the bjj diaries

highlights from ADCC 2011 (England)

2011-12-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

learning to escape the mount

2011-12-08T14:49:00.001-08:00

hello my friends,

it's been a while...I know. life has been very busy and i was off the mat for nearly a month with a brutal chest cold and nursing a sore shoulder. i know you missed me, but rest assured, i'm back.

so i just saw this video online and had to laugh. how badly do you think the guy on the bottom wishes he knew how to escape the mount?! "i got pills bitch!!" haha! (warning, language not suitable for the workplace...and you can't unsee some of this either)

Slow Rolling aka, "S Rolling"

2011-10-30T09:47:00.001-07:00

This is a great video on the art of slow rolling. I`m still learning how to do it properly, some guys seem to think it means going balls out either way. (which can be frustrating)

For those who roll...check out this clip.

mid-october random thoughts

2011-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

So I got a nose bleed during randori tonight. I was rolling with the Bear and I`m guessing a quick crossface must have done the job. I noticed it on my lapel while rolling. I`m not a bleeder by any means, so I`m guessing it must have been a good forearm...stuff happens! Enough about that!

Both tonight and on Saturday, the warmups have been a bit tougher, which has been great. Jenn kicked our butts on Saturday and Steve kept the party going tonight.

The Ottawa Open BJJ tournament is this weekend. I`ve essentially decided against being competitive outside the walls of the club. I was hoping to make it down to Ottawa this weekend in support, but simply have too much on my plate.

I am hoping to make it to the nation`s capital for Wreck MMA at the end of the month which includes a seminar with Renzo Gracie. I`ve just got to figure out a way to make it happen.

Stay healthy!
Y.

2011 Fall BJJ Seminar

2011-10-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wow...it's been a few weeks since I've posted a blog. I'm trying to think of what's kept me so busy that I've not logged in. I digress...

This weekend, we had our Fall BJJ Seminar with Professor Pat Cooligan and brown belt Matt "Hammer" Hache hosted by John Cole at Sudbury MMA. It was my first time at John's new location, a really nice place in New Sudbury.

Friday night, we trained for 3 hours working on attacks from the back. Saturday, Hammer taught the regular classes at Sudbury BJJ along with some private classes. On Sunday, we were back on the mat at Sudbury MMA for 3 hours of holding mount, knee on belly and chokes from those positions. I got to work with blue belt, Adam Gignac on Sunday. For anyone who's had the pleasure of rolling with Adam, you'll know that when he puts his knee on your belly or chest, it's not fun. haha! The guys' top game is crushing as it is...in 3 hours, it got even heavier.

Adam and I are pretty much the same size. 5'10-5'11 and roughly 215-220lbs. We match up pretty well from that perspective, but in training, his experience usually wins out. (and by usually, I mean 99% of the time) Even with that, it's never a bad experience (unless he's got his knee on your belly as previously noted). But it's in those sessions where I pick up bits and pieces for my own game...based on my body type etc. His game is not a bad one to model mine against.

Lots happening in October. In 2 weeks OAMA is hosting the Ottawa Open followed 2 weeks later by Wreck MMA at the Casino in Gatineau, QC. A few members of the OAMA pro team will be fighting along with Rolles Gracie in a co-main event vs Lee Mein. There's also a rumour that Renzo himself will be in Ottawa and hosting a seminar the following day at OAMA. Needless to say, you'll know where to find me at the end of the month!

Ok...back to the work week and training at the club. I hope to see you out on the mat and as always, don't forget to wash your gi (and yourself) after every session! (it also doesn't hurt to shower before class either...just sayin!)

Kyra Gracie

2011-09-14T14:36:00.001-07:00

Who am I? O' Papagaio!!

2011-09-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

As everyone at the club knows, I share a name with the owner of a competitive club here in Sudbury. Yves Charette from Team Shredder.

There has been a bit of an ongoing joke with my friends from OAMA that I'm known as "the real" Yves Charette. Of course, this isn't to disrespect Yves, he's much more accomplished in martial arts than I'll ever be, but moreso just for jokes.

It all started a few years ago when I called OAMA to reserve my spot for a Renzo Gracie Seminar the night before the second Wreck MMA. The guy who took my reservation was a bit thrown off by my name, but took my $100 and said he was looking forward to seeing me after all this time.

Of course, I found that odd, but didn't push the issue any further. I realized shortly after hanging up the phone that he must have thought it was Yves from Team Shredder calling to attend a Renzo seminar at OAMA the day before his fighter Mitch Gagnon was set to take on OAMA's Stephane Bernadel at Wreck.

In addition to that, I threw Pat Cooligan off with a Facebook friend request where my face didn't match my name. I've since gotten to know Pat and all is good. (thank god, because he could kick my ass) haha!

At any rate, Steve has often said we needed to get me a new name but nothing ever really stuck. I don't believe a person can give themselves their own nickname, so a while back, I took a nickname given to me by my good buddy, training partner and former co-worker Kevin Crittenden. When we worked together, he would jokingly complain that I always had a sarcastic comment or something to mock everyone (mainly him)...I was a "f@$king Parrot!" I used to walk by his office and let out a nice little "KaKaw!!" When we were the only ones left at the office, I would let out a "Kakaw!" on the loudspeaker/intercom.

Last year, I played a bit with the nickname to try and make it cooler. In BJJ, many fighters have a nickname that represents a strength in their games "Jacare" means Alligator, "Toquinho" means tree stump for the strength of a guy like Rousimar Palhares. Ricardo Almeida is the BigDog..."Cachorrao". So...for myself, I looked up the Parrot (which is a pretty weak fighting nickname when used in English) and in Portuguese (the language of BJJ), it's "Papagaio". Doesnt that sound badass?!? haha!!

Ok...so I'm trying to make it official. I might even put it on the lapel of my white gi's and begin signing autographs using it. (yes, a high level white belt can sign autographs if he wants to!)

This came up today through a thread on TopMMANews where I post both as Papagaio and PapaG. The secret of my identity is out! Lookout world...Papagaio is coming to choke your kids!!

With love,

Papagaio xo

Randon Thoughts...

2011-09-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

The competition team have arrived safely in Montreal to compete in tomorrow`s Montreal Intl IBJJF tourney. Last night, I trained exclusively with Kyle (Fletcher) as he put in last minute preparation for his first competition at blue belt.

The kid is 16 years old and has a ton of potential. I can only imagine where I might be today had I gotten a start at that age. Makes me feel old when I realize that when I was his age, UFC 1 had not happened yet and the world outside of Brazil had never really heard of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

BEST OF LUCK TO ALL TEAM RENZO GRACIE COMPETITORS TOMORROW! You`ve put in the work, it`s time to bring home the gold.

Speaking of Brazil, now that our family trip to Disney World is in the books, I really want to put a plan together to visit Rio de Janeiro for a week or so to visit the sights and spend some time training in the motherland of jiu jitsu. Who`s in?

My thoughts on Eddie Bravo.

2011-08-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

I first learned who Eddie Bravo was maybe 5 or 6 years ago. He would do an unofficial scorecard at UFC events and Joe Rogan would use this when a fight would go the distance during a broadcast. I later got into Jiu Jitsu got my undergrad degree from youtube and google with regards to the ins and outs of the sport. (yes, I agree I knew nothing and am striving everyday to learn "something").

At any rate, I`ve always known that Bravo was a polarizing figure. People either love him or they hate him. Not a whole lot of in between. There are a few points which keep coming up for debate.

1. the debate of training in the Gi vs no Gi jiu jitsu.
Bravo`s point on this might make sense to the everyday Joe, but there`s more to it. His idea is that training with the Gi and the different grips and techniques involved don`t translate as well to MMA or the street. He claims his brand of Jiu Jitsu is an evolution of the sport for MMA. (this coming from a guy who never wanted to fight from day 1. *you`ll see this in the video below.)

- my opinion on this is that I really don`t care about his opinion on the gi. (let`s not forget this blog is titled "My thoughts on Eddie Bravo") In the video I posted below, GSP states that he believes training in the Gi improves his game for MMA. It makes it alot tighter. I`ll take GSP`s opinion on this above any others. Why? He`s one of the greatest fighters or all time...and Eddie has never eaten a punch in a professional fight.

2. Eddie`s position on marijuana.
Again, not something I find very important. I don`t smoke, nor do I believe it would do anything to improve my game. (I just need to train more to improve my game.) Do I care that he and others do it or claim it improves their game? Nope.

3. His win over Royler Gracie.
Some say that Eddie built his career and 10th planet JJ on his win in 2003 over Royler at Abu Dhabi (combat club). This might lead one to consider him as Jiu Jitsu`s version of a "one hit wonder". The long awaited rematch was set to happen at ADCC in Nottingham, England next month, but alas, the terms couldn`t be agreed on. (to Eddie`s credit, he was prepared to roll)

4. The naming of moves in his system.
Eddie talks about this in the video below, but I will disagree with him on this. There is a move he calls the "jew claw" which is an Omo-Plata...so to say he hasn`t renamed any moves that already had names is silly. I do agree that naming these moves the way he has enables his students to create a cleaner roadmap for their game. (not to say this isn`t done by higher level guys in BJJ, Eddie just seems to have made it simpler).

5. The rubberguard.
Here`s where I go against the grain. I like this guard and I believe it has it`s place. I find it silly when people dismiss the rubberguard because it comes from Eddie. I`ve been training a little over 2 years and I consider myself an elementary level student when it comes to the art, but for my own use (and the freakish flexibility I have in my legs for a guy my size), it`s a great high guard and setup for attacks off the back.

At the end of the day, if you see me trying some rubberguard (while wearing the gi)when I`m rolling with my training partners, it has nothing to do with politics. I see it as a good "high guard" option. I`m just trying to get better using any advantage that I can and I have a hard time dismissing something before I try it out for myself.

The following video is interesting...though I must say that although I personally don`t agree with everything Eddie says, I don`t hate the guy either.

GSP training with Roger Gracie & Braulio Estima

2011-08-28T20:53:00.001-07:00

Shawn Tompkins

2011-08-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

As everyone has already heard, Canadian MMA Coach, Shawn Tompkins died of a heart attack on Sunday morning. (he was only 37 years old)

I started training in BJJ a little over 2 years ago. I had stared at the club`s website for quite some time before making the move and signing up at the club. What nobody knows is that I`d been doing the same thing when I lived in London, but time and money kept me from making the move back then. The club`s website that I stared at was Team Tompkins.

A friend of mine from work had been dating one of the Muay Thai Fighers and I`d been familiar with Mark Hominick from his Muay Thai days fighting in Calgary (on TSN) in an organization run by Mike Miles. I also liked that Tompkins was teaching the Bas Rutten Fighting System. (Bas had been a UFC Champion at the time).

At any rate, I never made it out to the gym, but I had intended on it. Here`s a pretty awesome video tribute that was made for Shawn which was posted on my facebook newsfeed tonight.

new Renzo Gracie interview

2011-08-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

I just saw this new video posted on my facebook wall by Ken Primola (IloveBJJ.Com)

my bjj birthday

2011-08-09T19:49:00.001-07:00

Today makes exactly 2 years since I started learning brazilian jiu jitsu. One might wonder why I think that`s important. For me, it`s an accomplishment in itself to have stuck with it, learning something new each time I step on the mat.

I rolled today with a couple blue belts and was reminded how even at the two year mark, I`ve got so much to learn. At times it felt like it was my very first day.

At any rate, I`m back from holidays with my family. Roxanne and I took the boys to Disney World in Florida (we had a blast), but now it`s time to buckle down and get my fitness back on track.

Lots of exciting things on the horizon!
Stay tuned!
Y.

This Dog's BJJ sucks.

2011-07-29T11:54:00.001-07:00

The Freddie Roach of Muay Thai

2011-07-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Although I don't train in Muay Thai, I was excited to see that Steve & Jenn brought in Jean Charles Skarbowsky for the week to teach a weekend seminar and classes for a week at the club.

For those who watch the Ultimate Fighter, you'll remember him as the Muay Thai coach that GSP brought in during season 12 to help train his team. JCS is now a regular Muay Thai trainer for Georges and is through that connection (and his charismatic personality) is becoming known worldwide as the Freddie Roach of Muay Thai. (Ok, I just said that for the first time, maybe it'll catch on...it should...because he is.)

It was said on the Ultimate Fighter that Jean Charles is a character. This is indeed the case. If anything can be said for being a product of your life experience, JCS would be that prime example.

Last night, a handful of us from the club went out to celebrate JC's last night in Sudbury. To say we had some laughs would be an understatement. I really look forward to seeing Jean Charles again. He's part of the club now. Yet another link in the chain that makes Sudbury BJJ & Muay Thai the best club in town.

Here's a video I found online where JCS teaches some techniques. Last night, I watched the last class he taught and this is exactly what he covered at one point.

I can say we made a new friend in JC and we've been SKARBORIZED!

random thoughts

2011-07-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

So I'm away on business again which gives me plenty of time to kill on the internet. These are the times where I dig deep to find things to entertain myself. (keep your mind out the gutter aiiight?)

I just watched a ufc presser for a late september card headlined by a title fight between Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson. Jon Jones is a very young champion and outside of Brock Lesnar, the least experienced fighter to win the top rank in mma. From his dealings with former training partner and original opponent, Rashad Evans, I've been turned off by how arrogant Jones has become in such a short period of time. That's not to be unexpected when success at the very highest level comes at such a young age. GSP learned a big lesson in his loss to Matt Serra, you'd think Jones might take that story as a lesson for himself, but it seems the more time goes by, the more he thinks he's invincible.

At any rate, as everyone knows, he's now facing Rampage Jackson, a man whose passion to fight has come into question since getting into the movies. With that said, Jackson is only 33 years old and might be the guy who hands Jones his first loss. I'm hoping that's the case anyhow.

Back to the presser. One of the things Jones has become known for is his staredown. He refuses to make eye contact and gazes into the crowd or past his opponent. Perhaps he thinks this gives him a mental edge or makes him look intimidating, I'm not sure. It's almost as though he's in a weird staring contest with an abyss. Anyhow, Jackson being a showman completely stole that moment from the young champion. At the end of the presser, Dana White lined them up for the staredown and photos, Jackson leaned in and spun in the same direction Jones was gazing to. With a big smile, he pointed at where Jones was staring and got some big laughs. Rampage wins the staredown 10-8.

The lead up to this fight should be good. Rampage was in fine form today and I feel like he'll be getting his title back in Denver on the last Saturday of September.

Stay tuned!

