GMA members Andre Terencio and Hannette Staack of Brazil-021 will be busy this summer at a women’s camp in Princeton, NJ from July 8 -13. The Groundswell Grappling Concepts Summer Camp 2014 will host Hannette as one of the instructors alongside Valerie Worthington and Emily Kwok.

Professor Andre Terencio, an IBJJF referee, will teach a seminar with focus on what to do and not do according to the rules on July 8 from 6-9 p.m. It is $70 per person however if any of you women have signed up for the full grappling camp, the seminar is included and therefore free!

The location of the camp and seminar is Princeton BJJ located inside the Princeton YMCA located at 59 Paul Robeson Place, Princeton, NJ.

For more information please contact Lola Newsom at lola@groundswellgrappling.com

It applies to the ladies and also the boys.

Watch closely.

Ainda tem mais. Veja o outro lado da meia-guarda, com Emily Kwok. A faixa-preta de Marcelinho Garcia mostra um modo bem simples de avançar e chegar no cem-quilos.

There’s more. Check out the other side of the half-guard, with Emily Kwok. The Marcelo Garcia black belt demonstrates a simple way to advance and reach side-control.

Roosterweight:

Brandon Mullins from Gracie Barra defeated Joseph Capizzi from Renzo Gracie in the final on points, 5-0. Mullins closed the deal with a takedown and a guard pass.

Light featherweight:

Caio Terra versus training partner Samir Chantre. Photo: John Lamonica.

Caio Terra once again triumphed in his match, but this time it was against his roommate and training partner, Samir Chantre. Terra had a couple of impressive reversal takedowns that allowed him to beat his friend on points.

Featherweight:

Justin Rader of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu conquered Carlos Holanda in a nail-biter of a fight. Tied at the end, one advantage point to one advantage point, the referee’s decision put Rader over the top, making him world champion for the first time since receiving his black belt this year, alongside his professor, Rafael Lovato, Jr., who also won his division.

Lightweight:

Lucas Lepri from Alliance beat Augusto Mendes from Soul Fighters with a rear-naked choke. Mendes was winning the match up until that point, but when Lepri took Mendes’ back, it was all over.

Middleweight:

Gilbert “Durinho” Burns overcame Tiago Alves in an exciting, nonstop, all-action Jiu-Jitsu fight. Pushing the pace from the beginning, the two went at it, but in the end, it was Durinho who emerged the victor after taking Alves’ back and finishing the fight with a guillotine.

Medium heavyweight:

Pablo “Weapon X” Popovitch, of the newly-formed and very successful Avengers team, defeated Daniel Moraes of Relson Gracie on points, 6-0. Popovitch finessed and muscled his way to a big win to become 2010’s medium heavyweight no-gi world champion.

Heavyweight:

Lovato vs. Tussa. Photo: John Lamonica.

Rafael Lovato Jr., from Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu, beat Roberto “Tussa” Alencar in the final, after a referee’s decision went Lovato’s way. The match was tied one advantage point to one advantage point, but was given to Lovato for his constant activity and forward movement during the match. Lovato won alongside his student and first black belt, Justin Rader.

Super heavyweight:

João Assis, from Check Mat, won his No-Gi Worlds title against Marcus “Bochecha” Almeida through a gentleman’s agreement. Coming off his recent Grappler’s Quest win against Saulo Ribeiro, Assis submitted Gustavo Pires of Gracie Barra in his semifinals match with a foot lock that left Pires writhing in pain on the mats.

Ultraheavyweight:

Cyborg. Photo: John Lamonica.

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu of the Avengers easily submitted David Hertzog of Hertzog BJJ with a unique choke that had everyone in the crowd wondering what had just happened. When asked to explain what it was, he said it was a new “knee on the neck” choke that he enjoyed using on his opponents.

Absolute:

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu took the absolute through gentleman’s agreement, closing out the bracket with teammates Pablo Popovitch and Marcus “Bochecha.” It was Abreu’s first No-Gi Worlds win and he was overwhelmed with emotion, “I can’t describe how I feel right now,” he said, “This is the best day of my life.”

Female Division:

In the female division, there was a lot of excitement, and history was made on the mats as well. For the first time in IBJJF history, a female refereed a final match – the female absolute finals. That woman? None other than Hillary Williams herself made the trip to the No-Gi Worlds not to compete, but to watch the matches of her fellow teammates, friends, and competitors. When she got there, she was asked to referee the female matches and she obliged.

Of her experience, Williams said, “It was nerve wracking, but I appreciate that they gave me the chance to referee the match. I had no idea they were going to do that!” Although Williams is grateful for the chance to make history, she wanted to make it clear that it was other women who paved the way for the women in Jiu-Jitsu, before her. She says, “There’s a lot of ladies in Jiu-Jitsu who worked harder to get women where they are today – women who paved the way in the beginning.”

Female Brown/Belt Division:

Light featherweight:

Leticia Ribeiro of Gracie Rio de Janeiro defeated Sofia Amarante of The Avengers in their final match.

Lightweight:

Beatriz Mesquita of Gracie Rio de Janeiro submitted Michelle Nicolini of Checkmat BJJ in the finals with an armbar.

Middleweight:

Emily Kwok of Alliance defeated Ana Michelle Tavares Dantas of Gracie Rio de Janeiro.

Medium heavyweight:

In her first year as a brown belt, Luiza Monteiro of Checkmat BJJ overcame Penny Thomas of Gracie Rio de Janeiro in a close match, winning two advantage points to one.

Absolute:

Black Belt Michelle Nicolini of Checkmat BJJ came back from her divisional loss against Beatriz Mesquita of Gracie Rio de Janeiro to submit her with a foot lock in the absolute finals. Of her big win, an overjoyed Nocolini says, “This was really important to me. I trained really hard for this tournament.”

On January 25, 2010, 30 female grapplers met at Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy (http://www.bjmuta.com) in Valencia, CA, for the third semi-annual women’s grappling camp (http://www.womensgrappling.org). Led by black belts Felicia Oh and Emily Kwok and brown belt Valerie Worthington, all of whom are competition tested and decorated, the camp was the brainchild of Oh’s student Alaina Hardie. “I envisioned a situation in which women could train, troubleshoot, lead, and instruct each other in a non-competition setting,” Hardie commented, noting that typically, any woman who trains finds very few, if any, other women at her academy, making it potentially more intimidating and more difficult to gauge progress realistically.

Hardie floated the idea of the camp by Oh, an instructor at BJMUTA, who enlisted the help of her long-time friend and training partner Worthington, who also trains and teaches grappling in Southern California, at New Breed Academy in Santa Fe Springs (http://www.newbreedacademy.com). Oh then reached out to Kwok, who trains and teaches in New Jersey, to round out the leadership of the camp. “I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” Kwok states. “But after three sessions, it’s clear that this camp changes lives.” Oh comments, “We thought for the first camp we’d get 10 people. But eventually we had to cap it at 30. Then the second time, we had to cap it again. And the third time around, we just went with it and realized we were on to something bigger than we had anticipated.”

For the week-long camp, women from all over the United States and Canada came together at BJMUTA, where the inaugural session was held in February 2009. The second session was held at MECCA (http://meccamma.ca) in Toronto in August 2009.

Campers experienced full days that included gi and no-gi technique and training sessions run by Oh, Kwok, and Worthington, as well as strength and conditioning classes; lectures on nutrition, wellness, teambuilding and coaching; and round table discussions that reflect the instructors’ belief that jiu jitsu is about life.

Campers discussed the challenges they face as women who train, and shared reality checks about whether those were issues unique to women, or whether they were issues that all grapplers face, regardless of gender. Depending on their experience level, they learned techniques, took opportunities to teach and lead, and pushed themselves in the sport they have grown to love.

“The camp was never about excluding men,” Worthington asserted. “I know I speak for Emily and Felicia when I say that whatever success we have had in grappling is directly attributable to our mostly male instructors and training partners.” And all three are grateful for the education, support, and friendship they have received from these men. What the camp does do is help women feel empowered to go back and make a positive contribution to other grapplers, both female AND male, in their own corner of the grappling world.

The camp has become bigger than the women who come to it, as evidenced by the people who have stepped up to support it. Big John McCarthy made the first and third camps possible by opening his academy to the campers. Similarly, Mark Stables, who runs MECCA, welcomed campers to Toronto last summer and will be hosting again this coming August. Multiple time Pan-American and world champion Lucas Leite, when he heard about the camp, offered to come and show the campers some of his competition-tested techniques. Sponsors for the camp who have donated gear, supplements, products, and clothing to the campers include Dr. Smoothie, Ouano International, Precision Nutrition, Athletic Body Care, Lightforce Greens, Genuine Health, Nutrition Club, Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear, REDSTAR, Bang Fitness, Catfight Gear, and Toraki. Participants’ training partners, significant others, and friends have asked about how they can get involved. Oh, Kwok, Worthington, and Hardie plan to continue the camps and expand their vision to include mini-camps, seminars, and co-promotion with tournaments, demonstrating that developing the leadership potential of women in grappling can positively influence grappling in general.

For further information on the women’s grappling camp, refer to http://www.womensgrappling.org.