Destination: Awesome.

Rickson Gracie  Seminars, Amsterdam, 3 & 4 Nov 2012

Some time back, I connected with Michel Verhoeven  - a Dutch Brown Belt under Rickson.  I first knew of Michel as Blue Belt under Harold Harder, Rickson's only European Black Belt and as the guy that took over the running of Harold's school when Harold could no longer commit the time to running an academy.  Knowing that Michel and Harold have hosted Rickson and Kron in the past,  I asked Michel to let me know if he ever did so again.

Back in September I got a message from Michel informing of a visit by Rickson to Amsterdam and that was it.  Nothing was going to stop me from going.  Ever since I started Jiu Jitsu, I've always wanted to meet and train with Rickson.

After a little negotiation with my wife, (which resulted in her coming too!) I secured my place and made my arrangements.  I was also to be joined again by Steve H and Simon. 

This was always going to be a special trip. The cost of the seminar was €200 (approx £160) for two 3 hour sessions - basically about £25 per hour to train with a legend. In the run up, I saw a few people on various boards suggesting the price was high, but by my reckoning that price was an absolute bargain.  Seriously - £25 is less than I paid to train at Renzo's place in NY and this was Rickson!!!

So, a ridiculously early start on Saturday morning (0300) for a very quick and comfortable flight to Amsterdam.  A short hop on the train into the city to find our hotel, which was a great price and the perfect location. After a short familiarisation stroll in the city with my wife, a spot of breakfast and later, lunch, it was time to hook up with the guys and make the short trip out to Amstelveen for the seminar.

On check-in, I met Michel in person which was nice and then on to spy the merchandise being sold by Rickson's girlfriend.  And there, in the corner, warming up on a swiss ball, was the man himself.  The atmosphere was hushed, excited and reverent.  People made and re-made aquaintances as they changed (and it was good to see Gavin from RGA once again - seems he's the man when it comes to seminars!). 

Rickson walked around and said hello and shook hands with every single person there, looking each in the eyes in a way that conveyed genuine openness and respect. Then Harold called order.  We lined up, had our welcomes, bowed to the portrait of GM Helio and then mutually bowed to Rickson.

Then the seminar began I am not even going to attempt to describe or explain it.  And this is for the following reasons.

1) I can't do it justice - I am not Rickson.  I am not even close so I cannot explain in the way that he can.
2) Explanation is not enough - Rickson calls his Jiu Jitsu "invisible" and whilst some may sneer, it really is.  You can only understand by feeling what he does.  Rickson frequently called people out to help him demonstrate and develop a point and I was lucky enough to be one of them.  Rickson wanted me to hold him round the waist and maintain base.  I tried to do what I understood of what was required but couldn't hold him.  With a few minor adjustments and feedback from the master, everything subtly changed and, not only did I feel rock solid, I was actually affecting his base as he tried to escape my grasp.  It's all fine and minute technical detail, but honestly, it felt like some sort of hypnotic magic.
3) Even if I could explain, It wouldn't be right or fair - and this is on two fronts.  Those that were there paid and travelled (from all over the world as far as New Zealand!) to be there. The session was ours and ours alone  The second front relates to Rickson's philosophy on his Jiu Jitsu.  It's such a tactile thing that he's developed over a lifetime and he explained to us that he will never release DVDs or books as these cannot adequately explain his Jiu Jitsu.  Having felt it and been so close to it, I can assure you that this is true.  I guess these two reasons are also why Rickson requests no spectators, photos or filming during the seminar and I respect and understand this.  The Jiu Jitsu I felt and saw on those two days is inside me, in my memory.  No photos or videos required.

Demonstration generally followed the same pattern.  Rickson would signal someone to join him and then ask them to execute a technique or ask them what they would do to defend or counter a move that he was going to do to them.  With no effort at all, he would repeatedly defend against their technique or impose his intent upon their defence, highlighting, time after time how ineffective people's Jiu Jitsu was.  And this was not down to something highly skilled that Rickson was doing - he was simply exploiting fundamental flaws in most people's understanding of Jiu Jitsu, leverage and connection.  I guess something that will stay with me for a long time was watching brown belt after brown belt and black belt after black belt being made to look like beginners.  It showed that many people, although
undoubtedly more proficient and knowledgeable than most (me included!), do not have the core concepts that Rickson is able to teach.  I've since come to the conclusion that there are many people who grapple whilst wearing a gi and have an outstanding range of techniques with which to catch others less experienced than themselves, but there are very very few who understand Jiu Jitsu in the way that Rickson and some of his closest students do.  I mean no disrespect to anyone who's worked hard to earn their rank in saying this, but I pretty much guarantee that if you asked any black belt that was there, they'd say they felt something special and had to re-evaluate what they thought they knew about Jiu Jitsu.

