Helio sorri em seu sítio em Itaipava. Foto: Gustavo Aragão

O saudoso grande mestre Helio Gracie era um entusiasta das técnicas de defesa pessoal. O pioneiro professor acreditava na eficácia dos movimentos de autodefesa para evitar qualquer tipo de agressão e provar que a técnica afiada supera a força.

Certa vez, em agosto de 1993, o pai de Rorion, Rickson, Royce & cia apresentou uma série de técnicas de defesa pessoal voltadas ao Jiu-Jitsu para o aluno Cássio Werneck, que seria campeão mundial na faixa-preta em 2003 no peso meio-pesado. 

Espie a aula no vídeo abaixo, e afie suas técnicas de Jiu-Jitsu e defesa pessoal.

Earlier this year, GMA member Cassio Werneck awarded black belts to two very deserving Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, John Garcia and Mike Uhlinger.

John has been training for over 13 years and with Cassio for 10 of those years.

He has been competing since white belt and hopes to continue well into his black belt career.

Mike has also been a very consistent competitor and amassed many gold medals.

Along with his wife and Cassio Werneck brown belt, Lenna Uhlinger, he is the creator of the Ultimate Grappling Federation tournament circuit which recently had it’s flagship California State Grappling Championship in Sacramento, CA.

Mike and Lenna also run their own academy Mixed Grappling Arts in Elk Grove, CA.

Cody Bartlett also had the privilege of earning his black belt through professional MMA fighter and fellow Cassio Werneck black belt Jaime Jara, with Cassio’s blessing of course.

Cody has been training very hard and is a threat on the mat from any position.

Cody also helps teach Jiu-Jitsu classes at Jamie’s school in Orangevale, CA – Team Carnage MMA.

For more info, go to cassiowerneck.com

Cssio Werneck in action in Hawaii

After two years in California, the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship jumped on the plane for two editions in Hawaii.

Honolulu was the city chosen to host the championship.

In 1997, Japanese TV made a film on the event.

Marcelo Araujo, now the IBJJF VP, is seen in the video weighing the athletes.

He tells us what he remembers of that years: “Back then, the idea was to rotate the Pan throughout the USA. I think that Relson Gracie gave the idea of doing it in Hawaii and Carlos Gracie Jr agreed. We had around 300 athletes on each year. One curious thing is that even today it’s hard to find Jiu-Jitsu mats in Hawaii, so both events were made on wrestling mats. For the recent IBJJF Honolulu International Open (2010) we had to ship the mats from California and later it was sold in Hawaii. On the mats, I remember two great fights. Marcio Feitosa defeated Vitor Shaolin in 1997 and Saulo Ribeiro had a great battle against Renato “Charuto” Verissimo in 1998.”

Marcelo Araujo checking Yuki Nakai’s weight in 1997

A few curiosities about the 1997 Pan.

Rickson’s late son Rockson Gracie competed as a blue belt and finished third in the blue belt roosterweight division.

Kai Garcia, leader of Kauai’s ever-present Wolf Pack, competed as a purple belt and won the absolute division.

Rigan Machado won his second absolute title in the black belt division.

Also in the black belt division, Royler Gracie competed and won the featherweight division.

As a matter of fact, Royler was the only athlete to win a division in the adult black belt that year who didn’t belong to the Gracie Barra school. The other champions were: Marcio Feitosa (light), Fernando Vasconcelos (medium), Roberto Magalhães (medium-heavy), Ricardo Herriot (heavy), Roberto Correa (superheavy), Rigan Machado (ultra-heavy and absolute).

Royler also talked about his experience in 1997: “It was great. I love Hawaii and I had the opportunity to fight Marcos Aurelio and get the finish (watch the match below). He had defeated me months before in Rio, by ref decision. Hawaii is always Hawaii and I think something changed with that championship. It established Jiu-Jitsu in the islands and helped to counterweight the localism, always a big thing in Hawaii. That place was always mystic for Brazilians, but they would hide from the locals to avoid trouble. With Jiu-Jitsu, that changed.”