Renzo Gracie Promotions (NYC)

2011-07-16T10:22:00.001-07:00

some entertainment from the promotions at Renzo's in NYC.

random thoughts

2011-07-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

hello folks!

it`s been a while since i`ve updated this blog properly. to my loyal readers, i apologize for that. i`ve just spent less time online in recent weeks. (less time than usual, which is still more than most i`m sure)

so what`s new?

last saturday, i packed a bag and fueled up the audi and hit highway 17 east on route to the capital. i met up with jenn who had left a bit earlier in the day. we hooked up with bullets(friend of steve & jenn`s from oama)for a late snack in little italy and then called it a night. we weren`t in town to party, we were there to train and learn from the best jiu jitsu practitioner/competitor in the world...roger gracie!!

the seminar was off the hook. roger`s game is legendary for being very basic but what he does, he does better than anyone on the planet. if roger gets mount...he wins. i won`t go into a detailed rant on what he taught. what i will tell you is that my game improved from that afternoon on the mats at oama. without a doubt, when you train with the best in the world, you can only get better.

not only is roger an amazing talent, but he`s truly a very cool guy. i got to talk to him a bit during the class as well as afterwards. i`m pumped for his fight in september vs king mo lawal, former strikeforce light heavyweight champion and div 1 wrestler. he`ll be back in ottawa in the fall from what i understand. if you miss him the next time around, you`ll kick yourself. the trip is worth every penny.

myself with roger

in other news, i`m nearing my second birthday. (my bjj birthday is august 9th, 2009) that doesn`t seem like a big deal, but it is to me. to celebrate, i ordered some zebra mats so i can train at home with my boys. i`ll post some pictures when they arrive. i can`t wait! :)

see you at the club!
y.

UFC - RIO

2011-07-06T19:25:00.001-07:00

REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS CARD!!

UFC Rio - Versão do Diretor from Leandro Rial on Vimeo.

BJJ REVELATION!

2011-07-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

So I was folding Noël and Ben`s gis tonight and I had a revelation. There comes in a point in every boys` life where he doesnt want to be hugged and cuddled by his Dad. (at the least, not in public)

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will allow me to hug my sons while allowing them to be "cool". haha!

on a seperate note...

I`ve been on the mat a ton lately. I managed to train 4 times this past week which was a real treat for me. I`m hoping that now that July has arrived, I`ll have a bit more time to put in the work.

Next Sunday, I`ll be at the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts for a seminar with Roger Gracie. Stay tuned for a full rundown when I get back.

Life is good...enjoy it.
Y.

fridays are always great days

2011-06-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

After spending the week on the road for work, Friday finally showed up on my doorstep. After clearing up some paperwork and administration, I headed over to the club for 11am class. After some light stretching, Steve asked if I could lead the small class through warmups which I was happy to do. I figured today`s class would be nice and light seeing as the people I lead through warmups were all on the newer side...fresh meat. That is until Adam Gignac showed up.

It`s very rare that I`m able to sneak out during working hours for a class. However, it seems that everytime I do, I end up paired up with my buddy Adam. Don`t get me wrong, that`s not a bad thing. It just means I`m going to get crushed at some point. Adam is my size, pretty much the same height and weight. The difference is that he`s a blue belt who really knows how to distribute his weight and make himself feel very heavy. His grips are also becoming somewhat legendary.

To make a long story short, we had a great class. We worked on s-mount, weight distribution and arm locks from mount. I could feel the sweat beading off my freshly shaven head. Working with Adam helps me see how I should be playing the game. One day at a time, one foot in front of the other. I`ll get there...eventually.

Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) talks about his first class.

2011-06-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

where am i with my bjj?

2011-06-04T20:57:00.001-07:00

So I`ve been training BJJ now for just under 2 years. (started August 9th, 2009) I`ve got 3 stripes on my white belt and I`m starting to find my purpose. My combination of health and age brings me to the realization that I`ll never be a real competitor in the sport. I had planned to compete a few times, but my health always had other ideas. (I`m not complaining, I feel great and my condition is under control, just stating the facts.) With that said, I do have a goal of competing next year...maybe just once. We`ll see how it goes and play it by ear.

That`s not to say I don`t have any goals. Nothing could be further from the truth. BJJ is an incredible cardio workout and when things are going your way, it`s a ton of fun! Like many Canadian boys, I grew up loving hockey and wrestling. Back in the early 80`s my Mom`s youngest brother Norm lived in our basement while he attended college. My Saturday mornings consisted of watching International Wrestling with Norm which always led to me kicking his ass like my hero Rick Martel did to Dino Bravo. My point is, I`ve always loved to wrestle and rough house with my friends. With BJJ, I get to keep doing that as an adult. :)

I`m getting sidetracked...back to my point. I`ll be 35 on August 1st and my personal goals are clear. Earn my 4th stripe and work towards earning my blue belt in 2012.

So what will it take to get there? The quick answer is "more time on the mat". That`s a given...but I`ve also got to work on my weak areas and develop a gameplan. You might wonder why I need a gameplan when I`m not planning to become an active competitor. Well, BJJ is a game. When you`re new to it, it looks like a puzzle with many pieces scattered across the floor. As you learn to put some of those pieces together, the puzzle turns into a chess match. You can either spend your time trying to put the pieces together on the mat (which could take an eternity), or develop some type of gameplan. Being strategic in training means focusing on the basics and creating a formula based on your strengths and weaknesses. Once this is figured out, along with the ability to escape basic positions using muscle memory, I think I`ll be ready for that next step. Faixa Azul!

In related news, Noël turned 7 in April and has now moved up to the Kids BJJ class, graduating from the Little Ninja`s program. He`s big enough and certainly smart enough to make the jump, I just need to be sure he continues to enjoy the sport while learning with the bigger kids. I was proud of him today...he did really well.

Ben, being 5, will be in the little ninja`s program for a couple more years. He seems to be taking a bit more of a leadership role in class. He was proud to be the highest ranking student in his class today. That meant he stood at the front of the lineup for opening and closing remarks.

What`s most important for me is that both boys are having fun. So far so good!

the seminar, party at poulin`s, seminar day two, weekend over.

2011-05-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Pat & Hammer came up from Ottawa for our spring seminar. Pat changed up the format and we focused on gameplanning, the art of "learning" jiu jitsu and long term development. The first hour, Hammer focused on a few "go to" takedowns with options depending on how your opponent reacts. This system was followed for the remainder of the day. We basically designed a flow chart so that we could gain a better understanding of what`s happening during a match, which leads to understanding brazilian jiu jitsu.

Many people will tell you they understand jiu jitsu, but truth behind that statement lies behind hours of practice, drilling technique and building muscle memory. The end result is knowing where you are, what you`re looking for and the ability to react on the fly.

Last night, we headed over to Guy`s house to watch UFC 130. We were a good bunch, lots of shits and giggles were had by all. Naturally, I left before the real shenanigans started. I logged onto facebook earlier tonight and saw Guy in fine form in one of his trademark suits. The pictures that followed showed Guy in that suit minus his pants...followed by pictures of Guy, in his suit, with no pants, flat on his back with people tearing off his tighty whities. Good grief Charlie Brown.

Today was day 2 of the weekend seminar. Like a true gong show, I ended up being a few minutes late. (I called Steve to let him know and apologized to both Pat & Hammer). We drilled some more, learned a few more techniques and then had some fun.

Hammer is competing at the World Championships in Long Beach California next week (at his brown belt level) so Pat decided to have us shark tank him so he could get some training in a few days before the flight to the west coast. One by one, we slapped hands and got to rolling. (no time limit, roll until submission)

Did I mention I was a gong show today? I got down with Matt and within 30 seconds, I had gotten into his half guard, had my arm stuffed, was swept and he finished me off with an armbar. I didn`t get a chance to try anything, but let`s be real, I`m a white belt who`s been training since August 2009. Hammer is a world class brown belt who has wins over some of the biggest names in jiu jitsu. (Ryan Hall, Miguel Torres and has competed in championship matches against world class black belts like JT Torres etc)So yeah...I wasn`t actually planning to submit him with a flying triangle choke, I just wanted to last more than 30 seconds. Hammer, if you`re reading this, I want my rematch...in about 10 years.

At the end of the day, Pat & Hammer once again delivered on a weekend seminar that will surely help improve the game of anyone who attended. If you didn`t attend (assuming you`re a training partner of mine), be sure to attend the next one. These are hours on the mat that you just shouldn`t miss.

Back to the club tomorrow to pick up where we left off. A bit better than I was on Friday.

Pat Cooligan Seminar this weekend!

2011-05-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

I really should be in bed sleeping, but sleep hasn't been a good friend to me lately. I just can't get my wake/sleep cycle to cooperate with me.

At any rate, in roughly 10 hours, I'll be stretching and warming up my joints for another Pat Cooligan seminar at the club. (my 5th since joining back in August 2009)

On a related note, tomorrow night is UFC 130 at Guy's place. I'll report back on both fronts in the coming days.

Stay tuned!!

random update on me

2011-05-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I`ve taken a bit of flack for slacking on updating the blog. The first quarter of 2011 saw me traveling more for work and recouperating from an illness left me feeling pretty beat up. With that said, I`m back and feeling better than I have in a long time. Enough about that...

Life at the club has been good. Classes are always packed and membership continues to grow. My boys are enjoying their classes and improving with every passing week. Noël is itching to move up to the kids program. I`d hoped to put that off until the fall for a miriad of reasons but it looks like he`ll make the jump sooner than later. Watching Ben run drills is a riot. His "pirate face" on the mat is becoming legendary.

Next week we have our head instructor, Pat Cooligan coming in for a two day seminar. If you`re new to the club, you need to be sure to attend. Pat brings a wealth of knowledge. I`m really looking forward to it.

Talk soon!
Y.

this is funny...

2011-05-16T05:55:00.001-07:00

Ricardo Almeida

2011-05-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

a good video on where the big dog is now and thoughts on retiring from mma for a second time.

Ricardo Almeida: Life After MMA from Veazey Street Productions on Vimeo.

the master in action

2011-04-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

Get a bird's eye view of Master Renzo Gracie teaching GSP and Frankie Edgar at his academy in Manhattan. (John Cholish is also seen working with Edgar). Steve, Jenn, Big Kevin & I learned this specific guillotine choke from Rolles Gracie last December at Gracie Barra Montreal. Just awesome!!

Rolles Gracie

2011-04-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

Rolles Gracie made his return to the cage this weekend with a submission win over Braden Bice at UCC fights 4 in New Jersey.

Tilt your screen (or your head) and enjoy the quick work he made of his opponent.

Hayabusa MMA

2011-04-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

If you're a faithful reader of the blog, let me apologize for my inactivity. My work life since January 1st of this year has seen me on the road quite a bit and free time has been at a premium. (family first!)

At any rate, early this morning, I was checking my facebook and I noticed a familiar name at the top right hand side of my screen. We apparently had a friend in common and facebook decided we should be reconnecting.

The real beauty of facebook is when you're able to reconnect with a genuinely old friend you haven't talked to in years. My friend, is Craig Clement. Craig and I grew up together on Dearbourne Drive in Sudbury, were in the same class from kindergarden to 8th grade and played hockey together growing up. When high school rolled around, we went off into different directions (Craig to St-Charles...myself to Notre-Dame).

Around 8th grade, prior to high school Craig and his family moved away from Dearbourne, so I really only saw him when we faced off against each other on the ice.

Fast forward 20 years...(damn, that makes me feel old) and here we are touching base on Facebook. I sent Craig a quick note and before he had a chance to reply, I looked up his info and his employer said "Hayabusa MMA". I decided to google his name and low and behold, Craig is the president & owner of one of MMA's biggest brand names.

All I can think is I'm impressed as hell and proud of how successful my old friend has become. My gear bag (Hayabusa) is filled with rash guards and shorts from his company. Today, I stopped into the Fight Company and picked up the new Gi they've come out with.

This is all very cool...but at the end of the day, touching base with my old buddy seems even cooler. Congrats on your success Craig! I look forward to hanging out someday and trading old stories from the good old days.

Check out the new video with Robert Drysdale promoting Hayabusa's new BJJ Gi.

The greatest interview...more gold from Nick Diaz.

2011-04-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Nick is awesome...puts Ariel Helwani in his place and then gives some good views on the pitfalls of the unified rules of MMA vs the old Pride rules.

"Hips & Elbows"

2011-03-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

This is yet another great video from Nicolas Gregoriades posted on his website, www.jiujitsubrotherhood.com Professor Gregoriades was the first person to receive a black belt under Roger Gracie. I really like how he makes concepts very easy to understand and retain.

GSP can fight...but can he surf?

2011-03-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

I`m still alive!

2011-03-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delay between posts. The last month has been relatively un-eventful for me. I hadn`t been able to train due to a very busy work schedule that saw me on the road quite a bit. It also didn`t help that I`ve been runned down physically so the break was necessary.

I`ve trained twice in the last couple days which means I`m back into the routine...finally.

At any rate, lots of coolness on the horizon at the club. April 23rd, we`ll be hosting a Muay Thai - Kickboxing event at the Caruso Club here in Sudbury. Steve had asked me a while back if I`d be interested in matchmaking the event and it sounded like fun, so we got to it.

We`ve currently got 10 confirmed matchups with the hopes of a few more. We`ll have fighters representing Sudbury BJJ & Muay Thai, Sudbury MMA, the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts (Ottawa), Mattawa Kickboxing (Mattawa), Ares Kickboxing (North Bay), Matador MMA (Toronto), Samir`s Combat Reaction (Hamilton) and possibly a few more.

You can get tickets by calling (or visiting) the club or by sending me an email or note on facebook. Tickets are $35 for general admission and a good portion of the gate will go to an education fund for Austin Roy in Richy`s memory. It`ll certainly be a great night of fights so come on out and cheer on some up and coming fighters. Who knows...we might end up seeing one or two of these athletes make it all the way to the UFC one day.

I`ll be in touch soon...I promise.

Y.

Bas Rutten is the man.

2011-02-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Find 2 hours where you can sit by your computer and listen to Bas Rutten and Joe Rogan talk about the old days of Pride as well as Bas' incredible stories from Holland, Japan, the UFC etc. I'd love to see Bas added as a 3rd mic on UFC broadcasts. (or we could just get rid of Mike Goldberg and let Rogan & Rutten take over the world...interesting thought eh?)

two fights from last weekend

2011-02-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Igor Gracie and John Cholish both faught on the Strikeforce "Fedor vs Bigfoot" card on Showtime. Igor really needs no introduction, but John Cholish is also a fighter from Team Renzo Gracie NY. Both had awesome fights and brought home the win. Enjoy the fights!

