Cool highlight of Jiu-Jitsu techniques as demonstrated by the legend that is Vinicius Magalhaes (Draculino)
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Submission: Gogoplata
I havent had chance to do a submission of the month for a while so this months will be the gogoplata. Here is a definition from Wikipedia
"The gogoplata is executed from a guard, commonly from a "rubber guard", where the legs are held very high against the opponent's upper back. The fighter then slips one foot in front of the opponent's head and under his chin, locks his hands behind the opponent's head, and chokes the opponent by pressing his shin or instep against the opponent's trachea. A variation called a Locoplata is when the bottom man uses his free foot to push up on the choking foot and increase pressure."
In my opinion this defintion is some what lacking and credit should go to one of the pioneers of the gogoplata Nino Schrembi. Here Nino demonstrates the Gogoplata:
Here Ryan Hall finishes a No-Gi grappling match with the submission:
The gogoplata has also been used effectively in MMA. Shinya Aoki perfomred his first successful gogoplata in MMA on Joachim Hansen at PRIDE Shockwave 2006 and his first successful mounted gogoplata on Katsuhiko Nagata at DREAM 4. Former UFC Heavyweight fighter Brad Imes calls himself "Mr. Gogoplata", after winning two matches in a row with the maneuver. Nick Diaz defeated Takanori Gomi using the gogoplata at Pride 33, only to have the victory changed to a NC due to positive test for marijuana in the post-fight drug screen. Here is Nick Diaz doing what he does best:
"The gogoplata is executed from a guard, commonly from a "rubber guard", where the legs are held very high against the opponent's upper back. The fighter then slips one foot in front of the opponent's head and under his chin, locks his hands behind the opponent's head, and chokes the opponent by pressing his shin or instep against the opponent's trachea. A variation called a Locoplata is when the bottom man uses his free foot to push up on the choking foot and increase pressure."
In my opinion this defintion is some what lacking and credit should go to one of the pioneers of the gogoplata Nino Schrembi. Here Nino demonstrates the Gogoplata:
Here Ryan Hall finishes a No-Gi grappling match with the submission:
The gogoplata has also been used effectively in MMA. Shinya Aoki perfomred his first successful gogoplata in MMA on Joachim Hansen at PRIDE Shockwave 2006 and his first successful mounted gogoplata on Katsuhiko Nagata at DREAM 4. Former UFC Heavyweight fighter Brad Imes calls himself "Mr. Gogoplata", after winning two matches in a row with the maneuver. Nick Diaz defeated Takanori Gomi using the gogoplata at Pride 33, only to have the victory changed to a NC due to positive test for marijuana in the post-fight drug screen. Here is Nick Diaz doing what he does best:
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Cobrinha Seminar 2010 GB Mansfield
As most of you know I am a big fan of Rubens Charles Maciel(aka Cobrinha) and when I found out that he was visiting the UK to perform a series of seminars for Champ Camp, I was the first in line for my ticket. As, I currently train at Victor Estima's and his associated clubs I attended the Mansfield date on Sun 29th August.
I went to bed early on the 28th and as soon as I hit my head on the pillow 'bang' my nose started to run like a tap. It may have been all the excitement but I woke up feeling like crap and I knew that man flu was imminent, typical. If it was any other training session I would have taken the day off but I was not going to miss this for the world.
After a quick breakfast and a good old moan, we set off nice and early to Mansfield. With some Niki Lauder style driving and a clear run down the M1, we arrived a good 30 minutes before the seminar started. Walking through the door I immediately recognised Cobrinha and his Morrissey style quiff, and I have to say he was alot smaller than I thought he was. Strangely the first thing that popped into my mind was not BJJ related but infact related to Capoeria. Unfortunatley I was unable to pluck up the courage to ask him to show me some Capoeria or to get him to give my brother some tips on his 'jenga'. In hindsight it was probably a good job I didn't as my bros 'jenga' is stiff and unrhymthmic to say the least.
Signing the waver form hoping nothing too bad would happen ;-) I went to get changed and hid a few pieces of tissue up the sleeve of my rash guard, not for some Paul Daniels style magic, no, but in case of a nose running emergency, classy. Walking into the dojo I was greeted by many familiar faces from BJJ School, Eamonn Madden, Jackson Fortunado and Daniel Agard. Now I am pretty envious of the BJJ school guys as not only do they get to train with Cobrinha at every date on his UK tour but recently it would seem many top names in the BJJ world such as Terrere have been popping into their club for a visit. Occasionally I get chance to get a sneaky session in at BJJ school. I am always made to feel welcome there and everytime I visit I manage to get a tough roll in, especially with Daniel Agard who has some slick Jiu-Jitsu. Today I think Daniel thought he was seeing double, as it was the first time he had met my brother. Now for some strange reason people think my bro and myself look a like, but for the record he is ginger and I am not (joke). We do have a very similar BJJ game though.
Here is a pic of my bro, Cobrinha and myself:
Nearing the start of the seminar the place began to fill up nicely with people from a variety of different teams across the UK. I saw a large contingent from Alliance UK and Nottingham BJJ as well as people from GB Brum and even further a field. As usual I nearly missed the start of the seminar as I was having a good chin wag and moan to Adam from GB Leeds. The Paxman brothers have started to call me "the Jaw"for some reason, heaven knows why.
The session started with a quick introduction and a warm up. The warm up involved 2 variations of a single leg take down. It was at this moment I wished I had done some more stretching and gentle exercise before hand instead of chin wagging. After plenty of drilling and without further hesitation we went straight into the techniques. The subject focus of the Mansfield seminar was on guard passing, specifically passing the Spider and DLR guard (note the subject focus for the Manchester and London seminars were different). Cobrinha gave some nice little details on each of the techniques. I could see many similarities in his game to Andre Galvao, Lucas Lepri and Terrere, which he must have learnt from his time spent at the TT school (or so I would like to think). One thing I did notice with Cobrinha is that he made everything look easy and his movement and ability to predict peoples reactions was great.
To finish off the session we were told to pair up with someone we hadn't sparred with before. I was paired with Lee (Livingstone)head instructor at Nottingham BJJ. I could feel energy levels falling little by little. Now usually my cardio is great and I am the last person on the mat but after my first roll I felt very queasy. Not only due to the fact that Lee is good and I was feeling rough from my cold but the round turned out to be 20 minutes long. Now if I had known that I would have paced myself a little better. Wanting to spar further but feeling like I was going to be sick I sat out and watched the next few rounds (which weren't as long). Luckily I had other's keeping me company on the side lines. Victor was feeling a little under the weather today also, but I am not surprised with the arrival of a new baby and all kinds of viruses/colds going round the club. We watched the final rolls intently and there was some really good technical Jiu-Jitsu on show. A special mention has to go to 'David5' who was grappling in one shiny golden football shin pad. This was due to a bruised shin that he suffered at the hands of Jody "the Axeman' Paxman.
