tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31851482478120643092023-11-16T03:35:30.081-08:00Black Cat Jiujitsumy adventure into the weird and wonderful world of brazilian jiujitsuAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-15871855942522219202011-01-25T09:12:00.000-08:002011-01-25T09:14:13.322-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgc95oTmrwxLWs3saT02Wa76yvt2PwwSSofunpGvWOg3TaNGFUEBShEVjEKlp2NMysB7GaX3gD5OEnQdy1JTXwPiHxsoz4gLeoWe9jbQPgAUBzVG-p1VrwIBcRWZE-YCkyx_tGTUSH-h_/s1600/landing+page.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgc95oTmrwxLWs3saT02Wa76yvt2PwwSSofunpGvWOg3TaNGFUEBShEVjEKlp2NMysB7GaX3gD5OEnQdy1JTXwPiHxsoz4gLeoWe9jbQPgAUBzVG-p1VrwIBcRWZE-YCkyx_tGTUSH-h_/s320/landing+page.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566172989622607378" /></a>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-59968811900095551642011-01-22T05:47:00.000-08:002011-01-22T06:34:05.870-08:00Roller Coasters, Drugs and Sex ToysHello again! Yes, its been a while, and YES, I know I said that not too long ago! <br /><br />Life has been 'interesting'. And I use the word 'interesting' in the same way a seatbeat-less roller coaster ride while tripping balls on LSD on a full stomach of very questionable McDonalds may leave you feeling 'interesting'. Thats if you don't drown in a puddle of your own vomit completely naked, save for a sex toy jammed up your rear end and a noose around your neck. Oh no wait - thats CNN's Richard Quest! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMOAB2u99Q08RxPeug21dEyFPayiqGg_U1A8BF2H4jRFZT4j0OHMXo6FZAt52oJsSK05jkXdRJ6pj1z66aYcIFI6jEVVOcjr0xNGJMikwjB834WhEnQLdub7znm3LJLpquMz1kjMp0WMt/s1600/richardquest_narrowweb__300x375%252C4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMOAB2u99Q08RxPeug21dEyFPayiqGg_U1A8BF2H4jRFZT4j0OHMXo6FZAt52oJsSK05jkXdRJ6pj1z66aYcIFI6jEVVOcjr0xNGJMikwjB834WhEnQLdub7znm3LJLpquMz1kjMp0WMt/s320/richardquest_narrowweb__300x375%252C4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565017066415514418" /></a><br /><br />Fine fine, I know thats not everyone's definition of 'interesting', and many of you may question my ability to use the English language, but sometimes you have to get scared, hurt and a bit busted up, because the alternative is life on the bumper karts! And that is just a bit too safe, and 'uninteresting'. <br /><br />Again, I can feel your virtual eyebrows being raised, so let me elaborate. Sometimes, when you're hurtling along the roller coaster of life clinging on with white knuckled fingers, you fail to just look around and enjoy the view. And fine, an adrenaline pumping ride on a rickety roller coaster might not be the best comparison to life, but thats why I'm not a professional writer (oh wait, I am...damn). The point I was TRYING to make before you scoffed at your laptop screen at the readability of this rapidly de-evolving post, was that sometimes you're going to get hurt, but it beats not risking anything and missing out on the thrills life has to offer! Thoroughly confused now? Excellent, let's move onto jiujitsu before you all delete me from your blog rolls! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAueUCdfk6SDYC3J2DM5dtU_Ss8KtYRETzSPHU9_rK2hiLQqMKrZjOz4vxKSY54sNPnOxoVpwy9skpSbC8HA0DwzthEiiuiWyTJ_1nFjWGm_2OLj2tY58QJxN9w6R9shhof6fxlw-QBNB_/s1600/roller-coaster.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAueUCdfk6SDYC3J2DM5dtU_Ss8KtYRETzSPHU9_rK2hiLQqMKrZjOz4vxKSY54sNPnOxoVpwy9skpSbC8HA0DwzthEiiuiWyTJ_1nFjWGm_2OLj2tY58QJxN9w6R9shhof6fxlw-QBNB_/s320/roller-coaster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565018193488592418" /></a><br /><br /><br />Last month, after some hard training, Alliance Bahrain travelled to the UAE to fight at the renowned ADCC in the Abu Dhabi Asian Supercup. It was my first competition at blue belt level, and after more than a year off the competition mats, it was well needed! Stepping on the mats, that familiar feeling of 'calm before the storm' overcame me, and I rehearsed for the last time my game plan. <br /><br />And then my brain decided that it wanted to have some sort of adrenaline-induced rave. Long story short, the same feelings that you get on that very first competition came rushing back. It had been too long. The mat-rust was BAD! I wasnt overtly dissapointed though, as I won my first three fights in the under 76kg gi class, and won two fights in the blue belt absolute. Yes, at the time I was angry with myself, as it had seemed that all that hard training was for nothing, but, as it goes with competitions, I eventually saw it for what it was: a good effort for my first blue belt competition. Looking back, I'm not 100% happy with how it went, but I know what I need to work on and I am sure the next one will go better. <br /><br />Post competition, I decided to do a bit of travelling and explored a little bit of the UAE before jetting off to Italy for the holidays and some snow boarding fun! Its been a good month since any serious training took place, but no biggie. I feel amped to get back to training, hit the gym and get my diet back on track. The fridge is stocked, the gis are washed and the mats are calling. Now its just up to me to get on with it!<br /><br />Oh, and my laptop is about as useless as a blind guide dog, so there will be no spell checking tonight! Till next time!<br /><br />OSAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-91666260292355911422010-08-25T02:54:00.001-07:002010-08-25T02:54:54.190-07:00Leverage and the Fate GodsNow, occasionally, through the fog of sweat, adrenaline, ripped-out-leg-hair, eye pokes, testicle shots and gi burn, I will actually learn something on the mats! Every now and then, I will have one of those enlightening moments where you understand something fundamental about a certain aspect of jiujitsu, whether its part of your game, why you can never pull off that x guard sweep or why you keep getting those nasty red, circular rash spots when you don’t shower after training (duh!). I was lucky enough to have one of these moments during class this evening, and thankfully it wasn’t about staph or ring worm! <br /><br />We recently covered a deep half guard sweep combination which I used to use a lot as a white belt. Over the past few months I have been trying to work as much De La Riva as possible, as I feel it very comfortable in this position and it fills an important gap in my game plan. However, while my De La Riva game is coming along nicely, I have found myself struggling in what I used to count as my strong guard, namely the deep half guard. <br /><br />This led me to take a step back and assess the situation. Several nights spent tossing and turning, with uncomfortable dreams involving Ricardo De La Riva, Jeff Glover and Raphael Mendes (yes, insert gay joke here – very funny), I realized that I would need to revisit some of my old techniques to bring them up to par. <br /><br />With some wise words of wisdom from Fabio Gurgel resounding in my head, I decided to focus on working on my closed guard. When Fabio came out to Alliance Bahrain, he discussed the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities of the closed guard before moving to your favourite open guard. Now, many of us at that time were really working on our open guard games, whether it was De La Riva, Spider guard, or Ali Seena’s particular brand of guard torture, and were always quick to jump straight to these positions when sparring. <br /><br />Well, it seems this post has gone on quite the tangent! Anyway, back to my main point for the evening; leverage. Continuing on my plan to work on techniques which used to work well for me but have slipped to the wayside, one technique we recently went over was the deep half guard. Back in the UK, this used to be my go-to position, and I used to relentlessly fight for the deep half guard, much to the dismay of my sparring partners who had had enough of me kneeing them in the balls during my sweep attempts. So for the past week I have been attempting to work my closed guard game, and if things don’t go to plan and my guard is threatened, I will go to the deep half guard instead of the De La Riva. As usual, the more you use a particular position the better you will get at it, I have been having a rising success rate with one particular deep half guard sweep. And this evening, an opportunity presented itself to utilize this move! So off I went - fight for the under hook on one side, shoot the other arm under your opponent, move hips to opposite side, sneak in a quick ball buster, etc. But as I attempted the sweep, my opponent resisted and put all their weight on one arm, the other being stuck between us. As I was hanging there with my head upside down and various thoughts on the hygiene clenliness of my opponents groin guard (who wears these things for BJJ anyway?) running through my head, I had my enlightening moment! <br /><br />In crystal clear clarity, I realized that my opponent’s weight was distributed between his one leg and his one straight arm. With my foot mere inches from his cursed arm, I simply gave his arm a little kick, and he toppled like an obese red neck trucker after 50 beers and a spare ribs eating competition! And in that moment, I truly understood the ins and outs of this particular sweep I was using. Once I understood this, it was easy to predict where an opponent might be able resist and stop my sweeps, therefore providing me an opportunity to think of a counter strategy.<br /><br />Now I know this is quite a simple lesson, but there is more here than meets the eye. I feel every now and again the Fate Gods will give you that little push which is the beginning of a BJJ growth spurt. Everyone knows training isn’t linear, and many of us will go through plateaus before experiencing a sudden improvement in our game. And I think this might just have been one of those moments! <br /><br />OS!Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-88573028444396042462010-04-26T22:45:00.000-07:002010-04-27T01:17:45.834-07:00Finding HappinessWell it has been a while! I am in the process of getting this blog going again and will hopefully be posting regularly. While this topic has nothing to do with BJJ, it has been at the center of my musings of late and I feel by writing my thoughts down it will help me solidify my own impressions and maybe also help a few others who may find themselves in a similar predicament. <br /><br />Even when I chose my degree subject, it was due to a lack of any other interests and a lack of assertiveness on my part. While I enjoyed certain aspects of Business Management such as Marketing and Economics, it is not something I am terribly passionate about. Now, this was all good and well while still at university where if you study for a couple hours a day you can achieve quite an impressive result when compared to the input! I was quite proud of my ability to work for 2-3 hours a day and obtain the same grades as my friends, whose nail biting, hair pulling antics caused them much stress as they signed their every waking hour away to the dreaded library. So during this period of my life, I didn’t really mind reading, learning and studying the various aspects of Business Management as it was fun to gain new insights and understandings. It also meant I had alot of free time to focus on my training and really develop my jiujitsu. <br /><br />Now let’s fast forward to when I had actually finished university and had a few months of having fun enjoying the UK summer behind me. Once again I let the forces that be choose my path for me instead of taking hold of my own destiny and implementing a strategy that would take me to where I wanted to be. I decided to 'get a job' as it seemed the right thing to do, and besides, everyone else was trying to find jobs! So off I went like a good little Muppet and sent out my CVs with accompanying cover letters to all the worth while organizations I could think of. Luckily, one of them actually hired me and before I knew it I had entered the corporate world and the controversial rat race. Now, was this the path I really wanted for myself? Sitting behind a desk looking at a computer screen for 8+ hours a day? <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlJOb919G8eOplhHfRh6E6NC9iJy7uJmh1Yb-wehPDK2k1SSNjrcRphIpVX9RDyWjnM2SQqjx5cvGRHhr86gFhyphenhyphenIR15o4EYwg9DxSBUrHH8J2mCmq2tcDSdnAIhzy4LrNd8ZBznN9Wf__/s1600/IThome.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlJOb919G8eOplhHfRh6E6NC9iJy7uJmh1Yb-wehPDK2k1SSNjrcRphIpVX9RDyWjnM2SQqjx5cvGRHhr86gFhyphenhyphenIR15o4EYwg9DxSBUrHH8J2mCmq2tcDSdnAIhzy4LrNd8ZBznN9Wf__/s320/IThome.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464728020484664738" /></a><br /><br />I can argue and say that yes, you are signing away the majority of your day to doing something that is not particularly interesting, but you are getting some nice shiny gold coins out of it. And don’t forget about the benefits - health, dental, etc. Oh and they even threw in a transport allowance! How kind, how kind. But ever since I started working, I have felt myself being dragged (with much kicking and screaming on my part, much to my family and friends annoyances) in a direction I am not completely content with. Is this what I want to do with the rest of my life? Do I want to be like everyone else, doing something they don’t mind, or in many cases outright hate, just to put some money in the bank? There must be other kinds of work or industries which are capable of igniting my passion and allow me to be the black sheep of the hoard and actually enjoy what I do for a living? <br /><br />My indecisiveness in choosing my degree and when looking for a job led me down the 'it seemed the right thing to do' path. However, if I was to really question myself and think if this was the direction I wanted to go in, the answer would be an astonishing no! Now I can’t say what that illuminating path would be if I was given the opportunity to pursue my very own yellow brick road, but the last six months have taught me that this particular one isn't going to take me where I want to go.<br /><br />My research into this slightly soul exploring topic led me to see individuals on both extremes of the equation. There are those who have thrown fortune to the wind and cut up their evil bank cards, burnt their identity documents, sold all their earthly possessions and said 'fuck it' as they walked off towards the sunset with a home made Br'er rabbit style back pack swinging from their shoulder. While a very romantic idea, I am not too sure as to the success rate of this concept. I mean its all good and well if you plan on becoming a Buddist monk, Yogic adept, mountain hermit or desert nomad (although you will need some greenbacks to maintain your nice Range Rover for this last career path). However, you are much more likely to end up crazy, alone and as bear food, like the unfortunate Timothy Treadwell, if you decide on taking this slightly be-crazed approach to living your life. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSqshXGwMuUOV644seCh5JVHca_7-KcePWSo4lTCICuCXByczwHzOMPGu8fntJ5oEullAaNrGwXm7oTuuG_yRlxy9pSfODzAcKuWOVVEwMy4kz1dsr83tB0nL6ifRIeH-Dz4ty1X8wetb/s1600/340x.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSqshXGwMuUOV644seCh5JVHca_7-KcePWSo4lTCICuCXByczwHzOMPGu8fntJ5oEullAaNrGwXm7oTuuG_yRlxy9pSfODzAcKuWOVVEwMy4kz1dsr83tB0nL6ifRIeH-Dz4ty1X8wetb/s320/340x.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464726575723777810" /></a><br /><br />Then on the other extreme, we have those who feel the need to store every single one of their copper pennies in their mattress and guard their reserves with an Ebenezer Scrooge like consistency (yes Scrooge does have a first name). The mere suggestion of spending some of their savings will result in a moon directed howl as the individual in question bursts out of their clothing in a dramatic explosion of newly developed animalistic hair and sinewy muscle, their angry retort muffled by those long fangs and a toxic cloud of rotting bad breath. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1WqWGVoGCXkRzJo8TiVg_MZDvmGVElNtgZFXwLA66f_04n7GItqaRXes4TBJc1PzGNUipoptx-sYsPTpVzo4AcGVmUpP3OPRspaciPlRj3iJHHewNnZEI5x8F6TpUr60r4KWUxpIYUBe/s1600/scrooge.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1WqWGVoGCXkRzJo8TiVg_MZDvmGVElNtgZFXwLA66f_04n7GItqaRXes4TBJc1PzGNUipoptx-sYsPTpVzo4AcGVmUpP3OPRspaciPlRj3iJHHewNnZEI5x8F6TpUr60r4KWUxpIYUBe/s320/scrooge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464727084282770354" /></a><br /><br />Obviously these examples lie on the outer edges of our bell shaped curve of normalcy, with the majority of us falling somewhere in between Timothy 'bear food' Treadwell and Ebenezer Scrooge's antics. However, it really is up to us to decide which qualities from these two role models we wish to emulate, and finding a balance which you are happy with will contribute to your ability to live a happy life. <br /><br />After attempting to invoke the mystical Inca spirits and several failed animal sacrifices at the height of the spring solace, it became apparent that the only way I was going to figure this out was by doing some hard thinking. Trying to predict your path by peering into a magicians divination bowl, seeking solace in tarot cards or taking part in a mystical rain dance will not get you very far. It took me much hair pulling, incoherent babbling and a long period of frustration before I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t get me wrong, I only have a vague outline of what I need to do to keep myself on the tightrope that is happiness, but at least I know that it is up to me to decide what I do with my life.Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-4033389838094925522009-11-15T22:17:00.000-08:002009-11-15T22:32:41.364-08:006 Deuce clothingCheck out this interview with MMA clothing company Six Deuce. Not your usual 'in your face I beat people up’ kind of prints, but much more subtle and, in my opinion, wearable. I first came across this brand when we were in Thailand training at Tiger Muay Thai around 16 months ago and it was nice to see a Mixed Martial Arts T shirt that didn’t have ‘blood stains’ or barbed wire on it. Not that there is anyting wrong with barbed wire, but sometimes it would be nice to wear something that doesn’t scream Affliction! Here is a recent interview below: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.62gear.com"><img src="http://www.62gear.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/vertbanner5.jpg"></a><br /><br />Not only was Craig over at Six Deuce nice enough to give us losers a bunch of free t-shirts, he also let me ask him a bunch of asinine questions. This is one of my favorite interviews yet so be sure and give it a look.<br /><br />Craig, give us some info on Six Deuce Gear and what it is all about.<br /><br />Six Deuce … a movement without boundaries. A lifestyle without restrictions. An attitude that defines combat.<br /><br />Just kidding! We hate the quasi-mysterious company descriptions as much as you do. We’re a t-shirt company that sells MMA t-shirts disguised as non-MMA t-shirts. I’ve been around the sport since UFC 2, my high school days. I went to college at Iowa State University, graduated from the graphic design program, and did nothing with the degree for a few years, like most starving artists.<br /><br />I’ve been a member of the UG (mixedmartialarts.com) for a long time too, and that’s where the company got started. KTFO (remember them?) had some shirts that were really basic when they first came on the scene, so I messed around with their logo on my lunch break and posted it on the UG. Some people liked it, and a few other companies contacted me to do design work for them. After a couple of months I decided to venture out on my own, with no business experience and not much start-up money. I saw an opportunity in the market for more “subtle” shirt designs, because the market had a lot of intense, EXTREME!, and over the top MMA shirts. Not very many hid the fact that you not only had a pitbull, tribal tattoos, and killed people in the cage, but you wore it on your shirt as well! I tried to tone it down a bit.<br /><br />You have our new shirts set to come out the end of this month, you want to tell us about them?<br /><br />Fedor Sweater Logo Tee: Obviously Fedor has been a HUGE influence in some of my designs. It has been an absolute joy to watch his career become what it is today. I’ve never seen a better role model…he embodies so many positive characteristics, both in the ring/cage and out. Combat Sambo is one of our favorite martial arts, and I hope that if people like our Sambo shirts, it might introduce more people to the sport. Plus, if Fedor’s sweater is truly lucky, maybe it’s power is found in the color combination of the stripes?<br /><br />Tiger Muay Thai Tee: These guys are great and awesome to work with. Tiger Muay Thai is one of the best Muay Thai training camps in the world, and head Tiger MMA trainer Ray Elbe has always been a great friend to our company. We’re putting a high quality Tiger MT shirt on the market for fans and former trainees of the camp. If you’re looking for an amazing training experience with all the amenities, look no further. Check them out at http://www.tigermuaythai.com.<br /><br />Sambo Crest Tee: Our 3rd and most recent Sambo t-shirt. Igor Karaev, (@TSGIGOR) an individual who is very close to Fedor and his group has<br />been very helpful with all of our new Russian-themed shirts. The translated text reads (top line) “Sixty Two” and (bottom line) “Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya”, of which SAMBO is an acronym, and means “Self Defense without a weapon”.<br /><br />Russian Wolf Tee: The phrase (in Russian) on the shirts is: “Volkov boyat’sa – v les ne khodit’” which means, “Don’t go into the woods if you’re afraid of the wolves”. The phrase is perfect for our sport and works in so many ways.<br /><br />Just Bleed Tee: The shirt is a tribute to the “Just Bleed” guy, a legend in his own right. During an earlier UFC, he summed up the testosterone (and alcohol) fueled fighting rage of every young male in one brief moment on camera. Just Bleed guy, we salute you!<br /><br />Six Deuce does a lot of shirts that only the hardcore MMA fans will get, why is that?<br /><br />It’s not intentional! I’d like for our company to be more mainstream, so I could go to the club and make it rain 100 dollar bills. Sigh…I guess I’m doing something wrong. Seriously though, we have the loyalty of a lot of the hardcore fans of the sport, and that’s very important to me. You can wear a lot of our stuff and the general public won’t know it’s an MMA shirt, but people who actively follow the sport will appreciate it.<br /><br />Do you think Fedor will like your new Sweater Sambo shirt?<br /><br />hope so, I really do. I’m going to send him one so that if he ever ruins his lucky sweater in the dryer, we’ve got him covered.<br /><br />What else would you like to say to FightTrends readers?<br /><br />FRAT! Thanks for taking the time to read our interview, and watch for our new shirts to be released the day after Thanksgiving!<br /><br />Thanks to Six Deuce for the interview and giveaway. Let us know who you would like to see us interview and we will do our best to get it done. Be sure and give Six Deuce a follow on Twitter. Also, don’t forget to check out the new Six Deuce T-Shirts that will be available the day after Thanksgiving.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.62gear.com"><img src="http://www.62gear.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bannerad3.jpg"></a>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-57174448131160019662009-11-15T04:37:00.000-08:002009-11-15T04:45:14.990-08:00De La Riva Sweep 5<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgli3ACZEhDhvR4BvUJLbcMQTaoLd1XdiMNqEcxQMr27CMm_begzzg7eu2rTYNJ4kCTiSLP-6GQVkJhea4x0i5tghSO__NIRQaqhfxyjyEhrn7227_-p5F2VqZl9fcNkWfxZG42ivQ_KEIT/s1600-h/d1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgli3ACZEhDhvR4BvUJLbcMQTaoLd1XdiMNqEcxQMr27CMm_begzzg7eu2rTYNJ4kCTiSLP-6GQVkJhea4x0i5tghSO__NIRQaqhfxyjyEhrn7227_-p5F2VqZl9fcNkWfxZG42ivQ_KEIT/s320/d1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404309799347014866" /></a><br /><br />1: Boca decides to try and pass the guard by cross-sliding his right knee over De La Riva’s right leg <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnv-VMbldanUIghwc_JurvjVP-dmDsJAPq4BzuG0pXog1YNYjDvY_WES24uvPs7dwmFdclj935P6zePmBeXFtdk45IvOie0jwES0IwR8CKoXr_b5HJiOJtbsVO2Hvl90DkWzWDli2F0mY/s1600-h/d2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnv-VMbldanUIghwc_JurvjVP-dmDsJAPq4BzuG0pXog1YNYjDvY_WES24uvPs7dwmFdclj935P6zePmBeXFtdk45IvOie0jwES0IwR8CKoXr_b5HJiOJtbsVO2Hvl90DkWzWDli2F0mY/s320/d2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404309920106363282" /></a><br /><br />2: De la Riva places his hooking foot on the ground, grabs his other leg by the knee to support his leg and pivots the foot under Boca’s far thigh. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsNqRbutwnGUySB8FZxEkBBMIQ3uCpPstJ1tW2Wo6B7xbwrHW3KiAwTnJkyEyCZibMABhaRYRN00w5Ni6JJKP0I84SwW4lMcyvZog0TmCPkw64uIT54eRhvYVUpmGgvoSVX93gEhzL-LD/s1600-h/d3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsNqRbutwnGUySB8FZxEkBBMIQ3uCpPstJ1tW2Wo6B7xbwrHW3KiAwTnJkyEyCZibMABhaRYRN00w5Ni6JJKP0I84SwW4lMcyvZog0TmCPkw64uIT54eRhvYVUpmGgvoSVX93gEhzL-LD/s320/d3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404310064591784082" /></a><br /><br />3: He kicks his right leg up and lifts his hips to raise Boca’s leg… <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetmvajZiinzcNAcyHvmdwohCohFNBojXT4iWS9u6MaPfxBbp-PoLLuJ9-0Dcdx9jSeuoDvxlPCBvA5HsQHaQSpduHtPZv7xFVvXO3LfjXTmU49Igkhh6hHdOPoaqrYDPXxmzDgYF5hPDS/s1600-h/d4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetmvajZiinzcNAcyHvmdwohCohFNBojXT4iWS9u6MaPfxBbp-PoLLuJ9-0Dcdx9jSeuoDvxlPCBvA5HsQHaQSpduHtPZv7xFVvXO3LfjXTmU49Igkhh6hHdOPoaqrYDPXxmzDgYF5hPDS/s320/d4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404310209136545170" /></a><br /><br />4: … and now switches legs, placing his left foot under Boca’s thigh, grabbing the leg and sleeve, and sweeps Boca to his right <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfI5Q28SUTxuboDvN7uOE5Cn-CLa3IWx16TkvNiclDlVuePU4SpGjEPDZl7b08eHtGKK0V0TS13nJbNPPpP3oioZI4RdKvGubmMaIRNhpCbg5-ApaTuUYhQvDB3I37XmfX2baGKg3ib14/s1600-h/d5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfI5Q28SUTxuboDvN7uOE5Cn-CLa3IWx16TkvNiclDlVuePU4SpGjEPDZl7b08eHtGKK0V0TS13nJbNPPpP3oioZI4RdKvGubmMaIRNhpCbg5-ApaTuUYhQvDB3I37XmfX2baGKg3ib14/s320/d5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404310365309038610" /></a><br /><br />5: He follows Boca and gains cross side.Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-12686713723995177332009-11-15T04:24:00.000-08:002009-11-15T04:36:38.461-08:00De La Riva Sweep 4<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINU6L_7-7cd0ogDAcImzt39yDnZFmV7ZRvB2O-Q34MdvYOVb42no6FwtaKgAmI17CKU5zDor2Z6FVnkJzvtxmwi7vg9kSA5l3R8vqAQUxG4G2ty6gFMIQQfyzXNZJsYo9VPJv44doI_5u/s1600-h/d1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINU6L_7-7cd0ogDAcImzt39yDnZFmV7ZRvB2O-Q34MdvYOVb42no6FwtaKgAmI17CKU5zDor2Z6FVnkJzvtxmwi7vg9kSA5l3R8vqAQUxG4G2ty6gFMIQQfyzXNZJsYo9VPJv44doI_5u/s320/d1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404305534720291522" /></a><br /><br />1: Boca attempts to escape De la Riva’s guard by standing up <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3thMVhztWLrm-ffy4hkzpAFRkcJ1OjT4gX1i8_5y4SJvYNrkSEal8uHCNDxMqZLA3cxa7iekpetzGMkiKJwOZ13PpR4NkAuuadP4dN6TR5eSW_bUzbTkTDQURFuS5iKQ9vneLXGhGqzPc/s1600-h/d2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3thMVhztWLrm-ffy4hkzpAFRkcJ1OjT4gX1i8_5y4SJvYNrkSEal8uHCNDxMqZLA3cxa7iekpetzGMkiKJwOZ13PpR4NkAuuadP4dN6TR5eSW_bUzbTkTDQURFuS5iKQ9vneLXGhGqzPc/s320/d2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404307512904045330" /></a><br /><br />2: De la Riva counters by sitting up using his hooking leg and …<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRVwHwREr9pmPqi14LwWhFqlKjE4_FeqswezND8T4S5ROxn3a-5lS7JHxGqn5d3r6vCU2yGR9GSyN1hTGrziQpaqp52OmpP-tTtHgg-Wngn7qN-jv0gxezdOg7MRjOra-00xxg3roOVDb/s1600-h/d3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRVwHwREr9pmPqi14LwWhFqlKjE4_FeqswezND8T4S5ROxn3a-5lS7JHxGqn5d3r6vCU2yGR9GSyN1hTGrziQpaqp52OmpP-tTtHgg-Wngn7qN-jv0gxezdOg7MRjOra-00xxg3roOVDb/s320/d3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404307783899455570" /></a><br /><br />3: …traps Boca’s right arm and leg. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeURuQjHfx6K3U00jNHoZUVD4puYJSynN5YuSxf9WPrnshqu0bRmAZHY7_kyX4s8MMpXOFfFEXHMX00x0TtvjRs0zpdDKX20gzTnDLgmpMoGTg5ZtefpEx755WSvZ7ePwLxrl_NpxTnXf/s1600-h/d4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeURuQjHfx6K3U00jNHoZUVD4puYJSynN5YuSxf9WPrnshqu0bRmAZHY7_kyX4s8MMpXOFfFEXHMX00x0TtvjRs0zpdDKX20gzTnDLgmpMoGTg5ZtefpEx755WSvZ7ePwLxrl_NpxTnXf/s320/d4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404307999219450274" /></a><br /><br />4: He places his left hand on the ground and sit up into Boca causing him to fall backwards. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RkTeH3oHM2hz31bnbWphH4IeUlE-sT-tVxUsWoJ9sYMOkHnuUOUZXvhsqtqOLz2cn8EbHrsEo8C64O8h9BykUAHkRrKUysBM31JsJErCGxWuTN_p2iBJ3Dq1uMq_yd5_JKwNYsjm5Spw/s1600-h/d5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RkTeH3oHM2hz31bnbWphH4IeUlE-sT-tVxUsWoJ9sYMOkHnuUOUZXvhsqtqOLz2cn8EbHrsEo8C64O8h9BykUAHkRrKUysBM31JsJErCGxWuTN_p2iBJ3Dq1uMq_yd5_JKwNYsjm5Spw/s320/d5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404308137657366322" /></a><br /><br />5: He now comes to the top, clears the guard and achieves cross side position.Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-54273453257667565382009-11-15T04:18:00.000-08:002009-11-15T04:23:05.311-08:00De La Riva Sweep 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymlA3Mrl2hONvyovkgDl-YUvhosHqf9u5-KtspZ7Dq-uDRmoohdiCGFl6jD2rLqlyKshhhW5vS7iIDn23u8bJUzZih3UDJtt26BLkN8Mygy6x3hnHw2A5EHfhZSeXV29BB93PUEI9neNZ/s1600-h/d1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymlA3Mrl2hONvyovkgDl-YUvhosHqf9u5-KtspZ7Dq-uDRmoohdiCGFl6jD2rLqlyKshhhW5vS7iIDn23u8bJUzZih3UDJtt26BLkN8Mygy6x3hnHw2A5EHfhZSeXV29BB93PUEI9neNZ/s320/d1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404304151770536930" /></a><br /><br />1: Boca is back in de la Riva’s open guard.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vbamR5wMWLB1a2YVmQpKBibMLn18TelGNezFXsZEU4GYF_15Vkt9SHVIA70M-GIt2RUuCLIMYOUdJqOZusNT6e8qczK7OCRdeA535QGxfzonn2gbGUZAPma3tYBkeV6m0VoDilicpToy/s1600-h/d2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vbamR5wMWLB1a2YVmQpKBibMLn18TelGNezFXsZEU4GYF_15Vkt9SHVIA70M-GIt2RUuCLIMYOUdJqOZusNT6e8qczK7OCRdeA535QGxfzonn2gbGUZAPma3tYBkeV6m0VoDilicpToy/s320/d2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404304294756679922" /></a><br /><br />2: Boca removes de la Riva’s hook by pointing his knee to the outside.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpb7STTO_WDphJqZRETXHTwEAhtfBqNOeKF2UUsv5vb0AGbaRCMNRKInEt9j2tnxzfmG3T6tWqlr9LhVTx47b8_fxaNx-aRqVgvgh1zHHzMXZeuemrhLCksAbgx1FXEsquiNJ84XS22c6/s1600-h/d3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpb7STTO_WDphJqZRETXHTwEAhtfBqNOeKF2UUsv5vb0AGbaRCMNRKInEt9j2tnxzfmG3T6tWqlr9LhVTx47b8_fxaNx-aRqVgvgh1zHHzMXZeuemrhLCksAbgx1FXEsquiNJ84XS22c6/s320/d3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404304453044830610" /></a><br /><br />3: De La Riva reacts by swinging his other leg over Boca’s arm and hooking his foot under Boca’s thigh.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLlngrKqflOCPEoykyxLE2vRtsqoN_XeKqd4dXD6J3WbJNHLeHVXykxIwrQEZCTv05Jiz744oi-xU1K_abq5sdFrRpOIbktl8ZtkijNVHC4dm7TLob0pO6BkIquoFH98rIQcBdtDO2Vyz/s1600-h/d4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLlngrKqflOCPEoykyxLE2vRtsqoN_XeKqd4dXD6J3WbJNHLeHVXykxIwrQEZCTv05Jiz744oi-xU1K_abq5sdFrRpOIbktl8ZtkijNVHC4dm7TLob0pO6BkIquoFH98rIQcBdtDO2Vyz/s320/d4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404304598133737474" /></a><br /><br />4: De la Riva places his other foot on the ground and shifts his hip away from Boca and kicks his hook straight up to sweep him.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66epYu4DmKhLiairNNIFjlUS0y3pRv2HzTbt0v8fVFXVnVHpVaEVifeJ2R6nB-hqLaaS2micG0eQmehfhMcoBLLj9ForSJj8Uzng2-Vi0cpmSvtufzCIlOQG0BmY9ubc51fgeBDDV8bxC/s1600-h/d5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66epYu4DmKhLiairNNIFjlUS0y3pRv2HzTbt0v8fVFXVnVHpVaEVifeJ2R6nB-hqLaaS2micG0eQmehfhMcoBLLj9ForSJj8Uzng2-Vi0cpmSvtufzCIlOQG0BmY9ubc51fgeBDDV8bxC/s320/d5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404304747385955394" /></a><br /><br />5: De la Riva pulls his sweeping leg free and comes to the top positionAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-48261547392917965562009-11-15T04:12:00.000-08:002009-11-15T04:18:29.034-08:00De La Riva Sweep 2Part two in the sweep series continues below; <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuuEU0aRrrCE0HtgF6fzWQdb165MXFnUD4hbRZSxjgHZbLe3U5VqlJvwNlFgiaW3WwGo1pzUuMOfWlupCOifP9Cwq-fQtgeKr75R4fSQ2mNukOC3T1Jg3VN2JqSPNdl_CKIvKfasYkXJ_/s1600-h/d21.