Vitor Shaolin BJJ Demo @ MMA Expo

Open Mats

Here are some Open Mat times over the next few days if you want some rolling time before regular classes start next week. All Extreme students are welcome to attend. Please spread the word. Happy New Year.

Thursday 31st December 11.30 am

Saturday 2nd January 9.30 am

Andre Galvao Training & Teaching

Turn on Closed Captions (CC) for english sub titles

MMA Live ESPN 24/12/2009

Robert Drysedale Doco

Here is a short film covering ADCC 2009 through the eyes of Robert Dryesdale, training for his superfight against Roger Gracie. Roger injured himself during training and was replaced by Jacare at the last minute. Dryesdale will be in town early next year for a seminar at DMMA but unfortunately its open only to Machado guys.

Andre Galvao HL Clip

More Jacare

Marcelo Garcia in Action

Here is a link to a website where there are clips of Marcelo Garcia teaching and training. Some very cool stuff here, please take the time to check it out. The link expires after a period of time before they want payment to join. Thanks to Jason for showing me the link.

MMA Live ESPN

Roy Dean Purple Belt Grading

Always interesting to see the skill level, techniques and grading structure of other schools. Nice to see it shared on the internet, Gradings are never easy, putting yourself out there to be tested. So big effort to see it posted on youtube. Please dont be too quick to judge, but learn from what you see. Well deserved purple belt.

Updated Timetable 2010

Please note there will be some small changes to class times in 2010. Tuesday's first class @7pm will be a dedicated Gi class. On Friday from 5pm there will be an Open Mat for students graded White belt 2 stripes and above. And Saturday from 1pm will be an MMA session like the good old days. Please bring all your own protective equipment to these MMA sessions including head gear. So if you need new gi's or MMA equipment ask Santa to bring you some for Xmas. This means there are classes now 6 days per week in Judo, BJJ, Boxing & MMA. No more excuses for not training. Keep your eyes out for our new wall to wall tatami mat, it will be a monster! Also a big congrats to my long time friend and training partner Brett who received his purple belt from Ringwood Head Coach, Bernie Jenkins, during the week. Merry Christmas.

X guard sweep Jacare

Mornington Extreme Xmas Break Up

We will have dinner at Taco Bill in Mornington at 8.15pm next Tuesday 22nd December after training at 7pm. I have booked a table for 10 people, please let me know if you plan on attending. We will be too late for the all-you-can-eat, so meals will be from the standard menu. Please drop me a line and let me know if you plan on attending so I change the booking if required. Come down and have a few beers to catch up with the guys before the year is out and compare injuries. That nite will be the last class for the year and we will resume training again on Tuesday 4th January on the upadted timetable. Also I have recieved UFC tickets in the mail for all those who purchased them. The event sold out in under 48hrs.

Ricardo Liborio 3 Single Hook Variations

Saulo Ribeiro No Gi Sweep

Spangler Strikes Again

MMA Match Practice

A very big thank you to all Extreme students who made the trip to Mornington for our MMA match practice. We got through 10 matches in just over an hour, with most guys getting two matches. There were guys from Chadstone and Ringwood who made the trip. There were some nice submissions and takedowns on the day and only one fight was stopped due to a cut. I think the C-class rules worked well although we need to make sure everyone brings their own head gear next time. The great benefit I think of this type of training is combining what we often train separately, stand up, clinch and ground and trying to put it together in a competitive environment. There were many positive comments afterward requesting to do this all again and I think we will try to get one going again in three months time. It was great to see a bunch of guys having a roll together after the matches just to train with guys from other academies. Next time there will be less spectators, I want this to be about training and participating not the spectacle of watching two guys fight.

More Erik Paulson Armbars

Heel Hooks Ryan Hall

UFC 107

Jacare HL

The Globalisation of BJJ

I stole this from John Will's Blog. Very Clever indeed. Just been watching the Best of Pan Ams 2009 and couldnt agree more with the Furhrer's sentiments. Fifty/fifty guard is very annoying indeed to watch. Old school BJJ all the way!