And of Rickson himself?  Well, they say never meet your heroes.  I've met mine and the aura remains very much intact.  He really does have a presence and an intensity about him, yet is a very relaxed and approachable person. Whilst teaching, he is uncompromising about what feels right and what feels wrong.  He teaches with passion, commitment and energy.  You never feel that he is giving anything less than 100% in terms of his attention or emotional or physical intensity.  When he talks to you he makes you feel like there is noone else in the room and he can captivate an audience like noone else I've ever seen.

This was demonstrated when he talked about his famous breathing technique and also at the close of the seminar when he talked about his life and his philosophy of Jiu Jitsu - it was just one of those moments that demands your absolute attention.

After the seminar had ended, there was the inevitable clamour for autographs and photos and this was done with great generosity and patience - Rickson was still going as Steve and I had to leave to catch our flight back.

All in all, it was a weekend that exceeded all of my expectations.  Even though a short trip, the timings of the seminars allowed me to get out and about in Amsterdam with my wife.  For anyone visiting I'd recommend the Ibis near the station - adequate rooms and a great location, and I also had a great meal here. 

Jiu Jitsu with Rickson Gracie and a weekend away with my wife.  Win win!!!

We like da Mango!

Allan Manganello Seminars, Sidcup and Chelmsford, 18 & 19 Aug 2012

So, continuing their alliance to Prof. Sauer's Association, both Paul and Laurence hosted Allan for this two day seminar.  As before, it was great to see Allan again so soon after Iceland and continue that aquaintence.  Also over for the seminars was Halldor which was brilliant and served to strengthen the bonds that Jiu Jitsu creates.  I also met up again with Gavin, from RGA who I'd met at Pedro's first seminar.  I just love the way that Jiu Jitsu brings people together.

Saturday was a hot and airless day in a small, but lovely little room at the Sidcup Dojo.  The seminar was well attended by both Paul's guys and Laurence's and a sprinkle of a few others like me.  After a warm up, covering fundamental movements with a detailed explanation of each from Allan, we moved into a great session of Gracie Jiu Jitsu self defence.

This was all fundamental stuff - by that I don't mean basic, but core. Allan explained everything with precision and detail and all the moves formed a useful and realistic self defence sequence accessible to anyone. It was all stuff I'd done before, but I picked up new details and connections on everything and, in particular, standing up in base - something very neglected by most.  I trained with one of Paul's newest students, in fact, I think this may have been her very first session and in very quick time, she was pulling together competent self defence moves.

The sequence basically went - Stand up in base > defend punch into clinch > O Goshi to ground > Armbar.   We also covered a few other points but the seminar was predominantly aimed at covering GJJ self defence fundamentals aimed at the high number of white belts at the seminar.

 

There are often discussions about GJJ vs BJJ, GJJ, vs"sports" Jiu Jitsu. I don't want to digress too much into that now.  I think there's a place for both and I do think that someone that trains "sports" or competition oriented Jiu Jitsu has a substantial chance of overcoming an untrained opponent in a self defence scenario.  I do think, however, that the GJJ self defence techniques are overlooked by many and that it adds another layer of technique and understanding to Jiu Jitsu.  Horses for courses. I'm not going to say one is better than another, but they are different in both philosophy and application.  To suggest otherwise is simply wrong IMHO.

Day 2 was held at Laurence's place in Chelmsford - an impressive set up and a very professionally run academy.  The self defence theme continued with defences against a straight punch to a takedown, defence and throw from a front choke, and then to the floor for some guard passing and some fine detail on the armbar from guard which completely changed the way I look at that technique.  The seminar was worth that alone.

Allan's instruction was excellent - easily some of the best I've experienced.  His explanations and details are immense and it's delivered with a fine mix of authority, concern for correct technique but with great humour and fun.  As someone that has spent a lot of time with Rickson and his family and now a key instructor under Prof. Sauer, I assure you, you will not find much better instruction out there.

Good times...

Here's a little clip of Allan in action...awesome armbar!

 

Whale meet again....(groan)

Pedro Sauer/Andre Galvao Training Camp, Reykjavik, 29 Jun - 1 Jul 2012

After the experience with the Professor in Essex, I was clear that I needed to train with him again.  Having checked his website, I noted that he was running a training Camp in Reykjavik in Iceland, with Andre Galvao as a guest instructor.  Through the usual mix of google and Facebook, I hooked up with Johann Eyvindsson - the instructor at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Skollin, a purple belt under Allan Manganello.  The chance to train with Professor Sauer - Tick.  The chance to train with Andre Galvao - Tick.  The chance to visit Iceland and experience the land of fire, ice and midnight sun - tick! It would have been dumb not to!