Schoolyard bullies.

2011-02-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I can't stand...it's a bully. Bullying takes different forms, physical & verbal.

I had written a blog earlier this year where Noel stuck up for his little buddy at school when he was being physically bullied in the washroom at school. He ended up being the one who got in trouble and was sent to the office. For anyone who knows Noel, you can imagine this didn't go over well. As proud as I was on the inside, Roxanne and I had to sit him down and have a talk reaffirming that we werent upset with him, but the next time, he should find a teacher (or adult if not at school) and tell them what's happening rather than first resorting to getting physical.

Fast forward to today. Apparently Noel was playing with his friends and the class bully ran over and socked him in the belly. He was upset and went and told the teacher who was supervising recess. He did exactly what we told him to do. The teacher took the bully to the office where we've been told he'll spend recess for the next few days. We're hoping his parents will also be getting a phone call, but in this day and age, it's difficult to tell whether that will make any difference or not. (not all parents think the way we do).

At any rate, here I sit thinking the situation over in my head. My brain tells me we've done the right thing and hopefully, this kid's parents will deal with their son accordingly. My heart on the other hand kind of wishes that my boy would have reacted with a double leg takedown, pass to mount and smothered him into the snow until a teacher came by. My brain wins this one but eventually we will have this talk. As a parent, I struggle with what a 6 year old would consider the appropriate amount of force which is why we continue to practice what we preach.

It's odd this happened today. At the club on Saturday, I was told the kids program will be starting the anti-bullying program. They'll also look at it with the Little Ninjas but will do an age appropriate version.

At the end of the day, I'm happy with how Noel handled the situation. He's a big strong kid who will be able to handle himself as he grows up. It's those life lessons along the way that will be interesting.

The Politics of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2011-02-06T11:37:00.001-08:00

I started this blog a year ago today to follow my journey as a white belt learning the art I`ve come to love. (I`ve been training 1.5 years now) In the last 365 days, the page has been viewed over 7000 times. Not exactly something that will be listed in top google trends, but hopefully those who`ve been reading have enjoyed it so far.

Today, I figured I`d get on my soapbox and give my opinion on the politics of BJJ. It should be noted that this is my own point of view and mine alone.

Sudbury is a small city and Jiu Jitsu is a sport which is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the popularity of mixed martial arts and the UFC in particular. As more people train, more clubs are bound to open their doors for business.

I`ve heard some clubs state they don`t play into politics and their members can train wherever they want and the business model behind the club doesnt matter etc because it`s for a love of the sport. What I find funny is that it`s members of these clubs who are the first to talk trash about other clubs and the level of instruction that may or may not be given at another club.

The reality of the situation is that if a person hasn`t trained at a specific club, they don`t know what the instruction is like and really don`t have a leg to stand on when critisizing the competition. There are then the grapplers who`ve trained at different clubs and then moved on to others. My question is why did they leave in the first place? Some may have had legitimate reasons, but for the mostpart, it usually always comes down to differences in personality (which is putting it lightly) or the member wasn`t able to pay their membership fees etc.

Then there is loyalty to your team. There are people who believe that you should be able to train at any club, at any time. These are people who see BJJ as an individual sport. They don`t recognize the team atmosphere which is imbeded into the culture of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. These people seem to think that if a club takes that approach, it`s a negative thing. My suggestion to those who share this view would be to look at the people at the root of our sport/art. If you were to go to Brazil, do members of Gracie Barra train with members of Nova Uniao? Do any of them cross-train with members of Alliance? I`m by no means an expert here, but I`m thinking the answer is no.

Why should it be any different in Canada? There is a team atmosphere in BJJ and that should be respected. But sometimes I hear grumblings from people who want to train "anywhere they want" that this is "politics". My view is that these guys just don`t get it.

At any rate, I`ll just leave it at that for now. Be proud of your club, train hard but smart. Help your training partners improve their game. This in turn will certainly help yours. Lastly, don`t worry about what other clubs are doing. Let them say what they want to say. Concern yourself with being ready to smash them on the mat when it comes time to compete. The medals on our walls speak for themselves.

Wreck MMA recap (courtesy of The Fight Network)

2011-02-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

Fight News: Wreck MMA: Strong and Proud Recap from TheFightNetwork on Vimeo.

this looks really cool.

2011-02-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Wreck MMA / Strong & Proud

2011-01-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

Had another great roadtrip with my friends from the club. On Friday, Paul B, Lisa, Jenn, Steve and I packed into my Hyundai Entourage and headed east to Gatineau, Quebec for "Wreck MMA, Strong & Proud!". Wreck is a professional mixed martial arts promotion put on by our friends at the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts.

This was Wreck`s 5th event and the 3rd I`ve been able to attend. The previous two were held at the Robert Guertin Arena, but this time around, it was held at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Casino. A smaller venue, but clearly a step up in prestige.

The card was pretty impressive with 3 former UFC vets and some of Canada`s best up and coming fighters. OAMA was well represented with 4 fights on the card with the co-main event featuring the retirement fight of Mark "Boots" Holst vs Markhaile "Showtime" Wedderburn. Showtime came in with a flashy entrance, but it did little to help him once the cage door was locked behind him. After a few early exchanges, Holst dominated the fight and showed the improvement in his wrestling to finish out the first round. The second round was more of the same with Mark finally taking Wedderburn`s back and inflicting some punishment until he was able to secure the rear naked choke to put an end to the fight.

Boots did leave the door open to a rematch with Nabil Khatib who he beat back at the first Wreck MMA event in December of 2009. Apparently Nabil is still saying that the first was stopped too early, so perhaps we`ll see them do it again in the not too distant future. Congrats to Mark on the win and best of luck with the new plans. I, along with many others hope to see him fight again.

I`d also like to mention the win by Kru Jeff Harrisson who was fighting a last minute opponent at Welterweight (two weight classes above where Jeff usually fights) Great job sir! Chris St-Jean lost a narrow decision which in my opinion could have gone his way. He landed the most damage and submission attempts but cage control and a few minutes of non-action were his likely downfall.

It was a really great night of fights!

We ended up crashing at 3am which lead to a late morning for this handful of 30 somethings. We grabbed lunch in the market in Ottawa and then hopped back into the van and made our way back home.

Travelling with these folks is always fun. Next time I hope we`ll have time to train at the almighty OAMA before having to head back home. I`m also hoping that Roxanne comes with us next time. Someone (other than myself), needs to convince her that live MMA is always a great time.

Here`s a picture of Steve, Myself and Paul getting to our seats at last night`s event. No complaints here!

See you at the next event, until then, you can find me on the mat!

training with the spider monkey

2011-01-22T13:05:00.001-08:00

Take a look the the guy in these pictures. Aside from being a bit odd, he`s 150 lbs of blue belt jiu jitsu knowledge. Guy`s been training nearly 4 years and has the best triangle choke at the club.

I outweigh Guy by nearly 75 lbs. He`s proof that consistent training and technique wins over brute strength everytime. Today, I named him Guy "the spider monkey" Poulin. Let`s see if it sticks.

Watching Guy and Steve S-roll (or flow roll) was fun. The speed kept picking up and their transistions seemed very smooth. After class, Guy and I rolled a bit more and I wanted to focus on working from my guard. Guy pointed out a few things that I was able to feel comfortable with right away. (not letting my secrets out today, I want to see how many guys my size I`ll be able to catch using these new ideas).

At any rate, once again, a great Saturday afternoon at Sudbury BJJ. Thanks to Guy for taking the time to share his own ideas and training with me dispite our size difference. For me, it`s awesome to roll with guys who understand the push and pull, technique over power, this is gold and I need to keep focusing on applying it to my own game.

This is a picture of Guy in Japan, dressed as a Samurai. What a weirdo! haha!

Wreck MMA & good times at Sudbury BJJ

2011-01-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day! I skipped lunch today and swung by the club for noon hour Nogi training. The class was small, but Paul led us through some single leg takedown techniques and then we jumped into some randori.

I very rarely train without the gi and most times I feel lost without a collar or sleeve to latch onto for control. Today was different and that might be simply due to the quality of training partners that were out, but the flow felt pretty good.

I`ve learned that my top game is decent in terms of positional control, but I do need to keep working on my guard. I often say that some days I feel like it`s my first day on the mat and others feel like I`ve been training for 18 months. Today was one of those days where things felt pretty good. I was hanging with the blue belts. Ok...that`s enough patting myself on the back for now.

In other news, next Friday, January 28th, I`m headed to the Hilton Lac Leamy Casino in Gatineau, QC for Wreck MMA "Strong & Proud". The card is stacked with some of Canada`s best fighters along with former UFC fighters, Kalib Starnes, Joe "Diesel" Riggs and OAMA`s own hometown boy, Mark "Boots" Holst. As noted online, this will be Mark`s last fight (for now) as he`s looking at taking a few years off to compete in BJJ and work towards acheiving his black belt. He`ll also be travelling to Thailand to train and fight down there. If that wasn`t enough to keep him busy, he`ll also be opening up an OAMA school with his mentor and our head instructor, Professor Pat Cooligan.

The fight I`m most looking forward to is Mark`s fight vs Showtime Wedderburn. Both fighters have a solid Muay Thai background so it`s promising to be a standup war. The big question here is wether or not Showtimw will show up on weight. (He`s failed to make weight for his last 3 fights).

Another fight I`m excited about is between Robin Black and Mike Reilly. This could be Robin`s last fight as he`ll be focusing on his career at the Fight Network. I`m a big fan of Robin`s so I`m really hoping he goes out on top with a big win.

Aside from these fights, more of our teamates from OAMA will be on the card. Kru Jeff Harrison, Remi "Bam Bam" Morvin and Sudbury MMA`s Chris St-Jean will be starting out the night in his second pro fight.

Man...I`m excited! I can`t wait for next weekend! If you`re intersted in coming out, let me know asap. Without question, it`ll be an awesome night!

The Cauliflower Chronicles (Marshal D. Carper)

2011-01-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

Last week, I finally got my copy of Marshal Carper`s "The Cauliflower Chronicles". I can`t remember which website or article I had read that tipped me off on this book, but I`d kept the title in the back of my mind as a book I wanted to read.

It`s the author`s story of leaving home in Pennsilvania and spending a semester on an exchange program with the University of Hawaii in Hilo. Carper was studying to become a writer and planned to use the time in Hilo to train at BJ Penn`s Academy with the hopes of earning his blue belt.

I found myself interested in the story based on the path my own life has taken over the last 2 years. As everyone knows, I`m a white belt in BJJ, working towards acheiving my blue belt under Pat Cooligan (Renzo Gracie Ottawa). I had also made my own pilgramage to the BJ Penn Academy back in 2009 when I visited the big island of Hawaii.

The book goes into the author`s personal life, relationships with his ex-girlfriend, old crowd of friends from home, his new school mates at the University of Hilo as well as his new friends and training partners at the academy.

Again, this is where his story felt similar to mine. Over the last few years, I`ve felt myself become more disconnected from my long time circle of friends. I had moved to London in 1999 and moved back to Sudbury in 2005. It`s nothing anyone said or did, I just felt like an outsider looking in. I guess it goes with finding a sport (or martial art) that you`re passionate about, but being with like minded people who share the same passion really makes a person feel at home.

At any rate, I won`t write much more about it but I will recommend you read this book. It`s very well written and comes across as very honest. (you`ll know what I mean when you read it)

Here is a picture of myself outside the BJ Penn Academy in Hilo, Hawaii back in February of 2009.

This is the cover of the book, you can find on amazon.ca by searching the title of the book.

What do you love and hate about Jiu-Jitsu?

2011-01-14T11:41:00.001-08:00

Took this from GracieMag.Com

Ten things you love about Jiu-Jitsu

10) Finishing that guy ten years younger than you and that other one forty-five pounds heavier at the academy.
9) The inner peace from knowing Jiu-Jitsu is always with you, should you need it as a last resort when some unexpected problem arises in the streets.
8) The fact your body had never been in such great shape before.
7) Watching the UFC is a lot more fun now you really understand the ground game.
6) The fact your brain has never worked so well before – at training, work, study...
5) Discovering, with every training sessions, the most evident defects of your own personality. Fighting to correct what you can and better live with what you can't change.
4) The bosom friends made at the academy.
3) Taking your old friends to train with you and seeing them as stoked as you.
2) Improving your diet, to feel well nourished and train well.
1) Learning at least one valuable lesson per day on GRACIEMAG.com.

Seven things you hate about Jiu-Jitsu

7) Getting submitted time and again by that little pipsqueak at the gym.
6) Sweating to get the stink out of your gi when washing it.
5) That little ache that never goes away.
4) UFC fans who don't understand Jiu-Jitsu and boo the good fights.
3) Missing training for a silly reason.
2) That swollen ear.
1) The need to exercise patience with your friends who don't agree that GRACIEMAG is the best magazine in the world, insisting on Esquire, Time, The New Yorker, Surfer's, etc., etc...

RICHY ROY (1982-2011)

2011-01-07T11:31:00.001-08:00

Today we lost a good member of the club. Richy Roy was killed in a mining accident at Kidd Mine in Timmins.

I met Richy about a year ago when he joined Sudbury BJJ. He had a background as a high school wrestler from Chemmy and was one of Paul (Berthiaume)'s boys.

In jiu jitsu, you get to know your training partners pretty quickly. The nature of the sport sees alot of close contact so getting past the initial stages of "hello my name is" to "bro, you need to wash your junk because you stink...but I still love you" comes pretty quick.

The pictures I've posted are from Richy's first competition at the Arnold's in Ohio last winter. Funny story, I had hoped to go, but was away on business in Alberta at the time. Along with the BJJ competition, the Arnolds is a huge martial arts and sports expo. At any rate, Arianny Celeste (ring card girl for the UFC) was going to be in attendance. I'm a happily married man, but I've often joked about my love for Arianny.

So, with that, I told the guys heading to the expo that if one of them could find Arianny and have her hold up a signed piece of paper saying hello to me, there would be some type of prize in it for them when they got back. Well...apparently the lineup to see Miss Arianny was pretty long, so Richy decided to find a replacement for me. The flash from the picture blurred out the message to me, but you'll appreciate Richy's humour here. (if you've seen it on his facebook page, he tagged me on it and left a pretty funny caption for yours truly).

Richy did manage to meet a handful of UFC fighters, here's a picture he got with The Natural, Randy Couture.

