GET EXPLOSIVE POWER FROM PASTA!
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NUTRITION, CONDITION, TECHNIQUE, SUBMIT
HE’S BACK! Roger Gracie Returns To Jiu-Jitsu
Kneed To Know When is a knee injury serious?
ATTACKS FROM SIDE CONTROL
Are You Breathing?
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TIPS ON BEING A GREAT COACH
Diaphragmatic Breathing Explained
Get A Grip!
LIONS BEWARE! KILLER TECHNIQUES WITH GARRY TONON
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Building Vice-Like Grip Strength October/November 2014 Issue 27
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ON THE COVER: Roger Gracie returns to his roots to show us some great fundamental techniques. Photo: Jason Boulanger
CONTENTS October-November 2014 // Issue 27 38 Who Is?
Life 8 Editorial Need jiu-jitsu to get away from jiu-jitsu
10 News New stuff, gossip, old stuff and some strange stuff.
20 Promotions Belts and Stripes
34 The Life
Raul Montolfo - making a career out of jiu-jitsu.
40 Spotlight Jackson Sousa Persistence pays.
71 Gear Lab • Ultimate Nutrition CarneBOLIC • Maeda Conde Koma Gi • Tape Armor • 93 Brand Citizen Fight Shorts
Skills 46 Cover Feature Roger Gracie: Back in the Gi
78 No-Gi Submission Spree With Garry Tonon
90 Side Control Sequences With Mike Diaz
Kid Peligro’s take
36 Quick Tips Quick and simple tips anyone can use.
MEET THE STAFF
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Mackenzie ARRINGTON
Matthew CORLEY
MacKenzie Arrington is an award winning chef out of Boothbay, Maine. He is the author of GrapplerGourmet.com, a comprehensive guide to cooking for the BJJ lifestyle. On the mats he is a blue belt out of PSABJJ in Brooklyn, NY, and a personal chef off the mats. Follow MacKenzie at facebook.com/grapplergourmet.
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 his articles and reviews is at facebook.com/ MappingMyBjjJourney
Corey BEASLEY Corey has been a strength coach for 16 years and works with a variety of combat athletes in Southern California. He owns Innovative Results gym in Costa Mesa, CA and founded a site called FightCampConditioning. com, that provides strength and conditioning advice for MMA fighters, jiu-jitsu players and other combat athletes.
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Who votes for sidebars on every page?
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94
Mind
Body
104 Mind Games
94 Gains
10 Tips to be a better coach
Building vice like grip strength
114 Success
100 How-To
All kinds of new possibilities
Just Breathe Diaphragmatic Breathing
Fuel
100
40
108 Medic Recognizing knee injuries
24 Grub
90
Pasta!
30 Supplements You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers.
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DR. John PARK
Travis GUESNON
Dr. Park is a chiropractic physician with physical therapy privileges practicing in Rockville, MD. He is a purple belt under Noel Danforth of Foundry Jiu Jitsu a Team Alliance affili e. He can be reached at DrJPark@gmail. com for more information.
began his love for grappling and fitness more than ten years ago here in Southern California and has turned that passion into a career helping Mike steward this fine publication. He has been training jiu-jitsu since 2009 under John Munoz at C-quence JJ/MMA in Norco, CA.
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8 EDITORIAL
JUST ROLL WITH IT
PICK UP ANY JIU-JITSU MAGAZINE (IS THERE REALLY ANY OTHER?), watch any jiu-jitsu video or buy any jiu-jitsu DVD and there’s a pretty good chance that the content you’re consuming has to do with techniques and strategies as they pertain to competition. Based on a simple observation it would be safe to assume that everyone whoever put on a gi or a rash guard is doing it to get that coveted podium shot for their profile pic. But, the reality is that a very small percentage of those practicing jiu-jitsu ever compete and an even smaller few compete on a regular basis. From my own personal experience, I highly recommend that everyone reading this enter a competition at least once. It’s a great experience, win or lose. Personally, it’s the outside motivation that I need from time to time to help keep my diet in check and my training focused. With that said, most of the time I roll for other reasons. Lots of times it’s therapy for me. Believe it or not, when your passion becomes what you do for a living it can sometimes put a damper on your motivation. There are days when I’m writing, working on a deadline, reviewing video, arranging shoots, talking to advertisers, and spending the entire day “working” on jiu-jitsu related tasks that I have that moment where I just want to escape for a bit. Escape from jiu-jitsu. Yes, it’s true; it’s a feeling that enters my mind. So, how do I cope with it? I go train…sounds a little counterintuitive, right? But when I get to class and roll, I just forget about everything: all the stress, all the worries, and enjoy myself. Times like that I’m not necessarily too concerned about the accuracy of my training journal, or working on a new technique, or contemplating strategy as it pertains to points. No, at these moments jiujitsu is my escape (from jiu-jitsu?). It helps to center my mind and body. I don’t necessarily care if I get tapped, or by who (although I think that it’s impossible to absolutely “leave your ego” at the door) or if I get any submissions. I just want to “roll with flow,” as Rickson says. If only I had discovered jiu-jitsu years before I would have saved a lot of time and money spent on a therapist’s couch. Now, that’s far from the only reason I roll, just on some days when I feel like I need to decompress. Most of the time I train to learn, improve my skills, help keep in shape, and choke out some of my best friends. No matter what your reason, it’s important that you put in the time and hit the mats. There might be days that you don’t feel like making the drive, or you’re tired, or you had a long day at work or maybe you think you’ll get your butt kicked that day, but that’s all the more reason to put your gi (or your rash guard) on and step on the mats. I promise you that you’ll be glad you did. Speaking of things you’ll be glad you did, you’re going to be very glad you picked up this issue. It’s the perfect follow up to last month’s with Rickson. For the first time we have back-to-back Gracies on the cover (it just worked out that way). This time it’s Roger’s turn. Roger talks about some simple concepts and puts them into use. They’re basics that all of us should know, but his insights and depth of knowledge show through in his details. You’ll definitely want to sit down for that one. If you’re looking for something a little faster paced or action packed, check out the article on the Lion Killer, Garry Tonon. He goes over some no-gi techniques that will definitely draw a crowd – perfect for the no-gi season.
Keep Rolling!
MIKE VELEZ Editor/Publisher
mikev@jiujitsumag.com
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor & Publisher Mike Velez Associate Editor Deb Blyth Assistant Editor Travis Guesnon Contributing Authors Gerry Costa, Jeremy Reid, Matthew Corley, MacKenzie Arrington, Bendan Hufford, Corey Beasly, Naveed Shan
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
Art Director Dave Palacios Contributing Photographers Jason Boulanger, John Cooper Kenny Jewel, Mike Lee, Mike Calimbas, Kristen Mendes
PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING Production Director Paula Fountain Advertising Sales Mike Velez Circulation Manager Tom Ferruggia
ADDRESS CHANGE & SUBS Phone: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 227 Web: jiujitsumag.com
ADVERTISING & SALES INFO Available upon request, Contact: Jiu-Jitsu Magazine PO Box 2405 Chino Hills, CA 91709 ph: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 221 fax: 909.591.1251
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION The Curtis Circulation Company
Jiu-Jitsu Magazine (ISSN 2157-6173) is a publication of Recon Media Inc., PO Box 2405 Chino Hills, CA 91709; Phone: 877.834.3552; Fax: 909.517.1601email: info@jiujitsumag.com. Subscription rates are $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 2014 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.
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10 NEWS
ART MEETS APPAREL
Ludwig Van, in collaboration with Digital Gravel, presents the submission series. Both Giclee prints, measuring 13”x19” and t-shirts are available for purchase. These are craft works that provide subtle humor, while still letting everyone know that you’re involved in a grappling art; no pun intended. They’re definitely worth a look. The rear naked and heel hook will surely grab an onlooker’s attention and have them asking questions.
www.ludwigvantheman.com www.digitalgravel.com/collections/ludwig
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Carlos Gracie - The Creator of a Fighting System was actually released in 2009, however, it was only written in Portuguese. This book sold out worldwide and has been unavailable, but now an English version is on its way. The book’s author touches on the life and times of Carlos, as she knows him all too well; it’s written by Reila Gracie, his daughter and the mother of Roger Gracie. The book will be available for sale soon after this issue hits newsstands.
www.budovideos.com
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GETTING IT DONE!
Congratulations to the Lovato BJJ Team with their success at Legacy Fighting Championships. Justin Rader remains undefeated and submitted his opponent in the first round with a rear naked choke. Making his MMA debut, Justin’s instructor and world champion jiu-jitsu black belt, Rafael Lovato Jr. also submitted his opponent in the first round with a head and arm choke.
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This issue may cause PETA protests.
WHAT’S YOUR SIGN? Now you’ll be able to show whether you’re a stubborn Taurus who won’t let anything stop him or an analytical Virgo who’s mentally planning step 7, while your opponent is still on step 1. 93 Brand just keeps producing their unique, high quality products and has teamed up with Meerkatsu (Seymour Yang) for the design of the Zodiac gi. The gi will incorporate all 12 astrological signs, as well as a Meerkatsu designed patch of your chosen sign that can be placed anywhere you’d like on the gi, with no additional charges, when purchased through
www.RollMore.com
SACK UP! If the term “The Ultimate Sack” has never been used before then this might be the best reason yet to use it. This is the new Gi Sack from Grips Athletics. Looks like any ordinary sack at first glance, but under closer inspection we find out that it’s packed with features including zippered inner pockets, adjustable shoulder straps with a unique shock absorption system, a side handle for when you don’t want to put it on your back or over your shoulder, and enough room inside for at least a couple gi’s along with training gear. For when your
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stuff’s dirty and sweaty there’s a compartment underneath with plenty of room for your soiled gear. If you should find yourself caught in the rain, or in dusty conditions there’s even an included water-resistant rain cover that protects the sack from water or dust. The bottom of the sack is also waterresistant. No word yet on the exact price or when this new bag, er… sack, will be available but it will definitely be worth looking into. Keep an eye out for more information in a future issue or at the Grips website.
www.gripsathletics.com
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NEWS 12
PUT ON YOUR SUNDAY’S BEST Does alternating gi and no-gi tournaments in a series format; with no time limit matches either to submission or the first to 12 points; cash prizes; black belt super fights; seminars with some of the best in the world (Jeff Glover, Keenan Cornelius, Baret Yoshida, Franjinha to name a few); Brazilian BBQ; a live DJ; XBOX football; and huge 20 foot LED screens showing the action, all wrapped into one make you want to thank the jiujitsu gods? Well, say, “Hallelujah!” my brothers and sisters because each Sunday in sunny San Diego, CA from October 26th to November 16th it’s happening thanks to Sunday Rollout.
SOOTHE THOSE ACHING JOINTS
Master’s Worlds is coming up, so maybe it’s time for us older guys to reevaluate our nutritional needs. Myogenix Sports Nutrition’s Joint and Tissue uses UC-II (Undenatured Type-II Collagen) that is said to be 200% more effective than the combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin. It’s available either in a 20 day supply that is less than $20 or a 60 day supply at less than $40, through a variety of websites.
www.myogenix.com “All that muscle ain’t worth a damn if you can’t move.” That’s a pretty accurate slogan from Flexicus, a company focused solely on improving joint flexibility, range of motion and reducing joint pain. Flexicus is so confident in their product, a 100% money back guarantee is offered (even if the bottle’s empty) if you aren’t satisfied. That in itself makes it worth trying. It’s $60 for a 30 day supply.
www.flexicus.com
www.sundayrollout.com
FIGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM
3150 is a young, but promising company from Hawaii. Their latest kimono, The Freedom Fighter, will have you ready to go to war and defend your school name in any tournament. It’s a great looking gi with the red, white, and blue proudly showing off the colors of the USA for all to see. The top is a 450 GSM pearl weave with an EVA foam collar and camo pattern print inside, that comes with 10 oz. cotton drill bottoms with reinforced knees and a 6 loop drawstring system, totaling 4lbs. 3150 is giving 10% of all profits from their kid’s line to Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, to help provide care for families who can’t afford it. Not stopping there, the brand offers a great, large, heavy-duty, nylon, duffel/backpack combination. It has a durable closure system, a hidden compartment and is great for toting around your gi, gear, or anything really.
www.31fifty.com
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NEWS 14
METAMORIS 5 In the main event, Renzo Gracie is looking for a bit of payback, not only for himself, but for the Gracie family against a familiar opponent, Kazushi Sakuraba. Saku (Sakuraba) became known as “The Gracie Killer” as he defeated Royler (by Kimura), Royce (by TKO), Renzo (by Kimura/broken arm), and Ryan (by decision) in MMA during 1999 and 2000. The history doesn’t stop there as Royce bested Saku (by decision) in 2007 and ironically, Metamoris president Ralek did the same in 2010 (by decision).
The card will also feature the #3 ranked MMA welterweight Rory Macdonald against 2013 IBJJF No-Gi World Champ, JT Torres. Always game, Yuri Simoes takes on the best American grappler at this time, Rafael Lovato, Jr.. Vinny Magalhaes meets Kevin Casey in a battle of MMA/jiu-jitsu standouts. “The Lion Killer” Garry Tonon pits his unique style against Zak Maxwell, and there will once again be a secret match. It all goes down November, 22, 2014.
www.metamoris.com
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK…
he’s been around for years… in related news, Renzo Gracie has stated that he plans to return to MMA and the UFC after Metamoris 5.
GET THE FUNK OUT!
IF YOU’RE NOT FIRST, YOU’RE LAST
First Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center is just that. It’s the first Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in the city of Murray within the Salt Lake Valley area of Utah. It’s also the first to offer the experienced teachings from two Brazilian born IBJJF black belt world champions, Suyan Queiroz and Carlos Santos under the Carlson Gracie lineage. If you’re in the area be sure to stop by and check out the new school.
Maybe you know that guy or you are that guy…don’t be that guy. Rock In Green’s detergent proved to be (literally) a breath of fresh air when we tested and reviewed it in issue #25. Once again, they’ve produced another great product in Stinky Gear. Inside of an easily portable, 8 fl. oz. spray bottle you’ll receive a combination of an odor neutralizer and air freshener with a great tea tree scent that’s not overbearing like 100% tea tree oil; however, we’re pretty sure this has some of those antibacterial fighting properties as well.
www.rockingreensoap.com
PRIDE NEVER DIES
For all the practitioners on the East coast, and those who can make it there, PRIDE XX (20) will be taking place on December 6th. No, we’re not talking about the MMA event; we’re talking about the successful jiu-jitsu organization that’s doing big things in the area, the Long Island Pride Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
www.lipridebjj.com
www.firstbjj.com
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NEWS 16
Upcoming Tournaments
Plenty of tournaments coming up, so be sure to get one, a couple, or a few in before gorging over the holidays. FIVE GRAPPLING (www.fivegrappling.com)
NEWBREED ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
11/8: North American Invitational Championship; Miami, FL
(www.newbreedgear.com) 11/8: Crystal Cup; Dallas, TX 11/22: The Ultimate Grappler Finale; Orlando, FL
NABJJF/SJJIF (www.nabjjf.com) 11/9: SJJIF Kids Worlds Tournament; Long Beach, CA 11/22-11/23: SJJIF Worlds Tournament; Long Beach, CA 11/29-11/30: Romania Open; Romania
IBJJF (www.ibjjf.com) 11/1-11/2: World Masters Championship; Long Beach, CA 11/7-11/8: Moscow Open; Moscow, Russia 11/8-11/9: Asia Open; Nagoya, Japan 11/15-11/16: Rio BJJ Pro; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 11/16: Munich Open; Munich, Germany 11/22: Madrid Open; Madrid, Spain 11/22: Montreal Open; Montreal, Canada 11/29-11/30: South American Championship; Sao Paulo, Brazil
THE BJJ TOUR (www.bjjtour.com) 10/11: BJJ Tour Texas, San Antonio, TX 10/25-10/26: US Open, Santa Cruz, CA
YOU MAD BRO?
