Private with Gordo...

As mentioned in the previous post I had a private with Gordo on Tuesday.

Beforehand I didn't really have anything in mind that I wanted to work on. But after thinking about problem areas (or parts of my game I could use some improvement) I had during rolling on Monday and the Tuesday morning, I thought I'd like to work on creating space from the bottom especially side mount. As a smaller guy it REALLY SUCKS to be stuck under a heavier dude, ESPECIALLY when they got the side mount.

Basically from side mount I was give three options:
[1] Recover guard/half guard,
[2] Turn onto your belly down then get on your knees and work from there;
[3] Bait them into going for mount then as they go into mount regain the guard (timing is important with that one).

I once regaining guard I was given a few options:
[1] take the back,
[2] sweep while holding the foot,
[3] sweep while grabbing the knee. So this links onto

And a few other little things like escaping the arm triangle then getting back to half guard or pointers on how to defend when they have your back. It was just enough for 1 one lesson otherwise I would of had a brain overload. Also the sweeps he showed me I'd already been shown by Dennis so it was like I already had a foundation to build on. But just the way he explained things and gave alternate options that tied into everything made it all kind of click in my head. It's like when you already know something, but then you suddenly understand the reasoning behind it.

I'm definitely going to be hitting up more privates before I leave.

Training in general...

I've really been starting to feel the improvements in my jiu jitsu the past couple of weeks. Even though the vibe in classes has been a bit laid back because of holiday season. It feels like all the techniques and drills I've been learning and doing the past couple of months are starting to come together and fit into place. Like I'm connecting the little dots in my head. There's still a lot I need work on but it definitely feels like I'm starting to level up somewhat. I feel like I'm surviving better against guys I was just behind or struggling with at the start and I'm understanding better the angles and positions and weight.

Also I bought a white shirt for NYE to wear at Copacabana beach. Hopefully it won't rain! And if it does hopefully it isn't heavy. Saw this on youtube:

Anyways this will be my last post for the year. So I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year and that you're all not too hung over tomorrow. Peace!

51 days...

That's how much time I have left in Brasil :(

Damn time flies and it will go even faster in the following month because I've got New Years Eve, my mum and her husband will be coming and we'll be off to Foz do Iguazu/Bonito/Pantanal for a 1.5wks; and then Carnival. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing more of the country, since I've only spent my time in Rio, but at the same time I really wish I could spend that time in Rio squeezing in as much training as I can before I leave. I'm feeling a kind of sense of urgency to get all the things I've wanted to get done accomplished before I leave (visiting other gyms, tourist places around Rio, buying souveneirs etc). It's starting to feel like I'm doing last minute studying for exams.

For NYE I'm going to be going out to Copacabana to celebrate with the gringos and the 1 million or so other revellers over there. Should be quite an experience. Some of the traditions I've heard about it are:
- Dress all in white
- Jump over seven waves
- Bring flowers to throw into the sea?
- Different coloured underwear brings different kinds of "luck" eg. Money (yellow), love (red?), peace (blue?) etc.

Training has been pretty relaxed the past couple of weeks for Christmas and now New Years. But I've still gotten in some good sessions and still learning something new each day. Tomorrow I'll be having my first private with Gordo so that should be something to blog about.

Also here is a recent look at the Connection Rio HQ with some interviews of the guys (including myself) and a look at the training sessions in the afternoon with Dennis.

Feliz Natal...

I spent Christmas at the Connection Rio HQ with the other gringos. We had a bbq for lunch. Then spent some time at the beach (got wiped out trying to surf... Note: need wax for the surfboard). Then more bbq for dinner and watched a couple movies.

Tommy was the chef for the bbq and everything tasted sooo good. Flo made some salads so we didn't have just meat and there was plenty of cold refreshing Guarana Antartica and Coca-cola to drink.

Eating good food and chilling out by the pool with some good tunes and good friends seems to be the best way to spend a holiday. Looking forward to the next time we get to do this.

Churrasco de fim de ano

On Saturday we had a bbq for the academy. R$50 for all you could eat bbq and drinks. There was more beer than there were soft drinks or water so it was entertaining seeing everyone getting a buzz/tipsy, especially some of the BB letting loose. There were games of futebol (I suck so sat on the sidelines so I didn't make a fool of myself), lots of meat and some belt promotions to be handed out.

All in all it was a good day and great to hang out with everyone outside of training and see a different side to them. It really was amusing to me to see some of the higher belts letting loose, especially when you always see them instructing in class or rolling all bad ass then you see them getting a little tipsy and playing around. Good times, good times.

"Junkyard" taking a nap in the bbq area

A friendly game of futebol

Everyone gathered around for the end of year speech and belt promotions

Just some of the black belts present at the bbq. [L-R] Rommel, Jesus, Zoro, Gordo, Dennis and Neto.

MANY group and individual photos were taken after the speech and people just chilled out, kept drinking, eating, talking and having a good time.

Me with Rommel and Tom.... me with Zoro with both Tom's photobombing the pic

Just one of the many pics taken while everyone was hanging out.

With world champ Neto.

Smaller group pic before the bigger group pic.

Asian gringos with Thiago, newly promoted to Brown belt that day. Parabens!

Trying to get the big group pic organised.

MMA shopping in Rio de Janeiro...

If you are in Rio for training one of the things you might want to know about is where to buy mma/jiu jitsu gear. So I thought I would dedicate a post to that and the places I know of so far where you can buy some gear.

How many Kimonos/Gi's to bring...

Some people may wonder how many kimonos/gi's to bring down. My answer would be that it all depends on how often you are going to train. If you plan on training alot (2x a day, 5-6 days a week) it would take a little planning ahead to rotate your gis so you're not always training in sweaty smelly ones or missing class because they're in the wash.

Alot of places have at least 3 or 4 jiu jitsu classes a day 5 days a week, with an open mat session on the Saturday. Usually I try do classes a day (a morning and afternoon/night class) a day and catch the open mat on Saturdays, so that's around 10 or so classes a week. Sometimes I might do 3 a day (a boxing or extra jiu jitsu) if I feel up to it or to catch up on the days I've only been able to do one class.

When I came here I didn't have any gis but bought 2 basic gis (R$160 each) at the gym. I'd probably use each for gi or two days, alternating and letting one dry before using the other. When the weather is sunny you can wash a kimono out and it'll dry in one day or less but if it's the rainy season you're really going to have to plan it out because they might take up to 2 or 3 days to dry.

Gloves, supplements etc...

If you're wanting to buy gloves or any other kind of gear I'd say just bring it from home. Pretty much any overseas brands imported into Brasil is going to be expensive.

Although there is a sale on at SNC on Avenida Olegario Maciel in Barra da Tijuca selling about 1kg of protein powder for R$99. SNC also have a number of outlets in Barra at Citta America, Barra Shopping and some other places.

Sports Nutrition Centre (SNC) website

Avenida Olegario Maciel, 440 Loja D

Barra da Tijuca - Rio de Janeiro

Tel: (21)2494-3522

Pride Fightwear...

Pride Fightwear make some good lightweight kimonos, they also have MMA shorts, rashguards, shirt, singlets and a few other fashionable items. Alot of the guys from Gordo's wear Pride Fightwear gi's to training PLUS they dry quickly compared to some other gi's which might take a few days to dry.

When you go enter the building take the stairs at the end up to the next floor (2nd) and you should see the store right in front of you on the other side of the hall.

You can see the Pride Fightwear sign in the top right.. and left of the pictures. Also the gold buddha statue is pretty hard to miss.

The building might be hard to spot from the main road because if you're going into Barra da Tijuca from Zona Sul it's on the left side before the bridge and Downtown Shopping. You also might see some Medical centre on the right side of the road.

Pride Fightwear Address:

Pride website

Avenida Armando Lombardi, 949

Barra da Tijuca

Rip Dorey...

There's a Rip Dorey store in Copacabana that may be a bit hard to find if you're not sure where to look. Basically it's inside a shopping building, that doesn't look like a shopping building on the outside. This building is great because there's about 3 MMA/Jiu Jitsu type stores in there selling shirts, kimonos and other MMA/jiu jitsu related gear. Rip Dorey is on the 11th floor, but on the way up you can stop on the 4th and 8th floors to look at a brand called Survivor (4th floor) and the old school Hunter brand (8th floor).

This is a picture of the store from the outside. Santa Clara 33, you have to enter on the narrow passage way on the right and either take the stairs or elevator.

The "Survivor" brand store on the left.

Rip Dorey Address:

Rip Dorey website

Rua Santa Clara 33, Store (Lojas) 1107 - 1108

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

Ph: (21) 3208-2136

There's still some other places around Rio I'd like to check out and I'll be updating this post when I do get around to it. So keep tabs on it.

Simple jiu jitsu...

