33 June 2015

Need To Cut Some Weight? The ABCs of Dropping Pounds!

NUTRITION, CONDITION, TECHNIQUE, SUBMIT

UE! S S I S I H T E INSID rtle u T e h T k c a t + At nd Jean With Lege hado Jacques Mac

From + Toehoold n !

Any P Sshoitwio s Us How Comprido

+ PLUS

It’s Good To t!

Break A Swea Build Up Your Muscles To Pass Guard!

G I B N WInIAbu Dhabi!

June 2015 Issue 33

e i z n e k c a Md a h c e an Buch Josh Barnett On Using Hand Control to Pass Cover 33.indd 1

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ON THE COVER: Mackenzie Dern and Marcus Almieda both Score Double Gold in Abu Dhabi Photo: Sabrina Vasconcelos

CONTENTS June 2015 // Issue 33

74 Features

Life 8 Editorial It’s time to take action.

The Pay-Per-View Wars heat up

78 Event Coverage 2015 UAEJJF World Professional Championship

10 News New stuff, gossip, old stuff and some strange stuff.

22 Promotions Belts and Stripes

50 Toeholds Comprido shows of toeholds from every direction.

102 Gear Lab • Falcon Brand Gi • Gameness Jiu-Jitsu Specific Backpack

140 Gi 411 Your Guide To Gi Makers Around The World

106 Event Coverage BJJ Tour American Cup

106 Grassroots Grappling Events from around the world

MEET THE STAFF

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Skills

Mackenzie ARRINGTON

Matthew CORLEY

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.

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

62 Choking The Turtle Jean Jacques Machado shares a few tricks.

92 Hand Control Passing Josh Barnett demonstrates how hand control can help you pass the guard.

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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What are you going to do today better than you did yesterday?

74

78

106

Mind

Body

112 Mind Games

38 Warm-Up

Fight Your Instincts

Partner Drills for Warming Up

114 Success

114 Gains

Ozzy Rivera Shrinks!

Exercises for Better Passing

38

118 Medic

62

Fuel 26 Grub Mmmm, Smoothies!

34 Supplements HICA, What is it?

Travis GUESNON 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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Understand Why and How You Sweat

Marshal D. CARPER 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 Jiu-Jitsu 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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8 EDITORIAL

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

THERE SEEMS TO BE AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT NOBODY REALLY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT OTHER THAN MAYBE COMMENTING ON A POST THEY SEE ON FACEBOOK. The elephant is jiu-jitsu instructors (or any martial arts instructors for that matter) being accused of lewd acts, or worse, the sexual assault of a minor. I have Google alerts set up on my email that notify me every time something involving jiu-jitsu makes national news. Thankfully, it’s a rare occurrence, but every now and again I see a report of an instructor being accused of a crime against someone underage. As a parent of two kids, the thought of one of my children being a victim of something like this doesn’t make me a believer in the jiu-jitsu pacifism we talked about a few months ago. It makes me think of that scene in Indiana Jones where he pulled the beating heart out of the bad guy’s chest. I think the time is now to put forward a mandate to insist that school owners and instructors take the necessary steps to have background checks performed if they want to instruct underage students. Locally, here in my town, if I wanted to be a water boy for Junior All American Football, I would need to undergo a background check. I don’t think that’s too much to ask from the jiu-jitsu community that we hold instructors of children to this same standard. Parents should begin the dialog with their child’s instructor. These screenings are not expensive, are comprehensive, and will help weed out the people who shouldn’t be around instructing our children. Organizations like USA Boxing, USA Judo, and many others already have programs like this in place. From a business perspective, and as a parent, if I were a school owner I’d proudly display the fact that I promote a safe environment for children by having taken at least that first step in holding my own history up for examination. Even then a background check doesn’t absolve our responsibility as parents. Try not to just drop your kids off at class. Instead, stick with them. Monitor their progress, talk to them, be there for them, be there so that you can acknowledge their accomplishments and watch them progress. Not only does this greatly reduce the risk of your child being in harm’s way, but it also builds good memories with your kids. As parents we all know how quickly time flies. I hope this editorial isn’t a downer, but if it is, it’s worth it. If it helps one child from being put in a bad spot, then mission accomplished.

Now, onto the good stuff! This issue is PACKED with so many great things. I went to Abu Dhabi for the first time and witnessed something that hadn’t been done since before I put on a gi. Read all about it in my coverage of the UAEJJF World Pro Championships. Plus, get some great technique from the legendary Jean Jacques Machado and also from one of our favorite champions and newly earned American citizen – Comprido, not to mention some more hand control moves from Josh Barnett. All that and so much more in one of our best issues yet.

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 Matthew Corley, Dr. Ethan Kreiswirth, Will Sanford, Mike Calimbas, Marshal Carper, MacKenzie Arrington Dave Costello, Will Thompkins

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Art Director Dave Palacios Contributing Photographers Jason Boulanger, John Cooper Kenny Jewel, Mike Lee, Mike Calimbas,

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: subs@ jiujitsumag.com. Subscription rates are $39.99 for 12 issues (1 year), $59.99 per year Canada, and $99.99 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 12 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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TRAIN FOR LIFE Caio Terra 9 Time World Champion www.facebook.com/GamenessFightwear @GamenessFightCo www.gameness.com Caio Gameness.indd 1

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10 NEWS

BJJ SUBMITTING MS He may not be a household name, but Matt Serra purple belt Vic Torres fears no competitor, as he has to compete with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) every day since being diagnosed in 2010, only months after getting married, already being a father, and beginning an amateur MMA career. The pushing, pulling, squeezing/ gripping, and training on the mat has helped him deal with balance issues, as well as the pins and needles feeling brought on by MS. Nervousness and stress activates sensors in his body, causing him debilitating pain, but because he’s used to getting pressured on the mat and stuck in bad positions, it’s taught Vic to learn to relax and control it. From a conditioning perspective, the cardio and strength needed for jiu-jitsu has caused him to get his nutrition in check and he put together a sound strength and conditioning program. Overall, Vic credits jiu-jitsu for helping him deal with his condition and he hasn’t had any issues for the last three years.

www.torresmmaandfitness.com www.bjjbrick.com

KEENAN WINS BIG!

At the last minute, Mr. Cornelius decided to make the trip to Guam and compete in the Marianas Open tournament and it paid off (literally), as he was able to defeat Marcos de Souza, Lucas Leite and Mike Fowler in the absolute division to take home the $10K cash prize.

www.marianasopen.com

PUT YOUR PAINS IN A CHOKEHOLD

Battle Balm is a new product that reduces inflammation, loosens up muscles, battles pain (pun intended) and soreness, and warms the area, while simultaneously cooling it to improve circulation. There are three types of balms: original strength, extra strength and DEMON strength to suit your needs, dependent upon how much pain you are in. All of them are made from 100% natural ingredients, non-greasy, come in 2 oz canisters individually, or you can buy a 3 pack. A less expensive 3 pack is also available with .5 oz canisters.

www.battlebalm.com

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WILL HE BE 100%?

Renzo Gracie is recovering from ACL surgery that he had in late March.

According to reports the injury literally occurred the day before his showdown with Sakuraba at Metamoris 5. One has to wonder if it affected his performance, but even more so will he be in good enough shape to come out on top against Matt Hughes at this year’s ADCC in Brazil? Will Hughes attack the knee? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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What’s up in the club?

Lambs To Lions Launch

Check this out, they’re pics from the recent Lambs to Lions launch party.

Lambs to Lions is the new clothing line from Tom Atencio of Afflictio fame.

The new brand features designs inspired by old school combat rooted in tradition, no dragons or flaming skulls in sight. Some of the guests on hand included Javi Vasquez, Rose Gracie, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, UFC 7 Champion Marco Ruas, Cub Swanson, Matt Horwich and others. Check out the full lineup of designs at their new website.

www.lambstolionsbrand.com

Photos Courtesy of Blanca Garcia

IN DA CLUB

You’re looking at Origin USA’s new Combat Clubs™ billed as “The Ultimate NoGi Training Tool.” Well we’ll vouch for these and tell you that it doesn’t matter what type of grappling you do Indian club training can help your game.

These new clubs are Patent Pending and use unique “Gravity Slugs” to allow for adjustable weight. Varying the weight alters the torque and stress on your joints and muscles as you move the clubs through a countless number or movements. This type of training helps with dexterity, joint mobility, strength and more. The clubs come with one slug for each club and sell for just $119 in Natural Maple. Also available made in Spectraply as shown for an extra $25 in three different colors. We’re working on a complete review of the Combat Clubs, look for that evaluation next month.

www.originmaine.com

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NEWS 12

A WHITE BELT WHO TEACHES That title doesn’t necessarily mean in the literal sense as an instructor, but we can all learn something from a white belt, named Joey Bozik. Bozik is a 36-year-old, retired Army sergeant, who, in 2004, was severely injured while in Iraq when the Humvee he was in ran over a bomb. After waking up from a coma he realized his life had changed drastically as he was declared a triple amputee, who has only 70% usage of his left rm. Finding it

difficul to participate in any sports with the use of prosthetics, Joey found jiu-jitsu while bringing his daughter to train at Tier 1 Training Facility. With the support of his wife, Jayme and coach Alan Shebaro, Joey has lost weight and is tearing it up on the mat, submitting fellow white belts, giving blues headaches and competing in tournaments. You can read more about him on the Dallas Morning News website. Search Joey Bozik at www.dallasnews.com

Photos: Vernon Bryant - Dallas Morning News

A CAREER IN JIU-JITSU, NO BLACK BELT REQUIRED

Maybe you’ve seen the ads for KOZEN Fighter and wondered exactly what’s going on there? Kozen Fighter is a clothing brand and jiu-jitsu tournament based in St. Louis, Missouri. They also have franchisees set up in different regions of the country. We had a chance to talk to KOZEN Fighter’s President JW Wright and find out more about it:

JJM: Who’s the typical KOZEN Fighter franchisee?

JW: It’s all across the board as far as people who are applying for franchises.

We have school owners and people who train in jiu-jitsu who want to have a business on the side of their normal job, along with investors looking at the KOZEN platform to help diversify their portfolios.

The one thing they all have in common is the core belief in jiu-jitsu bettering people’s lives.

JJM: Do they need to be black belts?

JW: No, a person does not need to be a black belt, but does have to go through some pretty intensive training to make sure we hold the KOZEN standards to the highest level. Our main goal is to educate people in what is still a very new sport.

JJM: What areas of the country are best suited for a KOZEN Fighter franchise, do they have to be in big cities?

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JW: We are looking at every state in the country as markets. Our goal is not to only go to the biggest cities, but hit those markets that you can help grow. Our model is made to do events that host from 150 to 500 competitors. So, being able to throw a 150-person event opens a lot of cities up.

JJM: What type of investment is needed, both in money and in time?

JW: The initial investment is from 5075k depending on how technical the franchisees want to get. We have a lot of soft are people can utilize that makes the process so easy. My partner, Vince and I have done the hard work for everyone. All the gear, equipment you need is included!

How many businesses do you know that can make you your investment back in the first year? With KOZEN you can. We suggest at least 1 event every 4 weeks as a base. So you’re basically working one weekend a month. Working your way up

to 18-20 events a year if you’re working full time on the franchise. As with any business you get what you put into it.

JJM: What type of support could they expect from you and the team at KOZEN Fighter?

JW: Understand that the KOZEN tournament system is one that keeps it simple. We will provide constant support to our franchises with constant gear introductions and state of the art computer programs to help administer their events so we can make their business run smoothly. We want to make sure both owners and customers are very happy with the KOZEN Brand.

JJM: Cool, thanks for the information JW, sounds like an interesting concept. We always love to see more jiu-jitsu going on around the country.

JW: Thanks for letting me talk about it, if anyone wants more information please email me at jw@kozenfighter.com.

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NEWS 14

BJJ, A POSSIBLE TREATMENT FOR PTSD

Researchers at the University of South Florida are currently conducting a study to determine whether or not jiu-jitsu can help war veterans deal with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Veterans at nearby Tampa Bay Jiu-Jitsu have stated that ‘the gentle art’ is helping them cope and deal with issues connected to PTSD better than other alternatives. Preliminary trials and experiments on the matter are already well underway, as the ultimate goal of the study is to find a more effici t way to deal with PTSD.

www.tinyurl.com/BJJPTSD

THE HEAT IS ON! It’s official summertime and there’s tons of scorching, hot competitions happening! Why not jump into some before the second half of the long competitive season arrives?

BJJ CLASSIC

7/18-7/19: New York Summer Open, New York, NY 7/26: Austin Open, Round Rock, TX ibjjf.com

USA BJJ TOURNAMENTS

6/7: Pro Trial, Springfield, MO bjjclassic.com

BJJ TOUR

GRAPPLING X

AMERICAN GRAPPLING FEDERATIONS

6/13: BJJ Tour Connecticut, Bridgeport, CT 6/20: All Star #4, Santa Cruz, CA 6/27: JJ By The Sea, Santa Clara, CA bjjtour.com

6/27: Youth World Championships, San Diego, CA 7/12: Fresno Gi Championships, Fresno, CA grapplingx.com

6/6: Memphis BJJ Championships, Memphis, TN 6/13: Tulsa Open, Tulsa, OK 6/27: Atlanta BJJ Championships, Atlanta, GA americangrapplingfederation.com

NEWBREED ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

6/6: Charlotte Championship, Concord, NC 6/13: Arkansas Championship, Little Rock, AR 6/20: Indianapolis Championship, Westfield, IN 6/27: Virginia Beach Championship, Hampton, VA 6/27: Cincinnati Championship, Cincinnati, OH 7/4: U.S. Open Championship, Winters Park, FL 7/11: Connecticut Championship, New Haven, CT 7/11: Wisconsin Championship, Madison, WI 7/18: St. Louis Championship, St. Louis, MO 7/18: Pittsburgh Championship, Pittsburgh, PA 7/25: U.S. National Championship, Orange Beach, AL nagafighter.com

GOOD FIGHT

US GRAPPLING

FIGHT TO WIN

6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 7/5, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26: All events in San Diego, CA. sundayrollout.com

6/6: Submission Only Chicago, Oak Lawn, IL 6/27: US Grappling Richmond, Ashland, VA 7/25: Grapplemania, Morrisville, NC usgrappling.com

6/20: Europa Super Show Grappling, Dallas, TX f2winbjj.com

NABJJF

AMERICAN GRAPPLING CHALLENGE

6/26-6/28: Los Angeles Open, Norwalk, CA nabjjf.com

6/20: No-Gi Round Robin, Reynoldsburg, OH americangrapplingchallenge.com

IBJJF

GDJJ EVENTS

7/10-711: American Nationals, Las Vegas, NV 7/11: Kids American Nationals, Las Vegas, NV

6/27-6/28: Arizona State Championships, Phoenix, AZ gdjjevents.com

6/6: Las Vegas Classic, Las Vegas, NV 6/13: Texas State Open, Dallas, TX 6/20: Oklahoma State Open, Midwest City, OK 6/27: South Florida Classic, Coral Springs, FL 7/11: TBA, Baltimore, MD 7/18: TBA, Chicago, IL 7/25: TBA, Boston, MA newbreeduc.com

GRACIE TOURNAMENTS 6/13-6/14: Gracie Regionals, San Jose, CA gracietournaments.com

SUNDAY ROLLOUT

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NAGA

6/6: Hoosier Open, Westfield, IN usabjjtournaments.com

6/6: Baltimore Summer Classic, Baltimore, MD 6/13: Tampa Summer Classic, Tampa, FL 6/20: Boston Open, Quincy, MA 7/11: Philly Jiu-Jitsu Challenge, Broomall, PA 7/25: New York Summer Classic, St. James, NY goodfighttournament.com

GRAPPLERS QUEST 6/6: U.S. National Championships/All Star Pro Challenge/ Freestyle Sambo Tournament, Edison, NJ grapplersquest.com

SUBMISSION CONFERENCE 6/7: Subcon San Diego, San Diego, CA 6/20: Subcon Los Angeles, Long Beach, CA submissionconference.com

KIDS WORLDS 7/25: Kids Worlds - Evolution, Ontario, CA kidsworldbjj.com

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NEWS 16

IMMORTALIZED!

It’s been done for Michael Jordan outside the United Center, Wayne Gretzky outside of the Staples Center, even for the character Rocky in Philadelphia, and now the same will be done for the greats in jiu-jitsu, as Carlos, Helio and Carlson Gracie will have statues built and raised in their honor. The statues will be available for public viewing on Tonelero Street in Copacabana near the Carlson Gracie Academy. Source: Sherdog

THE BLIND LEADING THE REST OF US Andre Powell and Bella Liborio could teach us a thing or two about perseverance, determination and jiu-jitsu technique. Both are legally blind, yet the 28-year-old Powell is a force to be reckoned with at brown belt, as he’s won titles against nonvisually impaired jiu-jitsu athletes. Meanwhile, the daughter of world-renowned coach Ricardo Liborio of American Top Team is no slouch herself, as she provides inspiration and a no quit attitude in a gym of great jiu-jitsu practitioners and MMA fighters. For more on the story you can search “Andre Powell” at

Photo Credit Braden Fastier – The Daily Telegraph

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www.dailytelegraph.com.au www.iroll.tv search “Bella Liborio”

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I’ll watch it!

NEW GEAR FROM NEWBREED Not only do they put on great tournaments, but Newbreed also offers great gear as well! Their Submission Pro Fight Shorts are made from four way stretch, 100% polyester material, have 5” side slits to allow for greater movement, and a velcro closure with drawstring to stay in place. To go along with the shorts are the Submission Pro Series Rash Guards made from the same material.

When you check out their website you’ll find more than a fair amount of great t-shirts, like those illustrated here. The 2015 Tournament Series tee is 100% cotton, regular fit and a must for anyone entered in TUG (The Ultimate Grappler) events. As you can see, there’s other cool tees like the TRS (Takedown, Roll, Submit) and S.O.S. (Submit Or Suffer) if those are more to your liking.

