Inspiration From Monica Duran

I first met Monica Duran… jeez, easily 8-9 years ago.  I met her with Phil Romero who was, and continues to be, her Qi Gong and Wing Chun teacher.  As you will see in the short clip below, Monica has lost the majority of her vision due to complication of diabetes (a disease rampant not only back home in New Mexico, but throughout the US).   Yet I have never heard one word of complaint from her in everything she does.  Attending UNM working on her bachelors.  Training (and holding her own!!!) with guys twice her size in class!

Monica hopes to spread awareness and work preventative measures to those children and young adults considered high risk for diabetes throughout New Mexico.  I wish her all the luck in the world with all of her ventures, and I hope the next time you are sitting on your ass reading my blog making excuses why you can’t do ___________________ (fill in the blank), that you think of Monica and all the little things we take for granted having our eyesight that she lives without day in and day out for the rest of her life.  Funny how those excuses kind of become meaningless eh!?

Kudos to my amigo Phil as well for always sticking by Monica and constantly challenging her.  Phil has never given anyone anything, you must earn it with him, be it respect, skills, lessons etc.  Phil helped mold Monica and ensure she keeps disciplined and he will be the first to tell you that he has learned more from her then she has from him!
(As a side note; for anyone in Albuquerque, NM. looking for a solid Wing Chun instructor, there is no better than Phil Romero.  Top disciple of Hawking Cheung, Phil knows his shit inside and out!)


I hope you find this story inspiring!
Jake

Thanks to 10th Planet HQ for sharing this tribute video to one of the quietest up and coming MMA fighters in the world; George Sotiropoulos!

When Brian was in Vegas just a couple weeks ago he had the opportunity to train with George, as George paid a visit to his first BJJ coach (who rewarded George his black belt) John Will who was also in Vegas.  Brian actually got some mat time with George and they exchanged ideas and techniques.  I don’t think Brian will mind me sharing some of our private conversation about the experience:

“Plain and simple, George is a grappling genius!  He is so far ahead of anyone in MMA, and his mat sense is uncanny.  I look forward to training with him more.” – Brian Johnson on George Sotiropoulos

I am paraphrasing a bit, but Brian’s overall impression was blown away by how smart George was.  Brian is not impressed easily, and he kept mentioning how innovative George was.  Now that George has bought a house in Southern Washington I am willing to bet we just may see him up here in Seattle visiting sometime soon;)

And that is one of the main reasons I train with Brian… he is still learning and training!  Brian is constantly growing and developing from anyone that he can learn from; even his students.  So many teachers forget their original role as student and become almost holier than thou as they turn their passion into a business.

Enjoy the video,
JAB

Tatame magazine is a great resource for MMA and BJJ freaks out there, but until recently was available only in Portuguese.  Now their is an online version all in English.
Click here to sign up (its free)!

Some great articles on the Worlds and some good techniques at the end.

Enjoy,
JAB

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See how many famous faces you recognize in this pic.  Carlos is the 3rd from left.

Carlos Machado is one of the nicest teachers in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and he has become one of its greatest ambassadors leading by example.  As of late he has been doing a newsletter, spreading BJJ throughout Texas and the SW with seminars and affiliations all over the place.  He has also done a couple of interviews where he shares some old stories and pictures of what it was like in the day where the legends we look up to today were nothing more than fellow mat rat’s like we are now!

I could listen to stories like his all day!  Enjoy!

Jake

Fight Works Podcast Interview Click Here!

Kombat Clinic Interview Click Here!

imageIgor Kurinnoy visited Seattle, WA. for the first time this past weekend (July 24-25th 2010) and offered a weekend chock full of Sambo techniques and strategies for both throws and ground grappling.  Igor’s list of accomplishments is WAY too long to re-type here (check out this list list): accomplishments.  Basically if you are remotely interested in any style of grappling you should have a solid idea of the name Igor Kurinnoy.  Sambo champ, Judo champ, Sumo champ, freestyle wrestler… the guy’s bio reads like a never ending list of grappling styles and tournaments he has won!