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuuEU0aRrrCE0HtgF6fzWQdb165MXFnUD4hbRZSxjgHZbLe3U5VqlJvwNlFgiaW3WwGo1pzUuMOfWlupCOifP9Cwq-fQtgeKr75R4fSQ2mNukOC3T1Jg3VN2JqSPNdl_CKIvKfasYkXJ_/s320/d21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404302500007148626" /></a><br /><br />1: De la Riva starts the sweep by controlling Boca’s sleeves and inserting his hook behind Boca’s knee.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlyF2-o8tJ40CJDe8wz96CUBHZGecI_3ZkC1kawrwrJgP7BjDcP1un4G0lq9v8oFMRjSov28nNVeOLZ9RZc1qlj-LaXvQSPbe0Kc4J3xfhXzjaewOQ2lqKCV-Ln7ch9TGP2hU3JdnfPrR/s1600-h/d22.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlyF2-o8tJ40CJDe8wz96CUBHZGecI_3ZkC1kawrwrJgP7BjDcP1un4G0lq9v8oFMRjSov28nNVeOLZ9RZc1qlj-LaXvQSPbe0Kc4J3xfhXzjaewOQ2lqKCV-Ln7ch9TGP2hU3JdnfPrR/s320/d22.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404302682060254930" /></a><br /><br />2: He proceeds by shifting his hip away from the hooking leg and switching his right hand from the sleeve to the lapel<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xjmrp1fWbqtQkkxJUi_EzLB3J1CNTYRyDeRru_aGsl4XTT28Hq0UT0BpfCt-Ktd7_oLWL9TfgvkB6FGWa3HNf63K8vzT2AbmWgfggl4lsY1FgVF4s4Hivo2DDe3UciEpxhNYp49pDoYx/s1600-h/d23.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xjmrp1fWbqtQkkxJUi_EzLB3J1CNTYRyDeRru_aGsl4XTT28Hq0UT0BpfCt-Ktd7_oLWL9TfgvkB6FGWa3HNf63K8vzT2AbmWgfggl4lsY1FgVF4s4Hivo2DDe3UciEpxhNYp49pDoYx/s320/d23.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404302807641864514" /></a><br /><br />3: He starts the sweep by pulling Boca towards him…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ_UABLRtv4M3U7Wxkd4s0nmTAUUvl23Yhk_zgIZx4c-G_p36XCxgnfY_yAkrRxvLE-UqBEHAgp0we3wtdT74Juax4Y9hC7PvmF5LSACJpA3ubYeXC5lHX3tS-zj7GbzprFecuJzATU9Q/s1600-h/d24.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ_UABLRtv4M3U7Wxkd4s0nmTAUUvl23Yhk_zgIZx4c-G_p36XCxgnfY_yAkrRxvLE-UqBEHAgp0we3wtdT74Juax4Y9hC7PvmF5LSACJpA3ubYeXC5lHX3tS-zj7GbzprFecuJzATU9Q/s320/d24.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404302937460594562" /></a><br /><br />4: …and then rolling him to his left, immediately working to pass Boca’s guard.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWKxjV3pZzx2Hg32BwLSeEH12cQjTbnmRL5hUzgqud_Qi1Fbk9s8l6O348hJDo8VSjPdGmKDK0HtKs9R66thuJnQ0AAIfHoRdykIV460DURkLFpfT0iJ9AtcLADCwLPy5DuqNQDHZPcpT/s1600-h/d25.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWKxjV3pZzx2Hg32BwLSeEH12cQjTbnmRL5hUzgqud_Qi1Fbk9s8l6O348hJDo8VSjPdGmKDK0HtKs9R66thuJnQ0AAIfHoRdykIV460DURkLFpfT0iJ9AtcLADCwLPy5DuqNQDHZPcpT/s320/d25.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404303337615692706" /></a><br /><br />Alternate Finish, Photo 1: if Boca resists by backing out, de la Riva will place his left hand behind him on the ground and sit up…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3rRHVRtj_3yOjysddZts9BESDivPH6BRiwlM78lH5CQ1x4UuOTenOLy7pogm4QaEXhhF-AO80KyZXOmbwITRy8V9tnO4oTubnnseW6YO6hT0iLOCj3VJKBnziqNWMmxPAwMkJzmd21cs/s1600-h/d26.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3rRHVRtj_3yOjysddZts9BESDivPH6BRiwlM78lH5CQ1x4UuOTenOLy7pogm4QaEXhhF-AO80KyZXOmbwITRy8V9tnO4oTubnnseW6YO6hT0iLOCj3VJKBnziqNWMmxPAwMkJzmd21cs/s320/d26.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404303477357461586" /></a><br /><br />Alternate Finish, Photo 2: …sweeping Boca backwards, passing his legs as beforeAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-85624932041346429532009-11-15T03:34:00.000-08:002009-11-15T04:11:53.752-08:00De La Riva Sweep 1I have decided I want to continue to work on my deep half guard, as if I can get it to a competitive level in a school where deep half guard is the speciality, then it will be pretty hard to beat against people who have only come across it a couple times. So thats what I 'should' do. But I am going to do what I want to do and also work on the de la riva! These two positions seem to go hand in hand quite well and I think I should be able to drill them together quite nicely. Here are a few cool sweeps I found courtisy of www.grapplearts.com:<br /><br />TECHNIQUE 1: BASIC DE LA RIVA SWEEP<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwgVtayV0_wLkqziOrq5QGsy2YaPKpaGVbRbScM4wyfN6F1QlW0z7LhyphenhyphenEboivIs_aEZxazku1-DjYSl63psE-N7QjN5iBES5Dut1v7MVdQ_m033QGKf4IBdYkCwkngeYwv8FsuJo-KEga/s1600-h/d11.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwgVtayV0_wLkqziOrq5QGsy2YaPKpaGVbRbScM4wyfN6F1QlW0z7LhyphenhyphenEboivIs_aEZxazku1-DjYSl63psE-N7QjN5iBES5Dut1v7MVdQ_m033QGKf4IBdYkCwkngeYwv8FsuJo-KEga/s320/d11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404300781013994786" /></a><br /><br />1: De la Riva has Boca in the open guard with both feet on his hips controlling both his sleeves with his hands. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJ9Qgg0wjNx1onEjXqvjY6s9daTN7mG_G5eTMx0Knvbb9GeF1jhorRqOrLDNCLKCJGTj1JvEtsqdKt8ICtr9KtRI9IcdNOg05CGCs2ZJjCjPj9E5Drk6nNPeNlVYZUlgsstqnpqoYB8P9/s1600-h/d12.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJ9Qgg0wjNx1onEjXqvjY6s9daTN7mG_G5eTMx0Knvbb9GeF1jhorRqOrLDNCLKCJGTj1JvEtsqdKt8ICtr9KtRI9IcdNOg05CGCs2ZJjCjPj9E5Drk6nNPeNlVYZUlgsstqnpqoYB8P9/s320/d12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404301023181396418" /></a><br /><br />2: De la Riva shifts his hips over to one side to hook his foot behind Boca’s knee on the inside of the thigh.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLrHikCd0vLxJRWeOyzoz9RjjAl7YI6JOdQpoUn-xvjF7ibeEUNGaznOZFG5Vt3JwhxkE_nUrGUMvzJHBtlwPm3Wn4ox3MrMb9g3DBFBq2mf77tgn2dwMmBS_Gj0PO5fgVuPnVrnLr6U2/s1600-h/d13.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLrHikCd0vLxJRWeOyzoz9RjjAl7YI6JOdQpoUn-xvjF7ibeEUNGaznOZFG5Vt3JwhxkE_nUrGUMvzJHBtlwPm3Wn4ox3MrMb9g3DBFBq2mf77tgn2dwMmBS_Gj0PO5fgVuPnVrnLr6U2/s320/d13.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404301207722443602" /></a><br /><br />3: He places his other foot on Boca’s knee and grabs his far sleeve with both hands…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPISIYdH6IYcYHIjsypJYGt8YHrHnpI5P1EIN-feW2JeLwKk6OpBiQtpGCaw3MjFr6MtVXy4uRT7ItZe_R1wir-FueZR0hy-pT5GeIityEzjiHIHu2UsmO2p4xF81tP5TOEB9jDIJXKAf/s1600-h/d14.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPISIYdH6IYcYHIjsypJYGt8YHrHnpI5P1EIN-feW2JeLwKk6OpBiQtpGCaw3MjFr6MtVXy4uRT7ItZe_R1wir-FueZR0hy-pT5GeIityEzjiHIHu2UsmO2p4xF81tP5TOEB9jDIJXKAf/s320/d14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404301382092956258" /></a><br /><br />4: …straightens his hooking leg, pushes on Boca’s knee with the other foot and pulls on his sleeve to get the sweep.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wEqnUzM3n_FM7G4dNuFlJcGLgn0uBTR8l3UlAfv3rGyR7sMc15dtScOGwB0oPvvCazfm_Sh73nooJ2IV3GhFGNlCpMECI_UPGWBC-kNuqYBU9YQNZe1gccotCuaI-hWB_H7j1UImFX0h/s1600-h/d15.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wEqnUzM3n_FM7G4dNuFlJcGLgn0uBTR8l3UlAfv3rGyR7sMc15dtScOGwB0oPvvCazfm_Sh73nooJ2IV3GhFGNlCpMECI_UPGWBC-kNuqYBU9YQNZe1gccotCuaI-hWB_H7j1UImFX0h/s320/d15.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404301521522831202" /></a><br /><br />5: De la Riva swims under Boca’s armpit with his far arm and switches his hip to disengage his legs…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9n8TZcBzckFbLNqVyYzwDxFblZtasI5hW544leDL7rwiezPLR8EZV0QY87ffDqIPdDzL72OEUddAHoyWFDKYK91r9mxMdu4v7MygWdJoVECaeV1YLRwD5Y6Mz461OfMFQHpKvmNTHW6kv/s1600-h/d16.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9n8TZcBzckFbLNqVyYzwDxFblZtasI5hW544leDL7rwiezPLR8EZV0QY87ffDqIPdDzL72OEUddAHoyWFDKYK91r9mxMdu4v7MygWdJoVECaeV1YLRwD5Y6Mz461OfMFQHpKvmNTHW6kv/s320/d16.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404301729892263266" /></a><br /><br />6: …and slides his hip out to gain cross sideAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-5230141794520525692009-11-12T03:36:00.000-08:002009-11-12T04:14:02.348-08:00Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R8O7vJmkH4myPaugN6sjS6SjN5l4pZ44IOQqP3bEPTTfRxs7xNSFKCzY9iqWp14HZR6qNhDn-06GpmvvfS1F7QaI8mVsw0qCSRAsZKzav4Cke_hg7AXzofbepdW8L-UXDp_kHYXyM0xX/s1600-h/me.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R8O7vJmkH4myPaugN6sjS6SjN5l4pZ44IOQqP3bEPTTfRxs7xNSFKCzY9iqWp14HZR6qNhDn-06GpmvvfS1F7QaI8mVsw0qCSRAsZKzav4Cke_hg7AXzofbepdW8L-UXDp_kHYXyM0xX/s320/me.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403189165930728034" /></a><br /><br /><br />Serious blog neglect going on over the past few weeks! Hopefully that will change starting today. Life has been pretty hectic since I left the UK and arrived in sunny Bahrain! <br /><br />Life has changed quite a bit over the last few months. I got a job doing public relations for the Bahrain International Circuit, hosts of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, which is turning out to be quite enjoyable. It’s a fast paced and hectic atmosphere but I seem to work well under pressure and with deadlines so its all good. The down side is that by the time I finish work at 5pm (8am start), I am usually pretty tired and it is quite an effort to complete the 20 minute drive to pick up Rach and 15 minute drive to the academy, straight from work. But I am slowly getting back to training 5+ times a week! The first two weeks was very frustrating as I wanted to continue with my old training schedule but just couldn’t hack it. But over the last week or two, things have got a lot better as I have found a new routine and tried to make my day as accommodating as possible for evening training. This means making sure I get to sleep by 11pm at the absolute latest, as otherwise by the time 5pm rolls around I only have energy to fall asleep! I also try to keep a bunch of healthy snacks at my desk – stuff like nuts, fruit, alpine bars, etc (hopefully will be adding protein shakes to this once I get paid). One thing that was really letting me down in the first couple weeks was my liquid intake, or lack of. Sitting at a desk all day seems to convince my brain that I don’t need to hydrate! So lots of tea and water through out the day also helps me feel good to go come training time. This week things have come together a bit more and training has been a bit better, and I think next week it will be pretty much back to normal. <br /><br />Training at RMAC is going pretty good! Brazilian black belt Rodrigo Mangabeira is teaching the class at the moment so I am picking up some great moves. In terms of personal development I have not been focusing on anything in particular for the last month, but due to a majority of the guys pulling guard, I have found my top and passing game is coming along quite nicely. This I should probably save for another post, but I am feeling a bit lost in terms of game plans at the moment. I mean, I still know what I am doing, but I don’t seem to be pushing my game plan on my opponents, and am instead responding to their game. I think this is probably due to life being so hectic and not having time to think up my own little plan for class – before working, I would always have time to know exactly what I wanted to practice during sparring. <br /><br />Logically, since my take downs are not great, I should focus my game on sweeping from bottom and then implement my new found passing skills to eventually transition to North/ South, where I feel very comfortable. So for the next few weeks I will be focusing on sweeps. Great that’s decided then. But sweeps from what position? Half guard? Closed guard? Open guard? Decisions, decisions….Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-75554539680739116502009-10-15T13:02:00.000-07:002009-10-15T14:02:32.412-07:00Io Sto Con Forme!A bit of blog neglect over the past few weeks! Things have been busy around here with lots going on, both in jiujitsu and in normal life. I finally got a job, which will mean a slight change to my training routine. I am a bit relieved to actually start working as the last few weeks have been without any sort of regular routine and it will be nice to have a bit of a structured day again. It does mean I won't be able to take advantage of the newly introduced morning BJJ classes, but at least I will be able to afford some new gis and rash guards! It also means daily life is going to get a bit hectic with work starting at 8am and finishing at 5pm and then training from 7-9pm. And repeat. 5 days a week. <br /><br />Training is going good at the moment! The academy recently became an affiliate of the Alliance Team and therefore will get regular black belts coming over, including yearly seminars from Fabio Gurgel! Also, ANOTHER black belt will be arriving around mid November because of this affiliation, bringing the total black belt count per BJJ class to three! Currently, the new flavour brought to the class by Rodrigo Mangabeira has been great, with some great moves being demonstrated. We have been working on a combination of closed guard and <em>guarda arangia </em>sweeps/ submissions. Training time has also changed and has increased from 90 minutes to two hours! <br /><br />Bit of a dramatic week at RMAC, with an aggressive blue belt going too hard on a new white belt and dislocating his elbow with a triangle/ arm bar lock. It is a shame as this person was just starting out and very keen on his training, which will now be delayed by a minimum of at least a few months! I think higher belts have a responsibility to help new students out and not just use them as 'fresh meat'. I personally don't see any benefit to me when if I was to go hard with a new person. And it is usually the case, with higher belts providing tips and insight to those with less ability. I had my own little scare this week too when I got arm-barred but couldn't tap and heard my elbow make a very scary 'tearing' noise. Maybe my own jiujitsu karma was out of whack. Whatever. Thankfully, after a few days of not being able to straighten it or completely bend it, I have been able to train on it and it wasn't too bad. I think I probably hyper extended it quite badly and, with a bit of rest, it will be ok in a week or two. Need to watch out for those arm bars!Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-54899173864685098112009-09-30T05:31:00.001-07:002009-09-30T06:21:12.987-07:00Bahrain BJJFor anyone looking to start or continue training Brazilian Jiujitsu while in Bahrain, they should check out Reza's Martial Arts Center. The school teaches Brazilian Jiujitsu, Thai Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Capoeira and has its own gym facilities. Classes are taught by Reza Monfaradi, a BJJ black belt under Roy Harris of the Joe Moreira lineage, and have regular guest black belt instructors coming over from Brazil to add a different flavour to the class. The Thai Boxing is taught by a professional Thai fighter brought over from Thailand and is a very good class too. Capoeria, starting in October, will be taught by a Brazilian, again coming over from Brazil. <br /><br />The Brazilian Jiujitsu class is at the core of the academy program. The class has a good variety of students with many purple and blue belts regularly attending. Training is aimed at increasing all areas of BJJ, from fitness and technique to live sparring. The school attends as many tournaments as it can, venturing as far as the USA and Thailand to compete. With Abu Dhabi so close by, the BJJ Asian Super Cup and the Professional Cup are also attended every year. Starting in October, Rodrigo Mangabeira, black belt from Nova Geracao team in Brazil, will be co-instructing the class along with Reza Monfaradi. <br /><br />Brazilian Jiujitsu classes run everyday apart from Fridays, and are from 7 to 830pm. However, starting in mid October, there will be 2-3 BJJ classes everyday! While the class is BJJ, there are variation classes throughout the week:<br /><br />Sundays and Wednesdays are no gi BJJ<br /><br />Mondays are 'circuit training' and involve king of the hill style rolling<br /><br />Thursdays are similar to open mat but vary from 5 minutes, 10 minutes and unlimited time rounds<br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OUIsAmKSRoM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OUIsAmKSRoM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-64112582833089479312009-09-27T14:57:00.000-07:002009-09-30T05:30:22.638-07:00This and ThatThis week we are working deep half guard sweeps and have learned some very interesting and unique twists that Reza has personally added on to several moves. Competition training has now begun in preparation for the Asian Super Cup and involves much more cardio and strength exercises. Classes are getting tough! It seems the usual setup is 30 minutes fitness training, 30 minutes technique and then 30 minutes sparring. Thursday are similar to open mat in that after a warm up we roll for 1 hour - either no time limit or the usual 5 minute time periods. Mondays are 'circuit days' which usually involve some sort of 'king of the hill' style rolling for 1 hour. This week it was sweeps and guard submissions while the other person had to pass the guard. Sundays and Wednesdays are no gi. After only doing gi for almost a year, its a very nice change of pace to switch things up a little bit and try out those arm triangles again! <br /><br />Also, I have a feeling that regular rolling with a particular, almost 16 years old, green belt will really up my game in the next few months! Ali got a bronze medal at the previous World Jiujitsu Cup in the blue belt division and has a very impressive game (but we won't tell him that as he is already too cocky for his own good :). <br /><br />In other news, Reza is bringing over a Brazilian BJJ black belt to add a bit of a different flavour to the class! How cool is that? Two black belts teaching in one class? Yes thats right! So that will be very fun and interesting. Who knows, we might even learn some protuguese! His name is Rodrigo Afonso Alves, nickname 'Mangabeira'. He fights out of the New Generation team or 'Nova Geracao' ... see my portugues is improving already!Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-34888746645354960442009-09-24T14:59:00.000-07:002009-09-24T15:19:15.059-07:0024.09.09Seems that life is very busy at the moment! Still getting settled in Bahrain as well as trying to see what my job options are. Also I am running around saying hi to all the family and trying to spend time with everyone. Did I mention I do Brazilian Jiujitsu too? :) Seriously, its a bit hectic right now but hopefully I will find my groove soon. <br /><br />If I wrote this entry right after training it would have been a bit miserable, but seeing as I went out and ate 30+ pieces of sushi afterwards, I am in a substantially better mood. Every now and again I can expect to have an off day, but when you do actually have an off day it sucks. Nothing went particularly wrong today but I didn't feel as energetic as usual and could not implement my game as much as I wanted to. When my current game plan doesn't work, I start to question what direction I need to take it in to make it better. I think I need to remember the whole reason I started using half guard: sweeping people. It seems that I am spending a large percentage of the roll on bottom trying to go for submissions, instead of focusing on the sweep and then imposing my top game. Its not a huge change, but I feel this may be the direction I need to get my game moving again. Reza said that he will be going over some deep half guard sweeps, which will be good to refresh my memory and learn some cool new ones, as well as some tricks to make it all easier! A few hours ago I felt quite crap about tonights session, but even while writing this I can't wait for the next session to try going straight for sweeps again. <br /><br />The level of BJJ is very high at Reza's, but I think this will only push my game further as for it to work against some of the guys who train here, it will have to be good!<br /><br />Congratulations to Isaac Perez from BTT Slough who won gold at the blue belt pluma weight at the Europeans! Also well done to everyone else from Slough as I know you guys brought alot of medals back.Well done guys! Here is the video of the final: <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Agm87b-juU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Agm87b-juU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-92014744716933873252009-09-20T13:31:00.000-07:002009-09-20T14:04:06.715-07:00Jits in BahrainFirst post from sunny Bahrain! I have been here for 4 days now and am still settling in but its nice to see all my family, friends and old training partners again. However, I can't help myself from wondering what the guys in Eastbourne are drilling or what technique is 'move of the day' at the moment. I keep finding myself thinking about what move I might be able to pull off, only to realise I now traing at a completely different school and need to adapt my game to exploit the weakneses in a whole new group of people. That being said, after having a few training sessions I don't think I will be making any big unplanned changes to my game. What worked before still seems to work now and if anything I seem to be much clearer on which submissions I am aiming for when we spar. Usually I will take the first few minutes of the roll to mess around or try a new move out before going to my bread and butter, but now I know exactly what I want to do before the time starts. I am not sure what changed - it might be training with strangers, or having a new belt, but something definitely happened thats upped my game! <br /><br />Ramadan has just finished in Bahrain and it is now the Eid holidays for three days, which unfortunately means no training. However, on a positive note, starting Wednesday training will be aimed at competing at the Asian Super Cup tournament in around three months. This entails much more conditioning, sparring and competition specific training which will hopefully allow me to work on my weaknesses. Right now I feel I need to work on several areas, including improving my knee on belly and top half guard game. But this shouldn't be a problem as training is 6 days a week! For the short term future I will not be working just yet as I need to see what jobs are available and which are best suited for me, but this means more time to train. <br /><br />Speaking of complimentary training, me and Rach bought a large swiss ball today to work on core strength, balance and flexability. They have several of these at Reza's academy and the other night I worked up a sweat trying to balance on one of the balls of around 30 minutes. Hopefully it will look something like this in a few short weeks:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cqru3bbKQws&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cqru3bbKQws&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />and not like this...