proof. Is there any research backing these claims? This is where the problem comes in. Since it is such a new supplement, the research is very limited and the majority of it is on rats. All of the studies have shown good things and seem to support all the theories; however, it is often seen that results in rats do not always transfer over to human studies. There have
only been a couple studies on humans so far, but once again, the results look very promising. While more research is definitely needed to verify these claims, it appears as though green coffee extract is not just hype. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
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7-KETO 7-Keto is a supplement that has been around quite some time now. It gained popularity years back then seemed to disappear for a while. But 7-Keto is back and gaining popularity once again. 7-Keto, also called 7-Keto DHEA, is actually short for the compound 7-ketodehydroepiandrosterone, or 7-oxodehydroepiandrosterone. It is a steroid produced during the metabolism of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). Although 7-Keto is technically a steroid compound, it is not directly converted to testosterone or estrogen, and has thus been investigated as a potentially safe non-androgenic compound. 7-Keto is touted as a weight loss supplement claiming to increase metabolism. The basis behind 7-Keto is that it plays a role in increasing three thermogenic enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for driving energy utilization, as well as increasing fatty acid oxidation. In theory, this leads to increased metabolism and thus, weight loss. One of 7-Keto’s big selling points is that it is not a stimulant and thus, has no effects on the cardiovascular or central nervous systems. Now, this all sounds great and in theory it is; however, there are a few problems with 7-Keto. The first problem is the conflicting research findings. While some studies support this theory, and suggest 7-Keto increases thermogenesis and metabolism, others find no effect. The research to date is very conflicting with no real concise support for 7-Keto. The other problem, and possibly the bigger one, is that since 7-Keto is technically a steroid, it can cause positive readings for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs). Also, it is currently on numerous banned substances lists including the World Anti-Doping Agency. So, with conflicting evidence and being a banned substance, it is not at the top of my list for supplements.
Forskolin
The extra “OL” makes a huge difference.
Another popular supplement right now is Forskolin. While Forskolin has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy, it has been growing in relevance lately as a dietary supplement. Forskolin, or coleus forskolin, is a plant native to India traditionally used to treat skin disorders and respiratory problems. It is also purported to reduce blood pressure, increase the heart’s ability to contract, inhibit platelet aggression, aid glaucoma, and stimulate fat metabolism. This is theorized to happen through Forskolin’s ability to increase cyclic AMP or cAMP levels. Forskolin re-sensitizes cell receptors by activating the enzyme adenylyl cyclase and increasing the intracellular levels of cAMP. cAMP is an important signal carrier necessary for the proper biological response of cells to hormones among other extracellular signals. One function of cAMP is stimulating lipolysis, or the breakdown of fat. Thus, by increasing cAMP levels, Forskolin may effectively stimulate lipolysis and ultimately weight loss. Again, in theory this sounds great, and while Forskolin has been studied medically for quite some time, the research on its effectiveness for weight loss is lacking. There have been some studies that showed positive results in body composition in obese individuals. However, it is known that obese individuals have low cAMP levels; therefore, the results were more than likely a result of cAMP levels returning to normal. There is no evidence that suggests Forskolin is effective in healthy individuals with normal cAMP levels. While it appears that Forskolin may be beneficial for a number of medical conditions, there is simply not enough evidence to validate its role as a weight loss aid. In this case we must simply wait for more research.
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RELORA Pretty much all I need to know about this product comes from their official website and slogan… “Want to get rid of belly fat? Is diet and exercise not enough?” Let me start by saying this, “Diet and exercise ARE ENOUGH!” No one with a good diet and regular exercise program is walking around significantly overweight without some sort of serious medical condition. The website goes on and on with very vague and loose “research.” It quotes studies that are mildly related, mostly on stress with nothing mentioned on their product or ingredients. I had to skip over a dozen “buy it now” links and clicked three more links to find the actual ingredients in this product. This is one of my biggest pet peeves: companies trying to convince people that if it’s not a poor diet or lack of exercise that causes weight gain, it must be all stress, and that there is a magic pill that will fix the problem so you will lose weight without diet or exercise. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but like my grandfather told me, “If it smells like s#!t and looks like s#!t, it ain’t candy or roses.” Now that I got that out of the way…I will get back to my slightly more professional tone for those of you still hoping for candy or roses. Relora is basically an herbal supplement with
claims to naturally reduce stress and thus, cortisol (that really bad hormone responsible for all your troubles), allowing you to finally lose all that weight. I will admit, stress can affect hormone levels and yes, it may make it harder to lose weight, and yes, you should try to reduce stress; however, stress does not and will not make it impossible for you to lose weight. Also, cortisol is not the boogieman; cortisol is a natural hormone inside our bodies that serves many important functions. Can cortisol levels become elevated? Yes, but more often than not they can be controlled by a well balanced diet and plenty of sleep. Moving on to the next point, none of the ingredients have any research supporting them, let alone even a scientific theory of how Relora works outside of “stress is bad and causes weight gain, so reduce stress and lose weight with this product.” Over the years there have been quite a few of these psychotropic nutrients/herbs claiming help with weight loss; Ginkgo Biloba, Ginseng, Kave, etc. None have shown any supporting research and I have a feeling none ever will. You know what the biggest cause of stress is? LIFE! And it’s not going anywhere. Stress is much less about what happens and much more about how you react to it. Remember, you are in complete control of your actions. So YOU are in control of your life, no one else. Take a little personal responsibility and you will be amazed at what you can change.
Yeah, that could happen to you if you quit jiu-jitsu.
RASPBERRY KETONES
Raspberry Ketones, or Raspberry Ketone Extract is an extremely popular product on the market right now. This is no doubt a result of Dr. Oz calling it a “miracle fat burner in a bottle.” No offense to Dr. Oz, but there is no such thing as a “miracle in a bottle.” This is not to say that Raspberry Ketones may not be beneficial, just never look at anything as an end all, and cure all, especially in the supplement industry. The basic premise behind Raspberry Ketones is that they increase the body’s ability to burn fat. The theory is that they increase fatty acid oxidation and utilization while preventing the body’s ability to store fatty acids. This theory is directly linked
to a process inside the body called ketosis. Ketosis has become a highly controversial topic in the exercise physiology and nutrition world. This has led to many supporters of a “ketogenic” diet. It involves a lot of highly scientific theories and processes that I will address in a separate article in the future. As for the research about Raspberry Ketones, there is very little of it, and it’s only been on mice. However, the results have been
pretty positive so far, demonstrating Raspberry Ketones are effective at preventing obesity in mice. While mice are used because they have similar metabolic processes as humans, the results do not always translate directly to humans. The main studies have focused on Raspberry Ketones’ effect on preventing obesity and weight gain, not on weight loss. So, there is still an abundance of research needed.
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drill it
Gymnastics Drills
JIU-JITSU
FOR
WITH
ANDRE GALVAO Words & Photos: MIKE VELEZ
ymnastics and jiu-jitsu go hand in hand. A gymnast needs to have the ability to manipulate and know how to move his body so when the time comes he can execute a position with timing and grace that makes it look easy, or difficult depending on what impresses you. Mixing in some more gymnastic-like type drills into your drilling or training routine will help aid you in increasing your flexibility, muscle control, dexterity, timing, and sense of awareness when you’re in competition or sparring. Multi-time World Champion and regular contributor to the magazine Andre Galvao is going to show us five simple gymnastic drills you can use immediately to improve all of the virtues listed above. Perform as prescribed as part of a routine or, knock yourself out and do them constantly. Practice makes perfect, so the more often you perform these drills the better you’ll get.
HEAD POST
T
his is an excellent drill for improving your overall balance and body control. It’s a great precursor to more acrobatic drills and maneuvers. It’s also a good conditioning exercise for working on your core muscles and nervous system.
STEP 2
STEP 1 Start off on your hands and knees on the mat, with your hands a few inches in front of and wider than your knees. Palms should be facing down on the mat.
STEP 3
Move your body weight forward to bring your head to the mat in front of your hands.
Walk your feet off to your right hand side almost in line with your hands, this will cause your spine to flatten and your butt to elevate.
Andre could have a career with Cirque Du Soleil some day. Xxxxxx
STEP 6
STEP 5 STEP 4 Jump your feet up so all your body weight is supported by your hands and head.
Bring your legs over and across your body and down to your left side in a location similar to where you jumped up from the right side.
Repeat from the left side, jumping your feet over to your right side, be sure that your legs are going directly over your body so you’re using your core to balance your weight, don’t just fling your feet across quickly without feeling it in your core. at a steady pace this drill quickly You can perform l those muscles fee lly rea wly and or you can go slo al pace perform rm process. At a no through the entire use it for cardio to nt wa u yo cross overs. If ds each set. three sets of 20 30 ce for secon sets at a brisk pa 4 do g, nin itio cond
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Powered by:
ATHLETIC BODY CARE WRESTLER’S HEAD POST
T
his one is very similar to the basic head post, but works great when avoiding a sweep, especially from a situation when you’re in your opponent’s butterfly guard. It is also an excellent drill for balance and coordination. If you were to apply this drill to actual rolling, imagine you’re in your opponent’s butterfly guard, when you base your head to the mat you would be basing off to the side of his torso and bringing your body around to his side. The same goes for the previous drill.
EP 1
ST apart, of your knees, shoulder width Start on all fours, hands in front you. of front in tly the mat direc palms down and your head on
STEP 3 Instead of bringing your feet to your side, bring your feet and legs directly behind you. Maintain a stiff neck to avoid injury.
STEP 2 Kick your feet up so that your body weight is directly above you being supported by your hands and legs.
STEP 4 Keep your knees bent so when you land you land on your feet, but don’t allow your hips to touch the mat. Land in a bridge position. While doing this, keep in mind that this is a drill to avoid a sweep. In competition you land on your hips and the other guy’s got the points, here you’re landing on your feet in a bridge.
STEP 5
Perform this drill for 3 sets of 10 to
That’s what I call a headstand.
After landing in the bridge, quickly roll your shoulder to one direction, in this case to Andre’s right, and quickly walk your feet back to that right side, pivoting on your head as shown to come back to your starting position in Step 2. Then repeat, rolling back to the opposite side.
Or 20 times total. ts of
to time for 4 se 30 seconds.
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CARTWHEELS
Shift your weight to your right, bending your knees and dropping your right hand to the mat, palm down. Kick your left foot off the mat pushing your body weight over to your right.
T
his might seem like kids stuff, but it’s actually very practical and relevant for jiu-jitsu. Being able to confidently do a cartwheel not only is a great drill for balance, strength, and conditioning, but it’s also a great way to pass guard. Andre’s former coach Leo Vieira made the “star pass” famous by essentially doing a good cartwheel with legs high enough so the opponent can’t follow or reverse.
STEP 3
STEP 1
h shoulder widt with your feet es. sid Start standing ur yo to e out some spac apart, and clear
Using the momentum generated, bring your left hand to the mat. Your left foot should also rise off the mat at this time.
STEP 4 For a brief moment both feet will be off the mat while both hands are on, palms down. Continue the momentum with your left foot coming back down to the mat first, in line with your hands.
STEP 5 Your right foot will land shortly after your left, this will bring your body to standing. Try to stand squared up in line with the position you started in. Once settled repeat in the opposite direction.
ROUND OFF
A
round off is very similar to the cartwheel, but instead of finishing with your feet in line with how you started, you end with your feet perpendicular to where you began. This is also a little more aggressive; in order to land with your feet in line, they must land at the same time. In order for them to land together you have to do more of a jump to the finish.
Complete 2 sets of 10 times to each side . This is also a gr eat warm-up exercise or as an ac tive recovery after a sparring session.
Complete 2 sets of 10 times
to each si de. Do these when you’re fres h, they need some explosive power to be perf ormed correctly and safely.
STEP 1 Start standing with your feet shoulder width apart, and clear out some space to your sides.
STEP 2 Shift your weight to your right, bending your knees and dropping your right hand to the mat, palm down slightly behind your right foot.
Also useful for cheerleading.
STEP 3
As your hand hits the mat, continue over with the left hand landing slightly behind your right hand. At this point, jump your left leg over first, quickly followed by your right foot.
STEP 5 Once both feet have hit the mat raise your body up and stand upright facing the direction in which you started. Perform the process starting to your left side rather than your right and repeat.
STEP 4 4Twist your body slightly while in the air so that both your legs hit the mat at the same time.
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360’s
T
his is a fundamental drill that Andre believes everyone should perform regularly. In fact, it’s the first drill that he goes over in his popular book “Drill To Win.” This drill works on agility while improving flexibility and mobility in the back, neck, and shoulders. It’s a simple move that will take a little time to get correctly. Once you do, it will be easy. This drill will help with your situational awareness when it comes to recovering from upside down guard as well as keep you calm when defending any sort of stack pass.
STEP 1 Start on your hands and knees and drop your right shoulder to the mat, bringing your weight to your right side.
STEP 4
STEP 2
Continue the momentum, your knees will once again be back on the mat and the impetus will bring your right shoulder again to the mat just like in Step 1. Keep going, continue the roll until you get to the point at which you started on the mat, completing a 360. Once you get there go back in the opposite direction.
Perform 5 360-degree turns to each
side or perfo rm continuously for 2 minutes.
“You spin me right around, baby right around, like a record baby.”
Continue the roll so the center of your back is now on the mat and your legs are directly over your head, you’ll be looking up at them since your torso will be bent at the hips.
This Column is Powered by Athletic Body Care: STEP 3 Keep going so that your knees fall back down to the mat, they’ll be coming around to your left side, let them fall forward to the mat. Your neck will be limbered up and your chin will be touching your chest at this point.
N
o workout is ever complete without proper hygiene. Be prepared before and after hitting the mats with the Athletic Body Care line of performance skincare products designed to provide the athlete with a level of hygiene and protection better than any other today. www.athleticbodycare.com
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METAMORIS words: DEB BLYTH
HE METAMORIS PRO JIU-JITSU INVITATIONAL TOOK THE JIU-JITSU WORLD BY STORM, HOLDING THEIR INAUGURAL EVENT ON OCTOBER 14, 2012 AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY. With over 3,000 in attendance and over 9,000 live streaming it, the jiu-jitsu community eagerly took in the 6 superfights. The main event featured multi-time World Champion and legendary jiu-jitsu player Roger Gracie competing against the current 2012 open and ultra heavy weight World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida. Its co-main event was also a highly anticipated bout. The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu prodigy, Ryron Gracie, who had not competed in over 10 years, squared up against the highly decorated, multi-time World Champion Andre Galvao. There were four other outstanding match ups including Caio Terra vs. Jeff Glover, Kayron Gracie vs. Rafael Lovato, Jr., Kron Gracie vs. Otavio Sousa, and Xande Ribeiro vs. Dean Lister in the only no gi match of the evening.
Everybody was sitting on the other side.
“Being an IBJJF-rules world champ does not mean you are the best jiu-jitsu player in the world; that is the moral of this whole story…” Kron Gracie
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RIS PRO
The Metamoris
format
Metamoris diverged from most current day tournament rules and regulations. Each match was 20 minutes long. No points or advantages were awarded for bettering a position (the theory behind that is that the motivation for getting a top position should be to get a submission, not points), and only a submission was considered a win. If neither opponent submitted the other, the match was a draw and both parties won…or lost, depending on your perception. The players could use any type of grip desired. Competitors were paid for their efforts and before the show started, Metamoris Producers Ralek Gracie and Rob Zeps offered a Submission of the Night bonus to the fighter who pulled off the best finish of the show. In the end, the night produced three subs and three draws. Ralek and Rob decided in the post-fight press conference to give the Submission of the Night to all three submission artists: Caio Terra, Rafael Lovato, and Kron Gracie, who were the big winners of the evening.
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND METAMORIS
Metamoris.indd 2
That’s a lot of years worth of jiu-jitsu experience on that stage.
Ralek Gracie grew up on old school jiu-jitsu values that he learned from his grandfather, Helio and his father, Rorian. When he was young he began preparing himself to be an effective jiu-jitsu competitor, but when the time came for him to compete, the game had strayed from what he was trained to do, and he lost the inspiration to do so. He was taught from an early age to go into a match slowly, to take time to feel an opponent out and discover his weaknesses, until he could finish him in what Ralek calls “an elegant way” and with a “smooth approach.” “But the jiu-jitsu and MMA tournaments became more mainstream with shorter time limits,” Ralek says, “It became more about explosiveness and stronger opponents dominating matches. Winning by points became the predominant version of Sport Jiu-Jitsu and MMA that was taking over. With competition jiu-jitsu, we started seeing people developing styles based on these rules, which is cool, but it’s not jiu-jitsu as I know it. It doesn’t represent the full spectrum of it. So, I came up with this idea to do something with longer time limits and a space to recognize both the defender and the attacker in a more complete jiu-jitsu picture. I talked to Rob (Zeps) and told him I wanted to create a jiu-jitsu event that provided an open, professional setting, focused only on one match at a time, that encompassed the top pedigree of competitors, and we decided that the time for this type of show was right.” Thus, Metamoris was born. Why “Metamoris?” It’s a story Ralek read about a Native American Indian whose sole purpose was to try to unite all the different tribes around him. “Metamoris means unity,” Ralek says, “I liked it because jiu-jitsu is kind of tribal and I wanted to unite all the tribes within jiu-jitsu together on one night and on one big stage.”
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PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
Thanks to both John and Kenny for providing some great photography.
CAIO TERRA VS. JEFF GLOVER
The first match of the night was a rematch between Caio Terra and Jeff Glover. Last Spring at the Jiu-Jitsu Expo, Jeff tapped Caio out in their superfight to effectively end their match, but every day is a new day and in this case, the new day was Caio’s. At Metamoris, the two started out playfully, warming up the crowd with their entertaining antics - baiting each other back and forth and Caio patting Jeff on the butt at one point. The match eventually took a serious turn when Caio caught Jeff in a triangle/armbar that lasted a good amount of time before he finished it. “I didn’t really come in with a strategy,” Caio says, “But I wanted to play on top and he never let me play bottom, so it all worked out. He kept his back on the mat the whole time. I don’t think people saw that. He wouldn’t get in my guard. When I pulled guard he came on top and then threw himself on the bottom, pulling me to him.” Caio says with it being a 20-minute match, he knew from the beginning he wasn’t going to hurry through it. “I was patient,” he says, “When I got him in a triangle/armbar, I made sure there was no escape. It was tight and eventually I was able to finish it.” In the post-fight press conference Jeff seemed a bit surprised by the results of the match. “I thought, ‘he’s good with the points and advantages,’” Jeff says, “I thought if I was gonna lose to Caio it would be IBJJF rules. But I ended up pulling out a victory on him in those rules and I thought these rules worked better for me, but apparently he got the ‘W’ today.”
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
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RAFAEL LOVATO, JR. VS. KAYRON GRACIE PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENN
Y JEWEL
Rafael and Kayron were scheduled to compete at the Jiu-Jitsu Expo last Spring, but an injury forced Kayron out of the match. This time they were both ready to go. About five minutes into the battle, Kayron began passing Rafael’s guard. Rafael heard his coach, Saulo Ribeiro, say, “Pick it up!” Rafael says, “A switch went off in my head and I said, ‘let’s go…let’s start to be offensive.’” About 10 minutes in, Rafael was in Kayron’s guard, and he put the pressure on. “I passed and got side control,” he says, “I immediately had his arm isolated and got the kimura.” Rafael says being a part of Metamoris and this win was special in many ways. “All the build up, the countdown shows, the rules, the hype…it’s the first of its kind. I trained really hard because I knew it was going to be a big show and an opportunity for me to show what I could do. There was no holding, no ref; I wanted to have the best performance of my life and I was able to do it. I felt so in the zone and felt it coming together perfectly during the match. It’s one of those feelings you can’t describe.” As for the extra $5K he won for Submission of the Night, Rafael was ecstatic. “That was awesome!” he says, “I was definitely hoping I would get it. That’s just a nice bonus and ‘Submission of the Night’ always sounds cool. People don’t understand how hard it is to get a sub at that level. It’s such a high level.”
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
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That’s emotion right there.
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PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
“No really, just smell it.”
KRON GRACIE VS. OTAVIO SOUSA
With Kron’s legendary father, Rickson Gracie coaching on one side of the mat and GB great Marcio Feitosa coaching on the other, this match was destined to be good. Kron brought his dynamic, fluid, and effective style of jiu-jitsu to the mats with him, and Otavio “The Steamroller” Sousa brought his impressive reputation as the current 2012 middleweight Worlds Champion with him. For the first 15 minutes the two battled back and forth trying to better their positions. Otavio tried to work his omoplata set ups, which resulted in his foot pressing into Kron’s face for much of the match, but Kron was undeterred (he later laughed that he was more distracted by Marcio and his coaching than he was by Otavio’s foot). Kron eventually passed Otavio’s guard, gained full control of the bout, and caught him with a beautifully orchestrated armbar. Kron says, “In jiu-jitsu, when you think you’re winning, that’s when the problems start, so no outside thoughts got in my way. Even when I passed his guard, I didn’t think anything, just that I had to do everything I could not to lose the opportunity.” Reflecting back Kron says, “This style of fighting is the real jiu-jitsu. You can’t leave
any room for error. That arm lock was a result of all my training. It was a reflex at that point. I train so much, I get into a place that’s beyond what my conscious is even thinking. I don’t let my brain think, I let my spirit judge.” Kron’s win was special for him for many reasons. “Otavio is the current World Champion and I respect him a lot. It was a big fight for me and I trained very hard. It was a good reward for my sacrifice. Metamoris was the biggest jiu-jitsu event ever and I got Submission of the Night and an extra $5k. That didn’t hurt too much either. I got a little more confidence in myself and my jiu-jitsu.”