Below, chilling near the end of sparring:
At the end my bro managed to get a minute roll with the man himself, which made me slightly envious, but hey I couldn't complain as I was feeling rough. Unfortunately Jamie aka Young Roger Gracie cut short (no pun intended) Cobrinhas rolling when he caught him with an accidental knee to the lip. A few pieces of tissue were needed to mop up the blood and Cobrinha managed to survive his time in Mansfield relativley unscaved.
Below are the Paxman bro's with Cobrinha and Victor (If you look closely on the picture below Cobrinha is sucking in his bottom lip to hide the cut):
The seminar was brought to a close by a photo session and certificate presentation. Overall a great seminar with people from all different clubs. Just goes to show the unity of the UK BJJ scence.
Thanks for taking the time to read my boring 'school boy diary like' report.
Until next time Movimento Lento blog followers.
I went to bed early on the 28th and as soon as I hit my head on the pillow 'bang' my nose started to run like a tap. It may have been all the excitement but I woke up feeling like crap and I knew that man flu was imminent, typical. If it was any other training session I would have taken the day off but I was not going to miss this for the world.
After a quick breakfast and a good old moan, we set off nice and early to Mansfield. With some Niki Lauder style driving and a clear run down the M1, we arrived a good 30 minutes before the seminar started. Walking through the door I immediately recognised Cobrinha and his Morrissey style quiff, and I have to say he was alot smaller than I thought he was. Strangely the first thing that popped into my mind was not BJJ related but infact related to Capoeria. Unfortunatley I was unable to pluck up the courage to ask him to show me some Capoeria or to get him to give my brother some tips on his 'jenga'. In hindsight it was probably a good job I didn't as my bros 'jenga' is stiff and unrhymthmic to say the least.
Signing the waver form hoping nothing too bad would happen ;-) I went to get changed and hid a few pieces of tissue up the sleeve of my rash guard, not for some Paul Daniels style magic, no, but in case of a nose running emergency, classy. Walking into the dojo I was greeted by many familiar faces from BJJ School, Eamonn Madden, Jackson Fortunado and Daniel Agard. Now I am pretty envious of the BJJ school guys as not only do they get to train with Cobrinha at every date on his UK tour but recently it would seem many top names in the BJJ world such as Terrere have been popping into their club for a visit. Occasionally I get chance to get a sneaky session in at BJJ school. I am always made to feel welcome there and everytime I visit I manage to get a tough roll in, especially with Daniel Agard who has some slick Jiu-Jitsu. Today I think Daniel thought he was seeing double, as it was the first time he had met my brother. Now for some strange reason people think my bro and myself look a like, but for the record he is ginger and I am not (joke). We do have a very similar BJJ game though.
Here is a pic of my bro, Cobrinha and myself:
Nearing the start of the seminar the place began to fill up nicely with people from a variety of different teams across the UK. I saw a large contingent from Alliance UK and Nottingham BJJ as well as people from GB Brum and even further a field. As usual I nearly missed the start of the seminar as I was having a good chin wag and moan to Adam from GB Leeds. The Paxman brothers have started to call me "the Jaw"for some reason, heaven knows why.
The session started with a quick introduction and a warm up. The warm up involved 2 variations of a single leg take down. It was at this moment I wished I had done some more stretching and gentle exercise before hand instead of chin wagging. After plenty of drilling and without further hesitation we went straight into the techniques. The subject focus of the Mansfield seminar was on guard passing, specifically passing the Spider and DLR guard (note the subject focus for the Manchester and London seminars were different). Cobrinha gave some nice little details on each of the techniques. I could see many similarities in his game to Andre Galvao, Lucas Lepri and Terrere, which he must have learnt from his time spent at the TT school (or so I would like to think). One thing I did notice with Cobrinha is that he made everything look easy and his movement and ability to predict peoples reactions was great.
To finish off the session we were told to pair up with someone we hadn't sparred with before. I was paired with Lee (Livingstone)head instructor at Nottingham BJJ. I could feel energy levels falling little by little. Now usually my cardio is great and I am the last person on the mat but after my first roll I felt very queasy. Not only due to the fact that Lee is good and I was feeling rough from my cold but the round turned out to be 20 minutes long. Now if I had known that I would have paced myself a little better. Wanting to spar further but feeling like I was going to be sick I sat out and watched the next few rounds (which weren't as long). Luckily I had other's keeping me company on the side lines. Victor was feeling a little under the weather today also, but I am not surprised with the arrival of a new baby and all kinds of viruses/colds going round the club. We watched the final rolls intently and there was some really good technical Jiu-Jitsu on show. A special mention has to go to 'David5' who was grappling in one shiny golden football shin pad. This was due to a bruised shin that he suffered at the hands of Jody "the Axeman' Paxman.
Below, chilling near the end of sparring:
At the end my bro managed to get a minute roll with the man himself, which made me slightly envious, but hey I couldn't complain as I was feeling rough. Unfortunately Jamie aka Young Roger Gracie cut short (no pun intended) Cobrinhas rolling when he caught him with an accidental knee to the lip. A few pieces of tissue were needed to mop up the blood and Cobrinha managed to survive his time in Mansfield relativley unscaved.
Below are the Paxman bro's with Cobrinha and Victor (If you look closely on the picture below Cobrinha is sucking in his bottom lip to hide the cut):
The seminar was brought to a close by a photo session and certificate presentation. Overall a great seminar with people from all different clubs. Just goes to show the unity of the UK BJJ scence.
Thanks for taking the time to read my boring 'school boy diary like' report.
Until next time Movimento Lento blog followers.
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Knees
Jiu-Jitsu can really take it out on your knees as the knee joint is forced to move in unnatural ways and in many different planes. Take the 2010 Mundial Medium Heavyweight Finals for instance where Rommulo Barral was forced to withdraw from his match with Tarsis Humphreys due to a knee injury. Also, many people in my club have had bad knees. Recently my knee has been making some strange sounds too.
