It is stories like this that I am most proud of as an instructor. A win in competition is a great accomplishment. The confidence that comes from truly knowing how to defend yourself is priceless.  I am thankful that James was able to apprehend the attacker and was able to do it without getting injured or having to injure the assailant. Well done James.

‘I just used my jiu jitsu to stop a shoplifter, I hit him with a sacrifice throw as he pushed into me and it was the BEST take down I’ve ever hit, took his back, got my hooks in and threatened to choke him out if he didn’t calm down. He still didn’t and tried to roll on his back and BAM full mount. He had a nice thick camo jacket on so I got a nice cross collar grip and held him down until the police came. I explained to them that I was trained and he put his hands on me so I did what I had to do. They said I should’ve choked him out lol. They also knew Rick Foster who trains at the gym too. But thank you Robin Gieseler, and all my teamates and other instructors that help me on the mat everyday. And I did all this with a very badly sprained elbow lol but I think it’ll be good by next week. It felt alright when my adrenaline was going lol. But I will never stop training jiu jitsu, you can’t put a price on being able to defend yourself and the confidence jiu jitsu gives you.'”

To learn more about Relson Gracie JJ Academy Columbus visit www.GracieOhio.com

Relson Gracie black belt Robin Gieseler

On Jan. 11, 2014, a super charity seminar will take place in Independence, OH to support eight different charities. Each of the eight black belts instructing at the seminar will donate to important causes such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and MS.

Two black belts from GMA Relson Gracie JJ Academy Columbus, Robin Gieseler and Mark Stefanac will be teaching at the event. Other names include: Dustin Ware, Kristopher Mcleod, Bill Jones, Jay Nance, Pablo Angel Castro III and Deon Thompson.

The seminar will have each instructor teach a session so that participants can learn from many different styles and approaches. The various lessons will include self-defense, philosophy, MMA, and sport Jiu-Jitsu and be organized by experience level/rank.

Among the attendees will be UFC Coach and Mixed Martial Arts instructor Marcus Marinelli, UFC fighters Jessica Eye and Stipe Miocic, Bellator superstar Brian Rogers, as well as many others to be later announced.

The location of the seminar is at Strong Style Mixed Martial and Training Center: 6900 Granger Road, Independence, Ohio 44131

To reserve your spot, please email nhbattorney@sbcglobal.net

Relson Gracie Ohio

GMA member school Relson Gracie Ohio has achieved athe impressive mark of 20th anniversary.

Established in 1992, the academy has been the standard for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in the region.

Thanks to Dr. Jeffrey Hudson for paving the way for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Ohio!

Because of his dedication to this amazing art, Gracie Jiu-jitsu has grown considerably in central Ohio and the surrounding regions.

Congratulations to Team Relson Gracie for winning the 4th straight Ohio State BJJ Championships! The team won 1st place once again in the Team Gi Division and 1st in the Kids/Teen Division!

For more info, go to gracieohio.com.

But Vitor Henrique is from a land of burly fighters himself—the same terrain once settled by the likes of Carlos and Helio Gracie. The Jiu-Jitsu stylist from Teresópolis had a chat with GRACIEMAG.com after his conquest last Sunday, and shared some cheer-filled lessons with us. And when it came time to thank his sponsors, he made sure to mention Uncle Paulo Américo “Paleco”, of course.

After winning the NY Open (pictured), black belt Vitor Henrique shone at SF Open last Sunday. Photo by Dan Rod.

After conquering the middleweight title by overcoming Marcos Torregrossa in the final and the absolute by unseating Samir Chantre, the 25-year-old turned a critical eye on his own performance.

“I performed at 90%. I managed to get my game working for me both on top and on bottom but I still need to make some adjustments for the 2012 Pan, coming up at the end of March and in early April,” he told GRACIEMAG.com. Check out some of the highlights from the conversation:

What did you learn on your way to winning two gold medals at the San Francisco Open?

I always learn a lot, but this Sunday I came up with some details on how to defend certain sweeps. The trickiest moment I encountered at the tournament was in the final at weight, against Marcos Torregrossa, whose guard is really complicated to pass. I started out with a sweep, then he swept me back, and soon we were back on our feet. I got the takedown, and he swept me again but I managed to get closed guard. When he tried opening my guard standing, I swept him again.

What’s your main pointer for the hours leading up to a competition?

Fighters have to always be well fed, sleep early before the event, try to stay focused and avoid eating too much before competing. It’s good to be confident in your game; that will help when you run into rough spots over the course of the tournament.

JIU-JITSU 3 TIMES A DAY

What was your training like for the conquest?