HI FIVE ON #supportwomensbjj Not too long ago, JJM advised that there was going to be a mega tournament involving the top female competitors, including a huge cash prize up for grabs. Well, the cat is now out of the bag as the athletes involved have been announced on Instagram @ fivegrappling. Like the super friends (It’s an 80’s thing) FIVE will see Mackenzie Dern, Luanna Alzuguir, Michelle Nicolini, Tammi Musumeci, Luiza Monteiro, Angelica Galvao, Fabiana Borges and 1 other TBA to unite and form the #5superleague. It doesn’t stop there, though as there’s a rematch of major proportions between two male competitors that will soon be announced as well.

www.fivegrappling.com

www.newbreedgear.com

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NEWS 20

MORE GIRL

POWER!

With the #supportwomensbjj movement happening, the submission-only organization DREAM has also announced its own 16 woman tournament offering up a $1K cash for every submission! The last women’s champion, black belt Chelsea Donner of Atos will be looking to collect another title. Other top ranked competitors like Jena Bishop and Mackenzie Dern have already shown interest by leaving comments on DREAM’s Facebook page. There’s no date set at this time, but it will be happening this year in Los Angeles.

www.dreamjiujitsu.com

AND SHE’LL CHOKE YOU OUT!

Sophia Drysdale has racked up quite a few jiu-jitsu championships over her 13+ years of competition at the No-Gi Worlds, Masters Worlds, Pan Ams, NAGA, Australian Nationals, and more.

Now, the accomplished black belt and mother of two is looking to dominate on a new stage; fitness competitions. Out of the gate she’s managed to bring home some hardware. We caught up with Sophia in between classes with her famous hubby, Robert at their school in Las Vegas, Nevada.

JJM: Which competition did you enter and how did you do?

Sophia: I entered into the Jay Cuttler Classic, which is part of the Natural Physique Committee (NPC) in Las Vegas, NV, April 4th. I took 1st in the novice division and 3rd in the Masters division for Ms. Figure. Stupidly, I did not register to do the Open. I was uncertain at how I would do considering this was my very first competition in this and it was all so new and different.

JJM: What made you decide to get into fitness model compeitions?

Sophia: I wanted to experience something completely different.

Competing in jiu-jitsu is always a challenge, especially at the black belt level, but there is nothing more challenging than trying something completely new that you have no prior experience with. It was really nice being a white belt at this. It was refreshing as there was absolutely no pressure. I have total respect for these athletes. This sport is not a ‘performance sport’ as such, but the discipline needed to get your body in that kind of shape is amazing. Only the truly dedicated can do this.

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JJM: Are you going to continue to compete, and if so, what are your goals?

Sophia: I will compete again later on in the year. My long term goal is to build a database of experiences and use all my years of experiences to build an online support network geared for women to help them with weight loss goals, training, health and fitness, nutrition, motivation, and empowerment. If I am going to talk the talk, I have to be able to walk the walk.

I want to show people that it can be done. The only limits are the ones that you put upon yourself. The world is full of amazing opportunities. It is up to you to take them or not.

JJM: How did your background in jiu-jitsu help you with this challenge?

Sophia: The years of training in jiu-jitsu (and gymnastics) have given me all the building blocks for Ms. Figure.

Most of the competitors are older since they need the muscle maturity to show shape and definition, etc. in their physiques and the years of jiujitsu has also given me this. In fact, jiu-jitsu has helped me so much with this that I only prepared for 6 weeks for this show! Most competitors start 3 months out from their shows!

JJM: What have you taken away from this experience that will make you a better black belt?

Sophia: Being a white belt at something all over again has allowed me to see things in jiu-jitsu from a white belt’s perspective again. I now have a better understanding of the new students who walk into the gym and how they are feeling. This has allowed me to become more supportive and patient and to also become a better teacher.

To excel at anything, however, requires focus and dedication and also a belief in yourself, whether it is to be a Ms. Figure Olympia champion or a jiu-jitsu World Champion. Doing this show has shown me that the basic qualities of competing are the same.

JJM: That’s so awesome.

Thanks for the time Sophia, congrats on the new accomplishment, and good luck in the future.

Sophia: Thanks so much for this opportunity. I am excited. I have had a lot of people asking me about my experience from this.

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22 PROMOTIONS

THE POWER OF PROMOTION AND PROPOSAL YOU MAY RECOGNIZE FRANK LIVORSI AND ALICIA MCCOURT FROM JANUARY’S PROMOTIONS SEGMENT, WHERE WE TOUCHED ON HOW JIU-JITSU HELPED STRENGTHEN THE BOND BETWEEN THE TWO AND SAVE THEIR RELATIONSHIP. Since that time the two have been working together with extreme positivity on both their relationship and on the mats, along with their son, and the results have been amazing! Frank received his first stripe on his brown belt and Alicia

was not only promoted to blue belt, but with the permission of 99/1 BJJ instructor (out of Kingston, NY), Nolan Dutcher, the rank was presented by Frank, and as you can see, it turned out to be more than just a belt. To add to the great news, the two are also expecting their second child and Frank is now the head instructor of the new Coxsackie, NY location. Congratulations to the both of you on all of your recent blessings!

A Storm Is Brewing

As co-owner of Cornerman Coaching/United Professionals and a 5th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, Bill Storm is no stranger to the martial arts, lots of hard work, years of training, and having great success. With that in mind, Bill recently earned his purple belt from Alexandre “Pulga” Pimentel at the Jaco Hybrid Training Center and now that he’s training jiu-jitsu full time, he’s on track to add another black belt around his waist. Way to go, Bill!

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Love Is Spelled T-I-M-E

David Arebalo loves his son, Cameron, and he found a great way for the two to bond by making a commitment to learn jiu-jitsu side by side, with Javier Vazquez of the Gracie Academy in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Both are now proud recipients of their first stripes. The two enjoy their time on the way to the gym, rolling and talking about their ups and downs on the ride home… encouraging one another all the time! Great stuff, Arebalos!

Terrific As A Team

When Caique Elias visits your academy and promotes you, you know you’re doing something right. Being a good looking man with an amazing beard (he’s very modest), Ed Schneiders and his teammates out of Des Moines Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Iowa, under Chris David, recently experienced this promotional pleasure. Great job Ed!

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Everybody smiles when they get a promotion!

Success In The Temple Of Shaolin

Pablo Carela (aka “Pab”) isn’t doing too badly for himself these days. Though he’s had lengthy breaks at times due to knee, foot and shoulder injuries (we can relate here at JJM), he recently moved to a higher level of technique and consciousness courtesy one of the best ever, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. He’s done so by splitting his training between Vitor Shaolin BJJ and Bronx BJJ academies in New York, with Shaolin brown belts and friends Junior Ortega and Fernando Restrepo helping navigate his journey. Nice job, Pab!

Change Of Mindset

When Rich Harris first started jiu-jitsu in 2008 at 39 years of age, he did so solely to improve his cardiovascular health and begin living a healthier lifestyle. While he’s done that through lots of perseverance, the guidance of Renzo Gracie black belt Bruno Tostes (Renzo Gracie Latham, NY), encouragement from fellow students and motivation from his wife Laurie, he discovered something else along the way. Now 46, Rich realizes jiu-jitsu has become a way of life that’s taught him as much off the mats as it has on them. He also picked up a cool new brown belt recently.

Congratulations, Rich!

12 Years A Jiujiteiro

Congratulations to the head coach of CLUB MMA in Cincinnati, OH, Jeff Robison, who was recently awarded his black belt

by Dirty Dozen BJJ black belt, David Meyer. After 12 years of constant training, learning and teaching, he’s now coaching full time at his gym, helping all-comers achieve success in jiujitsu. OSS!

Now That’s A Promotion!

Earning and receiving your black belt we’re sure is an awesome feeling and amazing experience, but having this honor bestowed upon you by someone of the highest lineage, well we’re pretty sure it can’t get much better than that. Then again, having your best friend share in the moment as well would make it just a little sweeter perhaps. That’s exactly what Wesclay Sardinha (white gi) and Matheus Bonnel (black gi) got to experience when 10th degree red belt, the first nonGracie to receive the honor from Helio Gracie himself, and founder of Kioto Jiu-Jitsu, Grandmaster Francisco Mansur presented the two gentlemen with black belts, as a proud Fabricio Medici watched. 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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26 GRUB

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SMOOTHIES THE SMOOTHEST SCRAMBLE ALWAYS INVOLVES A BLENDER. MacKenzie Arrington

ARE YOU CONSTANTLY HEARING ABOUT JUICING AND SMOOTHIES FROM EVERYONE IN THE GYM, OFFICE OR ON THE EVER-TRUSTY RESOURCE THAT IS THE INTERNET? That is because they are big right now and like every other food craze, there are the misconceptions that because it’s healthy, all variations are healthy. Wrong. Used correctly a smoothie can be your best friend, but used incorrectly and it can be your worst nightmare. A well made smoothie is packed full of antioxidants and nutrients and will keep you full for some time. Making your own smoothies you can fine tune what goes into them rather

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than rely on a local shop that more times than not loads their smoothies with sugar rich foods to make them more appealing to the masses. So, understanding how to fully utilize the proper ingredients is fundamental. Just because you are putting a bunch of healthy foods together in a blender and chugging a quart of it does not always mean you are “eating well.” There are hidden sugars, fats and carbohydrates that can easily add up and make you have to trade in your Inverted Gear A3 gi for the Husky edition size. But hey, that’s what I am here for, so let’s dive right in and blend it on high for a few minutes.

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They both look pretty good.

SMOOTHIE VS. JUICE

Wait. These aren’t the same thing? Liquefying a bunch of produce in a blender is different than running pounds of food through a juicer to get a scant glass of juice. First off, there are many differences between juices and smoothies besides just quantity.

The major difference is easily seen once we simply define each and provide their optimal purpose within our diets.

Smoothie Defined: The process of blending whole fruits and vegetables with a protein source resulting in a smooth beverage packed with both quick and slow digesting nutrients.

Juicing defined: The extraction of water and nutrients from fruits and vegetables while separating indigestible fibers.

Purpose: Supplement.

Juicing allows your body to rapidly absorb the nutrients found in foods quickly because you do not need to process the food to extract the nutrients - a juicer did all that work for you.

Juicing is a great way to get in some of the nutrients you may be lacking in one shot, but without the fiber, you will be left feeling hungry. Juicing is best used as a supplement or a detox rather than a full fledged meal.

Purpose: Full meal replacement. With a smoothie, you simply need only a blender and a game plan. The blender or Nutri-bullet is used to break down whole fruits and vegetables so that the fiber, skin and pulp are broken down for easier digestion, but not removed.

What this means is that since you will still have the fiber, you will feel full and you will be providing your body with a slow release food source to keep your body fed longer.

“Smoothie Wins by Advantage: What is that advantage? You do not need anything fancy to make a wide variety of smoothies, just a plain ole blender.”

SMOOTHIE 101

There are endless combinations of ingredients that we can put in a blender and turn into a smoothie, but ultimately there are a few key categories in which those ingredients fall into. You have to have a base, thickener, fruits/vegetables and seasonings.

Understanding how to balance these categories will maximize the benefits of said frosty beverage.

Basic Ratio: Making a smoothie is pretty simple. You have to actually try hard to make a bad one. Start with the follow foundation and branch out using your creativity, needs and taste buds.

Ratio: 1 Part Liquid | 1 Parts Fruits & Vegetables | 1 Part Thickener | Seasoning/Extra Goodies to taste.

Fruits-to-Green Vegetable Ratio: 3 Parts fruit | 1 Part Green Vegetables.

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BASES

MILKS: Almond, coconut, rice, soy, or cow’s milk. These are top of the food chain because they usually supply your smoothie with added protein and fats.

Want a solid meal replacement shake that will keep your metabolism working for awhile? Use cow’s milk because it contains slow digesting casein.

COCONUT WATER: Hydration and flavor without the heaviness of a milk base.

Coconut water is ideal for your more tropical flavored smoothies designed to be refreshing.

GREEN TEA: Packed with benefits. I know you are not drinking as much as you should be. Simply add in a little to every smoothie and reap the benefits.

WATER: Keeping it plain and simple. Water will not affect the flavor obviously nor will it give you any added nutrients. If you are using say, yogurt and avocado in your smoothie and you do not need to stack on any additional fat, use water.

might be making a glass of sugar. Always use fruit juices that have “No sugar added.”

Pay attention to the nutritional label.

COFFEE: Not the most nutritional, but if you are looking for a good caffeine boost to start the day, go ahead and give it a try.

FRUIT JUICE: BE CAREFUL. Fruit juices are great, but you have to watch out or else you

TOO THICK?

When you are playing Iron Chef and making smoothies, always start with around ¼ cup of liquid base and then add all of the other ingredients. If your smoothie is having a hard time blending, add a little liquid at a time until it catches and everything starts to blend. Create the vortex that looks like a sink draining while your smoothie blends. Don’t be afraid to give your blender a little shake or pulse blend to get the vortex started.

THICKENERS

ICE: Ice, Ice Baby. I couldn’t resist that.

Ice is used in addition to every smoothie.

Every smoothie you make should have minimally 1-2 cubes of ice. The ice cubes are the key ingredient to a thick and chilly smoothie rather than a room temp blended mush.

yogurts helps achieve some fun flavored smoothies, but be careful of the sugar.

YOGURT: A great addition to any smoothie because non-fat Greek yogurt makes a creamier smoothie and adds in a nice amount of protein. Using flavored

BANANA: Packed with vitamins and minerals essential for recovery. If you find yourself making a recovery shake after a tough night of training or need an

NUT BUTTER: Whether it is peanut, almond or cashew butter, the result is the same. A protein packed healthy fat that will help keep you feeling full and satisfied.

energy boost in the morning, pop in an extra banana. Tip: Have extra bananas lying around? Peel and freeze them so you always have the option for your smoothie science projects.

AVOCADO: Avocados are a healthy source of fat, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Avocados add a very natural and subtle creamy flavor to every smoothie.

You usually won’t be able to say, “Oh this tastes like avocado!” but rather, “Why does this taste so damned good? Ooooh, it has avocado in it!”

OATS: If you are making a breakfast smoothie and want the solid carbohydrate boost that you know and love found in basic oatmeal you can add oat bran or whole oats.

USE YOUR HEAD: Think about what you are adding into your blender, if you are using a lot of frozen fruit, you will need less ice. On the flip side of the coin if you are going the fresh fruit route, plan on using less liquid base.

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Mackenzie doesn’t miss much.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables are what make or break smoothies. Adding these ingredients to the mix truly makes the smoothie the World Champion because they add nutrients, sweetness and fiber. Let’s look at the power rankings of the smoothie world.

BERRIES: Berries are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. The key to adding berries is diversity, switch up your ratios of berries and use many different kinds within each smoothie to fully maximize the benefits. Hint: your grocery store has frozen “mixed berry blends” that will save you a few bucks and freezer space.

Other Fruits & Vegetables

Every smoothie needs a little acidity to cut through the sweetness and balance out the flavor, not to mention the fact that citrus provides a nice energy boost and healthy dose of vitamins. For most all smoothies that have berries, I opt for oranges. If you are using a more bold approach, such as a kale smoothie, mango, be it fresh or frozen, balances the flavor very well. Green smoothies almost always benefit from a squeeze of lemon juice and touch of ginger.

RED BERRIES: Raspberry, cranberry and strawberry.

DARK BERRIES: Blackberry, blueberry and acai.

DIETARY FIBER: Berries, chia seeds and flax seed are the top ranked grapplers in the fiber division. Dietary fiber is important in a healthy diet because it helps control blood sugar levels, reduces cholesterol, gives you that “full” feeling longer, and helps keep you…regular…if you know what I mean. This is a food article, so I will keep it as PG as that. Men should aim for 30-38g daily and 20-25g for women.

GREEN VEGETABLES: Another must-have in all smoothies, even when you are not making a “green” smoothie. Are you eating enough greens?

The answer is, “No,” unless you are a rabbit. Getting additional greens into your diet at every step of the way is paramount to proper nutrition. Your taste buds won’t notice a handful of spinach in your Peanut butter and cocoa nib smoothie, but your body will.

FRESH OR FROZEN?

TOP 5 GREENS: Spinach, Kale, Chard, Lettuce and Parsley.

DON’T BE A TOUGH GUY: When using greens, such as kale, chard and parsley, it is wise to remove the stems before adding them to your smoothie. They are tough, fibrous and do not digest well.

Fresh fruits are great when they are in season, but do you know the peak seasons of your favorite fruits and berries? Frozen fruits are ideal because they are harvested at the peak flavor season and frozen. As for vegetables, I would opt for fresh greens, but in a pinch, frozen spinach or kale works wonders.

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Fruits with the most followers: Orange, lemon, pomegranate, pineapple, and watermelon.

Stone (fruit) cold killers: Peach, mango, nectarine, plum, and cherries.

Vegetable Powerhouses: Broccoli, cucumber, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes.

TIP:

Lightly blanching your vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes, and then fully cooling them before adding into the blender will save you a lot of blending time without compromising much of the nutritional benefits.

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SEASONING

For the 10th Planet smoothie players, I told you that there is room to be creative! Different additives can be implemented into each and every smoothie based on your needs, whether it is taste, performance or for dietary reasons. Use these sparingly, for they are complimentary ingredients rather than the primary focus.

NUTS & SEEDS: Both are great additions for every smoothie. They rarely affect the taste, but always boost the nutritional qualities of your smoothie. You only need to add a tablespoon of any given nut or seed to gain the benefits.

NUTS: Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and cashews blend the best.

SUPER SEEDS: Hemp, chia and flax are the game changers. No smoothie should go without one or the other of these super foods.

SWEETENERS: Tread lightly in this department because a little goes a long way flavor-wise, but the added sugar can sneak up and take your back faster than a Miyao.

smoothie game, I would stick to adding in a few dashes of cinnamon here and there for the boost in nutrients and it even helps lower cholesterol. You can also add in a pinch of sea salt. Sea salt is actually known to help strengthen your immune system, ward off muscle spasms and aid in weight loss because it helps your body digest food more effici tly.

SUPPLEMENTS: When made correctly, a smoothie should not need any added protein powders or vegetable replacements. However, don’t be afraid of experimenting with supplements as well.