No, seriously…You Mad is a start up, urban-wear, apparel company in its very infant stages that is catering to jiu-jitsu, MMA and fighting in general. You’ll definitely get some raised eyebrows with this gear.
www.youmad.net
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THE GOOD FIGHT (www.thegoodfight.tv) 11/8: Tournament of Champions; King of Prussia, PA 11/15: Thanksgiving Throwdown; Millersville, MD 11/22: Miami Invitational; North Miami, FL NAGA (www.nagafighter.com) 11/1: IL Championship; Villa Park, IL 11/8: NC Championship; Concord, NC 11/15: North Americans; New York, NY 11/15: Mid-South Championship; Franklin, TN 11/15: Europe Championship; Levallois, France
LONG ISLAND PRIDE (www.lipridebjj.com) 12/6: Long Island Pride Tournament, New York, NY
Eating Seasonally
Knowing what fruits and vegetables are in season is not just for farmers. By becoming an expert of your surroundings you can reap the rewards by eating foods that are in season. By doing so, you will have the healthiest and most flavorful version of that ingredient.
Vegetables of November Artichokes Avocado Beet Bok Choy Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Chard Fennel Leeks Mushrooms Potato Rutabaga Spinach Squash (Winter) Sunchokes Turnips Yams
Fruits of November Apples Cranberries Kiwi Kumquat Pears Persimmons Pomegranate Quince
Tip: Whole roasting squash adds a whole different level of flavor to soups, pasta fillings or when eaten straight up.
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NEWS 18
Are You All In?
Well Adidas is! With an extreme revamp of the product line and spokesperson/model, Clark Gracie now signed with the company, Adidas appears to be a major contender in providing a variety of great jiu-jitsu gis. They’ve released four new models that are each specific to certain needs of what an individual may want. The “Response” is a lightweight training gi; both the 8 oz pants and jacket are made of 100% cotton rip stop material. Along with being extremely breathable and able to dry quickly, all stress points are reinforced with triple stitching. Kid sizes from M0 to M4 of this model are also available. To prepare for your next “Contest” this durable 550 GSM double weave top that
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breathes like a single may be right for you. The pants are a blend of 60/40 cotton-polyester. Impressive “laser stitching” was used to make this gi and this feature is only offered by Adidas. Be a “Champion” with this IBJJF approved, high level, lightweight, competition gi made of a soft cotton-polyester blend material. It includes a 550 GSM jacket and 8 oz rip stop pants. Your jiu-jitsu “Quest” may be well served with this high quality gi that includes a 600 GSM cotton-polyester blended jacket and cotton pants. All gis have reinforced stitching, available in sizes A1 to A5 and come with a satin one sided drawstring bag.
www.acsgear.com www.bjjwarehouse.com
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The original art comes without the watermark.
SHO’ ME THE…!
UFC president Dana White, announcer Bruce Buffer and a slew of fighters may butt heads at times and not agree on a lot, but what they all agree on is that, Evan Shoman is the one of the best portrait artist in MMA (and jiu-jitsu). Shoman’s works are so detailed that Anderson Silva actually had his hallway made into a life size mural that was drawn of him by Evan. His works include Helio Gracie, members of the Gracie family, Demian Maia, Yuki Nakai, the Nogueira brothers, the Diaz brothers, BJ Penn, and more.
www.shomanart.com
You Won’t Even Know It’s On
Fuji’s newest gi, the Suparaito, means “Super Lite” and certainly is just that. The gi is 100% cotton with the jacket being a lightweight pearl weave and pants being ripstop. It’s IBJJF approved, runs from A0 to A6, available with contrast stitching in either white with navy or blue with neon green and retails for $133.99 at BJJ Warehouse. A great product to add to your collection.
www.fujisports.com www.bjjwarehouse.com
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20 PROMOTIONS
BROKEN, NEVER BEATEN COMA, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, AMPUTEE, BROKEN BONES, AND OTHER TRAUMA ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS NEW YORK STATE POLICE TROOPER, MATT SWARTZ DEALT WITH THAT WEREN’T EVEN THE EFFECTS OF HIS JOB. On 11/8/04 Matt was in a car crash that forced him to deal with all of these things and come face to face with circumstances that would have stopped most of us in our tracks. Instead of sitting idly by and letting it get the better of him, he did the complete opposite by requesting and putting himself through rigorous physical therapy to the point that he was able to return to full duty almost 9 months later. Every year on the anniversary date of the crash, Matt counts his blessings and sets new goals for the next year. In 2012, one of those was to do something that had to do with the UFC. Ultimately, he found himself drawn to jiu-jitsu thanks to Eddie Fyvie of Spa City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Malta, NY. Eddie reassured Matt that jiu-jitsu is about adaptation and using your individual abilities and skills to your advantage. From then on, Matt had a second home. Earlier this year, Royce Gracie conducted a seminar at the school, promoted Mike to blue belt and bowed out of respect upon it’s reward. While he may say that he’s no different than anyone else, it’s clear to see that Matt is. You can’t teach heart.
Brilliant!
In 2006, Scotty Brilliant began training in jiu-jitsu, and although he’s been off and on and bounced around at no-gi gyms, he finally found a home at Combative Arts Institute in Easton, PA under John (pictured) and Jim Terry. Life happens while you’re making other plans and we’re glad Scotty stuck around as he recently received his blue belt in May. Way to see it through!
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Fruits Of Labor
A lot has changed for Cosmo DiLossi on his jiujitsu journey. The 41-year-old training out of Gracie Philadelphia has gotten married and had three beautiful children along the way. Family life, work and training keep Cosmo busy, and although it’s been challenging, he credits his wife, Anna Marie, for being so supportive of him through thick and thin. The hard work has paid off, as he was awarded his brown belt by Joe Guido and Carlos “Caique” Elias. Congratulations!
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No excuses!
Trailblazing For The Ladies
Not only a student, but an assistant instructor as well, Amy Bullock out of the Alliance gym in Saratoga, NY received her brown belt from 6X black belt World champion, Bruno Malfacine, making her the highest ranked female jiu-jitsu practitioner in NY’s Capital District.
Wooosssaaahhh!!!
Juvenile Probation Officers typically hope to make changes for the better within other’s lives and place them on a better path. An overstressed, Gene Moggia felt he needed to do the same within his own life and tried jiu-jitsu. Like most of us he was immediately hooked and less stressed. He now eats better and is 25 lbs. lighter thanks to jiu-jitsu. He’s also a brand spanking new blue belt under Sean Apperson at Paragon Jiu-Jitsu, Santa Barbara, CA thanks to Sean, John Sandoval and Victor Villanueva.
Leading By Example
Major shout out to former brown belt and the newest of Renzo Gracie black belts, Derek “TC” Richardson on achieving this momentous feat. While at the brand new academy, Leadership MMA in Charlotte, NC, Renzo presented “TC” with this honor unexpectedly. After the seminar he conversed with other great black belts on hand, such as Paul Creighton, Tim Mannon and Steven Hall. Awesome job, “TC”! Ooossssss!!!
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Well On His Way
MMA fighter and jiu-jitsu practitioner, Jacob Goudie of CageworX BJJ/MMA in Port Angeles, WA, has received nothing but high praise from his instructor Cody Houston. Recently he was awarded his blue belt after his latest tournament success. Keep it up, Jacob!
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With each stripe and belt comes great responsibility.
Go To The Office
Being a high school Assistant Principal I’m sure is tough, but Steve Scheloske knows plenty about dealing with pressure, figuring out solutions and handing out punishments accordingly, thanks to years of jiu-jitsu. Recently, he was awarded his purple belt by Ross Kellin of Champions MMA Lakeland, FL. Even better than this is that his 3 year old son, Mason, earned his Little Champs yellow belt as well. Way to go you two!
The Prosecution Never Rests!
Busy family man and lawyer, Bryan Rowlands was promoted to brown belt by Eric Cady at Nova BJJ in Rochester, NY after 6 and a half years of continuous training, and one month after placing 2nd at the IBJJF Boston Spring Open. Great job, Attorney Rowlands!
Chicago Tough!
Congratulations go out to students under Carlson Gracie black belt, Rudy Jimenez of Chicago Fight Team. Standing from left to right: Yvonne Avila yellow belt, Rudy Jimenez, Robert Losiak - blue belt, Roberto Ramirez - owner of Chicago Fight Team. Kneeling from left to right: Thanielle and Xavier Avila yellow belts.
Email SEND US YOUR PROMOTION PHOTOS along with your name, school, instructor, and a little back story. Email us with the subject line, “Pro Motions” to feedback@jiujitsumag.com and keep an eye out for your Pro Motions in a future issue. School owners, please hold off on sending “group” promotions and please keep it to specific individual students.
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24 GRUB
POWER TO THE PASTA Meet your new pre-competition training partner, carbohydrates. MacKenzie Arrington
IT’S THE FINALS MATCH IN YOUR WEIGHT DIVISION. You’ve had three matches before this one. You’re down by an advantage, in bottom side control with a big guerilla of a man (or woman) on your chest. You can hear your coach screaming at the top of his lungs from the side, but you don’t need to hear what he’s saying, you already know what you need to do…big bridge. You gear up and every ounce of energy left in you is in the center point of your hips, you have the space, your opponent is just as damn tired as you, you look over to make one last check…20 seconds left. You’ve been in this position a thousand times and the bridge is second nature to you. You know this is the time to give it your all, this match is yours to win. You go for it and pfffft You fail, not fart. It feels like your opponent has an anvil on their back and
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nothing happens, besides the sound of a buzzer, followed by the haunting hush of your teammates not believing that you couldn’t reverse your opponent since you’ve reversed them countless times. I know this feeling, because this was my experience in the 2013 Pan Ams. Let me tell you, this feeling sucks. But as the saying goes, we learn more from our losses than we do our victories. The most important thing I gained from this experience is a new training partner going into all competitions who has given me that extra edge to compete at the highest intensity, not just within my first match, but every match. My training partner’s name is Carbohydrates and it’s about time you let him in and train with him the night before a competition.
10/2/14 10:04 AM
Running a marathon - looks fun.
The Low-ed Down Carbohydrate loading is a practice most human beings associate with marathon runners. Carb loading is what gives runners the ability to maintain their energy level throughout a race that takes just under 3 hours, and that is if you’re fast. When partaking in endurance sports, such as running, or as we are more familiar with, Jiu-Jitsu, our bodies utilize our energy stores. The two major stores of energy found within us are in the form of fats and glycogen. Fats are much harder for our bodies to convert, making glycogen king. So where do we get this miracle energy-boosting-roll24-hours-a-day “glycogen?” Have any clue yet? Take a second and think about it… yes! Carbohydrates!
When a marathon runner carbohydrate-loads properly they are getting 90% of their calories in form of carbohydrates. They are also eating like this for the entire day before, if not a few days before and up until race day. What’s the difference between a runner and a jiujitsu competitor? Besides the fact that one will beat the other in a race and the other in a fight, a runner does not have to make weight the day of competing. Carbohydrate loading the same way a runner does will pack on at least 4 – 5 lbs, which would be 4 – 5 lbs more than we can afford. Then why the hell am I talking about carbohydrate loading? Well, with a few modifications on the concept, we can still gain an edge, and not 4 – 5 lbs by doing a mini carb load.
Eating correctly the night before a competition can give you that one last umpa or sweep that is worth its weight in gold, not silver.
Glycogen is energy and energy is success.
Carbohydrate Conversion
Glycogen is the primary store of carbohydrates found within our liver and muscles. Our bodies convert carbohydrates into glycogen.
For every gram of carbohydrate we consume, our body stores 3 grams of water.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. “You may run the risks, my friend, but I do the cutting” – Tuco Picking the right carbohydrates for the load can make or break you. Normally fruits and beans would be good carbs, but due to their fiber content, for the load they need to be limited.
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GOOD
BAD
UGLY
Berries Brown rice Buckwheat Grapes Kiwi Most vegetables Nuts Papaya Pickles Quinoa Squash Sweet Potatoes Whole oats Whole wheat pasta
Corn Flavored nuts High fiber fruits Legumes Potatoes Quick oats Whole Milk
Bagels Biscuits Cake Chips Cookies Ketchup Honey Mustard Low-fat salad dressing Soda Sweetened peanut butter Pizza Rice cakes White bread
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GRUB 26
THE BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU CARB-LOAD
Knowing that most of us during competition month are trying to keep our carbohydrate intake to a minimum, that is fine. We can avoid them for the majority of the time, but when we do have carbs the day before or a couple nights before we are not all of a sudden going to balloon up. We will be more hydrated, and have better energy and endurance the next day instead. I bet you are kicking yourself for having a crappy salad the night before a competition instead of something more enjoyable, you know, like anything that has a solid source of carbs, like pasta. Proper carb loading the day before does not just mean eating one carb heavy meal. We should be eating carb heavy the entire day before. Knowing that we have to do this, we need to follow a few Golden rules.
The Golden Rules of The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Carb Load Plan Ahead: When managing your weight, always budget in a pound or two so you can afford to have a nice day of eating that will help you push the pace not push the dial on the scale the day of competition.
It’s Not a Race: We are not running a marathon, so our carb load will be the day before rather than the last couple of days. Cut carbohydrates out a week out if you really need to cut, but know the last day before
WHY IT WORKS
Pick and Choose: Just because something contains carbohydrates does not mean they are good for you, use the good, bad and ugly list as a point of reference and eat accordingly. Fruits and other high in fiber carbohydrates can affect your stomach that is already queasy from competition jitters.
Carbohydrates are digested and then converted into glycogen. Glycogen is then stored in our liver and resting muscles just waiting to be used when we need it. Our bodies are pretty cool, huh? Have you ever not eaten well, gone to class or to the gym and just felt weaker than usual or had low energy? That is because your glycogen levels were low. This is also why high carb-protein ratio drinks and supplements are ideal for recovery. Because during intense training we deplete our body’s stores of glycogen and need to refuel, aka load up with some carbohydrates. So when we are in the thick of competition or everyday rolling and we hit “the wall” that is because we do not have enough glycogen left to burn. Will carb loading the night before make you a super human? No. Will it give you the energy to push the pace of the early rounds, feel fresher in the finals and get that last sweep you need to win? It just might!
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Do the Math: I am not giving you homework here, but you should be getting 85-90% of your calories from carbohydrates the day of your load.
your competition you will be adding them back in.
Enjoy it: Eating is about survival, but taste is about pleasure. When you are going to finally be having delicious carbohydrates again, you should enjoy them. Don’t eat boring, but don’t eat like a trash compactor.
Meal Ideas Breakfast: Egg and avocado over rice, waffles bagel with jam Yogurt with fruit Banana and orange juice
Lunch: Peanut butter and banana wrap, baked sweet potato or toast with jam Granola Protein shake or chocolate milk
Dinner: Pasta with noncream based sauce (hmm maybe butter nut squash pasta?), chicken burrito with rice and beans or quinoa with baked tofu Baked sweet potato
Snacks: Granola bars Protein bars Pita with hummus Bananas Oranges Gatorade
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GRUB 28
BUTTERNUT SQUASHPASTYA-GUARDBECAUSE-IATE-CARBS
Back break fall into…fall flavors with this power pasta. Ingredients 1 Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced small 1 Shallot, minced 2 Garlic cloves, sliced 1 tsp Salt 1/8 tsp Pepper
½ lb Whole wheat spaghetti 1 – 2 dozen Sage leaves, chopped 1 Lemon, juiced 2 Tbsp Pine nuts Olive oil Salt & black pepper
1/8 tsp Allspice, ground
1. 2.
METHOD
3.
Toss squash, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, allspice with 3-4 Tbsp olive oil in a large bowl until coated.
4.
Lay out in an even layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes until the squash is soft and has developed some color.
5.
While the squash is roasting bring a
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02
03
04
05
06
07
08
large pot of heavily salted water to a boil for the pasta.
Preheat the oven to 375 °F Using a peeler or sharp knife remove all of the skin from the squash, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Dice the squash small.
01
6.
Once the squash is roasted transfer it back into a large bowl.
7.
