So...I Got Promoted to Black Belt

Professor JD Shelley & Me

I will apologize in advance that this post will probably sound like I'm rambling.  I will do my best to keep it logical and organized but I can't help the fact that trying to summarize 7.5 years of training while keeping it reasonably concise is a lot to ask.

Last night I reached a big milestone in my life and Jiu-Jitsu career.  I was awarded my black belt by my Professor, Joseph D. Shelley (2nd American black belt under Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti.  I began training February 2008 as the age of 30.  I played soccer competitively from a young age up until my late 20's.  I began training Muay Thai at NDBJJ in 2006 and thought I would NEVER have anything to do with the "grappling stuff." Looked like too much work to be honest.  The truth was I was going through a difficult time in my life, a recent divorce, financial difficulties, among other things.  I didn't fully commit to Muay Thai because of I was out of shape and the commute was not ideal.

Fast forward to 2008.  I'm driving by the old gym and think to myself..."it's time to make a change for the sake of your own health."  I dropped in to simply observe and see what it was like to go through a routine beginner class.  I sent an email to JD Shelley to introduce myself and that I would be coming in to try a class.  Well I did...and I loved it.  It gave me something to focus on that I was missing in my life, a place to exercise, somewhere I could learn something, and work out the competitive side of my personality.

As a newbie it didn't take long for me to recognize the upper belts were vastly better and more knowledgeable than myself and other fellow white belts.  I found Jiu-Jitsu to be incredibly challenging and frustrating at the same time.  I just kept going back no matter how good or bad my training sessions went.  It didn't take long for me to "buddy up" with a couple other white belts and even a couple upper belts.  I did my best to get to know an upper belt that had been at the gym and with JD since the early 2000's.  I even met him back in 2006 during Muay Thai and he was nice enough not to punch my face off during my first class while he was prepping for an MMA fight.  He fought professional MMA and was an instructor at the gym.  I'm not going to lie the guy was a bit standoff-ish but I persisted to get to know him and ask lots of questions. That guy would go on to get his brown belt in 2008 and his black not too long after.  I was lucky enough to see him receive his 1st & 2nd degree black belt promotion last night.  His name is Shervin Alavi and he has become not only a good training partner but a good friend since then.

Keith Wilks another fellow white belt training partner has been a friend as well since then.  We have both shared promotions ever since the beginning through last night.  There have been countless other people that have come and gone for various reasons and I can't name them all. There is still a small group of us "old guys" now which even to me..."we aren't ALL the old guys" because Lord knows there were many before us.  That being said it has been an absolutely difficult, at times frustrating, and many times fun, exciting "journey" (I hate that word) to get here.

Keith Wilks, Shervin Alavi, & Me

I've endured my fair share of injuries along the way, set backs, personal & professional challenges, you name it.  I'm just a regular guy like most people reading this.  None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my family.  I was lucky enough to meet my wife right after I began training in 2008.  She has been there every step of the way.  She is the person that has had to put up with me when I've had a bad day at the gym, the office, etc.  Lindsey has always known this was important to me; she has been and will always be my #1 fan.  I can't say enough about that really. My parents and daughter without a doubt have also been crucial to support and help me get here even though they don't fully realize their roles.

Lindsey & Me

Lucky Dude!

Timeline
Feb 2008 - White belt
October 2009 - Blue belt
December 2011 - Purple belt
November 2013 - Brown belt
June 1, 2015 - Black belt

I've competed in my fair share of tournaments with successes and some failures.  I'm currently 38 and even when starting this at the age of 30, my ability to participate in tournaments is and has been limited at best.  I have a professional career, a family (3 children), among other obligations so keeping everything balanced has always been a challenge.  I'm very lucky I have had a good support system in my wife and family.  I have sacrificed an unbelievable amount of time with them to get here so soon.  For that I appreciate what they have been willing to sacrifice for me.

Note: I have competed at every level and have been lucky to record most of my matches.  I am missing some from last fall at Five Texas 2 I hope to upload.  If you are willing/interested to see any of my matches over the years you can find them on my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Reefernut77/videos

I began teaching as soon as I received my blue belt and have continued on since then teaching kids and adults of all levels including private lessons.  I immediately discovered that teaching was a big passion right away.  It helped me understand things better and gave me a new outlet to communicate with people.  I enjoy seeing people learn and can also share something that I am passionate about.  If you have seen my blog then you have an idea how "into" Jiu-Jitsu that I am.  I study it and my life revolves around it.