<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GDs8RvDZKTY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GDs8RvDZKTY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-82920520156802547022009-09-13T15:41:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:11:17.096-07:00Blue Belt!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqO42Dft2w66SibMkCDL0ENPIka2sq_jDnyT2xl6yyjAbzeP4L3ZYbUr4eFf0Cw_fdseQBuofMUzTylhJTkd560Ja2t29teydn3pjZoqOqDPHYF4zW-SyKDhcKwo2qFIf5XxSP2GYzK0X/s1600-h/grading.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqO42Dft2w66SibMkCDL0ENPIka2sq_jDnyT2xl6yyjAbzeP4L3ZYbUr4eFf0Cw_fdseQBuofMUzTylhJTkd560Ja2t29teydn3pjZoqOqDPHYF4zW-SyKDhcKwo2qFIf5XxSP2GYzK0X/s320/grading.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381290658145904178" /></a><br /><br /><br />This week was the first BJJ grading for BTT Eastbourne! Ze Marcello came down from Milton Keynes to oversee things and present new belts to the deserving. Oh and also hip toss the crap out of everyone... <br /><br />Its been a full year since the class started and it has grown so much! It has gone from 5-6 of us in a class to regularly having over 20 people on the mats. At the grading there was barely enough space to warm up with over 30 people showing up! We all ran around for a bit and then went over some really great half guard passes and submissions from on top. Definitely going to try and incorporate some of these moves into my game! After around 45 minutes of technique we all paired up and sparred for another hour, but because there were so many of us, we would roll one round and sit out a few to give everyone a chance at some mat time. Ze rolled with all the guys who were up for their blue belts and was doing all sorts of crazy stuff! I couldn't help grinning as he helicopter arm bared me into next week haha! At the end Ze spoke about how jiujitsu goes beyond training and being on the mat. He reminded everyone that jiujitsu was about creating a family of friends and being there for each other, not about who can tap who. Eventually he called out each person up for their blue belt, presented them with their new belt and certificate, and then proceeded to hip toss them! Thankfully T's back is injured and he couldn't hip toss all of us as hard as I know he wanted to, but I am sure he will make up for it when he is better. In the spirit of what Ze spoke about, a bunch of us decided to go out in the evening for some celbritory drinks, which swiftly devolved from intellectual conversation to drunken jiujitsu in a great display of debauchery at its best! <br /><br />It a weird feeling getting my blue belt. I guess its been my goal for the past year and so much time has gone towards achieving it, now that I actually have it, I don't know what to do with myself anymore! Guess am just going to have to keep on plodding along and train even harder! Congratulations to all the guys who got stripes, with a special mention to Pete, Ruben, Ian, Adam, Rach, Sophie and Oli who all got their blue belts. Its going to be interesting to actually have a few ranks in the class now haha! So whats next? I don't know really ... <br /><br />Hold on, whats that? Can't you see it? All the way in the distance, right on the horizon? That smudge of colour that you can just make out if you screw up your eyes and squint hard enough? Well I'll be...looks like a purple belt to me! :P<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIglNXHiOmAWHIc_rZ4BRfk4uUJkzBERDe12Vc3DuGFQ1kWvy0s-YN9cUB7beIZ26ghKLjHIbQJ5ykC6JtERvNk7wddHPHm3QxEEjsJaDKJZd_JESwVlgutpC37443_xTYg22uci8O6GOB/s1600-h/bjj.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIglNXHiOmAWHIc_rZ4BRfk4uUJkzBERDe12Vc3DuGFQ1kWvy0s-YN9cUB7beIZ26ghKLjHIbQJ5ykC6JtERvNk7wddHPHm3QxEEjsJaDKJZd_JESwVlgutpC37443_xTYg22uci8O6GOB/s320/bjj.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381850081861338258" /></a>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-5813528751582765082009-09-13T08:14:00.000-07:002009-09-13T08:21:20.639-07:00Funny Jits<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PnGo_Px66lG7nqdwXqPbNmfbFsuioQ6UDlY51P8HkPZvMf9rCm8sbCP182cVMma7FdV3pzFDcFaNI_BAvyUusEsCbS9fufDDfWYPZikXjrb3T5UKxzVaHJ0woQhP8H6s37qhpkYD7z5B/s1600-h/14.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; 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cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS418zyoElNt9dnpNB6QclZSOHtmUq1xfMq_KUfEcqs9mDBbdFN1CATQMiciC_MBMD8Lw-v-HeYRIzghlUa3z1e00MusBGSgBfnN9LZQauWmhzo6_yTrwlgRvgPUNqvV9OQv-2dGZ4PgA/s320/4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380971315726419602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjNEOgbUYBciQKjAyQlSEYNTYObsd6h1MEX_RX9k8cD9d_JpSNhMXl_c12owZwLBv0RrJows0TQ_L5ptqpOu6W7BXiVWbNJtwkF60hIxAddoFjg59quQ1TTGF8dIOI0nsKqIMv4AuK3zD/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjNEOgbUYBciQKjAyQlSEYNTYObsd6h1MEX_RX9k8cD9d_JpSNhMXl_c12owZwLBv0RrJows0TQ_L5ptqpOu6W7BXiVWbNJtwkF60hIxAddoFjg59quQ1TTGF8dIOI0nsKqIMv4AuK3zD/s320/2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380971113163876882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7Fwqv31xClqDYR2Wa0PVahHqQvG0eHEU55fOoRk46u6L5R3TdZMoGSecs9atedZvrLkmlH14NLfqEwOW-iwuFeXWX0Kf9Dsp6gRnYI0V43yr9sEO7h7EJcPkSqmhKzuEq3tS2f2XzYxT/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7Fwqv31xClqDYR2Wa0PVahHqQvG0eHEU55fOoRk46u6L5R3TdZMoGSecs9atedZvrLkmlH14NLfqEwOW-iwuFeXWX0Kf9Dsp6gRnYI0V43yr9sEO7h7EJcPkSqmhKzuEq3tS2f2XzYxT/s320/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380970979310427090" /></a>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-25404006045342288922009-09-08T04:18:00.000-07:002009-09-08T05:00:42.830-07:00Last Week Training In Eastbourne<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKgpRGbLXiwNA3XqUwgRQE1osa8g9e0evwlE85fZB9rSXF1hnJf0AM6ZMPeJoRipJWrT1u4fntM23xTdh-BNMIqIvhyZAS2RhMt9YY177icTL_RaHIZPGNgB7_zXydvlRGW0e_mCsNpox/s1600-h/CIMG3900.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKgpRGbLXiwNA3XqUwgRQE1osa8g9e0evwlE85fZB9rSXF1hnJf0AM6ZMPeJoRipJWrT1u4fntM23xTdh-BNMIqIvhyZAS2RhMt9YY177icTL_RaHIZPGNgB7_zXydvlRGW0e_mCsNpox/s320/CIMG3900.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379064955047860882" /></a><br /><br /><br />Only one week left till I get on a plane and fly to Bahrain! Its a bitter sweet moment as I am looking forward to seeing all my family and being at home again, but at the same time I am going to miss all the guys from BTT Eastbourne. It has been a kick ass year in terms of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I have learnt so much, and made many friends! We have gone from that very first class at Canton Martial Arts where there were just 4-6 people, to having regularly over 20 people on the mats and it has been great to be part of all of it. Seeing these guys day after day on the mats has made many of them much more than training partners and I feel I have found some very good friends over the past year. While I won't be around as, I know I will always have a team to train with whenever I find myself in the UK. Thanks guys you know who you are! <br /><br />Personally, I feel I have gone from knowing a few moves and not really understanding the rules of BJJ, to having my own solid game plan and a good understanding of what this whole world is about. I have had a good taste of competition and am beginning to really enjoy both the mental as well as the physical side of jiujitsu.<br /><br />Luckily, I will be able to continue training once I get to Bahrain, under Joe Moriera lineage black belt Reza Monfaradi. This is another amazing team with a very high level of jijitsu, and I can't wait to spend another year training with more top tier guys!Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-27870371146108124732009-09-06T08:33:00.000-07:002009-09-06T15:44:24.115-07:00Tatami Gi Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq3cNE3QW1cCGE2RYJo8U60CZ7ucvkb13P2KXTX8xIuB3wcgVzszIFrJEOaW9xIEACuDAH9R2lp83zkrvy8vGGJ818I5Ihdzo7h_gQBK9TS2ahaSVvmkYXGE4vA6OVKGoz4rk_As_4EDj/s1600-h/CIMG0060.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq3cNE3QW1cCGE2RYJo8U60CZ7ucvkb13P2KXTX8xIuB3wcgVzszIFrJEOaW9xIEACuDAH9R2lp83zkrvy8vGGJ818I5Ihdzo7h_gQBK9TS2ahaSVvmkYXGE4vA6OVKGoz4rk_As_4EDj/s320/CIMG0060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378485944249654722" /></a><br /><br /><br />I Ordered a BBJ Competition gi from Tatami fightwear in black A2. The website says it is made from a single piece of gold weave competition standard material. Was pleasantly surprised how quick it got here - just two days! Initial impressions? This thing is huge! The trousers fit pretty good and were a bit on the baggy side but that was to be expected, but the jacket was crazy big! The sleeves were a bit long and the skirt of the jacket was longer than any of my other gis. However I didn't despair as I knew I could shrink it down to size (probably what the company expects its customers to do :P). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZKndYQf8l101bg2DPPv86Czsv_bhFP6eZaT2WrJv_LZJF_9MbBTeBoyj3THTjEViE3TMLngAuO3f7ds16dQ2Uw2SfFikmkwN6XSU5f0mmq3X8sM3wyoPwi5DPRhZlfJlPrlWqV_J7hhX/s1600-h/CIMG0034.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZKndYQf8l101bg2DPPv86Czsv_bhFP6eZaT2WrJv_LZJF_9MbBTeBoyj3THTjEViE3TMLngAuO3f7ds16dQ2Uw2SfFikmkwN6XSU5f0mmq3X8sM3wyoPwi5DPRhZlfJlPrlWqV_J7hhX/s320/CIMG0034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378415978509984306" /></a><br /><br />I started off by soaking it in a cold bath of water for a couple hours to get rid of any extra dye. Some people suggested adding some white vinegar to the bath water to help set the colour but, as usual, I didn't have any on hand. I am not sure if this works or not but it can't hurt to try. After the bath the gi went on a 90 minute cotton wash at 40 degrees Celsius. I was tempted to put it on a higher temperature but figured I still needed to dry it over a couple hot cycles in the dryer and didn't want to risk over shrinking it. Once this was done I stuck the gi into the dryer, checking it every 10 minutes to see how it the size was. The trousers needed around 15 minutes before they fit well, while the jacket needed 25 minutes. Was very relieved when I realised that it was going to fit me and not be way too big as I initially thought. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzUgxmADymxgezqmDVpV2Gy7B_sqt6xF6uV_UmB0H-l8pYH5ePcyyLu1kD6gpJ0BdA-OQhPEwX7a9wEabshP1rkZAuAGZLJkj3F6BREtD370hp6AQKYT8euLFdmqeooEqkWsVI8ze6mtH/s1600-h/CIMG0036.