Get to Know BJJ Revolution's Josh Mancuso

Josh Mancuso is a guy that is not shy to social media and I first encountered his technique videos on https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/.  He was posting videos weekly for quite some time and was very open about sharing some of his favorite techniques.  He was gracious enough to make some time to share with me a little about himself earlier this year.

When did you start training?

-October 2006

When did you receive your Black Belt and from whom?

-I was promoted to Black Belt by Tim Credeur and Rodrigo Medeiros in July of 2013.  I was 32 years old.

Name some competitors you either trained with or against coming up in the ranks.

-I have had the opportunity to train with many of the world's top practitioners such as Marcelo Garcia, Ricco Rodriguez, Caio Terra, Dean Lister, Davi Ramos, Andrew Galvao, Samuel Braga, Eddie Bravo, the Mendes Bros, Joel Tudor, Jean Jacques Machado, Leandro Vieira, Felipe Costa, Ricardo De La Riva, I could go on for days.  There are so many high level practitioners from so many different teams that I've had the pleasure of training with that I honestly could be here all day naming them off.  I would like to say that I am lucky to have been in the situations to train with these guys but that's just not true.  I made those situations happened and sacrificed a lot to get those experiences.

Where do you currently teach?

-BJJ Revolution Team BR/UFC Gym Baton Rouge

What should a new student of BJJ focus on?

-A new student should focus on whatever they enjoy.  I feel that people will be more consistent and train harder if they are encouraged to work on the things they find pleasure in.  Some will choose take downs and closed guard; others will only want to do foot lock or berimbolo. All are fine and encouraged by me.  I feel like if a student has holes in their game, eventually those short comings will be exposed and they will need to close those gaps.  The mats will show them where they are lacking.  And I believe in never telling a student to stop working on a skill they enjoy building.

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

-Not much, when I started I was very lucky to be influenced by a guy (who sadly has since quit training) who was much smaller than me, but dominated me with clean technique.  He always pushed the importance of technique and drilling over everything.  I was very fortunate to have this person show me that technique is the key to everything and that drilling is the way to get there.

How important is competition to development?

-I think it is very important.  It is not just a coincidence that the people who compete regularly get better, faster.  Even if you only compete once or twice, it is important to feel what performing under that type of pressure is like.  It is much different from training at the academy and I think that competing is a great way to face your fears and deal with overcoming self-doubt.  Personally,I feel like I always compete, not because I have any goals of being a world champion, but because I feel like it keeps me honest, driven, and most importantly I like to lead my team from the front and not the rear.

(Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX5czrzKDLo)

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

-I never touched a weight until about halfway through my brown belt.  I felt that if I was focused on getting stronger then that's what my Jiu-Jitsu would be focused around.  I do not regret this decision at all.  My goal in Jiu-Jitsu is to play the same game now at 34 years old as I will when I'm 65.  If my Jiu-Jitsu revolves around physical attributes then this would not be possible.

What are your thoughts on rolling versus drilling?

-Drilling is the key to getting better but rolling is just simply fun!  Both are essential to being your best.  The key is learning how to drill and having the self-control to set aside a certain time a day for it.  I personally can feel my technique slipping if I go too long without drilling.

Do you use supplements?

-How do you stay healthy?  Before Jiu-Jitsu I never ever though about staying healthy.  I don't take any supplements except for BCAA's after training session.  I do however consume a large amount of fruits and veggies.  I make huge fruit/veggie smoothies twice a day i my Vitamix and I honestly wake up every day feeling like a million dollars.  I feel better at 34 than I did at 18.

What do you recommend for training preparation?

-Lots of water in your system and a good attitude.

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

-It changes pretty drastically for me, luckily I have assistant instructors to help me carry the load.  I enjoy training so much, that I can't teach all the time.  I try to train twice a day, twice a week, and then once a day for the remainder of the week.  Although I am trying to reduce my training time to gain a little more balance in my life.

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 love the berimbolo, I also love the scissor sweep, and cross choke.  I just love Jiu-Jitsu!  I also love Sambo and Judo.  I love all grappling martial arts.  As far as cross training goes, yes.  I cross train with other gyms and highly encourage everyone to do it.  You gotta get new looks from other training partners and it is also a great way to network and forge new friendships.  Although at the same time, I am extremely loyal and feel strongly about my instructor and my team.  If my instructor had an issue or beef with another instructor from a different academy, I would not train with that person, even though he wouldn't ask me to do that.  It wouldn't be because I personally have anything against that person, but because that's just how I am.  If you are in my circle, I will have your back no matter what the circumstances.  I've been like that long before Jiu-Jitsu, I am just a loyal friend.