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
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XANDE RIBEIRO VS. DEAN LISTER
arm can break when someone has it that tight, but you can buy time if you relax and give it to him. I pushed towards him and gave a little extra with my shoulder. It gave me time to escape. I give Xande credit for getting me in that tight of an arm lock. It’s crazy he could do that to me… hasn’t happened in years.” Dean admits the fight was trying because he didn’t want to spend the match “slapping hands” looking for a takedown, so he continually pulled guard to keep it moving. “If I get on top, I have a very high percentage of getting a foot lock,” he says, “But Xande is a smart fighter. He didn’t want to get on the bottom and he wouldn’t let me take him
down. He wanted me to pull guard and I’m not looking to do a paddy cake dance for 20 minutes so I did.” Where were the Boogeyman foot lock attempts? “I look for quality not quantity,” Dean says, “I almost had his leg. It was really close. If I had been able to turn him on his back, I would have had him.” Dean’s only beef was after he finally got a sweep they went out of bounds. “The ref should have restarted with me in guard,” he says, “I’d earned the sweep, but he stood us up. I thought, ‘I’m not going to complain, or argue,’ but I had time and would have done something.” PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
The only no gi match of the night was between two legendary jiu-jitsu figures, Xande Ribeiro, the 2012 double gold no-gi Worlds, Master/ Senior super heavy weight and open class World Champion and Dean “Boogeyman” Lister, the 2011 ADCC Champ. At one point, Xande had Dean in a tight arm lock that would have finished most, but Dean stayed calm, and showed his remarkable submission defense by getting out of it and bringing the crowd to its feet and a smile to Xande’s face. The bout ultimately ended in a draw with both competitors smiling and laughing. Reflecting back on the armbar attempt, Dean says, “An
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
Dean was wondering if he set the TiVo for the Walking Dead that evening.
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
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feature
ANDRE GALVAO VS. RYRON GRACIE The Andre/Ryron match up brought some good old-fashioned drama to the event. World Champion Andre Glavao, dominated the match by continually bettering his position, but Ryron Gracie’s first-rate Gracie Jiu-Jitsu defense tactics held up soundly under Andre’s barrage. He protected his neck and arms, gave nothing away, and did not allow Andre’ to submit him. The bout ended in a draw with a vocally unhappy Andre and a satisfied Ryron. After the match, the Internet was abuzz with questions like, “Did Ryron come to pull a draw?” “Was this a legitimate submission only match when it appeared that only one was going for the submission?” Was it strategy, differing Jiu-Jitsu philosophies or something else? You be the judge.
It’s like they’re airing out their laundry.
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
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ANDRE’S
PERSPECTIVE
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
“Everyone fought to submit in every other match. Everyone fought and moved forward except him. He just lay down on the mat. And if you do that, it’s not going to be easy to tap a guy like that out. I don’t know if he did it because I was attacking all the time. The goal was to submit, but he didn’t try and that was the only way for him to draw with me. The truth is, I did try. I couldn’t take him. I’m not going to say I didn’t have the opportunity. I should have trained differently. But I did my best. I couldn’t finish, but I fought to finish.” Andre’ continues, “I didn’t feel like I had pressure on my shoulders or that I had to tap him out. I wanted to go and make a good fight. I respect Ryron, but right afterwards in the interview he said my medals don’t have any value. He compared the world champion medal to the sheet on the table. I tried to explain myself, but I’m Brazilian and I’m emotional. My English is not good. I respect all the Gracie family. I started training because of them. Ryron started training in diapers. I started because of Royce Gracie. When he was fighting in the cage, he was submitting people and making them tap. They were giving up. That’s why I started training jiu-jitsu. Every fight is a good experience. Since my fight with Ryron I can see more positions now. I thought about what I could have done differently. How I could have made him move. I got some really good experience. I couldn’t put a price on it.”
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
RYRON’S PERSPECTIVE
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A fun one to watch for sure.
“This was an opportunity for me to learn and feel someone of his caliber. During the match, I was on the bottom the whole time surviving. It’s hard to stall when you’re defending your neck. I could have shrimped out, but I would have exposed my neck or something else. In the other matches someone was tapped out because they did not accept being in an inferior position. You only get tapped out (or worn out) when you fight to get out of where you are. For me, I wanted to beat him, but I’m not going to be dumb about it and give my back. My first goal was to show him that he couldn’t submit me. It demoralizes your opponent. When he normally gets a dominant position, his opponent turns to their back or on their knees to get away. I wanted him to feel like, ‘man! I can’t beat this guy! There’s no tapping him!’ Then once an opportunity arises, he’s already shaky. The whole point of the event is to show who had the best jiu-jitsu. Andre Galvao did an amazing job surviving. We both did, 100%. We both displayed jiu-jitsu perfectly.” Ryron goes on to say, “Look, these guys look at me like I haven’t proven myself to be able to roll with Andre, so when I do and it ends up a draw, it’s almost like, ‘Forget this! You’re not even supposed to be here!’ If you think about it, I could be looked at like the Paris Hilton of jiu-jitsu. The only reason I’m here at the party is because of my last name. Everyone else is decorated, but the truth is, I also have the ability to not get tapped out by any of them and they can beat up anybody.” As for the “table cloth” comment Ryron says he only meant that medals mean nothing to him personally. In closing, he says, “If fighters start to compete in events similar to Metamoris, they will become more well rounded. You have to improve your defense. It’s your survival, so not everyone can overwhelm and dominate you. People want to destroy and win out of fear of landing in bad positions. They attack so much, but if they weren’t so fearful of inferior positions, which makes them attack almost blindly, they would have the energy to last longer. My Grandfather taught me that at the core, jiu-jitsu is survival.” Dec/Jan 2013 | 43
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feature
ROGER GRACIE VS.
MARCUS “BUCHECHA” ALMEIDA
The last fight of the evening was the main event between the legendary jiu-jitsu artist and multitime World Champion Roger Gracie and the current weight and absolute World Champion Marcus Buchecha. Roger had just come off a course of antibiotics, but that didn’t seem to slow him down at all. The match ended in a draw, but not before Buchecha shocked the crowd by catching Roger in what appeared to be an airtight armbar attempt. The big man would not go down, though. He miraculously escaped (he later said he would not have tapped regardless of the outcome), which brought a roar from the crowd. Buchecha has had an extraordinary year
(including defeating Rodolfo at the Worlds), and he was beyond ecstatic with his performance. He says, “I didn’t win, but I was happy because I had a good result. During the match I was not that tired. I could still do everything, but I couldn’t try everything because Roger’s the best in the world. He would see all my mistakes. When I went for the armbar, he took me off my back. It is really difficult to submit him. I surprise and confuse people because I have so much speed and see transitions very fast for a big guy. People don’t expect it. I’m usually faster than the other guys, but Roger was waiting for everything. The armbar…I was faster than him, which is
why I got his arm, but he is the best. He did the best escape. He was really calm. That’s why he’s #1.” Buchecha thinks he earned more respect from this fight. “Sometimes guys hide behind a medal,” he says, “They don’t compete anymore because they don’t want to lose, but I’m not like that, that’s why I accepted the challenge. It’s an honor to fight against someone like Roger. He’s a legend; best in the world.” In closing he says, “I think everyone should fight to submit. It would be way better for the sport. I really liked being at Metamoris. It is a huge step forward for jiu-jitsu.”
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
Everyone thought he had it.
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
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EXPECT TO
SEE MORE
METAMORIS PHOTO: JOHN
COOPER
IN THE FUTURE
“We want millions of people to watch Metamoris on TV every Sunday and be inspired,” Ralek says, “Jiu-jitsu makes you a happier person. The more who train, will understand how amazing these competitors are. It’s not just two guys rolling around on the mat. It’s a real battle of energy, focus, and intellect. I hope people understand that and see it for what it really is.” For more information, go to: http://metamoris.com/live-stream
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL
We can only hope that Renato will be on the card next time - no doubt he’d be the headliner.
PHOTO: JOHN COOPER
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feature
Cyborg
Takes the World
BY STORM WHIRLWIND SEMINAR TOUR with his
words: DEB BLYTH | photos: ROBERTO “CYBORG” ABREU
The Tornado strikes again! Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu has become a household name over the years, with his infamous Tornado Guard, his exciting and dynamic Jiu-Jitsu style, his dramatic showings at IBJJF events, and his kind and gracious manner. Cyborg, a 2nd degree black belt, will receive his 3rd stripe at the end of the year. He’s been training for over 14 years under Francisco Albuquerque “Toco”, owns Fight Sports in Miami, and has 20 affiliate schools around the world. Cyborg recently picked up his third back-to-back ultra heavy No Gi Worlds win at the 2012 No Gi Worlds, his third backto-back weight and absolute win at the 2012 Miami Open, and has secured a spot at the 2013 Abu Dhabi’s after snagging a win at the 2012 Pro Trials in New York.
Living the good life.
A friend to all
Cyborg is a friend to everyone in Jiu-Jitsu, and invites any student to come train with him. He is open about his Jiu-Jitsu, and enjoys sharing his wisdom, talents, and techniques with all his friends, wherever they may be. So, it’s no surprise that he is continually asked by various Jiu-Jitsu schools around the globe to share his knowledge and understanding with them. Last summer,
Cyborg traveled through eight countries at a rapid pace, and like everything else he does, he did it with gusto, passion, and with a true love for the sport and the people involved in it.
What is your purpose for traveling around the world giving seminars? The main thing is to spread the art of Jiu-Jitsu. I created the Tornado Guard and I’m happy to be able to share it with others because I see how much it’s appreciated. I came from a place that had no Jiu-Jitsu. Everything I’ve accomplished, I’ve done on my own, so going to other places where people are hoping to make it, and giving them an extra push is my purpose. I don’t just go to deliver techniques, though; I also go to tell them how Jiu-Jitsu can make them better athletes and people.
growing up, I didn’t have any opportunities and I had to face a lot of troubles. I couldn’t have dreamed I would have what I have today, so I try to spread that hope to others. Whatever we want to reach is possible. I’ve learned that you’re the only one who can make you a champion. You have to really want it and you have to believe in yourself. So, my message is, if I can do it, you can, too.
How many seminars do you teach a year? It varies. Last year I taught 34 seminars. This year will surpass that. I’m always in Miami from Monday to Friday, then I teach seminars every weekend around the U.S. I do long trips once or twice a year. This year I went to Hawaii for two weeks and Europe for three.
Do you enjoy it?
Tell me about your recent European seminar tour.
Yes, it’s amazing. I have a lot of inspirational talks with students to motivate them. During and after the seminars, we sit in a circle and talk about life and how Jiu-Jitsu has changed us. Some people don’t realize how much it’s transformed them until after our conversations. When I was
I did 12 seminars in 8 countries in 3 weeks! I went to Clare, Ireland, London, England, Casablanca, Morocco, Paris and Geubville, France, Zurich, Switzerland, Prasov and Bucharest, Romania, Tel Aviv and Nethania, Israel, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was
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how much recognition I had from my work there. My hard work paid off! We then drove two hours back to France. I went to sleep and left at 5:00 a.m. the next day to fly to Romania for my next seminar!
What was your most memorable experience from the trip?
Was it a great trip?
I went to Zurich, Switzerland to teach. I was traveling relentlessly and I was dead tired. I hadn’t slept. I got there on a Friday afternoon. I spent three hours teaching a great seminar, then the guys asked me to go compete with them at the (Swiss) Nationals, which was offering $1k for the Absolute. I had another seminar already booked in Guebville, France the next day at 10:00 a.m., which was hours away from the competition in Switzerland. I decided to take the challenge and it was crazy, but we did it! I got up the next morning at 7:00 a.m., and jumped in the car to drive from Zurich to Guebville, France. I taught a seminar from 10:00 to 1:00. After the seminar, we all took pictures and then left at 1:30 to drive to the tournament in Switzerland. I didn’t get to eat or anything. I had no food, no sleep…but I fought and won. It was amazing
It was so awesome! The best part was experiencing so many different cultures. Everywhere I went was beautiful. Morocco is magic. The country is beautiful and I love the people and culture there. Romania’s mountains are amazing and Israel is just unbelievable. Having the chance to go to Jerusalem and feel the energy of The Holy Land was unreal. I finally had the opportunity to thank God for his blessings! Everywhere I went, I felt like I had known everyone for years. I made friends for life, literally. I made brothers, not just friends. I didn’t want to leave each school to go to the next – I didn’t want it to be over – but then the next place was as good as the last. You find yourself in other people. Every student was struggling for the art, working so hard, living for Jiu-Jitsu, and trying his best. They were so passionate everywhere I went. It was unbelievable. I also helped guys business-wise, and showed
them how to grow their businesses. When I would leave they were already using their new techniques on and off the mats. I made students fall in love with Jiu-Jitsu again and I helped with their businesses. I’ve discovered that if you deliver your message with love, you will be successful. So, ya, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Hawaii was unbelievable too. Everything Jiu-Jitsu has brought me over the years has been unbelievable.
What has teaching Jiu-Jitsu seminars meant to you? It’s one of God’s greatest gifts he’s given me. I have friends all over the world now. I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to do this. I give 100% of myself every place I go. I spread the same amount of passion and energy to each place, regardless of how little sleep I may get! I even created a website to keep in touch with everyone around the world: www.bjjworldchampion.com. Check it out!
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Have you ever met a wimpy guy with the nickname of “Cyborg?” Probably not.
crazy, but I had a lot of fun! I stayed three days in Ireland, one day in England, five days in Morocco, one day in each city in France, one day in Switzerland, three days in Romania, four days in Israel, and one day in Amsterdam.
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technique
THE TURTLE WITH
KENNY JOHNSON words & photos: MIKE VELEZ
Waht Kenny told us after doing this photoshoot was really strange.
OU’VE BEEN THERE BEFORE, ONE SECOND YOU’RE GOING TO PASS SOMEONE’S GUARD, BUT MAYBE YOU DIDN’T HAVE ALL YOUR POINTS LOCKED DOWN. YOU GO FOR THE SWEEP AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THERE’S A MAD SCRAMBLE. You find your opponent on all fours, turtled up nice and tight. He’s gathering his thoughts, you’re trying to get a hook in, but he’s not having it. He thinks he’s in a safe zone that he can hang out in until he’s come up with some new tactics to employ and you’re not sure what to do next to take him out of it. Wouldn’t it be great if you could completely ruin his day by giving him no quarter? No chance to regroup, no chance to rest? When things get a little crazy, grapplers will often go to this temporary safe harbor known as the turtle. You know what I’m talking about: knees and elbows on the mat, everything tucked in tight to keep from giving anything up. Well, Kenny Johnson’s going to show you how you can use some basic, and not so basic wrestling techniques the next time your opponent goes to the turtle that will take this safe zone away, play with his head, and give you a valuable tool to further your attack and get on to the submission.
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CROTCH PRY Step 1 Your opponent’s turtled up. Pick a side; in this case you’re on the right side of him. Get behind and to the right of him with your left hip against his right thigh. Reach your right hand over and secure his right wrist. With your left hand, reach between his left thigh and torso. Go deep with that left hand and cup the inside of his left thigh as deep as you can go. In wrestling this is called a “crotch pry.”
KEY POINTS Securing the wrist in the first step is simply to keep him from basing out with that hand. If he’s tucked that arm away, fake to attack the neck to get him to expose the wrist.
Step 3
Step 2
He said shooting this article just felt right. Not sure what he meant by that.
Once you have your left arm in deep and his wrist secured, circle your feet to your right (counter clock-wise if you’re looking down from above), and remember to stay tight to your opponent.
At the same time that you move your feet, pull that left arm up and toward you to roll him to his right side. The secured wrist keeps him from basing out to defend the roll.
Step 4 As soon as he’s tipping over, let go of the wrist, move your left hand up from his thigh and bring them together with your left arm under his left armpit and your right arm between his neck and shoulder. Bring your hands together to get him in the “seatbelt” position. From the “seatbelt” you have lots of options on where to go. You can easily move into side control, or if he rolls away from you, you can take his back and decide where you want the match to go from there.
Between steps 1 and 3 it’s important to stay tight to him and move to your side rather than moving upward. If you move up on his back you’re going to give him enough space to back out of the position.
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technique
CROTCH PRY TO THE BACK
T
his is a simple variation that takes place after step 1 from the Crotch Pry.
Step 1 After you’ve established the first step in the Crotch Pry, instead of circling your feet to the right of your opponent, drop your right knee to the mat just to the side of your opponent’s turtled right leg.
Step 2 Pull him over with your left arm as you did before with that deep pry. Since you didn’t circle around, you’re going to be pulling him to sit back between your legs.
Step 3
Pedro didn’t look Kenny once in the eyes during this entire shoot.
As soon as his butt reac hes the mat and in to ge , pull your t your hooks knees up inside his le hands toge gs and brin ther to get g your the seatbelt you can atta . If you’re in ck the colla the gi, rs and go fr om there fo r a choke.
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Step 1
THE FRONT HEAD PULL
With your opponent turtled up you’ll be attacking from the front. Sprawl out with your shoulder placed and applying pressure to the back of the base of his neck. If your weight is too low on his neck, and is instead on his upper back, he can shoot past you for a single leg.
KEY POINTS At step 4, if you drag him
Step 2 As you get to a position where you can apply pressure to his neck in step 1, you must also get the hand in on the same side as the shoulder you’re pressing down on, to control his chin. Reach your hand in, in this case your right, to cup his chin. Don’t go any further or you risk getting it sucked in.
Step 3 With your left hand, cup the back of his arm just above the elbow on the triceps. With your shoulder at the back of the base of his neck, tuck your chin against his right shoulder blade. When you tuck your chin here, your neck, back, and entire torso is straight and much stronger than if you were to put your head elsewhere.
forward enough when you let go of your pressure, you may be able to drag him flat to the mat. Him, stomach down on the mat, is a bad position for him that you can use to get on his back for a choke or just about anything else you want to do.
Step 4 Once you’re locked into position, push into your opponent, using your shoulder against the back of the base of his neck. He may resist your pressure by pressing back on you. When you feel this resistance, relieve the pressure you’re putting on him, and his weight will shift forward opening a rather large gap between his elbows and knees. If you can’t pull him flat,
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Pedro said this was the worst photoshoot he’s ever done.
Step 5 Once you have this open, quickly circle around to his side. Don’t let go of his chin just yet. Keep a hold of it until you get to his side, and then quickly move to control his right arm with your right hand. At this point, you can move to the Crotch Pry to drag him down to side control or take his back.
but you do get to his back and his knees are beyond a 90º bend, drive forward with your pelvis to help flatten him out.
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technique
SIDE DRIVE Step 1 Your opponent’s turtled up and you want to go to side control. Square up so you’re facing your opponent’s side, but off to his back just a little. Take your knee that’s closest to his leg, and stuff it into the back of his Achilles tendon. Be careful with this one when sparring; you never want to injure your partner/opponent, but you want to make things uncomfortable for them. With your knee on his Achilles, put downwards pressure on the back of your opponent’s leg. This limits his mobility and is uncomfortable. He’ll be forced to turn his foot outward. Use your right hand to reach across him and secure his opposite side wrist. In this case, your left knee is pressing down on his leg and your right hand is securing his left wrist.
Step 2 Throughout this entire time, you should be nice and tight with your chest against his side and back. Reach over and grab a hold of his left leg or ankle with your left hand and pressure into him with your chest, continue until he’s on the mat. At this point, you can jump over his legs to his back, or you can continue the momentum. He’ll more than likely continue the roll to get to his back in an attempt to recover guard, but you wont’ let that happen. Instead, you’ll have him in your side control.
HIP THRUSTER
F
rom an outsider’s perspective, this one doesn’t look very appropriate, or fun. From the person on the bottom, let me guarantee you, it’s much worse than it looks.
Step 1 to work r tight, not giving you any gaps Your opponent’s turtled up supe your knee, in e Tak ds. han your with hips with. Control his shoulders or it in between his feet or ankles. this case your right, and wedge Step 2
Keep your chest against them the entire time.
Pry open his legs with your right knee in order to get your other knee in there as well. Lower your hips and spread your knees apart, this spreads his legs apart as well.
Step 3 As you spread your knees, drive your hips forward into his glutes (ass). Move your hands to his hips or belt to control him from getting away. As you continue spreading his legs he’ll feel pain in his hips and will be forced to either flatten out or roll to his side to avoid the pain. In either case, you’re either on his back, or on his side.
KEY POINTS This one sucks. Do this
a couple times in sparring and your opponent will never turtle when rolling with you again.
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technique
BOW AND ARROW Step 1 With your opponent turtled up, square up from the side, reach your right arm over and behind his neck to grab his chin, pulling it to his left. If he’s not giving you enough space to reach around for the chin, you can start from more of a north/south position to get a hold of it, then rotate around to the side.
Step 2 Take your right hand and grab his right ankle.
Step 3 Put your forehead into his right side ribcage and drive forward into his side. Drive forward with your head, while at the same time pulling his head to his left via the chin, and pulling his right leg towards you by the ankle.
Step 4
And that’s the end to that.
As you drive forward, he’s going to drop to his side, because you’re pulling on his head and leg while putting your head into his side. As if you’re drawing a bow, he won’t be able to base out to defend the roll. Once he’s on his side, immediately take your left hand and reverse palm the top of his left thigh. Otherwise, he’ll recover guard.
Step 5 Continue driving forward with your chest until his back flattens out on the mat. At this point, you’ll have a very clean side control to work from.
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technique
CAIO
TERRA
Walking down a dark alley you definitely want Caio on your side.
words & photos: JJM STAFF
’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD THE OLD ADAGE, “DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.” THAT SAYING COULD NOT APPLY BETTER TO ANYONE MORE THAN CAIO TERRA, WHO WEIGHS IN AT A DIMINUTIVE 130 POUNDS. People might not think he’s capable of taking down men many pounds heavier, but that’s just with this modern day “David” has done in the world of jiu-jitsu. Beginning his jiu-jitsu journey at the age of 17 at the behest of his mother as a way to help fend off bullies, Caio was a small teenager, tipping the scales at around 88lbs. Caio began training at the famous Fight Zone Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the time, he didn’t really like jiu-jitsu, despite the fact that his instructors Rodrigo Medeiros and Ricardo Vieira were two of the best in the world. His mother continued to push him and once he received his blue belt, she and his coaches pressed him to compete. At his first competition he won his first match, but after that, he was so nervous he didn’t want to compete again, telling his coach he wanted to quit. However, his coach would have none of that and so, Caio continued competing in the tournament. Match after match he won until he made it to the final. In the final, as fate would have it, he squared off against Bruno Malfacine, who still remains one of his greatest rivals today. Even back then, it was a heated match that went back and forth until Bruno submitted Caio. At that point, Caio was imbued with the competitive spirit; he trained non-stop from that day forward. After a short and impressive 3 ½ years (in total), he received his black belt from Reylson Gracie and Paulo Strauch...and Bruno Malfacine went on to become Caio’s nemesis in the black belt division.
