Tough question, no? The nostalgia factor of going back in time to learn jiu-jitsu with the Gracie family in the early days is pretty sweet. But on the other hand, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu of today is more evolved and arguably richer. So which would you choose? Discuss!
Back in September I wrote about how I like to dry my Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi in hopes that someone else might find it useful. I introduced the BJJ Gi Dryer Hanger, which allows for quick drying of the gi’s armpits, which often remain wet for a long time and can get funky. It’s very high tech: take a broom rod and stick a giant hook in the center of it and you’re done.
As I was leaving our school’s open mat last night I saw my instructor Fabio Santos hanging up his gi and I figured it was time to give credit to my inspiration for the BJJ Gi Dryer Hanger. See the picture? Very similar to the BJJ Gi Dryer Hanger but no hook. Just a rod suspended between a closet and a box of BJJ DVDs!
The Fabio method.
Fabio received his red and black belt in 2007 from Relson Gracie. As you might expect, his school has a lot of great old photos along the walls. Can you make out the photo behind his gi?
Rickson punching some guy.
The BJJ Gi Dryer Hanger probably won’t win any prizes for engineering anytime soon, but it doesn’t mean its inspiration doesn’t deserve mention. Thanks Fabio!
This week’s poll question comes to us from a member of the Mighty 600,000 who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor. One of his students is very insistent on video taping the class to help him learn the new BJJ that is shown.
Merrick, NY (USA): The Fight Summit, which held its inaugural event this past December, has announced its second event. The next Fight Summit is scheduled to take place the weekend of October 7th-9th at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Monday the 10th will be Columbus Day, so it will be a three-day weekend for many. Also, admission has been lowered (an announcement will be forthcoming), and the expo floor will increase by twenty booths.
The same caliber of names are expected to populate the speaker list this year as those who were a part of the 2010 edition. The first few speakers have been confirmed, and The Fight Summit is pleased to announce that author Brian Cain, manager Ed Soares, Hans Molenkamp of Triumph United, and world-renowned cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran will all be returning. In addition, Trevor Wittman from Grudge Training Center, renowned strength and conditioning coach Jonathan Chaimberg, Alchecmist Management’s Lex McMahon, and Bad Boy’s Mike Calmenson will be speaking, and grappling artist Chris Herzog of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu will be conducting a seminar. More speakers covering a variety of topics will be announced in the coming months.
2010’s Fight Summit took place December 17th-19th at The Flamingo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was the first conference and trade show for professionals in all disciplines and levels of the mixed martial arts community. Fight Summit attendees were able to learn from the best of the best, as luminaries such as MMA legends Randy Couture, Mark DellaGrotte from Sityodtong, and Greg Jackson taught MMA trainers how to coach and run their academies better. Other guests included some of the top MMA apparel companies hosting clothing line seminars, and some of the best managers in the sport, such as Ed Soares (manager to Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and more) and Monte Cox (Matt Hughes, Jeremy Horn, and more), who discussed the ins and outs of MMA fighter representation. Other topics covered included academy management, PR and media relations, handling legal situations, MMA and striking seminars, apparel design, production, and sourcing, promotion marketing, and many other subjects.
“The Fight Summit set the standard in 2010, and we’re going to do everything we can to exceed expectations this year,” said Fight Summit manager Mike Hauben. “We were very pleased with the turnout and the caliber of the speakers last year, and so it only made sense to do it again. By lowering admission prices and holding the event on a holiday weekend, we hope that we’ll be able to educate even more in the MMA business.”
For more information on attending or exhibiting, please visit www.FIGHTSUMMIT.com, call 1-888-427-4697 or 516-377-5909, or email Mike Hauben at mike@fightsummit.com.
Derby City MMA in Louisville, Kentucky, will host a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) seminar featuring Renato Tavares of American Top Team. The seminar at Derby City MMA will be held on February 12, 2011, from 12:00PM – 3:00PM. Renato Tavares is a 4th-degree black belt in BJJ and he has trained in the art for over 36 years, 10 of which were spent training under Carlson Gracie, Sr.
Tavares has competed in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over 30 years, logging over 500 competition matches in his career. Renato Tavares currently has over twelve schools across the country and hopes to expand even further to help spread the popularity of BJJ in the United States. The seminar is open to anyone, regardless of experience level or affiliation. The fee for the seminar is $65.00 and can be paid on the day of the event. Do not miss your opportunity to train with a master in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
About Derby City MMA
Derby City MMA is one of the top combat sports gyms in Louisville, Kentucky. Derby City MMA offers a full lineup of classes, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Mixed Martial Arts. The gym is open to people of all skill and fitness levels, and offers classes seven days a week. Derby City MMA also has a successful MMA competition team. Membership at Derby City MMA includes unlimited training, and they offer several different pricing plans. Please contact Derby City MMA for information on a free trial and a tour of their facilities.
Event Information
What: American Top Team Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar featuring Renato Tavares
Where: Derby City MMA | 8021 Dixie Hwy Suite 102 | Louisville, Kentucky 40258
When: Saturday, February 12, 2011 | 12:00PM – 3:00PM
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A competitor in US Grappling’s first ever sub-only BJJ tournament sinks an armbar. Photo courtesy US Grappling.
I don’t know why you started learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I have a few guesses (that probably involve the name Royce Gracie somewhere in there), but I can’t say I really know. But I do think I know some reasons you did not begin taking jiu-jitsu classes. You did not begin taking jiu-jitsu classes because:
you wanted to compete in a tournament somewhere and win by an advantage when time runs out
you heard really great things about winning a BJJ match by referee decision
Neither of those are the goals of people who train jiu-jitsu, whether they’ve been around forever or just started. So today on The FightWorks Podcast we brought on Chrissy Linzy of US Grappling, to talk about submission only (“sub only”) BJJ and grappling tournaments. As the name implies, the only way to win a match is if you tap your opponent. No time limits. No points. Just an awesome day of tap tap tap everywhere.
That’s one of the most fun things about jiu-jitsu right? Comparing your techniques against others’. That’s the point of sub only BJJ events.
One concern people have about sub only jiu-jitsu tournaments is that the matches may take a long time, and make the event unmanageable. Luckily Chrissy is a data-nut and keeps details stats on just such topics. According to her:
Overall average match time is around 8 minutes.
Fastest submission ever is 5 seconds (Mike Galitello’s flying armbar).
Most popular submission has always been armbars. That’s usually how about 20% of the matches end. Top three are almost always armbars, triangles, and rear naked chokes, but americanas have edged out RNCs at two of our last three Sub Only events.
(If you’d like to nerd-out in a BJJ data-frenzy, here, here, and here are good places to start. Don’t hurt yourself!)
So join us today as we learn more about this increasingly-popular style of BJJ competition.
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show
This week we received the following poll suggestion from AJ:
Have you even done a poll on how many people participate in some sort of online BJJ training? I’d be interested to know. Thanks!
AJ
I presume AJ’s not referring to YouTube, so I added the word “paid” into the poll question. (If you are interested in the usage of YouTube and free online video sites for BJJ you might be interested in this poll.)
Alliance’s Bernardo Faria defeats Xande Ribeiro at the 2010 BJJ World Championship. Photo courtesy Cohost Dan.
Well the competition season of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is upon us again. This very weekend, the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation is holding the European BJJ Championship in Lisbon, Portugal. What better way to kick things off than with a couple of interviews from two current world champions?
In interviews brought to us all the way from Sao Paulo, we will speak with two Alliance jiu-jitsu studs, Michael Langhi and Bernardo Faria. Langhi is the 2010 mens lightweight black belt world champion, and Faria is the 2010 mens heavyweight black belt world champion. We’ll hear directly from them about what they do to earn such success on the global level in the very competitive world of BJJ.
This week’s interviews come courtesy of Chris Brown, who is fulfilling most gringo BJJ practioners’ dreams of heading to Brazil to train jiu-jitsu for extended periods. Many thanks to Chris for the contribution.
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
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Alliance’s Michael Langhi defeats Celso Vinicius at the 2010 BJJ World Championship. Photo courtesy Cohost Dan.
Fernando Paradeda (far right) with champions from last year’s event. Photo courtesy Abu Dhabi World Trials.
In the past couple years, we’ve heard about the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which is sometimes referred to Abu Dhabi Pro. In the past, we have brought you coverage with interviews with Hillary Williams and Gabi Garcia. Today on the show we’re going to hear from one of the organizers, Fernando Paradeda!
This event holds regional qualifying jiu-jitsu tournaments around the world and pays for the winners to compete in the world championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. There is a complete list of this year’s events here on UAEJJ.com. If you are here in the United States, there will be qualifying events in New Jersey, Las Vegas, and San Diego very soon!
Of course, Cohost Dan and I will discuss our most recent BJJ Polls and we’ll also go over a recent email we received from one of the Mighty 600,000 in Europe!
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show