UFC Tickets

Sunday 21st February 2010 is the date for UFC in Sydney, most prob in the afternoon for a US televised event on Sat pm. Ticket prices and seating can be viewed at the Acer Arena website. I will buy tickets on Wednesday but need to obtain confirmation from those who wish for me to purchase tickets for them. The thinking is to buy Premium tickets at $250 each. I was thinking about flying up Saturday afternoon and returning on Monday morning. I will buy up to 6 or 8 tickets in one go. Let me know ASAP and give me the cash. My list at the moment is Jason, Me and Trav. It may mean we sit as two groups in different areas if the numbers go above 10 people.

Robert Drysedale Recent Interview

Cobrinha S & C training for ADCC

Xmas Break Up & Class times

Last class for the year will be on Tuesday 22nd December from 7-8pm after which we will go out for dinner and drinks. Then there will be a break from normal claases for two weeks. Training will resume on Tuesday 5th January. There may be some open mat sessions during the break, I will post deatils here if anyone is keen to wrassle in an effort to work off xmas lunch.

UFC 110 Sydney

Feb 21st 2010 looks like the first UFC in Australia at the Acer Arena. Keep an eye out for tickets at Ticketek or the venue website. If you see them come up, buy a bunch of them. I don't expect they will last long. Rumored match ups incl. Sinosic v Haseman 2, Bisping v Vanderlei, George Sot v Joe Daddy, Carwin v Big Nog. I'm sure there will be lots of interest from the group to go up and see the event. Lets see if we can make it happen. Put the date in your diary now and keep an eye out for tickets.

Waerea v Ballendon Pro Trials NZ

Is the turtle a guard? Nice sweep/reversal from there though, would love to have seen it against Big Mick. Try scoring this match in your head and see what you come up with.

Fedor v Rogers

Dave and I talk about different fighting styles and how in many ways tough is defined, not by what you can dish out, but rather by what kind of punishment you can absorb and still prevail against your opponent. This kind of mental toughness is very rare indeed. Re-watching this Fedor fight, where in many instances, he is on the back foot and taking a significant amount of damage and he still prevails, is a case in point. Arlovski too thought he had Fedor rocked and still ate a big right hand for his troubles as well. Fedor breaks all the rules of boxing, but throws looping power shots with such venom and commitment, he almost throws himself off his feet.

Fightmetric

Fightmetric is a website which provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of UFC fights that go to a decision. With some controversial decisions recently like Rua losing to Machida, or Vera losing to Couture it makes for interesting reading to see each match broken down round by round in different ranges, percentage of strikes landed and effectiveness. Nobody likes going to a decision but I think will happen more as the sport evolves and a unique scoring system for MMA will need to developed at some point.

Braulio Estima V Demian Maia ADCC 2005

Great match. Braulio has an amazing guard. This was the Brasil trials.

ADCC 2005 brazil trials - demian maia x braulio estima
by arnojjb

Galvao v Yoshida ADCC 2007

ADCC 2007 Andre Luis Galvao vs Baret Yoshida
by _Luk

Neil Adams teaching Judo

Eduardo Telles

Couture v Vera

Bill "The Grill" Cooper HL

Normal Classes Thursday

Originally I had intended a trip to the Ringwood Academy to train this Thursday nite as the VCAL crew needed the room for their end of year party. This is no longer the case. So classes will run as per normal on Thursday nite. Many students said they were unable to make the Ringwood trip due to time constraints and other commitments so we will train as normal. Sorry about the late notice.

Josh Barnett Interview @ No Gi Worlds

Sweep Combo

Stole this from novauniao.com

Braulio Estima Inverted Triangle

Ryan Hall Interview

Here is a link to a Ryan Hall interview where it seems he has changed some his ideas on the relative merits of guard and submission attempts from the back. I have always wondered how his "game plan" has worked so well against everyone except the very elite guys, especially Brasilians, where he has struggled. This is maybe the next step in the evolution of his training and development. Makes for interesting reading. I admire his determination to compete and succeed against the very best.