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Caio’s list of accomplishments is remarkable to say the least. Just recently in Long Beach, California, he won his 5th straight No-Gi World Championship, a feat that’s not been duplicated. He’s also won a Gi World Championship at black belt, he recently won the American National Championship at Absolute against the much larger Bruno Bastos, and has silvered four times at the Gi Worlds. Along with traveling quite often and doing seminars around the world, Caio recently completed his Modern Jiu-Jitsu DVD set and accompanying iPad App. The complete set goes over 140 techniques. In this article Caio shows us a few of them for escaping and finishing from the back.
STATS Age: 26 Home Town: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Residence: San Jose, CA Home School: Institute of Martial
Arts, San Jose CA Black Belt Since: 2006 Training Since: 2003
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH CAIO TERRA JJM: You got your black belt in just 3 years, which is unheard of. How often were you training back then, and what was it like? CT: Back when I used to train in Brazil I would
JJM: What’s your training like these days? CT: One of the things that’s helped me out the
intervals and a lot of endurance. I would stay on that thing for hours until I couldn’t go any further. It destroyed me, I’m having nightmares about the Versa Climber, but it worked!
JJM: What belt were you at that time that you said that? CT: I was at brown belt. When I got
most is the Versa Climber. Because I do so many seminars, last year I did 70, and so many other things, working with my affiliates, websites, DVD production, there’s too much for me to do. I have great people helping me out, but it’s very hard. So, to train for the Pan Ams or Worlds I have three weeks to train that I don’t have any seminars. The thing with the Versa Climber is that going into those three weeks I’m usually out of shape (relative to Worlds’ competition) and the Versa Climber gets me in shape very quickly. It’s very hard for me to travel so much and train properly. Of course, I still train a few times a week, and when I’m home I train every day.
shoes, and my gi in my hands. There’s no way I could have been 145 and competed at 120 this weekend (No-Gi Worlds). And Glover didn’t weigh 155 either; he was higher. It doesn’t matter to me, I compete at absolute all the time. I just think that could have been more accurate. I’ve never weighed 145 in my life. My walking around weight is 133, and 127 if I’m training.
to black belt I started reducing my training. When I moved to America, that’s when I reduced completely.
JJM: What type of regimen do you do on the Versa Climber? CT: I do different types of stuff. Before
JJM: Do you change up your diet? What do you do to make weight? CT: For gi competitions I really didn’t used to
Metamoris, I did short bursts with intervals. This time (prior to No-Gi Worlds), I did short
diet, I usually just train more than usual, but now I diet more. It’s very hard to diet or train
train the entire day. That’s what my life was about. I was about 17 back then. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone they do what I did. It’s so unhealthy. I broke my body. I broke down my muscles, joints, everything. The fatigue was horrible. I was overtraining so much that it got to the point that I said, “I’ll never train jiu-jitsu again.”
JJM: Now, the promotion for Metamoris said you weighed in at 145. Was that accurate? CT: No, it wasn’t. I weighed 134 with jeans,
Down for the count.
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technique regularly when you’re traveling as much as I do. I used to cut out sugar before the Worlds, not to diet, but to just feel healthy. It would make me feel horrible; I would crash. Before this World’s was the first time I actually stuck with it. I cut out sugar for 20 days, no candy. In one week I felt horrible, but I passed that moment and felt good. I went through candy withdrawal. JJM: So I heard you went back on the candy? CT: You don’t even know. At the Worlds people
from facebook brought me four bags of candy
(JJM’s Deb Blyth was one of them haha). Now a week later there’s only one bag left. JJM: So, I guess you didn’t lose your taste for candy then? CT: No, not at all. But something that’s funny
is that I go to fast food, but I just drink Coke and coffee, I don’t eat burgers. I hate burgers. Normally someone like me, who likes junk like candy, likes fries and burgers and all that stuff. I like healthy food, I like vegetables, but I just don’t like burgers.
JJM: With all that sugar that you eat do you ever find yourself packing on unwanted weight? CT: My metabolism is so high I can eat candy
all day long and I don’t gain anything. My body fat is 2.39%. I went to a clinic with a water test, which is very accurate. I had to do the test five times so that they could make sure the results were accurate. JJM: So you don’t train, but you eat candy? (asked jokingly) CT: Don’t think that I don’t train! I have trained
Shown with his teammates Samir and Queixinho after winning his 5th No-Gi worlds.
my entire life, a lot. Jiu-jitsu is already in me, I just have to work on my timing. I’ve been a black belt for over six years now. Jiu-Jitsu is a part of me. I might not get to roll every day, but I’m still teaching. You have to train a lot and study. When I’m traveling on the plane – I’m studying. If you watch my fights I’m very calm. This is because I feel like I live and breath jiu-jitsu.
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JJM: How did this most recent match with Glover affect you? CT: Jeff Glover made me a better grappler, a lot
better. I don’t really study anyone specifically. I like watching different people roll, but I don’t really study anyone in particular. But Glover, when I went against him for the first time, I completely underestimated him. I didn’t even really train for him. I just said “Whatever. Let’s go.” I underestimated him the whole match. I was winning the whole match easy and in the end I got caught with something that first-timers get caught with. The second time I said, “I cannot lose to that guy.” I wouldn’t underestimate him again. I started watching him a lot. I saw so many things that made me ask, “How does he do that to someone? That should not work!” Then I would watch him in competition and say, “Oh wow, that guy did that to Cohbrinha?” I wanted to know how is he doing some of the stuff that he gets on other people. There’s no way.
a secret or if he just doesn’t realize he’s doing it a little bit different. Not only that, but I was always good countering deep half guard. But training for that last match I got so much better because I was training specifically for that deep half guard. I was already training for a long time, then I’d tell my training partners to attack me from there, take my back from there, really working the position. Not only that, but guillotine, Darce’s, stuff like that. Jeff Glover actually made me better. Taking the back too, Jeff ’s a very flexible guy. The first match I didn’t give it my all to take his back in the beginning, but it was so hard to get his back. My jiu-jitsu went up technique wise. I’ve got a little bit of his style now. JJM: Is the rubber match final? CT: Yes, for sure we’re going to do a third. He
thinks that because it’s no-gi he’s going to beat me easy. What he doesn’t realize is that I’m much better in no-gi than in the gi. I haven’t lost in a long time.
JJM: What are some of the things that you saw that you couldn’t understand? CT: Oh no, I’m going to keep those for myself
JJM: How’s the response been from your DVD and Apps, Modern Jiu-Jitsu? CT: It’s been great. There’s so much in the DVDs
(smiles). Definitely deep half guard, how he approaches that. It’s different than me. The sweeps that he does are not what I’m used to, or what I do. How he positions himself sometimes is just a little different. And I don’t think that he shows everything at his seminars. I’ve talked to people that have gone and listen to what they’ve told me, then what I’ll see that he does in competitions, it’s a little bit different. I don’t know if he’s keeping
and the Apps. It’s doing very well. You guys reviewed it and liked it a lot, I read. I’d like to continue it. That one was more of the basics, I’d like to do a more advanced series maybe next year. JJM: Thanks for the time Caio, and for showing us those amazing techniques. CT: My pleasure!
Get a hold of Caio’s DVD or Apps by visiting caioterra.com or mobileblackbelt.net.
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technique
BACK TECHNIQUE WITH CAIO ESCAPING BACK TO SIDE CONTROL
Step 1 The first thing you need to do is defend the choke before you worry about getting the hooks out. So, to do this, you want to neutralize one of the attacking arms. If his right arm is around your neck, lock your left arm over and around his left arm with your wrist against his wrist to help keep him from pulling that arm out.
Step 3 As soon as you get that first leg out, use that left foot of yours to keep pressure on his right leg, keeping it against the mat. This prevents him from rocking to his left and recapturing that right hook. If he attempts to bring you over to his left side, base out with your right foot on the mat to pressure down with your body and prevent the movement.
Brett is actually a brown belt, No-Gi World Champ..
Step 4
Once you’ve got one hook out, bring your right arm down so that your elbow is above his right knee to prevent him from bringing his right leg up to get that hook back. Grab his left pant leg with your left hand. When you know you’re clear of that hook, bridge upward with your right foot on the mat, and your left foot on his leg. Place your right hand on top of his right thigh if you need to prevent him from bringing it up. It’s very important that after you bridge your weight is centered over your opponent. If you’re too low he can turn into you and take your back. If you’re too high, he can sweep you to your left.
Step 2 Once that left arm is on lock down, use your left foot to step onto his right foot. Use your right hand to guide his foot under yours if you need to. Pressure down on that foot to give yourself enough space to bend your knee up and over his right leg to escape that hook.
KEY POINTS At step 4 if your opponent tries to turn
into you and take your back, use your feet on the mat to push into him, and continue to control his left leg by the pants. If he tries to go the other way, and turns to his left, drop your hips and keep your weight low, but avoid putting your butt on the mat at any time. If you’re too low on his right side he can take your back, and if you’re too high on his right, he can roll you over.
TOO LOW
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Step 5 Once you’ve cleared that right leg of his, turn to your left, grab his right leg near the knee by the pants, and continue turning into him. Once you’re in side control bring your right arm around him, drop your hips, and establish your position.
TS KEY POIN CONTINUED
TOO HIGH
WRIST LOCK WITH HIM ON YOUR BACK
H
e’s got your back and he’s working for the choke. Here is a submission you can get while he’s working on the choke, but you’ve got to work quickly; if you don’t get it soon enough you might be in a lot of trouble.
Step 2
Step 3 Reach your left arm over to the back of his right elbow, your hands will almost be on top of each other.
However, when you forget your belt for a photoshoot, you get what you get.
Place your feet on the mat and quickly push yourself and him up so that he’s off his side long enough for you to move your right hand from over his right forearm to under his right elbow.
Step 1 He’s rolled you to his strong side and is looking for the choke. Don’t worry about the hooks; you need to get this one quick before he progresses too far. Bring your left hand up high over your head and move your head to that same side to keep him from getting his hand high enough on the collar. At the same time, use your right hand to hug his forearm, pulling it down and defending the choke.
Step 4 At his point, his right hand should be grabbing a hold of your left collar and just under your left shoulder. Bring your body weight forward and pull both your hands against his right elbow, forcing the wristlock on his right wrist that’s stuck inside your left shoulder. If you don’t get the submission, he’ll more than likely have to let go of the collar to keep from getting tapped. If he does this you’ve escaped the choke and are in a better position than when you started.
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technique
COUNTER TO ROLL AWAY
I
n case your opponent rolls away from you rather than allowing you to get him in side control, here’s the technique you’ll want to perform.
Step 1 At the point at which you’re on top of your opponent, you want to turn into side control. However, instead of accepting it, your opponent is turning away to his left. Continue to hug him with your left hand.
Step 3
Step 2 When you see that he’s turning, he’ll have to raise his hips off the mat for a brief moment. When this opportunity appears, bend your left knee up and between his thigh and torso. Do this with your knee rather than attempt to put your hook in, there’s not enough room there.
Step 5
As he continues to keep turning, step your right foot over and behind his left leg below the knee.
As soon as he feels that hook going in he’ll have a natural tendency to roll to his back in an attempt to regain some sort of guard. So, when you sense that he’s going to roll over, shift your weight up his back and hug it.
Step 4 As soon as you have your leg behind his, straighten it out. This will open his leg up and allow you to easily slip your left hook in.
Need to color code our extension cords.
Step 6
If he continues to roll to his back, bring your right knee up high towards the back of his right elbow. That way when he does roll, you’ll be up high enough on his back to get your right hook in, your left will already be in from before. Wrap your arms around his neck and armpit to control the back and go for an attack from there.
KEY POINTS At Step 4, when he’s up
on his knees and wanting to roll to his back, hold him tight against you to keep him from rolling. This will give you leverage when you get to step 6 and you need to jump over to take his back.
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technique
ESCAPING BACK TO SINGLE LEG AND TAKE DOWN
H
e’s on your back and so far nothing’s worked. Here’s an escape that might seem like you’re accepting a simple half-guard, which is much better than him being on your back, but instead you’re actually working to a single leg that puts you back on top.
Step 2
Step 1 From a similar position from the previous techniques, you’re bridged and you’ve passed your right leg over his right leg, getting rid of one of his hooks. Once your leg has passed his hook, you’re safe as long as you keep that right leg outside of his. Also, scoot up towards his head to help avoid the choke.
Step 3 To avoid your opponent from continuing the choke on your lapel, drop your back flat to the mat and turn your head toward him so that his arm is above you. This makes the choke impossible.
Sensing a stalemate, your opponent may try to lock up the hook that he does have so that he can pull you to his left and work to get that right hook back. To avoid that from happening, shift your weight off of his torso to your right slightly. At the same time, tuck your left arm in at your side, bringing your elbow into your side and your left wrist against his hip. If you brought your wrist towards your knee instead of his hip he could continue to roll you.
Step 4 With the choke properly defended, your opponent will have a desire to move to top position in your half guard. At this point, the natural tendency for most on the bottom would be to push into your opponent, clinching them to a degree. However, this instinct would be wrong. Rather than fight being on the bottom, accept it. Use your left arm to push away from him and hip out to your right.
DON’T DO
If Caio’s got one leg or two it doesn’t matter - you’re going down.
Step 5
Your opponent will continue to attempt to get to the top, but all that space you created by hipping out and pushing off will allow you to get to your knees and grab around his left leg, getting a “single-leg” hold on him. From there you can stage your own attack, grabbing both legs and putting him beneath you.
DO DO
KEY POINTS If he has a grip of your collar be sure to
keep your head facing toward him. Turning your head away will invite the choke and make it much harder for you to defend. Caio says if being on the bottom is inevitable,
it’s important to accept the fact that you’ll be on bottom as quickly as possible, so work to be in the best position possible rather than wage a losing battle trying to get on top.
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technique
KEYS TO THE CHOKE
W
hen you’ve got someone’s back, Caio suggests making the following moves/ adjustments to increase your effectiveness from the back.
so it’s in your palm. This gives you more material to hold onto, strengthens your grip, and gives you a sharper edge against his neck when it comes time to finish the choke. Do this with the choking hand, and the hand that anchors the opposite lapel as well.
AVOID THE GRIP FIGHT. If you’ve got an arm around his neck grabbing the far collar, and he defends by starting a grip fight with you, concede the fight. Instead, grab that lapel with your other hand, in this case the left, lean your weight forward, which allows you to base on your elbow. Next, pull your attacking strong arm out. He’ll think the worst is over and stop defending. Then make a fist and sink your hand in deep between his neck and the mat. Once clear of his neck, get it under his chin then back up to get the collar being handed off with your left hand. It’s important that you make a fist when shooting that arm through, otherwise loose fingers will create an easier target for him to defend against.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Feed it!
DON’T JUST FEED, BUT STRETCH. Many people will “feed” the lapel to the attacking hand, this usually means pulling the lapel down straight to offer it up to their own attacking hand. Instead of just pulling it down – open it up, pull it away from your opponent’s neck and force your attacking hand deeper across his neck to get that lapel.
ALWAYS TURN THE LAPEL OUT
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TO FINISH A COLLAR CHOKE FROM THE BACK,
Caio likes to use his core strength to finish rather than just the arms. Once he has a grip of the collar he’ll base on his elbow then tuck it next to his own ribs. Also, Caio forces his shoulder on that side into the back of the head to force it downward and make the collar tighter. Grab the opposite side collar with your free hand, if possible, to help keep your weight on top of your opponent. You can finish the choke without this other collar, but tie up his same side arm so he can’t defend the choke. If your opponent isn’t passed out or tapping feverishly by then, simply curl the wrist to finish.
MINI STEP-BY-STEP IF YOUR OPPONENT ROLLS YOU TO YOUR WEAK SIDE prior to you getting the choke, there’s still hope to finish. A) Once he gets you to your weak side (the side that’s opposite the arm you’re choking with), step your same-side foot on his hip to push him down so that you’re higher on his back. B) Keep your arm tucked down at your side to keep him from escaping under your arm and maintain your other hook. C) He will try to push his head out from under your arm. When he does this, push him forward and bring your same side knee up behind his upper back and neck. D) Now he cannot escape. All you need to do is pull back on the lapel, shove your knee forward, and finish the choke.
A
B
C
D
And the entire time his hair remained perfect.
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feature
THOUGHTS ON GETTING MORE
WOMEN
IN JIU-JITSU
GROUNDSWELL GRAPPLING CONCEPTS EMILY KWOK
GRAPPLERS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER IN REVERSE. words: VALERIE WORTHINGTON, EMILY KWOK, LOLA NEWSOM
N NORMAL SOCIAL SITUATIONS, PEOPLE MEET, CHAT, AND LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER AND, SLOWLY AND OVER TIME, DEVELOP RAPPORT. They build a foundation for a relationship based on solid evidence that mutual trust is warranted and that each person has the other’s best interests at heart. And only thereafter might a relationship become more physical, with the romantically-inclined doing what they are romantically inclined to do, and the more platonic demonstrating that increased trust and rapport through hugs, high fives, handshakes, pats on the back, those half handshake-half hug things, and even the occasional wet willy. (Come on, you can admit it.) But we grapplers have to do things our way. How many times have you rolled with someone, perhaps at an open mat, a visit to an out-of-town academy, or a gathering of members of your team’s affiliates, before even learning their name? In competition, especially at the newer levels, you are likely to grip up with a complete stranger and very quickly find yourself in what people in polite society would consider to be uncomfortably close quarters. Chances are, when you first started training, you were thrust into a room full of people with whom you spent more time in close physical contact than in conversation. And only over time did you get to know these people as more than just their belt levels— what they do professionally, where they live, how well they can quote The Family Guy, etc. Only over time did you develop friendships and really have the opportunity to capitalize on these friendships to maximize your training and enhance your love of BJJ through increased connectedness and sense of team.
But in considering such issues, we grapplers seem to skip over and take for granted the idea that this first principle that we are bass-ackwards about becoming acquainted with one another is somehow normal. We get straight to the touchy-feely long before we have a chance to get to know each other the typical way, and we accept this without thinking about the possible implications. But maybe this assumption is part of what makes grappling weird at first for women. We’re not saying academies should force everyone to talk about their feelings every time a new student, especially a female student, joins the team. But it does take time to develop the trust and rapport we describe. Particularly because those of us who have been around a while might adopt a “wait and see” attitude for a couple months to make sure the latest newcomer is actually going to stick around before we invest time, energy, and, we daresay, emotion in them.
So maybe there’s something to the idea of helping newcomers, especially female ones, get to know the people they will be training with, before the training starts. A smaller lady grappler we know makes a point of not actually training with new people for at least a month. Instead, she regularly spends time during the month chatting with them. This way, she gets a chance to get to know them— and they get a chance to get to know her. She finds that this strategy reduces her own discomfort, and it has the added benefit of raising the other person’s awareness. She finds that once people get to know her as a person, they feel a heightened sense of responsibility to make sure she is safe. In other words, they roll differently with her because they like and respect her, and they also are more aware of the differences in their physicality. This is obviously useful given these other issues of size, the potential for “muscling,” and the close proximity of certain body parts. This is not to say that we MEAN to roll less safely or considerately with strangers. But think about it: Are you more likely to be relaxed and able to focus if you are in familiar surroundings with familiar people or if you are in a situation where you don’t know anyone or have any idea what to expect? So much of
Women BJJ.indd 1
Ladies, can you relate?
Much has been written about how to train with women, how to attract women to train in the first place, and the specific needs of women who train. These issues are obviously important, and they range across a variety of topics, including, but not limited to:
size differentials, “muscling” and getting “muscled,” religious prohibitions against rolling with members of the opposite sex, dealing with the awkwardness of body parts touching that normally wouldn’t unless behind closed doors, and the like.
Aug/Sept 2012 | 71
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feature what we communicate in grappling is the energy we put out, which is likely to differ depending on how comfortable we feel.
they are being asked to give access to the space inside the bubble are trustworthy. It’s a lot to take on faith.
And of course this goes both ways: the joke (which has more than a modicum of truth in it) at any academy is that we are more likely to get hurt by a newcomer than by someone who has years of experience. It’s likely, then, that both the newcomer and the experienced grappler are on guard if they are gripping up for the first time. The newcomer doesn’t necessarily know why, and the experienced grappler doesn’t necessarily think to name it. So maybe it’s not so surprising that new students might have a tendency to twang like a too-tight guitar string when called upon to allow complete strangers inside their safety bubble, knowing those people could truly, debilitatingly hurt them if they so desired.
It’s everyone’s individual responsibility to own their training personally. But just as we start out being pretty unskilled at technique and movements, so are we likely to be fairly bad in the beginning at handling all the stimuli flying at us.
The point is, to those of us who have been training for a long time, jiu-jitsu is fantastic and amazing, and we don’t even notice that sometimes we end up with our face in someone’s crotch or covered in sweat that we didn’t actually produce. But those of us who are just working up the courage to train might find it jarring to assume intimate-feeling physical positions with complete strangers. Newcomers to an academy, particularly women, are going on the say-so of their instructor, a relatively unknown quantity, that the other unknown quantities to whom
Women BJJ.indd 2
Perhaps one way to help support women (and all people, really) who want to train, then, is simply to start at the beginning and become more vocal about the fact that grapplers get to know each other in reverse. Granted, it won’t solve all the problems of the spazzy white belt or even of the more advanced student with something to prove. But a friend of ours says that the way to drain a dynamic of its power is to name it. So let’s just acknowledge that training is weird at first, and maybe that will help it seem less weird. Who knows: It could lead to one of those conversations that “normal” people have when they are getting to know each other.
