Striving for Improvement and Visiting a UPP

This past week winter struck in the normally sunny Rio. We had several cold rainy days, in which I was forced to wear a jeans and a sweat shirt. That said, yesterday the sun came back out and in the sun it’s warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. Not a bad “winter” at all.

Dennis covering some details of a technique. Photo by bjjpix.com

Week in Training
I started the week off with a two a day training of wrestling and BJJ. In wrestling we worked takedowns both in the center and along the cage. In Dennis’s class we covered some more gi chokes and got right into rolling. There were a ton of new CR guys on the mat (most all in for the Rio Open) for the situation drills and the first live roll I was matched up against Mike, a guy from NY who wrestled for Brockport College. Our rolls were intense but fun and heavy with wrestling. We spent our rolls jockeying for position- one of us getting a takedown and the other reversing. It was a lot of fun, and enlightening. I could really see the issues a wrestler can give a guy in BJJ. The rolling continued and continued. Unfortunately for whatever reason it was just not my day. Things weren't as smooth as normal and I just couldn’t get into a normal rhythm. As frustrated as I was I continued on and fought hard to improve position. Frustrating as it was I refused to give up, and carried it over to after training where I got some open guard drilling in with my friend Adam, then hit some weighted pull ups and swam a few laps before calling it a day. As frustrating as having a bad day on the mat was I would have felt worse if I simply closed down mentally and gave up positions and tapped whenever someone put a submission on instead of trying to fight out; it would have also been far easier to have called it a day after training instead of getting the extra little bit in, but hard work drives improvement and my overall goal is to be better everyday.

Hard grappling. Photo by bjjpix.com

The rest of the week training went good. Since getting back into striking I feel a bit more relaxed in my boxing and my combinations seem to be flowing good. On Friday I spent the last 20 minutes of striking blocking various body and head kicks and then closing for the takedown. Kick defense have been a bit of a glaring weakness for me (including almost getting my head kicked off by Milton Viera a couple of months ago), especially with so many guys in Brazil coming from Muay Thai. Like I said I spent about 20 minutes with one of my MT coaches stalking me and throwing kicks from all angles. For the first 10 minutes or so it did not go well. I was eating some hard shots or executing horrible technique. Everyone kept correcting me and explaining my errors. Finally in the second half I was able to make some good adjustments and finally started to block and stepping into takedowns to counter. It’s not much fun getting kicked around the cage (literally), but as I said above hard work drives improvement. I am far happier being a bit battered and bruised, than I would be knowing that I wasn’t giving it my all (or if I was doing something else for that matter).

UPP Training and BBQing in a Favela

With Some of the members of Dark Wolf Team at the UPP in Andarai.

On Saturday afternoon Antoine called and asked if Nicole and I wanted to go with his family to the UPP station and then bbq in Andarai. Andarai is a favela near Tijuca in the North Zone of the city. Driving in Antoine’s black SUV we rode with the windows down as to not attract unwanted attention (military police and BOPE also use black SUVs and we didn’t want people to think we were them). When we got into the favela all eyes were on Nicole and I. However, and let me stress this, the looks we got were not of anger but rather curiosity over why we were there. I got the impression that this Favela doesn’t get much gringo traffic coming through. We made our way to the UPP HQ and to the small training area with in it. The small room in the UPP houses Dark Wolf MMA. The Team is ran by Walmor Silva da Souza, and Marcelo Leite de Medieros and others. Walmor and Leite also help run the kids UPP wrestling program for Andarai.  The mma training area is small but nice. The end wall of the room is caged off and the equipment they have is nice. Antoine showed some MMA wrestling techniques and I showed some ways to get into the takedown from boxing. I also had the opportunity to hold mitts for some of the kids and fighters. One of the kids Matheus, is getting ready for his first fight so I spent a while with him correcting and showing techniques. You could tell everyone was appreciative and excited to have me there to help and I was more than happy to oblige.

After some hard grappling.

After training we headed farther up the hill to a small Churrasco (bbq) restaurant. We sat for the next couple of hours talking and laughing while platter after platter of steak, chicken, and sausage came off the charcoal grill in the back. The view as the sunset and the night sky of Rio was simply amazing. We then played several games of billards and listen to Brazilian music (and a little Snoop Dogg). As we left the crowds were filing in, playing games and dancing Samba while they laughed and ate great food. We all walked back down the hill where we said our goodbyes and headed back to Barra. The training in Rio is great, but the hospitality and friendliness of the Brazilian people is hard to match anywhere else in the world. It is great experiences like this that will stick out in my mind for years to come.

Getting Back to MMA Training, Having fun at the Cabaret Lounge

Another week down, another week of great memories. Training is picking up and I feel like I am starting to hit a new level. Everyday I am thankful for all the great coaches and instructors (not to mention training partners) I have here in Rio. The city is busy with the approaching World Youth Day and the Popes visit to Brazil. Nicole and I have gotten a good laugh from some of the obvious gringos around, although I'm sure we looked just as out of place when we first arrived.

Post boxing training. 

Week in Training

This past week I was finally able to get back into MMA training. Since injuring my ankle it was painful to cut angles and put my feet down to land good punches so I haven't been doing much striking work. What little I have been doing is small technique work to make sure I throw long punches using my hips, from a stationary position. This week I was finally able to get back in and do some good boxing training. In addition to foot work drills I was able to do some lighter sparring work. We did four or five rounds of light punches to the shoulders and hard shots to the body. With no strikes to the head we were able to focus on slipping and shoulder rolls to evade strikes; it also helped us focus on getting into the pocket landing a couple of shots and getting back out again. The first couple of rounds my timing and distance was off but by the end I was flowing and moving much better, and most importantly my ankle felt good (I could feel it a couple of times but nothing really hurt it).

Getting some open guard work in during Dennis's Class.
Photo by bjjpix.com

Wrestling training went good as well. In addition to the normal two days of wrestling that I coach and train at ATT, I also went to the FILA Training center and got some great work in. Antoine held a small training with some of the coaches from the UPP youth wrestling programs and also a member of the BOPE. We worked a series of attacks and counter attacks from the clinch position. It was great technique, covering (in new detail) some positions I had worked before along with a few I had never seen. We then switched gears and did a little wrestling for MMA out of the clinch and discussed methodology of wrestling for MMA. It really helped shed some new light on how to use my wrestling game. Afterwords the two of the UPP coaches, whom of both active in bjj and luta livre, took the time to correct and give technique advice on an arm-bar series I was drilling on a dummy that was on the mat. Each guy explained some concepts and made little adjustments and then watched me rep out a few more armbars. It was something they didn't have to do, they just did it to help me grow in the art, which is really what grappling and other combat sports are about.

I didn't roll in the gi a ton this week, but when I did the training was excellent. Dennis covered several gi chokes in his class (which is a part of my game I lack). The chokes were vicious and came on fast, with a few added details to hopefully help me use them more. During the rolling I felt great, the extra focus on guard work has really helped me feel comfortable in all positions and has helped me in my scrambles. I don't feel like I have to continually have and maintain top control to be effective, which has caused me to open up my attacks more and push for the submission.

The Cabaret Lounge in Botafogo is definatley worth checking out
when in Rio.

A Night out at the Cabaret Lounge

This past Thursday Nicole and I went out for the Internation's Bastille Day Party at the Cabaret Lounge in Botafogo. Internation's is an international group that offer's events for expats and natives to go out have a fun and meet new people. Going as a part of Internation's we got a discounted cover and drink specials throughout the night. The Cabaret Lounge is a unique champagne lounge with a with a lively atmosphere that includes can-can dancers. Everyone was friendly and dancing to music ranging from classics of the 60-90's as well as current hits. Nicole and I don't go out to clubs very often, and it was a fun new experience. We met several cool new people spent most of the evening dancing. The Cabaret Lounge has a different atmosphere than most bars/clubs in Rio and if anyone happens to go out in Botafogo I highly recommend checking it out. When we got off the bus back in Barra we past a bunch of the guys from HQ everyone looked at us shocked, because Nicole and I were all dressed up--everyone here is used to seeing me in boardshorts and a t-shirt or in a gi. It was great to get out and see more of what Ciudade Maravillosa has to offer.

Nicole and I out at the Cabaret Lounge. Photo by vitophotography.com

Punch Chokes, Back Takes, BBQ, and Pedro Bonita----All Part of the BJJ Lifestyle!

The view of Barra and Recreio from the top of Pedra Bonita

Another great week down in beautiful Rio de Janeiro! I had some excellent training, saw some new parts of the city, and got to work a bit on my tan over the weekend. We were even surprised to have UFC Heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga stop by the house for a bit. One of his students is staying at CR and Gabriel stopped by to pick him up and took the time to say hi to everyone and chat for a couple of minutes. Just another example that in Rio you never know who is going to walk through the door.

Week in Training

As always it was a great week in training, my ankle is feeling good and I was able to push it hard both in wrestling and in BJJ. I've even been devising some pretty ingenious (if I do say so myself) ways to get in some hard lifting. There were a couple of days that stand out though.

Dennis explaining a guard pass detail. Photo by Hywel Teague. 

On Tuesday Dennis taught a great class, we drilled and reviewed several techniques, and also learned a vicious punch choke from guard. To make things better he also brought in Fabricio “Predator” (Pride Fight Wear owner and black belt under Gordo) and Pedro Duarte, an accomplished BJJ competitor and instructor from BTT. Dennis made sure that everyone had the chance to roll with them. Both guys have a devastating top game. Against Pedro I was amazed by his agility in guard for a big guy, and how he used his sweeps to get into a crushing top position. Again and again I would fight to get my grips and not allow him to set up his grips; only to find myself somehow back in them. From there I just got tooled on---- omaplata, sweep to arm lock, sweep to kimura, sweep to Americana, repeat. The cool thing was after our roll he took the time to show me what he was doing and how to counter act it. He told me “I could see you were trying to counter act my grip and attacks but you were just a step behind...very good though.” It was great to have a to a top notch BJJ blackbelt whom I had only just met, show me keys to his game and how to defend. He did it purely for spreading knowledge of the art.

Controlling from the top, working to pass. Photo by bjjpix.com

On Wednesday I went to Rafael's class where he showed a reguard and a back take from countering the single underhook pass. The back take was awesome, I (and the other guys in class) never thought you could take the back from this position. The back take is a bit complicated but Rafael explained in a way that broke down every little detail step by step so it would flow together. The rolling was great- I felt good attacking from guard and controlling on top. On Friday one the the CR guests, Chris, and I a great drill session in. He worked on some sweeps he had picked up (or learned new details on) during his two weeks here. While training here he had multiple sessions at Gordo's and the Gringo Class, as well as getting some training in at Leo Teixeira's and at Gracie Barra. I drilled several reversals to submissions I learned in Dennis's class plus repped out some of the new back take I learned form Rafael. It was great to not only get to drill but also exchange some ideas and pointers on techniques.

On a side note it was also hilarious to hear Chris's story of how he punch choked a 2 or 4 stripe (I'm not sure the story changed a bit every time I heard it) orange belt at GB. To put it into context Chris is a seasoned blue belt in his 30's, who is a ship captain in the oil industry; and the kid was like 14 or15 and skinny as a pole. I assure you he didn't do it with malice but the thought of a grown man punch choking a kid made me laugh.

Nicole and I at the top of Bonita.

Hiking Pedra Bonita and Pool Side BBQ.

On Saturday Nicole and I went with Antoine Jaoude to do some conditioning up Pedra Bonita. Pedra Bonita is a large rock in Sao Conrado, which is most famous for being the best hang gliding site in Rio. People take off from Bonita and sail over the area eventually landing on Sao Conrado Beach. We started up the trail at a fast pace and worked our way to the top. The path isn't overly long but it winds back and forth at a pretty steep incline so by the time we reached the top both our legs and our lungs were burning. The view from the top was amazing! To one side was the vastness of Rio and on the other was Barra and Recreio. We made the hike back down, watched a few hang gliders take off and then headed back to Barra. Nicole and I capped off the afternoon with a great BBQ and relaxing poolside with most of the CR guests over at HQ. We spent the evening talking training, swapping stories, and laughing. It made for a great day.

FLOAERJ Wrestling Championships

Adriane Jaoude, Antoine Jaoude, an Armenian wrestler, myself, a Kazakhstani wrestler,
and Ivan the FILA Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist.

This past week has been a good one. My ankle is finally getting close to 100% and I am getting back into training hard. There was a ton of good BJJ and wrestling training, along with going out with some of the guests here at CR and watching UFC 163. On a side note, when the nations favorite fighter looses (Anderson Silva-Whom I regard as the G.O.A.T), it's a bit awkward when you jump up and cheer when the challenger knocks him out. Nothing bad happened just an awkward silence at the bar afterwords. Whoops.

FLOAERJ Championships

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go and help at the FLOAERJ (the wrestling federation of Rio de Janeiro) for the Cadet Freestyle and Greco for both male and female categories. In addition there was also a large group training for all of the youth wrestling UPP programs that operate in the favelas. In total there were approximately 530 young wrestlers at the event.

Children from the Cidade de Deus UPP Program.

The event was ran by Antoine Jaoude with help from the wrestling community. For the UPP youth training portion FILA Coaches and members of Brazil's National Team got on the mat to teach the kids and have them wrestle exhibition matches against kids from the other favelas. It was a big deal for the kids to have high level athletes there to help. I had a ton of kids ask about where I was from and why I was there. When I told them I was a wrestler from America who moved to Brazil to live and train they all would smile broadly. A few families asked to have their pictures with me, which for me seemed a bit embarrassing (I'm not anyone famous) but I was happy to do it just to have the kids smile and look back a the event with fond memories. Two of the more memorable moments from the kids was one little girl who, as she was saying good-bye, told me “you need to go to the beach and get in the sun, you are way to white for Brazil.”; and another little boy who went up to all the wrestling instructors and FILA wrestlers offered to shake their hand and proceeded to arm drag everyone of us and start an impromptu wrestling match.

For the Cadet Championships I was impressed with the level of the wrestling. Some of the kids were newer (but scrappy none the less) but overall the level of wrestling was pretty high, a few of the kids were on the same level seen in the U.S. In addition to training wrestling many of the kids also train in BJJ or Judo so it was interesting to see how the other arts transferred over to their wrestling, I saw some nice judo throws hit. I was equally impressed with the skill level of the female wrestlers. Women's wrestling is growing in popularity across the world and Brazil is no exception. In the coming years I think you will see more and more wrestlers from Brazil (both Men and Women) making an impact on the international level.

Some of the kids holding up save wrestling 2020 signs.

One thing I realized is no matter where you are in the world the wrestling community is the same. Old friends greet each other with bear hugs and lifts, and no matter how old you are you're never to old to get on the mat for a quick wrestling match with a friend.

Week in Training

I'm still dealing with my ankle injury but I am recovering more each day. My mobility and ability to role has gotten better and this week I was able to return to normal full on BJJ training. With the return to the mat comes time to prepare for the Rio Open. This week Dennis pushed us hard in his class. Mondays class he showed an awesome shoulder lock off of blocking the double unders pass, and then a back take in case the submission doesn't work. In the following weeks I will be working on my guard game (typically my weaker position) before rounding out the training camp with sharpening my top transitions and submissions. This way once the Rio Open comes I will be strong and ready in all aspects of my game.

Some action from the Rio Cadet Championships

On Wednesday Dennis went over the double unders pass along with a back take if your opponent passes. While the double unders may seem like a “basic” pass, Dennis showed some details in the technique that I had never seen (and also making it a more effective pass). I spent all of the positional sparring working off my back in either open or closed guard...as they say the key to growing is getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

On Thursday I went with Antoine to the FILA Training Center to train with members of the National Freestyle Team. The training was led by Daniel “Pirata” (an accomplished mma, luta Livre, bjj and wrestling competitor) and Ivan an Olympic Gold Medalist from Bulgaria and former coach of the French Olympic Team. My training partner was a multiple time National Team member who was getting ready for the South American games and two weeks. He was about 5-7 kilos lighter than me but incredibly quick. Most of our training was hard drilling and live goes, with situations with Ivan coming over to us to give quick positional techniques as he saw them. One of the things he work with us on was the basic collar tie. The collar tie is one of the first (and most natural) ties used in wrestling, I have been using (and showing) for the last 13 years or so. Ivan tweaked in a way that I had never see and even though he is 60 years old and only weighs 145 pounds (65 kilos) at most he drove me all over the mat and completely dominated the position with it. It is proof that there is always more to learn in every art (even things you thought you knew well).

The live wrestling was intense. We battled for positioning the entire time every time one of us scored the other answered back. It's been years since I've done freestyle mat work so my partner had the edge on me there, but as he slowed down towards the end I was able score some explosive takedowns. Soon the National team will be training for the World Championships and I think I am going to be there training more, helping both their and my own wrestling improve.

After one of Dennis's great classes.

Afterwords as we cooled down I sat and talked wrestling with several guys in training from Amazonas, between their broken English and my broken Portuguese we were actually able to have a good conversation----might not sound like a big deal but when in a different country and working on the language any success full interaction is worth mentioning.

It was a good week to begin to get back into the flow of things. Next week I am excited to get back to training hard and preparing to compete in the near future. Things are really starting to flow together and I having a feeling that big opportunities and experiences are on the horizon!