"Take me back to the days before this was a job, before I got paid. Before it ever mattered what I had in my bank. Back when I was" rolling "for the hell of it. But nowadays we" rolling "to stay relevant."

These days, Jiu-Jitsu is my job, and it's great, I couldn't ask for a much better life. Yet, the problem is that it causes me to take things too serious. Sometimes I find myself longing for the days, when it was my hobby, when I could have fun losing in practice, when I didn't try to pick apart every little mistake I made in training. It can get quite frustrating sometimes always working hard to be the best. Is it fun? Sometimes. For the most part, hard work isn't fun. Ask anyone who's acheived anything in their life; you have to do things that you don't want to do. Seems like these days, I'm just doing what I can to stay one of the top guys in my division. It would be nice to find some kind of balance between job and hobby. With my goals though, it seems like I'm stuck with the never ending hard work. Looks like I'll have to have fun when I'm done.

Living the Dream

It's kind of funny when you realize that your dreams are slowly coming true. The other day while teaching class, I had an epihany, or something along those lines. This couldn't have come at a much better time considering I was a little down on myself from my poor performance at No Gi Worlds. "It happens!" "You'll get 'em next time!" blah blah blah. I know, I'm human, I'm allowed to be upset for a little bit, alright. Anyways, back to the topic. I'm sitting there, watching my students warm up and it hits me: This is my life! At 21 years old, this group of older, grown men trust me to teach them how to defend themselves, how to choke people, how to compete. Not trying to get to up on myself here, but it's kind of nice realizing that hard work does pay off. I mean, my sole job is teaching Jiu-Jitsu, I have two sponsors, Aggro Jiu-Jitsu Brand and Preferred Rehab Spine and Sport (speaking of which, my sponsor has made a shirt for me, a portion of proceeds goes to sending me to Portugal for the IBJJF European Open, if you'd like one, you can find it here. Shamless plug, I know ;)) and I get to train full time. I may not be at the top of the food chain yet, but I can see results.

 I guess the point of this post was to just show that if you put your mind to things, they can be done. If I don't acheive my goals in life, I'd like to at least inspire others to try. So, I'm about to be cliche: Kids, don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. Follow your dreams with all your heart; all it takes is HARD work.

Catching Up

Well, it's been almost a year since I've consistently posted on here, so I guess me and the internet world have some catching up to do. A lot has changed, I've been working harder than ever, getting more recognition, and coming to some realizations.

First off, training has been completely changed up. Morning classes are running about an hour longer than scheduled and we're drilling harder and more than ever. Drilling has consisted of long, repetitive blocks of time doing the high percentage moves of world class black belts over and over. A combination of this and cutting weight tends to make me pretty crabby. But, all of this hard work has paid off.

The gi World Championships have long since come and passed, leaving me with a disapointing yet solid performance. Went all the way to the third round and lost a close match to a tough competitior in Dominic Damian. The time before Worlds was basically my transitional period into a smarter, more well rounded Jiu-Jitsu player. My game changed, I'm more aware of the system; all in all, everything improved. Which is probably why I was promoted to brown belt soon after the World Championships.

  I first tested out my new belt at the Las Vegas Open, back in August, where I came close, but fell short, losing in the finals to Israel Ceron of Ralph Gracie. It was disappointing, but I learned and when it was all said and done, not a bad performance for my first outing at brown belt. Next came the American Nationals where I had the best performance of my Jiu-Jitsu career. I won't bore you with the details, but I brought home gold in the gi and no gi. If you really want to know how it went down, check out this article on GracieMag: http://www.graciemag.com/en/2011/10/ryan-heilman-wins-double-gold-at-featherweight-at-american-nationals/.

This time in my life has also brought me to a realization. I'm with the big boys now. I mean, Abu Dhabi trials, I'm competing with the cream of the crop: WORLD CLASS black belts. Getting promoted and winning a big tournament at this new rank has really made me think about how lucky I am and how close I am to reaching my goals. I've still got a long road ahead of me, but I can see my efforts paying me back. It's kind of nice and motivating.

So, hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things and my writings will be more about things actually going on in BJJ like they used to be and I won't be boring you by writing about myself like this post. Hope you guys enjoy. As always feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

I'm Back. . . Hopefully/Tournament Etiquette

Hey guys, I know its been awhile, I haven't quite had the time to keep the blog up lately. I've been writing for the Nova Uniao website; between that and other things I just havent quite been able to keep up with this, but hopefully I'll be back for good now.

Anyways, this past weekend was the 6th International AZ Open of BJJ, another great tournament run by Gustavo Dantas and the AZSBJJF. I could do a whole new review for this tournament, but I'll just give you a quick run down considering most of the tournaments managed by Gustavo will get the same review, excellent. Besides being on time as always and all that good stuff, this was actually the largest tournament AZ has ever seen, 700 competitiors. This is just a testament to how hard Gustavo works. This time around the tournament was host to a huge 16-man black belt, open bracket. With big names such as Roberto "Tussa" Alencar, Bruno Bastos, Samir Chantre, "Barata", and more. There is good reasoning for such a star-studded division though. The whole division was worth a total of $3000 ($2500 for first and $500 for second). There were tons of great matches, but the final put Nova Uniao's Bruno Bastos against GB athlete, Roberto "Tussa" Alencar. This was a great match that left "Tussa" the victor on points. You can check out the whole match below.



Like I said earlier, I could go on about the quality of this tournament, but you could get that from my review of the Southwest Classic, found here. What I really want to talk about is some tournament etiquette. As an avid competitior and mat coordinator for Gustavo, I have seen it all from both sides. One of the most important things to remember if you want a well run tournament is YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR PART AS WELL. Do your research, read what is posted online. If there is anything I like least about mat coordinating is people interrupting me from doing my job to ask me what time they compete. Competition times are posted on the web prior to the tournament and are posted at the tournament. Gustavo constantly talks about not reading what is clearly posted and I completely understand his grief. If tournament workers constantly stop what they are doing to answer questions that you should be able to find out on your own the tournament will run behind schedule. Then, not only are we answering question, but we also have to listen to people complain about how things are not on time. This is just one small example, but there are plenty, so, please do your part and read what is there for you. It will make everyone's job easier.

Thanks guys and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the blog. See you around.

Celebrating a Victory

After a recent post on http://www.graciemag.com/, I've decided to analyze a few different ways people celebrate just for fun, nothing too serious. It's funny to me how emotions can take over and you just do what feels natural or maybe you planned something out that you think looks cool, but in reality, planned celebrations tend to be pretty lame or come off as arrogant. Either way, do what you want to do, it's your win.

The Fail

Let's kick the post off with the celebration I saw on GracieMag. Back flips are cool, right? Well, as long as you land them. Things didn't quite go as planned for this Japanese fighter. He may have gotten the win, but that's not what his friends will be talking about when he gets home:


The D-Bag

This particular celebration comes about when one gets the victory and still decides to act like an ass towards his opponent after; it's called humility, you don't get in someones face and prove how much of a tough guy you are after you just beat him. This particular example comes from the 2010 World Championships in the brown belt feather weight division, in a long awaited match between Ary Farias of Atos and Michel Langhi from Alliance. This usually comes from people who are just all around punks and after some research it seems that way, a quick read at http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/ari-farias-bjj-wiki, tells us at the age of 16, the young Farias had a falling out with his instructor, Henrique Machado. Tell me, where does a teeneager get the nerve to argue with his fully grown mentor? What makes people this way? Who knows? Maybe he wasn't loved as a child, but enough with the babble, sorry, I don't like arrogance if you couldn't tell, here is the match, skip to 8:15 if you don't want to watch a boring match:



Dancing

This is either reserved for the ultimate jerk or when you're a big enough name to have your nick name thunderously chanted throughout the stadium, in which case, it is acceptable. Fernando Augusto, better known as "Terere", was one of these few exceptions. Groups cheered his name, and why not? He was a crowd-pleaser, fast-paced and always looking for the submission. He was a man among boys and when you have the legend that surrounds a guy like "Terere" does, you can pretty much celebrate however you feel is necessary. So, here is a highlight of Fernando "Terere" Augusto where he starts dancing to the crowd about 10 seconds in, it's actually pretty cool hearing all the people that are behind him, celebrating his victory along with him:



The Emotionless Killer

Only the toughest guys on the planet are allowed to use this one, the guy who goes on a streak for years and is feared by everyone in his division, i.e. Fedor or Roger. (Note: They have both reached the point of only single name necessity, such as Maddona or Sting. Yes, I compared two of the toughest dudes on Earth to Madonna and Sting, what of it?) This is when you just complete one of the most amazing feats known to man and just walk off like you just got done cleaning your room. Here's a pretty good example of Roger becoming a World Champ and acting like it was another day at the office:

Best of 2010

Year is coming to a close people, it's time to let you guys in on some of my favorite BJJ moments of 2010. This year was pretty exciting and it was hard to chose my top few, but here it goes in no particular order:

Abmar Barbosa and Kayron Gracie's March to Pan Ams (Yes, I still call it Pan Ams) Final

This year's intallment of the Pan Ams really showed us who the two newest contenders are in the most stacked division in the sport. Watching these two this year left me with a feeling of, "Holy Crap! These guy's are for real!" Barbosa had a tough road, taking out both of last year's finalist, dismantling Kron Gracie, 11-0, and taking out Lucas Leite via armbar. The young Gracie had no easy path either, running into 2008 World Champion, Sergio Moraes, in a very tight match. Not only did these two go to town in the preliminary rounds, they also put on a show in the final, with Kayron taking the championship home in an awesome match.

Caio Terra Bringing it for the Little Guys

Not only did Caio Terra (Rooster/Light Feather) compete in the open weight divisions this year, he won TWO of them. Terra kicked off his 'David vs. Goliath' show at the Las Vegas Open, defeating Robert Fonseca (Asle) in the finals. The Gracie Fighter athlete continued his open weight journey at the American National Championship, where he took out such beasts as Rodrigo Simoes (By flying triangle), Marcelo Mafra (6-2), and the super heavyweight, Bruno Bastos. Caio is definitely a guy that the big boys should not take lightly.

Cyborg in General

It seems like everywhere I looked this year, there was Cyborg competing again and again. The guy deserves a lot of props for constantly putting it on the line time after time. It didn't matter if it was IBJJF or Grapplers Quest, he was there. Cyborg showed tons of technique and heart this year, winning many super fights, a very memorable one against Rolles Gracie found here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPrnMkIuIY, and taking home multiple IBJJF titles. Cyborg is on tear and is one of the guys everyone needs to watch out for in 2011.

These are just a few moments I found memorable, let me know what stuck out to you!

Follow Your Dreams

It's funny how the attitude of your family and peers changes as you grow. In the beginning it's all, "Follow your dreams, you can be anything you want be!", but somewhere along the line, this all goes out the window. It becomes, "Get good grades, go to a good school so you can get a good job." What happened to all the positive support we once all got from our parents? Is there just a certain age where it becomes taboo to want to do what makes you happy? It saddens me when I look around at my family and friends and see them do something day in and day out that they hate, but for some odd reason they seem completely content with it. I don't know if I'm just weird or a social deviant, but I would much rather make just enough to get by doing what I love, than making boat loads slaving away at something that I hate. Why are material things so important to us that we are willing to give up all our hopes ande aspirations to make more money. I for one am fed up with all the go to school and make good money crap we're fed as teenagers; I decided a long time ago that I'm going full speed ahead towards my dreams.

