17 September 2013

JIU-JITSU IN THE OLYMPICS? WHAT IT WOULD TAKE Pg 64 NUTRITION, CONDITION, TECHNIQUE, SUBMIT

GOING

BACK

TO CALI AT HOME IN CALI

JT TORRES

HAS YOUR BACK

Going Commando How Special Operators Do It

PLUS:

LOCK DOWN THE LEG with Yuri Simoes Cover 17.indd 1

LONDON CALLING BJJ IN THE UK

SEPTEMBER 2013 / ISSUE 17 JIUJITSUMAG.COM

IS PALEO RIGHT FOR YOU? SURVIVE A SEPARATED SHOULDER

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CONTENTS

ON THE COVER: JT Torres at his new home - Atos Jiu-Jitsu.

COVER PHOTO: Jason Boulanger

SEPTEMBER 2013 / ISSUE 17 MEET THE EXPERTS SEYMOUR YANG

Seymour is a brown belt, training out of the Mill Hill Roger Gracie BJJ Academy in London, UK. He is a regular writer and photographer for a number of martial arts magazines and runs the popular BJJ blog www.meerkatsu.com

JEREMY REID

M.S.ED, CSCS, CISSN Jeremy is a nutritionist and strength coach who works with MMA and jiu-jitsu champions. He obtained his master’s degree in exercise physiology from Baylor University. He is a brown belt under Robert Drysdale.

REGULARS

TECHNIQUES

FEATURES

8 EDITORIAL Squirell!

35

GOING COMANDO BJJ for Special Ops

30

BJJ BY THE NUMBERS Metamoris Examined

10 CHECK-IN What’s News?

44

FOOT LOCKS With Yuri Simoes

60

GEAR LAB Compression Gear

20

70

COVER FEATURE JT Torres Takes the Back

64 FEATURE A case for Jiu-Jitsu in the Olympics

PRO MOTIONS Look who got better!

22 GRUB Is Paleo for you?

29

THE LIFE Kid Peligro

86 SPOTLIGHT Roberto Tussa Alencar 110 MEDIC Shoulder Separations

CONDITION

100 BJJ ON THE ROAD London

90

STRENGTH AND CONDITION Deadlifts

96

MIND GAMES 10 Keys to Mental Strength

118 SUCCESS Timothy Harrell

MATTHEW CORLEY

108 EVENT COVERAGE LA JJ Open

22 GRUB READY FOR PALEO?

Matthew Corley is a blue belt and Registered Pharmasist and clinical phramacy manager who trains under Ezra Lenon. The best way to keep up with my articles and reviews is at www.facebook.com/ MappingMyBjjJourney

LUCAS DYER

Is a licensed and certified Sports Nutritionist and works with many SoCal MMA athletes both pro and ameture. He’s also a licensed fighter under C.A.M.O. and Seargent in the United States Marine Corps.

DR. ETHAN KREISWIRTH

PhD, ATC of “Kreiswirth Sports Medicine” is the Medical Director for the International/United States Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Dr. Kreiswirth is a Black Belt in BJJ and has provided medical coverage for BJJ events since the mid-1990s. Ethan can be reached at ekreiswirth@gmail.com

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CALLING 100 LONDON Jolly good roll.

110 MEDIC He’s checking out your shoulder

A CASE FOR JIU-JITSU IN THE OLYMPICS

118 SUCCESS Gave up BJJ for a modeling career?

64

Yup, he gave it all up to be a hand model.

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44 LOCK DOWN THE LEG with Yuri Simoes

35

GOING

BACK

GOING COMMANDO! Solid issue, you can’t go wrong with blue gi’s and camo!

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TO CALI AT HOME IN CALI

JT TORRES

HAS YOUR BACK

70 SEPTEMBER 2013

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JJMEDITORIAL::::::::::::::

THE HARD KNOCK LIFE (NOT REALLY)

I

T’S THAT TIME AGAIN, DEADLINE TIME. The latest issue of JJM, the one you’re holding in your hands right now, is ready to go to press.

For some strange reason, it always seems like the last thing I write is this, my editorial. Maybe its my procrastination, maybe it’s my ADHD, or maybe it’s just because I like the thrill of waiting until the last minute to write it. Sometimes I’m

inspired, other times I’m not, but this month, when thinking about writing my editorial, I realized that what’s been on my mind the most has been an absolute desire to train. A few months ago, three to be exact, I separated my shoulder while rolling. During a scramble I came down hard on my left shoulder. I didn’t realize how bad it was until the next day. Of course, I’ve had plenty of shoulder injuries before, dislocations in each shoulder, but this was a different type of pain. This one lingered. I’d rest a week, and then go roll thinking I’d be okay, but nope, no luck. I ended up seeing Dr. Ethan Kreiswirth a couple times for it and each time he told me to continue to rest it. Having just turned 39 last week, I didn’t want to hear I needed to rest it, I wanted to hear I’d be back on the mats tomorrow. My injury was the inspiration for this month’s Medic and the information provided about what to do for separated shoulders. Putting together this issue was a lot of fun, but it would have been much better if I could have practiced the techniques right away after learning them. Lately, my shoulder’s feeling better again, so, like you, I’m going to sit back, read this issue and hit the mats right after, utilizing the new skills gained from the multitude of techniques listed in this edition. Two amazing black belts throw down some great jiu-jitsu knowledge with us: Yuri Simoes shows us how to put anyone’s foot in a jam and Southern California’s newest transplant, JT “Don’t Call Him Spiderman anymore” Torres shares with us some great insight on his new life in Cali and a great instructional on how to take your opponent’s back and then finish him once you get there. All that and lots more, including a couple new columns, one by legendary jiu-jitsu writer Gerry “Kid Peligro” Costa. Enjoy and I hope to see you on the mats soon!

MIKE VELEZ

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR & PUBLISHER Mike Velez ASSOCIATE EDITOR Deb Blyth CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Seymour Yang, Jeremy Reid, Lucas Dyer, Dr. John Park, Matthew Corley, Dr. Ethan Kreiswirth, Hywel Teague

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY ART DIRECTOR Dave Palacios CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Boulanger, John Cooper Kenny Jewel, Mike Lee, Mike Calimbas, Preston Smith

PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Paula Fountain ADVERTISING SALES Mike Velez CIRCULATION MANAGER Tom Ferruggia

ADDRESS CHANGE & SUBS Phone: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 221 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 $37.99 for 10 issues (1 year), $57.99 per year Canada, and $87.99 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 10 times per year. 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.

100% Recyclable.

Save the Planet.

Roll Frequently, Read Jiu-Jitsu Magazine Printed in the U.S.A

MIKEV@JIUJITSUMAG.COM

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That’s a lot of grey, you sure about that 39 thing?

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CHECKIN:::::::::::::::::::::::

FIVE MAPS OUT ELEVEN!

F

IVE GI.NOGI GRAPPLING JUST COMPLETED THEIR FIRST EVENT RECENTLY IN TORONTO, CANADA WITH A GREAT TURN OUT AND SOME KILLER SEMINARS FROM THE LIKES OF XANDE RIBEIRO, MARCELO GARCIA, AND EVEN RENATO LARANJA. They’ve recently released the list of cities they’ll be visiting in 2013 and 2014. Official dates aren’t set yet, but here’s a list of events planned with 3 tournaments this year and 8 tournaments the next: CALIFORNIA 1 ILLINOIS 1 OREGON 1 ARIZONA 1 NEVADA 1 MISSOURI 1 TEXAS 1 ONTARIO, CAN 2 FLORIDA 1 MASSACHUSETTS 1 NEW YORK 1 Looks like they’ll be hitting all the hot spots. The dates are scheduled to be set soon, so keep an eye out for a full schedule here at Jiu-Jitsu Magazine, and on the Five Gi.Nogi Grappling website at: WWW.FIVEGRAPPLING.COM

CTRL YOURSELF It’s a good thing you can never get tired of good designs because CTRL just keeps cranking them out. Recently, the CTRL Crew stopped by the office and brought with them all kinds of new goodies, including these new shirts modeled by a few of our training buddies. Check these and other new T’s from CTRL out on their website.

WWW.CTRLINDUSTRIES.COM

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Do they look like they’re having fun or what?

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Buchecha Goes Hayabusa After this year’s IBJJF Worlds, Hayabusa enlisted the services of the man, Buchecha. Turns out Hayabusa is working on a full line-up of jiu-jitsu gear and gis that they’re getting ready to set loose soon. So, who better to showcase their new gear than the top ranked jiu-jitsu player in the world today. Look for Marcus Buchecha to be wearing Hayabusa next year along with new Hayabusa gi’s, dropping soon.

WWW.HAYABUSAFIGHT.COM

AFTER YOU

KILL IT

It looks like an energy drink, but it’s actually a recovery drink. Kill Cliff was developed by a US Navy Seal, based on the idea that the way to boost performance is to reduce inflammation. That’s the mission behind Kill Cliff Recovery Drink. It’s list of ingredients includes ginger extract, green tea extract, ginseng root powder, milk thistle, lipase, and Pro-Tease 4.5. Some of the reported results include reduced inflammation, increased immunity, reduced blood pressure, memory improvement, liver health, reduced fatigue, and improved digestion. Sounds good to us! We’ve tried it out and can tell you that it tastes pretty good. Only 15 calories per can and 25mg of caffeine. So, the next time you kill it on the mats try a Kill Cliff. Available in two flavors.

WWW.KILLCLIFF.COM

Cliff is dead.

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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CHECKIN::::::::::::::::::::::

Face It!

On our facebook page (facebook.com/jiujitsumag) we recently posed the question:

“If you were a superhero, what would your jiu-jitsu power be?”

HERE’S A LOOK AT SOME OF YOUR RESPONSES: BILL PRICHARD Endless cardio

GET A GRIP

Spend any length of time on the mats and you quickly realize having a strong grip means a heck of a lot. The quest for grip strength is never ending.

The guys at Grip4Orce have come up with a cool little device to help enhance anyone’s grip strength. Their patented grips can be squeezed by themselves to work your grip, or can be placed around a standard diameter barbell or dumbbell handle to increase the diameter to activate more muscle fibers and promote better and faster gains in your grip strength. Unlike other diameter increasing devices, you have to apply constant tightness around the Grip4Orce grips. We just got a few pairs and have begun working with them. Look for a full review coming soon. Until then you can get more information at the Grip4Orce website.

NIC LACY Ability to read my opponent’s every move upon first contact FRANCISCO CERVERA Quick healing - I get an ankle snapped or arm broken Boom! Back in 2 hours!

WORMY MCSQUIRMY I say elasticity.

ANTHONY AARON CIMARUSTI Absorb the power and knowledge of EVERY jiu-jitsu artist KEVIN BARRY Unsubmitability

GILBERT WEATHERBEE Having eyes behind my head, so no one could ever take my back.

ISMAEL FELIX MENDOZA Pass every guard.

WWW.GRIP4ORCE.COM

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hmmm, looks like something I saw advertised on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

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CHECKIN::::::::::::::::::::::

BREAK TIME Going along with our injury theme this month…

I’m recovering from shoulder surgery that I recently had. I was attempting to roll out of an omoplata and instead I dislocated my left shoulder. Injury - superior and anterior Labral tear. My surgeon said I tore the entire top of my labrum and had a tear straight down the middle. It resembled a “T”. I also tore my bicep free and had to have that reattached.

Lastly, he removed my bursa because it was so damaged. I’ll be unable to train for approx 6-12 months, thankfully I’ll have copies of JJM to keep me busy.

Anthony Roggero

You Definitely Kneed to Warm Up! Hello, my name is Matt Shinkle. I train at Jackson Jiu Jitsu Academy in Jackson, Ohio, a Dustin Ware BJJ affiliate. I have an injury I would like to share with my Jiu Jitsu brothers and sisters. It was a slow night and only a few of the “regulars” showed up to train so we just decided to have an open mat style night and work on some individual parts of our game. So, instead of the usual warm up routine, we just kind of did our own thing. I did a “quick” warm up and was ready to roll. We started standing and as I went for a hip throw my training partner stuffed it, which was followed by a loud pop. It was the worst

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pain I think I have ever felt and I dropped immediately.

An MRI later confirmed that I had completely tore the ACL in my right knee. Because I didn’t take the time to properly warm up and stretch out I had to have surgery. I will be in Physical Therapy for the next few months and won’t be able to fully participate in the sport I love for at least 9 months.

Thankfully, as an Army veteran, I have free VA healthcare, which is great because it could have also cost me thousands of dollars. All this because I didn’t take the extra time to properly warm up, which is a mistake I will never make again.

Matthew Shinkle

BEFORE

2 DAYS AFTER SURGERY

AFTER

Never any fun. Send us your pics and story. feedback@jiujitsumag.com

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CHECKIN::::::::::::::::::::::

THEY MESSED WITH TEXAS Recently, the Lone Star State got a dose of jiu-jitsu, thanks to the NABJJF coming to town. Check out some pics from the recent 2013 Lone Star State Jiu Jitsu Championship in Duncanville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

WWW.NABJJF.COM

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::::::::::::::::::::::CHECKIN

AOJ TURNS 1

The Mendes Brother’s school, The Art of Jiu-Jitsu recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Dozens of students and family members made it to the jiu-jitsu palace to celebrate with a promotion ceremony and potluck party. Congrats to Gui, Rafa, and the whole AOJ crew!

WWW.MENDESBROS.COM

MASTERING THE GUARD PASS AND ITS SUBMISSIONS

by Master Pedro Sauer and Kid Peligro

Now Available in Paperback!

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PROMOTIONS::::::::::::::

NEW COLUMN: PRO MOTIONS

T

HERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN GETTING ANOTHER STRIPE, OR BETTER YET, A NEW BELT. Being recognized and respected by your teammates and instructors is a great feeling. So why not share it with everyone! Send us your promotion photos, be sure to include your name, your school, instructor, promotion rank and maybe a little back story. The better the photo, the better the odds of making it in.

Email with the subject line, “Pro Motions” to feedback@jiujitsumag.com and keep an eye out for your Pro Motions in a future issue.

RUBEN PEREZ

PABLO FUENTES

to Blue Belt ntlet after being promoted Pablo Fuentes runs the gau Academy in San ean Beach Barra Brothers under Carlos Sapao at Oc oying this! gine, Pablo is actually enj Francisco, CA. And just ima

MISSY DUER

As the only female in the jiu-jitsu program at her school, Missy says that she’s frequently thought of qui tting. But her teachers kept her going and now after two and a half years and a blu e belt she says, “I am completely in love wit h all aspects of the sport!” She’s even lost alm ost 20 lbs since this picture was taken. M issy trains at Team Link Hooksett, NH under Brent Kinberger.

Sergeant Ruben Perez is an Active Duty Soldier currently stationed at Fort Campbell, KY and is originally from Long Beach, CA. Ruben recently received his Purple Belt under Professor Brian Marvin and John Renken. Due to the military service, he travels a lot and currently trains with The 5th Special Forces Group and The Fort Campbell Combatives Team.

JETHRO “MAGIC” ALCUAZ When he’s not earning stripes on his blue belt at Gracie Barra Upland, CA from Professor Rafael Novais, Jethro is a TV Magician on the LA airwaves. Here he his receiving his third strip on his belt.

BLAKE NOLAN Blake Nolan is one tough teenager, training for 5 years, now 19 years old, he received his Purple Belt last December from his professor Michael Chapman at Impact Jiu Jitsu in Beaverton, Oregon.

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A jiu-jitsu magician, lots of possible nicknames.

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JAKE RYAN No, not the Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles, but Jake Ryan from Hilo, Hawaii. It’s taken Jake 10 years, a near fatal car accident, countless surgeries and injuries, but he finally did it. He received his black belt on February 17th of this year from Professor Renato “Charuto” Verissimo at Nova Uniao Hawaii.

That’s Jake in the Blue Gi on the far right.

HEATHER REYNOLDS This one was actually sent in by Milly Malloy. This is her best friend, coach and training partner Heather Reynolds. She trains at Easton Training Center-Boulder, Colorado; under Professor Amal Easton.

She was promoted to black belt after training for 12 years. Professor Heather is a mother and great athlete, an example to all the females at the academy.

JUSTYN BAILEY We all remember our first one. This is 15-year-old Justyn Bailey receiving his first stripe on his white belt. He trains at Gator Pit BJJ in Shreveport, LA under Brian Andrews. He’s been training 6 months and received his first stripe back in April.

ERIN SIMS

years now, but aining about six tr en be s ha s inconsistent.

Erin Sim e it’s been a little rc Fo ir lt A e th being in ed his Blue Be 2011 he receiv of r be em a ov rr N Back in ma at Gracie Ba Edwardo De Li from Professor .

Clearwater, FL

RANDEN AQUINO

Life is good, getting your Blu e Belt and living in Hawaii, Honolulu to be more specifi c. This is Randen Aquino gett ing his Blue Belt from Professor Leandro Nyza at Nova Uniao Honolulu. Randen’s been trai ning for two and a half years and loving every day.

Professor De Lima’s beard also has a black belt.

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WHAT IS THE PALEO DIET? G words: LUCAS DYER

CERTIFIED AND LICENSED SPORTS NUTRITIONIST For more info on Lucas visit www.facebook.com/FITTnutrition or email at lucasdyer@fittnutrition.com

ROWING UP AS A KID, ONE OF MY FAVORITE CARTOONS TO WATCH WAS CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS. Captain Caveman’s powers included super-strength, and a variety of useful objects hidden inside his fur, including a club that allowed him to fly and from which popped out different tools he

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used to fight crime. His trademark was his battle cry of, “Captain CAAAAAVEMAAAAAAANNNN!” Captain Caveman lived during the Paleolithic, or Palaeolithic era, age, or period. This timeframe is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the most primitive ways of living; especially diet and nutrition. Their diet, as we believe it to be, consisted of Paleolithic hunting and gathering and varying proportions of leafy vegetables,

fruits, nuts, berries, insects, meat, fish, and shellfish. Fast forward to today and you have the Paleo diet, which I am sure everyone reading this month’s issue has heard of, tried, or is currently on. But for those who have not heard of it, what is the Paleo diet exactly?

Should I try it? What foods can I eat? Will it help improve my jiujitsu game? I could use some more medals…

“Eating barbecued iguana...”

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IS THE PALEO DIET RIGHT FOR ME? By now, it has probably crossed your mind that no one really knows what nutrition plan is right for you.

Considering every time you turn on the TV, or go workout, someone has the latest and greatest on how to burn fat, increase muscle mass, and lean out. In one sense, you are correct. Scientific advances and new research constantly change the way we eat for good health. Nonetheless, the following will present a picture of the different levels of nutrition commonly practiced and shed new light on the reason why your nutrition program may be incomplete. Before considering any nutritional program, make sure you understand why you are doing it, keeping in mind these three main philosophies practiced today: essential nutrition for survival, essential nutrition for optimum health, and essential nutrition for maximum performance. The Paleo diet is right for you if you understand that it is a diet and nutrition plan based on eating plants and wild

animals similar to what cavemen are presumed to have eaten during the Paleolithic era. The premise is that our bodies are genetically programmed to eat like our Paleolithic ancestors, making it biologically the appropriate diet that suits us best, with the proper balance of nutrients to promote health and reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. The Paleo diet is designed to do several things: help you have more efficient workouts, stabilize blood sugar levels, burn off stored fat, reduce allergies, maintain a balance of energy throughout the day, help reduce inflammation, clear up skin, and improve sleep patterns, while helping you achieve optimum health and maximize performance.

NUTS & CHEESE

FATS

FRUIT

VEGETABLES

MEATS & FISH THE PALEO PYRAMID

GETTING STARTED: How it works and the benefits To get started, all you have to do is walk outside, and if it grows, eat it. If it moves, hunt it. The food selection is simple as long as you stick to lean meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruits, and berries. The benefits of this diet are that it is rich in lean protein, offers plenty of fruits and vegetables, and includes the consumption of healthy fats while lowering salt and processed food intake. By consuming

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lean protein, you are supporting strong muscle growth and muscle repair, healthy bones, and optimal immune function.

Protein also makes you feel satisfied between meals and has been long used for weight loss and building muscle. By consuming plant foods, which contain fiber, protein, and fluids that work together to satisfy, control blood sugar and prevent weight gain and type II diabetes. Fruits and vegetables are

rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that have been shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurological decline.

Including these food groups with healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and grass fed meats, will help meet nutritional needs and contribute to a well-balanced diet plan.

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CHECK: THE NEXT MOVE IS UP TO YOU

OKAY TO EAT

AVOID

Fruits

Dairy

Vegetables

Grains

Lean Meats

Processed Foods and Sugars

Seafood

Legumes

Nuts, Seeds & Berries

Starches

Healthy Fats

Alcohol

UNDER THE PALEO DIET THE GUIDELINES ARE SET AS FOLLOWS:

It is no secret that training and competing in jiu-jitsu is a high demand activity, which requires a lot of energy to be exerted from your body. Aerobic and anaerobic physical activity is demanded in all aspects of jiu-jitsu, as it is a blend of Yoga, Wrestling, Pilates, and Judo all in one. If you want to have super-strength like Captain Caveman, your next move with nutrition should involve essential nutrition for survival, essential nutrition for optimum health, and essential nutrition for maximum performance.

For more information on the Paleo diet, check out these books and other resources to help expand your knowledge: The Paleo Diet, The Paleo Solution, 30 Day Paleo Transformation, Paleo on a Budget Guide, Paleo Guides Bundle, and The Personal Paleo Code.

As always my friends, eat healthy, eat clean and eat often.

You can satisfy dietary requirements without these foods, but that requires careful planning and supplementation. Eliminating all grains, dairy, processed foods, and sugar will most likely lead to weight loss, but it may be tough to follow this plan long-term due to the diet’s strict nature. Portion control is going to be based on how many calories you are eating in a day and you do not necessarily need to eat this way all the time. Utilizing the 80/20 rule (80% of your food intake is what you need, while 20% of your food intake is your “cheat” foods), offers health benefits and will more likely keep you on track. Improved blood lipids, weight loss, and reduced pain from autoimmunity are among the common benefits also associated with the Paleo diet. With a very simple shift, you not only remove the foods that are at odds with your health (grains, legumes, and dairy), but you also increase your intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Give it a try and see how you feel.

“The Paleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat because it is the ONLY nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic! Research in biology, biochemistry, Ophthalmology, Dermatology and many other disciplines indicate it is our modern diet, full of refined foods, trans fats and sugar, that is at the root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression and infertility.” Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution, New York Times Best Seller.

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Your wife will be happy you cut out the beans.

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:::::::::::::::::::::::::THELIFE

JIU-JITSU AND LIFE I ’VE BEEN DOING JIU-JITSU FOR OVER 20 YEARS. The journey has been nothing but great, the best parts seemed to be learning techniques, meeting people and of course, the training itself.

During these years I was amazed at the amount of knowledge I accumulated in the form of techniques, hundreds if not thousands of them, all catalogued and ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

Additionally, the concepts that I learned from the Masters made the use of these techniques even more effective and all that always gave me a great sense of satisfaction as I felt I was expanding my horizons in the art.

More recently, I’ve begun to understand that jiu-jitsu has taught me much more than just how to fight and protect myself. Jiu-Jitsu has taught me a lot about life and how to deal with situations and problems.

How is that you ask? In training and in competition (if you are into that), you are faced with various and different challenges and situations. How well you deal with them is the difference between success and failure.

In training, you are sometimes put in situations of extreme “danger.” For instance, the opponent is mounted on you When he’s not rolling or writing he’s probably surfing!

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and ready to take your arm. A poor decision or a hasty move may mean that your arm is stretched and you have to submit (which isn’t the end of the world, by the way), but if you deal with the pressure and the adversity properly, you can escape the situation and even better your position. This type of training is a lot like life itself, except that in training the stakes are not high. As I said, if you make the wrong choice, you tap and start over. Maybe your ego is slightly bruised, but nothing permanent, however, this type of situation provides a different training. It trains your brain and your being on how to react to adversity, because your brain doesn’t really differentiate the arm-lock attack stress from a life situation stress.

So, being exposed to these several times every sparring day, makes you better able to relax and be rational and calm in the face of adversity.

you stay ahead of the game.

You’re in way better position to win the war, rather than to desperately fight for a losing cause and be behind on the next phase, and also be exasperated that you “lost” your closed guard. Again, that works in real life, when there are many losing causes that we battle, instead of re-trenching and getting set to

defend a stronger position down the road.

So, next time you train or tell your friends how great jiu-jitsu is, think about the extra benefits that you are getting from BJJ! NOW, GO TRAIN JIU-JITSU!

KID PELIGRO

Another great benefit that I’ve learned over these years is the ability to figure out which battles are worth fighting for and which are ok to give up, in order to win the war. For instance, you have someone in your closed guard and he or she has great posture and is ready to break your guard open.

Some people choose to fight with all their power to keep the feet locked, even though the inevitable is coming, while it is much better to realize the lost battle, unlock your feet and position them in a better place and be better positioned for the next stage of the sparring. By choosing to “lose” one battle, SEPTEMBER 2013

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SPECIALFEATURE::::::::::: PHOTO: JOHN COOPER

JIU-JITSU BY THE NUMBERS THE METAMORIS HYPOTHESIS words: TYLER BISHOP

T

| illustrations: DAVE PALACIOS

HE BASIS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS DEVELOPING A HYPOTHESIS AND TESTING IT. The makers of Metamoris hypothesized that an epic jiu-jitsu event pitting the greatest jiu-jitsu warriors on the

planet against each other would result in some of the most exciting jiu-jitsu the world has to offer. We conducted a short data analysis of the last two Metamoris events, and collected information related to the end results, match length, starting and finishing positions,

and techniques utilized during the matches. The results of the Metamoris experiments are largely still incomplete, but what can the data that we have collected so far tell us about these unique events?

MEASURING THE EXCITEMENT I think it would be intellectually dishonest to say that a person or thing could measure “excitement” – or even action for that matter – so what can we use as criteria to measure an exciting and actionpacked event? To start, perhaps we should look at the event’s endgoal for competitors and evaluate how well the event’s structure supports this mechanism. In this case, the end-goal of each match is a submission. In fact, the whole event is advertised as a submissiononly event, so why not hold them to their word, right?

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By The Numbers.indd 1

PHOTO: KENNY JEWEL

Is Tussa excited or what?

8/7/13 6:15 PM

EVALUATING THE SUBMISSION-RATE

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The 2012 IBJJF World Championship Black Belt Study that we conducted at

BishopBjj.com revealed that the submission rate at IBJJF World Championships was approximately 49%. That’s a pretty significant increase over what we see in our limited sample at Metamoris. However, one of the key outliers from the

%

IBJJF WORLDS

%

METAMORIS

In the 12 matches held underneath the Metamoris banner, only 4 of those 12 ended in an actual submission.

That is a submission rate of 25%. Delivering a submission in only 1 out of 4 matches doesn’t look very good on the surface. In fact, for an event that advertises submissions as the basis for success, you would think this would be considered a poor result. Before we can truly answer whether these numbers are good or bad, we first must find some kind of context. The perfect place to look is probably the IBJJF World Championships – which also features some fierce competition.

So, are submissions more common at the IBJJF World Championship, or at the Metamoris events?

World Championship study was just how few submissions there were in the championship finals matches at the IBJJF event (below 25%). The matches created at Metamoris more closely resemble an IBJJF finals match,

due to the high-level of skill of the competitors involved, so to get a 25% submission rate with those matches might actually be a positive result. But to say the least, the results here are very inconclusive.

METMORIS’S EFFECT ON FIGHTER STRATEGIES The submission results and strategies utilized at the Metamoris events revealed some interesting information. In the 4 matches in which a submission occurred, we observed 2 armbars, 1 kimura, and 1 guillotine choke. These limited stats all align pretty well with what we saw in our 2012 IBJJF Pan and World studies. However, what is very intriguing is where the submissions occurred from. Only half of the submissions took place from dominant positions, and in 3 out of the 4 submissions victories,

Those guys look very familiar.

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the winner pulled guard at the beginning of the match.

This information is a little different from what we saw in our other studies, and it was interesting to see that guard pullers had more submission success in this format than what many might initially think.

Obviously, more data is needed to see if this trend would continue across a larger cross-section of matches.

50

%

of all Metamoris submissions were by armbar

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SPECIALFEATURE::::::::::

20 MINUTES VS. 10 MINUTES

TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS

Another element to consider 60 55 5 when evaluating the success 50 10 of the Metamoris events is 45 15 the 20 minute time length.

Our analysis revealed that the 40 20 35 25 average match length was 17 30 minutes and 12 seconds. The large amount of matches that went the full length greatly exacerbate the average length, but even when we exclude the matches that went the full length we end up with an average match length of 10 minutes and 28 seconds (28 seconds longer than the average IBJJF black belt adult match). In comparison, the average match length from the 2012 IBJJF World Championships lasted 7 minutes and 4 seconds. Again, in all fairness the match length increased significantly when we only isolated the finals of the World Championship (which extended the average length to nearly 10 minutes). So, what conclusions can we draw from this information?

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While we must keep in mind the limited amount of sample data on Metamoris, we can begin to evaluate the data we currently have on hand. And, on the surface, the Metamoris events feature longer average match lengths and a lower submission rate than its IBJJF World Championship counterpart.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that Metamoris is matching up some of the best competitors in the world, and to expect the average IBJJF World Championship statistical results – as observed in the study - may be unrealistic. However, producing an event that cannot deliver more excitement or more action may be a sound hypothesis for failure down the road.

There is no doubt that more data is needed to properly observe and test the Metamoris experiment, but one thing is for sure, changes will need to be implemented in the upcoming events to sway the numbers in a different direction. It will be interesting to see the effect that the newly introduced fighter incentives (or penalties) have on the event. If the effect is significant, perhaps the event will be saved, and we will have a new series of numbers to discuss; such as the amount of money needed to encourage a fighter to take more risks. Until then, the makers of Metamoris will have to courageously continue their experiment in hopes that their once dreamed hypothesis can become an innovative new jiujitsu practice.

8/7/13 6:17 PM

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8/8/13 1:41 AM

::::::::::::JJMTECHNIQUE

GOING COMMANDO! SPECIAL OPERATORS USE BJJ TO ADD TO THEIR SKILL SETS!

words: BRET PERCHALUK

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE…RIGHT?

I

MAGINE THIS SCENE: IT’S DARK - PITCH BLACK ACTUALLY - AND COLD, REAL COLD - WINTER COLD - AND YOU’RE SET UP ON A HOUSE WAITING TO ENTER IT WITHOUT KNOCKING. You’re weighed down with tons of gear, ammunition, and a medical kit.

You’ve trained countless hours to enter this house and take down the bad guy who’s holed up in there. Every angle of possibility That’s a pretty bad scene.

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has been covered in order to give you the most efficient game plan possible and the least room for error. The signal comes to hit the door. The house is flooded with operators pushing through hallways and clearing hot rooms.

You step through a doorway into what seems like a docile bedroom that appears to be empty. Weapon leveled at shoulder height you start to clear the room along the wall. All of the sudden, your world

is turned upside down, literally upside down, as you are thrown to the ground in a heap of gear, ammunition, and medical kit.

Things are spinning and you aren’t exactly sure what is happening, but you know it isn’t good. You react fast and let your training take over, as this is your worst nightmare playing out. But what training are you naturally falling back on?

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

TRAIN LIKE YOU FIGHT This scenario is exactly why many specialized units, both DOD (Dept. of Defense) and civilian, are turning to BJJ training as part of their defensive tactics programs.

While movies would have us assume most special operations units can just go into a house and clear it by shooting everyone inside, that would be a very wrong presumption. There are many situations in which deadly force wouldn’t be prudent. This limits the operators in what they can do to effectively accomplish a mission and or defend themselves. Tools of the trade are great, but they also fail, so the best tool for the operator to rely on is the operator himself. That being said, most units have brought in some of the best BJJ instructors in the world, including the Gracies, in order to get more ground fighting and ground defense techniques incorporated into their defensive tactics training programs. While the programs must be modified to be useful in non-sport situations, they are still fundamentally Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based; using techniques such as guard pulling, sweeping, and various submissions in order to keep positive control of weapons and violators, while effectively allowing the operators to defend themselves on the ground.

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FOOT SWEEP

01

Cover and defend strikes from violator.

02

As soon as possible after defending a strike, grab high on the violator’s collar with the cover hand.

04

03

Immediately establish grip with other hand on the bicep area of violator.

05

Take a wide step laterally towards the bicep grip side.

Pull the violator towards you, as the violator steps, sweep the foot on the collar grip side, making sure to use the bottom of the foot right at the rear of the violator’s ankle where the Achilles tendon meets the calf.

07

Disengage and transition to a weapon system (Alternate option: Stay engaged and go directly to a handcuffing situation)

06

As a control point, when the violator lands on his back, go to a modified knee on belly position in order to pin the opponent while keeping the ability to be mobile.

Although special operators usually wear boots.

8/7/13 10:37 PM

#FIRSTWORLDPROBLEMS

The core essence of what Helio Gracie was creating, revolved around the smaller guy being able to defend against the bigger opponent.

Well, in this case, the bigger of the two happens to be the operator when he is laden down with a vest holding about 40 lbs of state-of-theart gear and ammo, coupled with trauma plates, medical kit and any other trinkets that may be attached. Add a weapon, and a helmet in some cases, and now you have an operator who can potentially become a turtle on his shell if taken to the ground, so in a bizarre kind of way, he is the bigger, heavier guy. While he becomes the seemingly more disadvantaged guy, due to the gear, we still think Helio would agree that jiu-jitsu is good for him and he can benefit from ‘little guy’ techniques. This issue illustrates more of a need for training in ground fighting and ground defense by tactical units, and most operators have taken note of this.

KIMURA/GUN RETENTION

When knocked down and dazed, the operator goes right to a half guard position.

As the violator lunges forward for the operator’s weapon, the operator grabs the wrist putting downward pressure to ensure the weapon doesn’t come out of the holster.

01

02

03

Over-hooking the arm while keeping the wrist grip, the operator weaves his forearm under the bicep area of the violator’s arm.

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04

Locking the hands in the hand-onwrist position the kimura is set.

The operator sits up on a hip towards the weapon side. Keeping the wrist grip, the operator uses the free hand to also grip the arm on the forearm to increase the pressure keeping the weapon retained.

The operator leans back slightly while using the kimura to pull the violator’s hand laterally away from the body slightly in order to break the grip on the weapon holster.

09 07

Continuing to fall back the operator takes the kimura arm off the ground and parallel with the violator.

Nothing worse than being violated.

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08

The operator continues to apply torque and pressure to the shoulder of the violator by simultaneously driving the violator’s forearm across his back and hipping out to the side slightly.

While cranking the kimura the operator uses his leg across the back of the violator as a control point to reduce the likelihood of the violator escaping the hold. (can’t see: the operator uses the other leg as a hook to keep the violator’s near leg from moving).

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

BEYOND THE THRESHOLD…

When working with tactical teams, one thing that I have noticed is they all expressed that their worst fear is to enter an unknown room and be dragged to the floor. It wasn’t getting shot at that scared them, nor was it the fear of having to do any direct action against a violator. With so much emphasis on training for various types of missions, the grappling aspect always seemed to be the least focused on.

Not anymore! There has been more of a push now for defensive tactics training than ever and rightfully so. The real world learning that has gone on during the last 10 years of major operations in the global war on terror has allowed our special operations units to assess and decide what they need more of. Learning from each other, military special ops units and civilian special ops units have been sharing

information and cross training in order to give the operators the most well rounded perspective and greatest tools to bring to the fight; which in turn has brought BJJ to the forefront of defensive tactics programs in order to cross those unknown thresholds with confidence and the ability to literally handle the situation.

SWEEP

02 Violator is trying to ground and pound operator. The operator keeps his half guard and brings hands up to an anti-ground and pound posture.

01

After defending strikes and striking back the operator establishes a grip on the bicep and a grip on the knee of the violator, making sure to keep the knee of the top leg in the pectoral muscle area of the violator while using the bottom leg to control the other leg and keep pressure.

04

05

As the violator is off balanced to the side the operator rolls to his hip while disappearing from under the violator in order to dump the violator to the ground.

07

Immediately follow this action with the modified knee on belly position.

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As the violator is swept and dumped to his back the operator quickly uses the momentum and time to roll on top of the violator.

03

Using the violator’s forward pressure, the operator uses his grips and legs to pull the violator slightly forward.

Opening the knee towards the bicep grip side the violator is off balanced.

06

While controlling the knee and bicep still and planting a foot for a good base the operator pins the violator to the floor.

08

When possible the operator disengages and gets distance to transition to a weapon system. (Alternate option: Stay engaged and go directly to a handcuffing situation).

“Don’t shoot, you got the points!”

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8/8/13 1:26 AM

JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

BIO

BRET PERCHALUK Bret’s been training martial arts his entire life. He works for a government agency working with operators from various agencies and departments both in the field and in the mat room. Bret has accomplished much in both the martial arts realm as well as in the tactical world boasting a Black belt in judo, brown belt in BJJ, completed SWAT selection, completed the Defensive Tactics Instructor Course, Participated in CQB training, has experience in Task Force field operations.

Bret currently trains under Ryan Hall and Fifty50 BJJ, as well as learning Gorilla JJ from friend John Simmons. Visit his website www. mixedmartialworld.com that covers positive topics in the martial arts community. Be sure to check it out.

PREPPING FOR THE WORST, HOPING FOR THE BEST...

When training, it seems prudent to focus on worstcase scenarios, so a lot of time should be spent focused on fighting off one’s back. Using things like open guard sweeps helps tremendously. It gives the operators a sense of being able to do something while in their worst-case position, and just like in sport BJJ it can completely change the course of a fight. And while you won’t be up on points in the end, you will be ”winning.” Another aspect of BJJ that is utilized immensely is the half guard.

It’s a good way for operators

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to control the hips and look for sweeps or openings to come up and scramble when on their backs, but more importantly, it allows them to get on a hip and retain side arms while having their hands free to strike, get to other tools, or effect submissions/reversals or defend against weapons that the violator may be trying to use.

Not everything being learned is going to be from the guard positions though.

Guard passing to side control and mount are very important as well. Learning to avoid getting submitted is also a very big topic that is covered, because let’s face it, the good guys aren’t the only ones training hard.

Learning how to stay safe and pass the guard to a more dominant ”subsition” (position you can submit from) is so important when training for tactical, real world environments.

THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING… In the end, the old saying is somewhat true: your best defense is a good offense.

So, getting to a position of control and dominating the target, whether it’s to capture or kill, is imperative to the safety of the operator and his unit as a whole. Having every operator return home each night must be a priority, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques can help ensure that happens.

That’s Bret on the Right.

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JJMTECHNIQUE::::::::::::

LEG LOCKS FROM THE GUARD WITH YURI SIMOES words

& photos: MIKE VELEZ

Y

URI SIMOES HAS QUICKLY BECOME ONE OF TEAM CHECKMAT’S BEST JIU-JITSU PLAYERS. After winning gold in the super heavy brown belt division at the 2011 Worlds, and then a double gold win in the brown belt heavy weight division and the absolute at the 2011 No Gi Worlds, he was awarded his black belt by Ricardo Vieira on December 29th, 2011. Yuri followed those feats up by closing out the black belt heavy weight bracket with

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fellow teammate Lucas Leite at the 2012 Pan Ams. Yuri is well on his way to winning a black belt world championship for himself and CheckMat in the near future.

He currently competes at medium heavy weight (195 lbs) and is home based in Rio De Janeiro, but travels extensively, and regularly spends time in Australia and Southern California. We caught up with Yuri after this year’s Worlds, along with Peter DeBeen’s recently promoted Australian black belt Kit Dale, to show us some leg locks that everyone can use. Keep

in mind that aside from straight ankle locks, most leg locks are reserved for brown and black belts in sanctioned gi competition.

No matter what your experience level, it’s good to have basic knowledge of leg lock variations.

If you’re a purple belt, I strongly recommend drilling leg locks with willing partners so that when you do become a brown belt, you have knowledge of the techniques in order to seize opportunities when presented to you, and to avoid getting caught by them.

Be sure you know the rules before performing these.

8/7/13 10:14 PM

JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

STRAIGHT FOOT LOCK FROM 50/50

01

Kit and Yuri start off in a 50/50. Yuri scoops his right arm underneath Kit’s left leg to unlock it.

BJJ LEGAL

02

As soon as Kit’s left leg comes loose, Yuri slides it in and under Kit’s right leg so Yuri’s forearm is just above Kit’s ankle, near his Achilles.

03

Yuri grabs his own left lapel with his right hand, high enough so his arm remains right around Kit’s ankle.

05

04 46 Footlocks.indd 3

Next, Yuri pulls his right foot up and positions it on the top of Kit’s right thigh, heel toward center.

WWW.JIUJITSUMAG.COM

Lastly, Yuri brings his right knee down toward the mat, forcing Kit’s right leg down as well. As he does this, Yuri is basing with his left elbow to the mat and looks back over his left shoulder to posture his body and apply pressure to Kit’s ankle for the finish.

Tap, tap, tap!

8/22/13 2:55 PM

JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

STRAIGHT FOOT LOCK FROM 50/50

01

Kit and Yuri start off in a 50/50. Yuri scoops his right arm underneath Kit’s left leg to unlock it.

BJJ LEGAL

02

As soon as Kit’s left leg comes loose, Yuri slides it in and under Kit’s right leg so Yuri’s forearm is just above Kit’s ankle, near his Achilles.

03

Yuri grabs his own left lapel with his right hand, high enough so his arm remains right around Kit’s ankle.

05

04 46 Footlocks.indd 3

Next, Yuri pulls his right foot up and positions it on the top of Kit’s right thigh, heel toward center.

WWW.JIUJITSUMAG.COM

Lastly, Yuri brings his right knee down toward the mat, forcing Kit’s right leg down as well. As he does this, Yuri is basing with his left elbow to the mat and looks back over his left shoulder to posture his body and apply pressure to Kit’s ankle for the finish.

Tap, tap, tap!

8/7/13 10:19 PM

KEY POINTS

A common defense for Kit would be to remove Yuri’s foot from his hip and kick out his right leg and straighten it out. If he does this, Yuri quickly switches his grip so his left arm is behind the back of Kit’s leg and Yuri’s right arm is

over the top of his foot. Yuri brings his hands together with a Gable grip just above Kit’s ankle. To finish, Yuri uses his entire arm to pressure down on Kit’s right foot while pulling back on his left arm. This puts pressure on the knee for the finish.

1

2

When working in a 50/50 situation, always be aware of your foot and not getting caught with a lock. If you can, control your opponent by the sleeves.

3

BJJ LEGAL

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8/7/13 10:20 PM

JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

BUTTERFLY SWEEP FAKE TO KNEE BAR

01

Starting from a butterfly guard, Yuri’s right foot is between Kit’s legs with his knee up. His left leg is lying on the mat with his foot between Kit’s legs.

Yuri has his right arm under hooking Kit’s left arm.

BJJ LEGAL

02

Yuri uses his right leg between Kit’s legs to lift Kit off the mat as Yuri falls back to his left side, as if to perform a sweep. Pulling Kit back and onto Yuri’s leg makes him lighter, especially when Kit is forced to base out with his hands to the mat.

03 48 Footlocks.indd 5

When Kit bases out and becomes very light, Yuri pulls his right arm back and slides it across the front of Kit.

WWW.JIUJITSUMAG.COM

04

Yuri pulls his right leg down closer to himself to help shift Kit’s weight to bring him into more of a north/south position.

I see what you did there.

8/22/13 2:55 PM

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8/7/13 11:27 PM

JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

05

Yuri continues the pivot by curling his back so it’s easier for him to adjust the position, focusing now on Kit’s left leg that is now between Yuri’s.

06

Yuri bends his right knee until his right leg is wrapped around the back of Kit’s left thigh and rolls off to his left side. This puts Yuri in a great position to finish.

KEY POINTS

At the beginning, Yuri controls Kit’s right arm by the triceps with his left hand. But this is just bait. Yuri wants to sell the sweep so that Kit will base out with his right hand to the mat, thus making himself lighter for Yuri to get underneath.

07

Yuri wraps both of his hands around Kit’s left ankle and thrusts his hips forward while pulling back on the ankle to finish. Kit’s knee is above Yuri’s crotch so the execution should come quick.

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There’s that tap again. Smart man.

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

LASSO LEG TO ANKLE LOCK

01

Kit starts off with Yuri in an open half guard. Yuri’s posting on his left knee with his right knee bent between Kit’s legs, and his right foot to the mat. Kit has a hold of Yuri’s right sleeve and his left leg “lassoed” around Yuri’s right arm.

BJJ LEGAL

02

03

Yuri grabs Kit’s left foot with his left hand and drags his foot in front of him, rather than under his arm.

Then Yuri puts Kit’s left leg in a guillotine by bringing his own right hand to the crook of his left elbow, while at the same time, passing his left hand over and above Kit’s right shin.

05

Kit’s foot is trapped against Yuri’s chest. All Yuri has to do now is arch back, completing the ankle lock, as well as applying pressure to the knee for the finish.

04

Yuri sits back with his butt to the mat and then brings his right foot between Kit’s legs, heel in, and toes pointing away.

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KEY POINTS

At step 2, when you grab the foot and bring it in front of you, make sure you get it so his toes are pointing inward, toward you, and not away.

Anyone can do this one!

8/22/13 2:56 PM

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8/7/13 11:40 PM

JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

SPIDER GUARD TO KNEE BAR

01

Yuri starts out with Kit in his spider guard. Yuri’s left foot is on Kit’s right bicep and he has control of both Kit’s sleeves.

BJJ LEGAL

02

With force Yuri drops his right foot to the mat off to Kit’s right side, while at that same time, pulling Kit high to Yuri’s right forcing him to step off to Kit’s left side.

03

Once Kit is outstretched, Yuri releases his grips of Kit’s sleeves and uses both arms to grab Kit’s right leg.

04

At the same time that he’s grabbing his leg, Yuri is crunching his body and using his momentum to pivot on his back until he does a 180º turn and his legs are straddling Kit’s right leg.

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WWW.JIUJITSUMAG.COM

This one goes by quick.

8/22/13 2:56 PM

05

This ends up putting Kit flat to the mat and Yuri in a perfect position to finish the knee bar by pulling back on Kit’s right ankle to finish the knee bar.

KEY POINTS

When done correctly this technique can happen fast. Braulio Estima pulled off a similar variation at this year’s Worlds and nobody, especially his opponent, knew what was going on it happened so quickly. So, when drilling this technique or using it during training make sure to exercise caution on the finish.

It’s important that at step 4 your crotch is above his knee, on his thigh, and not below. If it’s below you’ve got nothing.

X-GUARD TO CALF LOCK

BJJ LEGAL

01

Starting off with Kit in Yuri’s X-guard, Yuri is curling Kit’s left leg with his right arm and Yuri’s got his legs crossing with Kit’s right thigh in between. Kit’s left sleeve is being controlled by Yuri’s left grip.

02

Yuri switches his legs so his left leg is above his right leg. His left leg is such that his knee is in front of Kit, and his left foot is behind.

Gotta be brown or black for this one.

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04 Yuri’s right leg is just the opposite, knee behind, foot in front, but lower towards the mat. Yuri hips out to his right side, while maintaining a grip on Kit’s left sleeve and a hook of his right leg.

03

To get Kit to step forward with his left leg Yuri brings his left leg downward, his right leg upward, and passes his head under Kit’s left leg so Kit steps forward and Yuri is now behind Kit.

05

06

Quickly, Yuri hips out to his right, and now his left shin is behind Kit’s knee, in the crook, and Kit’s right shin is on Yuri’s right hip, trapped. Yuri closes his right knee over his left foot to close a triangle.

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Yuri can grab Kit’s belt, pants, or just hug him to keep him from getting away. All the while, pressure is building on Kit’s calf thanks to Yuri’s left leg and the fact that Kit’s foot is trapped. Yuri only has to pull back, pulling his hip into himself, to finish.