Some people along the way have and continue to ask "how did you get promoted so fast?"  The answer is simple.  I kept coming to class and training.  It didn't stop there though.  I focused on improving certain aspects that were problematic for me in the gym while rolling or at competitions. I never took breaks either unless I was injured.  The longest break I took over 7.5 years was three months for a broken foot which I just recently have come back from.

I'm not a super star; I'm an average, athletic guy that simply remained focused and always continued to learn and evolve.  That is what is important to me in Jiu-Jitsu.  That is not the same for everyone as we all have varying levels of interest but that is the most simple way to answer that common question.

I also found along the way that as people would come and go, and some even came back...it was important to me to eventually earn my black belt but it was even more important to get it from MY coach, Joseph D. Shelley.  He has never been known to "hand out belts" and has incredibly high standards especially at the black belt level.  Lineage means a lot to me and he trained with some of the best.  You may not know my coach but if you do, you know that he is one of the toughest guys you will ever encounter on the mats.  He's a 2 tour Gulf War veteran (Marine) and a two-time Nogi Worlds Champion 2008 & 2010.  Even at his age (early 40's) you would never know it by the way he rolls on the mat and his dedication to the sport.  He is and will always be MY coach and he is also my friend.  I am grateful for the time, energy, and opportunities he has given me over the years.

I can't thank every single person that has helped me but I will list the most influential people that come to mind not previously mentioned above.

-All of my training partners
-Every guy that stepped on the mat against me in competition
-Robson Moura
-Reilly Bodycomb
-Sean Roberts
-Michelle Nicolini
-Caio Terra
-Mendes Bros
-Bruno & Rico Bastos
-Gustavo Dantas
-Manny Diaz

My lineage:  Rolls Gracie--->Romero "Jacare" Calvalcanti--->JD Shelley--->Me

Some of the the NDBJJ Black Belts in attendance last night

http://ndbjj.com/index.html

Robson Moura Brown Belt Requirement 2.0 DVD Review

This is the purple to brown belt requirements DVD and his second offering of a similar series now dubbed 2.0.  The DVD features Robson Moura and his black belt Jeff Mitchell.  The beginning of the video is worth a minute to watch and reflect on Robson's opinion about being a brown belt and working on the transition to black belt.

"To me brown belt is one step to be a black belt and you must be able to put all the pieces and combinations together.  You don't want to be a black belt and continue making the same mistakes.  At brown belt level you really have to begin putting everything all together.  At brown belt you really have to fix all the gaps, the problems to make everything flow and be ready for the black belt level."

Let me preface by saying that this instructional isn't the typical, here's a move, then another, then another.  Robson and Jeff both discuss options and commonly encountered issues with nearly all the moves which gives it a natural feel and provides a nice flow.

1a. Combination Attacks in Full (Closed Guard)

In this section Robson shows one of his favorite ways to set up the omoplata.  He likes to utilize a same side sleeve grip for the targeted shoulder and pivots his body in order to create the lock on the shoulder.  Here he shows some nice details on how to break down his opponent and finish the shoulder lock.

He moves on to show an alternative back-take option when he cannot break his opponent's posture from the omoplata position and finishes with a choke.

There is a third option (armbar) when your opponent tries to use the typical shoulder roll to relieve the shoulder lock pressure that is also very sneaky.

2a. Countering Stand-Up Full Guard Pass

I really like this series which features the opponent standing up while in the closed guard.  Rather than forcing to keep the guard closed Robson uses a slick transition by over-hooking the outside leg (similar to an ankle lock) and moving into X-guard.  From the X-guard position Robson shows a sweep based on posture control landing in knee on belly/side mount.  An armbar option is also shown as he finishes the sweep.

2b. Countering Stand-Up Full Guard Pass (continued)

Robson shows two additional sweep options when he cannot control his opponents posture via the lapel.

3a. Spider Guard Front Side Pass

Robson begins showing how to deal with the spider guard while his opponent has a lasso and bicep control.  He likes to utilize a low base with forward pressure to remove the bicep grip.  He transitions with a knee over pass to finish.  This is a great pass for those that prefer to  pass low and/or on the knees.