Hosted by Aaron Fields and Gregg Humphrie’s (great to meet you Gregg and Serge…. no, no, the other Serge;) at Aaron’s gym (quietly dubbed the sweat box!), Saturdays attendance was just short of 40 people, and Sunday had about 10 fewer!  People from Iowa, Oregon, Cali, and of course locally converged to get the opportunity to train Sambo with one of the best ever!  Greg even said that it was one of the largest turnouts he has ever seen for Igor, and that we trained harder then most out there!  Quite a compliment coming from Miletich’s grappling coach!

Igor spent the majority of Sat. showing throwing techniques mixed with a few ground techniques, and exactly the opposite on Sunday where we spent the day working ground techniques with a couple of stand up throws.  This was a great mix for the people in attendance who were mostly Sambo stylists, but we had everything from BJJ cat’s to western martial artists in the house!  It is always interesting for me to see how someone approaches certain techniques and training, and Sambo has many varied grips and setups for throws and sweeps that are simply not seen in other systems.  This is due in part to their uniform as well as the rule set for Sambo (freestyle / sport / combat).  Remember the only differentiating factors when it comes to various “styles” or “systems” are: 1 – rule set & 2 – uniform.

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“The Death Star / Igor Kurinnoy / Chickenwing

Igor showed us some basic drills to practice foot sweeps on each other both as a warm up, but the functionality was inherit within the practice.  He then progressed to show how certain techniques like Uchi Mata and leg blocking (knee seizing) are applications of the same principles.  What was good about Saturday was that it was nothing I had not seen / done before, but I picked up subtle cues that were making my techniques flawless.

In regards to the ground work the majority of it focused on your opponent either turtled up, in bottom four quarter, or totally sprawled out (think spread eagle face down).  For those of us in BJJ this was a little confusing, but keep in mind that Sambo has time limits on the ground; and some people will splay out in an effort to stall and get the match back to the feet.  So the majority of techniques were addressing this exact issue.  Igor even taught us his trademark rolling shoulder lock!

Overall the weekend was… hot and wet!!  And not the way you would want it to be!  I bet it was easily 100 degree’s in Aaron’s club, with humidity right up there alongside it.  I easily lost 6 pounds water weight Saturday.  Hopefully Aaron will be in a much more drafty location next seminar.

But seriously the seminar was good.  Nice to see that kind of support for a relatively unknown art here in the US.  Igor is the epitome of “speak softly and carry a bag full of ass whoopin’ for any poor sap stupid enough to ask for it!”  Very soft spoken.  Extremely gentle, that is until he showed some throws on Aaron, Serge and a couple others.  I honestly thought he killed Aaron with one take down.  Igor can explode with such velocity that it is easy to see why he has won the world Sambo cup 3 times!  Igor’s English is much better then my Russian and he did quite well, but I cannot help but think how much more detail we could have retained if a translator was present.  Igor is extremely technical, and has a PHD in Combat Sports Conditioning, so I am very sure their is more detail to the content he could have shared if language was not a barrier.

On that same note I was REALLY looking forward to being warmed up with some of his grappling specific techniques and what not, but those were not a factor.  Perhaps next visit their will be more organization and direction as far as theme’s go.

I want to thank Aaron, Gregg, and all the participants for making it such a great weekend.  And lastly I want to thank Igor for opening my eyes to the great potential of Sambo and for unabashedly sharing his passion and love for the grappling community.

Have fun in Iowa boys!

For more on Igor click here!
Cheers,
JAB

“Muay Thaimes: The Most Sublime Savagery in Sports” is a rather new quarterly rag to hit the market (as much as I hate to pimp them, B&N downtown has been carrying some awesome martial art rags lately, as well as this one), or at least it is new to me.

