OK, so another year has passed and my blog has kind of fallen by the wayside while I have focused on other tasks… That changes now! My goal for the next 12 months and onwards is to post 1-2 new posts a week and get back on track helping people and building our community! 🙂
Over the last couple of months I have been extremely blessed to meet and train with a lot of really great people and I am itching to share what I have learned with you and hope that it helps and inspires you as it has done so for me! Jiu Jitsu training really has the power to help change and improve your life if you let it so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!
On Sunday 16th September, Fari Salievski and KMA Champion Martial Arts in Liverpool hosted Eddie Bravo for a seminar while he was in Sydney, Australia. And what a great seminar it was!!! The controversial No Gi Jiu Jitsu exponent taught a great seminar revolving around the half guard using the lockdown.
Eddie Bravo and Felipe Grez
Eddie’s teaching style was amazing! His system was taught in a very methodical and structured pattern that was easy to follow and surprisingly easy to get everyone going through the motions by the numbers! The focus of the seminar was Eddie’s Half Guard system using the infamous “Lockdown”.
Eddie Bravo took the time to answer all my questions! 🙂
The format of the seminar was interesting with Eddie teaching a Sweep called the “Half and Half” from the “Dogfight” position after starting in a “Perfect Double Underhooks Lockdown” Half Guard position. From here he moved onto dealing with what he called “Shity Double Underhooks” which was any variation that was less than perfect and how to pummel and hand fight back into “Perfect Double Underhooks” position. From here we worked backwards to learn how to get into Half Guard against someone who knows what you are doing and doesn’t want to play in your half guard. The entry technique was called the “Black Mamba” and not only was it effective as an entry point, Eddie thoroughly dealt with the most common problems and attacks that you will encounter when using the technique. Eddie finally closed with the “Electric Chair” Submission and Sweep as a complement to the “Half and Half” sweep and when your opponent is really fighting to avoid the “Dogfight”.
Eddie Bravo Seminar 2012 (Sydney, Australia)
All in all a really great seminar, Eddie Bravo is a gifted teacher and I really liked the way the whole seminar was kind of taught in a reverse engineered pattern! Eddie Bravo definitely made a believer out of me with his Half Guard system, I cant wait to add them into my repertoire and our curriculum I look forward to his return!
Last Sunday we had the great pleasure of attending a 3 hour Jiu Jitsu seminar with Checkmat Superstar Michelle Nicolini and despite the fact that it was Father’s day we still got a decent turn out! For those of you that missed out…. Well you really have no idea how good the seminar was or on how lucky we were to have Michelle Nicolini out here teaching! Michelle Nicolini dazzled and inspired us all with her technical skill!
Michelle Nicolini took us through a brief but fun sport specific warm up and then wasted no time in getting straight into the techniques. This was a content rich seminar starting with Checkmat style guard passing drills, before moving onto her trademark guard game of sweeps, submissions and back attacks and finished up with some slick leg locks and attacks!
Michelle Nicolini Jiu Jitsu Seminar (Sydney 2012)
Michelle Nicolini’s ability to seamlessly transition between attacks and positions impressed everyone. We are very grateful to have learned some of the techniques that she has used to win 6 World Championships and has made her known as the greatest female Jiu Jitsu competitor of all time!
Thank you Michelle Nicolini, we have a lot to work on for the next several months and we look forward to your return! Again a special thanks from the Jiu Jitsu Kingdom team for sharing your knowledge with us over the last couple of weeks as well. We have all benefited tremendously from the experience and our games will only continue to improve as we begin to drill and implement what you have taught us!
It has been a great privilege to have 6 time World Champion, Michelle Nicolini teaching some classes and private classes at Jiu Jitsu Kingdom for the past two weeks. Both myself and my students have benefited tremendously from the experience and we are very grateful for this opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business!
Michelle Nicolini after teaching a class at Jiu Jitsu Kingdom in Sydney, Australia
A common maxim preached in Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts in general is that of “Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort” and no where is this better demonstrated by the technical skills by Michelle Nicolini! Although slight in stature, Michelle has a commanding presence on the mat with unrivalled technical skill and the ability to apply her techniques against people of all shapes and sizes, Gi or No Gi and against every belt level! A true master of technique and leverage with an uncanny ability to an avoid dangerous positions. Michelle is able to draw opponents into her game and lead them to their demise with devastating effectiveness and has inspired us all at Jiu Jitsu Kingdom!
On Sunday 2nd September, Michelle Nicolini will be teaching a 3 hour seminar at Gracie Humaita Sydney HQ in Alexandria from 2pm-5pm. The cost is only $75, so if you are interested in learning some of the secrets that have allowed Michelle to reach the highest levels of the sport please attend her seminar. It is open to everyone regardless of gym or affiliation.