Pro Gi Qualifier Qtr Final Hodge v Naumoski

Pro Gi 15/11/09 Match 1
by hodge2

Pro Gi Qualifier Final Hodge v Giles

Pro Gi 15/11/09 Match 3
by hodge2

Pro Gi Qualifier Hodge v Angus Semi

Pro Gi 15/11/09 Match 2
by hodge2

Injury Report

Just wanted to wish Jason all the best with his knee reco on Monday. After going through the ordeal with his other knee some years ago, it will be a task to go through the process again. Not being able to train with Jase and have him teach for six months will be a big loss. I really cant believe the horrible run we, as a club, have had with injuries this year. Daves elbow, Ricks shoulder, knee and ankle, Marcos knee and Peter just broke his hand, although that one was not a training injury. I know lots of guys are carrying various niggles as well. Crazy sport this really. Maybe we all should play golf instead! Lets try and have a healthier 2010 and get some consistency and numbers back on the mat for next years competitions. Please.

Rolling Attacks against Turtle

Marcelo Garcia

Extreme Grading and Xmas Breakup

To All BJJ Students,

Please note that the final grading for the year will be held on

Tuesday night, 6pm, 8th December at Chadstone HQ

The annual Christmas dinner wind up will be held on

Xmas Dinner Friday 18th Dec, 6.30pm
Curious Restaurant & Bar
Urban Hotel
36-37 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda

Put those dates in your diary and I'll put lists up soon for you to add your name.

Julie
Extreme Administration

More Grappling

So MG is launching a new format to end the year.

No time limit.
No points.
Submission only.

That is right, you roll till someone says "uncle" :-) It is single elimination GI tournament. Meaning you lose a fight you are out.

Standard MG rules and belt divisions (white, blue, purple - black). Weight classes will be decided on the day with an aim to have 8 people in each division, meaning three fights for the winner and runner up.

When: Saturday November 21st
Where: DMMA, 555 Victoria Street, Abbotsford
What: The ultimate BJJ battle to the death.... or just rolling to submission.

Weigh in and registration: 8:30 - 9:30am
Rules: 9:30 - 10am
Fights: 10am sharp!

Check out www.moregrappling.com.au for rules etc.

And yes it is only a week and a half away :-)

DMMA

Shinya Aoki No Gi Throws

May have posted this a while ago but I think its worth looking at again.

Stack Pass Defence

Australian Sports Nutrition

Just got back from a weeks holiday with the family. While I was away I was thinking about Donny from ASN who came and spoke to the group regarding some of the products available at his store in Frankston. Firstly I was impressed with his knowledge of the nutritional aspects of training and performance enhancement. But secondly, I was equally, if not more so, impressed with his amazing commitment to his chosen sport of bodybuilding and the sacrifices he makes to achieve his training goals. By his own admission bodybuilding is not healthy but he does what is required to achieve competitive outcomes. I was most inspired by his commitment to his personal training journey and his well informed but no nonsense approach to nutrition and supplements. As a health care practitioner myself the goal is always to balance a system of the body. A fit body is not necessarily a healthy one. But for a competitor, the ends justifies the means. There is a price that needs to be paid. Watching and observing elite level athletes, particularly ones who compete on a an amateur level, that is, they fund their own training and competing; guys like Donny as a bodybulider or Niall as a triathlete, can bring a valuable opportunity to examine our own dedication to our training journey as martial artists.

Melbourne Cup Day & Other Stuff

Please be aware that there will be no classes this Tuesday 3rd November owing to the Public Holiday. Also on Thursday 26th November we will be taking a bus trip to train at the Ringwood academy. We will leave at 5.30pm from Mornington and return by 9.00pm. Please let me know if your interested in coming so I know what numbers to expect. There will be no classes at the Mornington club that evening due to a VCAL event. Finally on Saturday 12th December we will be holding a combined MMA training session with members of the Ringwood academy. This will take the place of normal training. There will be a round robin competitive format consisting of 2 3min rounds and will follow C class Shooto rules. Everyone will be matched as closely as possible by weight and experience. I encourage everyone to participate as it as great chance to put together all your stand up, wrestling and ground skills. The emphasis will be on training and learning not winning.

Robson Moura No Gi Half Guard

No Gi Worlds Preview

Gui Mendes No-Gi Technique

Glovers Travels Episode 4 Pt 2 Cobra Kai

Erik Paulson Takedowns and Throws

Robson Moura No Gi

Dave Camarillo Blog

Here is the link to the latest blog post from Dave Camarillo and his observations of the "Bullpen" or warm up area before a competition. Anyone who has competed over a few years knows these feelings very well.

