Defending Double Underhooks Guard Pass

Open mats this week will be Tues 7pm and Sat 12pm

Xande Ribiero

Here Xande shows two techniques, its in Portugese but you get the drift.

Rigan Machado Cross grip sweep and leglock

Here is Rigan teaching some of the stuff he showed at his Melbourne seminar, we have worked the triangle set up from this position as well. Here he uses the sweep to set up the leg attack.

Mornington Extreme 2008 Student Awards

Adult Student of the Year - Dave Cassar
Junior Student of the Year - Nick Rufiin
Most Technical BJJ - Jason CauLfield
Most Improved - Paul Smith
Competitor of the Year - Rick Campbell

Thanks for a great 2008 boys. Merry Xmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Next open mat will be Saturday 27th Dec @ 12pm. All Welcome.

Don't forget UFC 92 on Mainevent, Sunday 28th from 2pm. Contact me for details.

Jacare

What the...?

Apparently there is some jiu jitsu somewhere in this clip.....

UFC 92

Smithy has been kind enough to allow us to watch UFC 92 at his place while he is away. It will be on Sunday 28th December from 2pm with a stacked fight card. Please let me know if your coming and I will give you more details. So take this chance to get together with your buddies and watch one of the best cards of the year. Here is the preview from ESPN MMA Live....

Gradings

Thanks to those who made the trek to HQ for gradings last nite. Jason and Dave were there from the start to help our guys and I arrived late due to work commitments. Nick and Trav both passed and got their first stripe, it can be daunting doing a grading for the first time, by all reports they performed well. Smithy also got four stripes on his white, which brings him a step closer to blue, he has had a great year with heaps of competition experience and growing understanding of the sport. Well done. As we talked about last nite at dinner much of being a white belt is getting squashed and learning to survive. Never pleasant for anyone but the rewards are great for those who have the intestinal fortitude to persevere. It was a great nite all round with our head coach , John Doenehue, presented with a beautifully incased and presented black belt to honour ten years of Extreme JJG in Australia.

On a slight downer, I was disappointed by a few no shows on the night, these chances dont come up often and although gradings are not everything nor everyones cup of tea, sometimes we need to test ourselves for our own good as well as for the growth of the club. Remember we can only be as good as our training partners and your improvements help the club grow and develop.

I like the fact that only black belts our allowed to grade in our system and this means trips to HQ for gradings with other members of the Extreme crew. My advice is simple, get with the program. I will never ask anyone to take a test I don't think you have the capacity to pass. One of the guys who got his purple belt last nite said that his new grade was like a pair of pants that are too big for him now, but that he can grow into over time. I really can appreciate this analogy and sometimes you have to trust the judgement of your seniors or peers when you are told you are ready to grade. The irony is, unlike many other martial arts systems, very few people doing BJJ actually want their next belt. Its just a big target on your back saying come and get me, but that's the beauty and beast of our sport. Be able to accept the responsibility of your next grade when the time comes again.

Smithy V Kit

Angus Friend Pan Pacs 2008 HL

Sonny Nohara

The Hodge

ADCC HL Clip

Drysdale v Big Mac 2007 ADCC

ADCC 2007 Robert Drysdale vs Luiz Big Mac
by _Luk

Mornington Extreme Xmas Break Up

Its that time of year again to celebrate another years training and competing....

@ Taco Bill Main St Mornington
On Tuesday 23rd December @ 8.30pm
Have booked a table for 12, so its first in, best dressed. Put your name down if your coming.

We will train from 7-8pm then head down for dinner and a few beers afterward. We will be too late for the all you can eat, so dinner will be from the standard menu.

Training will continue over the holiday break with Open Mat sessions at the normal times, with the obvious exception of Xmas Day and New Years Day when the gym is closed.

Osu.

Wanderlei Silva Training

Leozinho Seminar Part 2/5

Best Of Luck Niall

Our thoughts are with Extreme Mornington student and triathlete, Niall McDonagh, who this Sunday will be competing in an Ironman race in Perth aiming to seek qualification into the big race in Hawaii next year. This weekends race can be followed online at Ironmanlive so please make sure you check in and see how Niall is going. I spoke to him a few weeks ago and his preparation and lead up races have been first rate. He is one of the most disciplined and focused athletes I have ever met and a nice guy to boot. So go and give them hell Niall. Good luck. Will be waiting for you on the mat when you get back. Triathlons are for pussies : )

Submission HL Clip

Nor sure if I've posted this before but its worth watching again anyhow.

BJPenn.com Show

Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

Rampage v Wanderlei Part 3

Ricardo De La Riva

Sometimes its great to watch a light roll, it gives you lots of options on transitions that previously you may not have known were there. Flow with the go as Rickson said.

Rick Estrada Guard Pass

This is the man who gave Slym the ammunition to engineer my demise. Bloody short arm scissors.

Braulio Estima Rollin

UFC 92 Preview

Before Fedor there was Igor.......

Ah the good old days, some crazy guy from the Ukraine with sledgehammers in both hands. No gloves, no rules. Brings a tear to my eye. That first knock out is still the best, he stalked the guy for about a minute, cutting off the ring, before unloading with his first combo of the nite,a left and right, and goodnight. He gives him another couple on the way down too. Great puncher.

Matters Arising

Adrenalin Xmas Break Up
The gym xmas breakup will be on Friday 19th December at 5pm, please put your name down at the front desk so Peter knows how many he has to cater for. Come along, mingle, eat, drink and wind down for the holidays.

HCK Order
Some people have expressed an interest in purchasing more training gear. Another order will be placed via HQ shortly. If you are interested in any gear please write your order on the form I will leave on the desk upstairs. To see the range of products available please visit the HCK website for sizing and prices in $USD.

Chadstone Extreme Xmas Party
As posted previously the Extreme Xmas breakup will be held next Friday 5th December. Those planning to attend need to contact Julie at HQ and pay $40 so catering can be arranged.

Holiday Training Times
Tuesday 23rd December Normal Class 7-8 and Xmas drinks afterward in Mornington. Venue TBA.
Saturday 27th December Open Mat 12pm
Tuesday 30th December Open Mat 7pm
Saturday 3rd January Open Mat 12pm
Tuesday 6th January Normal Classes Resume

Grading Cancelled
Unfortunately due to a number of factors I have decided to cancel the grading at Mornington Extreme on Tuesday 16th December. Classes will run as normal on that evening. Any students wishing to attempt their next grading are welcome to attend the grading to be held at Extreme Chadstone HQ on Wednesday 17th December at 6pm. The club is located at 1st Floor, 680 Warrigal Rd.

Dominance MG Xmas Tournament

Ask and ye shall receive...

MG Tournaments Present:

December 08 Gi Christmas Special.
Saturday December 13th
Dominance Mixed Martial Arts
555 Victoria Street, Richmond
Registration and weigh in 8:30 - 9:30
Fights start 10am sharp!

Yes it is a new address. DMMA has moved to a bigger better kick ass facility! Just around the corner from the old academy. So throw on your gi and celebrate the birth of Jesus by choking the holiday cheer out of your friends!

For info call 0408 383 502.

Rules etc will be up shortly on www.dominance.com.au
Dave
DMMA

Smithy's Gi Matches

Wrestling Elbow Control Drills

Like these, will practice them in class.

Smithys No-Gi Match

Chris Haueter Seated Guard

Pan Pacs 2008 Purple 97kg+ Gi Final

Stephan Kesting: Shutting down two half guard passes

Leozinho Messing Around

Big Ricks Final

Love the scramble for top position here....

Slym Shady No Gi 1st Match

No-Gi Purple Open Pan Pacs First Match

Grading Tuesday 16th December @7pm

On Tuesday 16th December at 7pm there will be a grading at the Mornington Extreme school. Our head coach, John Donehue, will be conducting the grading and it will run in a similar format to the previous gradings held at HQ in Chadstone. I will post a list of students who are eligible to grade at the club. We will head out afterward for Xmas drinks as a group. More details to follow. Please mark this date in your diary now, if you can't attend, you can't grade. No exceptions. These opportunities rarely come around in BJJ so take this chance to test yourself. Extreme JJG prides itself on setting the highest standards possible for its students and every effort will be made to ensure you can achieve your next grade. Please make yourself aware of the syllabus and associated techniques, particularly if this is your first grading. Only black belts are allowed to grade students at Extreme JJG. The benefit of this grading system and syllabus is that it ensures a consistently high standard across the organization and that each student has an adequate understanding of all the fundamental aspects of our art. The grading will take place in a Gi.

Cobrinha Single Leg

Arm Drag to Single Leg

Stole this from Christian Graugart's blog. I like the entry and trigger position he uses and also the fact that he says its the only takedown he knows (jokingly) but he catches everyone with it so ultimately it doesnt matter. Its better to have one thing that works all the time than a hundred that work some of the time. Marcelo Garcia uses this entry to attack the back, I guess this is an extension of that strategy.

PSL Jake Sheilds v Marcelo Garcia HL

Fedor's New Book

Matt Lindland prediction Couture v Lesanr

Xtreme News

To all Extreme Jiu-jitsu and Kickboxing students,

Extreme's annual Christmas wind up is only 4 weeks away:
Date: Friday 5th December, 6.30pm.
Venue: Suger Restaurant & Bar
The Urban
35-37 Fitzroy St,
St Kilda
Cost: $40 per head
Deadline for booking: Wednesday 26th November
All students and partners are welcome. Please reserve your place by putting your name on the list at the front desk and paying the $40 by Wednesday 26th November. Format will be the same as last year.