I know, I know... I've been lazy of late and not updating. I blame it on the crappy Rio weather. It's been raining for the past week and a bit and the lack of sun makes it hard to get motivated to do anything. Hopefully it clears up by this week and we get back into summer mode :)

In training I surprised myself (and maybe a few others) last Friday night in class. We were doing positional sparring from the mount. One person starts on bottom the other on top. If the bottom guy gets subbed he's out. But if the bottom guy gets out of the mount (half guard, full/closed guard, reverse) then they stay in.

I was selected to be one of the guys on the bottom and thought "ok if I last a few seconds I'll be happy." To my surprise I lasted quiet a while during that exercise and even more surprising was that I managed to reverse quite a few people using the same technique.

At first I thought, "Ok I was just lucky." But I managed to hit the same technique again and again. I don't know if it was just my timing or what, but I felt like Roger Gracie or something, using the same technique with the same results... Simple jiu jitsu.

It was really quiet a moment for me. Surprising, but also a humble reminder that the simplest most basic technique in Jiu Jitsu can work time and time again if executed right. I'm not claiming I'm the best at doing that technique, but it worked for me against some of the higher belts and I think surprised me more than it did them.

The technique...

I can't remember exactly who showed me that move but I remember it was a purple belt. And ever since it's been my go-to move when I get mounted. All I did was the basic bridge/upa. Trap a leg, trap/secure an arm on the same side as the trapped leg and then bridge towards that side. That was it. It amazed me at how many guys I managed to reverse just using the same technique.

Refining techniques...

Today in Dennis' class we just did the usual guard pass drills and then spent the rest of the session drilling Triangles from a spider guard set up. Nothing overly exciting, but I find that repping out a technique is the best way for me to improve upon it and even after a few sets (with feedback from Dennis of course) I could feel the difference in my triangles. I don't know about you, but when I see improvements from working on certain things it makes me want to work on them more.

The best thing about technique drilling: is when you start doing things in rolling without knowing it and then realise it came from all that drilling and that you just did it almost through "instinct." Hopefully I won't get lazy and will keep up with my drills in future, I think once you get lazy and feel like you've mastered techniques then you limit yourself on how much you coul actually improve upon them.

There's always room to grow :)

The Hangover...

Had a good night out with the boys on Thursday night. First stop was Bar do Oswaldos which make nice café cremes where we sat and had a few drinks and chatted, played a few songs on the jukebox. The bar is also owned by Rommel who is a 3rd BB at the academy, a real nice guy and also one bad ass dude. When some of the guys told him how we climbed Pedra da Gavea one day, he told them the story of how he got a call from a female friend stranded up there near night and how he tried calling police or somebody to get a helicopter up there to rescue her. When noone could he bought a torch and ran all the way up the mountain (in 56mins!) to save the day.

After getting the guys got changed we went back to Oswaldos where one of the fellas tried to ask some girls to come out with us, I tried my best to wingman but we had no luck this time. So went straight off to Nuth Lounge. It was my first time in this place and it was nice. A bit empty, obviously on a Thursday night. But after a few drinks I felt like I was "gonna have a good night." It's a bit pricey too at R$50, but at least that included R$50 worth of drinks. Which include a round of vodka shots, which came in those tall double shot glasses. After that you could tell it there was gonna be more drinks to come.

Danced with some girls and probably looked a fool but who cares when you're having fun?Talked to random strangers, drank my $R50 worth of drinks, practised some of my Português, threw the dice and also did a bit of the robot for good measure.

All in all it was a good night and everyone had fun. Except that I lost my phone somehow, somewhere and only knew that when outside and I was trying to get someones number and was like "Oh sh*t, where's my phone?" I think I lost it when I busting a move on the dance floor. I couldn't remember how I got home till later in the day and only remembered leaving the club and then opening the door at home, at first.

Well that wasn't so bad, because:

- One guy fell asleep somewhere by the road near the clubs and only woke up when it started to rain.

- Another guy ended up at one of those kiosks by the beach drinking, with some Brasilians he met somewhere, until the sun came up.

- Last guy passed out sitting on the toilet and heaved over a bucket and got woken up by the bouncer and was the last person to leave the club.

Needless to say the next day I was out of commission. I was in and out of sleep most the day but kind of woke up around 1pm. When I say woke up, it's more like I was reanimated from the dead.

I had one of those hangovers where your head hurts when you get up or move to much in the bed and your stomach hurts too; but you're not sure if it's because you're hungry (which you are) and you want to eat or because you might need to vomit. And even if you are hungry you don't feel like eating. So you don't eat anything much and just try drink water to rehydrate and walk around looking like a zombie.

