Mestre Paulão Rezende at ECU!

In 2012, Jo-Jo traveled to Brazil to visit family.  Of course, he also decided to take advantage of his time in Brazil and get some world-class training.  After talking to some of his friends in the Black-Belt community here in the US, Jo-Jo decided to train with Mestre Paulão Rezende at the Projeto Soma Academia/Gymin Poços de Caldas, Brazil.
 





Mestre Paulão recently journeyed to the US and ECU was lucky enough to welcome the Mestre and his 38 years of experience to our academy. 





While I was unable to attend the seminar, I knew I should at least stop by and take some pictures.  In a stroke of luck, I did even better.


I was present when Mestre Paulão gave an inspiring speech about how we as students should conduct our lives, ending it with the inspiring words that we should "Fight for Jiu-Jitsu".

Mestre Rezende was kind enough to grant me a brief interview.  With the help of an interpreter, I learned that Mestre Rezende has thirty-eight years of experience and has been teaching for twenty-three of them.

When I asked how many champions he has mentored over the years.  The Mestre asked me for my pen and paper and began writing down names.

It was a long list:

    WORLD CHAMPIONS:
            Reinaldo Ribeiro
            Marcelo Garcia
            Eric Cardoso
            Joað Rafael (Gargamel)
            Matiteus Henrique
            Felipè GiGiarol
            Rodnei Barbosa
            Rodrigo Ranierì
           
    BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONS:
        Ives Sacramento
        Mario H. Garcia
        Sagatti Rodrigues
       
Suitably impressed, I asked the Master about his Jiu-Jitsu philosophies.  Mestre Rezende had three major points:

• "You have to have respect.  The way you conduct yourself on and off the mat matters;"
• "Fight for Jiu-Jitsu, not for your team (country); and
• "Be loyal to your master."

   
Finally. I asked Mestre Rezende if  he feels like he's still learning after 38 years.  His answer was quick:
"YES! ALWAYS!"




Special Thanks to Marcelo for translating.





I made a special effort to get all of the accents right on the names and places.  Hopefully, I did a decent job.

"Dustin Denes Seminar #3"

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Dustin Denes promoting a short-notice seminar at ECU on July 14.  I signed up that night.

Since it was on short notice, we didn't reach the crowds that previous seminars by Mr. Denes attained, but Mr Denes still gave us nearly four-and-a-half hours of instruction and guidance.

Once again, everyone who attended the seminar learned/drilled rock-solid techniques.  My favorite aspect of Mr. Denes' seminars is that he doesn't bombard us with dozens of techniques, but instead has a drill a few related techniques over and over again.

While I won't give away the exact techniques we drilled at the seminar, I will say that Dustin Denes has taught me tons of BJJ concepts.  Whether it's rib-pressure, drilling like a champ, or "Jiu-Jitsu Feet", I'm glad I attended the seminar.  I've found that Mr. Denes' concepts apply all across the BJJ game.

Thanks to Dustin Denes for giving the seminar and Jo-Jo for hosting it.

“HAMMERTIME!”

This post has already appeared on Facebook, but I wanted to get it on the official ECU BJJ and MMA Blog.  I was not present for this event so I had to bring in John DiMarco as a guest author.  Enjoy!

 

The advertisement read: "Hammertime: Go Hard or Go Home!!” High-Intensity tech drill and battle... 5-7pm plus." Well, the operative word here is the "plus". After a 4 1/2 hour epic seminar with Master Dustin "Clean" Denes where we drilled the dog position (where you gotta battle like a dog), several brave ECU soldiers tested their mettle with an additional 4 hours plus of drilling.

Everyone works hard during the week at our regular classes at ECU, but this was an opportunity for us to really test ourselves, be pushed to exhaustion, try new things and see who could thrive under pressure.

In the end, it was over 8 hours of BJJ on Saturday, something very few ever come close to attempting. Jojo always says that when you're tired is when you need to focus on technique, but it's also where you test the limits of what your body is capable of. After this kind of training, a one hour class or a round of tournament matches are much easier to handle because both the body and mind have been conditioned for battle. 

One of the things that we love about Jojo is that he gives us what we need. He is master technician, but also an amazing instructor and coach who is never afraid to pick up new tricks to share with us. Hammertime was also an opportunity for him to observe us and better understand our strengths and areas of need. Master Clean also has more knowledge of what makes us tick for the next seminar.

Comfort and growth don't co-exist. You need to push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to really grow, and that's what this weekend was about. The BBQ on the beach was a nice reward at the end!

