Well ADCC 2015 was nothing short of incredibly fun
to watch. Not every match was amazing but there were some excellent
match-ups. I applaud ADCC for setting up the brackets such that
a lot of teammates where pitted against each other in the opening rounds.
In case you didn't know the gentleman's handshake "close-out"
is not allowed at ADCC. So maybe we didn't get the ideal #1 vs #2 in
the finals but I feel that is really exciting to set it up in that manner.
To me I felt like every match was very competitive and it made the
competitors step up their A game early on in the competition.
I feel like ADCC is really exciting in nogi competition
as the competitors are allowed to use heel hooks, "reaps" on the
knees, and even slam out of submissions. It forces grapplers to
wrestle and punishes those who choose to pull guard.
I honestly didn't get to watch every match but I made a few
quick HL's of some that stood out to me.
I selected certain matches
where I felt there was an exciting submission or at the very least an excellent
opportunity that may have ended up in a crazy transition of sorts. There
are some very high level entries to leg locks in a lot of these videos so pay
close attention and see if you can work it into your game.
Hoping to put something more substantial together in the
future. Hopefully they don't get taken down but enjoy while they are up. In no particular order...
If you are interested in watching the event in its entirety it is still available through Budovideos until September 15th.
If you have followed my blog for a while you have probably seen postings promoting Reilly Bodycomb's digital downloads, DVD's, and seminars that I have impressed me. When I was a purple belt I started to realize it was high time to start working on leg locks. In hindsight I was very late to the game and should have been doing them much sooner. Since that time I've been lucky enough to train with Reilly at least once per year since then at each respective belt rank. Now as a black belt (the paint is still fresh) I am fully aware my knowledge of leg locks is still incredibly poor. In addition there are other aspects to my game that need a lot of attention and Reilly's approach to submission grappling gives me an opportunity to fill these gaps.
July 3rd our gym www.ndmma.com hosted Reilly for a seminar that was well attended (yes even on a Friday evening one day before a major holiday). Just like previous seminars when we've had Reilly the general consensus from those that attended was "this is the best bang for the buck seminar ever!" I know I was not disappointed at all; myself and those there that night seemed to really appreciate his conceptual approach to grappling and instruction. As an instructor and student of grappling Reilly inspires me to be a better instructor and think critically in a different manner than my mind typically works. I won't go into all the details of that seminar and the content covered simply because the focus here is about the two day training camp I attended last weekend in Houston.
Pics from the seminar hosted at North Dallas MMA on July 3rd:
Now on to the GOOD STUFF. Let me preface by I have not attended a training camp like this. In a nutshell the camp consisted of two days, broken into two training sessions (two hours each with a two hour break in between each day). I've highlighted some but certainly NOT ALL of the content covered during each session.
Day 1 - Session 1
Leg control from bottom position
Three major points of control
How to off-balance standing opponent from leg control
When to attack & when to go to a reversal
Practice maintaining/re-establishing leg control drills
Recovering position when things go bad (various scenarios)
Sliding heel hooks
Finishing ankle locks/heel hooks when they roll/defend
Various attacks & scenarios from the 1/4 guard back step pass
Knee on belly (Top Rock)
Vegan mount (Top Rock)
Inside heel hook defense
As if this all wasn't good enough, Reilly set up an in-camp tournament for those interested in competing. It was run on Day 2 after the third session. The rule set was such that it forces both competitors to push the action at all times. Stalling of any sort from any position would result in a point given to the opponent. Take downs, legitimate submission attacks, ride time from knee on belly, sweeps all would account for a scored point. If you pulled guard and did not immediately work a submission or sweep you could potentially have points scored for the opponent. First person to submit or gain nine points would be declared the winner of the match. No time limits. We had a odd number of guys in our 140-170lb weight class so the first competitors to get two wins would qualify for the finals. The competitor with the longest combined match times would not be qualified to compete in the finals. Knowing this wasn't a rule set that is favorable to my own game I figured "what the heck, let's do it and have fun." We had a division of six competitors in the big boy weight class as well so we alternated matches between the two.
The result? It forced everyone to attack like crazy and I believe only one match ended by points. The rules allowed for reaping (Oh Heaven!) and all foot locks were good. I could see this rule set being used in big tournaments because it produced very aggressive matches. I don't think a single match ever exceeded 7 minutes. I managed to win both of my matches via Estima Lock but missed the finals as my total match times were a little too long (4:00 min & about 2:30 in the second match). Regardless of missing the final I was super happy to catch those subs as I've never finished with leg locks in organized competition before.
