ELIMINATE JOINT PAIN FROM TRAINING FOR GOOD?
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NUTRITION, CONDITION, TECHNIQUE, SUBMIT
SUBMISSION
ROUNDUP! SAMIR CHANTRE’S GUIDE TO LASSO GUARD
Wrestling? Judo? Both! Luis Heredia Will Put Anyone On Their Back Feb/Mar 2015 Issue 30
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PLUS:
+ Getting Past The Door at Studio 540 + Hot Topic! Gender Roles in Jiu-Jitsu + Harness Your Fear
The Art of the Flying Triangle Edwin Najmi Shows Us How
Which 5 Snacks Should You Never Leave Home Without? 1/14/15 7:38 PM
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ON THE COVER: Samir Chantre shows us what the lasso is used for. Photo: Jason Boulanger
CONTENTS Feb/Mar 2015 // Issue 30
44 Feature
Life 8 Editorial
Studio 540
Time for one more metaphore.
92 Gear Lab
10 News
• Gameness EL!TE Gi • DVD Round Up • SISU Max Guard 2.4
New stuff, gossip, old stuff and some strange stuff.
Skills 50 Cover Feature Samir Chantre Shows Us the Lasso Guard
71 Flying Triangles With Edwin Najmi
78 Wrestling and Judo Takedown Combos
20 Promotions
With Luis Heredia
Belts and Stripes
38 The Life Does Size Matter?
40 Feature
100 Spotlight Go for the Omoplata Ben Saunders.
Gender Roles in Jiu-JItsu
MEET THE STAFF
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Mackenzie ARRINGTON
Matthew CORLEY
Travis GUESNON
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
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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No more split months, big news coming soon!
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104
Mind
Body
104 Mind Games
34 Warm Up
Using Fear
The Power of the Plank
114 Success
106 Gains
Returning from Battle and Harnessing Jiu-JItsu.
Sledgehammer Swings
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110 Medic Rest and Recovery
Fuel 24 Grub
71
Grab a Snack
30 Supplements Joint Supplements 2.0
Marshal D. CARPER Marshal is a purple belt under Sonny Achille. In addition to owning Artechoke Media, Marshal is the author of books like The Cauliflower Chronicles and Marcelo Garcia’s Advanced JiuJitsu Techniques. His latest project is WhiteBeltProblems.com, a free open-source resource devoted to making jiu-jitsu more accessible for beginners.
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Jeremy REID M.S.ED, CSCS, CISSN Jeremy is a nutritionist and strength coach who works with MMA and jiu-jitsu champions. He obtained his master’s degree in exercise physiology from Baylor University. He is a brown belt under Robert Drysdale.
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8 EDITORIAL
ONE MORE JIU-JITSU METAPHOR
THERE HAVE BEEN A MILLION AND ONE METAPHORS SAID ABOUT JIU-JITSU. Some having to do with animals, lions and sharks, games like human chess, levers and boulders, etc. Well, I’ve got one that may not be new, actually it’s pretty obvious, but it came to me this morning and I’d like to share it. I’m writing this editorial a day before New Year’s Eve, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m still in that mood of reflection and renewed optimism that we often share when we roll into a new year (“roll” into a new year, see what I did there?). Life is constantly changing. Sometimes we have life with a knee on its belly, we’re in total control, while other times we feel like we’ve got a higher belt on top of us in full mount and he’s about to go for the finish. These times could have to do with personal challenges, maybe troubled relationships, money issues problems or addictions, or anything else - you name it. In life we should always evaluate our situations, remain calm, and when we’re in a bad spot look to get to a neutral position before thinking about a finish. When that higher belt has us mounted and the choke is beginning to tighten, we’re not thinking about whipping out a triangle or an armbar, we’re thinking about survival, escape and getting to a neutral position. However, in life, sometimes when we’re faced with different challenges we think that our best solution is to go for the finish, in spite of the terrible position we might find ourselves in. For instance, if we find ourselves just barely making ends meet and saddled with a huge amount of debt, the white belt mistake might be to play the lottery or head to the racetrack in hopes that lady luck will show us the way out. However, the black belt knows that he has to first stop the bleeding, cut spending, then maybe sell off some assets, and get some breathing room. Not until he is out of danger can he focus his energy and attention on getting to a better position and then putting himself in a spot where the finish is more realistic. This is just one example, so many challenges in life can be seen through the prism of jiu-jitsu. So, whether you or a friend finds yourself in a position where life has you by the back with its hooks in, take just a moment to assess the situation and figure out how you can defend the choke, escape and seek at least to get to a neutral position. It’s at that point that your path to finding the finish will become more apparent and obtainable. Have you tackled a life challenge by employing the fundamentals of the jiu-jitsu mindset? If so I’d love to hear about it and if you’re interested in sharing with our readers let me know. You can email me directly; tell me not how jiu-jitsu changed your life, but how you used its common principles to affect the change you needed. I can’t wait to hear your stories.
Thanks for Reading and 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, Dr. Ethan Kreiswirth, Hywel Teague, Edwin Najmi, Marshal Carper
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: 909.517.1601 email: 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 2015 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
HYPNOTIZE YOUR OPPONENTS HMMM…THAT WOULD BE IMPRESSIVE, BUT IF YOU’RE NOT A HYPNOTIST YOU CAN DO IT WITH THE NEW HYPNOTIK APEX GI. The jacket is a single piece pearl weave 550 gsm with a canvas, rubberized collar, while the pants are heavy 12oz canvas pants with double reinforced knee padding. The pants also have 5 drawstring loops to accommodate the rope drawstring. There is a combination of both triple and double stitching throughout the gi, it’s IBJJF approved, comes with a gi bag, retails at $139.99, and can be purchased from www.bjjwarehouse.com.
Feel No Pain They say the Cyborg feels no pain. Maybe when you’re wearing the new Limited Edition Cyborg Gi from Grips the only one feeling any pain will be your challenger. The new gi is made from 100% pearlweave cotton, triple stitched with reinforced slits. It’s pre-washed and steamed for a more tailored fit. The shoulder padding features COOLMAX™ Mesh Fabric and the lapels are extra thick. The pants are made from 100% singleweave ripstop, they too are prewashed and steamed for a tailored fit. We’re hoping that means pre-shrunk. The Cyborg looks pretty slick, it’s limited edition so don’t wait on this one. From the looks of it the price isn’t bad at $189. Available through Grips and fine retailers. www.gripsathletics.com
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MORE FROM MANTO In Issue 28 of JJM, our Editor-In-Chief, Mike Velez, reviewed Manto’s “Vai Finaliza!” gi with extremely high remarks. At the time it was only available in white with contrast red stitching, but now it looks even better with the new red stitching on black color scheme. We definitely recommend you check out the review, but here’s some of the basics in the meantime: this IBJJF legal gi, incorporates a 550 gsm pearl weave jacket, with an EVA foam collar and cotton ripstop pants with extra knee reinforcement. The gi is inside its own gi bag when shipped, runs from sizes A0 up to A4 and retails at $184.95. Manto sent us some other goodies as well, including the “Lucha” rash guard, as well as the “Good Idea” and “Hannya” t-shirts. They’re all available from a size S up to 2XL and can be purchased from www.mantousa.com.
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Thank you to Polaris Pro for the images.
STARS OF POLARIS SHINE In contrast to the points format, the rise of submissiononly grappling events with longer matches continues to grow, spawning more and more competition. With the success of Metamoris here in the states, the UK followed suit with a similar event known as Polaris. The event was held on 1/10/15 in Cardiff, Wales, was stacked from top to bottom and didn’t disappoint. Darragh O’Conaill and Max Campos got things started, eventually battling to a draw. Next came Kit Dale against Victor Silverio, the two grip fought, traded foot lock attempts and played in 50/50 quite a bit, with the match concluding in
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a draw. The ladies apparently weren’t impressed with the performances up to that point, so Michelle Nicolini felt she needed to show the men how it’s done as she submitted Angelica Galvao with a toe hold at the 9:30 mark. This certainly worked to put the pressure on the guys in the event’s first no-gi matchup. Oliver Geddes and 2014 No-Gi World Champion, AJ Agazarm’s paths have now crossed five times and AJ got the better of it winning by a bicep slicer, almost 12 minutes into the match. There wasn’t a submission in the next match, but Eduardo Telles proved to be too much for Mike
Fowler; essentially positionly dominating him as if he were a human boulder until time ran out and the two went to a draw. Pablo Popovitch was originally scheduled to face Dean Lister, but due to other changes in the card he met Eduardo Rios instead in the second no-gi match. The two went back and forth and the match ended in a draw. Hot off of quick submission victories over AJ Agazarm in the 2014 No-Gi Pans, as well as Kit Dale and Zak Maxwell in Metamoris 4 and 5, Garry Tonon looked to continue his no-gi submission spree against Bellator MMA fighter and leg lock expert, Marcin Held. Keeping with
the extreme pace in these previous matches, Garry heel hooked Held before 4 minutes much to Held’s surprise. In the main event, Dean Lister filled in for Abraham Marte, who was unable to compete, against the always game Keenan Cornelius. Rematching from their first meeting in the 2013 ADCC, Lister hoped to even the score with a win, but Keenan had other plans. A great match ensued, but Keenan proved to be too much and became only the third man to submit Lister in the last 16 years or so, by a reverse triangle choke from the back. www.polaris-pro.org
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NEWS 12
NOT VAN DAMME’S KICKS Submission Fight Co has recently released one of their newest gi models, the Bamboo Frenzy. This limited edition gi is made of a blend of cotton, polyester and rayon from bamboo. If features brown contrast stitching, light 10oz pants, heavily reinforced stress points, a rope drawstring, 5 loops for the drawstring, is IBJJF approved, comes in sizes A0-A5, is not pre-shrunk, and retails for $169.95. Not stopping there, they’ve also added new t-shirts to their
catalog that include the Submission American or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tees. Both are made in the U.S.A. from 70% rayon from bamboo and 30% organic cotton. These are pre-shrunk, ultra soft (softer than Submission FC’s hemp/cotton shirts), comfortable, have a slightly slim fit, and retail for $39.95 each. All of these products are certainly a better option to wear than some kicks, that’s for sure and can be found at www. submissionfc.com.
THERE’S A NEW TECHNIQUE IN TOWN… And it’s called the Great Barrier Reef Armbar. Gracie Barra black belt, No Gi World Champion and recent Polaris victor AJ Agazarm and his Arena MMA jiu-jitsu blue belt and muay Thai fighter friend Jeff Gum have been having way too much fun in Australia lately. AJ and Jeff were on a boat for 3 days in the Great Barrier Reef and did 10 scuba dives, including 2 night dives. They swam with sharks, sea turtles and visited several different reefs. A giant clam tried to eat Jeff’s GoPro! And even with all this craziness going on, the jiu-jitsu boys found time to create a new underwater submission – the Great Barrier Reef Armbar. Not sure how that’s going to translate to the mats above sea level, but knowing them, they’ll find a way to make it work.
THE WORLD IS
NOT ENOUGH After winning the prestigious Copa Podio middleweight Grand Prix backto-back and a world championship in his first year as a black belt, you would think Felipe Pena would take a little break. Naaahhh…not his style. The Gracie Barra standout has now opted not only for his third entrance into Copa Podio, but will do so in the
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heavyweight division, as he replaces Rodolfo Vieira. Rodolfo is unable to compete in the event due to prior engagements. Will the smaller middleweight be able to rise to the occasion against larger opposition? Only time will tell. www.copapodio.com
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NEWS 14
Here Comes the BOOM, Again! The crew of Steak Dinner Boom! are at it again, combining quirky, entertaining, pop culture with jiu-jitsu culture and it’s about to get nerdy, but in a totally awesome way! With two new t-shirts in their catalog you’re sure to catch some eyes. The 8-Bit is a throwback to the days of the original Nintendo Entertainment System video games of 1984. If you want to take it up a notch and show the ladies (or fellas) you’re all about the chemistry, the Periodic Table will break down every position, transition, so you can experiment like a mad scientist on the mats. Both shirts are 100% cotton, crew necks, that are printed in the U.S.A., available in sizes S to 2XL, are $17.99 each and available at www.bjjwarehouse.com.
Show Me The Money At the end of 2014 Newbreed hosted the annual Universal Grappling Championship in Orlando Florida. Within the event we also held THE ULTIMATE GRAPPLER Finale and a new champion was crowned. He won $1.000 cash, Custom TUG award, NEWBREED Fight Gear Sponsorship and Lifetime Registration. For 2015 they’ve bumped the purse up to $2,500 cash. For more information on how TUG works go to www.newbreedgear.com.
MISSING IN ACTION
By the time you read this, you’ll have noticed something quite different should you have attended or watched this year’s IBJJF European Championships. One of jiu-jitsu’s biggest stars, Braulio Estima, did not compete and you won’t be seeing him at the Pans, Worlds, or any other IBJJF events. In case you missed it, back in November of last year we were the first to get the alarming news, as well as Braulio’s side of the story first-hand, which can be viewed at www.iroll.tv/?p=9083. Unfortunately, this is just the first of a 2-year suspension and while he’s nowhere close to being old, at the age of 34 it makes us wonder whether or not we will ever see him compete in the adult division in IBJJF again. While that may seem like a bad thing, it opens up his schedule greatly, so we’re hoping we see Braulio again in ADCC and possibly in future Metamoris or Polaris events. www.estimainaction.com
Veteran UFC fighter Matt Arroyo going for a Guillotine in a semifinal match in THE ULTIMATE GRAPPLER.
RESULTS:
THE ULTIMATE GRAPPLER 2014 Champion Josh Hayden Youth Team Champions 1st: Kumite MMA - Plantation, FL 2nd: Gracie Barra - Orlando, FL 3rd: American Top Team, Black Boxx - Orlando, FL Adult Team Champions 1st: Gracie Tampa - Tampa, FL 2nd: Gracie Barra - Orlando, FL 3rd: American Top Team - East Orlando, FL
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Josh Hayden, THE ULTIMATE GRAPPLER 2014 Champion.
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NEWS 16
GALVAO IS AMAZING!
Photo: Robson Boamorte
As great as Andre and Angelica are, we aren’t referring to either of them. Instead, we’re talking about Fabricio Galvão. Maybe you haven’t heard of him, but like the rest of us, his goal was to earn his black belt, which he’s now done. While this may not seem out of the ordinary, Fabricio has Down Syndrome and is the first black belt with these symptoms. For the last 10 years Fabricio has trained consistently and sparred with any and everyone who’s willing to get submitted. He also assists his professor, Francisco ‘Chicão’ Fernandes in teaching beginner classes. Congrats, Fabricio! OSS!!!
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Look for lots of BJJ Tour coverage in JJM this year.
Back and Better Than Ever! The BJJ Tour is just that as they already have 6 great events scheduled and more in the works for 2015! We had the opportunity to attend a few of the events last year and were blown away with the quality that each displayed! All of their tournaments are broadcasted via the Internet directly through their website, with great commentary, interviews, and constantly updated results. Their 360 scoring system allows athletes to know the exact amount of time that’s left and what the score is while competing, instead of hoping they hear their coach over all the excitement of the crowd. Speaking of competition, it’s always top notch as some of the biggest names are in attendance. By the time you’ve read this you hopefully had the opportunity to compete
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at the Jiu-Jitsu by the Sea event on 1/24/15. If not, there’s still plenty of great future events happening with BJJ Tour including, but not limited to:
BJJ Tour Florida, 3/28, Kissimmee, FL American Cup, 4/11-4/12, San Jose, CA All-Star, 6/20, Santa Cruz, CA BJJ Tour Texas, 8/29, San Antonio, TX 20th US Open, 10/24-10/25, Santa Cruz, CA Check out www.bjjtour.com for registration information and more events TBA.
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NEWS 18
“WHY SO SERIOUS?!” Social media is the “it” thing right now and if you’ve ever stumbled across a comical meme featuring your favorite jiu-jitsu practitioners, you may think that in their spare time they’re Photoshop wizards poking fun at themselves and each other. However, that’s not the case at all; the man behind this comical art is Steve Castaldi, also known as Photoshop Steve. Steve has been doing this with his teammates since 2008 to make people laugh, relax and “keep it playful,” which is much needed in a sport that requires a whole lot of seriousness. In 2014, 27x World Champ, Renato Laranja allowed Steve to Photoshop his image into comical scenes, Eddie Bravo contacted Steve,
and now you can find the likes of Keenan Cornelius, Kit Dale, and others reaching out to be involved in some shape or form. This is solely a side hobby for Steve, who actually works in public safety. His intent is to never harass or “bully” anyone, just to get people to laugh. We’ve heard it’s the best medicine. His other goal is to raise funds for cancer research by selling 2” Photoshop Steve patches for gis for $2.00 each. It takes $1.00 to produce each, as well as ship, and the other $1.00 is donated to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. You can check his work out and contact him about patches via Facebook. www.facebook.com/pages/ Photoshop-Steve
NEW RESOLUTION
Now that you’ve been working like crazy during the month of January to drop those holiday pounds, there’s no better time to sign up to compete. BJJ TOUR (www.bjjtour.com) 3/28: BJJ Tour Florida, Orlando, FL 4/11-4/12: American Cup, San Jose, CA NEWBREED ULTIMATE CHALLENGE (www.newbreedgear.com) 2/14: Illinois State Open, McCook, IL 2/21: Atlanta Championship, Mcdonough, GA 3/7: Dallas Grappling Championship, Dallas, TX 3/14: Orlando Grappling Championship, Orlando, FL 3/28: Maryland State Open, Gambrills, MD 4/4: TBA, Louisville, KY 4/11: TBA, Atlanta, GA 4/18: TBA, Port St. Lucie, FL NABJJF (www.nabjjf.com) 3/28: Lone Star State Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Arlington, TX 4/11: Grand Canyon State Open, Phoenix, AZ IBJJF (www.ibjjf.com) 2/15: Pan Kids, Long Beach, CA 2/22: San Francisco Open, San Francisco, CA 3/11-3/15: Pan Ams, Irvine, CA
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3/28-3/29: Chicago Open, Chicago, IL 4/11-4/12: New York Open, New York, NY UAE (www.uaejjf.org) 2/28: US National Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Tampa, FL GRAPPLING X (www.grapplingx.com) 2/22: Grapple Bowl 2, San Diego, CA NAGA (www.nagafighter.com) 2/14: Austin Championship, Austin, TX 2/21: Vegas Championship, Las Vegas, NV 2/28: Phoenix Championship, Phoenix, AZ 3/14: Oregon Championship, Portland, OR 3/14: Albany Championship, Albany, NY 3/28: Pacific Championship, Honolulu, HI SUBLEAGUE (www.subleague.com) 4/11: Subleague 1 Qualifier, Hillsboro, OR
SOUTH USA GRAPPLING ASSOCIATION (www.bjjhome.com) 3/7: Louisiana State Championship, New Orleans, LA 4/18: Alabama State Championship, Orange Beach, AL GD EVENTS (www.gdjjevents.com) 2/21-2/22: Arizona Open, Phoenix, AZ
Other US Tournaments www.fivegrappling.com www.gracietournaments.com
Tournaments Overseas
www.ibjjf.com www.uaejjf.org www.grapplingtournaments.com.au www.bjjee.com/events
AMERICAN GRAPPLING CHALLENGE (www.americangrapplingchallenge.com) 3/7: TBA, Columbus, OH
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20 PROMOTIONS
BELT PROMOTION BONANZA! THE SYNAN FAMILY OF FIGHTING CHANCE BJJ OF ST. Augustine, FL held a seminar uniting some of 6th degree black belt, Robert Traven’s schools together. Traven presented promotions to the individuals as follows from left to right: Christy Synan (brown), Kevin Synan (black), Roberto Traven (black), Ginger Mark (brown), Chad Beech (black), Clint Black (blue), Gage Hjort (purple), and Julian Synan (brown). Congratulations to you all!