Where do you think you’re going?

8/7/13 10:23 PM

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8/7/13 11:07 PM

GEARLAB:::::::::::::::::::::::

COMPRESSION SESSION words: MATTHEW CORRELY

B

RAZILIAN JIU-JITSU IS A VERY CHALLENGING SPORT. We take beatings, physically and mentally, in our efforts to understand and improve in the gentle art. It’s not uncommon for high-level competitors to be training five or more days a week, with multiple sessions a day. Even hobbyists are spending a dozen hours every week learning our art. This training takes a toll on our muscles, joints, and our ability to recover. In this regard, a lot of attention has been given to nutritional supplements and medications.

However, there is another option for athletes that eschew those types of training aids.

In this article I’ll share with you the information I’ve gathered from my review of available literature that has determined the effect compression gear has on several aspects of physical training and performance. Some anecdotal information will be included as well. It’s worth noting that rashguards and spats (grappling tights) are not synonymous with compression gear. Rashguards and spats are excellent pieces of “equipment,” but by and large they do not offer the compression and additional support needed to be considered compression garments. After reading this article, you’ll know what product(s) is right for you and what you can expect from this type of gear.

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Physical Protection Your skin functions as a multilayered physical barrier to prevent external infections. Additionally, the skin hosts your normal flora, which provides added protection from pathogens, such as ring worm and staph. Mat burns and scratches from fingernails or toenails can compromise the physical integrity of your skin and introduce potential pathogens. Compression gear, rashguards, and spats offer a degree of physical protection from those types of injuries.

There are no inherent anti-microbial or anti-

fungal properties to the materials used in these products. For those saying, “What about hemp?” I’d look at the products in question and ask, “Are the anti-infective properties of hemp preserved to any appreciable effect?” Hemp that is blended with other fabrics is not likely to be anti-infective, and garments that are 100% hemp may have some anti-infective properties, but there are just as many people saying that the manufacturing process removes the chemicals that create that effect.

HERPES

RING WORM

Increased Decreased Soreness Warmth

A thorough and efficient warm-up is an effective method to prevent muscle strains and pulls. Unfortunately, there are circumstances when an athlete does not or cannot warm-up sufficiently before training. This is common during competition or when training time is limited. Some studies that have measured this effect have corroborated that compression gear does, in fact, increase skin temperature and have shown that compression gear warms the skin up quicker than traditional training clothing. Compression gear, rashguards, and spats can provide additional warmth, which in turn, will reduce your likelihood of softtissue injuries. The only caveat is that the gear needs to be of sufficient weight.

“You’ve got hairpiece?”

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Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes train in a sport that can be very physically demanding and we all cope with muscle soreness at some point. Not only are we constantly drilling and rolling, but many “jiu-jitsueros” are adding in additional strength and conditioning sessions.

Muscle soreness can range from an annoying side effect of training to being nearly incapacitating.

In these extreme cases it’s not uncommon for athletes to miss training time as they cope with the pain. Perception of muscle soreness is a subjective quality and has been tracked in numerous studies. Every study that tracked this aspect came to the same conclusion, wearing compression

gear positively affects the athlete’s perception of muscle soreness. Some researchers suggested placebo effect, while others explain it in terms of increased blood flow due to compression.

Debating the root cause of improved perceived pain is interesting from an academic standpoint, but the fact remains that it

does work and that’s what matters to the athlete.

This benefit is likely related to the compression provided and you may not see the same benefit if you’re using rashguards or spats. To fully realize maximum benefits, continue to wear the gear after training and for an extended period of time.

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GEARLAB::::::::::::::::::::::

Enhanced Performance

Specialized clothing has long been discussed as possible performance enhancers. The most startling example in recent years comes from the sport of swimming. Speedo launched the LZR Racer in February of 2008. Within 10 weeks of its launch, swimmers wearing this suit set 35 world records! But before you get too excited, no piece of clothing is going to turn you into a Mundials champion. Five of the articles reviewed looked specifically at improved athletic performance from wearing compression gear. Of those studies only one suggested that athletes using whole body compression performed better at prolonged high-intensity intermittent exercise than those athletes not wearing it.

The study hypothesized that the reason for improved performance is due to increased muscle oxygenation and associated benefits.

The other four articles found no significant benefit to wearing compression gear. With the data that is currently available, it’s hard to say that compression gear improves performance just by wearing it. However, if it is found to improve performance, that improvement would likely be related to increased muscle oxygenation from compression.

Rashguards and spats would not offer enough compression to mimic this effect.

Enhanced Recovery The number one concern for coaches and most athletes is recovery. Positive responses from training are predicated on recovering fully from your previous session. Athletes with recovery concerns are not only performing at suboptimal levels, but they are also at an increased risk of injury. Compression garments, contrast water therapy, low intensity activity, and passive recovery were examined for effectiveness on recovery of muscle damage (as measure by creatinine kinase) in elite male rugby players.

Passive recovery was significantly less effective than all other methods at 36 and 84 hours. There was no statically significant difference between the different recovery methods at any time point. Another

study of elite cyclists suggests that compression gear may enhance recovery between bouts (30 minute intervals) of high intensity sprints. This is particularly interesting because there is a similar time frame between matches at some grappling tournaments.

Studies have also shown improved recovery rate from resistance training and plyometrics. A study of Cricket players did not show any measureable improvement in recovery metrics. Again, the benefit to recovery is likely dependent on the compression (improved blood flow to muscles) and is not likely to be seen with rashguards and spats. The process of recovery occurs over the course of several days. To maximize the benefit of compression on

recovery, the athlete should wear the gear for extended periods of time. Some compression gear is even designed to be slept in.

Durability

In my experience with compression gear from Spun Performance (www.spunperformance.com), Skins (www. skins.net) and CW-X (www.cw-x.com), I’ve found that in all cases the gear has held up better than traditional rashguards and spats. I’m particularly fond of CWX’s tights, which have enhanced joint support and a drawstring.

SO WHAT’S IT ALL MEAN?

Compression gear, rashguards, and spats are all capable of helping athletes with physical protection and increased warmth. Improving the efficacy of your warm-ups and reducing your incidence of mat burns, scratches, and strained muscles from training can increase your mat time by preventing the injuries and infections that affect grapplers. This is especially true for those susceptible to skin infections, muscle pulls, and training in cold environments.

Managing post-workout soreness and recovery can also be improved by compression gear. Athletes struggling with soreness and/or recovery (and who isn’t?) should consider using compression gear to improve the quality of their training and comfort throughout the day.

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Is it just us , or does Michael Phelps look like Dr. Spock in that photo?

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SPECIALFEATURE:::::::::::

A CASE FOR JIU-JITSU IN THE OLYMPICS

I

words: MIKE VELEZ

REMEMBER SITTING IN THE GROCERY STORE BASKET AS A KID, LOOKING UP AT THE TOP SHELF IN THE CEREAL AISLE, AND THERE HE WAS, BRUCE JENNER ON THE FRONT OF THE WHEATIES BOX. For those of you too young to remember him, or you only know him from reality television, Bruce Jenner was the Michael Jordan of his time.

Bruce earned his fame and recognition from winning the gold medal at the ’76 Olympics in the decathlon. A few years back I had the opportunity to interview Bruce and he shared with me his story and the absolute dedication and focus he invested with the singular purpose of winning the decathlon after finishing third just four years earlier. His story was motivating, but not unique. Thousands of jiu-jitsu athletes train with that same intensity and desire, so wouldn’t it be great for them to also have a shot at Olympic stardom?

OLYMPIC HISTORY The Modern Olympics are put together by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC is a non-profit, nongovernmental organization started in 1894 with the idea of organizing international competition for amateur athletes every four years. The Olympics are broken into Summer and Winter Games, alternating each every four years. Since its inception it has spawned the Paralympic

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Games for athletes with disabilities, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. The first Modern Olympics was held in Athens Greece in 1896 and featured events in cycling, fencing, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, and Greco-Roman wrestling.

Since then, the list has grown and was capped at 28 sports that competed at the most recent Olympic games in London last year.

What happen with that logo?

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CURRENT STATE For most of the last 100 years, the IOC would allow host countries to promote non-Olympics sports that were popular in that country.

These demonstration sports were included in the Olympics games.

Some of these demonstration “sports” have included kite flying, water skiing, bowling, and pigeon racing, just to name a few. The IOC scrapped the demonstration process a few years back, and now all the sports competed

in are actual Olympics sports.

Just because these sports are now considered “official,” don’t think that obscure or dare I say “absurd” sports are banned from the Olympics. Some Olympics sports have included, or currently include tug-of-war, croquet, modern pentathlon (ride a horse, fence, shoot a pistol, swim, and run), BMX, handball, and at the next games in Rio, kite surfing and golf are being added.

WRESTLING AND MARTIAL ARTS Recently, the IOC received the ire of wrestlers and fans of the actual “sport” from Iowa to Greece when they announced that wrestling would not be included in their group of 25 core sports guaranteed a spot at the 2020 Games. They went back on that a little by announcing that wrestling would be one of three sports that would make the cut in 2020, but we have to wait until September to see what happens. The idea of wrestling not being included seems sacrilege to many, especially

when you consider the core sports that are definitely on the fringe of being regarded as “sports.” Wrestling’s sanctioning body, FILA, has paid attention to the IOC and has enacted a series of rule changes aimed at making the IOC happy after they complained that some of wrestling’s rules were confusing.

Some of the changes include more points for take downs and penalties for stalling. So, we’ll know soon if wrestling will make the cut.

You could make an argument that wrestling is a martial art, but there are two other martial arts disciplines that are currently Olympic sports, Judo and Taekwondo. Jigaro Kano is credited as being the creator of Judo in 1882. Kano later became a member of the IOC and inquired about making Judo an Olympic sport in 1928, but the lack of participation in enough countries around the world stalled the idea from manifesting.

In 1949, the International Judo Federation was formed and

QUOTES ON THE OLYMPICS Q: Would you like to compete in jiu-jitsu at the Olympics?

“My first major goal in life was to represent the United States at the Olympics for boxing.

My passion switched to jiu-jitsu, but my desire to represent my country at the Olympics is still the same. It would be a dream come true and a memory I would cherish forever. I would give everything I had to be victorious there!”

RAFAEL LOVATO, JR.

Ouch.

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SPECIALFEATURE:::::::::: international championships began in 1956. In 1958, Tokyo was awarded the 1964 Olympic Games. Japanese Judo authorities sent a formal request to the IOC to include Judo at the ’64 games and it was approved as a demonstration sport. Despite immense popularity, Judo was not included in the ’68 game in Mexico City, but returned in ’72 to Munchen, Germany and has been an Olympic sport ever since.

Taekwondo took a similar path to becoming an Olympic

sport. As early as 1980 the IOC recognized the WTF (No, not that WTF, the World Taekwondo Federation) and in 1982 chose Taekwondo as a demonstration sport at the ’88 games in Seoul, Korea.

Thirty-five countries were represented in Taekwondo competition at the Seoul games. At the following games in ’92, in Barcelona, Spain it also participated as a demonstration sport and thanks to popularity and organization by the WTF, was adopted as an official Olympic sport in 1993.

e t people to be th nsidered by mos co is cs it pi k m in ly th “The O in the world. I sporting event your most prestigious le to represent st honor to be ab te ea gr e .” th at th be would platform like lay jiu-jitsu on a country and disp

RIO 2016

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my alarm to watch it live no matter what the time difference. Unfortunately, it’s too late for many of the premiere jiu-jitsu athletes to compete on this stage. The table is already being set for 2020, and BJJ doesn’t even have a reservation.

However, 2024, and 2028

de it “If jiu-jitsu ever ma uld wo I to the Olympics use ca be love to compete r no ho I would have the try un co to represent my el of on the highest lev t the ns competition agai and D RL best in the WO r.” fo e that’s what I liv JT TORRES

ve “I would lo who t, a th to do “ wouldn’t?

ER JEFF GLOV

HENRY AKINS

In case you haven’t heard, the next summer Olympics will be held in Rio De Janeiro in 2016. How great would it have been to have Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a demonstration sport at the Rio Games? Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

The lobbying of the IOC would have had to have happened almost a decade ago for that to have even been a possibility. An argument could be made that there’s no need to have jiu-jitsu become an Olympic sport, but imagine the excitement of seeing jiujitsu on the absolute largest athletic stage in the world!

Even as a demonstration sport, with no promise of future events. If that was reality, I, for one, couldn’t be more excited! I’d set

QUOTES ON THE OLYMPICS

are on the horizon. With the popularity of jiu-jitsu around the world growing, and more and more kids getting into the sport, let’s think about laying the groundwork for them.

At least to give them an opportunity to make it onto their own box of Wheaties.

Too late for Rio, but we have to look to the future.

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SPECIALFEATURE::::::::::

HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN The first step in making jiujitsu an Olympic sport is to be recognized by the IOC. The IOC requires that the sport’s activity be administered by an international non-governmental organization. Once it becomes recognized, it then moves to IF status (International Sports Federation), at which point, the organization must enforce the Olympic Movement AntiDoping Code, while also maintaining rules set by the Olympic Charter. The Olympic Charter indicates that to be accepted as a sport, it must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries and on three continents. These participation criteria are hard to gauge for jiu-jitsu at this point. Recently, the founders of the NABJJF (North American Brazilian JiuJitsu Federation) Patricia Silva, Samuel Aschidamini, and Joao Silva have united with Edison Kagohara Asian Federation, and Cleiber Maia South American Federation to create

the Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF) with one absolute and defining goal – to make jiu-jitsu an Olympic sport.

With the SJJIF structuring things to meet the requirements of the Olympic Charter. The goal of becoming an Olympic sport makes their body unique.

They’re starting out with participation and organization beyond North America, with sanctioning bodies in Japan and China. Their quest to put jiu-jitsu on the world stage has already begun. This December, the SJJIF will host their Worlds Tournament in The Pyramid in Long Beach, CA. The SJJIF will be made up of three separate geographical federations: Americas (North and South America), Oceana (Australian and Pacific Islands), and Eurafrasia (Europe, Africa, and Asia). Getting participation from all three federations will help toward the Olympic standard of participation in at least 75 countries and 4 continents. We’ll be covering

this year’s Worlds Tournament in December where we hope to see a large number of international athletes participating. The uniform rules that will be showcased there will be used in 2014 at SJJIF events throughout the world.

One of the most notable rule differentiations is the absence of advantages, in favor of sudden victory in the event of a draw.

The NABJJF has been using this type of rule for years with success. Other features of the SJJIF will be a points system that will place athlete ranking, thanks to uniform software used at all participating tournaments.

Athletes will be able to see their ranking right after host events.

For more information on the Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation and their mission of making jiu-jitsu an Olympic Sport, sign up for this year’s Worlds Tournament or visit their website to read their mission at: WWW.SJJIF.COM

“I believe that jiujitsu is a grea t sport and it do esn’t get the exposu re and recogniti on it deserves. If yo u don’t agree with m e just think (ask your self) is there any jiu -jitsu fighter or any jiu-jitsu competitor, sp onsored

by Nike and who have more re cognition Michael Phel ps?”

JOAO SILVA

“It would be awesome for the sport and we would be more than happy to be part of it!

Representing your countr y and having your whole nation cheering for you is a dream for every athlete.”

THE MENDES BROTHERS

“That depen d how m uc gonna h they pay m RENAT e.”

OL ARAN JA

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Do it for the children.

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JJMTECHNIQUE::::::::::::

The Amazing

JT TORRES

W words: MIKE VELEZ

| photos: JASON BOULANGER

HAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU WERE 19 YEARS OLD? Aside from maybe attending school or dating, was there anything you were so dedicated to that you’d reached what many would consider to be the pinnacle of success at such an early age? Probably not. Well, at 19, Jonathan “JT” Torres was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt after winning the No Gi Worlds and the European Championship at brown belt.

