Christmas In Brazil, Rolling with a Gracie

Relaxing in the pool Christmas morning.

Due to Christmas this week was a little bitter sweet here in Rio. I am used to big family dinners and everything being completely covered in snow. Here in Rio things are a bit different; it's Nicole and I and the temperatures are HOT. Summer is in full effect here in Rio, so even with all the Christmas lights and decorations of Santa climbing down a ladder strung everywhere it can be difficult to get into the holiday spirit. But that's not to say we didn't have a good time. On Christmas Eve, while most of Brazil was eating the traditional family meal and celebrating, the CR crew got together and headed down towards the beach. We just wanted to get out of the house and see if anything was open, and as luck would have it one beach kiosks was open. We spent a few hours sitting with an ocean view, talking, and having a few drinks before wandering back home.

Some of the Christmas day pool fun.

On Christmas Nicole and I decided to celebrate by having a huge American breakfast ( a tradition both of our families have). We made pancakes (with real Canadian maple syrup—which cost an arm and a leg), bacon, hashbrowns, and toast with peanut butter. We made mimosas, something we were told is tradition in New Zealand, and ate outside with a view of Pedra De Gavea. It wasn't the same as with our families but it was great none the less. From there the party got started. It was a beautiful day and everyone spent it in the pool. At first it was just swimming and relaxing (ok maybe a drink or two) then someone had the idea of putting the mats (which float) in the pool, connecting them together and then trying to roll. Of course it failed, but from there a free for all royal rumble-esk game of tackling and grappling one another off of mats began. It lasted for a couple of hours. At one point singlets were put on and an actual wrestling match took place. In the afternoon some went to the beach while others continued to relax poolside. The day concluded with firing up the BBQ and grilling some steaks, chicken, and sausage. Everyone went to bed Christmas Night a very full, happy, and sunburnt gringo. It may not have been a “normal” or “traditional” Christmas, but I am willing to bet it's not a Christmas that anyone that was here at Connection Rio will forget.

Training

After open mat at Reyzinho's.

With Christmas Eve and Day falling in the middle of the week, it threw a wrench in everyone's normal training schedule. Even though that was the case there was still plenty of great training taking place. I put in a few good drilling drilling sessions and got some rolling in at the house. In both gi and nogi I really feel like I am opening up my game more. I am trying new attack and positions from both top and guard. Some have worked well.....others not so well. I am trying to integrate the new techniques in with my older more tried and true techniques. Right now when rolling sometimes I will be so focused on trying new things that I miss the opportunity to hit a move I have used more often (and had more success with) in the past. As my game evolves I need to be able to remember and use various positions and attacks, which in the end will make me a better grappler.

Fridays wrestling class at CR. Thanks again to Senki
Kimonos for all your support.

One training session that really stuck out for me this week was this past Saturdays open mat at Reyzinho's ATT. It really was an open mat session. There weren't a ton of guys there but the session was made up of guys from four or five different academies. Everyone was friendly towards one another and brought there own unique style of rolling. Other than me and one other guy, there was one brown belt, and the rest were black belts. I noticed one of the guys kept getting asked questions about different members of the Gracie family. I soon realized that it was Neiman Gracie. I had the opportunity to roll with him, talk about pressure and mat awareness. Whether from top or bottom he gave me constant pressure. From guard he was constantly pushing and pulling creating tension and keeping me from establishing an solid offense. With the constant tension any hint of me being off balance was noticed even before I could realize it and he would sweep me effortlessly. He is a really nice guy and it's always cool to get to train with a member of “the original BJJ family”. My other rolls went well, though I really noticed a few areas I need to work on. Especially some of my spiderguard defense and passing, I got caught in spiderguard several times and had difficulty mounting a solid offense. But this is why you train with better guys than you---to see where your weaknesses are and so you can work to correct them.

This past week also saw me start running mid to long distance again. Let me just say I hate distance running. So I look at it this way, it's not so much physical conditioning as it is mental conditioning. I am forcing myself to do get uncomfortable and do something I don't like to in the end get stronger mentally. It's that toughness that will help me persevere through any challenges.

Working on Weaknesses

Post wrestling and nogi at the CR house. Thanks to Senki Kimonos
for the new shorts!

It is officially summer here in Rio! While there has been a bit of rain lately, the sun has been out everyday and the temperature here has been high. Most of the house I has been enjoying the warm weather by heading to the beach, hiking, or swimming in the pool. We even have a few people who started to take up surfing while they are here in Rio (something I wouldn't mind trying again). Last weekend we had the CR end of the year BBQ, which was a great time. There was belly stretching amounts of steak, sausages, cheese on a stick, and much more. You would think that it would have given us our fill of the Brazilian churrasco but a few days later a group of us lighted up the BBQ and cooked---just goes to show you can never have to much grilled food.

Just a small amount of the food from the CR BBQ.
Photo by vitophotography.com

With regards to training I took it a bit easier. While in Gramado I banged up my shoulder a bit (and decided to train through it), so I opted to spend the week focusing on correcting issues with my technique and focusing on little details. One issue that I really started to address is my flexibility (or lack there of). I have never been extremely flexible, but I used to frequently do yoga and stretch after my workouts so it was never really an issue. Unfortunately though I have gotten away from it, and really started to notice just how inflexible I have become. While in Gramado I got some good stretching drills from Maurico Babuu, a former K-1 kickboxing coach, for kicking. I have combined those with stretches and BJJ specific drills to make a “corrective” workout to help make me more flexible. It's been humbling, but I have already began to notice some results. The biggest area has been with my hip movement. With my hips feeling looser I have been able to switch in transitions and maintain a more constant pressure from top. I had two guys comment this week on how crushing/smothering I felt from top so I must be taking a step in the right direction.

Talking shop before some nogi work.

I also spent a good deal of this week working to develop and improve my guard game. I have had a bit of trouble trying to find a game that really fits well with my aggressive style and more importantly I can carry over to nogi and MMA. I have a ton a respect for more sport specific techniques and positions but they just don't carry over. I am not saying I refuse to train them or acknowledge their value, it's just that at this time my focus isn't on learning the latest and greatest techniques in BJJ. Rather I started working a couple basic series from closed guard, half-guard, and reversal or escaping side control. With some experimenting and a lot of reps I think I have finally found a good fit for my style.

I also explored a few new ways I can incorporate my wrestling for BJJ. While teaching my wrestling class at CR, I trouble shot a few positions that guys wanted to work from. At first some of the positions I didn't have an immediate answer for so I started to play around and experiment. Soon my creative juices were flowing and I started to see new ways that I integrate wrestling for BJJ. We explored options from halfguard, open guard and various other positions. I was seriously smiling with excitement. After the training we rolled some nogi and I felt more inspired than have in a while. I was trying new things and snapping into attacks faster. I can't wait to start the week of training and experiment more.

Back stage at WOCS 32, with Rogerio Nogueira.

While I may not have gotten in much training, what I did get was some enlightenment on how to move forward with my training. It was nice to be able to relax a bit and enjoy Rio during the week. While not training I have spent time swimming, exploring, and longboarding. It was good for the body and the mind. I think being able to chill helped me to make some of the technical discoveries that I made this past week. I am excited to see what this next week brings and what new discoveries both on and off the mat I will make.

One Year in Brazil--A Quick Look Back

After one of CR's BBQ's. Photo by vitophotography.com

This week has marked a huge mile stone-- one year in Brazil! Over the course of this past year I have had some pretty remarkable experiences. From the beaches of Rio,to the tropical mountains of Friburgo, and to the southern City of Gramado I have had a chance to train and enjoy Brazil. This week I wanted to get a bit nostalgic and take a look back at some of the great experiences on and off the mat.

Post training with Dennis.

I have had the pleasure of training in some of Rio's most famous gyms--Nova Uniao, Carlson Gracies, Gordo's, X-gym, and Brazilian Top Team to name a few. At every academy I was greeted with smiles and welcomed warmly to the mats. Each gym had a different style, atmosphere, and unique way of approaching the arte suave. I have had memorable rolls with Dennis Asche, Gordo, Braga Neto, Kit Dale, Roni Yahya, plus I have rolled with countless other black belts whom have amazed me with their techniques. I even had the chance to roll in the middle of the jungle in Alex Davis' open air dojo. The world of jiujitsu has been opened up to me and I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the art as a result.

My remarkable training experiences hasn't just been in BJJ either. I have trained with (and sometimes gotten my butt kicked by) some of the best in the world of MMA. I have trained with guys like Eric Silva, Paulo Thiago, Gleison Tibau, Rony Markes, and Milton Vierra. In addition I have been on the mats and in the gym with some of the best like Jose Aldo, Dudu Dantes, and Jacare. Working out with guys like that, plus their excellent trainers has raised my game to higher levels. Not only that but seeing how the best in the world train has given me a much better idea of what it takes to be at the op of he sport.

Rolling at CR. Thank you to both Connection Rio
and Senki Kimonos for helping me live the dream.

In wrestling I have had a super fight for charity with one of the Brazilian National Team members and trained with Olympians and world class competitors at the FILA Training Center. More importantly I have been able to have a direct impact of spreading the sport of wrestling by helping Rio's youth train and compete in wrestling by working with the Antoine Jauode and the UPP Programs. Through wrestling I have gotten into famous and exclusive gyms and programs. I had the opportunity to work directly with Brazil's paratroopers as well as the elite BOPE force. I have also helped train some great fighters, guys I never dreamed I would be able to help. I think that's one of the biggest takeaways I have had this past year in Brazil-- That I deserve to be here working with some of the best in the world.

The move here though has been about more than just training though. It's been about new life experiences with Nicole and chasing our dreams. The two of us have had some comedic follies, for instance taking the wrong bus ending up in a unknown part of the city in a storm, with Nicole getting a tarp full of water dumped on her and as I was laughing getting splashed with dirty street water. We been to some great parties- New Year's on Copa Beach, Rock in Rio, Carnival, Cabaret Lounge champagne party, and see many great BBQ's here at the CR house- and relaxed along Rio's famous beaches. We have been able to see some of social issues that affect Brazil and how they attempting to be solved. Touring Complexo Alemao with BOPE and BBQ's in some of Rio's other impoverished communities have enlightened us to issues we had never been exposed to in the States. We have met and made friends with some great people from all over the world here at CR. It has really enlightened us to new ways of thinking and cultures, and has given us great friends to visit in the future. We have made memories together that will last us a lifetime.

In the past year I have grown a lot here in Rio, both on and off the mats. At the beginning of the move I had set a lot of goals for myself one of them being that in order for me to ever truly feel like I lived in Brazil we (Nicole and I) had to live here for at least a year. I realize it was a bit of a naive statement, but it was a goal I had set. Well the year marker has come and gone and we are still here going stronger than ever. I am excited to see what the next year brings as Brazil continues to feel more like home and less like a foreign experience.

Hard Training and Working on my Language Skills

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It has been an extremely busy week of training for me at the Academia Oxygym in Gramado. In total last week I put in 14 training sessions either in boxing, wrestling, BJJ, nogi, or strength/conditioning. Add to that teaching four wrestling classes, plus personal technical work with the guys getting ready for upcoming fights, and you have a pretty full schedule. That said, I don't mind at all; it has been great to focus on self improvement and improving the techniques of others.

Some of the fighters doing conditioning.

Some of the biggest areas where I have seen improvement had been in my boxing. I have been working a ton with Jean Pierre, a multiple time Brazilian National Amateur Boxing Championship Finalist. I've worked with him a lot in the past and made improvements, but for whatever reason something just seemed to click this week. I felt a lot more relaxed smooth in my foot work and my combos were flowing smoothly. I have been able to get in some light sparring work. I can notice a big improvement in my angles and defense. I'm starting to perry and slip (even mixing in counters), which for me is something I have done very little of in the past. Don't get me wrong, I still have a ton of work to do, but I feel like I turned a bit of a corner with my stand up.

Before some gi training. Repping the Senki
brand throughout Brazil!

In the area of BJJ and Nogi I had a strong week as well. I learned some great new positional drills and some great techniques as well. While the majority of my focus for the week was nogi oriented I also trained in the kimono as well. The gi classes (as well as the judo) are taught by Edimilson Conceicao. Professor Conceicao is a black belt in both BJJ and Judo, and has many accolades internationally in both arts. His techniques are great and he breaks down everything into small step by step details, which really help to understand the techniques. Also being a judo instructor all sparring in BJJ starts on the feet. I really like it, because it has allowed me to work my grip fighting and control in the stand up. While I have a strong takedowns from wrestling, I have recently began to realize that takedowns in the kimono are a bit of a different game; which is requiring me to make adjustments and change some of my strategy. Starting on the feet adds a different (and fun) component to training, and is especially useful if you compete. In recent competition I allowed my opponent to control grips and play defensive or pull guard before I had a chance to mount an offense. So it is awesome (and enlightening) to get a chance to play around with the grip game in a training environment. Being in a new environment has really made me open up and try new things with my ground game as well. I have started working my half guard and playing a more open guard game in general. While I will always prefer a top game strategy, I have to focus on positions where I am less comfortable to make a jump to the next level. Its easy to stick with what you know, but as one of my favorite quotes go you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Picking up on my Portuguese

Over the last two weeks I have seen a dramatic improvement in another area—my Portuguese. Over the course of the last year my Portuguese has been improving step by step; starting with only basic words and now being able to have conversations with people. The last two weeks here have been almost like an immersion course for me. In Rio I can often times get away with speaking minimal Portuguese. Though I speak Portuguese everyday, English is by far what I speak the most. Either I am at the CR house (where almost everyone speaks at least a bit of English) or I am with Brazilian friends who want to work on their English. Here in Gramado that has not been the case. For the last two weeks I am the only Gringo I have seen, and while a decent number of people speak English, most do not. So I was faced with a choice: either speak Portuguese or be very very quiet for the two weeks I am here.

Out in the City working on my Portuguese.

For the first few days I didn't say much (actually outside of coaching and training very little), but as I got more comfortable I started speaking more. Little by little I added my thoughts on training or different fighters, and soon progressed to talking about different topics and having actual conversations outside of martial arts. It has been great to start to get to know guys better on a personal level than just through the fight game. While I still get a bit lost in some conversations and large groups of people talking really throws me off, it has been great to pick up on my language skills and actually be able to give my input instead of just being a fly on the wall.

I have even been helping some of the guys down here with their English. While most of the time I am genuinely helping the guys it has given me the chance to have a little fun. For example Joilton (who finds it halarious to speak to me in Spanish instead of Portuguese) spent a day or two around the gym sharing his new English phrase 'I like big di--' I'll let your imaginations fill in the rest.

Exploring Brazil through MMA and BJJ-Training in the city of Gramado

Post nogi training. Representing the Senki brand throughout Brazil.
www.senki.com.br

 Normally I write writing about training and the BJJ lifestyle in Rio, but for the next few weeks I will be writing from Rio Grande do Sul in the city of Gramado. I am down here training with and helping coach the Oxygym Fight Team with Andre Benkei and his other coaches. I am here to help guys work on their wrestling for upcoming fights; along the way I am having some great new experiences.

The City of Gramado

Checking out downtown Gramado.

Gramado is about 125km from Porto Alegre and is located in Southern Brazil's more mountainous region. The area was largely settled by Italian and German immigrants in the late 1800's/early 1900's and the influence can easily be seen. When I first came into the city this past Thursday the first thing I noticed was that the city looks more like a European Alpine city with some Brazilian flair added in. The surrounding area is subtropical forests with tons of exotic pines and hardwoods with the bamboo and palms mixed in. One of the first places I was taken was a huge waterfall (several hundred feet high), which cascaded down into a huge valley below.

Over the weekend I had the chance to get out and explore more of the city. The down town area is a huge collection of shops and restaurants, micro-breweries and parks. We all spent a ton of time exploring the city and I am looking forward to getting a chance to see more of what it has to offer. The one thing I wished I would have brought is my longboard; the streets are in great condition with gentley sloping hills which would be perfect for cruising on my Bossa longboard. On Thursday night we went out to a local churrascaria (all you can eat Brazilian steak house). The waiters were dress in traditional guacho (Brazilian cowboy) clothing on their belts they carried a large knife to cut off slices of various meats table side. About halfway through the meal I realized it was Thanksgiving back in the States. I may not have had a turkey dinner, but I'll gladly take filet minon, ribs, and other tender cuts of meat instead.

The Training

As I said above while in Gramado I am training at Oxygym. Oxygym is a large fitness center in a refurbished warehouse. The gym has a large (and very modern) fitness area, with an assortment of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and weights. Seeing all the weights put a huge smile on my face. Since being in Brazil I've only been able to use barbell free weights once, so the idea of having access to a full gym for two weeks sounded awesome. I quickly wrote up a simple lifting program that I have used before during heavy training. While its nothing special I have found this a good way to add strength without exhausting my body:

Day 1:

Dumbell Snatch 3 sets x 3 reps

Deadlift 3 sets x 5 reps 1 set x max technical reps

supersetted with

Overhead Press 3x5 1x max tech reps

Assistance Work

Romainian DL 4x6

Weighted Pull-ups 4x6

Core Work

Day 2:

Power Cleans 3 sets x 3 reps

Squats 3 sets x 5 reps 1 set x max technical reps

Supersetted with

Overhead Press 3x5 1x max tech reps

Assistance Work

Good mornings 4x6

Bent-Over Rows 4x6

Core Work

In addition to this I do two days of loaded carries, plate pushes/pulls, or sprint work.

Within the gym is Academia Oxygym, where the martial arts and combat sports training goes on. The area has a large tatame area for striking or grappling, with another smaller tatame area in a separate next door. The academy also has a large cage which is perfect for MMA training. I have been to a lot of gyms in Brazil and I have to say this is one of the larger and more modern gyms I have worked out in.

Getting ready to box.

The training here has multiple classes in wrestling, boxing, muay thai, or submission grappling throughout the day and at night there are classes in either BJJ or Judo. Everyday there is also specific pro training for guys with upcoming fights twice daily at 1 and 6 p.m. As you can imagine I have been busy training my butt off. I am getting 2-3 sessions in a day depending on the day. I haven't had a chance to work my striking lately so it feels good to break the rust off and get some serious mitt work with the coaches and some good sparring in. On the grappling end, I haven't made it to the gi class yet but I got some great nogi training, which is taught by Edson Diniz. We worked a lot of half guard technique, including a really nice back take when you opponent has the whizzer. The back take fits perfectly into my game, and is great because I am working to develop a style of guard game that works well for me. I can't wait to see what the coming weeks bring for training and I am excited to soak of everything I can while training here.