"Finally a Break"

I meant to post this sooner, but Monday afternoon my father called and asked me if I wanted to go fishing.  Of course, I said yes and my latest post had to wait.

 

This past weekend was one of the busiest in ECU history.  On Saturday, we had the privilege of another seminar from Dustin "Clean" Denes.  I can talk for hours about how great this seminar was, and will in the future, but for now let's just say that anyone who attended the seminar will never be the same.

 

On Sunday we had the first annual ECU family barbecue at Robert Moses State Park.  Food and fun were the order of the day.  In between trips to the ocean, the ECU family feasted on steak, chicken and many other excellent dishes.

 

Even though I ended the weekend tired, I can't really complain about a great seminar and a fun BBQ happening on the same weekend.

Thank you to JoJo for starting it all, Dustin Denes for another great seminar, Lou for helping me with the grills, and everyone who joined us on Sunday.

The Artist Paints the Picture

Recently, at ECU, JoJo has had us relentlessly drilling a series of submissions from the guard. The first in the series is a rather slick arm-bar. JoJo has given us a very specific way to drill the technique - AND IT WORKS!

But I had small problem, while trying to drill the technique, my instincts kept screaming at me to deviate from the specifics of the drill. I trust JoJo so I've been drilling the technique the way he's taught us.

Given that my first instinct in BJJ is often wrong, I decided to ask JoJo. When I spoke with him, he said that my instinct wasn't wrong, but that I should drill the techniques as taught. When it comes to sparring, however, JoJo delivered what I consider a true classic, "When you're drilling, do it the way I teach it, but when you're going 'live' you're the artist and you need to paint your own picture."

Believe in the Technique!

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself sparring with one of the largest students ever to join ECU. I eventually managed to turn things in my favor.

Later, I decided that I would play a "bottom" game against the behemoth in the future.  Initially, I wasn't successful despite JoJo's coaching, but I eventually ended the sparring session satisfied.

Immediately after the round, JoJo pulled me aside and said, "You're used to being the biggest and strongest, but what happens when you're not?  It's time for you to believe."

BTW, I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I got tired of waiting and decided to post via 3G.

DRILL!

As I've already posted, JoJo continued ECU's tradition of excellent seminars by hosting Dustin Denes. While the instruction was great, and I'll be using everything I was taught often, I learned something even more important...

DRILL!

I'll admit that in the past I haven't always been the most diligent student when it comes to drilling new techniques. Even though JoJo emphasized the importance of repetition, I'd often check the clock and decide that I was "done".

However, at the seminar, another "light bulb" clicked - If I want to improve, I need to train like a champion. Now, I take the clock as a challenge. If it says thirty seconds, I try to see how many times I can do a particular technique before the bell sounds.

While trying to increase the number of repetitions is certainly an admirable goal.

JoJo also wants to emphasize that each repetition be done properly. If a student does a technique wrong 100 times, will not help the student improve. Instead the student should strive to do each technique correctly, and then try repeat it as much as possible.

Looking back, I realize that JoJo had been sending this message for a long time I just needed someone else to "clean out my ears".

Dustin Denes Seminar 2/11/2012

In its brief history, ECU has established a tradition of great seminars.

This past Saturday was no exception as ECU welcomed Dustin "Clean" Denes.


I'll admit I had some worries about this seminar, but I decided to take JoJo's advice and made sure I registered.

I'm glad I did!


Instead of bombarding us with technique after technique, Mr. Denes emphasized that we relentlessly drill everything he taught.

As much as I loved what I was taught, I learned even more about how I have to train if I want to improve in the future.



Thanks to JoJo for arranging another outstanding seminar and to Dustin Denes for opening my eyes.

CHOP CERTIFIED!

Train to Dominate, Train to DESTROY! February 11, 2012

Since JoJo opened ECU, he has made it a point to host regular seminars. I've loved every single one of them. Now JoJo has upped the ante, and is making ECU "CHOP CERTIFIED".

Yeah, that's right, Dustin Denes will host a seminar at ECU on February 11th.

I could write for hours about Mr. Denes' accomplishments, but I think everyone who reads this would enjoy watching him on YouTube more. So go watch!

As Mr. Denes is a triangle ace, I expressed concerns to JoJo that this might not be a seminar for me, his immediate response was, "Henry, don't miss this seminar."

I hope that I'll see everyone who reads the ECU BJJ and MMA blog on February 11th.