VALERIE WORTHINGTON
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technique
CHOKES NO GI NEEDED words & photos: HYWEL TEAGUE
UTA LIVRE IS A NO-GI SUBMISSION GRAPPLING STYLE BORN IN BRAZIL. ONCE A DEADLY RIVAL OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU, THE TWO ARTS WERE INVOLVED IN MANY HEATED DISPUTES THROUGHOUT THE 80’S AND 90’S. Today, BJJ and luta livre coexist peacefully, and many people cross-train in both styles. Not simply a form of no-gi jiu-jitsu, luta livre is a hybrid submission wrestling style that closely resembles catch wrestling. It is well known for its unorthodox chokes and leg locks, and though it utilizes guard techniques, the emphasis is very much on fighting from top position. These techniques are being shown by lute livre black belt Marcio ‘Cromado’, head coach at Renovação Fight Team (RFT) in Rio de Janeiro. ‘Cromado’ trains many grapplers and MMA Fighters, including PRIDE veteran Luciano Azevedo and Bellator and UFC veteran Maiquel Jose ‘Falcao’ Goncalves.
Yes, Lucha Libre and Luta Livre are not the same.
For more information on RFT go to: www.rft.com.br
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ED ZIL RT RA PO B IM OM FR
MODIFIED GUILLOTINE DEFENSE TO SINGLE-LEG TAKEDOWN Step 1 Ze (grey) and Vitor (yellow) square up.
Step 2 Vitor goes for a singleleg takedown. Ze defends by pushing his head away.
Step 3 Ze punches his arm under Vitor’s neck, clamping it down between his bicep and forearm. He keeps Vitor’s head down to stop him from posturing up.
But the masks are definitely funnier in Lucha Libre.
Step 4 Ze closes his right arm around his left just like in a mata leao (rear naked choke). 4Detail: See how the choke is under Vitor’s chin, just like a rear naked choke.
Step 5 Ze kicks his leg down and free, putting his head tight on Vitor’s shoulders to stop him from posturing up. Here, he can squeeze and get the tap, but if the guy is tough, then he can sprawl and take him to his knees and finish from there.
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technique
REVERSAL FROM BOTTOM TO ARM-TRIANGLE
K
nown in the U.S. as the D’arce choke, and in Brazil as the Brabao, the inverted armtriangle is done from a different angle compared to the traditional technique and can be gotten from multiple positions.
Step 1 Marcio (red) is on bottom and underneath side-control.
Step 2
Can you tell they’re in Brazil?
sition: His left elbow er. Note his elbow po eth tog ds of han his ps He gri his removes the risk ping Ze’s head low – t o’s rci Ma e. bas ’s is clamped down, kee Ze g ultaneously upsettin sim ile wh gle ian -tr the arm lifting Ze’s hips. right elbow is high and
Step 3 Marcio bridges to his left shoulder, reversing Ze.
Step 5 Step 4 Landing in north-south, Marcio immediately attacks for the choke. His left arm is already around Ze’s neck…
From there, he simply closes the Brabao choke. Reverse: Note how Marcio keeps his chest on top of Ze’s trapped arm, pushing the shoulder into the neck to stop the blood flow.
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ED ZIL RT RA PO B IM OM FR
ARMTRIANGLE FROM BODY LOCK DEFENSE Step 1 Vitor attempts to get a body lock, but Marcio defends by whizzering the left arm.
Step 2 He grips his right arm with his left hand and pushes Vitor’s head away.
o slips his left arm, Marci hook with his er -palm grip. ov e -to th lm ng pa pi a ts Kee r’s neck and ge ito V r of Vitor’s de ck un left hand m on the ba keeps his forear o ci ar M l: ai . Det ring up m from postu neck to stop hi
Step 3
Step 4 Marcio backstops with his right leg and pulls Vitor down…
Step 5 … until he lands on his side. Note how Marcio keeps the grip and his control of Vitor’s right arm the entire time.
Step 7 To finish, he sprawls his hips back and pushes his chest to the floor.
We couldn’t either.
Step 6 Marcio circles around and closes the armtriangle.
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ED ZIL RT RA PO B IM OM FR
technique
GUARD PASS TO NORTH-SOUTH CHOKE Step 1 Marcio is in Ze’s closed guard. He keeps his elbows in tight and has his right knee at Ze’s tailbone.
Step 2 Marcio kicks his left leg back to open the guard.
Step 5 Marcio begins to pass by shucking the legs off to the side.
Goodnight now!
Step 7
Marcio releases control of Ze’s legs and slides his hips back and flat to the floor. Reverse: A close up of the grip: Marcio takes an S-grip and keeps his right elbow tight to his ribs.
Step 4
Step 3 Marcio swims both hands under the legs…
Marcio lifts the legs up, keeping control of Ze’s hips.
Step 6 Before Marcio finishes the pass, he reaches his left arm around Ze’s neck. Reverse: Note how Ze’s right arm is trapped, and also the position of Marcio’s hand. Marcio’s base is spread out and his hips are low.
Step 8 Marcio puts his head on Ze’s torso…
Step 9 Marcio sprawls his hips back to finish the choke.
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feature
JIU-JITSU
THE LAW
and
10 RULES OF THUMB ON USE OF FORCE words: DMITRY GUROVICH ESQ
UR GOVERNMENT IS CHARGED WITH PROTECTING AND ENFORCING OUR LAWS. Unfortunately, police officers are not always there to protect us. So, we must have two things to face the violence: 1) Physical skills and 2) Knowledge of which skills to apply and when. Your jiu-jitsu instructor will give you the skills. This article will give you a basic roadmap for how to act and when.
Dmitry is a partner at Gurovich, Berk & Associates in Sherman Oaks, California. Dmitry is a blue belt under Fabio Leopoldo and has been practicing criminal law for 16 years, and is a graduate of Loyola Law. CrimLawLA.com
Rule 1: AVOID FIGHTS
Rule 2: FIGHT ONLY IF THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE.
Easier said than done, but good advice anyway. Fights can escalate into something you never intended. They can and will get away from you. The consequences may be way more than you bargained for. Permanent injury, or even death to you or to the other person are not out of the question. Instead of being prosecuted for a simple battery, you may be facing charges for Assault with Intent to Cause Great Bodily Injury, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Mayhem, or even Manslaughter, or Murder. Walk away if you can.
Many states require you to exhaust all possibilities, including walking away before resorting to physical violence. Fight only if you cannot walk or run away, or talk the other person down.
Rule 3: FIGHT ONLY IN SELF DEFENSE OR DEFENSE OF OTHERS. Curtis Stone wants none of your crap.
If a person punched you, does the law allow you to punch him back? The answer is no. That would be retaliation and that is not allowed. You can use force against the other person only if he is continuing to attack. In other words, use force only in SELF DEFENSE. Otherwise, both of you may get arrested. So, if you see RED after someone hits you, take a deep breath and make sure you’re defending yourself and not simply retaliating. If you’re defending another, same rules apply. You may only stop the attack on the person you are defending, nothing more.
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Rule 4: USE ONLY AS MUCH FORCE AS IS NECESSARY TO STOP THE ATTACK [REASONABLE FORCE]. Your purpose in using physical force against your attacker is not to give him some of his own medicine, and certainly not to hurt him. Your purpose is only to stop his attack. Therefore, the cops, the prosecutor, and the courts will examine your decision and will try to decide whether you used just enough force, or too much of it. If you restrain the attacker without hurting him or you choke him out, it is usually a better bet than resorting to punching, kicking, or tearing up his joints. [Note: many states consider a kick, an Assault with Intent to Cause Great Bodily Injury]
Rule 5:USE DEADLY FORCE ONLY, AND I MEAN ONLY, AS A LAST RESORT.
Rule 6: IF THE OTHER GUY HAS A WEAPON, OR IF THERE ARE MULTIPLE ATTACKERS, DO NOT ENGAGE IF YOU CAN. This is not a legal issue, but rather an issue of practicality. Do not engage these guys unless you have no other choice. It’s too dangerous. If you do, however, the definition of the term “reasonable force” will be very different than if there was only one unarmed guy. You obviously will be expected to use higher levels of force. Keep in mind that the courts will take height, weight, and age differences, as well as the difference in skill levels between you and the other guy, as well as how many people were involved in deciding whether you’ve used a reasonable amount of force.
If you are involved in anything that leads to interaction with law enforcement, DO NOT SPEAK with them. You can say that you were attacked and had defended yourself, but that’s it - no details. Even if they threaten to arrest you, or do arrest you unless you make a statement, you are usually better off not talking to the police immediately at the scene. You will be shaken up and incoherent. You will be confused and will not remember many details. This is absolutely normal. This, however, translates to inconsistencies, which can be interpreted as lies by law enforcement, the courts, and the prosecutor. Go to jail if that’s the alternative. Bail out. Gather your thoughts. Get a lawyer. Only then should you and your attorney make a decision as to whether or not to make a statement. If you speak with the cops at the scene, you may be arrested anyway and your case will be more difficult to defend because of your statements.
Rule 8: DO NOT LIE TO THE POLICE. They can spot it a mile away. They deal with people all day, every day. Their BS detector is extremely sensitive. It’s better simply not to talk to them.
Rule 9: DO NOT CONSENT TO A SEARCH. Do not agree to a search of you, your stuff or your car. Obviously, don’t try to stop them if they do. Just don’t agree to it. If they do find something incriminating after you refuse the search, they will have to justify the legality of the search in court. If the search was illegal, whatever they found will be ignored. If you give consent, however, whatever they find can and will be used against you with no other justification for the search. You’re not trying to hide anything. All you’re doing is trying to make sure everything is done legally.
Rule 10: BE POLITE. Most cops are not out to get you. They are simply doing their job. Do not make it difficult for them. Know your rights. Stick to your guns. But be polite about it.
These rules are intended to protect yourself, your safety, and your rights in the event you should ever need to use your jiu-jitsu or other use of force on the street in a real world setting. My advice when dealing with the police is not meant in anyway to make their life more difficult, but to protect your rights. Remember, the best way to stay safe is to avoid a confrontation whenever possible.
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Well if you do end up in there your jits will serve you well. We suggest you play guard more than giving up your back.
Castle Doctrine: Most states allow you not to retreat in the face of an attack when you are in your home or a place of business - your castle. They further allow you to use deadly force, but only if the attacker is breaking into your “castle” and you honestly and reasonably think that this person is about to kill or seriously hurt you or anyone else there. Stand Your Ground Laws: Some states allow the Castle Doctrine without the “castle.” In other words, you don’t have to retreat, and you may use deadly force anywhere, as long as the other person is about to kill or seriously injure you and you honestly and reasonably believe this. The problem arises when the only witnesses to the altercation are the guy who is dead and the guy who killed him. It’s up to law enforcement to try to figure out what took place and whether the killing was justified. A difficult proposition at best. Each of the states that has the “Castle” and the “Stand Your Ground” laws on the books has a slightly different approach. You should look into your state’s interpretation of these laws in order to know what you may or may not do.
Rule 7: DO NOT MAKE A STATEMENT.
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A NUMBERS
GAME
Tyler’s clearly a numbers guy.
words: TYLER BISHOP, CHIEF JIU JITSU OFFICER, BISHOPBJJ.COM L.L.C.
HE 2012 WORLD JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS IS OFFICIALLY IN THE BOOKS. Many witnessed the action live while tens of thousands of people from around the world watched a live broadcast from the comfort of their own homes. It was a historic event in which we saw some of the world’s top competitors continue their reign of dominance, while we also observed some fresh newcomers rise to glory. Interestingly enough, it may only be in reflection of this event that we can truly observe what really happened. It is impossible to watch every match and it begs the question, “What really happened at the 2012 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships?” 00 | Jiu-Jitsu Magazine
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S ? S P S S P P P
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points, 3 resulted in a referee’s decision, and 1 resulted in a disqualification. We found that, even though many critics of the sport felt the game was favoring a win by points, submissions were actually tied for first as the most common outcome of a match. This may help change some observer’s perspectives on what is really happening collectively during the competition. An observation of the later rounds revealed that submissions became less frequent in the semi-finals and finals matches. This is likely due to a reduced discrepancy in skill compared to the earlier rounds. Ultimately, the spectator focus on the later rounds may play a role in the perception that the current rules or organization of the matches favors a win by points, but as we can see above, this is actually not the case.
S P S P S P S
P DQ P S P P S S
In the 90 matches that were recorded, the average match length was approximately 7:04 of a possible 10 minutes. In these recorded matches, 43 resulted in submission, 43 resulted in a win by
P
At BishopBjj.com, we did a full 18-page study that compiled over 1,225 different statistics that occurred inside this year’s World Championships. The study included 90 matches at the black belt adult level, and accounted for an even crosssection of every weight class. The study includes over 640 minutes of footage from this year’s competition and used a statistically accurate uniform method of recording and reporting the data. It was the largest study on jiu-jitsu competition ever formally produced, and includes a lot of interesting surprises. We encourage everyone reading this study to reflect on this information with great internalization. The point of this experiment was to help competitors and rule-makers better themselves by analyzing the game. This type of information exists in other sports, but not in jiu-jitsu. Football players, baseball players, and soccer players all use this kind of information on a daily basis to give themselves an edge. Like any new field of research, our process for evaluation and reporting will continue to evolve and grow, but we feel that the following information accurately reflects the 2012 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
S
Numbers At Work
WEIGHTED ISSUES
The bigger doesn’t always mean better.
To better understand the game in terms of how it changes by weight class, for this article only, we have split the weight classes into three different categories to assess the information. We combined the rooster, light-feather, and feather weights into a category we call “small;” the light, medium, and medium-heavy classes into a category called, “medium;” and finally, the heavy, super-heavy, and ultra-heavy classes into a division called, “large.”Matches were won in four possible ways: wins by submission, points, disqualification, and referee decision. Wins by submissions and points account for approximately 96% of the total pie, with referee decisions and disqualifications accounting for only 4%. In the small weight classes, submissions determined approximately 55% of all the matches won. In the medium weight classes, this number dropped to 50%, and in the heavy classes, it dives down to 43% of matches ending in submission. As a part of this study, we observed that more submissions occurred in the smaller weight classes than in the larger ones. There was a measurable drop in the number of submissions occurring as weights increased across the board. Although the smaller class can now celebrate the title of being the most exciting weight classes, it is worth noting that the rooster weight class actually had fewer submissions than any other.
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Down AND OUT
When we looked further at the results of each match we determined several important factors that went into every match. In 58% of the matches observed, the competitors reached the ground in less than 10 seconds. This number changes a bit when we break it down by weight class. For example, 89% of the small classes reached the ground in less than 10 seconds, and only 18% of large classes reached the ground in the same period of time. We recognized a trend in weight classes and how quickly the game reached the ground. As you will see next, this likely has a connection to the prevalence of guard pulls in the lower weight classes.
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In 66% of all the matches observed, one competitor pulled guard, in 24% one competitor was taken down, and in 10% both competitors pulled guard. Again, we see a trend in how these statistics change by weight class. In the small classes, one competitor pulled guard in 79% of the matches, with both pulling guard in approximately 17% of matches. This means that in the small classes the match reached the ground via guard pull in over 96% of the matches. In the large classes, guard pulling by one competitor drops to 27%, with no matches starting with both competitors pulling guard. It’s easy to see the trends in this scenario. In the heavier weight classes, guard pulling is far less frequent, while at the lowest weight classes it is a near certainty at 96%. The medium classes were roughly consistent with the averages listed above.
If it wasn’t before, it’s a word now.
STRATEGERY
The question most of us really want to know is what strategy or approach is most effective? In 49% of matches observed, the person who pulled guard won, in 40% of the matches the person who started the match on top won the match, and in matches where both players pulled guard 56% of the double-guard-pull matches were won by the player who came to the top first, and 44% were won by the person who stayed on the bottom. This data is consistent with our limited study of the 2012 Pan Ams in which the majority of matches observed were won by the player pulling guard. These numbers don’t necessarily tell us that an advantage is to be had by the person pulling guard, but it may be able to tell us a lot about strategies and the rules as we expand this further in other sections. Vince “Bear” Quitugua, the founder of Shoyoroll, recently delivered his opinion on these statistics during a recent podcast by voicing that it made sense that guard pullers would have an advantage because he/she immediately puts the other competitor into his/her game, and is likely more comfortable there.
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FIRST THINGS
FIRST
One of the most intriguing and interesting pieces of information we’ve learned in our study is the tremendous advantage of scoring first. This trend initially presented itself in our limited study of the Pan, and was confirmed during our study of the World’s this year. In 2012, 75% of the matches won were by competitors who scored points first. We won’t make any judgments as to why this is the case, but it deserves significant attention, the numbers don’t lie — 75% is a strong majority. The question then becomes, “How did these competitors score first?” In this case, “guard pullers” scored first 46% of the time, players starting on top scored first 36% of the time (via pass or throw), and the other 18% scored first from a double guard pull position. Another interesting component of this is how quickly points were scored. In 34% of matches, points were scored in the first minute. In these matches, 67% of them were in favor of the guard puller. We also found that players who scored with a takedown in the first minute of their match won 100% of the time, however, this happened only four times in the entire study, so it is a limited sample to prove that this is some kind of full-proof plan.
POINT TAKEN Since we are talking about points, it was amazing to discover that of the 48% of the total matches decided by points, 67% were decided by less than 5 points. One particularly interesting part about the 75% of “first-point-scorers” winning matches is that only 48% of matches were actually won by points. This would appear to show that scoring first gave competitors a better chance of winning by submission as well, but we examined this further to see if it was in fact the case. In 73% of matches won by submission, the person who scored first was the competitor who won. In another 11% of matches won by submission, the submission came from a neutral
The obvious trend we see in the information above is the importance of scoring and maintaining points. The debate will surround whether or not the points actually play a role in the match itself, or if they are merely a reflection of its result. In a perfect world the points would always direct you towards
a winner, as the game is meant to reward the player who is the most skilled in the event that a submission is not achieved. This will never be the case 100% of the time, but it should always be the goal of the rule-makers to reward the more skilled competitor. While this data would lead you to believe that the rules are currently in solid footing with the way everything has been represented, let’s not lose site of the fact that more than half of matches were inevitably decided by less than five points, which is a very small margin, and begs the question if one competitor who won was noticeably that much better than the other.
SCO
Don’t call it a comeback, because it’s probably not likely.
score, and finally, only 16% of competitors who won by submission did so after being scored upon first. This does in fact reveal the trend that those who score first are not only more likely to win on points, but are more likely to win by submission as well**.
RE
FIRS
T
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Finding the Points It’s one thing to look at the results and then determine factors that outlined those outcomes, but it’s a whole other story when we begin to look at how these results were achieved. Almost 73% of all points scored were done so from either a pass or a sweep. Passes accounted for 31%, while sweeps accounted for nearly 42% of all points scored. The most common sweep position this year was half-guard. The half-guard position accounted for 23% of all sweeps, the De La Riva position was a close second with around 20%, and third was spider guard, which accounted for about 14% of all sweeps by position. If we break down the sweeps even further, we can see which types of sweeps were most prevalent from these positions. A scramble-type position in which one player went from bottom to top without an easily defined technique led the way with approximately 19% of all sweeps scored, the “berimbolo” technique accounted for 15% of all sweeps scored, and deep half guard-style sweeps accounted for roughly 11% of all sweeps scored.**
The most common starting position for passing this year was from standing. Standing passes accounted for 43% of all successful passes at the 2012 Worlds. Passes from half-guard came in second with 31%, and passes from the knees were the least common with only 26% of all successful
passes. There was a tie for the most successfully utilized type of pass this year between the leg drag pass and a knee-through style pass, both accounting for 18% of successful passes each, equaling a total of 36% of all passes. Other successful passing types included putting the knees together and smashing to pass with 11% of successful passes, knee-cut passes from half-guard with 10%, and reverse sitting half-guard passes with another 10%. **
As fun as sweeping your opponent and passing the guard may be, the ultimate reward in jiu-jitsu is submitting your opposition; no position offers a greater chance at the submission as taking your opponent’s back. The back proved to be the most common position in which a submission occurred, accounting for 40% of all submissions. The back carried the vast majority of submissions with the only other position carrying a large portion of the pie being sidecontrol and mount with 11% each, creating a total of 22% between the two. This means that 62% of all submissions came from either a dominant top position or the back. Since the back was the most common submission position, it should come as no surprise that a choke from the back was the most common type
of submission accounting for 35% of all submissions observed. Armbars, footlocks, and cross-collar chokes from a top position also had a large portion of the pie, accounting for approximately 12% of all submission types each. Surprisingly, triangles only accounted for 8% of all submissions that occurred. In a recent survey on our website, BishopBjj.com, we found that many competitors believed the triangle to be the most common submission available. At the world black belt adult level, this appeared to not be the case.
Data Is Your Friend In reflection, data can be incredibly dense and arduous to examine, but in the midst of all this information it is a vital key to improving your personal competition strategy. There is also the propensity in this information to improve the sport of jiu-jitsu as a whole. As we stated at the beginning of this article, jiu-jitsu is behind other sports. Most other sports collect and study this kind of data. Unfortunately, it is up to the competitor in this case to apply it, as few of us have coaches and general managers able to devote their time towards helping us apply this information. We love jiu-jitsu at BishopBjj.com, and we put this study together because we believe it’s a service that needs to be performed for the field of sport jiujitsu. We feel it’s a big step in the evolution of the sport, and are genuinely thankful for tremendous outpouring of support from the jiu-jitsu community surrounding the efforts to compile this valuable information.