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

What is the worst injury you have experienced while training?

-Luckily in my time training I have only had a few rib separations, a meniscus surgery, but my absolute worst injury are my fingers.  They hurt all the time.  My wife likes to tell me that I need to invest in Velcro shoes because at this rate I won't be able to tie normal ones.  Other than that, I feel like a million bucks.

Any big goals for 2015, plans for your gym, competitions?

Mostly I am just looking to keep  competing and building my team.  I like stepping out of my comfort zone.

Do you think the current state of competitions are headed in the right direction to benefit the athletes?

- I feel like Jiu-Jitsu will never be a spectator  sport unless you train, bu hopefully we can build Jiu-Jitsu so that we have so many people training, we can support our own. I do think events like EBI are doing some great things for our sport.  And could possibly get us on ESPN 8 "The Ocho" one day.

What is your favorite match you have had in competition and why?

-They are all so special, but probably my first match as a black belt, because when I won I felt like I deserved to wear the belt I had worked so hard to earn.

Name the accomplishment you are most proud of be it BJJ or personal.

-Just the huge transformation my life has undergone since starting in BJJ.  It has completely changed me physically and mentally into a much stronger and happier person.  Also the growth of my team, and successes of my students. To see my students do well and to have our mats packed is really a strong source of happiness for me.  Considering where we were just 5 or 6 years ago.

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

-I think BJJ is doing great and is destined for big things.  The only issue I see isthat we are coming to a point in competitions where we are over regulating and I fear we will take the path of Judo.  II would like to see deregulation of the sport.

Anything else you would like to add people might find interesting about yourself?

-I have a pretty decent comic book collection, I'm a hobby junkie before I started BJJ I was into DJ'ing (with actual 12" vinyl records).  I also participate in the occasional redneck pastime of camping and mud riding my Polaris RZR to spend some time with my family and do a little something besides just BJJ all the time.

Any sponsors you would like to thank or products, services you would like to promote?

-I would like to thank Bear Quitugua for giving me the opportunity to represent Shoyoroll, it really feels good to have what I consider a blue chip company in the BJJ world willing to put their name on me.  I also gotta thank Roach Rodriguez for taking care of me at Shoyoroll and always hooking my gear up in the most awesome ways possible.  Shoyoroll is a truly special company.

I'd like to personally thank Josh for taking the time out of his busy schedule to contribute some info about himself.  He consistently puts a lot of free content on various social media sites.  You can visit his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/joshv50.  If you're ever in his neck of the wood, Baton Rouge, Louisiana drop in his gym.

Links:
Josh Mancuso Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Joshmancuso311?fref=ts

Josh Mancuso YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/joshv50

BJJ Revolution Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/BJJRevolutionBR?fref=ts

Shoyoroll
http://shoyoroll.com/

Sneaky Wrist Lock Attack from Otavio Sousa

Lately it seems like wrist locks are becoming a more popular trend in Jiu-Jitsu competitions.  I have also taken a liking to them.  Why not?!  They can end a match quickly and are often overlooked by most grapplers.  I find myself looking for them more often these days while training at my own gym.  I stumbled on this particularly nice wrist lock set up as shown by Gracie Barra elite competitor Otavio Sousa.  The set up is based on having your opponents back and is a response to them defending in a particular way.  Check it out and as always, go slow on them with your training partners!

Link for mobile users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdcWtk6QUWY

You can see Otavio Sousa compete soon in the 3rd edition of the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo October 18, 2014.  http://www.worldjiujitsuexpo.com/third-edition-of-the-ibjjf-pro-league/

The Power of the Baseball Bat Choke

The Baseball Bat choke is a very power submission that can be pulled off from a variety of positions.  I personally like to use it from a dominant position such as knee on belly, setting the choke, then moving to a north-south position to finish.  Same goes for loop chokes...which really aren't all that different.  They can be set up from a dominant position or one in that would be considered inferior and be just as effective.  We are going to just focus on the Baseball Bat choke from the inferior position.  