Two’s Always Better Than One
Both Troy Sorenson (shaved head) and Chris Bonde (blonde hair) were awarded their black belts toward the end of this past year from 9th degree red belt, Alvaro Barreto and 7th Degree coral belt, Sylvio Behring during their visit to Arashi Do Martial Arts in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Great job both of you! OSS!!!
Leading By Example
As an American, simply going to Brazil is a treat in and of itself, but that’s just not enough for Michael Morgan. While there, he not only competed, but was victorious in his division at the IBJJF International Master & Senior Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Doesn’t get much better than that, right? Yes, it does, as Adriano Lucio presented Michael with his well-earned black belt that, along with his medal, he’ll be able to show to his students at The Academy of Pensacola, FL, that hard work pays off. Congratulations, Sir! OSS!!!
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Thanks for serving Jeffrey
The Blues Crew
After almost a year and a half worth of training, full time student Lexie Hildebrand lost over 70 lbs under the watchful eye of her instructor, Brandon Olsen at the Team Sylvio Behring school in Hamilton, MT. Then Sylvio Behring personally promoted her to blue belt at a recent seminar. Michael Leer of the Watson Academy in St Louis, MO was also awarded his blue belt from instructor Kyle Watson and coach Jack McVicker. Way to go you two!
Never Stop Learning
A black belt in one martial art is a major achievement, in a variety of arts it is amazing, while continuing to pursue knowledge beyond that is off the charts. Dan Burger has done and is doing just that as this multiple art black belt is doggedly pursuing that goal in jiu-jitsu. He recently received his purple belt at Dojo1 Martial Arts Academy in Utica, NY from Len Sonia, a Balance black belt. Outstanding work, Sir!
Rising Up The Ranks
Marcus Ashcraft s jiu-jitsu journey began in 2012 and saw him earn his blue belt in 7 months during 2013 under the Pedro Sauer Association. He then moved to South Korea to start his own business, Train Certified Fitness & Martial Arts and continued to train, but under the Rigan Machado Association. This past October he earned his purple belt from Boguk at Daegu MMA gym in Korea. Excellent job, Marcus!
No Quit In Him
After hearing all that Jeff ey Hein has been through, if any of us were in his shoes, jiu-jitsu would probably be the last thing on our minds. He started training at 33, and while on his jiu-jitsu journey, he was severely injured doing counter terrorist work for the US government. This forced him to take several years off which included five cervical surgeries and three near death experiences due to complications. With his spine fused from C1 to T1, both posterior and anterior, he had to learn to walk again and requires a cane to do so in order not to fall. Now 18 years from when he started, at the age of 51 and all the discipline he learned from jiu-jitsu running through his veins, Jeff ey earned his brown belt from long time teacher and coach, Charlie Kohler of San Diego Fight Club. Congratulations and thank you, Jeff ey for reminding us to never quit! OSS!!!
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
YOUR GEAR BAG: THE NEW LUNCH BOX 5 MUST HAVE SNACKS FOR EVERY GEAR BAG. MacKenzie Arrington
NEVER HEAR, “GIVE ME YOUR LUNCH MONEY” AGAIN BECAUSE YOU KNOW JIU-JITSU. Also, you no longer need to carry cash with you because after reading this article you will be prepared for any situation by having some power packed snacks right in your bag. Think about what you carry with you in your bag. You will never leave the house without your gi, mouth guard, and rolls upon rolls of tape. The essentials, right? Wrong! What good are all those things if you are dragging your ass on the mats because you were running late and did not have time to snag lunch or something to eat before class? What about after
class? Say you have a good lunch and then you work all of your slick submissions for six 10-minute rounds, your body is beaten down, and you have depleted all of your resources. Do you know what happens if you do not properly refuel? Your body goes into a catabolic state and starts to pull nutrients from your hard earned muscles! We cannot have that! Luckily, we live in a world of convenience and there is a wide market of items just waiting for us to pick up. Where to begin? Don’t worry, below you will find the 5 must have snacks for every gear bag, to keep you in beast mode on the mats.
Catabolic State
The destructive condition is a result of poor nutrition paired with excessive/intensive training. Resulting in fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, muscular breakdown and poor jiu-jitsu performance! When your body’s resources are depleted after a hard training session, it pulls nutrients from your muscles to fuel your system as a whole.
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Opening Lunchbox photo courtesy of Photoshop Steve.
#1 NUTS
Avoid performance ruts by going nuts.
Power House Nuts
Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, pine nuts and pecans.
Nuts have been a staple in, not only athlete’s diets, but everyone’s diet dating back before I can even imagine. Trail mixes were designed for trails. I do not mean just a nice hike in the woods behind your house, but actual hard trails before there were roads and bridges - fording rivers, fighting bears and disease in the woods hundreds of miles away from any civilization. That being said, nuts are pretty important since they were one must have item on such expeditions. In present day, you can afford to carry some in your gear bag any and every day to get the nutrients you need and might be missing out on. Most nuts are packed full of good fats and most importantly, protein. The best part is the fact that you can mix and match, change quantities easily and add variety based on how you are feeling. They Mix equal parts almonds, walnuts and cashews for a protein and fat take up virtually no space in a side pocket of your bag, dense energy boost your body will need to bounce back from losing to but magically will leave you feeling full and content work via “lunch skip.” after a small handful before or after class.
Best for Pre or Post training.
#2 NUTRITION BARS
Armbars, kneebars, and nutrition bars, that’s what I bring to class.
Best for Pre or Post training.
Look for bars stacked with good nuts that get their sweetness from added fruits, not added sugars.
You might be thinking, “How are these different than nuts?” Well, how much more effective is a submission when it is chained together with other attacks rather than just on its own? Sure, they both have their time and place, but with nutrition bars we are hitting a much broader spectrum of nutrition that nuts alone do not. The market is full of all types of nutrition bars thankfully. They are easy to snag anywhere, even easier to store. Most bars contain nuts, fruits and additional flavoring. The best bars to carry on you are the ones
that cover the most ground, without any unnecessary ingredients. Get a bar that has a fair amount of healthy nuts and fruits, and that does not have a million ingredients that you cannot pronounce or name what they do. This way you are getting a clean source of nutrients in before or after training. Bigger, heartier bars are great for meal replacements, save those for an hour before class to avoid feeling full and heavy during the warm up.
Power of Potassium
Potassium is a nutrient that is key to our good health and performance. It is what helps keep our muscles, nerves and heart working in proper order. They say you cannot teach heart, but you can make sure it works properly by a daily dose of bananas and avocados which you’ll soon read about.
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#3 BANANAS.
To hook a heel, one must first have a banana without a peel. Bananas are grown in their own little protective jackets so they could not be easier to carry around to and from the gym/office, which are one and the same. They are full of vitamins and minerals that provide necessary recovery or pre-workout boosting carbohydrates and sugars. There are all sorts of articles for or against bananas because of their nutritional content. Sure, maybe they are a little high in carbohydrates and sugars for the average human to be consuming daily. Luckily, we are not that, we train long hours at a steady pace, so while our muscles are firing off as we sink in our favorite collar choke over and over again we are depleting the body’s glycogen storage aka our energy. We need our energy stores to be nice and full when it’s time to start training, so what better way than with a damn tasty treat that we just so happen to have laying in our bag. Get a collar grip, rip nature’s gi off that banana and get on the mats.
Based on ONE Medium Banana 20% DV Vitamin B-6 17% DV Vitamin C 422mg Potassium 14g Sugar
1 SERVING SIZE
Best for Pre-training
The best part about bananas is they come with their own packaging. Thanks Mother Nature!
105 CALORIES
0.4G TOTAL FAT
27G CARBS
1.4G PROTEIN
#4 PROTEIN POWDERS & VEGETABLE SUPPLEMENTS Don’t be a fool, remember to refuel.
Protein shakes aren’t only for stacking on slabs of corded muscles. They are excellent time saving meal replacements, catabolism eliminators and an all around fantastic invention. Imagine if you miss a full lunch and all you have in your bag is a banana. Sure, that will help give you a slight energy boost, but on the whole, is not enough. You cannot bring a plastic knife to do a steak knife’s job. The same goes with getting in your daily fruits and vegetables. Luckily there are all sorts of greens, berries and vitamin supplements out there now designed specifically for jiu-jitsu athletes. The rainbow stack by Q5 combat is a perfect example. A scoop of each added into a shaker with a scoop of protein powder and boom, miss any meal of the day and you will be fine if you have that tucked into your bag. The market is vast when it comes to “protein powders,” but select the ones designed with you in mind.
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Best for Post-training.
Grab a scoop of protein, maybe Whey protein powder, creatine and BCAAs mixed with 8oz of water for a speedy recovery after crushing it on the mats.
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BONUS #1 COCONUT WATER Hydration is the name of the game.
Coconut water contains potassium and sodium making it super hydrating as well as low in calories and fat. Sounds pretty legit, right? That’s because it is! for those who need serious hydration, like us. Coconut water helps regulate blood sugar and replenish lost nutrients burned through endurance training, such as rolling. Does that mean you need coconut water to get these nutrients? Not necessarily. There are many fruits and vegetables out there that will be a better source of potassium on a regular basis, so having a well rounded diet is more optimum. However, coconut water can certainly help replenish important nutrients that your body needs the day of a competition better than say a banana, making it an excellent alternative to water. It is not, however, the cure all that some people or might make it out to be.
#5 AVOCADO
Split it, seed it, eat it.
Avocados have the best PR agent around. Combine that with the fact that they are actually amazing for you and there you have it, a star is born. Almost every diet or health food nut out there will vouch for avocados. They are packed full of vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acid, good fats and have the highest amount of protein found in any fruit. Avocados are filling, delicious and nutritious, making them
a great all-in-one food. The trick with avocados is selecting the right one. Give it a squeeze, but don’t go gi grip strength, or else you might be purchasing a smashed avocado and being escorted out of the grocery store prematurely. You want your avocado to be a little soft, but n t mushy. I opt for firmer rather than softer because they will ripen over time, and get softer, rather than the opposite.
Best for Pre- or Post-training.
All you need to do is carry around a spoon for this perfect “lunch on the go.”
Quick Tip When selecting which avocado to roll with, use this tip to get a sneak peak on its true color.
REMOVE HERE
TO REVEAL COLOR
Best for Pre- or Post-training. Skip the sports drink, have something your body will actually enjoy.
Based on Natural Coconut Water 10% DV Vitamin C | 600mg Potassium 17% DV 10% DV Sodium | 11% DV Fiber
1 CUP SERVING SIZE
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46 CALORIES
1% TOTAL FAT
8.9G CARBS
1.73G PROTEIN
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That MacKenzie is a wisecracker.
RECIPE
Go buy some seeds and plant some trees, then you will have bananas, avocados and coconuts to water right in your very own backyard! If that’s not feasible, instead of shelling out mucho dinero every time you want some trail mix or a snack bar, simply buy in bulk and make your own.
BONUS #2
Ibuprofen. We all are not 18 years old anymore and the bumps and bruises of regular training linger some days. Having a bottle in the bag might help later in the week. Make sure you always have food in your system before consuming.
Trail mixes are simple, just mix and match using this golden ratio.
GRAPPLER GOURMET MASTER RATIO
Think back on BJJ fundamentals and treat trail mix like rolling. Know the basics yet be creative with how to implement them.
Grappler Gourmet Master Mix Almonds:................................................1/2 cup Cashews:................................................1/2 cup Walnuts:.................................................1/2 cup Peanuts:.................................................1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds:...................................3/4 cup Flax Seed or Chia................................1/4 cup Raisins.....................................................1 cup Dark chocolate chips:........................1/2 cup
Method
1. Gather all of the ingredients and measure them out. 2. Place all of them into a large bowl and mix them together to combine. 3. Transfer ¼ - ½ cup portions into small baggies or into a large air tight container. 4. Store, snack and submit.
Basic Ratio
4 parts nuts | 2 parts seeds | 2 parts fruit + Sweets, grains & seasoning
Ratio Guideline Nuts: 2 cups Seeds: 1 cup Fruit: 1 cup Sweets | Grains | Seasonings: 1/2 cup total
CONCLUSION
Our gear bags should be our foundation, something we pack for any and all situations in which we could come across within the day. There are the constants that we can prepare for, such as having a gi, rash guard, tape, mouth-guard and a towel. We know we will use those items, or could use them within the day. But what good are they if we miss lunch and feel like absolute garbage come class time? That is why we should treat our bags as survival kits, having everything we might need. You never know if you will miss a meal, but you can always be prepared in case you do, by simply having snacks on the ready. You do not want to get caught in a submission without having an escape, so don’t be caught hungry without a snack. For more in-depth reviews, recipes and techniques on each snack make sure to check out GrapplerGourmet.com. Eat well and train hard. Oss.
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30 SUPPLEMENTS
JOINT SUPPLEMENTS 2.0 Jeremy Reid
JOINT SUPPLEMENTS HAVE BECOME VERY POPULAR, ESPECIALLY IN RECENT YEARS WITH THE DISCOVERY OF SOME NEW INGREDIENTS, BUT WITH POPULARITY COMES CRITICISM AND SCRUTINY. There have been mixed reviews surrounding joint supplements for as long as they have been around. Everything from “they don’t do anything” to “they work miracles” has been reported. While there is an abundance of supporting research, critics claim the studies were poorly conducted or that results were not very significant. To make things even more complicated, a lot of studies show mixed results; improvements in certain areas, but not others or improvements in certain groups, but not in other groups. So what’s with all the complexity and confusion? The reason it’s complex is because joints themselves are very complex. Joint pain is a fairly vague term and could have a multitude of causes. These can include: overuse, trauma, disease, inflammation, imbalances, scar tissue, etc. Most joint supplements are designed
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to aide with certain specific processes inside the joint, but if your joint issue isn’t due to that process, then that supplement may not help or only help a little. Basically, if you have a ton of scar tissue in your knee, some glucosamine isn’t going to magically clear it up. However, if your knee joint is slowly deteriorating and causing you pain, glucosamine may help. Another important thing to note is that joints have notoriously poor blood flow. Because of this they have poor nutrient delivery, which means joint supplements have a hard time actually getting to the joint. It takes some time for them to actually get into the joints and get to levels that may be beneficial. Most people make two very common mistakes: they do not take them daily or they only take them for a few weeks and then stop. The optimal results and findings in the research have come from the longer studies, with the greatest results coming around the three-month mark. So, if you are going to take joint supplements, make sure to take them consistently and for a period of two to three months to see greatest benefits.
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Yes, he is about to do what it looks like he’s about to do.
INFLAMMATION Inflammation is one of the biggest enemies of joint health. When joints get inflamed, they become stiff, sore and lose function. Chronic joint inflammation can cause arthritis and joint degradation. Inflammation is a natural response of the body to injury, overuse, or strain. While some inflammation is good for healing, too much inflammation or long-term inflammation can cause tremendous damage to joints. Hmm, can you think of anything that may cause continuous injury, strain, or overuse of joints? I mean, the premise of jiu-jitsu is literally to attack joints! So as you can imagine, we are at risk for chronic joint inflammation. Managing this inflammation then becomes a key for maintaining healthy joints. The most important
components of reducing chronic inflammation are hydration and a healthy diet. Be sure you are drinking enough water daily. The minimum, and I repeat MINIMUM, you should be drinking is half your bodyweight in ounces. On training days you should aim to consume an extra 20-30 ounces per hour of training. A healthy balanced diet will also help reduce chronic inflammation. Avoiding overly processed foods and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables are the keys here. Omega-3s also play a huge role in keeping inflammation in check. Try to consume as much omega-3s in your diet as possible, but I also recommend supplementing with 1-2 grams of fish oil daily. A new supplement, undenatured type II collagen, may also help with joint inflammation.
UNDENATURED TYPE II COLLAGEN Collagen supplements are fairly new and usually come in two forms. Hydrolyzed collagen used to be the most popular form with claims to skin health as well as joint health. However, recently a new form of undenatured type II collagen has been growing in popularity for its joint health benefits. Although still in its infancy, the research shows a lot of promise. This is partly due to a potential autoimmune component. Unlike glucosamine and other common joint supplements, undenatured type II collagen contains molecular regions called epitopes. Epitopes are immune system markers
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that interact with certain antibodies to trigger the deactivation of collagen-specific killer T-cells. This can then help disable the inflammatory process. This suggests that undenatured type II collagen may help reduce the incidence and severity of arthritis. And since we know that joint physiology during exercise follows these same processes, it is believed it will help restore joint function and relieve discomfort in athletes. Type II collagen has also been shown to increase range of motion in joints, as well as reduce cartilage degradation and so far the science supports it. One study showed a significant increase in
range of motion and a significant decrease in joint pain and discomfort in healthy individuals. In fact, numerous other studies have been confirming and showing numerous benefits of undenatured type II collagen for joint health. Most importantly, clinical studies have shown undenatured type II collagen to be safe and tolerable in humans. So what does all this mean for you? It means undenatured type II collagen may just be one of the best things for preventing joint degradation. It is definitely worth trying. The most effective dosage so far appears to be 40mg daily.
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SUPPLEMENTS 32
GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE Glucosamine is probably the most common, popular and studied joint supplement there is. Glucosamine works differently than type II collagen. While type II collagen has more of an autoimmune and inflammation component, glucosamine works directly on cartilage. Before understanding how glucosamine works, we must first must know the basics of how our joints work and more importantly, how our cartilage works. Cartilage is the main component of our joints. It acts as a buffer or padding between bones to allow for free and easy movement. While many people think of cartilage as permanent or unchanging, this is not the case. Cartilage has a turnover rate, although its ability to regenerate is very small. However, this regeneration is critical in maintaining joint function and health. One of the key components in cartilage regeneration is glucosamine. It is responsible for producing the most important components of the extracellular matrix of cartilage and the synovial fluid outside of collagen itself. Glucosamine production is also considered the rate-limiting step in glycosaminoglycan synthesis. This means that the amount of glucosamine present is directly related to the joint’s ability to produce building blocks for regeneration. There is an abundance of studies showing the joint improving because of the benefits of glucosamine. These studies consistently show positive results and it seems the most prominent effect of glucosamine is preventing joint degradation. However, exactly how much of an effect it has is still up for debate. Basically, we know it works, it’s just a question of how much it works. As jiu-jitsu athletes, anything that helps with joints is a definite must. The most effective dosages are between 1500 and 3000 mgs daily.
Conclusion Jiu-jitsu is extremely rough on joints and therefore, you should take extra care of them. Your joints are a depreciating commodity. Proper injury prevention and rehabbing are a must. Joint supplements can definitely help with joint health, but like anything else, they are supplements and not magic pills. They will not “fix” your joints. They can however, slow down the degradation process and help your joints last longer. But remember, nothing will fix a popped elbow besides tapping in time. Safe training!
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34 WARM UP
PLANK FOR PERFORMANCE Powered By:
Mike Velez
Recap
In our last issue’s Warm-Up column we mentioned the extreme calisthenics boom (AKA Baristi workout), some of its bigger names, the amazing benefits of bodyweight training, and we also covered a variety of push-ups to “Push Up” your jiu-jitsu game. Not stopping there, we’re now turning our attention to the plank.
Travis Guesnon
Why Do Calisthenics?