The Royler Gracie seminar at Gracie Humaita Sydney HQ last saturday was awesome! Always a pleasure to learn from the master himself and his ability to engage and entertain the group is second to none! We were lucky to have such a great turn out from the entire Gracie Humaita Sydney team too!
Royler Gracie Seminar (Sydney, Australia 2012)
Not only did Royler teach a great seminar but he held some special coaches only training sessions in which he reviewed a lot of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu self-defense curriculum, other positions and business planning. It is amazing just how technical Royler is even with the most basic of positions. Everyone in the room learnt a lot and got to brush up on some of the finer details across various positions and techniques.
Gracie Humaita Sydney Coaches
The Gracie Humaita Sydney connection has been strengthened further after Master Royler Gracie’s visit. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of Gracie Jiu Jitsu with us Royler and we look forward to your return next year. A huge thanks also to my coaches Bruno Panno and Marcos Nevel for bringing Royler out and working tirelessly to build and strengthen the team!
Marcos Nevel, Royler Gracie, Felipe Grez, Bruno Panno
So yesterday I was lucky enough to do a special 2 hour Masterclass on Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense Techniques with Master Royler Gracie and the Gracie Humaita/Sydney coaches. Talk about a fantastic opportunity and a great learning experience! The thing you realise when learning from Royler is just how amazing and technical he is as a coach and he doesn’t miss a thing. Personally I have had to use some of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense techniques during security work over the last decade and they have served me well and saved my neck more than a few times! But even knowing the techniques and using them isn’t the same as doing them under the direct supervision of the Master! Royler made plenty of incremental adjustments to our techniques which dramatically improved the leverage and efficiency of the techniques. I learnt so much and am looking forward to passing on these new details and adjustments to my students
I must say I am excited for Royler Gracie’s seminar today at Gracie Humaita/Sydney HQ and look forward to learning more from the master as it is not often you get the opportunity to train with a legend! See you on the mat!
6 time World Champion and one of the best Women pound for pound in the Jiu Jitsu world, Michelle Nicolini is coming to Sydney, Australia! Jiu Jitsu Kingdom is proud to bring you the very best and have Michelle Nicolini teaching some seminars (Women only and Open), classes and private classes!
Michelle Nicolini is a legend of Women’s Jiu Jitsu and it is our pleasure to bring her to Jiu Jitsu Kingdom in Sydney, Australia! Check out her Highlight Reel below and learn a little more about her phenomenal guard game and attacking style!
So if you want to learn from this amazing Jiu Jitsu star from Checkmat and add some new techniques and refinements to your game please see the posters below and get in contact with me ASAP to secure your spot! Michelle is conducting both a special 2 Day Women Only seminar:
And an Open seminar (All seminars are in the Gi). Both are priced very generously thanks to Michelle so please don’t miss this awesome opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business!
I hope to see as many of the Jiu Jitsu Kingdom team there as possible supporting and learning from Michelle as these opportunities don’t come by often!
In our quest to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and attempt to master the techniques and positions taught to us, it is extremely important to always seek a higher level of training and instruction. “Specialised Knowledge” as it is sometimes referred to can save us tremendous amounts of time and head aches especially when we are able to tap into the minds of those who are further ahead and more experienced in their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey than we are.
As a student, competitor and even a teacher it is important to always strive to maintain an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Learn from experienced coaches, take private lessons, attend seminars, watch dvds, study online and work with more advanced training partners whenever you can!
You don’t even have to be working on new techniques/positions when you are learning from or training with a Higher level training partner… Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs in you training will come just through situational drilling/rolling even in the most basic positions and unlocking a deeper understanding of what you are trying to achieve and how you can better apply your techniques and leverage! When you work with a higher level training partner, not only will you see what they are doing but you will feel their movement which will greatly aid you in attempting to replicate this feeling in your own techniques!
For me, the less techniques I work on and the more thoroughly I work on a technique or position the better I develop my understanding through “Deep Cell” learning. And for some strange and unexplained reason the movements just become internalized and automatic much quicker when you spend enough time working with higher level training partners. Perhaps it is due to the additional concentration and engagement of the brain as you are being pushed or tested by a more experienced partner, who knows but I do know that I really do feel like I absorb movements into my game much faster than when I just drill reps with a partner.
So the lesson for the week is to seek Higher Level Training as much as you possibly can in whatever way that suits you best. And most of all, have fun when you are training! You will learn faster and retain more if you enjoy what you are doing.
Ok so a lot has been going on behind the scenes at Jiu Jitsu Kingdom as of late and I thought it was about time that we share some of the great and exciting news and things that we have planned for the very near future! Firstly if I seem like I have been a little disorganised as of late I apologise. My wife is due with our second child any time now so between family time, Jiu Jitsu Kingdom, work and a whole bunch of other stuff I may have been spreading myself a little thin as of late!
Ok so first things first. With regards to seminars Andre Galvao will be teaching a two-day seminar (Gi and No Gi) on the 11th and 12th August at Liam Resenkov’s VT-1 Gym in Chatswood. Liam is a friend and supporter of Jiu Jitsu Kingdom so let’s do our best to support him and keep the latest Jiu Jitsu talent coming out to Australia to share their knowledge with us. If you can make either day or both I highly recommend them as Andre Galvao is one of the best Jiu Jitsu competitors on the planet at the moment!
The next upcoming seminar is the legendary Royler Gracie, son of the founder of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Widely considered one of the most technical people in the Gracie family and arguably the most accomplished in Gi, No Gi and MMA competition. Royler Gracie will be teaching a seminar at Gracie Sydney/Humaita headquarters in Alexandria on the 18th August. Another seminar not to be missed!
Then we have 6 time World Champion Michelle Nicolini, arguably the best female Jiu Jitsu competitor in the world coming to Sydney, Australia to teach a series of seminars and classes at Jiu Jitsu Kingdom! Michelle will be teaching a special two-day women’s only seminar as well as an open seminar while she is here. In addition to this Michelle will also kindly be helping out and teaching some classes at Jiu Jitsu Kingdom for our members and seminar attendees only! Michelle will also be available for a limited number of private lessons. Please talk to me if you are interested in booking some! Pretty exciting!
The second half of 2012 is going to be HUGE for Jiu Jitsu Kingdom so get ready… Because you aint seen nothing yet!
So today’s post is about the great Anderson Silva defeating Chael Sonnen by TKO in the second round at UFC 148. I will start by saying I like and respect both fighters a lot but I’m glad that Anderson Silva, the Martial Artist prevailed. Again I like Chael, he’s tough as nails and never takes a backward step. I find him entertaining, funny, witty and great at hyping up a fight but he crossed the line with this one. He insulted Anderson Silva personally, his family, his friends, his coaches and even his country… And that was a mistake!
The Anderson Silva that we saw today showed tremendous focus, determination, killer instinct and a fierce will to win that allowed him to decimate the UFC’s number 1 contender in Chael Sonnen. Chael simply could not match Anderson’s intensity and spirit on this night and learnt a tough but important lesson. “Don’t Add Fuel to the Fire”!
The question you have to ask is, how would this fight have gone had Chael been more humble and respectful after their previous encounter? I believe all the trash talking by Chael woke a sleeping dragon and added a tremendous amount of motivational fuel to the fire! Even if Anderson was hurt in their first encounter (which I truly believe he was, just watch “Like Water”), Chael still fought a hell of a fight and pushed the champion into deep waters like no one else before him. Chael Sonnen fights great but Anderson Silva is a Great fighter and the last thing you want to do is piss off and motivate a great fighter to take your head off in the octagon! I believe Chael’s trash talking backfired and not only did he not get into Anderson’s head the way he wanted to, Anderson got into his head especially during the Weigh In… Chael was shocked and you could see the hint of doubt and dare I say it “fear” in his eyes!
The lesson to take away is “Don’t Add Fuel to the Fire” and it applies to a Martial Artist’s life in many ways. From the simplest of things such as going hard against your training partners after saying you will go light and getting injured or injuring your partner when you both turn it up and roll too hard. Both outcomes suck and just shouldn’t happen. The Gym is a place of learning and you are supposed to help each other sharpen the sword and get better not hack each other apart with them!
You can apply this principle in a potentially volatile situation when someone is getting angry and becoming aggressive. You need to remain calm and deflect their aggressive energy with a relaxed and confident demeanor. Talk to the aggressor, don’t interrupt them, be polite but firm and most importantly take your ego out of the equation. Every fight that you can walk away from is a fight won! Learn the art of “Verbal Jiu Jitsu” and go around the aggressor’s energy. Defuse the situation rather than add fuel to the fire with ego even if you are in the right morally. No one really wins a fight especially if it is a serious one. If you walk away the victor after a physical encounter, consider yourself lucky but realise you just missed an opportunity to strengthen your spirit and you quite probably hurt another human being which is never a good thing. It takes a lot more courage and confidence in yourself to walk away from a fight than to go all “Axe Murderer” on the aggressor! Martial Arts training is about character building and strengthening the spirit so take every opportunity to do so, set the standard and be a positive example for everyone around you!
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