4ever BJJ

"Take me back to the days before this was a job, before I got paid. Before it ever mattered what I had in my bank. Back when I was" rolling "for the hell of it. But nowadays we" rolling "to stay relevant."

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:12:00 -0800

These days, Jiu-Jitsu is my job, and it’s great, I couldn’t ask for a much better life....

Living the Dream

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:06:23 -0800

It’s kind of funny when you realize that your dreams are slowly coming true. The other day...

Catching Up

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:06:34 -0800

Well, it’s been almost a year since I’ve consistently posted on here, so I guess me and...

I'm Back. . .Hopefully/Tournament Etiquette

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:52:34 -0800

Hey guys, I know its been awhile, I haven’t quite had the time to keep the blog up lately....

Celebrating a Victory

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:49:00 -0800

After a recent post on http://www.graciemag.com/, I’ve decided to analyze a few different ways...

Best of 2010

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:06:00 -0800

Year is coming to a close people, it’s time to let you guys in on some of my favorite BJJ...

Follow Your Dreams

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:50:56 -0800

It’s funny how the attitude of your family and peers changes as you grow. In the beginning...

It’s not everyday that you get to train with one of your...

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:20:00 -0800

It’s not everyday that you get to train with one of your favorite Jiu-Jitsu players, but this happened to be the case for me right before the 2010 World Championships, one of the perks of training at the head of Nova Uniao in the U.S. A few weeks before the tournament, Marcelino Freitas stopped by to finish up his preparations with our team and boy was it a great experience! Just to be on the mat with someone of such caliber is a pleasure, but actually rolling with him was insane (I mean I’ve rolled with Robson Moura plenty of times, but that dude sucks 0_o)! Seriously though, it was great to roll with him because his body type and game are so similar to mine. I learned so much just from the few weeks that he was there; his top game is tight, his bottom is fluid, and is an all around animal. I think one of the best thing you can do, training wise, is to get a chance to roll with the top guys in your division that play similar to you. If you ever have a chance to train with him or do a seminar, jump on it!! He is one of the most underated players today, I mean he has beat Bruno Frazzato 3 or 4 times… Just saying. Check out his highlight above.

Jiujitsulinks.com

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:30:10 -0800

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share with you guys this cool site that I found on the internet....

The Gift That Kept on Giving

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:08:53 -0800

Hey guys, I recently wrote an article for Yahoo about my experience with a great high school...

Journey of the Gi Part 2 (Review)

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:42:07 -0800

So, to pick up where I left off… In 2009 I decided it was time to get a gi that was just for...

Journey of the Gi Part 1 (Review)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:09:35 -0800

It’s funny to see how your style of gi changes from the time you first stepped onto the mat...

Over the years I’ve noticed that a lot of the...

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:22:37 -0800

Over the years I’ve noticed that a lot of the “young” lighter weights tend to neglect their top game, a fatal flaw. I myself didn’t practice enough passing as a blue belt and have just recently been getting more comfortable with it. Today, you see so many of the lower ranked, lighter guys who look really impressive off of their back, but then get on top and look like they have no clue; this might fly in some competitions, but eventually it will catch up to them. That is why I really enjoy watching Leo Vieira videos, he is one of those few feather weights who actually seems to prefer playing on top, not only that, but he is very exciting. I feel I’ve learned a lot just by watching Vieira and I get excited to watch him compete. Here is a highlight of his that I really enjoy and hope you do as well.

Lately in training we’ve been going over a lot of mount...

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:07:01 -0800

Lately in training we’ve been going over a lot of mount work that is based off of Roger Gracie, due to the fact that no one really seems to compare to him in this aspect of the game. If you watch the video above, you can see basically every detail of Roger’s entry to mount, from shoulder pressure to leg placement. My favorite part about this move is the little trick for the shoulder pressure, it almost turns side control into a choke itself and really makes your opponent want to give up the mount as to be more comfortable. My coach, Gustavo Dantas, told me about the video I am posting, he has really been studying this guy’s videos a lot. It is basically a series of this guy who breaks down Roger’s game and puts it into an instructional. He does all aspect’s of the world champions game, but this is my personal favorite. He has other videos too, but I would just stick to the ones that say they are Roger moves. You can check out the rest of the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TrumpetDanBJJ.

No Gi World Championships (Review)

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:00:14 -0800

This past weekend I competed in the No Gi World Championships, held by the IBJJF in Long Beach,...

Keep Your Politics Out of My Jiu-Jitsu

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:13:43 -0700

I never understood it; biased reffing, buying black belts, why? Does it really have to be that way?...

Blogspot

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:25:08 -0700

Hey guys, I just made a Blogspot account to make things easier for readers, but don’t worry I...

To this day it amazes me how many people go to tournaments and...

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:42:28 -0700

To this day it amazes me how many people go to tournaments and compete without knowing the rules. It seems at least a couple times a tournament there is someone arguing with the referee over rules that are clearly stated. This is such a hastle for the tournament promoters and staff, so do us all a favor if you are competing this weekend at the No Gi Worlds and watch the above video on the rules and part 2 found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE4ouhqHAB0. Knowing the rules will make for a much more enjoyable experience for you, the staff, and other competitors, so PLEASE take the time. Hopefully I’ll see you guys there this weekend; come say, “Hi” if you see me out at the pyramid.

The Power of Words

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:28:00 -0700

Over the years I have found various quotes from historic figures, bands, etc. to be helpful in...

2nd AZ Fusion Seminar w/7 Time World Champion Robson Moura

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:21:09 -0700

November 20th and 21st bring a great opportunity to all in Arizona. 7x World Champion Robson Moura...