Final Grading for 2008:
A grading will be held on Wednesday night 17th December. More info later.

Pan Pacific Jiu- Jitsu Championships:
A reminder that Extreme students will be competing at the Pan Pacific championships next weekend at MSAC, Albert Park on Sat, 15th and finals held on Sunday 16th November. We'd love to see you all down there supporting and cheering on your fellow students.

Cheers,

Julie
Extreme JJG HQ Chadstone.

Way to go Laimon....RNC on a girl!

Joanne of MMA Girls gets choked unconscious

BJJ Evolution

Arte Suave Doco Pt 1of 7

Take the time to watch all 7 parts of this doco, about 10min each, which gives an insight into training in Brasil at places like Gracie Barra , Brasa and Alliance and also features some interviews of the legends of our sport including Marcelo Garcia. Nor sure how long it will be up for so dont wait.

Couture v Lesnar Indepth Preview

ESPN MMA LIVE

Yves Edwards MMA Single leg defence

Breaking News

The following was taken from the AFBJJ website...

PAN PACS 2008 NEWS

The weigh in routine at this year's Pan pacs will be different!

A well formated "Fight Schedule" will be online on Friday the 14th and on view at the championship.

Categories will be called at their scheduled time. All called category competitors will remain in the "Marshall Pen" where they shall be weighed in before their first fight, and directed to their mat. After each fight the winner must remain in the "Marshall Pen" until the category has ben completed.

No weigh in will take place other than in the "Marshall Pen" for each category when it is called.

There will be a warm up area in the "Marshall Pen".

This system follows the World Championships blueprint and will save us much valuable time. Competitors should note that their weight must be exact as they will not have time to rehydrate or eat after weigh in!

Thanks Jason

This clip is taken from the DVD 101 Submissions Vol 3. Jase was kind enough to burn me a copy of Vol 1-3 for my viewing pleasure.

Thales Leites UFC 90

Wasnt heaps of jits action on the weekends televised UFC fight card and I can understand why they put Werdum getting knocked out by Dos Santos on the PPV instead, but Thales displays some nice technical grappling here to get the finish. Watching this event was like watching a kickboxing event. The one guy who wrestled and controlled his way to a win over a dangerous opponent was Gray Maynard and he was booed from the Octagon, not fair me thinks, at no point in that fight did either guy stall IMO. Maynard felt obliged to apologize for the way the match panned out in the post fight interview with Rogan, which I didn't think he needed to do. If a boxer fights smart against a puncher he is applauded, like Bisping did against Leben, well the same smart tactics need to be appreciated on the mat. I hope the rules and refs still allow action on the ground. Now that MMA has gone even more mainstream again, don't change the rules or their interpretation to keep Joe Average happy. It will be the beginning of the end for MMA. Don't change the product. Educate the fans. Please.

Modified Anaconda Choke Kyra Gracie

Recent Randy Couture Interview and Technique

More Seated Guard with Robson Moura

Switching between gi and no gi here but this stuff fits nicely with what we were working last nite.

Seated Guard sweep with overhook

I am breaking my own Eddie Bravo rule here but there is some good detail and ideas here. Flame away.

Brock Lesnar Interview

I hope Randy is drilling heel hooks! Dont know how else your supposed to finish this monster. He is a nightmare to fight. I guess no-one has really tested his chin yet but Randy has never been known for his knock out power unlike Fedor. The clinch and ground and pound are what Randy does best, how he employs this game plan against this guy is intriguing. I will never right off Randy against any heavyweight but this is not an easy one. Brock is new to MMA but not averse to dealing with pressure on a big stage. This battle could be one for the ages...cant wait.

Gordo: Half Guard Sweep

Its in Portugese, but Roberto Gordo is the guy who pioneered the half guard game in Brasil. Its good to get some pointers on half guard sweeps even if you cant understand the language, you can still get the drift of where he is going. Apparently he adapted half guard to accomodate a dodgy knee...

GSP Attacking the Back

BJJ Takedowns

Am having trouble watching this because my connection keeps timing out. Can someone download this vid and bring it to training please. I really like how it covers the fundamentals of the stand up part of BJJ. Not sure how long it will be up for so watch it while you can.

Robson Moura Cross Guard

Here Nova Uniao black belt, Robson Moura, discuses the use of cross guard. Jase and I were talking about it the other day because its the one Cobrinha uses in the clip I posted earlier this week. Here is Robson's homepage. Check it out.

Ow

Functional training anyone?

Pan Pacs 2008

Information for this years Pan Pacs is up at the AFBJJ website. The event will be held over two days with the eliminations on Saturday and finals on Sunday. It is expected to start at 9am on Saturday and finish by 8pm, with finals between 9am-12pm on Sunday. All of which is a royal pain in the arse. Trying to come up for finals after a hard and long days competition is ridiculous. Two reasonable days competition instead of one long day and one short makes more sense with gi on one day and no-gi on the next. So its in and out of gi's again all day running from one mat to the next with 10 sec notice. Its great that the sport has grown to this point but now is the time for well run tournaments with paid refs, visible scorecards and timers, draws and accurate start times, multiple scales and unified rules. No more excuses, amateur hour is over. The money is there, now give me a well run tournament . Other sports do it so can BJJ. If you want the responsibility of placing yourself at the head of the AFBJJ and the money that goes with it, then get professional, please. Now enough whinging. We will take our team and do our best. Nothing will change the way its run this year so we will get on with it and have a crack.

Seen this guy somewhere before....

Ryan Hall v Roberto Nery

Great match, some very technical grappling on display here. Ryan Hall is a beast.

Cobrinha Recent BJJ Matches

Dave Camarillo Interview

Dave Camarillo has the perfect blend of judo and jiu-jitsu.

MMA Live

Get in my guard....man. Hilarious

Ya wanna bang? C'mon then. This is some funny shit.

Guillotine Defence

Half Butterfly Guard

Since we spent some time on this position last Thursday I'd thought I'd post Aesopian latest video on preventing the pass from this position. Pay attention Smithy.

6 weeks until Pan Pacs

Its just under 6 weeks until this years Pan Pacs to held at MSAC in Albert Park. This year the event will be held over two days Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th of November. It is likely that Gi divisions will be on one day and No-gi divisions on the other. For those interested in competing now is the time to ramp up your training and do some extra cardio work. I have taken a copy of some guidelines that Cris Brown has created at Chadstone and will post them at the gym as well as a copy of the rules of competition. Please make yourself familiar with the points system and develop a game plan for your style of grappling and which weight division suits you best. If your not sure ask me. Also there is competition training at Chadstone every Mon/Wed/Fri nite at 6pm. Please make an effort to get to some of these sessions before the competition. This is a great opportunity to meet some of the crew at Chadstone and wrestle with some different guys. There is talk of a Wednesday nite carpool from Mornington so ask some of the more senior guys if your interested. Otherwise get on the mat at Mornington at least three times a week leading up to the competition. I will commit to helping you get ready for the comp but you need to commit and make some sacrifices as well. The Pan Pacs are a great chance to get the ball rolling in your first comp and there will be no other major comps until early next year. For the boyz who went to Hobart there is a weeks grace to rest the body and mind but then its time to refocus and get back on task.

Champions Cup Report

Well, we came, we rolled and then got drunk. The trip got off to a slow start with flight delays causing us to arrive later than expected on Friday evening. The day itself was long as always with a solid performances all around. No easy fights this time. The hardcore competitors who were willing to make the trip over Bass Strait meant that there may not have been big divisions but the talent that was present was high. Here is my summary from what I can remember...Marco had a huge white belt division as always and worked himself to the top four in both gi and no gi but failed to medal. Gutsy performances. Marco loves to scrap. He will be in with a shot for the Pan Pacs. Paul took a bronze in the white belt no-gi at his weight and is developing his guard game nicely. Smithy always looks calm under pressure and will be up for a big Pan Pacs. He is going in every comp he can and is getting lots of matches under his belt. Dave had two tough fights losing to the eventual winner in both gi and no-gi and getting a bronze medal. Dave is yet to perform at his potential and can go again at the Pan Pacs if he chooses. Tambo was the pick of the bunch winning his weight at blue in both gi and no-gi having to wrassle some bigger guys he held them off and stayed active to get the "W". Two gold for Extreme Ringwood. Rick also had some tough matches to win his weight at white no-gi. There were some good big guys on show and Ricks powerful top game won the day. In the gi Rick lost his first match after dropping the initiative, but his opponent knew he was in a fight. Jason took the points in his first match in Purple gi, sweeping to control the top position, and lost to the young Brasilian boy from Nova Uniao in Perth in the second match, this kid tore through all of us that day. Two tough matches. Hope Jase has a crack at the Pan Pacs. Chris re-aggravated a neck injury early in his first no-gi bout but took the win. His second fight was a slow start to someone who kept backing away, ultimately frustrating Chris, dropping the match on a narrow points margin. The gi division was similar as Chris almost locked in a triangle in time but lost on points. I lost the final of my weight at Purple to get a silver after getting thrown on multiple occasions and eventually arm barred after escaping a few times. I love good judo and so was impressed and pissed off all at the same time whilst being air borne because I had no idea what he caught me with.... I went on to win the first match of the Open Purple on points but lost the second on points to the eventual winner of division to take bronze. A smallish comp but the standard was high, all the guys had some great matches on the mat and it was good to catch up with some old friends and make some new friends over some drinks at the Irish Pub in Hobart afterward. The front door security guard at the pub had his medal in his pocket after taking a third in the comp that day at white belt. Hilarious. I hope he knew Big Mick Wilson was in the house that nite! For those interested in another team trip the comp will be held Adelaide next year.