Besides having the coolest subtitle: “The Most Sublime Savagery in Sports” Muay Thaimes has some very, very good photography.  Unfortunately it seems the publication is centered around the shots and writing has taken a back seat (sign of the times!?!?).  Published with the seasons, the summer 2010 issue is jammed pack full of fight results from professional MT events around the country and a few overseas.  This is cool I am sure for those who fought, but really is of little interest to those of us not near any of those events, nor knowing any of the fighters in said events.

imageOne of the better articles ‘Fighting for Change’ covers Kru Paul Barry’s attempts to reach the impoverished and underprivileged of Newport, Delaware.  Offering a safe haven for kids of all ages to come train and interact with others that share similar interests, or whom simply want to get off the streets.

The highlight article of “MT’s” is what seems to be an ongoing series of Muay Thai in America and this issues focuses on Paulo Tocha.  Paulo grew up in Africa and traveled the world training and teaching Muay Thai, as well as fighting any and every where he could.   An interesting life story of someone we never hear about.

What little coverage Muay Thai gets in this country is piss poor to say the least, so I think any publication that is doing its best to spread the word of the traditional art of Thailand is worth a look.  But to be brutally honest Muay Thaimes needs to get some better writers and more interesting content to be truly successful.  Some articles on techniques would be great!  Fighting philosophies, attitudes and approaches to coaching would be a bonus.

Check it out if you get the chance, and throw $5 towards the cause.  I would caution against a subscription as I am not sure how many more volumes they will be able to fund.

Cheers
JAB

This weekend Rigan Machado will be in Eastern WA. area (just over the border into Idaho).  If you have never trained with Rigan you do not want to miss this opportunity to train with whom some consider the best grappler of all time.

Enjoy,
JAB

imageAs you have noticed we have been going through some changes here at “The Ground Never Misses.”  In an effort to try and get any kind of funding for seminars, tournaments, and training I have included Adsense and Amazon links to my blog.  You may ask, “Has thee soldeth outeth Jaketh?” and the simple answer is… perhaps.  I love the martial arts and I enjoy writing about them for this blog, but in the end I am not making any money doing it, and whether I like it or not; training cost’s money.  Lots of it!

So anytime you check out a link (you do not have to buy anything) it helps me out in a minuscule way.  Hell, even $10 a month is $120 a year; and that right there is registration for most tournaments and/or seminars (with a few bucks left over for beers;).  I want to be clear and let you know that I have no control over what they advertise and certainly do not endorse any or all of it.  I review books and DVD’s here so feel free to use the search option below to see if it is a title I have looked at, but otherwise it is by no means an endorsement by me.  Simply advertising space for the evil conglomerates.

I really appreciate the support and feedback I get from my readers.  I am constantly surprised at whom is checking me out.  John Will even made a comment that he enjoys reading my blog every week!   I am honored that someone of his caliber even glances at something I share online.

Of course I am not opposed to rich people sponsoring me on any level if any of you are looking to get a tax write off!

I know it is a bit gaudy, but I am hoping this will help me out in even in the smallest way and I promise to rip it down if it gets out of control.

Thanks for your time and support!
Jake

Retired Yokozuna Asashoryu has announced he is forming a MMA fight team for up and coming Mongolian wrestlers who want to try their hand in the ever growing MMA arena in Asia.  Thanks to   Nightmare of Battle for the breaking story!

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Jadamba Narantungalag fighting for Asashoryu
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Asashoryu at the height of his career

Here is an amazing KO on Ruslan Karaev by Melvin Manhoef at K-1 2007 in Amsterdam.  I teach this combo (cross, hook, round kick) all the time in my classes and I think a lot of students gloss over it because it is not necessarily a “sexy” combo.  Yet here is another example of the basics working and working WELL!!  Ruslan did not return to the ring for over a year!  His head snaps so frickin’ hard from Manhoef’s hook.  Almost imperceptible, but Ruslan drops his right hand just a smidge and Manhoef went right through it and Ruslan’s chin.