Four years ago when JT earned his black belt, he was one of the youngest Americans ever to do so. Since then, he’s spent four years at jiu-jitsu’s highest level, with multiple podium placements all over the world, including a win at the 2010 No Gi Pan Ams. Most recently, JT battled to a hard fought draw at Metamoris II. Distraction and scandal plagued JT at his last school, even to the point where he considered quitting jiu-jitsu, but a change of scenery has renewed JT’s passion and dream of becoming a black belt world champion. We had the great pleasure of spending the day with JT at his new home, Atos Jiu-Jitsu, under Andre Galvao, in sunny San Diego, California. Aside from sharing with us some real insight into his life, JT showed us some great routes to taking your opponent’s back and then how to finish them off once you get there.

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BIOGRAPHY

Age: 23 Rank: 1st Degree Black Rolling since: 2004 Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Jorge Pereira > Leo Dalla > Lloyd Irvin/Jared Weiner

One of these guys looks pretty happy.

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JJM: HOW DID YOU GET INTO JIU-JITSU? JT: I was actually doing karate. I started when I was 11 and when I turned 14 I got my karate black belt.

Then I started high school and it wasn’t too cool to do karate. I tried out for basketball and I got cut, I didn’t make it. I made it to the final round and almost made the team, but I didn’t.

My dad suggested I get back into karate to stay in shape, but I didn’t want to do that anymore. Luckily though, my old karate instructor had a jiu-jitsu program on the side put together by Royce Gracie. So, I tried it out and I REALLY liked it.

I fell in love with jiu-jitsu and have felt that way ever since.

JJM: AT WHAT POINT DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD A REAL TALENT FOR THIS? WHEN DID YOU START SUBMITTING THE OLDER GUYS? JT: I got my blue belt when I was 15 years old, I had the juvenile belts before then.

I actually got my blue belt from Royce, which was a real honor. When I was 16, I really started to mature. I was still a blue belt; I got my purple belt just before I turned 17. When I was 16, I weighed about 130-140 pounds and I was really giving the bigger, older, more experienced guys lots of trouble. I remember guys saying, “I don’t want to roll with this kid, he doesn’t stop.”

JJM: YOU GOT YOUR BLUE BELT FROM ROYCE, BUT WHO WERE YOUR INSTRUCTORS? JT: My first instructor was a guy in New York named

The other, not so much.

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James Baxter. After him I was training under Louis Vintaloro from blue belt to brown in New Jersey. He’s a black belt under Royler Gracie. When I was a brown belt I started wanting to compete at a higher level.

I didn’t have that group of guys I needed to train with to get me to that point. So, I competed against a guy named Wilson Reis a bunch of times. He’s an instructor at Jared Weiner’s school in Philly, who’s a Lloyd Irvin Black Belt. I would travel down to Philly to train with Wilson. I became friends with those guys and that’s when I started going down to Maryland and training with Lloyd Irvin. From there, I moved out to San Diego, and now I’m training under Andre Galvao.

JJM: HOW TOUGH IS IT TO SWITCH SCHOOLS AND INSTRUCTORS? JT: To be honest with you, it was easy, but at the same time, it wasn’t. I’m a very loyal guy. But sometimes I feel when loyalty starts affecting your happiness, there’s something wrong.

It’s no secret there were a lot of things going down in Maryland. The situation was tough. There was so much drama going on and I couldn’t focus on my training. There was one point, before everything came to light, that I was seriously thinking about quitting jiu-jitsu. I figured I’d go back to college and just be done. The situation got worse over there. I was already stressed out, then it all hit the fan. I just felt it was way too much for me to stay around. It was either quit, or go somewhere

else. I sat down and had a heart-to-heart with my dad, he told me to continue to chase my dream no matter what. So I came here to San Diego, and I haven’t looked back.

JJM: I WAS KIDDING AROUND WITH YOU EARLIER ABOUT BEING A FREE AGENT WHEN YOU CAME HERE. WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISION TO LEAVE MARYLAND, DID YOU THINK, “I’M GOING TO ATOS!” OR WAS IT, “WHERE SHOULD I GO?” JT: I’ve always admired Andre Galvao and when I first trained with the Mendes Brothers down in Brazil, in a real remote place, I had to take a 3-hour bus ride to get there. It was awesome. I really admired those guys, I know how they train, I knew their level of commitment, and I know what their goals are. I felt like we were liked-minded people. When I made the decision to leave, I had a strong desire to come here to Atos. Being an east coast guy there were plenty of great schools I could have gone to: Marcelo (Marcelo Garcia), Renzo (Renzo Gracie) and all those great guys there. Those were places I considered.

But at 23 and no real responsibilities, I thought I’d take the opportunity to make a big change in my life. Keenan (Cornelius) was coming out here; his family’s here. He told me to come to San Diego and I was hesitant, because I didn’t want to leave my family.

Finally, it was like a splitsecond decision, “Screw it I’m going to go.” So I SEPTEMBER 2013

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

CHECK OUT OUR EXCLUSIVE EPISODE OF JJM CRIBS AT YOUTUBE.COM/JIUJITSUMAG

bought a one-way ticket, packed a bag and came out. I was sleeping on Leo’s (an assistant instructor at Atos) carpet for a month. I came in a few weeks before Pan Ams. I was just trying to figure out how I was going to make it out here. Now I’m settled, have an apartment, no distractions; I’m able to train hard. I’m really excited I can focus on what I want to do, which is win the Worlds.

JJM: HOW WAS IT MAKING THE SHIFT IN FOCUS FROM THE WORLDS TO METAMORIS II? JT: You know, I didn’t really think about it because I didn’t get the call until three days before. They called me on a Wednesday night; I said, “Let’s do it.” I definitely felt like the underdog, Victor (Estima) had 15 lbs on me, and more experience. But I was confident; I went out there and just played my game. It was tough; I felt like he slowed me down, he tied me up. I felt I controlled him

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as well. He didn’t do what he wanted to do. I walked away from that match happy about it, but I wish I could have submitted him.

JJM: WAS THAT THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE EVER HAD A 20-MINUTE MATCH UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS? JT: Yeah, for sure. I felt weird, I had to remind myself that there were no points and that I didn’t have to think about sweeps and points. It definitely opened things up to flow more.

Victor did a great job of tying

me up, I really liked it. I’m in talks; hopefully I’ll be in the next one, or the one after that.

I know how to prepare for it now. I was afraid I was going to gas out. But I was good, I was in shape, and I look forward to doing it again.

JJM: NEXT TIME WOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR TRAINING AT ALL? JT: Yeah, I’d change it a little. I wouldn’t worry about locking down positions so much. Let’s say I’m trying to pass the guard, and maybe during the pass I’d

release that and shoot for an arm bar or go for a leg right off the bat. So, I wouldn’t be fighting so hard for a position, and more for submissions.

JJM: WHERE’D THE SPIDERMAN NICKNAME COME FROM, DID YOU USED TO PLAY A LOT OF SPIDER GUARD? JT: You know, it’s funny. I actually don’t play spider guard at all. Someone asked me who my favorite super hero was and I told them Spiderman. So then it was like, “Okay, you’re Spiderman now.” I’m actually thinking of denouncing it, just call me JT. JJM: ASIDE FROM THE JIUJITSU HERE WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT CALIFORNIA? JT: Once I leave the academy I can relax. I don’t really worry about much, there’s no stress out here. I can go to the beach, the pier, relax, there are a bunch of nice people out here.

Mike got very excited when he came up with the “Going Back To Cali” coverline.

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JJM: DO YOU GET RECOGNIZED ON THE STREET? JT: Yeah sometimes, there are a lot more people out here in San Diego doing jiu-jitsu than there was back east where I trained.

So I’ll be walking on the pier and hear, “Hey, JT!” That’s pretty cool. I was surprised when I first came out around this area. There’s a lot of jiujitsu here.

JJM: HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD YOUR BLACK BELT? JT: I was given my black belt four years ago by Lloyd (Irvin) and Jared (Weiner).

Can’t have too much old-school hip-hop.

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JJM: GETTING YOUR BLACK BELT AT 19 IS INSANELY YOUNG, ESPECIALLY AFTER HAVING STARTED JIU-JITSU JUST 5 YEARS EARLIER. NO DISRESPECT TO YOU OR YOUR INSTRUCTORS, BUT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE READY FOR IT WHEN YOU RECEIVED IT? JT: No disrespect taken, I get people asking me that a lot.

I’m glad they threw me into the fire at such an early age.

Here I am at 23, and I have a lot of experience as a black belt. Throw anything you want at me, I’ve probably seen it.

I’ve been tested at the highest

level since I was 19. I’m really grateful they decided to give it to me when they did.

JJM: HOW HAS YOUR JIUJITSU CHANGED SINCE COMING OUT HERE? JT: It’s changed a lot. It’s definitely more technical. Back in Maryland I was one of the more experienced guys. I felt like I was the teacher more often than not. Out here, there are so many guys more experienced than me, they’re teaching me now. I feel like I’ve learned a lot technique-wise since moving out here. It’s the first time in years that I’ve felt like I’m really learning.

JJM: WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? JT: I just want to focus on winning a black belt world championship, and learning jiu-jitsu from Andre and all the great guys out here. Eventually, I’d like to open my own school back on the East coast.

JJM: COOL JT, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, GOOD LUCK OUT HERE IN CALI AND ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS. JT: Thank you, and thanks to my Sponsors, they’re a huge help. Tatami, Fokai, and Armbar Soap.

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

GETTING TO THE BACK

Getting to your opponent’s back is one of the most dangerous positions for them, and the most advantageous for you.

Your opponent doesn’t know what’s coming; you’ve got his joints, limbs, and most importantly, his neck to attack. It’s like a submission buffet. But getting to your opponent’s back isn’t often easy. With that in mind, JT is going to show us three routes to the back from various positions that don’t require amazing skills to perform.

02

Bring both your hands inside his legs, then in a fast and deliberate motion, drop to your knees, sort of like a sprawl. Having your hands inside his legs when you drop will break any grips he might have had.

TO THE BACK FROM OPEN GUARD

01

Starting in your opponent’s open guard, have a wide spread out stance with your lead foot turned out to avoid the De La Riva.

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Walk your hands up to the center of your opponent’s stomach and Gable grip your hands together.

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04

Walk your knees up towards his hips and lift him up so his butt and hips are on your knees.

05

Now, get your opponent more on his back by stepping to your feet and continuing to lift them up.

Keep your knees on the outsides of your opponent’s hips, but stay tight to him so he can’t roll away.

JT’s posse is down on Convoy.

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06

You still need to get lower under his hips, so release your grip and shrug your chest lower on his hips. Your hips and knees are tight against him so he can’t roll back into you.

07

Quickly drop your hands to his lapels, thumbs in, and get a good grip pulling the lapels apart and punch broth grips into his armpits, locking your elbows nice and tight to his hips.

08

Stand up so that your butt’s up high, keeping everything else tight, pick a leg and shoot that leg across his back dropping to your hip. In this case, JT shoots his right leg across and drops to his right hip.

09

Once on your hip, keep your grips nice and tight so he can’t get away and bring your left foot over to get that first hook in just above his left hip.

10

Now, pull his back up off the mat, he will have fallen to his side, so your right hook is already in. Release your right hand first and scoop in over his right shoulder.

Then, release your left hand, and bring it under his left arm.

Bring your hands together to fasten a seatbelt on him.

HALF GUARD TO DEEP TO BACK

01

Start with your opponent in your open half guard.

Kick your free leg up and over towards his ribcage and armpit to get him to come forward and post to his left side.

The other guy will definitely be sweating your technique.

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

02

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05

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As he posts, this will open up his legs and give you space to reach between his legs with your right arm and grab the back of his left thigh.

With your right hand, get fourfingers inside the back of his pants.

07

Shoot your right leg up to your left and punch your right grip of his pants up toward the ceiling, dropping your left thigh to the mat.

Once the arm is hooked, lock your legs and rock your hips to your left side, bringing his right leg over on top of you. You’re now in deep half guard.

04

Shoot your left arm under his leg, you’ll need it there in a little bit, and it will help keep you from getting caught with a Kimura.

Now, bring your outside leg underneath his leg and hook it with the top of your right foot. Bring your left leg back over to cover his leg so he doesn’t escape.

08

Bring your left hand to his far leg and use that hook to help pivot you around to get your left leg inside his thigh.

09

Extend your hooks up and over and pull his hips down with your right hand.

He’ll lift off the mat and fall between your legs.

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He left his wallet in San Diego.

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10

With him in front of you bring your legs over the top of his to get your hooks in and quickly lock in a seatbelt with your right arm over his shoulder and left arm under his left.

KEY POINTS

Starting off with him in your half guard, keep your knee in his solar plexus to maintain distance, and keep your arms to your side as a shield on his bicep to keep him from grabbing your lapels or getting his arm around your head.

X-GUARD TO THE BACK

01

Start with the X-Guard, with your right leg hooking from behind and your left leg hooking from the front, below your right leg. Hold his left leg against your head and shoulder with your right arm.

02

Put your head to the mat, look to your left, and use your hands to hold his left leg and clear it over your head to your left side.

03

Bring your left hand over to the back of his knee and lock his leg down to your chest nice and tight with your left arm.

If you get that reference you truly are in he posse.

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04

Bring your right hand to the back of his pants, four fingers in.

05

Drop your left hook from the back of his knee down to his right ankle.

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06

Kick his right ankle out with your left foot while pulling him back to the mat with your right grip.

07

Most likely, your opponent will sit up and look to get back on top. As he does this, guide your left hand back behind his left knee and bring his leg out in front of you.

08

Push off his left leg and pull your left leg under his while guiding him in front of you with your right hand.

09

Kick your legs out straight and pull him down in front of you.

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Reach your right arm out over his right shoulder, your left arm under his, and Gable grip your hands together to lock in your seatbelt.

JT gets around.

8/7/13 6:12 PM

The Art of Style, Skill, Thought and Technique Clark Gracie is a black belt under his father Carley Gracie and is the grandson of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu founder Carlos Gracie.

These legends in the martial arts world have provided Clark with a solid foundation of skills and technique. Clark has used those skills to develop a style all his own. He has an exciting and offensive guard game that has been recognized as one of the best and has been rewarded many times over. Clark holds numerous prestigious titles in the Jiu-Jitsu world, the most recent of which was winning the gold medal at the 2013 Pan American Championship. He enjoys the spirit of competition and is the most highly active competitor in the Gracie family.

Come train the Clark Gracie way at one of his affiliate schools + CLARK GRACIE LA JOLLA La Jolla California, USA www.clarkgracie.com

+ CLARK GRACIE LE HAVRE Le Havre, France clarkgracie-lehavre.clubeo.com

+ CLARK GRACIE KALAMAZOO Kalamazoo Michigan, USA www.allianceazo.com

ATTENTION SCHOOL OWNERS! Find out how you can become a Clark Gracie Affiliate and grow your business today. Contact: affiliate@clarkgracie.com.

+ CLARK GRACIE TIJUANA Tijuana, Mexico clarkgraciejiujitsumexico.blogspot.com

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JJMTECHNIQUE:::::::::::

FINISHES FROM THE BACK

JT is going to show us some variations and combinations to finish once you have control of the back and the seatbelt position.

BOW AND ARROW

01

After getting to the back with a seatbelt in place, lean to your under hooking side (weak side), let go of your Gable grip, and open his lapel, turning it outward.

04 02

With your hand that’s reaching over his shoulder, get a grip of the opposite side lapel, high up against his neck, thumb in.

03

With your left foot, pressure down a little on his left hip to lower him so you can get your right leg across his belly.

06

Pressure down with your right heel across the belly and bring your left leg over his shoulder.

05

Once you’re on your elbow, dive your right arm under his right leg to scoop the leg.

Don’t grab the pants, just make a fist and curl your arm tight.

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07

Lock your legs, pull his head to his knee, and now pressure forward with your hips and pull the lapel across the neck to finish.

After you’ve got your right hook across, take your left leg, extend it out and build some momentum to bring it up so you can post up to your right elbow.

KEY POINTS

When JT has someone by the back and he falls to his side, he prefers going to the “weak” side. This is the side with the arm under hooking his opponent’s arm. It’s called the weak side because the other side, or the “strong” side, is the side that’s capable of completing the Rear Naked Choke, the granddaddy of chokes. The weak side offers more choices to finish.

You should know by now that you have to protect ya neck.

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ARM BAR

01

After falling to your weak side, and you go for the collar, your opponent begins to defend the choke by trying to pry the arm away. Kick off his left hip with your foot to get him at a slight angle to you.