Roberto Godoi, now leader of Godoi JJ and still an active competitor in the Master division, competed as a black belt in 1997 and came back from Hawaii with two medals, silver in the heavyweight and bronze in the absolute. He tells us a bit of his experience: “It was great championship to compete in. For me specially because it was my first event as a black belt, which I had received at the end of 1996. You can’t compare the structure back then with today, but it was a beginning for sure. I remember we exchanged six months worth of sponsorship to pay the trip of eight athletes from our team in Brazil. We were the ones who brought the event t-shirts that the CBJJ would distribute to the athletes. A funny thing happened during the weigh ins, which were done one day before the competition. It was held at Master Relson Gracie’s academy and behind us there was a group of Japanese fighters. At one point, Master Relson started asking all athletes who their professors were. The Japanese, not understanding exactly what Reslon meant, took out VHS tapes of them training to prove they were indeed Jiu-Jitsu fighters.”

In 1998, Rockson competed again in the blue belt roosterweight division and won gold.

Still a purple belt, Alexandre Ribeiro won the featherweight division.

The future two-time absolute black belt world champion remembers those days in Hawaii: “I remember that everyone would hangout together all the time. Athletes from all academies on the hotel, walking the streets. It was fun. I had to really go on a hard diet to weigh in at 67kg. I was only 17 then.”

Also in the purple belt, brothers Gabriel and Thiago Vella dominated both the middleweight and the open class.

Cassio Werneck on the top of the podium in 1997 Photo: Cassio Werneck’s archives

Cassio Werneck, today leader of Werneck BJJ, in Sacramento, CA, was a brown belt in 1998 and won the medium-heavy division. He also tells us what he remembers of that year: “I have a lot of stories about the Pan. In Hawaii I won two times, in 97 and 98. I remember that the Pan 1997 was a breaking point for and the first time I won a division in a big event. I had three fights and finished all my three opponents. The final match was against the later famous Jorge Patino “Macaco”. A curious fact was that Ryan Gracie was rooting for me in that fight, because of his problems with Macaco. In the end, I was able to catch him with a nice triangle. Master Carlos Gracie Jr was the commentator for the Brazilian TV and said that I was the technical standout.”

In the black belt division, Saulo Ribeiro had a double gold competition, winning the heavyweight and the absolute.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2014 PAN

Marcos Torregrosa em ação no Pan 2013. Foto: Alicia Anthony/IBJJF/Divulgação

O Pan 2013 começou na quarta-feira e já foi a plataforma de lançamento para novos valores, como o faixa-azul absoluto Dominic Pica (Gracie Elite) e o roxa absoluto Michael Liera Jr. Na faixa-preta, o absoluto também foi definido ontem. Marcus Buchecha enfrenta André Galvão e Gabi Garcia enfrenta a valente Bia Mesquita, peso leve.

O sábado, no entanto, também foi dia dos mestres e veteranos, que provaram que tem muito a ensinar, em Irvine, na Califórnia.No master, Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros (Brasa) venceu o absoluto depois de passar por Bruno Bastos (Nova União) na final. Rodrigo fisgou o bronze na categoria pesadíssimo, que foi vencida pelo sempre perigoso Rodrigo Munduruca (Gracie Humaitá).

O master estava de fato recheado de estrelas. No peso-pena, Denilson Pimenta (GFTeam) foi o campeão, em categoria que teve Baret Yoshida em terceiro lugar. No peso médio, Adriano Silva (Barbosa) foi o melhor. No meio-pesado, Rodrigo Pinheiro levou o título para a Gracie Humaitá.

Outros que brilharam entre os atletas com mais de 30 anos foram Gustavo “Sirizinho” Pires (Gracie Barra), melhor do superpesado, Marcos Torregrosa (Yemaso BJJ), ouro no leve após vencer Theodoro Canal, e Daniel Beleza (SAS), campeão no pluma. No pesado, Gustavo Camargo (Gracie Barra) venceu Fernando Soluço na final e ficou com o ouro.

No sênior, destaque para Roberto Godói, campeão superpesado e do aberto. Outro campeão com estilo foi Fabio Leopoldo, que comandou a divisão dos pesados, que contou com feras do naipe de Eduardo Telles (prata) e Marcelo Vilhena (bronze).

No sênior 1, Cassio Werneck venceu o médio e Cleber Luciano foi o mais eficiente do pena.

Já no sênior 2, Givanildo Santana (Lotus Club) foi implacável no pesado e no absoluto.

Siga a cobertura completa do Pan, nas redes sociais de GracieMag, no Google Plus, Twitter e Facebook.

Para ver os resultados completos, clique aqui!