My accomplice on this trip was Steve H so we set off from Gatwick Thursday morning and after about a three hour flight, landed safely at Keflavik Airport.  A short hop to our Hotel and then straight out again to go Whale Watching in the midnight sun (we were really lucky with the weather whilst there - glorious sun the whole time).  Simply, this was an amazing experience.  After a couple of hours of seeing very little, we were suddenly entertained by a humpback whale pulling out all the tricks in its bag and with the backdrop of the barely setting sun, it was something I'll never forget.
 

The next morning, it was up bright and early to join a "Golden Circle" tour- the Golden Circle is a route that takes you round Iceland's main natural sites/sights - Gullfoss (the Golden Falls), Geysir, and Þingvellir National Park - site of the tectonic rift between the American and Eurasian plates and also site of the Viking Parliament.  It was a great trip and the sights well worth seeing.  A small oddity of the trip was a stop at a horse riding school and a tomato farm.  Tomatoes.  TOMATOES!!!????!!!!

The coach trip got back late so we then had a frantic dash to the Venue for the seminars.  On arrival, we went in and joined the first session 1800-2100 led by Allan Manganello. It was great to see him again and we went through some nice stuff.  Also accompanying the Professor was Mike Horihan , another of his Black Belts.  We also did a little bit of rolling at the end and my first training Partner was Halldor - a very capable blue belt, probably not far from his purple.  It was really nice to roll with a guy who wanted to flow and explore movement. The time went quickly and then it was back to our hotel for an early night ahead of a whole day of training on Saturday.

Saturday, and on the way to the venue we were picked up by Halldor who we'd met the day before and then into the first of the day's sessions.  The morning was led by Andre Galvao.  For the uninitiated, read about Andre's career here. He ran us through a really neat set up to a control and Kimura from cross-side. 

One of the things that struck me during this seminar was the Professor's involvement.  Quite often, I've seen Black Belts standing by watching the seminar host, nodding sagely as if they know the stuff already.  Not even a hint of this with Professor.  From the second that Andre was teaching, Prof. Sauer was one of us, right there at the front, learning new details.  After over 40 years of training with, and teaching, the best, he's still learning - a great example of humility to everyone.

Andre's instruction was clear and detailed.  His Jiu Jitsu was smooth,
strong and simple.  Yes, there are many clips of his aggressive and
acrobatic Jiu Jitsu, but from my observations, this is the icing on his
cake of some incredibly effective fundamentals.

At the break, were the inevitable round of photo opportunities with the Champ. During this, his personality "off" the mat shone through - a hugely friendly guy for whom nothing was too much trouble.  No ego and a genuine delight in meeting people.  He sometimes gets a bad rap because of his behaviour in tournaments, but I can only imagine that this is because he is a hugely competitive person with incredibly high expectations for himself.  As an everyday guy, he is generous, open and a fun person to be around.

Steve and I were lucky enough to be invited to a private lunch with the Professor, Andre and a few others.  One of the guys, Finni (a huge Viking of a guy) owns a few restaurants in Reykjavik so we were treated to a huge lunch of sausages, eggs, bacon, pancakes followed by heartfelt appeals to the professor not to cover any knee-on-belly in the afternoon!!!  Great food and great company!

The afternoon was the Professor's turn to teach, and, as in the UK, he invited questions on any and all aspects of Jiu JItsu.  We covered.....  We were also treated to a short break when the Professor retold tales of his training with Helio Gracie and his philosophy on Jiu Jitsu.  I love this stuff and could listen all day.  To me, the philosophy of Jiu Jitsu is as important as the techniques - it reveals the soul of the person and sets the context for our practice.  It's captivating.

That evening, we were treated to another fine meal at another of Finni's restaurants - meat soup followed by Lobster Salad.  The food was amazing. I'm not a big fan of shellfish so was a bit apprehensive, but also very hungry.  Simply, it was one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten.

Sunday morning - a thankfully slightly later start and the final of our sessions with the Professor.  During this session we mainly recapped all that we had learned previously which was a hugely beneficial use of time and before we knew it, it was time to go.  I was genuinely sad to be leaving.  I'd had an amazing time in Iceland, met some great people and had learnt some great stuff.