Thanks to Head Kick Legend for the clip!

Keep your hands up,
JAB

Once again Carlos Machado has written an excellent article on sharing knowledge (teaching).  He has a great attitude and it shines forth in this article offering advice on both teaching, training, learning, and teaching from the perspective of both the teacher and the student.

Check it out here!  http://www.championsway.net/data/14823/gallery/20100721165846608.pdf

Enjoy,
JAB

I am stoked to see the final production of this upcoming documentary on the Machado brothers, “Art Suave: Jiu Jitsu.”  Here is the sneak peek trailer with some great footage and old photographs along with inspirational stories of how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has made people better human beings.
The Machados from Robert Arevalo on Vimeo.
Some of my first memories of martial arts were training Modern Arnis every chance I got under Prof. Remy Presas (1936-2001). This was my first foray into a truly Filipino Cultural martial art, and it fascinated me to no end. My interest has led me to find an excellent teacher that I mesh with and I am excited to be training in Kali. So when “Eskrimadors” (Pointsource Films) came across my desk I was excited to see this groundbreaking documentary.
Kerwin Go has made a truly legit documentary on the fighting arts of Cebu Island, Philippines, and the masters who have propagated the arts of Eskrima / Arnis / Kali (all are very similar and a diatribe on their differences is not needed here). Focused solely on the teachers of Cebu island such as Cacoy Canete, Dionisio Canete, Undo Caburnay, Nick Elizar, Rodrigo Maranga, Uwit Jecong, Koloy Uy etc. For Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) geeks like me this is awesome, but trust me when I say you can sit down with your loved one who has little interest in men beating each other with sticks, and she will dig this film because it lays down the fabric in which the story of the Filipino people is woven into. The martial arts of any nation, or people, or tribe, or ethnicity are invaluable as they hold so much history and cultural aspects that it is essential that each generation passes down their knowledge to the next.
“Eskrimadors” is a nicely produced hour long documentary interlaced with training footage of the various masters demonstrating their unique approaches to the art of Eskrima. Re-enactments are played out with stories of the founding teachers who fought death matches (Juego Todo) long before video and Youtube! A great soundtrack coupled with photo’s from the early 1900’s, lay the groundwork for fun demonstrations as the story of Doce Pares Eskrima is told. Doce Pares is one of the main groups on Cebu, and the film is focused on the teachers and students of Doce Pares.
However, in 1952 Anciong Bacon split from Doce Pares and formed his own school focusing on single stick techniques later named Balintawak Eskrima. A good chunk of time is spent on this brewing rivalry fueled (as far as I can deduce anyways) purely on bullshit machismo. Fights, death matches, and bickering between Balintawak and Doce Pares students was given way too much time.
The late 70’s brought about the formation of tournaments and seminars where the various instructors would share their arts. This is where the FMA really started to take off when they spread to North America and Europe. Interviews and highlight action shots from various competitions where stick fighting and form work are judged side by side and attended by people the world over. The camaraderie and sharing is evident in the smiles shared by both those who compete, those who learn, as well as those who teach.
More and more well done martial art documentaries are being produced and “Eskrimadors” sits up there with any and all of them. It is family friendly so pop some popcorn and sit down to view it with your kids and family and learn about some of the rich martial traditions the Filipino people have.
Here is an interview with one of Muay Thai’s best fighters; Buakaw Por. Pramuk.

An Interview with Buakaw Por. Pramuk from nopadon wongpakdee on Vimeo

Here is a 14 part documentary put together on Buakaw’s training. It is all in Japanese and Thai, but the training vid’s are great!

