On Saturday, in the adult super heavy brown belt division, James Puopolo, from Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu was the big winner of the day, winning gold in both his weight class and the absolute.

Puopolo, Saulo, and his father. Photos: Deb Blyth

In the adult brown belt absolute, Puopolo had three matches on Saturday. In his first match, he won by submission. “I was able to get a triangle right off the bat,” Puopolo says. In his second match, Puopolo fought Sean Roberts. “He gave me some problems,” he says, “He swept me and tried to submit me. It was 4-4 when I caught him with an armbar and submitted him.” In his third and final match, Puopolo was victorious with a 9-0 win.

On Sunday, he fought Brett Aldrich from Rodrigo Teixeira in his divisional final. Puopolo had two matches in his weight division and he did not mess around. In his first match, he went up against Ricardo Buffara from BJJ Revolution and got him in a triangle choke. In his final match with Aldrich, Puopolo pulled guard and got a deep collar grip in. “I opened my guard, and worked the pass,” he says, “He had a good pass defense. I got around, got into mount, and submitted him with a choke from mount.”

This gave him two gold medals for the weekend. “That was the goal,” he says, “I love these tournaments. They aren’t too big or too small, and I always get good matches.” Puopolo says he loves the American Nationals and won gold at both blue and purple belts as well.

Runez with his teacher Bruno Bastos

In the lightweight, adult brown belt division, Peter Runez of Nova Uniao and Noah Tillis of BJJ Revolution met in the final match, with Runez pulling off the big win. He had three matches and a bye on Sunday.

In his first match, Runez says he fought a “great kid.” Runez says he won the fight 10-0, but “I couldn’t get a submission on him. He was a really tough guy.” In his second match, he won by guillotine and in his third and final match, he faced off with Tillis. Showing true jiu-jitsu sportsmanship, Runez says, “He’s (Tillis) a wrestler. I was lucky to hang on.”

The final match was very aggressive and explosive. Both players tried to take each other down, sometimes ending up out of bounds or beyond the mat borders.

Peter Runez vs. Tillis

Runez says, “He (Tillis) was great. It was a good tournament.” Runez trains at three schools, Peak Performance, Team Lutter, and Octagon, and can next be found at the No-Gi Worlds in November.

In the adult medium weight brown belt finals, Sean Roberts from Ralph Gracie and Tim Peterson from Lotus Club BJJ promised to put on a good show. Roberts was in Peterson’s guard the majority of the match. Peterson swept and mounted Roberts, but Roberts eventually escaped. Peterson ended up taking gold, beating Roberts by points.

Peterson had three matches that day. In the first match he finished his opponent with an arm bar from guard. The second match he tried to take his competitor’s back from the closed guard. “I worked in half-guard then went to a 50/50,” Peterson says, “I swept him and he tried a foot lock, but he made an illegal move and was DQ’d.”

As for the final match with Roberts, Peterson says, “he likes to submit from closed guard. I pulled guard because I wanted to feel him out. I wanted to make the right decisions.” With time running out, Roberts tried a foot lock, but Peterson waited him out and won gold on points. “The experience was great,” Peterson says, “the IBJJF tournaments are so well run, and organized, and the refs are great. It was fun.”

Seraile and Yoshida

In the adult brown belt ultra heavy weight division, Raymond “Kong” Seraile of Undisputed prevailed over 42-year old, former NFL football player Jarrod Bunch of Werdum Combat Club. These, surprisingly agile, 250-pound giants shook the building as they each tried to win the gold medal in their division. They definitely did not spar by using judo grips and pushing each other back and forth. These two were standing up, going for takedowns, and fighting hard from the ground.

They had one match, which Seraile won by points. “I’ve had a match with Jarrod at purple in the 2008 No Gi Worlds,” Seraile says, “I know he’s tough. He’s an ex pro football player. He’s very active. There are not a lot of guys out there competing like that. I knew it would be intense and hard.”

Seraile was happy to fight Bunch at a lower weight. “He was much bigger at the No-Gi Worlds,” he says, “He’s smaller now and it’s gi fighting. I felt like had the advantage. I took what I was given.”

Seraile trains with Baret Yoshida, who’s 135 pounds. This helps him perfect his techniques and requires him to use less strength. “I have to be technical and have finesse,” he says, “That’s where my agility comes from.”

Seraile says it can be frustrating for someone in his weight class because he can train really hard for a tournament and then show up and have no one in his bracket, so he’s happy to have Bunch around to challenge him. “I would like to see how I match up against him this year in the No-Gi Worlds since he beat me last time,” he says. We have a big rematch on the horizon.

In the master’s brown belt division, Scott Carr of Gracie Barra Costa Mesa, was the big winner of the master’s absolute.  In the open, