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

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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).

Rather than write and comment on all the matches I will comment on a few of the performances from my fellow team mates and friends.

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.

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.

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 ;-).