Here we go....

Ready to go for Champions Cup trip today. All eight guys are keen to perform well and have put in a good preparation. We are all hoping for a big competition tomorrow. Its hard to know how many entrants will be there on the day. But all you can do is beat the guy in front of you I guess. My only concern with the Tasmanians is how to choke someone with two heads! Just kidding. We fly out tonite and return on Sunday so no blog updates until then because I'm leaving my laptop at home. Good luck to Team Extreme.

Jeff Rockwell Interview

A regular contributer of high quality instructional material on the net. Please take the time to read this interview. Jeff is a brown belt under Ricardo De La Riva. Lots of good insights into training here. Intelligent and insightful, there is a link to his video clips at the end of the interview. I have posted the no-gi choke series before and its worth reviewing again now as we ramp up our no-gi training again.

Big guy vs Little guy jits

Matt Thornton Recent Interview

Please take the time to read this interview. I always find Matt Thorton a thought provoking individual who has an amazing training philosophy.

The Greatest

Every now and again you come across a little treasure on youtube. This is footage of Ali and Cus D'mato having an exchange to promo the upcoming Joe Frazier fight in 1970. Cus was a legend in boxing and mentored Tyson to his early success but never lived to see the first title fight or the fall from grace. Still moves good, gives Ali a suprise. Great footage and dialogue between two legends. So many wrote Ali off after his prolonged absence from the ring.

MMA Live ESPN

Playing the Percentages...

I have been lucky enough in my life to study some kind of Martial Arts since seven years of age, most of that time spent doing traditional karate, so I know heaps about Classical Japanese Combat systems and their modern counterparts and there is much to be admired and if you truly understand how these systems are structured they are about making you a better human being and member of society first and being a effective fighter second. There is a hierarchy, syllabus, protocols and discipline, doctrines that need to be followed. Forms are pre-arranged and there is a right way and a wrong way. Now, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to karate because it has in many ways made me who I am, but my first and only goal that I set for myself as a teenager training was to develop real skills in all ranges of one on one fighting. And it was during this time that I first started cross training, with kick boxers, tae-kwon do guys and wing chun guys. We’d stick gloves on and have a crack. Try and figure out what worked and what didn’t. I found that only 10% of the karate I had learnt was useful and 90% was a waste from a fighting point of view. They are not good odds. But when I first discovered BJJ when wrestling with these Wing Chun guys who were doing privates with John Will at the time, the opposite was true. Over 80% of what you learn in BJJ can be plugged straight into real fighting, some parts cant, like open or inverted guard, but most stuff is very effective right from day one. I like those odds much better. So since then I will put a guy who has done 6 months of BJJ against someone who has done 6 months of karate any day of the week and twice on Sunday. This is no reflection on the student or the teacher but on the efficacy of the delivery system and type of training involved. And if the goal is real life skills first then it pays to play the percentages.

Xande Ribiero

Found this text the other day and thought it was a great description of BJJ and fitted well with this video of Xande Ribeiro....

"Brazilian jiu jitsu is a grappling-based martial art whose central theme is the skill of controlling a resisting opponent in ways that force him to submit. Due to the fact that control is generally easier on the ground than in a standing position, much of the technique of Brazilian jiu jitsu is centered round the skill of taking an opponent down to the ground and wrestling for dominant control positions from where the opponent can be rendered harmless. To control and overcome greater size, strength and aggression with lesser size and strength is the keynote of the sport. This is done by utilizing superior leverage, grip and position upon your opponent. Students of the sport gain a deep understanding of the workings and limits of the human body. This knowledge can be used to subdue and control an opponent with whatever level of severity the student chooses. The path to this knowledge is physically and mentally demanding. Students benefit from greatly increased physical fitness, problem-solving ability, self-knowledge of their body and mind and the many social benefits of working within a large group of like-minded fellow students as you learn and have fun together.

Many students first learn about jiu jitsu through the great popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, where Brazilian jiu jitsu technique is very prominent. Indeed, the beginnings of the contemporary MMA competition were largely tied up with proving the combat-efficiency of Brazilian jiu jitsu . The practice of Brazilian jiu jitsu as a sport, however, is strongly separated from MMA. Daily classes do not feature kicking or punching. The focus is on safe grappling technique that can be done on a daily basis with no more fear of injury than any other contact sport."