CASSIO WERNECK BJJ

PROFESSOR:

Black belt Cassio Werneck

ADDRESS: 3732 Auburn Blvd. Ste B, Sacramento, CA, ZIP: 95821

PHONE: (916) 482-2505

WEBSITE: www.cassiowerneck.com

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/Cassio-Werneck-Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu-Academy/

ABOUT:

Cassio Werneck’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy is home of the 2003 World Champion, Cassio Werneck. Cassio has been a member of the elite Brazilian Top Team and has trained with Mario Sperry, Ricardo Liborio, Murilo Bustamante and Sergio Penha. Not only is Cassio an accomplished world class competitor he also teaches over 90% of the adult classes offered.

Werneck Jiu Jitsu serves the greater Sacramento area including: Rancho Cordova, Woodland, Davis, Citrus Heights, Natomas, Elk Grove, Folsom, Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu emphasizes grappling techniques used to defeat an opponent. The goal is to attain a dominant position and then to apply a submission technique in which to defeat an opponent by way of submission. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not only a must have for Mixed Martial Artists it is great in real world applications too. Not just for personal self-defense, Jiu Jitsu is also used by law enforcement officers, correction officers, security guards, body guards, bouncers and military personnel. This is due in large part to the fact that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu doesn’t rely soley on size and strength, rather it utilizes leverage, positioning and timing. This makes jiu jitsu ideal for men, women and children of all ages.

Cassio is a passionate instructor and competitor that enjoys teaching authentic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to his students. Cassio teaches six days a week, his goal is to impart his extensive knowledge and experience of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to his students while continuing to learn and improve himself

VIDEO:

Xande Ribeiro no ataque, durante o Mundial Master e Sênior, na Califórnia. Foto: IBJJF/Divulgação.

O primeiro Mundial de Master & Sênior trouxe de volta à cena alguns dos principais professores de Jiu-Jitsu do planeta, num fim de semana marcante na Pirâmide de Long Beach, na Califa.

O grande nome do campeonato foi Xande Ribeiro, que fisgou as medalhas de ouro no superpesado e no absoluto, no master (acima de 30 anos). Xande bateu na final o vice-campeão Ricardo Bastos (Nova União). O professor da GB Gustavo Pires, o Sirizinho, beliscou o bronze.

Aplausos também para o trio da Nova União que mostrou que a idade não faz perder o apetite por títulos. Marcelo Pereira foi campeão no peso-galo, Robson Moura venceu no pluma e, retornando com tudo, Vitor Shaolin faturou a categoria leve.

No peso pesado, Roberto “Tussa” Alencar (Gracie Barra) faturou o ouro no pesado e Eduardo Ramos (Atos) ficou com o título dos penas.

No sênior 1, Saulo Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) brilhou com dois ouros, assim como o irmão: venceu o superpesado e o aberto. Na mesma faixa etária, Erick Wanderley (Gracie Barra) venceu no pesado, enquanto Cassio Werneck ficou com o ouro nos médios e Gustavo Dantas (Nova União) venceu mais um campeonato, no peso-pena.

Quem também brilhou foi o levinho e imparável Wellington Megaton, campeão absoluto no sênior 3. No sênior 2, Eduardo Rocha foi o campeão do aberto.

Quer ver os resultados completos, de todas as faixas e idades? Clique aqui.

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Fernando Soluço atop the No-Gi Pan heavyweight podium / IBJJF photo

The first ever Master & Senior Worlds will go down this weekend at the Long Beach, California Pyramid, and Jiu-Jitsu’s burliest veterans will be there to show the competitive flame still flickers within.

Among those to grace the mats with their presence are Vitor Shaolin, Robson Moura, Rodrigo Comprido, Givanildo Santana, Ricardo Bastos, Fernando Soluço, Marcelo Pereira, Daniel Beleza, Carlos Holanda, Marcos Torregrosa, Aldo Caveirinha, Rodrigo Munduruca and Bruno Bastos, among other masters-aged aces.

Now in the senior division, there’s Saulo Ribeiro, Erick Wanderlei, Cassio Werneck, Alexandre Paiva, Bernardo Pitel, Gustavo Dantas, Luciano Nucci, Cleber Luciano, Paulo Guilhobel, Fredson Alves, Régis Lebre, Marcelo Vilhena, Renato Verissimo, Marcelo Pache and Renato Tavares. Can you imagine what the absolute’s going to be like?

