Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
39
ATHLETES
-
@LUCIOSERGIOBJJ
@ S T E A LT H B J J
@DMINTO2012
14 position study
Donkey guard 54 masterclass
Technique with European &
British champion, Juniao
18 belt promotions
Snaps from your gradings
60 ASK THE DOCTOR
Braulio Estima answers
12: classic match - buchecha vs nogueira
20 a word from the editor
The dying breed of jiu
your BJJ questions
jitsu fighter
74 nick brooks
Shows some lapel chokes
22 it’s science
Nicholas Meregali by the
from side control
numbers
80 kit bag / review corner
All the latest BJJ goodies
24 history 101
Absolute MMA
89 fit to fight
With Andy Marshall
38 nathiely jesus
The female guard master
96 battle photography
Daniel Briseno’s photo
32: mikey musumeci - one and not done
48 sam joseph
When BJJ becomes work
essay from The Worlds
50 matt jardine
Falls head over heels for
98 MATT BENYON
What’s so great about jiu
jitsu?
jiu jitsu
7
Published by ROGER
GRACIE
Second Front Media Ltd
22 Beecham Road,
Reading, RG30 2RD,
United Kingdom
www.facebook.com/bjjstyle
www.twitter.com/jiujitsustyle
CONTRIBUTORS:
“IT HAS BEEN GREAT TO guard concepts from my black belt, ‘Juniao’.
The positions he has shown are some that I
like to use myself, so I can vouch that they
Roger Gracie
Nick Brooks
Matt Benyon
Andy Marshall
Braulio Estima
Henrique Junior
GET BACK TO SOME HARD work great!
ILLUSTRATION CONTRIBUTORS:
Gartista James Wilson FOCUSSING ON MMA” We also have a really cool interview for you
with George Asprey and Shaun Escoffery,
two actors best known for their roles as Scar
PHOTOGRAHIC CONTRIBUTORS: and Mufasa in the West End production of
Callum Medcraft Daniel Briseno The Lion King. The wide variety of people
Andy Douglas Blanca Marisa Garcia At the time of writing, the World Champion- who train jiu jitsu always amazes me; people
Daniel Briseno Frota Academy ships have come and gone, with a number of who are actors, people who are tradesmen,
GoLive Andre Camara new athletes breaking through at the black doctors, musicians – people from all walks of
belt level. Many of these athletes feature on life. Do check out this cool feature and see
COVER ILLUSTRATION: James Wilson the cover: Nicholas Meregali, Nathiely Jesus how the guys manage to incorporate jiu jitsu
and Mikey Musumeci being three who fea- into their working lives.
ture heavily in this issue.
Recently, my time has been dominated with
Meregali was extremely impressive at the training for my super fight with Marcus Bu-
Worlds, submitting everyone on the way to checha Almeida at the Gracie Pro. It has
his final where he defeated Leandro Lo. His been great to get back to some hard train-
Distributed to the newstrade by: performances really made everyone stand ing in the gi, having spent so much time
COMAG Specialist – 01895 433800 up and take notice, so it’s great that we have focussing on MMA in recent times.By the
a detailed interview with him that you must time you read this, the fight may have hap-
PRINTED BY: check out. pened, so all I can really say is that I have
Buxton Press trained hard for this match and I respect
Nathiely Jesus is another athlete who has had Buchecha a huge amount. He’s the guy to
an exceptional 2017. Her guard is extremely beat; he moves like a lightweight, but with
dangerous and she is a fighter who always the strength and size to go with it, so I am
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the
contributors to this magazine may not represent the
seems to be looking for the submission, so glad to have this opportunity to test myself
views of the publishers Second Front Media Limited. do make sure you give her interview a read. against the man at his best.
Second Front Media Limited are not liable for any
mistake, misprint or typographic errors.Copyright: At just 20 years-old, Mikey Musumeci wrote Enjoy the latest issue of the magazine guys
2017 Second Front Media Limited. All material in his name in history by becoming only the and – until next time – keep training and en-
this magazine, including both text and images, is
protected by copyright. Replication via republishing in
fourth American male to win a black belt joying jiu jitsu.
any print or digital form requires consent from Second adult world title. Another huge achievement
Front Media Limited. from a young athlete – big congratulations
to Mikey (read his full interview on page 32). ROGER GRACIE
8
THE BIG
PICTURE
The IBJJF 2017 World Championship
saw Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida
make history in becoming the first
man to win five black belt absolute
world titles.
10
11
CLASSIC MATCH
‘THAT WAS THE BEST COMEBACK I HAVE EVER
SEEN IN MY LIFE!” - MATCH COMMENTATOR,
SHAWN WILLIAMS
12
WORDS: CAN SÖNMEZ ILLUSTRATION: GARTISTA
opponent focuses on Nogueira’s arm, looking MATCH LENGTH: 10 MINS LOCATION: CALIFORNIA, USA
for a kimura. At this stage, Buchecha is behind
by one advantage, yet that arm is looking in- VENUE: THE WALTER PYRAMID EVENT: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
creasingly vulnerable as Buchecha inches it away
from the safety of Nogueira’s side.
Nogueira manages to free the arm, though Bu- At the IBJJF Worlds, there is often one athlete who dominates their division for years on end,
checha instantly switches to butterfly. He has a before relinquishing the title to the next young phenom. Since 2012, in the men’s 100kg+ cat-
hook under the thigh as well as a firm grip on egory, that athlete has been Buchecha. Incredibly, almost every medal he has won at major
the gi near Nogueira’s shoulder. Sensing the championships after his 2012 victory has been gold. That includes a remarkable run of double
danger, Nogueira stands to return the match gold at the Worlds, which has so far lasted right through to this year.
to a takedown battle. The score stands at two
points to zero for Noguiera, with one advan- Noguiera was not so fortunate in regards to competition success, experiencing a notable dip in
tage in the bank. his performance. As he told Graciemag in 2015, his teaching load was to blame:
Yet again, that position only lasts for a moment “It happened with me what happens to many black belts that decide to focus on a career as a
as Nogueira falls back to open guard, hooking teacher. I moved to Miami, Florida, to teach and had a class full of beginners, which left me with-
Buchecha’s leg. He manages to recover his deep out a proper training partner. My daily routine would consist of teaching four classes a day and
half, adjusting to a gi grip around the leg. Seiz- doing my physical training. That’s simply not enough to maintain a high performance. The best
ing his moment, Nogueira finally hits the sweep, training I had was at Roberto Cyborg’s academy, but I could only go there once or twice a week.”
landing in Buchecha’s closed guard and then al-
most a triangle. By 2015, Noguiera had had enough. He decided to move to Atlanta in order to teach and train
at Alliance HQ, with a far higher level of training partners. Given Buchecha’s incredible rise it may
Nogueira drops to clamp his legs around Bu- be too late for Nogueira to finish what he started. Then again, in 2012 everybody had counted
checha and uses that leverage to escape. That Buchecha out too: jiu jitsu is full of surprises.
puts him into a passing position, halted by Bu-
checha’s legs reclaiming closed guard. The score
stands at four points to zero in Nogueira’s favour,
with two advantages.
13
POSITION STUDY
DONKEY GUARD
Initially called the “reverse
jumping guard takedown” and
later re-named “donkey guard” by
internet users (the name by which
it became famous), the donkey
guard is a grappling position
created by Brazilian jiu jitsu
black belt, Jeff Glover.
First seen against Tom Barlow at the
2011 ADCC, it was initially used as a way
to taunt and frustrate opponents. The
position is sometimes frowned upon by
the more traditional jiu jitsu followers,
who see the position as a sign of disre-
spect towards an opponent.
14
AT H L E T E - B R U N O M A L FA C I N E - 9 X W O R L D C H A M P I O N
KINGZEUROPE.COM
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KIMONO - SOVEREIGN 2.0
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BJJ WORLD CHAMPION
LEARN MORE AT
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BELT PROMOTIONS
IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE AWARDED A NEW BELT RECENTLY, THIS PAGE REPRESENTS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SAVOUR
THE MOMENT WITH RECOGNITION IN JIU JITSU STYLE! SEND IN DETAILS OF YOUR RECENT PROMOTION, INCLUDING THE RANK YOU
ACHIEVED AND YOUR INSTRUCTOR’S NAME, AND WE WILL PUBLISH AS MANY AS WE CAN IN OUR MAGAZINE.
Saeed Malik was promoted to purple belt by Andy Roberts. Ali Bayley was promoted to black belt by her Husband, Paul Bridges.
Promotions at Gracie Barra Bath: Nath Fahey and Nando Borralho were
promoted to brown belt and Richie Donnelly to purple belt under Professor Gabriel Rose was promoted to purple belt by Master Luiz Palhares in
Salvatore Pace. Jacksonville, Florida.
18
from 1st
Moises Tovar received his blue belt
Degree Prof. Mark Phillips. Morgan Smyth, Ryan Smyth and Micky Downs were promoted to black belt by Romero Jacaré
Cavalcanti at Atlantic Jiu Jitsu, Sligo, Ireland.
Eusebio Sevilla was promoted to purple belt under Nick Stefan at Gracie
Humaita Carlsbad, California.
Adam Bradley was promoted to purple belt under Professor Andre Galvão at
Atos HQ in San Diego, CA.
19
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR
“STAYING AT A DISTANCE
I worry that we are seeing youngsters focussing layman, but an absolute masterclass to jiu jitsu
too heavily on becoming bigger, faster, strong- fans. At the 2009 World Championships, Roger
er; as opposed to developing the vice-like pres- Gracie took nearly the whole allotted time grind-
A 10-SECOND PASSING
being an old stick in the mud – but, for me, got the submission. There were no moments of
jiu jitsu is about championing technique over disengagement or frantic explosiveness – just
everything. Marcelo Garcia is my star witness, as pure jiu jitsu. I’d take that any day of the week
SORT OF JIU JITSU I WOULD balance his cardio, but I’ve pretty much never
known him to incorporate weight training into
his routine. Again, you could call him an enig-
20
BY TYLER BISHOP
NICHOLAS
IT’S SCIENCE
FEW ATHLETES HAVE BROKEN ONTO THE BLACK BELT SCENE WITH SUCH IN-
STANT SUCCESS AS NICHOLAS MEREGALI. A BLACK BELT UNDER MARIO REIS,
MEREGALI IS KNOWN FOR HIS EXCELLENT USE OF THE DE LA RIVA GUARD,
MEREGALI AS WELL AS HIS AGGRESSIVE PASSING STYLE THAT OFTEN LEADS TO SUBMIS-
SION VICTORIES FROM THE BACK.