HEALTHY SWEETENERS: Coconut nectar, agave syrup, cacao nibs, and honey.

Chia (which means “strength”) seeds are known for supplying antioxidants, protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and loads of micro-nutrients.

SPICES: The use of spices is a bit black belt level, so if you are still new to the

6 KILLER SMOOTHIES

The Shredder

Mind Control

High Voltage

The Argh

Cutting weight while maintaining power and energy ½ cup Frozen mixed berries (black, blue and raspberries) ½ cup Pomegranate juice, unsweetened 1 Banana ½ cup Cold water 1 tsp Honey 1 Tbsp Flax seed or Flax seed Oil

An energy boost that’s like sticking a car battery up to your nipples, but less painful.

1 Tbsp Walnuts 1 Naval orange, peeled 1 Tbsp Frozen orange juice concentrate ¼ cup Yogurt ¼ cup Fat-Free half & half or cold water ¼ tsp Vanilla extract 4 Ice cubes

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Enhance your mental focus and capacity to Jedi levels! ½ cup Acai Juice (Optional) or PURPS! ¾ cup Coconut milk 1 Banana ½ cup Blackberries, frozen ½ cup Blueberries, frozen ½ cup Strawberries, frozen 4 Ice cubes

Quit making pain sounds because you’re sore and make this recovery elixir.

1 cup Frozen Raspberries 1 ½ Bananas, frozen 1 Tbsp Peanut butter 1 Tbsp Chia seeds ¾ cup Chocolate soy milk ¼ cup Water

Cacao nibs are loaded with iron, magnesium and fiber, which will help improve brain function and mood.

The Lunch Box

Don’t have time to pack a lunch, but still want to pack in some protein? ¼ cup Frozen blueberries 2 Bananas ½ Avocado, seeded, skin removed ¾ cup Spinach, frozen ¼ cup Kale, frozen 1 Tbsp Pumpkin seeds ½ cup Coconut water ½ cup Coconut milk

The Herbivore

Get your daily intake of vegetables and get back to your day within minutes.

2 Tbsp Hemp seeds 1 cup Cold water ¼ Avocado, pitted, skin removed ¼ Mango, peeled, diced 1 Banana 1 cup Spinach, fresh, tightly packed ¼ cup Kale, frozen 4 Ice cubes

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The Snack Attack You defeat the Sweet Tooth via Submission (The Snack Attack) R1 1:30 ½ container Greek Yogurt 2 tsp Peanut butter 2 cups Strawberries, fresh or frozen 1 Banana, frozen 1/8 tsp Sea salt ½ cup Ice cubes

METHOD Put in blender or Nutri-Bullet, blend until smooth, and then drink until gone.

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BULKING UP

If you plan on making smoothies in advance to take with you to the gym or work, it is wise to make larger batches. When portioning and storing your smoothies make sure to do so in air-tight containers that are not clear. Light exposure will begin to break down some of the nutrients in your magical blends.

WRAP UP

Smoothies are super versatile in every diet, especially for jiu-jitsu athletes. That is because they are quick, tasty and can be tailored to any dietary need. The options are limitless from pre-training boost smoothies, weight cutting elixirs, post-training recovery to fullblown meal replacements. A smoothie is a nutritional submission that should be added to every single person’s repertoire. Once you get the basics down and want to know the benefits of all of the different ingredients that can be added into a smoothie, swing over to grapplergourmet.com for full food reviews and guides, including some solid life hacks, tips and tricks. You can also learn a thing or two about how top tier grapplers eat. Go grab a blender, some of your favorite ingredients and watch your nutritional woes get eliminated.

You can now say you live by the Grappler Gourmet motto: eat, drink well, train hard. Oss.

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It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...

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34 SUPPLEMENTS

HICA A NEW

SUPPLEMENT WITH MUSCLE FOR JIU-JITSU? Dr. Tom Deters Originally adapted from jiujitsumania.com

WE ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE LOOK OUT FOR WAYS TO INCREASE OUR STRENGTH, ENDURANCE AND RECOVERY FROM OUR TRAINING SESSIONS. Recently, I came across a new supplement that looks very promising, indeed. Actually, that’s saying something.

Dozens of products come and go every year, each claiming to be the next greatest thing to build muscle, typically with questionable scientific studies upon which to stake their claims.

Even the ones that “work” (like creatine, for instance) require further consideration before spending our hard-earned dollars on them, as most guys training jiu-jitsu don’t train like bodybuilders (nor should they).

Another issue surrounds how this stuff works: By affecting our hormones? By what pathway? Is there a risk of side-effects?

WHAT IS HICA? Enter HICA or alphahydroxy-isocaproic acid, a natural metabolite of the branched chain amino acid, leucine. You’ve probably heard of branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) and how important they are in keeping your body from breaking down muscle tissue for energy during a workout. HICA is believed to “work” by increasing protein synthesis (anabolism) and decreasing muscle protein breakdown

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(catabolism). It has also been shown to reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). That could lead to muscular gains and strength without the negative side effect of steroids or prohormones, as HICA doesn’t affect your hormones. Sounds good – that’s got our attention.

So, what’s the proof, especially since we aren’t bodybuilders? There are so many studies out there used to “support” various claims, but when you get

In a nutshell, here are the reported claims being made about HICA: Gains in muscle and strength without the negative side effects of steroids or prohormones.

More rapid recovery from workouts, so you can train more often. a copy of the actual study you often find that it really isn’t all that relevant to what you are doing.

Reduced DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) allowing you to train harder.

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Lean muscle is a good thing.

THE RESEARCH The HICA study research is applicable to those of us training jiu-jitsu because it was done on wrestlers and soccer players, neither group of which were lifting weights or eating extra protein trying to get big. What they were doing was training hard and taking 1.5 grams of HICA per day. The wrestlers in particular presented an interesting case.

During the 6-week period, the wrestlers of National caliber were enduring up to 10 multi-hour marathon training sessions per week.

Even so, each wrestler, on average, managed to gain an average of 2 lbs of lean muscle.

Wrestling, many could argue, offers a training stimulus very similar to, in terms of physiological demands, jiu-jitsu.

The question then becomes, if HICA yields these kinds of results for athletes who are chronically over trained and not lifting weights, how much lean muscle could someone who was boosting their protein and doing some strength and conditioning gain? Time, and experimentation, will tell.

DOSAGE FOR THE JIU-JITSU ATHLETE When taking HICA, it is believed that the best results are achieved taking this supplement 30 minutes prior to training so that peak blood levels are achieved during the stress of training. Doses are said to range from 1,500 mg to 3,000 mg depending on bodyweight (see recommendations of product label). This timing, by the way, is also the best window for taking BCAAs (branched chain amino acids), glutamine and your carb drink. All the above help ensure that your body has plenty of energy metabolites on hand during training so that it never has to go “catabolic” and break down any hard earned muscle tissue to satisfy its immediate energy demands during intense training.

HICA supplementation may not be necessary during “regular” training, however during pre-tournament training or when you are also training with weights or otherwise increasing the demands of your muscle tissue, HICA might offer a bonus.

WRAP UP

By the way, don’t confuse HICA with ordinary leucine. You’d have to take dozens of grams of the amino acid leucine to get anywhere near an equivalent amount of the leucic acid found in HICA. While leucine is an important amino acid, it won’t give you the same results. As an added bonus, too, the studies found that HICA also accelerates your recovery from workouts and reduced DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

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36 THE LIFE

A BELT IS NOT A GIFT A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW OFTEN THEY SHOULD TRAIN AND HOW TO TRAIN, SO I AM GOING TO SHARE SOME IDEAS AND ADVICE THAT I HAVE ACCUMULATED OVER THE YEARS. Of course, the more you train the better you will get more quickly. Jiu-jitsu is a very complex sport and mental quickness is perhaps one of the most important assets you can have. Just like when you are driving a car on the road and an unexpected obstacle gets in your way, if you have to think, “I have to step on the brakes, look in the rear view mirror to see if anyone is following me too closely and then turn the steering wheel to swerve to avoid hitting the object, but not turn too much or too fast or I might roll the car,” you’ll simply hit the darn thing. But no, you drive every day and have been driving for years, so you just do all of the above moves instantaneously and instinctively and you miss the object. Or maybe not, but you get the point. Jiu-jitsu is much the same way - if you have to stop and think, the moment is gone. So, spending time on the mat effectively is one of the main objectives if you want to improve. Of course, if you can only train once a week, that is good, but if you can train twice a week that is better.

the right split second that the opportunity presents itself? The next training session I’ll start with 10 scissors sweeps, followed by another move.

“Selecting who you are going to train with and what you want to accomplish, is one of the most important things you can do.”

-Royler Gracie The other thing that you need to keep in mind, and this is a very important advice that was given to me by Royler Gracie, 4x World Jiu-jitsu Champion and Abu Dhabi Champion, and one of the most technical

fighters that you’ll ever see, selecting who you are going to train with and what you want to accomplish, is one of the most important things you can do. Royler continued to tell me that, whenever he is learning or developing a new move, he always chooses the lightest and lowest belt available so that he can repeat the same move in the context of training and begin to understand and feel the nuances of the move. After that, he goes up in weight and belt until he can do the move with the biggest black belt around.

If you just go and always train with the biggest and toughest guys available, you won’t develop a lot of your arsenal, simply because you won’t get many chances to practice your moves and will get discouraged about some of them.

So, the next time you go for a sparring session, try some of these and let me know how it goes!

Kid Peligro

Caption goes here

What you do once you are on the mat is equally as important. If, every time you go training, you just choose the first person you see and just go at it, your road will be longer. I like to start my training by doing a warm up exercise with a training partner whom I like. I will do, say, 10 arm bars from the guard from each side and then follow with 10 triangles. That exercise does two things for you, first it gets your mind and body connected and thinking, “jiu-jitsu,” and second it sharpens a basic move that perhaps you don’t get many chances to do during a typical sparring session. Think about it, if you don’t practice the move and get it down, how are you going to use it at

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TRAIN FOR LIFE

Yuri Simoes 2014 Double Gold NoGi World Champion www.facebook.com/GamenessFightwear @GamenessFightCo www.gameness.com Yuri Gameness.indd 1

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38 WARM UP

POWER UP WITH A PARTNER! Mike Velez

WHETHER YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A BIG BOX GYM OR NOT IS IRRELEVANT AS TO WHETHER YOU CAN GET INTO SHAPE OR NOT. I’ve touched on calisthenics in the past as a means of working out when equipment isn’t available, but at times, working out alone can become mundane. By working out with a partner, you’ll have someone to motivate you, push you and from time to time, get on your case when you’re just slacking off. Sure, you can do calisthenics, but you can take it a step further by actually acting as the means of resistance for your partner and vice versa. Even

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Travis Guesnon

if your partner is lighter than a weight you can hoist up easily on a barbell, you’ll find it’s a whole different type of lift when you have to find grips (sounds like No-Gi) to latch onto and suddenly that lighter weight isn’t so light. Partner bodyweight workouts are an excellent way to get in shape to build raw power that translates over into jiu-jitsu. Here’s just a few creative ways on how you can incorporate using the body weight of a partner in your warm-ups or workouts to get stronger. Look for more to come in a future issue.

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Jimbo.

PARTNER ROWS

For this drill at least one of you will need a gi jacket. Not only is this a great exercise to work your back, but it will stress your grip as well.

1.

As your partner lies flat on his back, stand above him then position yourself in the same manner as you would during a bent over rowing movement, by having bent knees, a neutral back, and grabbing the lapels of the gi.

2.

Keep your entire body tight and maintain your posture, while pulling your partner toward you until your elbows reach the side of your body.

PARTNER LEG PRESS

Not only is this movement great for adding strength to your legs, but it also teaches you how to balance an individual for certain sweeps.

PRESCRIPTION:As a warm-up: 1 set x 10 reps; as a workout: 3 sets x 8-15 reps.

3.

Don’t drop your partner; gently return him to the mat and then continue to perform more reps.

TIP:

Whoever the person is who’s laying on the mat, you must lock your body into the position of a stationary board; otherwise you will mess up the exercise for your partner.

PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 1 set x 10 reps; as a workout: 3 sets x 8-15 reps.

TIP:

1.

Lie on your back with your legs and arms up in the air, as your partner stands in front of you. Bring your knees into your body, and either grab your partner’s hands or wrists, then place your feet on his hips, and pull him until he is above you.

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2.

Maintain balance of your partner and begin pushing upward with your legs, then lowering your partner to complete a rep and continue to repeat this pattern.

As you are executing the leg press, you will have to move your hands up and down slightly so that you are able to keep your partner balanced. If your hands are too low and you press your legs up you risk the chance of shooting him over you and him falling to his back on the mat.

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WARM UP 40

TIP:

PARTNER PUSH-UPS

These drills serve as a dual push-up for both people involved. Unlike traditional workouts, the instability of the exercise shares the instability found in jiu-jitsu and really taxes the chest and triceps.

Variation 1

1.

Lie on the mat and allow your partner to put himself in the elevated push-up position across your body. Place one hand on his hip and the other either on his chest.

2.

Lower your partner downward, carrying his weight.

Variation 2

Find a rhythm together. The person who is solely pushing his weight won’t be performing all out push-ups, but will be assisting the other person more than anything.

1.

Lie down on your back with your legs bent, feet firmly planted on the floor and your arms extended in front of you.

Your partner will be standing above you and behind your head.

He will go palm-to-palm with you and place himself at a slightly angled push-up position.

2.

Your partner will perform 1-5 push-ups of his own as you support and attempt to stabilize his weight, as your arms remain extended.

3.

Push upward explosively, while your partner simultaneously does so slightly to alleviate some of his weight if unable to lift on your own.

3.

Once his set is complete, he will keep his arms extended, you will perform 1-5 push-ups with your partner.

4.

Continue this pattern until your set is complete, then have your partner go on the opposite side of your body and match the amount of sets and reps.

PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 1 set x 10 reps (each side); as a workout: 2 sets x 8-15 reps (1 set each side).

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PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 1 set x 10 reps (5 each person); as a workout: 3 sets x 10 reps (5 each person).

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WARM UP 42

HEAVY DUTY BEAR CRAWLS

PRESCRIPTION: As a warm-up: 1 mat length; as a workout: 3 mat lengths.

I know, bear crawls…no big deal, right? Well, try these out for size. There’s actually two variations of this that you can do, with the second being more difficul

Variation 1

Step over your partner as he is lying on his back. Your partner will reach up and grip your belt tightly.

Slightly walk forward, get into bear crawl position, start going, dragging your partner.

Variation 2

Beginning from your knees, have your partner put his hooks in and get a seat belt grip. Lean forward so you can post your hands on the mat, get off your knees and onto your feet, so that you are in the bear crawl position, and crawl with your partner on your back.

STAND IN GUARD + SIT-UPS

PRESCRIPTION : As a warm-up: 1 set x 10 reps; as a workout: 3 sets x 8-15 reps.

This is a combination drill where both persons involved will be active, but doing different movements. A gi and sturdy belt tie ahead of time is required.

1.

Start inside of your partner’s closed guard, grab the lapel on both sides, post one foot out, and then the other.

2.

Maintaining a neutral spine, push upward with your legs and stand up. Make sure you have a good base.

TIP:

Maintain a neutral spine, don’t round your back and lift with your legs.

3.

One after the other, release your grip from the lapel and grasp your partner’s belt firmly. While maintaining your posture, your partner will perform 1-3 sit-ups.

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4.

Now, re-grab the lapels, slowly squat down, go down to one knee, then the other, and return to guard. Repeat this pattern as prescribed.

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44 HOW-TO

CHANGING WEIGHT CLASSES Jeremy Reid

CUTTING WEIGHT MAY JUST BE ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS ABOUT COMPETING IN JIU-JITSU. It’s never fun and almost always leads to some sort of discomfort or decreases in performance.

So, do you really need to cut weight? Is it necessary? What is the best weight class for you? Too often we cut weight simply because we assume we have to and so, we think we should.

However, we rarely take a step back and look at the bigger

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picture and determine what our best weight class is. Maybe you shouldn’t cut weight. Maybe you should go up a weight class.

Maybe you should cut weight, but cutting weight for the sake of cutting weight because “everyone does it” isn’t the right answer.

I’m not saying it’s bad and you shouldn’t do it, I’m simply stating that you should take the time to analyze all the facts and then decide what is best for you.

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Left: Andre competing at Ultra-Heavy

Classics in Each Class

Here’s a look at the various styles that tend to do best in each weight division in the adult black belt categories.

CHANGING WEIGHT CLASSES Now, don’t get me wrong, weight cutting can be beneficial and there is definitely a reason why most people do it. When done properly it can give you an advantage and allow you to maximize performance. The key is looking at all the factors and doing it properly.

Dropping a weight class is probably the most common decision when it comes to competing.

The reason being that if you drop a weight class you will immediately have an advantage over your opponents and you’ll be able to dominate them.

The theory is, “if I am bigger and stronger than everyone then I can beat them easily.” Sounds great, but is it necessarily

true? Do you dominate everyone in the gym in the lighter weight classes? Are you fast enough to keep up with them? Flexible enough? I can tell you that some of the people who give me the hardest times are the fast little squirmy guys. Remember: styles make fights. You must always take into account your style and the style of the weight class you want to move to. What are your strengths and weaknesses in your current weight class? If you’re getting overpowered by most of the opponents in your weight class, then dropping down may be right for you. It could even out the playing field and allow you to take advantage of your strengths. You must

also take into account the general strengths and weaknesses of the athletes in the weight class you’re thinking of competing in.

Are they similar to your own? Can you exploit a weakness in that weight class? Let’s say that by moving up a division, your strength will be slightly below average, but your speed and explosiveness will be significantly above average for the division.

This may make you a more difficult oppon t to beat and give you the competitive advantage.

Start to analyze your training sessions and see where you perform the best and whom you perform the best against. It just may surprise you.

DROPPING A WEIGHT CLASS After you decide whether or not to drop a weight class, the next thing you need to figure out is if you can. Sometimes dropping a weight class is a great idea, but it just might be too hard for your body type. If you have extra body fat and you’re not very lean, then it should be no problem. However, if you’re already lean with very little body fat, then dropping a weight class might not be feasible. If it is hard for you to make your current weight class then dropping another 10 pounds may hurt your body and kill your performance. Remember, the reason to cut weight is to obtain a competitive advantage. If it damages your performance

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then it’s a competitive disadvantage. Trust me, performing at 100% trumps 5 pounds every time.

Godzillas Of The Guard

In the rooster (126 lbs), superfeather (141 lbs), and featherweight (154 lbs) divisions, the large majority of athletes pull guard for several reasons.

The predominant factor is that they are great from working off of their backs.

Thanks to their constant hip movement, flexibility, mobility, dexterity, and speed, their guards are so dynamic that at the highest level they are nearly impassable. They also transition very well from one type of guard to the next and are constantly throwing up attacks in the forms of submissions or sweeps. By pulling guard, three key things take place: 1) It allows them to set up better access to grips, hand and foot placement, etc.

2) If their opponent has just as dynamic a guard as they do, it eliminates the opponent’s setups. 3) They eliminate the possibility of takedown points from their opponent. Guards that you probably see most often in these divisions are the De la Riva and reverse De la Riva guards that set up berimbolos, back take

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HOW-TO 46

opportunities and leg drag passes. There are some exceptions, such as Bruno Malfacine (126) and Guilherme Mendes (141) who play more top, but both still have excellent guards.

Cutting weight for jiujitsu is very different than cutting weight for most other sports. In fact, I don’t really like the term “cutting” weight for jiu-jitsu athletes.

Most other sports weigh in the day before or hours before the event. In this case, you will have time to rehydrate and refuel before you compete. Jiujitsu, on the other hand, forces you to weigh in right before stepping on the mat. This gives you no time to rehydrate and refuel. For this reason, jiu-jitsu athletes should “lose” the weight before the competition rather than “cut” it for the competition.

If you decide to drop a weight class for your next competition you should start the process today.

Slow and steady weight loss means fat loss and not muscle loss. The point of dropping a weight class is to take advantage of your size and strength. The key to this is preserving muscle mass and losing fat mass.

To do this we must create an energy deficit, while still feeding our muscles the necessary nutrients. You have to train hard and diet hard. My first suggestion is adding an extra training

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session or two a week if you can. This will increase energy expenditure and fuel weight loss. If you are already maxed out on training sessions (which you should be if you are competing), then diet is going to play the biggest part. The first step is cutting all the “junk” out of your diet. This includes candy, soda, pizza, fries, etc. You should also try to avoid processed foods as much as possible.

Your focus should be on lean meats, whole grains and vegetables. A lower carbohydrate diet is effective for losing weight.

Notice I said, “LOWER” and not “NO carbohydrate diet.” Carbohydrates are

necessary and should be a part of your diet, especially immediately before and after training. Keeping carbs low during the rest of the day and on off days can be very beneficial as well if weight loss is the goal.

Protein intake must remain high to prevent losses in muscle mass. I would suggest at least 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.

Your overall goal should be about 2 pounds of weight loss a week. Slow and steady is the key to dropping a weight class and maximizing your competitive advantage.

Best Of Both Worlds

The light (167 lbs) and middleweight (181 lbs) divisions are a mix of both the lower and upper weight classes.

They probably have the most athletic and explosive competitors (save for Buchecha). Combining great guard work with a blend of speed and power is what you get here. These factors make these matches a must watch, as they usually don’t slow down to a crawl, like some of those in the lighter weights do. Of the two you’ll probably notice that the middleweight class is the bridge (so to speak) between all of the weight classes, as it combines every aspect of jiu-jitsu amazingly.

The Big Guns

From there we have the medium-heavy (194 lbs), heavy (207 lbs), and super-

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HOW-TO 48

heavy (221 lbs) divisions. Here, you’ll find more pressure and grinding type styles. Takedowns are very prevalent in these divisions, as are pressure guard passes. As always, there are exceptions, like that of Keenan Cornelius (194), who has an amazing guard, as well as Buchecha (221), who combines everything in the most well rounded mix that’s ever graced the mats. This isn’t to say that others in these divisions don’t have good guards, but it’s more noticeable with Keenan and Buchecha, as they move like their smaller peers.

A Common Thread

One noticeable difference between each weight class is that as the weight increases, so does the use of the top game, as well as more takedowns and takedown attempts.

UP A WEIGHT CLASS Deciding to go up in weight is usually an easier decision; however there are still some key points to doing it properly in order to maximize your performance. As with dropping a weight class, you must figure out if your body type can and is capable of adding the weight. If your decision to gain weight is due to the fact that you have a hard time making weight in your current class and maintaining a lower weight year round, then your body obviously is capable. I would just suggest eating naturally and continue training hard and add a little extra weight training. This should allow your body to grow into the higher weight class naturally, but if you have a lean body type with a naturally fast metabolism, this may be a challenge for you.

When Going Up Goes Right

Although he was still a good competitor, it wasn’t until JT Torres lost his last match at featherweight (2008 IBJJF Worlds), as a brown belt that upon the suggestion of then coach, Jared Weiner, he decided to go up to lightweight. Upon doing so, JT found immediate success, which has carried through to today, as his strength and energy levels are up, allowing him to feel better and making him more confident.

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LUCAS BEFORE

LUCAS AFTER

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Sidebar caption thingy goes here.

The goal here isn’t just to add weight, but to add the right kind of weight. Just like dropping a weight class, the goal is to maximize performance. Adding 10 pounds of fat isn’t going to maximize your performance. You want to add lean mass, specifically muscle. This allows for increases in strength and power that will be necessary for the higher weight class.

To maximize muscle gain, you must have a solid weight training regimen and a healthy diet. For muscles to grow, they need two things, adequate stimulation and the building blocks necessary to build.

This means you need to lift nd lift he vy.

I recommend at least 3 days a week of resistance training, focusing on large compound exercises such as deadlifts,

squats, pushes and pulls with rep ranges around 6-10. This will provide adequate stimulation for muscle growth. Next, you have to give those muscles the nutrients they need to grow, mainly protein. Without suffici t protein intake the muscles have no building blocks to grow from.

I recommend between 1.0 to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight depending on body type. If you gain weight easily, then 1 gram should be enough, however if you are a “hard-gainer” then you might want to try 1.5 grams.

CONCLUSION

Figuring out which weight class you should compete in goes way beyond “what is the lowest weight I can possibly get to?”

Be sure to take into account all the aspects of competition and truly analyze your own game before you make this decision.

Sometimes a move up in weight is the right move and will allow you to perform at your best. Sometimes just performing at your natural weight is the best decision, while sometimes cutting weight or dropping a weight class is the best choice, but don’t let anyone tell you that “you HAVE to cut weight.” Take the time to find the right weight class and get there the right way. Your medal collection will thank you for it.

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50 TECHNIQUE

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Travis wanted to title this article “Foot Fetishes with Comprido.” Mike said “no.”

TOE HOLDS WITH RODRIGO

“COMPRIDO” MENDIEROS Travis Guesnon

Mike Velez

IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME WE’VE HAD RODRIGO “COMPRIDO” MEDEIROS GRACING THE PAGES AS A MAIN FEATURE IN JJM. Deb Blyth had a great interview article on him in Issue 29, giving us an inside look at the life of the always colorful and charismatic Comprido.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to check it out just yet, I recommend you do. This time around however, we were lucky enough to have him take the time out of his busy schedule to come down to JJM HQ and give us a breakdown of some great technique on a classic move, the toe hold. This shoot was just days before his win in the Masters 1, Ultra Heavyweight division at the Pan Ams this March. An individual win is always great, but he’s seeing the fruits of labor in another area as well, as his team recently captured the title at the Chicago Open. Congratulations to the Brasa team! If you’d like to find more information on Comprido, his school, seminars, camps, etc. you can go to www. compridobjj.com. Assisting him with the techniques is fellow black belt, Marcelo Barbosa.

Raw Data Powered by BJJ Heroes.com Full Name: Rodrigo Leite Medeiros

Nickname: Comprido, which means long or Lanky in Portuguese. The name was given to him for his physique when he started training.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda

Carlos Gracie Helio Gracie Rolls Gracie Romero Cavalcanti Rodrigo Medeiros

Main Achievements:

World Champion (1998 – Brown Belt, 1999 & 2000 – Black Belt Absolute Division) Pan American Champion (1999, 2007, 2009 – Master Division) Brazilian National Champion (1999, 2000) World Cup Champion – CBJJO (2002, 2006) European Champion (2011 – closed the bracket with team mate Igor Silva) World Silver Medallist (2001, 2004)

Favorite Position/Technique: n/a Weight Division: Over the years “Comprido” has bounced between Meio Pesado, Pesado, Super-Pesado and Pesadissimo.

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TECHNIQUE 52

THE PROPER GRIP

Before we get into the actual techniques, let’s breakdown the proper grip of a toe hold. Comprido places his index finger just above and around Marcelo’s pinky toe, wraps the rest of his fingers around the remaining toes, securing the knuckles of the toes, and his thumb around the other side of the foot, just above the big toe. With a tight grip on the foot, he then brings his free arm underneath Marcelo’s heel, so it rests on his forearm, and then grabs his own wrist so that he has a Kimura grip on the limb. From here he internally rotates Marcelo’s foot (attempting to go past 90 degrees), pushes the toes downward, while lifting his wn elbow (of the arm with the heel against it), applying pressure on the limb toward Marcelo, thus making the leg bend, and causing the ankle to torque for the submission. This will apply to all the techniques you will find in these next few pages, except the last two.

The Toes PROPER GRIP

INCORRECT

INCORRECT

The Heel PROPER GRIP

INCORRECT

TIP:

Note: The placement of your first hand grip as described is extremely important because if your hand is positioned incorrectly (i.e. too far up the foot) you will lose leverage over the limb.

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Don’t help your partner by straightening his leg or externally rotating the foot when driving it toward him.

Comprido explains that this is how a lot of competitors lose the toe hold because it allows the opponent to straighten his leg. You want that leg to be bent.

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“You’d like to see something in a size twelve?”

TOE HOLD COUNTER TO DLR GUARD

01

Comprido is standing above and in front of Marcelo, but inside of his DLR (De la Riva) guard. Comprido will either push Marcelo’s right foot off his thigh, or the second Marcelo disconnects it for the tiniest moment, he’ll reach and grab it with his left h nd. Upon gripping the toes, Comprido turns and twists his body toward his left, so that he can get “The Proper Grip,” as previously mentioned. From here, he turns his entire torso to his right and drops down to his left knee. e continues to apply the pressure, which forces Marcelo’s toes toward his own heel and his heel to his butt.

02

Grip the toes and control the leg.

Start from inside your partner’s DLR guard.

Push the foot off

03

Reach around the leg for a Kimura grip and lock it.

Grab your own wrist

Heel tucked against forearm

04

Turn back toward your partner to apply pressure.

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TECHNIQUE 54

TOE HOLD FROM 50/50 GUARD Comprido and Marcelo have found themselves in positions that each of them can capitalize on.

Rather than settling for remaining in his position, Comprido turns his right leg downward into Marcelo’s, while pushing his knee down and then attempts to sit up. To counter, Marcelo turns his leg inward to force Comprido down. As Comprido begins to come down, he pulls Marcelo’s left knee toward his chest.

Next, Comprido grabs Marcelo’s knee with his left h nd, pinning it to his body, so that Marcelo’s right leg is trapped. From here, Comprido reaches back with his right hand to Marcelo’s foot in the same manner as the previous technique. He then switches from off of his left hip to his right, Kimura’s the foot with “The Proper Grip,” and again, forces Marcelo’s toes toward his own heel and his heel to his butt.

03

Attack the foot

01

02

Begin in 50/50 guard and attempt to sit up to pass.

Push knee down

Partner forces you back down.

Pull partners knee toward your chest

TIP:

Keep your foot away

Control the knee

Since you are in the 50/50 position, your opponent has the same opportunity to execute a toe hold on you. This can escalate quickly into whoever is quicker and can apply more torque. Comprido advises that you keep your far leg straight and away from your opponent.

Grip the toes

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TECHNIQUE 56

TOE HOLD FROM SIDE CONTROL

01

Start from side control on your partner.

Comprido has Marcelo in his side control. To prevent Comprido from advancing his position to mount, Marcelo places the sole of his right foot up against his left bent leg, so that his right thigh rests against Comprido’s rib cage. From here Comprido reaches up, over and around Marcelo’s right shin with his right arm, brings it through the gap between Marcelo’s leg and hugs the outside of the far hip with his hand. By doing so, Marcelo’s foot pops off, is no longer secure and is open for attack. From here, Comprido brings his left knee up to and against Marcelo’s body so that he can release his crossface, reach with his left hand to wrap around the toes, and lock on “The Proper Grip” around the foot. While simultaneously lifting his elbow, he brings the foot under his chest, forces it down to Marcelo’s body, and gets the tap.

02

Bring your arm over and around the leg.

03

Move knee against partner’s body, release crossface and attack foot.

TIP:

Don’t forget to grab the hip when bringing your arm around and through, otherwise you may find yourself the recipient of a bicep slicer.

Secure the hip

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TECHNIQUE 58

TOE HOLD FROM OMOPLATA

Beginning from the position of having an omoplata on Marcelo’s left arm, Comprido has his legs figure-foured, while Marcelo attempts to step over and spin to escape the hold. In doing so, Marcelo leaves his feet wide open for Comprido to attack. As Marcelo’s left leg is going over, Comprido blocks the leg, catches it on the foot, locks up “The Proper Grip,” and applies the same concepts of toes to heel, heel to butt, for the finish.

Block the leg

Catch the toes

01 Start with an omoplata on your partner, which he attempts to step over.

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5/19/15 3:07 PM

That one could really hurt.

02

Attack the foot.

Internally rotate foot Kimura grip secured

TIP:

Note: Regardless of whether your partner attempts to step his leg over your head or slide the knee across your body, it doesn’t matter. You can still finish the move.

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As always, make sure your forearm is right against your partner’s heel for more leverage and torque.

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TECHNIQUE 60

TOE HOLD COUNTER FROM INSIDE OMOPLATA

Now the tables have turned and Marcelo has slapped on an omoplata on Comprido’s right arm.

Instead of opting for an attempt at the escape, which Marcelo tried in the previous technique, Comprido decides to go on the offense. To protect his trapped arm, Comprido holds the inside of his own thigh tightly while on his toes, pushes off the mat with his free hand, postures up, and posts on his left leg. mmediately, Comprido grabs Marcelo’s toes in the same manner in all the previous techniques. He’ll then pull Marcelo’s leg up some, duck his head underneath and put Marcelo’s achilles tendon area right on the curve of the back of his head and neck, so that the heel is right at the end of it. Finally, Comprido lifts his head back, po tures up more and pushes downward on the toes.

02

Grab inside of thigh to protect arm, posture up and wrap the toes.

01

Start from inside your partner’s omoplata.

TIP:

Post hand on mat to push off

Pull up on pants if possible

The heel of your partner must be next to your head. Too far down the calf and closer to your partner’s knee will not generate enough pressure.

Push off of hand Post far leg

03

Heel hangs off side

Duck under the leg and attack the foot.

Place achilles against back of head

Notes: Since your arm is trapped, the back of your head and neck serves as that arm normally would, as demonstrated in all the previous techniques.

Don’t stay on your knees too long when you initially get caught in the omoplata. Your opponent has the chance to attack you the same way as in the previous technique.

Pull toes down

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5/19/15 3:08 PM

Mike’s favorite new omoplata counter.

PASS FROM TOE HOLD COUNTER

01

Continuing from the previous technique, your partner bridges and turns toward his side.

Like every other move in jiu-jitsu, there’s always a counter to a counter, so as Comprido attempts the toe hold from inside the omoplata, Marcelo bridges off of his shoulders, turning towards his left, looking to either adjust the lock for the submission or sweep to come on top. Without hesitation, Comprido immediately lets go of the foot and quickly pivots to his left, off of his right knee, so that he is on the other side of Marcelo.

Comprido pulls his arm out for the escape and moves to side control.

Secure the hip

Prepare to release grip

Pull arm out and away

02

Finish in side control.

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REVERSE TIP:

Upon pulling your arm out, if your partner decides to stay turtled you can look to take his back.

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62 TECHNIQUE

CHOKING THE TURTLE WITH JEANJACQUES MACHADO Mike Velez

Jason Boulanger

WHILE THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE SOUNDS LIKE A SOPHOMORIC ATTEMPT AT SOME OFF-COLOR HUMOR (IT PRETTY MUCH IS), THE SUBJECT IS FAIRLY SERIOUS BUSINESS. There’s nothing worse than being in a tournament match, working like hell to pass somebody’s guard, only to have him or her roll to their knees at the last minute to avoid you getting the points. You’d better have a way to make them pay for that tactic of gaming the system. One man who should strike fear into anyone looking to “turtle up” is Jean-Jacques Machado: the most decorated warrior of the Machado clan. Jean-Jacques was kind enough to allow us a look at just a few of the various ways he attacks opponents who choose to turtle up.

Each choke is more fierce and effective than the last. Joining us on this shoot is Matt Baker, one of Jean-Jacques’ black belts and a seasoned competitor.

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We have the same initials, JJM, how cool is that?

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TECHNIQUE 64

ROLLING COLLAR CHOKE #1

This attack comes from a slightly offcenter north/south angle with your knees back, not too close to your opponent, applying pressure with your chest against the back of his shoulders. Be sure that your knees are behind your hips. This is important so that your opponent can’t easily reach and grab the back of your knees.

01 02

05

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With the opponent turtled up, reach in with your left hand underneath his right arm. Use that hand to open up his right side collar.

Use your right hand to reach between his left shoulder and neck to get a grip of his right collar with a four-finger inside grip. The left hand is just feeding the collar to the right.

03

Once there’s a grip of the collar, switch your head to your opponent’s right side with your head between his right arm and leg.

04

Immediately reach with your left arm to hug his right leg at the knee.

As soon as you have a hook of the leg, post your right foot to the mat and switch your base by rolling backwards.

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You lose that grip and it’s all for nothing.

06

07

With your control of his leg, feed his right leg to your left leg with a hook behind the foot.

