• In the studio
• On the mat

Show Notes

1. Osvaldo Paqueta passed away today: Judo black belt, bjj red belt, student of Carlson Gracie and has the largest collection of bjj and mma videos in Brazil
2. Kayla Harrison wins first ever Judo gold medal for the US (in the 78 kg division)
3. Rio Open/Rio International Masters and Seniors: results
4. Gi vs nogi debate
5. MATS: Rubber guard and Williams guard

1. AJ

• Birthday yesterday
• Talk about his background
• Training wrestling & BJJ
• Living with Carlos
• Acai addiciton

2. Glover seminar
3. Make Jiu Jitsu your own
4. Play vs train/do
5. Training with Mendes bros
6. Five new black belts in Sweden  under Leo Vieira:bNiklas Borg, Jimmy Palander, Erik Borg, Gunnar Blomkvist, Peter Blackwell, Tony Larsson and Fredrik Johansson
7. BJJ Hacks: Yuri Simoes interview: Filmed by Hywel Teague for BJJ Hacks
8. Product spotlight: Ginastica Natural 8 DVD set
9. Product spotlight: Honey badger rashguard (show pic)

SHOW NOTES

1. Riccardo Amnendolia New black belt  from Mendes Bros
2. DJ Jackson from Lloyd Irvin got his black belt
3. IBJJF Gi weight classes increase by .5 lbs
4. Ryron Gracie vs Carlos Eduardo Rocha
5. Show clip of Brian Cimins anti ADCC rant
6. Gaston grabs a central park purse snatcher
7. Product spotlight:
   1. nino schembri omoplata Mastery seminar
   2. SYR Ring Presale
   3. Defense Soap Super Shield

1. Carlson Gracie Seminar in Temecula
2. Mendes brothers grand opening seminar
3. Benny Dariush gets his black belt
4. Product spotlight: Defense Soap products
5. More stats from TylerBJJ
6. GracieMag reports Terere’ out of rehab; states: “I’m not an addict. What I have is schizophrenia. The disease is what makes me go after drugs. I wasn’t able to cope with the disease; I’d stop taking medication and have relapses. Now I’ve learned to deal with the disease. And all I want to do now is start training again and spread Jiu-Jitsu around the world

SHOW NOTES

• Rafas bday yesterday
• Thoughts on the 50/50 position
• In the Worlds 2012 lead-up, Gui said that their job is to create new Jiu Jitsu (show clip).
• What is some advice you’d have for newer competitors or someone competing for the first time?
• Mendes bros seminar style
• Talk about training with the sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi

ERRATA

• David at the Jiu Jitsu Laboratory has finally put an end to our (my) soul-crushing anticipation for another analysis of something in BJJ it never occurred to me to analyze, but should have. I guess, he has a decent excuse. Congratulations David!
• Brendan over at GiReviews.net is writing an e-book detailing the details in purchasing a gi in a very detailed analysis. Take a look.
• The boys at BJJHacks.com have been busy producing videos on Lutre Livre, Milton Vieira and Felipe Costa. As usual, all the videos are quality and you should watch them.

We’ve tested the Live Feed pretty extensively, and we’ve noticed the best performance while watching the broadcast on Mozilla Firefox or Google’s Chrome browsers. Unfortunately, Apple’s Safari and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browsers like to break things. It’s a good idea to avoid those.

If during the playback you notice choppiness, the following measures have resolve issues pretty reliably:

1. Disable the skycam: Click on the skycam window.
2. Choppy video: Refresh/load the page, Flash barfs itself sometimes.
3. Can’t start the feed after changing mats: Refresh the page and/or delete cookies and reload the page

Hope this helps and catch me on the Budo Twitter or Facebook!

Friday Wrap-Up

• In case you’d like to reminisce, here’s Gracie Mag’s photographic evidence of the 2012 World Championship.
• The boys at Dstryr think you should watch the World Championship too, one way or another.
• CheckMat are a tournament force to be reckoned with, here’s why.
• We should probably get through the current championship first, but I can’t restrain myself. Here are some rumblings of the 2013 ADCC.
• Looking back sometimes helps us see our way forward. I am, of course, referring to the 2011 World Championships and the lessons therein.
• Brendan over at Gi Reviews has been a busy boy. Check out his take on the latest and greatest gis.
• #pantsOptionalGuard … it’s the new thing.
• Come by the Budo Booth this weekend. We’ll have great stuff (Ahem! Shoyoroll. Ahem!).

So, the headlining super fight at the 2012 Jiu Jitsu Expo went .. poorly. Actually, it didn’t go at all and this lead to much rumor milling. Both camps - Braulio and Cesar Gracie – have explained their side of the story and my take away is this: Their fight was so poorly coordinated that Nick said “Ef it” and left. At least, this is my take on it, which is vastly less entertaining than the current theory that both fighters are now at odds and are gearing up for a Dragon Ball Z styled confrontation.

Why, hello there Readers. I’ll bet you thought I’d never left Korea. While parting was such sweet sorrow, I ran into the eager embrace of my readerships … a week after I actual re-entered the physical borders of the United States. Jet lag is a harsh mistress, sue me. On the BJJ news front, apparently there’s some sort of Expo this weekend in Long Beach? I somehow missed the news that was posted, well, everywhere.  I’ll be there too, so expect an article and some photos. Flag me down if you see me!

• Check out the heavy hitters from the Brazilian Nationals.
• Go say hi to the boys at Dstryr on Facebook and get y’erself a T-shirt. Available until Sunday.
• Are you getting a little winded while sparring? First, breath. Second, try some of this stuff.  You’ll probably need to pick up one of these to do it.
• BJJ practioner of the stars – Robb Alonzo of Mission Impossible franchise fame – has a few tips for you.

I will be in the Republic of Korea by this time next week  in order to fulfill my dreams of becoming a star Koreab Pop singer. Nevermind my limited Korean language ability and the fact that I’m a Hawaiin/Portuguese/German/Irish/English hybrid – I have dream. Luckily, I also have a contingency plan: Train a whole bunch of Jiu Jitsu with my team in Seoul (John Frankl BJJ – DISCLOSURE: I run their website and John is a close friend and BJJ mentor), eating Korean barbeque and not drinking heavily – at all. Ever.  Expect posts and photo galleries from Seoul. I plan to hit several different BJJ schools (I’m shooting for six, possibly more as time permits). Also, I totally plan on Twitterifying and compiling FWU for the next two weeks. I know, I’m amazing at going on vacation.

• David at the Jiu Jitsu Lab addressed the fledgling identity crisis of the BJJ. What do you think of our Art’s progression? Is it to … you know, sporty?
• Speaking of addressing, the Gracie Brothers address the recent tragedy involved with a rear naked choke. Demolisher at Dstryr posted his thoughts as well as the Gracie Breakdown of what happened. I think it’s worth sharing all of the material.
• Check out Gracie Mag’s gallery of the 2012 Pan Championships. It’s Pan’tastic.
• The infamous Nate Diaz has earned his BJJ black belt from Ceasar Gracie … and no one is surprised. It’s no secret that his BJJ is legit.
• We’re big fans of BJJ competition here at Budo Videos, which may or may not be apparent. BJJ Hacks produced yet another superb video, this time featuring Rodolfo Vieria from CheckMat on why he competes.
• My favorite Shoyoroll shirt, which I wear all the time, claims that BJJ is the “greatest game of human chess”. This video explores that concept, and quite convincingly.
• Scramble did their best to kill me with anticipation, but they failed. I survived. I am unstoppable. The second half to the Grappling Dummy:  Enson Enoue mini-documentary is out. It’s brilliantly produced and rocks a mind blowing soundtrack. It’s a must watch.
• The World Jiu Jitsu Expo is the event where – wait, no one cares. Nick Diaz and Braulio Estima are having a super fight at that event. We’re done here people.
• Closing out brackets. Crappy to watch but completely understandable from a teamsmanship perspective. That said, it could be inhibiting the sport.
• Two Jiu JItsu Lab articles in one FWU, one of which being a leg drag instructional? This is BJJ Explosion Day material ladies and gentleman.
• Dang! If you wear it, they (we) can choke you (them) with it.
• So, I’m super late on this but there may still be several of you out there scrambling for an antioxidant rich, low sodium, high protein breakfast sandwich. I present to you the Renergy Sandwich 2.0.
• The UberMendes won’t make the Abu Dhabi Pro Cup due to passport/Visa issue. Sadness ensues.
• Fabio Gurgel comments on Marcelo Garcia’s snowboarding injury and Cobrinha’s loss. The short version: All is well. Stuff happens.

• We got a new Warehouse. Check out our hallway (photo).
• The Draculino episode of Rolled Up premieres April 23.
• The Tatami Honey Badger gi is available now.
• The Pans 2012 Replay is available now.
• Be sure to check out Erin’s interview with Rodolfo Viera.

• I don’t mean to start the Wrap-Up on a downer, but I’m starting the Wrap-Up on a downer. Terere is struggling again and his family is asking for help.
• So … Rafa Mendes. That’s all I have to write and awesomeness ensues. Seriously, a Unicorn just stepped into my office and brought me an Acai Bowl just for writing his name. Caio Terra (who brings plenty of awesome to bear himself, he won his division at the 2012 Pan Championship) recognizes his awesomeness in a slightly less oblique manner.
• The boys at Dstryr conducted an interview with the godfather of Jiu Jitsu, Rickson Gracie.
• It turns out us BJJ’ers are a randy bunch. This has been scientifically proven. There is no argument.
• I don’t know how I missed this, but the Jiu Jitsu Lab was featured on the science of skill, another great blog. Give ‘em some love.
• Kyra has been hanging out with Roger for her WPJJ debut. This is, of course, after helping save children from community violence. Ease off her, 2012 is still young.
• So, fortuna has something to say about getting the sub, “Cool out.” That’s not literally what he said, but you’ll get the idea.
• Storm Kimonos is racking up a whole lot of high profile fighters on its roster: Galvao, Renzo Gracie (actually a long time sponsoree), the UberMends and now Braulio. For real, check out the commercial.
• UPDATE: You don’t have enough Bill Cooper in your life. Let Gi Reviews help you with that.