I'm already registered!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlYvGolhml0

22 + 1 Black Belts

I meant to write this post sooner, but a little thing known as the flu set me back a bit.

This past Saturday, several of my ECU brothers and I traveled to "JOP" (Just Outside of Philadelphia) to attend the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United's Tenth Anniversary celebration/annual team day. Even though I wasn't at my best, I'm still glad I made the trip.

I guess I'll have to digress slightly and give everyone a little back story. This year's team day almost didn't happen. A sprinkler malfunction flooded BJJ United headquarters. For a time, it looked like Saturday's event might have been cancelled, but BJJ United founder Jared Weiner and the rest of his team worked around the clock to get everything ready for the big day.


When things got started, I was shocked to see how many Black Belts were in attendance. My quick count noted 22 Black Belts. WOW! But my first count was quickly proven incorrect. For only the second time in my BJJ career, I had the privilege of witnessing a Black Belt promotion.

Later, we had the opportunity to train with our teammates and in some cases with the Black Belts in attendance. While I personally couldn't take advantage of every opportunity, my friends/training partners had nothing but raves about the day.


Thank you to JoJo, Jared, and the entire ECU/BJJ United family for such a great day.

Finally, even a New Yorker like me has to admit that Philly soft pretzels are outstanding.

Growing Stronger!

One of my favorite things about being an ECU student/chronicler is seeing my fellow students make tremendous strides.

BJJ progress isn’t incremental, it’s, as I mentioned in previous post, it’s a matter of when the light goes on. In my case, I’ve felt like my progress has stagnated for a variety of reasons (and sometimes this is reflected in the frequency of my posts), but I’ve learned it isn’t always the case.

It’s not that I’m stagnating, it's more a case of other people’s "light bulbs" lighting up at an astonishing rate.

Tuesday night, I sparred with a new ECU Blue Belt. In the past, I dominated him. We hadn’t rolled in a while, but I still expected more of the same. My eyes were opened! I had to admit that the student I’m talking about had made huge strides. In fact, he did a couple of things that I’m considering adding to my own game.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of who improves when.

JoJo always give us the tools to improve, if we keep training hard and smart, somebody’s next light bulb is just around the corner.

“The Light Bulb”

As students, it’s often easy to dismiss a technique as, “not for me”. Sometimes, we might feel a move is “too difficult”, or that it doesn’t fit “our” game. However, I’ve found that drilling techniques we don’t like right now will often help our BJJ growth.

A long time ago, JoJo said that not every technique will work out exactly the way he teaches it, but we should still see the opportunities.

While I've had tons of these experiences in my BJJ carereer – so far, two stick out:

• The first was when JoJo introduced me to the “Brabo Choke”. I was stuck in the half-guard of a skilled guard player. Suddenly, he moved to a position that resembled position that JoJo had said was ideal for the submission. I went for it, and quickly got the tap;
• The second time was just a couple of weeks ago. While I’ve had plenty of instruction from JoJo and Tito Hartz about leg locks in the past. They’ve never really been at the top of my list, but last week JoJo taught us a different variation, and my eyes were opened. While I wasn’t able to do exactly what JoJo taught, the blinders came off and I found myself in a whole new world.
  

A day later, a group of ECU students and I were talking. Amid the laughing and joking, many of us admitted that our favorite submissions were the result of a similar experience.

Our teachers give us the map to success. It’s up to us to find the right route.

“Jared Weiner Seminar November 19, 2011”

For the first seminar at ECU’s new location, we, once again had the privilege of Jared Weiner as our guest instructor.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend classes at Jared’s own school http://www.bjjunited.com/index.htm, as well as attend a seminar he’s given at ECU. Even with other options at my disposal, I knew that I didn’t want to miss a Jared Weiner seminar at ECU.

The turnout was HUGE!

Even though Jo-Jo has moved us to a “bigger boat” space was still tight. That said, everyone in the place was eager to learn what Jared had to say.

We started with a slick takedown. I’d never considered turning an arm-drag into a leg-trip before, but I definitely want to add it to my arsenal.

Next, Jared taught us two great ways to pass an open guard. I absolutely loved these techniques. At one point, Jared asked me what the principles of this pass were, my immediate answer was, “MEAN, NASTY, and SLOW!”

Later we learned how to turn side control or “knee on floating rib” techniques into Triangle chokes.

Finally, we worked on De LaRiva/X Guard transitions. There was some really cool stuff there. Jared showed us techniques that looked intimidating at first, but once anyone tried it, could be incorporated into every ECU students’ game.