I’m training Jiu-Jitsu three times a day. In the morning I do a laid back session; in the afternoon I do specific training, with positions; while at night I roll some with my friends JC Ramey, Luke Zachrich, Emilly Hammer… Physical conditioning is here in Columbus, Ohio, with my personal trainer Cory Milton.

What’s your favorite technique? What do you feel made the difference in your winning the absolute?

I really like using the morote seoi nage for takedowns. But what made the difference was my state of mind: keeping calm, controlling the gas and timing positions right and with confidence.

You don’t live in Teresópolis anymore, right?

Right. I moved to Rio in 2009. Up until then I trained under Master Adilson Bitta, who trained me up until black belt. In early 2009, I joined the GFTeam family, led by Master Julio Cesar. Thank God everything is going fine; I managed to get good sponsors and compete at major events in the USA.

Was your move to GFTeam a smooth one?

It was funny. There was a championship in Teresópolis and the gang from GFTeam went to compete. I ended up competing against Marcio Tubarão and was in the final against Denilson Pimenta, who are brothers to me now. As soon as the final was over I shamelessly went and asked to join GFTeam!

Mas Vitor Henrique também vem de uma localidade de cascas-grossas, onde os próprios grandes mestres Carlos e Helio Gracie habitaram. O lutador de Teresópolis falou com o GRACIEMAG.com após a conquista do último domingo, e distribuiu lições bem-humoradas. E na hora de agradecer aos patrocinadores, não esqueceu de agradecer ao tio Paulo Américo, o Paleco, claro.

Após vencer o NY Open (foto), o faixa-preta Vitor Henrique brilhou no SF Open, domingo. Imagem por Dan Rod.

Após conquistar o peso médio, ao superar na final Marcos Torregrossa, e o absoluto, ao bater Samir Chantre, o lutador de 25 anos analisou seu desempenho com autocrítica.

“O desempenho foi 90% de aproveitamento. Consegui desenvolver bem meu jogo tanto por cima quanto por baixo, mas ainda preciso fazer alguns ajustes para o Pan 2012, no fim de março e comecinho de abril“, contou a fera ao GRACIEMAG.com. Confira os melhores momentos do papo a seguir.

O que você aprendeu nessa trajetória rumo aos dois ouros no San Francisco Open de Jiu-Jitsu?

Sempre aprendo muito, mas nesse domingo tirei como lição alguns detalhes de como defender algumas raspagens. O momento mais complicado no campeonato foi a final da categoria, contra Marcos Torregrossa, que tem uma guarda bem complicada de passar. Eu comecei com uma raspada, ele me raspou, e logo depois a luta voltou em pé. Quedei, ele me raspou de novo mas logo consegui fechar a guarda. Quando ele tentou abrir a guarda em pé, eu raspei novamente.

Qual o macete principal para as horas anteriores às competições?

O lutador tem de manter sempre uma boa alimentação, dormir cedo antes do evento, procurar estar concentrado e evitar comer muito antes de lutar. É útil ter muita confiança em seu jogo, isso vai ajudar nas horas complicadas ao longo do torneio.

Jiu-Jitsu 3 vezes por dia

Como foram seus treinos para a conquista?

Estou treinando Jiu-Jitsu três vezes por dia. Na parte da manhã, faço treino solto, de tarde o treino é específico, com posição, enquanto à noite faço uns rolas com os amigos JC Ramey, Luke Zachrich, Emilly Hammer… A preparação física é aqui em Columbus, Ohio, com meu personal Cory Milton.

Qual é a sua técnica favorita? O que você acha que fez a diferença nessa sua conquista no absoluto?

Gosto muito de quedar com o morote seoi nage. Mas o que fez a diferença foi a cabeça. Manter a calma, controlar o gás e aplicar as posições na hora certa e com confiança.

Você não está mais em Teresópolis, certo?

Sim, eu tive uma transição em 2009, quando saí de Teresópolis para estudar no Rio. Até então eu treinava com o mestrão Adilson Bitta, que me treinou até a faixa-preta. No início de 2009, entrei para a família GFTeam, que é liderada pelo mestre Julio Cesar. Graças a Deus está indo tudo bem, consegui captar bons patrocínios e treinar e lutar eventos importantes nos EUA.

Como foi esse ingresso na GFTeam, foi tranquilo?

Foi engraçado. Teve um campeonato em Teresópolis e a galera da GFTeam foi competir. Eu acabei lutando com o Marcio Tubarão e fiz a final com o Denilson Pimenta, que hoje são meus irmãos. Assim que acabou nossa final eu fui pedir para fazer parte da GFTeam na maior cara-de-pau!