Challenging exercises Little or no equipment needed Can be done almost anywhere Increases in strength and flexibility Improves balance, coordination, agility, muscular and cardiovascular fitness
The Plank and Jiu-JItsu In any fitness or sport endeavor having a strong “core” (your abs, lower back and obliques) is essential for producing power, speed, abdominal endurance, and remaining injury-free. During the majority of positions that we either place ourselves in for positional dominance, or fight to get out of, along with all the twisting movements involved in jiu-jitsu, we are constantly using our core. With that being said, the most fundamental core building exercise out there is the plank, as it engages these muscles at once,
Warm Up - Planks.indd 1
as well as the shoulders, neck and glutes. The Standard Plank is a simple position in which you remain stationary at the top of a push-up position. While it may not sound or appear like much, if you try staying in that position for minutes on end you’ll definitely find out the power of isometric exercise. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t add some movement into a plank to really challenge yourself; on the contrary, you can mix in a great deal of variety as there are literally hundreds of variations to choose from.
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Thanks Travis, if “planking” makes a come back we’re blaming YOU!
DON’T THROW THEM ‘BOWS
Along with the Standard Plank, the Elbow (or Forearm) Plank is either the first or second most common version of planks.
1.
Go into the Standard Plank position, then bend your elbows 90 degrees, placing them under your shoulders, and let your weight rest on your forearms. Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your feet, without sagging your hips and stomach, bending your knees, or dropping your head down.
Not Just A Fad A few years back (for whatever reason) our society came up with planking as a game of who can top the most recent outlandish photograph posted on social media of an individual lying down on an object(s) face down. Fortunately, those days have passed and once again the plank is alive and well solely in the realm of fitness.
PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 30-60 seconds, As a workout: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds or hold the position for as long as possible.
HAVE A BALL & ROLL OUT!
This style of plank actually is a “2-for-1 deal,” so to speak, because it cannot be performed without an easier version. By solely following step 1 you will be doing a Stability Ball Plank, but by executing step 2, the difficul will be turned up significantly when doing a Stability Ball Plank Roll-Out. It might not seem like much of an adjustment, but try it and see for yourself. Either way you have two options dependent upon your current state of fitness, so do either one or both.
1.
While on your knees place stability ball in front of you, and your forearms on top of it, extend your legs, straighten your body out, and lift your chest off of the ball, so that you are in the position of an Elbow Plank.
Gloss Isometric - Isometric exercises are the contraction of muscles during a static position when neither the joint angle nor muscle length changes.
Look Familiar?
2.
Gently guide your arms forward so the ball moves a few inches away from you. Hold the position for 3-5 seconds and then roll it back toward you to the starting position.
PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 30-60 seconds or 10 reps, As a workout: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds or 10 reps.
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WARM UP 36
KEEP MARCHING ON
Here’s another “2-for-1” for you. In order to perform this plank, you must first be able to support your body weight and do a Wall Plank, in which your feet are elevated and stationary against a wall. From the Wall Plank position you’ll then alternate taking your feet off the wall, effectively doing the Marching Wall Plank. While this plank forces you to engage your muscles much more than most (because you must keep your entire body elevated) and may appear difficult it is very doable.
1.
Facing away from a wall, get down on your knees, extend and lock your arms like in a push-up position, place the bottom of one foot on the wall, and then the other, and drive both heels into the wall, until your body is parallel to the floor and in a straight line.
2.
Remove one foot off the wall in a controlled manner, slowly bring your knee toward your chest, and pause for 1-2 seconds.
TIP
Keep your spine straight, don’t rush, and focus on quality technique.
3.
Return your foot back onto the wall and then alternate with your opposite foot. Continue alternating back and forth. PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 30-60 seconds or 10 reps, As a workout: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds or 10 reps. A hip flexion performed on each side equals 1 repetition.
Too Easy For You? Aside from adding extra time or more repetitions, incorporating ankle weights, a weight vest, or both can seriously increase the difficul of any plank variation.
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Thanks to last month’s Success story Ericson Brown for helping us with photos.
THE SCORPION
Before you started this article you probably thought you’d just be chilling out and not moving around at all. The Scorpion Plank is a full dynamic exercise that incorporates our good friend from the last month’s issue, the push-up.
1.
From a Standard Plank position, bring one knee in toward your chest, rotate your same-sided hip inward and extend your leg out.
TIP
Try not dip your shoulders or let them twist out of position. Doing this will focus even more so on your core.
2.
Reverse the movement until your knee is at your chest, bend your arms to perform the lowering phase of a push-up, rotate your hip outward so that your waist twists, and your foot goes over and out to the opposite side.
3.
Push back up, repeat on the opposite side and continue to alternate legs. PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 30-60 seconds or 10 reps, As a workout: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds or 10 reps.
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38 THE LIFE
SIZE DOESN’T MATTER IN JIU-JITSU!?!? EVER SINCE I STARTED TRAINING GRACIE JIU-JITSU THERE IS ONE PHRASE I HEAR OFTEN, “SIZE DOESN’T MATTER IN JIUJITSU!” You’ve probably heard it as well. That saying is often a subject of heated arguments from many sides. What is your opinion? In my life as a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu disciple, I’ve experienced many opportunities to test that theory and over the years I’ve changed my opinion several times. When I was faced with a bigger and stronger opponent it was always a challenge to defeat or even survive him, so I always thought that size did matter, especially in my early days. I was always very aggressive, despite my small frame and average (for my size) strength, so I often faced dealing with bigger and stronger opponents and the difficultie were real. It wasn’t until some time later, I believe I was a blue belt, that after a difficul sparring session with a bigger opponent, Master Rickson Gracie pulled me to the
scoop even if it meant hurting my feelings. Although, I never saw any of that as a put down, instead I always appreciated his honesty. I took every word he said to me (and still take every word he says to me today) to heart. He continued, “You need to change! You can’t keep fighting like a lion; you need to fight like a mouse! A mouse escapes and hides and moves and slips away. Of course, if cornered, a mouse will shows its teeth and get ready to fight for his life, but if given the option, he will slip away and come back later to get the cheese! You need to improve your defense, learn to escape and survive. When the opponent gets tired, he may give you the opportunity to attack and that is when you should try to capitalize on those opportunities.” I’ve had great lessons over the years, but that was a life changing one. From that point on I changed my strategy to survival instead of aggression. I learned defenses and escapes and improved my guard work and my defensive postures and
“In my life as a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu disciple, I’ve experienced many opportunities to test that theory and over the years I’ve changed my opinion several times.” side to lecture me. He said: “Kid, you fight very hard, with a lot of aggression and with a lot of heart and determination and that is great, but you are one of the smallest guys in the class. You are not particularly strong, agile or flexible, so you are the one who usually ends up tiring first. You try to fight like a lion, but you are built like a mouse!” Rickson was always great at giving me the straight
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concentrated every effort in every sparring session on surviving and not tapping. After some time I began to be comfortable with defending and surviving and it took less and less effort to do it. After that, I always expected difficultie in every sparring session, but it didn’t phase me one bit to be in bad situations, as I knew I could escape most of them. After more time I began noticing that my opponents would
get frustrated and tired and openings began to appear. In time, I began to capitalize (not always, but sometimes) and turn things around on a tired opponent. Then it was my time for revenge, but again, not going all out, but maintaining my energy and not getting overly aggressive or excited. That changed my entire game and made my training much more enjoyable. So, if you ask me today, “Does size matter in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?” My answer will be . . . Check next month’s column where I’ll finish the thought!
Kid Peligro
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40 FEATURE
GENDER ROLES IN JIU-JITSU VALERIE WORTHINGTON TALKS
GENDER AND RESPECT IN JIU-JITSU Marshal D. Carper
FOR MANY YEARS I BELIEVED THAT JIU-JITSU WAS A FORCE FOR GOOD. I believed that jiu-jitsu had changed my life and I believed that the jiu-jitsu community was an open, welcoming place that accepted people from all walks of life. Recently, I learned I was wrong about all of these things and Valerie Worthington helped me see that.
Stafford Sports Media & Groundswell Grappling Concepts my home gym spoiled me into naivety. Not all gyms are as welcoming to women as ours is. In fact, many of the stories I heard were outright disturbing. Not long after I heard these stories, news began to break about a slew of high-ranking black belts that alleged everything from sexual misconduct to sexual violence against women, as well as children.
Valerie Worthington is a jiu-jitsu black belt and one of the principals behind the quickly growing Groundswell Grappling Concepts (GGC). With the likes of Worthington, Emily Kwok, Hannette Staack, and Lola Newsom at the helm, GGC is best known for running women’s grappling camps, though recently they have begun to offer co-ed camps as well. For her part, Worthington humbly credits GGC’s success to the work of her collaborators, but Worthington is a force in the sport in her own right. She has traveled the country to train with dozens of instructors, she runs a popular jiu-jitsu blog at Breaking Muscle and her individual seminars are in high-demand. I met Worthington through my female training partners. They had become rabid GGC devotees and praised the experiences they had at GGC events. In these conversations, I learned that
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From Left to Right; Lola Newsom, Emily Kwok, Hannette Staack and Valerie Worthington.
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Respect all of your training partners.
The stories continued to trickle out of the jiujitsu community to the point that I could no longer champion my idealized notion of jiujitsu. Our community was far from perfect, especially with regard to how we treat women.
DID THAT SITUATION GO OVER THE LINE?
When I spoke to Worthington about these issues, she recalled a story about a woman she had met through one of GGC’s camps. “Her training partners made an issue of her being a woman,” Worthington said. “If someone was bigger than she was, training in a way that she thought was reckless or disdainful, they would say, ‘That’s what you signed up for. This isn’t tiddlywinks.’” The experience of feeling as though she was not respected, valued and cared about wore on this grappler. She was falling out of love with jiu-jitsu, and the stress that her situation caused her visibly affected her, Worthington says. Worthington attributes some of these situations to a basic misappropriation of gender
In addition to her teaching resume, Worthington is an accomplished competitor. *2007 World Grappling Championships gold medalist *2008 purple belt Mundial gold medalist *2009 brown/black belt Mundial silver medalist *2010 brown/black belt PanAms gold medalist
expectations, but it goes deeper than that. “At large, men are more congratulated and encouraged in expressing aggression, despite the fact that we are all human and have a tendency toward wanting to test and best ourselves,” Worthington
said. “There is a competitive streak inherent in people regardless of gender. There is also a self-preservation streak. Even though it sometimes comes out in different ways, they are a natural part of being a person.”
For your own role in the jiujitsu community, Worthington recommends that you ask yourself the following questions: Does it feel right? Are you having fun? Are you feeling safe? If you had been treated that way anywhere else, how would you feel about it? If you answer ‘no’ to any of these questions, remind yourself that jiu-jitsu can be a high-stakes environment, but the rules of mutual respect still do not go away. From there, Worthington suggests taking the following steps: Go to an out-of-town camp or seminar to try and separate your interpersonal experiences from your jiu-jitsu experiences for additional clarity. Bring your concerns to the attention of your instructor. If you are not comfortable going to your instructor (perhaps a sign in itself), reach out to a jiu-jitsu community or forum outside of your gym, or even perhaps outside of jiu-jitsu.
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FEATURE 42
In an environment steeped in machismo and feudal martial arts tradition, trying to marry femininity with the inherent violence of the sport is difficult for some men. As strange as it may sound, the hierarchy of belts and instructors may actually complicate the respect owed to all students, regardless of their rank. “In jiu-jitsu, there is a hierarchy. White belts at the bottom. Black belts at the top,” Worthington said. “One of the challenging things is understanding where that hierarchy begins and ends. As a white belt, I cannot tell the black belt they are teaching incorrectly, but I still reserve the right to be treated with respect as a person. Understanding where you have the right to push-back becomes a challenge.”
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Worthington argues that this is an important conversation. Our love for the sport can sometimes blind us to the seriousness of a situation. We fall into the trap of believing that a black belt in jiu-jitsu equates to a black in all aspects of life. With those blinders on, boundaries are not as easy to see, and that lack of clarity can be difficult to navigate for both sides.
‘...jiu-jitsu is a mechanism that you used to change your own life. You embraced it in a positive way, in a way that you believe is consistent with your values and who you want to be.’
“Historically, the people who are going to use anything in a negative way are not going to want people to think about other options,” Worthington said. “It’s important for people to be supported in making their own decisions about how they are going to use jiu-jitsu. I would hope it would be for the positive and for the greater good, but we have to be asking ourselves those questions.”
1/14/15 3:25 PM
Check out Marshal’s free e-book at ArtechokeMedia.com/htlag
When I pressed Worthington about how jiu-jitsu could still be a force for good in light of the challenges we were discussing, she responded, “Someone once said to me, ‘Jiu-jitsu made me a better person and it changed my life.’ I said, ‘No, jiu-jitsu is a mechanism that you used to change your own life. You embraced it in a positive way, in a way that you believe is consistent with your values and who you want to be.’ Jiu-jitsu in and of itself is not good or bad inherently. It’s as good or as bad as the people wielding it.”
helped her see the reality for what it was. From the outside, the answers seemed obvious, but from the inside, the distinction was not as easy to make. For my part, Worthington helped me to reframe the way I think about jiu-jitsu. Jiujitsu as a tool can be a force for good, in the right hands and supported by the right
people. Jiu-jitsu was a tool that I used to change my life, but ultimately I was the one wielding it. The jiu-jitsu community can be an open and welcoming place if we work to keep it that way, which means holding ourselves and our peers accountable for how we treat others. You are a part of that ‘we,’ which means that jiu-jitsu’s future is in your hands as well.
In the case of the female grappler I mentioned earlier, Worthington talked her through determining whether or not she was being a “wuss” or had a legitimate reason for questioning her training environment. When they had ruled out the possibility that she might need to toughen up (she certainly didn’t), she tried training somewhere else. She found a training experience where she felt validated and respected as a person and removing herself from the negative environment
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44 FEATURE
STUDIO 5 Mike Velez
FENWAY PARK, LAMBEAU FIELD, INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY; IN SPORTS THERE ARE VENUE THAT REACH OUT TO THE MASSES BEYOND THE NAMES THAT MADE THEM FAMOUS. In Solano Beach California there’s a small academy that’s brand new, but not really, that’s quickly creating history. When the world’s best jiu-jitsu practitioners make it through Southern California, as they so often do, this is the room they want to play to. Studio 540 is unlike any jiu-jitsu academy in America, maybe even the world. The man behind it walks the razor thin line between both sides of
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Leon Sandoval
the Gracie family and does it with friends on both. His academy is free of the politics that unfortunately infect so many studios. It’s truly a place that’s free of secrets and any “cretonne” talk. Robert Zeps is someone we can give great thanks to for helping bring Metamoris and the modern day super fight into the lexicon. Recently I made the two-hour trip down to Solano Beach from Chino and had the pleasure of sitting down with him. I had met Robert many times before, but I was finally going to see and experience what everyone had been talking about.
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“Please call me Rob.”
THE ORIGINS
O 540
As the man behind Studio 540, is Robert is a Gracie Barra brown belt under Nelson Montero. Prior to training jiu-jitsu he’d been training Japanese Karate and Aikido for more than 25 years. About seven and half years ago someone suggested he try Brazilian jiu-jitsu while living in San Diego. He didn’t know much about it, but had seen it in the UFC. He was so deep into the other arts he didn’t think to give it a try until someone convinced him to. He had a quick private lesson with Nelson Montero in Encinitas. Though Robert had a distinct size advantage over Nelson at the time and he figured he could at least hold his own. Nelson submitted him in seconds, every time. An experience like that for someone that’s been practicing other martial arts for decades might have found it humiliating, but that wasn’t the case for Robert. He realized that this was something that he definitely wanted to do. He signed up for classes with Nelson and has been a Gracie Barra student ever since. Not long after beginning his journey Robert took a course offered by the Gracie Academy for instructors of other martial arts. He was thoroughly impressed with the teaching methodology and forged great friendships with that side of the family. In fact his school, Studio 540, before it was called Studio 540, was called Gracie Academy Solano Beach and was simply a certified training center for Gracie Combatives. Slowly the school transitioned away from other martial arts and became a jiu-jitsu only school. All the while Robert was continuing his training at Gracie Barra under Nelson Montero. About six months ago Robert’s personal friend, professional surfer and head of Surfight Academy, Joel Tudor let Robert know that he’d be closing his academy. The two decided to team up and Joel moved Surfight to Robert’s academy to become the head instructor. With him Joel brought a number of high-level black belts and a renewed excitement. Soon after the move Robert decided the time was right to rebrand the academy. The address of the academy was Suite 540 so he used that as a holding name until a final name was decided on. Robert felt like Suite 540 sounded like a hairdresser and opted for Studio 540; seeing the connection with the famed New York nightclub of the 70’s Studio 54. He also had the idea in mind that his new branded academy wouldn’t be a brand to go out and conquer the world, but really to be more like a club that anyone from any school could visit and train at. Studio 540’s doors are open to everyone, Roberts own relationships with both the Gracie Academy and Gracie Barra sides of the family give him a true understanding for the differences in the approach to teaching. He believes that the two are much more similar than either would care to admit. Robert described a story of Renner Gracie explaining the different teach styles as making a cheeseburger. Someone can tell you that you must put the mustard first, followed by the lettuce, then the tomato, etc. But at the end of the day however you make it it is still a cheeseburger.
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FEATURE 46
Bringing Out The Big Guns
The studio was really born when Joel and his students came ashore. This melding of students from different lineages set the tone for a politics free zone of practice. About this time the 2014 Pan Ams were in Southern California and Robert’s good friend Braulio Estima was in town. The two have connections back in Birmingham England, so Robert asked Braulio if he’d come down and teach a seminar. Braulio was excited about the chance. Robert didn’t like the idea of charging people for experience so he decided to offer it for free to anyone who’d like to come. The result was overwhelming and drew around 90 people from schools all across the area. Robert really felt this was a great experience for jiu-jitsu since many of these students coming together were from different schools that had never met before. Coming together under these circumstances and say not at a tournament gave a different feel to the experience. From that point Robert offered the seminar to Roger Gracie who jumped at the chance and again it was a great experience for everyone involved, free of course. Next up Robert ran into Buchecha at the Pans and asked Buchecha if he’d do a seminar, his answer was “of course.” Since then a who’s who of the jiu-jitsu world have conducted free seminars at Studio 540. It’s become the norm that fighters contact Robert for the chance to offer a seminar at the studio. So far the most people on the mats for
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a seminar has been 120 people for Joao Miyao. I asked Robert what happens when capacity is reached. The only person at this point that Robert believes would pose a real problem in terms of capacity is Marcelo Garcia. Robert says that he’s going to make that happen and is working on the plan to accommodate that anticipated crowd. Robert’s created this school as a labor of love, every day he wakes up packing his jiu-jitsu bag thrilled at the chance to roll while helping to create a place that people are wanting and willing to make a pilgrimage to.