John Danaher Renzo Gracie Academy

Marcio Feitosa Guard Pass

Dream 6 MW Final Jacare v Mousasi

Editorial (aka Ranting)

Lets get a couple of things straight. There has been the usual banter on the Internet forums of the relative merits of BJJ as a method of self-defence and whether other fighting systems are better. What BJJ does do better than anything else is provide you with skills to effectively control an opponent on the ground, either from the top or underneath. Now given that fights regularly end up here it’s a great skill set to have. Secondly BJJ provides you with a training philosophy that forces you to deal with a non-compliant opponent all the time, every training session in fact consists of aliveness. These two things alone make it better than most other systems. But who the hell wants to be on the ground in a punch up if it can be avoided….not me. So the next part of the equation is stand up and clinch and for these two things we need boxing and wrestling, again two “aliveness” systems centred around going all out with someone intent on stopping you. In boxing its getting and being hit hard and in wrestling its all clinch, takedowns and sprawls. The end product of this gruelling evolutionary process is MMA, which seamlessly integrated the transitions between these 3 ranges. Once again though, MMA contests are one-on -one match scenarios with rules, refs, timers and buzzers. A sport, not a fight. What gets me though is these dingbats who then decide because of this that their classical combat system is leaps and bounds better than both BJJ and MMA in dealing with live situations without pressure testing anything. If ten years of the UFC has taught us nothing else it is what works most of the time for most people in a one on one confrontation. A controlled trial, if you like, of the effectiveness of fighting arts. Reliable and Reproducible. To train in anything else and think it makes you a better fighter is ignorant at best and lunacy at worst. Now the trick with all this stuff is that it takes a long time to learn, years in fact. You can spend a lifetime in any of the 3 disciplines and still be learning. So you need to analyse and train the basics or fundamentals in each system and these do not ever change for anyone. These are rock solid principles that go beyond a particular technique like eye gouging, for instance, which seems to be the classic get out of jail free card pulled up by these Muppets. Try your secret techniques on me and see if it works. The result may surprise you. So therefore, develop and train fundamentals in stand-up, clinch and ground. Now that we have the skills next we need to make the leap to self defence training by introducing adrenal responses, verbal, pushing and shoving, contact cues, startle/flinch responses, fences etc. all this has been covered by many authors. My favourites on this topic are Thompson, Blauer and Grossman. And without these things this is where BJJ and MMA can and will fall down in a real situation. But the skill set is still 100 times better than anything else out there. Period. That jump to combat effectiveness is in the training, psychology, awareness, avoidance, stress coping, mechanisms and scenario training NOT the techniques. So train in alive arts like boxing, wrestling, BJJ and Judo and leave the other stuff behind. Keep it real.

Daniel Camarillo HL clip

European Judo C'ship 2007

Renzo Gracie Doco Trailer

Turtle Movement Drill - Shaolin

Annoying American who talks too loud and too much but Shaolin is amazing to watch move, think I have seen this stuff done on Fit ball as well.

Open Guard Transitions - Tinguinha

Photos Rigan Machado Seminar

Club Update

Things are moving along nicely at the new venue, Adrenalin Gym will make a great place to train for our students. We have had lots of new faces come through the club to train so I hope they decide to commit to come down regularly. The big wrestling mat went down today and was cleaned after the session. It looked great. When down it will give us 100 sq metres of mat to wrassle on! The surface is also much smoother so less mat burn. I need to pick up the Extreme and Nova Uniao banners to hang up on Monday and with the edition of a bin, clock and chairs it will be set to go. When its finished I'll post some photos. Thanks to Dave again for his help. The group going to Tasmania in three weeks has been training hard and we will be having a daytime open mat the next two Wednesday's at 1pm. Please join us if you wish to get some more mat time in or check out the new venue. Also I have decided to make Thursday night class a No-Gi class between now and the Pan Pacs to allow our guys to prepare for both events. So no need to bring a Gi on Thursday nite anymore (Sorry to Big Chris who already thought this was the case, I stole your idea) After the Pan Pacs, to be held in mid November, all classes will revert to No-Gi for the summer months.

Sit out from Turtle

Larry Papadopolus Interview

Here is the link to an interview with Extreme black belt, Larry Papadopolus. Larry runs Boxingworks in Sydney's CBD. The photo is Larry trying to rip Suda's head off in the Shooto bout he talks about in the interview.

Peaks and Troughs in Training

This is a subject that has seen some attention on various blogs and websites over the years. But I was talking to young Jason after training last nite and could see the initial glow and enthusiasm of training was starting to wear off and was being slowly replaced by the reality of the grind of training. The realization had struck that this grappling business is hard work and perhaps much more difficult than originally anticipated. This is a classic case of the the three months blues, what was once easy to learn with everyone going easy on you, all of a sudden becomes much harder, as your game becomes predictable your forced to solve problems on the fly. This is where many people stop training at this point, having learnt some cool stuff on the ground but its all a bit hard.

I hope that by having the conversation with Jason that it makes it ok to have this concern and that it can be worked through by being persistent with training. It reminds me of a learning model I heard about some years ago where when learning a new skill we move through four distinct phases......