Here is a great picture of a group of Shuaijiao practitioners in Tianjin China circa 1930. Many thanks to my bud William in the great white north who sent me the link

From L – R:Zhang Lianchen, Zhang Hongyu, Wang Wenhai, Pu Enfu, Ma Wenping, Wang HaizhengThere are not many pictures out there of Pu Enfu (1911-1986), one of the best wrestlers of his time, and here we find a pic of a young Pu (third from right) who was my teachers (Hu Xi Lin) Shuaijiao coach in Beijing! He would have been no older than 20 at the time of this snapshot.I have compiled all the info I got from Hu in an article entitled “Threading a Needle in a Flash of Lightning” in the Aug. 2006 issue of ‘Kung Fu Tachi’ magazine. You can also
find this article on my website’s article page
A younger Pu Enfu (also Pu Liu) on the right.
Enjoy,Jake
Nice to know that some out there have WAY more time on their hands then I do! Priceless!
The training:

The results:

For those interested in the Filipino Martial Arts, or simply for anyone that would like to improve their stick and knife skills, I proudly present (for what I believe is the first time in Seattle) a seminar on Pekiti Tirsia Kali as taught by Guro Meynard Ancheta. Meynard is a friend of mine and long time fellow student under Tim Cartmell so I am very happy to host him in Seattle for a great weekend of training. Hope you can join us!Train Hard. Train Smart.Jake B.

Three Harmonies Martial Arts Presents

A Weekend Workshop:

Pekiti Tirsia Kali

Traditional Filipino Martial Arts

W/ Meynard Ancheta

August 28 & 29th 2010

Sat. 1-5pm

Sun. 11am – 3pm

Seattle, WA.

(Location provided with registration)

1 day – $55

Weekend – $75

*Please bring your own sticks and a training knife. ABSOLUTELY NO LIVE BLADES!

To register contact Jake Burroughs:

206-941-3232 / [email protected]

Your are invited to join us for a weekend of training in the beautifully effective art of Pekiti Tirsia Kali, one of the native weapon and empty hand arts of the Philippines. This is Guro Ancheta’s first visit to Seattle, WA. and he will guide students through the “Doce Methodos” or Twelve Methods. These are the foundational

methods and techniques for every aspect of Pekiti Tirsia Kali (empty hand / single weapon / double weapons). All levels of experience are welcome, all we ask is you leave your ego at the door!

Students can expect to learn:

· Single and double stick methods

· Effective & Realistic knife fighting skills

· Brutal techniques meant for real combat, not sport

· Improve your timing, footwork, and understanding of range & distance

· Have fun learning a cultural treasure of the Philippines

“I want to share the traditional family system of Pekiti Tirsia Kali (PTK), and demystify some of the false idea’s about this effective martial art.” – Guro Ancheta

The Instructor:

Meynard Ancheta began his martial journey with Don Angier in Aiki Ryu Jujitsu & Kenjutsu. Shortly thereafter Meynard met Tim Cartmell and has been training with him in the arts of Bagua, Xing Yi, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the past 10 years earning a brown belt in the art of BJJ. In 2004 he then began his foray into the art of Pekiti Tirsia Kali training privately under Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje. Furthering his training in the traditional family system of PTK under Mataas na Guro Tim Waid, Meynard continues to visit the Philippines and train. Meynard is a Dog Brother (c-Strawdog), and was recently promoted to Guro (instructor) by Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje. For more information on PTK visit www.ptkgo.com

For more information or questions please contact Jake Burroughs at: 206-941-3232 or [email protected]