As knees can be very weak as demonstrated above, this makes them obvious targets for some seriously painful submissions. Now most people have seen the standard knee bar but sometimes a knee bar can catch people unaware I like to call these "sneaky knee bars". Here Oli G finishes a match at Ground Control "Beat the Heat":
Now many people maybe wondering what happened so here to demonstrate is Comprido:
I do not want to encourage any knee reaping type behavior, so please remember knee bars can't be done until Brown Belt in BJJ. Also, it is illegal at all belt levels for your outside leg to cross the waist line when wrapping the leg. Go lightly on your partner when dilling this knee bar, believe me it comes on quickly, my knee made a loud click when my bro put it on me.
As knees can be very weak as demonstrated above, this makes them obvious targets for some seriously painful submissions. Now most people have seen the standard knee bar but sometimes a knee bar can catch people unaware I like to call these "sneaky knee bars". Here Oli G finishes a match at Ground Control "Beat the Heat":
Now many people maybe wondering what happened so here to demonstrate is Comprido:
I do not want to encourage any knee reaping type behavior, so please remember knee bars can't be done until Brown Belt in BJJ. Also, it is illegal at all belt levels for your outside leg to cross the waist line when wrapping the leg. Go lightly on your partner when dilling this knee bar, believe me it comes on quickly, my knee made a loud click when my bro put it on me.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Submission: Armbar
This months submission is the Armbar. Here is a web definition (you can't beat a good old definition):
"An armbar (sometimes called a straight armbar) is a joint lock that hyperextends the elbow joint. It is typically applied by placing the opponent's extended arm at the elbow over a fulcrum such as an arm, leg or hip, and controlling the opponent's body while leveraging the arm over the fulcrum."
To cut along story short you bend the arm to the point of snapping. Now it is worth noting that some people have double jointed elbows, so I would recommend choking them out instead. Here the legend that is Roger Gracie demonstrates how an arm bar should be done, double joints or no double joints I don't think anyone will be surviving a monstrous Roger Gracie armbar:
Movimento Lento blog followers, what is your favourite submission?
"An armbar (sometimes called a straight armbar) is a joint lock that hyperextends the elbow joint. It is typically applied by placing the opponent's extended arm at the elbow over a fulcrum such as an arm, leg or hip, and controlling the opponent's body while leveraging the arm over the fulcrum."
To cut along story short you bend the arm to the point of snapping. Now it is worth noting that some people have double jointed elbows, so I would recommend choking them out instead. Here the legend that is Roger Gracie demonstrates how an arm bar should be done, double joints or no double joints I don't think anyone will be surviving a monstrous Roger Gracie armbar:
Movimento Lento blog followers, what is your favourite submission?
Monday, 5 July 2010
Turtle Surfing - Don't forget to enjoy Jiu-Jitsu
Sometimes when training hard every day and preparing for competitions we can sometimes take things a little too seriously; and loose sight of the real reason why we participate in the Arte Suave. That reason is FUN.
After watching, many Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in action most notably Ricardo Vieira, Lucas Lepri and Andre Galvao I noticed that they liked to surf their opponent when their opponent was in turtle position. Usually this was done to open their opponent up to get their hooks in. This got the cog's in Movimento Lento's brain turning and I came up with a FUN game that my friends and myself like to play called "Turtle Surfing".
Now this is purely for FUN, and people should take it with a pinch of salt.
The idea of turtle surfing is to surf your opponent in turtle position for as long as possible. I have managed to surf and have been surfed on. The reigning turtle surfing champion in our club was Andre "Young Roger Gracie" Paxman, well that was until I stole his crown.
Have a go when you have 'down time' and let me know how you get on. Try and be as creative as you can and most importantly have fun.
Below is a VB Team HL with Ricardo Vieira, check 44secs for some serious surfing
On his DVD Lucas Lepri demonstrates the turtle surfing technique, however rather than upload this I thought it would be best to include this Lucas Lepri highlight for your viewing pleasure. This is one of my favourite Jiu-Jitsu highlights on the web.
Finally to finish here is Andre Galvao rolling with some of his students, having FUN with his Jiu-Jitsu
After watching, many Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in action most notably Ricardo Vieira, Lucas Lepri and Andre Galvao I noticed that they liked to surf their opponent when their opponent was in turtle position. Usually this was done to open their opponent up to get their hooks in. This got the cog's in Movimento Lento's brain turning and I came up with a FUN game that my friends and myself like to play called "Turtle Surfing".
Now this is purely for FUN, and people should take it with a pinch of salt.
The idea of turtle surfing is to surf your opponent in turtle position for as long as possible. I have managed to surf and have been surfed on. The reigning turtle surfing champion in our club was Andre "Young Roger Gracie" Paxman, well that was until I stole his crown.
Have a go when you have 'down time' and let me know how you get on. Try and be as creative as you can and most importantly have fun.
Below is a VB Team HL with Ricardo Vieira, check 44secs for some serious surfing
On his DVD Lucas Lepri demonstrates the turtle surfing technique, however rather than upload this I thought it would be best to include this Lucas Lepri highlight for your viewing pleasure. This is one of my favourite Jiu-Jitsu highlights on the web.
Finally to finish here is Andre Galvao rolling with some of his students, having FUN with his Jiu-Jitsu
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Victor Estima Charity Seminar
Today Movimento Lento accompanied by Andre "Young Roger Gracie" Paxman and Movimento Lento Co-Reporter himself Jody "The Axeman" Paxman; headed over to GB Midlands for a special fundraising seminar.
The fund raising event was in aid of Victor and Braulio Estima's father who's life had been left devastated by the recent floods in Northern Brazil (For more information and to see the full scale of the disaster click here).
After a quick journey down the M1 thanks to some Niki Lauder style driving skills we arrived at the academy on time. Walking into the academy we were greeted by a huge gathering of people from all over the country, including our fellow GB Halifax and Leeds team mates, who had come to show their support for this worthy course. Today's seminar focus was on the open guard and controlling the opponent in open guard. Personally I learnt some really great control details that I will be trying to implement into my game.
Overall a good day for a worthy course. It is always good to meet and share ideas and techniques with fellow practitioners of the Arte Suave. Big shout out to all the people who made it. Above is a picture from the event, click through for a larger image.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Submission: Omoplata
It is that time of month again where I highlight one of my favourite submissions today is the turn of the Omoplata. I will spare you the fancy definitions this time, so sit up straight I want your full attention, you will not be needing that extra caffeine boast or your daily steroid injection. Basically, the Omoplata is a shoulder lock performed using the legs. The Omoplata can be set up in numerous ways and obtained from many different positions. As Jiu-Jitsu develops people are coming up with more creative ways to obtain the Omoplata. I know I often dream about the Omoplata. To see the Omoplata in action take a look at the videos below.