Roberts Professional Journey
Robert Zeps is a low-key understated individual who’s managed to put himself in to the position he is today to be able to give back to the jiu-jitsu community and other philanthropic endeavors. Coming out of a London school with a Physics degree he went to work for a consulting firm in the financial services industry. This took Robert around the world and to the United States where 16 years ago he met his wife who was from San Diego, where they now reside. Through his career Robert got involved in tech stocks when they were hot and was fortunate enough to get out before the bubble burst. He also had some luck/foresight in real estate development. This ability means that Studio 540 is able to operate despite losing money month to month. Robert hopes that his hobby will break even in the near future.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO YURI SIMOES! + Double-Gold Champion + 2014 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships + Ultra Heavy Champion + Absolute Champion Gameness Congrats.indd 2
Yuri Rolls With www.gameness.com 11/12/14 2:13 PM
FEATURE 48
AMENITIES
The Man Behind Metamoris
A few years ago Robert was approached by Ralek Gracie to be the chief investor behind Ralek’s vision for competitive jiu-jitsu. Robert liked the prospect of what Ralek wanted to create and funded the first two events. By Metamoris 3, with Royler and Eddie, the event was quite successful. Since then events 4 and 5 have been profitable but there’s still the challenge of wanting to pay the athletes enough so that they are truly able to be “professional” while wrestling with those in the general public that would rather wait a day or two to watch pirated replays rather than pay the fee to watch the event live. Robert admits that if the pay-perview numbers aren’t suffici t that it would no longer be a viable venture to run. If you’ve ever been to a Metamoris
You would be very hard pressed to find a jiu-jitsu studio anywhere in the world as nice as Studio 540. Every detail is first class high-quality Zebra mats to the locker rooms and showers. An emergency defibrillator is standing buy in case of an emergency and laundry service is even available.
event you’d be amazed at the attention to detail and spectacle Metamoris has become. Robert and I joked that you know when you’ve arrived when someone’s willing to take out a bet on the outcome. Many on-line sports books offer odds on Metamoris cards nowadays. Today Metamoris has become much like the UFC was in its infancy, a collection of different styles put together to see which reigns supreme. Examples of this can be seen with Dean Lister against Josh Barrnet and most recently Sakurabu against Renzo Gracie. It’s also becoming a great platform for UFC fighters, past and present. who wouldn’t love to see today’s champions grapple with BJ Penn at some point?
NO POLITICS
It’s nice to see the apolitical side of jiu-jitsu growing. When this magazine was born I was really unaware of the politics of jiujitsu. It didn’t take very long before I was fully aware of how deep politics ran. People like Robert are playing a large part in helping to spread the gospel of jiu-jitsu without the politics. More and more people are putting Studio 540 on their bucket list of academies to visit; I suggest you do as well. Whether it’s to attend a seminar from a jiu-jitsu luminary, or simply to visit and receive world-class training from Joel Tudor and his staff. Studio 540 is definitely on the jiu-jitsu map for good.
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BJJ Tour.indd 1
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50 TECHNIQUE
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We told him not to smile.
LASSO GUARD WITH SAMIR CHANTRE Mike Velez
Jason Boulanger
IF YOU’VE EVER RUN INTO OR CROSSED PATHS WITH SAMIR CHANTRE YOU PROBABLY SAW HIM WITH A STERN, SERIOUS LOOK ON HIS FACE. Covering various events over the years, that seemed to be my experience. Maybe I’d see Samir just before a match, or in the bullpen getting into that zone. But ask anyone who knows Samir, or at least doesn’t routinely meet up with him in competition and you’ll quickly discover he’s one of the easiest going, most pleasant guys you’ll ever meet. In case you don’t know of Samir, he’s a 26-year-old black belt who’s been perfecting his specific set of skills since the age of 9. Samir’s older brother had been into jiu-jitsu for some time when Samir attended one of his first belt promotion ceremonies at the Bolao Jiu-Jitsu Center in Copacabana, Brazil. At that point, Samir thought it would be fun to join, so he signed up. From that day forward Samir was in love with jiu-jitsu and he trained almost daily. At the time, Samir was also very fond of soccer. The kids in jiu-jitsu would figure out a way to incorporate soccer on the mats as well,
A few weeks before the 2009 Worlds, Samir went to San Jose to visit his long time friend, Caio Terra to train for the tournament. At the same time he was competing as a brown belt. The training and time to acclimate paid off with a bronze medal. Caio Terra was training and teaching at Gracie Fighter in Pleasant Hill, CA and Samire decided to stick around. Another instructor ended up leaving the academy and Samir seized the opportunity to fill the position as an instructor. Samir made the trip back to Brazil to receive his promotion to black belt from Alan Moraes, then a few months after moved back to the Bay Area for good. Today, Samir teaches at his own academy Team Endure/ Samir Chante Academy in Ceres, CA just outside of Modesto. He makes the hour and a half drive to San Jose almost daily to train with his teammates at Caio Terra’s academy in San Jose, CA. At Metamoris 3, Samir matched up with Guilherme Mendes losing to a baseball choke. The two will match
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so there was never a dull moment. Sergio Bolao, Samir’s first instructor, is a Carlson Gracie black belt. After taking some time off of jiu-jitsu to pursue soccer, Samir returned to his first love to train under his friend Alan Moraes. Today, while Samir’s brother is busy as a dentist and still trains jiu-jitsu for fun, it’s the younger Chantre who has turned his love of jiu-jitsu into a professional career in the sport.
up again at a super fight in Russia soon. Samir talked to us about his Metamoris experience, sharing that he felt like he didn’t properly prepare for the pressure. He was more nervous than he’d ever been before. Samir chalks this up to pressure that he put on himself and let get to his head. At the time he was unable to properly manage the pressure. He recalls the actual match as something similar to his first competition as a blue belt. Now he feels like he’s learned from the experience and realizes now that training isn’t only about training on the mats.
The Moves
We got together with Samir at Caio Terra’s beautiful school up in San Jose and asked him to show us some of his best techniques from his favorite guard, the Lasso Guard. Samir likes the guard because he can compensate for a lack of flexibility with really controlling his opponent. Many times his first option will be the triangle, but the lasso allows him
Age: 26 Training since: 1998 Black Belt since: 2009 Black Belt Under Alan Moraes Association: CTJJA
to smoothly progress through some of the techniques he demonstrated to us. All the techniques begin with the lasso in place, you can determine your own course of action depending on the circumstances you find yourself in.
Competition
Samir found competition and began competing in tournaments early on when he was just 9 years old. For a large swath of time, Samir would compete every weekend. The competition aspect of jiujitsu is one that intrigues and challenges him the most. Samir’s most notable wins have come without the gi. He’s a two time No-Gi World Champion and a three time Pan No-Gi Champion. Other bright spots on Samir’s resume include eight time American Nationals Champion and five time Las Vegas Open Champion (this tournament routinely draws some of the country’s best). Twice Samir has won absolute in Vegas.
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TECHNIQUE 52
THE LASSO GUARD CONCEPTS
Samir is a big fan of the Spider Guard thanks to its control of his opponent’s upper body. For his opponent to pass he must use his arms to control Samir’s legs. Samir doesn’t consider himself very flexible, so the control that he can exhibit on his opponent is critical. Having a solid grip of his opponent means that flexibility isn’t as important. Within the Spider Guard is the guard that Samir’s best known for, Lasso Guard. This is where one of Samir’s legs is “looped” around his opponent’s arm, sorta like a “lasso.” This extends an additional layer of control over his opponent and allows for quite a few finishes and sweeps while making for a very impassable guard.
01
02
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Getting The Lasso
Starting on his back, Samir’s opponent moves forward and engages. Samir grabs both sleeves at the cuffs with a standard 4-finger grip.
Samir’s left foot goes to his opponent’s right bicep. The foot is placed so that the outside edge is up against the crook of the elbow.
03
Once the foot is on the bicep, Samir brings his right foot to his opponent’s left hip to help push off and get to a more perpendicular angle with this opponent. Pulling his left leg in while maintaining his grip to help facilitate the movement.
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Samir’s “opponent” is Black Belt Vitor Paschoal.
04
06
With the desired angle, Samir kicks his right leg out, while pulling down on his opponent’s left hand.
05
This exposes the arm and allows Samir to loop his right leg over his opponent’s left arm.
With the leg over the arm, Samir uses the top of his foot to pull against the back of the arm, tightening the grip and the position.
Key Points As a matter of preference some people like to get that hooked foot really deep, up against the opponent’s back. Samir doesn’t like this, instead he likes his toes to be near the armpit. He feels that he’s more mobile and can rotate his foot out quicker for different techniques.
07
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With the foot in place, Samir pulls hard on his right hand grip bringing his opponent’s hands above his belt. This breaks down his opponent’s posture and maintains the slightly sideways angle.
In step 7 if Samir doesn’t keep this angle his opponent will be in a better position to escape and Samir will have difficulties doing what he wants.
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TECHNIQUE 54
TRIANGLE FROM LASSO
This is Samir’s favorite finish from the lasso, it’s sneaky in how he performs it and allows for the option of going to the omoplata if unsuccessful.
01
02
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Starting with the Lasso in place, Samir rotates his right foot from behind his opponent’s left armpit to the front and on his shoulder. He doesn’t move his leg at all, just his foot.
With the foot already over the arm, Samir quickly and deliberately kicks his right foot out and over the arm, while at the same time, pulling the arm down.
03
Samir brings his right foot to his opponent’s hip and quickly steps on it to help elevate them while pulling the arm towards his head.
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TECHNIQUE 56
04
06
08
As Samir is pulling his opponent in he’s bending his left leg to allow his opponent to get close to him.
05
With his hip all the way up, Samir kicks out his left leg and quickly brings it across and over the back of his opponent’s neck. Samir clamps down on the neck, as it’s important to get heavy with the pressure from the leg. At the same time he drags his opponent’s left arm across his body.
Samir uses his right hand to grab his shin.
07
Keeping the leg heavy and using the grip of his shin, Samir brings his right leg over to close up the triangle.
Samir finishes by squeezing his legs together and pointing his right toes away to help with the finish.
Key Points In step 1 the goal is to be sneaky, don’t telegraph what’s coming, work on moving that foot without moving your leg. Hanging the leg over the back of the neck and being heavy is the most important key of this technique. If the leg is too low, down the back, then his opponent can posture up and he’ll lose the triangle.
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1/14/15 4:22 PM
TAKE YOUR OPPONENT’S BACK
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2 DVDs, over 50 Techniques with alternate angle viewing!
www.jiujitsulabdvd.com Matt Baker DVDs.indd 1
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TECHNIQUE 58
SWEEP WITH ARMBAR FINISH
01
With the Lasso in place, Samir’s opponent drops his right knee to the mat and his left knee up. The knee up is the same side as the lasso.
03
The change in angle leaves room for Samir to rotate his foot from the armpit to hook under the raised thigh of his opponent, like a De la Riva hook, but with the leg over the lassoed arm.
This technique is one to do when Samir’s opponent drops to the mats with his knee up that’s closest to the lassoed leg.
02
04
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Samir cannot perform the triangle with his opponent down like this. Samir needs a greater angle, so he pulls himself to his left and hips out to the right slightly.
Samir drops his left foot from his opponent’s bicep down to the mat while pulling the right arm in.
05
Samir uses his left foot on the mat to help escape his hip out to the right and to increase the angle to his opponent.
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You could also move into side control, but if you’ve got the arm take it!
06
Once he has the angle, Samir kicks his right foot up, while rolling to his right and pulling his left grip over to his right as well.
07
After his opponent falls Samir lets go of his right grip on the sleeve and uses both of his hands to get a firm hold of his opponent’s left wrist.
09
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08
Samir’s right leg is already over his opponent’s left arm so he pulls on that arm, helping him rotate towards his opponent to close the gap of his crotch to the back of his opponent’s left arm.
This puts Samir in the perfect position to finish the armbar by pulling back on the wrist, extending his hips and squeezing his knees.
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TECHNIQUE 60
SWEEP WITH FAR KNEE UP
This is a sweep option when Samir’s opponent drops to his knees, but keeps the knee up that’s furthest from the lasso, the side that Samir has his foot on the bicep. This response helps to defend the triangle for his opponent and keeps distance.
01 02
04
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Starting with the lasso in place, Samir escapes his hip out to the same side that he has the lasso.
Once he has the proper angle, Samir rotates his foot and hooks the back of his opponent’s right thigh with a reverse De la Riva hook. The hook must be very tight against the thigh.
03
The entire time Samir retains his grips on the sleeves and drops his left foot from the bicep to the mat.
With the foot down, Samir uses that post to escape his hip out to the left, allowing him to bring his shoulder towards his opponent’s downed knee. He does this to help scoot himself over until his right hip touches his opponent’s left knee.
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As is often the case it’s all about the grips.
With Samir’s right knee pointed up, all he has to do is kick his right leg over to sweep his opponent to the mat. If Samir’s knee is pointed to the side it won’t work, the knee has to be pointed towards the ceiling.
05
When Samir’s hip touches the knee he brings his left foot away and down on the mat, and at the same time he brings his left hand over and across his body.
07
After his opponent falls to the mat, Samir quickly brings his right heel towards his butt, lets go of his left grip and scrambles up to bring his left arm to block his opponent’s left thigh.
06
Key Points At step 8 with the left thigh blocked, his opponent can’t turn into him to get Samir in his guard.
08 Samir moves forward bringing his right arm against his opponent’s neck to crossface and his left arm against the hip to keep his opponent from turning into him. Samir has now established side control.
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TECHNIQUE 62
OMOPLATA The omoplata is a great option if Samir’s opponent manages to break the grip on the side with the bicep control. Or, Samir can choose to let go of this grip if he wants to perform this technique.
01 02
04
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Starting with the lasso, Samir’s opponent is standing and he manages to break Samir’s left hand grip.
Samir doesn’t want to be without a grip for long so he brings his left foot to the hip and reaches in on his opponent’s left side collar.
Samir uses his foot on the bicep to follow his opponent’s arm to keep contact. Wherever his opponent brings that arm, Samir keeps contact with the bicep.
03
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With the grip of the collar, Samir breaks his opponent’s posture and brings him down towards him.
With his opponent’s posture broken, Samir lets go of the grip of the sleeve and quickly brings his hand to the back of his opponent’s elbow.
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TECHNIQUE 64
06
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Samir pulls both the grip of the collar and the back of the arm down and into himself while rotating with his body so that his head goes towards his right side. As he does this he extends his left leg out and over his back to help facilitate the move.
07
With his leg across the back of his opponent’s shoulder he pushes the head away with his left hand on the collar, knuckles against the neck.
08
Samir brings his left knee over his right shin to lock his legs together. He maintains a grip of the collar and now his opponent’s left arm is trapped.
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It’s not over yet.
09
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Now Samir can let go of the collar and quickly grab a hold of his opponent’s belt with his left hand, along with the pant material of his opponent’s left knee. This keeps his opponent from defending by rolling over.
10
Samir can then open up his legs, and bring his left foot down to the mat to help walk his hips away, while at the same time push the left knee away and pull the belt.
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TECHNIQUE 66
11
The walking of the hips breaks his opponent down to the mat and kills many of the defenses his opponent might try.
12
To finish, Samir sits up and brings his right elbow on top of his opponent’s left hip, using his weight to keep him down.
Key Points Step 5 must be performed with lightning speed, if you take too long your opponent will just pull the arm out. To finish, Samir brings his head towards his opponent’s ear as if to whisper a secret, like, “Your arm is mine,” or something like that. If his opponent happens to sneak his arm out Samir can then go for an arm bar or wrist lock on the trapped arm.
13 Samir holds the back of his opponent’s left arm at the triceps and sweeps his left leg back so he can lean forward and finish the omoplata.
SWEEP WITH LEG TRAPPED
Sometimes to defend the lasso sweep with the far side knee up, an opponent will drop down to both knees to trap Samir’s leg. This is also common when you start from your knees during training. This is a sweep that Samir likes when the opponent is on both knees and has a leg trapped.
01 Tech - Samir Chantre.indd 14
Samir hooks the back of his opponent’s right thigh and in response his opponent drops the knee down to trap Samir’s right leg.
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Get ready to pull hard on that collar.
02
Samir lets go of his left hand grip and kicks his left leg down to push his opponent’s right arm away.
04
Samir reaches his right hand into his opponent’s right side collar while sitting up.
Tech - Samir Chantre.indd 15
03
05
Now Samir brings his left hand to the grip of his opponent’s right sleeve and lets go with his right hand grip.
Once sitting up, Samir has a grip of the collar and brings his left foot to the mat.
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TECHNIQUE 68
06
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Samir pulls hard on his right grip of the collar, pulling his opponent down to the mat to the right of his own knee. At the same time he kicks his right leg out to sweep his opponent to the mat.
07
Like the previous sweep, Samir brings his right heel to his butt, blocks the left leg and quickly moves into side control.
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TECHNIQUE 71
LOOK, UP IN THE SKY… IT’S A
BIRD… IT’S A PLANE… IT’S EDWIN NAJMI! Travis Guesnon
Jason Boulanger
IF YOU CAUGHT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST YEAR’S IBJJF WORLDS, CHANCES ARE YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS ONE OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EVENT THAT DIDN’T INVOLVE A BLACK BELT. During the event and afterwards, this highlight was constantly getting viewed on iRoll.tv and other streaming sites. Earlier that same day, Romulo Barral’s pupil, Edwin Najmi of Gracie Barra Northridge was on his knees, his face in his hands on the mat feeling like his dreams had been taken away. He had the opportunity to take home, what would have been his first ever world title, but he lost. What made it more difficul to accept was the winning streak he had been on prior to that moment. Taking second was a crushing blow and it appeared that Edwin would have to wait until 2015 to
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get another opportunity for gold. His other dream of being promoted to brown belt on the podium also appeared out of reach. Edwin had hoped to obtain this goal following in the footsteps of his friend and teammate, Felipe Pena when he was awarded his brown belt. Later that evening the majority of the competitors at the 2014 Worlds had finished their day and many had already left the building. Edwin entered the absolute division, but his chances seemed slim as he was advised that no purple belt before him, at featherweight or below, had ever won the absolute division at the Worlds. With silence in the arena, and only him and his opponent the only competitors on the mat, something awesome happened. Maybe it was the frustration, maybe it was a bit of anger, maybe the song “I Believe I Can Fly” played
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TECHNIQUE 72
in his headphones prior to the match, but whatever it was, the flying triangle (www.iroll. tv/?p=5964) thrown up and locked in by Edwin, advancing him to an extraordinary win, sent the crowd into a frenzy. He had reached the finals and won (plus he got that coveted brown belt on the podium). Now, you may think that was the only time it’s happened, but if you Google “Edwin Najmi flying triangle” under the video section, you’ll quickly recognize that this isn’t an isolated incident, but something he does constantly. With that in mind, we sought out Edwin to figure out how he gets the flying triangle in competition
on such a consistent basis. He obliged (with the help of Felipe Pena) and clued us in that he actually started doing flying triangles on accident. In the past, Edwin hurt his ribs and could only perform one takedown (to not hurt himself), which was to grab one side of his opponent’s collar with both hands, pull him forward, move his body out of the way, and then trip him. During a sparring session his attempt didn’t go as planned; his partner’s feet didn’t move much and so, he postured back up. The rest is history and you’ll see in this article what Edwin did next. To find out more about Edwin, follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @edwinnajmi.
Main Achievements 2014 IBJJF Worlds Featherweight Silver Medalist 2014 IBJJF Worlds Open Weight Champion 2014 Abu Dhabi Pro Featherweight Champion 2014 IBJJF Pan Ams Featherweight Champion 2013 IBJJF Pan Ams No-Gi Lightweight Champion 2013 Abu Dhabi Pro Runner Up 2012 IBJJF Pan Ams No-Gi Featherweight Champion 2012 IBJJF American Nationals Featherweight Champion Favorite Technique/Position: Triangle chokes, foot locks, spider guard or De la Riva guard. Weight Division: Meio Pesado (70kg/154lbs) Team/Association: Gracie Barra
ADVISORY
Now, before you get all excited and start jumping wildly in the air like a crazy person trying to pull this move off, Edwin suggests learning some basic principles first. He explained to us that this next drill teaches you where your feet and grips should be placed to jump properly, when to jump (timing is important), how to be comfortable falling back, how to shoot your legs up to snatch the shoulder, and how to isolate the head along with one arm in order to get used to all the individual movements involved in this technique.
DRILL IT
With just enough space between himself and Felipe, Edwin positions his left leg forward and grabs Felipe’s right side collar with his left h nd. He then grabs the same side collar with his right hand just above his left. mmediately, Edwin uses this grip to snap Felipe down, causing the reaction of posturing up. As he begins to do this, Edwin simultaneously brings his right leg forward so that his feet are aligned with one another. He then sits back like that of a guard pulling movement. While his weight is dragging Felipe down and into him, he shoots his right leg up and over Felipe’s left shoulde , his left leg underneath Felipe’s right arm, and then closes them.
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01
With a lead leg forward, grab the collar on the same side
Space needed to launch
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Definitely not a technique you want to attempt for the first time at a tournament.
02
03
Grab the same lapel above the first grip
Snap your partner down
3A
Sit back as if pulling guard
Legs are loaded to spring
3B
Drag your opponent into you
Leg goes over shoulder
Info SAFETY FIRST: Remember that you’re going to land on your back and some impact may be involved. So, in order to protect yourself from the back of your head hitting the mat first, always tuck your chin on both this drill and the actual technique. Opposite leg slides under armpit
3C
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Close legs
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TECHNIQUE 74
FLYING TRIANGLE
The first three steps of the drill are the exact same as the actual technique, but now it’s time to fly. Edwin repeats steps 1-3, but now as Felipe postures, Edwin steps his right leg forward to spring into a full jump. He launches himself into the air, shooting his hips and legs upward, so his right leg catches over Felipe’s left shoulde , and his left leg omes underneath Felipe’s left rmpit. As Edwin’s weight carries Felipe down, he closes his legs around him. Finally, Edwin pushes Felipe’s arm across, turns his right calf so it’s across the back of the neck, puts his right ankle into the bend of his left knee, pulls the head down, and finishes the submission.
04
As your partner postures, bring your right leg forward and jump
Leg goes over shoulder Shoot legs upward
Opposite leg slides under armpit
05 Close legs
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TECHNIQUE 76
06
Adjust to lock triangle
Info TIPS: Edwin makes sure he has some room between himself and Felipe and advises that you imagine taking a tiny step to elevate you on to a box like a box jump. If you don’t have that space or if you are crowding your partner/opponent it will be hard to pull off this move.
Ankle drops into bend of knee
NOTE: Whichever leg you place forward, your initial grip must be on the same side. If you put your right leg forward, but grab with your left hand, the move won’t work because you will not be able to load your legs to create the spring-like action needed.
Push arm across
07
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Squeeze legs and hip forward
Pull head down
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78 TECHNIQUE
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Luis lives the dream, litterally.
GETTING THE TAKEDOWN – STEP BY STEP JUDO AND WRESTLING MOVES WITH LUIS HEREDIA Mike Velez
Jason Boulanger
ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO MY WIFE AND I MADE A TRIP TO HAWAII TO CELEBRATE OUR ANNIVERSARY. Having a few stripes on my white belt I figured I’d pack a gi and maybe find time to slip away to sneak in some training. While on the island of Maui, I found Maui Jiu-Jitsu. Little did I know at the time that that little slice of heaven on earth was the home academy of Luis Heredia. Nearly 20 years ago, Luis earned his black belt under Rickson Gracie. He’s old school in the greatest sense of the term; his brand of jiu-jitsu is explosive and calculating in the “Invisible” mold. He was one of the pioneers of jiu-jitsu in the United States having made the move to the States in the late 80’s. Luis is a five-time Pan Am champion and has five degrees on his black belt to match. I was unaware of this five years ago when I met “Limao” at Maui Jiu-Jitsu. It probably wouldn’t have changed anything; Luis greeted me with a smile, and gave me some sage advice
and encouraging words, as I was at the beginning of my jiu-jitsu journey. I’ve run into Luis many times since then and recently had the pleasure of learning some technique from him, which I’m going to share with you here.
BIOGRAPHY
JJM: Why and how did you get started in jiu-jitsu? LH: Well, I started jiu-jitsu back
Questions for Luis Heredia Age: 51 Birthplace: Brazil Rank: 5 degree IBJJF and JJGF Favorite Position: MOUNT! Favorite Finish: Choke submissions Favorite Food: Depends on my appetite. I love to cook and eat at home. I try to follow a well-balanced health food diet (Gracie Diet)…For sure NO FAST FOODS, NO GMO’S. Other Interests: Being a father, surfing, basketball, nutrition, traveling, I love music (House, Rap, Classic Rock, Elvis, Sinatra and Bossa Nova, don’t know any instrument though), movies and having fun with family and friends!
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Luis prides himself on having an explosive and methodical takedown strategy that combines both wrestling and judo techniques. His belief is that both create opportunity for the takedown whether it’s on the mats or on the streets. Focusing on just one would be a shame, with countless opportunities lost. In this series of techniques, almost each one can stand alone. However, there is a deliberate sequence, as each is a possible takedown, or the birth of an opportunity to use the subsequent technique. So, sit back, open your mind and imagine you’re on a beach in Maui taking a private lesson with a legend in our art.
in 1979/1980. I mostly started because of safety and fitness. Back then the toughest kids were all doing jiu-jitsu and always doing very well in defending themselves (street fights). I had a few friends training and they introduced me to the sport. I first went to visit the Osvaldo Alves Academy where I had a few classes with Professor Sergio Penha (teaches in Las Vegas these days). Later, I tried some classes at the Carlson
Gracie in Copacabana, all these academies were just a few blocks from my home. Because of moving reasons I started training with different instructors, whatever school was closest to walk or take the bus. I have trained with Silvio Behring, Talarico (Rolls Gracie student), Renan Pitangui (Rolls Gracie student). After all of that, and still a blue belt, I changed to Gracie Humaita (Royler and Rickson Gracie academy) around 1985.
JJM: Where did you get your nickname?
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TECHNIQUE 80
LH: I got the “Limao” nickname when still living in Copacabana. In Brazil we all have nicknames…Nothing to do with jiu-jitsu, though. It is a funny story to be told one of these days.
JJM: What caused you to decide to move to the US? LH: I had no choice, all I wanted to do was jiu-jitsu all day with Rickson and his brothers, so I can say that I was lucky to be invited by Rickson to come and help with the development of jiu-jitsu in the US. I was very honored and happy. I thought this would be a great new challenge and opportunity for myself. I landed in Los Angeles on January 11 of 1989 (purple belt), together with Rickson and Ralph Gracie, and never moved back to Brazil.
JJM: What was it like during those early days of training here? LH: The mission itself was very challenging and kind of difficult, due to the fact that nobody knew what jiu-jitsu was, however the training part was very fun, we had the best times, had too many good guys to train with. Everyday it was something to conquer, either trying to move to a new level (brown belt) or expecting somebody to come to the school and challenge one of us. That kind of responsibility was the best thing for me, and one of the ways to make me less homesick. Overall, it was very fun, we were all treated like celebrities, there was lots of respect and passion for what we were doing, and people really appreciated our skills!
JJM: Why did you move to Hawaii? LH: When I moved from Rio to LA I felt like I needed to change the people and the scenery around me. The same feeling came to me 12 years later, I needed to move my life overall, I wanted to live in a warmer
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and cleaner place than LA. I love surfing and picking fruit from trees, plus my style is more laid back than running all the time, life on the Islands are very different than the Mainland (US); we appreciate life differently here. I think it was very necessary for myself, plus I started to witness all the people flocking to the US and opening jiu-jitsu schools everywhere.
JJM: Who are some of your students who have had success in jiu-jitsu competition? LH: That is a very good question. Teaching for Rickson it was an awesome opportunity, so being his right hand teacher somehow I feel that they were my students also, because there were no schools in California, lots of people that became black belts, MMA instructors and other guys who did well in fights attended my classes, however none of them mentioned my name as a teacher, so I would leave that alone. After opening my own academy here on Maui, I made some pretty special fighters, teachers and jiu-jitsu competitors, guys like Jake Mapes, Nissen Osterneck, Dominick Ahee, Penny Thomas, Sam Lareou, Joel Bouhey and a few other soldiers.
JJM: What’s more rewarding these days, your own competition or your students? LH: Two very completely different situations competition had great meaning to me before I really committed to teaching. The rewards I had being a competitor were different from the ones of being a teacher. I loved to compete and train my mind and body for it. As a teacher I train to be a role model somehow, in the long run I have way more rewards being a teacher, I believe in Karma. I had more experience as a teacher, so therefore, I had more rewards being a teacher.
I think it is more important to prepare students for a life time fight than just a single competition, still I have lots of good times watching my students competing. By the way, I am getting ready for a few tournaments in 2015, after staying away for four years. I am looking forward to push myself again. I am very excited!
JJM: What’s your mindset like going into competition, before, during, and after? LH: I think that every competitor must have a different mindset and different ways to get ready. I have no problem stepping on the mats and fighting, as long as I feel prepared to do it. I like to start at least two months prior, that is the real challenge, the focus and the commitment are my hardest tasks, after I take any result as a lesson to be learned.
JJM: How important is getting the takedown to you in competition? LH: I love to start my matches standing up and have trained hours and hours of takedowns. In most of my matches my first points were due to takedowns. Also you must know throws because they are essential in SELF-DEFENSE. It is hard to see the majority of the socalled ground instructors to skip throws; that makes me think that they either don’t like, believe in or know takedowns, clinch!
JJM: What’s your take on sport jiu-jitsu vs. old school? LH: I am from the old school generation, but I have no problem with sport jiu-jitsu. They both have their time and application, I must admit that jiu-jitsu these days is very competitive and huge; however, I am very proud and happy to have learned jiu-jitsu mostly for street and self-defense, it’s just about different times. Love the same, trust the old school more.
JJM: Do you prefer Judo or wrestling? LH: I have studied and trained way more Judo than wrestling, but they both are very essential in learning balance and takedowns. Both have different times when being executed, but I always preferred Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
JJM: What are your plans for Maui Jiu-Jitsu? LH: My plans for Maui Jiu-Jitsu are very big; I don’t want to say much, but I hope to surprise everyone in the next three to four years. I want to actually incorporate the academy with few different activities, nothing to do with MMA or fighting, more with health foods and fun activities. I want to double or triple the number of students that I have, focus on the kids and older group and of course, keep the Helio Gracie legacy going, SELF-DEFENSE, which is more important than sport jiu-jitsu. I take a lot of pride in being a pioneer of the sport in this country, being the first Brazilian purple belt in the US and now I think we are pioneering classes for masters and seniors. Also, for being part of this amazing sport and having the best teachers on my side, guiding me to be the man and teacher I am today. Jiu-jitsu gave me meaning in my life; it has allowed me to help thousands of people, including myself, over the years. Check us out at mauijiujitsu.com and on Facebook Maui Jiu-Jitsu.
JJM: Absolute pleasure talking to you Luis, thank you so much for your time. LH: My pleasure, thank you. I’d also like to thank the Pedro Sauer Jiu-Jitsu Association, Shoyoroll, Kron Gracie and my photo sparring partner for this article, Stefan Kocev.
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The Mohawk will definitely help with your explosiveness.
GETTING THE SINGLE
For this first one, Luis goes with a wrestling style single-leg. Starting from a clinch, Luis and Stefan are both fighting for the underhook. In this example, Luis shoots in with the side that Stefan has the underhook on. Luis says that many times this opportunity arises after both combatants are pummeling for a little while, maybe a pattern is being established, at the point where the opponent gets the underhook it allows for the proper connection with your shoulder against him, this is very important.
01 02
03
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During the pummeling, Luis steps back to bring Stefan’s right foot forward.
Luis drops down to pick up Stefan’s leg at the back of the knee.
04
Luis uses the connection on his right side to break Stefan’s posture, while continuing to lift his leg.
Stefan defends by putting his foot between Luis’ legs. Luis maintains a tight connection to Stefan with his right shoulder and arm.
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TECHNIQUE 82
SINGLE LEG TO O-UCHIGARI
If Stefan were to defend the single-leg by simply pulling his leg back as Luis tries to grab it, Luis would then switch to a Judo mindset and go for a O-uchigari (inside trip). In this case, Luis has already committed his weight to the single, he can easily transition to use his left leg to shoot in behind Stefan’s right leg to trap and drive forward for the takedown. As you can see, this one sets itself up easily from the single-leg attempt. The single-leg can be used as bait for this one if you’re so inclined.
01
02
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Luis drops down for the right leg to do a single-leg.
Stefan pulls his leg back to defend.
03
Having already committed his weight and movement to the forward progress, Luis switches his attention to Stefan’s left leg by stepping in with his right, behind Stefan’s left leg.
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You’ll need to study up on your Japanese from here on out.
04
With Stefan’s leg trapped, Luis drops down, maintaining a connection, while driving forward.
06
Using his left hand, Luis grabs Stefan’s right pant leg to keep him from recovering guard.
08
Luis clears the left leg, while pushing forward and on top of Stefan.
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05
07
09
Luis continues forward, pushing Stefan down to the mat.
Luis straightens his right leg to unhook Stefan’s leg.
With his weight centered on Stefan’s chest, Luis gets on his toes, knees off the mat and establishes side control.
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TECHNIQUE 84
ANKLE PICK TAKEDOWN COUNTER
Talk about the melding of Judo and wrestling, this is it. So, let’s say Stefan avoids the single and then avoids the inside trip. In that case, Luis goes for the ankle pick, followed by a trip to straight ankle lock.
01 02
04
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Luis goes for the single leg, but Stefan pulls his leg back.
Next, Luis shoots his right leg in for an inside trip.
Luis secures the back of Stefan’s right ankle at the Achilles.
03
05
Luis’ forward momentum and movement brings his right knee to the mat and puts him in perfect position to grab Stefan’s right leg.
With the ankle secure and maintaining a hold on the right side, Luis picks up the ankle, while bringing his left foot forward to stand.
2/5/15 10:34 AM
Stefan Kocev is a very accomplished photographer. See his work at stefankocev.com
06
08
10
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As Luis stands, he brings his right foot behind Stefan’s planted left foot.
Stefan drops to the mat, Luis keeps a hold of Stefan’s right leg.
07
09
Luis sweeps his right leg back, while pushing forward with his connection on his right side.
Luis loops his left arm under and behind Stefan’s right leg with his forearm on the Achilles and the top of the foot behind his armpit. At the same time, Luis leans in with his right shin on the inside of Stefan’s left thigh.
With all things secure, Luis can posture back, while pulling up on his right forearm to finish Stefan with a straight ankle lock.
Luis brings his hands together for a Kimura grip*
Gloss KIMURA GRIP - A grip made popular by the Kimura arm lock, named after judoka Masahiko Kimura, who used the grip to beat Helio Gracie in competition. The Kimura grip is a double wrist lock. The person applying the grip is gripping the opponent’s wrist with one hand, and gripping his own wrist with the other. In some cases, the opponent’s arm could be laced through the arms of the person applying the grip. The Kimura grip allows the person applying it to exert more force on his opponent via the single grip point.
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TECHNIQUE 86
ARM DRAG TAKEDOWN
The arm drag is a wrestling move that pulls the opponent’s arm across the body to get him off balance and to expose a vulnerability; could be the back, could be the opponent’s side, whatever becomes exposed means he’s not squared up to you. Luis uses an arm drag working off the pummel to get to Stefan’s side. From there, Stefan could hunker down and make himself real heavy to defend a wrestling lift to be taken down. So, instead, Luis goes for a trip to take Stefan down.
01 02
04
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As Stefan and Luis pummel, Luis grabs Stefan’s right arm at the wrist.
Luis pushes Stefan’s arm down to clear his body.
03
Luis brings his right hand behind Stefan’s arm at the triceps.
Using the hold of the arm, Luis “drags” Stefan to his right and immediately brings his left arm around Stefan’s waist on the left side.
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Drilling this one will for sure help you with your speed.
05
With control of Stefan, Luis steps in to get closer to establish a connection.
06
Luis brings his left leg across the back of Stefan’s legs and pulls Stefan back.
Very important, as Stefan begins to fall back, Luis lets go of his grip on the left side so he can bring his right hand out from behind Stefan before he falls. Otherwise, he can become trapped.
07
09
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As Stefan falls back, Luis posts his left hand to the mat so Stefan can’t turn into him.
08
Luis performs a sort of technical stand up with his left foot so he can bring it back and get into a side control position.
Key Points As mentioned in step 6, if Luis leaves his arm in place for Stefan to fall back on, Stefan could quickly turn into Luis after the fall because his arm would be trapped.
Luis drags Stefan back to establish side control.
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TECHNIQUE 88
ARM DRAG TO INSIDE TRIP
This one is a variation off the last arm drag takedown. Maybe Stefan resists and doesn’t allow Luis to move to his side or to his back. In this case, Luis works off the momentum, or lack thereof, and instead, goes straight in for an inside trip. This is an extremely effective technique if, after you have control of the arm, your opponent doesn’t want to budge or comply because he’s expecting a traditional arm drag motion.
02
01 Through the pummeling, Luis has control of Stefan’s right arm.
03
06
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Luis isn’t “stepping” on the mat; instead, he’s hooking the back of Stefan’s leg with his calf.
Luis steps his right foot in behind Stefan’s leg and hooks the leg as he’s moving forward.
With a hook around Stefan’s leg, Luis drives forward, bringing his knee to the mat while putting pressure on Stefan, forcing him down to the mat.
04
Luis escapes his right leg from Stefan’s guard and establishes side control.
Luis bases out with his left hand so he doesn’t get rolled over when the two of them reach the mat.
05
While maintaining control of the arm, Luis brings his left arm up to cross face* and turns his left hip d wnward to help free up his right leg.
Gloss CROSS FACE - Any time your arm or forearm is across your opponent’s face, as to control the direction his head is pointed. The old adage is, “wherever the head is pointed the body follows.” Using the cross face to control his head is a valuable tool to limit your opponent’s options for movement.
2/5/15 10:35 AM
MASTERING THE GUARD PASS AND ITS SUBMISSIONS by Master Pedro Sauer and Kid Peligro
Now Available in Paperback! Available at www.bjjmart.com Fractional Ads.indd 1
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TECHNIQUE 90
IPPON SEOI NAGEVARIATION
Once again, from the wrestling comes the judo. In this circumstance, Stefan’s aware of the single-leg, ankle pick, inside trip, etc. His stance is way out there and isn’t falling for the bait. Luis is trying to get the arm drag, but can’t. This is a throw option that comes up when other things aren’t happening. The degree of success with this one does depend on your opponent being a little off balance. So, if his near leg is close, go for the single, if he doesn’t move, then go that route, but if he does, pull the leg back and he’ll be off balance and you can move forward with this technique.
01 02
The side that Luis is going to be attacking is the same side that his head is on. In this case, it’s Stefan’s left side.
Luis ditches whatever grip he had with his left hand and hooks it deep underneath Stefan’s left armpit.
03
Luis steps in with his left foot just inside of Stefan’s foot, turning his hips to do so.
His grip moves up to the triceps.
04
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With a fluid motion, Luis brings his right foot back so he’s directly in front of Stefan, while at the same time, dropping to his knees.
05
With the hook of his shoulder under the armpit, Luis brings Stefan down over him. As Luis does this, he’s turning his torso to his right.
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Luis has been doing this for year, but to start you might want to grip the arm in steps 4 and 5.
06
07
Stefan is brought down to the mat with extreme prejudice.
Luis moves into a side control position.
Key Points It’s important at the beginning that you step inside, almost in between your opponent’s legs. If you’re not close enough he can foil the throw by simply pulling you back or sprawling out. In either case your back will be vulnerable.
DRILL IT
Luis teaches his students to use the pummel quite often. He feels it’s a great way to help dictate the match when standing. To help further the pummeling and to reinforce the idea of connection, Luis will have students pair up, place their hands behind their backs and go shoulder-to-shoulder. The connection is established; they push into each other for resistance then switch sides, all the while maintaining this connection. One person counts off “1,2,3” and then switches. As the skills progress, students will put their legs into it, attempting to get a trip in between.