02

Grab his right wrist with your right hand and lock it down tight.

04

Next, grab your right shin with your left hand and pull it up high to squeeze your opponent.

03

Bring your left leg up over his shoulder and on top of his left arm and tighten down by locking your legs.

05

Bring your left up and over your left foot and lock it down over your right ankle, locking up a triangle.

06

With your right arm pull back on his right arm.

07

Hug his arm at the wrist, his thumb pointing up, and hip out to finish the arm bar.

KEYPOINTS

Whenever you get that seatbelt in, it’s important that the hand that’s reaching under the arm is the hand that’s on top of the other when you bring your arms together.

And if he doesn’t then you’ve got it made.

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TRIANGLE CRUSH

01

You fall back to your weak side, push off on his left hip with your foot, and go for the collar. But he’s defending the choke with both hands this time.

02

Bring your left leg over his shoulder, it’s okay if you don’t trap his arm for this one.

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Try for the arm to go to the arm bar, but if it’s too difficult let go and post up to your right elbow on the mat.

Quickly swim your right hand over the top of his right wrist and grab it.

Let go of the collar, grab your own right shin, and pull your leg up to his chest, then bring your left leg over to lock down a triangle. Your opponent defends the arm bar by holding his arms together.

Scoop your left arm around his right leg at the knee, almost like you’re going for a knee bar.

07

Grip your arms together and fall back, pulling his knee into you as you squeeze your knees, flex your core, and finish with the triangle variation.

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Once you have that triangle locked the choice is yours.

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REVERSE KIMURA

01

Falling to your weak side, your opponent is quick to remove your right hook and manages to get his back to the mat.

02

Open up your left leg and drag it up while pinching his left arm with it.

03

Quickly catch his arm with your right leg and quickly triangle your legs to trap his arm.

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The entire time you’re keeping your seatbelt tight, so he can’t get away.

05

Let go of the seatbelt and look to grab his right collar with your left hand. He’s going to be forced to defend with his right hand, because you trapped his left.

While he’s fighting, slip your right arm out and over the top, across the left side of his head.

We’ve seen JT pull off that Kimura in competition and no one can do it better.

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07

Grab his belt with your right arm over his to trap his upper body.

08

Use your hips to help “rock” up to a sitting position.

KEY POINTS

09

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Grab his pants with your left hand and move your hips back.

10

Undo your triangle, lift your hips off the mat, and pull your right leg back to get a real tight shoulder lock to finish.

After step 1, if he grabs your pant leg, which often happens, you won’t need to perform step 2, you can just circle your right leg over his arm, then lock down the triangle without having to pinch his arm on the way up.

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SPOTLIGHT::::::::::::::::::::

ROBERTO “TUSSA” ALENCAR

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words: DEB BLYTH

| photos: JOHN COOPER

OBERTO “TUSSA” ALENCAR IS A SECOND-DEGREE BLACK BELT UNDER CARLOS GRACIE, JR. Currently 31 years old, Tussa started jiu-jitsu at the age of 14 in Brazil. He came to the U.S. in 2006 as a brown belt and received his black belt right after the Pan Ams that same year. He took over Gracie Barra New Mexico (GBNM) in 2007 and since then, has amassed two more schools in the small state, GBNM being the largest, then GB West Side (GBWS), and GB Rio Rancho (GBRR) making up the other two. All three schools are in Albuquerque, and all three are quite successful. Tussa is a handson professor. He teaches the black belt program and the competition classes. He has four black belts and two coaches underneath him who help him run his schools. His brother, Gustavo Alencar, is also a black belt and he teaches the adult and kids classes at GBRR. “He has awesome teaching skills,” Tussa says.

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Tussa is Portuguese for tooth.

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“I’M NOT HERE FOR A BELT; I’M HERE TO IMPROVE MY LIFE.”

When it comes to competition, Tussa is well known on the jiujitsu tournament circuit. He is passionate about competing and has worked extremely hard to establish his name in the sport.

He is often seen on the podium at jiu-jitsu’s biggest and most prestigious events. Some of his greatest accomplishments include: 4x World’s No Gi Champion (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012) Pan American Champion (2009, 2013) World’s Silver Medalist (2007) Pan American Silver Medalist (2008) Brazilian National Open Weight Silver Medalist (2004 brown) 2x World’s Bronze Medalist (2008, 2010) 2x Pan American Bronze Medalist (2007, 2010) To add to his own personal illustrious performance record, Tussa has trained and led a group of other superb black belt competitors who are well known in the jiu-jitsu world, including the bubbly and popular Rafael “Barata” Freitas, and the gritty and determined Tammy Griego. So, how does a guy in a small state like New Mexico, create three successful jiu-jitsu schools, plus a team of other stellar black belt competitors? Jiu-Jitsu Magazine went straight to the source – Tussa himself – to find out his secrets to success.

HOW HAVE YOU EVOLVED AS A JIU-JITSU PRACTITIONER AND COMPETITOR OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS AS A BLACK BELT? As a practitioner, I discovered I could make a living out of jiujitsu. In Brazil, there was never any money left over. I was only paying the bills. Then I became a professional. Now, I’m living and breathing jiu-jitsu all day.

It’s the position I put myself in and it’s the perfect position for me. As a competitor, I’m training smarter, eating better, and resting appropriately. My stand up is better because of my wrestling. I’ve learned a lot technically. Being a black belt pushes you to step up your game to another level. The pressure competing against the best…I look up to the guys at the top of the podium, like Xande Ribeiro. I’ve watched him many times. It pushes you to change your technique, improve your game, and practice more, and the Roberto’s front teeth came in first as a kid.

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more you enjoy it, the more you evolve. I’m always trying to come up with new techniques, new guards. That’s the pressure on the black belt: you have to counter what others are doing and come up with new things yourself. So, I try to bring other black belts out to do seminars at GBNM, like Draculino (Vinicius Magalhaes), Marcio Feitosa, Flavio Almeida, Romulo Barral…so we can learn something from them. These days, everything is happening here in the U.S. and continual learning helps you evolve in your game.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PHILOSOPHIES YOU TEACH AT YOUR SCHOOLS? I try to pass to students that jiu-jitsu is a way of life.

Everyone’s excited about the UFC and jiu-jitsu as a ground game, but jiu-Jitsu is not something you do seasonally.

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SPOTLIGHT::::::::::::::::::: of life. It’s a lifestyle. It’s the way I live my life. I am a good person. Jiu-jitsu helps me a lot to understand myself. I like to train and be active every day.

I’m not here for a belt; I’m here to improve my life. It’s a tool for self-improvement; for confidence, to quit bad habits, to have a better diet, to manage weight and heart disease, to be positive. It works with kids. I had more confidence as a kid because of jiu-jitsu. I don’t think I would have had the confidence to come to the U.S. and do what I’ve done, if it was not for jiu-jitsu.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR GBNM IS SO GOOD? We train a lot. We all want to get good, and to do that, you have to train every day. I took the role as a leader to push the team forward. Rafael (Barata) and I are the highest ranks here.

We wanted to have a successful school. We love to compete.

We don’t pressure our students to compete – we leave it open.

If you want to compete, great, we are here for you. We have competition training. I believe that helps. Our students are confident. We don’t make money from competing. So, the whole key is to do something you love, not because you have to, but because you want to.

You will do something well if you enjoy it. The more comfortable, confident, and accurate you are, the better competitor you will be.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ELEMENTS THAT MAKE FOR A GOOD JIU-JITSU COMPETITOR? The desire to win. I’m not out there to beat others. I compete for myself. It’s the best reward.

It’s about all my hard work paying off, the training, a strong mind...it’s a combination of everything. When you step on the mat, you need to be there 100% to win the tournament.

It takes a lot of mental preparation and visualization.

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Visualize receiving the gold medal, standing on the podium, being congratulated by family and friends. You have to see it happening. Then physically, it’s the lifestyle that can make you a great competitor. You have to work well, train well, eat well, and have a healthy mind. Romulo Barral is a true inspiration for all of us. I’ve spent a lot of time with him.

He’s a harder worker than anyone I’ve ever seen, physically, technically…your mind also has to be there. If you’re not feeling confident, it can really hurt you.

You have to be complete. You have to think you can, that it is your day, then it will be.

I KNOW YOU TAKE LOSSES HARD. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’VE DONE EVERYTHING YOU COULD DO TO WIN, AND YOU LOSE? I think that maybe I just didn’t do enough and that he must have done more than me, so he deserves to win. I run a school, I’m in a relationship…I look at Rodolfo. He is at his prime. I can’t speak for him, but it seems like he has nothing distracting him, so I think, “Did I do enough? Could I have done more? What happened? Why did I lose?” The first hour… that first day…is devastating, but when I’m back teaching, I think, “I’m happy to compete.”

I’m happy to be healthy and I consider what I need to do to get better. I lost in the 2010 No Gi Worlds to (Rafael) Lovato and in 2011 I lost to Lucas Leite, both to referee decisions, and it was hard for me. I felt like I trained hard the whole year. They were even matches, and then the ref gives it to someone – whoever pushes more. Sometimes you do everything you can, but it’s not enough, and you just have to go back and figure out what more you can do. You can’t let it bring you down or disturb your confidence. I’m always confident. I always believe I can

pull it out. It’s hard to be 100% all the time, so you enjoy it as much as you can, and don’t be hard on yourself. Next year it’s going to start all over again.

DO YOU THINK IT’S “GOOD” TO LOSE FROM TIME TO TIME? In jiu-jitsu you compete a lot more. At a tournament you have to fight four or five times in the same day. If you lose in MMA once, you’re out. It’s rougher that way. You cannot base a champion on one tournament. You have to look over the years and see how it comes out. At some point, you end up losing, but you have to lose to learn how to win. Take the loss and deal with it, so you can remember you don’t want to do it again. And eventually, someone will end up taking your place.

Things in life get in the way, you can get distracted, and it can cost you a lot. Part of life is dealing with loss. It’s good for your development to lose.

IS THERE ANY LOSS THAT WEARS ON YOU? No, because there’s so many! At the Pan 2008, I got Lovato in a triangle. He got out, caught me in a kimura, and then I got out. Then later, he got my back and won. I lost my world title.

You never forget these things.

I lost focus in the match. We had restarted and I was tired. I got distracted and he swept me.

It happens a lot. You learn a lot from that; little details. You think it will never happen again, but it does. I’ve learned so much from that. It was one of the best fights of the year. There were lots of sub attempts going back and forth.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MATCH? It was at the 2009 No Gi Worlds. I faced Marcelo Louzado in the heavy weight final. He is a tough guy. I ended up sweeping him. It was tough to pass his guard, and I got a sweep in the end.

It was my third title and it was really memorable. I won the absolute that day, too. I pushed the pace the whole match. It was an aggressive match. I was chasing him (Antonio Braga Neto). I never stopped fighting.

I wanted to finish him. I kept pushing forward and pursuing him. Win or lose, I had made a decision to take a risk and fight til the end. And I won. He was winning 4-2, and in the last couple seconds, I caught him in a triangle to win.

WHAT JIU-JITSU TECHNIQUE WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE MOST KNOWN FOR? Flying triangles. People always want to see how I do the set up.

I go really high; I can go over his head and get the triangle.

I’ve been doing it since my purple belt. I haven’t really won major competitions with it because people know I do it from the single leg, but I used to win the smaller tournaments with it. It got on Youtube, and everyone saw how I used it from the single leg. People know my technique now. I use the same principles from the ground, and did win the No Gi Worlds in 2009 with the triangle.

Living the life.

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STRENGTH&CONDITION

DEADLIFT Ultimate Functional Lift for BJJ?

words: BILL THOMAS

& AARON BLAKE

W

HEN YOU’RE FIGHTING A GUY WHO DEADLIFTS 400LBS AND HE DECIDES THAT HE’S GOING TO STAND UP IN YOUR GUARD, HOW GOOD IS YOUR CHANCE OF STOPPING HIM WITH THAT WEAK ASS LAPEL GRIP YOU’RE CLINGING TO? That’s right, not very good at all, but don’t worry grappler, keep reading and we’re going fix that problem for you.

In a previous article we talked about how the barbell back squat is the king of exercises when it comes to adding size and strength. That’s still true, but for grapplers, the deadlift reigns for creating functional power. From breaking grips, to controlling posture, to applying pressure, mastering the deadlift will be a game changer for you. You already know how important strong, mobile hips are for BJJ. Deadlifts work the hips like no other exercise, and some variations help improve mobility, add strength, and train explosive movement. Now, before you get yourself all twisted up listening

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to the howls of despair and warning chants rising up from the kettlebell and body weight only crowd, let’s set the record straight. Deadlifts are hard.

They will put a beating on your system (muscle, skeletal, and nervous system) and you shouldn’t be going for max lifts every week. William Wayland is on the mark when he cautions that after about 2x bodyweight, adding more weight probably isn’t worth the wear and tear unless you are a competitive power lifter. But the fact that it is hard is the reason for the excellent results. Your body adapts very quickly to the huge demand a heavy deadlift puts on it.

The anatomy of a deadlift, literally.

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Let’s also deal with one of the favorite excuses a lot of guys use to avoid heavy lifts; the infamous bad back. Now, if you have a jacked up back because you’ve been going all new school inversion and getting stacked by 300lb gorillas, you might have a valid reason to avoid the squat, but we’ll show you several deadlift variations that you can do and still get amazing results.

And they will actually help to strengthen your back so you can keep hitting that berimbolo well into your early thirties.

the legs, hamstrings, lower back, shoulders, and down your arms to the tips of your fingers.

Having a strong deadlift isn’t only about sports performance; it will also improve your every day health and mobility for years to come. So, let’s get started.

We humans have been deadlifting since we climbed down from the trees and started walking around on our hind legs.

There is nothing quite as primal and raw as reaching down, grabbing a heavy object, and lifting it off the ground. It takes strength, balance, and technique with a coordinated series of movements from the soles of your feet, up through

DEADLIFT VARIATIONS TRADITIONAL POWERLIFTER’S DEADLIFT

This is the most common variation of the deadlift and the one you are probably already familiar with. Starting position is feet slightly wider than shoulder width, shins just touching the bar, arms just outside the legs, with a mixed grip (one palm facing up, one facing down) on the bar, and back flat.

your heels through the floor and pull up and slightly back on the bar. Your back should stay locked, not rounded, and as the weight comes up, drive your hips forward.

Lock out at the top and reverse down. Let the weight stop completely on the ground before beginning your next rep, don’t ‘bounce’ the weight off the floor. This is the basic foundation for deadlifts.

Make sure to take the slack out of your arms before starting the lift, then drive

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Don’t pop anything, do it right.

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STRENGTH&CONDITION

SNATCH GRIP DEADLIFT

This variation stresses the lower back much less than the traditional power lifting deadlift.

Because of the extremely wide grip angle, you start with your hips much closer to the ground, which forces you to engage more with your quads and glutes and less with your back.

Starting position is feet slightly wider than shoulder width, arms as wide as you can comfortably reach, with a palm down grip on both hands, hips very low, and back flat.

SNATCH GRIP

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STANDARD

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For extra work, perform this lift while standing on a small platform or plate. This will force you through an even greater range of motion and increase the difficulty of the lift while using the same weight.

SUMO DEADLIFT

Like the Snatch Grip Deadlift, this variation puts your hips very low to the ground, and therefore, takes stress off your lower back. It puts more emphasis on the glutes and less on the quads than the Snatch Grip.

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Starting position is feet very wide with toes pointed out about 45 degrees, shins at the bar, arms are just about straight down from the shoulders and inside the legs. Grasp the bar with a mixed grip (one palm down, one palm up), and keeping the back locked, use

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the same technique as the other lifts. Take the slack out of your arms, back flat, and drive your heels through the floor as you bring the weight off the ground.

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Yeah, that’s how Sumo’s do it.

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STRENGTH&CONDITION

ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

If you need to strengthen your lower back, the Romanian Deadlift is your ticket. The key to this exercise is the fact that the lift starts at the top and has a strong eccentric phase, as opposed to the traditional deadlift, which is mostly concentric work. You need to really focus on your technique, especially with the lower back.