3b. Spider Guard Backside Pass

Robson focuses on smashing the legs together in a leg drag fashion.  This is a variation I have not seen before.  It appears to create a nice opportunity to take the back of the opponent.  He is essentially faking a guard pass to the conventional side and switching to the opposite side to complete the movement.

4a. Foot Locks

If you have seen Robson's 93 Guard then this will look familiar.  Robson begins in the half guard and utilizes his 93 Guard to sweep his opponent.  From here he attacks for an ankle lock on the sweeping side rather than coming up to complete the pass/sweep.

4b. Foot Locks (continued)

Straight ankle lock escapes are covered utilizing lapel control, clearing the leg and sitting up into a dominant position courtesy of Jeff Mitchell.

4c. Foot Locks (continued)

Robson adds one of his preferred methods of escaping the ankle lock.

5a. Countering Single Leg to Back Take

This is an excellent opportunity to take back of opponent attacking a single leg while they are ground on the knees.  It is particularly effective if you cannot sprawl hard enough to remove the grip on your leg.

5b. Countering Single Leg to Back Take (continued)

Working from the same position Robson shows a shoulder roll that lands his opponent in an omoplata.

5c. Countering Single Leg to Back Take (continued)

Further exploring options from the single leg attempt Robson shows a darce choke.  Lots of details are shown when it is difficult to get the arm deep enough to finish the darce.  When this happens there is a great ezekiel choke opportunity that Robson covers.

To finish things up they have included a nice collection of bloopers that they encountered while shooting the video of techniques which is always amusing.  That about sums up the content on this disk.  It is not the largest instructional DVD in my library but what it does show is all very good material a lot of which I have never seen before.  Nothing too flashy rather technique that seems reasonable for most BJJ practitioners to pull off with some practice.  I think that this is a well valued DVD instructional at it's price point of $35 I and feel that most people blue belt to black belt would appreciate the content.

DVD's & gear can be purchased here:

http://store.robsonmoura.com/category_s/1517.htm
http://robsonmoura.com/rmnu/

Get to Know: Bruno Bastos

This is a new section of the blog I am starting that is intended to bring fans of Jiu-Jitsu a little closer to some interesting and talented people in the sport and help promote them.  Our first feature will focus on Bruno Bastos originally from Rio de Janeiro.  Bruno and his family live out in Midland, TX and run a very successful gym along with affiliates located just east in the Dallas area.  Bruno Bastos has had a positive impact bringing his brand of Jiu-Jitsu to our State and can regularly be seen on the podium at most of the larger IBJJF events.  In addition to competing he has developed many World Champions at various ranks. 

When did you start training?

-I started training young. I was 10 years old.

When did you receive your Black Belt and from whom?

-I received my Black Belt from Professor Wendell Alexander when I was 20 years old. It came after I beat 3 black belts in a Grappling Tournament. Unforgettable!

What do you feel a new student should focus on? 

-Focus on simple moves that can be use with Gi, without Gi and Self Defense situation. That's how I start my students from every age.

What would you change about how you approached training Jiu-Jitsu if you had to go back and start all over again?

-I wouldn't change anything. All the Professors that I had in my life made me become successful because of the way I learn from them. It wasn't easy but it was worth for sure!

How important is competition for development?

-Very important because Life is all about competition with take a look. You're competing for everything. It's very important understand wins, loses and how to be competitive in a competitive World.

How do you feel about students cross-training at other gyms?

-I'm not a fan maybe because I learned on the old school way but I never tell me students to don't do it because end of the day, they will prove to other that my job is well done and from that I'm able to receive visitors who can become my students once learn from me.

How do you feel about supplementing training with other forms of physical activity such as lifting weights, crossfit, running, swimming, etc?

-You must do extra work if you want to have athlete life style. So it's important for sure. But if that's not your goal(be an athlete), than I believe it isn't necessary. Sure better shape you have, easier gonna be the process, but lot people don't have time because of work, college, family, etc...

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBNjk91cKoA)

Do you feel like BJJ is becoming watered down due to the ease of people uploading instructional videos on sites like YouTube?

-Not at all. I think videos are very welcome for Professors, Coaches and Students. You can use that to study Jiu-Jitsu BUT remember that you must training to learn and that you gonna find some trash fancy moves online.