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1/14/15 6:16 PM
92 GEAR LAB
Gameness
EL1TE GI www.gameness.com
Mike Velez
Jason Boulanger
GAMENESS IS A UNIQUE COMPANY; THEY’VE BEEN PRODUCING QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE ’98 AND IN RECENT YEARS HAVE REALLY STEPPED UP THE PUSH TO BE A LEADER IN THE MARKET. Go to any tournament, anywhere in the country and you’ll be sure to see plenty of Gameness gis being worn from white belts to black belts. Despite a large market share, Gameness gi’s have seemingly been lacking a certain amount of cache’. That ends today with the new “EL1TE” gi. Gameness spent a lot of energy designing and building this new gi and it shows. This was one gi I was very anxious to get my hands on since the first time I saw Yuri Simoes wearing it in competition.
Pants
So far, of all the pant materials I’ve trained in, I have to say that I’m a big fan of rip stop, unless they’re too tight, in which case I like twill since rip stop doesn’t stretch very much at all. The EL1TE comes with pants made of 12 oz. cotton-poly blend military grade rip stop material. Reinforcement in the knees runs from about mid thigh to mid shin. Grey twill reinforcement runs along the seams at the top to avoid any fraying of the material. Gameness went with a total of six belt loops to keep the draw cord in place when you tighten these bad boys up. The draw cord has some stretch to it so it’s easy to get a snug fit around the waist. At the southern end of the pants the cuffs have Gameness branded tape sewn along the inside seams. My white gi featured grey contrast stitching throughout with triple stitching along all the seams in the pants. Small reinforcement triangles are located at both ends of the gusset. This is a nice little touch that I don’t think I’ve ever noticed on a gi before. As for branding, Gameness strayed from their usual marketing with the EL1TE. The pants feature their redesigned “G” logo on the left front hip, an American flaginspired logo on the right front shin, a vertical Gameness logo on the right calf, a red series of squares (I’m guessing to signify mats) on the left alf and the “EL1TE” logo in red across the back waistband. It sounds like a lot, but the pants still maintain an overall “clean” look.
Gear Lab - Gameness Gi.indd 1
1/14/15 6:41 PM
Mike better cut some weight if he’s going to do any damage at the Pans.
Jacket
For me, when choosing a gi, it’s more about the jacket than the pants. Not quite an 80/20, maybe a 70/30 type proposition. I put most of the weight in the jacket when it comes to making that decision. With that said, my first impression when I threw on the EL1TE jacket for the first time was nothing short of pure bliss. The jacket is made of 550-gram pearl weave cotton. Not all cotton is the same, or at least not all manufacturing processes are the same. The EL1TE’s jacket is soft nd comfortable to the touch, as opposed to some gi’s that you can use to resurface the dining room table. On the inside almost the entire gi is lined with super soft nd stretchable rash guard material, it runs almost the length of the sleeves down to the forearms. I usually wear a rash guard to train in and one day I forgot mine while testing out this gi, it was like heaven.
collar is made from an anti-microbial EVA foam, and on the stiffness s ale is at about an 8 out of 10. The supple fabric combined with the single-piece cut, interior lining, and attention to detail make this one of the nicest jackets I’ve ever had my hands on. As for the branding, the EL1TE marks a new design philosophy for Gameness. Gone is the giant patch across the breast, instead subtle adornments are scattered around the jacket. The “G” logo is found on the shoulders in black, and outlined on the elbows. The red flag and square logos are stitched into the upper arms and a small “Gameness” is horizontal along the left side chest with a larger copy across the bottom skirt in the back. Finally, a red “EL1TE” is stitched just below the top of the neckline in the rear, and a “Since 1998” patch is sewn onto the bottom of the left ollar.
Like the pants, there is grey contrast stitching throughout the jacket. Since this jacket is cut from only one piece of cloth, there are only two seams that join the fabric together and they are both triple stitched for strength and durability. There is fabric reinforcement in the shoulders, skirt flaps and in the armpits. Gameness branded tape lines the bottom edge of the jacket and along the inside of the cuffs. The
A
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B E
A 66.5” B 32.5” C 25.5” D 6.5” E 22.5” F 39.25” G 9”
After 3 washes at 40º C
C MEASUREMENTS NEEDED
Brand New
Fit and Feel
It’s been a while since I’ve rolled in a Gameness gi, and when I talked to the guys down in Texas (Gameness is based just outside of Dallas) I told them I was between an A2 and an A3 so they said to go with an A2 because their cuts are on the larger side. Good call, boys! The A2 they sent me fit perfectly. Yes, I know I’ve said that before, well add this to the list of perfect fits for Mike. The jacket closes completely with a nice amount of fabric overlapping. Being 5’ 8” some gi’s that fit nicely end up being too long, and give my opponents a lot of collar to work with. That’s not the case with the EL1TE. You can see in the photo the length of the jacket falls in a comfortable range. I’ve avoided drying it in the dryer and with hang drying, so far, the sleeve length is just where I like it – not too long, but legal. I don’t know who Gameness used to model for their A2 template, but he must be a pretty big guy. Let’s just say the pants left me with ample room. I did have to cut down the length of the draw cord, it was way too long for my liking. A pair of sharp shears and a lighter to seal up the ends was all I needed to fix that right up.
D
A 64” B 32” C 24” D 6.375” E 22.25” F 39” G 9”
F
G
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GEAR LAB 94
Rolling With It
After a few times in the locker room I realized that the camo pattern in the rashguard is not just you’re ordinary pattern
Before putting pen to paper I like to roll at least a dozen times in a gi. I can safely say that I reached that benchmark with the EL1TE. Every time it was a pleasure and the gi did what a good gi should do – never be a distraction. At first, I was concerned that the soft otton might translate into excessive stretch. I’ve worn gis that are so comfortable you feel like you’re in pajamas, but then when you’re rolling, the next thing you know the sleeves are stretched out like your kid in your old man’s sport coat. Thankfully, that was not the case here. All throughout my testing the jacket was comfortable, allowed me to move freely and let me focus on the tasks at hand. The pants were roomy and also not confining. There were a few occasions where I felt like the cord had loosened and they had fallen, but that wasn’t the case. I can’t quite explain why they felt like they did, strange. As for wear and tear there were zero signs of any premature wear.
CONCLUSION
It appears to me that Gameness set out to break the mold, so to speak, with the EL1TE. If that was indeed the mission then they accomplished it in a very good way. They’ve hit a home run in all important areas: fit (for me), feel, quality, design, and durability. In terms of value, the EL1TE does come in on the higher side of the price spectrum. Suggested retail on the white model is $219.95, add $10 for blue or black. It’s not a limited edition or a gi that might win a spot in a collector’s closet, my guess is that Gameness will make as many as they can sell. Which should be a lot. Even though the price is not cheap I think it’s worth every penny. Given my experience with the gi I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with the EL1TE. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes your new favorite gi from the first roll.
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Verdict Featured packed quality inside and out.
PERORMANCE: VALUE: OVERALL:
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96 GEAR LAB
Dean Lister
THE K.A.T.C.H. LEG ATTACK SYSTEM www.deanlisterleglocks.com Matt Corley
BEFORE THERE WAS ROUSIMAR PALHARES, THERE WAS THE BOOGEYMAN, DEAN LISTER. Known primarily for his accomplishments in ADCC where he won his first absolute title in 2003, Dean also had a successful MMA career, including a stint in the UFC. Dean is 16 – 6 in ADCC matches with 10 of those wins being by leg lock. Ask any of his opponents what their number one concern is and they’ll tell you it’s his aggressive leg attacks. Well, now you can learn first-hand how to catch someone with his signature move. Dean’s instructional K.A.T.C.H. Leg Attack System includes 4 DVDs with a total run time of just over 2 ½ hours. The audio and video are adequate
for the job of demonstrating the techniques; however, they’re not as crisp as the instructionals you see from larger production companies. The first DVD begins with a brief explanation of Dean’s philosophy on leg locks and focuses on the straight ankle lock, which Dean considers to be the building block upon which other leg locks are developed. In the 2nd DVD, heel hooks, Dean begins with a monologue covering his philosophy on heel hooks before covering the specific techniques. In the 3rd DVD, toe holds and knee bars are introduced. This DVD is probably the most useful to the average grappler. The final DVD concentrates on
knee compressions, a.k.a. calf slicers and is rounded out with a few defenses and a sweep. Most of the techniques are demonstrated without a gi, but they’re easily used in a gi. K.A.T.C.H. is a good DVD set with a few hitches. At 2 hours and 40 minutes long, the set could have easily been produced on 2 DVDs, especially considering the quality of the video; which brings me to the second drawback, the video quality. The video quality is closer to what you’ll find on YouTube than what you expect in a DVD set that costs nearly $100. The brightest spot of the set is Dean himself. His commentary, while a little rambling, is very interesting
and kept my attention. Dean is the kind of guy you’d like to hang out with and talk grappling. His laid back persona comes across loud and clear. His explanations of why and how the techniques work are thorough and the instructional is a solid primer into leglocks.
Verdict Length: 4 DVDs; 2 hours 40 minutes total Exp Level: blue/purple Price: $97 DVD
AUDIO/VIDEO: GAME PLAN: NO. OF TECH: CONCEPTS:
NON-STOP JIU-JITSU www.grapplearts.com
NON-STOP JIU JITSU IS THE 2ND DVD SET FROM THE DUO OF STEPHAN KESTING AND BRANDON MULLINS. Brandon Mullins is a Vinicius ‘Draculino’ Magalhães black belt, prolific competitor and instructor at Draculino’s Houston academy. The production value is similar to what you’ll see in other DVDs and adequate to convey the techniques. Stephan and Brandon wear contrasting color gis, techniques are presented multiple times and they switch positions as needed to properly demonstrate the techniques.
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1/14/15 3:26 PM
Matt’s watched a lot of videos in his day.
The basic premise of Nonstop JJ is to teach you how to effectively chain techniques together. By linking multiple techniques, your opponent is reacting to you and not mounting an offense of his own. The four DVD set begins with “Advanced Fundamentals” and covers the technical standup, shrimping, bridging and other fundamental movements in detail, including the context in which they should be used. The second DVD covers butterfly and X-guard, again with an emphasis on the contextual application of the techniques and how to use them together. The De la Riva guard is broken
down in the third DVD and the final DVD shows passing. The difference between success and frustration while rolling can often be as simple as linking a few techniques together in a logical and effective manner. Nonstop JJ aims to teach you how to flow smoothly between multiple techniques and end the dreaded “analysis by paralysis” that so many of us are prone to. At nearly $150 this DVD costs about as much as a gi, but if you’re going to commit yourself to the techniques inside you’ll get more than your money’s worth.
Verdict Length: 4 DVDs; 9 hours total Exp Level: All levels Price: $147 DVD
AUDIO/VIDEO: GAME PLAN: NO. OF TECH: CONCEPTS:
THE FARIA GUARD www.digitsu.com @bernardofariabjj
BERNARDO FARIA HAS BEEN USING HIS SIGNATURE HALF GUARD TO GREAT SUCCESS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF COMPETITION FOR YEARS. With multiple podium appearances in Pans and Worlds, it’s safe to say that he knows what he’s doing and that it works. In this DVD you’ll notice that many of the techniques he demonstrates are the ones he uses in competition. Bernardo wears a white gi and his partner wears a blue one so it’s easier to see the techniques. All techniques are demonstrated multiple times. The audio and video are perfectly adequate to convey the techniques, multiple camera angles are used and Bernardo’s English is easily understood. The first hour of the instructional delves into the concepts of the Faria guard, particularly how to get into it from different positions. The remainder of the DVD builds off of those initial techniques and focuses heavily on the Faria sweep. After detailing the sweep, Bernardo explains how to counter the reactions
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your opponent is likely to use to counter your initial attempts at the sweep. The second DVD continues to focus on the Faria Sweep and offers solutions to more of the techniques you’re going to face as you work this sweep. The final chapters of the 2nd DVD rounds out the instructional by demonstrating a few submissions and a couple more sweep options. As a guard player I really like this DVD. No matter where you are you’re just a step away from half-guard. The Faria sweep is one of the few options for someone after your opponent has the underhook and you’re flattened out. The laser-like focus on Faria’s signature move is both good and bad. If you’re looking for a global half-guard DVD this probably will not meet your needs, but if you want to know the intricacies of Bernardo’s bottom half-guard game, this DVD is invaluable.
Verdict Length: 2 DVDs, 3 hours total Exp Level: Blue and up Price: $69.95 DVD, $49.98 (On-demand/Android/iOS app)
AUDIO/VIDEO: GAME PLAN: NO. OF TECH: CONCEPTS:
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98 GEAR LAB
SISU MAX GUARD 2.4 www.sisuguard.com
Mike Velez
BEFORE I EVER PUT ON A GI, I WAS COMPLETELY USED TO WEARING A MOUTH GUARD AS MY FIRST LINE OF PROTECTION. A few years before attempting the gentle art I was versed (some might say, “Schooled”) in the sweet science (boxing). To step into the ring without protection for your Chiclets is absolutely unheard of. So, by the time I discovered jiu-jitsu, wearing a mouth guard was as natural as tying my belt. It didn’t take too long for me
What It Is
Before we get into exactly what the Max Guard is, let’s talk about what it isn’t. It isn’t a boil and bite chunk of rubber that you bite down on to get an impression of your teeth. It is a 2.4mm thick die-cut piece of high-tech thermoplastic material that, according to SISU, is 50% stronger and has 8-times greater tensile strength than conventional mouth guard material. It’s BPA, latex, phythalate and PVC free. Small holes are strategically cut into the material. There are also “crumple zones” that SISU says are part of their Diffusix™ technology. The crumple zones are there to direct forces away from your teeth on impact. When I first saw the SISU Max Guard I thought to myself, “Oh, those holes must be to help you breathe.” Then I thought, “No, idiot, you don’t breathe through your teeth!” The holes are cut for a few reasons, first they help in the fitting process, they allow for a snug fit so you can talk clearly with it on, they allow you to drink water while wearing it and drool less and lastly, they help the guard to have some flex while you’re wearing it. The Max Guard 2.4 is available on SISU’s website for $34.99 and is available in 6 different colors.
to realize that very few of my training partners were using such protection. The result meant that chipped teeth, bleeding lips and hard feelings were more common than they should be. I won’t go into detail on why else you should wear a mouth guard, check out Issue 28 for that. I’m here to review the new Max Guard 2.4 from SISU. It’s like no other mouth guard you’ve seen before.
212º Fahrenheit; if you’ve ever done the fitting process on a boil and bite then you know it can be pretty uncomfortable. The SISU guard’s softening point is much lower, 140º F. That means that you can perform the fitting quickly and easily. I did it here at the office with a mug of water in the microwave. The process was easy, of course, refer to the instructions, but basically warm up the water, dip it in for a little while, take it out, line it up with your top teeth, fold, fit, hold it in between your teeth, rather than bite and use gentle suction. By the time it cools it’s all set. Let’s say you’re not happy with the fit, then just repeat the process again, up to 20 times. SISU doesn’t say how many times you can perform the process, but
they do say that you can do it repeatedly.
Using It
I’ve been using the Max Guard for about three weeks. First thing I can tell you is that I’ve not chipped a tooth, cut a lip, or had any mouth related injuries in that time, even though I’ve received a few knees to the jaw. All of the mouth guards I’ve worn to this point have been made of a softer, more pliable material. The first thing you’ll notice with the Max Guard is that it’s relatively hard. This took about a day to get used to. Also, the first fitting was much snugger than I remember when I fitted it. I attribute this to some shrink rate in the cooling process. I’d say that’s by design.
The Max Guard is a good choice for someone with braces since you can reshape it upto 20 times as your tooth line changes.
Fitting It
Earlier I said this isn’t a boil and bite, and it’s not, but it’s close. Water boils at
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1/14/15 7:24 PM
Where have I seen that grill before?
The guard fits nice and snug and has never slipped off since I’ve been using it, thanks, in part, to the snug fit. As advertised, the Max Guard is very comfortable to wear. After the first day I pretty much forgot I had it on. In fact, the first day I wore it I actually didn’t take it off until I got in the car, I forgot I had it on. Seriously. I could also talk more clearly with it on than with my other mouth guards, due to its design and thinness. This means less of a need to remove it while you’re training. Removing less often means less germs going from my fingers to my mouth.
Conclusion
The SISU Max Guard is a great product. It’s innovative, comfortable, affordable, and offers a high-level of protection to one of your most valuable and necessary assets: your teeth. Its thin design makes it perfect for someone who may not be able to wear a typical boil and bite mouth guard, maybe because you have a gag reflex, or because you found them uncomfortable. I used the word “affordable” to describe the guard simply for the relativity to other “fit yourself” mouth guards on the market, but anyone who actually pays for their dental work knows that $34.99 is absolutely NOTHING compared to a trip to the dentist. When I do these tests I try my best to put myself in the shoes of the consumer and to find fault so that no stone is left u turned. I wanted to say that some people might find the rigidity uncomfortable compared to softer mouth guards, but I literally forgot I was wearing it, so I can’t say that for myself. The only thing I could really come up with was the fact that it doesn’t come with a case. So, there you go – if you’re not rolling with a mouth guard, or if you’re ready to change yours out, try the SISU Max Guard, you’ll be thanking me the next time you take a knee or elbow to the grill.
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SISU makes a thinner guard for non-contact sports, a youth model and a Sova Night Guard for those of us who like to grind our teeth at night.
Verdict Inexpensive, comfortable and does the job!
PERORMANCE: VALUE: OVERALL:
The Max Guard is used by UFC fighters Tarec Saffiedine and d Herman and comes with a $30,000 dental warranty, details on their website.
1/14/15 7:24 PM
100 SPOTLIGHT
BEN “KILLA B” SAUNDERS UFC FIGHTER AKA “MR. OMOPLATA” MAKES HISTORY WITH JIU-JITSU Deb Blyth
BEN SAUNDERS IS A UFC FIGHTER IN THE WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION. He is also a jiu-jitsu black belt under the legendary Master Ricardo Liborio of American Top Team (ATT). As a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, you probably know who Ben is. For those who don’t, Ben is predominantly a striker, and outside of ATT, much of his jiu-jitsu training has been self-taught. Ben recently made history using the gentle art. In his fight against Chris Heatherly last August, and with Eddie Bravo in his corner, Ben finished Chris with an omoplata, making him the first UFC fighter to ever finish a fight this way. It’s gained so much attention that
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Ben Saunders
he has been nominated for the 2014 Submission of the Year at the 2015 World MMA Awards and has already won that honor with several other media outlets around the globe. Outside of the cage, Ben represents jiu-jitsu in a way that can make us all proud. He is a true martial artist and says that the respect, honor and loyalty behind it personifies who he is. Here is Ben’s story with a special guest appearance from the one-and-only Eddie Bravo:
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He’s earned his chops.