Old School Rickson Footage

Here Rickson rolls with student Pedro Sauer. Cool back take from North South at 50sec mark.

Pan Pacs 2009

Well done to the athletes from Mornington who competed this weekend. A comparatively small group this year of five (3 whites/2 blues) competitors represented us well again. Johan did the best with a gold and silver medal in his first competition. Great work. This reflects the culmination of months of hard work by Johan, who has put in lots of quality mat time and extra training (early mornings) which paid off handsomely. Slym took silver in a tough blue belt no-gi division losing in a close match to a more experienced fellow team mate from Chadstone. Slym is also putting in the hard yards on the mat and starting to develop a very solid comp game, this result is well deserved also. Trent said goodbye in style with a good run in his no gi but ultimately failing to place in another large novice division. I look forward to getting some of the injured guys back on the mat soon and getting a strong team together for next years circuit. Combining some of the newer guys, who are getting valuable experience, with some of our more experienced guys has the potential to create a strong team indeed. The trick will be turning potential energy into kinetic energy if you get my drift. Full results are on the AFBJJ website now and some photos and more reports are on the Extreme homepage. I'm sure some footage will be uploaded to youtube over the following days.

Glovers Travels Episode 4 Pt 1 Cobra Kai

Lyoto Machida HL

No Classes this Saturday

Please note there will be no classes this Saturday due to the 2009 Pan Pacific BJJ Championship to be held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. Please come along and support your fellow teammates. This is a big tournament and a good chance to watch high level competition first hand.

Ryan Hall HL

Don "The Predator" Frye HL

The best mustache in MMA. Some old school footage here.

UfC 104 & No Gi Timetable

Slym has kindly offered to air UFC 104 at his place on Sunday 25th October from 1pm. Please let me know if your interested in attending and I will give you the necessary details. Also after the Pan Pacs this weekend, we will revert to our Summer timetable changing to predominantly no gi training. The only class that will remain a gi class is 12-1pm on Saturday. Peace, out.

Renzo Gracie

With all the garbage on the net these days it is a true pleasure to watch these clips of Renzo teaching. Lots of great stuff here on managing those all important transitions to allow us to finish a move.

How to Triangle a Big Guy.

Breaking down armbar defence

Nate Diaz HL

Wrestling Single Leg Takedown

GSP HL Clip

UFC 104 Preview

Glovers Travels Episode 3 Pt 2

Dream 11 Preview

Leo Viera & Fabio Gurgel Rollin circa 1997

Gunnar Nelson

Gunnar Nelson was awarded his black belt by Renzo Gracie after a successful showing at ADCC. Here is the final of the Pan Ams at brown belt.

Mendes v Cobrinha u66kg ADCC Final

Part 1 of 5

Robert Drysedale

David Avellan

Again the recent ADCC tournament was dominated by Brasilians but it seems some guys are starting to catch up, including this guy David Avellan. He got third at under 88kg. This footage was shot just prior to the tournament.


Overall ADCC Results

MEN

- 65.9 Kg:
1 Rafael Mendes
2 Rubens Cobrinha Charles
3 Jeff Glover
4 Ryan Hall

But Rani Yahya and Leozinho (two brasilians) chose not to contest 3rd place so Glover and Hall had a match instead.

- 76.9 Kg:
1 Pablo Popovich
2 Marcelo Garcia
3 Gregor Gracie
4 K-Taro Nakamura

- 87.9 Kg:
1 Braulio Estima
2 André Galvão
3 David Avellan
4 Rafael Lovato Jr.

- 98.9 Kg:
1 Xande Ribeiro
2 Gerard Rinaldi
3 Vinícius Magalhães
4 Glover Teixeira

+ 99 Kg:
1 Fabricio Werdum
2 Roberto Cyborg
3 Jeff Monson
4 Saulo Ribeiro

WOMEN

- 59.9 Kg:
Luanna Alzuguir
Sayaka Shioda
Hillary Williams
Laurence Cousin


+ 60 Kg:
Hannette Staack
Penny Thomas
Cristiane Cyborg
Rosângela Conceição


ABSOLUTE:
1 Braulio Estima
2 Xande Ribeiro
3 Vinicius Magalhães
4 Gunnar Nelson

Kron v Marcelo ADCC qtr final middleweights

Try here for a live blog from Gracie Mag and here for some more video uploads.

