First Few Days in Cailfornia - Part 2

Well after Tony, Issac, and Ernesto got finished changing we headed out to Tony's vehicle, packed up our stuff and headed over to his place.  Now having never been to California I had no clue were we were. During my initial talks with Tony he had informed me that his place was about 2miles from the Cobrinha Academy.  Being a bit jet lagged, tired, hungry, and it being about 10pm and dark the car ride seemed like it was a bit more than 2 miles.  But upon my first bike ride the distance was about the right length.

Anyhow, as we were approaching the apartment Tony informed me that there was a good supermarket really near (it ended up being like maybe a 5 minute walk away from Tony's apartment.).  At some point during the drive back to Tony's place Issac informed me that we were living in the section of L.A. known as Korea Town and that, jokingly, I would not see another "white" person around which I thought was pretty funny.  In the end Ernesto had to get some stuff at the market so we all ended up going to the market to pick up a few things.  And then finally made our way back to Tony's place.

Upon reaching Tony's place I realized that I was going to be staying in a really nice apartment; lucky me.  Here are a few pictures of Tony's place.

The sliding doors that lead to the balcony.

The front steps leading to the front doors of Tony's apartment.

The front doors.

View of the apartment building - where I was staying.

Tony's living room. Complete with fire place, big screen tv and Direct TV..woo hoo!

The eating area adjacent to the living room.

Some art work and view of the laundry room.

A very nice kitchen area.

It was probably about 11pm (or later) by the time we got in to the apartment.  Needless to say I was tired and ready to sleep.  So after some chit-chat and introductions I went to the room I was going to be staying in, changed and got ready to go to bed.

The room I was staying in was pretty huge.  I ended up staying on what I was told was a Thai bed (a friend from facebook told me that is what they were called but I can neither confirm nor deny this.)  Here is a picture of my bed that I ended up sleeping on the whole time I was in California as it was really comfortable (despite having a mattress being brought in for me.)

My cool little bed mattress during my stay in L.A.  Very Spartan!!!

Tuesday morning (well more like late morning) was a bit of groggy scene on my part.  Due in part to a bit of jet lag, age, and getting used to a new environment.  I got up just as Issac and Ernesto were leaving for the 12pm competition class.

I ended up just bumming around the house for most of the day.  I decided to go out on the balcony and soon realized that I had a great view of part of the city.  In fact I soon realized that I had a view of one of the most iconic landmarks in Los Angeles.   Here is the view I had from the place I was staying at.

The view from the balcony - the Hollywood sign.

My plan had been to take the early evening fundamentals classes.  I had asked Issac if he could draw me directions to the academy (for some reason it was lost on me to just look it up on Google maps.)  Anyhow, I ventured out for an 2hr or so walk - I do like to take walks when on BJJ vacations to clear my head and take photos.

I got back to the house but Issac and Ernesto were not there and it was almost time to go train - if I wanted to make it to the early evening fundamentals classes I had to leave ASAP.  I ended up just sitting around the house not taking the initiative to find out how to get to the academy from Tony's apartment complex.  Anyhow by the time Issac and Ernesto arrived back at the apartment it was too late to make it down to the academy to train.  I could have made the last class of the day but I was not really interested in doing the no-gi class.

About 8:00pm Issac and Ernesto decided they were going down to the basemen of the apartment building - to the fitness room - and do some drilling and invited me along.  We ended up drilling for about 2 1/2 hours which is by far the most time I've spent drilling (just doing one technique over and over).  I went over some guard passing, the arm-bar--omoplata--triangle from guard sequence as well as some Judo throws.

On a side note; as I was doing my first repetition for the judo throw Issac informed me that Ernesto was a Judo Black belt.  Bonus!!!  So Ernesto helped me with a few things and details that I was missing out with.  I was drilling the Tai Otoshi throw.  Ernesto helped me clean up a few details with the grips and pulling.  I've included a clip of the throw I was drilling.



I also learned that Issac, one of the guys staying with Tony (permanently), was a world champion at blue belt and placed third this year at the worlds (as a purple belt).  Look up Issac Doederlein on google.  Below is a clip of Issac vs Joao Miyao (very renowned Purple belt - who is one half of the famous Miayo brothers). If I had one regret it was not to take better advantage of having a Judo BB and a world class purple belt living in the same house.  Next time!




If you're interested in training at Cobrinha's academy in Los Angeles but do not want to have to pay ridiculous amounts for a hotel in Los Angeles.  I'd really recommend contacting Tony Kim and finding out if he has room in his place free for rent.  The price is comparable to the nearest hostel but a lot closer to the Academy than the hostel.  You'd also be in a house with other guys that train at Cobrinha's academy and would not have to worry about rides to classes.  You'd also have a bike at your disposal if you want to train on your own schedule.  There are also mats in the apartment building for doing some drilling if you so choose (both Tony and Issac are big on drilling).

Cobrinha is also holding a Masters & Seniors camp for the upcoming Masters and Seniors World Championships.  I do believe the Cobrinha's camp will be held from September 24 to October 6, 2012.  Everyone in the house was easy to get along with

Here is the contact e-mail for Tony Kim:

alliancebjjlosangeles@gmail.com


Back to my trip.  I was feeling pretty worked over after that marathon drilling session.  After showering up and changing I had something to eat then retired to my room to chill out and veg.  I had some serious insomnia this trip and I was up pretty late - not sure what time I actually fell asleep but I woke up sometime after noon on Wednesday.  I showered up and decided that I would go out for  a walk.

I walked out of the apartment, took left and headed down to Olympic Boulevard, took another left and walked east along the street.  The day before I had spotted a Brazilian eatery and I was determined to eat there.  And I did!  I had an old favorite that I had first eaten in Brazil --- Chicken, Rice, Black Beans.  Yum!  Here are few pictures:

The front of the Brazilian Cafe.

My favorite "File de Frango" --chicken, rice, & beans!

I first fell in love with the chicken, rice, and bean meal when I went to Brazil the first time - back in August of 2009.  This meal filled me up Big Time!  I got back to the apartment around 5:00pm and decided that I was going to bike ride down to the Academy and do the two fundamentals classes back to back.  Ernesto had informed me that it took about 20 minutes to get from the house to the academy on bike so I quickly packed up (a gi, some water, gatorade, etc.)  Borrowed Tony's mountain bike and threw on my back pack and headed out to Cobrinha's academy.

The academy is approximately 2miles from Tony's place and takes about 20mins if you're riding the bike.  It is a nice bike ride especially when you get to Wilshire Blvd.

Well - I'm going to stop this particular Blog here - I will be writing about my actual experiences training at the Cobrinha academy in the next couple of installments.  As well as some of the setbacks I encountered while in California.

So that was my first couple of days in Cali.  I had not made it in to Cobrinha's academy to train yet but I was mere minutes away from my first class with Cobrinha.

Stay tuned!

A.

First Few Days in California -Part 1

Well I've arrived in California; I've been here for two about a day.  My flight left from Calgary Alberta, Canada at approximately 3:30pm and had about a 1 hour stop over in Phoenix, Arizona.  While there I decided to get something to eat because I had not really eaten at all.  I decided to grab a burrito which was not such a big deal; except for the fact that I forgot to pack a tooth brush.  Which I did not find out till I got to the place I'm staying at.  More on that later.