75%
OF MEREGALI’S SUBMISSIONS
FROM GUARD WERE TRIANGLES
‘It’s Science’ is brought to you by Bishop-
Bjj.com. The goal of BishopBjj.com is to
expand and empower the jiu jitsu commu-
nity by emphasising the science and art of
MEREGALI SCORED FIRST IN
jiu jitsu in fun and exciting ways. We want
to highlight what makes jiu jitsu so calcu-
100% OF THE MATCHES HE
lated, but also what makes it so much fun. WENT ON TO WIN
22
66% 80% ABSTRACT:
All matches observed of Nicholas Meregali used in this small
sample occurred at major jiu jitsu events in the years 2016-
2017. Only techniques, occurrences and outcomes that
OF MEREGALI’S were recorded are displayed in the data below (i.e. if no
butterfly sweeps occurred, there will not be a representation
OF MEREGALI’S MATCH MATCHES ENDED of that in the sample data charts). Matches were selected at
random based on freely available matches. This is a limited
WINS ENDED BY SUBMISSION IN VICTORY sample but - given the estimated number of matches in this
time period - it is well above the percentage necessary to
50%
create a scientifically validated trend sampling.
TOTAL MATCHES
OBSERVED 15
TOTAL MINUTES
OBSERVED 82
OF MEREGALI’S SUBMISSIONS
MATCHES WON
BY SUBMISSION 08
WERE CHOKES FROM THE BACK MATCHES WON
BY POINTS 04
60% OF MEREGALI’S BACK OPPONENT
WON MATCH 03
TAKES TOOK PLACE WHEN
PASSING GUARD
TOTAL
MATCHES WON 12
THE BREAKDOWN Meregali is well known for his guard; his length and
frame are the classic calling cards of great guard play-
ers past. In our study, Nicholas submitted his oppo-
When passing, Meregali preferred passing in space
from the standing position. Approximately 70% of his
sweeps came from this position with the other 30%
Nicholas Meregali is one of jiu jitsu’s fastest rising nent from his guard in 27% of all matches; and in 1/3 coming from half guard. 30% of his passes were varia-
stars. Recently, he was able to out-grapple perennial of all of his wins. In fact, 50% of all of his submissions tions of the leg drag – with another 30% coming from
division favorite, Leandro Lo, to secure his very first Jiu came from the bottom. variations of the bull fighter pass. He blended these
Jitsu World title. What’s more, he did it in his very first two together really well, but was always opportunistic
year at black belt. Meregali is about as efficient as they come from his in his chances to pass; therefore we saw a strong varie-
guard. There is little wasted movement in his transi- ty of techniques used. This is something we rarely see
After commentating the IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Cham- tions, and he is about as talented as we’ve seen transi- with young competitors.
pionship this year, I thought I knew what to expect tioning between different open guards. It was actually
when evaluating Meregali’s jiu jitsu game. However, I particularly difficult to classify which positions to at- If you remember back to the beginning of this article
discovered that there is more than meets the eye with tribute sweeps to, as many of the sweeping positions you’ll note that 50% of Meregali’s submissions came
this young Alliance standout. were connected by small effortless movements. In the from guard. Where did the other 50% come from? They
study, Meregali swept opponents from six different all came in the exact same fashion – chokes from the
23
HISTORY 101:
Like many of us of a certain age, the road that
led Giles to BJJ was paved with kung fu VHS
tapes, which shifted to copies of the first UFC.
As a 16-year-old kung fu enthusiast, Giles took
some convincing, but eventually succumbed
and tried a BJJ class: he has been hooked ever
ABSOLUTE MMA
since. Training under numerous instructors,
Giles received his black belt in 2015. In an inter-
view with BJJ Legends, he commented:
24
BY CAN SÖNMEZ
TIMELINE
1996
Thiago Stefanutti starts training
in BJJ
1996
Livia Gluchowska moves to
Australia
2010
Gluchowksa begins training in
BJJ
2011
Stefanutti is invited to teach
at the newly founded Absolute
MMA
2012
Maryanne Mullahy wins her
debut MMA fight via armbar
2013
Kit Dale earns his black belt
after only four-and-a-half years
2015
together with his cousin. By 2009, Dale was because you’re kinda naked out there. […] It
competing regularly. He would spend several definitely helped me when moving into acting,
belts under Peter de Been, then later moved to because I was on camera a lot with jiu jitsu and Absolute MMA St Kilda opens,
Checkmat, which is how he came into contact you’re in the spotlight. So you feel a lot more headed by newly promoted
with Yuri Simoes. Although Simoes would later calm in acting.” black belt Lachlan Giles
2016
leave Checkmat in order to move to Caio Terra’s
team, Dale stuck with him. As he put it on The At present, Absolute MMA is spread across three
Berimbolo Kid’s site in 2014: locations in Victoria, with gyms in Melbourne, Gluchowska wins the IBJJF
Collingwood and St Kilda. The team was able Worlds as a brown belt.
“The only people who have problems are the to send twenty grapplers to the IBJJF Worlds Absolute MMA Collingwood
political extremists. I train with who I want when in 2017, resulting in two blue belt silver medals. opens.
2017
I want. I’m not bound to the laws of politics and Given it is full of young, active, high level com-
if someone tries to control me that way then I petitors, expect to see more Absolute MMA rep-
would no longer represent them. I represent resentatives on the podium at a major event soon. Gluchowksa is promoted to
Checkmat but I do my own thing and they let me black belt
which is why our relationship lasts.”
25
The Journey To Professional Jiu-Jitsu Has Begun
TOKYO LOS ANGELES RIO DE JANEIRO ABU DHABI LONDON
July 15, 2017 September 23 & 24, 2017 November 10,11 & 12, 2017 January 12 & 13, 2018 March 10 & 11, 2018
Makuhari Messe LA Convention Center, Carioca Arena, IPIC Arena, Copper Box Arena
Convention Center, Japan California, USA Rio De janeiro, Brazil Abu Dhabi, UAE London, UK
Open to ALL Nationalities. All Belts, Juveniles, Adults, Masters & Legends. UAEJJF World Ranking Points.
M
eregali is a young man with a wise head on his shoulders. On top of that, Mario has great experience and wisdom as an athlete
He’s a deep thinker; he reads philosophy and practises mind- and leader. Everything added to my decision, but surely the fact of
fulness – not your average 23-year-old, to say the least. Em- living in the gym was what most captivated me at first, because I
phasis on mental fortitude is just as prevalent in his thinking as the would be living my dream, which is still my dream today.”
ability to apply a dominant de la Riva guard (which, by the way, he
does exceptionally well), and you can’t help but be captivated while Success rarely comes in the absence of a strong mind, or without
he’s talking. guidance and mentorship. It was under the Alliance banner, and the
guidance of Mario Reis, that Meregali took his game to the next level.
Growing up in the south of Brazil, Nicholas was introduced to jiu jitsu
by his brother, and began his journey under the guidance of Jeferson “It would be impossible to be the athlete and the person I am today
Adan. “It has been years since I started; it was November of 2009 to if it were not for Mario,” says Nicholas. “He teaches much more than
be exact,” he says on his introduction to the art. just knowing about jiu jitsu; he shares teachings about life, the right
attitude to have, and perfect choices to follow in a beautiful way. I
“It was such a long time ago that I have few memories of those first think the cool thing about our connection and what makes the most
experiences, but I can still remember some. One of them was the difference in our results is the trust we have in each other. I dedicate
immense joy that took over me, to the point of feeling like a super myself totally to his teaching.
hero as a child. Another feeling was that I used to get angry for not
being able to perform certain movements, and that feeling lasted a “He is a master who does not command; he gives tips for the way he
long time because I had difficulty learning jiu jitsu. In many ways, my chose and sets the example. I think the coolest thing about our work
pride was good and bad: it helped me want to do better, but made is trying to be a better and more complete human being every day.
me struggle when I wasn’t progressing like I wanted to. Nowadays, We have fun; it’s not always easy when trying to iron out your flaws,
this isn’t a problem, but I do remember this from my early training.” but this process gives us a lot of confidence that we deserve to win
in life and deserve to receive all the glory of the world. I believe it is
It wasn’t long before Meregali started to show real promise as an ath- worth nothing to be a great champion on the mat if you cannot live a
lete, after winning a number of regional tournaments and excelling good, spiritual life – doing good for others – away from it.”
within Jeferson’s academy. In what has become a familiar story, Nich-
olas’ passion for jiu jitsu brought with it a tough decision as he faced Having invested in his jiu jitsu future in new surroundings, it didn’t
a crossroads in his life. In order to progress he needed to elevate his take long before the medals began to pile up. As a purple belt,
training, and potentially move on to pastures new. Testament to his Meregali gained a first IBJJF World title, and it’s still a title held dear-
teacher’s good intentions, it was Jeferson who suggested Nicholas ly in his heart.
look to gain extra training away from his home in Santo Antonio.
“My 2015 World championship gold as a purple belt was inexplica-
“I started my training with Jeferson and even today I train with him ble; I’d never felt in any competition what I felt in that tournament”,
practically every Saturday,” says Meregali with a smile. “I have a very Nicholas recalls. “It was as a result of good energy, happiness, ab-
nice relationship with both Jefferson and Mario (Reis), but at the be- solute certainty and unshakable confidence. It was my second World
ginning it was difficult to manage my training and travelling. I lived Championship as a purple belt and a lot happened to make that
in an inner city where I did not have the same support and structure moment special.
I get today.
“I had tremendous support from all of my team - our team has some-
“I made my changes in September 2013 while I was a blue belt to thing amazing that captivates anyone. I remember that the day of the
really focus hard on jiu jitsu. I had already won some important titles, event passed very fast, I hardly remember many things, only the en-
and we were at a point where we needed to change to evolve. It was ergy of my friends and a few moments during the event. This World
strange at first because Jeferson wanted me to have this evolution championship was the best moment of my life and I felt like life was
and it was a decision taken by both of us, but even so it was tough for giving me the maximum I could ever ask for.”
him to lose one of his main athletes and for me to leave my mentor.
Following his promotion to brown belt, success didn’t dwindle, with
“Several points shaped my choice; I decided to live for the sport. I further IBJJF and WPJJC World titles being added to his CV. Perhaps
had a good support but not compared to what I received from Mario. more importantly, Meregali was gaining a reputation for his domi-
His gym is much bigger, there are more training schedules; more op- nant de la Riva guard and submission orientated game. His style is
portunities to improve and several people living by the art, like me. all about moving forward, pressing the pace and hunting for the tap.