Key Points In step 2 it helps to get the right hand high up on the collar, but not necessary.

After you duck your head under his arm, let’s say he bases out his right foot to avoid the roll.

That’s okay, just pull your right leg back in to knee on the mat and base out with your left foot instead. Next, drive forward with your shoulder, and grab the back of the leg when it’s within reach. Continue driving forward until his left side hits the mat. Continue your body around until you end up in the finishing position.

Lastly, finish by pulling your right elbow down to finish.

When he ends up on his back, there will be some confusion as to what you’re going to do with that leg. That’s when you finish, there should be pressure applied to the choke the entire time.

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TECHNIQUE 66

PERUVIAN COLLAR CHOKE

This is a fun (for you) and effective choke that happens from the same relative position as the first rolling collar choke JeanJacques showed us. Remember, keep your knees behind your hips. The first thing to do is to open the collar on the side that you have your arm under his.

In this case, using your left hand to open his right side collar.

01 02

04

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Open the collar with your left hand and feed it to your right hand, fourfingers inside the collar.

Quickly, bring your left hand to hook his right bicep and move slightly to your left, the same side that you have the arm under his arm.

Bring your right thigh tight against your right arm and the back of his head.

03

05

Now, quickly step your right leg over his head.

Posture up while pulling on your grip of the lapel to finish the choke. The pressure on the back of his head makes this choke happen, so don’t let it loosen up.

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TECHNIQUE 68

ROLLING COLLAR CHOKE #2

This position begins with Jean-Jacques behind and to the side of his opponent. His hip is connected to Matt’s.

01

Use your left hand to open up your opponent’s left side collar.

02

Now the goal is to bring your left thigh between his right elbow and knee. To do this, raise your hips briefly and “pierce” your left knee through.

04

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Notice now that your opponent’s right arm is more across his body than in-line with it. This gives you the opportunity to bring your right leg up and in to trap his right arm. If he goes to grab your leg, it will only help you get the hook.

03

05

Once your knee is through sit back a little bit.

At the same time that you’re bringing your leg up, reach around his neck with your right hand and get a grip of the collar, thumb-in, as deep as possible.

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Sidebar caption thingy goes here.

06

07

Once you have a deep grip of the collar, roll backwards. As his body falls back it will be easy to hook his right arm with your right leg.

Key Points If after Step 5 he defends by rolling away from you, the opportunity to reach in for the collar with your left hand will present itself, so grab the collar and finish the choke.

If he attempts to defend the choke with his left hand, you can block or use it to open the collar even more to get a deeper grip.

When reaching around his waist with your left hand, be careful to make sure that you keep your weight off to the side because if you’re not careful or you ignore this, he can grab that left arm and do a wrestler’s sit-out to roll you.

Never let your head go past his left shoulder.

To know that you have the grip high enough on the collar, make sure that your wrist is touching his neck before you pull back on the elbow.

08

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Finally, finish the choke by pulling your right arm down and in towards your body. Never push him away to finish; always keep him tight.

You can also start this technique from a more north/ south position, just insert the knee as you transition to the side.

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TECHNIQUE 70

MODIFIED CLOCK CHOKE

This is a quick choke that will take most opponents by surprise. It starts with your hip connected to his. The goal is to get a hold of the far collar with your right hand over the shoulder. From that point it’s on.

01

02

03

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To get that left collar with the arm over the shoulder, bait him by attempting to reach between his right arm and knee. When he attempts to block quickly reach over the shoulder to get a thumb-in grip of the left collar.

Post your right foot on the mat and push forward to drive his head to the mat. Post with your left hand to the mat so you don’t fall over.

Slide your hips over his body so that you end up with your hips right over his shoulders.

04

Key Points Because your hips are on his shoulders, it’s very hard for him to turn.

This is an especially good technique to drill with a partner, the quicker you can get the timing of getting the grip to sitting on the shoulders the more success you’ll have with this technique. I guess the same could be said for any technique, but this one in particular!

To increase the odds of this or any thumb-in collar choke, it’s almost always a good idea to turn the collar out. That means that the edge of the collar is folded back when you get the grip.

This makes a “sharper” edge of the collar against the neck.

With your knees on the mat and your hips on his shoulder, pull on the collar and press your hips down to finish the choke.

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TECHNIQUE 72

EZEKIEL

Yes, an Ezekiel from the turtle, it’s as cool as it sounds. Jean-Jacques demonstrates this one from the same side as before, with his hip against Matt’s. This choke calls for Jean-Jacques to get his right arm underneath Matt’s right arm. The same bait technique as before can be used to open up this site. Feint as if you’re going over the shoulder, but when the arm comes up to defend, then slide underneath.

01

02

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Slide your right arm between his right arm and body, shoot it in deep so your hand is past his neck on his left side

As soon as the hand and arm is through bring your left h nd up to your right so that you can grab onto the sleeve cuff. Four fingers in on your own sleeve is legal and that’s what you want. The stronger the grip the better.

03

Bring your left forearm and wrist behind his neck, with the “blade” of your forearm against the back of his neck.

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Matt Baker did a great job of getting choked for this article. Thanks Matt!

04

05

Post your right foot to the mat so you can get your legs open wide enough to then fall back with your weight, bringing him back and in between your legs.

CHASING THE HIP

One thing that’s very helpful for the person on top of the turtle is connection with the hip. When you allow the person who’s turtled up on the bottom to have distance, it presents him the opportunity to use his legs and play on his knees. This may give him the space to roll into a guard, or possibly to stand up, or counter.

When you have your hip connected to his and you apply pressure, it makes it very difficult for him to recover a guard or escape the position. If he attempts to move away from you, chase him by keeping pressure with your hip to his. In his effort to get away you might find yourself with an opportunity to easily take the back or move into side-control.

Scissor your arms, bringing your elbows together to finish the choke.

With connection to the hip, if he should try to regain guard, you can follow him with pressure, collapse his posted arm and move to a side-control position.

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74 FEATURE

PAY PER VIEW GRAPPLING EVENTS AND THE BATTLE FOR TOP SPOT Will Safford

THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA), WE’VE SEEN THE RISE AND FALL OF SEVERAL PROMOTION COMPANIES. Today, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the largest, most well known MMA promoting organization. It has withstood the test of time for a few reasons; one being that it was the first. During its infancy, the UFC assumed a huge level of risk and was able to establish itself in those formative years for that reason. It was trying something new, untested and not widely legal, which kept competitors from jumping into the newly developed market for some time. Skip ahead 20 years and notice a similar emergence in submission only, pay-per-view grappling events. This time, however, we’ve got a somewhat new and untested idea, but with an established,

albeit, small market, much to the thanks of the UFC. Now, the pioneers of submission grappling events don’t have the same competitive atmosphere of the UFC founders and the first promotion company might not necessarily become the biggest.

The Internet, for one, allows promoters access to millions of viewers worldwide, which they can not only market to, but also offer the actual online pay-per-view event. No longer are the days when one promoter dominates their region due to their physical presence in that area. We’ve seen sub-only, pay-perview events pop up in the US, Brazil and the UK, all of which were available to the world, granted you had an Internet connection and a credit card.

METAMORIS

Ralek Gracie continues his family’s position as martial arts promoter by offering 20-minute submission-only gi and no gi superfights via live attendance and payper-view. Although, it looks as if Metamoris 6 will be the first without a live audience.

Toting some of the sport’s biggest names, Metamoris currently leads the way for pay-per-view grappling, as the first organization to offer such “mainstream” events.

Their production quality and

aesthetic is of top quality, as viewers can expect a real “show,” with professional lighting, theatrical smoke and a dramatic Brazilian drum ensemble. This also includes top notch commentating and announcing from bigname fight personalities who accompany their broadcasts.

It must be mentioned that something feels uniquely in place with the family almost entirely responsible for the rise of jiu-jitsu and martial arts in the US close by. With

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Where’s the backpack?

its inaugural event held in San Diego in 2012, Metamoris has since relocated to the Los Angeles area, raising ticket prices, limiting seats and thus promoting the exclusivity of their event.

In turn, current big names, former UFC and grappling legends, and often, Hollywood celebrity types can be spied mat-side at Metamoris.

Even with all the right names and the obvious means to back such professional events, the Metamoris “show” does not often live up to the hype. Out of 30 total matches thus far, 20 have ended in a draw. It’s not that matches necessarily lack action or authentic attempts by competitors to best one another, but too often the 20 minute time limit expires without a victor. This regularly leaves the viewer, especially those uninitiated with the nuances of grappling, wanting more. Big name matches look great on paper and do wonders to hype fights and sell tickets, but when skills are matched and legendary reputations

have come earlier on the cards between often rising or less celebrated athletes, hungry for recognition and with less to defend. Metamoris has made efforts to mix up the pool with a variety of rising talent, legendary rivalries, female matches, UFC fighters, and secret matches, but has yet to find the formula for sub-only success. Now going into their sixth event, it has become apparent the organization still believes in the big name approach, as eight of the twelve slated competitors have previously fought in a Metamoris event, leaving us with somewhat of a recycled competitor pool.

are on the line via submission, stalemates are often the result.

It’s one thing to lose a match by points, but to admit defeat via submission has a bruising effect on a star’s ego.

This begs to ask the question then, are the big name matchups helping or hurting Metamoris? To this date,

three of the five main event matches have ended in a draw, one match produced a rather controversial main event submission victory, and another came from the somewhat mismatched bout between grappling superstar, Andre Galvao, and former UFC contender, Chael Sonnen. A majority of the submissions

EDDIE BRAVO INVITATION

Eddie Bravo entered the sub-only pay-perview scene in mid 2014 with his Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI), a sub-only tournament-style event of 10-minute no-gi matches. Bravo provokes the finish with monetary incentives and unique overtime scenarios. If no submission victory is had after the 10-minute regulation period, each competitor is then given the opportunity to submit the other from an advantageous position.

The competitor can choose either from the back position with a “seatbelt” grip, or from a “spider” armbar position (a locked in armbar, but not extended). If the competitor in the unfavorable position escapes, the overtime period ends and they get an attempt at submitting their opponent.

This scenario continues until a submission and therefore a victor, is achieved. If both opponents submit or escape from the advantageous position for 3 rounds, the competitor who made the submissions or escapes quicker wins the match.

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With just three events under his belt, Eddie Bravo, in typical EB fashion, has already brought innovation and originality to the sub-only pay-per-view format. With a loft goal of bringing submission grappling to mainstream television, Bravo entices viewership with guaranteed submissions and victors. Although EBI events don’t wield the superstar names as its rivals do, they do offer an exciting mix of young, hungry and veteran talent at varied skill levels. EBI 3 showcased grapplers from the blue to black

belt levels and thus eliminated some of the stagnation we see from expert matchups. Due to the bracket format, EBI also produces an overall champion, unlike its competitors.

Viewers bear witness to the advancement and eventual crowning of the best grappler on that particular day. This format has become less popular in other mainstream events, but gives viewers an idea of not only who has the best skills, but also who can maintain composure, endurance and mental toughness.

POLARIS PRO

Another sub-only, pay-per-view event we’ve seen arise is the Polaris Pro Jiu-Jitsu Invitational. Touted as “Europe’s premier submission grappling and Jiu-Jitsu invitational,” Polaris offers 15-minute sub-only superfights, similar to the Metamoris format.

Wielding only one event thus far, the organization has showcased a healthy mix of big name rookies, seasoned veterans and underexposed European grapplers. The event is put on by two U.K. jiu-jitsu companies, Scramble and Tatami, with a goal of bringing light to the grappling scene in their region. Currently, the event holds a 50% submission rate from eight matches and plans for Polaris 2 are scheduled for the U.K. in mid September 2015.

To yield action, Polaris offers bonuses for submission victories, which has proven effective thus far, but it’s still to early to tell if monetary incentives are enough to provide continued finishes.

Although monetization is a powerful incentive to catalyze action, as we’ve seen already with Metamoris, eliminating points alone isn’t always enough to guarantee wins. Right now, the organization dominates the pay-per-view grappling scene in Europe, however, in a day when anyone, anywhere is a potential customer, regional dominance may not be enough to solidify continued viewership.

YOU AND TIME WILL DECIDE

One thing the UFC benefited from in the early years was not only its unique position as MMA pioneer, but also its rareness. For the first 10 years of the UFC, fans were only offered a fight night roughly five times a year. Its rareness brought with it a sense of exclusiveness and excitement. Now, viewers can see the UFC nearly four times a month, with championship title fights occurring more and more frequently. Understandably, this was in response to a growing fan base and market. Grappling appeals to a very niche market and will most likely remain this way for some time. This is why now is such an important time to gain and maintain loyal viewership. Before the sport becomes diluted with sub-only events, these formative years are crucial for identifying what works and what doesn’t, and ultimately what sells. Only time will reveal the perfect formula for sub-only events and while we wait, we’ll allow for innovation to rise from the competition, continuing to enjoy our ever so important position as paying consumer.

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78 FEATURE

UAEJJF WORLD PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THE WORLD’S MOST

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION Mike Velez

THE WORLD PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE BRAINCHILD OF H.H. General Sheik Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (H.H. stands for His Highness). He is the Supreme Prince and Commander-In-Chief of the United Arab Emirates National Army.

He’s the third son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and a devout fan of jiu-jitsu. He’s founded the United Arab Emirates Jiu Jitsu Federation with the vision to make the UAEJJF a leading organization in jiu-jitsu globally, as well as to build a strong foundation of jiu-jitsu throughout the Emirati culture. Each year since 2009, qualifying events are held around the world with

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the winners at each event receiving paid travel and entry at the championship that happens each year in Abu Dhabi. This year was my first attending and I have to say it was quite a spectacle.

Absolutely no expense was spared in putting together an amazing event complete with many of the world’s best jiu-jitsu players. At no other event will you find so many regions of the world represented, which is truly amazing. The crowd had that international flare you’d only find during the World Cup or the Olympics. National pride was on display all weekend long.

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Whatever you do don’t start trouble in Mongolia, those guys killed it.

FORMAT Most of the athletes in attendance got there by qualifying at one of the many events hosted around the world.

Events were held in The United States, Brazil, Canada, Mongolia, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, China, Guam, The UK, Kuwait, Korea Angola, South Africa, Serbia, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland. Winners at each qualifier were offered an all-expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi to compete at this year’s World Professional Championship. Entry was open to anyone wanting to compete, but of course you’d have to pay your own way.

For the most part, the UAEJJF follows IBJJF rules. However, the weight categories and the weigh-in process is a little different.

In the men’s division there are five separate categories; 65kg (143.3lbs), 75kg (165.4lbs), 85kg (187.4lbs), 95kg (209.4lbs) and 95+ (over 209.5lbs), along with Open or Absolute. The prior three years there were seven weight categories, however this year they were paired down to five.

Unlike IBJJF and most other grappling tournaments that weigh you in moments before your first match, the event hosted weigh-ins the night before at the various hotels that housed the athletes. All of the

athletes I spoke to liked this arrangement.

Since most of them were traveling, many from very long distances, being able to weigh in and rehydrate if needed before competition was a welcome relief from the stress of having to cut just prior to stepping on the mats.

Unlike the IBJJF, adult black belt matches ran 6 minutes in length compared to 10. This helped speed up the pace of the matches. Adult purple and brown matches also ran 6 minutes in length, with all the other divisions and belts running 5 minutes.

Where are the Scorers Tables?

This is the only event that we know of where the scorer’s table isn’t next to each mat. Instead, a massive control center is situated at the center of the arena.

Scorers have a monitor in front of them that controls the big-screen scoreboard in front of each mat. They look to the ref for calls and make the appropriate score happen on the scoreboard. Also, you don’t have lines of athletes waiting to compete, standing around next to the mat. Instead, all the athletes are in a bullpen area behind a draped curtain. Right before their match is set to begin they’re let out mat-side. This format ran with incredible efficie y and was pretty damn cool to see.

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HISTORY The World Professional Jiu-Jistu Championship began in 2009, originally referred to as the WPJJ “Cup” vs “Championship.” The idea was to get the world’s best jiu-jitsu fighters in one location and offer up a total purse of $111,000 dollars as an incentive. Since then, the purse has increased to a total today of $458,500.

That doesn’t include cash prizes paid at the qualifiers and the cost of the all expenses paid trips that each invited combatant wins to compete in Abu Dhabi.

The first few runnings of the Cup took place at the Zayed Sport City Tennis Complex. They were held outdoors during the evening due to the high temperatures during the day. This year, as well as last, the event was held in the IPIC Arena located in the Zayed Sport City Complex. It’s a purposebuilt facility that accommodates thousands with padded seating, air conditioning and first class accommodations, to say the least. What was used as the warm-up area during the competition is the training facility for the UAEJJF National Team.

That first year of competition back in 2009 drew some of the best in the sport still competing today.

Winners included Rafa Mendes, Michael Langhi, Tarsis Humphreys, Rodolfo Viera, and Alexandre Souza.

With the generous backing of Sheik Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the WPJJ Championship looks only to grow in the years to come.

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The ladies don’t mess around,

SCHEDULE

The adult event was held over three days: Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday was reserved for adult male and female purple, brown and black belt divisions. There was also an opening ceremony, with the finals concluding at the end of the day.

Friday was set for all the masters divisions, along with the adult white and blue belts. Saturday was set for all of the open weight divisions with the men’s and women’s black belt open finals capping off the entire event.

Weight Divisions The Women

The World Pro Championship pits women’s brown and black belts against each other. The combined podiums were full of many familiar faces with some matchups we’ve seen a couple times before in finals matches.

55KG – Mackenzie Dern won by 2 points, thanks to a sweep against Michelle Nicolini. The match started off with a very fast pace and remained active until the end.

65KG – With just a minute left in the match, Beatriz “Bia” Mesquita submitted Jessica Santos with an armlock in the gold medal match.

75KG – Ana Laura Cordeiro was handed her first defeat in competition, and it came via referee’s decision.

Monique Elias played a lapel guard, along with a 50/50 despite an active Ana Laura on top to win the unanimous decision.

+75KG – Take a guess on this one.

Yup, Gabrielle “Gabi” Garcia once again took home the gold, but unlike recent wins, did it by only advantage points (4-0) over Vanessa Nascimento.