I thought of going to training when I first woke up, because I said I'd be there and wanted to stick to my word, but had visual images of me spewing all over myself while rolling. Which probably had a 60-70% chance of happening. My head, and hangover, finally cleared after taking another nap and waking up around 6pm after which I had breakfast of 2min noodles at around 7pm.

Damn it was a good night but if I had a choice I'd do it all again :) You only live once!

Copa Yudan Tournament...

Over Saturday and Sunday the Copa Yudan Tournament was held. One that we had been training for a couple of weeks. Everyone thought it was going to be on Saturday, but then on Friday morning I found out it was on Sunday (kids and masters was on the Saturday) so I wasn't happy that I had to hold out one more day till chocolate and junk food haha.

By Sunday I just wanted to get it over and done with so I could eat and relax. This time the tournament was pretty on schedule and we started around 9:30am latest and it was just one fight after the other. I had 3 fights that day, first two I won and the last one (Final) I lost but I was already satisfied making to the finals knowing I already had a medal either way. I think I would of fought harder if I didn't know it was the final fight haha.

Sorry but I don't have any video of the fights, except for the short clip Jeff took, so I'll try get that posted up later but I'll just do a small recap of what I remember went down in each fight.

Fight 1

Weighed in and literally fought 1 or 2 mins after.

- Started off a bit tentative, each testing each other but making no contact, maybe grabbing a collar then breaking the grip and circling each other again

- Finally thought f*ck it and shot in for a sloppy double leg... and got him down but could of done better with stabilising side control or something

- He got an armbar on me, then bellied down, but it wasn't cranked on good enough (and my arms kind of bend beyond 180º) so I was able to escape that and get a side control then got mount

- One of the guys I see at the no-gi class also reffed some matches that day, and he was able to corner me from the sidelines because he wasn't reffing my match... REALLY helped alot

- From mount was trying to work the S-guard (I think) for an armbar but the guy was bucking alot and I didn't want to lose position

- Eventually got reversed into guard and was still trying to work some armbars or kimuras but the guy from our gym said to close the guard and made a motion to hold the position and relax... figured I was up on points and felt like taking it easy so did what he told and I won... don't know how or what the score was though :T

Fight 2

Was probably 5 or 10mins after the first fight. I literally shook some hands walked off the mat, had a drink, banana and a quick breather then back around to the other side and was called up again. Can't remember much from this one but some HL's:

- Almost tried a scissor sweep hybrid judo throw... but aborted mid jumping in and fell on my head... basically Vidu and others kept talking about them in training and other crazy subs... and I went in for a kind of judo throw but half thinking scissor sweep takedown and jumped in with a leg across above his knees and was about to try wrap the other behind his legs but remembered it was illegal and fell and hit my head

- Manage to recover guard giving them my back then rolling forwards on a shoulder and turning back into them... also did it a couple times and got the legs wrapped around but not locked in or secured tight for triangles.. will have to work that next time

- Went for an americana from side control and he reversed into my guard but still tried getting the americana from there for a few secs before letting go... lol

- I felt I had a bit of gas and was trying not to fart but ended up farting when I was trying to pass his open guard lol... stunk a little too and even I could smell it, so I wonder if he could.. made me lol in the fight

Fight 3

By this time I was tired as it was my 3rd fight within a 30 minute (or even less) period. Sad to say I loss.

He went for a kind of judo throw or something and we both fell down... scrambled a bit and ended in a position where I gave my back intending to roll back into guard but he got hooks in and flattened me out good. He tried a RNC but had it across my chin and started cranking, I know I could of fought more but was too tired and knew I already had a silver medal anyways so tapped a bit early, also didn't want to risk any injury to my neck. But no excuses and I felt (and know for next time that..) I should of fought harder, especially when Jackson and Tommy got gold in their divisions, I was like "damn I feel left out now" haha.

Overall though I felt happy with the result. I was just happy to make it past the first round, which I didn't last time. Especially when the guy had an armbar, I was thinking of tapping BUT I didn't and felt little risk to my arm so managed to pry it out and reverse.

I really wish I had of gotten more video of the fights so I could see what I did wrong but at least I know where I need work on and will continue doing that in training. Anyway for now here are some pictures:

The mat space 2 big mats and 2 half mats

Jeff and I after getting my medal ... Vidu and I

My "name" (#9) in my division after my friend changed it on the register forms, was funny hearing them calling it out as I entered the place. Lucky I didn't have to fight Anderson Silva who dropped down to my weight division or Mr. Drive In .. :P

Finally some pics of all the guys at the Connection Rio house, just as Vidu was leaving late Sunday arvo. You can see "Pimenta" (the black cat) in there wanting to be a part of the photo.