Ryan Hall 50/50 Guard

Here is Ryan teaching moves in one of his favourite positions, 50/50 guard. This reciprocal style of guard is one of the hottest topics in BJJ at the minute and has lead to many stalled matches and log jams where neither grappler seeks to improve their position. See Mendes v Cobrinha below as a recent example. In this clip Ryan teaches heel hooks from this spot, this submission is allowed in the ADCC event this weekend, in which Ryan is competing, but not in standard BJJ competitions. Please take the time to watch the other preview videos on youtube from this instructional set, there is gold to be found in them. He may blink alot but he knows his stuff and articulates it exceptionally well.

Guillotine Defence

ADCC 2009

Best of luck to the Hodge who is competing this weekend in Barcelona.

Glovers Travels Episode 3

Kosei Inoue Judo DVD Trailer

Saulo Ribeiro with Roy Dean

Rafael Mendes v Rubens Charles

New IJF Rules

Guilherme Mendes is in town.

Apparently this guy is teaching at Ground Zero next week if anyone is interested here are the details...

Guilherme Mendes
4 x World Champion (4 consecutive years)
3 x Brazilian Nationals Champion (3 consecutive years)

Guilherme will be showcasing his unique guard which lead him to have a winning streak of 7 years in competition in Brazil,

Seminar on Sunday, 27th of September, 2009 in Melbourne, Victoria.

Location:
Ground Zero
L2/ 373 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000

Price: $150

To make a reservation, please contact Richard
m: 0424 181 404
e: richardkua@yahoo.com


Hurry! Limited slots avaiilable!

Rico wrestling in College

Great match. Rico was known for being difficult to takedown and here grapevines legs to avoid being thrown. Also the famous Rico Roll gets a workout in this match, where he rolls across his own shoulders to get the reversal. Both can be seen on the replays. Just the mental strength to stay in this match and prevail is amazing to watch. Inspiring.

Jeff Rockwell Triangle Vs Stacking

Marcelo Garcia HL

Slick jits.

Robert Drysedale Armbar

Worst Techniques Ever

Glovers Travels Episode

Very cool. Some of you guys are big "Grill" fans so enjoy. These guys get neck arm chokes from everywhere it seems. Even some Pro Wrasslin action at the very end.

Takedown from Clinch

Rick Estrada

Flavio Canto HL

Brasilian judoka renowned for his ground work (newaza) and Olympic bronze medalist in 2004. I like his style. Here is some background and high praise from Dave Camarillo.

Dan Cherubin

Training Trip to Thailand

Am throwing around the idea of a 7 night training trip to Thailand next year at the Samui Pro facility on the island Koh Samui. Seems accommodation is around $40-60/nite AUD in the low season and flights seem to be about $800 or so return to Bangkok. Obviously not including transfers and food other than breakfast. I was considering the last week of June as an OK time low season to travel, might be hot though. Be an escape from frosty Melbourne. There are thai and MMA classes each day but i get the impression that the training is mainly stand up with some MMA. Chris has stayed there previously and has enjoyed it so we have some firsthand experience of the facility. Do the math, talk to the fun police and let me know if we can arrange it. The upside is a cheap training holiday on a tropical island. Maybe look to get 6-8 guys traveling.

Rorian Gracie

Ricardo Almeida Training Program

Glovers Travels Episode 1

Erik Paulson

I like his style.

Ryan Couture

Here is Randy Couture's son Ryan in his most recent MMA fight. Thanks Darts.