Here is a HL of one of my favourite Jiu-Jitsu practitioners Antonio "Nino" Schembri. Check out his crazy Omoplatas.
Marcelo Garcia also has a great Omoplata, here is a short clip from the Arte Suave Lifestyle DVD. Notice the Omoplata set up he uses at 1.02 and 1.35.
So there you have it the Omoplata. I am off to practice it on some Umpa Lumpas. Why don't you do the same and let me know how you get on. Until next time Movimento Lento Blog followers!!!
Here is a HL of one of my favourite Jiu-Jitsu practitioners Antonio "Nino" Schembri. Check out his crazy Omoplatas.
Marcelo Garcia also has a great Omoplata, here is a short clip from the Arte Suave Lifestyle DVD. Notice the Omoplata set up he uses at 1.02 and 1.35.
So there you have it the Omoplata. I am off to practice it on some Umpa Lumpas. Why don't you do the same and let me know how you get on. Until next time Movimento Lento Blog followers!!!
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Cauliflower Ear
Movimento Lento Blog followers may have noticed, I haven't posted a Blog for a little while. This is mainly because I have been getting writers block but I have also been enjoying the sunshine and discovering the Great British sea side resort of Southsea, Portsmouth.
Today's Blog is a short blog on something referred to as the Perichondrial Hematoma better known as cauliflower ear. Now the likelihood is, is if you are regular BJJ practioner or martial artist you will have encountered the cauliflower ear. For those of you haven't, here is an article from the Washington Post, about Cauliflower ears in Wrestling.
Below some UFC stars give their thoughts on the bacon ear, I mean cauliflower ear
Here is James Thompson's ear exploding in a fight against Kimbo Slice
The best way to prevent cauliflower ear is to wear an ear guard. Although I don't wear an ear guard now I have tried many brands. I have found the Cliff Keen ear guard to be the best. I am particularly fascinated by one of the new Cliff Keen designs (here), it is suspiciously similar to another type of mask. I bet it doesn't take a genius to guess what Cliff gets up to in his spare time.
Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on the cauliflower ear.
Today's Blog is a short blog on something referred to as the Perichondrial Hematoma better known as cauliflower ear. Now the likelihood is, is if you are regular BJJ practioner or martial artist you will have encountered the cauliflower ear. For those of you haven't, here is an article from the Washington Post, about Cauliflower ears in Wrestling.
Below some UFC stars give their thoughts on the bacon ear, I mean cauliflower ear
Here is James Thompson's ear exploding in a fight against Kimbo Slice
The best way to prevent cauliflower ear is to wear an ear guard. Although I don't wear an ear guard now I have tried many brands. I have found the Cliff Keen ear guard to be the best. I am particularly fascinated by one of the new Cliff Keen designs (here), it is suspiciously similar to another type of mask. I bet it doesn't take a genius to guess what Cliff gets up to in his spare time.
Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on the cauliflower ear.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Half Guard
Roberto Correa (Gordo) is credited with developing the position referred to as the half guard. He began using the half guard after a serious knee injury when he was still a purple belt. The half guard has developed over the years from a more defensive position to a more offensive one. However, opinions on the half guard remain divided. If you are from the 'guard smashing' camp you may say that it is half way to passing guard and that the position should be avoided where possible. On the other hand if you are from the 'guard player' camp one may argue that the position is an offensive position that can be used to set up numerous sweeps and submissions. Personally I enjoy playing the half guard but I don't like to hang out there for too long. Mainly, because I feel like that I am susceptible to chokes but, also I tend to struggle to keep on my side especially with heavier opponents when they are trying to flatten me out. So who are the best half guard players today?
Here are my favourites: Celso Vinicius, Marcelo Garcia, Jeff Glover, Cyborg, Lucas Leite, Robson Moura and the UK's very own Oli Geddes. I also think that Demian Maia, Andre Galvao, Minotauro and Wilson Reis have used the position effectively in MMA. Check them out. I have included two videos one of Lucas Leite and the other of Jeff Glover.
Lucas Leite shows some effective half guard skills in the US Open No-Gi final
Below, is a great Jeff Glover highlight put together by Naledge.
Further information on the half guard:
Stephan Kesting summarises the different types of half guard here.
Here are 17 tips for an Active Bottom Half Guard .
Movimento Lento's favourite Half Guard instructionals: Half Guard with Gordo, Jeff Glovers Deep Half Guard, Robson Moura Fusion 2, Rigan Machado Secrets of the Half Guard, Cyborg Guard Series, Vince Quituguas Lost Techniques of the Half Guard. Also, love or hate him Mr Eddie Bravo has an excellent half guard game well worth checking out his DVD. All the DVD's are available from Budovideos.
Here are my favourites: Celso Vinicius, Marcelo Garcia, Jeff Glover, Cyborg, Lucas Leite, Robson Moura and the UK's very own Oli Geddes. I also think that Demian Maia, Andre Galvao, Minotauro and Wilson Reis have used the position effectively in MMA. Check them out. I have included two videos one of Lucas Leite and the other of Jeff Glover.
Lucas Leite shows some effective half guard skills in the US Open No-Gi final
Below, is a great Jeff Glover highlight put together by Naledge.
Further information on the half guard:
Stephan Kesting summarises the different types of half guard here.
Here are 17 tips for an Active Bottom Half Guard .
Movimento Lento's favourite Half Guard instructionals: Half Guard with Gordo, Jeff Glovers Deep Half Guard, Robson Moura Fusion 2, Rigan Machado Secrets of the Half Guard, Cyborg Guard Series, Vince Quituguas Lost Techniques of the Half Guard. Also, love or hate him Mr Eddie Bravo has an excellent half guard game well worth checking out his DVD. All the DVD's are available from Budovideos.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Competition: Manchester Open 2010
MANCHEST'AH OPEN 'MY TEAM PERSPECTIVE'(To make this post a more enjoyable experience please feel free to scroll to the bottom and listen to the Stone Roses-Fools Gold whilst browsing).
I hate alarms I think they are a bad invention, one should wake up naturally, when our bodies are good and ready. As, I get older I find it increasingly harder to adjust to early mornings. Working on Brazilian time, I packed my bag with essentials (cold and flu tablets, a banana and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps) and headed over to the Sugden Sports Centre (the same venue as the Ground Control competition) in sunny Manchester; to spectate at the Manchester Open. The Manchester Open is a new competition on the circuit and is organised by Gus Oliviera of Grab and Pull.
Today I was fortunate enough to have chief Movimento Lento Blog co-reporter Jody "The Axeman" Paxman spectating with myself. Unfortunately the interviews the Axeman conducted may never see the light of day, mainly because I am technologically retarded and can't open the audio files. Luckily he was able to provide myself with a few photos. Also, the GB Halifax team was blessed to have fellow training partner and assistant coach, Darren Ward, on hand to perform pre-match massages (extras at added cost, or so I hear).
In action from GB Halifax/Dewsbury (Victor Estima) we had (amongst others):
Adam Medlock UHW White
Phil Ounsley HW White
Marc Leigh LW Blue
Jamie Paxman MW Blue
and from Nova Vida we had (amongst others):
Daniel Thompson FW Blue
Roberto Barbiero LW Blue an 'oldie' competing with the 'young guns' in the Adult division
Hanif Rehman LW Masters White
It was Mr Medlock's first gi competition and he looked incredibly nervous. Which is not surprising since the rest of his division either looked like they had been released from their weekly weight watchers programme or a Russian prison. Unfortunately Adam lost his first bout by kimura but he managed to pull off a nice sweep. I am sure Adam will be back stronger next time now that he has burst his competition cherry.
Big Phil Ounsley put in a stellar performance for his first BJJ gi comp and managed to clinch the gold. It must of been the brand spanking new gi, that he received for fathers day. Maybe a new gi for every comp is a sure fire path to success.
Now everyone will be glad to hear that Marc Leigh (mentioned in my previous post) DID actually make weight this time. Looking like a angry chiwhawha with his Arlovski style mouthguard he proceeded to dominate his first round opponent. Marc demonstrated good solid Jiu-Jitsu skills. He managed to execute a beautiful omoplata sweep and a total of 3 'Roleta' style sweeps, with one being stopped only by the judges table. This earned him a points victory and entry into the next round. In Marc's second fight he was up against the eventual winner (and a seasoned blue belt). Mr Leigh showed excellent top game work and was shutting down his opponents half guard, until one mistake led to him being swept and finished with the subsequent cross choke submission. Unfortunately, Marc looked slightly 'gassed' in his final fight and eventually tapped out to an arm bar. I think he just wanted to get to the pub for a justly deserved real ale ;-).
At only 19 years of age Jamie Paxman (aka Andre) was the top performer of the day from the club romping his way to the middleweight gold. Andre has been attending Victor Estima's academy on a more regular basis and this was evident from his matches. Looking calm and collected like a young Roger Gracie he manged to pass the guard and enforce his game on two of his opponents, this earned him a place in the final. The final was a close run contest, with Jamie leaving it until the last ten seconds of the fight to secure the back mount with hooks and ultimately victory. It was good to see the hard work finally starting to pay off. He has come along way since the only technique he knew was the Saulo Ribeiro running escape. (I have included a picture of Jamie with his gold medal, top left of post)
Daniel Thompson (aka the Flying Ferret), not having much luck of late (sunburn, broken car) continued with this trend loosing his first fight. Dan was very close to pulling off the 'Glover' half guard sweep, if he had of managed this task the outcome may have been very different. With some more hard training I am sure we will see Dan and his Californian tan again in the near future (Please check out Dan's blog here.).
Talking to our co-reporter "the Axeman", Roberto Barbiero said that he felt confident going into his matches and that he was going to take the victory by pulling guard and "snapping peoples arms off". In his first match he nearly managed to do just that but his opponent, with great tenacity, managed to escape. Rob eventually stormed to victory with a overwhelming points win. In his second match up Rob got unlucky, getting caught with a sneaky loop choke from guard to the eventual winner. Roberto's day was topped off by a poor performance by Italy in the World Cup.
Hanif Rehman at 36 years young put on a valiant performance and secured a bronze medal. Surprisingly Mr Rehman did not not recite an inspirational quote and seemed a little disappointed that he had lost his bout. I am sure we will see him back in action again soon enough.
The young girls from Nova Vida (Tia and Davina) gave it their all and performed exceptionally well. I did not manage to catch their final fights but it was great to see the youngsters in action, definitely some future grappling talent right there.
Everyone put in a great performance whether they won, lost or drew and it was great to watch and have a large team for support. It made me feel guilty for not competing and wimping out with a cold. Next time frens I will compete fo'sure.
So there you have it a day out at the Manchester Open with Movimento Lento and Co. Lots of great matches and up and coming stars.
I am off to buy myself a years supply of acai.
Til' next time.
Note: It was good to see fellow competitors, friends and spectators from Nova Vida, GB Leeds and other clubs. It was also nice to see my friend Paddy Carmody there competing, I have to say there seems to be some talent coming from GB Brum.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
GB Midlands: Victor Estima Invisible Jiu-Jitsu: Tips to Improve your Jiu-Jitsu
I always look forward to a Saturday, or anytime I get to train at GB Midlands for that matter. Not only are the facilities unbelievable and the tuition World Class, but (without kissing too much arse) Victor is is one of the most welcoming and friendly people I have met. In fact everyone who I have met there or had the pleasure to train with has been super friendly and helpful. I really think the academy is going to be a centre of excellence with people congregating from all over the Midlands and UK to share the 'gentle art'. I hear that British MMA stars such as Paul "Semtex" Daley and "Judo"Jimmy Wallhead have already paid a visit to the academy to train.
Since I started to train at the academy it has really got me to think more closely about my Jiu-Jitsu. Unfortunately I missed out on a lot of the basic techniques when I first started training so I am trying to relearn the basics and correct bad habits, the analogy I like to give is that of watching a movie. If you start at Part 5 but miss Parts 1-4 it is very hard to understand what is going on. The same can be true when learning Jiu-Jitsu and this is true in my instance.
Victor really epitomises invisible Jiu-Jitsu. What at first glance may may be passed off as a basic technique is in fact a well thought out procedure consisting of essential steps. Understanding 'why' you are performing these steps is of the up most importance. If you know 'why' you can apply this to other more complex techniques. Jiu-Jitsu works on the theory of leverage and balance. You want to get to positions and perform techniques with the least energy possible.
Training here really exposes your weaknesses. I always return from a lesson here with a direction and an area I need to improve. I like to think of it like a leaking beer barrel full of holes, with myself slowly trying to patch the leaks. I have already started to see improvements in my game and hope training here will continue to push my Jiu-Jitsu onto the next level.