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12
3
2
0
4
7
Matches won by points
43
8
5
1
5
4
3
2
0
3
3
9
Matches won by DQ
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Matches won by ref’s decision
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
ID
MATCH STARTS
AV Y S EN
HE A-
R-
E
E-
HE
HE
AV Y
AV Y
ER ER
FE
TE
1
0
1
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
2
Trips/Pick style
5
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
Tornado sweep
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
Berimbolo
14
3
3
2
0
1
3
0
0
0
2
0
Half guard tomanagi
3
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Omoplata sweep
4
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
Hip Over
5
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
Flower sweep (rotational from closed guard)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Submission used to sweep
3
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
# of Matches In which one player pulls guard
60
9
7
7
6
5
5
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1
2
4
13
# of Matches where one player is taken down
21
0
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PASS (POSITION)
# of Matches In which both players pull guard
On Knees
20
1
2
2
3
4
2
0
0
3
0
3
10
1
1
3
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0
0
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Half-Guard
26
2
4
3
5
1
3
1
1
3
1
2
Player on top scores first
35
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3
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4
5
4
5
2
1
2
4
Standing
36
9
1
3
1
2
8
7
1
0
3
1
Player on bottom scores first
46
8
4
6
3
4
4
0
1
2
6
8
Advantage is awarded before match goes to ground
7
0
0
1
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
2
Guard player scores first advantage (prior to points)
6
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
Top Player scores first advantage (prior to points)
11
2
0
3
0
0
0
2
0
1
1
The game goes to the ground in less than 10 seconds
52
8
7
10
3
6
3
1
0
1
6
(a)Points are scored by guard player in first minute of match
14
2
(a)Points are scored by top player in first minute of match
9
1
0
3
1
0
2
1
PASS (TYPE) leg drag
15
4
2
4
1
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
knee over the leg
2
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
knee through style pass
15
2
0
2
4
0
3
2
1
0
1
0
2
x-pass (deflection)
6
2
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
1
7
torreido (pin the legs and go around)
4
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
butterfly pass cross (deflection from butterfly)
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
5
1
1
1
0
1
2
(a)Advantage is scored by guard player in first minute of match
10
2
3
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
2
0
(a)Advantage is scored by top player in first minute of match
14
1
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
MATCH FINISHES First player to score points wins
67
8
6
8
7
7
5
5
2
3
5
11
Person that pulls guard wins in
44
8
5
4
4
3
3
0
1
2
3
9
Person who starts on top wins
36
1
3
3
5
4
5
5
1
1
1
7
Player who takes top from both guard pull wins
6
1
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Knees together (same side) smash and pass
9
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
0
3
0
0
Knee cut from HG
8
0
1
0
3
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
Reverse sitting HG Pass
8
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
1
2
1
0
Sitting HG pass
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Unders pass (double or single-unders)
6
0
1
0
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
1
HG to mount
4
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Sprawl and pass from HG
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Deflection (general)
6
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
2
side control
10
1
1
2
2
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
half guard (top)
2
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
passing the guard
15
0
1
4
3
4
0
0
0
0
1
2
guard
4
1
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
half guard (bottom)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
turtle (initiated from standing or escape)
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
mount
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Back
17
1
0
6
2
3
1
1
0
0
0
3
Side Control
5
1
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
Mount
5
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
Closed Guard
3
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
Half-Guard Top
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
Half-Guard Bottom
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
De La Riva
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Spider
4
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
50/50
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Butter-Fly
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TAKING THE BACK
Player who takes top from both guard pull loses
4
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
Player wins by sub. while losing on points
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
standing
Submission comes from tied score
17
0
12
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
1
SUBMISSION (POSITION)
Submission comes from player being ahead
33
2
3
9
3
4
3
2
1
0
1
5
First to score advantage wins (before points)
6
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
Refs decision goes to top player (at the end of match)
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
Ref’s decision goes to guard player (at the end of match)
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Match was decided by more than 5 points
14
4
1
0
2
1
1
0
0
2
2
1
Match was decided than less than 5 points
27
4
1
1
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
8
TECHNIQUES Sweeps Position 22
4
4
Spider Sweeps
15
1
1
Closed Guard
8
0
1
Half-Guard
27
6
0
Scramble position ( no definition)
6
0
50/50
5
X-Guard
4
1
1
2
2
0
2
3
0
1
2
2
2
1
2
2
0
0
3
0
1
0
0
1
6
1
0
0
Butterfly
4
0
0
Reverse De La Riva
6
1
0
1
Misc. Open Guard
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
knee on belly
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
turtle
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Passing
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
choke from back
15
1
0
5
2
3
1
1
0
0
0
2
armbar
5
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
4
0
1
0
3
2
0
1
1
0
0
1
2
2
3
6
1
0
0
1
0
1
kimura/americana
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
omoplata
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
2
barataplata
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
2
cross collar bottom
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
cross collar top
5
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
loop choke
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
SWEEPS TYPE
SUBMISSION (TYPE)
neck choke (gulitine, brabo, anaconda, etc.)
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
wrist lock
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
100% sweep
4
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Scramble / guard player overtakes passer
18
1
1
3
4
2
1
0
0
1
2
3
kneebar
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Deep Half style
10
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
1
2
0
2
triangle
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
X-Guard-style
8
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
2
2
footlack/ankle lock
5
0
3
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
Tomanagi
4
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
Infographics.indd 6
That’s a lot of numbers, good job Tyler.
De la Riva Sweeps
EN
4
OM
5
OP
3
W
9
UL TR
4
PE
2
SU
43
AV Y
Matches won by submission
HE
127
DL
56
0
1
ID
30
M
22
T
35
DL
41
1
7
ID
71
M
59
7
Hook style sweep
GH
50
AT H
62
LI
90
FE
643
T
Total minutes observed
Scissor
GH
16
AT H
LD
8
LI
3
LI
T: W
OR
3
OS
5
EN
8
RO
9
CATEGORY
EV
OP
EN
W
9
R
AV Y S EN
UL TR
OM
HE
HE R-
SU
PE
EHE
AV Y
E
DL
10
ID M
T
DL
9
GH
M
10
FE
90
GH
LI
A-
HE
AV Y
AV Y
ER AT H AT H
ER
FE T
S
20
12 20 S LD OR
R TE
T: W
OS
EN EV
Number of Matches observed
RO
CATEGORY
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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
COMPOUNDING
GRIP STRENGTH words & photos: MIKE VELEZ
N ANY ACTION MOVIE THERE’S INEVITABLY THAT SCENE WHERE SOMEONE’S ABOUT TO FALL OFF A CLIFF, BUILDING, OR HELICOPTER, AND AT THE LAST MOMENT THE ACTION HERO REACHES OUT A HAND, GRABS FOR THE RAIL, OR THE HAND OF THE PERSON FALLING, AND PULLS HER BACK UP TO SAFETY. Yeah, I’m sure that happens all the time. And no doubt the average person would have the grip strength needed to make this happen – sure. Well, it’s not quite life and death like it is in the movies, but in jiu-jitsu having enough grip strength can easily be the difference between keeping your conciseness or going to sleep. Of course, rolling as often as you can will help you develop your grip strength beyond that of the average guy walking down the street. But in order to really turn your hands into vises, you need to develop your grip strength in the gym. Few of us have the time to work on a lot of grip-specific exercises. Thankfully, there are a lot of things you can do that will compound grip development with building strength in other body parts that will be beneficial for your overall health and grappling abilities. For this article I’ve enlisted the help of strength and conditioning coach Bob Long of Rhino Strength Athletics. Bob has coached top athletes in almost every sport imaginable and specializes in wrestling and grappling arts.
GRIP STRENGTH CRUSH, PINCH, AND SUPPORT
G
rip strength is characterized as how much force or muscle power someone has in their hands; their ability to grip an object using their fingers, palm, thumb, or all three. Aside from maybe rock climbing, few athletic endeavors require strong grip strength like jiu-jitsu and grappling. A strong grip comes from muscle and tendon strength in your fingers, hands, and forearms. Grip strength can be broken down into three categories:
CRUSH GRIP: this is the most common in jiu-jitsu. It is your ability to exert pressure on an object using all your fingers and palm. This could be a grip deep inside a collar, or wrapped around a wrist.
Football players push, grapplers pull.
PINCH GRIP: this is the grip used when just your fingers and thumbs are in play. Sometimes in jiu-jitsu this is all you can get a hold of, but not too common. This is a weaker grip position; if you can shift a pinch grip to get your palm involved and bend your fingers you’ll be much better off.
SUPPORT GRIP: this is when you’re holding something for a longer period of time and involves lots of muscular endurance rather than crush strength. A great example of this would be a clinch situation where you’re holding your opponent into you with a grip of a sleeve, or the back of a neck for a long period of time.
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GETTING A STRONGER GRIP
When it comes to building overall grip strength that will give you the greatest advantage in your jiu-jitsu, you must hit all three types of grip strength. The exercises we’ll show you here will hit all three aspects compounded with other movements that hit other body parts you should be working on. Many of these exercises are pulling exercises, benficial for grappling. So, other muscles hit will be arms (biceps), back, shoulders, core, and stabilizers. Many of these drills require equipment that you probably don’t have lying around the house, but you might find it at a good gym or at your jiu-jitsu school. Don’t perform all of these in one workout, instead pick a couple and work them into your regular routine.
ROPE CLIMB WITH RELEASE
T
1
2
3
4
5
6
Perform 3 sets on days you’re working your back. Allow enough time to rest between sets so your safety is not compromised.
Strength and Conditioning 11.indd 2
Be sure you have a safe landing below you just incase. Also, don’t perform this one until you master a single rope climb.
his can be done with a single rope, but a double is ideal. Because of the thick rope, you’ll be working your support and crush grip on both the way up and down. Start at the bottom of the ropes and begin climbing up using just your arms, alternating your grip on each rope as if you were climbing a ladder on the way up. You can allow your legs to hang. Once at the top, get your grips even with each other on each rope. Now comes the tricky part. You want to release your grip on each rope at the exact same time then quickly squeeze your grip to grab the rope and control your descent down. With each small drop you can knock out a few pull-ups if you want to make things more difficult. Before trying this one at 10 to 15 feet up, try it out down low so in case you slip you won’t have far to fall. Also, avoid this one if you struggle with your grip strength on the way up. Any rope climb like this should be done over some sort of landing pad, or other soft padding should you fall. Be careful.
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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
STATIONARY SLED PULL WITH 2-INCH ROPE
A
t the end of a 2-inch or similar rope, secure as much weight as you can handle on a sled. Get into a squat position with your feet shoulder width apart; make sure your posture is straight and erect as shown. Fully extend one arm, grabbing the rope as far away as you can, and pull in towards you. Pull explosively each time, exhaling on each one. Alternate arms until the sled is at your feet. Try to establish a good rhythm and get the sled moving steadily toward you. This exercise works your core, stabilizers, arms, shoulder, back, and your grip.
Perform 3 long pulls with as much weight as you can, while keeping the sled moving at a steady pace.
1
2
3
4
VARIED PULL-UPS
W
ho doesn’t love pull-ups? Win any prize you want at the next state fair by performing these with varied grips. Changing up your grips will hit different specific muscles in your arms, and hands. Depending on the grip device you use you will be working Crush and Supportive grips. Our model Jack used Origin OrangaHangs™ to mimic the grip used on the inside of a collar, pistol grip, and outside sleeve cuffs. Mix in a 2-inch rope; maybe some gymnastic rings, and you’re hitting every possible grip along with your upper and middle back muscles.
The OrangaHangs are used very often at Rhino Strength.
COLLAR
PISTOL GRIP
OUTSIDE SLEEVE CUFF
Perform 1 set of each grip to failure (until you can’t do any more pull ups). Performing what you believe to be the most difficult grip first, 3 to 4 sets total.
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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
VARIED GRIP FARMER WALKS
F
armer Walks are excellent for building supportive grip strength, as well as for working the lower body, shoulders, back, and abs. These are best performed with kettle bells, but can be done with just about any heavy object. You can work your pinch grip by going with weight plates and gripping them from the side. Bend at the knees, get a grip, and lift straight up keeping your back straight. Take short steps and do your best not to swing your arms; keep the weight at your side. Jack used the OrangaHangs™ to hit different muscles in his grip and he used both an overhand and underhand grip to work on his wrists. Stability in your wrist improves all aspects of grip strength and performing any of these exercises will help build strength in that area as well. In order to really get the most benefit from Farmer Walks, you want to go as heavy as you can without hurting your back. Typically, your grip strength will be the limiting factor on performing these.
The underhand grip is a tough one!
OVERHAND GRIP
UNDERHAND GRIP
Perform 2 to 3 Farmer Walks of 30-yards each, changing the grip for each walk.
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ROPE GRIP SLED PULLS
U
nlike the previous sled pulls you’ll be dragging the sled using your legs. Attach a rope grip to your sled and load that bad boy up. Perform one pull with your arms behind you. Lean forward, secure your grip and begin walking forward at a brisk pace. Don’t jerk the weight; keep constant without any slack on the rope. This works your support grip, crush grip, along with your legs, core, and back. Drag the sled for at least 30-yards per set. Reverse the pull by pulling the sled back while facing it and walking backward. Doing this will work on your grip, along with your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. It will also help stimulate your joints, especially your knees, in ways they don’t often get stimulated.
1
2
1
2
changing direction each time.
THAT’S A WRAP! B
y mixing some of these exercises into your normal strength and conditioning routine, you can measurably see results in your grip strength in as little as a month. Having that strong grip strength will quickly translate into more success on the mats.
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Jack gets to enjoy that keg when he’s done as a reward.
Perform 2 or 4 pulls of 30-yards,
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spotlight
HENRY words: DEB BLYTH
A Jiu-Jitsu Student’s dream Have you ever wondered what it would be like to train under one of the greatest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legends in the world? To receive your black belt from a man who is considered one of the greatest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners of all time? What would it feel like to step on the mats with him every day and learn all his secrets…the old school Gracie moves and the roots of jiu-jitsu techniques that his own father, one of the founding fathers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, taught him when he was just a small child? For Henry Akins, this dream became a reality.
A differetn type of jiu-jitsu.
An unbelievably difficult birth
Henry was born in March 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War, to a Vietnamese mother and an American father. His mom, Marion, wanted to go back to Vietnam to get her family out of the country while she could, but she was at the end of her pregnancy. His father, Raymond, advised her against going, but she went anyway. While she was there, she went into labor. There were complications, so she had to have
a C-Section. There was no anesthesia available because it was all being used for the soldiers. So, with a rope in her mouth to bite down on, and no relief from the pain, the doctors cut her open, through the muscles of her stomach, from belly button down, and Henry was brought into the world the old school way, through blood, sweat, tears, grit, and determination.
A new life begins the old school way By May 1975 the country was shut down, but Marion was able to get her family and friends out of Vietnam just in time. The Akins family traveled to Thailand first, then to Los Angeles for about four years. When Marion and Raymond separated, Henry moved to Washington DC with his mom to a one bedroom apartment which nine of his relatives shared. “When my family came over from Vietnam, they didn’t speak any English,” Henry says, “They’re now doctors and engineers. They were so poor, but they made the most out of the opportunities they were given in America and they appreciated all of them.” Henry was raised with those old school values and the knowledge that anything is possible if you work hard enough to attain it.
The Gracies In Action changes Henry’s life When Henry was a teenager, his family moved to Oklahoma City where he attended high school. He was surrounded by wrestlers, but never got into the sport. He was taking Tae Kwon Do for exercise, but was looking to get into a grappling-based martial art. In 1993 he saw an old grainy videotape of “Gracies In Action,” which was their original, promotional video. “All these martial artists were coming to the academy in Torrance doing challenge matches…bare knuckle…with a $100,000 offer… no holds barred fights. It was the Gracie’s kicking the crap out of everyone. Watching that I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
In search of Rickson Gracie So, in 1995, Henry came out to L.A. while on spring break and called around looking for the one and only Rickson Gracie. After going to his school and meeting him, Henry immediately dropped out of the University of Central Oklahoma and moved to California in June of 1995. “My parents wanted me to become a doctor,” he says, “I was going to school for Genetic Engineering, and I decided to
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pursue jiu-jitsu full time. My parents were not at all happy. Asians have a very tight family base and they are very focused on education.”
Henry trains under the master Henry began training at Rickson’s school in West L.A. “They had fold out Velcro mats, that were super thin and worn down. We went and laid them out every morning. At that time, Rickson was training all the time. It was awesome. He ran the classes. There were about 40 guys on the mats. I got to train with him almost every day. I was always around watching him train, listening to him. He had black belts from Brazil coming in all the time. He played with everyone like they were white belts. It was mind blowing.” Over time, Henry became very close to Rickson and his family, including Rickson’s son, Rockson, and shared a house with Kron for a while. He even traveled to Japan with Rickson when he fought in 2000. “I was one of his top students,” Henry says, “I think he saw a lot of potential in me. He put a lot of time and energy into me. He was like a father to me.”
Jiu-Jitsu as its highest and finest levels It was Rickson’s Jiu-Jitsu and his steel-trap mind that kept Henry in awe of him. In Brazil in the early days, if you submitted your opponent with a knee bar or a foot lock, you were booed. “They thought it was a cheap win,” Henry says, “But times changed and we had guys coming in all the time working with Rickson. His understanding of leverage and of jiu-jitsu concepts and body mechanics was unparalleled. Eric Paulson (the first American to win the World Light-Heavy Weight Shooto Title in Japan) worked with Rickson on foot locks for Shooto. He was showing Rickson how to attack the legs because no one was training that. So, Eric’s showing him attacks, and then Rickson starts rolling with him and catches him continually and taps him with his own attacks.”
Jiu-Jitsu from the scientific perspective
Henry was a good apprentice to Rickson because he had the same logical mind. Known as the jiu-jitsu Super Computer, Henry says he thinks he excels at jiu-jitsu because he looks at it with that same scientific approach. “By the time I was a blue belt I was figuring things out on my own,” he says, “I was grasping the basic understanding and concepts of leverage and thinking, ‘what is this guy doing to stop me? Where is his control? Where is he putting pressure? In jiu-jitsu, there is a reason why you do everything you do. There’s a purpose for every grip, every position – there’s a reason for this. And knowing what each purpose is gives you a better and deeper understanding of the techniques. I always teach my students the strategy behind the position.”
Invisible Jiu-Jitsu in action Rickson coined the phrase “Invisible Jiu-Jitsu” and Henry says this is where the main differences lie between Rickson’s Jiu-Jitsu and other schools of thought. “There are so many subtleties in each technique that Rickson teaches that are so different from others,” Henry says, “People think jiu-jitsu is the same because it all came from the same people, but it’s not because of very minute details. It’s the
tiny nuances that make it so different. And you can’t learn those anywhere except from Rickson. Very few people learn his style, but this is why he was 10 times better than anyone else. No one could ever hang with Rickson.”
Technique and timing rule supreme Henry says he was taught that being invincible doesn’t mean you can beat everyone. “It means you can’t be beaten,” he says, “The real understanding is you don’t need strength or power, it’s technique and timing. With those two things, you should be able to overcome anyone. In jiu-jitsu, you’re always trying to use your opponent’s energy against him, so you need timing. If you go in the direction of resistance, it makes it more effective because the person will give you what you want. The more the person fights, the more he becomes his own worst energy. Everything he does is just going to help you. There are variations in the techniques that make things more efficient and work better. You have to know proper technique, but it’s the timing that matters most. Even if you have perfect technique, if that move is not available to you, you’re not going to get it. Timing takes forever to understand and conquer…the feel of it. There’s a deep, profound reason why things work or don’t work. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to learn. Compensating with
Spotlight 11.indd 2
Sound advice.
Rickson had an uncanny ability to figure out techniques and new positions so quickly - how to counter, defend, or make them better. “He did that with his father, Helio’s Jiu-Jitsu,” Henry says, “He improved so much of it. He made things so much more efficient through the years. His understanding of the body mechanics, leverage, and positioning was exceptional. He saw where the energy of each movement came from. He thought, ‘how can I stop what he’s doing? What’s the angle? How can I change it?’ He’s very scientific in his approach. He looks at it, breaks it down, and figures it out. Rickson is six or seven moves ahead of a person, whereas another black belt might be four or five.”
The Jiu-Jitsu Super Computer
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spotlight strength is ego, if you use muscle, you’re doing something wrong. Instead, you need to see and recognize opportunities as they arise, and have the timing to go. It’s all about staying in the present moment. As Rickson says, ‘you have to flow with the go.’”
We’re all connected Henry says that learning Rickson’s Invisible JiuJitsu concepts are what make him the jiu-jitsu artist he is today. “The subtleties of jiu-jitsu have to be felt,” he says, “A slight tense of the muscle in one area can make a position feel totally different. Rickson would pull people aside and say, ‘feel this. Does this feel different than the other way?’ He taught me how to engage my body properly in certain positions and to know how and where to direct my energy and resistance. It’s so powerful once you learn how to use your energy and how to transfer it. Rickson always talked about being connected to another person to feel their energy. That’s why he was always so far ahead of everyone. As soon as you move a millimeter he felt it and responded. You can only gain that sensitivity through years and years of training.”
Rickson works out the weak spots
A dream is realized Henry became the 3rd American to receive his black belt from Rickson in 2004. He became the Head Instructor of the Rickson Gracie Academy from 2004 to 2008. He says he’s proud of what he’s achieved over the years, as are his parents who understand and acknowledge the high level of education and training he received from this master of jiu-jitsu. Henry is excited to share this knowledge with others. “Getting a black belt from Rickson is not easy,” he says, “He probably has the highest level of knowledge in jiu-jitsu anywhere and he has very high standards. There are only a handful of us who have trained directly under him and received black belts as Americans. That was a big goal of mine. It took a lot of years and dedication. The last eight or nine years I’ve done
nothing but focus on teaching, which is a huge skill in and of itself…transferring information from one person to another. Many don’t know how to do it, but I do. I love to teach.”
Sharing his wisdom Henry continues to honor Rickson’s legacy and his old school jiu-jitsu ways by devoting his life to his students on the mats every day at his Santa Monica academy, Dynamix Martial Arts that he co-owns with his partner, MMA fighter and champion kickboxer Antoni Hardonk. “In the beginning, when I first started training under Rickson, it was like a private club,” he says, “We weren’t allowed to share our knowledge. There are so many little details of Rickson’s Jiu-Jitsu that are so different from anyone else’s and that wisdom was only available to our own association. But things have changed and so, my main focus today is growing my gym. I thought it would be cool to own a school with Antoni. I was training with him while he was a UFC fighter. I figured I could teach jiu-jitsu and he could teach stand up. His lineage is in kickboxing. He trained with the best trainer in the world, for like 15 or 16 years. Just like my training was with the best jiu-jitsu practitioner in the world. We are two super highlevel instructors. It was a great idea and a great decision for both of us. Learning jiu-jitsu is very powerful. Rickson and his Jiu-Jitsu changed my life. I know whoever I teach it to, it will change their life as well.” You can contact Henry at: www.Dynamixmartialarts.com, or on facebook at: Dynamix Martial Arts.