Nicely done!JABI am honored to be included in Matt Stampe’s “Internal Martial Art Fighter” Hall of Fame, for my contributions in writing, teaching, and competing in the arts of Xing Yi, Bagua, and Taiji. I want to thank Matt for the inclusion as I am quite honored to be looked upon in such a light. Honestly I feel the more I learn the less I know on this path, and when I teach or write I simply want to share in an effort to help someone along the martial path.
Thank you Matt for the nomination I am truly honored and humbled by the company I keep on your list!
CheersJake B.Here is a great Chael Sonnen “low light” real from the net! I normally talk very little about MMA on this blog, but Chael is just such an ass that I had to include this. Not to mention the “treat” at the end of the video will make most mens day!
I look forward to Anderson kicking his ass next month. Though I must admit it is someone like Chael that could possibly beat Anderson! Either way it will be a solid fight I think.
Enjoy your weekend,JAB
Perusing some old leglock video’s by Igor Yakimov reminded me just how far the quality of production has come in regards to martial arts instructional material. The idea back then (I do not have an exact date, but it had to be late 80’s) was to have one camera, one angle, and if you wanted multiple angles, the demonstrators would awkwardly fumble around. It was often obvious how ill prepared and structured the lesson plans were. And this is not a knock on Yakimov, I just so happened to look back at some material of his that reminded me to thank people like Roy Dean for continuing to produce excellent instructional DVD’s such as his latest “No Gi Essentials.”
Firstly I must apologize for the delay in getting this review out. I just received the DVD a few weeks ago, as I had moved earlier this year and the USPS took their sweet ass time forwarding the package to me. So my apologies to Mr. Dean and my readers.

Excellently produced (I want to say Roy’s student Rick is the main man behind the camera, but I stand to be corrected) and edited, this two disc set offers a glimpse into Roy Dean’s no gi game. I think this is an excellent approach as watching DVD’s of submission after submission gets old rather fast. I want to see how they got the submission. I want to gain the insight of each instructor as to how they maintain the position. Packed full of submissions and sweeps, this DVD seems to focus on developing a flowing aspect to your game. “What if” scenario’s are scattered throughout the lessons which, if the keen eyed student pays close attention to, will offer countering and troubleshooting answers as well!
Live rolling clips from Dean’s classes are also edited in where applicable. Certain moves he teaches are followed by a live clip of him and his students rolling along with narration by Dean. The director is also constantly moving to get the optimal angle along with multiple static camera angles as well. Rick even gets crafty with a clip shot in the reflection of Dean’s beautiful dojo! Okay, you get it… technically another excellent production from Dean. Onto the marrow!
Disc 1:Essential MovementsEssential GripsTakedownsArmdragKimuraGuillotineRolling Analysis
As you can see Dean has put in the best of what he considers essential knowledge for the no gi grappler. Not restricted to just submissions, or just positions; Dean attacks the subject from all possible angles. The progression from being able to move on the ground (shrimp, bridge, etc.) into how to grip is certainly key in the no gi game. Jean Jacques Machado once answered “Grips and speed.” when asked what is the difference to him between no gi and gi grappling. Grips are essential for our art, and with no gi the need to train them is evenstronger since no material can be grabbed and the slickness of the human body makes holding anything challenging. What Dean terms “grips” with the shoulder and the head, I would refer to as posture breaking which is great to see in a DVD. Dean also explores D’Arce chokes as a method to grip as well.
