WANT VS NEED: Jiu-Jitsu Battle 1

Want vs Need (WVSN) is a relatively new concept of an invitational tournament that borrows from the old school philosophy and taking Jiu-Jitsu back to its roots...submission only.  This is becoming a popular trend in some tournaments over the last year with events such as Metamoris, the BJJ Kumite, etc.  WVSN is not focusing on world class black belts rather the new crop of emerging talent at ranks such as blue and purple.  It's a refreshing concept that gives great exposure to some young grapplers.  The Jiu-Jitsu Battle featuring purple belts was released in January here is a highlight video that was put together showing some great action.  Keep in mind that individual matches had no time limits or points.  Fortunately the matches are also available on YouTube for those wanting to see more.  If you don't want to know the results then follow this video link and watch the matches.

As of now WVSN is about to have a competition to determine the next blue belts to be selected for the Blue Belt Jiu-Jitsu Battle.  They are also in the process of finalizing athletes for their Purple Belt Jiu-Jitsu Battle 2. WVSN was also on hand at the IBJJF San Francisco Open and has posted videos from that event.  Hopefully we will see more from this grassroots group!

http://www.wantvsneed.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/WVSNTV?feature=watch
http://www.facebook.com/WANTVSNEED?fref=ts

When Worlds Collide

Every once in a while we are treated to a high level competitor dropping in at Marcelo Garcia's school in NYC. Video has recently surfaced of such an awesome event when Rafael Lovato Jr. dropped by for some friendly rolls.  One of the things I enjoy most about these friendly rolling sessions is you get a glimpse at other aspects of a person's game.  Most of the time we are watching them in full blown tournament mode and they rarely stray from their "A" game.

For those that have never seen their match from 2006, I highly recommend it.  It took place in none other than Houston, TX and Rafael was still a fairly new black belt having received it just two years prior.

If you are a member of MGinAction you can see these rolls from the source along with all of Marcelo's game.  It is an excellent training resource and I highly recommend trying it out.
https://www.mginaction.com/default.aspx

Think you're too Old to Train Jiu-Jitsu?

Most Jiu-Jitsu people are familiar with On The Mat (OTM) and Scotty, the man behind the business. Well if you don't know his story then I highly suggest giving his blog post a read. He recently was awarded his black belt and didn't earn it in the most conventional manner. His story is one of perseverance and should be inspirational to most who enjoy the sport.  The road to earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a long one and that was no exception in Scotty's case.

http://www.onthemat.com/blogs-posts/road-black-belt-long-way

2013 IBJJF Houston International Open

The IBJJF visited Houston last weekend and I was fortunate to be healthy enough to partake.  Last year was a particularly difficult one for me in terms of staying healthy.  I had multiple injuries that kept me from being able to compete (only 1 tournament for the entire year).  I had this date penciled in as soon as it was announced and even managed to squeeze in a tune-up competition in late January to knock off the rust.  Let me preface this post by stating that I have a true LOVE / HATE relationship with competing.  I like the preparation portion of competitions okay but the nerves that plague me at times is not a lot of fun.  I have heard from high level competitors countless times that the only way it ever gets easier is by doing it more often.  I can attest there is some truth to that.  For the rest of us "mental people" I think it gets better to a degree but many of us will never know what it's truly like to have no real pressure.  I think that some of us are just wired differently and those people that can compete with nerves made of steel...I envy you!

I am technically a Senior 1 by the IBJJF standards and intended to compete as such this weekend.  I have found out through my progression in Jiu-Jitsu that as you get older and more experienced there are less competitors.  This is particularly common if you are as light as me.  I compete down at Feather and rarely ever see anyone at my size and skill level in the Master division at the local tournaments.  I had hoped to have more luck at this tournament which is historically very well attended.  So much so that the IBJJF made this a 2-day event.  My luck wasn't so good in that regard.  As the tournament approached there was no one signed up in my division.  There wasn't even anyone in the Masters division for me to compete against.  Rather than drop all the way down to Adult I opted to move up to the Lightweight division.  I knew this was a gamble because walking around at 148lbs lately I could would be giving up around 20lbs.  The division had four other guys in it so that's what I decided to do.  When the brackets were posted I wasn't terribly pleased.  I managed to draw the long straw and ended up on the long side of the bracket.  If I was going to win my division I would definitely be taking the long way there.  Thank God the matches are only five minutes!

Just a heads up.  The videos are available in HD so you may have to go all the way to YouTube to view them that way.  They are playing at a much lower resolution on my blog from the looks of it.  

Match 1

I had never seen this competitor before and only know he's a local Gracie Barra guy.  He was pretty strong right off the bat but I was able to secure a crossover sweep and float on him a bit as he did a good job of escaping the mount.  In preparation for this tournament I had been playing a lot of DLR guard and Berimbolo when it presented itself.  As I came up from the Berimbolo position he moved into a pretty deep reap position.  I don't usually cheer for a DQ but I was okay with this one.  I think I would have gone on to win the match regardless and the shortened match gave me a good break going against a fresh guy in the 2nd round.

Match 2

I was a little familiar with Chris Matthews (BTT) as he's done the NAGA tournaments but I had never seen much footage of him.  He was definitely a strong guy and was difficult to break down in the closed guard.  At around the 1:47 mark I ate a big knee to the chin but was lucky to recompose guard and prevent the pass.  I had been drilling a series of DLR sweeps and the technical stand-up from this position was one that I was working on if my other options were unavailable.  That was a critical point in the match that swayed the points in my favor.   At 3:26 I missed a huge opportunity to see the lapel draped over his neck.  I heard my coach yelling to feed it but failed to notice it completely.  Of course I opted to feed my OTHER lapel which almost landed me into a reversal.  I somehow spider-monkeyed to stay afloat.  He had a great sweep opportunity at 4:05 and again I was very lucky to avoid that as well and hang on for the win. 

Match 3 (Final)

I was very fortunate to face smaller guys in the first two matches but finally ran into someone with some considerable size in the final.  I can honestly say that I had no idea how much trouble I was about to get into during this match.  I should have completely abandoned my over hook game once he started feeding the lapel from the guard.  Initially, I thought he was attempting to trap my left arm with the lapel and sit back to open guard so I was focused on that and my own grip game.  Little did I know he was looking for an Ezekiel choke from the guard.  As common sense in Jiu-Jitsu would tell me, "no one would do that at this level right...???"  Well I was very wrong.  That choke came on so quickly I didn't really have any time to react because I was so concerned about my own grips from guard.  Very good lesson to be learned in this match. This is the first time I've ever been put out in competition.  Props to Ken for setting up such a good choke. 

All in all this was a great experience. I managed to finish second in my division and didn't have an easy route to get there, plus I went up in weight.  I was also able to fix a lot of mental mistakes and made some adjustments in the heat of battle that I failed to do in past competitions.  I'm happy that the team we took down to Houston (2-purple belts, 4-blue belts, and 1-white belt) did so well.  Almost everyone came home with a medal.  Nova Uniao finished 3rd over all in the points.

Academy Results

Houston International Open 2013: 

1 - Gracie Barra - 232
2 - BJJ Revolution Team - 190
3 - Nova União - 170 

Me & Professor JD Shelley

Me & my wife Lindsey

...and no competition celebration would be complete without a celebratory meal.  We hit up Tin Roof BBQ just east of the Woodlands (Humble, TX) when we left Houston.  This is a can't-miss spot if you like Texas BBQ.  

Once we got back into Dallas we had to stop for oysters at Pappadeux's.  

I've heard on good word that the IBJJF will return to Dallas May 5th.  Hopefully we will see you there!

Post 2013 European Championships (Noteworthy Matches & Thoughts)

The IBJJF European Championships may not have been packed full with as many household names as we might see at Worlds or Pan but there were plenty of great, high level competitors that filled the brackets last weekend.  From what I have gathered there were some great matches and definitely some notables.

• Terere returned to competition and loses a controversial DQ (knee reap) against Claudio Calasans in the Middle weight Final.

From GracieMag: 

Alan Do Nascimento just brought the venue to tears. After conceding the win to Fernando Tererê in their middleweight match, he handed Fernando Tererê his black belt. He later explained his actions: Fernando Tererê made what I am in Jiu-Jitsu. He taught me since the white belt. This belt, he gave one day and asked for 5 reais and I knew it he was going to buy crack. I told him then that I was going to give him back the belt when when he got back on his feet. There's no better moment than that! I will sleep filled with joy and proud today!"

• This was the first IBJJF tournament that both the Miyao brothers competed at Brown belt
• Team Lloyd Irvin came in 2nd place overall team points in a gi tournament
• Leo Nogueira (Alliance) takes the black belt Absolute
• Mackenzie Dern wins her first title at black belt
• Joao Miyao choked unconscious by Keenan

Just a quick review of the team results from over the weekend.

Adult Male: 

1 - Alliance - 105
2 - Team Lloyd Irvin - 71
3 - Gracie Barra - 64 

Adult Female:

1 - CheckMat - 71
2 - Alliance - 65
3 - Gracie Barra - 44 

Juvenile:

1 - Gracie Barra - 27
2 - Frontline Academy - 16
3 - Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team - 15 

Master and Senior:

1 - Gracie Barra - 245
2 - Alliance - 156
3 - CheckMat - 131 

Novice:

1 - Gracie Barra - 42
2 - Nova União - 31
3 - CheckMat - 30 

Notable divisions:

Brown Adult Male

Light-Feather

FIRST	João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
SECOND	Nicolas Gallard -	Gracie Barcelona
THIRD	Alysson Gustavo Da Cunha Miranda -	Nova União
THIRD	Adam Adshead -	Combat Base UK

Feather

FIRST	Paulo Henrique Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
SECOND	Gianni P Grippo -	Gracie Elite Team America
THIRD	Wojciech Piekut -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Tuomas Kristian Tammilehto -	Brasa

Medium-Heavy

FIRST	Keenan Kai-James Cornelius -	Team Lloyd Irvin
SECOND	Bruno Ferreira Cuppari -	Brasa
THIRD	Tomasz Skórkowski -	Atos JJ International
THIRD	AJ Agazarm -	Gracie Barra

Open Class

FIRST	Keenan Kai-James Cornelius -	Team Lloyd Irvin
SECOND	João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
THIRD	Paulo Henrique Bordignon Miyao -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
THIRD	Christopher Bowe -	Gracie Barra

BLACK - Adult - Male

Rooster

FIRST	Brandon Mullins -	Gracie Barra
SECOND	Koji Shibamoto -	Tri-Force Jiu-Jitsu Academy
THIRD	Jordy A. Jean Antoon Peute -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Takahito Yoshioka -	Tokushima BJJ

Light-Feather

FIRST	Laercio Fernandes -	Alliance
SECOND	Carlos Vieira Holanda -	CheckMat
THIRD	Thomas Lincoln Correa Lisboa -	Alliance
THIRD	Andre Carvalho Monteiro -	BJJ Revolution Team

Feather

FIRST	Rubens Charles Maciel -	Alliance
SECOND	Augusto Lopes Mendes -	Soul Fighters BJJ
THIRD	Osvaldo Augusto Honorio Moizinho -	Institute of Martial Arts - Caio Terra
THIRD	Eduardo Ramos da Silva -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Light

FIRST	Michael Josef Russell -	Mauricio Gomes Origin BJJ Team
SECOND	Vinícius Tavares Marinho -	GF Team
THIRD	Gabriel Rodrigues A. Goulart -	Alliance
THIRD	Maxime Silvére Olivier -	CheckMat

Middle

FIRST	Claudio Calasans Camargo Júnior -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu
SECOND	Fernando Augusto da Silva -	Alliance
THIRD	Mathias Fernandes Ribeiro -	Alliance
THIRD	Alan Douglas Pereira do Nascimento -	CheckMat

Medium-Heavy

FIRST	Rômulo Claudio Barral -	Gracie Barra
SECOND	Rodrigo Fajardo -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Renato Guimaraes Cardoso -	CheckMat
THIRD	Vitor Fabio Martins Toledo -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Heavy

FIRST	Dimitrius Soares Souza -	Alliance
SECOND	Leonardo da Costa Maciel -	GF Team
THIRD	Fabiano Junior Leite de Souza -	Alliance
THIRD	Marcelo da Silva Bernardo -	United BJJ

Super-Heavy

FIRST	Bernardo Augusto Rocha de Faria -	Alliance
SECOND	Lucio Furtado Rodrigues -	Gracie Barra
THIRD	Mauricio Henrique Cristo Lima -	PSLPB Cicero Costha
THIRD	Filippi Soto Mattos -	Barbosa JJ

Ultra-Heavy

FIRST	Alexander Riis Hilligsoe Trans -	CheckMat
SECOND	Rodrigo Henrique Cavaca -	CheckMat
THIRD	José Ferreira da Silva Júnior -	UAE Jiu-jitsu Team
THIRD	Leonardo Pires Nogueira -	Alliance

Open Class

FIRST	Leonardo Pires Nogueira -	Alliance
SECOND	Bernardo Augusto Rocha de Faria -	Alliance
THIRD	Alexander Riis Hilligsoe Trans -	CheckMat
THIRD	Claudio Calasans Camargo Júnior -	Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Keenan Cornelius vs Paulo Miyao (Absolute Semi-Finals)

At the 4:35 mark, Keenan attempts a toe-hold which he abandons and momentarily gives up his back.   P.Miyao defends the foot lock well and inverts moving towards his back.  P.Miyao only manages to get one hook in and Kennan double underhooks that same leg and forces P.Miyao back to his guard.  Very well defended and not often that we see Keenan in this kind of trouble against a fellow brown belt.  Even once they land in the guard, there is a brief moment P.Miyao may have been able to work to the back again with Keenan's left arm so heavily committed across his body but he cuts off that opportunity by posting his left foot and shutting down that option.

At the 6:37 mark Keenan is standing, P.Miyao on his back playing open guard during a restart.  Keenan steps his right foot onto  the inside left knee of P.Miyao, slightly passes the right foot of P.Miyao to the side and drops down beating P.Miyao's hip to pass the guard.  Very fast and surprising guard pass!  The match was essentially won here for Keenan and this was a fantastic match in my opinion.  I realize that the double guard pull, fighting for grips and attempted Berimbolo game isn't everyones cup of tea but this is some high level stuff and the entire fight didn't remain in this position.

Keenan Cornelius vs Joao Miyao (Absolute Final)

Cobrinha vs Osvaldo Augusto (Feather Semi-Final)

Cobrinha vs Tanquinho (Feather Final)

Paulo Miyao vs Gianni Grippo (Feather Semi-Final)

Terere vs Claudio Calasans (Middleweight Final)

This was a very disappointing match.  Everyone was happy and excited to see Terere back in the competition scene and off the street.  There is some debate as to what exactly happened during this match, whether he had already been warned for the knee reap prior to the eventual DQ or immediately DQ'd without warning.  It appeared to me that he had already been in violation of the knee reap rule well before the match was finally stopped.  Very anticlimactic finish to what could have been a great match.

Brandon Mullins vs Koji Shibamoto (Rooster Final)

The complete results can be found here:

https://www.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/PublicResults?CampeonatoId=154&CultureInfo=en-US

IBJJF 2013 Euro Championships Brackets

Here are the brackets for the Adult Men's Black Belt Divisions:

Brackets can be found here if there are additional divisions you are interested in viewing.

http://www.usbjjf.org/bracket_viewer/bracket.html

Tatami Estilo 3.0 Gi Review

Tatami Fightwear is fairly new in the Jiu-Jitsu scene but you might not know it.  They have been busy making quality, yet affordable gear since 2009 and are based in the UK.  One of the things I admire about Tatami Fightwear is that they make some very high quality gear at a reasonable price.  I was very fortunate to receive a Tatami Estilo 3.0 from Martial Arts Supplies http://www.martialartssupplies.com/ and couldn't wait to test it out.  I would like to point out that Martial Arts Supplies has a bevy of Jiu-Jitsu gear ranging from kimonos, shorts, rash guards, to pretty much anything you could imagine.  On top of that they offer free shipping and hassle free returns.  Something worth noting is that Martial Arts Supplies will allow you to mix and match the jacket and pants sizes in case you don't fit the standard sizing chart with Tatami gi's for no additional charge.

Design
If you like a little bit of bling than I think you will probably enjoy the Estilo 3.0. This gi has black contrast stitching and embroidery throughout.  It sports traditional patches along the shoulders and lapel.  I like that the shoulder patches in the form of a black belt with "3.0" integrated onto the red competition bar.  The bottom of the jacket also has a Tatami patch to add some additional flair.  Each sleeve features Estilo logos embroidered in black along with Tatami Fightwear embroidered directly behind the collar on the back of the jacket.  The cuffs of the jacket, inner portion of lapels, and cuffs of the pants have Estilo taping in black which looks good.  The pants match the jacket well with the contrast stitching, patches, and embroidery on each leg.

Construction
This gi seems to be built very well.  The jacket is a 550gsm single piece pearl weave.  It features a rubberized collar that is adequately thick.  The jacket and pants both have triple stitching in high stress areas such as the crotch and knee pads.  The pants consist of 14oz heavy cotton with a four loop enclosure system for the drawstring.  The traditional stretchy drawstring is present here.  While I do like the stretchy feeling of the drawstring it could be a bit shorter and almost requires a triple knot to keep it out of the way.  Nothing a pair of shears and lighter can't fix.  The knee pads are reinforced to give some extra cushion and add some durability.  There are few spots on the pants where the stitching is not perfect but nothing that looks unacceptable or might become problematic.  This gi weighs in at about 4.4lbs.

Note some minor flaws in stitching

Fit
One thing I really like about the Tatami Fightwear website is that they offer an interactive sizing chart.  You can simply select your height and weight using their gi size calculator and it will select the appropriate size for you.  Being UK based, they were kind enough to provide both metric and standard units of measure for us Yankees here in the States.  If you have any concerns about sizing I highly recommend checking out the sizing calculator here: https://www.tatamifightwear.com/size-calculator-a/272.htm

The gi used in this review is an A1 and retails for $129.99 at http://www.martialartssupplies.com. One thing I have noticed with  Tatami gi's is that the sleeves do tend to run a bit longer than most other gi's.  Out of the package this kimono fit very well.  There is plenty of intentional shrinking that can be done in my case but not much is required to get this closer to a tailored fit.  The jacket is roomy for those with bigger torso's but not so much that I am swimming in it.  Sleeve length is just a hair long but nothing that can't be fixed in the washing machine and dryer.  The skirt length is perfect...not too long nor short.  I really like the fit of the pants.  They provide plenty of room in the crotch and aren't overly baggy.  Pants that are too baggy are one of my biggest pet peeves.  The length of the pant legs is adequate and required very little shrinking in the wash.  As a reminder, MAS will allow you to mix and match jacket and pant sizes if you find that the standard A1 pants fit but need a larger jacket such as an A2 for example.

Rolling Impressions
Before training in this gi I did wash it and intentionally shrink it some.  I never shrink a gi too aggressively the first time out.  I prefer to shrink it just a bit, roll in it, and evaluate how it feels and go from there.  First time out I did feel like it would need some more work as the sleeves were a tad long and easily manipulated while rolling.  A second trip through the wash and I feel much closer now.  The pants are perfect at this point but the jacket will require a bit more shrinking.  I absolutely enjoy training in this gi.  It provides the perfect balance between a light and heavier gi.  The gi is quite sturdy but feels like it can take plenty of punishment.  The pants feel super light but not flimsy by any stretch of the imagination.  The support in the knee pads is very welcome too.  This gi will definitely be in the regular rotation and can be a great every day gi to train or compete in.

Measurements
As previously mentioned the gi used in this review is an A1.  I did run this one through the washer and dryer (medium heat) twice with the intention of shrinking it a bit.  I experienced a little more shrinkage in the pants than the jacket and will probably be okay to run the jacket through the dryer a couple more times.

Closing Thoughts
This is my second Tatami gi and they have really delivered with the Estilo 3.0.  They have managed to design a gi that looks good, provides a little flash with well placed patches and stitching, is priced very reasonably, and performs well.  It seems like there are so many choices for gi's and so few of them really deliver the quality for the money.  I don't think you can go wrong with Tatami Fightwear if you are looking for a great gi without spending $200.

Once again, I want to thank Martial Arts Supplies for providing a great gi for me to review.  Please give them a look for your next BJJ related purchases.  They have a great selection of gi's, lots of other grappling related equipment, and offer FREE SHIPPING.

http://www.martialartssupplies.com/
http://www.tatamifightwear.com/

A big thank you to Shervin Alavi for taking pictures of me in the gi.