IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships 2014 Preview

The IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2014 is less than a week away.  I realized I better start working on some sort of a preview because this event gets bigger every single year it seems.  As I looked at the divisions for the heavy hitters (Adult Male Black Belts) I noticed a lot of changes this year.  There are a handful of familiar faces that usually show up and dominate either sitting out the tournament this year or simply moving around within the weight classes.  I think we may start seeing a trend of the well-established black belt champions backing off these tournaments and looking for pay-days at shows like Metamoris.  I'll do my best to summarize each division.

Black Adult Rooster (11 competitors)
The biggest thing that stood out to me for this division is the lack of big names.  Both Caio Terra (1st place 2013) and Bruno Malfacine (2nd place 2013) are not present.  The three competitors that stand to be a threat in this division are Koji Shibamoto (Tri-Force), Fabbio Passos de Alencar (Alliance), and Milton Bastos (Brasa CTA).  That said if the brackets are set up like I expect them we will probably see Fabbio Passos & Koji Shibamoto in the finals.

My pick:  Fabbio Passos de Alencar (Alliance)  Currently IBJJF ranked #8 in the Rooster division

Black Adult Light Feather (7 competitors)
The biggest notable for this division is that there are no returning medal winners from 2013.  Gui Mendes is not participating this year and rumor has it that he has retired from most regular BJJ competitions outside of big (paying) events like Metamoris.  Rafael Freitas (Gracie Barra) has moved up from Rooster and should be a contender in this division.  The real exciting thing about this division is that it will be the first Pan Championships with the Miyao brothers competing at black belt.  Both Paulo & Joao Miyao will be my picks in the finals if the brackets are set up in that manner.

My pick: Paulo Miayo (PSLPB Cicero Costha)  Not currently IBJJF ranked in Light Feather division

Black Adult Feather (23 competitors)
Not only did Gui Mendes choose to not participate in this years Pan but Rafael Mendes (1st place 2013) chose to sit it out as well.  No Cobrinha (2nd place 2013) or Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes (3rd place)!  So that being said the division will look a bit different by Sunday.  There is still plenty to look forward to in the division this year.  Justin Rader (Ribeiro JJ / Lovato), Gianni Grippo (Alliance) making his black belt debut, Osvaldo "Queixinho" Moizinho (Brasa CTA), Samir Chantre (Brasa CTA), and Mario Sergio Reis (Alliance) will be my favorites to have an impact this year.  Both Reis and "Queixinho" had a very ugly battle at last year's 2013 Worlds in the quarterfinal if my memory serves me correctly.  I'm personally pulling for "Queixinho" to win the division this year but think that if he runs into Rader he will have a difficult time.

My pick: Mario Sergio Reis (Alliance) Currently IBJJF ranked #8 in Feather division.  He has come up with 3rd place finishes at both Pan 2013 & Worlds 2013.  I think with the absence of the big three mentioned above it will pave the way for gold.  

Black Adult Light (23 competitors)
Unlike the previous divisions we will be treated to some "regulars" that tend to dominate every year.  All three returning medal owners from Pan 2013 will be present for Pan 2014.  Lucas Lepri (Alliance / 2nd place 2013), teammate Michael Langhi (Alliance / 1st place 2013), and Jonathan Torres (Atos / 3rd place 2013) will be looking to contend for the top spot.  Throw AJ Agazarm (Gracie Barra) into the division and we will have a somewhat predictable division I think but certainly some great matches.

My pick: I know the popular pick is always Langhi & Lepri to close out the division but I'm going out on a limb this year.  I think Jonathan Torres (Atos) finally gets his gold.  Currently IBJJF ranked #9 in the Light division.  I believe that his move to Atos has only made him better and will get him over the hump this year.  

Black Adult Middle (23 competitors)
This in my opinion is probably the most stacked division talent-wise.  There are so many potentials so it is very difficult to predict who is going to win this division.  The layout of the brackets will be pretty critical for some of these guys.  I'm just going to list the following competitors as ones to watch out for.  (Note the rankings are based on division rather than overall.  Some are ranked lower than you might expect due to weight class changes.)