 

Steve, Pedro, Me

To make some summary thoughts about this special trip, I'd have to also mention Allan and Mike.  Having met Allan before, it was great to see him and spend time with him again.  It was also great to meet Mike and both Mike and Allan were great to have around to help us whilst drilling. 

 

I also have to mention Icelandic hospitality.  Everywhere we went, people were laid back and friendly and couldn't do enough to help us.  Johann looked after us, making sure we always had lifts, which was a great way to meet his guys and find out more about Icelandic life, politics and culture.

One of the conversations that has stuck with me concerned the Icelandic view of wealth and that it's not something particularly aspired to - everyone seems to have enough and not to particularly want for more - a very healthy mind set if they can keep hold of it.  Another was in relation to crime in Iceland, which seems very low.  Apparently there was a recent story on the local news about a car being broken into and a phone charger being stolen...can you imagine that being news in the UK!!!??  Oh, and one other thing which I thought was funny - our "Chavs" are internationally renowned!  One of our drivers was telling us about how they're reviled as much in Iceland as they are by us!!!  Anyone with any illusions of the grandeur of our former Empire should be aware  - it seems we are internationally known for two things...our comedy and our chavs!  LOL.

We really did not have enough time in Reykjavik.  We only saw a small part of the city and it looks like a great little place.  An old fishing town with great little restaurants and shops - the sort of place I can imagine just mooching around.  I also really wanted to visit the Blue Lagoon geothermal Spa, but we simply ran out of time.

Great people, great place - I really want to go back.  The midnight sun was a strange experience, but I think next time, I'd like to go back and try and see the Northern Lights and, of course, train again with my new friends!

Yield to win!

Pedro Sauer Seminar, Chelmsford, 19 Feb 2012

I'd been wanting to train with Professor Pedro Sauer for a long time and this opportunity came out of the blue - Steve H at our club had read about it and set it all up... It had been arranged by Laurence Sandum, a JKD (amongst many other arts) instructor based in Chelmsford who, through his connections with Dan Inosanto (who holds a Black Belt in BJJ from (I think!) the Machados and has worked extensively with Prof. Sauer) has hooked up with Prof Sauer's Jiu Jitsu Association.

Prof. Sauer is an 8th Degree Red/Black Belt under Rickson Gracie and the late Grandmaster Helio Gracie and was one of the few that accompanied the Gracies in their move to the US.  His reputation as a technical instructor is well known and his deep connections to Rickson have always made him someone that I'd sought to train with.

A few words about the seminar organisation...This seminar was advertised on Prof. Sauer's website, so anyone interested in training with Prof. Sauer could have seen it.  It wasn't widely advertised on the usual sites, mainly as the guys organising it were new to the UK BJJ "scene".  After the event there were a few people whining on about how it wasn't publicised and then questioning why Laurence was aligning to Prof Sauer when there were already many UK based Black Belts around and then the inevitable "BJJ Police" started sniffing around too.

Let me say, I'm 100% behind the need to establish lineage.  Laurence (and Paul Finn) have aligned themselves to Prof. Sauer as they too highly value lineage (this is hugely important to them in their JKD and the other arts they teach).  Based on a recommendation from Dan Inosanto (and who would argue with his martial arts opinion?!) they sought out Prof. Sauer.  In my humble opinion, short of Rickson Gracie himself, you will find no purer Jiu Jitsu lineage on this planet.  Many will disagree because of their own lineage and loyalties (and I get that), but in my view, if you have the opportunity to learn from the source, then that's what you do.

And as for why these guys do not align with other UK Black Belts - why should they?!  And why is what they're doing so very different from what many of today's UK Black and Brown belts did when they first pioneered Jiu Jitsu in the UK?  There's no conspiracy here, nothing to hide, noone assuming unearned rank, so for doubters, your time would better served developing your own Jiu Jitsu.  Peace.

Anyway, to the seminar itself.  The sunday I went to was actually the second of two days (I now really wish I'd done both days!).  There were around 20 odd people there - mostly white belts from Laurence and Paul's schools and a few other belts from a mix of academies.  Professor Sauer had travelled with a few others from his association, including Allan Manganello, and Allen Hopkins (and his student Waylon - now a Brown Belt), both Black Belts under him.  It was great to meet all of them - every single one of them treated us like long lost friends.

The seminar opened with a warm up led by Allen - all movements that were relevant to Jiu Jitsu...a great preparation and great just as drills by themselves.  The seminar ran like an open workshop, with Prof. Sauer inviting questions from anyone on anything and then offering up solutions.

