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.