When Henry talks, his students listen.
Henry learned through Rickson that a person has to have a well-rounded game with no weak positions. “He always forced us to work on our weak areas,” Henry says, “He had so many drills to help develop us to a high level. He would have guys mount us and we’d have to tie both hands in our belts. They couldn’t attack our arms, but they could choke. He would have guys mount him
and without using his hands he’d get out. He’d have guys put him in rear naked chokes, have his hands tied and he’d get out. He’d do it with 10 guys in a row. That kind of jiu-jitsu is such a high level beyond what most people will ever know. I knew at the time I was learning from him how special and unique my training was. Learning from Rickson was humbling. Learning jiu-jitsu is humbling. You tap out all the time, especially to smaller guys. I’ve been smashed over and over again, but I’ve been spoiled by the training I’ve received. When I train with others or go to other schools, I’m blown away with what I know comparatively because of Rickson. I think, ‘you don’t know this? No one taught you this?’ A lot of people come to my school to learn these details, and their game has changed dramatically because of it. I’ve even come across black belts who don’t know some of these basics. I’m so blessed to have gotten the experience from Rickson, when so much of it is lacking out there.”
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gear lab
ALL PATCHED UP AND SOMEWHERE TO GO THE JIU-JITSU MAGAZINE GUIDE TO GI PATCHES words: SEYMOUR YANG
Cheat tip - try patching the inside of your gi! haha that’ll fool the gi checker :)
RAZILIAN JIU-JITSU HAS LONG BEEN A SPORT WHERE A HIGH VALUE IS PLACED ON BEING PART OF A TEAM. Gi patches are one of the most visible means of expressing that affiliation so it is no surprise that BJJ folks spend a great deal of care and attention on patching up their uniforms. Let’s take a closer look at the variety of patch types, the colorful designs they showcase, and of course, the places where one is allowed to apply them in order to comply with tournament rules.
IBJJF RULES G
i patches come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. The IBJJF produces a rule book and within that document is a diagram indicating where you can and cannot place a patch. Looking at the chart, you’ll note that patches are confined to certain zones only. There is a logical reason why patches must only be applied in the marked zones on that diagram - because patches must not interfere in any way or give any advantage to the wearer. It makes sense. Imagine if you could apply a patch on the chest that was so large and so thick it would impede any attempt for an opponent to establish a gi grip. Or imagine a gi patch that entirely covered each leg of the gi pants - not only would you look like a Storm Trooper, it would restrict your own movement. So, the IBJJF patch diagram is there to ensure no one has an unfair advantage or patches up their gi so much the uniform actually ceases to be a gi.
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Just because the IBJJF patch rule is there, it doesn’t mean competitors can’t try a little ‘creative’ patchery. Some of the more popular athletes often wear gis that seem to push the patch rules to the limit: In addition to self-administered sponsor patches, there are a very large number of gi companies that sell pre-patched gis with branded logos appearing on every conceivable (and just about allowable) square inch: So, what happens when patches go wrong? If the competitor is lucky, the gi checker will just tear it off your gi and you are free to continue to fight. If you are not lucky, you’ll get a DQ. Sometimes a gi company will release a brand new model and the first time their sponsored athletes get to wear it will be at a major tournament. Sometimes even these companies get it wrong and there have been notable DQ controversies in the past. But in general, if you follow the IBJJF patch placement diagram, all should be fine.
PATCH TYPES
When it comes to the methods available for applying imagery and text onto a gi uniform, there aren’t a great deal of options. Patch materials fall roughly into two types: printed and woven. Generally, woven patches are longer lasting than printed patches, but colors can be limited. Printed patches can be a great value for smaller academies. Recently, heat transfer options have become increasingly visible among sponsored athletes.
Embroidered - colored cotton or synthetic thread can be applied directly onto the gi uniform or onto a base that is then stitched onto the gi (known as appliqué). Price depends on quantity, thread count, size, number of stitches, and number of colors. Embroidered designs are highly durable and have a long lifespan. Suitable for low numbers and one-off custom designs.
EMBROIDERED
You’ll look great with those on your gi.
Dye-sublimation prints - these are usually printed onto a synthetic textile base which is then stitched onto the uniform. Dye sublimation is DYE-SUBLIMATION cheap compared to embroidery and long lasting. There is no limit to the number of colors used and effects, such as graduations and fine details, are easily reproduced. The color gamut (how bright and saturated the colors are) can be limited, but since the color pigments are locked into the synthetic fibers of the patch, there is no color fade. Suitable for low numbers.
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gear lab Woven patches - woven patches use a finer thread than embroidered patches and thus allow for a much finer resolution of detail. Most popularly seen as shoulder and chest patches on branded gis, woven patches tend to only be economical when ordered in large quantities. The other benefit to woven patches is they’re very light weight compared to appliqué embroidery.
WOVEN
Screen prints - screen printed patches are less common, mainly because they tend to wear and fade rapidly over time depending on the type of ink used. Most t-shirt inks (plastisol) will not bear the heavy friction encountered during day to day grappling. However, screen printing is cheap and useful for academies on a low budget. In most cases, designs are printed onto large sheets of cotton material and cut to size after printing. Suitable for low to high print numbers. Cost depends on size and number of colors used. Heat transfer prints - This technique
HEAT TRANSFER SCREEN PRINT
involves graphics made from vinyl that are transferred directly onto the uniform using heat. So called Thermoflex prints are not limited by color. When used effectively, the transfer should offer a long lifespan, but does require specialist equipment.
Lucas Leite and Michelle Nicolini showing us how they patch up their gis.
Ordering patches
There are a multitude of companies available who will take your order for a gi patch. Some are happy to work with small orders, others prefer it if you order in the hundreds or even thousands. Regardless of the method of manufacture, most badge and embroidery companies prefer that you send them a very good quality copy of the image you want made into a patch. Ideally, a vector format file such as Adobe Illustrator would be the most suitable since that
format is infinitely scalable. Most companies are happy to work from a less pin sharp JPEG or TIFF image although there are limitations to what they can do, the poorer the quality of the original. Watch out, too if you supply a poor quality original that needs a lot of pre-patch preparation the company may charge you extra.
Affixing patches Some patches come with the option of an iron-on backing. By applying water and the heat of an iron, it’s possible to melt the plastic glue backing and form a bond between patch and gi material. Due to the heavy wear and tear of BJJ training, this method does not always lead to a reliable method of patch adhesion. Sometimes, for that last minute quick fix, latex glue can offer a tight bond that will keep
the patch onto the gi for a good few rounds of sparring. However, there really is usually no substitute for a professional tailor or seamstress to sew on your patches. In may cases, especially with thicker embroidered patches, the professional seamstress will have a tougher, industrial sewing needle on their machines that will make light work of sewing the patch onto the gi. Try doing it yourself and expect busted fingers and the high chance of the final patch looking like a butcher’s victim!
DESIGN FOR LIFE
T
raditionalists in the martial arts world may question the need to appear like an Indy race car driver, but for us BJJ practitioners, patches offer a way for a BJJ player to show off his team affiliation and add a lot of color to a uniform. Colorful designs, logos, and other patch imagery all help form part of what we refer to as the BJJ lifestyle.
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medic
INJURY, PAIN and the words: DR. JOHN PARK
HEALING PROCESS
OST OF US WILL AGREE THAT IN THE WORLD OF A JIU-JITSU ATHLETE, THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN NOT BEING ABLE TO TRAIN. It only takes a few days off the mat before withdrawal sets in and we start getting irritable and impatient. For many of us, even just one week away from jiu-jitsu seems like an eternity. Day in and day out, the thing that interrupts our training the most are
injuries – both acute and chronic. What happens to our body parts when we get our joints hyperextended from a submission? What happens to our knees with every repetition of closed guard techniques? To put it quite simply, with every injury there is tissue damage that occurs, and that damage can be classified as either a macrotrauma or microtrauma. The aftermath of both is pain, and though we might not like to believe it, pain does have a purpose. It lets us know that
something is wrong, and it encourages a withdrawal response from the activity so we don’t cause further damage. The experience of pain is a necessary part of the healing process, but when it lasts too long, we need to seek treatment or find alternative ways to manage it when it does not improve. In this article we’ll take a look at what happens after an injury, and explore different ways to treat it during each phase of the healing process.
MACROTRAUMAS AND MICROTRAUMAS
That injury looks familiar.
An acute, sudden overload to the body that it is not able to withstand is what defines a macrotrauma. This results in the immediate disruption of tissue integrity. Ligament sprains, muscle tears, ruptured tendons, and fractures are all examples of macrotraumas. Blunt traumas to bone can lead to contusions and fractures. Macrotraumas to joints and the surrounding tissues can result in dislocations. Sudden stresses placed on ligaments can result in mild sprains, or in a worst-case scenario, a full thickness tear. The ACL and medial collateral ligament in the knee are especially susceptible to injuries in jiu-jitsu. A quick and forceful muscle contraction to an opposing force can result in muscle strains. These “pulled” muscles are actually macrotraumas that cause tearing of the muscle fibers. Tendons can also rupture if the load applied to them exceed their limits. All these examples of macrotraumas have one thing in common and that is they all come with a high degree of pain.
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ICE OR HEAT?
WHICH IS BETTER FOR PAIN? As a rule, when pain is moderate to severe, ice is a better choice for pain management. The primary purpose behind using cold with acute injuries is to decrease tissue temperature, which ultimately decreases the production of byproducts that delay healing and repair. The application of cold also causes constriction of the blood vessels which decreases bleeding and reduces the swelling that occurs with acute injuries. Pain is essentially inflammation, and cold therapy is an excellent way to reduce inflammation. Ice packs, bags of ice, and even frozen peas can do the trick in a bind. The key is to get ice on as quickly as possible following injury. Pain that lasts for more than six months is considered to be chronic pain, and it is typically the cumulative effect of repetitive microtraumas. Minor damage to tissues that occurs from repeated, lower grade, abnormal stresses applied to an area of anatomy is what defines a microtrauma. Overuse without enough recovery time causes microtraumas in our bodies leading to conditions like tendinitis and osteoarthritis. These conditions are usually experienced as some type of chronic pain – the nagging stiffness in the knees that just won’t go away, or that tendinitis in your elbow that flares up every time you grip fight.
What Happens After Injury W
hether the pain is acute or chronic, the body responds to injury in the same way, and the healing process occurs in three phases through inflammation, repair, and remodeling.
INFLAMMATORY PHASE
The inflammatory phase is what we are most familiar with because it is characterized by pain, tenderness, swelling, redness, and increased tissue temperature. Though this phase typically only lasts two to five days, the painful symptoms can last much longer. So, what purpose does inflammation have? It is designed to protect the body by getting rid of the by-products of injury – blood, damaged cells, microorganisms, foreign substances, etc. However, if inflammation lasts too long, it can delay the healing process, which is why it needs to be controlled. Training and rolling should be the last thing on your mind during this phase of the healing process. The main goals during the inflammatory phase are to reduce inflammation and initiate early ranges of motion without any resistance. If the injury is severe enough, splinting, casting or bracing may be necessary.
WHAT TO DO TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION AND SWELLING
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Just a little swollen.
Besides ice, using compression is an effective way to decrease swelling. Compression sleeves, wraps, and braces around an injured body part limits the amount of space for fluids to accumulate. Likewise, elevating the injured extremity reduces additional swelling. Physiotherapy modalities, including electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and cold laser can provide pain relief, reduce inflammation and facilitate the healing process as well. Using Kinesiotape and Rocktape are also effective in supporting the muscles and reducing swelling while allowing for full range of motion to occur at the same time. Chances are you’ve seen this in use by the Olympic volleyball players and professional tennis players with the colored strips of tape on their shoulders, arms and knees. Visit www.Kinesiotaping.com and www. RockTape.com for more info.
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REPAIR PHASE As inflammation decreases, the repair phase begins and lasts from a few days, up to a few months. It’s during this phase that damaged tissues become replaced by more functional tissues. The damaged tissues begin to regenerate, and scar tissue is laid down which restores tissue integrity. This is the point in time when light activity should be resumed. Your primary objective during the repair phase should be to prevent muscle atrophy and focus on the proper functioning of the affected joint. Range of motion exercises to increase flexibility should be followed by resistance work to improve strength, and finally, drilling and light technique work. The worst thing that could happen during the repair phase is re-aggravation of the original injury. We all know that once an ankle is sprained, it becomes much more likely to be sprained again in the future.
REMODELING PHASE
BREAK UP ADHESIONS AND REDUCE SCAR TISSUE FORMATION Active Release Techniques (ART) and Graston Technique are both good treatment options to consider during the repair phase of healing. Both treatments are designed to optimize how scar tissue is laid down while healing takes place. ART practitioners use their hands while Graston practitioners use instruments made of surgical steel to decrease adhesions in the soft tissues as they heal. Scar tissue can bind down healthy tissues and limit range of motion, ultimately leading to less than optimal functioning of the body. Find certified ART and Graston practitioners by visiting www.ActiveRelease.com and www.GrastonTechnique.com.
The final phase of healing is the remodeling phase. You’re probably starting to feel pretty good at this point. The weakened tissues produced during the repair phase are strengthened during this last stage of healing. Torn muscles, sprained ligaments, and weakened bones become more functional as they heal and become closer to the original state. Optimizing the way the anatomy functions is the primary goal during this phase of healing. Goals should be to optimize full strength, full range of motion, and full endurance in the muscles and joints of the injured area. Normalizing function is accomplished by increasing intensity and duration of exercise and by adding more advanced, sport-specific movements. This is where more drilling and technique work along with conditioning and eventually light rolling can be initiated.
WHEN IS HEAT
APPROPRIATE?
Time to remodel.
Heat can be beneficial during the later stages of the healing process. It is especially beneficial during the repair and remodeling phases, as well as with chronic pain. The application of heat causes increased blood flow to the injured area which creates a relaxation response and provides natural pain relief. It also allows for more elasticity in the muscles, fascia, and connective tissues, making movement through a greater range easier. However, the application of heat too soon after an acute injury can cause more pain and swelling. Applying excessive heat to an injury early is much worse than using ice for too long, so when in doubt, try using ice first for pain.
I
NJURIES ARE AN INEVITABLE PART OF THE JIU-JITSU EXPERIENCE. The more time we spend on the mat getting in our reps, the more familiar we will become with acute injuries. Likewise, just as any black belt has years of experience under his faded belt, he will also have the accumulation of thousands of minor traumas, which become evident to him through his aching muscles and stiff joints - all signs of chronic pain. In jiu-jitsu, belts are earned through pain, sweat, and tears. Pain is an accepted part of that process. Just remember that pain equals inflammation. Reduce the inflammation and decrease the pain.
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The Future Was Now at the
by Todd Hester
S
2012 Kids World BJJ Championships
PONSORED BY ARROWHEAD WATER, RED CROSS, VULKAN STORE, KEIKI KIMONOS AND SAMBAZON AND SUPPORTED BY SUCH LUMINARIES AS THE MENDES BROTHERS, ANDRE CALVAO, AND JOE MOREIRA, THE EVENT DREW AN AMAZING 900 COMPETITORS AND ATTRACTED 10,000 SPECTATORS! Coussoulis Arena, San Bernanadino, CA – Promoter Rommel Dunbar’s vision for the future of Brazilian jiu-jitsu starts with kids that will one day grow up and become fans, athletes, competitors and world champions. Dunbar’s plan to achieve this is his annual Kids & Teens World Championships, which is leading a new generation into the sport. “I don’t just want the sport to benefit,” says the low-key Dunbar, “but also the kids themselves. In jiu-jitsu they learn about respect, hard work and cooperation in a fun way. They learn how to be graceful in victory and how to persevere in the face of defeat. Jiu-jitsu teaches life lessons in miniature and it inspires me to see kids improve and families benefit.”
140 Schools Compete
Dunbar’s enthusiasm was infectious as on the July 21, 2012 weekend, 900 kids aged 4-17 competed in one of the largest BJJ tournaments and over 140 schools vied for personal and team honors in the Gi and No-Gi divisions. The school list read like a Who’s Who of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and included such names such as “Big” John McCarthy, Babalu, Carlson Gracie, Fabio Santos, Darcio Lira, Joe Stevenson, Ralph Gracie, Rey Diogo, Ricardo Cavalcanti, Rodrigo Teixeira, Royce Gracie, Megaton Dias, Fabricio Werdum, and Aloisio Silva. When the smoke cleared it was Riverside Submission, C-Quence, and Ace Jiu-Jitsu placing 1, 2 and 3 respectively for No-Gi honors and Leon Jiu-Jitsu, C-Quence, and United BJJ placing similarly on the Gi side.
Prizes and Awards
As usual, Dunbar went out of his way to see that competitors received prizes and medals and schools take home trophies to commemorate their success. “I want people to have something special to remember the event by,” said Dunbar. “They put
themselves on the line to compete and having an award helps to reinforce the idea that hard work pays off. Of course, the true reward for all the kids is simply the participation and in that sense I want everyone to feel they went home a winner.”
Next Year’s Event Already in the Works The well-organized tournament was typical of what people have come to expect from the premier kids event and Dunbar is already preparing another edition. “I couldn’t be happier about the way it turned out,” he said, “but I’m always looking to make things better by getting feedback from parents, coaches, referees, sponsors and competitors. As good as this event was I can’t wait to make it even better next year.”