Here are my top 5 tips to improve your Jiu-Jitsu (I am not claiming to be an authority on the subject)
1. Master the Basics
2. Understand why you are doing something (ask questions)
3. Expend as little energy as possible
4. Work on your weakest areas and correct bad habits ASAP
5. Enjoy!!!
Oh I nearly forgot one, train with Victor ;-)
I have included some pictures (courtesy of Mark Picton) of the academy, below, click through the picture for a larger image.
Facilities at the academy include a big plasma TV, a seating area showing fight DVDs, a seated spectator area, changing rooms with showers, 2 large matted areas (for now although there is more space for expansion), a shop where you can purchase Masaru gi's, rash guards and fight shorts; and a snack bar selling drinks, protein shakes and other nibbles.
Since I started to train at the academy it has really got me to think more closely about my Jiu-Jitsu. Unfortunately I missed out on a lot of the basic techniques when I first started training so I am trying to relearn the basics and correct bad habits, the analogy I like to give is that of watching a movie. If you start at Part 5 but miss Parts 1-4 it is very hard to understand what is going on. The same can be true when learning Jiu-Jitsu and this is true in my instance.
Victor really epitomises invisible Jiu-Jitsu. What at first glance may may be passed off as a basic technique is in fact a well thought out procedure consisting of essential steps. Understanding 'why' you are performing these steps is of the up most importance. If you know 'why' you can apply this to other more complex techniques. Jiu-Jitsu works on the theory of leverage and balance. You want to get to positions and perform techniques with the least energy possible.
Training here really exposes your weaknesses. I always return from a lesson here with a direction and an area I need to improve. I like to think of it like a leaking beer barrel full of holes, with myself slowly trying to patch the leaks. I have already started to see improvements in my game and hope training here will continue to push my Jiu-Jitsu onto the next level.
Here are my top 5 tips to improve your Jiu-Jitsu (I am not claiming to be an authority on the subject)
1. Master the Basics
2. Understand why you are doing something (ask questions)
3. Expend as little energy as possible
4. Work on your weakest areas and correct bad habits ASAP
5. Enjoy!!!
Oh I nearly forgot one, train with Victor ;-)
I have included some pictures (courtesy of Mark Picton) of the academy, below, click through the picture for a larger image.
Facilities at the academy include a big plasma TV, a seating area showing fight DVDs, a seated spectator area, changing rooms with showers, 2 large matted areas (for now although there is more space for expansion), a shop where you can purchase Masaru gi's, rash guards and fight shorts; and a snack bar selling drinks, protein shakes and other nibbles.
Links:
Website
GB Midlands
GB Midlands on Facebook:
Gracie Barra Midlands Victor Estima Academy
Gracie Barra Midlands
*this post is dedicated to the Paxman brothers for their support and continual lifts to training in Mansfield ;-).
GB Midlands
GB Midlands on Facebook:
Gracie Barra Midlands Victor Estima Academy
Gracie Barra Midlands
*this post is dedicated to the Paxman brothers for their support and continual lifts to training in Mansfield ;-).
Friday, 18 June 2010
Lesson: GB Halifax: Back Escapes
In my blog I will have a regular(ish) "Lesson" feature where I shall be highlighting a technique(s) that I have been learning at the various academies I train at. This week is the turn of the GB Halifax academy. where we have been working on Back Escapes.
Anyone who has ever found another person on their back will know that it is not a nice position to be in. Well unless of course you are a bit kinky and are partial to a bit of that type of thing. Regardless, you never know when you may need to escape from this position. Therefore it is essential to have escapes in you arsenal. Below, Saulo Ribeiro, shows a way to escape the back position. This snippet was taken from his DVD entitled Jiu-Jitsu Revolution 1 available from World Martial Arts
And finally for your viewing pleasure, Andre Galvao and Paulo Procopio demonstrate some defense techniques for defending the rear naked choke at the Valente Academy in San Diego.
Try these and let me know how you get on.
Anyone who has ever found another person on their back will know that it is not a nice position to be in. Well unless of course you are a bit kinky and are partial to a bit of that type of thing. Regardless, you never know when you may need to escape from this position. Therefore it is essential to have escapes in you arsenal. Below, Saulo Ribeiro, shows a way to escape the back position. This snippet was taken from his DVD entitled Jiu-Jitsu Revolution 1 available from World Martial Arts
And finally for your viewing pleasure, Andre Galvao and Paulo Procopio demonstrate some defense techniques for defending the rear naked choke at the Valente Academy in San Diego.
Try these and let me know how you get on.
Tabata
Recently with competitions on the horizon and a few 'fatties', 'smokers' and 'drinkers' among our ranks (you know who you are, nudge, nudge, wink, wink), we have been finishing the GB Halifax sessions with Tabatas. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tabatas let me explain.
Tabatas are a form of High-intensity interval training (HIIT) used to improve endurance performance. With HIIT, one performs a set exercise at maximum intensity for a given time period followed by a recovery of a set period, usually with a 2:1 work to recovery ratio.
The Tabata regime first formulated by Tabata et al consists of 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at 170% of VO2max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles) [1].
It is this particular regime that we adhere to in training although the masochists amongst us have been known to reduce the recovery time or increase cycles. Judging by the massive grin on Rich's face I am sure he gains some kind of sadistic thrill out of seeing us all in pain, I know I do (I jest). Speaking of pain it is quite strange how different types of exercise result in different types and levels of pain. Has anyone ever noticed this? I personally prefer Tabata burpees to press-ups with a plank. Anyone who has not done Tabatas should live a little dangerourously and give them a try (Please leave a comment and let me know how the experience went. In fact I would be interested to hear any opinions or thoughts you have). Bear in mind, the original study [1] conducted at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan used highly-trained endurance athletes in peak physical condition. So if you don't fall into this category (or are a big girls blouse) remember to listen to your body and ease into the Tabata slowly.
Here is the original Tabata Protocol:
5 minutes of warm-up
8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
2 minutes cool-down
To finish the post I have included a picture of one of my team mates, Marc Leigh. In this picture he is receiving his prize 'pie' from Rich, for not making weight. Hopefully the Tabatas will have paid off and Marc will make weight this weekend at the Manchester Open. Good luck to everyone one who is competing. Smash it my frens!!!
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Training Introduction
I have had the privilege of training at a whole host of academies (albeit in some instances for only one session) both at home and abroad including Gordo's, Carlson Gracie Revolution, BJJ School, Gracie Barra (GB), Alliance UK, Asylum MMA, Caged Steel (and "off shots") and Nova-Vida to name but a few.