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The Men

65KG – Gianni Grippo became the first American in a gi to win gold in the black belt division. He won by a single advantage point over Isaque Paiva. (Rafael Lovato, Jr. won gold in 2011 at the NoGi World Cup) Absent in the finals was Joao Miyao, who was a favorite to take it. He ended up losing early by one advantage for a guard pass advantage awarded to Gilson Neto with time about to run out.

75KG – Lucas Lepri waited until just 7 seconds were left in the match to submit Gabriel Pontes. Lucas was up by points, but managed to catch Gabriel with a very sound choke from the back.

Lucas had to defeat previous champion Roberto Satoshi to get into the final.

95KG – Absent from competition was past champion Rodolfo Vieira. Rodolfo had to withdraw due to continued back pain. He made it all the way to weigh-ins the night before, but was unable to compete. So, making it to the final was Jackson Sousa and Felipe Pena. To get there, Felipe Pena had to defeat a tough Luiz Panza in the semi-final while Jackson Sousa got the win over local favorite Faisal Al Ketbi, adopted son of Sheik Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The final match started out heated with Sousa driving Pena hard to the edge of the mats. Things settled down and the two exchanged positions, Felipe Pena ended up with two sweeps and an 8 to 2 point advantage, which secured the gold over Jackson Sousa.

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85KG – One of the most exciting matches of the day, Leandro Lo beat out Victor Estima by 3-1 advantage in an active match. Usually it’s Leandro with the impassable guard, but Victor showed that he could keep away from the pass as well.

This was the second championship in a row for Lo. Victor’s achievement wasn’t missed for getting into the final. He had to go through past champion Claudio Calasans, along with Keenan Cornelius, both by referee’s decision.

95KG+ – The big guys actually started off the black belt matches and wasted no time in getting heated. Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida ended up with the win via points against Alexander Trans who actually lives and teaches here in the UAE, originally from Denmark.

Prior to the final, Buchecha defeated Ricardo Evangelista with a guillotine choke.

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OPEN: THE BLACK BELTS The Women

The women’s open final would pit Mackenzie Dern against Vanessa Nasciemento. To get to the final, Mackenzie had to defeat both Nadia Melo and Jessica Cristina, which she did, via footlock, but in her way stood the unstoppable Gabi Garcia. The two had recently squared off in the open final at this year’s Pan Championship just a few months back with Gabi taking the victory when Mackenzie had to tap. Not many in attendance gave Mackenzie much of a chance seeing as how Gabi had not felt defeat in almost 7 years.

Check out the sidebar in this article for all the details, but the Cliff Notes version is that Mackenzie advanced thanks to a penalty against Gabi. Vanessa’s route to the final was also a difficult on needing to defeat both Andressa Correa and Amal Amahajid.

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The final match between the two ladies started with Mackenzie pulling guard early. The two stayed in this position for nearly two minutes until Mackenzie managed to get to a back position while attempting a sweep.

Eventually, she was awarded 2 points for the sweep and then 4 more points when she established the back position. The rest of the match was spent with Mackenzie working on a choke from the back until finally Vanessa returned to Mackenzie’s guard. The clock would eventually run out with Mackenzie winning $10,000 for her open division win by points – 6 to 0. The win capped off a very successful trip with double gold, along with that huge win over Gabi Garcia. Prior to this event we’d been talking to Mackenzie about being featured on our cover, so look for that soon!

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PREPARE SOMEDAY YOUR CHANCE

WILL COME

Yuri Simoes Preparing For Victory

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The Men

It was a match we’ve seen a few times before, both beasts of size and skill: Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida against Alexander Trans. Buchecha needed four wins to make it to the final, but only fought three times. He pulled off a guillotine against Herico Pinto in the first match and then a footlock on Erberth Santos.

His third victory came off a gentleman’s agreement since he was pitted against

his former instructor Rodrigo Cavaca.

The semi-final for Buchecha was against Leandro Lo. The match was one of the best of the weekend. Lo played guard as you would imagine and pulled off a sweep with less than two minutes remaining to go ahead on points. Buchecha managed to get those points back with a sweep of his own. Near the end of the match Buchecha received an advantage point

for a near sweep and it was enough to move into the final. Alexander Trans also had four matches to make it to the final, pulling off wins against Thiago Gaia and Jackson Sousa, which pitted him against Keenan Cornelius in the semi-final. This was a tough one, but Trans managed to get a sweep early and hold onto the lead until the buzzer sounded.

This rematch of the 95+ division proved to be much more competitive. Trans defended a takedown attempt and ended up with Buchecha in his guard. The next three minutes saw the two stay in this position until the ref penalized both for stalling.

This lead to a sweep attempt by Trans that Buchecha ended up countering to hold the position. Shortly thereafter, Buchecha was awarded an advantage for a sweep attempt, and then another for a double-under attempt that put Trans in the turtle. Trans defended Buchecha’s attempts to get a collar grip or get hooks in. With a little over a minute left, Trans managed to get to his feet and attempt a takedown on Buchecha, while getting a guillotine-like hold for a little while.

Buchecha was able to fight off the attempt ending with Trans back on his back with Buchecha in guard. Trans then worked into a DLR with control of the lapel for a bit until time ran out. Buchecha took home $30,000 for the win by 2-0 advantage. During the match and earlier in the tournament you could see an improved, if that’s possible, Buchecha on his feet. I’d definitely give some credit to his recent training with Jacob Harman at Church Boyz Wrestling.

Photos: Sabrin

a Vasconcelo

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s

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Sidebar caption thingy goes here.

THE BREAK HEARD AROUND THE ARENA

Before

After

I’ve never heard a human bone break before and unfortunately for Luiz Panza, I’ll not soon forget the sound.

It was on Saturday during the open division quarter final against Felipe Pena, a rematch of Thursday’s semi-final.

Luiz was up by 2 advantages with less than a minute to go. Felipe had secured a firm toehold on Luiz’ right foot.

Felipe applied pressure to the foot rotating his body as Luiz figured he could bear the punishment and defend with time winding down. That’s when we heard it, a slight crack as if someone were walking over twigs for a split second then “CRUNCH!” Felipe immediately let go, the referee stepped in and Luis’ reaction was “Why’d you stop?” He was obviously running on the adrenaline. You’d expect that Luiz wouldn’t realize that anything was wrong until he saw his leg, but by the expression on his face it seemed that all of us who had witnessed it were in more pain than he was. Felipe was later visibly shaken up by the damage he brought to his fellow grappler. Buchecha made his way out on to the mat to comfort his teammate.

Luiz was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery to repair the devastating break. I managed to catch a glimpse of the x-ray and it was not pretty, bones splintered in every direction from the torque placed on both his tibia and fibula by a strong and powerful Felipe Pena.

We hear the operation was a success and we hope that Luiz has a speedy recovery.

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MACKENZIE DEFEATING GABI Mackenzie Dern managed to do what hasn’t been done since 2008 when Luciana Dias choked her out and defeated Gabi in competition. The victory came way of a penalty assessed to Gabi for talking to the referee near the start of the match. A clear no-no. Gabi felt that she should have been awarded points for a takedown. We watched the match and re-watched it about 100 times. We feel the right call was made by not awarding points. Mackenzie initiates a guard pull before Gabi gets a hand on her. The match was active and many arguments could be made that both deserved advantage points at various times during the match, however the single penalty point deduction would stand until the end, giving Mackenzie the win and the opportunity to take home $10,000 in the Open final, which she then capitalized on.

AN AMERICAN IN ABU DHABI This trip was my first to the Middle East. Not knowing what to expect I went with a pretty open mind.

My first impression was that it was like Vegas without a lot of people.

At least that was what the car ride from the airport to the hotel felt like. The weather was good, not too hot most of the time, with some slight humidity. The locals were friendly and hospitable, most of them speaking English.

The food was good, I’m not the most adventurous eater, but I was never hungry. Prices were pretty affordable. The exchange was about 3.5 Dirhams to the dollar,

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with most things costing about what they would in the States. The trip really was a working trip for me, so I didn’t have much time to see the sights, but many of the fighters not competing on Friday managed to sneak off and see the sights.

Alberto Crane and Clark Gracie took in a safari, along with a trip to Ferrari World. Others travelled off to neighboring Dubai to take in the active nightlife. All-in-all it was a great trip, and I’m definitely looking forward to attending next year, maybe I’ll have time to take in a little more of what the surroundings and people have to offer.

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D L R O W JSJIF E P I A H S U N O I P M A H LC PROFES ONA

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Photo: Sabrina Vasconcelos

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92 TECHNIQUE

HAND CONTROL TO PASS WITH JOSH BARNETT Mike Velez

LAST MONTH JOSH BARNETT SHOWED US THE MANY VIRTUES OF HAND CONTROL WHEN IT COMES TO FINISHING OR TAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT. This month we’re going to let you in on his potent use of hand control when it comes to passing your opponent’s guard. This is not for the weak of heart or grip. Having

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Jason Boulanger

a strong grip will definitely help your success rate in just about everything jiu-jitsu related, but especially when employing Josh’s methods on passing. If you missed last month’s article drop and give me 30 burpees then go out and pick it up, or order it from our website. You won’t be disappointed.

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Unless you’re as strong as Josh getting the hand where you need it takes some timing.

THE PASSING GAME Hand Control To Pass

Hand control plays an equally important role in someone’s guard, or with someone in your guard, as it does when going for a submission. If you’re in someone’s guard and he wants to go for an armbar, a triangle, or even a sweep, his odds of success are greatly increased if he is controlling your hands. The odds are also against him if you’re controlling his hands. In these examples, Josh uses control of just one of Karl’s hands to demonstrate some effective passes.

CROSS OVER PASS

01

Karl and Josh are both fighting for hand control.

Josh grabs Karl’s left hand with his left.

03

Josh quickly reaches back and under Karl’s left leg while maintaining control of that left hand.

04

02

Josh uses control of Karl’s hand and arm to push away to open his guard further and create a little distance.

Keeping all his weight on Karl’s hand, Josh leads with his right shoulder and turns the corner to pass. It might look as if Karl has an opportunity to triangle Josh, but he doesn’t, the control of the hand keeps Karl from being able to move his hips. Any bridging that Karl does just makes the pass easier for Josh.

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Josh continues the movement, scooping Karl’s head with his right arm to control the shoulder and complete the pass.

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TECHNIQUE 94

CROSS OVER WITH KNEE SLICE

01

02

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Josh starts in a similar position as before, in Karl’s guard with Josh controlling Karl’s left hand with his left hand.

Using his right arm, Josh goes under Karl’s left leg and hoists it up to his shoulder.

03

Now Josh drives forward, pushing Karl’s right knee up towards his chest while using all his weight to pin Karl’s left hand to the floor.

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TECHNIQUE 96

04

06

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Josh then gets up on his left foot, driving his weight down into Karl. Josh is using his shoulder and left elbow to keep Karl from closing up any type of guard.

05

Having everything under control, Josh then slices his left knee over and past Karl’s right leg.

Josh steps his left leg over Karl’s right and then moves into side control. He secures the position using pressure from his left shoulder onto Karl while maintaining control of Karl’s left hand the entire time.

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TECHNIQUE 98

HAND OFF PASS

01

Starting in the closed guard, Karl controls both of Josh’s hands. This is a no-no.

02

Josh pushes back to open Karl’s guard and turns his left hand out to break the grip then captures Karl’s right hand with his left.

03 Josh keeps Karl’s hand stuck to the ground using his weight, breaks Karl’s grip of his right hand and dives it under Karl’s right thigh.

Josh is burying his shoulder into Karl.

There’s no danger of a triangle at this point because of Josh’s angle to Karl, and Karl’s inability to moves his hips.

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5/19/15 3:16 PM

Karl’s a trooper. Thanks Karl!

04

Josh transfers hand control from his left hand to his right, while maintaining his weight and downward pressure on Karl.

06

Next, Josh brings his left knee up to control Karl’s leg and then reaches up and over to overhook scoop the back of Karl’s head.

07

05

Now Josh uses his left hand to open up Karl’s legs, starting at the right knee and pushing down, leading his hand all the way to the ankle.

The rest of Josh’s body follows his head and arm, passing Karl’s right leg, being careful not to fall into half-guard.

08 Josh secures side control

Tech - Barnett Passing.indd 6

4/29/15 9:58 PM

100GEAR LAB Gameness Fightwear

JIU-JITSU SPECIFIC BACKPACK www.gameness.com

Mike Velez GETTING YOUR GI TO AND FROM CLASS CAN SOMETIMES BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN ONE WOULD IMAGINE. When your gi is clean and crisp you want to keep it that way, but maybe you won’t be training until late in the evening or maybe you have a long journey, so just throwing it in the back of your car or truck won’t cut it. Maybe you ride a bike to class or take mass transit. Having your clean gi out for the world to see might not be the best solution. What about your mouth guard or headgear, not to mention your belt? The obvious solution is a bag of some sort. A trip to the local sporting goods store probably won’t yield the best result, there’s always going to be some compromise of price and utility. That’s where Gameness steps in with their new “Jiu-Jitsu Specific” backpack. It’s designed from the straps back with the jiu-jitsu athlete in mind.

What It Is

Well, as the name implies, it’s a backpack made specifically for the needs of the jiu-jitsu athlete. It’s made of highquality ballistic black nylon.

There’s a small amount of soft foam padding and a softer material on the panel that would go against your back, which is more comfortable should you wear the backpack with your shirt off. The straps are adjustable, and there’s also a handle on top, also with padding for comfort. There are three separate compartments.

The main compartment is lined with a thinner, more moisture resistant nylon material. It’s big enough to comfortably hold one large gi and a couple rash guards. There’s a separate pocket in there if you want to keep something clean separated from a soiled gi. One

Gear Lab - Gameness Backpack.indd 1

very nice feature is a mesh vent at the bottom to help let a little air in when you throw in that soaking wet gi from a long training session. The second compartment is also lined and has multiple pockets for things like your phone, wallet, mouthpiece, keys or whatever you take along with you to class. The last of the large compartments is a round pocket on the back or front depending on how you look at it, that’s the perfect shape for a wound up belt. When I first started testing the backpack, I wound up my belt every time, but now I just sort of stuff it in there. There are also two smaller zippered pockets that flank the belt pocket. That’s a lot of pockets.

Using It

I’ve been using this backpack for about a month now. I

wouldn’t call the zippers “heavy duty;” they’re standard zippers as far as I can tell. At first, I thought this might be a problem. I’ve broken zippers on other backpacks, but so far they’ve held up well. The zipper tabs are large and get you a good handle to pull on.

My gi and extra rash guards fit perfectly inside. The vent is a nice feature. I forgot to take my gi out of my trunk one night and in the morning it wasn’t as bad as I had feared.

I’ve travelled twice with the backpack. I checked it in for my flight to and from Abu Dhabi, this was to be the ultimate test of the backpack’s durability. It came out of the conveyer belt in pristine condition. So far I have zero complaints about the Jiu-Jitsu Specific backpack. It’s priced competitively with other high-quality backpacks, and less expensive than some other

purpose-built jiu-jitsu packs we’ve seen.

Conclusion

It’s perfect if you need a backpack for your jiu-jitsu gear, which we all do. Nobody wants to throw a soaking wet, sweaty gi on their car’s upholstery, so the Gameness Jiu-Jitsu Specific backpack should be on the top of your list. It does everything I would expect flawlessly and is priced right at $65; a sound investment that should last for years!

Verdict Succeeds in its mission to be a great backpack for any jiu-jitsu athlete!

PERORMANCE: VALUE: OVERALL:

4/29/15 10:42 PM

Fractionals.indd 1

4/30/15 12:54 AM

102 GEAR LAB

Falcon Brand

GI

www.falconbrandltd.com

Matt Corley

JASON CHAMBERS, FORMERLY THE GENERAL MANAGER OF ATAMA, HAS ENTERED THE REALM OF GI RETAILERS. While other retailers have focused on limited edition, heavily stylized gis, Jason gives his customers the opportunity to embellish their gis with any embroidery they’d like. I asked Jason what set Falcon apart from the rest and he said, “You can send us your artwork and we will bring it to life on a kimono. Choose from any model we have, choose our logos, choose any thread color, any placement, your logos or whatever ideas you have. We do all the design work here (in California), so you do not have to wait weeks or months like overseas companies.”

Pants

The pants have a Falcon brand patch, which is optional, and a stylized “E” embroidered on the right outer thigh. The embroidery is well done, has no loose stitches or irregularities and matches the image that I sent exactly. Other customization options for the pants include the color of the thread used and additional embroidery. The pants are 100% ripstop and are medium-heavy weight. All seams are triple stitched with contrast thread. The stitching has consistent spacing and is even throughout the pant. There are four belt loops for the rope draw string. Extra reinforcement for the legs begins at the upper thigh and continues to the cuff of the pant. The pants should be heavy enough to withstand a lot of abuse and I don’t foresee durability being an issue.

Rolling With It

Before even stepping onto the mat, half the people in class commented on the gi and how much they liked it. Once we started rolling, the gi performed admirably. The additional weight of the jacket and pants added to the sense of durability. I wore a rashguard under the jacket and didn’t notice any excessive heat buildup. The sleeves did not stretch, despite my being inside my opponent’s spider guard multiple times. The pants were great and were not restrictive in any way while playing open guard. My only other comment is that I did notice that the jacket was a bit loose for me.

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4/29/15 11:42 PM

Smile Matt.

WRAP UP

Jacket

Falcon’s niche is for grapplers looking to customize the appearance of their gis. As more associations move to standardized gis, this is an option that complies with academy rules, but still gets you a gi that is your own. For school owners, Falcon offers academy pricing and would eliminate the need for many patches. Falcon has the know-how to embroider any logo(s) that you have and can place them exactly where you want them. Other options include: contrast stitching, gi color and weave.

The gi jacket is 500g pearl weave and is made from pre-shrunk cotton. The lapel is covered in ripstop, has medium thickness and is foam filled. Seams are all triple stitched and additional supportive fabric can be found in the armpits and the slits at the sides of the skirt. The seams at the interior of the cuff are covered with ripstop for additional comfort. Contrast stitching is used throughout the jacket and can be customized.