Jacare Ankle Pick Takedown

Glovers Travels Episode 2

Randy training to fight Big Nog

What an inspirational athlete

Champions Cup Report

Well seven competitors and one official photographer, who is highly skilled in BJJ, made their way over to Adelaide on Saturday afternoon to compete at this years Champions Cup. The day began promptly and ran smoothly for most of the day running late in the afternoon owing to injured competitors and a lack of officials. Paul Smith came home with a silver medal, Chris Gleeson with two bronze, me with a silver and a bronze. Not our best outing but preparation wasn't ideal and the goal is to peak for the Pan Pacs in 8 weeks time. So some valuable competition experience was gained at this event and many of the matches were decided by very small margins. In the end at least we know as a team were are close to the mark and require some fine tuning and more focused competition training. So from here on in to the Pan Pacs, Tues nite from 7pm in Gi and Saturday from 1pm in No-Gi will be Competition based sessions so be prepared to work hard. Lots more timed rounds, matches and takedowns practice, shark bait drills etc. to mimmick the intensity of matches. So the first hour will be fundamentals with some free rolling and second hour will be comp training focused.

Jeff Glover Grapplers Quest

WTF?! When did the camera guys start wrestling? Is this legit or what? It is the Absolute division after all.

Old School Judo Footage

Robert Drysedale No Gi Side Control Attack

Dave Camarillo Blog

Please take the time to visit Dave Camarillo's Blog. Some great stories, technical insights, coaching ideas and motivation for training. Coming from an experienced Judo and BJJ competitor and coach at the American Kickboxing Academy. Great stuff.

UFC All Access Randy Couture

BJ Penn Omoplata

Jean Jacque Machado Choke Series

More Grapplers Quest

Bit of a clinic but cool to watch.

Old School Rickson and Royler Training Footage

Just snuck into the top ten....

Here is an article highlighting the top ten competitors at Black/Brown/Purple belt in Australia for results at AFBJJ tournaments in the past 3 years. I got a look in at number 10 for Purple Belt. The list makes for interesting reading in who performs well each and every competition. I would like to see a separate list for Adults/Masters/Seniors as the standard is different across the different age brackets and the Adult category still remains open age and in my opinion the gold standard where the true test lives. A few missing names at Purple belt include Priscus Fogagnolo, Dave Deconte and Graeme Waraera, three top guys that have performed well in recent competitions locally and overseas. Ross the Boss at number 5 in Browns will make some big gains over the next half of this year on current form me thinks. Rodney Ellis also needs to be recognized for his consistent efforts leading up to qualifying for ADCC. Lets see if we cant get some more Extreme names into this list in the coming months with the Champions Cup around the corner.

Draculino Choke "Magic Grip"

Estonian Guard Passes From Hell

Never Pull Half Guard

Kenny Florian and Dave Camarillo being funny (ish). For some reason Master Joe Blackman reminds me of Ross the Boss. See if you can see what I mean. Maybe its the intensity and the language. There is a Part 2 to this episode if you dare.

UFC 101

Sunday 9th August at 12pm at Smithys place. To be confirmed.

GSP MMA Instructional

Georges St Pierre - MMA instructional Vol 2 2/3
Uploaded by Phalangorexiste. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.

Demian Maia - Chokes

Some Comic Relief

Crash mats and grappling dummies will be arriving for this Saturdays class. Please note the slight change to Saturdays timetable to allow for an hour of No-Gi training from 1-2pm, so please bring shorts and rashies.

Cooper v Tooke Grap Quest

Great match. A real see saw battle. Both guys came with an attacking game making it exciting to watch.

Malgalhaes v Bastos Grapplers Quest

Popovitch v Guarin Grap. Quest

Triangle from Side Mount

Demian Maia - Stacking Guard Pass

Nova Uniao News Story

Here is a link to a Nova Uniao story from Sherdog describing the teams success at a competition and MMA level. Extreme JJG is affiliated under the banner of Nova Uniao and students represents this school when competing overseas. Rodney Ellis, who runs Southern Cross Jiu Jitsu, has spent many years training in Brasil with the Nova Uniao team.

Malgalhaes v Valverde Grapplers Quest

New Jeff Glover DVD Promo

The Buffer 360

UFC100 Recap MMA Live

"The Grill" vs "Daddy"

Gilbert Melendez - Single Leg/High C Setup

Braulio Estima HL Clip

Geoff Thompson - The Fence

Randy Couture - UFC 100 Breakdown

Along with Greg Jackson I think Randy has one of the best brains in MMA. His fight analysis is always spot on and insightful. I always come away with a different perspective after listening to Randy's breakdown of strategy.