Starting position is with the bar racked slightly higher than the knees. Take the bar out of the rack with feet slightly wider than hip width. Arms are out slightly wider than shoulder width with a double overhand grip. The critical step is keeping your lower back absolutely

stable during the lift. With the bar at your hips, your legs straight (but not locked at the knee), start to lower the weight slowly. As you lower the weight, you’ll need to push the bar back slightly and push your hips back to keep the bar in contact with your legs. Continue to lower the bar to the depth where you feel your back has reached the limit of range of motion and reverse to come back up.

TRAP BAR DEADLIFT

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This lift variation can be very beneficial, but it’s also very technical. To avoid doing it incorrectly, check out this instructional from Mark Rippetoe - BIT.LY/JJM-RDL

What if there was a deadlift variation that gave you the benefits of the deadlift, combined with the squat, allowed you to lift more weight, was easier to perform correctly, and was safer than either of them for the lower back? There is, and it’s called the Trap Bar Deadlift.

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It looks funky, but this specialized piece of equipment moves the load of the lift directly in line with the hips and spine, significantly reducing sheer forces on the spine. It’s the ultimate variation for those with bad backs who want to lift heavy and gain power.

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To a great extent, the equipment dictates the form with this variation. Step inside the bar with your feet slightly wider than hip width, squat down, and take a palmin grip on the bar, and drive your heels through the floor. That’s it!

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We’ve been to Romaina, and that is how they do it.

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WIN AN

JEFFERSON LIFT

Let’s have a little fun with our final variation, the Jefferson Lift.

Yes, you’re going to look silly! Yes, some knucklehead will probably shoot a video of you and post it to Awkward Gym Moments on facebook, where a bunch of ignorant bros will hoot and holler with laughter. But you won’t care; you’ll be too busy enjoying your amazingly strong back and abs during BJJ, while those guys are all on set 25 of bicep curls.

APPLE IPAD MINI!

Starting position is straddling the bar, one leg in front and one behind, with your feet at a comfortable width. Now, reach down with one hand in front of you and one behind, in a mixed grip. Lift the bar and lock out.

Make sure to do this exercise to both sides and it might take a little while for you to find your ideal foot and hand placement.

TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTES TO COMPLETE OUR READER SURVEY AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED TO WIN.*

Expect crazy core strength gains and puzzled looks.

JIUJITSUMAG.COM/SURVEY *Rules and conditions available at the web address above. Not affiliated with Apple Inc. Not too fast on that one.

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MINDGAMES::::::::::::::::

10 KEYS TO GAINING

A MENTAL EDGE words: JOHN ACCARDI

S

UCCESS IN YOUR NEXT JIU-JITSU COMPETITION WILL DEPEND AS MUCH ON YOUR MENTAL PREPARATION AS IT WILL ON YOUR PHYSICAL TRAINING. Check out these tips for a better mental game and gain that extra edge over your next opponent!

1.

CUT OUT DISTRACTIONS

Spending time in the gym and on the mat will not only help your strength and technique, but it will give you a huge confidence boost. To make sure you have plenty of time for proper training, try cutting out distractions in your life.

This isn’t as difficult as it sounds. During the weeks prior to your next tournament or competition, eliminate activities like watching tv, repeatedly checking emails, surfing the web, etc. This is so important because it’s usually these activities that occupy a large portion of free time and not the more important ones like picking up your kids from school.

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2.

START A DAILY MEDITATION

Meditation has so many benefits and can significantly help you execute moves the next time you’re rolling on the mat. It will allow you to be calm in a stressful situation (like when your stuck in a choke),

think more clearly, and make better decisions. It’s very easy to practice and you will start to see results quickly. Each day, find a quiet place where you will not be distracted for at least 10 minutes. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your legs crossed. Rest your hands on your lap. Close your eyes and

begin to focus on your breath.

Focus intensely on how the air feels as it enters and exits your lungs. Your mind will certainly drift away from your breathing, so when it does, simply refocus it on the breath. Continue this practice for about 10 minutes, then slowly open your eyes and resume your day.

It’s relaxing until the tide rises.

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3.

KEEP A STRICT ROUTINE

Between work, family, friends, and life in general training can end up taking a back seat. Set aside time for different activities and stick to it.

This might be the most important key to gaining a mental edge because maintaining a strict routine will allow you to effectively implement the other points in this article. For example, if you decide that you want to incorporate a daily meditation into your training regimen, you need to schedule a “meditation time” each day. It should be at the same time every day so you remember and feel obligated to do it. Planning how you want to manage your time during training, and sticking to it, will produce huge results!

4.

PERFORM VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES Visualization techniques are great for gaining confidence during competition.

Many professional athletes work with sports psychologists to master this. Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps are two great examples of athletes who have used visualization to improve upon their craft. To begin, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and think about the details of the competition you are training for. It’s important to capture every detail in your mind, from the sights, sounds, and smells, to the feel of the gi on your skin. Then visualize your opponent and the match itself. Lastly, imagine yourself winning by locking in a perfect submission. Not only will this build your confidence, but visualizing a specific move will activate and strengthen the neural circuits that are responsible for actually executing that move. So, you will physically improve your submissions using only your imagination!

5.

PREPARE FOR YOUR SPECIFIC OPPONENT

Professional jiu-jitsu practitioners and

When it hits 8 things get interesting.

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MMA fighters are great at using this technique to their advantage and you should use it, too. If you know who your opponent will be, it will help your confidence to learn about their style and train specifically for it. Watching their previous matches, talking to their other opponents, or speaking to coaches and training partners who know them is a great way to get a feel for their style. To tailor your training, find your own training partners that mimic your future opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, if your opponent is Ronda Rousey you might want to work with someone who has a killer arm bar and learn how to defend it in various situations. With such custom training, you’ll know what to expect on competition day and mentally, that can make all the difference.

more attention. Instead, you need to counter negative thoughts with true, positive thoughts. For example, if you are thinking, “My opponent is too good and I’m going to choke, I know it,” you would counter it with something like, “I’m okay, I am experienced, and have done well against many skilled opponents.” Write a few good counter thoughts down for each negative thought and repeat them in your head whenever you notice that you’re experiencing these negative thoughts.

6.

USE COGNITIVE TRAINING

Before a competition, it is normal to have some negative thoughts. The pressure to perform and succeed breeds thoughts of anxiety, which can sabotage your game.

Telling yourself to stop thinking negative thoughts is useless because by trying to resist them you’re actually giving them

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MINDGAMES:::::::::::::::

7.

PRACTICE BREATHING TECHNIQUES Deep breathing is great for stress reduction, which will generally make you feel calmer as you train and approach the day of the match.

It can be performed anywhere at any time. It is important that you breathe from the abdomen and not the chest, as this will promote deep, belly breathing. To master this technique, place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your chest. Take a deep breath and, if performed properly, the hand on your belly should rise, while the hand on your chest should remain still. Take as many breaths as you want while trying to relax your muscles, and count in your head how many breaths you have taken.

8.

TRAIN AGAINST BETTER COMPETITION This is like the concept of wearing ankle weights.

Train with the added difficulty and the actual competition will be easy in comparison.

This obviously provides a massive confidence boost.

Pick the best guys at your gym to train with or start training at a gym with better competition.

The best athletes constantly push themselves against the highest level of talent and it is absolutely necessary if you want to be at the top of your game.

both physically and mentally.

With a better diet, the direct benefits on the brain and the added energy in the gym will completely transform your mental game.

9. EAT HEALTHY

10. SLEEP WELL

I’m sure you know the saying “You are what you eat,” and it is certainly true that what you eat directly affects the physical composition of the brain. If you eat fast food and sugary sweets all day, you’re going to feel like crap

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sleep is to wake up early and go to bed early everyday. The body’s hormones cycle on the circadian rhythm, which is dictated by sunlight.

Waking with the sunrise and going to bed soon after sunset is what the human body evolved for and it’s healthiest to roughly follow that rule.

AUTHOR BIO

JOHN ACCARDI John received a bachelors degree in psychology from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He then worked in a neuroscience lab for 2 years at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and is currently enrolled in the neuroscience PhD program at Georgetown University in Washington DC

Great sleep goes hand-in-hand with a healthy diet. Both will give you the physical energy to train and a properly functioning brain for mental wellbeing. Eight hours of sleep is optimal and there is a very long list of benefits that comes along with it. One of the best ways to get better

You’re getting tired.

8/7/13 10:29 PM

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SPECIALFEATURE:::::::::::

I L L A C N O D LON n o d n o L o t e JJM Guid G

words: SEYMOUR YAN

L

ONDON…ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS CITIES. Here, the bright lights and steel and glass side architecture lie side by nt cie with crumbling an buildings, posh royal palaces, pubs that ser ve nding warm beer, soldiers sta ts, ha ny fun guard wearing n’t do and police who still city carry guns. It’s also a ed rather enviably cramm zilian Bra in with places to tra our ym Jiu-Jitsu. BJJ writer Se istle Yang takes us on a wh ere stop tour of the city wh su -Jit Jiu the he was born in n. do Lon Magazine guide to

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You’re dying for some bangers and mash aren’t you?

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LLING

ORIENTATION

sights, of London from the famous Most tourists only know river the , don Lon of er , the Tow such as Buckingham Palace all , etc. The truth is, these are Thames, Trafalgar Square referred y ghl rou city the are miles of situated within a few squ be ily eas can ts sigh st of these to as Central London. Mo hs, include all the outer boroug you If . day one visited within ble huge. Most parts are reacha then the real ‘London’ is rt spo tran lic pub bus ground or using the London Under Mill n, trai I ere wh ce pla (like the system, though some areas twork. of the Overland Train Ne Hill BJJ) require the use feeling are you If . don Central Lon This article will focus on e of som ing lor exp nd recomme adventurous however, I do p. ma the on - as shown these outlying academies travellers to crash out on a spare sofa in someone’s one at house (couchsurfing.org).

Most visitors arrive s ort airp There are also cheaper of three London t, wes hotels, such as YHA and - Heathrow to the but or th Bed and Breakfast hotels Gatwick to the sou ays booking in advance is alw Docklands in the east. You s. in wise during busy month could hire a car and drive are bew Finally, speak to the gym to the city, though g rgin cha instructor, who usually has of the congestion s good local knowledge and fee during peak time, plu g. kin par ive may recommend places or the rather expens lic even let you crash out on The aforementioned pub not t, vas is the mats if you are really transport system ly fair desperate. too expensive, and ’ cab ck ‘bla reliable. Official taxis are expensive, but the ir drivers really do know the many big cities, A Like m fro you stuff and can get London has no shortage to B easily. of fine dining experiences - whatever the budget or culinary taste. If you are after something If you are in London to n authentically ‘London,’ the train for a long period of in e Lan ck Bri I recommend time, it makes sense to r nea s ion the east for Indian food and dat mo om acc find Chinatown in the center to the school. Extended a ce for dim sum. If you find commuting from residen ale l rea ers off t ng good pub tha to academy can get gruelli I n the d, foo et and gourm after a while. If you are on e gat esti inv recommend that, too. , get bud t a tigh schemes that welcome

Transport

Food and money

Accommodation

Don’t leave a double decker while you’re there.

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SPECIALFEATURE::::::::::

BJJ ACADEMIES

It is always a good idea to arrange your training with your chosen gym before arriving. Get something in writing. Drop in fees and policies for visitors vary greatly from academy to academy. It is usually possible to pay per training session, or book a few sessions at a time. Observe the usual rules of visitor etiquette, but generally, academies in London welcome visitors and offer a friendly training environment for all.

World Champion Roger Gracie Most newcomers to the city will gravitate towards the headquarters of multiple times World Champion Roger Gracie.

His base (RGA) was originally in Ladbroke Grove, west London, but has just literally been relocated to Latimer Road. The new location is easily accessible by bus or a few minutes walk from the Underground. Classes can get very busy and are structured roughly according to beginners, intermediates, and advanced so it

is important to arrange your visit in advance. The RGA network extends to several locations in London and nearly all are taught by black belt instructors. Roger himself teaches less frequently, but chances are you will see him if he is not overseas. Nearby the RGA main academy, there are plenty of sights to see, from the cool bars and eateries of Notting Hill Gate, shopping at the Westfield Centre or the oddities being sold on the Portobello Road market.

Carlson Gracie London Headquarters

The busy and popular zone around Hammersmith in west London is the home to the Carlson Gracie London headquarters. This is another very large (over 6,000 square feet) and busy academy with excellent facilities.

Classes are taught by five highly accomplished black belts, and in addition to BJJ, the packed timetable adds in judo, wrestling, Thai boxing and many other classes. Carlson Gracie Team is well known on the UK scene for sending out a large and successful competition team to tournaments, so expect to receive a good, hard training session when you visit. They also have affiliated clubs in the areas surrounding outer London.

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Bummer that the UFC didn’t renew Roger, we’re sure he’ll sign an MMA contract soon.

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The Budokwai

LONDON CALLING JJM Guide to London

The British have long held a fascination with martial arts. In 1918, the now world famous Budokwai was founded and is now located in south Kensington where judo is still taught.

BJJ is also taught here by a Roger Gracie instructor. The Budokwai was one of the first places to host a regular BJJ session in the late 1990’s.

Those sessions were taught by black belt Chen Morales and later by Mestre Maurição Motta Gomes.

But we wouldn’t mind seeing him do some BJJ until then.

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Gracie Barra

Around the world, it is probably true to say that you are never too far from a Gracie Barra school, such is their extensive reach. The same is true in London with academies in the east (London Bridge) and west (Knightsbridge).

Of particular note is the Knightsbridge branch. Not only is it a stone’s throw from the world famous Harrod’s department store, it is also the headquarters of World Champion black belt Lucio ‘Lagarto’ Rodrigues. Gracie Barra is very big here in the UK due to the presence of not only Lagarto, but also Braulio and Victor Estima, all of whom are highly accomplished grapplers.

Braulio can often be seen training with Roger at RGA, the two being very close friends.

BJJ School

The aptly named BJJ School is another very large and popular academy headed by third degree black belt Felipe Souza (under sixth degree master José Leão Teixeira). Felipe is noted for running a very successful juniors BJJ training program. The main academy in Battersea (south central London) and the branch in Willesden (north London) together teach over 150 kids. BJJ School also has branches in Crystal Palace in the south and Swiss Cottage in the north.

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Most of the Brits we know are reserved off the mats, but put them in a gi and it’s a whole different story.

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London Fight Factory

G N I L L A C N O D N O L JJM Guide to London

London Fight Factory is based in the thriving hub of Old Street in east London. The close proximity to the financial city center means it attracts a lot of students who work there. The sumptuous training area, complete with charcoal grey mats and walls, is home to a large team and several black belt instructors. More notable, the academy hosts regular seminars with BJJ stars, such as Marcus Buchecha Almeida, Michelle Nicolini, Lucas Leite, Rodrigo Cavaca, and many others.

Have you booked your ticket yet?

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SPECIALFEATURE::::::::::

42.

21.

37.

34.

32.

31.

5.

6.

20.

35.

29.

8.

10.

16.

17.

24. 7.

2.

36.

14.

40.

3.

19.

1

23.

33. 28.22.

38.

15.

18.

41.

13.

11.

25.

39.

4.

12.

9.

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Yes, London is calling you.

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3

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU CLASSES IN LONDON ACADEMIES 1

30.

26.

27.

1.

Arlans Siqueira Barkingside

24. Legends Jiu Jitsu Team Earl’s Court

2.

Bujinkan Yeo dojo Fulham

25. Leo Negao, Vauxhall

3.

BJJ School - Battersea

26. Lions Den Gym - Chadwell Heath

4.

BJJ School - Crystal Palace

27. Lions Den Gym - Romford

5.

BJJ School - Swiss Cottage

6.

BJJ School - Willesden

28. London Fight Factory - Old Street

7.

Budokwai - South Kensington

8.

Carlson Gracie Hammersmith

9.