To test the limits of Falcon’s embroidery capabilities, I sent them three images: a team logo, my instructor’s logo and last, but not least, the logo that Meerkatsu designed for me a few years ago, which is intricate enough that I’ve had t-shirt companies complain about it. Falcon suggested a few other additions to the jacket to round out the design. All three logos came out very well. The colors and fonts were matched exactly. The writing in the logos is clear and easily read. All designs were tightly stitched, had no loose threads and have held up to the abrasion of rolling.

E

Fit and Feel

A 67.875” B 33.25” C 23” D 7.5” E 22” F 40” G 10”

Gear Lab - Falcon Gi.indd 2

After 3 washes at 40º C

Brand New(420)

When deciding what size gi to get, I spoke to Falcon and let them know that I typically wear either an A3L or an A2L. At this time, they don’t offer long sizes. After finding out the wingspan of the A3 and A4, I decided to give the A3 a try.

After finalizing the size and design details, the gi was shipped in about two weeks. Out of the box the A3 was just long enough for my arms and the pants fit just fine. The lapels overlap fully across the body and hang a few inches above the inseam. I have plenty of room in the gi. I had a 6’ training partner try on the jacket and it fit him perfectly. The fit is consistent with their sizing chart. To test shrinkage, the gi was washed in cold and dried with low heat, which resulted in some shrinkage.

A 65.25” B 32.5” C 21.5” D 7.5” E 22” F 38.25” G 10”

The gis are available in traditional sizes for both adults and kids starting at $120 (kids) and $150 (adults). The gi blanks are solidly built and I don’t foresee any durability issues with normal wear and tear. I do wish that they offered a few more sizing options to accommodate athletes with longer arms and/or leaner frames. More colors and weaves are coming soon, so maybe we’ll see sizes for the skinny guys/ gals, too. For more information you can access their website at: www.falconbrandltd.com.

Verdict Falcon Brand offers an affordable, high quality gi with enough customization options to make it uniquely your own.

F

PERORMANCE: VALUE: OVERALL:

G A D

B

C 4/29/15 11:42 PM

GI 411

“WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT GI THAT GUY WAS WEARING?” It’s a common question, often times the name escapes even the most seasoned gi sophisticate. For that reason we went through the task of collecting the name and web address of every gi maker we could find. If there’s someone missing, or if you’re a gi company that would like your logo included let us know. Email gis@jiujitsumag.com

#

Brazilian Fightwear brazilianfightwear.com

E

93 Brand

Break Point

Enzo

rollmore.com/brand_93%20Brand

31 Fift 31fift .com

A

enzokimono.com

gripsathletics.com

Bull Terrier

Ezekiel

Ground Game

btfightgear.com

facebook.com/EzekielKimono

groundgameshop.com

C

F

Groundwork Gear

Adidas

Faixa Rua

acsgear.com

faixarua.co.uk

Aggrobrand store.aggrobrand.com

A&P (Albino & Preto) Shoyoroll.com

Aesthetic fightaesthetic.com

AK akbjj.com

Armadura armadura.us

Armor Kimonos akbjj.com

Arte Suave

Century

centurymartialarts.com

Bad Boy badboy.com

BC Kimonos bckimonos.ca

BJJ Globetrotters bjjglobetrotters.com

Fenom

Combat Skin

fenomkimonos.com

H

combatskin.com

Flow Kimonos

Happy Kimonos

Competidor

flowkimonos.com

Conca Fight Gear conca.us

Contract Killer contractkillerclothing.com

Fluxk

hayabusafight.com

Freestyle Customs

HCK (Howard Combat Kimonos)

freestylecustoms.net

howardliu.com

Fudoshin

Hyperfly

CTRL Industries

tatamifightwear.com

D

Fuji

fujisports.com

Da Firma

dafirmabjj.com Datsusara dsgear.com

Day By Day daybydayjiujitsu.com

Do Or Die

doordie.com

Blank Kimonos fightersmarket.com

Brazil Combat

Dokebi Bros dokebicombat.com

Dom Fight Gear domgear.com

Dragao shop.dragaokimonos.com

DX Kimonos

Hypnotik

bjjwarehouse.com/hypnotik

furiastore.com

I

Fushida

invertedgear.com

Furia

bjjreligion.com

black-eagle.co.uk

doordie.com

ctrlindustries.com

BJJ Religion

Black Eagle

Hayabusa

www.fluxk.com/bjj

fushida.ca

G Gambaru Fightwear gambarufightwear.co.uk

Inverted Gear Isami isami-eng.com

J JACO jacoclothing.com

detalesclothing.com

bjjsports.com

happykimonos.webs.com

facebook.com/CompetidorBrand

Detales

BJJ Sports

Grypp Styles

combatcorner.com

badgerkimonos.com battlegearbjj.com

gruntworkclothing.com

gryppstyles.com

Badger Battle Gear

Grunt Work Clothing

falconbrandltd.com

Atama

B

Falcon

groundworkgear.com

Combat Corner

shop.artesuaveclothing.com/products atamausa.com

Grips

breakpointfc.com

Gameness

Jiu-Jitsu Athletica

gameness.com

brazilianfightwear.com

Gawakoto

Jiu-Jitsu Pro Gear

store.gawakotoclothing.co.uk

jiujitsuprogear.com

Gorilla Gear

Just A Girl

gorillagear.ca

Grab And Pull grabandpull.co.uk

Gracie Barra Wear gbwear.com

justagirlbjj.com

K K2 Fight Gear k2fightgear.com

Kauai Kimonos kauaikimonos.com

facebook.com/DxBjj

brazilcombat.com

Gi List 33.indd 1

4/29/15 10:44 PM

Keiko

Red Star

Submission Sniper

keikosports.com keikousa.com

redstarbjj.com

submissionsniper.com

Reevo

Submit One

reevomma.com

facebook.com/submitoneclothing

Rei-Gi

T

Modern Flow

Killer Bee

modernflowbrand.com

killerbeegi.com

Moya Brand

KINGZ

moyabrand.com

kingzkimonos.com

Muae Wear

KO Sports Gear

muaewear.com

kosportsgear.com

Koral koralusa.com

Kozen

kozenfighter.com

N

Roger Gracie Kimonos

tatamifightwear.com

brazilianfightwear.com

Triumph United

Roll Junkie

triumphunited.com

rolljunkie.com

Tufrol

Roll Supreme

tufrol.com

rollsupreme.com

Tukano kimonos

Roots Brand

tukanokimonos.com

shop.rollwithroots.com

U-V

O OK! Kimonos Omega Maniac

L

omegamaniac.com

Onda shop.ondabjj.com

Origin

lifeanddeathkimonos.com

Ring To Cage

ringtocage.com

krugans-usa.com

Life And Death

fightingrocktopus.com

najaextreme.com

okkimonos.com

lankyfg.com

Tatakai

Naja

Krugans

Lanky Fight Gear

rei-gi.com

originmaine.com

OSS Clothing ossclothing.com

OSS Kimonos (Brazil) osskimonos.com.br

OTM (On The Mat)

Ronin facebook.com/RoninBrandGis

loyalbjj.com Lucky Gi myluckygi.com

M MKimonos mkimonos.com

Macaco Branco macacobranco.com

Maeda maedabrand.com

Manilla Kimonos manilakimonos.com

valorfightwear.com

royalcombat.com

Vandal Kimonos

S

vandalkimonos.com

Scramble

vhtsny.com

scramblestuff.us

Veni Vidi Vici Venum

ouano.com

Senso

P

sensobjj.com

Padilla & Sons

Shimono Kimonos

matrat.us

shimonokimonos.com

Piranha Gear

Shodan Kimonos

piranhagear.com

facebook.com/ShodanKimonos

Platinum BJJ

Shoyoroll

platinumbjj.com

shoyoroll.com

Podium

Soul Kimonos

podiumjiujitsu.com

www.soulkimonos.bigcartel.com

Prana Gi Company

Soul Roll Jiu-Jitsu

pranagicompany.com

soulrolljiujitsu.com

Pressure Brand

Storm

pressurebrand.com

stormkimonos.com

ProForce Martial Arts

Strike Fightwear strikefightwear.com

mantousa.com mantofight.com

Progress

Sub Apparel

progressjj.co.uk

subapparel.com

Mata Leon Kimonos

Proma Gear

Subculture USA

mataleonkimonos.com

promagear.com

Maximus Kimonos maximuskimonos.com

Q-R

Meerkatsu

Red Nose

meerkatsu.com

Gi List 33.indd 2

rednoseusa.com

VHTS (Very Hard To Submit)

vvvfightco.com

Ouano

proforcema.com

Manto

Valor

Royal Combat

onthemat.com

Loyal

Tatami Fightwear

venumfight.com

Vulkan vulkanstore.com

W-Z War Tribe wartribegear.com

X-Guard Brand www.xguardbrand.com

Yudan Kimonos facebook.com/yudan.kimonos

Zombie Kimonos zombiekimonos.com

subcultureusa.com

Submission Fight Co. submissionfc.com

4/29/15 10:44 PM

106 FEATURE

2015

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU TOUR AMERICAN CUP Mike Velez

RECENTLY, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING AND COMPETING IN THE BJJ TOUR’S MOST RECENT STOP, THE AMERICAN CUP IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA. The two-day event hosted over 1200 competitors, all in the gi, at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. Some of the best jiu-jitsu players from around the region came to compete with the prospect of measuring their skills against some of the best, along with cash prizes for some.

THE SCHEDULE

The BJJ Tour events that I’ve been to like to mix things up in the scheduling. It helps to keep it running on time, while allowing spectators the ability to witness different belt ranks competing. On Saturday, the action started promptly at 9AM with the kids going first, oldest to youngest. In the afternoon, the purple and brown belts went next. The black belt pro open division took place in the middle of the adult competition, and drew some big names all looking to take a big check home. The day finished off with the adult open weight champs being crowned.

Sunday morning started right on time with the blue belts going first. After lunch, the black belts hit the mats to give the crowd some exciting jiu-jitsu to aspire to. After the black belts it was the white belts and then black and blue open weight finals. The schedule works well and allows spectators in the crowd see various belt levels in action. www.bjjtour. com

The Next BJJ Tour stop is Connecticut June 13th.

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4/29/15 11:11 PM

Silicone Valley Meets the Mats!

Ralph Gracie Brown Belt Nicholas Greene tries hard for the points to get the win.

They will both keep their lunch money.

Six mats divided by 1200 competitors equals a great weekend.

Event - America Cup.indd 2

4/29/15 11:11 PM

FEATURE 108

The Inside BJJ Crew delivered the commentary on the live stream broadcast all weekend long.

2015

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU TOUR AMERICAN CUP

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4/29/15 11:11 PM

Kids Worlds.indd 1

4/30/15 12:43 AM

110GRASSROOTS

GRASSROOTS GRAPPLING

ON ANY WEEKEND IN ANY CITY THERE’S PROBABLY SOME FORM OF JIU-JITSU BEING CONTESTED. With so much going on we thought we’d dedicate this section of the magazine to give you a look at some of the great grassroots grappling going on across the country and around the world. Event coordinators, if you have photos and information about your recent tournament, be sure to let us know, better yet, let us know about it as far in advance as possible and we might be able to list your upcoming event here. Email us at feedback@jiujitsumag.com

IF THE CUP FITS? Dustin Waters keeps proving he’s more than a Cinderella story when on April 11th, he once again came out on top, securing his second victory in Newbreed’s Ultimate Challenge (NUC) of TUG (The Ultimate Grappler) series, winning another qualifier in Atlanta, GA, along with the Crystal Cup Open.

Along with the custom trophy, he also earned a little extra cash to deposit into his bank account, winning $200, thanks to NUC Prez David Heller, and is looking to deposit that $2,500 Grand Prize come later this year with a win in Orlando, FL.

The second edition of the 2015 Georgia Tournament Series also saw heated matchups in the team competition, but Team Roberto Traven followed suit from Waters, as they picked up another title, showing they’re a force to be reckoned with. They were followed by the always tough American Top Team and Knuckle Up teams.

Not to be outdone, the young bucks gave the adults a glimpse of the future with Gracie Barra Columbus defeating SAS Team and PTC Combat for the privilege to hoist the Crystal Cup Trophy. This isn’t the last time the Newbreed Ultimate Challenge will be in Atlanta this year, so check the website and mark your calendars.

www.newbreeduc.com

GrassRoots33.indd 1

4/29/15 10:11 PM

We hope this column becomes very popular, it means you people are competing!

Not The Pans, But The New Pan Ams This past March, BJJ Classic held its Pan Ams in Fort Worth, TX and unlike the competition held in Irvine, CA, you’ll find no advantages (or points for that matter), as the straight forward rule is to submit your opponent, regardless of how long it takes. It’s a throwback to the classic days of old school tournaments, and while it can be exhausting, it’s quite cool. The unique rule-set has sparked both curiosity and praise for its competitors, who are coming from all over the country to compete.

On the team side of the competition, Genesis Jiu-Jitsu came out strong with a large number of competitors and ultimately assumed the team award, just beating out Evolve BJJ. There were many great individual accomplishments as well, like Justin Kluge of Robson Moura Nova Uniao, winning the adult blue belt Super Heavyweight division, as well

as the Absolute. Blake Dvorak of Top Game Jiu-Jitsu exacted a little revenge from last year’s competition to secure gold at Lightweight in the adult purple belt division. The 2014 female adult IBJJF No-Gi Worlds champ and now purple belt Chelsah’ Lyons represented for the ladies (#supportwomensbjj), defeating her larger opponents to win the Absolute division.

Like usual, the kids always want in on the fun and young Diego Salinas came out on top after several 20-minute matches and was awarded his yellow belt on the podium by the coaches at Peak Performance in Keller, TX. Not bad for someone in the 7-8 year old bracket. Battle For The Ages World Champ, Dilinger Kovach of Genesis Jiu-Jitsu took home double gold at orange belt. Those are just a few of the many great performances that took place and honestly, there’s just too many to mention.

Next up are the BJJ Classic Worlds on May 24th in Dallas, TX and BJJ Classic Pro Trials on June 7th in Springfield, MO. With submission-only tournaments coming to the forefront, we highly recommend you try out the unique rule-set BJJ Classic has to offer.

www.bjjclassic.com

#SUPPORTWOMENSBJJ Over the 7th-8th March weekend, Artemis BJJ in the UK hosted its annual twenty-four hour grappling marathon, supporting the charity Equality Now. This year’s installment was timed to coincide with International Women’s Day, a celebration that can be traced back to the 1909 National Women’s Day in the United States. Grapplers from roughly ten different teams headed down to Bristol, including academies based in Aberystwyth, Stone and London, among other places. There was even a visitor from Miami, as BJJ black belt and former NCAA wrestler William Abreu stopped by during his seminar tour of the UK. As has been the case since the first Bristol GrappleThon in 2012, Tatami Fightwear and Seymour ‘Meerkatsu’ Yang generously offered their support.

Along with designing the event poster

GrassRoots33.indd 2

and t-shirts, Yang auctioned off a beautiful art print, resulting in a considerable boost to the eventual total.

There was also a new sponsor this year, continuing the international flavor of the weekend: Gimono, from New Zealand.

They provided the prize of a Gimono gi to whoever raised the most money for Equality Now, which in 2015 was Rachel Green from Chesterfield Jiu-Jitsu. If you’d like more information about upcoming

GrappleThons and advice on how to run your own, head over to grapplethon.org.

To continue boosting the Equality Now total, click on artemisbjj.com/ grapplethon2015

4/29/15 10:11 PM

112 MIND GAMES

NO CAVEMEN ALLOWED: THE DANGER OF INSTINCTS Marshal D. Carper

WHENEVER I INTRODUCE A NEW STUDENT TO BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU, I GENTLY TEMPER EXPECTATIONS. I try to explain that jiu-jitsu is a long journey. I talk about how the learning curve may feel impossibly steep and I let them know that the nature of experimentation is that they will fail; so anyone new to jiu-jitsu should understand that failure is a part of growth. Once the student starts to struggle on the mat, I can explain to them why jiu-jitsu is hard.

As humans, we seem to have a general sense for what it means to throw a punch. We may not be technical. We may not be accurate. We might not even be effective, but we know how to sling a fist-shaped missile with nefarious intent. Learning how to strike could then be described as refining and expanding upon

this already existing instinct. It’s still difficult, bu you have some foundation to build upon.

You don’t have that starting point for jiu-jitsu. You might understand the basic goals of a punch, but a shrimp is completely alien. Your body has never moved like that before. You have no foundation for this coordination. Worse yet, your natural instincts will work against you at every turn, telling you that there are better options than shrimping for dealing with a problem.

You are programmed to be bad at jiu-jitsu. To learn jiu-jitsu, you have to conquer deeply ingrained evolutionary tendencies and rise to a higher standard of human performance. If you can become aware of these instincts, you can overcome them.

YOU ARE A QUITTING MACHINE When you start to feel tired, the voice in your head that says you should quit is a Stone Age throwback. If a saber tooth tiger was around the corner, being exhausted and tired would be bad, so your body feels like it is in your best interest to avoid the thing that is sapping your vital supplies of energy.

Mind Games - Instincts.indd 1

In fact, quitting will forge the dangerous loop of rewarding substandard behavior.

When you reward your body for wanting to quit, your progress will be much slower because you will wilt when training gets difficult You have to push a little bit, even if it’s a teensy weensy bit, farther today than you did yesterday to make progress. In reality, you probably

have more juice in your caboose than you think, so force yourself to keep moving even when you are tired.

4/29/15 9:51 PM

Maybe it should be “Fight or Fight Smarter.”

YOU ARE BUILT FOR RETREAT Survival is about not dying. If you can identify dangerous scenarios and then avoid them, your chances of shacking up and pushing your DNA forward another generation increase. This is natural selection 101. When you feel like you are in danger, your programming will tell you to run because only alive people can make babies. We have already talked about how quitting is bad for your jiujitsu, which is the mental half of what it means to retreat.