I got in early with a question on holding mount.  Having asked the same question of Romolo, I was interested to see if there was a different view or other details.  The Professor's instruction followed a now familiar format.  He asked me to come out and asked me to escape his mount, whilst showing (and allowing me to feel) how he defended my attempts at escape. It was simply impossible.  Every time I moved, he made minor adjustments with his hips.  Every time I tried to frame against him, he disappeared. It was like fighting vapour.  There's no substitute for feeling that Jiu Jitsu.  I understood.  That's different from me saying I can now do it, but I know what I'm shooting for.  It's beyond technique..it's a feeling.

The same process was repeated across a range of other questions.  But, more than techniques, three things stuck with me - over-riding principles and philosophy of Prof. Sauer's Jiu Jitsu: 1) Yield to win (don't fight - "flow with the go", as Rickson would say); 2) Control the Skeleton - this way of thinking about how to control an opponent opens up all sorts of possibilities and connections; and 3) White Belt mind - always try to find the simplicity in everything and never stop learning.

It was a great seminar and I met a lot of cool new people.  The Jiu Jitsu was sublime, but more than that, I was left with the impression of what a genuinely nice person Prof. Sauer is.  So generous with his time, his knowledge and he just has an aura of assurance, happiness and calm - the behaviour of a man who is at one with the world and has nothing to prove to anyone.  Just great.

 

Roger Gracie Seminar - Soho Academy Opening, 5th Sept 2010

I came across this freebie on EFN as a celebration of the opening of Roger’s new academy in the heart of Soho. A great opportunity to train for free with one of the greatest BJJ players ever!

 

I met up with Si in London and, being near Brewer Street, it was the perfect chance to visit Arigato and stock up on Pocari Sweat – my favourite Japanese sports drink (which was desperately needed as that place is HOT!).

 

The Academy is tucked away in the basement (aren’t they always?) of a building on Street. On entering, it had something of the feel of Renzo’s place in NYC (probably the white walls, blue mats and the basement thing going on). The mats were packed and it was also great to meet up again with Big Dean. There was a good buzz around the place and the session started with British Judo legend and BJJ Blackbelt Ray Stevens showing a couple of throws.

 

With a number of Black belts on the mat, we were treated to a carousel of each showing us a couple of techniques, which was great as there was something there for everyone, but so many I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do any justice in trying to remember them here! Introduced by Dean, I briefly met with Roger, who I found to be relaxed and friendly...and very, very tall!!! I got the feeling the day would go on and on and after a few hours, Si and I simply had to get on our way, but it was well worth the trip so a big thank you to all of the guys at RGA.

 

It seems that the Academy, however, was short-lived - something to do with the regulations on the use of the building.  Seems a shame - it was looking to be a great place in a great location and would have been a huge sccess.
 

Marcelo Garcia Seminar - 7th Feb 09

L-R: Roubel, Simon, Marcelo Garcia, Me

On Saturday I went to a Seminar with Marcelo Garcia (2 time World Champion at Black Belt, 3 time ADCC Champion). It was held in Hove near Brighton and organised by Grab and Pull, which is, I think, a BJJ related venture run by Gus Oliveira of Brighton BJJ. The seminar was scheduled over two days – 1st day being Gi, 2nd Day being No-Gi. Cost for one day was £50, both days, £80. I attended just the one day – the Gi day. The session ran from 2p.m. To 4p.m. with just under an hour of rolling at the end and the chance for photos.

Given the snow that had beleaguered most of the UK during the week, Si and I had a reasonable journey down to Hove and met Roubel there too. We had a good chat with a few guys we knew from other clubs, tournaments etc and I was also able to put faces to names of some of the guys that contribute to the EFN forums. As we were chatting, Marcelo walked in – just a normal guy – really quite small but he had a smile and a handshake for everyone – straight away you got the feeling he was one of those people that everyone enjoys being around. And there were no heirs and graces – he was in the thick of it with the rest of us (I’ve been to seminars in the past – mainly traditional Martial Arts I have to say – where the seminar instructor has been treated like Royalty…big entrance, separate changing room etc etc and many a lot less well known or accomplished than some of the top BJJ guys).

The seminar was held in the sports hall of the King Alfred Leisure Centre, which was absolutely freezing…something not lost on Marcelo as his opening remark was that this was his first trip to the UK and he couldn’t believe how cold it was. So after a quick warm up and stretch it was down to the business of the day.

Marcelo opened by explaining that although the two days were Gi and No-gi, the techniques he was going to show were applicable across both as this was how he trained in order to avoid the need to have two separate “games” depending on what type of tournament he was entering – sound logic (this was also indicative of his style which was very competition oriented, with mention of points and time considerations – that’s the world he moves in and where he’s made his name). He explained that day one would look at work from the top position and day two, the bottom position with all techniques building up an array of options from one position.

