Flavio "Cachorrinho" Almeida jockeying for grips / Photo: John Cooper/2010
Mike Swain, 51, is one of the most respected judo teachers in the USA, and his students have solid reasons to admire him. Solid and golden. Mike is the first American ever to win the World Judo Championship, in 1987, at lightweight, and the next year he snapped up a bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics.
The owner of a classic style of fighting, Mike lives in Campbell, California, and trains in San Jose. He recently encountered another teacher admired for his teaching methods and the titles he has won in Flavio “Cachorrinho” Almeida.
“We were searching for a high-quality mat for Gracie Barra, and the Swain company has an awesome product. That’s how we came to be friends, and he did a seminar at my school. I wanted to return the favor, so I went to teach at his judo school in San Jose,” remarked Flavio. “Some of the judokas there are getting ready for the London-2012 Games, and I was glad to help out a bit.”
Check out the training session between Olympic medalist and the GB professor of Jiu-Jitsu. Don’t forget to share what you learned in and what you thought of the video, in the comments field below.
I was at this class –and I have to tell you, it was inspiring. It was as if Mike and Flavio had taught together all their lives. The San Jose U Judo Team? Intense, focused, hard-working, and at that age when nothing seems impossible and everything is a challenge to be taken on. Thank you to Flavio Almeida for the lessons and Mike Swain for Swain Mats, some of the best judo training in the world, and for joining forces with Gracie Barra to improve the quality of safety-in-practice. My son Keenan Cornelius and I will be down to San Jose this summer to throw down.
Nice, Tom!
Please send us a video then, with you and your son training together. It will inspire us even more. Thanks!
flavio almeida is another gracie barra bjj ambassador. a world champion with incredible passion for bjj.
Technically, Swain’s the first American MALE to win the world championships in Judo. Ann Maria De Mars (Burns) did it in 1984.
Time and time again you see that training Judo greatly improves your skills as a grappler. Marcelo Garcia and Rodolfo Vieira are two great examples of that. This is the reason we incorporate judo in our training.