29
“I like to move forward, with aggression and personality,” Meregali from the moment we switched to the black belt we were ready to
explains. “The art of jiu jitsu teaches that the finish is what is the most play a good role - we just needed to keep working and the results
beautiful thing you can hope for. At our team, we always work like would come naturally.”
this, to look for the submission. Of course, there will be fights where,
by level or strategy, it will mean you can’t get the submission, but This focus on hard work has paid dividends for Meregali, and much
certainly that will always be the focus. quicker than most could ever have imagined. The 2017 World Cham-
pionships saw a man possessed make short work of all-comers on
“I do not build my game thinking about what will be ‘safer’ in a com- route to the heavyweight final, finishing everyone by submission,
petition or what will bring me more results. I like to learn new things, including Lucas Leite in under three minutes. Going on to beat Le-
different positions that do not fit with what I’ve been doing already. andro Lo and pick up a black belt world title - at his first attempt –
I think people who really know jiu jitsu work in all areas and I want to was the highlight of the tournament. This apparently instant success
have the most complete game I can. shocked the community, but what of Nicholas?
“Whenever I go in to fight I try to concentrate as best I can to deliver “We were confident it would come,” says Meregali on his World ti-
100% and show my personality. I believe that my strong point is the tle win. My team and I worked hard and long for this moment. We
way in which I face the chal- always believed that when
lenges that occur during the the opportunity arose, we
fight. Being very focused and
with all my energy released,
I can fight with the heart and
"This World championship would be ready to receive
glory. I have been living
in the gym for almost four
put my jiu jitsu in practice in
the simplest possible way. I
always fight moving forward,
was the best moment of my years and dedicating all my
actions and moments exclu-
sively to my dream.
“Maybe, for some people, that put me on the map,” says Nicholas “We worked hard for a long time. Reaching the black belt and be-
on beating Xande. “I guess some people wait for wins like this as ing World Champion has always been a daily dream and the basic
proof to feel confident in an athlete. It is extremely normal, but it is tracks were essential for growth and development. Getting the title
not pleasant to know that someone only admires you or follows you so quickly after gaining my black belt is a result for everyone who has
after you have done something like win one match. I believe that been with me day after day. I have a wonderful team, friends, a sen-
30
sational family and especially teachers who built my confidence
and showed me that it would be possible.
“The work that Mario has done to me, mainly in these last
months, even having lost the Pan Ams twice to the same oppo-
nent, strengthened me and put a very strong belief that I have the
conditions to achieve what I want. They were three months living
intensely and Mario demanded 100% commitment. Every day I
was exhausted when it came time to sleep. Having a teacher who
knew the way to success, and giving him all my trust, is why I think
I gained the success I’ve had.”
“Jiu jitsu allows you to discover new things about yourself dai-
ly; living intense feelings and thoughts,” he says. “This spiritual
evolution that jiu jitsu provides, consciously and unconsciously, is
such a gift. The hours I spend on the mat are the most joyful of the
day. Every human being cries out for evolution and our art is an
amazing tool for this. We experience so many emotions: anger at
being submitted, sadness when losing, tranquillity during the roll
– so many feelings in just a few minutes. Jiu jitsu shapes people for
life. By knowing how to control your state of mind through jiu jitsu,
you are better equipped at dealing with problems in your life.”
With the smoke now clearing after the biggest competition of his
life, the sky is the limit for Meregali. We expect plenty more show-
downs with the likes of Leandro Lo, undoubtedly more medals,
and Nicholas continuing to bring his unique style to proceedings.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this rising star.
31
o t D o n e
u m e c i : O ne and N
Mikey Mu s
In 2015, we interviewed an up-and-coming Amer-
ican who had caught the attention of everyone
by getting the best of Joao Miyao. Still a teen-
ager, and only recently minted a black belt, we
asked him what he had planned after such a
gruelling first year of top-level competition?
H
to make sure I feel physically better. I’m focusing on that right now
and we’ll see what opportunities come up for me to fight this year.
I’m focusing mainly on next year because I’m gonna win black belt
Worlds next year. Hopefully. God willing.” It turns out that Mikey
Musumeci was only off by a year when predicting his future.
A MINOR HICCUP
Coveting something is easy, but putting in the work to turn that de-
sire into a reality often isn’t. In the world of BJJ, sometimes all the
hard work and preparation in the world can come up short when
it comes to medal chasing. Mikey’s been a star on the rise in the
jiu jitsu world since he began competing as a black belt, but he’s
been driven to become a world champion in his sport almost all his
competitive life.
During our first conversation with Mikey, he told JJS that he want-
ed to become roosterweight world champ during his first black belt
campaign, but he came up short in his first run at Worlds. Not de-
terred, Mikey reassessed his immediate priorities and made some
lifestyle adjustments in order to come back strong and win the 64kg
division in 2017. One of the problems Mikey needed to address was
his hectic schedule between school and training.
33
"I celebrated my first world champion-
ship cooking pasta marinara for my
family. I love to cook and watch them
enjoy what I made!"
Nationals in 2015, then I started my semester my strength. I started my training in Las Vegas,
and my next tournament at black belt was Pans, where I train with a lot of friends and people.
which I was able to win. It was very difficult with Then, for a week, I went back to Florida and
this schedule; I was getting no sleep because I was trained with AJ Sousa and all my friends there.
constantly studying and doing schoolwork. Then I Two weeks before the competition, I went over to
would wake up at, like, 6:00am and train as much my coach, Caio Terra, in San Jose for a week to
as I could before going to class at 3:00pm. I would adjust positions and fine-tune everything for the
get sick every week; it was just a terrible schedule.” competition.” The hours spent with Caio, Tammi
and Rene forced Mikey to elevate his own game.
BECOMING A WOLF He explained, “They all pushed me in different
As talented as Mikey is, at the top level, experience ways technically, which is my main focus in train-
can often be the difference-maker in determining ing; never force or grinding, just on technical im-
who is the lamb and who is the wolf on the mats. provement. I love rolling with Caio because he is
Mikey’s school schedule kept him from gaining val- so technical and it pushes us both- not strength
uable mat time against top competitors in his first wise just technique wise, and we usually figure
year as a black belt. He noted, “Worlds was only out so many positions when we train.”
my third tournament at black belt, and I needed
the experience competing a lot at black belt. At Mikey put in the time he didn’t have before and
black belt, experience is super important; at first spent the year working relentlessly to become a
it was super scary competing centre stage with all well-rounded competitor, capable of giving op-
these people living on the mats! Now it’s the norm ponents fits no matter what position he found
for me!! The loss in the Worlds helped me so much himself in. He wanted to become “flawless form
to learn from it, grow and come back stronger, and everywhere, top and bottom” so that his oppo-
that’s what I was able to do!” nents would feel uneasy, regardless of their po-
sition. “I want my opponent to not want me in
Mikey stayed in school, but changed majors to either place, that’s the goal. I have been trying to
business, away from the medical track, for now, learn as much as I can from everywhere; always
and picked out a course schedule that accom- looking to surprise my opponents with some-
modated his training regiment. “I really love thing new and different,” said Musumeci. The
medicine and science, but it was impractical for additional time to focus, coupled with an extra
me to study medicine and to compete and train year of seasoning and another year of filling out
full-time. I was sick every week for a year, it was his still-growing body, made a big difference for
extremely unhealthy for my body and mind. I still Mikey’s second run at black belt gold, because he
do 17 credits every semester, just online, so I can came back with a vengeance.
have a more flexible training schedule and can
be wherever and not necessarily in Florida during GOLD DIGGER
the semester. Possibly, in the future, after accom- In order to win gold in 2017, Mikey was going
plishing what I want to in jiu jitsu and having an to have to face some serious competition. His
academy, I might want to pursue medicine again, four-person bracket included three of the tough-
but right now I really like business and it will help est challengers he had fought in his division. “The
me for sure in the future with jiu jitsu, opening a three toughest people I have faced in competi-
school,” said Musumeci. tion I would have to say, are Joao Miyao, Isaac
Doederlein and Ary Farias, which was my Worlds
According to Mikey, his training methods didn’t bracket. Isaac Doederlein is super technical and
change much for his second go at Worlds; there very smart, which makes this match-up difficult for
was just a lot more time to get it done. To pre- me. Joao is always super tough and we always
pare for Worlds, Mikey spent countless hours roll- have had wars, every match stale-mating due to
ing with Rene Lopez, his “main training partner,” us both knowing all the positions we both will at-
his sister, Tammi Musumeci and his head coach, tempt, which leads to such tough matches. Ary
Caio Terra. He also spent time rolling with John Farias is a beast; super tough and strong,” ex-
Freeman, amongst others. When discussing his plained Musumeci.
training in 2017 Mikey noted, “My preparation for
the Worlds was the same as other competitions. I Winning Worlds wasn’t going to be easy, but
usually train twice a day, once in the morning and Mikey was up for the challenge, starting with
again at night, depending on my school schedule Washington Lima, which he won via ankle lock.
and homework. I usually roll harder in the morn- “My first match was against a tough guy from GF
ing than at night. Team named Washington Lima. I was able to sub-
mit him with my signature ankle lock from double
“I lift no weights at all. I prefer just to focus on pull in about a minute to move onto Sunday,”
my technique and making it work regardless of said Musumeci. The following day Mikey would
34
be up against the three-headed chimera that is of getting deflated and frustrated, Mikey stormed
Doederlein, Farias and Miyao. back from behind to get the win and advance to
the finals after he “was able to sweep him back
On Sunday, Mikey was paired against Doederlein
for his first match of the day. Losing to Doederlein
would have meant exiting the Worlds twice in a
and win the match by two advantages in the last
15 seconds.” At this point it was three down and
one to go; Mikey was moving on to the finals.
"The three
row at the hands of the same man. Beating Doed-
erlein would not only allow Mikey to advance to
the semi-finals, but would also afford him the op-
portunity for a little payback. “My quarter- finals
By winning gold at the Worlds in 2017, Mikey
would become a part of an elite and rarefied club
of competitors - one of five out of the 210 men
toughest people
was against a good friend of mine, Isaac Doeder-
lein, who beat me at the Worlds last year in the
same spot. We have become good friends since
to have fought for gold at the IBJJF Worlds who
are not Brazilian. Mikey was one win away from
becoming a world champ. Across the mat an ee-
I have faced in
then and it was a war. I was able to secure an ad- rily calm Joao Miyao stood waiting for him. This
vantage in the match to win by an advantage,”
said Musumeci.
would be the fifth time they had met in competi-
tion and if Mikey defeated Miyao again he would
join BJ Penn, Robert Drysdale and Rafael Lovato
competition I
Beating Doederlein must have provided a brief
feeling of vindication for Mikey, but the hill he had
to climb to reach gold was only getting steeper.