JJM: Do you train no-gi and gi, or like most MMA fighters do you just train no-gi? Ben: I train in both. JJM: When did you start training in jiu-jitsu? Ben: I started training in martial arts at 8 years old. I started training in the gi around 2002 and no-gi around 1998, but it’s hard to say because I was self-trained and self-taught from 8 to 18. I grew up in South Florida and there was no jiu-jitsu there, so I learned from the Internet, books and from wrestling in high school. I’m a big fan of the guard; I showed my teammates moves, they showed me some. Wrestling’s all about the top game, so I would get them in my guard and say, “Yeah, you have my shoulders pinned, but you don’t win with that here!” JJM: What belt rank are you? Ben: I’m a black belt under Master Ricardo Liborio. I call him my Dalai Lama. He is the happiest person I’ve ever met. Even if I lose, he always says, “It’s ok, Ben, it’s ok.” He’s a straight shooter, though. He knows I have good striking and good jiu-jitsu. He tells me I need to work on my wrestling. He’ll tell me straight up what my flaws are and what I need to work on, but he’s always very positive about it. JJM: What’s it like training with Master Liborio at ATT? Ben: Master Liborio, for those who don’t know, he’s a historical icon. He’s a black belt under Master Carlson Gracie. He was a black belt world champion in jiu-jitsu. He’s one of the founders of Brazilian Top Team, which had one of the greatest teams of all time that competed all over the world in UFC and PRIDE. They produced studs. He moved to Florida with Dan Lambert to create American Top Team. I started training with him in 2006. He’s a professor, a guru, my Dalai Lama. The knowledge he has is unsurpassed. He’s absolutely incredible. It’s an honor to have a black belt under him, but to also call him a friend and to train with him.
witnessed! Then I saw Royce Gracie win it all in the end and I said, “This is what I want to do.” My friend said I was crazy. I said, “Just watch.” So then I dedicated my life to it. I told my parents I wanted to train in martial arts and open my own school. It wasn’t long after that they were like, “Hey,
“I’m a martial artist to the fullest and I express my art utilizing my eight limbs. I use my opponent’s face and body as my canvas and my favorite colors to use are red, black and blue.” -Ben Saunders wait a minute…” They started realizing I wanted to be a fighter, not a school owner. JJM: Describe your life leading up to becoming a UFC fighter. Ben: When I graduated from high school the only MMA academy in Florida at that time was Din Thomas’ school. I was like, “Oh my God! Din Thomas!” He was my idol. I started talking to him on Messenger about coming down to train. I convinced
my dad into letting me go by saying that I was going to go to college in Orlando…but when I said, “College,” I meant MY college – martial arts (laughs). I tried to juggle school, a job, and training; that’s three full-time jobs plus sleep. School trickled out, and then I was down to just training and working full-time. Then I hit hard times. I lost my job, my car broke down, I was getting evicted from my apartment. Everyone came at me: “What are you doing with your life?” “You’re 20-years-old!” “You want to be a pro fighter? How much money you making?” “You’re not going anywhere!” I had to deal with a lot of drama from my family. I literally disowned everyone, except my brother Jacob who always supported me. I said, “Ok you guys are all gone. I’m not going to deal with any of this.” I got things in order. Then I got on The Ultimate Fighter 6. That Christmas was the greatest Christmas of all time. Everyone accepted me. I proved I could fight and that there was money to be made. They turned around and now they’re my biggest fans ever. They get it now. JJM: In 2007 you were on Ultimate Fighter 6: Hughes vs. Serra and you were on Matt Serra’s team. War Machine was on your team, you had it out with George Sotiropolis and Joe Scarola left the house. So much drama! Tell me about the experience of being on that show. Ben: That show is all about who can fight through the obstacles, the psychological warfare and the cameras. Many coaches over the years have told me that fighting is 98% mental, 95% mental…if you’re psychologically not able to fight through it, your body can’t do it physically. When it comes down to digging deep: you’re down 2 rounds and have to make something happen in the 3rd, you gotta make something happen. Or the reverse, he’s down and has a stronger mind than you and the will to come back – he’s going
JJM: When did you know you wanted to be a pro fighter? Ben: It was when I was 10 years old that I knew. My best friend was into Tae Kwon Do and he had a subscription to Black Belt Magazine. We saw the ad for UFC 1. It was no holds barred. The fights would end only in a submission or knock out. I said, “Someone’s gonna die! We gotta order it!” His dad was an alcoholic. He ordered the fight for us, which, at 10, was probably not the best thing for us to see. I was horrified! In the first match with Gerard Gordeau against Teila Tuli, Geordeau kicked him in the face and his teeth went shooting out! He punched him in the face and he was bleeding out of his eyeball. Oh my God! It was the most traumatizing thing I’ve ever
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SPOTLIGHT 102
to beat you. The Ultimate Fighter was a great way to see people’s psychological strengths and weaknesses; who can stay calm under pressure. The only thing that sucked about being on the show was having to diet and you didn’t know when you were gonna fight. Matt Serra told me when I lost my 2nd fight…I got sick and fought anyway and lost on a decision… he said that I was definitely gonna go far; that I had the mind and the talent for it. He said I had the right attitude for it. It was an honor training with him. JJM: Do you have to be a little crazy to be a fighter? Ben: Yes! We need to be a little crazy to do this job! You have to be a little sadistic because the goal is to finish your opponent; to bring pain upon him in an artistic fashion to get the finish. I’m not normal, I will never be normal and I don’t ever want to be normal. I don’t want to be perceived as someone I’m not. Above all, I’m a martial artist to the fullest and I express my art utilizing my eight limbs. I use my opponent’s face and body as my canvas and my favorite colors to use are red, black and blue. JJM: Eight limbs? Ben: Yes. Muay Thai is also considered the art of eights limbs: 2 hands, 2 knees, 2 elbows and 2 shins/feet. JJM: What do you think is more effective in jiu-jitsu – drilling or sparring? Ben: I think drilling is most effective. Consistency and numbers are always going to play the biggest role in any sport. If you kick a bag 1,000 times, you’re going to be better. If you punch a bag 1,000 times, you’re going to be better. If you practice an armbar 1,000 times, you’re going to be better. Drills, hands down, are the foundation of becoming good at anything you’re striving to be good at. Live training is your marker. It tests how you can adapt to different situations and how to utilize them in a live situation. With any kind of sparring you want to be as “live” as possible, and do it intelligently because if you’re injured, you’re not going to be able to compete at all or to the best of your abilities, but drilling proper technique is the key.
Enter 10th Planet’s Eddie Bravo… JJM: How has Eddie Bravo helped you in your pursuit of greatness? Ben: I’ve always been a big fan of his. After The Ultimate Fighter, I had some money and I bought his book, Mastering the Rubber Guard. There’s no 10th Planet in Florida. As a kid, I self-taught myself jiujitsu until I joined United Champions with Din Thomas. Even though I’ve been with ATT since 2006, I still go out of my way to
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“I definitely think jiu-jitsu is one of greatest martial arts ever designed and created. The gentle art always caught my eye.” -Ben Saunders study jiu-jitsu techniques on the Internet, in books and by watching videos. I like to be intelligent on my own and search out styles and techniques that work for me. I try them and see what works. Eddie’s system just clicked for me. I’m an active guard player in my jiu-jitsu training, in jiu-jitsu tournaments and in MMA in general. I like to attack from the back. Behind jiu-jitsu is the concept of self-defense; someone’s going to be hitting me, attacking me…I like having a guard that’s both offensive and defensive, so that’s why the rubber guard clicked with me.
JJM: But you were using your own variation of the rubber guard, not Eddie’s actual version of it, right? Ben: Yes, he jokes and calls it the Killa B guard. Instead of grabbing my right ankle with my left h nd, I was grabbing the inside of my right knee and shin with my right hand, trapping my opponent’s left rm. Eddie Bravo: Ben was playing a version of the rubber guard that I never play. Rubber guard is super technical. A lot of people mess with it. They say, “Oh I’ll just grab my ankle and go for a triangle.” It’s not like that. Ben was doing his own version of it and I didn’t want to tell him I didn’t agree with it because it was kind of working. We talked over social media, and then he was cut from the UFC and went to Bellator. I lost track of him. I started calling his version of the rubber guard the Killa B. He used it against a black belt (Luis Santos) and ended up tapping him with an Americana. It was pretty effective. Then I lost track of him again. Then I did the video with Rickson Gracie and Joe Rogan, and Ben realized he was doing things differently than I do. He tweeted me that he wanted to make the rubber guard part of his comeback into the UFC. JJM: Ben, you’re in Florida and Eddie is in California, so how did you make that work?
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The Beibs was not at class that day.
Ben: I hit him up and said, “Yo man! You doin’ any seminars in Florida? I need to work my rubber guard.” He said he wasn’t, but said that he had a ninja in Florida named Tyler Woosley. Eddie Bravo: Tyler’s one of my rubber guard geniuses. He’s 19 now and has been doing it since he was 14. Ben: I did 2 privates with Tyler and then I got the call from the UFC to fight Chris Heatherly in August. Eddie Bravo: After Ben trained with Tyler, he immediately contacts me and says, “I’m blown away! I had no idea it was this crazy! I have to master this!” He told me he had a spot open in his corner the following week against Chris Heatherly and that he would love for me to be in it. Ben: Honestly, him saying he wanted to go out there and corner my fight…I thought, “Damn I hope this fight goes to the ground! I want to show this man what I’m working on.” I did 2 privates with Tyler, but I just needed to ask a few questions and get those few fine details. I knew it was money. I have the jiu-jitsu already to back it up; to add this to it, it all clicked. JJM: This was really last minute, so how did the two of you find time to train together? Eddie: The fight is Saturday and I get there Friday night. We go to his room. We’re on the floor; I gave him a basic lesson on rubber guard and the next day a little more. That was it. JJM: Tell me about the fight and this remarkable omoplata you caught. Ben: To have Eddie in my corner was priceless. I immediately went for the omoplata…I looked for it. I had listened to
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Dwayne Ludwig and TJ Dillashaw and the Alpha Male team on Joe Rogan’s podcast and they were talking about a variation of the omoplata, how you could go around the front of the face and do a neck crank/ omoplata. So, when I got there, I circled to the side and got good position, and wanted to do what Rogan was talking about, but then Eddie screamed at me to go for the far arm to crank it and secure it more. Chris Heatherly tried to tripod up. I thought, “He’s gonna try to roll!” So, I pumped his wrist and arm into the omoplata and he tapped! It’s never happened before in the UFC! I went from mission control to crackhead control (for about 2 seconds) to dead orchard to elbows to omoplata (Check out Robin Black’s breakdown on Youtube). Me and Eddie were working on this in the hotel room and in the back room before the fight. That’s all the time we had! Eddie: I thought his opponent was gonna roll out of the omoplata. But Ben had him seat belted really good. It was a shocker. People generally give up position and roll out of it. This guy didn’t roll and Ben didn’t let him roll. Everything went according to plan.
has limbs of a guy who’s 6’ 8”. He’s super flexible, has really long legs, is amazing at striking and he’s already a black belt. He’s really good. His jiu-jitsu is really good, and he’s already playing rubber guard? I see extreme potential with him. I think if he fought Johny Hendricks right now he would give him hell. He’s so tall and Johny is so much shorter; I think he would eat him up standing. So, Johny would take him down and end up out of the frying pan and into the fire. Robbie Lawler is taller and lankier and he can bang. That would be harder…but I see a great match up between Johny and Ben. Ben can stand with anybody and anyone who takes him down, there’s a 30-40% chance they’re gonna get tapped. They’re gonna get wrapped up for sure. Just the 3 weeks I had him - I think he has tremendous potential. I‘m going to work with him a lot more. You can’t predict anything in this sport, but I think he has the potential to be one of best guard players in the UFC. No one has his guard skills or his flexibility. That omoplata has skyrocketed his fame. He’s a UFC star now. He came back to the UFC with a vengeance.
JJM: Your next UFC fight was against Joe Riggs. Ben: I worked with Eddie for 3 weeks during my camp. Fight time, we both came out fighting and Joe picked me up and tried to spike me, but his chin hit my hipbone, which caused a stinger in his neck and his left rm to go numb. The second Joe and I hit the mat I knew exactly where I wanted him. I had him wrapped up, but before I could even decide which option I wanted to choose to try to submit him with, he was already tapping. Because he tried to injure me with a Rampage Jackson slam, he ended up digging himself into a freak incident. Neither one of us wanted it to go down this way.
JJM: Ben, you’ve had some great success in the UFC using your jiu-jitsu skills and after reading this article about what a jiu-jitsu fanatic you are, you’re going to gain a lot more fans in the jiu-jitsu community. So, in closing, please tell me why you think jiu-jitsu is such a valuable and effective art. Ben: I definitely think jiu-jitsu is one of greatest martial arts ever designed and created. The gentle art always caught my eye. I love the perception of size not mattering. That’s huge in my eyes, plus the fact that gender, male or female, doesn’t matter with proper technique. Everything about it – the intelligence of it, the chess match behind it…even if you’re lacking in athleticism, if you’re on point with technique and you’re intelligent about it, you can overcome any obstacle. Not to mention that it is one of the greatest workouts and ways of getting in shape in a fun environment. It’s amazing.
JJM: It sounds like you were let down with winning like that. Ben: Yeah! I wanted to go to rubber guard and work on what me and Eddie worked on in my camp, but then he’s tapping out. At the time, I was contorting his shoulder, so I thought for a second that maybe I subbed him with it, but then I saw him grab the back of his neck and I knew…no. So because of that I lost Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night opportunities. But I got in and out. I got the W. That’s the good news, so I can’t really complain. JJM: Eddie, it sounds like you are going to be a big part of Ben’s future in the UFC. What do you think his potential is in the welterweight division? Eddie: Opponents need to worry about him. If they’re smart they won’t take him down, but he’s such a great striker…he is going to confuse people. Ben is 6’ 3”, but
JJM: Ok, my work here is done! I think you have now etched yourself into the hearts of every jiu-jitsu practitioner out there. Good luck with your future in the UFC and thank you for your time! Ben: (Laughs) Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my martial arts experience and thank you for this interview. I will keep working towards a title shot and ultimately, the title. You can follow Ben on twitter and Instagram @bensaundersmma or on his facebook page: facebook.com/ IamBenSaunders.
1/14/15 12:23 PM
104 MIND GAMES
Ken Baum, Mental Coach to Top Ten MMA fighters, World Champion Boxers and Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Artists of all styles. Author of The Mental Edge and Founder of mentaledgeuniversity.com
FEAR FRIEND OR FOE Ken Baum
FEAR! Can paralyze the most skilled grappler and cause him to become timid. A moment of self-doubt has caused many competitors to fear losing and focus on preservation rather than winning. An opponent who comes out stronger than expected,
Staff
with a strategy you didn’t expect, has caused many grapplers to abandon their excellent game plans when they fear the match is slipping away.
Where does fear come from? Fear is usually caused by an exaggerated emotional response to something known or unknown. Example: we hear about someone getting killed by a Great White Shark and refuse to go into the ocean, even though we have a 1 in 11,500,000 chance of being bitten by a shark and a 1 in 264,000,000 chance of dying from a shark attack. Is this an intelligent decision or an exaggerated emotional
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response? You have a better chance of being killed by a deer hitting your car! Do you still drive? Undue fear of a shark attack is clearly an exaggerated response. If your opponent comes out with better technique that you didn’t train for, does that mean you can’t win? Does it mean your strategy can’t work? If you get worked up and frustrated does it mean you can’t find a way to pull out a victory?
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Sometimes going mindless just happens.
Flipside Technique
Just as every statistic can be used favorably or unfavorably, depending on perception or outcome desired, every fear can be looked at differently. The first thing we do is look at the flipside technique. How many people don’t get killed in shark attacks? The answer is: 263,999,999 people don’t get killed by sharks. How many times do grapplers come from behind in a jiu-jitsu tournament and win? How many times did the great Royce Gracie look like he was defeated only to pull out a miraculous victory? The flip side technique says
Write It Down
“I am shark smart, 263,999,999 people enjoy the ocean and live another day. I love the ocean!” Seems silly, but it works. If you fear an opponent or fear losing this can be empowering or debilitating. Let’s make it empowering! Write down, “Every opponent can be beaten. I am fearless because I prepare for everything and always find a way.” Notice there is logic, there is an attitude, there is strategy and there is emotion. Every part of what is said can be accepted as truth and the mind will try and make it a reality.
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there is always another way to look at things. There is always opportunity and a way to overcome self-doubt and fear.
Use Emotion To Be Fearless
Just like phobias, exaggerated fears burned in the brain by irrational emotional responses, can be debilitating. However, you can use emotion to be unstoppable, fearless. Liken it to a reverse phobia where you are so committed to your outcome that you are irrationally positive under any circumstance.
Go Mindless
I wrote in my book, ”The Mental Edge “ that bodies work perfectly, the mind gets in the way. This is so true in all the martial arts, particularly in jiu-jitsu where we can get sidetracked by thinking of technique and strategy instead of flowing and responding. It’s easy to start thinking about what our opponent might do and what technique we should use in response and the next thing we know we’ve thought ourselves right into a loss. To
go mindless, you must first be mindful and install the proper attitudes and actions. This is a challenge for many jiu-jitsu practitioners because they are used to conditioning the body and neglect conditioning the mind. To rid yourself of any fear you must counter that fear with intelligence, reasoning and emotional conditioning. This seems irrational and foreign to some, yet they hold on to their same limiting fears and beliefs thinking if they
don’t acknowledge them they will somehow go away or the next win will fix everything. It doesn’t work that way! You must counter fear with aggressive action and mental conditioning. You must write it down and read out loud with passion, over and over again, and focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Read in front of a mirror, see success, hear victory, feel your body move and find a way.
Any emotion that keeps you from firing at full speed must be crushed. Fear is an emotion that must be identified and turned into power. Use these techniques to crush fear and fire at full speed.
Fight on Instinct
The primary objective of my work is to get an athlete in a peak performance state, a.k.a. “the zone,” on a consistent basis. A grizzly bear doesn’t think about which paw to strike with. A Lion doesn’t analyze when to pounce and attack. When you fight mindless and reactions and attacks happen naturally, you are fighting on animal instinct. Fight to win. Fight to survive. Find a way. Do what needs to be done at the time, with no thought of self and greatness happens. Animals are not emotion, but instinctive motion. To paraphrase Randall “Tex” Cobb, “Emotion interferes, be it fear or over confidence. You must empty yourself of emotion, winning is firing at full speed.”
1/14/15 3:40 PM
106 GAINS
START... HAMMER TIME! SOMETIMES YOU’RE THE NAIL, SOMETIMES YOU’RE... Travis Guesnon
A VICE-LIKE GRIP THAT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK, FOREARMS THAT NEVER TIRE, A BIG TIME SMASH-YOU-TOBITS PRESSURE GAME BECAUSE OF CRAZY CORE STRENGTH; ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? If you’ve ever grappled with either a construction or demolition worker, I’m sure that you’ve noticed a few things that either slowed your game down or forced you to change things up. These gentlemen (and some ladies) get the distinct pleasure of smashing stuff at work and then bringing that same mentality onto the mat to do
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the same to you. It’s not rocket science how they do it either; through lots of repeated hard work and sweat using simple tools, their place of employment is essentially their gym. Now, before you quit your desk job to become a construction worker to be in better shape for jiu-jitsu, chances are 1) it’s not going to be your cup of tea and 2) see number 1. You can however, use one of those tools to add plenty of benefit to your conditioning and that my friends, is the sledgehammer.
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Drop the hammer.
ONYX SAID IT BEST
“Just ssslllaaammm!!!” The sledgehammer swing/slam has been used for years by combat athletes to improve both speed and power. This makes it somewhat similar in definition to a plyometric exercise, as the goal of it is to increase speed and power by making the muscle groups exert maximum force in a brief amount of time repeatedly. While not completely the same however, one thing to keep in mind is that plyometrics are possibly the number one tool for athletes improving performance in dramatic fashion.
WHY DO IT?
The benefits of performing sledgehammer swings/slams include: Improves work capacity and endurance. Enhances wrist stability (weak wrist equals weak collar chokes). Develops core, grip, forearm, and full body strength. Builds explosive power. Who doesn’t want to feel like a badass after hitting something repeatedly as hard as possible?
MUSCLES INVOLVED The sledgehammer swing/slam is a compound exercise that works many muscles at the same time that primarily include your “core” (abdominals, lower back and obliques), forearms, lats, shoulders, as well as your calves and quadriceps slightly.