Currently the core of my training is at three main academies these are Nova Vida (Huddersfield), GB Halifax and GB Midlands. Nova-Vida and GB Halifax only run 2 sessions a week but luckily they are on alternative days. I try and venture over to GB Midlands once a week to get black belt tuition from Victor Estima and Bruno Alves, although sometimes I cannot make it because of the distance, times and my finances. Below, is an example of a typical weeks training. I usually use Sat or Sun as a rest day depending on how I feel.
Mon and Wed 7.30pm-9.30pm Nova Vida or 7.00pm-8.45 GB Midlands
Tues and Thurs 8.00pm-9.30pm GB Halifax
Fri 12pm-1pm or 7.00pm-8.45pm GB Midlands or local gym
Sat 1.45pm-3.30pm GB Midlands or Asylum MMA or local gym
Sun 10.00am GB Halifax open mat or local gym.
*In the future I would like to add more strength/conditioning and running to my training.
As you can see life can get rather confusing with training so rather than document every lesson and technique and bore you to tears I will highlight the occasional lesson and technique in my blog. Besides most of us know what a BJJ lesson entails and many schools follow a similar routine for example warm up, drills, techniques, specific sparring, free sparring and warm down.
Please keep posted for further blogs, for now I have included some photos of my local BJJ schools;
Here is a photo of the original GB Halifax team
Currently the core of my training is at three main academies these are Nova Vida (Huddersfield), GB Halifax and GB Midlands. Nova-Vida and GB Halifax only run 2 sessions a week but luckily they are on alternative days. I try and venture over to GB Midlands once a week to get black belt tuition from Victor Estima and Bruno Alves, although sometimes I cannot make it because of the distance, times and my finances. Below, is an example of a typical weeks training. I usually use Sat or Sun as a rest day depending on how I feel.
Mon and Wed 7.30pm-9.30pm Nova Vida or 7.00pm-8.45 GB Midlands
Tues and Thurs 8.00pm-9.30pm GB Halifax
Fri 12pm-1pm or 7.00pm-8.45pm GB Midlands or local gym
Sat 1.45pm-3.30pm GB Midlands or Asylum MMA or local gym
Sun 10.00am GB Halifax open mat or local gym.
*In the future I would like to add more strength/conditioning and running to my training.
As you can see life can get rather confusing with training so rather than document every lesson and technique and bore you to tears I will highlight the occasional lesson and technique in my blog. Besides most of us know what a BJJ lesson entails and many schools follow a similar routine for example warm up, drills, techniques, specific sparring, free sparring and warm down.
Please keep posted for further blogs, for now I have included some photos of my local BJJ schools;
Here is a photo of the original GB Halifax team
Here is an older photo of the Nova-Vida team after we had moved into the new premises
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Sibling Rivalry
The other night in a heated grapple my brother and myself came to 'fisty cuffs' and had to be separated from each other. This got me thinking about other brothers especially those who compete in Jiu-Jitsu (Diaz, Mendes, Vieira, Estima, Gracie, Ribeiro, Langhi, Carmody, Paxman) and I wondered if and to what extent this Sibling Rivalry exists. Personally I don't believe we are all vying for our mothers attention. But it makes me laugh to think that we all are. I would be interested to hear other peoples thoughts on the subject (please leave a comment on the post and share your thoughts). For now my brother and myself are not rolling together but we have agreed to drill techniques together.
Here are the Mendes Bros competing against each other at the 2010 World Pro BJJ Cup
And here are the Vieira brothers having an unprompted roll in Sweden.
Finally Renzo and Ryan going at it (this is the most accurate example of how a roll between my brother and myself goes)
And the answer is 'yes 'before anyone starts asking I am the best sibling ;-)
Here are the Mendes Bros competing against each other at the 2010 World Pro BJJ Cup
And here are the Vieira brothers having an unprompted roll in Sweden.
Finally Renzo and Ryan going at it (this is the most accurate example of how a roll between my brother and myself goes)
And the answer is 'yes 'before anyone starts asking I am the best sibling ;-)
BALLS
Men like balls, they like to play with them, blow them up, kick them, throw them, hit them and do numerous other "things" with them. I am no exception.
Lately I have been using a large 'blow up' ball to exercise on. The ball I am referring to is the Swiss ball also know as the exercise ball, balance ball, birth ball, body ball, ball, fitness ball, gym ball, gymnastic ball, physio ball, pilates ball, Pezzi ball, sports ball, stability ball, Swedish ball, therapy ball, or yoga ball. For a more detailed description check here.
Many of the top Jiu-Jitsu athletes today are using them in training including Leo Vieira, Andre Galvao, and Abmar Barbosa.
Here; Galvao and Vieira demonstrate their skills on the Swiss ball. The footage below was taken from the Japanese Submission Spirits VM, available in the UK from Scramble Stuff.
As you can see the Swiss ball is a great 'fun' work out especially for Jiu-Jitsu. Since I have started to use it I have noticed an improvement in my balance, movement, coordination and weight distribution in the grapple.
A word of warning, the Swiss ball takes a while to get used to, so it is best to start off on a matted area under supervision. I nearly went through the glass coffee table in my old flat. I have also head 'bongoed' whilst trying to perform a 180 back flip at the academy.
Exercise balls retail from around £20 upwards and are available from most sports retailers, I have included a rough ball sizing chart for starting out.
Sizing guidelines for exercise:
Your Height: Ball Size
Under 5'2" (1.57m): 45cm ball
5'3"- 5'8" (1.60m-1.72m): 55 cm ball
5'9" - 6'2" (1.75m-1.88m): 65 cm ball
Above 6'3" (1.90m): 75 cm ball
Lately I have been using a large 'blow up' ball to exercise on. The ball I am referring to is the Swiss ball also know as the exercise ball, balance ball, birth ball, body ball, ball, fitness ball, gym ball, gymnastic ball, physio ball, pilates ball, Pezzi ball, sports ball, stability ball, Swedish ball, therapy ball, or yoga ball. For a more detailed description check here.
Many of the top Jiu-Jitsu athletes today are using them in training including Leo Vieira, Andre Galvao, and Abmar Barbosa.
Here; Galvao and Vieira demonstrate their skills on the Swiss ball. The footage below was taken from the Japanese Submission Spirits VM, available in the UK from Scramble Stuff.