For information on participating, volunteering or sponsoring the next Kids & Teen World BJJ Championships contact Rommel Dunbar at info@kidsworldbjj.com ADVERTISEMENT
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5th World International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships for Kids & Teens School Standings for No Gi School Placement 1st Place - Riverside Submission 2nd Place - C-Quence 3rd Place - Ace Jiu Jitsu School Standings for With Gi School Placement 1st Place - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd Place - C-Quence 3rd Place - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 4th Place - Ace Jiu Jitsu 5th Place - Brazilian Top Team 6th Place - Iron Lion
2012 No Gi Results Sunday, July 22nd 4yr old Beginner Feather: 1st: Noah Rodriguez - Riverside Submission 2nd: Chance Gatley - Yuma BJJ 4yr old Beginner Middle: 1st: Xavier Davalos - Cage Combat 2nd: Zander Benavides - Carlson Gracie Jr 5yr old Beginner Light: 1st: Durand Johnson - Riverside Submission 2nd: Jacob Matthews - CMS 3rd: Jonathan Magbual - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
8yr old Beginner Light 1st: Logan King - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jayden Tani - Conde Koma/ Checkmat 3rd: Kevin Kim - Ralph Gracie Chino Hills 8yr old Beginner Middle 1st: Caleb Staley - J.S. Cobra Kai 2nd: Black Ochoa - J.S. Cobra Kai 8yr old Beginner Medium Heavy 1st: Mario Alvarado - Amazona BJJ 2nd: Alex Lemos Jr - Neutral Grounds Academy 3rd: Kellan Baker - Gracie Barra 8yr old Beginner Heavy 1st: Jakob Villegas - Ikon Fight Team 2nd: Kassandra Flores - Leon Jiu Jitsu 8yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Alexa Santa Ana - All American Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Dillon Black - La Boxing 3rd: Santiago Torres - Xfit Combat Sports 8yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Rommel Dunbar - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Isaiah Davila - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Max Vu - Ace Jiu Jitsu 8yr old Intermediate Light 1st: Braeden Fuller - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Nicholas Montes - Kemos Fight Factory/Checkmat 3rd:Oliver Rhoades - Ace Jiu Jitsu 8yr old Intermediate Middle 1st: Savannah Gomez - Fabio Santos 2nd: Leah Gaitan - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands
6yr old Beginner Feather: 1st: Naveed Reyes - Yuma BJJ 2nd: Angelina Petit - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Roxy Santa Ana - All American Jiu Jitsu
8yr old Open Division 1st: Samuel Brown - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Kristopher Arrey - Riverside Submission 3rd: Caleb Stanley
6yr old Beginner Feather: 1st: Jakan Lawrence - Iron Lion 2nd: Joshua Valdez - All American Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Shaun Im - Chute Boxe
9yr old Beginner 1st: Courtney Cardoza - A Team 2nd: Maria Najera - Checkmat
6yr old Beginner Light: 1st: Nicholas Giarrusso - Gracie Barra 2nd: Eli Escamilla - Riverside Submission 3rd: Richard Ortiz - J.S. Cobra Kai 6yr old Intermediate Light: 1st: Jaedon Brown - Gracie Barra Auckland 2nd: Andrew Sotelo - J.S. Cobra Kai 7yr old Beginner Feather: 1st: Regina Awana - Riverside Submission 2nd: Sophia Castro - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Natelie Moreno - Checkmat 7yr old Beginner Feather: 1st: Erik Mendez - Drysdale 2nd: Gabriel Balingit - Lotus Club 3rd: Evan Sawai - Chute Boxe 7yr old Beginner Light: 1st: Satira Sohal - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Kaylee Bramlette - Riverside Submission 7yr old Beginner Light: 1st: Mason Johnston - Gracie Jiu Jitsu of Morgan City 2nd: Owen Jones - Iron Lion 7yr old Beginner Middle: 1st: Savannah Lewis - C-Quence 2nd: Dolores Lopez - Coachella 7yr old Beginner Middle 1st: Brelane Huber - Iron Lion 2nd: Savannah Gomez - Fabio Santos 3rd: Satira Sohal - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 7yr old Beginner Middle 1st: Miles Jones - Legacy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Roscoe Garcia - Yuma BJJ 3rd: Jorge Vargas - Yuma BJJ 7yr old Beginner Medium Heavy 1st: Gideon Harris - Gracie Barra 2nd: Marco Lenhart - Iron Lion 3rd: Xavier Grace - J.S. Cobra Kai 7yr old Intermediate Super Feather 1st: Abram Cline - Gracie Humaita 2nd: Jalen Fonacier - Rey Diego Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 7yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Kyle Bridge - Iron Lion 2nd: Alexander Lopez - J.S. Cobra Kai 3rd: Jacob Alaan - Ralph Gracie 8yr old Beginner Super Feather 1st: Mario Anthony Rivera - C-Quence 2nd: Kainoa Magbual - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 8yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Kayla Escamilla - Riverside Submission 2nd: Mia Moore - Bodyshop 3rd: Genevieve Martinez - Riverside Submission 8yr old Beginner Feather 1st: David Mendez - Drysdale 2nd: Jack Carraher - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Luke Riggs - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
9yr old Beginner Super Feather 1st: Anais Petit - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Vivana Sanchez - IKON 9yr old Beginner Light 1st: Damian Espinoza - Adrenaline 2nd: Ryu Ramos - Xfit Combat Sports 3rd: Gabriel Ortiz - C-Quence 9yr old Beginner Medium Heavy 1st: Damion Garstka - Riverside Submission 2nd: Salvador Espinoza - Riverside Submission 3rd: Darren Cruz - Gracie Barra Guam 9yr old Beginner Heavy 1st: Ethan Wray - Millennia 2nd: Brian Thiebold - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Quiron Miranda - C-Quence 9yr old Beginner Open Division 1st: Salvador Espinoza - Riverside Submission 2nd: Jesus Herebia - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 9yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Tai Quintero - C-Quence 2nd: Frankie Moreno - Checkmat 3rd: Trevor Fune - Gracie Humaita Eastlake
10yr old Intermediate Super Feather 1st: Bailey McConnel - Kemo’s Fight Factory/Checkmat 2nd: Callie Herrera - Brazilian Top Team 10yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Isaac Lawrence - Iron Lion 2nd: Gabriel Wanderly - Carlson Gracie 3rd: Dillon Fedor - Ricardo Cavalanti
10yr old Intermediate Middle 1st: Faamanuia Ahfook - Gracie Humaita Eastlake 2nd: Rodolfo ‘Brody’ Rodriguez - J.S. Cobra Kai 3rd: Wyatt Lewis - C-Quence
13yr old Beginner Heavy 1st: Andrew Mercado - Rounders MMA Boxing 2nd: Daniel Gonzalez - Rounders MMA Boxing 3rd: Jose Torres - Xfit Combat Sports
10yr old Advanced Feather 1st: Justin Valdoria - DM BJJ 2nd: Kade Ruotolo - Ruotolo
13yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Samantha Hershowwitz - Checkmat 2nd: Alexandra Stepanov - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Isabel Hernandez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
5yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Jacob Balingit - Lotus 2nd: Gael Romero - Fabio Santos 3rd: Mason Gilbert - Ace Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Sophia Flores - Amazonas BJJ 2nd: Sophia Lee - Gracie Barra Encino
5yr old White Belt Light 1st: Cloe Luciano - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Hanna Rhodas - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Roxy Santa Ana - All American Jiu Jitsu
10yr old Advanced Medium Heavy 1st: Tye Ruotolo - Ruotolo 2nd: Fernando Real - CMS 3rd: Juan Chiquito - Cage Combat Academy 10-11yr old Open Division 1st: Dominic ‘Nico’ Gagnon - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jaylen McLemore - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 11yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Edgar Sanchez - Kemos Fight Factory/Checkmat 2nd: Elijah Brown - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Michael Bergman - Total Training Center 11yr old Beginner Light 1st: Desiree Sylvester - Cage Combat 2nd: James Robledo - Riverside Submission 3rd: Robbie Allen - Ralph Gracie Chino Hills 11yr old Beginner Medium Heavy 1st: Christian Balingit - Lotus Club 2nd: Jerry Sandefur - Riverside Submission 11yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Nicolas Lopez - Big John McCarthy’s 2nd: Thomas Holtkamp - Drysdale 3rd: Nader Banat - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 11 yr old Intermediate Rooster 1st: Isaih Francesco Calderon - Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy 2nd: Tyler Baird - Ace Jiu Jitsu 11yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Bradley Chirno - Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy 2nd: Jeremiah Ramos - Xfit Combat Sports 11yr old Intermediate Light 1st: Dane MillerHass - Easton BJJ 2nd: Andrew Madrid - C-Quence 3rd: Sunny Luna - J.S. Cobra kai 11yr old Advanced Middle 1st: Justice Besser - Ralph Gracie 2nd: Adrain Gonzalez - Camarillo Jiu Jitsu 12yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Joseph Fonseca - Undisputed 2nd: Maxx Lee - Gracie Barra Encino
9yr old Advanced Feather 1st: Stevie Salas - Gracie Barra 2nd: Abel Gaitan - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 3rd: Joseph Martinez - Riverside Submission
12yr old Beginner Medium Heavy 1st: Noah Chen - C-Quence 2nd: Clark Gallagher - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Alejandra Hernandez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
10yr old Beginner Light 1st: Aldo Flores - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Edgar Flores - Riverside Submission 3rd: Erick Ramirez - Riverside Submission 10yr old Beginner Middle 1st: Ryan Allen - Ralph Gracie 2nd: Jacob Gliddon - Ace Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Beginner Heavy 1st: Addison Chen - C-Quence 2nd: Jaylen McLemore - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Daniel Mendez - Drysdale 2nd: Bryana Hernandez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Louis Rojas - DMBJJ Academy 2nd: Angel Ochoa - J.S. Cobra Kai 3rd: Sophia Vargas - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
4yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Logan Pistilli - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Djedefre Franklin - Gracie Barra Hollywood 3rd: Tripp Saire - Ace Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Beginner Light 1st: Anthony Gallegos - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Andrew Watson - Total Training Center
12yr old Beginner Middle 1st: John Lopez - C-Quence 2nd: Manuel Alcaraz - Riverside Submission
10yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Max Franz - Easton BJJ 2nd: Max Tait - Gracie Barra San Clemente 3rd: Gavin Whitt - Gracie Barra Guam
13yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Sophia Flores - Amazonas BJJ 2nd: Caroline Collins - 10th Planet
2012 Gi Results Saturday, July 21st
10yr old Intermediate Light 1st: Derek Rayfield - UFC Gym 2nd: William Reid - Power MMA 3rd: Alex Sotelo - J.S. Cobra Kai
9yr old Intermediate Middle 1st: Courtney Cardoza - A Team 2nd: Naomi Vargas - Riverside Submission
10yr old Beginner Rooster 1st: Brelane Huber - Iron Lion
13yr old Beginner Super Feather 1st: Christian Fisher - Riverside Submission 2nd: Braydon Huber - Iron Lion 3rd: Chad Carraher - Ace Jiu Jitsu
12yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Abraham Palencia - Yuma BJJ 2nd: Keoni Norris - J.S. Cobra Kai 12yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Camron Upshur - MWBJJ 2nd: David Lara - UFC Gym 12yr old Intermediate Light 1st: Sarah Paul - Iron Lion 2nd: Jermarie Ramos - Xfit Cobat Sports 3rd: Angie Vu - Ace Jiu Jitsu 12yr old Intermediate Light 1st: Gilgamesh Blanch - Roots 2nd: Solomon Blanch - Roots 3rd: Cameron Gomez - Throwdown 12yr old Intermediate Middle 1st: Jake Fridman - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jagger Wise - Iron Lion 12yr old Intermediate Heavy 1st: Elijah Rogriguez - Xfit Combat Sports 2nd: Damien Gomez - Fabio Santos 3rd: Jonathan Villanueva - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 12yr old Advanced Light 1st: Michael Alvarez - Carlson Gracie 2nd: Brandon Esparza - Riverside Submission 3rd: Ethan Mitchell - C-Quence
13yr old Intermediate Light 1st: Daniel Mendoza - Cage Combat Academy 2nd: Matthew Paulsen - Easton BJJ 13yr old Intermediate Middle 1st: Joseph Zamudio - C-Quence 2nd: Mel Garcia - Leon Jiu Jitsu 13yr old Intermediate Medium Heavy 1st: Aylin Villalobos - Gracie Barra 2nd: Arceli Casillas - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Delwyn Jones - Iron Lion 14yr old Bedinner Middle 1st: Jordan Carranza - Gracie Barra Yakima 2nd: Isaiah Vasquez - C-Quence 3rd: Ian Wilfert - Ace Jiu Jitsu 14yr old Beginner Ultra Heavy 1st: Cain Ulrich - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Andrew Lopez - Big John McCarthy’s 3rd: Jonathan Sanchez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
4yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Mario Carini - BJJ Unlimited 2nd: Xavier Davalos - Cage Combat Academy 3rd: Zander Benavides - Carlson Gracie Jr 5yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Brooke Ramsey - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Megan Vu - Ace Jiu Jitsu
5yr old White Belt Light 1st: John Rich - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Austin Harianja - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 3rd: Jonathan Magbual - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 5yr old Gray Belt Feather 1st: Jaeden Brown - Gracie Barra Auckland 2nd: Brenden Beauchamp - Gracie Barra Temecula 3rd: Diego Mercado - Gracie Barra Chino 5yr old Gray Belt Light 1st: Darian Gutierrez - Yuma BJJ 2nd: Austin McSwain - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 3rd: Caleb Hernandez - Gracie Barra Temecula 6yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Junior Bracamontes - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Tristan Park : Giva Santana Lotus Club 3rd: Andrew Algarin - C-Quence
Top Team 7yr old White Belt Medium heavy 1st: Gideon Harris - Gracie Barra New Mexico 2nd: Xavier Grace - J.S. Cobra Kai 3rd: Steve Caday - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 7yr old White Belt Super Heavy 1st: Maximiliano Herrera - New Breed Academy 2nd: Isaiah Cruz - Ralph Gracie OC 3rd: Ryan Han - C-Quence 7yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Kassandra Flores - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jocelyn Samayoa - Brazilian Top Team 7yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Said Cubit - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Faris Kojok - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 7yr old Gray Belt Super Feather 1st: Abram Cline - Gracie Humaita 2nd: Kaige Brown - Gracie Barra Auckland 3rd: Brandon Figueroa - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 7yr old Gray Belt Feather 1st: Nicholas Giarrusso - Gracie Barra 2nd: Samuel Carver - University of Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Akash Patel - Gracie Barra Corona 7yr old Gray Belt Light 1st: Joseph Martinez - Riverside Submission 2nd: Cameron Neeki - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu 7yr old Gray Belt Middle 1st: Savannah Gomez - Fabio Santos 2nd: Leah Gaitan - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 7yr old Gray Belt Middle 1st: Miles Jones - Legacy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Rome Arguelles - Team Megaton 3rd: Jorge Vargas - Yuma BJJ 7yr old Gray Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Sarah Neeki - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 7yr old Gray Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Marco Lenhart - Iron Lion 2nd: Michael Morales - Brazilian Top Team
14yr old Intermediate Heavy 1st: Andrew Mercado - Rounders MMA Boxing 2nd: Eric Garcia - J.S. Cobra Kai 3rd: Trevor Rogers - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
6yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Kendall Downen - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Naveed Reyes - Yuma BJJ 3rd: Angelina Petit - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
14yr old Intermediate Super Heavy 1st: Robert Alvarez - Carlson Gracie Las Vegas 2nd: Matthew Rice - Amazonas BJJ
6yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Jakan Lawrence - Iron Lion 2nd: Christian Castillo - Siege MMA/ Lotus Club 3rd: Richard Ortiz - J.S. Cobra Kai
14yr old Advanced Medium Heavy 1st: Josiah Paul - Iron Lion 2nd: Ricardo Gonzalez - Camarillo Jiu Jitsu
6yr old White Belt Light 1st: Brock Mantanona - Coachella Valley 2nd: Giovanni Franco - C-Quence 3rd: Isaiah Long - BJJ Revolution
7yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Beau Mantanona - Coachella Valley 2nd: Ryan Craig - C-Quence 3rd: Kristopher Arrey - Riverside Submission
14yr old Advanced Ultra Heavy 1st: Peter Rodriguez - Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Asa Fuller - Ace Jiu Jitsu
6yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Mason Bramlette - Ralph Gracie 2nd: Dolores Lopez - Coachella Valley 3rd: Lucy McKinnon - Ralph Gracie
8yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Romeo Reyes - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Samuel Winters - Brazilian 3rd: Mario Anthony Rivera - C-Quence
15yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Cierra Smith - Carlson Gracie Las Vegas 2nd: Paige McNamara - Riverside Submission
6yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Sean Magtoto - BJJ Unlimited 2nd: Darius Gonzales - Gracie Barra Chino
15yr old Beginner Heavy 1st: Anthony Davis - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: David Hernandez - C-Quence
6yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: James Moon Jr - Bakersfield Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Graciela Ramirez - Speedy Gonzalez
8yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Berlin Kiddoo - Ramona BJJ 2nd: Sydnee Earhart - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Sophie Galoustian - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
15yr old Intermediate Feather 1st: Jonah Whitt - Gracie Barra Guam 2nd: Victor Gallegos - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 15yr old Intermediate Ultra Heavy 1st: Manuel Lopez - Yuma BJJ 2nd: Michael Reddemann - C-Quence 16-17yr old Beginner Super Feather 1st: Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Munoz - J.S. Cobra Kai 2nd: Christian Bergman - Total Training Center 16-17yr old Beginner Feather 1st: Danniel Williams - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Zane Douglass - Iron Lion 16-17yr old Beginner Middle 1st: Emmanual Cortez - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Tevin Abdulkadir - Fight Factory 16-17yr old Beginner Medium Heavy 1st: Taryn Huber - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Javier Alvarez - J.S. Cobra Kai 16-17yr old Intermediate Heavy 1st: Luis Heras - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Evan Cox - Cage Combat 16-17yr old Advanced Super Feather 1st: Hurley Esparza - Riverside Submission 2nd: David Galdamez - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Michael Molina - KO-MMA 16-17yr old Advanced Feather 1st: Javier Cardenas - Paragin of Santa Maria 2nd: Nick Sabitino - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Aldolfo Rendon Jr - Riverside Submission 16-17yr old Advanced Middle 1st: Ernesto Garcia Jr - J.S. Cobra Kai
6yr old Gray Belt Light 1st: Kia McDermott - Conde Koma/ Checkmat 2nd: Joaquin Ramirez - Gracie Barra 3rd: Diego Carranza - Gracie Barra Yakima 6yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Bronco Helmuth - C-Quence 2nd: Jackson Saul: Gracie Morumbi 7yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st:Christian Rogers - Amazonas BJJ 2nd: Angelo Cadiente Jr - A Team BJJ 3rd: Reagan Gonzales - Big John McCarthy 7yr old White belt Feather 1st: Regina Awana - C-Quence 2nd: Natalie Moreno - Checkmat 3rd: Leilani Baxter - Brazilian Top Team 7yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Alexander Lopez - J.S. Cobra Kai 2nd: Evan Sawai - Chute Boxe 3rd: Joshua Hermosura - Gracie Humaita Eastlake 7yr old White Belt Light 1st: Savanna Roblero - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Satira Sohal - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Kaylee Bramlette - Riverside Submission 7yr old White Belt Light 1st: Diego Mukai - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Xavier Castillo - Siege MMA/ Lotus Club 3rd: Tony Moh - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 7yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Miya Iwasaki - Checkmat 7yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Alex Espinoza - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Raymond Tadlock - Brazilian
7yr old Yelllow Belt Super Feather 1st: Frankie Ciprianni - Team Noguiera 2nd: Brandon Bivens - Ace Jiu Jitsu 7yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Kyle Bridge - Iron Lion 2nd: Jalen Fonacier - Rey Diego Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Jorden Wells - J.S. Cobra Kai
8yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Ryan Movchan - A Team 2nd: Joseph Alaalatoa - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Nikloas Watson - Total Training Center 8yr old White Belt Light 1st: Jayden Tani - Conde Koma/ Checkmat 2nd: David Mendez - Drysdale 3rd: Samuel Brown - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 8yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Travis Duncan - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Kai Iwasaki - Checkmat 3rd: Ethan Gilbert - Ace Jiu Jitsu 8yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Ethan Esteban - Gracie Humaita Eastlake 2nd: Christian Espinoza - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 8yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Christian Bermudez - DMBJJ 2nd: Ryan Kang - Gracie Barra Corona 3rd: Santiago Torres - Xfit Combat Sports 8yr old Gray Belt Feather 1st: Leila Valencia - BJJ Unlimited 2nd: Brianna Soto - Gracie Barra Whitter 3rd: Alexis Sherman - Romona BJJ 8yr old Gray Belt Feather 1st: Orion Ahfook - Gracie humaita Eastlake 2nd: Ishan Patel - Gracie Barra Corona 8yr old Gray Belt Light 1st: Nicholas Montes - Kemos Fight Factory/Checkmat 2nd: Cohen Benavente - Gracie Humaita 3rd: Roland Ortega - Brazilian Top Team 8yr old Gray Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Andrew Morales - Brazilian Top Team 2nd: Alex Lemos Jr - Neutral Grounds
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Academy 3rd: Aidan Rojas - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands
2nd: Ernesto Grijalva - united Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
8yr old Yellow Belt Super Feather 1st: Luke Landerer - BJJ Unlimited 2nd: Max Vu - Ace Jiu Jitsu
10yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Kailey Tsang - C-Quence 2nd: Crystal Taormina - A Team Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Jazmyhn Eusebio - BJJ Unlimited
8yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Rommel Dunbar Jr - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Isaiah Davila - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Logan Paul - Iron Lion
10yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Adam Penunuri - Rodrigo Teixeira 2nd: Christian Porras - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Matthew Kim - Leon Jiu Jitsu
8yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Oliver Rhoades - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Muluken Heikaus Weaver - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Beau Arriaga - Speedy BJJ
10yr old White Belt Light 1st: Desiree Sylvester - Drysdale 2nd: Isabella Galoustian - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Nallely Soto - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
8yr old Yellow Belt Middle 1st: Braeden Fuller - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Carlos Gallardo-Cabrera Amazonas BJJ 8yr old Yellow Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Rocco Luciano - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Devyn Che - Brazilian Top Team 3rd: Mario Alvarado - Amazonas BJJ 8yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Dominic Mejia - Gracie Barra Chino 2nd: Adam Martinez - Speedy BJJ 3rd: Giovanni Martinez - Gracie Barra 9yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Jasmine Berti - Team Megaton 2nd: Anais Petit - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Taylor Cox - Leon Jiu Jitsu 9yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Justin Rodriguez - Coachella Valley 2nd: Tyler Smith - C-Quence 3rd: Deacon Duran - J.S. Cobra Kai 9yr old White Belt Light 1st: William Reid - Power MMA 2nd: Boy Harianja - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 3rd: Gabriel Ortiz - C-Quence 9yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Taylor Ramsey - United Brazilian jiu Jitsu 2nd: Eden Fike - C-Quence 3rd: Arianna Neeki - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 9yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Salvador Espinoza - Riverside Submission 2nd: Ayden Johnson - Brazilian Top Team 3rd: Ethan Tijerina - Gracie Barra 9yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Ethan Wray - Millennia 2nd: Brian Thiebold - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Quiron Miranda - C-Quence 9yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Kaitlyn Segura - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Alexa Santa Ana - All American Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Bryana Hernansez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 9yr old Gray Belt Light 1st: Trevor Fune - Gracie Humaita Eastlake 2nd: Michael Bloemhof Jr - Babalu’s iron Gym 9yr old Gray Belt Middle 1st: Breezy Schumacher - GD Jiu Jitsu Prescott 2nd: Athena Soto - Gracie Barra Whitter 9yr old Gray Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Adrain Manza - Brazilian Top Team 9yr old Yellow Belt Super Feather 1st: Alex Cadena Jr - Mendes Bro Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Carlos Dubon - Gracie Barra Temecula 9yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Mathew Mendoza - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Frankie Moreno - Checkmat 3rd: Abel Gaitan - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 9yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Ty Connelly - Gracie Barra 2nd: Oscar Herrera - New Breed Academy 3rd: Van Nevling - Ribiero Jiu Jitsu/ Outliers 9yr old Yellow Belt Middle 1st: Kade Ruotolo - Ruotolo 2nd: Louis Benitez - MAOLI 3rd: Abiti Heikaus Weaver - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 9yr old Yellow Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Courtney Cardoza - A Team Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Morgan Jacobson - Amazonas BJJ 3rd: Maria Najera - Checkmat 9yr old Orange Belt Light 1st: Vicente Vanderlipe - Kugtar BJJ 2nd: Stevie Salas - Gracie Barra 10yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Brelane Huber - Iron Lion 2nd: Unity Soria - MMAA 3rd: Savannah Kiddoo - Ramona BJJ 10yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Ethan Fronce - Synergy 2nd: Brayden Downen - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Skyler Lujan - Gracie Barra Guam 10yr old White Belt Super Feather Open Division 1st: Nick Linn - Cleber Jiu Jitsu