1. Unconsciously Incompetent
You dont know that you dont know

2. Consciously Incompetent
You know that you dont know

3. Consciously Competent
You know that you know

4. Unconsciously Competent
You dont know you know

Like learning to drive a car it moves from sitting in the passenger seat wondering what all the fuss is about, to the shock that its not as easy as it looks, to developing good habits over time and with experience, to finally becoming second nature. I think much of the 3 month blues is realising how much you don't know (consciously incompetent) and deciding to either quit or keep going at this point. The kids got talent so I hope he keeps training.

Attacking the Turtle - Thales Leites

Here is the patented Nova Uniao neck-arm choke set up from side back control. I think this clip is from the same seminar series as the knee ride choke we worked the other nite but obviously in no-gi this time.

Set up to Crucifix from Open Guard

Am looking forward to attending Rigan's Melbourne seminar this weekend.

Big Right Hand...

The punch that launched one career and may have ended another. Sitting in the pocket and counter punching Liddell takes big kahunas...big props.

Kimura from Armbar defence

Choke from Knee RIde

Here is a fundamental choke from knee ride as taught by Fabricio Werdum, with a good control by switching the knee position.

ESPN MMA LIVE

Fabio Gurgel - Omoplata Set up

Fabio Gurgel
by swsda

Randy back in the UFC

Footage from UFC President Dana White's video blog discussing Randy's return and his upcoming fight with Brock Lesnar in November. No need for a body language expert here. You read between the lines... money talks I guess.

First Nite at Adrenalin Gym

Well we survived our first nite at the new premises. Blood noses, popped elbows and a fat lip. All in a days work for a BJJ class. This sure as hell isn't the easiest sport to partake in, speak to any person who has grappled long and hard enough and there is a long list of injuries to be found. Physio, Chiro, Reco's, Acunpuncture and party packs of Voltarin. Maybe golf is an option. Anyhow on a brighter note, there is room for a full size mat upstairs at Adrenalin, which is great as we can crack out the fancy cover. Have ordered some banners for inside and will get some signage up on the outside of the building. Sore bodies but happy days. Thanks to Dave, Paul and Grant for helping me shift the mat.

Cris Brown Interview

Here is a link to a Cris Brown interview on the Extreme website providing an insight into his competition and training background. Not a bad CV eh? The photo is of RIco Chiaparelli, Coach John Donehue and Cris when Rico was in Australia some time ago for a seminar.

Rigan Machado Melbourne Seminar

Mike Swick: Triangle Set-up

Who is Sergio Moraes?

Upcoming Fights September

August has been a slow month for MMA fights, but things look to be picking up for the month of September as outlined in this article from Sherdog. Hector Lombard will fight Brian Ebersole in Sydney for the Cage Fighting Championship belt on Sept 12. This may be first decent marquee match up in Australia to attract some attention from overseas. Nice to see Aussie MMA events getting some exposure. Would love to see Cris Brown get another shot at Lombard, would make a great fight. Don't know if it will ever happen though. Anyway looks like there are some interesting match ups coming up in the next month.

Stephan Kesting Blog: Von Flue Choke

Please take the time to visit Stephan's site to review the Von Flue choke. We worked Guillotine defense some time ago but its always good to review this stuff. And never be guillotined again!

Back Control Escape - Andre Galvao

HCK Order

Looks like there will be a HCK product order placed at HQ shortly. Please let me know ASAP if you need a new Gi, rashie or shorts for training. You can view all of Howard's products at his website, prices there are in $USD of course, there is also a size chart to make sure you get the right size. These are top quality products and are the best gi's on the market by far in terms of value for money. Mizuno level quality for half the price. We are going back to no-gi training after the Pan Pacs so stock up now on shorts and rash vests as well. These orders are placed once or twice a year so don't miss out.

Secrets Of Jiu Jitsu

1. Train 2-3 times per week consistently. The biggest frustration is getting on the roller coaster.
2. Be a good training partner. Work with people and not against them.
3. Stay fit and healthy. Keep a level of fitness to get on the mat and deal with injuries asap.
4. Set small goals. Focus on different aspects of your game.
5. Ask questions. Develop an understanding of why and how things work.
6. Compete in tournaments. Pressure test your skills.
7. Improve your flexibility. Stretch often.
8. Visualise techniques.
9. Drill the basics.
10. Learn to play. Try stuff.
11. Watch and copy the pro's.

Its all been said before but it needs repeating. Lessons keep appearing until learned. Speaking of which, I discovered another fantastic post today at Aesopian's blog right here. Some seriously good questions and ideas to help focus your training. More jiu jitsu secrets. Lots of food for thought. Posts aren't frequent at this site but when they come its gold.