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzUgxmADymxgezqmDVpV2Gy7B_sqt6xF6uV_UmB0H-l8pYH5ePcyyLu1kD6gpJ0BdA-OQhPEwX7a9wEabshP1rkZAuAGZLJkj3F6BREtD370hp6AQKYT8euLFdmqeooEqkWsVI8ze6mtH/s320/CIMG0036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378416361389069474" /></a><br /><br />After the gi had been washed and tumble dried to fit, I tried it back on. The sleeves fit quite well, reaching just short of my wrists when my arms were outstretched. The shoulder area was a bit big when compared to my Koral or Feral gis, but fit much better than before I shrunk it. The one thing I don't like about the Tatami gi is that the skirt of the jacket is very long! I didn't risk shrinking the gi anymore as the sleeves would have been too short, but I would have liked to get the bottom part of the jacket shorter. I left the gi slightly on a the big side just in case it will shrink anymore after a few more washes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L0aiNPjXLHDOIZLZb-7RYs8NsUTvOrinsQ1sRfJOGq-VledQB5a3yRl_ovkX-KCP1AfJmeSuMi_ZiQCPMqdf0RiZjPHnv3wRKwUTH04j8MiZTEeDBk1rENQrroq-cDBC1eEsiZXFOmMm/s1600-h/CIMG0042.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L0aiNPjXLHDOIZLZb-7RYs8NsUTvOrinsQ1sRfJOGq-VledQB5a3yRl_ovkX-KCP1AfJmeSuMi_ZiQCPMqdf0RiZjPHnv3wRKwUTH04j8MiZTEeDBk1rENQrroq-cDBC1eEsiZXFOmMm/s320/CIMG0042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378416565985110914" /></a><br /><br />The gi has some nice patches running down the front of the jacket and across the shoulder area. Also there is a nice Brazilian flag patch located on the back of the jacket. On the rear of the skirt area of the jacket there is another Tatami fightwear patch. I think that with a 'competitor' patch and a club patch, the back of this gi will look pimped! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeT8mWp0mIS8QES-GR2Zd8dsH_kRcO8N35Fi668eShnsu8FDBzxbqpXV0nt_G2Oxa44l1CGVGz5rF5NAxrtAXGOEkpHB0IwASOIws66YLIVbp6VmZShz08Ek3Ykfd2XhYURX9Ux8T3sK7/s1600-h/CIMG0061.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeT8mWp0mIS8QES-GR2Zd8dsH_kRcO8N35Fi668eShnsu8FDBzxbqpXV0nt_G2Oxa44l1CGVGz5rF5NAxrtAXGOEkpHB0IwASOIws66YLIVbp6VmZShz08Ek3Ykfd2XhYURX9Ux8T3sK7/s320/CIMG0061.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378486174024529106" /></a><br /><br />Overall, this is a nice gi at a very low price. It seems to be made of a high quality material and looks pretty slick. However, I think anyone shorter than 175cm and A2 would find it very long in the jacket/ skirt length. The shoulder area was quite large on me, even after shrinking, It seems to be made for taller, mesomorph type bodies. Apart from this, a very good gi!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDSoO5VwbyfZxkO4F-Izb3PuytMNCMnHt3dbyx8hfypTYr8d-iZhTwYSjETT7OCnxMi_71sRmSXHe14SrjjyZMYIvjOoaMQvzNgBGBGQkm2DUccu4dV_d3okSEaX6R83x_Z7eaN1nuLYQ/s1600-h/CIMG0065.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDSoO5VwbyfZxkO4F-Izb3PuytMNCMnHt3dbyx8hfypTYr8d-iZhTwYSjETT7OCnxMi_71sRmSXHe14SrjjyZMYIvjOoaMQvzNgBGBGQkm2DUccu4dV_d3okSEaX6R83x_Z7eaN1nuLYQ/s320/CIMG0065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378486779418784146" /></a><br /><br />Rach is going to do her own Tatami fightwear gi review very soon so keep an eye on her blog to read a bit more about this brand:<br /><br />www.catfacebjj.blogspot.comAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-10434933741860866352009-09-04T14:14:00.001-07:002009-09-04T14:37:03.671-07:00Normal World FridaysLast two days have been no jits days. Usually I manage to get an informal session in with some of the guys down at Canton where we meet up without an instructor, drill a few moves and then roll for however long. But this week it didn't happen so I have deprived of training for 48 hours! This led to me doing a bunch of random bits and bobs which needed doing. Since me and Rach are moving back to Bahrain in less than two weeks, I spent most of the time sorting out my clothes, paintings, cooking books and all my other things so I can decide what I want to take with me immediately, what to ship and what to leave behind or give away. <br /><br />Also my new Tatami gi arrived yesterday so managed to it down to size. It looks pretty slick with some nice patches on it and the material feels pretty good, but thats a post for another day! I was a bit skeptical about getting a black gi as I always felt that a black gi should be reserved for higher belts, but since both schools I train at are allowing them I figured what the hell! <br /><br />Another thing on the cards is a one day trip to Amsterdam to sort out some family business (and possibly indulge in some perfectly legal substance abuse!). Booked my tickets on EasyJet and I'll be heading out this Thursday. Unfortunately I will need to spend a night sleeping at Gatwick Airport as my flight leaves early in the morning and the trains won;t get me there on time. <br /><br />On a less positive note, Thursday is the designated day where I can break from my usual diet and go out to a restaurant with Rach and eat whatever I want, but all this extra imposed time off led to me eating more than my fair share this week via an Indian takeaway, several pastries, a huge chocolate chip cookie and not too long ago a crazy big plate of fish and chips! I'm not sure why but on the days I don't train I crave junk food much more than the days I am training. Oh well, will need to fit in a few extra runs or gym sessions this week and all should be good!<br /><br />To continue with the complete random direction this post is taking, I have started watching two TV series which are really great. These are 'True Blood' and 'Burn Notice' ... highly recommended for non juijitsu days! Anyway, the intro clip for True Blood is freakin awesome! Its weird, religious, sick, time distorting, vampire goodness. Oh, and the sound track is sweet! Check it out:<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wet5OM7RR8Q&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wet5OM7RR8Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-41186078343771962512009-09-03T01:17:00.000-07:002009-09-03T01:55:10.792-07:00Deep Half Guard SweepsOver the last few competitions I was really struggling to connect my top game to my bottom game. While I was scoring points and getting submissions on top, if I ended up on bottom in guard I was finding it hard to end up back on top. I started looking at different solutions and various positions to initiate sweeps so I could have a 'complete' plan. After trying a few different things, Tolly let me borrow his Marcelo Garcia X guard book. What a cool book! Loads of cool moves in there and a nice biography on Garcia. Some nice pictures too. However, after trying out a few of the moves, I quickly realised that for me to develop any sort of X guard game, I first needed to refine and improve my guard game (which is exactly what Marcelo Garcia reccomends in his book). And that got me thinking about delving into half guard... <br /><br />However, practicing 'half guard' would seem to be a very, very broad statement. Within 'the half guard' there is deep half guard, quarter half guard, Z guard, butterfly half guard and a bunch of other ones I am sure I havn't come across yet! After messing around with a few of the different positions, I decided to dedicate a couple months to the deep half guard. Check out these cool sweeps :)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ebl6lhJF9pw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ebl6lhJF9pw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BY9R3KQgLxo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BY9R3KQgLxo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KlFwfzl8EfE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KlFwfzl8EfE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOiFBC-Mmq4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOiFBC-Mmq4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wHFDezFkbbg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wHFDezFkbbg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TN6yBlson18&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TN6yBlson18&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />These sweeps have been great fun and I feel they have made me really comfortable in half guard. There seems to be so much to do from this position! Anyway I just wanted to post these videos, more for myself so I can find them easier than anything else.Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-34893219358255350382009-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:002009-09-01T09:07:18.559-07:00Tatami Gi Review coming up!Since me and Rach are heading back to Bahrain in a couple weeks as we both have finished our university courses here in the UK, we both agreed we needed to go back with a good stock of gis, as they are hard to come across in the Middle East! Seeing as I have been pretty much broke for the past month, my selection was limited to UK based companies (due to lower shipping costs and shorter mailing time) and heavily influenced by price range. The best deal that I could find was between the Tatami fightwear competition gi and the Feral fightear gi. I briefly considered a Faixa Rua gi, but as far as I am aware they don't do them in black! And seeing as I have a Feral gi already, I decided to go for the Tatami one. I wasn't a huge fan of the white trim on the sleeves of their forte BJJ gi series, but this was of little concern as I decided to go with their Competition BJJ gi series, which is all black. Rach ordered one as well so hopefully there will be two new reviews floating around the web in the next couple of days! Check this space for updates!Alexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-62247461628072933312009-08-27T09:30:00.000-07:002009-09-13T06:24:19.711-07:00Where to find BJJ Gis in the UKI keep having this dilemma of browsing for new gis online and finding some really kick ass ones, only to find out that the shipping is almost the same price as the gi! However, there are a bunch of online retailers based in the UK or Europe who sell top quality kimonos. Since I am planning to buy a few more gis in the near future, I thought I'd put up what I find and, where possible, give a quick review of the gi in question :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoIogQXf_BEocLlAm3g2r7YGCbWwTgipPNMbwCuYK8bdcvOi86_zyGeNntc_3gTRFEwNam_VgSnceVUNAmcKtTYZyDwTuJGDZ3LJRHe0IDBAmW15cvYRZfQxHCWj0u-JwpiwArxD_tLk7/s1600-h/feral+gi"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoIogQXf_BEocLlAm3g2r7YGCbWwTgipPNMbwCuYK8bdcvOi86_zyGeNntc_3gTRFEwNam_VgSnceVUNAmcKtTYZyDwTuJGDZ3LJRHe0IDBAmW15cvYRZfQxHCWj0u-JwpiwArxD_tLk7/s320/feral+gi" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374702869633487026" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Feral Gis </strong><br />This is an ebay based company that sells single weave gis for just 45 pounds, with shipping included! I have had my Feral gi for a couple months now and am very happy with it. They are NOT preshrunk, so I highly recommend buying a size up. I originally bought an A2 size and this turned out to be a bit on the small side, even though my A2 Koral gi fits perfectly. I am definitely going to get another Feral gi as they are a great design, good quality and amazing price, but this time an A3. Also, the customer service is excellent with Mr Feral answering emails almost straight away. A few posts down is a more in depth review of my feral gi if anyone wants to read anymore on them. To find them just plug Feral GI into the ebay search and they will come up! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-sSZFhHnDWMWBraX2WGquimHpfVKtHzTM1rBJPgK5C3wKGw7SfE-X0FWFfc2FTfcd2n4cD1NDMZNig4tM4I-Ip3OIUTqfDv9GPs67h3GrBqx9vNPNLQ2Txi6__2y_1WFLCqgVglDkl6M/s1600-h/koral+lightweight.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 315px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-sSZFhHnDWMWBraX2WGquimHpfVKtHzTM1rBJPgK5C3wKGw7SfE-X0FWFfc2FTfcd2n4cD1NDMZNig4tM4I-Ip3OIUTqfDv9GPs67h3GrBqx9vNPNLQ2Txi6__2y_1WFLCqgVglDkl6M/s320/koral+lightweight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374703415469144034" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Koral Lightweight Gis</strong><br />My first gi was a Koral double weave which has been great! I've worn it to all my competitions and for many months it was my only gi so its had its fair share of being worn, yet it still holds up great. The MKM series and double weave all sell for between 105-140 pounds, which is a bit steep for me these days, but for those interested in getting a very good gi and have money to spare I would definitely recommend them. The new Koral lightweight gis also look pretty slick and come in at 80 pounds. I managed to try this gi on at the last competition and was very happy with how it fit and looked! both the MKM double weave series and the lightweight series can be found at www.grabandpull.co.uk If you want a seriously flash Koral gi (e.g.: camo, red, urban, etc) www.mmafightwear.com sells them for around 150 quid.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL3yZ87lMw1oVpI59ZOk0DKobaoCqPSAYmM_A2W-9exy0N2mbtdKyrF5eCZJa39I_nqSLQ0SXrhhqUpySRa7Ddg6m-Vs7dFBdbMNBeHmpcJ03z6BI-JpIGzFwI8u72BLC4GB1pZW6_VNf/s1600-h/faixa+rua+gi.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL3yZ87lMw1oVpI59ZOk0DKobaoCqPSAYmM_A2W-9exy0N2mbtdKyrF5eCZJa39I_nqSLQ0SXrhhqUpySRa7Ddg6m-Vs7dFBdbMNBeHmpcJ03z6BI-JpIGzFwI8u72BLC4GB1pZW6_VNf/s320/faixa+rua+gi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374704136513749746" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Faixa Rua Classico Gis</strong><br />I am not too familiar with these gis, but I have heard good things about them! At 60 pounds a pop, they are a great price. I'm not going to say too much on these, as Meerkatsu has an insane review for this gi. Enough said. Here is the link:<br /><br />http://meerkat69.blogspot.com/2009/07/geek-gi-review-faixa-rua-classico.html<br /><br />If you like these gis you can get them at www.faixarua.net <br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Big Dog Fightwear Gis</strong><br />This is a brand new company based in the UK with some hot stuff. Since they are based out of Eastbourne, alot of the BJJ, MMA and Muay Thai schools in the local area have been getting alot of exposure to their products. They have a huge range of great stuff, from hoodies and T shirts to BJJ gis and MMA gloves. At least 5-6 of the guys at BTT Eastbourne have bought some of these and the gis look gooooood! The black gi is especially nice and has some nice patches in the form of Brazilian and UK flags, and a cool company logo. I don't own one of these gis so can't give an in depth review and they havn't been around long enough to see how the gis stand the test of time, but they definitely look promising! At just under 80 pounds its another great bargain for someone looking for a high quality gi that looks good and is a reasonable price! Check out there stuff at www.bigdogzfightwear.bigcartel.com<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZIzynpdY7zdad4hJMBMLMy1AGgjIWLg16MGHOI7SegwiQG4SnV_YWpDTd0KXyUjArL-mHYpoYYqxReWsS-8rr4-ehv5BYw7I0UII6bUZm0qJVVVzRhsLrllfvLrMQLBfNhWbSt0FaHoD/s1600-h/lutador.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZIzynpdY7zdad4hJMBMLMy1AGgjIWLg16MGHOI7SegwiQG4SnV_YWpDTd0KXyUjArL-mHYpoYYqxReWsS-8rr4-ehv5BYw7I0UII6bUZm0qJVVVzRhsLrllfvLrMQLBfNhWbSt0FaHoD/s320/lutador.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374705369358610738" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Blitz Lutador BJJ Gi </strong><br />Personally, I am not a fan of these gis. This was the only gi available at our club when BJJ first started so alot of the guys have them. The patches seem to come off and the fit seems to be a bit baggy on most guys. Priced at just over 60 pounds, there are plenty of other gis which are higher quality and look better for less money. Here is the link http://www.blitzsport.com/Products/Adult-Jujitsu-Suits_2<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ixlT4aeNSdsfaWDCSbvw5XhK5iOsm3v3Cdsvx-dbohvcm8gcHOCECQa2mMpYcHsVBg4dO64NoCUetB8nRSvYuykNj9EK6AekPNkU75Jm8xE3uFXzsUI9Wl1wYZCx5a9OHJ_RF_bCemqF/s1600-h/manto+gi.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ixlT4aeNSdsfaWDCSbvw5XhK5iOsm3v3Cdsvx-dbohvcm8gcHOCECQa2mMpYcHsVBg4dO64NoCUetB8nRSvYuykNj9EK6AekPNkU75Jm8xE3uFXzsUI9Wl1wYZCx5a9OHJ_RF_bCemqF/s320/manto+gi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374705717584470994" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Manto BJJ Gi</strong><br />I like these! No one I know owns one, but I have tried them on at the British Open competition as they had a stand there. Fit was nice and snug with no wizard sleeves or baggy armpits! The design looks nice and the logo kick ass! I have a Manto BJJ T shirt which I think is great and if the gi is anything like that then this will be a quality gi. http://www.fightshop.com/GIS-Category-156.html<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IEmiIWzbgCs8vI8YFi-_TSzsSzF3_YnieUIgy6ChBjs1L48lQCFBg8JtJVvvpPuBMxIHMvbATPLMUXukP-LG4OdhWiYSNJ4oYN-oOY0S-D8rS7CE5P1rfw76jccRPX1aLFSs0_J2LvE4/s1600-h/lucky+gi.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IEmiIWzbgCs8vI8YFi-_TSzsSzF3_YnieUIgy6ChBjs1L48lQCFBg8JtJVvvpPuBMxIHMvbATPLMUXukP-LG4OdhWiYSNJ4oYN-oOY0S-D8rS7CE5P1rfw76jccRPX1aLFSs0_J2LvE4/s320/lucky+gi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374706111326988306" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Lucky Gis</strong><br />Do I need to say more? Probably the coolest gis ever made! Excellent design with loads of cool bits. Amazing print on the inside of the gi, ace of spaces on the wrist, 'get off my back' printed on the rear of the jacket and other cool bits and bobs. Some subtle but sweet colour schemes such as black with red and a brand new blue one too! However, priced at 200 pounds these gis will leave a huge hole in your financial pocket. If anyone wants to get me a Christmas present, you need go no further :) find them at www.mmafightwear.net/gis<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTjGAtfQ69dYNYMXntANNGBfPyJFlaFrCtBirXhp6aj_OIHutd9qhFgS0AixgyCdY6pOGRZBTcnvrohamqY3q6GVKTmTG2BYOtrSB0k1e7HoqolP_99F7lrJLMfjgnLDPdgJMbHoCMXDv/s1600-h/tatami+gi.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTjGAtfQ69dYNYMXntANNGBfPyJFlaFrCtBirXhp6aj_OIHutd9qhFgS0AixgyCdY6pOGRZBTcnvrohamqY3q6GVKTmTG2BYOtrSB0k1e7HoqolP_99F7lrJLMfjgnLDPdgJMbHoCMXDv/s320/tatami+gi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374706465634620274" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Tatami Fightwear Gis</strong><br />Again, priced at 45 pounds you can't ask for more. Simple, clean designs with a nice trim on sleeves and the bottom of the jacket. Plus, you can buy a kick ass red gi for 50 pounds! You also get a free gi bag with any gi purchase. I can comment on quality or fit as I don't own one, but these are definitely tempting me if I don't go for another Feral. Find them at www.tatamifightwear.com <br /><br /><em>Edit - red gis do not look good</em><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mX3P5mTXfnN8MSr25lk8XNi7dWqoATsNJW6Zkku3N2yPhSVCtFzI97uXWho72ywsiuPIKFxSQA0JS05Gux6dFyDSqFw4msA_e73xDnVp5VzTneLxFWUlgHIGGvqeZL17sa12UyAx-E_b/s1600-h/black+eagle+gi.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mX3P5mTXfnN8MSr25lk8XNi7dWqoATsNJW6Zkku3N2yPhSVCtFzI97uXWho72ywsiuPIKFxSQA0JS05Gux6dFyDSqFw4msA_e73xDnVp5VzTneLxFWUlgHIGGvqeZL17sa12UyAx-E_b/s320/black+eagle+gi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374706936608101346" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Black Eagle Gis</strong><br />Not a huge fan of these. They seem to fade loads from the original colour and the patches are not that great. Then again, it may be that the only ones I have come across are old and have been used for ages! If they want to send me a free gi to review I would be happy to :) www.black-eagle.co.ukAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185148247812064309.post-39122690271891993732009-08-15T15:56:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:13:52.384-07:00Eastbourne BJJJust thought I'd do a quick post on where are the places to train Brazilian jiujitsu in Eastbourne. There seems to be alot of new people coming to class these days so it might help a few more find their way to the various schools. As far as I am aware, everyone in Eastbourne trains under T, currently a purple belt under Ze Marcello of Brazilian Top Team.<br /><br />At the moment, classes run out of Canton Martial Arts (101 Bourne Street) three times a week and last for 90 minutes. Mondays and Wednesdays start at 8.30pm, Saturdays at 1230. There are also Muay Thai and a small MMA class at the same facilities for those interested.<br /><br />On Saturdays there is an open mat class run out of Sparta MMA Gym (37 Vine Street), another Brazilian Top Team affiliate. The class is usually run by either T, Adam or the highest belt that shows up. It starts at 2.30pm, but sometimes starts a bit later as if the Canton class runs over then it takes a bit of time for people to wonder over to the Sparta Gym. The Sparta Gym also has a daily MMA/ wrestling class (apart from on Sundays) which starts at 8.30pm. <br /><br />For those looking to train more than the 3-4 sessions currently available, there are a few of us who go up to Slough with T two or three times a week to train with the Brazilian Top Team under Ze Marcello. Usually this is on Tuesdays and Sundays, but can also be on Thursdays sometimes. Its a long drive but the quality and level of BJJ is well worth the travelling! <br /><br />And thats about it really! Its a bit scattered all over the place but there is somewhere to train almost everyday of the week! On top of this, we regularly get 3-4 people together who want to do some extra rolling and meet up at one of the gyms, organising a time suitable for everyone in advance. Here is a summary:<br /><br />Monday: 830pm Canton Martial Arts<br />Tuesday: 640pm (leaving time) BTT Slough<br />Wednesday: 830pm Canton Martial Arts<br />Thursday: 640pm (leaving time) BTT Slough<br />Friday:<br />Saturday: 1230 Canton Martial Arts, 230pm Sparta Gym<br />Sunday: 930am (leaving time) BTT SloughAlexander Broershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720760044450344682noreply@blogger.com1