Most of the in-camp competitors (missing a couple)
Estima Locks during in-camp tournament
The value of this camp was ridiculously good. $200 for over eight hours of training is hard to beat in my book and I've been to my fair share of seminars. It was a cool chance to meet a lot of different people that traveled from places like Maryland, South Carolina, New Mexico. I can't stress enough the value that Reilly offers in private lessons, seminars, camps, and especially his DVD/digital downloads. He doesn't hold back information and gives you his best every time. We were also lucky to have one of Reilly's top students Denny in the house to help with the seminar because it was packed...about 25 people each day.
Also a big thank you to Eddie Alevar that owns/runs Ground Dwellers in Spring, TX. He was an excellent host and invited us all over to watch UFC 189 at his house which was a blast.
This seminar review has been a long time coming. I was fortunate enough to train with Reilly about a year ago during one of his visits to the Dallas area. I've managed to stay in contact with Reilly since then and was able to help coordinate a seminar at our newly opened gym in June. If you are not familiar with Reilly he is primarily a nogi grappler with a big concentration in sambo and leg locks. He offers a very fresh point of view when it comes to grappling as I personally am very gi oriented and more accustomed to competing under a more strict rule set than he prefers.
The subject material for the seminar focused on leg locks and attacking the seated guard. Reilly has a very cerebral approach to instruction that I can appreciate. Rather than diving right into the "legal leg locks" most of us wanted to see he spent a good deal of time teaching "illegal" leg locks. Why might you ask? Well it's important to understand what makes them illegal in most BJJ competitions and why they are effective. Reaping ankle locks and heel hooks. Explanation and demonstration about inside versus outside heel hooks were covered. To finish up leg locks he showed us how to escape the positions which was refreshing. Lots of time was allotted to drill and explore the positions/attacks.
Moving on from here Reilly showed various ways to attack with straight ankle locks over a seated opponent in open guard and the De La Riva guard (belly down ankle lock). I can attest this is very effective. I have seen him and his students pull these off in competitions. I've also had good luck using the belly down ankle lock against teammates in rolling sessions to counter the De La Riva.
Reilly has a pretty interesting philosophy about guard passing and attacking. He states that 'there are guards worth passing and guards not worth passing.'
"The purpose of a guard is to defend yourself against attack. This is true for any combat sport if it's boxing, fencing, or grappling. If a boxer leaves their hands to high or too low, then it is obvious for their opponent to attack them when they are open. This is true for grappling in a way." "Many guards that people employ are designed to stop the pass but not to stop the submission attacks on the legs. The natural conclusion is that if the guard is not protecting the legs then there is no point to go out of your way for a pass when the nearest submission is right there."
"So I break guards up into three categories: 1. Guards that you pass 2. Guards not worth passing 3. Better guards that require an attack to see what opens up first...the pass or the leg lock"
So moving on from the leg attacks Reilly showed an excellent way to attack for the kimura over a seated opponent. Specifically if the opponent attempts a single leg from the seated guard. The situation sets up perfectly for a kimura from the standing position. Even if the kimura cannot be finished a quality passing opportunity/scramble is initiated and option to get the back of your opponent.
Reilly has an excellent DVD on leg locks "Sambo Leg Locks for Nogi Grappling" that has been around for years. You can purchase it directly at his website: http://www.rdojo.com/.
He also has digital downloads that you can purchase from his site. The cool thing is you can pay what you want. That is a pretty innovative offer you don't see very often. That being said if you download I do recommend paying what you feel is fair as the material covered is very good. Something worth noting is that Reilly only shows techniques that are functional and have been competition tested. I have rolled with him and can tell you that he doesn't waste time on techniques he doesn't use himself. Reilly is very open-minded when it comes to grappling as he cross-trains in various arts and is always looking to add tools to his unique and effective style. If you get the opportunity to train with him or at a minimum study/train his instructional videos I highly recommend it.
Those in the grappling community should be very familiar with Dean Lister's body of work. He is a veteran MMA fighter in multiple organizations most notably Pride FC and the UFC. He still remains fairly active in the grappling scene by competing in super fights and ADCC. Did I mention he's won ADCC three times? The guy is incredibly good and well known for his brutal leg lock game.
In this particular match, no points are scored for the first 10 minutes to encourage submissions. Only in the last 5 minutes are points tallied to determine a winner should the match exceed the time limits. It took place earlier this year at the UFC Fan Expo 2013.