Jr. as one of only four American men to have ever
conquered the podium at Worlds. would have to
Only two more people stood in Mikey’s way. Ary
Farias was up next, and to beat him Mikey was
going to have to stop seeing him as someone he
Mikey had beaten Miyao before, but this time was
a little different because of what was at stake. This
time Musumeci, an American, was facing Miyao,
say, are Joao
looked up to and start seeing him as a peer – who a Brazilian, during the IBJJF finals. It was safe to
would happily choke him if possible.
35
36
"I feel extremely more motivated to
train harder and to make history; to
be the only American to win black belt
Worlds twice; this is my new goal"
ing I would get the points. I was very upset, but I a nodule in my throat, which is a cut in my vocal
learned my lesson about that rule when you pass cord that formed a ball of blood blocking my vocal
the guard.” cord and making it difficult for me to talk. The doc-
tor did surgery, going inside my throat and cutting
At this point in the match, Mikey’s experience, off the nodule, so my vocal cord isn’t blocked any-
and evolved fight IQ helped him to develop some more. I had to go mute for three days, not talking
minor adjustments to his battle plan, to emerge at all, which was very difficult.”
victorious. “I was moving on top and managed to
secure a toehold position, which I held on to and When Mikey isn’t training, he’s a typical college
fell down. In the IBJJF rules if you have a submis- kid; he’s very wholesome and has tight-knit fam-
sion and the person comes on top, there are no ily values. For example, his idea of celebrating a
points for a sweep unless the person clears the gold medal is cooking for his parents and sister;
position and holds you down for three seconds. “I celebrated my first world championship cook-
I was already up on the score so I knew it was a ing pasta marinara for my family. I love to cook
good idea to play this strategy. In the last five sec- and watch them enjoy what I made! Then we went
onds or so, I believe he started clearing his foot back to Florida and drove to New York where I
from the toehold. At this point I shot my hips off got to eat so much pizza! It was a very fun trip;
the mat, so only my head was on the mat, so even I enjoyed it a lot. Luckily, my whole life my par-
if he cleared the position it would be no points ents were very disciplined about me eating all
because my back and butt are both off the floor. healthy foods. I never eat fast food or anything
unhealthy; the worst thing I will eat is pizza, which
“I switched into a kneebar continuing on from isn’t so bad. For sure, nutrition is super important
my initial toehold attack, to win the match by two in performance. My biggest problem is when I get
advantages, said Musumeci. He had taken full ad- over-trained and am dieting; I need to overeat to
vantage of the rules to deny Miyao the opportu- recover so I can keep training, which sometimes
nity to recover points, thus securing his first world makes losing weight harder. I usually eat a lot of
championship as a black belt. When discussing pasta, that’s my favourite thing in the world. Pasta
the friendly rivalry they share Musumeci had noth- when I’m dieting, pasta when I’m not, but I’m al-
ing but good things to say about his counterpart. ways eating pasta!”
“It’s always a war with Miyao; much respect to him.
We have fought so many times I feel like we are As wholesome and nice as he is off the mats, he’s
teammates training in the gym now. I was a huge a pretty ruthless monster on them, and the scary
fan of him when I was a blue belt in 2011-2013, thing is that, barring injuries and other unforeseen
so at first it was very difficult competing against circumstances, Mikey may get another 10-15 tries
someone I looked up to, jiu jitsu wise, for so many at winning another gold medal, and with every
years. But over time, you get comfortable and it attempt he’s going to be wiser and stronger. If
becomes the norm. Competing against him, and he pulls this off, then he could become the most
having him as my rival, motivates me to train so successful American-born athlete to compete
much harder and to keep improving my game as as a black belt in the IBJJF. If the measure of an
much as I can. This rivalry has helped my jiu jitsu athlete is the sum of his achievements, then be-
grow so much, and I’m thankful to have him to coming a multiple gold medal winner would allow
keep pushing me to grow more,” said Musumeci. Musumeci fans to argue that he is either the most
successful, or one of the most successful, Amer-
THE ENCORE ican-born black belts to compete for the IBJJF.
Mikey is a jiu jitsuholic with a truly contagious pas-
sion for jiu jitsu. When discussing his future after The last time we spoke with Musumeci, before
competition, he couldn’t help but gush about the saying goodbye he told us what his goals were
art. “Yes, I love jiu jitsu extremely. I invented a for his first year competing as a black belt. When
guard we call the puppet guard: I have to hit it in asked if he had any new goals he’d like to share,
competition first before its considered a guard, but he had the following to say, “My goal for the rest
it is awesome and people will like it for sure. I’m of the year is to heal up my body after so many
always learning jiu jitsu. One of my favourite ways months of killing it. My new goal now is to be-
to learn BJJ is teaching it to people. I always learn come the most accomplished American to ever
so many more details to positions when I have to compete in jiu jitsu. Three other Americans have
teach someone and I really love helping people won a black belt world title, so my goal is now
improve, so for sure a goal of mine one day would to win a second one and to make history being
be to have an academy”. the only American to win two black belt world ti-
tles. I am now obsessed to fix my mistakes from
Mikey’s passion for helping other jiu jitsu lovers, his this year and to add on to my jiu jitsu in this rare
teammates in particular, is not always a good thing time period I have free. All I do everyday is obsess
though. At the time of this interview, Mikey was re- what I can fix and how I can fix it.”
cuperating from a coaching-related injury that mo-
mentarily left him unable to talk. When describing If Mikey succeeds with his goals again, then
how he lost his voice Mikey said, “basically, from he could go from great to one of the greatest.
constantly screaming; I’m guessing from coaching Only time will tell but, when passion and talent
friends and teammates in competition I developed abound, the possibilities are limitless!
37
Slowly but surely the landscape for women
in jiu jitsu is changing. Numbers at acade-
mies are growing rapidly as the stigma of
women participating in combat sports con-
tinues to dissolve, while the competition
scene is awash with a new wave of talent-
ed athletes staking their claim for the spot-
light. Enter Nathiely Jesus: black belt under
Cicero Costha and one of the most techni-
cal female guard players at black belt level.
39
At the age of just 21, Nathiely has
already achieved more than most
could ever hope for within our
sport. In this, her first year as a black
belt, she’s been crowned both an
IBJJF and Abu Dhabi World Pro
black belt champion – a truly excep-
tional introduction to the elite stage
of jiu jitsu.
Looking at Nathiely’s run to gold at both events, she didn’t just win her black “So, it was actually my cousin who suggested that I start the YouTube channel
belt world titles; she won them in some style. Her tall, slender frame offers the – it wasn’t my idea,” she says. “She thought it could be interesting for people
ideal framework for playing guard – and boy, she knows how to play guard! to get an insight into my training, travelling and whatever else is going on with
Her de la Riva and spider setups generally lead to opponent’s hurtling through my life. The internet makes it really easy to share your experiences, and I’ve had
the air and onto their back, or on the receiving end of a triangle choke. If you a lot of fun playing around with the YouTube channel – hopefully people like it.”
want to show kids an example of how to use the guard both aggressively and
progressively, look no further than Nathiely Jesus. It’s hard to imagine how Nathiely can top such an amazing debut year as a
black belt, with only Tayane Porfirio stopping her short of an IBJJF absolute
“One thing I will say is that I don’t like close fights, or fights that end by advan- title. Truth be told, no other athlete looked close to derailing her success, so
tages,” says Nathiely when questioned on her fighting style. “I don’t go into we predict plenty more gold on the horizon for this talented young women.
a match with a strategy; all I do is try to impose my game. I like to play guard,
that’s my strongest point, but I have an attacking guard and like to look for sub- “I want to leave something special behind so people will remember me,” says
missions. Recently, I have been enjoying playing from top position, so there’s Nathiely in closing. “I’m focussed on trying to add as many world titles as I pos-
always plenty for me to work on.” sibly can to my name, build my profile, then one day open up my own academy
to teach. That’s my dream now.”
With her black belt calibre confirmed in 2017, and with the best years of her
career yet to come, Nathiely could well become one of the most prominent fe-
male grapplers in history. She may be on top now, but there’s a new generation
of athletes waiting to de-throne the current champions, as women in jiu jitsu
continue to force innovation within their field. "It’s an easy thing
“You know, since I started to train jiu jitsu, the number of women in the sport
has increased a huge amount – both at the academies and at competitions,”
says Nathiely. “It’s important that women who train jiu jitsu unite as much as
to say, that you
possible and work together to create opportunities at events and better train-
ing at academies. This mentality is something people are now buying into but, want to become
believe me, it wasn’t always the case.
“Things are going in the right direction, and women are getting more recogni-
a world champion,
tion, more opportunities and growing in numbers, but things need to continue
like this. I think more can be done, but we will get there.” but it’s something
One of Nathiely’s good friends, Mackenzie Dern, is another female athlete
pushing the boundaries and creating new-found opportunities within combat
sport. “Mackenzie and I are really good friends,” says Nathiely. “I have always
I have worked so
loved watching her fight and appreciate her style of fighting. When we train, it’s
always a great experience – I think we learn a lot from each other.” hard for"
41
ROGER TV
GRACIE
WWW.ROGERGRACIETV.COM
THE NEW WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE
LEARN FROM ONe OF THE
MOST DECORATED JIU JITSU
FIGHTERS IN HISTORY
44
SCAR AND MUFASA? YEAH, THEY ROLL
GEORGE ASPREY & SHAUN ESCOFFERY
Hi Shaun, can you tell us a little about when purple belt in jiu jitsu’. My reaction at the time George, you now train at the Andy Roberts
you started jiu jitsu, because we understand was pretty indifferent – it didn’t even sound like a Academy, so how did that come about?
you’ve been training for quite some time? colour that’s used in martial arts to me. I did judo, George: I remember the first time I went to his
Shaun: Well, like many people, Royce Gracie and didn’t remember a purple belt (laughs). Now academy, I told Andy I’d only be able to come
fighting in the early UFC events sparked my in- I train myself, I wish I could turn back time and once a month or so because I had my little girl
terest. Royce fascinated me; he wasn’t a big fella, relive that moment, because I’m so gutted I didn’t to look after. He straight away just said ‘bring her
but he was smashing these monsters. I’d come understand how big of a deal that experience was along, that’s fine’. So I brought her along, she
primarily from the striking arts, so I thought this for my brother. thought it was hilarious. We’ll be rolling and all of
grappling stuff looked wicked. a sudden one of the lads will shout out ‘George!