Anyhow, after about an hour I boarded my plane and got ready to make the flight to Los Angeles.  The plane ended up being delayed about 30 minutes (from what I can gather).  We finally left Phoenix and made our way to L.A. which is about a 1hr flight.  Give or take a few minutes.

I arrived at the LAX airport, waited and waited for the plane to empty.  Made my way out to the luggage pickup area.  It was a bit of a wait.  While I was waiting for my luggage to come down the luggage carrier I realized that I had not written down the contact information of Tony (the guy from Cobrinha's academy who is renting out a room to me).  So I used my phone to log into the airport wi-fi and got the info I needed.

Tony had informed me that it would be best to try and get a shuttle bus from the airport.  At first I tried to hail a cab but they all keep driving by me.  So I kinda just stood around not sure what to do and at some point I noticed a bus that said "shuttle bus" that drove by me.  So I did my best to try and following.  Sure enough I found guy who was working for the shuttle bus and eventually I was able to catch the bus that was going where I wanted to go.

The bus driver took had to make a few stops at the airport but eventually we we off and on our.   This being my first time in L.A.  I had no idea were were were but we traveling at a pretty good pace.  About 20 minutes or so in to the drive the bus driver asked me if the address I had given him was in an office space - as we were in a area with a lot of tall buildings.  I informed him that as far as I knew it was in a office building.  He then told me to look out the window as we were coming up to the area in which the address I had given him was supposed to be.  As I was looking out the window we came upon a tall burgundy building that the driver informed me was the building that matched the address I had given him.  I looked over and immediately noticed a logo that was familiar to me.

*At this point I must add that I was not going to met Tony at his place but at the Cobrinha academy.

Here is the logo/sign that I saw from the van and how I knew I was at the right place.

I informed the driver that this was the place I was supposed to be dropped off.  He drove up a little further and found a drive way that he could turn around, drove back.  He dropped me off around the corner from the academy.  I hopped out of the van as did the driver and we made our way to the back of the van and we unloaded my luggage, I paid him the $26.00 for the lift.  And I made my way in to the building and academy of Cobrinha.

If you're interested in training with Cobrinha his academy contact info is:

Cobrinha Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Fitness
4929 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 104
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Telephone: 323-931-9953
E-mail: info@cobrinhabjj.com


Initially I went to the side of the building with the above logo which was locked and had to go around to the other side of the building.  I made my way in to the building.  There was a security guard who asked me where I was headed and I informed him that I was looking for the Jiu Jitsu Academy.  At which he smiled and pointed me straight ahead.  I walked in to the academy and was greeted by the lady at the front desk.  I informed her I was looking for Tony and she pointed me out to the mat.  Eventually I met Tony.  Training had just finished up and they were hanging out as many people like to do after training.  So I grabbed a seat on one of the couches.  Eventually Tony and his other room-mates - Isaac and Ernesto - changed up and we were on our way back to Tony's pad.

Here are a couple of pics from the front desk area of Cobrinha's academy:

The Cobrina Logo.

The front desk area - Alliance Jiu Jitsu logo.

Well that is it for the first installment of the trip.  I'm a bit late with writing and updating but as they say it's better late than never.

In case you're reading this and are totally unfamiliar with who Cobrinha is I'll add a youtube clip (my favorite ).  But if you're reading this I'd assume you're probably familiar with Jiu Jitsu and the top players.  For the sake of those who may be uninformed I'll add the clip anyhow.



This man has some seriously nice Jiu Jitsu.

Part 2 coming up soon.

Andre.

Plans

Just a quick update.

My plans for Brazil fell through; in addition my car decided to die on me.  So this summer has been a bust thus far.

On that note.  I have just booked my flight to Los Angeles - I'm going to be spending about a week at Rubens Charles "Cobrinha's" academy.  It's a short trip as I have to try and get some wheels (either get my lemon running or get a newer and more reliable vehicle.)

I will be putting up some photos and stories from my trip - I'll be leaving Monday August 06, 2012 and arrive late monday evening.  So training might not begin till Tuesday.  Either way I will be updating the my blog.

Here is a video to give you an idea of where I'll be training.


#1 showing a technique



#2 a clip of some warm up routines.



Till then, be safe and love what you're doing.

Andre

Qwick Update.

Well I've been off of here for awhile now.   A few things to update:

1.  I've been having some health issues that have keep me off of the mat.
      - I ended up getting an infection (kidney) that has really messed up my body.
      - As a result of the kidney infection I ended up with a urinary tract infection that is still giving me problems.
      - continued problems with digestion and stomach.
      - major acne breakout on my chest.

2.  Depression came roaring back (perhaps accentuated by the kidney infection and the myriad of health problems since?).

3.  Problems with work - co-workers (one in particular) have made work an less than enjoyable place to be.

4.  financial problems - it just seems that I'm barely making it to my next pay check.  Working to pay bills and just the everyday things in life (gas - I wish their were viable and affordable options to using a petro based vehicle). 

Because of the above problems I've not had the energy nor the desire to train (although it is on my mind all the time).  I'm still dealing with the symptoms from the infection and it is starting to become worrisome.  I try not to think of the worst but it is hard not to.

I'm going to be scheduling an appointment with my doctor again next week to try and get things figured out or at least start to finding out what may be the problem.

I had tried training about a month and a half ago to less than desirable results.  To start off my conditioning was awful and as a result I could not last more than 30 seconds going at a mild pace.  The breakouts on my chest were still bad (I had been on the antibiotics for about 2 weeks at that time) and they were busting open and bleeding - which is a concern in regards to infection and a did bear on me mentally.  I was also, for whatever reason, bleeding at the drop of a hat.  Little scrapes would not stop bleeding.  I ended up only training for about a 20 mins then called it a night and a day (for about a month and half.).

I still want to train, I still have my goals and reasons for continuing this long journey.  It has just taken a detour.  I'm not sure what will happen in the next few weeks - as I will be going to see my doctor and begin the process of trying to figure out what is up with me.  Mentally, the sun is out (spring time), I have noticed a slight change in my mood with the added sunlight.  Winter was really wearing on me.  Waking up and leaving for work when it was still dark out and not getting home till it was dark - that is not the dream.

I  managed to make it in this past week to train.  I'm on my Easter break and taking care (house sitting) the parents house while they are off with my sisters and kids in California (Disneyland).  I'm pretty much isolated out at my parents house (no internet).  I do have cell phone service (somewhat).   I happened to check my phone and facebook on Monday afternoon and noticed that one of the guys from the gym was going to open the academy up for an open mat.  I ended up driving the 3hrs to go train and it was very good for the soul to be back doing what I need to be doing, doing the one thing that never lets me down.

I compare BJJ to having a girlfriend (or boyfriend - whatever the case may be).  As it is a relationship, a relationship that gives back whatever I put into it.  Is always there and has never let me down; unlike every relationship that I've ever been in.

