Luanna Alzuguir puts on pressure in the Brazilian National in São Paulo. Photo: Rafael Carvalho/ GRACIEMAG

Champion of the middleweight and absolute divisions in 2013 Brazilian National in São Paulo, Luanna Alzuguir (Alliance) had to face even bigger ghost than her opponents last weekend.

First, she shrugged off the losses after leaving the WPJJC in Abu Dhabi with a silver medal in the weight division and the absolute.

After some training adjustments, however, she came back home with the fourth title in the black belt division. And in style, with an armbar on Michelle Nicolini during the absolute final. “Michelle and I have fought since 2005 and have never had any submissions, on either side,” recalls Luanna.

See what else she conquered and learned in her chat with GRACIEMAG.

GRACIEMAG: Did you have a perfect performance during the Brazilian CBJJ, Luanna?

LUANNA ALZUGUIR: This Brazilian National was one of the best championships of my career! I say it, not because of the result, but because of the mood of the competition and how I felt during the event. The championship level was very high and in the absolute, all three fights I had were against girls who are or have been world champions at black belt. Disputing a title like this is always motivating.

Did you feel it would be your day from the beginning?

At the beginning I felt stuck, but I moved on quite well from one fight to another. I’ve been building confidence and getting more comfortable to do my game. Many things have changed after the Gramado WPJJC Trial in March. In my physical preparation I spent more time doing drills. I also began to teach fewer classes. But undoubtedly the most important was the change in my thinking. I tried to compete with the greatest pleasure as possible and without feeling pressured, and it worked!

What have you learned after letting the gold slip in WPJJC Abu Dhabi in April?

This defeat has changed many things for me. I feel like I entered a new phase and I’m learning a lot with all this. I heard an interesting comment after the defeat I had in Abu Dhabi and it’s something to remember: “It’s not hard to get to the top and stay there; it is hard to be on the top, fall and get back there.” I wanted to outdo myself and win again more than ever.

What do you think you did differently from other athletes to win the weight and absolute categories?

Nowadays high-level competitors prepare well, both technically and physically and the distinctive aspect just comes from within us. It is the way of thinking, the willingness to fight and motivation. This was growing inside of me and I have no doubts that it made a difference. Also, I have Fabio Gurgel as coach, Luciano Casquinha working my physical preparation, Andresa Correa as a training partner and great friend, Alliance as a team and support from my family. Everything ends up making a difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2InxpGMZ-UI

How do you review the fight with Michelle Nicolini in the Brazilian National absolute final?

Michelle is an athlete who I really respect; I always want to be on the other side of the draw (laughs). She is experienced, technical and full of dangerous moves. Our fights are always wars, and in this fight I imposed my game the whole time and, by knowing her game well, I tried to defend what she does best. The strategy worked and I ended up ahead on points the whole match. By implementing my game and trying to submit, I ended up scoring. It was a fight where I made a few mistakes and I worried a lot about countering her game, so it would be possible to stay ahead by moving all the time. To avoid being trapped by her dangerous moves, I controlled her body well, without giving her any space. This time, the more I was evolving in the fight, the more I believed it would be possible to submit. I used the armbar from the high mount and it worked. It’s a move that I learned and sharpened with Murilo Santana in 2008, after losing the semifinal of the Brazilian National absolute against Luzia (Fernandes), where I had the opportunity to submit with this same move and I lost.

At the final of the middle weight, you faced Barbara Gomes and even took her back, but didn’t submit. What was missing?

Barbara is strong and is the type of person who fights until the end. I did my best to seize the moment and submit, but she resisted and defended herself. I’m not sure what went wrong at that time, but this week the first training I did was about the back (laughs). Repetition is the key to build confidence.

How many Brazilian National titles do you have as a black belt?

Four black belt titles and seven among all belts. It was my first absolute in the Brazilian National as a black belt and that was the only title missing in my career. I’m glad to have conquered it during these years of black belt. I’ve got all titles of our sport in weight and absolute. It’s the result of the commitment I have with my profession and my dreams.

The post See why Brazilian National was “one of the best” of Luanna Alzuguir’s life first appeared on Graciemag.]]> https://www.graciemag.com/ricardo-evangelista-explains-tactics-that-stopped-cavaca-and-teaches-balloon-sweep/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ricardo-evangelista-explains-tactics-that-stopped-cavaca-and-teaches-balloon-sweep Wed, 01 May 2013 19:16:42 +0000 https://www.graciemag.com/?p=81240 Ricardo Evangelista was just one fight away from a perfect performance at the Brazilian National. But not even the defeat to Rafael Lovato Jr. in the black belt absolute final takes the mood away from the GFTeam athlete. “It was good, a lot of people must have been surprised with my performance in the competition, huh,”…

Ricardo Evangelista, sweeper from GFTeam. Photo: Rafael Carvalho/GRACIEMAG

Ricardo Evangelista was just one fight away from a perfect performance at the Brazilian National. But not even the defeat to Rafael Lovato Jr. in the black belt absolute final takes the mood away from the GFTeam athlete.

“It was good, a lot of people must have been surprised with my performance in the competition, huh,” laughs the black belt. “In the absolute final, I thought about submitting quickly, that’s what I did wrong,” he acknowledges.

Evangelista talked about the lessons learned in Barueri, analyzed the strategy used to beat Rodrigo Cavaca in the final of the ultra heavy division, and also taught us one of his favorite positions — useful for light and heavy guys. Check it out:

GRACIEMAG: How do you feel about your performance at the Brazilian National this year? Are you happy or upset?

RICARDO EVANGELISTA: I really enjoyed my performance, and many people must have been amazed and surprised with it (laughs)! I tried to fight forward and play my game. Today I managed to use a more aggressive game, but what made the difference was the heart and will. People don’t know, but today I teach in five different places and have to adapt my training and physical preparation in between. It is not easy to do it all the time, but I got the title.