Offering small doses of each subject Dean teaches a few different throws discussing how to pull off Uchi Mata with various grips, and how to set up one takedown with another such as Uchi Mata into Harai Goshi. This melds nicely into the armdrag chapter which really focuses on fluidity and combinations of movement. Dean goes over both standing and knee to knee drags.The chapter on kimura’s was the first one I checked out; it is one of my favorites! Dean does a nice job again addressing certain scenario’s and flowing into other submissions and sweeps when the kimura fails. He speaks of the relationship between the kimura and the guillotine showing variations such as the five finger guillotine as well.
One of the highlights of this 2 disc DVD is the final chapter on the first disk; ‘Rolling Analysis.’ Dean narrates throughout rolling with white belts through purple, never dominating his students, occasionally offering limbs to see how they will react and he even gets caught a time or two. This feature is invaluable because it showcases so much about the art, the instructor,and the student. We get a glimpse of Dean’s game yet he has left the ego at home and rolls according to the level of the student. Explaining his strategy and technique, all the while giving positive criticism for the student. The love for the art, and the passion for teaching shines through in these seemingly meaningless “extra’s” of which I would like to see more of from other martial artist’s DVD series.
Disc 2:Guard OptionsMount OptionsSidemount EscapesOpening the GuardLeglock TechniquesLeglock CombinationsDemonstrations
Disc two offers more of the same solid fundamentals and variations on a theme. This set is meant to be structured as a private lesson format. Think of asking a teacher whom you were only going to meet once, and have only 1 hour to train with, what his essential ________ is for XX position. In a nutshell that describes “No Gi Essentials.”
Sidemount Escapes is one of the gems in this set teaching us to build a proper frame as the foundation of our escape into smooth, realistic, flows and transitions. Dean makes a comment toward the end of the lesson, “The ultimate goal is to never allow sidemount.” But really does not delve too deeply into “escaping the opponents guard pass” which I think would be an amazing subject, that is rarely seen taught in instructional DVDs. I was left wanting more, which I suppose is the genius behind Roy Dean.Yet another subject NEVER talked about is ‘baiting.’ Dean touches upon the subject in the chapter “Opening the Guard.” I must admit that what he shows is a bit risky, but if you follow to a T he has some interesting way to open the guard and pass.
What would a Roy Dean / Roy Harris DVD be without some talk about leg attacks!? Two chapters, “Leglock Techniques” & “Leg Combinations” adorn this set going into great detail on the straight ankle lock as well as offering options into the knee bar and heel hook. Protecting your own legs and exploring various leg controls finishes out the Combinations chapter.
Once again, and not really surprisingly, Roy Dean has produced another fine grappling instructional leading the way in quality instruction with top notch production. He has even just released the first BJJ app for I-Pad which you can download. Regardless of the medium in which you view it “No Gi Essentials” should be an essential part of your DVD collection.
Train Hard. Train Smart.Jake B.


