Beach workouts, Ginastica Natural, Luta Livre....Living the Brazilian Dream!

Finishing up a great luta livre class with the mma guys. On the right of me is luta livre coach Pequeno Nogueira, and on the far right is coaches Andre Benkei and Mauricio  Baboo.

 
Week In Review
This week the temperature was hot, the skies bright blue and sun filled, and the training was great. With the move into the new CR house has brought a new routine. I’ve been waking up in the early morning and heading down to the beach to get a morning workout in. Training on the beach gives me several options; long runs down along the beach, sprint work through the sand, or a swim workout in the ocean. Mix in some body weight exercises at the workout stations and you have yourself a nice morning workout. The other addition I’ve made to my morning has been to add in some ginastica natural movements into my warm up. About two weeks ago Raphael Romano, a BJJ blackbelt and son of ginastica natural founder Alvaro Romano, came to CR and taught a class right in the front yard. For those who don’t know ginastica natural is a combination of yoga, body weight exercises and grappling specific movements (think of yoga movements combined with shadow wrestling). The system is designed to give you a workout both of the body and mind. I was only able to catch the last half of the class but learned some great stuff. One of the biggest things I took from the class was a breathing series, where by to promote lung/heart rate recovery you do series of short powerful breaths (essentially you hyperventilate) that way when you begin training again your heart rate actually drops. So I’ve been trying to apply this to my training. The first few times though as Raphael said you get pretty light headed, I just about dropped while resting between rounds of hard MMA sparring. The more I practice the breathing though the more I like doing it and feel the benefits.



Ginastica Natural in the Connection Rio HQ Garden.
Picture by bjjpix.com

Training with the MMA training camp went good this week. Primarily this week I trained wrestling and luta livre. For those of you who are not familiar with luta livre, it is no-gi grappling. Andre Benkei (the head coach for the camp) explains it as the forgotten submission based game of wrestling, while BJJ is an off shoot of traditional judo. Being an off shoot of wrestling it is a highly aggressive and pressing style of grappling. The classes are taught by Pequeno Nogueira who is a phenomenal luta livre fighter. His submission game is crazy! His grip strength plus his squeeze makes his chokes tighter than I’ve really ever had put on me. Needless to say being able to learn from such an esteemed submission artist is an amazing opportunity that really only comes from traveling down to Rio to train. The wrestling has been a lot of fun as well it has felt really good to get back drilling and working technique as well as teaching and helping the MMA guys improve their game. Being able to train with such high caliber fighters it feels great that I have something to contribute to help them grow as well. I tell you for not coming from a wrestling background the guys are aggressive and have a great feel for takedowns and counter attacks. Unfortunately this week I didn’t get a chance to throw on the gi and train. While I do naturally feel more comfortable in nogi, I have really grown to like training in the gi and look forward to getting some good gi training in this week.



 Where Are You At For Accomplishing Your 2013 Goals?Have you looked at the calendar lately? I mean I’m sure you know what date and what day of the week it is, (well at least you should). But what I mean is have you actually looked at the calendar and seen just how far into 2013 we already are? The start of this week is the beginning of the eighth week of 2013, by the end of next month we will be a full quarter of the way through the year already!

Remember at the beginning of the year you were all gung-ho about what you wanted to accomplish in the new year? Well where are you on accomplishing your goals? It’s easy once the holidays are over and you get back to the normal grind to forget or put off the plans/goals you set for yourself. Around this point in time it is simple to take the easy way and join so many other and say, “next year will be the year“. I know it sounds crazy, but I guarantee people are already writing this year off. My challenge to you is to not let your goals be forgotten, don’t take the easy way out.

I am not perfect and I struggle with it as well. I try to write goals for myself at the begging of each week (think I missed 1 week). These small weekly goals are meant lead me towards me larger overall goals, though sometimes that fact can get lost in translation. Yesterday I went through and looked at my goals for the 2013 and I realized I need to do so more often; while I’ve taken steps towards some goals, there are others I need to put more focus towards.

Take a look back and review your goals for this 2013. If you haven’t made any goals for the year, while the clock is ticking away, there is still time to accomplish a whole hell of a lot; you just have to decide what it is you want, write it down, and create the steps necessary to take you there. If you do already have your goals do a self assessment of where you are on the path to accomplishing them. If you are on schedule great, if not its time to buckle down regroup and refocus yourself to get where you want to be by the being of 2014. Best of luck and work hard!

New Digs, Carnival, and MMA Training

It's has been about 2 weeks since my last post and man has it been busy! Looking back on the two weeks I am not sure where to even begin, so I guess I'll just dive right into it.

New Place
First off one of the biggest changes in the last two weeks is that Nicole and I moved into the large flat that I am going to be house manager for here with Connection Rio. Our flat is off of one of the nicest streets in Barra only about a blocks away from the ocean. Nicole and I have been venturing out daily trying new places to eat, hangout, or relax. One of the cool new places we found to eat is Koni. Koni is a small Japanese chain restaurant that offers delicious sushi style meals. I had a combo of a drink, one of their Koni Rolls (a wrap made from a nori sheet, rice, sauce, various veggies, and some kind of fish), and an 8 piece sushi roll; all for about 20R (about 10 USD). Being close to the beach has made it nice to get early morning workouts, whether its running, swimming, or doing body weight exercises at the various workout stations along the beach. The flat is above the oldest bakery in Barra, and is right across from 399 one of the most popular patio bars in Barra. It's a great place to have a couple caipirinhas and watch the UFC on t.v. We all (everyone at CR) are excited to get our first guests in the new place, whom will be arriving shortly.

Carnival Happens
Last weekend brought the arrival of Carnival. I had heard before that the city shuts down, but I didn't realize that the city literally shuts down. Everything is closed or on holiday hours and the streets fill with people eating, drinking, and dancing. A large group of us went to a bloco on Ipenema Beach; while New Years in Copa was busy, this was insane. The crowd was huge and densely packed in with everyone laughing and singing away. There are hundreds off these blocos throughout the weekend and in total the CR made a pretty strong appearance at them. One of the more interesting things about Carnival is the attire at the blocos. The women dress up in various costumes, while a lot of the guys dress in womens clothing. It's an interesting sight seeing a 230lb jacked Brazilian, with cauliflower ears wearing a tu-tu. Brazilians are known for being friendly, but it amazes me just how friendly they can be. One night after a bloco on Barra Beach was dying down we met up with Matt (from Canada) and Ivan (from Sweden) and a couple girls from Sao Paulo Matt had met down here. We all went to 399 for some caipirinhas and to hang out. You would have thought that we had known these girls for years, they were super friendly and we spent the evening laughing and having a good time. That night after the bar I went down to the bakery to grab a salgado (a pastry filled with meat and cheese) for Nicole and I had another guy come up and start talking to me asking me where I was from and proceeded to talk with me for about 30-45 minutes about where I was from and about MMA and BJJ. I have to say the number one question I have been asked down here after people realize I am from the U.S. and that I train BJJ and MMA is "Do you like Chael Sonnen?" followed by the statement. "I hate Chael Sonnen." I really don't think Chael should travel to Brazil anytime soon.

Switching up Training
Perhaps one of the biggest changes in the last couple of weeks has been with my training. Andre Benkei is starting up a new MMA camp down here in Rio. Benkei has been a trainer at camps such as American Top Team and Hit Squad. He is running these camps in cycles for people to come in, have a training camp, and if desired fight at the end of the camp. He has brought in some top notch coaches, like "Baboo" Da Silva a long time K-1 Kick Boxing coach in Japan, and Luta Livre and MMA fighter Alexander "Pequeno" Nogueira. I have been helping Jeremy Denardo, a former Div. 1 and 2 wrestler, teach wrestling for the camp and have started training with them full time. Right now there is a large group of Brazilians from the North down here to training for Jungle Fight, one of Brazils largest promotions. The training is tough, but it's excellent. Every week the training has 2 classes in wrestling, 2 nogi sessions, 2 stand up sessions, and 2 sparring sessions. Benkei also is putting the Brazilians through cardio sessions, which I haven't gone to but judging by how tired the guys look after, must be tough. Combine that with throwing on the kimono, and you have one tired Gringo after all that training. The other nice part about this training camp is that all the fighters are light, feather, or bantam weight so they within 15 pounds of my weight. It gives me a great mix of shorter faster guys, and longer bigger opponents and forces me to adapt and change things up. The one lesson I have learned so far is that I need to check kicks. After the first day of sparring I had a nice little limp on my lead leg, after sparring yesterday I am not limping but I do have an assortment of bruises on my legs. Oh well, it's a learning process.

I know I am keeping it brief this week, but I wanted to get a new post up to keep everyone updated on some of the things that are going on down here. Next week I will be back to posting in my normal format with in depth training details and some thoughts on training in general.

Os Mandamentos De BOPE

The CR crew at BOPE HQ. Photo by BJJpix.com

Week in Review
It has been a fun filled week with lots of good memories and as always great training. As I am writing this a big group of us at the CR-HQ house are relaxing listening to music letting our stomachs settle after our second bbq of the weekend. This week I switched it up a bit and spent a lot of time working on striking. Back home I spent a lot of time boxing over the last year and I wanted to start to get back into it so I don’t lose the knowledge and technique my boxing coach Bill Bustance taught me. I got a lot of great pad work in with Austin and since he has spent time in Thailand he is adding some elbow strikes and knees into my game. With my weekly run to Ship Rock I was able to trim another minute 15 seconds off my time. On the way down I met an Italian guy who is touring Brazil on his motorcycle. We climbed down together and talked in broken English and Portuguese. You never know what cool people you might meet down here on any given day.

Some of the highlights for this week in BJJ: In Dennis’ class this week we went over a nice butterfly sweep to side control. He then showed a back take variation from the same position if you opponent tries to block or counter your sweep. We then transitioned over to live rolling which was intense and great. This weekend Edson Diniz came in to teach here at CR. Edson, an ATT black belt, is coming in bi-weekly to teach nogi exclusively for us here at CR. We first started working takedowns from the clinch position. First was a body lock takedown, then we transitioned to an inside trip-double leg, and we finished off with a hip throw. After working stand up we moved to the mat where Edson shared some concepts and technique for controlling your opponent from side control. We finished the technique work with a transition to mount progressing into a triangle choke. Edson then rolled with everybody, him working from side control and us under him. We are all still talking about how smooth his transitions from side control to various positions like mount or to the back or to submissions and back to side control is. Its just awesome to watch let alone roll with.

This week I (and others at CR) had an opportunity few people, both Foreign and Brazilian, get to experience. We got to visit and tour the BOPE base and then tour the favela Complexo do Alemao with BOPE escorts. For those who don’t know the BOPE are an elite security force not military but also not police. Their main purpose to combat the drug lords and other crime in Rio, and they do so with extreme ferocity and zeal. It was awesome to see their base and equipment, but it was Alemao that will stay with me. Seeing the sprawling favela which had been ‘pacified’ by the BOPE and military police was humbling to say the least. Through BOPE operations the drug lords who used to freely walk around armed to the teeth have lost control of the complex, and life for the people has greatly improved. That said it was still crazy to see how the people live, and to see bullet holes through concrete barriers. It was an enlightening experience that I will never forget.

A partial shot of the favela Complexo do Alemao. Photo by BJJpix.com

Commandments of BOPE
Being such an elite fighting force the BOPE must be strong and disciplined not only physically but mentally as well. There base is filled with sayings that spur the BOPE into action, such as ‘Treinamento Duro, Combate Facil’ (Hard Training, Easy Combat) and ‘Va e Venca!’ (Go and Win!). My favorite words painted on the base was the ‘The Commandments of BOPE‘. The fallowing commandments can serve not only the ‘Tropa de Elite’ but also the martial artist, fighter, gym rat, and even the everyday person.

Os Mandamentos (The Commandments)


1. Agressividade Controlada (Controlled Aggression)
When you are young often times you are reprimanded and discouraged from playing to rough or being aggressive with your peers. But in the combat sports world (and in adult life) nothing is given to you. You have to go out on the offensive and take what you want. The key, however, is to do so in a calculated way. If you let your aggression get the better of you, you will lose focus and become more prone to making mistakes.
2. Controle Emocional (Emotional Control)
In order to succeed in the martial arts world, or in everyday life, you have to be able to control your emotions. There are going to be times where people are just going to piss you off, whether they play dirty, are talking crap, or just grind your gears. The thing once you give into your emotions you are no longer operating at your maximal capacity and your judgment will become clouded. You have to learn to control your emotions and use any negative emotions as a controlled fuel to spur you on.
3. Disciplina Conciente (Disciplined Mind)
In the martial arts discipline is key. You have to have the capability to resist temptation and do what is necessary, which isn’t always going to be the most fun. For example going out with your friends and having a wild night on the town may sound like a lot of fun, but while you are in a training camp, in season, or have big project to finish at work you have to be able to say NO (trust me I’ve seen people who go out the weekend before a fight, and despite what they may think they aren’t some badass they are just undisciplined asses). In order to succeed sacrifices are going to have to be made and you have to have a strong mind to make them.
4. Espirito de Corpo (Spirit of the Corp)
Take pride in your team(training partners your job/coworkers, friends) and the institution you’re all together in. Enthusiasm is infectious and once present can carry you and your team to greatness.
5. Flexibilidade (Flexibility)
Things don’t always go as planned. In these times you have to be adaptable to change. If in competition one approach doesn’t work you have to be able to change tactics and respond in a new way to create the results you want. In training you have to form an if then mentality ‘if I try to hit this move and it doesn’t work, then I will switch off to this.’
6. Honestidade (Honesty)
This one is a biggie, which transcends sport and goes into everyday life. In order to build quality relationships (friends, family, loved ones, coaches, etc) in life you must be true and honest to those around you. Relationships built upon dishonesty will, when put under pressure, collapse when push comes to shove. Also it is key to be honest with yourself, did you really work as hard as you could have? Did you to the required amount of reps for an exercise? Are you practicing what you preach? Sometimes to be honest is far harder than lying, but in the end honesty is the key that will allow you to look in the mirror and like who you see.
7. Iniciativa (Initiative)
In most all cases the things you want most will not be handed to you rather you have to go out and take it. If you want to get better at your sport/martial art you can’t just expect it to come, you have to show initiative by actively going out finding the best instruction, training partners, and train hard to achieve your goals. To sit idly by and wish for the best will only leaving you sitting there hoping and dreaming. We had a saying where I trained BJJ back home: Nothing Given, Only Earned.
8. Lealdade (Loyalty)
Loyalty, like honesty, breeds trust. Being loyal strengthens and builds the bonds that will make your team, family, and friendships strong. Being loyal to your fight team and instructor (and vice versa) will help great the foundations for a wonderful drama free training environment. Most importantly a person should remain loyal to themselves. Ask yourself, “What do I stand for?” or “What do I believe in?” Once you figure that out don’t compromise your beliefs or actions, because one of the worst things you can do is be disloyal to yourself.
9. Lideranca (Leadership)
Everyone at some point is in a leadership roll, at sometimes it’s more obvious then others. You may find yourself in the roll of a coach or team captain, where its your job to lead, teach, and motivate your team. If someone falters it is your duty to pick them up and build up them to where they need to be. Leadership can also come in the ‘lead by example’ form. By staying focused and doing what is right or expected and going the extra mile, will spur others to fallow suit.
10. Perseveranca (Perseverance)
In your journey there are going to be struggles. There will be times where you want to throw in the towel or just accept defeat. In the face of this adversity you have to get back up and soldier on. In the end reaching your goals is a great feeling and achievement, and what makes it feel so great is being able to look back and see all of your triumphs over adverse conditions. Like the Samurai maxim, ‘seven times down, eight times up’.
11. Versatilidade (Versatility)
In the marital arts/combat (and in life) you have to be able to mix things up. To be routed in only being able to one thing will eventually lead you to a road block. You have all heard the term an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, when you come to something seemingly immovable you have to be versatile enough to find a different path around. A prime example in the MMA world is GSP. When faced against good strikers, GSP turns to his wrestling/grappling abilities, and when he is faced against a great grappler he uses his superior striking to win the fight.
　
Take a look at these commandments and ask yourself how you can these exercise these qualities improve not only your training but your life in general.