As you can see the Swiss ball is a great 'fun' work out especially for Jiu-Jitsu. Since I have started to use it I have noticed an improvement in my balance, movement, coordination and weight distribution in the grapple.
A word of warning, the Swiss ball takes a while to get used to, so it is best to start off on a matted area under supervision. I nearly went through the glass coffee table in my old flat. I have also head 'bongoed' whilst trying to perform a 180 back flip at the academy.
Exercise balls retail from around £20 upwards and are available from most sports retailers, I have included a rough ball sizing chart for starting out.
Sizing guidelines for exercise:
Your Height: Ball Size
Under 5'2" (1.57m): 45cm ball
5'3"- 5'8" (1.60m-1.72m): 55 cm ball
5'9" - 6'2" (1.75m-1.88m): 65 cm ball
Above 6'3" (1.90m): 75 cm ball
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Submission: Triangle
As part of my blog I will have a regular "Submission" feature where I will highlight some of my favourite submissions, with examples of them being pulled off in competition. Today's submission is the triangle.
Search the net and you will find many definitions of the submission, here is my favourite.
"Submission using the legs in the form of a triangle. A triangle choke (called Sankaku-Jime in Judo) is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. The technique is a type of lateral vascular restraint that constricts the blood flow from the carotid arteries to the brain."
Well enough of the drivel, lets see the technique in action.
Below, GB Black Belt and highly decorated featherweight Jiu-Jitsu maestro Mario Reis shows us how the technique should be done. Pay close attention to the set up.
In the 2009 World BJJ cup Braulio Estima used the submission to choke out Marcelo Garcia, again pay close attention to the set up.
Finally, if you are still craving for an extra triangle fix, check out this Ryan Hall (aka Ry-angle") highlight
So there you have it the triangle, so good they named a vast area of ocean after it.
Search the net and you will find many definitions of the submission, here is my favourite.
"Submission using the legs in the form of a triangle. A triangle choke (called Sankaku-Jime in Judo) is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. The technique is a type of lateral vascular restraint that constricts the blood flow from the carotid arteries to the brain."
Well enough of the drivel, lets see the technique in action.
Below, GB Black Belt and highly decorated featherweight Jiu-Jitsu maestro Mario Reis shows us how the technique should be done. Pay close attention to the set up.
In the 2009 World BJJ cup Braulio Estima used the submission to choke out Marcelo Garcia, again pay close attention to the set up.
Finally, if you are still craving for an extra triangle fix, check out this Ryan Hall (aka Ry-angle") highlight
So there you have it the triangle, so good they named a vast area of ocean after it.
Visualisation
For those of you who know me you will know I like good conversation and that I have had some strange conversations in my time. The most notable of which have been with random drunks and psychiatric patients. I have even had entire conversations with inanimate objects, the one which sticks in my mind is the one I had with a vibrating caterpillar toy. Anyway, I digress.
Where we train there is a gentleman who lost his arm below the elbow. However he does not let this hinder him, he manages to do all the exercises, has super human strength and pushes everyone in training. Obviously he has had to adapt to overcome this adversity, over the weeks I have seen a big development in his high guard game and he has been using the remainder of his arm as a vicious choking tool.
Last night after training we were talking about this particular gentleman and admiring the way he had over come this adversity, when the subject of the conversation turned onto other people in similar situations and the power of mind. Below I highlight two athletes who have over come such adversity and then I finish the post with an example of the power of the mind.
One of the first persons who sprung to my mind was Og De Souza. Og is a professional skateboarder from Brazil who skateboards using only his hands. He was born with a condition which caused his legs to stop developing at a young age. Originally Og learned to skateboard as a way to get around, much like most people use a wheel chair. Here is a video of Og in action:
Next is Kyle Maynard. Kyle was born with congenital amputation of the forearms and lower legs. He is now a motivational speaker but has competed in many sports including wrestling and even MMA. Below is a short news article on Kyle.
People often talk about the power of the mind and whether the mind can influence the body or vice versa...I will spare my thoughts on the subject for now but here is a striking example of how the mind can influence the body. Tibetan Monks have shown that by mediating one can increase the body temperature. Here is a snippet from a documentary that was aired on the History channel.
One guy Deepak Chopra, reckoned that by ridding oneself of negative emotions and developing intuition by listening to signals from the body, health can be improved. According to Chopra, slowing down or reversing the aging of the mind through his methods can increase one's lifespan up to the age of 120 years. Who knows if this is true one thing I do know is that you always see old monks!!!
Where we train there is a gentleman who lost his arm below the elbow. However he does not let this hinder him, he manages to do all the exercises, has super human strength and pushes everyone in training. Obviously he has had to adapt to overcome this adversity, over the weeks I have seen a big development in his high guard game and he has been using the remainder of his arm as a vicious choking tool.
Last night after training we were talking about this particular gentleman and admiring the way he had over come this adversity, when the subject of the conversation turned onto other people in similar situations and the power of mind. Below I highlight two athletes who have over come such adversity and then I finish the post with an example of the power of the mind.
One of the first persons who sprung to my mind was Og De Souza. Og is a professional skateboarder from Brazil who skateboards using only his hands. He was born with a condition which caused his legs to stop developing at a young age. Originally Og learned to skateboard as a way to get around, much like most people use a wheel chair. Here is a video of Og in action:
Next is Kyle Maynard. Kyle was born with congenital amputation of the forearms and lower legs. He is now a motivational speaker but has competed in many sports including wrestling and even MMA. Below is a short news article on Kyle.
People often talk about the power of the mind and whether the mind can influence the body or vice versa...I will spare my thoughts on the subject for now but here is a striking example of how the mind can influence the body. Tibetan Monks have shown that by mediating one can increase the body temperature. Here is a snippet from a documentary that was aired on the History channel.
One guy Deepak Chopra, reckoned that by ridding oneself of negative emotions and developing intuition by listening to signals from the body, health can be improved. According to Chopra, slowing down or reversing the aging of the mind through his methods can increase one's lifespan up to the age of 120 years. Who knows if this is true one thing I do know is that you always see old monks!!!
World of Movimento Lento - Shocker Jiu-Jitsu
So, here we begin with the journey into the world of 'Movimento Lento'. With a plethora of blogs available in the public domain, many of which bore me to tears, I decided to start my own. I will be covering a wide range of subjects and random musings that will be held together (vaguely) by a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu thread. The men in white coats may be coming for me, but at least it will make for an interesting read. My adventure into 'geek-dom' starts today. Hold on!!!
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