So, I’ll try to go through the details on the techniques he showed, but note that these explanations are given in ways that enable me to remember so I apologise in advance if they’re not always clear.

1. Starting from standing, at the feet of seated opponent using open guard. First try pushing opponent back or grabbing ankles to tip back. Grab ankles and place between thighs and kneel tight in to butt of opponent. This will, to an extent, trap opponent’s legs. Move hands in through between opponents legs, placing elbows at hips, head on chest. Move head to side of opponent’s body that you want to pass to. Hold knee of same side. Kick opposite side leg up so that you effectively end up almost doing a headstand, clearing any potential hooks from opponent and come down into kneeling cross side and secure with underhook and clinch around head.

2. Starting as above, but this time, as you kneel, the opponent is able to push your body away. To counteract this take grips on the side of the gi, then post weight with one arm and bringing hips in behind posting on the balls of your feet, head up. From here, using other hand, push opponent’s knee inwards and swing same side leg to posted arm up and around the head to slide own body down and across opponent to end up in cross side. Secure position.

3. This time, whilst aiming to do the above, the opponent is able to place feet on your hips and push you away. Reach through and post arm on chest as before and place other hand on top of same side knee. With knee that is same side as posted arm, work into centre position so that foot is near opponent’s butt. Push opponent’s knee down to get other leg outside of opponent’s. In one movement, push opponent’s knee down and swing centre leg back and up to clear hooks and swing back inwards to opponent’s body to take knee on stomach. If opponent tries to escape, follow and then drop into kneeling cross side. Secure position.

4. Whilst aiming to do the above, opponent manages to get half guard on centre leg and may also have grabbed posted leg (if you weren’t careful to keep it far away enough). As before, post arm on chest and place other hand on knee. Move leg to back of half guard (if this breaks it then great) and immediately shoot knee forward to land at opponent’s diagonal opposite hip. Take kneeling cross side and secure position.

5. As above, but this time the opponent has blocked any movement from the trapped leg (and again, may also have grabbed posted leg (if you weren’t careful to keep it far away enough). Posting and hand positions the same as before. But as with technique number 2, swing free leg round opponents head to slide down body. From here, turn body to face opponent and use free leg and shrimp movement to free other leg still trapped in half guard (if still trapped). Cross side and secure.

6. As above but having swung leg round, opponent has managed to grab back, preventing you turning to face him. Turn opposite way and take under grip and clinch around head. Place shin of free leg near trapped leg and roll your opponent onto his back whilst prising with legs to open half guard. Slide knees forward to escape half guard and take mount.

7. Submission #1. Progress as per movement 5 to point of having freed both legs. Post uppermost leg out and drop lower knee to hip of opponent. It’s important to be sitting up in good base otherwise you’ll just be rolled off. Push up so that you are effectively sitting on top of the opponent, straddling him You should be able to have taken his uppermost arm over your leg so that the hand sits near the hip. From here you can take an arm bar, wrist lock or a shoulder lock by squeezing your own knee towards the other, or by placing your foot over the opponent’s head, sitting to the floor then executing by squeezing in with your knee.

8. Submission #2. Progress as per movement 6. As you sit to the side, facing away from your opponent, wrap your closest arm round the back of opponents head. Keeping weight on the chest to keep opponent flat, work round to North/South position. Push hips back and to the floor. Bring free hand under to meet other hand and squeeze. Done properly, this should be a good, quick strangle but done badly can end up as a neck crank.

Wow, didn’t realise there was that much until I’ve just written it and I hope I’ve remembered it right – there’s always the risk of confusing the odd bit, but there were three of us from the club there so I guess we can always work it out.

One point to make about all of these – at every stage, Marcelo was very clear about the need to have good base, posture and to control the opponent and his hips, especially when in cross side type positions.

I was really impressed with Marcelo’s instruction – clear, precise with great attention to the details that make a difference. During the practice he was walking around paying careful attention to everyone, answering questions and making corrections. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the majority of the moves and was taken by the speed with which Marcelo was able to execute them.

The rolling at the end was done in rotating four minute bouts and was very enjoyable – no one going insane. I think the tone was set well by Marcelo and everyone followed his calm lead. I wasn’t fortunate enough to roll with him but those that did all commented on his amazing grip strength, lack of use of the Gi and his ability to almost magnetically grab and utilise anything of his opponent that was available. At the end Marcelo thanked everyone and seemed genuinely appreciative of the time and money people had given to go and see him – another mark of his humility. Then it was open season for the usual post seminar photo opportunities, again, all done in the same spirit as the rest of the seminar.

