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.

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”

Taking the Back

So, in practice this week and last my coach, Gustavo Dantas, has really been breaking down taking the back. While in practice he showed us this Marcelo Garcia highlight, wisely so because I mean who better to show the position than “The Human Backpack” himself. While breaking apart this position Gustavo pointed out a few of the details that Marcelo seems to do better than most. Among these was the fact that when his opponent is scooting his butt out to escape, Garcia pulls them to the opposite side and scoots his own butt out to compensate, as seen at 4:10. Also, if you watch at multiple points in the video, you will notice that Garcia does not always worry about getting his second hook. Lots of times as he is rolling to take the back he will attack the neck while his opponent is worried about the second hook coming in, catching them off guard. These details, combined with his over-under grip and years of practice, are what make him not only good, but the best at taking the back. I hope you enjoy the video and find these tips helpful!!