Now is the time to drop the pasta into the water and cook according to the packaging. Once cooked transfer the pasta directly into the bowl with the squash, add lemon juice, pine nuts and sage then toss or stir to combine.If the pasta looks too dry add a little of the pasta water a spoonful at a time.
8.
Enjoy right away and get ready to crush it tomorrow!
10/2/14 10:06 AM
Available At:
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10/2/14 1:50 PM
30 SUPPLEMENTS
HAVE QUESTIONS? WE HAVE ANSWERS! Jeremy Reid
Q A:
I THINK IT’S GREAT THAT MORE TOURNAMENTS ARE BEING TESTED FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS, BUT THAT ALSO MAKES ME NERVOUS. I’m not taking anything that I would consider cheating, but what are some things I might be consuming that would show up on a test? I’d hate to train my ass off for a tournament and be DQ’d for something stupid.
This is a great question and has actually been a growing concern for athletes across all sports. The list of banned substances is huge and growing every day. The world anti-doping agency, or WADA, is the most popular and credible organization behind testing today. It is also the current organization the IBJJF uses for its guidelines. WADA has done a phenomenal job of trying to keep up with all possible substances that will cause positive tests and keeps them on a list. This list is easily found online at (www.list.wadaama.org) and I would highly suggest taking a look at it and cross referencing anything you may be taking. Supplement companies on the other hand do not do such a good job of keeping up with this list and/ or they don’t really care that much. This discrepancy can cause some serious problems for athletes. Now I know the term “tainted supplement” has become the cliché excuse for professional athletes, but it does really happen. The first step in protecting yourself is
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avoiding the most common culprits for banned substances. These include the so called “anabolic agents” outside of steroids. They are basically those supplements designed to help boost testosterone. These include DHEA, tribulus, as well as any pro-hormone or anti-estrogen product. My next recommendation with regard to supplements is to always buy individual ingredients and avoid “proprietary blends.” With these blends it is very difficul to tell exactly what is in them and exactly how much. Always look for high quality supplement brands. They will include the stamps “GMP” and “third party tested” on the label. These are generally signs of a good brand. In fact, a new stamp to look for is “NSF sport certified.” This is a new certification that is designed specifically to test for banned substances. By taking these precautions and paying attention to exactly what you put in your body you can help prevent losing all that hard training to a “tainted supplement.”
10/2/14 10:02 AM
Get your diet tuned up before supplementing for weight loss.
Q
I JUST TURNED 34 AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON THE HEAVY SIDE. I’d like to drop down a division before my next tournament because I think I’d be more competitive. I’ve cleaned up my diet and I train 4 days a week. Are there any good fat burners out there that are worth the money?
A:
Dropping a weight class can give you a great advantage if done properly. So, you need to clean up your diet and train as often as possible. These are always the first two steps in dropping a weight class. Remember, a supplement only aides, it does not replace diet and exercise. There are a few good thermogenic supplements that can help you with this process. The most popular and effective will be caffeine. Caffeine has been proven time and time again to help speed up metabolism and lipolysis (breakdown of fat). There is a good reason
caffeine is included in just about every “fat burner” out there. Another good ingredient to look for is green tea extract, specifically EGCG. Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, is the active compound in green tea and you should look for it on the ingredient list. EGCG has been shown to increase energy expenditure as well as fat utilization, leading to weight loss. The best part is green tea has been shown to have a synergistic effect with caffeine. A fairly new supplement that has been gaining popularity is green coffee extract. Easily confused with green tea extract,
green coffee extract works slightly differently. While it does appear to also increase lipolysis and metabolism similar to caffeine and EGCG, another affect is that it may alter glucose metabolism. Some research suggests that it may act as a glucose “blocker,” essentially stopping some carbohydrates from being absorbed. This may then lead to further weight loss, especially during dieting. Adding these three supplements to your diet and training program can help in dropping that weight class.
Q
I’VE BEEN NOTICING THAT A LOT OF THE FOODS I BUY AT THE GROCERY STORE NOW ARE TOUTING THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE ADDED PROTEIN. When I look at the label it says “Pea protein.” I’m assuming this is a pea, like peas and carrots. I know soy has some detrimental affect for men. What should I know about pea protein?
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A:
Another great question about a fairly new trend in nutrition. Pea protein is exactly that, the protein derived from split peas. It has become increasingly popular as an additive to many foods, as well as a stand-alone protein powder. This popularity is due to a number of reasons, but mainly because it works. Pea protein is a vegetarian and vegan friendly protein. There has been a search for quite some time to find a non-animal
source of high quality protein. For the longest time, soy was the only option. The problem with soy is that high dosages and/or prolonged continuous intake can cause hormonal changes and imbalances, especially in men. Pea protein appears to be the answer to this dilemma. Pea protein surprisingly has been found to have a similar amino acid profile to whey protein and appears to be the best nonanimal protein source out
there. Research thus far shows no detrimental health affects with pea protein consumption. Another benefit is that it is a rather slow digesting protein, making it a great choice for meal replacements or additions to foods. By adding pea protein to foods it will actually slow down digestion and help keep you full longer. Although whey or egg protein is still a better overall protein source, pea is a great option.
10/2/14 10:02 AM
SUPPLEMENTS 32
Q
A:
I FEEL LIKE I’M MISSING A STEP WHEN I TRAIN WITH SOME OF THE GUYS THAT ARE JUST A FEW YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME. I’m 44, in good shape, but by the time I get to class (at night) I feel beat. My diet’s good, I get lots of sleep. I haven’t been tested, but I’m thinking maybe my testosterone is low. I don’t think I need to get a prescription for anything. Is there a stack (combination of supplements) that might help get me that “oomph” I’m looking for? Oh, and no complaints from the wife, everything works. I’m just curious if there’s a more natural way of looking like that 80-year-old doctor in the newspaper. Thanks.
Well, this actually could be attributed to a number of different issues. The first thing I will suggest is at your next physical you have your doctor take a look at your testosterone levels, just to be sure. I do agree that prescriptions might not be necessary; however, it is always good to know what the problem actually is. You could be fighting to find a solution to the wrong problem. It could be something as simple as you are not eating enough during the day and/or before training to fuel your sessions. If it is an issue of slightly low testosterone, there are a few things you can do. The first would be to get your diet and exercise programs dialed in. Both of these are absolutely critical in maintaining a proper hormonal profile. Healthy fats play an important role in hormone production and therefore, you must ensure you are consuming enough in your diet.
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As for exercise, if you are not currently lifting weights you need to start. Focus on total body workouts with lots of heavy compound lifts, as this will encourage the greatest testosterone and growth hormone production. As for the supplements, this might be a little tricky. There are a couple supplements that may help, but if you are competing or planning to compete they may be on the banned substances list. If you are not planning on competing soon, I would suggest trying DHEA. DHEA is a naturally occurring compound inside the body that it uses to produce testosterone. However, once men hit about 30-35 years old, DHEA levels inside the body begin to drop fairly quickly. This is one of the causes of the testosterone drop in men as we age. This can potentially cause that exhaustion you’re referring to.
10/2/14 10:03 AM
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34 THE LIFE
IMPROVE YOUR GAME We all train and practice jiu-jitsu for various reasons. Most of us love the art so much we don’t even care about promotions or anything else; we just want to learn, train and get better. One of the things that frustrated me in the early years was just that: “getting better.” Although I trained hard enough and often enough, I didn’t seem to progress as much as the next guy. Various factors influenced that, first and foremost, I was never especially athletic or gifted with abnormal strength, speed, size and/or flexibility, quite the opposite. Second, because I trained with the same partners regularly, we all progressed together and it was hard to notice any advancement on my part, and due to reason #1, it was actually frustrating as they all appeared to progress quicker than me. The frustration led me to search and research for ways to improve or speed up my progress. Luckily, because I had such great Masters, I was able to pick up some ideas and ways to get better, so I am going to share them with you. Mind you, none of these “secrets” are mind blowing, but they helped me tremendously to progress and get better.
1.
Train regularly: If you don’t train at least 3 times a week, your progress will be slower; of course, the more you train the better you will get quicker (all other factors being same). Some of you can’t train more than once or twice a week and that is ok, but just be sure to adjust your expectations accordingly.
on the mat, especially the early days. Notes help you remember certain things and techniques that otherwise fade as you progress.
4.
Watch videos, apps, read books, etc: Of course, look for quality instruction, but to this day I still watch videos of my favorite instructors to learn or re-learn technical details. I also buy apps (yep, I do) and read my books to get a refresh on ideas, etc. Even though I don’t compete or believe that tournament techniques are for everyone, I love watching tournaments as well. I learn a lot from the top level competitors and it also keeps my mind focused, “practicing” and “seeing” mistakes and opportunities.
2.
Pay attention to your instructor: Seems simple enough, but many people are so excited and want to spar so much that they hardly pay attention to the instruction being dished out. Remember, your instructor is a huge source of knowledge, tap into it as much as you can. Listen to what he or she says and ask questions. If you don’t understand a position or if it isn’t working, ask the instructor.
3.
Take notes: Don’t do it during class, but do it afterwards. A lot of the best black belts have copious notes from their days
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to get down and train that we repeat a new technique two or three times and then just roll. Remember, most of the best of today and yesterday and the top masters all repeat and drill their techniques. My Master, Royler Gracie, once told me that he practices new techniques several times before he even tries to use them in sparring. When he does use them in sparring he starts with the lightest, lowest belt person available and only progresses to heavier and tougher partners as he masters the technique.
5.
Drill positions: Drilling is one of the most important parts of progressing and learning the techniques. Again, many of us are so focused on wanting
6.
Have fun: If you don’t have fun training you won’t stay in the art very long, so make sure you have fun training before you take anything too seriously. Now go train Jiu-Jitsu!
Kid Peligro
10/2/14 11:14 AM
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10/2/14 1:52 PM
36 QUICK TIPS
Get A Grip
If you work a white-collar job and don’t have much martial arts experience, chances are your grip is nowhere near that of a laborer. Why not do something about that by getting a “grip” on the problem, literally? The addition of a stress, tennis, or racquetball can help improve your grip and you can work out while you’re at work. Hate looking at a screen all day? Take that negative energy and make it a positive by squeezing your stress out on one of these tools.
Up Against The Wall!
A Finisher To The Core
Have a difficul time eating well? You just can’t stop yourself from buying the wrong foods at the market? Do this one simple (and highly overlooked) task to make your eating habits that much better. Make sure you shop only on the outside border of the entire supermarket. Yes, it’s that simple. All the fresh meats, fruits, veggies, etc. are there; everything in the aisles is processed.
Stay On Your Toes
Just because you may outrank your partner or you’re outclassing your opponent doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay on your toes...literally. When you’re side mounted or in the guard, stay on your toes. Sure, it’s uncomfortable when you first start doing this, but it allows you to pressure your opponent by driving your weight forward, as well as be able to react faster to their guard attacks.
Have you ever gotten an armbar, Kimura, knee bar, (insert any random joint lock at this point), etc. and you used a ton of strength straining, only for your opponent to escape or for time to run out? Instead of flexing your guns, crunch your core. What I mean is, bring your body to the limb instead of the limb to your body. Chances are your back, core, abdomen, gut, or any other miscellaneous name you want to call that area, is much stronger than your opponent’s limb. Placing your body against the limb and pulling back with it, instead of using your own limbs, will give you that added strength and torque to get that submission.
BIGGER THAN YOU THINK
A gram….It’s tiny and doesn’t sound like much, right? Wrong! This is especially prevalent when it comes to food/nutrition labels on food products. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to read them. A person may see a label that states 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fat. Awesome! The fat is lower so it must be good! Nope, because 1 gram of protein is equal to 4 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrates is equal to 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat is 9.3 calories. So, in the scenario mentioned there’s 24 calories from protein, 24 calories from carbohydrates, and 27.9 calories from fat. How about them apples? Keep this in mind on your next shopping trip, as well as the sugar amount of grams. Those aren’t separate from the carbohydrates, but are within them.
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38 WHO IS?
Who Is?
RAUL MONTOLFO Mike Velez
RAUL MONTOLFO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN VARIOUS MARTIAL ARTS FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. He began training jiu-jitsu under Master Carlos Gracie Jr many years ago here in Southern California. He has managed to mix his passion for jiu-jitsu with his professional career. Today he’s a large part of apparel giant Adidas’ renewed commitment to jiu-jitsu. We got to talk to Raul recently and asked him not only about his own jiu-jitsu, but about Adidas, their plans and outlook on jiu-jitsu.
How did you get into jiu-jitsu? Having been involved in martial arts for many years, I’ve seen how amazing the art of jiu jitsu (that the Gracie family ‘created’) is, and I wanted to learn this style. When I started training, I completely decided THIS was what I wanted to train in for the rest of my life as a martial artist.
How often do you train? I am fortunate that Professor Fabio has four very strong academies, so I have good schedule selections, as my time is limited with work and traveling. I’m fortunate to be able to train three to four times a week with really good and high level guys, too...
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You’re a big guy. Do you play a typical big man’s game? What’s your rolling style like? I’m 6’4 and weigh 235lbs. I don’t play the “big” guy style at all. I feel that in order to really understand the art and look at the long term, meaning being able to train till well into your 60’s or 70’s, you need to develop all positions and NOT use force or size in training. My personal view is that we all have to try and develop our own unique understanding of how to apply pressure and details within positions that suit our body style. My body type is long and big, but I focus on basic, instinctive awareness, fundamentals and ability without strength to deal with the unexpected in a fight – it’s like a natural blue print. When it comes
to basics I believe we all have this deepseated blueprint that has to be developed during years of consistent training so that you will be able to adapt well to any situation, both on and off the mat…
When did you decide that you wanted to get into the business side of the sport? It was just providence I suppose. Right place at the right time! Never thought I would be able to work in the community I valued so much.
What’s your role with Adidas Jiu-Jitsu? My role is Director of Sales and Marketing Adidas BJJ for both the U.S and Worldwide.
10/2/14 10:11 AM
No, not that Fabio, the one below!
Age: 51 Rank and under whom: Black belt from Master Carlos Gracie, Jr.; student under Professor Fabio Leopoldo. Home School: Gracie Morumbi: under Fabio Leopoldo Home Town: Camarillo, CA I roll… transitionally
Adidas has been in jiu-jitsu a while now, how is this time different? As the new company: Adidas Combat Sport, it’s totally new and different in all respects. We have a team concentrated totally on our community! In terms of organizational strategy, our goals are to drive growth by having true BJJ product in both kimonos and apparel. The changes reflect the company’s focus on accelerating innovation, elevating design, aligning product and merchandising excellence, optimizing go-to-market strategies and improving the focus on not only BJJ, but our whole line of products in the combat sports community as a whole.
What impact do you think having an internationally known and respected brand like Adidas more involved in jiu-jitsu will have on the sport? I feel that the impact will be strong. Alongside providing performance products, we at Adidas recognize that the people on the mat make purchase decisions based not only on brand, but also on quality, community knowledge and breadth of product offering. As a result, I feel that this will help to elevate our art and sport to a larger market that is not aware of the amazing athletes, instruction and breadth of techniques, which jiu-jitsu offers.
Do you think Adidas’ new commitment could have an impact on other large brands (not necessarily apparel) paying more attention to jiu-jitsu? Absolutely! Other companies are sure to see the potential and will want to expand their product lines. It would be an error to not see the great potential.
We’ve seen the new gis, very nice. Did Clark (Gracie) have input into their development? Thank you very much! Please keep in mind that our concept at Adidas is to be truly a part of the community. This entails an understanding of what is needed and appreciated from the beginning student to the more advanced BJJ practitioners. We’ve created four great lines of products.
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Our “Response” Kimono is geared towards the more entry-level student and entry-level product for academies. Our “Contest” Kimono is a great mid-level gi with a strong Adidas look and feel. Our “Champion” kimono is the perfect fit and weight for the guys who are competing. They are IBJJF approved. And our “Quest” is our top of the line kimono that is excellent for all levels! Clark Gracie, along with our designer Mike Dytri and many different people within the community, had great input in the overall designs and cut. I tried to reach out to the many contacts I have made over the years to get some good overall input into what the guys on the mat wanted. The response has been excellent and greatly received.