Commentary: (Skip to the bottom of the page for the video)
As one might expect, Lister engages enough to take a seat and begins working a semi-open guard.
Lister fighting from his half-guard sits up with an under hook while Griffin counters with a whizzer and tries to remain in the top position.
Griffin hits a very nice back step pass from the half-guard at 1:32 and attempts to move back into the topside half-guard. Lister sees this and begins lacing Griffin's left leg and hunts for a submission. Griffin is wise and immediately starts to defend and retreats out of bounds.
When they restart at 1:57 Griffin attempts a nice pass but Lister is so quick to recover, gain the under hook and works from the turtle position. Lister traps his right leg and forces a take down from the knees.
Trying to prevent the pass Griffin manages to tie up Lister's upper body and they reset again. Griffin secures the head attempting to pass and Lister easily reverses position again.
Positions are exchanged again after Lister attacks for a leg. Shortly after Lister reverses to the top position with ease. At 4:52, Lister begins to sit back and create a figure 4 lock on Griffin's left leg preventing Griffin from being able to escape as easily this time. Lister fights to secure the toe hold forcing the tap.
I think this format is really great for Lister. He doesn't mind giving up position and has an uncanny ability to reverse and regain dominant positions if he loses a potential submission.
I've been meaning to do a review on these shorts for quite some time now. I have been a customer of Nogi Industries since 2006 and own a few older pairs that still held up well to this day.
Nogi Industries has been on the cutting edge of
manufacturing grappling shorts for some time now. The brand was originally founded by MMA fighter Chris
Brennan back in 2003. Back then, Nogi was one of the first
companies to utilize stretchable fabrics that lent themselves well to the sport
of grappling. My first pair of Nogi
shorts were the OE model that I still train in to this day. One of the reasons I have been a fan of the
shorts produced by this company is not only for grappling but they work well in
other areas such as working out in the gym and even for casual activities like
swimming. They are versatile to say the
least. Today Nogi has become a pretty main staple in the grappling apparel business and a big sponsor/contributor to Budovideos during IBJJF pay per view events. The Nogi brand has really set the standard for "ranked gear" consisting of rash guards and grappling shorts. In addition to the training gear Nogi Industries has to offer, they also have a nice selection of outerwear such as hoodies, t-shirts, and hats.
Old faithful pairs of Nogi shorts
Design
One of things that has always attracted me to the Nogi Industries brand is the simplicity of their designs. I have never been a fan of designs featuring blood, skulls...you get the idea. These shorts feature some well thought out embroidery vertically along the side, and horizontally along the bottoms (front right panel and back left panel). The font of the embroidery resembles a cross between Gothic and Old English font and looks nice. Black piping is utilized on both the front and back panels and gives the shorts are very clean look. I also like to use these shorts to lift weights at the gym so the clean design is nice and avoids unnecessary conversation from people I typically try to avoid while working out.
Construction
The quality of construction seems very good which has been pretty typical of past Nogi shorts that I have owned. The stitching does have one spot that isn't perfect but doesn't seem to be enough to affect the long term durability of the shorts. Other than this one spot, the stitching throughout the shorts is very good. Not much has changed with the enclosure system and it is pretty par for the course with respect to their older models. The hook and loop enclosure coupled with a draw string help ensure that the shorts have a secure and comfortable fit in the waistline. The crotch area boasts a super stretchable material that seems to be very durable. I've become a big fan of embroidery over laminated logos and Nogi has upgraded in this area. The rigors of grappling combined with regular trips through the washing machine take their toll on laminated logos. For this reason I prefer shorts with embroidery like that used on the Volt 2.0's and these have proven to be durable so far.
Black portion features stretchable material
Inner drawstring + enclosure system
Velcro stitching failed here
Fit + Rolling Impressions
The overall fit of these shorts doesn't disappoint. They are by far the most comfortable pair of Nogi shorts I've owned. The 30" waist size I ordered fit very well. The amount of leg room is impressive and don't leave the feeling that they are restrictive. The stretchy fabric used in the interior panels and crotch area is a big upgrade over the older model shorts. This is very important for me as I am primarily a guard player and need the freedom in the leg and crotch area. The material feels nice and light and don't feel laborious to train in. They are sturdy enough to feel durable but not overly stiff like some shorts that use rip-stop material. My only gripe about these shorts is a mishap I had while putting them on after I had them for a couple months. While opening the Velcro enclosure, the portion that is stitched into the shorts came apart. It seems the stitching that holds the Velcro simply gave way. I'm sure these can be fixed fairly easily but I was surprised to see this happen. It either says something about the strength of the Velcro or lack of good stitching holding the Velcro onto the shorts. I doubt this is a common problem with these shorts as my other three pairs have never done this.