All in all it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, learning some new concepts from someone recognised as one of the best. The things I took away from it were (a) just what a nice guy Marcelo is, (b) that good jiu jitsu is simple and (c) it’s good to work up a range of scenarios starting from one source – the techniques I’ve described above all stared from being at the foot of someone’s open guard and I can see now why Marcelo is as good as he is. If his whole game is like this, then he pretty much has an answer for just about any eventuality and all of them are drilled to instinctiveness.

Value for money? Pretty good I’d say – about average for a BJJ seminar and for tuition of that quality and from a name like Marcelo Garcia, it’s hard to fault it. Thanks to Gus and his team for putting together a good seminar in the UK with a top name – I look forward to many more!

I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!

It's been a while since my last post and there’s a lot to cover so I’m only going to go over the highlights. Training around the following items has been the usual affair – drilling the basics, practising the more sensitive side of BJJ with Dean T (had some useful pointers on holding posture in guard from Dean the other week), Fridays at Tonbridge – really enjoying the Friday format and the variety of training partners there.

On to the main events:

Rodrigo Medeiros Session – Carlson Gracie BJJ Revolution Team, 8th May 2008, Tonbridge

Rodrigo Medeiros is a 4th (?) Dan Black Belt under the late Carlson Gracie and several times champion at the Pan-Ams along with a list of numerous other accomplishments. He ran this session as he would a session at his own gym in the US and was joined by one of his purple belts who had just won the purple no-gi World title. The session was well attended by Carlson’s guys from all over as well as those from other schools (me, Si and Big Dean from Rickson’s) and it was also good to see Simon Hayes sporting his new black belt (many congratulations) and Dickie Martin there too. It was the first time I’ve met Simon, having heard a lot about him and read some great stories from him on the EFN forums. Seems like a great guy and clearly passionate about what he does – a great ambassador for the sport and a great ally for all at Tonbridge. I’ve also just heard that since that session, Dickie has also been promoted – really well deserved!

The session revolved around working the open guard – taking up grips, movement, using the legs to defend. A memorable drill from this section was just using the legs. You partner up, one guy standing, the other on his back. To start, both guys put their hands in their belts so that both partners are reliant on their legs to pass/defend. Stage 2, the standing partner removes one hand, stage 3, the guy on his back removes one hand and so on until both partners have full use of both hands and legs. Each “bout” was 2/3 mins long. It was a great cardio drill as well as really helping to understand the movement required in open guard – good fun too.

Here's a film clip of this exercise:

The latter part of the session looked at various leg hooks in combinations and using these to sweep from open guard. It’s hard for me to remember all of these now, but one key thing that stuck was that Rodrigo always hooked his opponent’s heel with his hand before doing anything else – really important. We went on to look at an Omaplata from open guard – I really liked this move and the combinations off of the Omoplata were good too.

Here's another clip:

The session ended in usual style with a bit of rolling. In keeping with the stuff we’ve been doing lately, I tried to maintain my defensive sphere and work off of any imbalances of my opponent – all to good effect I’m very pleased to say.

The session was great – a good energy in the room and it was impressive and inspiring to see a guy of Rodrigo’s calibre in action. A really engaging, genuine guy who’s been around with some of the best in the world.

Here's a few photos of the session:

US Trip – NYC and Long Island, USA, 18th May to 25th May 2008

As I type this, I’ve just gotten back from the US after a week’s break with my family, staying with my Brother in law on Long Island. With the trip planned, I also made plans to fit in a decent chunk of training – well, it’d be rude not to wouldn’t it?!

Renzo Gracie’s Academy - NYC

Me at Renzo Gracie's Academy NYC

I trained here on Tuesday and Thursday, both early afternoon (purple belt) sessions. I knew I’d be in for a good time here…an instructor's personality is a strong influence on the students and as Renzo is renowned as a happy, approachable guy, it was likely his students would be too. I’d also had a reply from Rolles Gracie saying that the gym was my “home” whilst in NYC which was a really nice thing to say. I met Rolles (a giant) and his persona matches his correspondence – a really nice guy, very laid back.

Both sessions were run by John Danaher (New Zealand John) and were attended by mostly Blue Belts, a few purples and the odd Brown and some senior white belts. The sessions followed the format; Take downs, technique on the ground, sparring. The sessions were very relaxed and the tuition by John was first class – very methodical, technical and delivered in an easy to follow “instruction manual” style (John co-wrote the book “Mastering Jujitsu” with Renzo).