While I've been on hiatus I've been watching video clips, reading articles, etc that have anything to do with BJJ.  Anyhow I had seen the video of Keenan Cornelius doing an armbar from 50/50 guard.  Having trained at, and being a fan of, Ryan Hall's gym I have played around with the 50/50 guard but I'm not at the level where I can heel-hook ( I also rarely do no-gi anymore) so I really did not see many options from this guard; other than sweeping.  Anyhow, this offers up a cool possibility for me.  I even played around with trying to get the armbar from 50/50 on Monday night - to very little success.  Here is the clip of the armbar from 50/50:



This was from the recent PanAms Jiu Jitsu tournament.  Also at this particular tournament we may have seen the passing of the guard in featherweight division.  Rafa Mendes has been on a tear and was neck in neck with Ruben Charles (Cobrinha) for the top dog in that particular division.  But at this years past PanAms Rafa dispatched of Cobrinha in stunning fashion (armbar).  Here is the clip;



I've also been wanting to try the following pass (demonstrated by Caio Terra) but having been on off of the mats for so long I had not had a chance to try it out.  Well i tried it out a few times on Monday night and had some success; all things considered (mind you I have not trained in over a month and a half and before that it had been at least a few weeks since I had trained).  It is a very high percentage pass from what I've been told and just with my little bit of experience with it it is indeed a high percentage pass (passing the butterfly guard). 



I have to iron out some details but I definitely think this will be added to my arsenal (such as it is).  A friend of mine informed me that he knows it as the Terere pass; I consulted my Andre Galvao book and it indeed bares a similar mechanics to the Terere pass (look up it up as I'm having trouble finding it on youtube).

Anyhow, that is my update for now;  hopefully my health issues will be non-existent next time I update.

I'll leave you with a cool clip of Rafa Training for Abu Dhabi 2011.



Ciao!


Andre

Sickness, Mouthguards, inspiration...

Well my training this week has been put on hold this week because of some dental/tooth problems.  I finally got in to the dentist today so hopefully the problems and pain will not dominate my life anymore.

The lesson I've take from the past few days:

INVEST IN A DECENT MOUTH GUARD.  I'm not sure what caused the complications - if I bit on something and cracked my tooth or if it was Jiu Jitsu related (it would not be the first time).  Either way I do need to invest in a mouth guard.  Dentist work is expensive (thank god for a job that has coverage) and I do not want to have to keep going back to fix things that were fixed.  For the time being I'm going to go grab a double (covering your upper and bottom teeth) mouth guard from Wal-mart (the boil and bite kind).

I also started catching a fever/cold on Monday which has made the past few days even that much more unbearable at work.  I feel like I've run 10 miles by noon each day.  I'm still feeling very weak and sore from the fever but I think I've managed to avoid a full blown fever (you know the kind that leave you unable to leave your bed and if you do leave your bed you're pretty much useless).

Well on to more important things.  I'm planning on hitting the mats tomorrow (Friday) for an open mat.  My goal is to do my version of a drill/workout that I learned at Ryan Hall's academy last summer.  Said workout/drill is called Marathon Roll - which consists of 10 back to back rolling sessions with different partners of 5 minutes, with 1 minute rest and no quitting once you've started.  You'll read about if I end up doing it.  Either way my tooth/mouth should not be hurting me much and my fever/cold seems to be on the down slide.  Thus, I should be okay to do some training.

As I've gotten older I've learned that when I'm sick and or injured that I need to take the time off to rest and heal.  If I don't then it usually leads to just getting worse and worse.  I've also taken a closer look at my nutrition and have tried to eat better - lean meats, protein powder, vitamins, fruits, vegetables, etc.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm by no means Mr. Clean Eating but compared to even a year ago I'm eating a lot better.  I've looked into fuelling and recovery before and after workout/training.   All in all I'm still experimenting with everything.

In short I've been trying to eat better, recover better (sleep, pre and post workout), stretch, Hot/Cold showers (look it up), vitamins, breathing (you'd be surprised how much learning to breath properly helps you physically and mentally).  Most importantly just letting go of the things and people that pull me down, hurt me, and basically don't bring anything positive into my life.

On my last post  (link below) - I just want to add that I've noticed that the North/South Choke is a slower choke.  By this I mean is not an instant choke like say the Guillotine or Rear Naked Choke.  Once you've gotten the position and choke in place it feels like a gradual tightening then BAM! It's too late and you'll nap if you don't tap.  Where as the RNC or Guillotine you feel the pressure immediately and if you don't tap right away you be asleep.  I've noticed that the North/South traps the opponent but he (me) can feel the gradual tightening but there is time to tap (which is not always the case with RNC and Guillotines).  It does reach a point (from my limited time playing with the technique) where you DO feel that point of no return and THINGS do start to fade.  Anyhow, watch the videos I posted, buy Marcelo's book or subscribe to MGA (Marcelo Garcia in Action). and be patient.  It is a great technique to add to your arsenal from side control.

Last Blog - with North/South stuff

If you're familiar with competition Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then you'll no doubt know who Rodolfo Vieira is - basically he is the competitor who has taken the the Gi world by storm.  And is a serious challenger to Roger Gracie's dominance of the past few years.  I came across this little documentary last week.  It is a three part series in to Rodolfo's regime and what it takes to be a World Champion in Jiu Jitsu (or anything for that matter). If I do make it Rio this summer I would love to take a day or two from my Gordo Jiu Jitsu family and train at GFT and perhaps meet and train with Rodolfo???  Anyhow, if you're needing inspiration watch the videos and take in some lessons from someone who has dedicated everything to the thing he loves doing.

Part 1:



Part 2:




Part 3:




So that is my little update for this Blog.  In case you're stuck in a rut or lacking inspiration (even after viewing the above videos) I'll plug this story again.  The 78 yr old man who recently received his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

78 yr old BB - Gracie Mag Story

Till next time . . .

. . . Life, Love, and Jiu Jitsu

A.

Back to training, Summer Plans, North/South Choke, Portuguese for BJJ

So I've finally gotten back to training. Gracie Barra Calgary - I started about 2 weeks ago and have been going 2-3 times per week as time and body permit.

I'm in the process of trying to decide where I'm going to go train this coming summer.  Ideally I'd love to get back to Brazil, Rio and the family at Gordo Jiu Jitsu.  But as with most things in life it does not happen till it happens.  The flight is going to be expensive, and if I do go back I want to be able to have my own room at the new Connection Rio house and I do believe that will be expensive as well.

I've been looking into going to NYC and training with my personal BJJ/Grappling hero Marcelo Garcia.  I've been looking into apartments and any money I save on flights will be made up by booking an apartment in NYC.  Expensive place.  I'm attracted to going to NYC to not only train with Marcelo but because I'd just like to see the City - it has been on my list of places to go before I'd ever thought I'd be travelling the world to train BJJ.  Here is a link to Marcelo's academy in NYC:

Marcelo Garcia NYC Academy

My other wish would be to train with Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles.  About two weeks ago I came across his academy webpage and I would love to spend a few weeks there.  The only hitch is that it is on the other side of the USA in California.  If you've read my blog you should know that Marcelo Garcia is a favourite of mine but you might not be aware of Cobrinha.  Here is my personal favourite Cobrinha highlight:



Here is a link to Cobrinha's academy website:

Cobrinha BJJ Academy

If I'm not able to make it to Rio this summer my plan is to spend 2 weeks training at Marcelo Garcia's academy in NYC, then fly west to Cali and spend another 2 weeks training at Cobrinha's academy.  So at this moment my options are open but I'm looking to book flights and accommodations asap to save money.