Shooting for the stars was all it once took to make Mom and Dad proud, now that's just not enough. Well guess what, I don't care anymore and neither should you. Do what makes YOU proud. I for one have huge dreams that most probably think are childish and impossible, does that make them wrong? Not at all. I don't want to be "just another faceless nobody" in society, I want to be remembered 100, hell, 1000 years from now. When future Jiu-Jitsu players are sitting around the mats in the centuries to come, discussing Jiu-Jitsu, I want MY name to come out of their mouth. "Who do you think was the best ever?" "Oh man, 'Jacare' was great!" "Roger always smashed everyone!" "What about Ryan Heilman?" "That guy was amazing!" That's what I want for myself! And if that's too much to ask, I'm sorry, but I will die in pursuit of that dream. You have one life to live, why not make it the best? If you died today, would you look back and say, "I did all I could do and I'm happy with myself" or would you more likely say, "I just survived, living another meaningless life that no one will care about once my relatives are gone," probably the latter. I'm not saying you have to be Babe Ruth, but at least do what makes you happy, and if you fail, at least you did what you loved while trying.

Here's a song that I really enjoy that helps me to remember that I don't just want to be the guy that hates his job and that I truly don't want to grow up:

Training with Marcelino Freitas

It's not everyday that you get to train with one of your favorite Jiu-Jitsu players, but this happened to be the case for me right before the 2010 World Championships, one of the perks of training at the head of Nova Uniao in the U.S. A few weeks before the tournament, Marcelino Freitas stopped by to finish up his preparations with our team and boy was it a great experience! Just to be on the mat with someone of such caliber is a pleasure, but actually rolling with him was insane (I mean I've rolled with Robson Moura plenty of times, but that dude sucks 0_o)! Seriously though, it was great to roll with him because his body type and game are so similar to mine. I learned so much just from the few weeks that he was there; his top game is tight, his bottom is fluid, and is an all around animal. I think one of the best thing you can do, training wise, is to get a chance to roll with the top guys in your division that play similar to you. If you ever have a chance to train with him or do a seminar, jump on it!! He is one of the most underated players today, I mean he has beat Bruno Frazzato 3 or 4 times. . . Just saying. Check out his highlight below.

Jiujitsulinks.com

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share with you guys this cool site that I found on the internet. It's a site that just shows you a bunch of links to different BJJ related websites, whether it be gear, blogs, etc. Everyone can submit their own site for free, so it's a great advertising tool, check it out: http://www.jiujitsulinks.com/.

The Gift That Kept on Giving

Hey guys, I recently wrote an article for Yahoo about my experience with a great high school wrestling coach and what hard work really is. Check it out here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6040532/the_gift_that_kept_on_giving.html?cat=14

Journey of the Gi Part 2 (Review)

So, to pick up where I left off. . . In 2009 I decided it was time to get a gi that was just for competition and would never be trained in. I wanted a good looking, yet tough gi. With that in mind, I wound up with the Koral MKM Competition gi in navy blue. I definitely hit the nail on the head with those two criteria. The navy blue is very slick looking and I get many compliments on it. Also, it is very thick, leaving me to believe it will last awhile. On the downside, the thickness comes with a price, it is very heavy and far from ideal for making weight. Another thing to note is that the sleeves are very long, leaving it feeling baggy and a little uncomfortable while rolling. The bagginess is also emphasized in the armpits, they hang really low leaving me pushing up the material in that area constantly. Other than that though it is actually a pretty decent gi, but I would not recommend it if you have a hard time making weight.

My next gi was a hand-me-down given to me shortly after I bought my MKM. It was a Koral, but an older Koral Classic. All in all, I think this is my favorite gi that I have ever owned. It was tight against my body with no excess material what so ever. It was tough and durable, lasting through two different owners. It definitely fit my most basic demand, comfortability. It was not baggy like the MKM and it just flat out felt right. I don't know if the newer classic cut is like this, but if it is, I would highly recommend it to anyone.

For my next purchase, I went the cheap route, buying a pair of Fujis and boy did it pay off! I think all in all this is the best investment you can make as far as kimonos go. It fits well to your body, not quite as well as the Koral Classic, but is very comfortable. Not only that, but they seem to be somewhat durable and aren't too heavy either. The best part is that for the price of your average gi, you can get two Fujis! This is the only training gi I will ever buy again due to the quality and economically sound pricing. One thing though, either buy the gi a size bigger than you would normally or DO NOT dry it!! It shrinks more than any other gi that I have ever seen. Even with that being said this is my gi of choice for newcomers and veterans alike!