Carlos Diego Ferreira (Atos) Currently IBJJF ranked #18
Clark Gracie (Gracie Elite) Currently IBJJF ranked #4 & 1st place 2013
Leandro Lo (PSLPB Cicero Costha) Currently IBJJF ranked #26
Otavio Sousa (Gracie Barra) Currently IBJJF ranked #2
Victor Estima (Gracie Barra) Currently IBJJF ranked #6
Victor Henrique Silva Oliveira (GF Team) Currently IBJJF ranked #3 & 3rd place 2013
Marcelo Mafra (CheckMat) Currently IBJJF ranked #13 & 2nd place 2013
Jordon Schultz (Atos) Not currently IBJJF ranked at black belt & making his debut

My pick: Vitor Henrique Silva Oliveira (GF Team)...the guy is simply a beast.

Black Adult Medium Heavy (21 competitors)
The big notables missing from this years tournament are Andre Galvao (1st place 2013) and Romulo Barral (3rd place 2013).  We do, however, have the 2nd place medalist in Gustavo Campos (Atos) returning to make a run for gold.  The other big competitors I see at the end of the brackets are DJ Jackson (TLI) and Keenan Cornelius (Atos).

My pick: Keenan Cornelius (Atos)...why?  The guy is just awesome.  He destroyed almost everyone at brown belt in major competitions and has not disappointed thus far against high level black belts.  In the absence of Galvao and Barral this one is just a no-brainer.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Keenan and Gustavo Campos in a close-out final.  

Black Adult Heavy (14 competitors)
Rodolfo Vieira historically has not competed at Pan's in case anyone is wondering; heck I even had to check and was disappointed to see that.  That said we are left with a few household names likely to be favorites. Roberto "Tussa" Alencar (Gracie Barra / 1st place 2013), Rafael Lovato (Ribeiro JJ / Lovato), and Lucas Leite (CheckMat / 3rd place 2013) are going to be the immediate favorites.  A new addition to the division is Yuri Simoes (Brasa CTA) who appears to have changed camps from CheckMat and also dropped down in weight.

My pick: Yuri Simoes (Brasa CTA).  

Black Adult Super Heavy (12 competitors)
The division this year is devoid of it's champion from 2013, Leo Nogueira (Alliance).  There aren't a lot of names that jump out at me as I tend to snooze a bit as the divisions get heavier.  Most notable contenders to win the division are Bernardo Faria (Alliance), James Puopolo (Ribeiro JJ / Lovato), and Andre Alberto Campos (Gracie Barra / 3rd place 2013).

My pick: Bernardo Faria (Alliance)...why? Because he usually wins with his dominant half-guard game.

Black Adult Ultra Heavy (10 competitors)

This has got to be the strangest division this year.  First of all, Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida (1st place 2013) and Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu (3rd place 2013) are not competing.  I'm sure all the viewers will be disappointed but the competitors will feel a bit of relief since "Buchecha" has been so dominant.  Here are my notables competing at Ultra Heavy this year.  Andre Galvao (Atos) has jumped up in weight considerably, Alexander Trans (CheckMat / 2nd place 2013)...and...Caio Terra (Brasa CTA) has decided to make the jump from Rooster.  This should be fairly interesting especially if we get to see Caio matched up with someone like Galvao.  Anyone who has followed Caio knows he has competed in the Open divisions and has had some success but not usually at this level.  I will definitely be glued to my computer screen when he competes this year.

Update:  I have on good word that Caio is not going to be competing due to health and will be pulling from the tournament.  This has not been formally announced as of yet.

My pick: Andre Galvao (Atos).  I think he will be too fast and technical for anyone in the division this year.  Of course I'd love to see Caio in the final but wouldn't be shocked if he got knocked out by the semi-finals if he makes it that far.  

The following are competitors to watch below black belt.

Black Adult Female Light Feather (3 competitors)
Very small divisions this year.

My pick: Nyjah Michea Easton (TLI)

Black Adult Female Feather (4 competitors)

My pick: Mackenzie Dern (Gracie Humaita)...I realize she is coming off a major knee surgery but hard to bet against her.  

Black Adult Female Light (4 competitors)

My pick: Beatriz Mesquita (Gracie Humaita)

Black Adult Female Middle (3 competitors)

My pick: Luiza Monteiro (PSLPB Cicero Costha)

Black Adult Female Medium Heavy (5 competitors)

My pick: Talita Nogueira (Gracie Elite)

Black Adult Female Heavy (2 competitors)
With a lack of a certain force named Gabbi Garcia I think we will see a new champion this year.

My pick: Tammy Griego (Gracie Barra)

Brown Adult Light Feather (18 competitors)
Michael Woolf Barnato (Gracie Elite) - My pick to win division.  2013 Worlds Purple Gold

Brown Adult Feather (27 competitors)
Jacob Sandoval (Alliance)
Marcio Andre (Nova Uniao) - My pick to win the division.  He won gold at both Pan & Worlds 2013 (Purple belt).

Brown Adult Light (29 competitors)
Michael Liera Jr. (Atos) - My pick to win the division.  He won gold at both Pan & Worlds 2013.
Luan de Carvalho Alves (Nova Uniao)

Brown Adult Middle (28 competitors)
Wellingon Luis Sebastiao (PSLPB Cicero Costha) - My pick to win division

Brown Adult Medium Heavy (23 competitors)
Manuel Diaz (Brasa CTA) - My pick to win division
Shiloh Roberts (Ribeiro JJ  / Lovato)

Brown Adult Heavy (9 competitors)
Timothy Spriggs (TLI) - My pick to win division

Purple Adult Feather (59 competitors)
Edwin Najmi (Gracie Barra) - My pick to win division.  The only issue I can see is he has to avoid the DQ. He has historically had terrible luck in past major comps getting DQ'd attacking ankle locks.
Matthew Fox (GF Team)

Purple Adult Light (64 competitors)
This is probably the most talented division at purple belt and loaded with a lot of guys.
Richard Slomba (Atos) - 2013 Worlds Purple Bronze
Rolando Samson (Atos) - If you don't know this kid you need to.  2013 Worlds Gi/Nogi Blue Belt Gold.
Brandon Russell (Lovato)
Dante Leon (Ribeiro JJ) - 2013 Pan Blue Belt Gold...defeated Rolando Samson to secure it last year.

I could see Dante Leon & Roland Samson in the final if the brackets play out.  For me it's pretty much a toss-up but I'll go with Rolando Samson only because I've seen more of him.  Both guys are pretty elite.

That's it for the 2013 preview.  I'll likely have a follow-up right after the event with plenty of matches for your viewing pleasure in case you miss the action.

Brackets have JUST been posted!
http://events.ibjjf.com/sportos/application/sheet/index.php?idevent=241

The schedule is subject to change but can be viewed here:
http://ibjjf.org/championships/pan-jiu-jitsu-championship-2014-pre-schedule/

The event can be streamed live via the IBJJF website rather than Budovideos this year.
http://www.ibjjftv.com/

Some Days you're the Nail & Some Days you're the Hammer

If you've been training for more than 6 months then you've probably heard this quote.  My coach is infamous for using it.  This posting is for the newbie white belt on up through the seasoned upper belt.  I think we have all been there.  One day we walk out of the gym feeling like a champ and the next day we walk out feeling like a chump.  What gives?  This is a common dilemma that most combat athletes will be faced with on a somewhat regular basis.  This happens at ALL levels.  Let's face it, no one likes to feel the latter but if you always walk out of the gym feeling like a champ you might need to re-evaluate your goals and where you are training.

The Champ
The champ as we will call it is the grappler that is probably the best guy in the gym.  He or she comes in and regularly dominates most if not all of their rolling sessions.  They have reached a level that their teammates cannot keep up with.  This person may be super talented, a harder worker, more experienced, or a combination of the above.  One might look at the champ as a level they want to attain and there's nothing wrong with goal setting but there can be some pitfalls with this situation.  The champ may have hit a plateau and not realize it.  If the champ walks out of the gym every day not having faced the adversity of defeat or struggles throughout their training sessions one must ask:  How much is this person progressing?

I have found that the largest amount of growth I have made throughout my time training Jiu-Jitsu to be most positively affected by not always being the best guy in the gym.  My personal hope is that I will have training partners that also want to improve and constantly push me.  I feel that this is essential to making progress in the sport.  The constant pressure of quality training partners pushes myself to evolve and find new ways to work through difficult situations.  Nobody likes to lose so having training partners that are also trying to evolve and outwork you is what you hope in order to keep you sharp.  A personal tip that I will share.  When I find that I am having a lot of success with a particular move against some of my training partners...I will show them what I'm doing.  Some might ask "why in the world would you do this?"  It's simple.  If I share that information then my training partners will understand what I'm doing and start formulating ideas on how to prevent or defeat that technique.  For me it's not about winning and counting taps.  I want to refine my game and for all I know this particular technique (while it may be working at the time) could definitely be better.

Last thing I will say about "the champ."  If you feel like this is you.  Ask yourself the following:

1. What can I do to change that?
2. Do I try different classes to vary my training partners?
3. Do I need to compete more?
4. Should I consider dropping in to train at some different academies?

The Chump
NOBODY likes this feeling.  I personally loathe it.  Now that being said leaving the gym feeling defeated should serve as a strong motivator for self-evaluation.

1. What went wrong?
2. What should I have done differently?
3. How do I address it?
4. How can I implement these changes into my game?

These are the types of questions that you should ask yourself after the feeling of defeat or bad training session.  This should not be limited to training but of course competition.  This serves as an excellent learning experience when you can find a solution to your problem.

Utilize your resources: talk to your coach, training partners, upper belts, online resources, etc. There is absolutely no reason to not attempt to address something that has exposed holes in your game.  If you goal is to get better then what better way to improve?  We spend a great deal of time training techniques in the gym on a daily basis to submit, sweep, take down our opponents...but how much time do you address the holes in your game?  That is how you truly get better...learning from your mistakes.  Also, don't get caught in the dilemma of only working with upper belts.  If you find yourself working with someone below your rank that is a fantastic opportunity to let go of the ego.  Put yourself in bad spots and work out of them.  This gives your partner a chance to work offense while you work your defensive game.

So next time you have a bad rolling session and leave the gym with your head down.  That's fine. Go home, lick your wounds, and get over it.  The next day start working on fixing those problems. Take them to open mat and work with reliable training partners.  Explain your goals and have a plan. Drill with low resistance.  Once you think you have it then ask your partner to start increasing the level of resistance.  Explore what kind of additional situations can arise with the new solutions.

New Ink for I Fight in Pajamas

So this is a bit of a personal article but wanted to share since it's somewhat Jiu-Jitsu related.  My wife whom I met back in 2008 shares a lot of interests with me.  We both trained Jiu-Jitsu, kept saltwater reef tanks, and like tattoos.  She actually had apprenticed at a shop for some time and done a good deal of work but wasn't doing it as a full-time gig.  She really just wanted to learn how to do it and being artistic it just made sense at the time.  About the time I got my blue belt in 2009 I decided to get some new ink done and wanted it to be related to BJJ (something I'm passionate about). I have always had a thing for kanji and chose the Bushido code.

• Rectitude
• Courage
• Benevolence
• Respect
• Honesty
• Honor
• Loyalty

I was fortunate enough to have my own girlfriend (Lindsey) at the time do this tattoo for me.

Fast forward to 2014 (now married to Lindsey) and we decided to get some work done together.  I was recently promoted to brown belt in November 2013.  I had been thinking about an octopus tattoo for years but just wasn't sure where to have it put or by whom.  She looked up one of her previous artists that had done a portrait on her ribs back around 2006.  I knew from this portrait alone the guy was super talented plus he had apprenticed under Boog...someone that's very well known all over the world in the tattoo world and considered one of the best script artists.  She looked up Lil Chris who was now working in Lancaster, TX at the Tattoo Shack.  

Stepping foot in the shop we could feel the influence of Boog as his airbrushed murals were all over the shop. 

We set up a time to meet him on Saturday afternoon and showed him the concept.  I wanted something a little more old school looking in black and gray.  Lil Chris was actually really excited to do this piece as it's not his typical type of work.  Rather than working from some flash he free-handed this octopus right on my arm. He got going around 6:30pm and we finished up around 11pm or so give or take some breaks.  

When all was said and done it was a great experience.  Lil Chris is pretty light-handed so it could have been much more painful at the hands of someone else.  I'm really happy with his work and can't recommend him enough to anyone in the area or visiting that is looking to get some work done.

Granted my wife didn't get a BJJ related tattoo I thought I would post some pictures of the work.

If you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area you can find Lil Chris at the Tattoo Shack: http://www.tattooshack.net/
https://www.facebook.com/inphamusone?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inphamus-Tattoos-by-Lil-Chris/100818196662073

Blue Belt Defeats Black Belt in Brazil? Say It Ain't So?!

(Mobile Users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnHvWkIcHyM)

So if you haven't seen it by now this video is floating around a lot of social  media websites in the Jiu-Jitsu world.  Many people might wonder how the heck this can happen?  Well it does both in tournament settings and in any gym.  I know when I started training as a white belt I thought that reaching black belt level was truly the pinnacle of awesome.  Of course no one is invincible but even at the age of 30, I thought that once you reach that level you were pretty much untouchable by most if not all "junior belts."  Well if you think this way seeing evidence like this should help change your opinion about the issue.  I consider myself an aging grappler now pushing 37 and can tell you that there are a lot of factors that can effect a result like the one above.

1. Age:  This is a no-brainer.  With age comes slowed athleticism.  Reflexes aren't what they once were.

2. Cardio: This can make or break you.  Running up against a more athletic opponent that is in better physical shape, that can push the pace, etc. can be very problematic for a more experienced grappler.

3. Pressure:  A blue belt versus a black belt in a public setting...this can be a psychological killer. All the pressure is on the black belt to go out there and win the match.  The blue belt had nothing to lose here and everything to gain.

4. Unknown Variables:  I'm going to go out on a limb here (not really)...sometimes you run into someone that is on another level.  The black belt could very well be an average black belt.  That is not meant as disrespect.  The blue belt on the other hand could be an elite competitor that does nothing but train & compete.  The other guy may have an incredible wrestling background prior to any BJJ experience.  You simply do not know unless you know.

5.  No one is invincible:  On any given day, we are all susceptible to being caught in a bad spot by anyone.

I can speak first-hand about being an average BJJ practitioner that loves the sport and has had plenty of friendly rolls with people on that next level.  There is nothing wrong with that but one must have realistic expectations.  I've had the opportunity to roll with guys like Horlando Monteiro (Nova Uniao), Sean Roberts (Ralph Gracie), & Caio Terra fairly recently and can tell you that these guys are on a level that I cannot compete.  Horlando for example was a blue while I was purple.  He had just come back from winning the European Championships Absolute division.  He was about two weigh classes bigger than me and even at blue belt was much better than me.  That was the first time I realized that these guys training for a living are on a much higher level.  They are professionals compared to the average BJJ competitor that is more of a hobbyist.  This isn't meant to derail any one's hopes of being the best that they can be but to better understand that no matter what:  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE your opponents.  It's up to you to keep your ego in check and maintain your skill levels and conditioning.

All of that said I was very impressed with how the black belt handled his loss in the video.  He was very gracious in defeat.

My Brown Belt Promotion

So I'm a little late on this blog post but figured better late than never.  At least I'll be able to go back and appreciate the fact that I documented it in some way.  I started training in February 2008 at the age of 30 under JD Shelley (North Dallas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) which at the time was still Alliance affiliated.  We are currently Novia Uniao affiliated with Robson Moura.  JD was the second American black belt under Romer "Jacare" Cavalcanti and in our area was one of the few great instructors for quite some time.  Of course the sport has grown a lot but he still remains as one of the top BJJ instructors in my opinion.  I have stayed with him since then, received my blue belt in the early fall of 2009.  From there I became an assistant instructor helping with kids and adult beginner classes.  I feel that teaching has helped to keep me sharp and honest.  I'm constantly looking for ways to better my Jiu-Jitsu not only for myself in competition inside and outside the gym but to be a better instructor.

I have a family, a full-time job, etc.  I do my best to maintain a good level of training and teaching on a weekly basis while keeping my family life in order.  I probably average about four training days per week plus whatever teaching that comes up.  I have been very consistent with training never taking more than 30 days off the mats with injuries.  I wouldn't call myself a tournament rat but I have done my fair share.  I compete when I can but probably average 2-3 competitions per year since I received my purple belt in December 2011.  I did far more comps as a white and blue belt.  I'm not a superstar...I'm just a regular guy that never quit and does the best that I can to seek new information to take my BJJ to the next level.  I've had my fair share of victories in comps and plenty of embarrassing moments to go along with it.

Fast forward to November 2013 and the day came.  We had a very large (planned) promotion ceremony at our gym.  No one really knew who was due for what so there was some element of surprise. When I got called up to the front for my promotion I honestly didn't have any real expectations.  I had been a purple for just shy of two years and only had a couple stripes on my belt.  Well, when JD pulled out a brown belt I was pretty elated.  Very exciting moment that doesn't come without some burden of pressure.  If you make it to blue belt then you know what I'm talking about.  Junior belts are always looking for an opportunity to kick your ass and show they are ready for that next level.  They say to take ego out of the equation when rolling or training but who wants to get embarrassed by a junior belt really?  This attitude is what keeps us on our toes and constantly trying to take our skills to the next level.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0wwwcbk8go)

I've been very blessed to have some consistent training partners (my level through black belt) that started around the same time as me and are still here to this day constantly striving to be better.  I also am very fortunate to have a loving wife that is super supportive.  She's always been willing to travel with me to tournaments and let me train late at night to make sure I get a good level of training on a regular basis. Without her this would have been much more difficult.  

Cole, Lindsey, & Me

Me & Martin (my best training partner was promoted to purple)

Sean Roberts Seminar Review

Our gym was fortunate enough to bring in Sean Roberts for a seminar Saturday, January 25th of this year. Unless you've been living under a rock Sean has become a very familiar name within the Jiu-Jitsu community after his participation in the brown belt kumite not that long ago.  At least for me, I didn't know of Sean until that tournament but he certainly caught my eye as an excellent competitor.

The Ralph Gracie black belt has been traveling all over the U.S. with his fiancee (also an excellent grappler) for seminars at a very reasonable rate...far less (a fraction) than average especially when you consider the fact that he's a high level competitor with a great deal of knowledge.  I have been to many seminars with world renowned grapplers and have always come away with the hope that if I can gain a little bit of knowledge, a concept or two then I'm doing pretty well.  One can't expect to implement every single detailed shown at most seminars into their game.

Sean showed up and was very pleasant to talk to.  He asked everyone to grab a partner and roll at about 50-60% intensity, play your game if you will.  He walked around and observed everyone periodically stopping and chatting with each person and asking what aspects of our game we want to improve, what difficulties we run across, etc.  Rather than focus on one particular area for the duration of the seminar Sean showed us many different parts of his own game that he felt would answer some of the questions people were asking him during the early, rolling portion.

Sean was up front and said we were more than welcome to take pictures and video of the techniques but did reserve the right on a couple to be shown towards the end.  As soon as he said that almost everyone grabbed their phones and were promptly recording.  It's not often that guest instructors allow this so it was definitely a bonus.

He started by showing an interesting sleeve grip break from the standing position that I had not seen before and was very effective.  He moved on to show a couple ways to pass the spider guard that were familiar with some new wrinkles added. They were simple and very effective.  Sean at one point stopped to say that he feels like his game isn't overly fancy but simple.  At about the mid-point of the seminar we switched from focusing on guard passing (top side) to the guard game.  Sean showed us one of his preferred methods for setting up the omoplata from open guard.  From here he showed a sneaky sweep when the opponent tries to hop over into side mount on top to escape the omoplata.  Sean also showed a couple ways to better maintain control from the shoulder lock position and finish with a couple different submissions (shoulder lock/armbar).

During the last two techniques Sean did ask that no one record them as he preferred to keep them a bit secretive.  I won't go into detail but will say that one was an excellent half guard sweep and the other was an escape from a nearly back mounted position.  Both were very good and I can understand wanting to keep some things off the web.

At the end of the seminar Sean opened up for a Q&A on pretty much anything.  He has a great sense of humor and was fun to talk to.  Sean then rolled with every single person that was interested in a 5-6 minute rounds. He methodically picked his way through all of us upper belts until he finished up with the last willing participant.  I think Sean took one, 5 minute break for a drink of water during this. It's no wonder his cardio was so good for those ridiculously long matches at the brown belt kumite.  Sean was able to repeatedly hit some of the techniques (particularly the secret sweep) over and over again on everyone. People were literally laughing because this sweep was seemingly unstoppable.  You could tell that he had perfected the timing and just hit it at will.  I can personally say that Sean doesn't dilly-dally with what he wants to do.  I know there were times where he gave up a little space for me to recover but when he wanted to pass he didn't waste anytime passing the guard if that is what he wanted to do.  His size definitely put me at a disadvantage combined with his skill set was fairly overwhelming.  It was a great roll and a good reminder that he is on a whole different level than most people.  I did have the pleasure of rolling with his fiancee, Elizabeth, who is about a 115lb purple belt.  She was super technical and had a great open guard game.  It's not often I get to roll with smaller, technical people as I'm usually one of the smallest guys at my own gym.

Overall this was probably the best seminar I have attended in terms of value.  The techniques Sean covered were not overly difficult for an experienced white belt all the way to black belt.  I spoke with almost everyone after the seminar and got the impression that everyone left with some knowledge and nothing but good things to say about Sean.

Metamoris 3 is right around the corner and will be featuring Sean Roberts vs Zak Maxwell on the PPV card.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeVdxeOxqoU&feature=share

Reilly Bodycomb's 'Top Rock' - A dynamic top-game and leg-lock download

I had the pleasure of taking a private lesson with Reilly Bodycomb earlier this year.  My goal was to start focusing on a mostly IBJJF legal leg lock game. He was in town for an IBJJF legal leg lock seminar.  Due to scheduling conflicts on my part I decided to set up a private lesson with him.  Having seen his DVD's prior to the private lesson I knew he was legit but just five minutes into the private lesson I started to question what I had got myself into.  Reilly pulls no punches.  He wanted me to feel what a proper ankle lock feels like and by God I started to ask myself, "what did I just sign myself up for?!  I'm going to have to endure some punishment on my own legs to fully comprehend the amount of pressure he applies to get legit taps."  That being said it was probably the biggest bang for the buck private lesson I have ever done and I have done private lessons with World Champions.  I won't hesitate to train with him again when he is visiting my town. I have not seen his recent release but based on the reviews that I have read on various grappling sites I am incredibly anxious to purchase this myself.  Having recently promoted to brown belt I am excited to start implementing some of the more aggressive non-legal IBJJF leg locks into my game.

I highly suggest giving this seminar/video a good look among some of his other DVD's which can be purchased from http://www.budovideos.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Reilly+Bodycomb.  I had a completely non-existent leg lock game as a high purple belt and now have a much better understanding and much improved ability to threaten leg locks from various positions.

This particular seminar available for download in MP4 format is groundbreaking.  You have the ability to view the content and pay what you feel it is worth.  Give it a shot because I don't think you will be disappointed.  If you get the chance to train with him in New Orleans or just a private lesson I can't recommend it enough.  He is very intuitive to your needs and will custom tailor your lesson based on what you want.

Mobile users that have issues viewing the embedded video can locate it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdncXVGr_so