“Everyone knows how to finish the submission. But how many different ways can you get to that submission? And which is more important, the submission or getting to a place where you can apply that submission?” – John B. Will
And so our weekend started! John Will and David Meyer (2 of the “Dirty Dozen” of BJJ) visited the NW Jiu Jitsu Academy this past weekend to present an intensive seminar. John is the senior rank so he took charge of the lesson, always coming witha ‘theme’ in an effort to give us as much information in a short amount of time as possible. This trip we trained Kata Gatame, or commonly referred to as a ‘Head & Arm’ submission.
Since we only usually see John once a year he always tries to condense as much info on a certain topic as possible to maximize the few short hours we spend with him. His passion to share and teach students is second only to his awesomely dry, and sharp (TOTALLY wasted on Seattle-ite’s!!!) sense of humor!
Essentially John and David broke down several submissions you can get including a wicked americana if your opponent defends against your initial attack! After cinching up our submission’s we got to the marrow of the issue; how do we get to the position in an effort to submit!?I would like to talk to some Judo cats about Kata Gatame, for we see so very little of it in BJJ. One reason David shared is because when done improperly it leaves you susceptible to having your back taken, which no one wants! So he hypothesized that many people gloss over Kata Gatame and do not spend time developing it. Not with these guys! We covered entries from North-South / Bottom Four Quarter / Mount / Side Mount etc. We also went through a number of “what if” situations addressing specific counters and transitions that came up.
The only negative comment I have to make is the seemingly foolish lack of interest in training with two of the pioneers of BJJ in America! We had a great turnout, but frankly speaking, why weren’t you there? Together on the mat you have two instructors under the Machado brothers representing over 50 years of mat time for less than $25 an hour!! I mean are so many of us out there star-fuckers to the point we forget about the guys who paved the way for the Marcelo Garcia’s, Rafael Lovato’s, and Roger Gracies? Blows my mind that we do not get huge turnouts for these guys, but hey I ain’t gonna’ bitch… plenty of personal attention for each and every one of us that did attend!
Many students new to the martial arts do not realize what a treat it is to be able to train with your teachers, teacher. BJJ has developed so quickly, and has never taken on much of the cultural BS that traditional arts have in the past, enabling BJJ practitioners the opportunity to train with several generations within their lineage. Those who have not studied Asian arts do not understand just how fortunate they are! For instance I train with Brian; I have trained with his teachers David and John; and I have also trained with David and John’s teachers the Machado brothers! I have studied with every generation of BJJ except the generation that developed the art. That is awesome!
As always it is great to train and get advice from two of the best instructors I have ever been on the mat with. This year was the first in over 5 where both David and John were able to teach together! Hopefully we will see you on the mat next summer!
Thanks to all whom supported, and for those whom did not… prepare for some tight head and arm chokes!
Train Hard. Train Smart.Jake
Over the past 19 years I have learned a lot. I have learned I am not as tough as I think I am. I have learned that BJJ is probably one of the most difficult endeavors one can ever partake on, and I have learned how to recognize outstanding instructors. This has come via tremendous trial and error, spending countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars training with some of the best, those whom are considered the best, and those who think they are the best and really are just terrible! When I first met Brian the combination of his ability to DO, and TEACH is what I felt made him the best around. He remains one of the most underrated, unknown BJJ competitors, teachers, and ambassadors for the art! All these attributes came to fruition this past weekend with a visit from Brian’s teachers John Will, and David Meyer (2 of BJJ’s “Dirty Dozen”).
Please join me in congratulating the NW Jiu Jitsu Academy’s very own Brian J. Johnson on his promotion to 2nd degree Black Belt on Saturday July 10th, 2010. John Will & David Meyer were up in Seattle, WA. offering lessons and getting in some mat time with Brian, and here is what was shared:
“If I lived stateside their is only two people I would seek out to train with; David Meyer and Brian Johnson.” – John B. Will
“Brian is not only an amazing competitor, but is also one of the finest people I have ever met. His jiu jitsu has transcended the mat.” – David Meyer
Congrats Brian, I am proud to call you my teacher, and even more so to consider you my friend.
Cheers,Jake B.
Love him or hate him, Shinya Aoki is always fun to watch. This past Sat morning he did not disappoint getting a vicious straight ankle lock on Tatsuya Kawajiri in Dream’s 15th showing. I just so happened to get up at 3:30am to drain the main vein, so I got out to the living room, turning the volume on the TV down and was able to catch the final match with Aoki.
Shinya needed this win after the ass whooping he caught against Gilbert Melendez in Aoki’s US debut.
Aoki gets a beautiful straight ankle lock and really puts it on. Kawajiri stubbornly fights it for way too long, and will most likely be off the mat for quite a few weeks.
Check it out, very nice submission by one of the most entertaining grapplers in MMA today.
CheersJAB
This poor guys gets knocked silly after falling victim to a very clean Kouchi Gari. Goes to show just how devastating a well timed throw, sweep, or takedown can be. Imagine if this had been on concrete, or in a parking garage with large, steel vehicles lining the corridors! Brutal!
Thanks to Tim for finding this online!

Enjoy,JAB
Semi-final match at K-1’s 63kg Grand Prix. Watch how beautifully Kubo sets up this KO with kicks to the body, leg, and head. Matsumoto has a bad habit of dropping his right hand. Once again kids… KEEP YOUR HANDS UP AT ALL TIMES!!!!!!!
This August will bring the 10th annual US Sumo Open to the So Cal area. I was hoping to make this years competition, but my elbow will not be in shape by next month (man this year is zipping by!!), so I will have to wait until next year.
If you are a fan of grappling, go support one of the oldest combat sports known to man!
Train Hard. Train Smart.Jake

Here is an interesting article on how to attract women, and keep women, at your gym. I think it offers some great points in regards to general business ownership and professionalism across the gender divide. Thanks to Stephan Kesting over at Grapple Arts!

JAB

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