Again, I would highly recommend http://www.jiujitsuprogear.com/ for all your gi needs, unless you want an Atama, thay don't carry those.

Journey of the Gi Part 1 (Review)

It's funny to see how your style of gi changes from the time you first stepped onto the mat until the present. It is always the big question when you're first starting out, "What kind of gi should I purchase?" or "Where should I purchase a gi?" It seems to me that the beginners who do not ask these questions either go with one of two extremes: They get the cheapest gi they can find to save money and it ends up being a piece of crap that falls apart or they go the expensive route in hopes of getting that perfect gi that'll last forever, but in reality it's just another gi with a price tag far more majestic than it's quality. With this stated I will take you on my kimono journey.

My first gi actually happens to no longer be available (Atama recently put it back up for sale, but when clicked it says out of stock) as it was  coming to the end of it's run as I purchesed it. It was 2005 and Atama was discontinuing their Judo gis, leaving them all on clearance; I snagged this bad boy for about 70 bucks. Also, let me say one thing about the delivery, Atama is AWESOME!! The gi always winds up at your house within a couple of days, can't beat that! Due to the fact that it is no longer up for sale, I won't spend much time reviewing it, but it was a good gi and lasted me quite some time. It didn't have extra baggy sleeves or an overly long skirt like we think of in your stereotypical Judo uniform, but fit more like BJJ gi and was a great choice.



After a few months of training in the now defunct Atam Judo model, summer was coming up and I had noticed Atama had a summer weave out and I figured,"Hey, it's gonna be hot out soon, I had a good experience with Atama before, why not?" Well, the 'why not' would be because it flat out sucks. Of all the gis I have ever owned, this is the only one I have shown a particular hatred for. I mean, I literally go to class everyday hoping that this gi rips and I no longer have to deal with it! But, I did spend the money on it, so it reamins with me. To describe this gi, just picture your pants and put that exact material on the jacket. You would expect this to deter your partner's grip by not having enough traction, but sadly, no. All it does is make it more comfotable for them when you try and rip grips. This, combined with the overly long sleeves, seem to give your partner a grip from hell. Your hands are constantly falling into your  sleeve, making it impossible for you to grip back. Honestly, I would rather wear a gi made of used toilet paper than ever be tricked into buying this again.



The next gi that came my way was one of the better Christmas presents I have gotten over the years. It was the Keiko (not so) Limited Series. I don't know if something got lost in translation here, but this seems to be the only limited series I know of that has been on the market for multiple years, not only that, but they even revamped the look of it about a year or two ago. Anyways, this is a great gi that I still own today and would recommend it to anyone. It is very comfortable, not too baggy, and the weight isn't too bad either. The only that thing I can think of on the downside is that the price has gone up over the years: $125 when I got it Christmas of 2006 compared to a solid $140-$170 depending on where you go, http://www.jiujitsuprogear.com/ is probably your best bet. This gi has gotten me through many tough competitions and training sessions; this 100% has my approval (if that means anything).



Come back in a day or two to check out part 2 where I'll tell you about two Korals and a Fuji!

The Importance of Top Game

Over the years I've noticed that a lot of the "young" lighter weights tend to neglect their top game, a fatal flaw. I myself didn't practice enough passing as a blue belt and have just recently been getting more comfortable with it. Today, you see so many of the lower ranked, lighter guys who look really impressive off of their back, but then get on top and look like they have no clue; this might fly in some competitions, but eventually it will catch up to them. That is why I really enjoy watching Leo Vieira videos, he is one of those few feather weights who actually seems to prefer playing on top, not only that, but he is very exciting. I feel I've learned a lot just by watching Vieira and I get excited to watch him compete. Here is a highlight of his that I really enjoy and hope you do as well.