Why did you choose Clark as the face of this brand re-launch? We feel that Clark is a perfect Adidas athlete. We looked for someone who could go out on display and bring attention to all of our new lines. The concept is not only through competition, but also with seminars, through his own academy and within the federation; we can bring great awareness to our new BJJ lines. Clark has the pedigree, style and professionalism we look for in an athlete. We’re very happy to have him as our new athlete for Adidas BJJ.
Having been in the sport and the industry for a while now, where do you see things going in the next few years? I’m fortunate that I’m able to travel and visit many countries throughout the world as we have been launching the new Adidas BJJ lines. It’s amazing the interest and growth! We, at Adidas Combats Sports, are fully embracing these sports and their lifestyles and find it amazing to see how truly global jiu-jitsu is becoming. I’m just happy to be a small part of it.
Well, thanks for the time, Raul. It was a real pleasure getting to know more about you and Adidas Jiu-Jitsu. Thank you, keep up the tremendous and brilliant work with Jiu-Jitsu Magazine!
10/2/14 10:11 AM
40 SPOTLIGHT
JACKSON SOUSA AN UNASSUMING BLACK BELT WORLD CHAMPION PAYS IT FORWARD Deb Blyth
Hywel Teague, Mike Calimbas, Preston Smith, Kenny Jewel
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy...Martin Luther King, Jr. YOU WON’T MEET A MORE HUMBLE OR DOWN-TO-EARTH WORLD CHAMPION THAN 24-YEAR-OLD, CHECKMAT JIU-JITSU BLACK BELT JACKSON SOUSA. Coming from extremely challenging beginnings and growing up in favelas, he has turned a life of adversity into a life filled with happiness and simple pleasures, through his love and passion for jiu-jitsu.
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The term “good guy” couldn’t be more applicable.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Jackson Sousa dos Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro and raised by his parents in the favela Cantagalo / Pavão-Pavãozinho in the Copacabana neighborhood. When he was three years old, his parents experienced some serious problems, so Jackson moved in with his godparents and his cousins. He got a good education, food and discipline and they gave him a lot of love and affection. Five years later, his parents came to get him. He moved with them to another favela, called Favela da Galinha in the Engenho da Rainha neighborhood, also in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro. He left his tudies, his cousins, friends, and godparents behind to live with his parents, four brothers and sisters. That same year, his father Nilton dos Santos, died. Even at eight, Jackson realized quickly that things would change drastically in his life because his mother was now raising four kids completely alone.
What was your life like after your father died? We had a lot of difficulties nd struggled a lot. Sometimes we had nothing to eat because my mum had no money and no job to be able to put food on the table. My brothers and I had to quit school so we could go to the streets and make some money to help our mum and our younger sisters at home. The first money I earned was at the central train and bus station in Rio de Janeiro, called Central. I was buying sweets, candy and peanuts to sell to passengers inside the buses and trains. As time moved on, we moved back to the Favela Cantagalo community where we still had a house. My brothers and I continued working in the streets of the prosperous south zone of Rio de Janeiro. I only had the chance to return to school when I was 10 years old.
What is it like growing up in a favela? Living in a favela is not easy. There are a lot of things going on that you can’t easily see from the outside. I grew up in a place that has its qualities and deficiencies. Among the qualities I would say is the unity of the community. People
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are happy; they have their freedom and can go wherever they want to, like to a party or to play bingo. We do all of that together as a community and we help each other out. For example, if someone needs to go to the hospital and there is a neighbor who has a car, this person will help the sick person. Or if someone needs medicine or a kilo of black beans or rice, the community always makes an effort to provide these things for them.
very smart to “dribble” around it. It’s also very important to make true friendships with people who will help you and encourage you to seek opportunities and education outside the favela. This is what I did.
Tell me more about the “wrong path” you avoided growing up. The drug trade confuses the vision of kids and youngsters in the community. When there is a daily funk dance,
“...issues we face in the favelas are the shootouts between the drug traffickers and the police.” What are the difficulties of living in a favela? Among the deficiencies I would say is that we struggle with the lack of electricity, water and food. There are poor families who share a small space with many relatives and this can create conflicts. Other issues we face in the favelas are the shootouts between the drug traffi ers and the police. To live inside a favela you have to be very strong mentally. Many times people offer you a wrong path in life and you have to be
you can see the traffi ers with firearms and gold chains strolling around and they get a lot of attention from the women. This can send the wrong signals to a child or an adolescent who is already struggling with finding his or her identity and way in life. It is quite hard to live in a community with drug traffi ers. At times, there are shootouts between the drug traffi ers and the police, or even wars between rival drug trafficking ngs. Nothing
is easy, there is a lot of temptation right in front of you and like I said, you need to be mentally strong to resist these temptations and not choose a wrong path in life. I already lost a lot of friends who chose that path; a few died and others are in prison.
When did you get involved with jiu-jitsu? My first involvement with jiujitsu was with a community project in Cantagalo that helped kids from the favela become champions in life, outside the drug trade and the drugs. A friend of mine from school invited me to go to this project and do a class together. The “Projeto Amigos do Morro” (Friends of the Hill Project) was organized by Ricardo Vieira, who is my master today, and Fernando Tereré. My first class was without a kimono because I didn’t have one at the time, and my first jiu-jitsu instructor, Leandro Martins, taught me the first steps in jiu-jitsu. I remember feeling a lot of adrenaline when it was time to put into practice what we learned in class. I felt really happy and wanted to learn more about this gentle art. At the end of class, Leandro
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SPOTLIGHT 42
“I want people to see me with different eyes. I would like them to know where I come from. I don’t want people to be deluded by fame or titles.”
Martins said I should stop by his house in Cantagalo to get a proper kimono so that I could start attending classes more regularly. After that I never stopped training jiu-jitsu again and today I am a black belt world champion and very proud of that.
What do you consider to be your greatest jiu-jitsu accomplishments? A big achievement was getting a U.S. visa. I’d been trying since 2010 in order to participate in the major jiu-jitsu competitions in California, but I was declined four times. Then finally in 2013, I received one that allowed me to stay in California for one week; just enough time to fight in the IBJJF World Championships and then I had to go straight back to Brazil. While there, I took the heavy weight world champion title at brown belt and the third place medal in the open class. The open class semi-final was the first time I fought against Keenan Cornelius. But the biggest achievement in my jiu-jitsu career was getting my first world champion title as a black
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belt in the IBJJF 2013 No-Gi World Championships. I closed the heavy weight bracket with my friend Lucas Leite. I am very grateful to Lucas because he gave the title to me; I am thankful for his attitude and humbleness. In 2014, I was also successful at the IBJJF European Championships in Lisbon. I won gold at heavy weight, winning against Yuri Simões in the finals, and third in the open class, losing to Yuri! I was also lucky at the Las Vegas Open and won both the black belt open and heavy weight divisions. After fighting some important competitions with my CheckMat team in the spring and summer of 2014, I left for Europe. Unfortunately,
I’d been invited to fight in the last Metamoris, but the date clashed with some other obligations. I hope to have another opportunity to be on their card in the future.
You told me once that you wanted to be a different kind of world champion. What did you mean by that? I meant that I don’t want to be known as the best in the world of jiu-jitsu with a lot of world champion titles. I want people to see me with different eyes. I would like them to know where I come from. I don’t want people to be deluded by fame or titles. I don’t want to hear, “Look!
There’s Jackson Sousa. He’s a World Champion.” I want people to know the person behind the athlete. I would like to show my humble background to people so they know they can also achieve anything they put their minds to. I come from a poor neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro and I faced various temptations in my community - a life of crime - but thanks to God, my willpower and perseverance, I managed to overcome these obstacles and today I can say that I am a role model for many children and youth who live in poor neighborhoods in Brazil. I would also like people to know that favelas are not all about violence and the drug trade – this is what the international media often likes to portray. But in our communities in Brazil, we have a lot of talented people who are doing great work, whether it is in jiu-jitsu, in capoeira, in dancing or in other types of sports and arts.
Tell me about your work with kids in favelas. Working with the kids in my community is priceless. It’s like a form of therapy for me. I love being with them
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SPOTLIGHT 43
and sharing my stories. I like talking to them and hearing how they’re doing in school – if they have good marks, if they’re respecting their teachers inside the classroom and their parents and brothers and sisters at home. I love being able to pass on my jiujitsu experience to them, as well as my experiences in life and what I learned from living outside Brazil. Now I am an adult and a black belt. I want to teach these kids everything
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I learned from my own professors who showed me the first steps in jiu-jitsu. I love teaching them jiu-jitsu. I love stealing their attention for a little while and putting dreams in their heads, telling them that they can achieve whatever they want. I tell them to go to school and to be “somebody” in life, far away from the drug trade and the drugs. I believe I am doing a good job, just like the other professors, Antonio Carlos, Douglas Fufino and
Ricardo Vieira who are all helping these kids on a daily basis. Without any doubt, we manage to take their attention away from the drug trade and we put them on the right path to be a champion in the future, not only on the mats, but off the mats as well.
After all you’ve been through, what does success mean to you? Success for me is a temporary moment because I believe that nobody can be successful
forever. To be honest, I would simply like to be remembered as someone who came from a poor neighborhood and fought against the odds to become who he is today. I never gave up dreaming that I could be a world champion and today I am. Now I’m lucky enough to travel around the world doing seminars and competitions. I don’t need to be famous. I only want to be recognized as an athlete and as a person.
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Persistence pays.
What are your goals as a jiu-jitsu athlete? My short-term goal is to participate in the major jiu-jitsu championships and to win them all. I am very excited because I have three competitions coming up in the U.S. between September and October 2014 – Dallas Open, World No-Gi and the Pro-League. Long-term I want to keep looking for new opportunities inside and outside of jiu-jitsu. I would love to give presentations about jiu-jitsu and my life at a school or university, for instance. I would also like to have my own family and my gym one day and train my own students to become champions – on and off the mats. I want to work with the elderly; motivate them to do physical activities and improve their physical and mental conditions. Jiu-jitsu can
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definitely help you with these things. I also want to help my family financially in Brazil because my mum and brothers and sisters need me.
What are the main differences training in Brazil versus the U.S.? The first time I came to California I saw that many athletes have access to great competitions, facilities, sponsorships, infrastructures and training with the best fighters. When I saw that, I realized that a lot of athletes in Brazil do not have the same opportunities that Americans have. A lot of Brazilians dream of living in the U.S. because of these opportunities, but unfortunately not everyone will be able to do it. I feel sorry that many Brazilian athletes struggle to get a visa to compete in the big championships. It’s expensive
and it’s hard to build a network of people who support you. Basically, you need to be in the media and already be a champion in order to get some financial support. I’ve seen a lot of athletes doing raffle with kimonos or other products in order to collect some money to apply for a visa or to buy a flight to the U.S.
What advice do you have for upcoming jiu-jitsu fighters?
I would use two phrases that my Master Ricardo Vieira uses a lot that really motivated me growing up, “Never give up on your dreams and be persistent and have faith in your goals and dreams.”
Thank you for sharing your remarkable story, Jackson. You are a true champion – on and off the mats!
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46 TECHNIQUE
ROGER GRACIE Back In The Gi Travis Guesnon
RECENTLY, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO TRAVEL OVERSEAS AND SEE A VARIETY OF AMAZING ARTWORK FROM THE LIKES OF MICHELANGELO. I’m not much of an art guy, but when viewing his sculpted works, I could see that certain pieces conveyed very focused and powerful individuals who generated raw intensity just by their looks. Needless to say, it caught my attention and the perspective was much more evident when it was in front of me as compared to viewing a picture of it on the internet. If there were ever to be a competitor in the jiu-jitsu community to be commemorated in the form of a statue, I believe that honor would go to Roger Gracie. At 6’4”, the super heavyweight easily
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Jason Boulanger
stands out and his demeanor (call it what you want… stoic, poker face, whatever) on and off the mats makes you believe he is jiu-jitsu’s version of a silent assassin; he seems to understand his opponents better than they understand themselves. Seeing him compete I assumed he had these characteristics, meeting him confirmed it. Roger has sharpened his skills to the point of precision and uses them to cerebrally dismantle the competition in an amazingly effective manner, while using the least amount of effort possible.
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Roger has confirmed that he will be competing in some jiu-jitsu super fights in 2015.
Imagine knowing what your opponent is going to do next, but you can’t stop it from happening. This is how most of Roger’s opposition has felt. Chances are, if he mounts you, you’ll find yourself on the wrong end of either an Ezekiel or cross collar choke. There’s no fancy guard games, tricky sweeps, or unorthodox submissions; he just stops everyone in their tracks again and again, using the same basics that his grandfather and founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Carlos Gracie, stumbled upon many years ago. Those same basics taught to him by his father Mauricio Gomes (one of the few persons to receive a black belt from Rolles Gracie). Now he lives in London, England, which is where he calls home and runs his own academy.
There will always be an argument over who is the greatest to ever compete on the mat, but one would be hard pressed to deny that a 14-times world champion (with the majority of those being at the black belt level) and a newly inductee to the IBJJF Hall of Fame is not that person. Unfortunately for some of us newbies in the jiu-jitsu community, they’ve missed out on the enigma that is Roger Gracie, as he’s been racking up wins in MMA. However, thanks to the fact that he was helping other members of the Gracie Barra team ready themselves for one of the biggest competitions of the year, we were able to have him explain to us why his game is so effective and is so hard to stop, even though his opponents know what’s coming. Enjoy.
Raw Data Powered by BJJ Heroes.com Name: Roger Gracie Gomes Date of Birth: Sept. 26, 1981 Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda Carlos Gracie Sr Carlos Gracie Junior Roger Gracie
Notable Grappling Achievements: 14x World Champion (2000 blue, 2001 purple, 2002 brown weight & absolute, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 weight & absolute, 2008, 2009 weight & absolute, 2010 weight & absolute) 5x Absolute Silver Medallist (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 – all at black belt) ADCC (2005 weight and the absolute*) 2005 European Open Champion (weight & absolute) Pan American Champion Brazilian national Champion *Submitting all 8 of his opponents, an achievement never accomplished by anyone before him.
Weight Division: Super Heavy Weight
Favorite Technique: Cross Choke from Mount
Affiliiation: Gracie Barra/Roger Gracie Academy
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TECHNIQUE 48
LASSO-HALF GUARD PASS
Dealing with the lasso guard can be a headache as it gives your opponent solid grip control and opportunities to sweep. Here, Roger shows how to shut down AJ Agazarm’s sweep attempts and safely pass. Roger grabs the gi near the knee of AJ’s right leg. After establishing the grip, Roger turns his hips out toward his right side. Once he’s able to get his hips to the side Roger can escape his right leg from underneath AJ’s right leg. His right shin will pivot on his knee to the right and then windshield wipe back to the left over AJ’s leg, trapping it. From here Roger will push forward into AJ, while simultaneously turning his body with the grip on his knee, and positions the knee behind the butt for control.
01
Start from inside of lasso-half guard.
REVERSE
02
Controls knee
03
Shift your hip to escape your leg.
REVERSE
04
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Windshield wipe your leg and trap partners.
05
Drive forward, turn your partner’s body and place knee behind butt.
06
Release grip from pant leg and bring arm over and around head for side control.
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TECHNIQUE 50
BREAKING GRIPS FROM LASSO-HALF GUARD PASS
Some opponents (especially strong ones) will grip at the wrist to control the free arm to further complicate the pass. The steps taken to pass are the same; however, you may not have both of your arms stuck. Instead of reaching up and around your opponent to break the grip, Roger recommends driving your weight into him/her and weaving your arm inside to do so.
01
Roger is sitting up solely for the illustration.
Still gripping wrist after pass.
03
Weave your hand inside and through, not up and around.
CORRECT
04
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02
Drive your weight into your opponent.
WRONG
Bring arm over and around for side control.
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TECHNIQUE 52
SETTING UP THE EZEKIEL CHOKE
01
Start from inside of half guard.
Roger provided us with this great conceptual explanation of how he is able to set up his chokes from the mount. He explained to us that it’s a matter of timing and using one threat to get the other. From inside AJ’s half guard, Roger doesn’t immediately go for the choke, as it gives AJ the chance to either defend it or escape to the back. Instead, he pushes AJ‘s knee to his left, while dropping his hips the same direction to come on top. Only holding the foot now, the threat of Roger mounting causes AJ to defend the mount instead and gives Roger the opportunity to choke. AJ must choose to defend one or the other.
04
07
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Shift your hips to the left and come up on top.
Push knee down
Slide forearm across partner’s neck.
Push knee back
08
Begin to pressure left arm downward into your partner’s throat for the tap.
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Unfortunately for AJ he doesn’t stand a chance.
02
Dive elbow inside of thigh.
03
Push with your elbow against inside of leg for space.
05
Base out with your left hand.
06
Sneak your fingers inside of sleeve. See tip illustrations.
AJ Pushing leg back in
Tip The Ezekiel choke is very strong, but hard on the fingers. Roll your knuckles inside the gi instead of gripping at the tips of the fingers. This will make the choke even stronger and put less strain on your fingers.
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WRONG
CORRECT
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TECHNIQUE 54
GETTING THE MOUNT FROM EZEKIEL DEFENSE
01
Your partner answers the phone while you attempt the Ezekiel choke.
Forearm blocks choke
Now, if AJ decides that if he isn’t going to give Roger the choke, and blocks it using a technique often referred to as “answering the phone,” Roger takes a different approach. He’ll windshield wipe his free leg over AJ placing his foot inside the thigh, near the knee. From here Roger will push this foot downward, while pressuring his weight forward to open the legs. Once open, Roger will take his foot out of AJ’s half guard, place his right leg back down and get the mount.
02
Windshield wipe your leg inside.
Foot pushes downward
Gloss “ANSWERING THE PHONE”
03
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Once the legs open, pull your foot out and establish the mount.
is a lapel choke defense in which an individual places the palm of their hand against their ear to form a half triangle between their head and arm. The forearm portion becomes a blocking type style of defense against the opponent’s forearm that is attempting to push into the neck.
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TECHNIQUE 56
ARMBAR FROM CROSS COLLAR SET UP
01
Start from mount with your hand deep inside your partner’s collar.
Of course, if Roger can get the cross collar choke on you, you had better believe he will (watch the 2009 Worlds), but here he shows us another effective concept for getting the arm. While mounted, Roger brings his right hand underneath and reaches for a deep grip inside the collar. Normally, AJ would shield himself from the choke by “answering the phone” like in the last technique. Shifting his hips to his left, oger’s right leg remains posted over and across AJ, while his knee is near the head and left hip secu es AJ’s right arm. Grabbing AJ’s right elbow with his free hand, Roger pulls it to himself and brings his right calf in, trapping AJ’s right arm. He then releases his grip from inside the collar and grips his thigh to trap the arm. Next, Roger leans toward his right knee to create space for his left leg to move, swings it over AJ’s head and pinches his knees together. Finally, he leans toward AJ’s head to break the grip and brings his body back to the middle, finishing the armbar.
05
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Lean toward your knee in order to pull your leg from underneath you and swing it over your partner’s head.
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But that’s not a slam on AJ, not many would have a chance against the Champ.
02
Your opponent blocks the choke attempt.
03
Shift your hips, draw your leg underneath you and keep your opposite leg posted.
Arm and shoulder trapped.
Gloss “S-MOUNT” is when
04
Secure the opposite arm & bring in leg to S-mount.
06
Now, lean toward your partner’s head and extend your body backwards to break his/her grip.
07
Bring your upper torso back to a neutral position, curl your legs, pinch your knees and lift your hips to finish the armbar.
one knee is next to your opponent’s head your other leg is curled under the their armpit (the legs form an S). This traps the arm & shoulder area while adding additional pressure to set up arm locks.
Note: On step 2 we recommend the “answering the phone” technique to do so.
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TECHNIQUE 58
CROSS COLLAR CHOKE
The cross collar choke is one of the original techniques in Brazilian jiu-jitsu that is very under-utilized today. While it may not be flashy, it’s extremely effective and who better than the man who submitted all his opponents (with it or the Ezekiel) at the 2009 Worlds to give us a breakdown of it? Roger reaches his right hand in with four fingers inside the collar, then takes his left h nd underneath his right and also grips with four fingers inside the collar. Once his grips are established, he pulls AJ down to him by doing a rowing movement with his arms. From here Roger slightly turns his palms upward while bending his wrists. This forces the sharp portion of Roger’s wrists against the veins on the side of AJ’s neck, forcing him to choke and causing the submission.
01
Start with four fingers inside the collar grip.
02
Goes underneath and grips opposite side.
03 Pull your partner into you with your arms.
Current wrist position
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TECHNIQUE 60
04
Turn your wrists so your palms are upward and bend your wrists for the choke.
Tips If your grip is too far back, you are squeezing the muscle.
If it’s too low, you can’t get the choke because there’s too much space.
Boney part
Your wrists against the veins on the side of the neck is where you want to be.
Final wrist position
Note: Roger demonstrated the choke directly from the knees and from his guard because his hands wouldn’t be visible to photograph from the mount.
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The first hand is always four fingers inside the collar. The second hand can either be four fingers in or just the thumb inside. While the “four fingers inside” grip is stronger, the “thumb inside” grip is easier to get.
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GEAR LAB 71
Ultimate Nutrition
CARNEBOLIC www.ultimatenutrition.com
Mike Velez
WHEN ULTIMATE NUTRITION RELEASED THEIR NEWEST PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT, CARNEBOLIC I WAS EXTREMELY CURIOUS. I routinely take protein supplements as part of my regular diet and after training routine. Typically a whey protein that tastes good otherwise I won’t drink it as regularly as I should. When I first heard that CarneBOLIC was made from beef protein I wasn’t sure what to think. It took me a little while to wrap my head around the whole beef protein thing, as strange as that may seem, until I actually got to taste it. Not quite a steak in a bottle, but something else very tasty.
What is in CarneBOLIC?
CarneBOLIC is made from hydrolyzed beef protein isolate as its main ingredient. When I first read that I’ll be honest, it was kinda strange. I love steak, I’m not a vegan, I have no strange feelings about whey protein, or casein, both made from cow’s milk. But the original thought of drinking the protein from meat it was a bit strange. So what is hydrolyzed beef protein? Well it’s protein that’s derived from USDA grade beef that’s boiled to hydrolyze the protein. Then it’s filtered so that only the proteins remain without the fat and cholesterol normally associated with beef. The boiled water is then evaporated and protein that’s left is turned into a powder and mixed with flavoring, and other ingredients to create the finished product. The advantage of this form of beef protein over other proteins like whey is that amino acid profile is more complete. Also, if you’re lactose intolerant this is a great option compared to proteins that come from milk, like whey.
How’s it Sold
CarneBOLIC is available in two sizes, either 30 (1.92lbs) servings, or 60 (3.84lbs) servings and is available in a ton of different flavors including fruit punch, blue raspberry, lemonade, orange, chocolate, and vanilla. The smaller container runs $37.95 while the larger is $69.95. These
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prices are in line with comparable beef products and protein blends.
The Facts
So each 27gram scoop of CarneBOLIC contains the following; 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of cholesterol, 130mg of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 24 grams of protein. It doesn’t contain gluten, lactose, soy, milk, or egg. If you’re on a zero or low carb diet the lack of carbs is a good thing. However there is a school of thought that it’s best to consume carbs with protein during post workout feedings to raise your insulin levels to promote recovery.
Testing
Like I mentioned earlier for me the real test is the taste. Is it good enough that I’ll look forward to drinking a shake after every workout? The instructions tell you that you shouldn’t mix it in a blender or over shake it. That seemed a little strange. So I opened up the container (of chocolate) and the rich smell of chocolate was very strong. The powder itself feels and act likes any other protein supplement I’ve used before. I proceeded to follow the direction and measured off one scoop into 8 ounces of water into my shaker bottle. I shook lightly for 15 to 20 seconds as directed. Through the shaking I did notice that it does clump a little. When I was done I took a swig. The taste was
great and tasted very chocolaty! It goes down easy though I could see little clumps of the product it didn’t affect the taste or the feel in my mouth. I gave my shaker a little splash of water and circled it around a bit to get all the residual product. A few hours after trying it there was no bloating or stomach irregularity. Since my initial test I’ve probably had about ten servings with no ill effects.
Conclusion
This stuff is pretty good. If you have any issues with whey this seems like a clear winner. It mixes easily in water, perfect to travel with and for post workout. If you want to use it as an overnight supplement you could mix with some non-fat milk to spread out the absorption. It’s an extremely concentrated form of beef protein that you couldn’t get without consuming a ton of red meat. It’s also a strong value and I can tell you that without a doubt it tastes great.
Verdict Good value – great tasting
PERORMANCE: VALUE: OVERALL:
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72 GEAR LAB
Maeda Conde
KOMA GI www.maedabrand.com
Travis Guesnon
ONE OF THE NEWEST GI COMPANIES THAT’S APPEARED ON THE SCENE IS THE BRAND MAEDA. As of right now, the Maeda brand only has one gi released, the Conde Koma, which I had the pleasure of testing out. If you know your jiu-jitsu history (and you should), you’ll recognize the name immediately as it is named after Mitsuyo Maeda or Conde Koma “Count Koma.” If it weren’t for this individual passing on his knowledge to the Gracie family (particularly Carlos) and Luiz Franca (another lineage and founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu) there may have never been jiu-jitsu, the UFC, tournaments, etc. and you wouldn’t be reading this article now. Maeda fought thousands of fights (these are recorded); including one against Pé de Bola (a Capoeira fighter) who he allowed to use a knife in the fight. Who does that? Maeda beat him down quickly. Essentially, Maeda was and still is kind of a big deal and the brand hopes to be the same with this initial release being a tribute to him.
Pants
The pants are made of 10 oz, 100% drill cotton material. While they may be a little heavier than rip stop, they are still extremely lightweight and appear very durable. Triple stitching runs throughout most of the pants except for the double stitched waistline area. The waistline area itself has a rope-drawstring and six accessible belt loops with two in the center and two on each of the right and left sides. Two side splits/vents are also at the waistline, as well as an added inch in length or so on the backside for those with a little more behind. The gusset is strong, durable and constructed really well to ensure no tearing, but provides “just enough” room. Knee reinforcement stitching is provided from the mid thigh to mid shin and blended into the sturdy inseam stitching. Very little branding is advertised except for the patch featured on the upper left side near the hip. There’s a gold emblem near the bottom of the left pant leg as well.
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Game face!
Jacket
Utilizing 100% cotton 475 GSM pearl weave material, like the pants triple and double stitching, make up the jacket that is constructed well and built like a heavy duty one, but considerably lighter weight. Color me impressed. The collar/lapel is far from flimsy, but not stiff at all. Again, like the pants, the stitching is excellent! I didn’t find any frays or noticeable mistakes in that area other than I would have rather had the embroidered Maeda logos (and gold emblems) on each of the shoulders stitched in first, then had the printed panel put inside the jacket afterwards so it wouldn’t run through it. This is only cosmetic, though and not that big of a deal; especially considering it’s on the inside. Speaking of the panel, it’s a beautiful picture of the Japanese Castle of Hirosaki; where there is an epitaph honoring Maeda’s life and memory at this location. The same patch that is on the gi pants is situated in the middle of the panel. Branding is minimal, and other than those previously mentioned, there’s a patch on the left, b ttom portion of the lapel that has a picture of Maeda himself and one on the backside stating, “Tradition Within.” Lastly, the jacket also features reinforced side splits/vents to allow for better mobility.
HIGHLIGHTS AND SPECS Maeda Brand website is currently under construction. Available at other retailers.
Available in 12 sizes, A000-A5, A1S (short), A1L (long), A2H (husky), & A3S sizes. IBJJF approved and in four colors: White, blue, black, & navy with yellow stitching. Comes in a cool nylon drawstring bag. A1 weighs 3.6lbs total.
A
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D
B
E
A 63” B 29” C 20” D 20” E 37” F 6.5” G 8.25”
After 3 washes at 40º C
C Brand New(420)
Fit and Feel
Initially, when we pulled the gi out of the package, Mike and I laughed and said, “There is no way!” While the material felt soft nd smooth inside, and the outside construction of the entire gi was obviously durable, I had my doubts. I’m 5’10”, and at that time I was 170lbs (normally 150-155) and we received an A1S. There was no way it was going to fit Mike and quite honestly, I didn’t see it happening for me either. I thought the pants were too short, they were a little tight in the thighs, I Nicki Minaj’ed the backside, and let’s just say there was little freedom where it counted. On the other hand, the jacket was spot on and fit perfectly, but I dreaded the thought of washing and drying this gi because surely it would shrink to a point of not fitting even though it does say pre-washed. I should mention that for the first five washes I let it air dry.
F
A 62.75” B 29” C 19.7” D 19.25” E 36” F 6” G 8”
G
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GEAR LAB 74
Rolling With It
Upon stepping on the mats everyone my size or a little smaller commented on how they liked the look and feel of the fabric. While it’s very simple, it’s also very stylish and has a look I like. The first thing I noticed is that when the gi was dry there wasn’t much flexibility in the gusset. However, much to my surprise, this changed with a little bit of movement. The fabric seems to stretch, but doesn’t physically appear to. Although it isn’t the most breathable jacket I’ve ever worn, it has an amazing feel. I like that I’m able to build up a little bit of sweat from the heavy-duty construction, yet the gi is relatively lightweight. Everything I thought that was going to go wrong with this gi turned out to be so right! Pant length was pretty close to perfect (an A1L may have been just the trick) for competition. I tend to move with fluidity, with this gi I felt comfortable and light. I could also break grips relatively well with this gi.
Verdict
CONCLUSION
I’ve always been described as a hard critic in everything. Those who know me can verify this, but it’s on record that I’m giving this gi some very high marks. This has to be the better gi’s I’ve rolled in, in years. I really like the look, the construction, the durability, how lightweight it is, the sizing, and how I’m able to move in it. I’m sure I’m not helping my cause, but I only hope the price goes down (currently $169.95 at fightersmarket.com). Overall, it’s still worth it and I’m looking forward to what Maeda does next!
Gear Lab - Maeda Gi.indd 3
Not cheap, but one of the best gi’s I’ve rolled in.
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10/6/14 9:44 AM
GEAR LAB 75
TAPE ARMOR www.tapearmor.com Travis Guesnon HOW MUCH WOULD YOUR GAME CHANGE IF YOU COULDN’T GRIP CORRECTLY, PUSH OFF FOR A TAKEDOWN, OR BALANCE YOURSELF TO PREVENT A SWEEP? Our fingers and toes contain the smallest joints, but can impose big problems when impaired.
What Can I Do?
To help prevent or treat injuries, use of athletic tape can assist you, but not all are equal. Tape Armor sticks to your body (regardless of sweat), doesn’t twist up during movement, doesn’t fray, and comes in either a standard (0.3”), thick (0.55”), or extra thin (0.2”) widths and 15 yard lengths. Finger taping instructions can be found at
Conclusion
Tape Armor does all the afermentioned. You can purchase 4 standard rolls for $12.99, 3 thick rolls for $10.99, 4 extra thin rolls for $12.99, or 16 standard rolls for $45.99, and free shipping is available on all orders. Overall, Tape Armor products are a pretty solid buy, especially for the thin strips that are hard to find.
Verdict The perfect sizes for all your jiu-jitsu needs at a fair price.
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their website.