The physical half is where you turn around and try to escape. This directly contradicts a key tenant of jiu-jitsu: don’t give up your back. You have to learn to resist the urge to turn so you can actively solve the problem threatening you. If you don’t want to get choked, you have to face your opponent. If you want to pass guard, you have to step into and through a tangled web of sweeps and attacks.

If you want the takedown, you have to accept that for a split second you will be in

danger of being taken down yourself. You have to embrace moving toward danger to mitigate the danger.

YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH LETTING PEOPLE IN This is not your ex talking, so try not to drift bac into memories of tearful car rides punctuated by awkward silences.

No. What I mean is that jiu-jitsu posture can be counter intuitive. One of the first concepts we talk about with new students is the idea of keeping your elbows in and tight. I used to call it Home Alone hands, but stopped when

my younger students started admitting that they have never seen or heard of that movie.

Now I steal the Eddie Bravo nomenclature and describe this position as “t-rex arms.”

Regardless of the terms, holding your arms close may be safer in the jiu-jitsu sense, but it requires you to let your opponent within make-

out range. Instead, your instinct is to hold your arms straight. Distance feels safe. The farther away your problem is, the less threatened you feel. One armbar will tell you that your instinct to protect your personal space is not suffici t for jiu-jitsu, but the instinct remains difficul to squelch nonetheless.

RISE ABOVE YOUR PROGRAMMING You are more than your genetics. You are equipped with a complex learning machine that will allow you to adopt new behaviors and new habits if you are willing to endure a few growing pains. You will try, and you will fail, but you will eventually succeed. Failing is a part of learning.

The mat is the most honest source of feedback that you will ever have. You will know when you have made a mistake. If you can become mindful, you can identify the predispositions and habits and tendencies that work against your jiu-jitsu goals. Some of these habits may be rooted in centuries of evolution and others may be a product of your lifestyle. In the end, however, you are in control of the computer that drives your jiu-jitsu.

Upgrade it.

Caption goes here

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114 GAINS

PHOTO: Kenny Jewel

TOP EXERCISES FOR BETTER PASSING Will Safford, C.S.C.S

CERTAIN JIU-JITSU STYLES TEND TO LEND THEMSELVES TO DIFFERENT BODY AND PERSONALITY TYPES. Long, lanky players are often naturally inclined to play guard, using their extra leverage and physical attributes to unbalance or trap their opponents from bottom. Compact, aggressive wrestler types typically choose to pass the guard and prefer to dominate from the top position. Whatever your genetics may be, you will inevitably find yourself in both situations on the mat.

Regardless if you like to pull or pass, this article will provide some good exercises to improve your passing, or help you continue your reign on top.

Good passers have a unique blend of balance, speed, strengthendurance (the ability to maintain strength over time), mobility,

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stamina, and mental toughness. How often have you found yourself completely gassed from continuous passing efforts, only to finally reach side control and then opt to forgo the immediate attack in exchange for some much needed rest?

Or you unwillingly concede a sweep because that pesky guard player frustrated you long enough to capitalize on your moment of mental lapse? Guard passing is a skill, but often when opposing skillsets are matched, the opponent with superior physical and mental conditioning will prevail. The following exercises can be split up and added individually on separate training days to the end of your workout as a finisher, or they can be combined into a tough circuit to bring your passing to the next level.

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Hey, that looks like Brian Morizi

SINGLE-LEG DEADLIFT Many of the modern guards today force the passer to attack from his feet. Passers often find themselves in a crouched, athletic position, and many times only on one foot. Balance is crucial in these moments and the single-leg deadlift (SLDL) is one of the best ways to get strong and confident in this position.

When executed properly, this exercise

can be used to improve a variety of qualities. One can opt for heavy barbell or kettlebell SLDLs with low reps to develop serious strength in the posterior chain. A significant contribution will be produced from the core and hip muscles when on one leg. This is particularly evident when using only one weight in the opposite hand of the leg doing the work (see

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HINDU SQUATS The Hindu squat is an ancient exercise that has lasted the test of time and understandably so. Although this exercise targets the quads, when done properly and for higher repetitions, it quickly becomes a full body exercise with benefits to the hips, core, shoulders, back, heart, lungs, and the frequently neglected calves. The movement is performed without weight, for high repetitions, often above 100 for advanced athletes.

When performed with the feet together and each repetition to maximum depth, one’s balance, cardio capacity and mental

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toughness are seriously challenged.

The Hindu squat also uniquely develops the lower quadriceps muscle above the knee. This gives stability and strength to this area, which help to prevent future injury.

Beginners should perform sets of 20 reps, while advanced athletes should aim for 50-100 reps per set.

It is also important to incorporate the arms in the movement, as they help to maintain balance and develop flow. This is absolutely necessary for those grueling marathon sets over 100. Passing from the standing position won’t compare, after a few long sets of Hindu squats.

pic.) Rep sets of 8-20 using moderately weighted kettlebells or dumbells will develop strength-endurance and will serve the passing player well. Rep sets over 20 using low weight or bodyweight are excellent to build endurance and stability in the ankle, knee and hip, lessening the risk of injury to these areas.

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KETTLEBELL SWING Kettlebells are quickly becoming a staple of combat fitness and for good reason.

The swing, which is best performed with a kettlebell, is an excellent option to develop strength-endurance, power and stamina. Swings can be performed a variety of ways and with varying loads.

The standard two-handed kettlebell swing, performed with heavy weight (above 24kg for men) and moderate reps (8-12), can work wonders developing an athlete’s explosiveness and power

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through the hips. Swings done with moderate weight and higher reps (15-50) develop the strength-endurance of an athlete’s gluteus muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, lower back, and grip. Higher rep sets will also challenge and improve the cardiorespiratory system and an athlete’s mental toughness. When special attention is put on maximal tension through the upward and “top” positions of the swing, followed quickly by maximal relaxation on the downward and “bottom”

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positions of the swing, one can develop the useful ability to manage their energy.

This is akin to when a karate master is completely loose until the very last second when a punch is thrown, so that maximal power and tension is transferred at the moment of contact. Managing energy in this way will help an athlete to become more effici t on the mat, more deliberate in one’s attacks and thus, more successful in one’s game.

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Cossacks and Hindu know what’s up.

COSSACK SQUAT The Cossack squat is a unique squat variation that has a list of benefits for the passing grappler. First, this movement can be used as a warm-up or mobility drill to stretch the adductors, hamstrings and hip muscles, as well as mobilize the hips, knees and ankles. If it is difficul to achieve the bottom position of the Cossack squat, then it’s best to improve one’s mobility and continue with body weight alone before adding a load. When weight is added, this exercise becomes a dynamic lower body exercise that works the musculature of the inner and upper leg in a way that very few exercises do. In addition to developing functional strength in these areas, the Cossack squat is a single leg exercise that develops balance and coordination in the

frontal plane (laterally or side-to-side).

Frequently, while strength training, we work exercises straight-ahead, such as, forward lunges, deadlifts nd squats. It is important to work all planes of motion, as jiu-jitsu is a dynamic martial art performed not just back and forth, but side to side, with twisting and turning. Training in this way, as the Cossack squat does, will help to maintain balance and provide the necessary mobility when in awkward positions like X-guard, De la Riva and Reverse De la Riva. The Cossack squat is a great option for any top player and should be done at body weight until the movement is mastered. When stability and fluidity of movement are developed, weight can be added progressively.

Sample workout with finisher: Warm Up: Cossack Squats Workout: Single Leg Dead Lift (he vy) • Shoulder Press • Pull Up Finisher: 2 Sets of 50 Hindu Squats OR 2 Sets of 50 KB Swings

Sample circuit:

3-5 Rounds Do each exercise for 40 seconds with 15 seconds of rest in between exercises, and 90 seconds of rest between each round.

Use body weight for the Cossack and Hindu squats. Try moderate loads for the SLDL and Swing.

Cossack Squat (alternating sides for 40 sec) Single Leg Dead Lift (40 sec per leg) Hindu Squat Swing

As always, technique is king and should be the focus of your training. However, supplemental exercises designed to help your BJJ game can further develop some of the qualities needed to perform at a high level. If you’re looking to improve your passing game, try some of the aforementioned exercises in your next training session.

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118 MEDIC

I SWEAT, YOU SWEAT, WE ALL SWEAT! “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold.

They’re made of sweat, determination and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” Dan Gable Matt Corley

WE SWEAT WHEN WE TRAIN, A LOT. With the possible exception of Crossfit, I have never seen so many people in a single room generate so much perspiration. We all have partners who leave puddles on the mat that are large enough to support goldfish.

Did you know that during a 90-minute training session you could sweat out up to 10 pounds? Sweat dripping in your face is such a common occurrence, it even made Seymour Yang’s

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Grossest Things In BJJ pictogram as the nastiest thing about BJJ. It’s everywhere and we all thinks it’s disgusting, but what do you know about sweat? Is all sweat the same? Can exposure to your partner’s sweat make you ill? What makes you sweat more or less? These questions and many more will be answered as we delve into the mysteries of perspiration.

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We might have added a couple beads. Sorry James.

PHYSIOLOGY OF SWEATING

Your sympathetic nervous system controls your body’s production of sweat. The sympathetic nervous system is also responsible for your fight or flight response to certain types of stress. There are 2 to 3 million sweat glands in your body. The majority of them are eccrine glands, followed by apocrine and finally sebaceous. The sweat from each of these glands has different properties, composition and even taste.

For what it’s worth, regardless of where sweat originates, it’s a sterile fluid when excreted.

anger, nervous energy and anxiety. Eccrine glands are also the only sweat glands that are active from birth: apocrine glands are activated at puberty.

When you think stinky, nasty sweat you’re thinking of what comes out of the apocrine glands. Apocrine

glands are controlled by the adrenal medulla. They’re also responsible for the galvanic response in your skin, which is used by lie detectors.

These glands typically end

in a hair follicle, not a pore, and are found in the armpits and nether regions.

Apocrine sweat contains proteins and carbohydrates that give it a yellowish milky color, which is why it stains. Bacteria that lives on your skin consumes those nutrients and, in turn, creates byproducts which cause the odor associated with it.

Eccrine glands are the most common sweat gland on your body and can be found on your palms, soles of the feet and forehead. Eccrine glands are controlled by your hypothalamus. The hypothalamus activates eccrine glands in response to emotional stimulus and to increases in body temperature.

The sweat created is odorless, colorless and comprised mostly of sodium, chloride and potassium. This sweat is important for regulating body temperature through evaporation. Emotional stressors that activate these glands include: stress,

WHY DO WE SWEAT? There are two main reasons why we sweat. You’re likely familiar with the first, which is thermoregulation.

Thermoregulation is how we are able to maintain a steady body temperature of 98.6˚ despite living in an environment that is not that temperature. This process is also how we’re able to keep from overheating from the heat that our body generates. Your body is always producing heat and as a result, you are always sweating. For example, if you’re experiencing a period of low sweat production in cooler temperatures or

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when resting, your body takes back much of what is excreted. Water, sodium, potassium and chloride are all reabsorbed and very little sweat actually gets to your skin. As your activity level and/or the temperature of your environment increases, your body’s production of sweat will outpace its ability to reabsorb the water and electrolytes from the sweat, which is why sweat is often salty. This is also the reason why replenishing your electrolytes after training can be very important.

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Heat of evaporation is the amount of heat that is absorbed by your sweat when it evaporates and cools you off. In a perfect world and with 100% efficie y, a liter of sweat can remove 540 kcal of heat. For perspective, that is enough heat in order to heat 2 pounds of ice into steam. The major factor in determining evaporation efficie y is the humidity of the air around us. When the humidity is less you’re able to evaporate more effici tly and stay cool easier. Ever hear someone from the Southwest say, “It’s a dry heat and that’s not as bad”? Now you know why. The amount of sweat that you produce varies significantly between individuals and is affected by

your environment. People living in a hot climate can produce as much as 3x the sweat as someone living in a more temperate climate.

Sweat’s second role is less obvious, but still of importance. It has also been linked to axillary steroids, aka human pheromones. While humans are primarily visual creatures, these pheromones appear to play a real, albeit subtle, role in sociosexual behaviors. There are 3 main pheromones: androstenol (female), androstenone (male) and androstadienone (both genders). These pheromones have all been linked to attraction in both men and women.

Let’s Get Sweaty (or Not)

By this point you know the hows and whys of perspiration. Now it’s time to look at a few practical applications of this new knowledge. Excessive sweating, aka hyperhidrosis, is a condition in which the person affli ed sweats so much that it affects not only their quality of life, but also puts them at increased risk of skin infections. This condition can be caused by many things, but is generally treatable with topical anti-perspirants; some may require a prescription. All anti-perspirants work by clogging the pore and creating a physical barrier to the sweat.

Top 3 Ways to Sweat More Dry Sauna –The heat and lack of humidity will suck the moisture right out of you.

Sweat Suit – Sweat suits act as insulation and will increase your body temperature fairly quickly because your sweat isn’t able to evaporate as effici tly (due to increased relative humidity). The increase in body temperature will increase sweat production.

Albolene or Sweet Sweat – Boxers and wrestlers have been covering themselves in these products for decades. Each does basically the same thing, which is retain body heat. Again, this is about evaporation. They prevent the sweat from pulling heat from you effici tly (due to a physical barrier).

MY SWEAT SMELLS LIKE ______ WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Ammonia: the probable cause is that you’re on a highprotein low-carb diet.

Vinegar: this could be from poor hygiene, however could also be from high-protein foods or potentially diabetes because of the abundance of sugar in your body. (see doctor)

Garlic or Onion: smelly foods are often also broken down into smelly compounds that your body excretes through the sweating process. If you eat a lot of garlic or onion and your sweat smells like it, then this is normal.

Sulfur: this could be from eating a log of cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Alcohol: this one’s easy; you’ve been drinking too much. It doesn’t matter if it’s beer or liquor; when alcohol breaks down in your body it will smell the same coming out of your pores.

WRAPPING IT UP

There you have it, everything you ever wanted to know about sweat. Sweat is everywhere, all the time. You’re sweating while you read this and I was sweating as I wrote it. Is it gross? Yes, it is. Will you get sick from someone else’s sweat? Not likely. Time to get used to it and recognize it as the essential bodily function that it is. In closing, I’d like to remind you that whenever you are sweating, be sure to drink plenty of water (you may be losing a liter or more an hour) and replace those electrolytes!

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122 SUCCESS

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OZZY RIVERA The Armbar That Changed His Life Age: 26 | Height: 5’ 7” | Starting Weight: 345 lbs.

Current Weight: 160 lbs. | Belt Rank: Purple Belt Home Town: Wichita, Kansas Home School: Laselva MMA & Fitness Instructor: Marcio Laselva (3rd Degree Black Belt)

How did you discover jiu-jitsu?

cheat meals every now and then, however, since I am only human. I just can’t stay away from the taco truck.

When I was much younger I used to study Karate and some Judo. Although I quit at an early age, I still kept this false sense of superiority inside my head. I felt as if I was the “toughest kid on the block.” One day while I was at a friend’s house, a much smaller kid challenged me to a grappling match. Obviously, things didn’t end up in my favor. I was forced to scream out in pain as he caught me in an armbar from his guard within a minute. That moment right there sold me on jiu-jitsu.

What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

What motivates you to train?

The people around me motivate me. I get so much inspiration from my friends and family, my father being a big part of that. I’m very close to him. He came over here from Mexico with nothing and made himself into a very successful man. It’s impossible not to be inspired by that. He also has grappling in his blood. He was a professional “luchador” in his home country. Much like my father, my instructor, Marcio Laselva, has a similar story. He left B azil with nothing and came to the States to find a better life. I see how much he’s sacrificed to keep living his dream.

He’s recently had to completely start from scratch opening a new academy. With his “we don’t quit” mentality, he singlehandedly inspired me to make jiu-jitsu my entire life and follow in his footsteps.

Last, but not least, I am given so much inspiration from every single white belt that steps on the mat in my gym. Seeing their love and understanding of jiu-jitsu just warms my heart. Especially a new white belt who is making leaps in her skills, my beautiful fiancé, Jessica. She has also gone from 175 lbs to 126 lbs.

How often do you train?

I train regularly about 4 or 5 times a week.

At my gym, I instruct the kid’s class twice

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a week as well. I’ve also begun to train for my upcoming MMA debut in June. I will be fighting in the featherweight division with plans to fight in the bantamweight division later in the year. I want to be able to test my jiu-jitsu in a more “realistic” situation.

What else do you do for physical fitness?

I enjoy riding bicycles with my fiancé. We normally go on 25-mile rides from where we live to downtown Wichita and back. It’s really relaxing to be able to just enjoy the view and take in the air, while still pushing yourself physically. There’s no competitive feel to it, which is a nice break from the usual every day grind.

How have you changed your diet?

The more I got into jiu-jitsu, the better I wanted to become. You can’t get better without improving your physique. With that thought, I began to slowly change my diet to reflect that. I cut out all soda and began to drink only water. I try to stick with only natural foods and stay away from fast food.

My portions actually got larger, strangely enough. Can’t beat a plate of fresh veggies and lean cuts of meat. I still enjoy a few

The biggest challenge I have had so far is adjusting my game to my new body.

When I was much larger, the top game was all I focused on. Once I lost all the weight, it wasn’t as easy for me to hold my opponents down. I found myself on the bottom quite often. This forced me to learn to fight from that position. Through that adversity, I can confidently say I am now a very aggressive guard player.

My favorite types of guards to play are inverted guard and spider guard.

What’s the best part about the life change you’ve made?

Just feeling much happier with myself. In the past I was very self-conscious about my appearance. I hated getting dressed in the morning because I could never look in the mirror without feeling down on myself.

Once I was able to really be content with how I looked, that confidence transferred to everything else in my life. I began to realize that if I truly wanted something for myself, all I had to do was make it happen.

I now have undeniable belief in myself. I feel unstoppable.

What advice would you give to someone looking to make the same sort of change?

Don’t be so hard on yourself. You will have plenty of setbacks in your journey, but you have to keep pushing forward. In the end, all the pain and frustration will be worth it when you can finally say you did it. I felt like giving up so many times, but some voice inside me said, “YOU’RE NOT DONE YET!” Dig deep and find that voice.

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