To Fernando Soluço, catching up with old friends is an important part of the tournament: “It’s an important event. The generation that competed at the first Worlds, in 1996, will be there. They’re guys who wrote the sport’s history. I hope to have a good championship, see Jiu-Jitsu’s old guard in action again and catch up with the guys as well,” said the Jiu-Jitsu professor at Alliance Ecuador. “I’m confident. I’ve been training hard, won the heavyweight division at the No-Gi Pan, will be doing this Worlds, and I even have an MMA fight coming up on October 17.”

Check out Fernando Soluço teaching a half-guard pass in the video below. And click here to find out who all is in the Master & Senior Worlds.

Who’ve you got shining brightest at the inaugural Master & Senior Worlds? Let us know in the comments field below.

Fernando Soluço no alto do pódio do peso pesado no Pan Sem Kimono. Foto:IBJJF.

O primeiro Mundial de Master & Sênior rola neste fim de semana, na pirâmide de Long Beach, na Califórnia, e os veteranos mais cascudos do Jiu-Jitsu vão marcar presença e mostrar que a chama continua acesa.

Entre os inscritos, craques como Vitor Shaolin, Robson Moura, Rodrigo Comprido, Givanildo Santana, Ricardo Bastos, Fernando Soluço, Marcelo Pereira, Daniel Beleza, Carlos Holanda, Marcos Torregrosa, Aldo Caveirinha, Rodrigo Munduruca e Bruno Bastos, entre outros masters.

Já no sênior, estão Saulo Ribeiro, Erick Wanderley, Cassio Werneck, Alexandre Paiva, Bernardo Pitel, Gustavo Dantas, Luciano Nucci, Cleber Luciano, Paulo Guilhobel, Fredson Alves, Régis Lebre, Marcelo Vilhena, Renato Verissimo, Marcelo Pache e Renato Tavares. Imaginaram o absoluto?

Para Fernando Soluço, rever os amigos é parte importante do torneio: “É um evento importante, vai estar presente a geração que lutou o primeiro Mundial, em 1996. São caras que escreveram a história do esporte. Espero fazer um bom campeonato, assistir à velha guarda do Jiu-Jitsu na ativa outra vez e rever o pessoal também”, disse o professor da Alliance no Equador. “Estou confiante, venho treinando forte, fui campeão peso pesado no Pan Sem Kimono, vou ao Mundial e ainda tenho uma luta de MMA agora no dia 17 de outubro”.

Veja no vídeo abaixo, Fernando Soluço ensinando a passar a meia-guarda. E, para conferir quem está dentro do Mundial Master e Sênior, clique aqui.

Quem vai brilhar na primeira edição do Mundial Master & Sênior? Comente com a gente.

Shaolin (center) is returning to IBJJF competition.

The first ever Master & Seniors World Championship reached full capacity way before the scheduled registration deadline.

With around 1,000 athletes, the event is scheduled for this coming Sunday, October 7, and is set to be the stage for some great matches.

It’s your chance to be one of the first ever to hold a medal in the event.

GMA member Vitor Shaolin, a three-time world champion, is one of the BJJ stars who decided next Sunday will mark his competition return.

He says the fact that it’s the first edition is one of the reasons: “It is nice to compete in the first edition of an event. I competed at the first edition of the Worlds, back in 1996, and even before that, I competed at the first ever Pan, in 1995, a championship that’s not even in the official IBJJF records.”

The main reason Shaolin is back, however, is that he rediscovered his motivation:”In the last years I dedicated myself to different things like MMA and the running of my NY academy. Other than that, it is hard to train properly being a husband and a father of three. For this one, however, I found some time and the motivation is back. I will be there with 16 students, and that’s a big reason to go. I will also have great teammates like Robson Moura and Gustavo Dantas competing, so why not?”

Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva, Eduardo Telles, Bruno Bastos, Rodrigo Munduruca, Paulo Guillobel, Cassio Werneck, Regis Lebre and Rodrigo Clark are some of the well known names who will see action next Sunday.

If you’re going to compete, don’t forget to arrive early, as the IBJJF warns of traffic issues due to the LB Marathon on the morning of the event. Find out more here and here.

Keep up with all the action here and at GRACIEMAG’S Facebook, Instagram (@graciemagazine) and Twitter pages.

Daniel Beleza atop the podium at the 2012 Boston Open / Personal archive photo

The inaugural Master & Senior World Championship is set to go down October 7 at California’s Long Beach Pyramid, and Jiu-Jitsu’s toughest veterans are already gearing up to see action at the IBJJF-promoted tournament.

Names like Carlos Holanda, Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva, Rodrigo Munduruca, Bernardo Pitel, Daniel Beleza and Cassio Werneck are all set to take to the mats in combat.