I train three times a day. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I train jiu jitsu and [physical] preparation with more intensity. In the mornings, physical training, afternoons, a lot of jiu jitsu, and at night, judo. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, strength training in the mornings, technical training in the afternoon, and light training at night.

How do you divide your training time?

So, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we focus on agility and explosion training, plenty of exercising without too much weight, working on the cardio a lot. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, [I focus on] strength and power, all of that during the morning.

What is your usual game plan when you fight each opponent?

I always fight to submit. I score always thinking to submit. If you watch my matches, you’ll see I’m always going head-on. If I fight with too much of a strategy, I get a bit lost… When you’re always attacking, the opponent gets lost. You can’t give any room for him to think about attacking you, you have to always be ahead of him, but always with plenty of care not to expose yourself too much.

You won both your division and the absolute at the 2011 Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup which provided a generous reward. How well was this reward received?

The 50 thousand dollars were very well invested … (laughs)

Jiu Jitsu was originally a weight loss program for you but turned into something more. Is your weight still an issue?

When I started, I was a bit heavy… I weighed like 87 kg at 13 years old. I have a lot of trouble with my weight nowadays, since I was already heavy when I started training, so I’ve been struggling with my weight for a long time. I’m always dieting, I can only eat junk in the weekends and when no competitions are around.

It’s been made clear that your professor, Julio Cesar, has made a large impact on your jiu jitsu. What other roles does he fill for you?

Julio is very important, not only to my life, but to all of his students’ lives. He’s one big father, he trusts me a lot, so having
him in my corner is very important. He gives me a lot of trust, he knows everything I do, sometimes he’ll tell me something that I don’t know, then I do it and it works. I don’t know how to fight without him… but with him, it gets a little harder for me to lose (laughs).

You have fought and defeated some of the biggest names in jiu jitsu. Does this affect your strategies or mindset when competing?

I fought against most of the great players, and sometimes, I can’t believe I’ve beat them. I think all of them can be dangerous to me, each one in their own way. There are many great guys around, so I have to keep myself well-trained to fight well against them, and if possible, to keep winning… (laughs)

How has becoming a black belt changed your view on competing?

The responsibility got even bigger. When you reach the black belt, everything changes, right? It’s a lot different from the other belts. You have to try to be as professional as you can be, and take things like they’re your job.

Is being undefeated a disadvantage to your learning? Is it harder to know what to work on when you never lose?

It is true, I haven’t lost a gi match in over a year, almost two years… I think we should always work on our shortcomings, and improve our strong spots. We can never get comfortable with ourselves. After all, if you think you’re already good enough, you can quit BJJ. Why keep on training if you know everything already? So I’m always looking for new things, always learning something new. I have a very open mind, and this is helping me a lot. My game has been improving. I want to reach perfection. I know it’s hard, but I’ll die trying.

What has been your favorite match so far?

I’ve had many wonderful victories in my career, but I’ll have to single out my absolute final against Bernardo Faria. Without a doubt, that was the best [match] in my life… I beat him 9 – 0. It was fantastic and unexplainable.

What advice can you give to those looking to follow your path?

The advice I give is that we must always search for our dreams, as difficult as they might be, especially because nothing comes easy in this life… It wasn’t any different for me. I struggled a lot, trained a lot, abandoned many things that a boy my age likes to do… I still haven’t accomplished half of the things I want. But you have to take risks. I know how hard it is, it’s always frightening to think: “what if I don’t succeed”? That’s very true for our sport.

Since I’ve started, I saw many guys being successful through BJJ, so I thought, “I want this for me too”. I kept going and going, but I have to tell the truth: a while ago, I thought about stopping due to the lack of support… The hardest thing is to depend on a tournament win to have some money. Doing what you love and being champion of everything just doesn’t matter if you’re broke. It’s sad, but true… I think all of the greats went through that. Thanks to the support from my family and friends, my life has changed. I always heard that, if you did what you love, you would be a successful person, in one way or the other. Do things well, with passion and love, so you can be the best in the world. The best thing in life is to be around the people you love. To me, this is the most important thing.

The black belt final matches dropped a few bombs. Caio Terra, who at the No Gi World Championships a few months earlier declared that he’d be sitting out to recover form injuries, emerged victorious with sweeping points. Kayron Gracie took the middle weight title with a choke and Rafael Mendes closed the book on a nagging question in his career with an armbar on the inveterate Cobrinha.

We here at Budo Videos want to thank all of the Live Pass watchers and the thousands in attendance. See you all at the worlds!

Wrap-Up

• Dave at the Jiu Jitsu Laboratory heard you liked BJJ posts so he posted a link to a post about BJJ so that you can read a post about BJJ while reading a post about BJJ.
• Dstryr and BJJ Hacks recently Voltroned into a space-monster crushing list of BJJ-related Instagram accounts. Get at it.
• So, I’d like to think of the Friday Wrap-Up as an opportunity for the Budo Blog readers to catch up on the BJJ/grappling stories they may have missed. I am now in the very conflicted position of offering you a story you may wish you missed. Two words: Justin, Bieber. Two more words: Arm, bar – as in applying, not getting.
• Brendan over at GiReviews.net just posted his thoughts on the Tatami Terere gi. The short version: He did not catch on fire. That only makes sense if you follow us on Twitter.
• Are you in the market for a gi (say, one of these) but are a little confused by the fits and weaves? Let GracieMag help you out.
• I don’t think this is a good idea, even if Kron Gracie does it (and is apparently pretty good).
• Helio Gracie doing his thing with a young Rener. That is all.
• Dstryr brings us this video of Andre Galvao discussing the “Jiu JItsu Life”. There are some great bits of wisdom here.

Budo Videos Stuff

• Darcepedia. Seriously, it’s still blowing my mind.

I just received an advanced copy of a certain product that has reached near fetish status, and I can tell you that the first 10 minutes have thoroughly blown my mind. I can’t really speak to the entirety of the DVD because I was forced to hastily eject and hide it under a pile of papers.  From what I remember, Jeff … er, the primary personality of the fetish item I shall not name has detailed the techniques brilliantly. I have a great deal to work on, and this doesn’t include mopping up the sizable drool stain on my desk and trying to recollect the 30 minutes after I was transported to a wonderful land of arm chokes and balance balls.

Wrap-Up

• Everybody’s Jiu Jitsu hero, Andre Galvao, delivered a few inflammatory statements to Gracie Mag. His march through the pound division at the Abu Dhabi Pro San Diego Trials and overall success as an MMA fighter and BJJ competitor thoroughly disqualifies me from casting an opinion, but I will say I’m a fan of his attacking style.
• Speaking of the Abu Dhabi Pro Cup Trials, care for a photo gallery? I thought you would.
• So, Jiu Jitsu is a competitive sport and a system of self-defense. Ryan Hall proved that the two actually do collide.
• When they do collide, it usually helps to be properly warmed up. Here are a few warm ups to consider.
• Kurt. Ef’ing. Osiander. I can’t think of anything witty to write. Just … watch it.
• You know what? We need more K.O. in our lives. Here’s a technique of a week I haven’t posted.
• It’s no secret that Gracie Barra is expanding like a Jiu Jitsu based Zombie Apocalypse. Here’s the man with the plan

Budo Videos Stuff

• The Pan Championships are coming, and we are delivering it to you with our multimat technology. Get on it.
• This is coming. It totally wasn’t what I was referring to above.
• For those of you who bought the Abu Dhabi San Diego Trial Live Pass, you’ll get the Replay in about a week.
  

I was at the helm of the less impressive FaceTwitterForumBook accounts and commentating. On a side note, I’ve developed a new appreciation for play-by-play announcers/writers. I had a hell of a time keeping up with three mats. I’m a little nervous to take the reins again for our Pan Championship broadcast at the end of the month.

TL;DR version: Get yourself a live broadcast pass if you want to spare yourself spoilers and/or the results of the Pans through my fleetingly witty ramblings, a la below.

Abu Dhabi Pro Trials, San Diego Results

• Xande Ribeiro: Men’s adult brown/black belt < 202 lbs and absolute champion
• Andre Galvao: Men’s adult brown/black belt < 183 lbs champion
• Zak Maxwell: Men’s adult brown/black belt < 163 lbs champion
• Gui Mendes: Men’s adult brown/black belt < 143 lbs champion
• Angelica Galvao: Women’s adult purple/brown/black belt open weight champion
• Emily Wentz: Women’s adult purple/brown/black belt heavy weight champion

Well, I’ve endeavored (and in my defense, succeeded) to get this published before the Beej and I make the long’ish drive to San Diego to bring the Abu Dhabi Pro Cup trials to you, via Live Broadcast. This will be the full debut of our multimat technology, which will allow you to see every match of the event. Speaking of which, check out my interview with Budo Dave regarding multicasting. Also, take special note of Dave’s advice for surviving the zombie apocalypse. Yes, I ask the hard questions.

Wrap-Up

• Let’s be honest, the Gracie Academy has been killing it with their T-shirts and they out did themselves with this one. Bravo boys.
• Oh Kyra, you had me at winning all of those medals. Now you’re telling me that you have something even better? Le sigh …
• Meerkatsu, that prolific BJJ artist (literally, art … as in colors, images, inspiration, etc.) has dropped some of his latest creations. What do you think?
• Budo Blog, meet Jose. Jose, meet Rafa Mendes’ dummybolo, which is essentially a berimbolo … only dummier.
• Remember that Teta interview I linked to last week? Here’s the making of, which is a pretty interesting insight into the process by which Jiu Jitsu media is made.
• Dave at the Jiu Jitsu Laboratory attended an UberMends seminar in Arizona and composed a particularly (as usual) eloquent write-up.  RESULT: an insightful study into the Antirembolo (which is a word I just made up, you’re welcome).
• Gracie Mag has a compilation of BJJ matches with “unforgettable starts”. I’m going to go ahead and upgrade this to “unforgettable matches” status – FTFY.
• The guys at GiReviews.net have given so much stuff away that I’ve mentally assigned them as some sort of weird, gi tossing Johnny Appleseed figure. I imagine they wander through  Chicago while tossing various pieces of BJJ apparel wherever they go  in the vague hopes that more schools, tournaments and competitors will rise like saplings. This isn’t all together a bad idea, nor is their Kingz Kimono giveaway.  Oh, and don’t miss this ladies. They’re giving away a Kingz woman’s kimono.
• You’ve seen this, I know, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share it anyway. Eddie Bravo and Marcelo Garcia rolling. It’s great to see their attitudes and passion for the sport.
• Budo Blog readers, I have BJJ Advice for you. Literally, a website called BJJ Advice with (shocking!) advice from Braulio Estima.

1. Budo Videos recently tested “multicasting” the Pan Kids Championships. Could you explain what this is and what this means?

Multicasting essentially gives our viewers a way to watch any mat at any given time during one our live broadcasts. At most IBJJF or BJJ tournaments, there are usually several fights going on simultaneously and sometimes as many as 12. This new technology will allow the viewer to switch between all of them so they never miss a fight!
2. How did this come about? Why did you decide to introduce multicasting?

It’s been something we’ve been contemplating since the day we did our first live broadcast back at the 2008 No Gi Worlds. I remember when we finally went live I was showing the broadcast to Carlos Gracie Jr. He just looked at it and smiled but the first words out of his mouth were, “Is there a way that we can choose what match we want to watch?” The answer was no but I immediately envisioned the difficulty and complexity of doing such a thing. At the time it seemed impossible given what we had to work with, but technology and bandwidth has improved a lot since then so the time seemed right to finally get it underway. Ever since that day with Carlos, I knew it was something that I wanted to bring to the experience. Of course, our viewers have been demanding this for a long time and we knew that this was the next logical evolution in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu broadcasts. With the sport growing every year and the tournaments getting bigger and bigger, we just had to find a way to do it.

3. What were some challenges in implementing this?

Just finding the technology to do it. Although it seems quite simple, it’s fairly complex and there are not off the shelf pieces of hardware or software that do this. In fact, I don’t know or have not heard of any site that offers this to the extent at which we will. I have a good group of really smart guys that I work with that scoured the internet for various pieces of hardware to build this Frankenstein of a machine to make this work. We’ve been testing it in house for the last few months with pretty good success and we were able to test it out at the Pan Kids with great results

4. Can we expect to see multicasting for any of your big live streams? If so, could you give us a few details on what viewers can expect?

Definitely. The Pan Kids was the first unofficial roll out use of the technology and we’ll be using it at the Abu Dhabi Trials in San Diego but our first official launch will be for the Pan Jiu Jitsu tournament at the end of March. We’ll be multicasting for 4 straight days on anywhere from 10 – 12 mats. We’ll still offer the commentary of Caleb, Shawn and Budo Jake on the last two days so the viewer will have up to 13 streams to choose from.

5. Let’s get down to brass taxes, you’re on the Kaizen videos as a demonstrator, so that makes you a kettlebell expert in my mind. If you were to train with kettlebells to prepare yourself for the zombie apocalypse, which would be the three most important movements?

I wouldn’t say I’m an expert but I’d probably put the kettlebells down and work on running really fast!

6. Have you had any kettlebell disasters, i.e.: broken furniture, shattered floor tiles, etc.? Tell us about that.

Nothing like that, but my backyard is full pot holes!

7. Let’s say you were blindfolded, kidnapped and tossed into a Van Damme styled Bloodsport tournament, only it was for BJJ. Which DVD would you have wished you watched?

The entire Kimo Leopoldo instructional! Can never seem to get passed the intro!

8. Is there anything further you’d like to say about kettlebells, Van Damme, Bloodsport or multicasting?

Just a suggestion to anyone competing at any of the events we’ll be broadcasting. If you know the mat and approximate time in which you’ll be competing, let your friends and family back home know so they can check you out on the broadcast!

• The Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in San Diego will be broadcasted live by Budo Videos and with our multimat technology. What is “multimat”, you ask? Well, it’s magic and trickery rendered through the Interwebs that will allow live event subscribers to view any match that takes place at the tournament.
• André Galvão and Roger Gracie will be holding seminars (exclusively) on May 12 for the World Jiu Jitsu Expo in Long Beach.
• One of the most beautiful aspects of Jiu Jitsu is the development of individual styles (Roger versus Braulio – similar body types, but very different styles). The visual geniuses over at BJJ Hacks released a video featuring Eduardo Rios discusses exactly that.
• So, this is kind of awkward, but we’ve been meaning to, you know, kinda’ point out that you may or may not be saying “Oss!” a bit too often. It’s not that we don’t like you, it’s just that … you know, it’s kinda’ lame – sorry.
• Since that’s over, let’s watch an enthusiastic Gracie Breakdown of the Henderson-Edgars fight. I feel better.
• After lunch today, I was thinking to myself, “I sure could use a few tips – preferably from a black belt and absolute champion.” Gracie Mag delivered with the IBJJF San Fancisco Absolute Champion, Vitor Henrique Oliveira.

• As mentioned, the boys are in Chicago for the IBJJF Chicago Winter Open. What I didn’t mention is that they’re also working on an episode of Rolled Up. Jake recently had lunch with the current subject and I won’t mention him here. Although, if you are friends with the Budo Videos on Facebook, you already know. Way to ruin the surprise.
• Pre-sale for the Hemp Sensations gi just went online. You’re expecting a joke, aren’t you? [Enter Cypress Hill reference here]. Satisfied?

• The aforementioned risks
• Gabi Garcia
• The largest pay out in competitive BJJ
• Already accepted to fight in the largest pay out in competitive BJJ
• Gabi Garcia
• Going to the trials anyway, ostensibly to further engage her beast mode
• … and Gabi Garcia

Wrap-Up

• When the either element of the UberMends speaks, I listen. So, when Gui Mendes says that posture should be a focus, you’d best believe I’m workin’ on my posture.  Incidentally, he did and I am.
• The BJJ Hacks crew met up with Draculino and discuss in their most recent blog post producing the video of him that went big. It provides an interesting insight into one of the tools that’s helping to propagate Jiu Jitsu.
• It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the Jiu Jitsu Lab and you should be too. Why? Because they deliver. Here is The Lab delivering with some X-Guard. You’re welcome.
• Watch the Galvao highlight video that the production team at Budo whipped up. Seriously … just watch it. This just got real.
• From the Self-Defense desk: Jiu Jitsu can help a weaker individual prevail in an attack from a stronger individual.
• From the Competition desk: Caio Terra has won open weight divisions.
• From the Self-Congratulatory desk: Point made.

Budo Stuff

• We’ll be at the Abu Dhabi trials in San Diego, and I shall be live blogging it. More information on that soon.
• The boys tested out our new multicasting technology at the Pan Kids Championships last weekend and things went well. We fully intend to implement this for the IBJJF 2012 Pan and World Championships . For the first time ever, you will be able to watch every match on every mat during those tournaments. TL;DR version: It’s a big deal.
• Check out our interview with Budo sponsored athlete Rikako Yuasa.
• Expect us at the IBJJF Chicago Winter Open and expect a corresponding episode of IBJJF TV.

The women’s division is a growing segment in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but it’s already contentious. The growing pool of competition is already producing stars, and Budo Videos sponsored athlete Rikako Yuasa is a promising young prospect. The 2012 IBJJF European Open Champion in the purple belt division has strong takedowns and a tricky guard – which means I shall endeavor to avoid rolling with her at all costs. I’m serious Budo’ers, this is “lie about an injury and walk with a fake limp for a few weeks” worthy.

Tell us your history with Jiu Jitsu – when you started, how long you’ve been training, etc. What attracted you to Jiu Jitsu?

I stared training BJJ since I was 16 years old, so I’ve been training about 4 years. I took third place at the 2011 Worlds, I took first place in the Rickson Gracie Cup for 2010, 2011 and 2012, I won first place and MVP at the Dumau Tokyo Open in 2011, I won the JEWELS 14th RING Grappling  pro-match and I won the Tokyo International in 2010.

I was a competitive swimmer for a long time and I started Judo when my brother started training it in school and grappling at a wrestling school when I was 13 years old. I got interested in Jiu Jitsu when I watched Jiu Jitsu fighters on PRIDE, but even in Jiu Jitsu I liked training newaza (ground fighting).

I train Jiu Jitsu full time now.

You did very well in the European Championships this year, did you do anything differently in training? What helped you prepare?

After the 2011 Worlds last year was over, I stopped my other sports, including swimming, and increased quantity of training as much as possible. I’ve also been working on my takedowns for the past few years with Judo and I’ve been drilling a lot and doing a lot of position sparring.

Who was your toughest fight at the European Championships and why?

The second match in my division. She pulled guard at the very beginning and I stuffed it, but
because the first time that this happened, I was tense the whole match. I got the advantage first, but lost points when she swept me. I got a sweep in the last few seconds of the match, but I couldn’t
check the time so it was a close match. My opponent had a great guard, and it reminded me that I have to keep training.

Which technique or techniques worked the best for you? Have you trained them often? Why do you think these worked so well?

Armbars are my favorite technique because of my Judo background. It’s often available after the takedown, and it worked well for me when I didn’t know Jiu Jitsu techniques that well. I still love training take downs.

What are your plans for the rest of 2012?

My focus is winning the 2012 Worlds, but I’ll enter a few smaller competitions first and find things that I need to work on. I’ll keep working on strength and conditioning and my takedowns.
Go for some games first; and as for the weak point conquest, the physical condition management,

What are your competition plans for the future?

To be the 2012 World Champion, of course! I want to help make Jiu Jitsu more popular in both Japan and the world. I want to be a spokesperson and get more people involved in the sport.

Do you have anyone else you’d like to thank or mention?

I’d like to thank everyone that’s supported me: my teammates, coaches, friends, family and sponsors and all the great people I’ve encountered in Jiu Jitsu.

Wrap-Up

• The boys have a collection of photos from the IBJJF Houston Open Championships. Check out Andre Galvao apparently getting bored of an arm bar attempt and just walking away.
• Ladies, have you ever wanted to train in Brazil (ANSWER: yes) but were a bit put off by training with dozens of sweaty dudes? Well, the lovely Kyra Gracie has a camp for you. No, seriously … she has a camp for you. Send our girl an e-mail for information about that.
• Jits magazine has an outtake from the Rodolfo Vieira documentary, in which he breaks the heart of the ol’ U-S of A and states that he does not plan to move here any time soon. Some say he’s just playing coy.
• Speaking of our boy, Senhor Vieira thinks that top-level Jiu Jitsu competitors should get paid more, which is understandable. As the sport grows, this seems inevitable but let’s be real here – it’s all about the sponsorships.
• Since I know you want to teach in Abu Dhabi – and trust me, you do – there are some things you need to know. These are those things.
• I think every Jiu Jitsu practitioner wonders, at some point in their career, if they could pull off a win in MMA. Go ahead and add these techniques, courtesy of Greg Jackson, to the arsenal of your imaginary career.
• I’m a huge fan of the Mendes Brothers (or the UberMends, as I call them) and you should be too. By the transitive property, I’m a fan of what they’re a fan of. They are a fan of these Jiu Jitsu matches.
• Speaking of the UberMends, they did damage at the last ADCC, and probably because they train like beasts.

Budo Stuff

• The Beej is doing a great job of taunting me with the release of Darcepedia (that’s Darcie, if you’re nasty). Here’s the latest addition to that list.
• IBJJF TV premiers today and features footage from the Houston Open Championships. Watch the Budo Facebook for more information.

• Dave at the Jiu Jitsu Lab has done a case study in Garcia vs. Drysdale. Peer review it.

• DSTRYR has patches for sale. I know you read ‘em, so go show them some love.

• You know who Draculino is, right? If not, don’t admit that. Just smile and nod people. Smile, nod and watch this documentary.

• Renato Laranja – never mind the string of Mundial victories and never mind the fact that his “defeated” list is a who’s-who of Jiu Jitsu. This mockumentary has all the real victories, including “Joe Hogan”. I’m done here people.

• Are you a guard player? Are you tired of those pesky guard passers (of which I aspire to be)? Well, learn an attack to foil those pesky passers (why did I just do that to myself?)

• Cobrinha has a training camp coming for the Pan Ams. If you’re in the area, you could do a lot worse.

• Would you like a Shoyoroll gi – ANSWER: YES. Well, allow me to one up you with a Shoyoroll give-a-way. The boys at Gi Reviews are delivering hard with this one

Budo Videos Stuff

• The boys are off to Texas this weekend to cover the Houston Open and left me to hold down the fort (my tent in the front planter). There’s no live stream, but expect content for IBJJF TV. Also, a little birdy told me to expect the Atos boys will be Berimbolo’ing through this tournament.. Oh dang, Texas is on fire … or will be … but was, no really, it was literally on fire. It’ll figuratively be on fire this time.
• Do you know who’s in Texas? Chuck Norris. Do you know who’s also in Texas? Draculino. Coincedence? Probably, but that doesn’t mean the boys won’t be heading down to fill an episode of Rolled Up with the man who trained the big names at Gracie Barra (Braulio, Roger, Romulo).
• Our intrepid writer and competitor, Erin Herle posted a nice write-up on her experience at the 2012 IBJJF European Open Championship. I’ve buried it by posting this article (sorry girl! I ain’t mad ‘atcha!), but it’s well worth the read.

Come to his tournament, he does not like to be disappointed

Our good friend, Gokor Chivichyan, is holding a tournament in Los Angeles on Feb. 11. It’ll be for both gi and nogi, and there rules allow for a lot more techniques than an IBJJF event – READ: reaping, heel hooks and neck cranks. Check the site for all of the rules.

If you don’t know Gokor, you should.  No, seriously … you should. He’s a great guy, a great instructor and the current or former coach of Rhonda Rousey, Manny Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan. I hear they’re kinda great.

• The Researchers over at the Jiu Jitsu Laboratory made a stop on the excellent Flow Podcast. You should make a stop too.
• Braulio, as usual, makes a series of good points regarding training and pursuing Jiu Jitsu. It’s a bit of a reiteration of his appearance on Rolled Up, but still worth your time. Really, him reading a recipe book would probably be worth your time.
• Check out the results of the European Opens.
• Remember last week when I mentioned that Dstryr landed a sponsorship with Nabisco? Yeah, they landed another with Redbull, which explains their curious enthusiasm. We’re onto you Dstryr.
• Gracie Mag posted an article about how even when you win – say, sweeping the 2012 European Open Championships - you kind of lose. Or you don’t win as much as you thought as you win. I’m leery to toss out percentages, but I’m going with 10 percent.
• Watch Satoshi do his thing. Just … watch.
• The Abu Dhabi Pro Championship trials are coming. Expect big things this year.
• The boys over at Gi Reviews have a preview of the Shoyoroll batch 12 gis. Won’t lie, I’m kinda geeking out over The Ring gi.

Budo Stuff

• The release of the Guam episode of Rolled Up draws near! Check one of the two previews here!
• We should be able to get our grubby hands on the Darcepedia in March. I may literally die of anticipation.

Other standouts included Michelle Nicolini taking both the female medium-heavy division and the open division, Vitor Estima taking the much contested middle weight division and Gracie Barra taking the team gold home (for the first time in a while).

In company news, a little bird told me that Budo Videos will be present for the Euro Opens next year!

Image courtesy of Gracie Mag / Photo: Raphael Nogueira

]]> http://www.budovideos.com/online/bjj-news/ibjjf-european-open-championships/feed/ 0 http://www.budovideos.com/online/bjj-news/friday-wrap-up-for-lack-of-a-better-name-edition/ http://www.budovideos.com/online/bjj-news/friday-wrap-up-for-lack-of-a-better-name-edition/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:41:10 +0000 dane http://www.budovideos.com/online/?p=2642 Budo’ers, I have an admission to make. I am doing you, the collective many, an injustice. I really should coin a better term for the Budo Blog audience but I am in a difficult position. The Budo Videos audience is diverse and the mavens over at DYSTRYR have laid claim to the term “grappler”. This creates a unique challenge in that while Budo’ers suffices, it does not do justice to the collective might of this humble blog’s audience. I have toyed with the term “Beeple”, but it rang entirely too resoundingly of the sort of mishap one would encounter while potty training an unruly toddler.

“Little Jimmy! You BEEPLED in your big boy pants yet again. Damn you Jimmy, DAMN YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!”

I am sure you empathize with my hardships. On a side note, the above is a relatively accurate retelling of my “toddlerhood”, but that is neither here nor there. To date, you remain unnamed. Authorial validation: unacquired. Further joke possibilities: endless.

Audience monikers aside, I am clearly a dedicated host and thus being the case, I offer you a metaphoric trip to the land of Europa. For those of you currently residing in Europa, join me in the former colonies only to join me (yet again!) in a trip to Europa. Really, that’s twice as many trips our humble continental audience is afforded and you should revel (further) in your smugness (if you aren’t already smug, go ahead and become so and multiply that sensation by 2n, where n is your height divided by 0.5). The short version, the IBJJF European Championships will take place this weekend and you will be delighted with a recap this Monday.

Again, I am a dedicated host.

The Wrap-Up

• The Jiu Jitsu Lab didn’t post anything this week, which is perfectly acceptable. They are, after all, scientists (in real life) and they apparently read this blog. Achievement: Shameless Plug’itude.
• DYSTRYR got sponsored by Nabisco Wheat Thins. This is a big deal because we all want Jiu Jitsu to grow as a sport and subsequently a market segment, and Nabisco (which is owned by Kraft Foods) is trading at more than $38 per share, which is very impressive. DYSTRYR landing the sponsorship that is, not Nabisco. Well Nabisco too – everyone wins.
• More Kurt Osiander, that is all.
• Toquinho has amazing leg locks. This is why. Pro-tip: it’s because he’s practices.
• Eventually you’ll find yourself lacking on the physical conditioning front. It’s cool. It happens to everyone. I have Crossfit. The Beej has Kaizen, and now you have this article. You’re welcome.
• Speaking of conditioning, it turns out that Jiu Jitsu and grappling falls under the greater auspice of human movement. I’m not sure if you knew this, but our boy Erik Paulson is a big fan of mastering everything ever, and he hosted an expert in gymnastics.
• Incidentally, the Russians are not playing with you any more. They ain’t playing. Not even a fraction of one percent. They are, in fact, not playing.

Budo Videos Stuff

• You need a rashguard and frankly, at this price, you don’t need to be choosey.
• Remember when I said that more episodes of Rolled Up are coming? Yeah, there’s an episode of Rolled Up on the way.
• Ronis Gracie opened a school. I may or may not have interviewed him about it (HINT: I did).