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10/2/14 12:50 PM
76 GEAR LAB
93 Brand
CITIZEN FIGHT SHORTS www.rollmore.com
Travis Guesnon
RECENTLY, I GOT TO TEST OUT THE “CITIZEN” FIGHT SHORTS THAT 93 BRAND WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO PROVIDE US. I have to be honest; upon first looking at them I wasn’t too excited; especially considering the waist size was a 32. Normally I wear a 34, but I’m the smallest guy here at JJM HQ, so you can see where I’m going with this. Another thing I was weary about were the splits on the sides. I’ve always loved the idea since it allows for less restricted movement; especially kicks in MMA training, but the shorts that I’ve tried on with this feature are, more often than not, flimsy. From my experience, the end result is having little flaps flopping all over and shorts riding up my legs during grappling. Hanging out with my wang out during practice is not on my priority list.
The Look
You can see from the illustration that the shorts are predominantly white, so over time they’re going to get marked up and dirtied a little from rolling. They’re not the most fashionable shorts, but personally this isn’t a big deal to me as I prefer function over aesthetics. Don’t get me wrong, they deliver in that sense as well. With the smooth, stylish, sublimated graphics instead of the silk screen style, you’re not going to have to worry about them rubbing off. You’re also not going to get that rough feeling because the graphics are blended into the fabric.
Fit and Feel
So that’s the look, but at this point, I hadn’t even tried them on yet. Again, the pair I received was a 32 waist, but I normally wear a 34. Dunh, dunh, dunh (ominous music plays). The rear portion of the waistline has elastic (not some cheap stuff) built into it, while the front has a gripping waistband with a Velcro
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enclosure. This literally allowed me to not only fit into them, but to be comfortable wearing them as well. They don’t sag or ride up, and they aren’t tight. I thought they might bunch up and start bothering me, but I never even noticed it if they did; they conformed perfectly to my body. With an internal drawstring you can adjust them how you like without having to readjust later. The shorts are 100% polyester along with fabric that stretches with your body and dries extremely quickly. The separate black stretchy panel on the crotch gusset and inside areas of the legs allows for a much more free-flowing mobility as opposed to shorts made of just one material. This works great with the side splits. Going back to what I didn’t like about the splits earlier, these shorts never ride up and don’t flail everywhere due to the type of material used. So, you’re getting full mobility minus the irritation. I should mention that the splits are reinforced as well, so you don’t have to worry about material fraying.
Conclusion
All in all these are a great addition to anyone’s gear bag and I highly recommend them. At $59.99 you’ll find them to be fairly competitive as far as pricing to other shorts, maybe a little bit more, but they are worth it. You definitely get what you pay for with these.
Verdict 93 Brand has done a masterful job, as these are my go to shorts on no-gi days. Look out for the version 2.0 of these shorts.
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10/2/14 12:30 PM
BJJ Tour.indd 1
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78 TECHNIQUE
NO-GI SUBMISSION SPREE WITH GARRY TONON Mike Velez
IN THE PROMOTION OF HIS MATCH AGAINST KIT DALE LEADING UP TO METAMORIS 4, WE GOT A GLIMPSE OF GARRY TONON AND HIS WORK ETHIC. The term “the hardest working man in…” is very cliché, but in the case of Garry Tonon, it might just apply. Garry (with two R’s) hails out of Brunswick, New Jersey and is a black belt under Tom DeBlass. Garry starts every morning with his own training, usually a morning or an afternoon session at one of three academies, Tom’s school, Ocean County BJJ, Ricardo Almeida JiuJitsu or Renzo Gracie Academy (That also happens to be Garry’s belt lineage; (Renzo Gracie – Ricardo Almeida, Tom DeBlass). After his own training and sharpening of his skills Garry teaches evening classes at Brunswick BJJ from 5 until 10 daily. Being just 22 helps with Garry’s hectic schedule and if there was ever a case for “eat, breath, sleep” jiu-jitsu Garry just might be able to make it. Garry’s made a name for himself in the No Gi circuit and saw a nice rise in his stock after his epic match against Kron Gracie at the 2013 ADCC in China. In that match he somehow avoided a deep armbar and took Kron’s back until ultimately being submitted via Garry’s favorite finish, the rear naked choke. That loss turned into a win thanks to the respect he earned from much of the jiujitsu community, along with the organizers at Metamoris who put Garry on the card against Kit Dale at the fourth installment of the event. It was a quick finish for Garry who submitted Kit via guillotine at the 3:40 mark of the match. In this article Garry’s going to show us some of his favorite techniques, including the guillotine he used against Kit at M4.
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Don’t forget the extra “R” in “Garry.”
5 Questions With Garry Do you prefer points or sub-only tournaments? Sub-only has really opened up my success in competition. I think sub-only tournaments have shaped my style. In training I find myself not as worried about getting my guard passed or passing the guard. I work more with what the person is giving me. Before, I would focus on my passes, sweeps and getting to the back. I’m definitely not afraid to concede position. If I’m on top and I feel like rolling to the bottom so I’ll get closer to getting someone’s back or leg, I’ll go for it. I feel more confident falling back for a guillotine. I never used to get guillotines; that only happened in the past six months. Sub-only has really opened up my game to so many more submissions; I used to only rear naked choke people.
Is that your favorite finish? Yeah, still to this day taking someone’s back is still where I want to be. I hear people stressing that it takes a lot of energy to finish, but for me I feel secure there. Occasionally I don’t finish, like the match with Kron, but that’s where I feel most confident. I’m really trying to expand my submission base, but that’s still my favorite.
What are your goals for this year? I’d like to win the No-Gi Pan and the Worlds (Editorial Note: Garry is a 2x winner of both the IBJJF No-Gi Pan and Worlds at brown belt); Grappler’s Quest Olympics is coming up and has a cash prize that I’d like to win and FIVE’s North American Championship is coming up in Florida.
How was your Metamoris experience? It was great! I’ve been looking up to guys like Andre Galvao since I was a white belt and to share the stage with him was pretty awesome. Dean Lister is another guy that I really admire, his leg locks are amazing and inspiring. All of those guys…it was pretty cool to share the stage with them.
How about a rematch with Kit in the Gi? I really respect Dale for fighting me in my style, with all the heel hooks, leg locks included. If I’m going to consider myself a true martial artist I should be willing to accept his challenge in his style. I know that Kit’s had more success in the gi, so I’d do it. I’d train for it in the gi and I still think I’d be successful.
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TECHNIQUE 80
HIGH ELBOW GUILLOTINE
If you watched Metamoris 4 you’ll recognize this choke - it’s the highelbow guillotine that Garry submitted Kit Dale with. Garry starts the move with a wrestler’s tie up. The technique would be very similar in a gi as well.
01
Starting with collar ties, whenever Garry is looking for an underhook, he’ll drop that side, in this case the left, nd then cut in for a short underhook with his hand to his opponent’s neck.
Garry’s entire shoulder is over his opponent’s head.
04
05
Garry steps back and pulls his opponent down until his head is at or below Garry’s right shoulder.
Once his head is down, Garry brings his arm up and over his opponent’s neck.
10
The trick here is not the arm position, but the rotation of Garry’s body. The placement of the knee prevents the other guy’s head from popping out when Garry rotates for the finish.
Now Garry picks a side and slides his right arm deeper under his opponent’s neck while bringing his right thigh up along the head. While doing this movement, Garry’s also dropping his head to his opponent’s left shoulde and his left elb w is up high with his hands clasped.
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11
06
Next, Garry snaps his opponent down to the mat. He doesn’t go straight back, instead he snaps him down to his left, the side opposite his opponent’s head. This puts the most amount of pressure on his opponent.
Bringing the leg over helps Garry to go with his opponent and keep the choke, even if he falls all the way to his back.
A common way to defend this choke is for the opponent to fall to the side with Garry when he goes for the finish, this is what Kit Dale did at M4. To prevent that, Garry keeps his left leg po ted out until just before he goes for the rotation. As he begins to rotate, he quickly brings his left heel up nd over to his opponent’s back.
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Kit’s been working on a defense for this one, but he’s not drilling it.
02
Now Garry has a short underhook on the left side and the other hand on the back of the head. This gives him good control of his opponent’s upper body.
03
At this point, many people will go for the guillotine, but this would be a mistake. If the opponent postures up too soon he might end up taking Garry’s back.
Garry prefers to have control of the crown of the head versus the neck, this makes it more difficult for his opponent to posture up.
07
08
09
When his opponent hits the mat he’s forced to at least post with one hand to the mat or else he’s going to smash his head. When he does this it opens up the opportunity for the guillotine.
Garry then cups his hands together as shown underneath his opponent’s chin.
With arms in place, Garry jumps to his toes so his knees aren’t exposed for his opponent to defend with some sort of takedown. This also puts more pressure on the opponent.
12 At this point the finish for Garry is to drive his hips down and pull his wrists up.
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Putting his hands together at the chin allows Garry to continue the choke if his opponent defends to one side, the other side opens up as an option to finish.
Gloss Post: the act of using a limb or extremity to exert pressure to the mat. Example, if on top in a mounted position and your opponent attempts to revserse you, extending your arm out to stop them and exert pressure on the mat is a post. Can be done with arms, legs, feet, knees, elbows, shoulders, head, etc.
10/2/14 11:10 AM
TECHNIQUE 82
BACK TAKE WITH SHOULDER ROLL FROM MOUNT
So, let’s say you’ve mounted your opponent. This is one he definitely won’t see coming. The first technique Garry shows us is if your opponent feeds into it by attempting to recover guard and then when he’s not very active. Either way, it’s a slick move that will definitely catch him off guard.
01
02
Garry starts mounted on his opponent. This first action is reactive to what his opponent gives him. A typical escape from the mount would have the guy on the bottom bending one knee, and one straight looking to recover to at least half-guard.
Once he’s in half-guard Garry puts weight on his opponent’s leg by sitting back. If he allows his opponent to get flat on his back it makes things much more difficult.
03
04
At this point Garry can lock up a figure four with his own legs, this is great if he can get it, but what’s more important is keeping weight on his opponent and starting the roll as quickly as he can.
Garry begins his roll by tucking his head and rolling his right shoulder to the mat.
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Little tip here, Garry always reaches for the feet so he knows which way to roll.
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TECHNIQUE 84
05
Garry continues the roll to his back, at this point it’s an even situation. Quickly, he drops his hips down and uses his arms to keep his opponent’s hips from dropping.
Whoever has the lowest hips will win, so if the other guy drops his hips to the mat, he can take Garry’s back
06
07
08
Garry extends his legs out like a lock down on his opponent’s leg to help bring his back to Garry.
Right away Garry grabs his opponent’s upper body, his arms, his neck, anything to keep him from turning into him.
Finally, Garry adjusts his hips, and gets his other hook in so he can go for his favorite finish from the back.
Alternate
If Garry’s opponent isn’t trying to recover and really isn’t giving him anything, all Garry needs is one knee bent. In that case, he’ll bring one leg through the bent knee and force his opponent onto his side with his weight. From there, he would go straight to Step 2 and then finish the rest of the technique.
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TECHNIQUE 86
TRIANGLE ESCAPE WITH LEG LOCK FINISH
01
02
03
From here Garry might be able to get out of it, but if it’s really tight he needs more posture. He places both hands on his opponent’s chest to help bring himself to his feet.
Once on his feet, he chooses a side. Garry likes his right side so he steps his right foot over his opponent’s body then drops his butt down to the mat.
Nobody likes being in a triangle, but you can definitely make some sweet tasting lemonade from lemons with two options for a leg lock finish from being stuck in the triangle. The first is a heel hook that’s not legal in many tournaments, so check the rules. The other is more compliant for the rest of us.
04
Garry starts in a bad spot, his opponent has a triangle locked up, so the first thing Garry does is posture up, but that’s not enough. As he postures up Garry drops his knees beneath his opponent so he can’t crunch him back down.
Quickly, he fights to also bring his left leg over, which he then crosses over his opponent’s torso. As soon as he has both legs crossed, he postures back using his entire body to break the triangle using his hands as well.
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This is definitely not a technique to try for the first time when the prospect is tapping. Instead drill this one first.
05
From here there are a ton of leg locks that present themselves. When legal (check tournament rules), Garry likes the heel hook.
A.
He overhooks the target leg while pushing the other one away.
06 A.
Next, he rolls to his left to get to a belly down position with the leg and ankle in tow.
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C.
He turns his body to the heel, bending his left arm to hook the heel. Then he finishes twisting his body away to bring his opponent’s heel upward and to the right.
For a more legal finish, Garry’s chosen a straight ankle lock that can be done at most competitions, all the way down to white belts and beginners.
Garry picks the right ankle to attack and gets an overhook with his left arm holding it tight between his arm and body up near the armpit.
C.
B.
Garry pivots to the side of the target leg, while threading his left leg through his opponent’s legs creating a figure 4.
B.
He then pushes the left leg away and brings his right knee up between his opponent’s legs to isolate the target leg.
D.
Garry adjusts the hold so that the top of his opponent’s right foot is up against Garry’s left triceps and he bridges into the target leg with his right hand on the mat.
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TECHNIQUE 88
HEAD AND ARM GUILLOTINE FROM BACK ESCAPE
Who gives up the back to get a dramatic finish from the guard? This guy! Maybe it’s not the first option, but let’s say your opponent manages to break free of your seatbelt when you have his back, no worries. This is another one of those techniques that Garry does that makes due with what you have.
01
02
Garry has the back, hooks in with a seat belt. A common defense for his opponent is to lift the arm that’s over the shoulder and sneak the head out to escape a choke. When his opponent does this, Garry goes with it.
03
Garry wants to grab his own right knee with his right hand after the neck escape. To do this, Gary posts his left hand to the mat twisting a bit so he can feed his right knee to his right hand.
He makes a connection by grabbing the underside of his own right knee. Once this connection is made, Garry technically stands out to his left side.
04
With nowhere else to go, Garry’s opponent turns toward him. As he does this, Garry brings his hands together to secure the guillotine and falls back into guard.
At this point the opponent can attempt to turn away, but his movement will be limited. Garry’s in a fairly secure position.
05 Garry brings his left leg over to hug the back and finishes with a normal head and arm guillotine.
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Gloss TECHNICALSTANDUP: a move to transition from a seated position to your feet while being able to protect yourself from attack.
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90 TECHNIQUE
SIDE CONTROL SEQUENCES WITH MIKE DIAZ Mike Velez
RECENTLY ON A TRIP OUT TO CALIFORNIA WE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING UP WITH MIKE DIAZ AND ALLEN HOPKINS. In Issue 25 Allen demonstrated some simple and effective escapes from back control. In this issue Mike’s going to show us two sequences from side control that are demonstrating the vision to think a few steps ahead of your opponent.
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Mike is a black belt under Master Pedro Sauer. He started training with him back in 1998 and received his black belt from him 8 years later in 2006. Mike considers himself a very technical instructor. Along with jiu-jitsu, Mike’s been training other martial arts for more than 25 years. Mike is also a certified Ginastica Natural instructor, and teaches out of his school, Park City JiuJitsu, in Park City, UT. www.parkcitybjj.com
10/2/14 10:30 AM
We might have to pick up snow skiing so we can pay Mike a visit.
SHOULDER LOCK FROM SIDE CONTROL
01
With your opponent in side control, block the hip with the right hand and control the head with the left arm.
This is a simple attack from side control with an unconventional Kimura finish. Your opponent might not discover the danger of it until it’s too late. Should he manage to escape, Mike demonstrates a more conventional armbar finish as an option.
02
Move to sit-out side control. Bring your right leg across his body to trap his right arm. It’s important that you get your right thigh underneath his arm so it’s away from his body.
03
Bring your left leg over his head to pinch his right arm between your torso and thigh.
REVERSE Be sure to be facing your opponent the entire time.
04
Hug his arm tight against your body with your left arm.
05
Move your body to a more north/south position with his arm tight against your body to finish with the shoulder lock.
Your right hand and left leg keep him from turning with you to defend the finish.
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TECHNIQUE 92
ARMBAR OPTION Gloss
01
If your opponent punches his right arm out straight to avoid the shoulder lock, maintain control of the arm and get to your feet.