We often talked at length in the locker room after a training session. Last winter, he was gearing up to head back to work with Redpath, but most of the time, we talked about our boys. Richy was very proud of his son Austin and although I never saw them together, I know he was a great father just from the pride he took when talking about him.

Richy will be missed by everyone he came in contact with and it goes without saying that he'll be missed at Sudbury BJJ.

Rest in peace Richy! You sir...are the man.

Goals for 2011

2010-12-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

New years resolutions are sometimes difficult to maintain. The truth is, we make these resolutions with the greatest of intents, but rarely do we follow through and make them a part of our everyday lives. How many times have you made the same resolutions year after year?

Back in the summer of 2009, I started a facebook page called "watch me lose it". The plan was to shed the weight I`d put on over the last 10 years. I got off to a decent start and dropped about 12 or 13 lbs after starting to train jiu jitsu and paying a bit more attention to my diet. My weight dropped and maintained itself to around 213 lbs for most of the year.

As detailed in previous blogs, on September 30th, 2010, I had a colonoscopy and started a new treatment cycle for Ulcerative Proctitis and subsequently put the weight back on. So here I am.

I`ve started making changes to my diet and seeing a Naturopath to clean out my system. (started supplements on December 22nd)

I`m realistic in knowing I`ll probably never be successful with quitting anything cold turkey. I`ve got to curb my caffeine intake and eventually ween myself off of it completely. (can I do it? it`ll be tough)

DRINK MORE WATER!! (goes without saying)

Make healthier choices whenever possible...just gotta do it.

Lastly...train...train...train.

I`ve got to get myself back into a routine of training a minimum of twice a week. 3 times a week whenever possible. Leave it all on the mat...sweat it out and improve.

My goal in BJJ is to lose the weight and train to compete at the Ontario Open in April and then the Renzo Gracie Invitational in May. From there, earn the 4th stripe to my white belt and work my ass off to earn my blue belt before the end of 2011. (that`s a lofty goal, but if not in 2011, I want to earn it by spring 2012).

Ok, enough about me, it`s time to focus on BJJ and MMA.

Who`s looking forward to UFC 125? I`m excited to see Frankie Edgar hand Maynard his first loss and retain the lightweight belt. Another fight I`m looking forward to is Nate Diaz vs Don Hyun Kim. The card isn`t my favorite on paper, but those are usually the ones that deliver. Should be a good night of fights.

2010 was a good year

2010-12-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Where did 2010 go? It seems like the older I get, the quicker time seems to pass. Sounds pretty cliché, but that`s just the way it goes I guess.

It`s been a great year, my boys have enjoyed the little ninja`s program and have earned 3 stripes on their yellow/white belts. The main thing is they`ve fallen into the routine and learned from the mat chats which they`ve learned to apply to their everyday lives. With the busy month of December, they`ve missed a few classes, but with the year round schedule and their young age, I think it`s important to take small breaks in order to keep them interested when they`re there. They`re looking forward to 2011.

Looking back at the last year, I`ve learned alot on the mats. I`ve had the luxury of travelling with some good friends to learn from black belts in Ottawa, Los Angeles and Montreal. I`ve also attended 3 seminars locally under Pat Cooligan, our head instructor and black belt from OAMA.

I attended 3 MMA events, one in Ottawa which saw Jenn`s MMA debut at Wreck and both UFC events in Montreal, UFC 113 and 124.

With that said, my health was a struggle for the first 3 quarters of the year, but I`ve been able to endure, work around it and continue to train. Thankfully, with the help of my doctors, I`ve gotten things under control (I have a form of Ulcerative Colitis). I`ve recently also started seeing a Naturopath Doctor who`s going to help me with my nutrition and started me on supplements to heal the condition which may have contributed to my UC.

Ok, without getting too sidetracked by my gut problems, the point I`m trying to get to is that 2011 will see a renewed focus on my overall health. Combining diet and lifestyle changes with a continued focus on my training at Sudbury BJJ.

I`ve got some goals I`ve set out for myself for 2011. I want to finally shed some of this weight I`ve been carrying around, plan to possibly compete in the spring and travel to NYC to train at Renzo Gracie`s main academy in Manhattan. I`ll write more about these goals in the coming weeks.

With that, I`d like to wish you a Merry Christmas! I`m looking forward to spending time with my family and catching up with some old friends. If you want to find me next week, I`ll be taking advantage of a few days off work to train during the day. Shoot me a note on facebook or text message my phone if you`d like to come out!

Stay tuned...more to come in 2011!
Y.

Christmas at Sudbury BJJ & Muay Thai Academy

2010-12-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven`t been able to get back onto the mat since returning from Montreal. I took the day off on Monday to recouperate and spend some time with my family and then got beat up by a nasty cold. I`ve been pretty lucky so far this year, so I guess it was just my turn.

At any rate, Friday night, the club celebrated the holidays with a dinner over at Frank`s Deli on Durham followed by a shaker over at the club. There was food, spirits (for those who are of legal age), foozeball & kareoke. Guy Poulin lead the charge behind the microphone with some now classic top 40 material by Lady Gaga and Jay Z. Yes, as is customary, Guy eventually began shedding layers of clothing. Hilarity ensued.

Steve & Jenn were great hosts and thanked the staff and club members for another successful year at our new home on Montrose. (Can you believe one year ago we were moving into the new club?)

There were also two awards given out. The first was the BEAR Award, named after Brian "Bear" Kutschke. This award was created last year after Brian dedicated many hours to building the new club. It`s an award that goes to the member who shows dedication to the club and helps promote a good atmosphere. (well, I struggling to say exactly what it`s for because this year`s winner was none other than yours truly)

I`m humbled by that and appreciate the recognition of being a good club member. My family and I enjoy the time we spend there and it`s really become a second home for us.

The second award, newly created for 2010 was the Renzo Gracie Competition Award. This goes out to the member who showed excellence in competition. The first to be awarded this honour goes to none other than Jessie "The Kid" Cronier. As many of you know, Jessie has brought home some hardware in BJJ tournements and has really stepped it up in Muay Thai having won the World Championships for his division in Iowa and becomming the Ontario Provincial Champion for his weight class this fall. He`s also competed twice in New York City in two prestigious events, Fright Night Fights and the NY MMA Expo. Jessie is fighting again on January 14th, 2011 at another Friday Night Fights card in Manhattan, NY. Let`s all continue to encourage the kid to train hard and keep his focus on a fight career that shows alot of potential. Good luck dude!

Yesterday, the club had an inhouse BJJ tournament for both the kids and adult programs. The entry fee was a new toy drive for underpriveledged kids. The turnout was great and everyone had a great time. Results at an inhouse competition don`t really matter, the big difference between this and randori (sparring) that we do on a daily basis is that now we`re actually counting points and competing under the same rules as the IBJJF. It`s a great tune up for anyone who likes to compete in actual tournaments and get used to the rules.

If you want to see pictures from the Xmas party or in-house event, click on Kevin Crittenden`s profile on facebook. He took some really good photos. (you can also see photos from the Rolles Gracie seminar in Montreal from last weeked)

Have a great week! I`ll see you at the club!
Y.

~SUPER SATURDAY~

2010-12-13T08:25:00.001-08:00

I really can't think of a better title for this blog than "Super Saturday". It was an awesome day full of world class jiu jitsu instruction followed by UFC 124, St-Pierre vs Koscheck 2.

Friday morning, Jenn, Steve, Kevin & I hit the road and made our way to Montreal. Weather wasn't the greatest, but all in all, nothing to complain about. Our first stop was in Deep River at the Laurentian restaurant. (a great 50's style diner and ice cream joint). Our waitress was a bit of a character and when they cleaned our booth, she simply wiped the crumbs off the table and spread them on Kevin's lap. He enjoyed this. After filling up on blt's and some laughs, we jumped back in the van and pointed ourselves towards Ottawa. We made a quick stop at OAMA to say hello to the guys and again, were back on the road and headed to our final destination...the beautiful city of Montreal!

We got in after 8pm, I was pretty tired and opted to order some room service and get settled in while Steve, Jenn and Kevin went for a walk to grab a bite. We ended an early night and hit the sack shortly after midnight to prepare for what was going to be a busy day. Well...a great night's sleep wasn't in the cards as 4am rolled around, I was woken up by a brawl in the hallway just outside our room on the 8th floor at the Holiday Inn. I was half asleep and my curiosity wanted to pull me out of bed to watch the action, but my physical being was telling me I was too comfortable and should just listen in the hopes of hearing Rogan's play by play. (I was half asleep, so this seemed logical at the time). It didn't last very long, just a few minutes, but eventually, after what sounded like crashing into my room services dishes and doorframe, a door opened and slammed a few times and the volume levels dropped back to zero. (Apparently Jenn and Steve were also woken up in the next room and called the front desk. Steve watched through the peep hole of his room. He's such a badass!) haha! Kevin seemed to sleep through the commotion, but now I was faced with the task of falling back asleep while he snored like a bear at the beginning of winter.

Saturday morning rolls around, we gear up and head to Gracie Barra Montreal. The club is owned by Professor Bruno Fernandes. He's a black belt from Rio who moved to Canada years ago and is a research professor at McGill University. (a brilliant mind)
We found our way to the club on Peel St in an industrial area and walked in. We were greated by a loud cheer and the clapping hands of approximately 75 or so people. Brown belt instructor Marc Colangelo was quick to laugh and point out that the cheers weren't for us, but for special guest Frankie "The Answer" Edgar who was doing a sparring session demo. (ufc lightweight champion frankie edgar!)

We then got geared up for the Rolles Gracie nogi seminar that was starting at 12 noon. This was the best seminar I've ever attended. The warmup was lead by Marty Rooney, the strength and conditionning coach for Team Renzo Gracie NYC. (You can check him out online at www.trainingforwarriors.com). Rooney is a super motivating presence. I'm sure Steve will use what he did for warmups at the school, so I'll leave that for him. Let's just say it opened my eyes and the simplicity of the warmup was only surpassed by how much it kicked my ass. We got instruction from Rolles and Igor Gracie, Bruno Toastes (Matt Hammil's BJJ coach from New York), Bruno Fernandes. I won't go into the techniques themselves as this blog is already getting pretty detailed because again, Steve & Jenn will be brining these back to class at Sudbury BJJ...trust me, you'll love this stuff!! (alot of arm drag to controlling the back, variations to chokes, one move built off of the other and so on. Oh, and a pretty killer takedown from the back.) I can't wait to rep these out some more!!

Near the end of class, another guest showed up at the club to a round of applause. None other than Master Renzo Gracie who was in town to corner Ricardo Almeida & Rafael Natal.

The seminar ended at 2pm and we spent the next hour hanging out with the guys. We were the only ones from Team Renzo Gracie Ottawa in attendance so Rolles & Igor hung close by as they both know Steve & Jenn very well. I also had the luxury of talking to Renzo about the fights that night, travelling in from New Jersey...and so on. What can be said about Renzo that hasn't already been said a million times? This was the second time I met him and although I'm sure he didn't recognize me, he made me feel as though he did. This is the same for Rolles & Igor...just amazing people.

Everyone emptied out for 3pm and we then had a private class with Professor Bruno Fernandes. I can't even begin to tell you how valuable this lesson was. We basically sat on the mat and went into problem solving Q&A with one of the most detailed oriented jiu jitsu minds in Canada. This was great because Steve had given us the task of thinking of questions to ask Bruno that we wanted him to touch on. Mine seemed pretty simplistic (being ideas to improve escaping cross side position which is always my nemisis on the mat). Well, I can say I wasn't disappointed by the answers and tips. His answer was "It's very simple to explain, but difficult to master...let me show you a few details I teach my students." He then showed us a few tweaks that really opened my eyes. I looked over at Steve and could see him grinning from ear to ear. (it was basically a "holy shit" moment, why didn't we ever see that?) Well, the answer there lies in the fact that Bruno is a world class black belt and BJJ is all in the details.

So we all had our turn to ask some questions and Bruno delivered on all counts. If you're ever in Montreal, you owe it to yourself to visit his school and book a private with the man. He's a great guy and welcomed us with open arms to Gracie Barra Montreal. To paraphrase him he said: "You're with Renzo Gracie Ottawa and that means you're at home here at Gracie Barra. You are welcome to train at my school anytime!" What an amazing opportunity!

As we left the school somewhere around 430pm to head back to the hotel, Jenn asked me if when I was looking at joining Jiu Jitsu, did I ever think these would be part of the perks. (I've now trained in Los Angeles, Montreal, Ottawa, etc with some of the legends of Jiu Jitsu). The answer is no, I never thought I'd get this close to the top people in the sport and martial art that I've come to love. Did I mention this was the second time I'd met Renzo Gracie? Imagine being a kid studying Kung Fu and being able to say you've learned and had social interaction with Bruce Lee...it's crazy...that's all I can say. Crazy! Vida Loca!!

Pretty awesome Saturday so far eh?? Well...it wasn't done just yet. ;)

We head back to the hotel and prepare to eat and head down to the Bell Centre for UFC 124, St-Pierre vs Koscheck 2. I'm sure everyone reading this blog knows how the night went down, so I don't need to go over a play by play. This was Jenn and Kevin's first live event so watching their excitement was also a big part of the fun.
What can I say about the main event? The building nearly exploded everytime GSP or Kos would end up on the big screen prior to the main event. When they made their way to the octagon, the electricity in the air was so strong, I nearly pee'd my pants. (ok, not to that extent, but it was a rush for sure) GSP dominated all 5 rounds and as expected, he beat up the bully and made Koscheck humble. "AND STILL, UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! GEORGES, RUSH ST-PIERRE!!"

So that ended Super Saturday...yesterday, after checkout, we dropped in at my sister's house on our way out of town. After a quick lunch, we got on the road at around 1pm and drove through one of the worst storms of the year. We took our time, had some good conversation about BJJ, good friends, family and life in general. We got home after midnight and now here I sit in decompress mode.

Ok...that took me nearly 20 minutes to write and I've actually got some work to do, so I best sign off. Kevin took some really great pictures from the seminar on Saturday and once he's got a chance to upload them, I'll post some to the blog so everyone can check them out.

Have a great week my friends...I'll see you on the mat!

TEAM RENZO GRACIE DOMINATES THE PROVINCIALS!

2010-12-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Team Renzo Gracie ventured to Aurora, Ontario to compete in the Ontario BJJ Championships. To say we did well would be an understatement. We showed up, we competed and SMASHED the competition!!

Team Renzo Gracie dominated the GI division with 126 points. The second place team, came in at 63 points. In the NoGi competition, we scored 87 points, where the second place team came in with 41. Overall, we scored 213 points with the runner up coming in with 91.

We also won the title of most supportive club.

For those who aren't familiar with Team Renzo Gracie, here's a bit of bio as to who we are. (you might as well know, because we're growing and we'll be here for the long haul!)

Lead by Renzo Gracie Black Belt Pat Cooligan and his mighty OAMA (Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts) and affiliate schools Sudbury BJJ, (lead by purple belt Steve Joncas), Sudbury MMA (lead by purple belt John Cole) and two new affiliate schools, World Championship Martial Arts (from Peterborough, lead by blue belt Jordan Preston) and Lanna Muay Thai & MMA (from Toronto, lead by purple belt Titus Sears & Kru Mel Bellissimo). The consistent results speak for themselves. Our instructors are creating champions.

Check out the following link for a list of the medalists from the weekend's tournament. Sudbury BJJ alone took home 3 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze. (and we didn't send a big group due to the last minute preparation for the event)

http://www.ontariobjjchampionship.com/result2010

Lastly, I just wanted to give a quick kudos to John Cole, he was recently promoted to purple belt in October and dominated his division and also took home gold in the purple belt absolute! There are no fake promotions on our team!! If you earn your blue belt or purple belt under Pat Cooligan, you're as good as any blue belt or purple belt on the planet. (I also guarantee we're the best in Northern Ontario without a doubt!!)

CONGRATS TO ALL WHO COMPETED OVER THE WEEKEND!! See you on the mat!!

GSP promo for UFC 124

2010-12-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Closing in on UFC 124 - Montreal!

2010-12-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

In a little over a week, Kevin, Steve, Jenn and I will be heading to Montreal for UFC 124. I'll write more about the weekend as it comes up and will blog about it when we're back. As it stands, we've got a private class booked at Gracie Barra Montreal with Professor Bruno Fernandes. Bruno is the man who awarded Georges St-Pierre his black belt in BJJ. What's also really cool is that Rolles Gracie will also be in the house on the 11th for a NoGi seminar. How awesome is this weekend going to be?

Another of GSP's BJJ coaches is none other than Renzo Gracie black belt John Danaher. If you're reading this blog and train with us at the club, or have been watching the most recent season of the Ultimate Fighter, you'll recognize him from there. With that said, Danaher is a bit of an enigma. There isn't much video of him online, but he's known around the BJJ world as one of the very best instructors on the planet. Here's a clip of Danaher with Showdown Joe Ferraro on MMA Connected showing a half guard pass to mount. (I'm looking forward to trying this one out!)

Jeff Jarrett - My New Hero?

2010-11-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

I grew up watching wrestling on TV. Back in the old days of regional promotions like "International Wrestling" from Montreal, the AWA, then later on the WWF in the early to mid-80`s. I then fell away from it and got wrapped up in Monday Night Raw`s Attitude Era in the 90`s. (it was so ridiculous that it was funny. I loved watching guys like the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin).

At any rate, professional wrestling has really tanked in popularity since the early part of the decade as the "real" sport of Mixed Martial Arts made its way into the mainstream.

The clip below is probably the first "pro-wrestling" clip that actually made me laugh in a really long time. Jeff Jarrett, owner of TNA Wrestling actually uses his newfound love of MMA to entertain. Check it out...

UFC 122 and a look at UFC 123

2010-11-14T14:54:00.001-08:00

Last night`s UFC (122) from Germany was ok. The main event between Yushin Okami and Nate Marquart wasn`t a fight for the ages, but it was good to see Okami earn a shot at the title after years of falling short. He does have a win over Anderson Silva (prior to the UFC days), but that was due to a disqualification from an upkick to a downed opponent. At any rate, the middleweight division has always been the one division that I`ve never really gotten excited over. With that said, I am pumped for the meeting between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort which has real potential.

For those who didn`t watch the card and want to see some crisp Muay Thai, google the fight between Sobota and Amir Sodallah. Amir`s technique continues to improve...it was nice to watch.

No rest for the UFC. In less than a week, they`ll do it all over again at the Palace of Auburn Hills just outside Detroit, Michigan. The main event between Rampage and Machida should be a good fight. I predict Machida will make a comback from his loss to Shogun and likely pull out a decision over Jackson. The co-main event sees Matt Hughes vs BJ Penn for the 3rd and final time. As everyone knows, they`ve each got one win over each other and this is the rubber match. Hughes has looked better in his last few fights and BJ desperately needs a win after two straight losses to Frankie Edgar at 155. Will size make a difference as it had in the past? Will BJ be in shape at 170? It`ll be interesting to find out.

The fight I`m most excited about isn`t the previously mentionned feature fights, but a bout between Joe Lauzon and George Sotiropoulos. Both of these guys bring it with every fight and the potential for fireworks is there. What I`m most looking forward to is the ground war between these two. They both have incredible grappling skills and both aren`t afraid to have a chess match on the floor. I`m not talking about "lay and pray" wrestling, but an awesome technical match up. I can`t wait for this one!

See you at the club!
Y.

Fighter Biographies

2010-11-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

I've read most Fighter autobiographies as they come out. I'm always interested in learning the back story to where these athletes come from. For the most part, I read these stories and get a deeper appreciation for who these guys are.

The first time I read a book and actually disliked the guy more (from his own story) was Matt Hughes "Made in America". I don't know if it's just that I don't connect with the redneck/farmer mentality from the mid-west USA, but that's where I began to find him unlikeable.

This also occurred recently as I just finished BJ Penn's book "Why I Fight". Let me preface by stating that I'm a fan of his fighting style and there is no doubting that he's one of the best ever. His Jiu Jitsu accomplishments are unmatched to this day and his nickname "the Prodigy" was certainly deserved. The more I read into the latter stages of the book, the more the bad rap BJ has gotten since his last GSP have proven well founded. Again, like the Matt Hughes book, this one soured me a bit on BJ. With that said, he's still a great fighter and I'm looking forward to his fight at UFC 123 vs Hughes. It'll be nice to see them beat each other up! haha!

Next book on my reading list...Jens Pulver "Little Evil". I'm told this is a great read and I'm really looking forward to it. Jens has been on a bad streak of late and retirement seemed imminent. He has however just signed to fight in Minneapolis in the new year (for a small organization). I'm hoping he pulls off a win and is able to pack it in on a good note.

UFC 122 this weekend. Not really amped up for any of the matchups in particular, but this doesn't mean it won't be a decent card. The UFC rarely puts on a bad night of fights.

Stay healthy my friends!
Yves

BJJ Superhero?

2010-11-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

interesting...

disadvantage: difficult to see & breathe
advantage: easier to slip out of a choke

winner: red man for having fun with bjj.

Bully Beatdown (season 3)

2010-11-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

I`m not a huge fan of Jason Mayhem Miller, but the guy could be entertaining at times. In the season 3 opener, Mayhem steps into the cage himself to take on a bully. It`s a pretty good episode...figured I`d post it here.

I really hope Strikeforce sets up the fight between him and Nick Diaz. I don`t know if they`ll get it done due to the weight class as Diaz is the 170lb champion and I don`t think Miller can make the cut past 85, but it would be a great fight. (which I think Diaz would take) Hopefully we get to see it.

WWW.BJJWEEKLY.COM

2010-11-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last I updated was after day one of the Cooligan seminar here in Sudbury. Day two was even better seeing as the class was much smaller. More room on the mats and a bit more personal attention when working on techniques was a great way to cap off the weekend.

If you`re reading this and you`re a club member, you need to make the effort to come out everytime Pat is in town. A three hour class with Pat will give you some new insight, two 3 hour classes will go even further. He`s only in town a few times a year, so when he is, we all need to make sure we take advantage of the opportunity.

With that, the seminar ended and Steve was packed up and headed back to Ottawa with Pat, his family and Hammer. They flew out to Rio De Janeiro, Brasil early on Monday morning for a week of training at the mecca of BJJ, the world headquarters of Gracie Barra! I haven`t heard much from Steve since he`s been out there, but he did manage to post a message on facebook that he would be training with Kayron Gracie (son of Carlos Gracie Jr) on Tuesday...among many others. I can`t wait to see some pictures, hear stories and learn a few moves he`ll be picking up.

On a different note, here`s a pretty cool video from www.bjjweekly.com. It`s a great site that I check out just about every day. Enjoy!

Pat Cooligan Seminar (Day 1)

2010-10-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today was day 1 of the Fall Pat Cooligan BJJ seminar. After the 3 hour class, my gi probably weighed a good 10 or 12lbs from the amount of sweat that poured through my skin.

We worked on the weakest part of my game...the almighty guard pass. There are 3 ways to pass your opponents guard. Over, under or around. At any rate, without going over the techniques verbatim, I now feel as though I`ve got some new options that I hadn`t really explored to date. The recurring theme was "slow down, proper technique, heavy pressure, when the guard opens up...be prepared to act!"

I was also lucky enough to have Hammer take me aside (Hammer being Matt "Hammer" Hache, an international champion brown belt) to help me work on my pass based on a question I`d had for Pat during the Q&A. It was pretty simple, but he was able to point out two mistakes I`ve been making which should help me improve my technique. I`m going to work on this for the next few months and we`ll see how far it takes me.

Day 1 ended with some promotions. I got the 3rd stripe on my white belt...one small baby step closer to blue. Congrats to Tom Lum, Mike Houle & Adam Gignac for acheiving their blue belts! I`d also like to congratulate John Cole, head instructor and owner of our sister club Sudbury MMA for earning his purple belt and being a good host for the weekend! Thanks John!

Looking forward to what tomorrow has to bring. I`m pretty burnt out, so I`m hoping to get a good night`s sleep to be ready for another 3 hour class of Jiu Jitsu goodness.

Stay healthy my friends!

Sudbury BJJ (highlight video)

2010-10-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Nice work by Jessie putting this one together. Shows the dominance of Sudbury BJJ (Team Renzo Gracie Ottawa/Sudbury) in competition. (Renzo Gracie Invitational NYC, Ontario Open, Toronto Open, Naga, The Arnolds, Ohio, etc...)

Don't blink at around the 1:30 mark, you'll see yours truly giving the old wink and nod while working a guard pass on the mat. :)

Why?! Because we're awesome!

Sudbury Muay Thai Academy (promo)

2010-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

I train fulltime in the BJJ program at Sudbury BJJ and Muay Thai Academy. There is another side of the club that many might be interested in as well. Our Muay Thai program is a favorite of my wife Roxanne. (she does the cardio and conditionning classes). We`ve also got a handful of fighters who compete regularly on the national and international stage. Here`s a video that shows what classes are like. You want a real workout?! Forget Goodlife...give us a call.

Nick Diaz - yes, I'm a fan.

2010-10-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Pat Cooligan Seminar this weekend!

2010-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Pat will be in town with Hammer for a two day seminar being held over at Sudbury MMA. This will be my 4th seminar with the big man from OAMA and I'm really looking forward to it. I've got no idea what we'll be looking at in terms of technique, but whatever it is, it will no doubt be packed with detail and my game will improve from it. If you're new to the club, you really need to make the effort to come out.

In other news, the club continues to grow. Evening classes have been packed with alot of new members signing up after taking advantage of the free trial. Last night during randori, I overheard Steve talking to a prospective member who had gassed out about a minute into his first round of light sparring. He was pointing me out as someone who used to be affected by the same affliction when I first got started in August 2009. (I can now make it past 4 minutes before gassing out...just kidding).

Actually, last night was pretty rough on me cardio wise. Ok, not cardio so much, but from a digestive point of view. I thought eating a "light" dinner of scrambled eggs and ham would do me well, but apparently wasn't the best choice an hour before a good roll. I really stunk up the joint! haha! Sorry fellas!

Velasquez vs Lesnar - UFC 121

2010-10-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

For those who haven`t seen the fight...it was a pretty epic beatdown. Enjoy!

anti-bullying

2010-10-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

In my last blog, I posted about the anti-bullying aspect of brazilian jiu jitsu for the kids program. I can now say that it's come in handy already for Noel, my 6 year old.

I didn't get much in terms of details, but when Roxanne came home after picking up the boys at school, she told me of an "incident" that happened at school. (which was also reported in his parent/teacher daily agenda).

For those of you who know my kids, Noel is a very soft-hearted and shy boy. He's so non-aggressive that during soccer season, we'd call him "ice man". Whenever he got close to the ball vs a player from the other team, he'd freeze up in fear of hurting someone or getting hurt himself. (hence the name...of course, this was my idea and all in good fun)

Getting back to the incident.

From what we were told, a 3rd grader (8 year old) was picking on Noel's friend Philippe, who happens to be the littlest boy in his class. (he's about a full head shorter than Noel) At any rate, as this was happening, Noel stepped in and shoved the older boy to the point where a teacher caught his reaction and he was sent to the principal's office.

Understanding that he was now in trouble, his heart broke and he apologized to the older boy and then made his way to Mme Tracey's office.

I didn't get anymore details from Noel but I did have a talk with him about what happened and how he reacted to it.

The truth is, I'm really proud of him. Not because he shoved the older bully, but because he wasn't afraid to stick up for his friend. I don't want anyone to miscontrue what I'm saying here, I don't want Noel to fight...ever. But I also feel good knowing that he's developed enough confidence where his natural instinct is not to just sit back and watch.

With every word I'm writing, I'm trying to think of how to explain this without painting the wrong image. I am teaching my boys to never give a bully an inch, but in the same breath, I want them to make smart decisions first and only react physically if they have no other option.

Could he have handled today's situation better? Yes...no doubt about it. The best reaction would have been to find a teacher and tell them what was happening. At the end of the day, I'm proud of Noel and he's not in any trouble with me.

I firmly believe the anti-bullying aspect of BJJ is what gave him the confidence to stand up to the older kid. He's learned how to be solid on his feet and to protect himself, we just have to be attentive parents and make sure that he continues to understand that martial arts are for self defense and he should fight fire with water. I do believe that was his intention, we just need to keep refining the approach.

All in all, I think he's going to be ok. :)

UFC 120 this weekend

2010-10-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

So Steve is in England for UFC 120 helping out in the corner of OAMA's Mark "Boots" Holst for his fight vs undefeated Brit Paul Sass. I got a cryptic message from Steve about a picture he got that should make me jealous. I can only imagine it being with Arianny Celeste...whom I'm in love with. (Sorry Roxanne)

It was great to hear Steve on CBC radio this afternoon calling in from the UK. It was a great interview and promoted Sudbury BJJ and Muay Thai Academy as a club with it's pulse on the sport at the highest level. Very exciting times!!

Tomorrow is Saturday and what does that mean? Jiu Jitsu of course! I'm looking forward to going in for the kids class with my boys followed by my session with the big boys. If you're reading this, feel free to come on out one of these days! I'd love to show you around.

Speaking of the kids program, there's been alot of talk in the media recently about the bullying epidemic in schools. Just today, I was picking up my boys from school and saw two 4 or 5 year olds bullying another young boy in the schoolyard. The victim looked scared and was asking them to stop pulling him to the ground. (it was a boy and girl doing this) At that point, I leaned over the small fence to get their attention and told them to leave the little guy alone. They complied right away and the boy looked at me, got up and walked away.

I'd be crushed if this was happening to one of my boys. With that said, the kids BJJ program would have prepared this little guy to break free from his bully's grip and get away on his own accord. (in a non-violent reaction)

I recently heard a quote about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with respect to schoolyard bullying and I thought it was an awesome perspective. With bullies, we know that the best way to put an end to it is to stand up to them. They prey on the weak and once a child shows that he (or she) won't be taken advantage of, they back off. In the same breath, we don't necessarily want our kids to react with violence. The idea of fighting fire with fire will work, but is it the most affective in the long run? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gives your kids the ability to fight fire with water! (how great does that sound?) Diffuse a situation with technique which snuffs the fire before it has a chance to burn out of control. Nobody needs to get burnt!

If you've got kids, I can't think of any better martial art to get involved with than BJJ. Our kids program at the club is very strong and my boys have been involved for nearly a year and love every minute of it. If you're interested in knowing more or want to try out a free class, check out www.sudburybjj.com or contact me on facebook. I'll hook it up!

GOOD LUCK TO MARK HOLST TOMORROW NIGHT!!

Y.

Mike Tyson is a hero of mine. (out take from TUF 12)

2010-10-07T10:03:00.001-07:00

If you're watching the newest season of the Ultimate Fighter (Koscheck vs GSP), you'll know that GSP asked Dana to invite Tyson in to talk to his guys and watch a fight. Alot of people think of Mike Tyson as a thug heavyweight boxer who was sent to prison for 3 years and bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in a fight.

For those who've followed Tyson's career and seen his recent documentary "Tyson", you'll know there is much more to the man than what the mainstream media have flooded to the masses with their headlines. In this following clip, he talks to GSP's team after a win on the show and explains what it means to fight, to be a martial artist and seeking self improvement.

Mike Tyson is the man!

TUF 1204: Exclusive - Tyson's Tough Talk

UltimateFighter.com

See More: TUF 12 • Mike Tyson • Michael Johnson • exclusives

Steve is heading to England for UFC 120 & training with Roger Gracie.

2010-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Our head instructor and my homeboy Steve is heading out next week to spend some time in joly ol'England. He's been invited by Pat to help corner Mark "Boots" Holst at UFC 120 vs Brit newcomer Paul Sass at the O2 Arena in London.

I'm looking forward to some updates from across the pond and we'll be sure to keep you posted.

Here's a video of BJJ from England.

Manto Presents: The Grappling Dummy - Nic Gregoriades from martial farts on Vimeo.

Kyra Gracie is my friend...and not Steve's.

2010-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? We're into the month of October and I just looked at the history of this blog and noticed that I've got nearly 4000 views in 8 months. I guess some people are paying attention. :)

BJJ has really become an addiction for me. It's gotten to the point where I've really neglected a really nice Harley Davidson motorcycle that's sitting in my garage just begging to be taken out for a ride. Up until last August when I joined the club, when I had some free time (after my priorities at home were taken care of and my boys were tucked into bed), I'd jump out on my bike and go for an evening cruise. That's been replaced by grabbing my gear bag and heading to the club to roll around on the mats with some sweaty dudes. Had you told me this would be the case a few years ago, I would have looked at you like you had 8 heads. (ok, I've made a decision that tomorrow night, I will fire up the bike and treat her well)

Tonight was good fun. We worked on some sweeps from open guard then went into randori which is always fun. I've been watching BJJ matches on youtube and getting some ideas on how I might improve my game based on my body type and natural strengths and flexibility. I worked on that tonight and felt the light bulb flickering which is always a good sign that the pieces are starting to fit. It's nothing crazy, just guard retention stuff, all in the effort of improving a small bit one day at a time.

I'd also like to make an announcement as the title of the blog suggests. Kyra Gracie is now my friend of Facebook. I've decided it's time to learn portuguese. haha! I only bring this up because I told this to Steve and he said..."I know Kyra Gracie!" and tried to add her but got a nice rejection message stating that "this member has no room for more friends"...or something to that effect. All that really matters is that Kyra is my friend, we're hanging out online chit chattin' about the world of BJJ and Steve is just going to have to accept that he's sitting on the sidelines. Sorry dude! ;)

one of the many differences between BJJ and other martial arts

2010-09-26T19:23:00.001-07:00

It's pretty well known that I'm a bit of a web junkie. (that's putting it lightly, I know) I often spend sleepless nights watching clips on youtube. Everything from live music to practical jokes, but mainly I'm watching clips from jiu jitsu matches and other martial arts.

One thing I find quite interesting is watching "promotion exams" from different arts. This got me to thinking about how brazilian jiu jitsu is very different from most "traditional" martial arts. Let me start out by saying that I've got respect for all of these other disciplines but the web got me to thinking.

So I'm watching a Korean art do a red belt test & promotion. I had looked this up and apparently red belt would mean halfway to black for this art. Similar to purple belt in BJJ to make the compairison. What I watched on the video was a 10 minute clip of an overweight middle-aged man doing very simplistic looking throws or counter-attacks to his training partner in what appeared to be slow motion. It was almost as though in order to earn his red belt, he was required to memorize the movements or techniques and apply them in detail at a slow pace to show that he knew them. I just sat there almost amazed at what I was watching.

In brazilian jiu jitsu, we learn and drill techniques on a daily basis. We don't feel as though we "know" the technique until you're actually able to apply it with a live action training partner going 100% in real-time. For example, I've been training in BJJ for a little over a year now. Last fall, I learned how to do a cradle choke. Well, this past Thursday night was the first time I was ever able to submit my training partner with a clean cradle choke while sparring at 100%. It doesnt matter how many times I've repeated the move, or that I can explain the technique word for word and demostrate it with anyone at any time. If I can't pull it off cleanly with a resisting opponent, it doesnt exist in my arsenal.

It makes me wonder if the overweight middle-aged man doing the techniques to aquire his red belt could actually pull any of those moves in a real-time setting with a resisting opponent or attacker.

Most of these questions were answered in 1993 for North American audiences when the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournement happened in Denver, Colorado.

I look at traditional martial arts as art forms much like a painter's canvas or a sculpture's piece. For example, a Kata in Karate is a simulated fight sequence showing strong striking techniques and how that fighter would defend themselves. It really is nice to watch and I'm sure takes a ton of skill to complete with precision and detail. For me, this is a definition of the art for show.

I also find it crazy that a teenager can acheive a black belt in certain arts or that it can be earned in a short time frame. I've heard of Tae Kwon Do schools giving black belts within 3 years of starting to learn the art. In BJJ, 2 to 3 years is the normal amount of time it takes to get past your white belt. Many schools all across the country (and the world for that matter) hand out black belts to multiple members. It's not uncommon to see every school with at least a few black belts. I was recently watching a youtube clip of a BJJ school in NYC where the instructor has been teaching for well over 15 years and he was handing out his second black belt...ever.

With that said, if you're looking for self gratification and belt promotions as a motivator to train on a daily basis, BJJ is not for you. I'm currently a 2 stripe white belt (4 are typically required to advance to blue belt) but the truth is, this early in the game, the thought of wearing a different colour belt rarely crosses my mind. I just want to get better. I want to be able to pull off the submissions or escapes that we drill during class while rolling with a training partner who is at my skill level or better as well as my size or stronger. It's in those small moments when it does happen that I feel like my game is slowly improving.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a lifestyle. Heaven forbid something happens to me where I'm no longer able to train. I don't know what I would do with myself. I often wake up thinking BJJ, look at my schedule on my blackberry to figure out when I'll be able to head back to the club to train.

Are you interested yet? Are you one of my friends who clicked on the blog via my link of facebook? Be in touch...I'd love to show you what this is all about and give you a tour of my home away from home. www.sudburybjj.com

Stay healthy my friends and stay tuned!
Y.

UFC 119 - Matt Serra vs Chris Lytle

2010-09-22T12:27:00.001-07:00

Renzo Gracie black belt Matt "the terror" Serra fights Chris Lytle in a rematch of the finale from the Ultimate Fighter 4 (the comeback), his video blogs are always entertaining. (language not safe for work)

On a seperate note, lots happening at the club. Fall classes are in full swing and packed from wall to wall. Pat Cooligan will be up at the end of October (30 & 31st) for a two day seminar which I recommend for everyone who's training at the club. Add yourself to the Facebook event to let us know you're planning to come out.

See you at the club!

Steve training in NYC at Renzo's Academy

2010-09-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, your friends get to do something awesome.

Steve was invited by Pat(Cooligan)to join him and Mark Holst as they took Mark's training camp to NYC to train for his upcoming fight at UFC 122 in London, England vs Paul Sass.

This afternoon, Steve sent me a quick text message stating that he was training in the company of MMA royalty. "So, I'm in nyc at renzo's and mark is here training with igor, gregor and GSP!!"

I figured this was something worth writing about. Talk about living the dream!! It's been said before, but I'll say it again. Steve is a pioneer when it comes to bringing Gracie Jiu Jitsu to Northern Ontario. He started the club back in 2006 and it's grown to over 200 members in the best facility north of Toronto.

It's awesome to see Pat bring Steve along to train with the worlds best. Private sessions with the Gracies & John Danaher (GSP's BJJ coach for MMA) will no doubt help elevate Steve's game which in turn benefits us all.

I figure most of anyone reading this blog is either a member at the club or a friend of ours. With that said, stuff like this needs to be appreciated. The lineage of Sudbury BJJ is within a stone's throw of the holy grail. That's not something you can find on youtube or an instructional dvd.

Steve! Can't wait to hear the stories and learn what you're taking in! I'm happy for you brother!!

random musings

2010-09-04T20:33:00.001-07:00

August wasn`t a great month for me in terms of my evolution in bjj. Upon returning from Los Angeles, I took a few weeks off from training to get caught up on work. When I got back at it, I felt as though I`d been a couch potato for 6 months. It`s amazing how quickly a person can lose their cardio when you don`t keep up with it even for just a few weeks. Maybe that`s just something that comes with age...(I`ll use that as my excuse for now).

After just one hard training session, I decided to enter myself into one of our in-house tournements last weekend. An in-house is the best way to test yourself when points count and tapping out means the match is over. Unlike randori (sparring) where tapping out just means, "you got me, let`s start over again".

At any rate, I won my first match vs a larger opponent, but he was quite new to bjj. What that match told me was that although I consider myself to be a beginner, I`ve gotten to a point where I can dominate a beginner (and even moreso someone on the street who doesnt understand the science of groundfighting). Naturally, this isn`t something to write home about, but it lets me know that I`ve got the positional basics in the can. My next two matchups were against guys closer to my weight, but with the same or slightly more experience than I`ve got. I got the reality check that I needed. Needless to say, I ended the day with 1 win and 2 losses.

The beauty of losing a match is learning where you`re the weakest and focusing your training on that. Here`s what I learned...

1. I need to fight in a lighter weight class than Heavy or Super Heavy, under 200lbs with the Gi would be nice. Fighting a guy my weight who is all muscle and nearly no body fat, the difference in strength is noticeable. Duh!

2. My shots for takedowns aren`t good enough vs someone with decent takedown defence. I put myself in a bad position at the beginning of match 2 and I wasn`t able to recover.

3. I prefer to fight from top position. (as do most), but I know what I need to do off my back, it`s simply the idea of getting my body to respond when my brain is giving it a command. This is partly an issue with conditionning and working on muscle memory.

4. I need to get used to rolling with a mouth guard. This is new for me, but a habit I want and need to get accustomed to. It makes it more difficult to breathe which I`m hoping will help my cardio in the long run.

Anyhow, this weekend is Ribfest downtown and the club has a area to spread the word on the club. Last summer was great in terms of feeding the kids program which is doing very well. So if you read this in time, feel free to come out and say hi!

On a seperate note...here`s a good video to check out.

A reminder to not be over-confident. It makes for interesting exchanges, but you can get caught anytime.

Roger Gracie Responds to Robert Drysdale

2010-09-03T08:24:00.001-07:00

GSP is awesome...but is he human?

2010-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wreck MMA - OAMA fighters go 4 for 4!

2010-08-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

First, let me apologize for the lack of updates. Since returning for Los Angeles, I had some dental work done and have had temporary veneers in my mouth which has kept me off the mat. It`s not that I couldnt train, but even a small impact could have popped them out. Thankfully, I`m getting my new "grill" on Monday morning. HUGE thanks to my good friend Dr Jeff Budd for being the best dentist in Sudbury. He trains Muay Thai at our club, so if you need a new dentist, introduce yourself to him and ask someone at the front desk for his contact information to setup an appointment. You`ll be glad you did.

Speaking of which, tonight, I dropped in at the Fight Company (on Notre Dame in Sudbury) and picked up an Opro mouthguard and new Hayabusu gym bag. The owner of the Fight Company is a friend of mine, Chris Casola. He supports local clubs and has a ton of gear and mma apparel. You can also check them out online at mmagearpimp.com.

On to tonight`s Wreck MMA. I had planned on attending when Jenn was lined up to fight Shannon Ludlow from Adrenaline MMA in London, Ontario. In recent weeks, the fight was pulled from the card for unknown reasons. We`re assuming her opponent was injured, but Jenn`s training camp was solid none the less. Getting ready for the next one!

Seeing as Jenn`s fight got dropped and with the amount of travel and crazyness we`ve had this summer, I decided to stay home this time around. I have been reading updates from Jessie`s facebook page which kept us in the loop on the fighters from our parent club, Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts. All four fighters (Hammer, Kru Jeff, Morvan & Bernadel) finnished their fights in highlight reel fashion. Congratulations guys!!

Also on the card was Anna Barone, Jenn`s opponent from her first fight. As we all know, Jenn lost the fight via 2nd round KO, but not without having put on the fight of the night and showing the heart of a champion. I was personally a bit irritated by an interview where Barone mentionned having had 3 fighter changes prior to that bout, but being "resilent", she overcame the odds. She didn`t mention that Jenn had taken the fight on 48 hours notice and did not have a training camp to prepare herself. Well, apparently Barone lost her fight tonight via decision which in turn should setup the rematch for Jenn to avenge that loss. After having seen Jenn prepare herself for the Ludlow fight and seeing her camp involve private training with the likes of Gregor Gracie in NYC and Shawn Williams in Los Angeles, I can guarantee that the next fight will not have the same result. Jenn and Steve are both traditional martial artists and I can`t see them ever getting into any trash talking so by all means, please recognize that the above statements are mine and mine alone. I can`t wait for the rematch!

Aside from that, I`m looking forward to getting back on the mat. It`s been two weeks and feels like forever. As much as I love the summer, it`ll be real nice to get back into a routine this fall. This will be a big year for me at Sudbury BJJ. I`ve got year one in the books and I look at the last 12 months as "opening the book". I`ve now read the forward and plan to start reading and more importantly absorbing the first chapter.

Stay healthy!

A Fighting Chance

2010-08-12T21:41:00.001-07:00

This film is available to watch online for the next two week or so. Take the time to check it out. Kyle Maynard was born with no arms or legs and is an MMA fighter. He trains under Paul Creighton, a Renzo Gracie blackbelt in Georgia. Renzo is also in the movie. Enjoy!

Watch more free documentaries

Los Angeles, California!

2010-08-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay! I'm back from a week of holidays and ready to give you a recap of our trip to Los Angeles, California.

A while back, I'd found out that my old friend's band was getting back together for a reunion show at a club in Hollywood, CA. It had been ten years since they'd gone their seperate ways, so it was a show I really wanted to attend. It appeared I might be out of luck seeing as I had nobody to travel with. Flying across the continent alone for a rock show seemed a bit weird to me so I decided to turn it into an adventure with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

I approached Jenn and Steve with the idea of flying out to Los Angeles for the rock show as well as an opportunity to train at Five Star Martial Arts, a team Renzo Gracie affiliate owned by Black Belt Shawn Williams. WWW.RENZOGRACIELOSANGELES.COM

Having just returned from the Renzo Gracie Invitational in Manhattan, NY followed by a Martial Arts expo in Las Vegas, it took some mild coaxing from Jenn and I, but once Steve was in...he was all in.

If you want to know about the show or the sightseeing we did, hit me up on facebook or ask when you see me, it was a great time and I could easily get comfortable in a place like Hollywood. (I was pleasantly surprised at how polite and courteous the drivers were as well as the random people I ran into on the street. Jenn had a marriage proposal from an elderly southern gentleman who appeared to have had a little bit too much to drink, which Steve and I enjoyed watching...but that's for another day).

As we were on route to Toronto, Steve got an email reply from Shawn Williams inviting us to train each day we'd be in LA at 3pm for private classes and also left the open invitation to join any class on the schedule. Day 1, Shawn taught takedowns for MMA with different variations depending on how your opponent reacts. He also taught takedowns off the ropes or fencing from the cage vs the center of the mat. We ended the first class just chatting on the mat. Shawn recently participated in the Ultimate Fighter as a BJJ coach for Georges St-Pierre's team. I tried to pick his brain on the taping, but all he could tell me was that it would be interesting. Apparently, Zuffa makes the coaches and participants sign a confidentiality agreement which if broken would result in a 10 million dollar lawsuit. So nothing about the show was mentionned, but I enjoyed trying! haha!

Day 2 was much of the same with some review on what he taught the previous day. We also focused on his techniques on taking the back when your opponent falls into a turtle position. Again, Shawn's college wrestling background mixed with his vast knowledge of BJJ made his concepts and techniques slightly different from what we're accustomed to training. (which was awesome!) I can't wait for Steve to show these in class so I can rep them out and add them to my own limited white belt arsenal.

The last class we attended was a BJJ class with the gi. I was one of only 3 white belts on the mat, the rest being purple and higher rank blue. Naturally, I got schooled, but each time I found myself in a bad position, I saw it coming, which was the only good thing I could take from it for myself. The guys I rolled with Armand, Josh, Taka among others were all very cool and made me feel welcome.

Before I forget, for anyone of my teamates at Sudbury BJJ who thinks they're getting awesome because they're doing well against other white belts, remember that we are still a very young school (which continues to get better everyday!), but the true test is rolling with guys from other schools to keep you humble. At Sudbury BJJ, under the guidance of Pat Cooligan at OAMA, we strive to be as good as anyone in the world at the same rank. It's not that I didn't know before, but rolling in LA certainly reminded me that I'm nowhere near an international blue belt rank yet.

With that said, today marks my 1st birthday in BJJ. I started 1 year ago today on this new journey and have fallen more in love with the sport as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. At this point, my rank means nothing to me I'm a young boy just learning how to walk. What I am certain of is that one day, I will start to run and hopefully, before I meet my maker, I will learn how to fly!

TEAM * HONOUR * LOYALTY

2010-07-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

Lots going on at the club these days. The recent promotion incentive saw 25 new signups on the 19th of July. I want to personally wish them all a big welcome to the team! We`ll all get to know your names soon enough, so until then, by all means, introduce yourselves when its time to partner up to work some techniques. To the regulars, please make an effort to introduce yourselves to the new faces as many times as it takes for the names to stick. At Sudbury BJJ, we`re not only a team, we`re a family.

www.sudburybjj.com

What`s in your gear bag?

2010-07-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe I`m a weirdo (ok, this has already been established), but I`m pretty anal about keeping my gear clean and fresh. (feel free to scroll down and review my blog on my lovely bout with Ringworm)

Anyways, I`ve gotten my prep down to a science so that I`m always ready to head to the club when I`ve got time to train. Having more than one GI is essential if you`re going to be rolling more than once or twice a week.

Myself, I`ve got 4 gi`s and 4 rashguards in the rotation to be sure I`m always good to go. The minute I get home, my gear is immediately thrown into the washing machine (no exceptions) and then left to dry on this trusty old rack system that Roxanne baught when we had our first apartment in London 10 years ago.

While today`s gear is drying, I prep my bag for the next time. So what`s in my bag? Well, I`m glad you asked. (just play along)

1. a clean towel (for the shower at the club)
2. clean Mizuno knee pads (because I`m getting old and my knees appreciate them
3. a Shock Doctor jockstrap (size XL because...well, nevermind)
4. a big ziplock bag with shower supplies (body wash, qtips, anti-perspirant...everything a man needs)
5. Athletic Body Care antimicrobal foam (to kill anything you might pick up from a training partner who might not wash his GI as religiously as I do)
6. large bandaids
7. a clean GI
8. a clean rashguard
9. a clean pair of boxers
10. gatorage g2 & a protein bar

Ok, I admit this is a rather pointless blog entry. I just see some guys come in prepared while other just seem to pile their gear into a bag and head for the door. At the end of the day, getting into a routine outside of the club is an important part of keeping your gear clean and organized. This will help you be ready for the next day and trust me, your training partners will appreciate the other part.

Fabricio Werdum breaks down his win over Fedor

2010-07-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Joe Rogan speaks...

2010-07-14T14:13:00.001-07:00

I love this guy. The best MMA commentator in the business. Check it out!

Jessie Cronier - Sudbury BJJ and Muay Thai Academy`s first WORLD CHAMPION!

2010-07-11T12:59:00.001-07:00

Huge congrats to Jessie "The Kid" Cronier who won his division at the Thai Boxing Association`s World Championships in Des Moines Iowa, USA! The uncomfortable 16 hour drive from Sudbury to the mid-western state was well worth it.

Be sure to give the kid a high five when you see him at the club. This comes after years of commitment and hard training. But this is only the beginning for recent high school graduate. The sky`s the limit!

Here are a few pictures from the event.

Also on the card where Corey Black and Mike Houle. I`m told Corey faught an incredible fight and completely dominated his opponent for three solid rounds. Sometimes I wonder if the judges at some of these events won a radio contest for their appointment. Although these judges awarded the fight to the wrong fighter, this experience (and knowing he actually won the fight) should prove good experience for Corey. You`ll get them next time dude! (Corey in white)

Mike lost his fight in the second round after a corner stoppage. In a spin of bad luck, Mike ended up fighting in a division with much larger opponents which proved the old addage when all things are equal, size will make the difference. Check out the size difference on day of the weigh-ins.

Congrats to all 3 fighters! Look forward to seeing your new belt Jessie!

Ring Worm and BJJ

2010-07-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

If you look under my ear in this picture, you`ll see what is known as "Ring Worm". I first noticed it earlier this week but felt as though I`d been bitten by a deer fly or some other insect (larger than a mosquito) After a few days, it became itchier and I woke up yesterday (Friday) with the circular worm like rash.

Below is a copy and paste from an article I found online at www.grapplearts.com

If you suspect you might have a rash which develops into Ring Worm or worse...Staph infection, please...please...please stay off the mats. Also, this is another reason it`s VERY important to wash your gi after EVERY WORKOUT! I`ve always taken every precaution, but apparently my efforts can only go so far.

Please read the article below...

What is Ringworm?

Ringworm is actually a fungus, not a worm. The first symptom of ringworm is severe localized itchiness. Basically it starts out as a little, red, itchy pimple. Soon this grows to solid pink circles on the skin, usually between the size of a pimple and a quarter. The border of these circles will eventually develop scaly red skin and the center become paler. Related forms of ringworm can also occur on the scalp (causing hair loss), the crotch ('jock itch') and the foot ('athlete's foot').

If you want to see what serious cases of ringworm look like go to http://images.google.ca/images?q=ringworm&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search and shudder! Just remember that all ringworm starts small – be suspicious of an itchy or scratchy area, especially when it associated with a small red area.

Take ringworm seriously. It's ugly, itchy and very contagious. Once someone in a team gets infected with ringworm it spreads like wildfire and stays around for a very long time unless strict measures are taken quickly. A ringworm infection at a club can cause people to quit: do you really want less people to train with?

With ringworm there is usually a 1 to 2 week incubation period between exposure and visible infection. The fungal spores that spread ringworm can survive on a variety of surfaces for a long time, so eradicating this sucker is really difficult. To make matters worse, some people are asymptomatic carriers meaning that they carry the infection and can infect others but don't have the characteristic skin markings.

If being infected with ringworm doesn’t bother you too much then think about your training partners, ESPECIALLY those training partners who have children. Children are very susceptible to ringworm and if it gets in their scalps it can cause permanent scarring and baldness. The standard treatment for ringworm of the scalp in children is 6 weeks of prescription oral medication that has potentially serious side effects, so PLEASE be considerate.

If you have ringworm:
Stay off the mat. This is the most difficult part of the treatment for many grapplers, who just want to keep on training. Stay off the mats until your ringworm is under control or you’ll turn your infection into a club-wide epidemic. After the red circles have cleared up the grappler is no longer infectious and can return to training. It usually takes about a week to treat if you catch it early; delay treatment and it could take a lot longer.

Simply covering up the infected sites is NOT sufficient! Many times people will just put some tape over the itchiest ringworm sores and go train anyhow - this is not cool. For one thing the offenders in question might not have noticed every single sore, and also they ave certainly been scratching those sores all day, spreading fungal spores to their hands and any other bodypart they touch with their hands. Stay off the mats.

Treat the infection with an antifungal cream. There are many antifungal creams and gels available. ‘Lamisil’ is one of the best creams, but usually requires a doctor’s prescription.

There are also over-the-counter medications like tolnaftate ('FungiCure', and others). I haven’t found the clotrimazole products as effective - sometimes all they do is suppress the fungus. Most products are applied twice daily. Some creams also contain hydrocortizone or cortate, but this just reduces the inflammation and doesn't actually kill the fungus. As a rule of thumb, if your ringworm isn’t a lot better after one or two weeks of using over the counter anti-fungal creams go to a doctor or walk-in clinic and ask for a Lamisil prescription.

You can also take prescription oral medications (like an oral form of lamisil or ketoconazole) for severe and/or stubborn cases. These may be hard on your liver and you should take them with care.

Keep on applying the topical medication for one week after your infection clears up! Often it appears that the infection is gone, but the ringworm is actually only dormant and will soon come back. Apply the cream or gel for at least one additional week. If you are taking orals take the full course of prescribed anti-fungal medications.

Change your bedding every couple of days and don’t share towels - your training partners may be pissed if you infect them, but that is nothing compared to how upset your spouse or 'special friend' is going to be if he/she catches it. Besides, if you are treating your ringworm but sleeping in the same old bedding or using the same towel every day you are basically re-infecting yourself. Use your bath towels and wash cloths only once, and then wash them.

If there is ringworm going around your club:
Wash the mats before or after every practice. Any cleaning supplies store will stock something to disinfect floors and mats, just make sure it is anti-fungal as well as anti-bacterial and anti-viral. You can also use a dilute bleach solution, but the commercial cleaning solutions are not very expensive.

Inspect your partners carefully and refuse to wrestle someone with 'the worm'. Instructors and senior students have an extra responsibility to educate club members and, if necessary, to bar infected people from training. Unfortunately some people can carry and spread ringworm without exhibiting

Don’t let people walk on the mats in their street shoes. Ringworm lives in the soil outside and can be transmitted to the mat by shoes. The fungus enters into the skin through scratches and abrasions (common in grappling) and then the trouble begins. Once the epidemic has begun, the main mode of transmission is probably person-to-person.

Shower thoroughly as soon as possible after every practice. There may be some advantage to using an anti-dandruff shampoo as a body wash to ensure that the ringworm is gone. ‘Selsum Blue’ is a good choice.

Once a week use ‘Nizoral’ shampoo - Nizoral a very strong anti-fungal/anti-dandruff shampoo containing ketoconazole. A dermatologist suggested this to me to make sure that I was killing off any potential new infections picked up from the mats. Lather up your hair and your entire body, leave the lather on your body for a full 5 minutes, and then rinse very thoroughly. Dry your body and apply a cream moisturizer – this shampoo can really dry out your skin. For this reason I do NOT recommend using Nizoral more than once a week.

Wash your gi, rashguards, kneepads, towels, etc. after every practice. The fungal spores can live in these items.

James "Lights Out" Toney

2010-07-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

Allow me to skip past UFC 117 for a moment. James "Lights Out" Toney will be fighting Randy Couture in Boston at UFC 118. Toney is a boxer who is making his MMA debut at 41 years of age vs the Natural.

Dana White has admitted that this bout is a freakshow, but is not using it as a main-event. Here is an interesting interview which occured over the weekend with Ariel Helwani from AOL Fanhouse. Toney is a nut.

UFC 116...great night of fights!

2010-07-03T21:35:00.001-07:00

I ended up watching tonights`card on my own tonight. I`d planned to heading over to Kevin Kroft`s housewarming, but with Roxanne not feeling great, I figured it best to stay home.

The UFC rarely fails to deliver and UFC 11 was no exception. The Leben vs Akiyama fight was awesome. I like both these guys. Leben taking the fight on less than 2 weeks notice after having faught at the Ultimate Fighter Finaled on the 19th of June, he was impressive. If you missed it, search it online...it`s a great fight.

The main event (for those of you who`ve been living under a rock) was between Shane Carwin (unbeaten in his 12 fight career) vs Brock Lesnar for the undisputed heavyweight title. Carwin looked great through round 1. I was surprised that the referee, Jake Rosenthal, didn`t stop the fight with all the unanswered shots. Kudos to him for noticing that Brock was still of sound mind and putting up some defense to weather the storm. Round two was much different. Brock landed the takedown, got the mount and secured a head and arm choke for the win.

Say what you want about Lesnar, but this guy is the read deal. He`s the only one who was able to absorb Carwin`s bombs and make it out of round 1. He owned round 2 and made Carwin quit. I`m already looking forward to Lesnars` next fight vs Cain Velasquez. The UFC`s heavyweight division is finally exciting again. Lesnar is a beast.

In other news, the competition team did very well at last weekends` Renzo Gracie invitational tournement in the big apple. (NYC) Congrats to those who made it onto the podium at this high level tournement.

Kyle Fletcher & Nicole Whissel...gold
Jenn Ricker...silver
Thomas Lum, Ryan Sarazin & Curtis Prosser...bronze

Congrats to everyone who competed, you did the club proud and you will only get better. I really wish I could have been there. Not only for the tournement, but for the Gregor Gracie class on Sunday afternoon at Renzo`s academy in Manhattan.

On a related note, today`s class at Sudbury BJJ was great. With Steve away for a martial arts convention in Vegas, Guy Poulin ran the class and we worked on armbars and omoplatas. It felt great to be back on the mat after having been away for over a week. I can`t wait to do it all over again this week.

Stay healthy my friends! See you on the mat!

Renzo Gracie Invitational 2010

2010-06-26T13:13:00.001-07:00

Sudbury BJJ`s competition team is in New York City this weekend for the Renzo Gracie Invitational. Above is some of the group in Times Square last night. Hope the competion is going well! I`m looking forward to hearing about the result.

With that, I`ll leave you with a video from 1997. It`s Renzo rolling with Mauricio Gomes (Roger Gracie`s father) in Japan.

Anderson Silva & Steven Seagal?

2010-06-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

The interwebs can be a weird place sometimes. For instance, today, I found this clip of Anderson Silva training with Steven Seagal for his upcoming fight with Chael Sonnen. I`m pretty sure this is just one of those opportunities to train with someone different, as a novelty more than anything else. I can`t imagine Silva using any of these techniques in the octagon. Then again, we are talking about Anderson Silva. After his bizarre match in Abu Dhabi at UFC 112, I wouldn`t count anything out.

Mark Holst UFC debut!

2010-06-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last night was the finale for the Ultimate Fighter 11 at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas. The night marked the UFC debut for Kru Mark Holst from the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts...a club we`re proudly affiliated with at Sudbury BJJ and Muay Thai Academy.

Mark faught an experienced John Gunderson, a wrestler training under Canadian Shawn Thompkins at the Tapout gym in Vegas. I haven`t had a chance to watch the fight seeing as the prelims were not aired on Spike TV due to time restrictions. I did however read the full play by play at MMAJunkie.com which explains that Mark lost the decision due to Gunderson`s wrestling pedegree which he was able to use to control where the fight took place.

Either way, we`re all very proud of Mark. He represented himself and Team Renzo Gracie Ottawa very well. The next fight will have a different outcome no doubt!

Here are some pictures courtesy of ufc.com.

Brock Lesnar

2010-06-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

I seem to be the only person I know who`s a big fan of this guy. He`s a beast and in my eyes, the ultimate heavyweight. On July 3rd at UFC 116, he`ll be fighting Shane Carwin, the man who is the closest to him in terms of size, strength and wrestling background. It will be a clash of the titans. I can`t wait!

Here`s a video of Brock training with Captain America at his Death Clutch gym in Minnesota.

Random musings

2010-06-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Renzo Gracie Invitational in NYC is a little over a week away. I had hoped to make it to the event, but the life of a married 33 year old father of two with a career doesn't always make it easy to pack up and leave for a long weekend. With that, I'll be watching the fall calendar for another event. (hopefully another Renzo Gracie invitational)...I'm feeling ready to make my competition debut. Now I just need to stars to align so I can do it.

In other news, I've been looking forward to the Matt Hamill biopic that's due to come out soon. For those who don't recognize the name, Matt is a UFC fighter who happens to be deaf. From what I've learned over the years, his story is pretty inspirational. Hamill is a class act, I can't wait for this to make it to theatres. Here's a quick preview clip...enjoy!

HAMILL - Official Teaser from Hamill the Movie on Vimeo.

UFC 115 review

2010-06-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Chuck,

You`ve done everything you need to do. You looked great coming into the fight, but haven`t changed your game in years. You`ve been dropping your hands to throw bombs for too long, the best fighters in the world have learned to counter your strikes. You`re a legend and helped build the UFC and MMA to what it is today. It`s time to hang it up. Here`s a picture of Chuck doing his impression of the Rashad Evans "Stanky Leg".

All in all, I wasn`t super hyped for last night`s card, but as the night wore on, I kept repeating "this has been a great night of fights!" Rory McDonald looked awesome vs Carlos Condit, but round 3 showed us why Condit was the WEC`s last welterweight champion. Everyone talks about how GSP has cleaned out his division. While this is true enough, I`d love to see Carlos get a title shot. That would be a good fight. (GSP still takes it, but would be entertaining)

Another great fight was the co-main event between Mirko CroCop & Pat Barry. Just watch the pre-fight presser which will explain the respect these guys have for one another. (it`ll explain the smiles and hugs during the fight) Mirko looked awesome despite getting rocked twice in the first round. I sure hope Pat Barry rebounds from this loss. He`s a class act and an incredible striker. I`d love to see him fight Gilbert Yvel...both guys coming off losses last night.

Had some friends from the club over to watch the event last night. Noel (my 6 year old) wanted to stay up because Steve was coming over. It was like his BJJ instructor is some type of superhero to him now. haha! (a superhero like Paul Reubens character from Mystery Men) I kid...I kid. :)

Can`t wait to get back on the mat this week. Jiu Jitsu for life!

time for a new look

2010-06-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

So I`ve been keeping up with this blog since the winter. I figured it was time to change the look up a bit. Hope you like it!

I just got back from the club. Big Tom Cooney ran a good class where we worked on escaping the backpack. (after giving up your back to your opponent) It`s not the easiest position to get out of, but knowing what you need to do will help and the more we train, the easier it will eventually become. It`s all about muscle memory...drill drill drill!

In other news, as previously reported, Mark "Boots" Holst from our parent club, the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts is fighting John Gunderson at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale at the Palms in Las Vegas next weekend. (the 19th) He`ll be making his debut in the big show and we couldn`t be more excited for him. MMAGearPimp.Com, owned by my friend Chris Casola (owner of the Fight Company here in Sudbury) is sponsoring Mark for the fight. Tonight, our very own Jenn Ricker slaved over the sewing machine adding mmagearpimp and Team Renzo Gracie Ottawa patches to the shorts Mark will be wearing in the world famous Octagon. She made up two sets, one white with red trim and the second is burgundy with black trim. They both look good. We`ll see which pair Mark decides to wear on the big night! It`ll be a great night!

This Saturday is UFC 115. The main event match up between Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin would have been epic had it happened a few years back when both were at the top of the heap in their respective divisions. With that, I still think this has the potential to be a great fight. Chuck looks like he`s in great shape. Has he evolved in training since his last fight at UFC 97? I`m sitting here watching the countdown show on Spike TV. I`m watching clips saying Chuck is looking to make a run at the title with his return, but I can`t help but think father time has caught up with him. The co-main event looks awesome! Pat Barry vs Mirko CroCop has the potential to be a standup war. Pat Barry looked awesome against Antoni Hardonk in his last fight, but Mirko is a big step up in competition. I like both guys...this is the fight to watch!

See you on the mat!

The Striking Truth

2010-06-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

I can`t wait to see this documentary...it`s going to be awesome!

The Striking Truth Trailer from Bobby Razak on Vimeo.

saturdays are always the best days

2010-06-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I hadn`t had any opportunity to train this week, I was really looking forward to getting on the mat this morning and breaking in my new gi. (I`ll do a review of the different gi`s I own sometime down the line, stay tuned for that.)

I started off the day helping out with the little ninja`s class. Noel and Ben have a blast everytime they go. We worked on breaking grips, mount escapes and passing the guard. It was nice to see a few of the "rookies" from the class start to have more fun. For this age group, we`re looking to introduce them to the sport, but more importantly, we want the kids to have fun while learning some valuable life skills like respect, discipline and the ability to listen and learn.

1230pm rolled around pretty quick and it was time for the big boys to train. I felt like garbage today, but I suppose everyone has an off day. It didn`t help that I`d been off the mat for nearly a week and I was drilling escapes with Kevin Kroft. We`re the same weight, but he`s got very little body fat and is strong like bull. I on the other hand, well...I`ve still got some work to do in that respect. (which is putting it lightly)

This afternoon, Kru Mel Bellissimo from Lanna Muay Thai in Toronto was up for a 3 hour seminar with the Muay Thai students. This was Roxanne`s first seminar since joining the conditioning program earlier this year. I don`t think she`s ever trained for 3 straight hours. I`m sure I`ll hear all about it tonight! haha!

Hopefully someone will take some pictures so I can post them up here for everyone to see. Kru Mel is a good guy, I`ve met him a few times in Ottawa when attending Wreck MMA. You can check out his webpage at

http://www.lannamuaythai.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3:kru-mel-bellissimo&catid=15:kru-mel-bellissimo&Itemid=21

Stay tuned, stay healthy and hope to see you on the mat!

Instructional dvd's...the good, the bad, the ugly.

2010-05-31T12:51:00.001-07:00

Being very new to BJJ, one thing I've learned is that learning bjj is an art in itself. I grew up in sports, (mainly playing hockey) where learning the game meant diagrams, playbooks and practice. In Hockey, we have offence, defence, power play, penatly kill and basic concepts to work on like skating, shooting and passing.

Jiu Jitsu isn't unlike hockey in that sense. We have offence (positional top game, submission attempts, guard passing, mount & side control, takedowns), defense (guard, half-guard, submission defense, takedown defense) and basic concepts to work on such as grips and hip movements.

With that being said, Hockey is a game of speed, strength and accuracy where Jiu Jitsu is a game of inches, a physical chess match dominated by technique over strength. BJJ is really in the details which is why it takes many years to master.

I'm getting slightly off topic here. I wanted to write about instructional dvd's and youtube jiu jitsu vs taking classes in an actual accredited school training with like minded people working towards the same goals.

I'll admit, I'm a youtube junkie. I can sit and watch clips of matches or bjj techniques all night if I could. That goes with the addiction to bjj that develops over time. (it's a good addiction by the way!) One thing that can't be stressed enough is that nothing replaces having your instructor watch you drill the techniques you're learning. As human beings, our eyes are limited to what our peripheral vision will allow. When training in BJJ, it's usually even less because our opponent might obtruct our view to the point where you need to develop "feel". The problem with learning a technique from a youtube or instructional clip is that sometimes your "feel" can deceive you. An good coach (instructor or professor) will spot these small details, point them out to you and offer solutions to improve your technique. That, in my opinion is why learning in class is the only real way to improve.

With that being said, I do think there is a place for dvd instructional videos and the like. BJJ is a young sport and I've had a hard time finding a book or dvd collection that properly categorized the ever evolving system based on skill level and rank. I was looking for some type of blueprint that I could use as a point of reference where I should be with my training at this early point in the game.

I've been training now since August 2009...nearly 10 months. I've barely scratched the surface and have acheived 2 stripes on my white belt for my efforts to date. With that, I've found a DVD set (2 disks) which outline "blue belt requirements" which I've found to be a decent reference point for someone just getting started and wanting to keep things simple.

Here's a clip of the dvd's which can be found on youtube.

At any rate, I like this for a reference point. In my opinion, Roy Dean's teaching style is very precise and detail oriented...not unlike our instructors. There are also other really good dvd's...another to check out is Demian Maia's "The Science of Jiu Jitsu". On these Demian goes into some good detail on body mechanics, strength and leverage while going through the movements and techniques. Here's a quick clip.

Ok...now that you've checked those out, it's time to step away from your computer and head over to Sudbury BJJ and work these ideas out on the mat. See you there!

Saturday - UFC 114!

2010-05-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Yet another great day spent at the club. The little ninja`s class was smaller than usual today, but that is likely due to cottage season getting underway. The kids had fun as Steve & Jessie worked with them to develop their instincts when it comes to the guard. (both offensive and defensive) The kids had fun. My boys are enjoying the program more with every class. It`s really great to see.

That was followed by the adult class where we worked on sweeps from spider guard. I find myself going to spider guard more often than I`d like. I need to work on breaking my opponent`s posture from my back and working on my high guard game. I`ve got the flexibility for it, I just need to work on getting to that position.

If you haven`t signed up for the club newsletter, be sure to give your email address at the front desk. Andre and Steve did a great job with the first one and it keeps everyone informed with what`s new in terms of schedule, merch, competitions etc.

Last but not least, it`s Saturday night! UFC 114, the grudge match between Sugar Rashad Evans vs Rampage Jackson. My heart is pulling for Rashad, but my head tells me Rampage might have this one. I`m not making any predictions, just looking forward to a great fight.

Oh yeah...and Happy Birthday Tom Cooney!

See ya on the mat!
Y.

tuesday night training

2010-05-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

Had a great night on the mat this evening. Steve gave us a good pep talk about reminding ourselves of where we`re at with our jiu jitsu and to strive to absorb the small details we learn when we train with the higher level players. (ei, Pat Cooligan, Renzo Gracie etc...) Anyone can watch youtube clips and "learn" the game that way, but unless you`re in class and on the mat, you`ll be very hard pressed to put the pieces together with respect to the little details that are so important in developing your overall game.

Great sweat...felt good. Can`t wait to get back.

Stay healthy my friends.