Recent Grapplers Quest Matches

Very technical slow paced matches. Interesting to see how the game is played when there is $$ on the line. Some cool half guard in the first and open guard in the second.

UFC 100 Mon 13th July 10am

Due to a boxing PPV on Mainevent on Sunday UFC 100 will not be televised until the following Monday morning. So we will go to Slyms at 10am to watch the card. So take a sick day or do some quotes and come down and watch an amazing card. The only trick will be staying off the internet for that long.

10 great upcoming MMA fights

Josh Gross is the former Editor for Sherdog.com and now writes for Sports Illustrated (SI.com). He is one of the first true MMA journalists and a great writer. Here he previews ten bouts coming up over the US summer. Some amazing match ups to look forward too.

Why is Rickson Gracie the best?

Please find below a Q&A I stole from the SBGi section of the Underground Forum today. . Matt Thorton provides a great answer to an age old question. . Original Link Here.

Q.Hi Matt, firstly I'd like to start by saying Im a huge fan of SBGi and everything you've done to promote the truth in fighting. And secondly this thread is in no way intended to be disrespectful to those who have posted on the BJJ forum about Rickson Gracie. It is just a srious attempt at extracting some useful information that may help all jiujitsu students an grapplers!With that out of the way, I'll ask my question. Matt, what do you think it is that seperates Rickson Gracie from other top Brazilian Jiujitsu black belts and competitors? I realise with all the talk at the moment about Rickson's recent seminars, his out of this world skill and technical knowledge that noone is able to quantify what he teaches, why he is so good and what makes his technique so much more effective apparently than everyone elses? I am fascinated by the subject and was hoping you could offer your ideas and viewpoint on the subject?Thanks,Felipe

A.That's a question that everyone who meets Rickson eventually asks. My opinion is that Rickson is set apart due primarily to his understanding of the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu, and secondly his wisdom regarding how to train those fundamentals. There are a lot of world class competitors who truly have no idea exactly how they got "good", beyond the obvious of lots of hard mat time. In Rickson's case I think he has a deeper understanding. I think he knows exactly how BJJ works, starting with the number one concept of posture.

All good BJJ coaches focus on fundamentals and avoid teaching a style. But even with fundamentals there will be variations amongst competitors. You might divide techniques broadly in terms of high percentage and lower percentage moves. With higher percentage moves being generally simpler, lower risk, and based on leverage. However, what may be for most a low percentage move may be for any given individual a high percentage addition to their individual game. There is however one consistent core principle to all of BJJ, and that is the concept of posture. Proper posture in guard, on bottom, on top, the start and finish of serious BJJ understanding is posture. And to me that is where Rickson sets himself apart, and that is why so many black belts walk away not with a new move, but with a much deeper understanding of movements they have been doing every day for decades. And that is gold! Obviously there are a lot of people who appreciate that info.

Secondly, Rickson knows how to train. He isn't the type of instructor who shows 6 moves and then everyone touches hands and rolls to win. And he isn't the type of instructor who has people repeat a move without resistance a million times. He advocates drilling for the majority of class time, and his drills are always alive. IE: they incorporate progressive resistance as applied to isolated postures.

That understanding of what makes BJJ a science, posture, combined with an understanding well beyond most of his peers related to how to drill makes Rickson the coach he is. As for his personal ability, factor in training since birth, good genes, a consistent commitment to his own fitness and health, and a very intelligent mind (Rickson is no meat head jock, and never was), and you have have a pretty incredible combination.

www.straightblastgym.com

Rafael Mendes

On of the new generation of guys coming up, with a win over Cobrinha at only 19 years old. Here is a recent interview and below a fight at the Rickson Cup in Japan in which he demonstrates great transitional control.

CSW Clinch Training

Nick Diaz Standing Guillotine and set ups

UFC 100 Preview

Not on mainevent til Monday after...bummer. Three big fights. Lesnar too big, GSP too technical, and Hendo too tough, for mine.

Late counter to double leg takedown

The Rico roll?

Erik Paulson Armbars