So upon returning to training I've been able to somewhat work on a few things that I've been researching and that have been on my mind while on hiatus from training BJJ.  One of the techniques that I've been wanting to explore was the North/South Choke.  I've recently purchased Marcelo's newest book and there is a big section on his favourite chokes - basically the Guillotine, Rear-naked Choke, and North/South.  I've spent my time working on the Rear-naked Choke - even prior to training at Gracie Barra Calgary - it had been one of my favourite techniques.  Mainly, due in part, to being a big fan of not only Marcelo Garcia but BJ Penn as well.  I'd played around with the North/South in the past but had not really tried it out.

Prior to returning to training I'd some some research - both through book and youtube stuff that is out there - on the North/South Choke.  So once I got back in to it I was able to pull a few training partners off to the side and drill the set up and finish to this particular choke.  Besides Marcelo's book the following YouTube clips have helped out (of course nothing beats mat time, drilling and live training):

Marcelo explaining it himself:



Here is Stephan Kestling with Marcelo braking down the choke for him:



I've been able to catch a couple of guys with and I'm in the process of working out the nuances of the choke.  I hope that eventually I can add it to my repertoire - such as it is.

Well that's about it for this round of blogging, writing, and BJJ updating.  Before I leave you I'd like to point you to a website and post that I came across - Portuguese for BJJ.  If you ever plan on going to Brazil to train it would be good to have some knowledge of Portuguese (especially if it pertains to something you love doing; in this case BJJ).  Enjoy:

Introduction to Portuguese for BJJ

Well that's it for now - hope you're training or following and doing whatever makes you smile and your heart float.

Till next time...

A.

I forgot to add this little news clip - it fills me with such hope and inspiration.

78 yr old man receives his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

I hope to attain my Black belt within the next 5yrs - lofty aspirations but what the hell; 4 years ago I would have never dreamed that I would quit my job and  move to Brazil to train bjj.  here's to making dreams and hopes happen...

Breaking the cycle, trying to get enthusiasm back, Marcelo Garcia Book and thoughts.

Well it's been a while - over a month - since I've written anything in this blog.  I've not been training at all either.  I'd like to say that it is some big injury that is keeping me out of the BJJ training but it's really nothing like that.

It's because of not being mentally tough.  Not being able to push through the tiredness (mentally and physically).  I remember back in 2008 when I was training a couple of times here in Lethbridge and also commuting the 2 1/2 hour drive (one way) to train at Gracie Barra Calgary 2-3 times a week.

I just pushed through the tiredness and wanting to quit.  Eventually it just became habit.  Of course that did not last forever and I eventually got sidetracked.

Now on to more positive things.  It is my goal to start training again and get my purple belt before the start of summer.  If things go according to plan I'd also like to do the Mudials and the Rio Open (provided I make it down to Brazil in July).

I'm also restarting the book that I had started writing when I got back from Brazil the first time.  So here's to things getting better and looking up in 2012 (not that 2011 was all that bad - the last few months were a bit of a let down but otherwise it was pretty good.).

Jiu Jitsu has been on my mind the whole time - so I do know that eventually I will come back to it - as it is always there waiting for me.  One of the things I like to do during my down times (evenings) is search youtube for new video techniques and/or highlight videos.

One of my favourite grapplers/BJJ players is Marcelo Garcia.  I just recently purchased his new book Advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Techniques.  In this book Marcelo outlines some of his philosophies about BJJ.

One thing Marcelo brings up is his preference of chokes that do not involve the "arm being in".  For example an "arm-in" arm-triangle choke is something that Marcelo would avoid in favour of a choke that does not have an arm-in; like the 'rear naked choke' or 'guillotine' choke.  Here is a clip that I found in which Marcelo is explaining why he favours chokes that do not involve an "arm-in"; it is up to you to decide whether or not you agree with him.



Here is another video from the sessions for the book.  In this particular clip Marcelo explains why he uses/found the "Arm-Drag" technique.  If you're familiar with Garcia you have no doubt seen he use the 'Arm-Drag" to back.



So if you find yourself using the Arm-Drag to Back Control - from the standing position you may find yourself saying, "now what?".  Well Marcelo has the answer for you.



Finally, if you've purchased the book, Marcelo goes into why he prefers wrestling style takedowns to judo style takedowns.  Again, its up to you to decide whether or not you agree with Marcelo.



Marcelo also won his weight division this past year at the ADCC submission wrestling championships.  Here he instructs the sequence he used to submit, and win, the final match against Leo Viera.  With a choke that goes against what I had posted earlier...ha ha!  The Leg Triangle choke.  it is a very slick choke and I do believe Mark Bocek used to submit Dustin Hazlett.  Of course Mark trains with Marcelo and I'm sure that he picked this up there or perhaps even showed Garcia ????



Here is the Gracie Breakdown of the Mark Bocek triangle:





Finally, here is a clip of Marcelo having his way with UFC Fighter Jake Shields.  Jake being one of top grapplers in MMA today and Marcelo just, for the most part, doing what he wants.  The song accompanying the clip is horrible so feel free to turn down the music while watching this match.



so x-mas just happened.  I spurged and bought myself a pair of Vibram 5 fingers Komodo shoes.  Low and behold I also got a pair of Vibram KSO shoes for xmas.  This brings my total to 3 pairs of Vibrams.  If you're not sure of what Vibram 5 fingers are please follow the link below:

Vibram 5 Fingers

To end off this particular blog I'd like to show a couple of clips from Dennis and Connection Rio:

This first clip is some guys spending x-mas in Rio:



I don't think I'd ever have it in me to spend xmas away from family.  It would be just too depressing.  Hats off to anyone who can take off to somewhere far away from family and friends.

Here they are surfing on x-mas day



Finally an xmas greeting from Dennis and some Portuguese for BJJ:



Well, I'm off to go and have some x-mas fun.  It has been a tough and grinding 4 months at work and I need to let loose.  One of my new life mottos is to just take things as they come and not stress so much about things.  Hence my decision to go off and let loose tonight.

Till then - Hope you had a good Xmas and a great new year.

Andre.

It's been awhile; some inspiration.

As the title of my blog says - its's been awhile since I've written and updated the blog.  Last time I wrote it was just a week or so after getting back from Jeremy Ariel's gym in Fort Mill South Carolina.

I did not have my own computer - I was using a loaner computer which I did not have access to once I got back.  I just got a new computer - A Macbook Pro.  Yay!

So now I can start trying to update.  Obviously I'm back in Canada, working, and, unfortunately, not training as much as I'd like.

I'd like to use this blog to just show some techniques that I've found on line - namely from two of my mentors - Dennis Asche and Jeremy Arel as they both use the medium of Youtube to show new techniques.  I'd also like to just showcase anything I'm working on or inspirational videos I've found.

I'll also try to close up this past summer's adventures - in a future blog.  I just have to get my pics and notes together.

On the subject of inspiration - I came across this video last week and have become very inspired by it.  It involves Rodolfo Viera - currently the man to beat in BJJ (that is with the Gi).  I'm not sure how a match between Roger and Rodolfo would go.  I'd say experience, mastery of the basics, and ability to come back from adversity would side with Roger.  While explosiveness (athleticism), youth, conditioning, and hunger would belong to Rodolfo.  Not trying to disparage anyone  as both men are amazing technicians - just Roger is a bit more a laid back basic game while Rodolfo is more of a pressure/top/athletic game.

This video also hints at the other BJJ lineage of Luis Franca and Oswaldo Fadda.  Here is a link to the BJJ Heroes website that delves a further into this relatively unknown BJJ lineage.  As the Gracies are usually only mentioned when one speaks of BJJ:

BJJ Heros Oswaldo Fadda

Here is the clip that has so much inspired me-with the prominent figures being rodolfo Viera and his master  Julio Ceasar Pereira from Grappling Fight Team (GFT).



In particular I like the notion that Julio Ceasar wants to use Jiu Jitsu to form a citizen aka a good person who is able to function and contribute to society in a positive way.  This is why I continue to train (when I can) and take my summer pilgrimages to go and train anywhere I can.

Here are the BJJ Heroes bio of Julio and Rodolfo:

Julio Cesar Pereira

Rodolfo Vieira

Here is another new clip from Dennis and Connection Rio that showcases some of the Older guys who've gone to Rio.  Being an older guy (late 30's) it was nice to see this clip to highlight a few guys that may be a bit older but still love and hold that passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.



For anyone reading this and planning on heading to Rio here is a clip with Dennis and his Portuguese for BJJ:



Good Training!!!

Well that is all for now - I hope I can continually update the blog (work eats up so much time).

Till next time!!!

Train Rides, Late Night Eating, and the Power of Visualization (The Dreaded Salt Shaker)

So after catching a ride back to the house with Kenny I started getting ready for my departure to Charlotte, NC the following morning (my train would leave at 11:15am and was to have arrived in Charlotte at around 7:30-8:00pm later that day).  I got home, showered, ate, and then did the laundry that I had left to do and began packing.  I'm not sure why but my belongings seemed to have taken up more space that I remember last time.  I managed to get everything packed in but again it all seemed much more cramped and heavy than I remember.

Later on Seph arrived back at the house and eventually we decided to make a late night McDonalds run - Kenny wanted a milkshake and Seph was hungry and I must admit I was also still a bit hungry. So off we went to the McDonalds a block or so away.  I had told myself that I was going to try to avoid the McDs and managed to do so till my last night in Va.  After getting some not so fine food we made our way back to the house and had some light conversation.

I don't regret coming to VA and training at the 50/50 academy - at times it was way too hot and humid for me to handle but I felt a sense of welcoming and anonymity in Alexandria/Arlington that I thrive and feel most at home in which is something that I struggle to find back home in Alberta being from a small city like Lethbridge.  Inevitably, I'll run into someone I know or knows me - at times that's good but most of the time I'd rather just be anonymous.  Not to mention Lethbridge brings back some unhappy memories.  If not for my family and a few friends I'd probably have left or not come back from my first excursion to Brazil.

Enough venting.  I put out the Gi that I had worn on my last training session to dry and packed up the rest of my belonging's. And tried to get some sleep as I had to be up by 7am to make sure I would be ready to hop the train to Charlotte to train with Jeremy Arel.

Friday morning, about 3hrs sleep, showered, finished packing up the few belongings.  Woke Seph up and got a ride to the train station.  Said my goodbyes and walked into the train station and waited for the train to arrive.  It was approximately 9:30am and my train was to arrive just after 11am.  In my rush I had forgot to ask Seph to stop at 7-11 or even McDs so I could grab something to eat and drink.  It was after after 10 minutes that I realized that this was a big mistake as I started to get hungry and light-headed - my energy levels were way down and the heat and humidity did not help much.

I had mentioned that I don't regret coming to VA to train.  I will say that I regret not putting more effort in to trying to create some better bonds with my hosts Kenny and Seph.  I keep mostly to myself and kind of did my own thing while in VA.  I feel that I could have put in a bit more effort in to trying to be more open and what not but you I guess it's just not my nature.  I hope that if I make it back that I can work on that as both Kenny and Seph are cool guys.

While waiting for the train I found some vending machines and picked up some chocolate bars, water, and gatorade.  And waited.  The station filled up and emptied as people arrived and left on their trains to various destinations.

Just after 11am one of the train station attendants called out for all passengers on the train bound for Charlotte (and stops inbetween) to make their way out the the platform.  After about 10 minutes the train arrived and I made my way on to the train.  Here are a couple of pictures that I took while waiting for the train to arrive:

Waiting for the train to arrive.

Train just get here already!

The plan had been to get a seat by a window so I can snap some shots from the train.  But the train attendants informed us that people traveling in groups of 2 or more would board first; by the time I got on the train the pickings were slim and as per my luck I was not able to get a seat by a window.  I was just thankful that the train had air conditioning (at least initially)as it was another stiflingly hot day in VA.  As it turns out it would have not mattered much as I sleep pretty much through most of the train ride in to Charlotte.

I'd like to say that the train ride was thrilling and that I did something crazy like hook up with some hot gal.  Unfortunately it was the polar opposite.  Not having much sleep the night before I ended up sleeping and when I was up I was surrounded by mostly less than "hook-up" type of people.  I was thankful that the train did have a store that opened up and sold snack meals.  The only real drama that I encountered on the train ride was that were running late.  First because the train was not able to run at full speed because of the heat (dont ask me why but I can attest to the fact that it was murderously hot out).  We were also running late as we had some trouble with the Engine car of the train.

Jeremy had informed me that his mother would pick me up at the train station as he was going to be still teaching when my train was to have arrived.  Well I had no other way to keep in touch with jeremy except through facebook.  In informed him of the train running late.  In order to do so I had to turn on my connection to the mobile network then log in to facebook and send a mesage - I had come to the conclusion early in my trip that using my cell phone, specifically mobile browsing, was out of the question as roaming charges are really outrageous and I did not want to come home to a enormous phone bill.

In total my train was just shy of 3hrs late and in the end Jeremy picked me up at the train station.  I arrived in Charlotte at around 10:50pm just a few minutes shy of a 12hr train ride.  I was not to stressed out by this as I had never been on a train before and it was a new experience.

After picking me up Jeremy asked me if I'd like to get something to eat and I said yep.  So we made our way to this 50s inspired bar/diner???  I ordered a burger and fries. I also tried something new; deep fried pickles.  Yes you read that right - Deep Fried Pickles.  Behold:

Deep Fried Pickles!

My impressions?  They sounded like they would taste like crap but they ended up being pretty good eats.  Not that I would ever miss eating them again.  But it is nice to try something different.  Here is some bathroom art from the same bar:

Pabst - beer of hipsters the world over!

After eating I learned that although Jeremy picked me up in Charlotte, NC.  That I would be staying and training in South Carolina - about 10 minutes south of the city of Charlotte.  We drove to the house, I got settled in.  Before I went to sleep Jeremy told me to watch his latest video upload.  I did and here it is for your viewing entertainment:



So that was my long day.

Stay tuned for more blogs from my time in South Carolina.

Andre.

Boring weekends (sleeping in);Training; Guard Passing, Posture and the Falcon Trust - Last Week at 50/50 BJJ Academy

So when I last left off I had my equivalent of the near death experience - melodramatics aside I did learn a valuable lesson that you need to keep hydrated when you're training on a day in day out basis and this lesson is heightened when you're in the middle of a heat wave in an area known for not only  heat but high humidity.

As I had mentioned previously; my sleep schedule was way off and as a result I slept in on the Saturday of my visit and missed out on the open mat.  I woke up around 2:30-3:00pm, showered, and made my way out. The plan had been to go out walking and take some pictures around Alexandria.  If you're familiar with my trips to Brazil you'll know doubt be aware that I do like to go exploring the city and area I'm living in on foot and take pictures.  So upon planning this years trip I made sure to pack my camera.

Anyhow I made my way out the door and and down the block and figured that I'd head out towards the Potomac Center then head south from there as I had seen some nice buildings and architecture from afar.  As par course with my trip thus far I was soaked in sweat a block or so from the 50/50 hotel (as it is called).  I had made sure to pack lots of water and some Gatorade to make sure that my previous days experience was not repeated.  I made it up to the Potomac Center then headed south.  I had walked maybe about 10 minutes from the center when I realized that I was not going to be doing any picture taking as it was just too hot out and the sun was beating down hard (it being mid-day).  At this point I turned around and headed back to the Potomac Center.  I went in to the Target as it was the nearest store and I was burning up by this time.  I did some window shopping to cool down then made my way down through each store.  I finally arrived at the Barns & Noble/Starbucks and sat down to veg out and try to figure out what I was going to do with my day.


As it turns out there is a movie theater in the Potomac Center and I figured that the best way to get out of the heat and do something other than sit around was to go to a movie.  So i hopped on my phone, found the listings and decided that I was going to go see the newest Harry Potter movie.  Not really being a movie critic all I'll say is that I liked the movie and it was nice to veg out and get out of the heat.  After the movie was over I walked back down the stores, grabbed some food, then sat in a different Starbucks for about an hour or so then made my way back to the house to kill time on the internet.
 Here is a picture of my movie stub for proof...ha ha:

When I arrived back to the house the Kenny and Seph were home - I do believe they went to some sort of get-together/party and Seph was a little tipsy. Other than that my Saturday was uneventful.  As per usual I stayed up late, slept-in on Sunday.

Upon waking up on Sunday I figured that I better get my traveling - I had initially decided I was going to Grayhound bus it to Charlotte but after a talk with my Ma she convinced me that perhaps trying the train would be a better option.  After some research I discovered that the Amtrax train station was not far from where I was staying and it would work out much better as I could only find a grayhound bus station in Richmond and the only bus to Charlotte leaves everyday at around 8:00am ish.

So I went on line and managed to figure out which  buses I need to jump on to get there and back.  After a long, long wait the bus finally arrived at the bus stop and it was about a 15 minute ride to the train station.  I purchased my ticket ($102.00 for a one way to Charlotte, NC from Alexandria, VA.)  After another long wait at the bus station I caught my bus and made my way back to the neighborhood where I was staying.  I decided that I should grab something to eat so again I made my way up to the Potomac Center.  Grabbed a bite to eat, headed back home and tried to prepare myself for my last few days of training at Ryan Hall's academy.

Monday was pretty much my same routine, get up, shower, make my way to starbucks for a coffee and late lunch/breakfast.  Come back to the house, shower, hop the bus, train, hop the bus back to the house.  Get off at my bus stop.  Stop at 7-11 on my walk to the house to grab a hot dog and a coke zero.  Shower, change, eat something and then veg out on the computer till I fall asleep.

During  my time at the 50/50 academy I was exposed to a whole different approach/style than I had  been previously used to.  Most notably the deep half guard and the one foot x-guard.  I've been working on the x-guard for about 2yrs now; of course my training has been spotty.  And I have found myself in the position of x-guard/deep half so my time at Ryan's academy was well spent.  Of course I think that about least a month at the academy would have been what I needed to make a real impact and work the deep half, x-guard, and one footed x-guard.

Overall there was nothing too outrageous to talk about; training, sleep, eat, and veg out.

However, one thing stands out from my last few training sessions at the academy. During the fundamentals class we worked on posturing in the guard, breaking open the guard and passing to side control and eventually the north-south choke.

Anyone familiar with being in the closed guard will no doubt know about the concept of posture which involves a few things going on at once.  For the unfamiliar I'll break it down as best I can.

you need to control the hips (of the guy holding you in his closed guard) which in most cases, in the gi, is done with one hand gripping the Gi Jacket roughly around where the ribs would be so as to create discomfort is your opponent should try to sit up.  Your other hand should be controlling his Gi pants near the waist area so as to control his hips.  You should also be looking straight in front of you (keeping your head up).  Finally, you should be, for the lack of a better explanation, thrusting your groin area into his butt so as to further immobilize his hips and create a very strong posture from which you can begin to stand up and start opening and passing the guard.

Ryan had observed us and from what I figure we we for the most part getting the gist of it.  While we were drilling the guard passing Ryan stopped us and corrected and pointed out a few things that we needed to work on.  One of them being thrusting your groin area in so as to create that strong vertical pillar that is essential for strong posture in guard.  In order to get this through to us Ryan mentioned if anyone had seen the youtube clip "FALCON THRUST" from what I can recall no one had and he said this is exactly the motion he wanted us to use when posturing up in guard.  He laughed a bit and did what I call the "Duff Man" motion from the Simpsons tv show.  Anyhow, after training I made my way back home and followed my usual ritual.

Here is the clip of the infamous "Falcon Thrust":



For some reason this clip has been labeled as offensive so it might not embed or you might have to log into a youtube account.  If so I am sorry - but you know how Puritan youtube has become in the last year or so.

Anyhow, that is the type of hip movement/thrust that Ryan wanted stress to us that we needed to use when creating that good posture to successfully open and pass an opponent's guard.

My last night at the academy was more of the same; warm up, drill, positional spar.  Like I had mentioned earlier I wish I could have stayed longer to take advantage of all the new and exciting techniques that I was learning but life is such that most good things must end.  Here are a few pics I snapped from my last night at Ryan Hall's 50/50 academy:

The first two are of Ryan, myself, Seph, and Kenny (in the arm sling). The second is of Ryan and Seph talking some strategy/technique???  The third pic is of a fellow named Courtney (last name???) that I met at the academy and was one of the guys that I got along with really well and was also very helpful with some of the techniques that I was unfamiliar with.  And finally another pic of Ryan and Seph engaged in some deep Jiu Jitsu conversation.

Thus ended my almost 2 week vacation/training excursion to Virginia and Ryan Hall's 50/50 academy.  Much like my experiences at Gordo's academy in Brazil I found that I was welcomed in to the academy as not only a foreigner (me being a Canadian) but a Jiu Jitsu student who comes from a different camp (I would consider myself a Gordo/Josh Russell student of BJJ).

I feel that in some parallel universe or another parallel life - that I'm in Virginia training everyday at 50/50 academy and loving life - despite the heat (perhaps in this parallel world it's not so hot and humid in VA.    Just as in another parallel world I'm kicking butt in Brazil and training everyday with Gordo and the jiu jitsu beasts in Barra da Tijuca in Rio.

After the photo taking Ryan thanked me and again mentioned that he felt honored that I chose his academy out off the academies in the world.  But lets be honest the honor is all mine and I have met some really good guys in Alexandria/Arlington and I hope fate and life brings me back that way as I really felt at home and good training there.

I've talked to a friend of mine from my home academy in Calgary - Gracie Barra Calgary - and he is a big fan of Ryan's and we had talked about perhaps taking a trip down that way sometime next year - I'm thinking the Easter Holiday.

If you should ever get the urge to train at a welcoming academy with lots of good jiu jitsu players and a world renowned instructor and aren't to keen on traveling to Brazil then I suggest that you contact the 50/50 academy at the address below:

http://5050bjj.com/

And ask about the 50/50 hotel - Kenny Savercool and Seph Smith would be the ones to talk to about staying there.

So that is pretty much it for this portion of my summer 2011 Jiu Jitsu trip - the next stop is South Carolina and Jeremy Arel's Great Grappling Academy - stay tuned for adventures from there.  Till then....



Peace, Love, and Happiness (whatever happiness is to you)

Andre (the king of Broken-Heart'd Jiu Jitsu...haha!!!)

Sleep Schedules, Heat Waves, Killing Time.

Well the last time I wrote was about a week ago and I had promised that I would post a bit more; but you know sometimes things just don't turn out the way you want.

So I last left off after just having had my first rolling session at the 50/50 academy and being lucky enough to have rolled with Ryan Hall; which a treat to say the least.

My first few days in VA were pretty much sleep days and I'm not sure if this has contributed to my sleep schedule being way off.  After my first training session, and continuing on to my time in South Carolina, I've been staying up to 4-6am each night and sleeping in till anywhere from 12:00pm to 3pm.  This is something that I'd rather not be doing but since I'm on vacation I'm trying not to worry too much about it.  Still it does bum  me out sometimes if I've sleep most of the day away.  I worried as to how I'm going to remedy this once I get back home and to reality-I'll figure things out.

So You're probably wondering what my living space was like.  Well here is a picture of the front of Seph and Kenny's pad:

As you can see a pretty nice little brick house (many,if not all, the houses were brick and I'm assuming that it is because of the humidity).  Let me take you on a little journey.  I walk up the side walk, open the chain link fence, close the fence. Walk up to the door and insert my key - Kenny was kind enough to give me my own key - unlock the door, walk in to some air conditioning (you pretty much need an air conditioner down here).  If I were to walk straight I would pass through the living/tv room then on to the kitchen and to the left to the kitchen the laundry room.

But I'll take you on a small trip to the left and up a flight of stairs.  Once you reach the top of the too your left is Seph's room, straight ahead is the washroom.  Now I take a left and and walk down a very short hallway; to my left is Kenny's room.  But I continue straight ahead to a door and the guest room.  On my very first day the first thing I noticed was the bedding.  Here is what I saw when I first entered the room:

Ninja Turtle Bedding; how cool is that?  Pretty cool I must say.  Anyhow, this is what my room looked like after a few days of training:

Which was pretty typical of my time in Rio - gi's and various training gear hanging around drying.  It may be messy, foreign, perhaps even gross to those who are not familiar with the BJJ lifestyle but to those who have traveled and lived the life (for however long it was) it is typical and in someways a comfort.  A comfort in the sense that, at least for awhile, all that matters is what you have packed - a few clothes, a Gi, your training gear and a few dollars in your pocket and bank account.  I  guess I'll never be any gals dream GQ kinda guy but I'm at the point in my life where I'm ok with who I am and the things I do (for the most part as I do have my days) and that's okay.

As I had mentioned earlier my sleep schedule was way off.  So Thursday I got up around 2ish, showered and walked to the Potomac Centre.  At this point I had also gotten my clothes so it was nice to have a clean pair of clothes to change into.  At this point in my trip the heat in Alexandria/Arlington was deathly and I shit you not when I say that I walked half a block and I was dripping sweat.  I made my way to the stores which were about at 15 minute walk away but seemed much further in the heat.  I had found a Barns and Noble (Canadians think Chapters) bookstore which also had a Starbucks inside.  I liked to hang out here and drink a coffee, surf the net, and then make my way around the bookstore.  I ended up finding a couple of books for my father and a couple for myself.  Anyhow, here are a few pics of the Starbucks.

This first one is of a cup of coffee - probably the first day I went there:

This one is of a nice mural above the coffee bar/register:

I would stay here for a bit then roam around the other stores and then make my way back to the house - usually after purchasing some supplies - water, gatoradge, coconut water, and a protein drink.  So I did that and made my way back to the house,showered and walked to the bus stop and made my way to the 50/50 academy in Arlington.  Tonight went a bit better as I was in the class with a few other guys who were around my skill level which made me fell better about things.  After training I hung out for a bit then made my way back to the bus stop to catch the bus back to Alexandria.  My particular bus stop went about half block further from where I would catch the bus to make my way into Arlington.  This little walk would take me by the 7-11 and my ritual - for my  brief time in Alexandria, of stopping for a coke zero and a hotdog.  Yeah I know 7-11 food is kinda gross but what ever.

Anyhow, I got home, showered, ate a sandwich, drank some liquid and made my way up to my room to watch internet tv, surf the net, creep facebook, ha ha ha ha....and stay up till the wee hours of the night.

Friday was more of the same; sleep in late, get up, shower, and walk to the stores.  Of course I ended up in the bookstore/coffee shop. I had my Venti cup of coffee and another Venti cup.  Eventually I made my way back to the house to get ready to train.  I might mention that the head on this particular Friday was close to unbearable and I would later learn the hottest day of the year - up to that point.  Here is picture I took inside the bookstore/coffee shop that accents my point of how hot it was:

You can make out on the upper right hand side - yes! That does indeed say 39degrees C.  I was later told that with the humidity added in that it was 46degrees C.  I can honestly say I've never experienced heat like this.  Which brings me to my next little story.

So I washed up and made my way to the bus stop.  I was soaked in sweat before I even got to the bus stop.  After about 15 minutes my bus arrived I hopped on and was thankful for the air conditioning.  After about 45 minutes I was at the downtown town stop - Ballston I do believe - walked down to the academy and by the time I reached the doors and air conditioning I was once again soaked in sweat.  So I made my way upstairs,changed and got ready for class.

Initially, class went well but about midway through I started to really get winded and shortly after began cramping up like crazy.  It did not occur to me that anything might be wrong at this time and I just attributed it to a hard training session - as I had earlier mentioned almost everyone at the academy was much better than me.  Well by the end of the training session my heart was beating fast, my arms were numb, and I was light headed and by this time I  was a bit concerned.  I walked back to the change room, drank a whole 500ml carton of coconut water, and sipped on some water.  I did not feel any better and my chest was still feeling tight.

Now I had planned on taking part in what the 50/50 academy calls the Marathon Roll.  The Marathon Roll consists of 10 five minute rounds back to back; with the 1 minute rest in between.  It was one of my goals upon planning my Jiu Jitsu trip to Virginia.  Now, unfortunately, I was not going to be able to take part.  I stayed around and watched the action going on and as much as I would have liked to have been a part of it my body was not feeling right.  I packed up and made my way back to the bus stop.  I got downtown to the Ballston station and while waiting walked across the street to the 7-11 and grabbed a gatorade and promptly drained it.

The bus ride back to the house seemed to take longer than usual given my current state.  In the end I made it back home safely and after a shower and some food I began to feel alot better  but the lesson was learned.  If you're going to drink to Venti  (large) coffees and plan on doing any physical activity after that you had better make sure you are hydrated properly and double this advice if you are in any type of extreme heat and humidity.

Seph ended up arriving back at the house and I apologized to him for not staying around.  He mentioned that it was not a big deal  We ended up striking up a conversation about music. I learned that Seph had grown up in Richmond, VA and personally knew some members of a couple of bands I listened to back in the day.  One of the bands was Avail and the other Ann Beretta - two Richmond, VA punk rock bands.  Here is a sample of a very kick ass song by Avail:



 Here is a clip of some competition footage from Seph Smith:



 It was a pleasant surprise to know that Seph and I shared something in common (a taste in music - as the conversation continued I found out that we both like most of the same bands). 

That is it for now - stay tuned for the next installment of my trip and adventure.

Training,Clothes, and That Lost Feeling (rolling with Ryan Hall)

So when I left off last I had been without clothes going on my 3rd day.  I ended up going to Target to get some clothes so that I could train and have something to change into.  I also managed to find my way to the 50/50 academy via the bus system in Arlington/Alexandria, VA.

I opened the door and relief hit me as it was definitely cooler inside than it was (recall that I had mentioned that the heat and humidity were unreal).  I was pleased about this and made my way  up the stairs and through another door that lead to the 2nd floor of the building in which Ryan's academy was located.  The actual academy is right through the first door on the left; you'll see a door with a window and the 50/50 logo on there.  You'll also hear alot of voices and music playing.

Anyhow, I made my way into the academy saw Seph and had a conversation with Jen (I do believe she is Ryan's Girl friend and works at the front desk; she is also a purple belt.)  I paid the 75$ for one week of training (unlimited).  Now in my haste I had looked at the schedule for the academy and had looked at Tuesday's class schedule and was under the impression that I had arrived in time for the 7:30 BJJ class.  But it being Wednesday I had arrived in time for the wrestling class.  Not really being a wrestler (my take down options are Judo based).  Jen asked me if I'd like to take part in the wrestling class and I declined (not really wanting to risk getting hurt or hurting anyone).  She then informed me that after the wrestling class, at 8:30pm,  the Advanced No-Gi class was going to take place.

She then called Ryan over and asked him if it would be okay if I took part in the advanced class and Ryan replied, "Sure, why not!"  So I was set to go but also pretty nervous as I was going to be rolling with guys who were in all likelihood far above my skill level.  I ended up watching the wrestling class then getting ready a few minutes before the class started.  Now being that I that that it was going to be a Gi training day I only brought my Gi so I ended up having to just wear my gi pants and a rashguard.

Sidenote; while I was waiting for the wrestling class to finish.  My phone went off and low and behold it was the airport baggage guy informing me that my luggage was in and that he would be delivering it to me.  Finally!  I would have some clothes to change in to and after some back and forth it was decided that he would deliver my baggage to the academy (it worked out better for him as he mentioned that he was closer to Arlington than Alexandria.

Class started and we got right into it.  Ryan and Seph started off by showing an arm-drag to back technique.  I got paired with a younger, larger (as in athletic) guy.  We drilled that technique and then a couple more; at this point I knew that this particular class was going to fly by me as I was not familiar with the techniques and too be honest I had not trained much back home and as a result I was completely off.  After about 20-30 minutes or so we got down to some rolling (sparring).  I rolled with my sparring partner first, then another one of the guys in class.  I was able to somewhat hold my own with the first sparring partner.  But my 2nd rolling partner (again I'm bad with names) pretty much had his way with me.  After my 2nd rolling session we stopped and everyone sat around waiting for the next round to start.  Just before the round began everyone partnered up and I sat there waiting; being the visitor I was unsure of the gym etiquette.

As I sat there I heard someone say "hey,Andre would you like to roll?"  I looked to my left and it was Ryan Hall himself.  The round started off and I was under no impression that I was even going to remotely be competitive.  Any time that I've rolled with a black belt in Brazil I always got this feeling that I lost in a dream; you know that dream when every corner is a dead end and no matter what you do it's always the wrong choice. Well I got that alot both times that I was I Brazil and I was experiencing it as I rolled with Ryan.

It was quite obvious that Ryan was going very easy on me; nonetheless he did whatever he wanted with me.  If you're unfamiliar with Ryan he is well known for the deep half guard position; and I have only really heard of the deep half guard position (I have played around with it but in all honesty I don't know much about the deep half guard).  And I must say I felt very helpless. As the round progressed Ryan would occasionally stop and correct me if I was doing something wrong or he saw an opportunity to help me get to where I was going to go (in terms of Jiu Jitsu position).  The round ended and Ryan began to chat me up; the usual.  Where was I from?  Who did I train with?  How did I like it thus far?  Etc.  But how lucky was I? On my first night I got to roll with Ryan Hall himself.  Back home I don't think I've rolled with my instructor at all - at least in the past year and half or so.  So felt pretty lucky.

I forgot to mention that while I was drilling at the beginning of the class the airport guy dropped by.  I signed the little waiver thing and hooray! I had clothes.


I ended up rolling with Seph and a few other guys that stayed (it was a smaller class). After class I thanked Ryan and he told me that he was thankful and happy that I chose his academy out of all the other places I could have trained at.  But lets be honest the honour was all mine.


So I hopped into Seph's car and we drove back to the house.  I showered and then took pleasure in the fact that I could change in to some clean clothes. Then took a walk to 7-11 as it was the only thing open at that time within decent walking range; grabbed a hot dog and some snacks.  Walked back home and retired to my room.

My first training session went well and I was looking forward to the next day's training session.  On my first night I got to train with one of the worlds best grappler's.  How luck I am to have found jiu jitsu and all the places it has taken me.  If it all ended right now; it would not be such a bad ride.

Here is the website for the 50/50 academy with pictures so that you can get the idea of where I was training.  Please do not hesitate to contact them if you would like to drop by and train with them.

http://5050bjj.com/multimedia


Here is a photo of Ryan teaching and answering questions; notice Seph to the right.

Stay tuned for the next installment - You hear more about the up's and downs of the hopeless romantic grappler...ha ha!!!!