WHAT’S NEEDED
Obviously you will need a sledgehammer and if you don’t have one or have access to one at your gym you can purchase it at most hardware stores. They are available in a variety of weights, with some as low as 4 lbs. and others in the 30+ lbs. range. Most likely you’ll want to stick with an 8, 10, 12, or 16 pounder, though. Keep in mind that heavier isn’t necessarily better either. Sure, you want it to be challenging, but remember, the heavier the sledgehammer, the slower the movement and the goal is to build explosive speed and power. You’ll also need a tire (preferably a large tractor tire) to strike with the sledgehammer. Most tire dealers will give you these for free because they have to pay a fee to get rid of them, so you’re actually doing them a service by taking it off their hands.
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1.
HOW TO
Stand with a staggered stance, your left foot forward, about two feet in front of the tire with the sledgehammer in your hand. Grip the bottom of the sledgehammer’s handle with your left h nd and have your right hand gripping up toward its head.
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GAINS 108
2.
While raising the sledgehammer upward, slide your right hand closer to the head. Once at the top position immediately swing downward in a powerful and forceful manner as hard as you can, by sliding your right hand down until it meets just above your left h nd, while simultaneously squaring your hips and feet to face the tire.
3.
Grip the handle tightly upon slamming the head of the sledgehammer to prevent kickback.
4.
Quickly return to the starting position by stepping back with your right foot and readjusting your grips.
PRESCRIPTION Pick your poison:
Intervals: 20 seconds on (as many strikes as you can perform), 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds on (performed on opposite side), 10 seconds rest, repeat 5 times for 5 minutes total. Repetitions: 3-4 sets x 8-15 reps on each side.
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5.
Repeat steps 1-4 in rapid fashion until your set is complete, then alternate your stance and hand grips to perform your next set on the opposite side.
TIP: I recommend striking the tire with the side of the head of the sledgehammer instead. The reason for this is so you will have less kickback upon striking the tire. Since more of the object is taking the impact it spreads throughout the length of the head. This also helps for any shock that may be jolted back into your hands and forearms.
1/14/15 3:29 PM
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1/14/15 5:40 PM
y r e v o Rec
110 MEDIC
REST AND RELAXATION Travis Guesnon
WHEN THE TERM “R AND R” IS USED IT USUALLY MEANS “REST AND RELAXATION,” BUT YOU’RE A JIU-JITSU PRACTITIONER, SO CHANCES ARE YOU’RE JUGGLING A CAREER, TRAINING, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING, DRILLING, COMPETING, RESEARCHING THE LATEST AND GREATEST MOVES FROM JIU-JITSU MAGAZINE OR WWW.IROLL.TV, A RELATIONSHIP, A FAMILY, ETC. If that’s the scenario, plus you’re determined to win every tournament you compete in, then you probably don’t even know what R&R is. While this means you’re getting a ton
of training in, which is good for improvement, it can also work against you. You could be breaking your body down at a fast rate, which may cause you to be more susceptible to injuries, poor performance, loss of motivation and other issues. The ultimate goal should be to find balance and harmony in your life, on and off the mats. We’re going to take a look at methods you can implement into your training to keep you injury-free on the mats to ensure that your body is recovering as best it can while you’re still training hard.
PUT IT ON ICE
Who doesn’t want to prevent the possibility of injuries happening, or at least better remedy the existing one? Administering cold temperatures at lower levels to portions of the body for therapeutic purposes is known as cryotherapy (aka cold therapy). The Greeks came up with the name as “cryo” means cold and “therapy” means cure. For athletic purposes, when applying one of the various methods, inflammation, spasms and pain are decreased.
“The Real” Ice Bucket Challenge
If you’re looking to ease some of those bumps and bruises and have some time, an ice bath may be the way to go. This can be done in a tub or even a trash can (only brand new and clean we hope) with water and a lot of ice. Once the contents are inside, an individual gets in and submerges his or her body for 1020 minutes. It’s recommended that the person going in wear rubberized booties and rubber briefs to protect the toes and warm his or her midsection. While this has been a traditional form of treatment, there’s relatively little to no scientific evidence that suggests it works, but on the flip side there’s little to none that says it doesn’t work.
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Do WBC, not WWE
WBC (Whole Body Cryotherapy) is the next big thing happening in terms of recuperating for better athletic performance and the highest level of athletes are now utilizing this treatment in droves. Japan initially started the use of WBC in 1978, and along with Europe, has been using this treatment for some time now. It’s an alternative method of cryotherapy where a patient wearing a bathing suit (and sometimes socks, gloves, mouth and ear protection to protect from frostbite) stands in a cryogenic chamber for a few minutes instead of cold-water immersions or uses ice packs to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Once the individual is inside the chamber the operator releases liquid nitrogen, cooling it to a temperature of around −120 °C/−184 °F (and in some cases even cooler) causing skin temperature to drop in the range of 5-12 °C/41-54 °F; however, core body temperature doesn’t change. During the therapy one’s body releases endorphins causing immediate pain relief and inflammation reduction.
Typical treatment time is only 3 minutes within the chamber. Though it’s brief, it’s said to be the equivalent of ice swimming and science backs this as being a very effective treatment method.
1/14/15 12:37 PM
That is not Travis, but he does wear those same shorts when he hangs upside down.
R.I.C.E.
R.I.C.E. is a short abbreviation for “Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation” and is often the typical response for an injury where soft muscle tissues are involved, such as a sprain or strain. R.I.C.E. however, can be performed any time to help alleviate symptoms of underlying trauma and prevent a future injury from happening or help to make it better. Rest ensures that your body can repair itself, so without it the body cannot heal. Considering that we’re all practicing jiu-jitsu (I’m guessing and hoping), we typically roll session after session and put constant strain on
SLEEP ON IT
Speaking of rest, make sure you get some ZZZ’s. Believe it or not, getting a good night’s sleep can actually lower your risk of injury, reduce pain, improve your health, put you in a better mood, help you control your weight, allow you to think clearer, and improve your memory. When you’re tired you’re more likely to pay less attention, which could cause you to be clumsy and less coordinated, so your risk of injury can go up. As you sleep, you allow a nagging, existing injury time to heal. Furthermore, a good night’s sleep can aid you in better remembering those drills and techniques you learn in class. This may sound like common sense, but why then is sleep so ignored by people? Don’t sleep on that thought.
our bodies that leave our muscles worn down even though we may not physically see it. While working hard is important, if we’re constantly working too much we will ultimately break our bodies down to the point that the strain leads to inflammation, pain, or worse. Sure, you may have to chill out on something in particular for a week, but in the words of American judoka AnnMaria De Mars, “You can always be doing something else. Do something.” Placing ice on or submerging a body part(s) within ice reduces inflammation and helps numb pain (to an extent). Performing either one of these for 15 to
20 minutes with a break of the same time allotment before reapplying or submerging again is considered the best method. For compression, using an elastic bandage as a wrap, compression sleeves or stockings to manage swelling due to fluids from inflammation can help your body in terms of reducing pain, improved blood flow and better functionality of the area. Any of these should deemphasize free movement, but expand some so that blood is flowing through the treated area. Elevating the area will also aid in the reduction of swelling and works hand in hand with compression to do so.
WATCH YOUR BACK
Low back pain is one of, if not the most complained about disorder. If you want to get technical, low back pain is #2 on the list of most common neurological ailments in the U.S. This happens to all of us simply due to aging, amongst the many other causes. As jiu-jitsu practitioners we’ve got to remember that we’re either putting ourselves into or getting put into all types of awkward positions that directly compromise our back health. So, what are we to do? Here are a few suggestions:
Go Inverted!
No, I don’t mean do your infamous inverted spinning guard to lasso to inverted omoplata with a twist move that you’re known for at the gym; I’m speaking of inversion therapy. This is a therapy that is used when the practitioner hangs him or herself upside down or at an angle through the use of an inversion table, gravity boots, or by some other means. Doing so creates a similar feeling to that of spinal traction (stretching of the spine), which is used in doctor and chiropractic offices. However, instead of lying on your back and having a machine pull at you, suspending your body weight allows gravity to decompress your joints from the toes down. When you normally stand straight up with your arms to your sides you are in a position of joint alignment. As each day passes, gravity pulls on your body, so using inversion therapy places the joints equally in the opposite manner helping everything realign. SIDE NOTE/PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I purchased an inversion table a couple years back when I suffered an extreme amount of back pain that put me out for 2 months. When I started I could only remain upside down for 30 seconds, but now I can do so for 10 minutes straight and feel great after each time. The key is being consistent and hanging as soon as you wake up and right before you go to bed every day. Each week I increased the amount of time I hung upside down, by at least a minute. In my opinion, inversion works.
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1/14/15 12:37 PM
MEDIC 112
I Heard A Pop
In jiu-jitsu, it’s all too often that we’re on our backs, pretzeling our bodies to pull off some maneuver, or someone is pretzeling us. All of these moves place a strain on our backs. An alternative form of medicine to aid recovery and has great emphasis on the care of our backs (and necks) is chiropractic treatment. While it may not be your arm or ankle popping in a tournament, you’re likely to definitely get that sensation in your back or neck if you choose to do a chiropractic session. Ironically, it feels good, though and you feel much better afterwards (at least that’s been my experience). The philosophy behind chiropractic treatment is that an individual’s nervous system is impaired by body mechanic disorders of the musculoskeletal system, so it diagnoses and treats these as a practice of prevention. Manual manipulation of the spine, along with the manipulation of muscles through kneading, joint mobilization, joint manipulation, exercises, as well as counseling, are typically used for treatment.
EASTERN PHILOSOPHIES BROUGHT WEST
Contrary to what you might think, acupuncture isn’t just the insertion of needles into one’s skin. Acupressure and cupping are also traditional forms of this treatment method and traditional Chinese medicine. The exact definition of acupuncture is a system of medicine that involves penetrating the skin or tissues with needles, or the application of pressure, heat, or a laser light with the intent to alleviate pain and treat a variety of physical conditions. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine believe that the meridian system is a path through which “chi” (life energy) flows through our bodies and can be altered by manipulations used in acupuncture. Some people stand by these methods of treatments; however, scientists argue that there is not enough evidence to verify positive results and believe a placebo effect of each individual patient rationalizes this through their own philosophies.
On Pins & Needles
Through the use of needles, the goal is to produce De-qi (qi is referred to as “chi” in America) or the “arrival of qi” according to Chinese acupuncturists. This is a sensation of numbness, distension, or tingling in the area of needling. Here in the states, however, it’s not necessarily considered a part of treatment (dependent upon the practitioner) and the major focus is to release built up pain within the body and bring it to a relaxed state. Generally, stainless steel is the material used for needles as they don’t rust or break, but are flexible. After using a skin disinfectant (such as alcohol), a practitioner uses a plastic guided tube to quickly insert 5 to 20 needles (based upon problem symptoms) into the patient’s skin. Depending on how precise the skill level of the acupuncturist is will determine if the patient has some, little, or no pain. Once the needles are in, the tissue then may be spun, flicked, or moved up or down accordingly to provide the best relief and will remain in the area for 10 to 20 minutes.
A Different Kind Of Pressure
in order to clear blockage within the body, thus providing pain relief. It’s claimed to help manage lower back pain, tension headaches and stomach issues, such as aches, nausea, and vomiting. Acupressure also falls under massage as well.
Wear A Cup
Not the kind that will get you DQ’d in a tournament. Underneath the branch of acupuncture is cupping therapy. Often referred to as cupping, this therapy is when suction of skin is created to mobilize blood flow (to the treated areas), draw out toxins, treat deep scar and connective tissue in muscles, alleviate knots in muscles, reduce swelling, and promote healing. These are just some of the many benefits that avid practitioner’s claim. The process involves soaking cotton balls with alcohol that are lit on fire and placed inside each cup in order to heat it, thus removing oxygen, which causes the sucking or vacuum like action. As this is performed, the practitioner turns it upside-down and the lack of oxygen latches the cup onto the skin where they will remain from 5 to 15 minutes. This is known as “dry” cupping. There is also another type known as “wet” or “air” cupping.
Using the same concepts of needle-based acupuncture, but without the invasive needle sticking, is acupressure. Pressure is physically applied with one’s hand, elbow, or an instrument (I instantly thought of a foam roller) to certain points of the body
Medic - Rest and Recover.indd 3
1/14/15 12:37 PM
We prefer Sweet Sweat.
HEAT THINGS UP
Though it’s the opposite of cryotherapy, thermotherapy is the application of heat used for the same purposes, such as assisting recovery, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain. Differences include an increase of extensibility within tissues and a decrease in joint stiffness. n contrast to cryotherapy, in which the blood vessels are constricted, they become dilated causing blood circulation to increase as body temperature rises. Thanks to this increase the natural healing process of your body speeds up to soothe those aches and pains by providing nutrients and oxygen more rapidly. There are various forms, including the use of a heating pad among others.
Throwing Salt In The Game
If you don’t have access to a sauna you can do something similar (but not to the same extent) by drawing yourself a hot bath, adding two cups of Epsom salt and soaking in it for 10 to 20 minutes. The same effects take place, but not as intensely. To make it hotter many competitors in jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, and MMA add more Epsom salt, bottles of rubbing alcohol, smear their bodies with Albolene cream, and soak for 20-30 minutes; getting in and out at times. This produces an intense amount of heat and
is known for being used while cutting weight. It’s a method that requires extreme caution and should be performed only when someone else is there to assist.
Think Inside The Box
Maybe not what you want to hear, right? Well, a sauna is a small room that can produce an immense amount of heat in a localized area. Air is warmed through a heater (like in your home, but hotter) in a conventional sauna or in an infrared sauna that uses objects to heat materials that in turn increase air temperature. Results generated by these methods relax your aching muscles by reducing the tension within them, eliminating lactic acid and other toxins, and ridding you of those pains within your joints.
RUB ONE OUT
Get your mind out of the gutter and if it wasn’t there, good for you! By manipulating layers of muscle and connective tissue through a variety of techniques, one can enhance the body’s functions, heal faster and relax the muscles. This method is massage therapy and like stretching, it can increase blood flow, as well as help aching muscles recover by flushing out waste. Through the use of all the parts of one’s arms (excluding the biceps and triceps), feet or a device, massage is expressed by pressure being applied onto the body. There are a variety of types, such as acupressure, which we went over earlier. This type, along with myofascial release, reflexology, shiatsu, sports massage, and deep tissue are probably the most well known; however, there are many other types of massage as well. While all forms will probably help in terms of recovery, you probably should focus on sports massage (you are involved in jiu-jitsu after all) or myofascial release. Sports massage primarily focuses on the manipulation of muscles through kneading, joint mobilization and joint manipulation (Sound familiar?). Myofascial release is a manual massage technique that stretches muscle fascia that releases bonds between it and muscles in order to eliminate pain. It also increases ROM and improves balance. This is performed by compression or tension being applied in different directions and skin rolling. Use of a foam roller is a good example of this.
STRETCH!!!
Stretching AFTER (not before) a workout helps sore muscles recover by flushing out waste products, leaving you less sore than you would have been without stretching. It also improves flexibility, ROM (range of motion), and leaves you less susceptible to future injuries due to your muscles loosening up. The overall result is that your body will feel relaxed and your muscle control will improve. This allows your body to be pliable in terms of meeting the demands of your sparring, competitions, or conditioning sessions. If your muscles can only stretch so far, the likelihood of a tear during an explosive moment increases greatly. Like most things, there are various types of stretches. The ballistic method stretches muscles to their max by actually moving the body part in a rapid, bouncing motion. Another movement stretch is dynamic stretching; however these stretches are extremely controlled and performed slowly through a full ROM in order to reduce the chance of injury. PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) involves applying resistance to the muscle, allowing it to then relax, re-applying the resistance, but stretching the muscle a little further, relaxing, and then once again stretching it even further than the last time. Typically, a partner assists the individual when using PNF. This method works very quickly in terms of providing all the above mentioned benefits if done continuously. The most common type of stretching is static stretching where the muscle is stretched for a set amount of time until tension is felt, then holding the pose (without any movement) either 2 sets of 30 seconds or 3 sets of 20 seconds per each stretch. The key to any of the forms of stretching is being consistent and doing so each day.
CONCLUSION
As you can see there are a slew of practices that are at your disposal in order to improve your recovery for that next workout, tough rolling session, or for an upcoming tournament. We recommend that you do your own research, consult a physician prior, as well as speak to those you may have an interest in receiving treatment from beforehand. You’ll have to do some searching around in regards to scheduling, pricing and experience level if being treated by a contractor or service, but in the end it will probably be more than worth it. Good luck and stay healthy my friends!
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114 SUCCESS
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NEVER OUT OF THE FIGHT! SUCCESS IS AN ABSTRACT TERM THAT OFTEN GETS THROWN AROUND IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. While a better financial situation or improved health can be categorized as success, dependent upon the individual and circumstances, it always boils down to their perspective. To different people, it means different things. In the case of Michael Bergman, it simply means to function as an upstanding citizen and live a happy life.
In his short 30 years on this earth, Michael has seen, been through and done things that others either wish they could do or hope they never have to go through. Unfortunately, through these experiences, he’s met men and women who have since lost their lives, as well as met their families who mourn their loss. As a former sergeant in the U.S. Army, who helped apprehend the 3rd, 4th and 5gh most wanted members of the Taliban, he’s witnessed first hand the affects of war. While on a 12-month tour as an Infantryman from 2004 to 2005 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, Michael severely injured his back. His military job had taken its toll and the 3 bulging discs in his back caused quite a bit of damage. Much to his dismay he was medically and honorably discharged in 2006, as he was unable to continue to do the job he loved. Feeling lost and uncertain, he was unsure what to do with his life. He thought that would be his biggest concern for the future; however, in 2010 other complications arose. His right lung completely collapsed. He was treated, but then it collapsed again less than 6 months later. Ultimately, doctors took a portion of his lung and glued it to his chest wall ensuring a future collapse would never happen again. With his body constantly fighting him, his PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and survivor’s guilt plaguing him, and his uncertainty of his place in the world, he fell into a deep depression. During this long road he met the parents
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of Danny P. Dietz, Jr. Though the name may not initially ring a bell, Dietz is one of the main four U.S. Navy Seals whose story was featured in the film, “Lone Survivor.” With the help of the Dietz family, Michael was inspired to fight and take his life back. He realized how valiantly Dietz approached all aspects of life and had lived and breathed the Navy Seal ethos: “I will never quit, I preserve and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically fit and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.” Through this humbling interaction with the Dietz family, Michael gained new perspective. To deal with his conditions he began training both jiu-jitsu and MMA at Easton Training Center in Denver, CO in hopes that it would help him get his life back on track. Not only did the physical training help his body, but he learned valuable life lessons and became mentally stronger through jiu-jitsu. What he didn’t expect was how his coaches, staff, teammates, and even UFC fighters would bring him into their circle as a member of their family. This connection made Michael feel like he had in the Army with his military brothers. The respect everyone in the gym gave him, as well as those who served and still do, overwhelms him with a sense of pride and happiness. He hopes
that others in similar situations will find jiu-jitsu and that it will do for them what it has for him. With his spirits high, Michael eventually decided he wanted to compete in a couple tournaments. Michael says the story of how the Navy Seal team fought, banded together and endured on the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan, fostered a no quit attitude in him. He says he looks back and is inspired by all the men and women who never came home because they made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This perspective has carried over into his competition life today, and because of that, he placed second in both tournaments. Some may say he wasn’t successful because he didn’t win. As a disabled American Veteran with one good lung, who has suffered from PTSD and survivor’s guilt, but has finally found his happy niche in the world, it sounds like he did win. After all, success is all about perspective.
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