Roger Gracie Mount

Lately in training we've been going over a lot of mount work that is based off of Roger Gracie, due to the fact that no one really seems to compare to him in this aspect of the game. If you watch the video below, you can see basically every detail of Roger's entry to mount, from shoulder pressure to leg placement. My favorite part about this move is the little trick for the shoulder pressure, it almost turns side control into a choke itself and really makes your opponent want to give up the mount as to be more comfortable. My coach, Gustavo Dantas, told me about the video I am posting, he has really been studying this guy's videos a lot. It is basically a series of this guy who breaks down Roger's game and puts it into an instructional. He does all aspect's of the world champions game, but this is my personal favorite. He has other videos too, but I would just stick to the ones that say they are Roger moves. You can check out the rest of the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TrumpetDanBJJ.

No Gi World Championships (Review)

This past weekend I competed in the No Gi World Championships, held by the IBJJF in Long Beach, California at the Walter Pyramid. It was a great experience and I actually had more fun than I usuallly do while competing.

First off, this was the most behind schedule Federation tournament that I have ever been apart of, but with 800 people in one day it really wasn't too bad. My open weight division didn't start untill probably about an hour later than it was scheduled to begin,, if not more . The purple belt light weight division didn't end untill about 6:30 and the open was supposed to be at 6:00, so, needless to say, they were off by a little bit. In all my years, this was really the only noticeably behind schedule Federation tournament I have ever been a part of. That being said, this won't deter me from any future IBJJF tournaments and I still highly recommend them to everyone.

As far as results and great matches go, I didn't really get to catch many due to the fact that I was competing at the same time as the black belt finals and I was helping out my teammates during the preliminary rounds. One thing I did notice though was a pretty cool sight, training partners, Caio Terra and Samir Chantre, fought in the finals of the light feather weight division. In a time of gentlmen's agreements and closing out divisions, this was pretty cool to see. Terra ended up taking the title by points in a hard fought match. Much respect to them for going at it.

As mentioned above, I had a lot of fun competing this time around. I made my return to the feather weight division after a short stint at lightweight. It actually end up going pretty well, I had a by first round moving me on to face Vin Phung (Lotus Club) in the second round. Phung was tough and had a good base, but I eventually swept him and landed in half guard. From there I secured a darce and finished it for the victory. My next fight was the quarter finals, facing me against a tough fighter from Undisputed, I cannot remember his name, but he put up a great fight. I ended winning the bout 4-0 from two sweeps. This victory placed me in the semi-finals with the young Gianni Grippo ( Renzo Gracie). Grippo was very strong, possibly the strongest feather weight I have ever faced. We both pulled guard and sat for a little bit, eventually he came on top and I went upside down, as I transitioned he hopped all the way over to my back claiming the four points. From there he sunk in the rear naked and I was forced to tap. I was disappointed, but I will come back stronger from this and I am grateful that I took third at the No Gi World Championships. Afterwards, I signed up for the open weight, something I always enjoy doing when I have the chance even though it doesn't seem to be too popular with guys my weight. I don't know what it is, but I enjoy the rush of fighting someone bigger than me, plus, a guy my size has nothing to lose. I didn't quite get the best bracketing, drawing the eventual champion, DJ Jackson (Lloyd Irvin), first round. Jackson by far has the tightest game of anyone that I have ever competed against. He was all over me, taking me down, passing my guard, mounting me. He was just too strong, big, and technical for me. I hung tough for awhile, not giving up the submission. I eventually got back to guard and with about a minute or so left I tried to transition to outside half, he hopped onto a kimura, I slipped my arm out, but he went right into a straight armbar after that, popping my arm and forcing me to tap.

This tournament was definitely a great experience and I am very glad I returned to a better weight for me. I'm especially happy, not only because I placed, doing what is probably the biggest achievement of my purple belt career, but I also had fun. I mean that is what we all learn as kids, right? The most important thing is to have fun.

Keep Your Politics Out of My Jiu-Jitsu

I never understood it; biased reffing, buying black belts, why? Does it really have to be that way? Do you really have to stoop to that level?