“I haven’t done anything special, just plain old training. Competing over there won’t be some grueling ordeal; it’ll be a pleasure,” says Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda. “Of course, I know I’m going to run into old rivals. But I’ve tested myself in the division on two occasions, and I won. To make the most of the two months I’ll be in the States, in November I’ll compete at the No-Gi Worlds, an event I’ll be taking part in for the fourth time in a row.”

Now Daniel Beleza, who recently won the Boston Open light featherweight adult division for the second time, is doing his final preparations for both competitions. “I’ll likely compete at the Master Worlds and then head to New York for the Abu Dhabi WPJJC Trials. My training’s been going off; I’ve been really honing my bottom game,” said the Francisco “Sazinho” Sá student.

To prove just how slick his guard has gotten, Daniel Beleza sent GRACIEMAG.com the following exclusive video of a triangle from closed guard.

The black belt shows just how much of a chess game Jiu-Jitsu is. Should the opponent posture out of the triangle, Daniel goes for the omoplata, a move covered in extensive detail in GRACIEMAG #186, now at a bookstore near you.

To secure your spot among the toughest “old guard” on the planet, click here. The sign-up deadline is September 29, so register while you can.

Daniel Beleza no alto do pódio no Boston Open 2012. Foto: Arquivo pessoal.

O 1º Mundial Master & Sênior rola no dia 7 de outubro, na Pirâmide de Long Beach, na Califórnia. Os veteranos mais duros do Jiu-Jitsu vão entrar em ação na competição da IBJJF.

Nomes como Carlos Holanda, Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva, Rodrigo Munduruca, Bernardo Pitel, Daniel Beleza e Cassio Werneck já estão garantidos nos dojôs.

“Não venho fazendo nenhum treino especial, só treinando mesmo. Lutar lá não será nenhuma tarefa difícil, será um prazer”, diz Carlos Holanda, o Esquisito. “Claro, sei que vou encontrar antigos rivais. Mas já me testei na categoria em duas oportunidades, e fui campeão. Aproveitando os dois meses que ficarei na América, em novembro vou disputar o Mundial No-Gi sem kimono, evento que participarei pela quarta vez consecutiva”.

Já Daniel Beleza, que faturou recentemente o bicampeonato do Boston Open no pluma adulto, está nos preparativos finais também para duas competições. “Devo competir no Mundial Master e depois encaro a Seletiva para Abu Dhabi em Nova York. O treino está sinistro, venho afiando muito meu jogo por baixo”, garantiu o pupilo de Francisco Sá, o Sazinho.

Para dar provas de como anda sua guarda, Daniel Beleza enviou uma finalização com exclusividade ao GRACIEMAG.com. Repare que ele aponta para o pé no quadril e quebra a postura com a outra perna, até encaixar o triângulo. Ao jogar o braço para dentro e puxar a cabeça, ele faz o oponente bater.

Belezinha mostra como o Jiu-Jitsu é de fato um xadrez. Caso o adversário jogue o braço para trás e faça postura para defender o triângulo, ele parte para a chave omoplata, golpe enfocado nas bancas pela GRACIEMAG#187. Confira:

Para garantir lugar entre a “velha guarda” mais cascuda do planeta, clique aqui. O prazo final é dia 29 de setembro. Inscreva-se já!

Inácio Neto sinks a triangle on John Garcia at 5th American Cup. Photo: John Cooper/GRACIEMAG.

Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Inácio Neto of team Gracie Barra snapped up gold in the medium heavyweight division at last weekend’s American Cup. The Piauí, Brazil-Omaha, Nebraska transplant had three matches at the Claudio França-promoted, San Jose, California-based event, and he got the tapout in every one of them.

“I’m fulfilled here carrying on the work of my teacher Marcelo Castro. I’ve taught and trained with great wrestlers and MMA fighters. They have really great base and phenomenal endurance, and I have to make the most of that by improving my bottom game,” Inácio told GRACIEMAG.com.

The fighter exuded calm and patience  in the American Cup final until he’d made it to where he wanted to be against John Garcia of Cassio Werneck team. Three minutes-twenty seconds into the match he took the back and attempted a choke, before sinking the decisive armbar.

“I’m the kind of athlete who always goes for the finish. I think the main pointer I can offer regarding that is to keep your level of concentration at max to not let any opportunities that may arise in the match go to waste,” he teaches.

Watch the match to learn more from Inácio Neto: