Training Gi, Rolling Nogi,and Hard Thai Boxing

It's been a long hot week here in Rio de Janiero. The temperatures have consistently been in the mid 80's (roughly 30C), and the sun has been throwing down some intense rays. With the heat a post training agua de coco or acai serves as a well deserved treat and recovery aid. It never gets cold here but as we head into summer I am getting reminded of what Brazilian summer feels like, and it's a good thing we have a pool in the front yard to help keep cool throughout the day! We just finished out the weekend here at CR with a massive BBQ. Three different cuts of beef, burgers, two types of sausages, and a table full of sauces and salads, has left the entire house in a bit of a food coma...everyone is looking forward to working of all this food with a great week of training.

Connection Rio BBQ.

Week in Training

With the return to a more normal schedule after traveling last week I put a lot of time into training this week. I had at least two training sessions a day Monday-Thursday, with a long training session on both Friday and Saturday.

After wrestling training.

In BJJ I had several hard drill sessions with Dennis. The focus for the last few weeks of drilling has been attacks from top, with a heavy focus on transitions from one submission to the next with little to no hesitation. When we first started drilling I felt clunky and slow, using only a couple of submissions and not keeping great positioning. This week though I really started to notice an improvement. I felt better, more relaxed, and a greater sense of purpose in my movements. I also opened up my submission game, being more aware of available chokes or locks. A few of the guys in the house were also training for the Brazilian Nogi Championships this weekend so several times throughout the week we rolled nogi. We broke into groups, some grappling on mats by the pool and others on the mats in the house. With training so much in the gi lately it felt great to take off the gi and get some hard submission grappling in. Nogi favors my wrestling a bit more and it was nice to open my up my offense a bit. You hear a lot of people that for nogi or MMA that training in a kimono is worthless, but I have to disagree. After so much gi training, a more methodical pace focusing on technique instead of athleticism, I felt a noticeable jump in my nogi technique. I recognized openings, stayed calmer when in bad positions, and had an overall higher confidence in my game. Milton Viera was on the mats a lot this week for MMA training and after the training sessions he would world or discuss/show anaconda choke attacks. A new world of ways to attack the anaconda has been opened up to me. He showed transitions to the anaconda from bottom halfguard, from a double underhook pass, and even transitioning to the anaconda when a guy has your back. You can be in almost any positioning and somewhere somehow there is an opening for the attack. Once you realize some of the different ways to set it up, you can really notice the openings for the submission. A few times this week I was able to throw a quick attack and work the adaconda.

Photo of Alex and I rolling at the farm.

I put a lot of work into my muay thai training this week as well. One of the sessions was an intense drill session fallowed by “body hardening” drills. One person would throw specified strikes on their partner down the length of the mat and back. We went through the drill with leg kicks, front push kicks and round house kicks to the body (among other things). The drills were set to the pace of your partner. Some guys went lighter, others (including my partner) did not. Having a 5'3” 160 pound ball of muscle throw fast hard kicks on your legs and body is not most fun I've had (couldn't walk right for a day or two), but it toughens the body and mind. Later in the week I went in early to get a little extra training with one of the guys, Daniel. Daniel has won championships in muay thai and kickboxing in both Brazil and Europe. He took a lot of time to work one on one with me on correcting my both my kick defense and offense. I have noticed a steady improvement in my muay thai, but I again noticed a jump in my game after the work I did with him. Again it was great having Milton in training with us, he showed some great MT combos for MMA, that was good to land both powerful shots and set up the takedown.

I enjoy writing this blog every week, because I get a chance to sit down and review my training from the previous seven days. I really helps remind me of how many great friends, training partners, and coaches I have down here Rio. I am a believer that the best investment you can make is in yourself. That's one of the main reasons Nicole and I moved down here. With surrounding myself with such great people and putting in a ton of hard work I can feel my investment paying off in dividends.

View of the evening sky in Nova Friburgo

Wrestling Seminar, Waterfalls, and Rolling in the Jungle

Group shot after my seminar in Nova Friburgo at Academia Fight Co.

I am struggling to write out this weeks blog, not because of a lack of eventfulness but because it is hard to put to words the amazing experience of this week. It was truly a fun filled week with many new adventures. This past Saturday (the 19^th) I had the opportunity to teach a wrestling seminar at Academia Fight Co. in Nova Friburgo, a small city about 140 km north of Rio. The gym, ran by Anderson Franca, is home to many talented fighters including UFC striking phenom Edson Barboza. Nicole and I went up a couple of days early to enjoy a mini-vacation and some R&R.

The view from Alex's farm.

On Thursday morning Nicole and I packed up our bags hopped a bus to the Rodavario (Rio's main bus station) and took a coach bus about 2 hours north to Cachoeiras de Macacu, where we were picked up by Alex Davis and taken to his farm. For those who don't know, Alex is a judo and BJJ blackbelt and manager to some of the biggest fighters in MMA. Besides being a figure in the martial arts world he is a strong advocate for environmental conservation and has his property set up as a pristine natural environment. His 7.8 million square yard farm, much of it Atlantic Rain Forest, was breath taking. Nicole and I spent our mornings laying in a hammock, reading, and sitting down to a Brazilian style breakfast (breads, cheeses, fruits, granola, and of course coffee). On Friday afternoon Alex's brother Andy, who is an ecologist in the U.S., took us along a trail up through the jungle. As we hiked he explained the wildlife and history of the area. One of the more interesting things was their water system, which used a piping and filter system working with the change in elevation to bring water from the nearby mountain stream and into the house. So the water we drank from the tap was pure mountain water, no chemicals added. Our final destination was a large waterfall about 100 feet high, that cascaded into a large pool. We took the chance to swim, sit under the water fall and enjoy the refreshing mountain water. Friday evening Alex and I went out into his outdoor dojo (yes that's right Alex has an outdoor dojo) and rolled. We started first at a flow and then picking up the pace. Being an accomplished judoka one of the first things I noticed with Alex's game was his grip game. He has a great feeling for changes in pressure and adjustments, which made hand fighting and rolling fun. We spent the better part of an hour transitioning from position to position and enjoying the arte suave. I have to say rolling in an outdoor dojo, surrounded by jungle and mountains was one the coolest and most fun experiences I have had so far in my BJJ journey.

Rolling with Alex in his dojo.

Soon after we finished rolling a thunderstorm hit and after dinner we sat out and watched lighting light up the night sky. The silhouette of the mountains against the bright flashes of lightning was one of those sights that makes you stand in awe of the world around you. I went to bed listening to the sound of rain and the rushing river nearby. On Saturday morning the sun was up bright and I got some yoga in outside on their stone patio. After a relaxed breakfast Alex and I headed down to the river for a swim. The water was cool and refreshing, and so clean you could drink straight from the river. We sunned ourselves on the rock, talking BJJ and life. Over the course of the two days at the farm one of the best things was Alex's stories. He had stories from the old school days of judo and BJJ in Brazil, about the history of Brazil, and some far out stories of some of the things he has seen living in the jungle. Next Nicole and I packed our bags and took a bus to Nova Friburgo, a 30 minute ride winding through the mountains. Alex's daughter, Michele, and her husband Anderson picked us up and took us to their gym. The gym was very nice. The upper level has a nice weight room and the lower level has a large mat space and full sized boxing ring. After a quick lunch we headed back to the gym for the seminar. The seminar went great and I had 29 fighters show up. The seminar lasted around 2.5 hours, going over positions for grappling and MMA, both attacks and counters. Everyone seemed to pick up the techniques fast and the time flew by. Afterwords we had a quick meal of fresh fruit and juice. That night Anderson, who is a huge sushi enthusiast, made platters—yes platters, of sushi. We spent the night eating sushi and watching the UFC fights.

Sunday afternoon we headed to the bus station and traveled back Rio. The trip was an amazing one, one that is hard to describe. I made new friends, had new experiences and above all had a chance to stop and think about my goals and direction I want to move in. I am starting this week with a new sense of inspiration and motivation, knowing that if I continue to work hard many more great things are yet to come.

The BJJ Lifestyle and New Sponsor

Drilling on the CR mats, with my new Senki Kimono. Photo by Davey Morehead.

The sun is beginning to set here in Rio and members of the house are beginning to trickle in. Some from the beach, some from climbing Pedra de Gavea, and some from grabbing an big acai from the bakery down the round. Each group is filling the others in on the adventures and scenery they have taken in today. The house is quite full and we currently have guests here from eight different countries around the world. Living with such a diverse group has made it possible to learn different styles of BJJ and different social perspectives as well. Here at the house we share and intermingle our food, sayings, and customs, coming away with a better sense of the world. With the “broadening of your horizons” and the excellent training so readily available around every corner, CR is the perfect place to come and experience the BJJ lifestyle.

After a sport specific BJJ conditioning session.

As always my training this past week was great and normally at this point I would go back through some of my training and recount a couple of stories. This week though I want to focus on a bit different topic--- the BJJ lifestyle, as I see it, here at Connection Rio. To me in a nut shell the BJJ lifestyle is about passion, growth, and a desire to make the best possible version of yourself. In the last 10 months here in Rio I have seen people from all walks of life come through CR. Some are business professionals looking for a BJJ vacation, some are seasoned competitors looking to sharpen themselves, some are here trying jiujitsu for the first time-starting anew. But all are here to do something that they love and have fun doing. In the house at any point during the day there is somebody on the mats drilling or talking technique before the next training. It builds up a strong community within the house, that fosters an almost selfless attitude to spur improvement. If you have a problem with something on the mat in a class all you have to do is ask about it when you get back to the house and before you know it a group will be on the mat covering the positions and trying to fix what went wrong. The passion for BJJ and the bond formed on the mat carries over to time spent not training as well. A community and network of friends gets created, and when people return home these friendships will span the globe. You going on a trip somewhere in Europe? Pop in at an academy where one of your friends you met in Rio trains and I can almost guarantee you will be accepted in as family. I have seen it over and over, people with little other than BJJ in common becoming the best of friends because of the shared passion for the art. The BJJ lifestyle is also one of self discovery. Many people come to CR not sure what direction they want to head in life, but through living more in the moment and relaxing they see a path begin to get laid out in front of them. I consider myself as one of these people. I fell in love with the BJJ lifestyle and learned from my first trip to Rio what path I wanted to take. I don't mean to say that you have to make BJJ your life to live the lifestyle. I have met a lot of Brazilian Jiujitsu enthusiasts, who may only train 2-3 days a week back home, learn to not worry as much about the “what ifs” in the future, and enjoy the “now” of their day to day life because of the relaxed and fun nature of BJJ here in Rio.

With Ze Luiz owner of Senki Kimonos, my new sponsor.

New Sponsorship!

I am proud to announce that I have a new sponsor to help me on my BJJ/MMA journey-- Senki Kimonos. With over 10 years in the business Senki owner Ze Luiz has been offering high quality kimonos and fightwear for affordable prices to people all over the world. All of there products are 100% percent made in Brazil, which is always a comfort to know that your gear was made in the birthplace of BJJ. I met with Ze Luiz earlier this past week and he provided me with a bundle of new training gear, 2 new lightweight gis, 2 rashguards, and 2 Senki T's. The gear fits great and I quickly put it to the training test, which it all passed with flying colors. I am grateful and honored to be sponsored by such a respected brand here in Brazil.

To take a look at their great selection check out the Senki Website:

http://www.senki.com.br/

Work Hard, Play Hard Living the BJJ Lifestyle

'Coffee and Chokes'  A pre-workout coffee before a great drill session with
Dennis. 

Every week I seem to comment on how great the training has been, or some new awesome opportunity I have had here in Rio. I know it can get a little repetitious, but that's just the kind of place Rio is. With top-notch gyms and world class fighters seemingly around every corner you never know what opportunity will pop up. Back home in the U.S. promoters will bring in UFC fighters/World Champions to make guest appearances, but here you train alongside members of the UFC/BJJ World Champions, or you talk to them briefly as you both enjoy an Acai in a local restaurant.

Week in training

Some of the CR Crew. Photo by H. Moosbauer

With the start of the new month, came a start of a new focus for BJJ technique. For the next month or so anytime I am drilling technique the focus will be on 100 kilos (side control) and knee mount attacks. For the last week or so I have been working various techniques and drills with Dennis and Nabas. One of the more common drills we do is a knee mount flow drill where we are constantly moving and shifting our weight on our opponent for a set time. It's an exhausting (and sometimes frustrating) drill, but I am already beginning to see benefits from it. When rolling this week my movement and flow felt better from all positions. I am also noticing openings for attack more, and when the opportunity presents itself I am attacking with more aggression and confidence. One of the more memorable rolls of the week came on Wednesday at Nova Uniao against one of the many talented purple belts who train there. We started rolling and he quickly pulled me into his closed guard. I went for a standing guard pass, he switched his grips to spyder guard and hit a nice sweep. He pounced on me and during a scramble he took my back; I spent the next few minutes moving and defending RNC's and bow and arrow choke attempts. When he switched his positioning to try to use his lapel for a choke I was able to scoot underneath him and come out the back door. I quickly scrambled up, hit a spiral ride to break down his four point positioning, and stepped in a hook. I faked trying to get the second hook in and as he lowered his hand to defend I was able to hit an Ezekiel choke for the submission. We continued to roll for another minute or two before the round ended. I have been drilling the Ezekiel from the back a lot over the course of the last few months and it felt great to be able to apply it while rolling.

Showing some wrestling technique. Photo by vitophotography.com

Training hard all week I felt a bit beat up and tired by the time Friday came around; but often times when I am tired I think of this quote “it's not the days you put in when you want to workout that matter---it's the days you don't want to work but still do that matter.” Anyone can workout when they feel great but where the champions set themselves apart is when they are a little tired and sore they will still put work in. I went into boxing on Friday, telling my self every second that I felt great and loved that I was at training....and soon enough my sluggish feet started to perk up and I started to move. I am glad they did, we started with 6 or 7 rounds of dirty boxing sparring with only body shots and finished with 6 or 7 rounds of normal boxing sparring. It would have been easy to try and coast through the rounds taking it easy but I picked the hardest line up of guys I could to spar. Whether they were bigger, stronger, or just plain better boxers/strikers I didn't care, I picked them in between rounds and we went to war sparring. When the going got tough I gritted my teeth, put on a smile went forward behind my punches. By the time sparring was done I had a nice black eye and a small cut, but I wasn't done yet. I put in another round on the bag, just with speed and a high volume of punches and finished with a run. By the time I got on the bus back to the house I felt ready to collapse, but I felt good. I got a conditioning workout in later in the evening and called it a day.

Just a little of all the food we had for the house BBQ.

The weather the last week has been a bit atypical for Rio, it has been overcast or rainy for much of the time. But Sunday was the exception, with the normal beautiful Rio weather making a great comeback. So we at CR do what we do best on a sunny day in Rio- beach, BJJ, and BBQ. Some of the guys got some great nogi work in on the house mats in preparation for the upcoming nogi national championships coming up this month. Others spent the day at the beach soaking up the sun and trying to surf. In the evening we all got together chipped in and had a massive house BBQ. Nothing is more relaxing than eating delicious food pool side, listening to reggae, and having fun with friends.