Carlson Gracie Surrey Croydon

10. Chiswick BJJ 11. Claudio Silva - Docklands 12. Croydon BJJ 13. Diesel Gym 14. EKBJJ - Walthamstow 15. Fightzone London Bethnal Green

31. MMA Clinic - Angel Islington 32. NineNine BJJ - Holloway road 33. Nova Geracao - SOAS University, Russell Square 34. Premier MMA - Harrow 35. Roger Gracie Academy Ladbroke Grove/Latimer Road 36. Roger Gracie Academy Putney

17. Gracie Barra Knightsbridge

37. Roger Gracie Mill Hill Mill Hill

18. Gracie Barra - London Bridge,

38. Roger Gracie Vie Academy - Clerkenwell Rd

19. Gracie Garcia - Camden

39. Roger Gracie Wimbledon

20. Hillingdon BJJ - Hillingdon

40. Stars Gym - Battersea

21. Icon BJJ - Harrow

41. Submission Fighters BJJ Stratford

23. Legacy BJJ - King’s Cross

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30. Marc Walder BJJ - Ilford

16. GF Team - Richmond

22. KO Gym Bethnal Green

Be sure to visit Meerkatsu while you’re there. Choke him out for us ;)

29. London Shootfighters Park royal

42. Titan Fighter - Edmonton

Outside of the major academies and teams in central London are numerous places to train. Some are dedicated grapplingonly academies, others are classes that are part of a MMA or other martial arts school, and some are affiliated to bigger schools, while others are independent.

London is a huge city with a rich and diverse population of people. It is not unusual to find in any of the academies here, people from all over the world. The city is also a fantastic draw for visiting BJJ stars who pass through or come here specifically to conduct seminars.

With so many highly qualified black belt instructors here in London, the travelling student is definitely spoiled for choice and will be guaranteed a good training session, whichever academy they attend.

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LOS ANGELES

INTERNATIONAL JIU-JITSU OPEN words: JJM STAFF

| photos: KENNY JEWEL

C

AL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS ONCE AGAIN OPENED ITS DOORS TO THE 2013 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL JIU-JITSU OPEN THIS PAST JUNE 22ND & 23RD. This date marked an incredible milestone for the NABJJF; they reached over 1500 competitors in the GI and NoGi divisions, making the NABJJF tournaments the second largest organization hosting tournaments in California and around the country.

The tournament was by far the most organized and well-run event that the NABJJF has planned.

Competitors all over the US and internationally came to Los Angeles to battle. There were also many familiar faces in the crowd like Babalu, Giva Santana, Aloisio Silva, Guilherme Mendes, Rafael Mendes, Carla Esparza, Romulo Barral, Andre Galvao and many more showing their support for the sport and their teams.

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Circus act or jiu-jitsu?

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The competition on the mat was extremely alluring with some of the best Jiu-Jitsu skills being exhibited by young competitors and by their Coaches and Professors as they took their places on the mat.

The love and passion for the sport was alive and felt over the weekend. Those defeated left the mat in high spirits and willing to figure out what they could do to improve. The air was ecstatic as the winners of each division walked with pride and modesty to take their place on the podium.

This year’s LA Open all around competition was impressive.

Once again, A-Team dominated the scoreboard taking First Place for the kids Gi and NoGi team performance, as Camarillo Jiu Jitsu, Aloisio Silva BJJ, AOJ Mendes Bros., and Fight Academy Pasadena all were consistently battling to make it in the top 3 placements. The Adult Team performances were neck and neck the entire day in the Gi and NoGi divisions with Camarillo Jiu Jitsu, Lotus Club, Elite Training Center, and Fight Academy Pasadena battling for their top spots. It

was John Munoz’s resilient C-Quence Jiu Jitsu team that managed to secure the First Place in the Adult Gi, as Aloisio Silva BJJ took First in the Adult NoGi. See below for Team Performance placements and visit www.NABJJF.com for full Individual results.

Black Belts Alberto Crane, Walter Vital, Joe Camacho, Tim Peterson, Kahlil Moreland, Alfredo Prado, and many more commanded the attention of everyone in the venue. The representation of Brown and Black belts has

been significantly increasing and the NABJJF expects that the high belt level of competition to reach a milestone for the upcoming SJJIF World’s Tournament at the end of this year.

For more information on upcoming tournaments from the NABJJF and SJJIF go to www.NABJJF.com. Make sure to save your spot for the SJJIF World’s Tournament this December 14th and 15th at The Long Beach Pyramid over 2,000 competitors expected.

KIDS GI TEAM

1st A-Team Jiu Jitsu 2nd Camarillo Jiu Jitsu 3rd Art of Jiu Jitsu Mendes Bros

KIDS NOGI TEAM

1st A-Team Jiu Jitsu 2nd Aloisio Silva BJJ 3rd Fight Academy Pasadena

ADULTS GI TEAM

1st C-Quence Jiu Jitsu 2nd Camarillo Jiu Jitsu 3rd Lotus Club Jiu Jitsu 4th Gracie Barra Arcadia 5th Aloisio Silva BJJ

ADULTS NOGI TEAM

1st Aloisio Silva BJJ 2nd Fight Academy Pasadena 3rd Elite Training Center 4th Gracie Barra Northridge 5th Gracie Barra LA

Huge turnout!

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SHOULDER SEPARATIONS ACROMIOCLAVICULAR (AC) JOINT SEPARATIONS words: DR. ETHAN M. KREISWIRTH,

PHD, ATC (MEDICAL DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL/UNITED STATES BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU FEDERATION) | photos: MIKE VELEZ

Y

OU’VE BEEN TRAINING HARD WITH NOTHING, BUT THIS MATCH ON YOUR MIND. The referee throws his arm down, “Combate!” And the fight begins. You go in to get your grips, and in a split second you find yourself crashing to the mat, shoulder first, hurled up in pain. Oh, that other blue belt didn’t tell you he’s a judo black belt? Well, maybe this scenario doesn’t ring true to everyone, but a looming shoulder situation can be in the cards for any of us.

Shoulder separations can happen any time contact is involved.

Check out the injury report of any football team midway through the season and “AC Tear” is all too common for many players. In jiujitsu, it can come from a seemingly simple scramble, or an ill-defended takedown. In this article, we’re going to dig deep and share with you everything you need to know about those gentle shoulders of yours.

THE ANATOMY The Acromioclavicular (AC) joint is one of the four major joints of the shoulder complex. Located atop of the shoulder, it is one of the most palpable joints of the shoulder girdle and can easily become injured while playing most sports, especially Brazilian JiuJitsu, Judo, and Wrestling.

The AC joint anatomy is comprised of the clavicle (collar bone) and the acromion process that is located on the scapula. Although not a freely moveable joint compared to the other shoulder joints, the AC joint does have a small degree of freedom. Held together by fibrous ligamentous tissue called the AC ligament, the AC joint action is to stabilize the scapula and act as a pivot point for various joint motion.

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Acromioclaviular Ligament

Clavical (Collar Bone)

Acromion Corococlavicular Ligaments Coracoid Process

Scapula (Shoulder Blade)

“My name is AC, you know who I am...”

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INJURIES TO THE AC JOINT IN BJJ

The AC joint can become injured through multiple mechanisms.

One mechanism in particular to BJJ is a FOOSH (Fallen On an Out-Stretched Hand) injury or falling on the tip of your shoulder, called a “shoulder pointer.� Either from a Judo throw or landing on the tip of your shoulder from getting swept, both of these injuries can create an AC separation. This is not to be confused with the common shoulder dislocation of the glenohumural joint of the shoulder.

The AC joint injury is characterized by six grades of injury; Grades I-VI.

GRADES/TYPES OF AC JOINT INJURY

GRADE I: Localized pain to AC joint with slight separation of AC ligament.

GRADE II: Localized pain to AC joint with separation of AC ligament that may be visible.

There may also be some additional injury to the coricoclavicular (CC) ligament.

GRADES IV-VI: These grades are typically major displacements of the clavicle from the acromion with complications.

WHEN TO SEE THE DOC?

Injuries that occur to the AC joint can be very painful. Most pain occurs when the BJJ fighter extends the shoulder (moving the shoulder behind him), which stretches the AC ligament or adducts the shoulder (moves the arm across the face), which also stretches the AC ligament.

Although painful, Grades I and II can be treated with ice and anti-inflammatories for pain

Thanks to KC Thompson for that photo. Ouch!

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GRADE III: Localized pain to AC joint and surrounding shoulder along with a complete disruption of the AC and CC ligaments. A marked gross anatomical change is now visible, as the end of the clavicle will be elevated.

control. Typically, these lower level AC joint separations are manageable. The return to BJJ practice status may have to wait a bit, as these injuries can linger upwards of six to eight weeks, depending on the severity.

As the AC joint separation becomes more severe (grades III+), it is imperative that one sees an orthopedic physician

for proper diagnosis. If you see a gross anatomical change and deformity in your AC joint (compare your good shoulder to your bad shoulder in the mirror), it is time to see the orthopedist. Although many Grade III separations do not require surgery, there will be some long-term physical deformity to your shoulder, such as a bump. Grade III+

injuries are lengthy in their healing process. This injury can take upwards of 16-20 weeks to become somewhat normal again. If you want to train on that shoulder prior to its full healing process, the pain and discomfort could last longer.

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TREATMENT There is no rocket science to treating an AC separation that is minor; Grades I and II. It should be common sense that training or fighting with AC joint pain, no matter what grade, can further delay healing rates and return to sport.

Managing pain with copious amounts of ice at 15-minute intervals every other hour is sufficient for pain control for acute AC separations. Through the acute phase of the injury (1-7 days), only apply ice to control for swelling and pain.

Once the sub acute phase is enacted (7 days to 22 days), then contrasting ice and heat can be utilized. Strengthening exercises for scapular stability

that do not involve a lot of AC joint stretching can be utilized at the second to third week of injury. Scapular stability training is essential to the entire shoulder complex for normal joint osteokinamatics.

Treatment of Grade III and beyond can become complicated and may require an initial phase of immobilization with a shoulder sling after injury.

Although the sling may be necessary in the early phases of injury, it is imperative that the sling be removed daily for other joints, such as the wrist, elbow, and glenohumural joint of the shoulder to get daily motion. It is more than likely that the Grade III patient will see a physician

at this time, so referral to a Certified Athletic Trainer and/or Physical Therapist is critical for implementation of a rehabilitative home exercise program.

As the injury begins to heal, and normal range of motion is restored, training with a good rolling partner who understands your temporary physical limitations, is possible.

This would be a good time to train with one hand in the belt, as well. One hand in the belt training will immobilize your shoulder, in addition to helping develop your guard with the loss of one hand. As you train, be careful to not land directly on the AC joint and always ice after training to decrease the chance of further swelling.

PREHAB/REHAB EXERCISES BANDED EXTENSIONS

Make sure athlete’s scapula is in a downward packed position and trapezius is not contracted.

01

02

03

04

With T Band stabilized to floor, have athlete tuck chin to sternum repetitively 8-12 times.

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With no trapezius contraction, have athlete force T band to floor with strong wrists and hold.

SHave athlete place T Band in cross position as the chin tuck repetitively 8-12 times.

05

Have athlete place T Band in cross position as the chin tuck repetitively 8-12 times.

KEY POINT: Do not shrug shoulders and keep arms on floor.

Dr. Asian Richard Gere

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TALL KNEELING WITH BAND

01

Athlete is on both knees and toes in ground, staying tall.

Athlete holds T Band at side and presses it to floor.

02

Athlete holds T Band stationary as ATC provides random movements with band.

03

Athlete to hold position for 30 seconds for 5 sets, switching hands, each time.

KEY POINT: Keep neck loose.

KETTLE BELL PRESS

01

Have athlete rotate knees from side to side with feet on floor as kettle bell is being stabilized. (2 sets each side 6 reps)

02 03

Advanced: Have athlete rotate knees from side to side as kettle bell is being stabilized. (2 sets each side 5 reps)

Advanced: Have athlete rotate straight legs from side to side as kettle bell is being stabilized. (2 sets each side 3 reps)

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KEY POINT: Do no shrug shoulders. Keep neck loose.

Mike and Ethan both recently suffered separations after the creation of this article. Bad omen.

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TALL KNEELING ARMS WIDE Athlete to hold position for 30 seconds for 5 sets, switching hands, each time.

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01

Have athlete tall kneel and stay erect as they resist band movement by ATC.

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KEY POINT: Stay tall.

Keep loos e neck, Do not shrug shoulders.

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4

WHERE’S THE ATC?

When an ATC is not available, most exercises with T band can be done with T Band around a fix poll.

02

As athlete is half kneeling they are erect as they resist band movement

by ATC.

It’s more fun when you have a doctor handy.

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Split stance, Have athlete tall kneel and stay erect as they resist band movement by ATC.

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JJMSUCCESS:::::::::::::::::

TIMOTHY HARRELL

BEFORE

words: STAFF

W

AFTER

ITH A LITTLE LESS THAN A YEAR UNDER HIS WHITE BELT, TIMOTHY HARRELL HAS MANAGED TO CHANGE HIS LIFE FOR THE BETTER THANKS TO JIU-JITSU. Since September of last year, Timothy has managed to lose 58lbs to get down to a slim 150, thanks to jiu-jitsu.

Here’s a good look at Timothy’s story of Success.

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER JIU-JITSU? I first saw Royce Gracie doing UFC as a kid, and like most guys who saw that, I started rolling around in my backyard with friends. Coming up, everyone understood what a guard was and a mount, but I wanted to understand the in’s and outs of jiu-jitsu. I wanted to be able to play the ground game, more than just wrap my arm around someone’s neck and squeeze until they gave up. So, when I turned 30, I finally said I was going to do it, and start learning real jiu-jitsu, and stop being an “arm chair” grappler.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO TRAIN? My training motivation comes from the challenge. No matter how much you drill the techniques, once you get into a roll, there’s always a “catch 22.”

No two situations are ever the same, and no matter how sure you are about the outcome, something else can happen.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAIN? Mentally, all the time! Jiu-jitsu is addictive! I watch Youtube, read books and magazines, and look up people on the Internet all day long. I try to get in the school at least 2 or 3 times a week. I make the most of my trips. I’ll come in an hour

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or so early and roll around, nogi with the guys and warm up, and practice techniques. Then I’ll put the gi on and train.

After class, I am usually sticking around asking if anyone wants to roll anymore. I’m that guy who gets in early and stays late!

WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO FOR PHYSICAL FITNESS? I run a lot now. Once I started training, I realized jiu-jitsu is so challenging. I didn’t think that it would be until I actually did it. I run 5 miles, at least, once a week now. I try to keep my body used to moving for a long time with long slow runs, I’ve noticed that it helps me not run out of gas while rolling. I also do kettle bell workouts now to strengthen my arms and grips.

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR DIET AND HOW? It’s funny, because the more I trained, the more my diet changed. I used to drink soda like water. I would go through a 2-liter bottle every day. I couldn’t stand drinking plain water. And then I put on a gi!

My first class I was dripping in sweat half way through because I was not used to wearing a heavy uniform like the jiu-jitsu gi, and working out. I knew I was going to have to start hydrating more during the day, before class. I rarely drink anything else other than water

SUCCESS SPECS

AGE: 31 HEIGHT: 5’7” STARTING WEIGHT: 208 lbs (September 2012) CURRENT WEIGHT: 150 lbs BELT RANK: White Belt HOME TOWN: Clayton, NC HOME SCHOOL: Raleigh Institute of Martial Arts (RIMA) INSTRUCTOR: John Taube

now. My body weight was dropping in a healthy way and I wanted to keep up the good work, so I kicked junk food all together. Now I eat and drink healthy and feel great!

WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE SO FAR? My biggest challenge is not talking about jiu-jitsu 24/7!

Sometimes I forget that my family and friends, outside the school, aren’t as interested as I am in the sport. My wife complains that every conversation turns into a jiujitsu conversation. What can I say? It’s addictive!

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THE LIFE CHANGE? I feel and look so much better now. People will come up to me and ask what my secret is, how did I do it? It amazes people when they see me now.

I’m so proud of myself and my training! I wish I started jiujitsu years ago instead of just

AFTER watching it on TV and playing around with other couch potatoes!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE LOOKING TO MAKE THE SAME TYPE OF CHANGE? Don’t rush it! Eat healthy, live healthy, and train often! Stay focused and hang in there.

Just imagine how cut up he’ll be by the time he gets his blue belt.

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