I've noticed it ever since my first IBJJF tournament, the 2006 American Nationals; referees making wrong calls in favor of their own teammates, sometimes teammates that don't even train with them, but train at some distant affiliate of their own team. I mean this does largely fall on one team in particular (I won't name any names, but I'm sure most of us know who I'm talking about), but I have seen it amongst smaller circles as well. Are you really willing to go so far as to cheat some poor kid (I have seen this even in the juvenile division) that you don't even know out of a title? All for what, a couple extra team points? It's disgraceful and those who participate should be ashamed to even be apart of the sport we all love so much. This by and large is what I feel is one of the biggest problems in Jiu-Jitsu today. Not only is it disrespectful to the sport, but what about the athletes who didn't ask to win that way? Does the win really feel the same? I'm sure there's the select few who don't care and will resort to any means necessary to come out the victor, but for the most part I'm sure it's not how many people want it to be. I for one would not be happy with that ruling and would feel like my title did not mean as much. The referees need to learn not to be so selfish and think about what they are doing, not only to the competitor that they screwed, but the one who they "helped" as well.

Along with this goes the discussion of buying affiliation and even worse. . . BLACK BELTS!! Has the sport really come to this level of lack of pride and morals? Being that I train in Arizona, I have noticed a lot of this. I'm sure it's bad in other states, but it seems to be particularly bad here. With issues such as one of the state's foremost fake black belts being abble to just buy his way into one of the world's largest BJJ teams (still, no names, although some can figure it out). This "affiliation" program is the very thing that is watering down our sport. The way this works makes things very deceiving to the beginning practitioner, making them believe that this school is legitimate due to the name. Also, some legitimate black belts out there are willing to tarnish their own names in exchange for a belt-for-money deal. An instructor should be able to take pride in anyone representing them not just worry about the money they're making, and when these things come out, they usually do, your name will never be the same, it may only be in hushed circles, but people know. What's just as big a problem, if not worse, is scam artists giving themselves black belts, again, no names, well. . . Roland Sarria! What!? Did I just say that!? I mean, come on, the guy says God gave him his black belt and compares himself to Batman. . . Need I say more? This is another situation where I don't understand how a full grown adult can do this to another person. You are taking these kids' hard earned money and feeding them crap in the mean time, the kids, knowing no better, eat it up and believe that what they are learning is real and effective. It sickens me! Something should be done about it, I don't know what, but the Jiu-Jitsu community needs to get together and think of something for all of these subjects. Feel free to leave some suggestions on the blog and let me know what you think should be done.

Know the Rules!!

To this day it amazes me how many people go to tournaments and compete without knowing the rules. It seems at least a couple times a tournament there is someone arguing with the referee over rules that are clearly stated. This is such a hastle for the tournament promoters and staff, so do us all a favor if you are competing this weekend at the No Gi Worlds and watch the above video on the rules and part 2 found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE4ouhqHAB0.  Knowing the rules will make for a much more enjoyable experience for you, the staff, and other competitors, so PLEASE take the time. Hopefully I’ll see you guys there this weekend; come say, “Hi” if you see me out at the pyramid.

The Power of Words

Over the years I have found various quotes from historic figures, bands, etc. to be helpful in motivation and getting you through the tough times in training or just life in general. So, with that being said, I figured I would share with you some of my favorite quotes, let me know yours as well:

“Broken dreams are built to make you strong.” - Authority Zero (Band)(This quote is actually printed on my competition shorts)

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” - Thomas Edison

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucious

“Look in the jaws of your own demise, watch your life pass before your eyes. Did you live like a dream come true, or did you just survive? Did you do all you could do? In a fall from a burning tower, what would you do with just one more hour? Live that hour out everyday like it was your last, you’ll live much better that way.” - Pennywise (Band)

“A strong man doesn’t need to read the future, he makes his own.” - Solid Snake (Video Game Character)
“If I could change the past, I never would. Some call them mistakes, I call them lessons learned.” - Authority Zero

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.”  - African Proverb

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”  - Truman Capote

“All your friends and peers and family solemnly tell you, ‘You will have to grow up, be an adult, be bored and unfulfilled’, when no ones yet explained to me exactly what’s so great about slaving 50 years away on something that you hate.” - Frank Turner (Musician)

“Don’t be blinded by the glare you see. Keep on in search what makes you happy, make it happen, go, and dream. Dreams become a reality. Run with this life, believe in all you’ve dreamt, and keep on trusting in who it is you are.” - Authority Zero

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

2nd AZ Fusion Seminar w/7x World Champion Robson Moura

November 20th and 21st bring a great opportunity to all in Arizona. 7x World Champion Robson Moura will be teaching a seminar along side 2x World Champion Gustavo Dantas. If you have the chance, I highly recommend attending this event. I was lucky enough to participate in a Robson seminar a few years back as a blue belt and I cannot say enough good things about how Robinho teaches. I think all in attendance will find the $60 fee to be well worth it. Below is all the information you will need about the seminar, taken from http://www.gdjiujitsu.com/.