Omoplata setup from Open Guard

Fedor Mount Reversal

Fedor Emelianenko - Full mount reversal (MMA & UFC DVD)

Nick Diaz Light Rolling

Tae kwon do Brain Explosion

This is great on so many levels. Not only does a well trained athlete kick a defenseless old man in the head with full force but only succeeds in making him stagger backward twice before achieving a full recovery. This act remarkably and simultaneously brings this poor excuse for a sport into disrepute but proves it to be ineffective as a combat discipline all at the same time. Priceless. On a side note, do all tae kwon do athletes have bilateral arm paralysis?

Ktick - MyVideo

Fedor's Handy Hints

Dominance MG Winter Tournament Pt 2

Here is the poster for this weekends comp. Please turn up on the day to register if you wish to compete. Classes will run as normal at Mornington on Saturday.

Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Sherdog describes this guy as one to watch for the future.

Chris Haueter circa 1996

Chris Haueter was one of the first US black belts from the Machado Brothers and has always been a pioneer of the more eccentric moves in BJJ, he gave Matt Thornton of SBGi his black belt and is involved with this organization today.

Cobrinha Armbar from Inverted Guard

Leozinho Exhibition Match

This is years old footage of Leozinho fighting some Japanese judoka and reminding him that the fight only starts when in hits the mat.

Who was that?

Mark Laimon - "Who Was That?"
by UrbanX

Arm bar from guard - Pedro Sauer

Open Guard Pass

MMA Live ESPN

Ken Flo and Mir are a much better pair than Franklin Mcneil, hope they dump him soon. This is a great weekly summary of the world of MMA. Enjoy.

We are on the move....

Please be aware that from Tuesday 2nd September 2008 Extreme Jiu-Jitsu Mornington will be moving to new premises. Upstairs at Adrenaline Gym, located on 7 Satu Way, off Mornington-Tyabb Rd behind the BMW dealership. This new location offers modern design and facilities and will increase our exposure in the area. There is also more mat space available for training. There will be discounted Gym memberships available for our students and there will also be time for an additional MMA class each week. There will be a small increase in training fees and modification to the training schedule at the same time as well as the introduction of a monthly payment option. By improving training times and increasing flexibility of payment options we aim to continue to grow the club and increase the exposure of our sport on the Peninsula. This is a fantastic time to bring a friend to training for two free lessons…..

NEW Class Times ....
Tuesday
7pm BJJ Basics
8pm BJJ

Thursday
7pm BJJ
8pm MMA

Saturday
12pm BJJ
1pm MMA

Revised Fee Structure As Sept 1st 2008

First TWO lessons are free.

10 Visit Pass $130

Monthly Fee $85 paid in advance

Quarterly Fee $235 paid in advance

Big thanks to Lindsay and the guys at the Mornington Combat Academy for looking after us since we opened in 2006. So obviously these changes only come into effect from September.....Cheers.

Back From Holiday

Hello all. Back from holiday refreshed and ready to train and teach again. Bloody hell, Melbourne is cold! Just been looking online and there is so much I have missed in ten days. Another UFC come and gone, Brock Lesnar may be the real deal and GSP still on top of his game. More talk of BJ Penn vs GSP and Randy having secret meetings with Fedor...ah its good to be back. On the local front, some exciting news for our club for the month of September, stay tuned. Also gearing up for our trip to Tasmania for the Champions Cup in early October. Hope to see you all on the mat soon. Big thank-you to Jason and David for holding the fort while I was away getting a sun tan.

Demian Maia Defending the Guard Pass

Here Demian and his friend, Igor (think: yes, master!) demonstrate an important concept in defending your guard from being passed. Am going on holiday with the family for ten days. Jason will be teaching classes as per normal in my absence. Keep training hard and I'll see everyone when I get back. So no more blog posts till mid August. Cheers.

Mount Escapes with Randy Bloom

Sweep from seated guard

"Redbelt" Movie Trailer

A David Mamet movie about jiu-jitsu..hmmm..i dont have high hopes.

Strength and Conditioning

Dave was interested in the first sandbag exercise so I'd thought I'd post it.

Rolling Armbar from Turtle

Here is a nice detailed description of how to perform a rolling arm from the turtle. It explains in detail each of the necessary steps to successfully apply this move. You can tell by the way this guy teaches this that he has got the move down pat. Its a popular way to attack the turtle in judo.

Daniel Moraes X guard pass

Rigan Machado Melbourne Seminar

Here are the details for the upcoming Rigan Machado Seminar in September.

Leozinho Guard Pass

If i'm not mistaken its Kid Peligro doing the English voiceover for one of Leozinho's signature moves.

C Class Shooto Perth August

The details for a C class shooto event in Perth on 31st August can be found here. I know some of you guys want to compete in MMA and this is the most legitimate and sanctioned way to get your career underway. Habby runs these comps regularly so keep an eye out for future events. Forms can be downloaded here.