10yr old White Belt Light 1st: Aldo Flores - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Nathan Larson - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Matthew Yazdanniaz - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 10yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Simone Smith - A Team Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Heavynne Jerez - Brazilian Top Team 10yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Ryan Allen - Ralph Gracie Chino Hills 2nd: Wyatt Rogers - Amazonas 3rd: Jacob Gliddon - Ace Jiu Jitsu 10yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Lucas DiLatura - Gracie Jiu Jitsu Eastlake 2nd: Aiden Murphy - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Tristan Moh - Leon Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Open Division 1st: Brendan Khoury - Lotus Club 2nd: Jonah Roush - HB Ultimate Training Center 10yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Alejandra Hernandez - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Dominique Duenas - C Quence 3rd: Sophia Vargas - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 10yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Louis Rojas - DMBJJ Academy 2nd: Daniel Mendez - Drysdale 3rd: Marcus Markov - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Gray Belt Super Feather 1st: Gabriel Wanderley - Carlson Gracie 2nd: Adon Yoder - Ramona Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Ian Alexander - Ramona Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Gray Belt Feather 1st: Dillon Fedor - Ricardo Cavalanti 2nd: Max Franz - Easton BJJ 3rd: Daniel Hristov - Nova Uniao 10yr old Gray Belt Middle 1st: Faamanuia Ahfook - Gracie Humaita Eastlake 2nd: LJ Turner - Dojo Americana 3rd: Alberto Perez - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 10yr old Gray Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Matthew Mendoza - Ramona Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jaylen McLemore - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 10yr old Yellow Belt Rooster 1st: Bailey McConnel - Kemo’s Fight Factory 10yr old Yellow Belt Super Feather 1st: Alyssa Wilson - Mendes Brothers Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Callie Herrera - Brazilian Top Team 10yr old Yellow Belt Super Feather 1st: Isaiah Calderon - Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy 2nd: Temesgen Heikaus Weaver - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Sebastian Bojorquez - Royce Gracie 10yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Isaac Lawrence - Iron Lion 2nd: Max Tait - Gracie Barra San Clemente 3rd: Aaron Nagao - New Breed Academy 10yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Derek Rayfield - UFC Gym 2nd: Giovanni Craine - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Sabastian Coates - Outiers 10yr old Yellow Belt Middle 1st: Tye Ruotolo - Ruotolo 2nd: Rodolfo ‘Brody’ Rodriguez - J.S. Cobra Kai 3rd: Fernando Real - CMS 10yr old Yellow Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Isa Flores - Amazonas BJJ 10yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Jake Orr - Brazilian Top Team 2nd: Carlos Bolanos - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Angel Ochoa - J.S. Cobra Kai 10yr old Orange Belt Open Division 1st: Justin Valdoria - DM BJJ 2nd: Brock Locikar - Power MMA 10yr old Orange Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Juan Chiquito - Cage Combat Academy 2nd: Levi Summerlin - Gracie Humaita Temecula
11yr old White Belt Rooster 1st: Elisha Harry - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Tyler Baird - Ace Jiu Jitsu 11yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Edgar Sanchez - Kemo’s Original Fight Factory/Checkmat 2nd: Cameryn Earhart - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 11yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Elijah Roush - HB Ultimate Training Center 11yr old White Belt Light 1st: Sunny Luna - J.S. Cobra Kai 2nd: Robbie Allen - Ralph Gracie Chino Hills 11yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Victoria Parry - Checkmat 11yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Addison Chen - C Quence 2nd: Dominic ‘Nico’ Gagnon - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Triston Moh - Leon Jiu Jitsu 11yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Christian Balingit - Lotus Club 2nd: Ryan Mendoza - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Jacob Martinez - C Quence 11yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Tyler Fagundes - Speedy Gonzales 2nd: Julio Soto - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Cesar Cruz - Ralph Gracie OC
12yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Brent Reed - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Solomon Blanch - Roots 3rd: Preston Terry - C Quence 12yr old Yellow Belt Middle 1st: Jake Fridman - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Ryan Rogers - Amazonas BJJ 3rd: Jagger Wise - Iron Lion 12yr old Yellow Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Elijah Rodriguez - Xfit Combat Sports 2nd: Garrett Copeland - C Quence 3rd: Vincent Alvarez - Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Orange Belt Light 1st: Brett Trivitt - Power MMA 2nd: Mason Carter - Kron Gracie Academy 3rd: Royce Casiano - Gracie Humaita
12yr old Yellow Belt Super Heavy 1st: Edward Arutan Bilezekchian II Gracie Gym 2nd: Reese Mendoza - C Quence 3rd: Anthony Deyoung - Power MMA 12yr old Yellow Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Marcus Lee - Royce Gracie 2nd: Angel Espinoza - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Jaykb Olivas - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
12yr old Orange Belt Light 1st: Michael Alvarez - Carlson Gracie Team LV 2nd: Cameron Gomez - Throwdown
11yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Bradley Chirino - Mendes Brothers BJJ 2nd: Erik Mugica - Brazilian Top Team 3rd: Andrew Madrid - C Quence
12yr old Orange Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Delwyn Jones - Iron Lion
11yr old Yellow Belt Super Heavy 1st: Cody Crawford - Amazonas BJJ 11yr old Yellow Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Alexandria Sanchez - Atos Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Kyla Orozco - Yuma BJJ 11yr old Orange Belt Middle 1st: Justice Besser - Ralph Gracie 2nd: Troy Mantanona - Coachella Valley 12yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Austin Ramsey - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jake Morales - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Matthew Duvalian - Ramona BJJ 12yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Renise Rodriguez - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Samantha Stone - Gracie Barra Riverside 3rd: Samantha Duenas - C Quence 12yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Todd Schultz - Black House Team Nogueira 2nd: Christopher Alexander - C Quence 3rd: John Lopez - C Quence 12yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Gabriel Deharo - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Clark Gallagher - Ace Jiu Jitsu 12yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Aylin Villalobos - Gracie Barra Academy 12yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Jonathan Villanueva - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Noah Chen - C Quence 3rd: Angel Castaneda - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 12yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Keoni Norris - J.S. Cobra Kai 2nd: Steven Alvarez - Lotus Club 3rd: Ethan Gonzalez - C Quence 12yr old Gray Belt Rooster 1st: Antoinette Vanderlipe - Kugtar BJJ 2nd: Ashley Figueroa - Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Redlands 12yr old Gray Belt Feather 1st: Chabre Schumacher - GD Jiu Jitsu Prescott 2nd: Maxx Lee - Gracie Barra Encino 12yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Adrian Gonzalez - Camarillo Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Camron Upshur - MWBJJ 3rd: Miles Roblero - Leon Jiu Jitsu 12yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Sarah Paul - Iron Lion 2nd: Angie Vu - Ace Jiu Jitsu 12yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Gilgamesh Blanch - Roots 2nd: Jesus Davila - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Nathan Yanez - C Quence
13yr old Open Division 1st: Riley Quenga - Brazilian Top Team 2nd: Dane MillerHass - Easton BJJ
12yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Albert Raez - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Nickie Eustace - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Cade Fuller - Ace Jiu Jitsu
11yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Sara Bracamontes - Leon Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Isabella Quenga - Brazilian Top Team
11yr old Yellow Belt Super Heavy 1st: Ian Wilfert - Ace Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Yellow Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Favian Real - Brazilian Top Team 2nd: Jacob Sevilla - Ace Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Orange Belt Feather 1st: Paige Orum - Unified 2nd: Leslie Parry - Brazilian Top Team
11yr old Gray Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Jalen Hernandez - Yuma BJJ 2nd: Eduardo Villa - Speedy BJJ
11yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Mateo Lopez - Ace Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Yellow Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Samantha Hershowitz - Checkmat
12yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Jacqueline Flores - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Ellie Tsang - Q Quence
12yr old Orange Belt Open Division 1st: Anesa Vanderlipe - Kugtar BJJ 2nd: Hailey Echan - Gracie Barra Costa Mesa
11yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Ares Loynab - University Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Emerson Parry - Brazilian Top Team
13yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Jesse Carroll - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Jorge Villa - Speedy BJJ 3rd: Matthew Martinez - C Quence
12yr old Orange Belt Super Heavy 1st: Damien Gomez - Gabio Santos 2nd: Bryan Samayoa - Brazilian Top Team 12yr old Orange Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Abraham Palencia - Yuma BJJ 12-13yr old Open Division 1st: Aiko Hernandez - Sim Go Cobra Kai 2nd: Kaela Jacobson - Amazonas BJJ 3rd: Aylin Villalobos - Gracie Barra Academy 13yr old White Belt Rooster 1st: Jacob Coronel - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Nikolai Clark - Conde Koma Checkmat 13yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Brayden Huber - Iron Lion 2nd: Samuel Valdez - Kemo’s Fight Factory/Checkmat 3rd: Danny Cabrera - C Quence 13yr old White Belt Light 1st: Anthony Gallegos - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Andrew Watson - Total Training Center
13-14yr old Open Division 1st: Addison Degollado - Rojo Doghouse 2nd: Anthony Wood - Gracie Barra Chino 13yr old Yellow Belt Super Feather 1st: Sophia Flores - Amazonas BJJ 13yr old Yellow Belt Super Feather 1st: Quintynn Nelson - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Mason Schear - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 13yr old Yellow Belt Feather 1st: Ethan Mitchell - C Quence 2nd: Sophie Lee - Gracie Barra Encino 3rd: Austin Diano - Gracie Jiu Jitsu 13yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Kaori Hernandez - Gracie Barra Pasadena 13yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Jesse Deaver - Ramona BJJ 2nd: Hayden Dueck - Carlson Gracie 13yr old Yellow Belt Middle 1st: Joseph Zamudio - C Quence 2nd: Mel Garcia - Leon Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Christen Robledo - Brazilian Top Team
15yr old Orange Belt Middle 1st: Becker Perez - Babalu’s Iron Gym 2nd: Ivan Jimenez - World MMA
15yr old Green Belt Feather 1st: Jonah Whitt - Gracie Barra Guam
13-14yr old Open Division 1st: Victoria Aguilar - Ralph Gracie OC 2nd: Samantha Hershowitz - Checkmat 3rd: Isabel Hernandez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 14yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Henry Martinez - Fight Academy 2nd: Chad Carraher - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Mauricio Guillen - Leon Jiu Jitsu 14yr old White Belt Light 1st: Rudy Loyola - C Quence 2nd: Cody Burns - Big John McCarthy’s 14yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Joseph Cardoos - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Gunther Richardson - Ace Jiu Jitsu 14yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Eduardo Gonzalez - Hitman Training Center 2nd: Kane Riggs - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 14yr old Gray Belt Middle 1st: Maci Ulan Garcia - Gracie Barra Pasadena 14yr old Gray Belt Heavy 1st: Anthony Wood - Gracie Barra Chino 14yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: Michael Tompkins - Amazons BJJ 2nd: Andres Sanchez - Coachella Valley 3rd: Richard Romo - Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu 14yr old Yellow Belt Middle 1st: Iesha Washington - World MMA 2nd: Arceli Casillas - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
14yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Trever Rogers - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Daniel Christie - Ace Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Open Division 1st: Matthew Rice - Amazonas BJJ 2nd: Chelan Schumacher - GD Jiu Jitsu Prescott
15yr old Yellow Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Brandon Yanez - C Quence 2nd: Christian Garnica - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Ryan Allen - A Team
13yr old Orange Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Austin Bennett - Royce Gracie 2nd: Anthony Aguilera - New Breed Academy
13yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Sabrina Riggs - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Gray Belt Light 1st: Tai Urban - Watts MMA 2nd: Matthew Paulsen - Easton BJJ
15yr old Yellow Belt Heavy 1st: Robert Alvarez - Carlson Gracie Team LV 2nd: Zacquory Nelson - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Augustine Navarro - Coachella Valley
15yr old Orange Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Peter Rodriguez - Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Michael Reddemann - C Quence 3rd: Kellen Wilson - World MMA
14yr old Yellow Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Ricardo Gonzalez - Camarillo Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Ricky Martinez - C Quence 3rd: Arron Serrano - Gracie Humaita
13yr old Gray Belt Super Feather 1st: Nathan Kiddoo - Romana BJJ
15yr old Yellow Belt Open Division 1st: Nicolia Wawer - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Zacquory Nelson - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
13yr old Orange Belt Heavy 1st: Seth Leyvas - Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Esteban Arciniega - Not Academy 3rd: Jason Will - HBUTC
13yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Alex Jenkins - Undisputed 2nd: Jose Torres - Xfit Combat Sports 3rd: Estaban Blanco - DMBJJ
13yr old White Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Jonathan Sanchez - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
15yr old Yellow Belt Light 1st: George Mantzoros - C Quence 2nd: Josiah Paul - Iron Lion
15yr old Green Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Emanuel Castro - Checkmat 2nd: Manuel Lopez - Yuma BJJ 3rd: Lorenzo Arciniega - Not Academy 16-17yr old White Belt Rooster 1st: Jordan Chaves - Easton BJJ 16-17yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Daniel Williams - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Zane Douglass - Iron Lion 3rd: James Proctor - Ramona Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 16-17yr old White Belt Heavy 1st: Jarumy Formes - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Donnie Dee - Gracie Barra Temecula 16-17yr old White Belt Super Heavy 1st: Antonio Anaya - C Quence 2nd: Darian Robinson - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Joseph Jones - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 16-17yr old Green Belt Rooster 1st: Issac Washington - World MMA 2nd: Michael Molina - Ko-MMA 16-17yr old Jr Blue Belt Feather 1st: Daniel Galdamez - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Javier Cardenas - Paragon of Santa Maria 3rd: Kalan Strauss - Fight Academy 16-17yr old Jr Blue Belt Light 1st: Maryann Ramos - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 16-17yr old Jr Blue Belt Light 1st: Robert Martinez - C Quence 2nd: Chance Virgin - C Quence 3rd: Ernesto Garcia - J.S. Cobra Kai 16-17yr old Jr Blue Belt Light 1st: Alex Christie - Ace Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Anthony Nelson - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 16-17yr old Blue Belt Ultra Heavy 1st: Anthony De La Torre - C Quence
14yr old Orange Belt Middle 1st: Alan Martinez - C Quence 2nd: Trevor Mitchell - C Quence 3rd: Andres Arciniega - Not Academy 14yr old Orange Belt Heavy 1st: Martin Arciniega - Not Academy 2nd: Eric Garcia - J.S. Cobra Kai 14yr old Orange Belt Super Heavy 1st: Triston Smith - Academy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Asa Fuller - Ace Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Jacob Lindmeier - Ace Jiu Jitsu 14yr old Green Belt Middle 1st: Anthony Mantanona - Coachella Valley 2nd: Trahone Banda - Combat Fitness Academy 3rd: Jordan Carranza - Gracie Barra Yakima 15yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Cierra Smith - Carlson Gracie LV 2nd: Samantha Smith - A Team 15yr old White Belt Feather 1st: Victor Gallegos - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: John Paul Edwards - Brazilian Top Team 15yr old White Belt Middle 1st: Arighely Conteras - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Nicole Jones - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 15yr old White Belt Medium Heavy 1st: Anthony Davis - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 2nd: David Hernandez - C Quence 3rd: Rashaun Richard - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 15yr old White Belt Super Feather 1st: Cain Ulrich - United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd: Andrew Solis - Cleber Jiu Jitsu 3rd: Owen Richardson - Ace Jiu Jitsu
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defined
JIU-JITSU
DEFINED Terms E-F words: STAFF
Electrolytes; a scientific term for salts, specifically ions. Electrolytes are what your cells (especially nerve, heart, and muscle) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes and to carry electrical impulses across themselves to other cells. When you roll or exercise intently, you lose electrolytes in your sweat, particularly sodium and potassium. You must replace these to keep your electrolyte concentrations constant in your body fluids. Many sports drinks have sodium chloride or potassium chloride added to them to help maintain this balance.
Didn’t think there were going to be a lot of “E’s” at first, but turned out there was.
Energy Systems; in physiology (the science of function in living systems) there are three distinct Energy Systems. You should be aware of all three. They are: Lactate Threshold – this is your body’s capacity to perform high-intensity work for up to three minutes. Lactate Power – this is your ability to do high-level work for periods of up to 12 seconds. Aerobic System – This is the ability to work beyond three minutes and help you recover from your bouts with lactate threshold. For instance, during a match you struggle to escape mount or sweep from guard, and you must exert a short burst of high power that’s “Lactate Power.” In that same match, if you maintain a period of high intensity up to three minutes, that’s Lactate Threshold. Recovering between matches employs your Aerobic System.
Escape: to break free from a possible submission; a bottom or inferior position to a neutral or better position.
Ezekiel Choke: known as “Sode guruma jime” in Japanese Ju Jitsu, it’s a chokehold renamed after Ezequiel Rodrigues Durta Paraguassu. Typically, the technique is executed by wrapping one arm behind the opponent’s head and grabbing onto the inside cuff of the opposing sleeve. While holding the sleeve for leverage, the opposite forearm is pressured against the throat or carotid artery and clinched tightly. A no-gi variation is performed by using the bottom arm to grip the opposite elbow or forearm. The Ezekiel can be performed from a number of positions, including mount, guard bottom, back, and even within your opponent’s guard.
Exercise Ball: also known as a Swiss Ball, a ball made of soft elastic between 15 and 34 inches in diameter filled with air. Can be used as part of physical therapy, athletic training, and weight training. Using the Exercise Ball often causes you to engage more muscles and nerves to maintain balance.
Etiquette: the code, written or otherwise, of behavior that’s expected at most jiu-jitsu training grounds. Etiquette can vary from school to school, however, there are many conventional norms within the martial art (see Issue 3 for more information). 112 | Jiu-Jitsu Magazine
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FAR LEG/ARM When standing, most combatants will stand with one leg forward, one leg back. The leg that’s back is the far leg, as opposed to the one that is close which is the near leg. The same term for distance can be applied to arm, joints, and other body parts. For example, if you have someone in your side control, the arm that’s against your hip and stomach is the near arm, the arm on the other side of his body is the far arm.
Feint: a feint is a fake offensive movement used to get your opponent to react and alter his position, opening himself up to your genuine attack. Figure Four: typically a joint lock that uses both the attacker’s arms to cross over each other to form the shape of the figure four. The Kimura and Americana are two examples of common figure four arm locks. Other locks that resemble a figure four are leg triangles, various leg locks, and toe holds.
Finishing Hold: another term to describe a submission.
Flatten Out: you never want to be flattened out. This is a term to describe when your stomach is down against the mat, with your opponent on your back, his hooks in, and your hips against the mat. This is a very vulnerable position and extremely hard to defend.
Flexibility: a term referring to someone’s limberness or absolute range of motion in a joint or series of joints. Flexibility varies between individuals. Flexibility in some joints can be improved by performing regular stretching exercises that reset the point at which stretch receptors in your muscles send pain impulses to the brain and retract. Floating Guard Pass: a guard pass that requires extremely mobile hips. The person on top straddles one of the opponent’s legs, then shifts his weight to one side, causing the guard players’ legs and lower body to shift to that same direction. As the legs collapse to that side, the passer shifts his legs and weight to the opposite side to “float” over the top of his opponent’s legs to pass.
FIREMAN’S CARRY OR KATA GURUMA IN JUDO: A common wrestling takedown. It’s performed by securing an inside tie on one of your opponent’s triceps, then pulling your opponent’s arm on that side over your head and behind you as you drop to a single knee while shooting your other arm between his legs. At this point, your opponent’s weight is draped across your back as if you were a fireman carrying him to safety. There are various ways to finish the takedown from this point. (See Issue 2 and 3)
Flower Sweep: also known as a pendulum sweep. A sweep from guard. The person on the bottom pulls his opponent’s weight forward, and grabs a hold of the right sleeve and the opposite pant at the knee. The captured sleeve is pulled up high, at the same time the bottom player opens his legs, bringing his left leg up high under the opponent’s armpit and shifts his weight to his opponent’s left. The right leg is brought down low to keep the opponent’s right leg from basing out to defend.
Foot Lock: a leg lock that’s focused on the joints in the foot or ankle. These include toe holds and heel hooks.
Foot Sweep: a takedown from standing that has the offensive player using his foot to trip his opponent. Full Guard: sometimes referred to as closed guard, the guard player is in the bottom position with his opponent between his legs at waist level. What makes this guard considered “full” or “closed” is when the guard player hooks his legs together behind his opponent’s back. If he does not hook his legs together it’s considered an “open” guard.
Full Mount: a very dominant position. The person on top, who has full mount, sits on top of the other. The person on top has one leg on each side of his opponent. His knees are bent, and he’s facing his opponent. His legs are below his opponent’s arms, and against the grounded player’s torso. In competition the person achieving full mount for at least three seconds is awarded four points.
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Yup, you’re mounted.
Front Headlock: a wrestling technique. The attacker has control of the opponent’s head by the chin, with one arm wrapped around the back of the neck, and the other hand controlling the opposite side arm at the triceps. From this basic position, it can quickly become a guillotine or a D’Arce choke.
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success BEF
Rich Wood
ORE
MISSION n 1990 a bad car accident left Rich Wood extremely sore and laid up in bed for weeks at a time. This was a catapult for him to no longer care about what he ate, when he ate, or how much he ate. Piles of empty chip bags and pizza boxes became the norm. Rich peaked at a weight of 275 lbs, not sleeping well, feeling terrible, and very unhappy. Simple tasks left him out of breath. That’s the old Rich. The new Rich is almost 100lbs lighter, in shape, and using jiu-jitsu to improve every aspect of his life.
STATS
When you pick up that extra piece of pizza ask yourself, “What would Rich Wood do?”
Age: 46 Height: 5’11” Starting Weight: 275lbs. Current Weight: 185lbs. Belt rank: White Home town: St. Louis, MO Home school: Watson Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Instructor: Kyle Watson
How did you discover jiu-jitsu? I discovered jiu-jitsu by being a huge fan of mixed martial arts. After studying karate for a number of years, I wanted to try Brazilian jiujitsu. It’s been a love affair ever since. How often do you train? I have a pretty busy schedule, but I manage to train at least 2 - 3 times a week. What else do you do for physical fitness? Besides jiu-jitsu, I train Chinese Kenpo karate, box, and do weight lifting and strength and conditioning training. I’m pretty active. Have you changed your diet and how? My diet has completely changed. I only eat lean meats and vegetables, and a small variety of fruit. I eat no sugar or dairy and nothing fried. At my peak weight I was
AFTER
diagnosed with diabetes. It was the wake up call I needed to do something about my condition. What’s been the biggest challenge for you so far? My biggest challenge is pushing through small injuries with all the different styles of training. They add up and can take their toll. What’s been the best thing about your life change? The best thing about this life change is how much better I feel, my energy level, and finding jiu-jitsu. Jiu-jitsu has become one of the greatest passions of my life. All of these changes have helped me become a better man, husband, and father. Have a story on how jiu-jitsu has changed your life? Tell us about it at: feedback@ jiujitsumag.com.
Rich’s
ADVICE What advice would you give to someone looking to make the same type of change that you’ve made? The advice I would give to someone looking to make a change would be: No matter what age you are, do not stop challenging yourself. Set goals. Change the way you think about food. Change your negative attitude and your body will respond. Study a martial art, because it teaches character along with providing physical activity. With jiu-jitsu in particular, it teaches you to remain humble.
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