I remember Shaun was going for his brown Connie needs a wee, mate’. I can’t thank Andy
I checked out a traditional ju jitsu school to start belt testing, as they do at his professor Eddie enough for allowing me to bring my daughter
with, because I didn’t really understand the dif- Kone’s academy. Eddie is very hot on the Gracie along to training, it’s made a huge difference.
ferences between BJJ at the time, but it wasn’t self-defence system, so Shaun needed someone
what I was looking for. Then one day, I was driv- to practise his stuff on – he needed a crash test Shaun, tell us a little bit about the belt test-
ing past this little shop front in Dagenham and I dummy. There’s a twenty-minute break in act two ing system your professor, Eddie Kone, has
saw a sign above the door that said ‘Royce Gra- of the show where we are both off stage. We implemented?
cie Jiu Jitsu’, I was like, ‘no flipping way!’ I spun are both fully made-up still, and I’ve got Shaun Shaun: It’s tough man. When I went for my brown
the car back around, was a bit hesitant to walk in running through his moves with me. As soon as belt, I had to stand in the middle while an on-
at first; I remember the windows being steamed he started running through the techniques, I was slaught of people come at you with different
up so you couldn’t see anything. Anyway, the intrigued; he would go through a situation and I weapons and attacks so you can showcase your
head coach at the time was Marc Walder, who would be like ‘wow, what have you done there?!’ knowledge of self-defence. So, you demonstrate
was a purple belt at the time – so this was some So, my introduction to jiu jitsu was full on, Gracie an understanding of the techniques, then after
time ago. I walked in, had a chat with Marc, and self-defence. that we have a thing called the defence circle,
decided this was for me. which is pretty much like a shark tank style situ-
On Wednesdays between shows we used to do ation – again demonstrating self-defence tech-
So this was all back in the mid to late 90s, and a Krav Maga class, where we would do bits and niques under duress. This is followed by another
there were some great names who came out of pieces of sparring. The instructor there was a little shark tank situation, but this time pure ground
that gym: Shane Smith, Speedy, Mike Russell, Ed- bit of a character, and he liked going pretty hard grappling. To be honest, it’s horrendous, but
die Kone – who’s also my professor, just loads of in sparring. I remember him coming up behind when it’s finished you can sit back and say ‘I did
guys. They’re all either professors with their own me in one class and grabbing me around the that’, it’s a real badge of honour.
schools or black belts nowadays. But, yeah, that’s neck, to which I instinctively reacted by grabbing
how I got into it. his arm and throwing him over my shoulder. I in- So what does a regular day in the life look like
stantly thought to myself, ‘this jiu jitsu s**t works’. for you two?
So George, it was Shaun who got you into jiu George: We’re up at around 7:30 and either my
jitsu on set at The Lion King, right? I absolutely loved it, so Shaun told me there was wife or I will take the kids off to school. On a train-
George: Yes that’s right. Shaun and I have known also a lot of ground stuff to go over. We bought ing day, Kirsty will go off to work while I take my
each other from 2008 - in fact we’ve seen each four 20mm jigsaw mats and put them in the bar little four-year-old, Connie, off to nursery. I’ll then
other every day since 2008 pretty much. I remem- at the theatre. I had the cheapest judo gi I could head out with the dog for a walk, which is usual-
ber when he got his purple belt; he arrived at find and we started training every week – I fell ly around an hour. I’ll get Connie’s packed lunch
work all excited and said ‘mate, I’ve just got my completely in love with it. ready before maybe doing some stuff around the
45
GEORGE ASPREY & SHAUN ESCOFFERY
house; if I have time I’ll do some stretching before George: Listen, if anyone would like to come and the back of the room, walked down to the stage
heading to pick her up and head off to the acade- train with us, please do email us or message us where Mauricio and I were sitting. When the cam-
my. I’ll set Connie up on a little desk, get changed on Facebook. Obviously, we can’t have thousands era reached us, Mauricio turned to say, ‘and that’s
and just about make the warm-up. I’ll train until of people coming down, but if you’re in London, the secret of jiu jitsu’. So I sent that straight to
2:30, try and squeeze an extra little roll in at the bring your gi and get in touch. Shaun to rub it in (laughs).
end before panicking because I’m running late to
pick the kids up from school. After that, I get to Shaun: For sure; we’re always open to some nice With Shaun as a brown belt and George as a
chill out for a little bit, before leaving at 4:30 to friendly rolls – we do have to work afterwards, so blue belt, you must have some very interesting
get to the theatre. the emphasis is on friendly (laughs). training: do you both get plenty out of your
sessions?
Shaun: I wake up, have some breakfast, then I drop George: We’ve had Eddie Kone down, Jay But- George: I listened to a Joe Rogan Podcast inter-
my daughter at school. I head to the academy and ler down, and even Mauricio Gomes as well. That view once where he talked about the best way
normally I like to help Eddie with the private class- was funny actually – Andy Roberts called me say- to get good at jiu jitsu is to smash blue belts. So
es from around 11, then carry on with the class until ing ‘I think I’ve just told Mauricio that I can get you keep on smashing blue belts to perfect your
about 2:30. Same as George, I head back home, him Lion King tickets’. Obviously we sorted him technique, so I’d like to think Shaun is getting
rushing around, grabbing a quick shower, before out, and then we were so excited to have this leg- something out of our sessions (laughs).
getting straight across London to work. end come down to visit.
Shaun: Let me tell you something though,
How have your training sessions at the Lyceum It came to the day that Mauricio was coming George is a natural teacher and a real student
Theatre developed over the years? down, and Shaun had to call in sick, he had lit- of the game. There are times when I’m busy with
George: Well we started in one bar, but we soon erally no voice at all. He was gutted, so we did my writing and music life and I don’t get time to
got kicked out of the bar because we were steam- this video in the theatre where Andy started off at train at my academy. When we’re training at work
ing up the windows. We soon got kicked out of
another bar and were thinking this could be a
struggle to find space. We even tried a stairwell in
desperation! Finally we thought, well what about
the stage? We asked and the powers that be said
‘yes’, so we’ve been there ever since.
46
thing that would give me a great workout, would
be competitive and would stimulate my brain, so
jiu jitsu has given me that – 100%. After the first
time I rolled with Shaun I knew this was for me.
What sort of
ing in his classes, so thanks to Jay as well.
47
WORDS: SAM JOSEPH
PICTURES: DANIEL BRISENO
48
Sam Joseph is a
2nd degree Black
Belt in BJJ under
the Yamasaki
Academy. He
was awarded
his black belt in
2007 and has
vast experience
as a teacher, BJJ
competitor and
MMA fighter.
“ GOALS, AND THE DESIRE TO of teammates and try the same moves/techniques.
This is natural as most of us are creatures of habit.
Usually this is not a problem, but habits can become
ACHIEVE THEM, CAN BE A SOURCE tedious and even stunt real growth. When that hap-
pens, we must take action and break those patterns
for the good of our BJJ experience.
OF PRESSURE. SOMETIMES WE JUST I started BJJ in 1998 and came up very “old school”.
Classes were simple: warm-up, do some technique
CONCLUSION
There are many things we have to do as adults. We
must pay our bills, buy groceries, fill our gas tanks
and pay taxes. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu should never be on
the list of “have-to do.” If we find ourselves in this
situation, we need to take steps to regain the love
we have lost for BJJ or we risk losing it and all its
benefits in our lives. Taking the simple steps outlined
above will help us get back on track, looking forward
to and enjoying BJJ.
49
WORDS: MATT JARDINE
PICTURES: DANIEL BRISENO
I had denied my feelings for the longest time; pinned, rolled and they transitioned. It was evi- oes Panksepp’s findings and makes the case that
turned away from the butterflies in my stomach dent that these young cubs were grappling and our need for social connection and development is
that hadn’t fluttered like this for years. But, it loving every minute of it. as fundamental to survival as food and water.
seemed there was nothing I could do to prevent
them, even if I wanted to. Yes, gut-wrenching LEARNING FROM ANIMALS “In the West,” says Lieberman in an interview
guilt would be a consequence, but, as they say, Sergio Pellis, a researcher and scientist at the featured in ‘Scientific American’, “we like to think
‘once bitten, forever smitten’. And, apparently, University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, spe- of ourselves as relatively immune to the sway of
I’m not alone. cialises in the questions of why people ‘play’ and those around us while we each pursue our per-
how play relates to life, learning and brain devel- sonal destiny. But I think this is a story we like to
I have met countless others who have felt the opment. Although much of what scientists know tell ourselves rather than what really happens.
same way, lying awake in the dark hours trying about this field comes from research on animals,
to fathom answers from the cracks in the ceiling. Pellis says that play behaviour is remarkably sim- “Across many studies of mammals, the data sug-
How would we explain this to the significant oth- ilar across species. Rats, monkeys, children and gests that we are profoundly shaped by our social
ers in our lives? Could our relationship survive many mammals all abide by the same rules re- environment and that we suffer greatly when our
this betrayal? Could we openly admit that, ‘yes, garding brain development and needs. His sug- social bonds are threatened or severed.
it’s true, we prefer BJJ to the other martial arts to gestions imply that observation of animals has
which we were previously and loyally committed’? something to teach us about ourselves. “When this happens it can lead to long-term
Damn it! The truth is out. health and educational problems. We may not like
Following his findings, he concludes that ‘rough- the fact that we are wired such that our well-being
Joking aside, I am as genuinely surprised at and-tumble play’ is essential for the balanced de- depends on our connections with others, but the
how much BJJ has well and truly wedged itself velopment of most mammals. Initially, researchers facts are the facts.”
under my skin. A previous twenty-year career in believed that this sort of game might be a way
knockdown karate had changed me down to the for animals to develop skills such as hunting and This type of research on rough-and-tumble play,
cellular level; I was a traditional Japanese-arts fighting. However, the more recent studies sug- of which BJJ is an obvious example, is eye open-
striker, through and through. But, how fickle the gest that this is not the case. ing, but further studies from Russia are equally, if
hands of fate, and during an MMA contest when a not more, enlightening.
youngster negated my striking with a belly-down Jaak Panksepp, another researcher at Washington
armbar, I knew I had to fill the gaping gaps in my State University, has come to believe that play has A RUSSIAN ORPHANAGE
knowledge. another purpose: “The function of play is to build After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the num-
pro-social brains, social brains that know how to ber of orphans, and orphanages grew exponen-
Initially, I traded my gi for a kimono, and a bow for interact with others in positive ways,” he says. tially due to a combination of political, social and
a fist bump, with the intention of knowing enough economic conditions. Following a high-profile
of the ground game to allow me to avoid submis- In his new book, ‘Social’, Matthew Lieberman ech- legal case in America involving Artyom Savelyev,
sions. I simply wanted to continue doing what I
did best: knocking opponents down. But, gradu-
ally, BJJ study became more than a means to an
end, it became the means AND the end.