Here's what I remember:

Session 1

Take down: Change to cross grip, break opponent's balance step in, hook heel with own leading foot through centre, sweep or hook foot with hand if opponent steps up, take down. Knee over opponent, take cross side, finish with cross collar choke.

Take down as above but finish collar choke across throat sprawling hips downwards.

Take down as above, draw up opponent's upper arm, move round head(keep shoulder on opponent's hip to pin) and finish with arm bar.

Session 2

Mirror opponent's grip, step in to fake hip throw, step round back, block foot and pull opponent down finish with arm lock, kimura or armbar.

Similar to above – step in, block furthest foot (important to keep leg straight to prevent opponent landing on it.

From butterfly guard to choke defending opponent – begin choke, turtle backwards, project legs upwards to force opponent’s hands down, roll forward to execute choke fully.

Rolling at both sessions was a similar affair – three or four 6 minute bouts with a rotation of opponents. Considering I was rolling mainly with Blue belts, I fared pretty well, submitting all of my opponents except one that got promoted to Purple belt at the end of the session – he was all over me like a rash so I can more than live with that. I even got a cross collar choke on which I was really pleased with – text book even – I always struggle to stay mounted when attempting that. The area I struggled most was the stand up – unfamiliar territory – I did OK, but never got any take downs and always lost out at this point. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my basics worked for me and I was also impressed by how the guys there roll – very gentle…maybe a mark of how long some of them have been training but more likely it stems from the ethos of Renzo and his team of instructors. I was expecting a lot more of a “tough guy” approach given Renzo’s MMA links and the wrestling background a lot of US guys have, but it was all cool.

Training at Renzo’s was excellent – highly recommended. It’s steep at $40 a session, but with the facilities they’ve got that set the standard for BJJ gyms and instruction of the quality that I had, it’s well worth it. Friendly guys and great training.

Matt Serra’s Academy – East Meadow Long Island

Me outside Matt Serra's East Meadow Academy

I trained here on Wednesday evening and Saturday around lunchtime (white belt sessions). The sessions were led by purple belts – didn’t get the guys name on Wednesday, but Saturday was run by Billy Hofacker, the gym manager. Both session ran the same format; warm up technique, positional training/sparring. Wednesday’s session looked at defending a guard pass from the open guard, which was a useful drill and the sparring at the end was positional starting with the position we had been training. Saturday’s session was much more my sort of thing – Billy took us through a few different submissions from your opponent being on all fours in front of you. Very good, practical stuff that I know I can use.

Me and Billy Hofacker, Academy Manager

Here's what I remember from the second session:

- Arm drag to take back
- Arm drag, step round for take down from back
- Arm drag to pull down
- Guillotine position grab posting arm and roll opponent, take up slack on gi with free hand, grab gi, sit and pull for choke
- Gullotine, step up, sit back and apply.

The rolling was good – the styles between guys was very different – the younger guys were all gritted teeth and attack at all costs, whereas the older guys fought a bit smarter and softer. Again, I sub’d all of my opponents, but to be fair, I think all of them had been training a lot less time than me. A great workout and again, really friendly guys. Thanks again to Billy – he really made me feel welcome and took the time to make sure I enjoyed my sessions.

The sessions cost $25 each. The facilties were, again, very good and I’d recommend it to anyone who can get to, or who is staying on Long Island.

The icing on the cake for me was that, after the session, Matt Serra turned up to take a no-gi session fro his top guys. What a nice, funny guy. He took about 5 minutes to chat to me, asking about where I trained, how long etc, how my stay on Long Island was (he’s a proud Long Islander) – so genuine and you’ll see from this photo, you can’t help but be happy around a guy like him. Really great – a true champion.

Me and Matt Serra - what a nice guy!

My time in the US was short but I made good use of it and bring back a handful of new techniques, but more importantly a great experience and memories (oh, and a couple of great t shirts). If you’re going over that way, be sure to take your Gi and go train – you won’t regret it. Everyone I met was really friendly, one or two white belts (I have to say the younger guys) saw my white belt and were a little patronising (I’m sure they were just trying to be helpful), but their underestimation ended when we started rolling and then they were genuinely interested to ask about where I train etc etc so no offence – I’m sure it’s the same any club you go to until guys know where you’re at.

It was all great – thanks to everyone I met and trained with – it’s great to know that regardless of club or association, BJJ is just one big family with the common bond of good training and friendship.

At the end of it all, it was still a family trip and I had a great time in the US – many thanks to Tammy and Matthew for putting us up and giving us lifts – we had a great time – great memories.

Me and the family - what a great trip!