North/South, also known as a four quarter, is a position where both combatants are inverted with their heads being pointed in opposite directions. The person on top is in the dominant position. There are a number of submissions from this position, such as a reverse triangle or the person on top can easily transition to side control or other attacks from that point.
02
Drive your right knee between his right arm and torso, all while keeping control of the arm.
03
Drop back, squeeze your knees together and finish with an amrbar.
Mike underhooks Allen’s right leg to help secure the finish.
Mike’s left leg is already in position from the third step in the first procedure.
Escape Counter
01
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Your opponent manages to turn away from you to circle out before you can get your hook in. In this case, lie on your left side and step your right leg over his body to foil his escape.
02
Hip thrust, putting pressure on the end of his arm and below the elbow to finish with an Armbar on his right arm.
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Or snow boarding for you “kids.”
AMERICANA OFF PAPER CUTTER ATTEMPT
The Paper Cutter is one of the first chokes we learn from side control, it’s effective, has a high-probability of success and can catch even the best of them. Mike demonstrates the paper cutter from side control with an Americana should that not go right. Like any good grappler he’s even got a plan C with an armbar finish should A and B not work out.
01 Working from side control, secure your opponent in place by using your right arm to underhook his right arm with your hand, reaching into his collar on the neck with four fingers in.
04
Bring your left rm over his head and under his left rm
If he defends the choke by pulling on your elbow, or you don’t get a good grip of the collar, you can switch to an Americana on his right shoulder.
07 Quickly step your left leg ver his right to prevent him from turning away.
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02
03
Roll your weight to your right side so that you’re facing your opponent and grab his far collar thumb in with your left h nd.
Drop your hips to the mat and pull on his collar tightly with your left h nd, leveraging your arm against his head to make the choke tight to finish.
05
06
Release the grip of his collar with your right hand and sit out to your right so that you’re facing his feet.
Keep his right arm trapped under your armpit and bring your grip to just below his elbow.
08 Bring your hands together and turn his elbow up towards his head to finish the Americana.
The opponent’s hand must be trapped under your armpit for this to work.
REVERSE
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94 GAINS
THE KEYS TO BUILDING DEADBOLT STRONG GRIPS Corey Beasley
HAVE YOU EVER ROLLED WITH SOMEONE WITH A REALLY STRONG GRIP? It can be incredibly frustrating when you cannot break their grip and they seem to control every situation. Whether it’s controlling the position or finishing submissions, grip strength is an essential piece of any jiu-jitsu player’s game.
Mike Velez & Kenny Jewel
a strong grip from the blue-collar workers and athletes who have some fruit on their tree. These guys wrench, grab, carry, use tools, climb, move and use their hands on a daily basis. Forget the bodybuilder with big biceps; if you’ve rolled with an ironworker, you will instantly understand what I am talking about.
While the majority of people look to the weight room for building strength, I have found that we can learn more about developing
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So much of jiu-jitsu depends on grip.
WHAT IS GRIP STRENGTH?
Grip strength involves the fingers, hands, and forearms. By gripping, grabbing, holding, and climbing our hands literally allow us to connect to the world around us. In daily life we might be carrying groceries or the kids. On the mat, we are using our grip to manipulate our opponent, move him around or control a position. While often neglected in the weight room, grip strength is an essential piece of the puzzle for any combat athlete.
BENEFITS OF GRIP STRENGTH
Jiu-jitsu is a hands-on sport and the benefits of a strong grip may seem obvious. Strong fingers and hands help us grab and control our opponent, right? But a strong grip can help us in other ways as well. Strong fingers, hands and forearms are also less susceptible to injury, which is common in jiu-jitsu. Ever get a finger caught in a gi, sprained your thumb or tweaked your wrist? While these injuries cannot always be avoided, strength can protect us from common tweaks, pain or injury.
TYPES OF GRIP STRENGTH
Our hands are very intricate and can perform a variety of functions. They need to be delicate enough to button our shirt, strong enough to carry heavy loads and have the endurance to work over long periods of time. Jiu-jitsu players need to be able to hold positions, as well as move under tension, using a variety of different handholds. Holding, without moving, is called isometric contraction. An example of this would be grabbing a sleeve or collar, holding tight and not allowing your opponent to move. Even though there is no movement, this type of contraction can be exhausting. Developing this isometric strength can yield huge benefits on the mat. Jiu-jitsu also requires movement and our grip must be able to hold up in more dynamic movement. Maintaining your grip while rolling, pulling and scrambling for position is much different than simply holding still. Our grip works with the rest of our arms, shoulders and back to assist in a variety of pushing and pulling movements. Like we said before, our grip allows us to interact with the world around us. Training for these dynamic situations help us better prepare for practice and competition.
Exercises to Build Grip Strength PICK UP HEAVY THINGS
Lifting things is a natural human movement pattern. We lift b xes, kids and other items almost every day of our lives. Strongmen use heavy stones to display their strength. Farmers pick up livestock, bails of hay and other items in support of their work. Jiu-jitsu players need similar strength to manipulate their opponents on the mat. The most common exercise for this category is the deadlift. inge at the waist, maintain good posture and pick up the bar. You can also use stones, sandbags, kettlebells and other items, but the idea is still the same: pick up something heavy. Any of these lifts help develop a strong grip, upper back and hips. Perfect for jiu-jitsu.
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GAINS 96
HANGING ON
The Three Grips
CLIMBING
Grip strength is characterized as how much force or muscle power someone has in their hands; their ability to grip an object using their fingers, palm, thumb, or all three. Aside from maybe rock climbing, few athletic endeavors require strong grip strength like jiu-jitsu and grappling. A strong grip comes from muscle and tendon strength in your fingers, hands, and forearms. Grip strength can be broken down into three categories:
As kids we were constantly grabbing onto bars, swinging around and holding on to them for long periods of time. Hanging from a straight bar, tree branch, rope, climbing hold or similar, helps build strength and endurance throughout our fingers, hands and forearms. By utilizing different handles, we challenge our grip in a variety of ways. For example, hanging from a gi is much different than hanging from a rock climbing hold or ledge, yet both yield benefits. Mix it up and challenge yourself to hang for longer periods of time.
Rock climbers are notorious for having strong hands, arms and backs. Climbing on rocks, in a gym or up a rope, forces our hands and pulling muscles to work in unison, which transfers perfectly onto the mat. Use a variety of hand holds, ropes and other implements to continually challenge yourself. This will quickly build grip strength, pulling power and the endurance needed to finish a match.
PULLING
Pulling is another natural movement pattern that we use on a daily basis and every pull starts with a grip. We are constantly grabbing and pulling in a variety of positions on the mat. From arm drags to passing the guard, developing strong pulling power allows us to roll more effectively. In order to train this pattern we can use a variety of pulling exercises. Rows, high pulls, pulling ropes, tug of war and other drills all help us develop pulling strength and power. One of our favorites was inspired by the strongman truck pull. Attach a rope to a heavy sled, weight, car or similar. Stretch the rope out, sit on the ground and pull hand over hand until the object reaches you. We use 100’ ropes and use a variety of objects to drag. This is an incredible drill to build massive pulling power, as well as building endurance throughout the hands and forearms.
Grip Strength
Crush Grip: this is the most common in jiujitsu. It is your ability to exert pressure on an object using all your fingers and palm. This could be a grip deep inside a collar, or wrapped around a wrist.
Pinch Grip: this is the grip used when just your fingers and thumbs are in play. Sometimes in jiu-jitsu this is all you can get a hold of, but not too common. This is a weaker grip position; if you can shift a pinch grip to get your palm involved and your bent fingers, you’ll be much better off. Support Grip: this is when you’re holding something for a longer period of time. It involves lots of muscular endurance rather than crush strength. A great example of this would be a clinch situation where you’re holding your opponent close to you with a grip of his sleeve, or the back of his neck for a long period of time.
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CARRYING
Carrying things is another basic way to build strength and endurance in our hands. We can carry sandbags, dumbbells, heavy buckets and more. The most famous exercise in this category is called the farmer carry. Pick up two heavy dumbells and walk for distance or time. While this is a great way to develop grip strength, it also challenges your posture, core, hips and legs. We use hex bars, dumbbells, kettlebells, chains, buckets, gi grips, barbells and many other items to add variety to this exercise, but the idea is simple. Pick up items with your hands, carry them for a while and you will get stronger.
WRENCHING
Plumbers, ironworkers, mechanics and other guys who work with their hands every day typically have strong grips. Over the years, I was always trying to find ways to mimic the movements found in these types of jobs. Wrenching all day provides a unique challenge to our grips and this variety yields some big benefits. The most effective way to mimic this in the gym is to place a kettlebell upside down in a bucket of rice. Claw grip the end of the dumbbell and simply twist and turn the dumbbell, like you would turn a bolt or screw on the lid of a jar. The kettlebell will slowly sink down into the rice, making it harder to turn. Keep turning the dumbbell until it gets stuck, pull it back out and repeat. You can turn the kettlebell in both directions. You can also use different size dumbbells to increase or decrease the difficul . Enjoy!
Guidelines for Getting Started
If you’re just getting started, I would recommend starting slow, using light weights and seeing how your body reacts to these exercises. Since many of us spend our days in the office, on the computer or typing on our phones, we need to try any new exercise plan with caution. Although many may seem simple, they can be taxing on the system and should be slowly introduced over time. As time passes, you will be able to handle heavier loads, more difficul tasks and will be able to endure longer time under tension. Hopefully these new drills and exercises will allow you to develop a stronger grip that will transfer onto the mat. Stay consistent and this new-found strength will quickly have your training partners talking and your competitors running for cover. Corey Beasley has been a strength coach for 16 years and works with a variety of combat athletes in Southern California. He owns Innovative Results gym in Costa Mesa, CA and founded a site called FightCampConditioning.com, that provides strength and conditioning advice for MMA fighters, jiu-jitsu players and other combat athletes.
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100 HOW-TO
JUST BREATHE “When you control your breath you can control yourself mentally and physically.” -Rickson Gracie Matt Corley
WHAT DO RICKSON GRACIE, THE MAYO CLINIC, BRUCE BANNER, AND YOGIS ALL HAVE IN COMMON? They all recognize the importance of breathing patterns in your health and well-being. Breathing is one of the very few autonomic body functions that you can consciously control to an appreciable extent. Learning to effectively control your breath is purported to offer a widerange of benefits. It’s worth noting that at some point in your
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life the majority of you abandoned diaphragmatic breathing and learned to chest breath. In this article we’ll look at these types of breathing. How are they different? Why do we breathe the way that we do? What are the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing and how do you successfully incorporate it into your life?
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You’ll never breath the same again.
BREATHING IS BREATHING?
Respiration can be divided into two main categories: chest breathing and diaphragmatic breathing. Both methods will get air into your lungs. The difference lies in the muscles used to accomplish that feat. Your lung’s capacity and capabilities change based on which of the two types of breathing you are using. Chest breathing (aka thoracic breathing) uses the intercostal muscles, the muscles on your sides, to expand your chest and draw air into the lungs. With this type of breathing, air is drawn into upper lobes of the lungs. There is little to no movement of your stomach and as a result your lungs do not fully expand. The majority of the population breathe in this manner, with some sources stating that as many as 70% of people are “chest breathers.” Most don’t realize they’re doing it. Chest breathing is strongly associated with pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Diaphragmatic breathing (aka stomach breathing) uses the contractions of the diaphragm to draw air more fully into the lungs. This act of breathing engages the diaphragm, a strong sheet of muscle that separates the chest and abdomen. As you
breathe, the diaphragm drops downward, pulling your lungs with it. The diaphragm also presses against abdominal organs to make room for your lungs to expand as they fill with air. As you breathe out, the diaphragm presses back upward against your lungs, helping to expel carbon dioxide.
Diaphragmatic breathing allows you to take normal breaths while maximizing the amount of oxygen that goes into the bloodstream. If you are a chest breather, the lower lobes of your lungs are exposed to much less air than if you were to stomach breathe. Why is this important?
Rib cage expands as rib muscles contract
Rib cage gets smaller as rib muscles relax
Air Inhaled
Air Exhaled
Diaphragm
Inhalation
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Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange, trading incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, this type of breathing slows the heartbeat, decreases respiratory rate and can lower or stabilize blood pressure. It can also interrupt the ‘Fight or Flight’ response and trigger the body’s normal relaxation response. Conversely, chest breathing encourages these responses as the body is forced to breathe more rapidly to keep up with oxygen demand.
Lungs
Diaphragm contracts (Moves Down)
Physiologically, the capillaries in the lower lobes of the lungs are significantly better at transporting oxygen from the air into your blood than the upper lobes.
Exhalation
Diaphragm relaxes (Moves Up)
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HOW-TO 102
Why Do I Chest Breath? By this point you’re starting to realize that stomach breathing holds numerous advantages over chest breathing. If stomach breathing is so great, then why don’t we do it? No one has a clear answer why we have moved away from stomach breathing to chest breathing, but there are some theories. Proponents of stomach breathing have suggested that the incidence of chest breathing has been steadily increasing over the last century and that it may correlate with societal changes regarding vanity and controlling ones emotions. “Suck it up” is a phrase that you’ve probably heard before and how exactly do you do this? Most kids puff up their chest and suck their stomach in. Those 11 words describe stomach breathing pretty well, don’t they? Which leads us to vanity. If I said that a flat stomach is typically considered more attractive that a bulging one you probably wouldn’t argue with me. Stomach breathing, by its very definition, causes distension of the stomach and as we’ve just established that’s not considered attractive. So what do you do? You learn as a kid to suck it up and chest breathe until it becomes second nature.
HOW?
As an enlightened human being it’s time to rebel against societal mores and learn to breathe the way your body wants you to.
STEP 1: Put one hand on your stomach and the other on your upper chest. Relax and breathe normally for 30 seconds. Note the movement of your hands.
STEP 2: Take a slow, deep breath. The air coming in through your nose should move downward into your lower belly. Let your abdomen expand fully and exhale through your mouth (or your nose, if that feels more natural).
STEP 3: Alternate normal and deep breaths several times. Pay attention to how you feel when you inhale and exhale normally and when you breathe deeply. Shallow breathing often feels tense and constricted, while deep breathing produces relaxation. STEP 4: Practice diaphragmatic breathing for several minutes. Your hand will rise about an inch each time you inhale and fall each time you exhale. Your chest will rise slightly, too, in concert with your abdomen. Remember to relax your belly so that each inhalation expands it fully. STEP 5: Continue to practice several times throughout the day and for about 5 minutes per session
WRAPPING IT UP
“A combination where I can be very flexible, very strong, very fast, very well coordinate(d) with a good balance, with good breathing, those elements I try (to) combine.” -Rickson Gracie
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Breathe Out
Breathe In
If you’ve seen the film Choke, you’ll remember Rickson using stomach breathing exercises throughout his training. If you haven’t seen it, you must. MMA trainers have their fighters use diaphragmatic breathing between rounds to aid recovery and control adrenalin. Bruce Banner even uses proper breathing to keep the Hulk in check. The Mayo clinic suggests that stomach breathing is useful for managing anxiety, stress and the fight or flight response acutely and longterm. What that means in everyday terms is that any time you have a few minutes to practice, you probably should. If you have time between rounds or matches, focus on your breath. These are times of stress and fatigue, and taking a few minutes to focus on your breathing will get your body and mind ready more quickly.
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104 MIND GAMES
Photo: Kenny Jewel
10 TIPS FOR COACHING AT A TOURNAMENT Brendan Hufford
YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL JIU-JITSU INSTRUCTOR TO COACH SOMEBODY AT A TOURNAMENT. In fact, chances are that if you have a child, spouse, or friend who is a student of jiu-jitsu, you have been to a tournament and can benefit from becoming a better coach. Tournaments are inherently stressful environments. There is often a lot of commotion and unfortunately, they can also be disorganized. Assisting others in navigating such an environment is essential to them getting the most out of each event. Here are 10 tips that’ll allow you to bring your A-game on tournament day, so your students and loved ones can bring theirs!