GRAPPLING CUBS
No, this is not the name of a new BJJ class for
children, but literally what I have at the end of my
South West London garden. One April morning,
my wife called me to the window to spot one,
two, three, four, five, six tiny fox cubs cautiously
popping their heads out from the undergrowth
before venturing out into the open.
50
“WHY DO SO MANY OF US GET
HOOKED, LINE AND SINKER, BY
BJJ? AFTER ALL, ISN’T IT JUST
ANOTHER MARTIAL ART AND
PASTIME? WHAT MAKES IT SO
UNDENIABLY ADDICTIVE?"
a Russian orphan, and his adoptive parent, Torry
Hansen, the interrogative spotlight turned glar-
ingly onto the Russian orphanage system.
51
WORDS: OLIVER GEDDES
...and end up developing into totally differ- ten extremely difficult. Half guard bottom with a is the key to winning, so if you are in mount you
ent practitioners with different skillsets and cross-face is pretty much death, and the typical don’t take the armbar unless they gift-wrap it for
preferences, even though they know all the progression tends to be closed guard attack that you. You go for the arm triangle, or you take the
same techniques. fails, to guard break, to half guard. back (as long as you are confident you can stay on
top with the hooks) but risking the top position for
Sometimes these differences may be due to men- Once the top player is able to flatten you out a single submission attempt is a dangerous move
tality or aptitude, but a lot of the time it comes in half guard, passing to side control or mount at the best of times.
down to body types. Whether you are tall or tends to follow eventually, even though it may
short, heavy or light, have long limbs or not - all take some time. For a heavier, less dynamic and Should your opponent make it to their knees and
of these will determine which techniques are me- less flexible athlete, the guard of choice should you feel that it will be difficult to place your hooks
chanically easier for you. That isn’t to say that cer- generally be deep half guard, for several reasons: in, focus on turnovers instead. If you can off-bal-
tain techniques are off limit for anyone; in theory, ance them (by picking their ankle or collapsing their
everyone can do any movement. However, your • It’s an exceptionally good way to prevent your shoulder) into side control, you won’t score for it
body type will certainly make a subset of all the opponent from putting their weight on you directly, but you will get the ability to control them; wearing
techniques in jiu jitsu more appropriate than oth- because your hips are hard to control when they’re them out while you can still attempt submissions
ers. In this article, I’m looking to talk about the big underneath and behind someone and it also pre- from top side control or score for the mount.
guys - the “Goliaths” of the title. vents the top player from cross-facing.
Another valid alternative for dealing with the tur-
A quick disclaimer - when I talk about big guys • You create an unstable base underneath your tle that doesn’t risk losing position as much as
and girls in this context, I am generally discounting opponent, preventing them from being comfort- throwing the hooks in, is the clock choke; a move-
taller, super-athletic people. I consider them to be able in their own position and in turn limiting their ment where your weight works in your favour but,
regular-sized people, just scaled up; there tends to capacity for putting their weight on you. more importantly, keeps you in top position whilst
be very few limits on what their bodies are capa- threatening the submission.
ble of, particularly when they are in their physical • Since heavier players tend to be less mobile
prime. To me, a big guy starts at around 100kg and compared to lighter ones, it is much harder for This is obviously a very superficial overview of
for this discussion, is under 6’2” (and yes, I am well a top player to make substantial transitions from ‘big man tactics’. But, it is important to highlight
aware I am mixing my systems of measurement). deep half top, whether for a back take or a leg- that bigger people do have different attributes,
So, a stockier, heavier-set individual. lock attempt. This in turn means that you have and I think it should be made clear that there are
to worry less about the various counters to the subsets of techniques that will work best when
BOTTOM POSITION position and can more easily focus on disrupting you are heavier. Just because you are taught a lot
The first rule of being a big guy on the mat is that their base and setting up your sweep. of techniques, it is important to select the ones
you can’t be on your back, with your opponent amongst them that are most appropriate for your
able to apply direct pressure to you. Ever. This PASSING body type.
is because when you are on your back, you are In general, passing from standing is awkward, be-
carrying your own weight as well as the weight cause to stand you need to first get to an upright
of your opponent. This additional pressure means posture, then you need to make it to your feet
that most movements will be difficult to pull off in whilst carrying your opponent’s weight as well as
the first place. And, even if you can begin them your own. On the plus side, should you be able
successfully, your execution will usually be slow to stand, you will probably be able to break your
enough that it can be countered by an adjust- opponent’s guard.
ment from your opponent.
Getting to your feet is just harder, and it’s often
This means that bottom side control is a mas- more efficient to try to break and pass from your
sive no-no. As a result, when someone is threat- knees. This also prevents nimbler opponents from
ening to pass your guard, it is imperative to do getting underneath you and utilising the space
everything you can to try to make it to your knees. there to set up attacks. Your two primary routes
With smaller fighters, giving up your back is usu- are going to be trying to force a guard break and
ally a death sentence, but this is predominantly move to half guard, or to set up a stack pass, de-
due to their speed and flexibility - meaning that pending on the hip position of your opponent.
once they get access to your back, you are, basi-
cally, doomed. If their hips are high and you can get under them,
you stack. If their hips are low, you pass over their
Much larger fighters need much more space to knee to half guard. From there, you control their
place hooks and have to carry their own weight hips and work your way up their body, making the
more effectively to avoid falling off or discon- smallest movements possible to avoid creating
necting from their opponent. This leads to larger space until you can start to work your leg free and
players being more wary when it comes to com- move to a dominant position.
mitting their weight and attacking the back. As
a result of this, the threat of a full back take is TOP POSITION
significantly diminished and ending up in bottom All the rules of bottom position apply here, just in-
turtle isn’t necessarily the end of the world as it verted. If you are on top, your priority is to stay on
would be in a smaller weight class. top at all costs. This will rule out a large number of
techniques that, should they go wrong, will have
THE GUARD you wind up on the bottom. Sticking to strong,
Guard play as a bigger guy is complex. Closed stable attacks that don’t require that risk will al-
guard is safe, because it prevents your opponent ways be the way to go.
from putting their weight on you. But attacks can
be awkward, because climbing your legs up and In a way, it’s much the same as the route that
avoiding stacking escapes to submissions is of- MMA has gone in the modern era. Being on top
53
In this instalment of
Masterclass, Juniao
showcases a range
of closed guard
sweeps and a neat
submission.
MASTERCLASS
HENRIQUE JUNIOR
Showing some of his favourite attacks in this issue is
European and British Champion, Henrique Junior! ‘Juniao’ is
one of the head instructors at the Roger Gracie Academy,
known for his aggressive style and dominant closed guard.
Portrait: Andre Camara
54
1 2
1: Your opponent is in the turtle position, and you’ve gained a grip 2: Often you will find your opponent tries to grab your leg, but this is
of their collar with your left hand as pictured, locking your elbow to a mistake.
their hip.
3 4
MODIFIED AMERICANA
3: Bring your right arm underneath your opponent’s arm, bringing 4: From here, grab your own collar. You can see the arm is in a
your whole body over the top of their arm to break the grip and set position where you can attack with an Americana style finish
up the finish.
FINISHING DETAILS
FINISHING DETAILS
5 6
5/6: Sit through with your left leg and start raising your chest upwards to
hit the submission. Be careful with this one, as it will come on quickly!
55
1 2
1: Starting from closed guard. 2/3: Your opponent looks to open your guard on the floor by bringing
their right knee to the middle and widening their left knee outwards.
3 4
CLOSED GUARD SWEEP TO MOUNT
4/5: Switch your grips so you are controlling their left sleeve with
your left hand and their left elbow with your right hand.
5 6
6: Your opponent will try to hide their elbow by digging it into your
leg to prevent the arm drag.
56
7 8
7: Open your guard and block their left knee with your right leg on the 8/9: Keep pulling your opponent’s arm up towards your head,
floor, maintaining your grips. but the real detail is that you must throw your left knee high
underneath their right armpit to knock them off balance.
9 10
11 12
57
1 2
1: Starting from closed guard. 2/3: Your opponent looks to open your guard on the floor by bringing
their right knee to the middle and widening their left knee outwards.
3 4
CLOSED GUARD FLOWER SWEEP
4/5: Switch your grips so you are controlling their left sleeve with
your left hand and their left elbow with your right hand.
5 6
6: Your opponent knows you are trying to hit the scissor sweep, so
they will often look to posture upwards.
7 8
58
9 10
9/10: Maintain the grip on your opponent’s left sleeve with your left
hand. Next, bring your right arm across their back and secure a grip on
their armpit.
11 12
13 14
13/14/15/16: From here you can simply rock your opponent to your
right, arriving in a high mount position.
15 16
59
Hi Braulio,
Send your questions One thing I’ve often wondered is what your diet
for Braulio to looks like day by day? Let’s say you’re training a
u2us@bjjstyle.com mid-day session, then an evening session; how
and we will publish would you eat on that given day? What sort
as many as possible of foods do you try to consume and also try to
in the next issue of avoid?
Jiu Jitsu Style.
- Peter
Hi Peter,
So, I always try to eat as clean as possible, keep-
ing my body in an alkaline state. In the mornings,
I have a lot of water on an empty stomach, with
a lime shot and a teaspoon of apple cider. This
cleanses my body and keeps me in the alkaline
state, as cancer cells develop quicker in acidic
environments.
60
Escape From Turtle 1. Your opponent has a seat
belt grip from turtle position.
DETAIL: Grip over the top of your
Hi Braulio, opponent’s hands as pictured;
What is your favourite way to replace guard when your opponent has from here you can separate
managed to get you to turtle? I find this position really tricky once their seatbelt grip and set up
they’ve gained a seatbelt grip. the escape. 2/3/4/5. In a quick
motion, straighten your arms out
- Claire as you stand up and literally run
away from your opponent. Like I
Hi Claire, say, it may look strange, but it’s
This is an escape that has been working really well for me. It looks a a great way to escape the turtle
little unorthodox, but it’s very effective. and prevent your opponent from
taking your back.
