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.