Measurements
Closing Thoughts
Nogi Industries really hit the mark with the Volt 2.0 grappling shorts. They continue to set a high standard in grappling apparel creating designs that are nice and not overly gaudy. Out of all the grappling shorts I have owned over the years the Nogi brand shorts seem to hold up the best and look less worn than other brands making them a very good investment. Nogi Industries products can be purchased through various online vendors including their homepage. I do recommend checking out their homepage as they tend to offer some nice sales throughout the year. Since we are in nogi season I hope to have some more reviews on shorts and rash guards soon.
July was an insanely busy month but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with the blog. Here is a nice, short match from Ultimate Absolute II which took place just over a year ago. This is a very cool event that encourages submissions (nogi) by allowing reaping & heel hooks. This match shows that the 50/50 guard can actually be an exciting position when heel hooks are allowed.
Here is a match from ADCC 2005 featuring Marcelo Garcia and Xande Ribeiro. This was the 3rd place match in for the Absolute division but it is the stuff of legends. Marcelo did manage to win his own weight class of -77kg. This contest featured an undersized Marcelo Garcia showcasing the stuff that has made him famous. You will see him use the very techniques that has made him one of the best pound for pound grapplers in the World. Many of these techniques can be found on his online training site mginaction.com
Caio Terra (Gracie Fighter) x Fabbio Passos (Alliance) Rooster Final
I unfortunately missed this match but thankfully Budovideos posted it on Youtube for our viewing pleasure. Note that at the beginning of the match two funny things happen. First, there is discussion about the IBJJF forbidding the use of thong underwear for female competitors and Caio takes a timeout prior to the start of the match to fix his hair. This match was nothing short of brilliant on the part of Caio Terra. As the match begins, Passos moves into a sitting guard single leg and transitions into deep half guard. It looks like Passos wanted to sweep into a single leg but Caio is almost two steps ahead of him. Caio responds by grabbing a kimura before Passos can initiate the sweep which allows him to sneak around to the back of Passos. VERY SLICK! Caio moves into the top rear mount position and slaps on a RNC. As Passos attempts to bring his left arms out to defend the choke Caio traps it with his left knee which enables him to finish easily by RNC.
The stream was improved in some ways this time around by Budovideos. For this tournament they utilized instant replays which was GREAT. All too often I miss crucial moments that happen and one glance away from the screen is all it would take to miss out on something amazing. They also made the mat assignments available so the viewer was aware of everything that was going on. There was an aerial view provided which made it much easier to know if switching to a different mat was even worthwhile since not all mats always have a match ongoing. My only complaint about the stream this year was the quality of the video stream seemed to be down a little bit. There didn't seem to be too much lag (not anymore than normal) but that could be a combination of traffic and/or my Internet connection.
Onto overall impressions from the tournament. My initial impressions (at the black belt level) was that the brackets seemed a little thin. I have to wonder if some of this is due to the increasingly busy IBJJF schedule and upcoming IBJJF Pro shows. The IBJJF Masters/Seniors tournament was less than a month ago as was the Metamoris PPV event. I was unable to watch the stream on Saturday but did see a good portion on Sunday. I came away from this having a new found respect for Team Lloyd Irvin. I have been following them more closely since last summer and they have a recipe for building top level competitors. Their results at the Worlds this year speak volumes. DJ Jackson is now officially the first TLI adult male to claim a world championship. They were only two points behind Alliance in overall adult men's rankings which shocked me. Some may argue with the style and/or marketing of Lloyd Irvin but it's hard to dispute that they are creating some awesome competitors the likes of Ryan Hall, Jonathan Torres, DJ Jackson, Jordon Schultz & Kennan Cornelius (who by the way submitted everyone on his way to gold). It will be interesting to see if they can keep this momentum when the 2013 Pan Championships roll around next Spring.
Academy Results
:
1 - Alliance - 82
2 - Team Lloyd Irvin - 80
3 - Gracie Elite Team - 50
I've added some videos that Budo just released from Lloyd Irvin's matches. I thought it would be cool to post them because there aren't a ton of competition videos out there of Lloyd.
Match 1 is against Paul Halme of Peak Performance
Match 2 (final) is against Mark Zuber (assistant instructor from our school NDBJJ)