GRIP DETAIL
2 3
4 5
61
Hi Braulio, If you’re in a situation where you don’t want to go as hard as
One thing that I really struggle with is ‘how’ I should be the guy you are sparring with, just try to concentrate on your
training. What I mean by this is that I am susceptible to defences and not allowing yourself to be drawn into the roll
raising or lowering my intensity during sparring, based on too much if you don’t want to. In theory, you have two options:
whatever my partner is doing. If they’re going balls out, so go hard and match your opponent’s intensity, or work on your
am I, and if they’re going super slow, I’ll just follow suit. defence. At the end of the day, training is training - so don’t be
afraid to make mistakes. This is why I am such a fan of specific
My question really is: How do you know when it’s time to training because it forces you to work on uncomfortable positions
go hard, or time to flow a little? and situations to develop.
- Harry
Hi Harry,
I always say that everyone has ego. I have ego, it’s just about
how you deal with it. Sometimes you don’t feel like going hard
but your training partner does, then it also works the other way
as well. I think first and foremost, I listen to my body; if you feel
you are ready to train hard then you should try to apply this in
the session. If you start pushing hard in a roll, but you can tell
your partner doesn’t want to match that level, just tone your level
down and work on something that’s not your A game.
Knee Bar 1 2
from Half Guard
Hi Braulio,
I feel a little limited with
submission options from my
half guard – any ideas? I am a
big Lucas Leite fan, so I love to
play half guard and also deep
half guard, but I feel other than
hunting for sweeps, I have few
attacking options.
- Maz 3 4
Hey Maz,
This kneebar is a solid option to
have in your locker, especially if
you like playing that sort of half
guard game.
7 8
62
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8
Hey Braulio,
Could you show an option on how to improve my 1/2/3. Your opponent switches
position once the guy turns to pass half guard from to a reverse half guard. As they
the reverse sitting position? I get in trouble from here, move, open up their gi lapel
especially when the guy advances their body up towards and pass it to your left hand
my head and isolates my arm with their back. as pictured. 4/5. Bring your
right hand underneath your
- Ray opponent’s right leg and grab
their lapel. 6/7/8. Open your
Hi Ray, guard and bridge to your left to
See how this sweep works for you. It is a secure option complete the sweep.
because of the lapel grip, so it should work well!
63
In this issue, Tom
showcases a selection
of submissions and
transitions originating
from half guard.
SHEDDING THE GI
TOM DEBLASS
Tom DeBlass is a black belt under Ricardo Almeida,
head coach at Ocean County Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Academy and an ADCC, UFC and Bellator veteran.
Tom is also known as one of the best coaches in
jiu jitsu, having nurtured the likes of Garry Tonon,
Gordon Ryan and Nicky Ryan.
Pictures: Jeff Chu
64
1 2
1: Your opponent is playing knee shield half guard. 2: Come up onto your toes and drive your head into their jaw.
3 4
5 6
6/7: From here, you can back step out of your opponent’s guard,
making sure you gain control of their head with your left arm as you do.
7 8
65
1 2
1: Starting from a knee slice pass position, pinning your opponent’s hip 2: Sometimes, when your knee gets through to the mat, your
to the mat with your right hand to prevent their movement. opponent manages to get the underhook.
3 4
KNEE SLICE PASS TO BACK TAKE
3: Straight away, back step with your left leg to reach reverse half guard, 4/5: In a quick motion, push your opponent’s right leg down to the
making sure you cup their right thigh with your left hand as you rotate. mat as you circle back over the top, basing out with your left leg as
pictured.
5 6
66
7 8
7/8: Cup around your opponent’s head as pictured, while starting to sit
backwards and set up the back take.
9 10
11 12
67
1 2
1: Starting from half guard with an active knee shield. You have 2: Push away with your arms and left leg to force a reaction from
created a frame with your arms to prevent your opponent flattening your opponent, as they will lean their weight into you.
you out.
3 4
ARM LOCK FROM HALF GUARD
3/4: In a quick motion, switch your grips so you have full control of
your opponent’s left arm on their tricep as pictured. Pull the arm
towards you to break their posture and bring your left calf across the
back of their neck.
5 6
5/6: Sit up and lock off a kimura grip to further strengthen your
control and set up the armlock.
68
7 8
7/8: Throw your left leg right across their back and dig it into their
left hip.
9 10
11 12
69
1 2
1: You are in your opponent’s half guard. 2: They manage to secure an underhook with their left arm as pictured.
3 4
HALF GUARD TO STRAIGHT ARM LOCK
3/4: In a quick motion, bring your left hip to the mat and your left arm
right over your opponent’s head, blocking their left arm to their body.
5 6
5/6: Reach back with your right hand to control your opponent’s arm
at the wrist, then securing the kimura grip.
7 8
7/8: Wrench their arm down so that their elbow is pressed against
the mat. As they try and twist out of the position, secure the straight
arm lock.
70
F I G H T E R S M A R K E T. E U
TRADITION WITHIN
AVAILABLE AT
MAEDABRAND.COM
FIGHTERSMARKET.EU KIMONO | AKASHIO
1 2
1: You are in your opponent’s half guard. 2/3/4: Start to sneak your right arm underneath your opponent’s left
arm and secure the back of their head, making sure to drive all your
weight through your shoulder to maintain good pressure...
3 4
5 6
5/6: When you feel ready, shoot your left arm forwards so that you
can lock off a grip on your right bicep as pictured.
7 8
7/8: With your choking grip secure, drop your left hip down to the
mat. From here, it is easy to escape your legs and pass the guard.
You also have the finishing grips you need – squeeze for the tap!
73
Nick Brooks is Jiu 1
Jitsu Style’s resident
technique guru and
a second degree
black belt under
Roger Gracie.
NICK BROOKS
2/3/4: Pass your own lapel from your right hand to
your left hand as pictured. Try and do this as quickly
as possible, while also maintaining pressure on your
opponent.
4 5 6
7 8 9
8/9: Walk your body in a circular motion, while bringing your head to the right-hand side of your
opponent to finish the choke.
74
1 2
1: You are in side control with control of your opponent’s head. 2/3: Pass their lapel from your right hand to your left hand, but this
time you pass it over your opponent’s right forearm as pictured.
3 4
CHOKE 2
4: Normally your opponent will pull their hand out, sensing the danger,
but this sets up the choke.
5 6
5/6: Bring your right hand to grip the same lapel as your left with a
baseball bat grip.
7 8
7/8: Rotate your body in a circular motion over your opponent’s head to
finish the choke.
75
1 2
1: You are in side control with control of your opponent’s head. 2/3: Free up a little bit of slack on your own lapel with your right hand.
3 4
CHOKE 3
4: Pass your lapel from your right hand to your left hand as pictured.
5 6
76
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1 2
1: You are in side control with control of your opponent’s head. 2/3: Pass your own lapel from your right hand to your left hand as
pictured.
3 4
CHOKE 4
4/5/6: Switch your base and bring your right shoulder to the other side
of your opponent’s head.
5 6
7 8
7/8: Pull the lapel with your left hand and drive your elbow backwards
to finish the choke.
79
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80
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81
OLYMPIC JUDO ROGER GRACIE
SILVER MEDALIST BJJ BLACK BELT
THE JACKET
Progress branding has always
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positioning of the Progress wording,
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TROUSERS
Keeping with the clean, simple design, the
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the tin; nothing fancy, just functional.
DETAILS
The use of slick typography and subtle, worded branding are what
really makes Progress products appealing, and their ‘go to’ M6 kimono
strengthens that opinion. Their ability to blend style and function
is second to none, and we love the fact that the M6, their standard
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SUMMARY
The M6 MK3 is another solid offering from the Manchester-based
brand. At £95, you’re getting a product that will work perfectly as
a competition gi or an everyday workhorse; it’s a great balance
between comfort, durability and price.
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83
UK, European and International subscriptions available
DO YOU WANT YOUR PRODUCTS REVIEWED?
To have your jiu jitsu gear featured in JJS,
send us an email at info@bjjstyle.com
REVIEW CORNER
As jiu jitsu players, it’s amazing how much room we actually need
in our training bags. So, you’ve got your gi (of course), then your
nogi stuff (just in case). Let’s not forget your towel (no one likes a
stinker), quite possibly a pair of boxing gloves (if you’re into that
sort of thing), a belt, a change of clothes, your shower stuff, flip
flops… did we miss anything? Anyway, you get the picture. It’s a
lot of stuff.
85
BJJ ANIMAL ALPHABET COLOURING-IN BOOK
AVAILABLE VIA WWW.BLURB.CO.UK FOR £9.99
Meerkatsu has long been one of the standout artists within the jiu jitsu com-
munity, having taken his artwork from blog posts to branded rashguards,
t-shirts and kimonos. His latest venture is the creation of a beautiful BJJ
themed colouring-in book, available via self-publishing website, Blurb.
In 2015, Meerkatsu – AKA Seymour Yang – created his ‘War Lion’ colour-
ing-in sheet: a single page lion illustration that fans could download, print,
then colour themselves. The War Lion project was extremely successful and
went on to form the basis of a popular rashguard.
Based on his successes with the War Lion, Seymour designed a limited run
of colouring-in art cards that were distributed with one of his kimonos. Feed-
back from fans was positive enough for him to go on to create the Animal
Alphabet colouring-in book.
The book consists of 29 original Meerkatsu artworks, with most of the illus-
trations printed on the right-hand page to prevent ink bleed when colouring
in (though it is recommended that you use pencils instead of pens). The
product itself is made from 105gsm paper, with a soft back, perfect bound,
laminate cover; it really is a lovely little collectable.
Whether you decide to pick the book up to colour yourself, as a gift for a kid
or to simply marvel at before storing away as a collectable, it’s an absolute
steal at £9.99. Meerkatsu has – yet again – offered up a really fun product
for his fans, which illustrates the creativity on show within the vibrant BJJ
illustrator subculture.
ROGER GRACIE TV Roger’s style of jiu jitsu and his tutorials at Roger Gracie TV reinforce
what we should all be learning if we want to build a game that will stand
the test of time. Ideal for beginners and experts alike, it’s a fantastic re-
MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTIONS £14.99 / $19.99 source that is only set to get better as more content is added.