Let’s talk about the ultra heavy gold first, the fight that came before the open final. What did you do there?

I’m a big fan of Cavaca and when the fight was over I talked to him. I went to fight with a strategy, in case he pulled guard first, but I managed to close the guard first and started ahead. I managed to sweep from the closed guard twice. It was an honor to have fought him. I felt very comfortable when I closed the guard and the victory began there. In the end, he scared me when he went for the foot lock, but those were the final seconds and I could resist. I think Cavaca is very flexible. With all that size, I couldn’t mount, and we got into a battle of mounting attempts and defense.

And the absolute final with Lovato. You almost passed, tried to get the back, but in the end you tapped out. Did you make any mistakes?

Lovato came from a long distance and took our medal, but it was deserved. He had a superb championship performance and every one of us would be congratulated. Unfortunately I lost. I think it was a very long time since I fought so many matches. Starting at the weight semifinal I felt my muscles fatigued. I had opportunities during the fight and thought about submitting soon — that’s what I did wrong. He knew how to use the strategy and play his game at the exact moment that I made a mistake. He deserves congratulations for the title.

Would you do anything differently?

I’ll try to make fewer mistakes and prepare myself better. When we meet again, it will be different. I’ll be better prepared physically and will push my pace of the fight, as I did at the beginning of this one. The lesson is: “No matter how many times you’ve been put to the test, believe in yourself.”

Tell us more about your sweeps. What is your favorite that is useful to our readers?

What I like to do, and my students in Rio like it too, is the “balloon sweep.” I could only do it once during the tournament, but it is always useful. I call it the “six-points sweep” (laughs) because you sweep and mount.

Video in Portuguese

The post Ricardo Evangelista explains tactics that stopped Cavaca and teaches balloon sweep first appeared on Graciemag.]]>

Lovato defending his open guard against Ricardo Evangelista in the finals at the Brazilian National 2013. Photo: Rafael Carvalho/GRACIEMAG

In a great absolute final at the Brazilian National 2013 in Baruri, Sao Paulo, Rafael Lovato Jr. and Ricardo Evangelista began the match squaring off on their feet. When Lovato pulled guard, “Jegue” from GFTeam went for the pass right away against the black belt from Oklahoma, a student of Saulo and Xande Ribeiro.

He wasn’t able to pass and the American defended himself well, even when Evangelista almost got to the back. Lovato kept calm, got on top and, at the last minute, passed the guard and submitted the Brazilian ultra heavyweight.

Check out how he did it in the video below:

João Gabriel goes for the foot of Leonardo Nogueira, in the super heavy final of Brazilian 2013. Photo: Rafael Carvalho

With all his weight and absolute medals, João Gabriel Rocha (Soul Fighters) reached the incredible mark of 18 titles in 20 years at the Brazilian National that the CBJJF has held since 1994.

The young black belt from Rio, a champion since he was four, has gold medals from his years at yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown and now black belt with an epic final over one of Alliance’s aces, Leonardo Nogueira.

“If I’m not mistaken, he didn’t win only two times. One he lost while a yellow belt. The other, at orange belt, he didn’t take part because the championship was on the belt examination day at our gym,” says Bruno “Tanque” Mendes, a leader of Soul Fighters.

In the final, João beat Leo. He opened the score of 2-0 by attacking Nogueira’s foot (photo). Then he passed the tough guard of the Alliance ace, took the back, scoring 9-0. Leo defended his back and swept, but then the champion swept back, 11-2.

“And he didn’t want to fight the weight after losing the absolute, Tatu and I pressured him to go. That classic Jiu-Jitsu psychology worked,”  says Tanque.

The pupil of Leandro “Tatu” talked to GRACIEMAG about his best moments in the championship in Barueri, and also the worst. Check it out:

GRACIEMAG: After 17 gold medals at the Brazilian National at all belts, you finally win a gold at black belt. Was the feeling any different?  

JOÃO GABRIEL ROCHA: It was unforgettable but I think in the end I went to fight very relaxed, as in all belts. I took all the pressure of having to win and trusted a lot in my game and myself. And it is not easy to fight with a good mind after losing the absolute. I fought on Saturday against Roberto Tussa (GB), a great athlete, but I think in the end I lost to myself. At the time of the match I didn’t do the things I trained for and he used his experience to his favor. After this fight, however, I learned that in the black belt division you have to be patient. There aren’t seven or eight minutes, it is ten minutes now.

What was your biggest mistake in defeat, and the big lesson?

I think I learned to pace myself during a Jiu-Jitsu match, and to play with time in my favor.

How was the feeling of getting to the final of super heavy and looking at the double world champion Leo Nogueira on the other side?  

Needless to say, Leo is a great athlete. He is very complete, plays well on top and bottom and is very dangerous. I knew that the fight would be complicated. The solution was pacing myself throughout the fight, and always putting him in danger. I couldn’t focus only on his half guard; I had to pay attention to everything because he is such a complete fighter. I attacked a lot, but I also defended myself when he got his sweep, which worried me. But everything worked out. Before the final I just thought I got what it takes to be the champion. It only depended on me.

What was the main factor of your victory?

The mental part. I changed my mind completely from the absolute on Saturday, to the weight division on Sunday. Competing since I was very young helps a lot, I didn’t get lost. But the coaching is key. (Leandro) Tatu was on me all the time. He believes in me more than myself.

What goes on in your mind after winning the Brazilian National at all belt levels since you were 4 years old?

It is a complete cycle. There were many years of learning and hard training at Soul Fighters in Tijuca to get here. For the next championships, however, I will be the same João, always playing forward to submit.