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That assistant looks a little too young to be very effective.
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Make a list and check it twice
Before tournament day, you should have a list of the belt levels, weight classes, start times, and even the mats that your students are competing at. Making a list of their competitors is especially important if you are travelling to a tournament. This also allows you to keep track of medals, placing and who still has to compete throughout the day.
Know Thy Rules
Your second task before tournament day is to be well versed in the tournament’s rules. This could range from uniform regulations, to scoring, to the legality of certain moves. Consider bringing a printout of the rules with you to go over with your students, their families and even (possibly) the referees!
On time is late, Early is on time
You should be the first person to arrive at the tournament that day. Don’t make a common mistake and arrive when the first divisions start and expect to be ready to go. Arriving early will also set an example for your students. If they see you coming in late or at the last minute, it communicates to them that you had other things to do that were more important than they were. I don’t know any coaches who would want to convey that message intentionally, and this is one way to tell your students that on competition day, they are the priority. Check in with all of your students to make sure everybody has arrived and is prepared to compete.
Keep calm and coach Jiu-Jitsu
Coaching is immensely frustrating, so remember to stay calm and positive when working with your students. This is VERY important, especially if you’re at a two-day competition. By staying calm and not running around screaming all day, you’ll ensure that you not only motivate your students, but you’ll be able to give them 100% of your time and energy as they compete.
Don’t multi-task
By nature, human beings are horrible at multi-tasking. Doing five things at once typically leads to doing all of them poorly. Trying to keep time, coach your student, fix a dislocated finger, etc. is a great way to miss great coaching opportunities. Focus on the mat that you’re at and then check your list to see where you should be next. Since you can’t be everywhere at once this is a big help.
Have an assistant
Having a few of your top students, or even your spouse, helping you at tournaments can be one of the most important elements of being a successful coach. They can run and get first aid, keep track of who is up on what mat, grab you lunch, etc. They really facilitate you and your team being successful at the tournament. Ask them to help, allow them to work with you and remember to show your gratitude for all of their hard work. Your assistant can even remind you to...
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Remember to eat and drink
Photo: Mike Calimbas
Set aside 10-15 minutes in the afternoon to sit down quietly to eat and drink. If you are hungry or thirsty, your judgment is going to be off and you are going to start making mistakes. This may cause you to be frustrated with your students easily, which can be avoided by staying fed and hydrated.
8
To be or not to be (specific) There are two schools of thought on whether or not to be specific when you’re coaching somebody. Either you give them detailed instruction during a match, or you don’t. For beginners, yelling, “Sweep!” or “Escape!” may not help your student. It may only serve to make the student panic and forget how to do what they should do. By giving clear, step-by-step instructions to your beginning students, you can help them be more successful and also assist them in navigating the adrenaline dump that often accompanies stepping on the mat. Note that giving your student details will help them, but it
will also help their opponent avoid whatever your student is trying to do. So use this tactic with caution.
For veteran students: Sometimes veteran students need less instruction and more encouragement. Providing them with the time remaining in the match, the current points and reminding them to stay calm can be incredibly helpful. By practicing your coaching in the academy (instructor/ friend) or just asking them ahead of time (parent/spouse), you’ll have a better idea who needs more specific instruction while under pressure and who needs less.
Be visible
Wearing a black t-shirt like everybody else is going to make it a nightmare for people to find you when they need you. At all recent tournaments I’ve been to, I’ve worn a bright orange shirt just to make sure that if anybody needed me, they could find me right away. I know it sounds silly, but your team shouldn’t have to send out runners to find you in the competition location and having a signature shirt or hat that is bright in color will really help your team help you stay on top of your game.
10 Be prepared
You should never need to borrow anything from anybody else on competition day. Here’s a short list of things to remember to bring on competition day: Seam ripper to remove patches that are illegal Stopwatch Cell phone (with charger or extra battery) Athlete list Extra gi jacket/pants/no gi shorts Writing utensils + clipboard Snacks Schedule of divisions Tape/band-aids/gauze Toilet paper
That’s a Wrap!
By following these 10 guidelines, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll be able to improve the tournament experience for your students, friends, kids, and loved ones; not only by helping them win their matches, but also by gaining all of the intangible benefits of the competition side of our beautiful (and sometimes not so) gentle art. Brendan Hufford is a purple belt under Miguel Torres. He is also the Chief Happiness Jedi at Ok! Kimonos and blogs at OkKimonosBlog.Com and GiReviews.Net.
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108 MEDIC
GUIDE TO KNEE PAIN AND INJURIES Dr. John H. Park
WHEN YOU FEEL A PAIN IN YOUR KNEE, YOUR MIND MIGHT QUICKLY GO TO THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO. That reaction might be warranted or not. Here’s a simple guide to help jiujitsu practitioners know when it’s OK to keep training, when to be a little cautious and when it’s necessary to stop and
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seek immediate treatment. While this is just a guide with a few examples of some common scenarios, any injury should be evaluated by a licensed healthcare provider and treated accordingly.
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I bet you’re wondering what your Q-angle is now aren’t you?
Don’t Worry, but Be Cautious
Training in pain is rarely ever a good idea, but there are some cases where pain may just be the result of lots of “mileage” on the mats.
Osteoarthritis: Say you are a seasoned grappler who’s been training for over 10 years. You’re past your physical prime and have entered middle age, but your experience has made you a force to be reckoned with even among the younger alphas at your academy. There is a good chance you have some expected wear and tear in the knee. When the cartilage lining the joints isn’t as smooth as it used to be and the bones have started to show signs of spurring and sharp edges, you have degenerative osteoarthritis in the knees. Symptoms generally include
stiffness, dull nd aching pain that initially increases with activity and seems to gets better as you do more. Long periods of inactivity also seem to make the pain worse, but it’s nothing a little Advil doesn’t make more tolerable.
Patellofemoral Syndrome (PFS): Another case where training may not be detrimental to overall knee health, but it’s certainly unpleasant, is when the patella (kneecap) does not stay in proper alignment. As the knee joint flexes and extends, the patella does not track properly and tends to pull off
to the side causing irritation and wearing of cartilage under the kneecap. This is caused by numerous factors, including tight hip and quadriceps muscles, anatomical bowing of the knees, arches that are severely collapsed, or having wide hips (increased Q angle). PFS is the most common cause of general knee pain without trauma. People who suffer with a patellofemoral syndrome will complain of a vague dull and aching pain that increases after activity and also gets worse with prolonged inactivity. Sitting or driving for long periods of time can make the pain more noticeable.
12º
Q-Angle Training with an arthritic knee or a patellar tracking problem isn’t a deal breaker that will leave you crippled, but it does mean you should be cautious. These conditions can cause further injuries or simply become worse, making training more painful and less than desirable to keep doing. Management for both conditions includes stretching and strengthening exercises to keep the muscles in the knee balanced. Physiotherapy modalities including ultrasound, cold laser and Kinesio taping are also good options to keep pain under control. Cross training, bicycling and general lower body strengthening is always a good idea.
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Stop Rolling and Ice It
As a rule of thumb, when you have sudden sharp pain in your knee that makes you want to stop moving, you did something on the more serious side. Ligaments get sprained, muscles get strained and bones move in ways they shouldn’t. When these types of injuries occur, your best bet is to get off the mat to prevent further injury.
Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Sprain
If the foot is planted and you take a hit from the outside of the knee you will likely have injured the MCL. Think of what would happen during an aggressive high speed Toreando pass with the opponent’s knees planted. Often times you will hear a popping sound followed by the sudden onset of sharp pain on the inside of the knee. Initially, your knee may hurt even when you don’t move it, but you will most definitely feel it when you make any movements that bring your knee inwards while the foot is outwards. The MCL is one of four major ligaments that stabilize the knee. A significant sprain will create instability in the knee and set you up for further injury. Get off the mat, ice it, take some NSAIDs, rest up and let healing happen. Once it feels better you should start doing exercises to strengthen and stabilize the knee.
LCL
Medial Meniscus
MCL
ACL
Lateral Meniscus
Patellar Dislocation
Femur
Fibula
Patella Tibia
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This happens when your knee twists in one direction while your kneecap goes in the other direction. You will hear something that sounds bad and probably get that slightly sick to your stomach feeling that happens when your body senses a part of anatomy moved in a way it shouldn’t have. The pain is initially very intense and subsides when the kneecap goes back to its normal position. The pain from this can be long lasting however. The retinaculum is connective tissue that holds the kneecap in place, and it is often torn during a patellar dislocation. If this is the case, the kneecap can be unstable, moving around more than it should. A common source of pain post dislocation is bone bruising. When the kneecap dislocates and moves out of the proper position, it can impact part of the femur and cause damage to the cartilage or bone itself. This type of injury takes a long time to heal, so staying off the mat is critical to let healing take place.
Rehab What’s the best exercise to rehab an injured knee? Terminal knee extension exercises against resistance are a great way to build strength around an injured knee. This exercise helps stabilize the knee from many different angles. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps a few times a week. Vary the angle of pull to get the most benefit from the exercise. Don’t forget to mix in some Kinesio tape.
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MEDIC 112
What Sup Your knees are made up of bone, ligaments, connective tissue and cartilage. Cartilage is a funny thing; it’s absolutely critical that you maintain healthy cartilage to keep things working properly. Cartilage breaks down, but it also regenerates. There are supplements out there that in some studies have shown may help maintain healthy cartilage and therefore, knee joints. Glucosamine: Made primarily from the exoskeletons of crustaceans (crabs, prawns and lobsters), glucosamine helps your joints’ ability to produce the building blocks of cartilage regeneration. Chondroitin: Chondroitin sulfate helps stop cartilage breakdown and stimulates cartilage production. It helps cartilage retain water and produce hyaluronic acid, which helps keep things lubricated. Taking the two together has shown the greatest benefit. Our recommended dosage is no less than 1500mg of glucosamine and between 12001500mg of chondroitin. Check with the product’s label first for additional guidance and precaution. Also, avoid Glucosamine if you’re allergic to shellfish. For more information on these two supplements, check out the Supplements column of Issue 7.
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See the Doctor and Get an MRI Now!
When you have a knee injury like this, there is no doubt you will know it. We’re talking about pain that is a 12 out of 10 on the pain scale. It’s the type of injury that makes even the most soft spo en and mild mannered jiu-jitsu practitioners spew all sorts of expletives from their mouths. A trauma to the knee like this will literally leave you paralyzed in pain as you grasp your knee like it’s the most precious thing you own. Broken bones with gross deformities in the leg or thigh warrant a trip to the emergency room right away. These injuries almost always require surgery and there is no way for you to be able to train until then.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear
Forceful hyperextension at the knee is the most common mechanism of injury for ACL ruptures. An aggressive single leg takedown attempt on a foot that is planted is a prime example of how this injury occurs. You will almost definitely hear a loud pop followed by a feeling of instability in the knee that makes standing and weight bearing near impossible. Without a stable ACL any sort of grappling activity would be severely limited, so surgical repair is necessary.
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Odonoghue was not a very happy chap.
Meniscus Tear
Planting and twisting motions in the knee can cause tears in the cartilage that lies between the thigh and leg bones. While small tears don’t require surgical management, a significant tear like a bucket handle tear can be severely limiting. Often times the affected knee will lock in place making extension very painful. Instability is also a common finding with a torn meniscus and the knee will give out even during simple weight bearing activities like walking. Substantial tears are managed through arthroscopic surgery to remove torn fragments or to suture pieces together.
Worst Case Scenario Odonoghue’s Unhappy Triad
This is what happens when we hear someone “blew out” their knee. The anterior cruciate ligament is torn, the medial meniscus is torn and the medial collateral ligament is torn. A hard hit on the knee with a planted foot is what causes this injury. Aside from the intense pain associated with this type of injury, the knee is so unstable it is not functional in any capacity. Multiple surgical interventions are required to make the knee stable in order to do what it’s supposed to. This means you will be off the mat for at least four to six months, and it may even be a year before you feel like you’re back to pre-injury status.
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With all of these injuries, whether they are chronic or acute, it is imperative to undergo a strengthening and conditioning program to restore strength, range of motion and stability in the knee to resume jiu-jitsu activities. Fortunately, there are few knee injuries that are truly ever career ending for the jiu-jitsu athlete. If you have the resolve and the desire is there, you will be able to resume normal training, or at worst, train with modifications and focus on a different set of skills. You may not want to make the X-guard or De la Riva guard a big part of your game with a bad knee, but as you know, that is the beauty of jiu-jitsu in that it is so deep with possibilities.
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MIKE TERPSTRA MIKE TERPSTRA’S JOURNEY TOOK A UNIQUE PATH IN THE BEGINNING, BUT NOW HE’S REACHED SOME MILESTONES THAT WILL KEEP HIM ON THE RIGHT PATH FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. Check out Mike’s story and see if it sounds like yours, or one that you’d like to replicate. Age: 38 | Height: 5’7” | Starting Weight: 267 Current Weight: 170 | Belt Rank: 4 stripe blue Home Town: Fort Collins CO Home School: Infinite MMA Instructor: Adam Martinez/Royce Gracie
How did you discover jiu-jitsu? Through my daughter. She started jiu-jitsu when she was 7. A friend of hers had been getting picked on in school and his father called me asking if I had any suggestions. His father knew that my brother-in-law was a MMA fighter in a nearby town. I told him that I knew of a school that taught self-defense and jiu-jitsu. My daughter wanted to join with her friend. His boy and my daughter flourished from day one. I could not believe the amount of knowledge, ability and confidence they had gained so quickly. At the time I was very over weight. I kept using my weight as an excuse not to start. I kept telling myself that I would start once I lost the weight. Needless to say, I was never going to lose the weight if I didn’t get on the mat. I would watch all of my daughter’s practices and write down the moves when I got home. If I had a question on how to do a move, I would ask my daughter. After doing this awhile, I started asking my daughter’s instructor questions about certain moves. He just kept telling me to take a class and I would learn. After doing this for a while, one day the instructor’s wife (and co-owner) just came up to me and said, “Are you ready to join today?” I signed up that day and haven’t looked back since.
What motivates you to train? My family, health, team, and jiu-jitsu in general. I have a beautiful wife and three kids that I want to stay healthy for. I can do a lot more with them now that I am healthier. My team motivates me a lot; we each push each other to get better.
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We all notice who is not there and give each other grief about it. Jiu-jitsu as an art is a huge motivation as it is constantly evolving and changing day-by-day. It’s so awesome to do a sport that you can learn a new move each and every day and still never know them all.
How often do you train? On a good week, I train 9-10 hours, and on a bad week 4-5. As a rule of thumb, I try to make sure I get in for at least three classes taught by an instructor and an open mat each week.
What else do you do for physical fitness? When I was younger, I loved weight liftin and bike riding. I started doing both again, and somehow my wife convinced me to start running with her a couple years ago. Since losing weight, my wife and I have done numerous century rides, hiked a fourteener, the Boulder Marathon, and numerous mud runs.
Have you changed your diet and how?
The biggest challenge has been balancing time between family, training and work. I would love to train 24-7 if I could.
What’s the best thing about the life change? The family time is awesome. Instead of sitting around watching TV together, we are always out camping, biking, walking, or playing outside. I also love competing again, being able to do anything physical and not coming up with excuses. It seems I always had an excuse when I wasn’t in shape.
What advice would you give to someone looking to make the same type of change? DO IT! Get on the mats, you will be thankful. At times it won’t be easy, but don’t give up. When it comes to jiu-jitsu, never think you have it figured out. I’ve seen a lot of guys get their blue belts and think they “know” jiu-jitsu. I know double now what I knew when I got my blue belt, and I also now know that I know very little in comparison to my peers that have been training many years.
My diet has changed dramatically. You could always find me at the local Taco Bell or Burger King. I would eat fast food at least three times a day and drink a lot of soda for “convenience.” I now try to take my food with me and see it as a fuel for my body, rather than an indulgence.
What’s been the biggest challenge so far? Getting my wife to do jiu-jitsu, just kidding.
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