WWW.ROGERGRACIETV.COM
It’s been a long time coming, but Roger Gracie, one of the most decorat-
ed grapplers in history, has finally launched his own online instructional
website. For a man who’s been notoriously camera shy during his fight-
ing career, Roger Gracie TV offers fans an insight into the mentality and
ROGER TV
training habits of a sporting great.
The website architecture is simple, but extremely easy to use. Videos are
organised in categories such as mount, closed guard or side control, but
GRACIE
the inclusion of novel groups like escapes and concepts are welcome
additions. As we all know, Roger has never been submitted in competi-
tion since his blue belt days, so the escapes category was a real favourite
of ours, while the concepts menu includes some excellent content sur-
rounding Roger’s approach to dealing with certain positions, as well as
addressing general fighting mentality.
When it comes to the actual content, there are some absolute gems to
look forward to. Roger’s game is often described as ‘basic’ or ‘simple’,
but his attention to detail in explaining technicalities behind seemingly
‘simple’ positions is second to none. There’s an excellent chain of videos
covering half guard passes that we found extremely useful, as well as his
mount retention concepts.
86
jiu jitsu
student
contest
Cimac I Cimac House I Highlands Road I Shirley
Solihull I West Midlands I B90 4NG
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response
Gym Featured: HFFS Deeside
ANDY MARSHALL is the owner of Villain Strength and a
strength and conditioning expert. He has worked with notable
professional athletes including heavyweight boxing contender,
ANDY MARSHALL Dillian Whyte, and British grappling standout, Dan Strauss.
FIT TO FIGHT
WHAT IF I WANT TO LOSE SOME FAT TOO?
Mixing up a ton of different goals isn’t always the best idea, so I’d
CREATING A RESULTS
BASED TRAINING PROGRAM
Sitting may not be too pleasant the next day the first time you do this. But,
your hamstrings and glutes will be looking pretty sweet.
recommend you focus on improving your strength and performance through
the training structure that I’ve presented. If you do that and start getting FAT LOSS FINISHER #5 – ON THE MINUTE, EVERY MINUTE, SWINGS
your nutrition on point, then you will see yourself leaning out as well. This is one of my go-to conditioning protocols when I’m short on time.
Ok, so to break it down, to get leaner you’ll have to spend time on your How does it go? You take a reasonably heavy kettlebell and start swinging
nutrition, period. But we can also add in some extra fat loss finishers to up on top of the minute for the prescribed amount of reps. Once you’re done
the metabolic effect at the end of the workout. with the set, have a rest break until the timer hits the top of the minute
again, then repeat for the prescribed number of rounds.
Here are 5 Fat Loss Finishers that you can add to your program and are
easily progressed (as I’ll show you): You can start with fewer or more rounds than I’ve put in this program, but
this is a pretty good start for most people.
FAT LOSS FINISHER #1 – THE AIRDYNE BIKE
This is old school – but it works! And just when you thought the bikes with Intensity Recovery Repeats
the moving handles couldn’t be used for anything productive. Week 1 10 KB swings Rest of min 10
Week 2 10 KB swings Rest of min 12
The KEY here is to go absolutely all-out during your work set. In this case Week 3 10 KB swings Rest of min 14
we’ll go 30 seconds of work and 90 seconds of rest, starting with 3 rounds. Week 4 10 KB swings Rest of min 16
You may be looking at me and laughing and thinking ‘this is a piece of cake’
– but I promise at the end of those 3 rounds you’ll “get it.” I will typically work people up to 18 rounds and then go back to 10 and start
with 12 swings. If you’re more conditioned, you can start at 12 rounds and
No matter what, go absolutely all-out in the 30 seconds of work. more reps.
Intensity Recovery Repeats To get leaner, get on point with your nutrition (shop, prepare and cook the
Week 1 30 sec 90 sec 3 meals you have the hardest time with ahead of time) and keep a journal, as
Week 2 30 sec 90 sec 4 well as plugging in some extra work with the fat loss finishers at the end of
Week 3 30 sec 90 sec 5 your training session.
Week 4 30 sec 90 sec 6
STEP 8: HOW DO I PUT IT ALL TOGETHER?
Once you go through the 4 weeks of progressions, we’d usually start at 3 I knew it was coming, so below is something I cooked up earlier. Think of
rounds again but now drop the rest period to 60 seconds. this sample program based on the structure I talked about above. Since
I’m a visual person (and most people are), I believe this will help you see. I
FAT LOSS FINISHER #2 – THE LEG MATRIX didn’t include warms-up in here, but they precede every training session, as
This is another one that looks incredibly simple on paper but will have you you can see in Step #1 back when we started in issue 36.
cursing me by the time you come to round two. It’s a continuous series of
exercises that are all focused on the legs. This is a 3-day-a-week full body program, which includes a fat loss finisher.
FAT LOSS FINISHER #3 – PUSH-UP SQUAT LADDER SAMPLE TRAINING SESSION B (FULL BODY)
This is one of the ladder finishers we do a lot and if you push it, you’ll be 1. Incline bench press 4 x 4
feeling it! 2a. Half kneeling press 3 x 8/side
1 push-up, 1 squat 2b. BB front loaded reverse lunge 3 x 8/side
2 push-ups, 2 squats 3a. Pull Ups 3 x 12
3 push-ups, 3 squats etc. 3b. Glute ham raises 3 x 12
4a. Single leg glute bridges 2 x 25/side
Intensity Recovery Repeats 4b. Pallof press hold 3 x 30 sec/side
Week 1 1 ladder N/A 1-10 5. Fat Loss Finisher #2
Week 2 1 ladder N/A 1-12
Week 3 1 ladder N/A 1-13 SAMPLE TRAINING SESSION C (FULL BODY)
Week 4 1 ladder N/A 1-15 1. BB Front squat 4 x 4
2a. Double KB step-up 3 x 8/side
Nothing mind blowing, but it’s a lot of volume in a short time and it’s easy to 2b. Low cable row w/pause 3 x 8/side
progress. You can also make easy switches for exercises (i.e. KB swing/push- 3a. Single leg landmine RDL 2 x 15/side
up, KB goblet squat/ burpee, lunges/push-ups, etc.) 3b. Chain push-ups (3 sec. negative) 2 x 15
4a. KB side lunge 3 x 8
If you feel it’s too easy, no problem. Work up the ladder and then work back 4b. Reverse crunch 3 x 1
down as well. Enjoy! 5. Fat Loss Finisher #5
FAT LOSS FINISHER #4 – THE 5 MINUTES OF FURY Bada-boom, bada-bing! There you have a great recipe for getting stronger,
Here’s how it goes: packing on muscle, getting your nutrition in check and getting leaner.
Intensity Recovery Repeats Here’s something that’s you MUST realise – the only way to figure out what
Week 1 30 KB swings 1 min 1-10 works best for you is to haul your butt into the gym, push yourself, find a
Week 2 35 KB swings 1 min 1-12 support group that challenges you, and then track what happens.
Week 3 40 KB swings 1 min 1-13
Week 4 45 KB swings 1 min 1-15 Until then, the best-written programs are just scraps of paper that never get
used. Do the work.
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TOURNAMENT REVIEW
PICTURES: DANIEL BRISENO
& BLANCA MARISA GARCIA
90
BLACK / ADULT / MALE / ROOSTER
First - Bruno da Silva Malfacine – Alliance
Second - Caio Terra – Brasa CTA
Third - Lucas dos Santos Pinheiro – AMBJJ
Third - Tomoyuki Hashimoto – Brasa CTA
Above:
Mikey Musumeci
vs Joao Miyao
Above right:
Caio Terra vs
Bruno Malfacine
Bottom middle:
Ruben Charles
vs Leonardo
Fernandes
Bottom left:
Lucas Lepri BLACK / ADULT / MALE / LIGHT
Bottom right:
Gabriel Arges First - Lucas Lepri – Alliance
vs Marcos Tinoco Second - Roberto Satoshi – Bull-Terrier Bonsai
Third - Jhonny Loureiro Sigallis Souza – Alliance
Third - Yan Lucas Cordeiro Paiva – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu
91
BLACK / ADULT / MALE / MEDIUM HEAVY
First - Andre Galvão – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Second - Patrick Pontes Moura Santos Gaudio – GF Team
Third - Felipe Carsalade Araujo Pena – Gracie Barra
Third - Rômulo Claudio Barral – Gracie Barra
Top left:
Nicholas Meregali
vs Leandro Lo
Top right:
Andre Galvao
vs Patrick Gaudio
Below:
Marcus Almeida vs
Leandro Lo
92
BLACK / ADULT / FEMALE / ROOSTER
First - Rikako Yuasa – Paraestra Shinagawa
Second - Rayanne Amanda Carmo – Attack JJ Team
Third - Outi Järvilehto – Brasa CTA
Third - Serena Gabrielli – Flow
Top left:
Talita Alencar
vs Gezary Matuda
Top:
Rikako Yuasa
vs Rayanne Carmo
Middle:
Emilie Maxine
Middle Left:
BLACK / ADULT / FEMALE / FEATHER Luiza Monteiro
First - Emilie Maxine – Gracie Humaita vs Beatriz Mesquita
Bottom:
Second - Ana Carolina Schmitt – Gracie Humaita Ana Carolina Vieira
Third - Aarae Alexander – Team Lloyd Irvin
Third - Jaqueline de Moraes Amorim – Checkmat
93
BLACK / ADULT / FEMALE / MEDIUM HEAVY
First - Nathiely Jesus – Cicero Costha Internacional
Second - Andresa Correa – Alliance
Third - Jessica Oliveira – Gracie Barra
Third - Leah Roseanne Taylor – SBG International
Top:
Nathiely Jesus
vs Andresa Correa
Middle right:
Claudia Fernanda
BLACK / ADULT / FEMALE / SUPER HEAVY vs Talita Noguiera
First - Tayane Porfirio de Araujo – Alliance Bottom :
Second - Venla Orvokki Luukkonen – Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla Tayane Porfirio
vs Venla Luukkonen
94
PHOTO ESSAY: DANIEL BRISENO
BATTLE PHOTOGRAPHY
The nuances of fighting captured through the lens:
highs, lows, triumphs, defeats, tears of joy, tears
of sadness; every human emotion all under one
roof. In this photo essay, Daniel Briseno showcases
some of his standout images from the IBJJF World
Championships at the Walter Pyramid, California.
96
97
WORDS: MATT BENYON
As humans, we need
anxious, but soon will relax when he or she real-
ises that nothing terrible happened.
98
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