There are also other ways to apply this choke in a very sneaky manner.  It can be used in such a way that you can trick your opponent into setting themselves deep into the choke.  The baseball bat choke grips are rather simple.  Imagine holding a baseball bat...this is the orientation that your hands would feed into the collar your opponent.  

This can be done from closed guard, open guard, half guard...you get the idea.  The choke can only be effective if you have managed to break the posture of your opponent.  Once the grips have been set deeply into the collar, you can allow your opponent to pass your guard (essentially setting the choke even deeper). Giving up the pass can give a false impression that they are safe.  It tends to work well on those that are very aggressive to pass guard and/or haven't been burned by this choke.  Of course if you cannot finish the choke because the grips were not set up properly you will have just conceded a guard pass and gave up precious position.  I like to think of this choke as a Hail Mary of chokes.  If you were down on points and needed a quick submission to win a match then this choke could come in very handy.  

As with many things in BJJ, high level competitors will have success with positions, sweeps, or submissions which tends to start popular trends in the grappling community.  The Baseball Bat choke is definitely one that has come up due to Magid Hage's success at the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in San Diego (2013).

This particular match happened between Zak Maxwell and Magid Hage.  

(External Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvpOSN2PnW0)

Note that Zak's coach was yelling to watch for the choke well before he began to pass.  He does attempt the armbar counter but the choke is far too deep to hang out and finish.

Who would have ever expected Magid Hage to pull this off twice in the same tournament?!!!  Here he does it again with much more dramatic effect against Clark Gracie.

(External Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87s5aRdrY1w)

The other potential problems one can experience with applying such a choke is being armbarred. Committing your arms deep into the collar in this manner gives a huge opening for your opponent should the posture and choke not be set up properly, or maybe they are fully aware of what you are doing and counteract with good timing.  Ironically it is Magid Hage again here attempting the same choke but it backfired.  You can see at the 0:50 second mark he is already setting up his first grip from a semi-open guard position which is very unorthodox.  He seemingly allows himself to be swept from the butterfly hooks and the choke is on.  His opponent immediately rolls to his back and throws up an armbar and forces the tap after a short fight.  

 
(External Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn8C_goWRWs)

The first time I ever saw this choke was via this video which has some tournament footage and the breakdown of the technique.  They simply call it a Gator Choke here.

(External Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y79QjOJ4nZ8)

Last but not least, Magid Hage just released a short video on the baseball bat choke set up.  By this point we should all understand the basic hand positioning in the collar.  What's worth noting here is the the manner in which he sets up the choke.

(External Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RtV6pJppho)

How to Avoid being choked:
1.  Do NOT allow your opponent to get the collar grips
2.  If they get the grips DO NOT pass...break the grips
3.  If you allow #1 & 2 to happen POSTURE POSTURE POSTURE.
4.  Look to counter with an armbar

No matter what you call this choke it has its place in BJJ, particularly in a tournament setting...ESPECIALLY if you are down on points and need a sub to win.  Even if you don't use them in your arsenal of submissions it's good to be familiar enough with them to recognize the trap and know how to respond to the situation.  Don't be that guy or girl that sees the "easy pass" and is waking up confused on the mat.  

Flashback Friday: Clark Gracie vs Ken Primola

You've probably seen the Most Ridiculously Photogenic Jiu-Jitsu guy memes.  Clark Gracie has only recently become more of house hold name due to him winning his first world title at the 2013 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships.  Clark Gracie won in epic fashion against Marcelo Mafra that saw him come from behind and choke him out in the final seconds to claim his first gold at the highest level in his career.  Clark Gracie's "meme fame" came about as a result and the very match this photo was lifted actually took place at the IBJJF New York Open in 2012 (before the Pan match).  

Commentary (Skip to the bottom for the video):

This match would start in typical fashion.  Ken Primola with his wrestling background obliges Clark Gracie's open guard pull.  Both fighters waste no time establishing grips.  Ken tries to pass low on the knees but Clark is able to keep his grips and invert preventing the pass. 

Clark manages to set up his spider guard with leg lasso.  At the 1:00 mark Clark removes his right hook that was used to prevent Ken from passing, then inverts underneath him for the omoplata. Because Ken is standing it is imperative that Clark sucks his arm in and shoot his hips high to secure the omoplata shoulder lock position on his standing opponent.  

Ken steps over to the far side but his shoulder is still trapped.  Ken attempts to drive his near side knee into Clark to help him posture but it's no use.  Clark manages to secure his left arm over Ken's back.  

Ken stands and Clark maintains a grip in the collar and one on the leg to disturb his base.  Clark alternates his grips in an attempt to make him come back to the ground.  It's worth noting that once he brings Ken lower, Clark lets go of the collar and focuses more on the legs.  When Ken begins to posture back up Clark attacks at the collar again to disturb his posture.  

At 2:20 Ken finally has to set him back down out of frustration.  Clark does an excellent job to move his hips away from Ken to keep him broken down.  At 2:26 Clark uses his far hand to attack the collar and begin setting up his choke.  Clark begins sitting up and Ken chooses to roll which is exactly what Clark wanted.

Clark lands in a crucifix and the lapel choke is on. The omoplata still trapping the far arm and the near arm is under hooked making it nearly impossible to defend the choke.  Clark forces the tap at the 2:33 mark.

                              

Link for mobile users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYfOZ8VNI4M

For more awesome references to omoplata setups, take some time and watch this episode of Budovideos Rolled Up with Shawn Williams.  Shawn is a big fan of the omoplata and goes in depth with the position.  Around the 4:18 mark Shawn does cover the omoplata choke and details to finish it.  Give it a look.

Link for mobile users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoyzLVDV2HM

                                 

Caio Terra Seminar Review

Caio Terra is easily one of the most visible and vocal competitors in recent years.  His gym, Institute of Martial Arts is based in San Jose, California.  He has not only built a gym with excellent competitors and instructors but he has been spending a great deal of his time traveling the globe giving seminars.  In addition to this he has established over a dozen affiliates throughout the country.

I have been following Caio Terra for the last 4 years both in competitions and his instructional DVD's.  Being a small grappler myself, I can relate to a lot of the techniques that Caio teaches and uses with a a lot of success.  His dominance in major tournaments speaks volumes about his abilities and I have found his teaching methodology to be fairly easy to follow.

When I heard a local gym would be bringing him in for a two day seminar I jumped at the opportunity.  Caio has never visited Texas for seminars and considered myself lucky that he would be in my own backyard.

Day 1 (Gi portion)
Caio gave our group about seven topics of things we could focus on for the gi portion of the seminar. The majority vote would decide on the focus for the techniques he would show.  We chose to work the De La Riva/Berimbolo stuff.  Caio made a comment about this before starting.  He said, "most of the time everyone wants to work really hard techniques because they think they are better...the reality is they are just harder." That seemed funny at the time but was a great point.  I think sometimes we tend to over-complicate Jiu-Jitsu and lose sight of the importance of executing clean, basic techniques that are high percentage...or at a minimum easier to achieve a higher level of understanding.

Caio began by showing how to initiate and maintain the DLR guard.  He also pointed out that dragging your opponent to the ground for Berimbolo can be very laborious (which I totally agree with) and that it is vital to break down your opponent in order to get it.  One might not necessarily go straight for it by pulling/yanking on them and trying to force but first to hide your intentions with lapel and/or sleeve grips.  His methods for initiating the sweep were a bit different than what I have previously studied.  I have spent a great deal of time utilizing the Mendes brothers stuff so it was good to see a different perspective.  In some ways it was a challenge to execute his technique as I tended to get confused on occasion due to my muscle memory.  So over the course of day one we covered the following from DLR guard:

1. Back take (Babybolo)
2. Leg drag from Berimbolo (probably my favorite)
3. Back take from Berimbolo
4. Mount from Berimbolo

This may not sound like a lot of techniques but it really was.  The amount of detail Caio shows could be overwhelming for a white belt but necessary.  We ended the day with Q&A over anything we wanted, even techniques which were not covered during the seminar.  This was excellent as he showed us how he sets up and finishes his secret ankle lock attack from DLR guard.  Video below shows him hitting this same ankle lock in a recent IBJJF tournament.  He has used this same submission against Fabio Passos (Cobrinha black belt) in competition a little about a year ago.

Caio Terra vs Fabio Passos

Caio rolled with pretty much everyone that was interested after pictures were taken.  It was apparent pretty quickly he intended to triangle choke every single victim opponent.  When it was my turn we exchanged some pleasantries.  I attempted a sitting guard-->single leg technical stand-up which he quickly shut down.  I joked about it and he actually allowed me to attempt it again which I managed to get and sweep he let me. As I was attempting to pass towards the back he started to invert a bit and forced me into 50/50 guard (see exhibit A):

Exhibit A

That week I had been working on some 50/50 guard stuff from his half-guard DVD (specifically the ankle lock) and was pretty nervous in this position with him as he's known to be a killer with leg locks.  As I was battling for grips he stood up and began removing the 50/50 guard and moved quickly into side mount.  As I was preventing the cross-face he slid into mount, trapped an arm, and threw up a triangle rolling to his back. This happened so quickly I really didn't see any of it coming.  I defended pretty well but he transitioned into an armbar to finish the roll.  I lasted maybe 2 minutes.  I can honestly say that he is the smoothest I have ever rolled against.  I have experienced world class black belts pressure, explosiveness, etc. but Caio never exhibited any of those traits.  He was just smooth as can be.  There was nothing wasted...simply efficient.

Day 2 (Nogi portion)
At the beginning of the second day, Caio reiterated that we chose a difficult topic the day prior and he would pick for the second day...something much easier.  We spent the entire second day working from the side mount.  The focus was on moving to north-south, trapping the far side arm with an over hook and moving into side mount on the far side to eventually finish the armbar.  We worked the following scenarios:

1. Finishing same side armbar (2 different methods)
2. Switching sides to far side armbar (2 different methods)
3. Finishing the armbar many different ways on the far side based on your opponents responses to defend and interlock their hands.

The nice thing about this particular series was that after each variation, he would add a layer or option depending on your opponent's response or attempt to escape the submission/position.  It is worth noting he covered the armbar he managed to finish with against Jeff Glover at Metamoris earlier this year.  (Video is linked at the bottom of this article.)

Again, it may not sound like a lot of material but it really built layer upon layer from beginning to end.  I probably got more out of the second day for some of the basic concepts that I had not seen before. There was no rolling at the end of the second day but again he allowed questions which I took full advantage.  I asked how to finish the ankle lock from 50/50 when your opponent hides their feet really well (particularly figure four).  He showed multiple ways to attack the non-hidden foot by way of ankle lock and toe-holds. One of the great concepts I took away from it was almost anytime your are working the 50/50 guard...if you want to sweep, submit, escape you have to be willing to make space with your hips.

Overall I think it was a very good seminar.  Caio showed some excellent techniques and details. I do get the impression that Caio is a perfectionist while showing technique.  There were some moments when he appeared to get a little frustrated with his training partner while trying to show technique.  Some positives to take away from those moments that should be applied during training are the following:

1. The training partner should never feed any moves; don't make the technique easy because the reality is most techniques will not be easy to apply on a resisting opponent.
2. The training partner should react naturally (not necessarily defend) but use good posture when stuck in DLR guard rather than slumping over, don't just lay flat on your back while your partner attempts Berimbolo, etc.  These are not natural during a live roll so why would you do this while training?  Giving that much natural resistance makes it more real for the person attempting the techniques.

Something else worth noting.  After circling up to review some of the covered techniques, if someone had a question about a detail he would have them perform the move in front of the group and then correct the issue.  This is good for both the people directly involved and also the group.  Being able to evaluate what others are doing or having issues with may answer some questions for everyone involved.

All in all it was an excellent two days of training.  I might not recommend a Caio Terra seminar to a white belt but every one's learning curves are different.  I've seen my fair share of blue belts that have a hard time keeping up with the level of techniques during some seminars.


Things Caio has upcoming:
1. World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in November.  I asked him if he had an opponent and he said that had not been determined yet.  Stay up to date on this event here: https://www.facebook.com/worldjiujitsuexpo
2. Pan Jiu-Jitsu Nogi Championships the last weekend of September.
3. Rumor has it that Caio will be launching an online training site.  I confirmed with him via Facebook that he indeed plans to launch the site.  No target date was provided.

I'd like to extend a huge amount of thanks to Collin Grayson for hosting the seminar.  He provided most of the pictures for this article.  He is also now the first and ONLY Caio Terra affiliate in Texas!
http://www.ctarockwall.com/

http://caioterra.com/

Related Blog Posts:
http://ifightinpajamas.blogspot.com/2012/06/interview-with-caio-terra.html
http://ifightinpajamas.blogspot.com/2013/05/flashback-friday-caio-terra-vs-jeff.html