“Gustavo Dantas and Robson Moura (7x World Champion) will be teaching a Gi Seminar on November 20th & 21st from 10 am to 1:00 pm in two different locations, Tempe (AZ Combat Sports) and East Mesa (Tigers Lair AZ). Everyone who pre-registers by November 16th will receive a free seminar T-Shirt and a free issue of Gracie Mag. The seminar is open to everyone.

This seminar will cover specific techniques, tips, and exercises focused on strengthening and fine tuning your competitive game. From working out of tough positions and situations to learning how to use the IBJJF rules in your favor, the 2nd Arizona FUSION Seminar will give you the tools you need to have an extra edge over your opponents.

For those who may not know, Fusion is the title of Robson Moura’s Instructional DVD series which is produced by World Martial Arts. GD assisted Robson in the making of all three volumes (Fusion 1 and 2, and Robson’s latest release Super No-Gi).

All competitors will receive an issue of Gracie Mag. Also, all attendees will receive a raffle ticket to win free entry to the 6th AZ International Open on February 26th & 27th, 2011, or other prizes provided by OTM Fight Shop.

Space is limited to 60 attendees each day, so pre register now to secure your spot at the 2nd Arizona FUSION Seminar. Here are the rates:

■Pre-Registration until Tuesday, November 16th (T-Shirt Included) $60
■Registration online ends on November 19th at 11:59 pm. (T-Shirt Not-Included) $70

Click here to Register

No Registrations at the door!

November 20th (10 am to 1 pm)

Arizona Combat Sports
1401 S. McClintock Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-310-5483

November 21th (10 am to 1pm)

Tiger’s Lair AZ
2055 S. Power Rd. Entrance 4
Mesa, AZ 85209
(Power Square Mall)
480-357-2299

More info with Gustavo Dantas @ 480-310-5483 or gustavo@novauniao.com”

To Drill or Not to Drill. . .

It had been sitting in front of my face for quite sometime. What makes these guys so good? I knew what it was all along, but I was too stupid to take advantage of it. “Oh, that won’t make a difference,” I told myself. Finally, I cracked. It was time to drill, but not just normal drill, I mean get out there and practice moves untill perfection. No more lazy, drill a couple of times and go on under the false pretense that I had the technique mastered. All the athletes bursting onto the seen as of late do it, why not me? Maybe I was too stubborn or I saw some guys get good results with little drilling, I don’t know, but it was dumb. This epiphany hit me last week. I had seen the interviews before, but for some reason, it really hit me this time. I rewatched the Shoyoroll interview with American phenom, JT Torres (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0j8w0ylEos) and realized something: Team Lloyd Irvin takes their drilling seriously! I mean not just ‘When you drill in class, drill well’, but WHOLE classes dedicated to drilling. And I mean, with the results they’re putting on the table, how can you argue?

Once this hit me, I called up my main training partner, John Cordera, and he was feeling the same way at the time. We made the plans and went in Saturday for our first “real” drilling session: One move for five minutes straight of non-stop drilling, then we would trade off. We did this for a little over an hour untill it was time to go. By the time the five minutes was up for the move, and I mean maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I honestly felt like the technique was tighter, faster, smoother, and all around better than it was at the beginning. John and I made plans to continue this every Saturday from now on in an experiment that I’m sure will yield great results. One thing is for sure though, from now on I’m going to take the drilling part of class more seriously and I will take every extra chance I get to get on the mat and drill more. Let me know what your drilling habits are like, I would love to hear all about them.