What are your thoughts on rolling versus drilling?

-For me there is no rolling versus drilling since both are very important on the learning process. People talk about this just to get attention on my point of view.

Do you use supplements?  How do you stay healthy?

-I use when I train very hard for competitions so it helps me to recovery during the day once I still have conditioning, classes to teach and the most important: Take care my family. So that said, I try to balance my diet but not been paranoid at all. After 24 years of Jiu-Jitsu (most of them just training, dieting and competing), I deserve enjoy food the way I want lol

What do you recommend for training preparation?

-Weight Lifting and Cardio done with good Personal Trainer. The training going to be done for YOU. Everyone is different, so I don't like conditioning classes for athletes. Again: I'm talking about athletes! If you're not athlete, than any extra work that you do, like Crossfit, running, etc...going to help you.

Bruno breaks down fundamental 50/50 guard pass 

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saahp1lFzb4)

Do you think wrestling and judo are important? 

-That's necessary on my point of view for you be complete. In my school you have all that and from high level Coaches for Judo & Wrestling that are competing Jiu-Jitsu(successfully), so they understand the transitions between sports, plus they have excellent resume on their own sports.

As an instructor, what does your training consist of trying to balance teaching versus training?

-Training Jiu-Jitsu 3x week minimum and the same for Conditioning. Closer to big tournaments I have good team that helps on my classes so I can train myself more the way it should be done to keep the good results.

Do you continue to study new (modern) Jiu-Jitsu and how do you go about that?  Do you train with other black belts at other gyms, affiliations, etc?

-I study everything about Jiu-Jitsu: New and Old as well. People forget things... If you come to my school, you'll find myself playing berimbolo, warm guard, 50/50, etc believe or not...haha! And gonna see as well the old school style of pressure with no room for the opponent with basic moves and submissions.  I do have some friends in other affiliations but when I have chance to train out of my school, I train with old teammates mostly like Vitor Shaolin, Robson Moura, Marcelo Pereira, Gustavo Dantas here in the States. When I go to Brasil, outside of my Association, I've training few times with old friends like Professor Alexandre Gigi Paiva, Leo Leite, Elan Santiago and Fernando Terere.

What is the worst injury you have experienced while training?

-Nothing in training but full separation of my shoulder while I was competing against Cyborg Abreu at the 2012 IBJJF Dallas Open. It was bad and I was winning... but everything has a reason right?  I was out for almost 4 months.

Is there anything interesting you would like to say about yourself or any opinions you have on the current state of Jiu-Jitsu?

-About myself I believe that I'm just hard worker and because of this I could get good recognition. About the current state of BJJ, it's growing a lot still(with LOT room to keep that process). One very important thing now is that the black belts gonna have to qualify in order to compete at IBJJF Worlds. It's necessary and very positive step for the sport.

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llcxdm5QV4k)

Now for my personal connection with Bruno.  The gym I train out of is a Robson Moura affiliated gym.  Because of their friendship and ties to Nova Uniao we were fortunate enough to have training opportunities with Bruno and his students. He regularly brings in talented people to train like Marcio Andre, Claudia Gadelha, Horlando Monteiro, Luan Carvalho, Daniel "Jacare" Almedia, and of course his talented brother, Rico Bastos.  You can regularly see UFC fighters dropping in for training at BJJ Bastos Midland the likes of Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Paul Buentello.  If you have the opportunity to train with Bruno I highly recommend it.  

Links:

http://www.bastosbjjmidland.com/

http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/bruno-bastos

https://www.facebook.com/bruno.bastos.353

http://ifightinpajamas.blogspot.com/2013/07/who-have-you-trained-with.html

A Guide to BJJ Seminars

When I first started training Jiu-Jitsu I felt that training with a variety of high level guys would no doubt enhance my progression in the sport.  As a white belt I managed to attend a few seminars and even though the amount of knowledge I gained was minimal it was definitely a fun experience. After five years of experience I can honestly say that the average person probably doesn't stand to gain as much from seminars until you've reached an intermediate level (blue belt).  I don't think that should discourage newer grapplers from attending seminars but one should keep things in perspective.  In my experience seminars are usually three hours and tend to be a little overwhelming on the amount of information.

List of high level grapplers I have trained with (in no particular order):

1. Marcelo Garcia
2. Robson Moura
3. Bruno Bastos
4. Rico Bastos
5. Romero Jacare Cavlacanti
6. Jamil Kelly
7. Robert Drysdale
8. Reilly Bodycomb
9. Caio Terra (next month)

How can you get the most out of a seminar?
I can't stress the importance to take notes either during the seminar or immediately afterwards.  Most seminars cover a lot (sometimes too much) and details will get lost if you don't take notes.  Recently after a Robson Moura seminar a training partner and myself recorded ourselves drilling all of the techniques so that we could go back and review it.  This is far better than just taking notes.

Link for mobile users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsIjKVs5gSs

Link for mobile users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oOhjbtTcvI

Something else to consider regarding seminars is scheduling a private lesson with the instructor. One on one instruction is really hard to beat and one of the best way to take your grappling to the next level.  Seminars are often packed with over thirty students on the mat and it's hard to replicate the kind of individualized attention you can get during a private lesson.

Another consideration is will they allow video?  In my experience, most do not want video taken during seminars but it never hurts to ask.  Don't be a jerk and just assume they won't care and create an awkward situation.  Politely ask the host of the seminar ahead of time and/or the person giving the seminar.  They may allow it but ask that you not make it public.

Which ones should I attend?
Early on during my training in Jiu-Jitsu I would attend every seminar I possibly could with a high level superstar.  I didn't necessarily know what the content would be and just tried to absorb whatever it was that they were teaching.  Through my progression I've learned that as you become more advanced it is much easier to learn new concepts or find ways to implement them into your game.  I am fairly picky about what seminars I will attend these days.  I ask myself will they offer something that fits my game?  Do they offer something that is lacking in my game?  If the answer is yes then that is a great motivator to attend and gain new knowledge.  Would I be better off just scheduling a private with the individual?

Another type of seminar that isn't typical but can be very beneficial are training camps.  Many high level schools will hold training camps that may last a few days or even a week.  These are often put together prior to a major event such as the IBJJF Pan or Worlds tournaments.  This is not only a great opportunity to work with multiple high level black belts but can also help you get ready if you plan to compete at those tournaments.  This can go a long way to teach you how to prepare for tournaments in general if your gym doesn't have a program dedicated to tournament preparation.

In the Spring we had Bruno and Rico Bastos at our gym for a seminar leading up to the Pan 2013 tournament.  It was the first of that type I attended and it was a great experience.  The techniques focused on passing the open guard and how to deal with the dreaded 50/50 guard that so many competitors like to use these days.  The training was grueling compared to most seminars as the repetitions were very high paced and focused on developing muscle memory under tough situations. There was lots of rolling at the end of the seminar to end the day.  This was one of the best seminars I have attended to date.

Here are a couple clips from the Bruno & Rico Bastos Pan Camp seminar.

50/50 Guard Pass

Spider Guard Pass

Which ones should I avoid?
One of the first seminars I had the chance to attend when I got into Jiu-Jitsu was an Eddie Bravo/10th Planet seminar.  I didn't know much at this point in time, did some research, and quickly realized that this was a pretty specialized system that I didn't intend to focus on.  I skipped it and certainly glad that I did.  This is a pretty extreme example but you need to consider the content that will be covered during a seminar if at all possible.  Imagine a multiple time World Champion is in town teaching the 50/50 guard and you're not a fan?  Why attend it if you don't want to learn that aspect of Jiu-Jitsu?  Will you learn something?  Most definitely but don't throw your hard earned money somewhere you won't find good value.

I highly recommend researching and looking for reviews from other people that may have attended a particular seminar.  There are plenty of valuable resources such as Sherdog's Grappling forum: http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f12/ to ask questions and receive feedback.  Sometimes we get enamored with the success or style of grappler only to find out that their seminars are lackluster or they simply aren't the greatest instructors.  I've heard plenty of horror stories of instructors that show up, have everyone do cardio for 30 minutes, show some techniques, and just not really show a lot of fire or interest in being there.  These are the type of seminars I try to avoid.

Whatever your training preferences may be I think there are great opportunities to learn from training with a wide range of people.  This can be accomplished by attending seminars, dropping in at other gyms, or even switching up the training schedule at your own gym.  Getting to train with a variety of training partners and even instructors can help elevate your game to another level.