This might not be my last post about this seminar, as I have several other ideas. I also know several candidates for guest authorship that will do this outstanding seminar justice.

I want to thank JoJo for once again bringing Jared to our school, and thank Jared for running an amazing seminar.

After the seminar there were numerous promotions, but I'll save that for another day.

ECU IS FOR EVERYONE!

If my five+ years of training with JoJo Guarin have taught me anything, I’ve learned that anyone and everyone can study Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and that if BJJ isn’t your thing, ECU still has plenty to offer.

At ECU there are tall students, small students, women students, fat students, skinny students, strong students, old students, young students; and too many other combinations and variations for me to count.

JoJo welcomes everyone, and has a unique talent for ensuring that every student reaches their maximum potential.

Whether you want grappling, striking, yoga, or simply to get fit, talk to JoJo.

“Mix It Up”

I know I’ve partially mined this territory recently, but my latest collaboration with Eric Guido encouraged me to re-visit this topic.

As most of my regular readers know, I’m an older student with destroyed knees and various other injuries – 99% percent were pre BJJ.

Looking elsewhere is not always a bad idea as a good instructor in another Art or simply a different training regimen can never hurt.

Many of my training partners, including JoJo, have visited a local cross-fit program run by ECU Purple Belt Dan Stearns. While I’ve heard endless praise of the program, I realize that I’m not the right candidate.

However, JoJo has offered me a KickBoxing program that has let my knees feel better than they have in nearly twenty-five years.

At ECU, there’s also a Yoga program that gives every student the chance to improve their core and/or flexibility.

I love BJJ, but sometimes we have to step outside our comfort zones in order to take the next steps.

Fortunately, I train at an academy where I have plenty of opportunities.

Fundamentals Part II

This is part two of my study of an ECU Fundamentals Class. Once again, I have to thank ECU Fundamentals Instructor Eric Guido for his insight and help in describing the second half of an ECU Fundamentals class. This time, I’ve used Eric’s ideas, but have put them in my own words:

The second half of an ECU Fundamentals class is devoted to self-defense. ECU Black-Belt Walter Zayas is not only an expert on BJJ self-defense; he also holds belts in many other disciplines.

Over the past few years Walter has trained Eric and others in seamlessly incorporating various styles into ECU’s self-defense program.

The self defense program has definitely increased in intensity over the past few weeks. Let’s face it, very few of us will be UFC fighters, but there is a chance that we may encounter a confrontation in the street.

They also remind students on a regular basis that first and foremost Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art. It is great and amazing that we can train at nearly 100% and test each other on the mats and in tournaments constantly but what good would it be if you are a Brown Belt in BJJ but can't defend yourself against a headlock or someone throwing a punch at you?

Walter goes way beyond that and teaches knife and gun defense as well as simple combat techniques.

Eric is extremely excited about the direction the ECU Fundamentals is taking. It has become a class that everyone can benefit from it.

Most ECU Fundamentals Classes have an equal mix of White-Belts and Veterans. I absolutely LOVE the direction that Eric and JoJo have taken.

Fundamentals Part 1

Occasionally I stop by for an ECU fundamentals class. Eric Guido always teaches an excellent class. I asked Eric what he and JoJo thought a “Fundamentals” class should entail, and was so happy with the result that I, again, let Eric tell the story with only necessary edit:

Eric…

A while back, Jojo approached me after I was finished teaching the fundamentals class and had said to me "Eric I want you to focus more on basic movements and drills for these guys rather than chaining moves together. This was after he had caught the end of the class and I was showing a body-surfing drill into a gi choke.

While this might seem like a very basic move for me, but Jo-Jo and I had a difference of opinion. I always try to analyze whatever Jojo says about Jiu Jitsu to me for several reasons: 1) he has been my Professor for many years and I have learned a tremendous amount from him and have nothing but the highest respect for him and 2) because of #1, he knows a hell of a lot more than I do when it comes to our art.

During this time period I also noticed something as well, the newer white belts felt very weak to me when we were rolling. This was not because I was on some insane workout program and getting stronger as I got older, it was something else.

I quickly decided that I had only one option - in order to go forward we had to take a giant leap back. I decided that the fundamentals class would be the time to build everyone’s BJJ foundations. It was going to be a time where we would do all of those old-school drills that I did when I first started and really start to develop everyone’s core and functional strength.

My starting point had obviously been knowledge and drills that were passed onto me by my instructors. This would consist of lots of guard drills...lifts, squats, arm bar drills, sit-ups, etc... The one lingering question I had in my mind had been this, if Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is supposed to give the little guy the advantage in a fight, how can I sell that strength is important in our martial art?

Well, my answer came to me in 2 different directions. My first answer came from taking a look at my professor, who is about 160 pounds and the second came from a book, "Drill to Win," by Andre Galvao. Both of them gave me the same answer: FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH. One excerpt from the book sums up the answer I needed to go in the direction I wanted:

"Don't overlook the importance of getting your body in shape, your muscles strong, your ligaments flexible, and your equilibrium stable. I purposefully put strength and balance drills ahead of technical ones so that your body will be ready to perform common jiu-jitsu movements in the following months."

This was surely the major difference between those of us who have been training for a long time and the new guys who have yet to develop that core and functional strength needed to train.

Fast forward a couple of months: Fundamentals class has been completely changed. There is no technique, only drilling. Drills that I’ve learned; Drills that I have taken from Andre Galvao's book; and Some new ones that I have come up with on my own.

Picture this, 4 minutes of circuit drilling starting with in-place drills, down-the-mat and concluding with partner drills, all of which being used to push your body in the right direction it needs to go to get better at jiu-jitsu.

An Rickson Gracie black-belt once told me the single most important drill you can do is the hip escape, and there is no shortage of those being done. Your hips and core are responsible for controlling the fight.

I've noticed guys who could not finish a set of 10 squats while their partner is in their guard, are now banging them out with ease. Guys who could not do 10 gi pull-ups can now do them for a minute straight. When sparring in the later class, I notice the guard posture to be a lot stronger than it was and in only 4 weeks ago.

I notice that my guard has gotten a lot stronger because of drilling with my students.

I look forward to working with all of Eric's student's in the future.

I thank everyone for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog and hope you've all enjoyed Eric's insight.

“An Awesome Opening Night!”

On September 26, I had the pleasure of attending the ECU mothership’s Grand Re-Opening at our new location on Central Avenue in White Plains, New York. JoJo and various team members worked tirelessly to ensure that JoJo could find a facility that would fit the growing ECU family within a week.

Even with the outstanding new facility, opening night enthusiasm strained our new facility’s limits – but there are plans already in place for the future.

I was extremely happy to see the largest crowd I’ve ever seen at an ECU training session, and I can’t wait to see how many people the new ECU brings into the family.

Moving can sometimes be hard for everyone involved, but this time it seems like JoJo and everyone else at ECU have traded an apartment for a home.

“An Exciting Time!”

With the original ECU location straining under its rapid growth, JoJo has had his eye out for a larger space. After considering several options, JoJo found an excellent new facility that will fit the new ECU.

From a student’s perspective, the new facility promises more room to train, easy access from virtually anywhere in Westchester County, and great parking. Of course, the instruction and training will remain as great as always.

While I’ve played only a small role in helping to facilitate the move, I was happy to help. I was even happier to see JoJo’s enthusiasm. He’s dove into this project head-first, and has accomplished in a week what would take most people a month.

According to JoJo, “I'm driven to finish The New ECU in Record Time!”

I can’t wait to post about our first night at the new ECU!

“An ‘Accidental’ Instructor”

ECU Fundamentals Instructor Eric Guido chose BJJ by accident. Following his graduation from St. John’s University, Eric decided he wanted to get into shape. He found a boxing program at a gym in White Plains, NY.

One day, when he came for his typical workout, he found out that the gym had been taken over by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Legend Sean Alvarez. Sean eventually convinced Eric to "TRY" a class. Eric couldn't move the next day. He was sore in places he never knew existed. Sean told Eric, "I understand, BJJ isn’t for everyone..." and Eric promptly paid up-front for a year knowing full well that it was FOR HIM.

Since then, Eric has made a steady rise through the ranks. JoJo quickly recognized that Eric’s analytical mind and dedication to BJJ, made him an excellent choice as an Assistant Instructor at ECU.

Eric’s goals as an instructor are:

· To pass on the valuable lessons that have been passed on to me that help everyone on and off the mat;

· Do my best to pass on our style of Jiu-Jitsu, always thinking WWJJD (What would Jojo do) while encouraging people to find their own style at the same time;

· To always continue learning as much as I can, trying out new techniques, new positions, while always maintaining the "never stop learning" attitude;

· There should never be a move that you say "Is not for me," because of your size, strength or physical limitations; and

· Always keep an open mind and train hard.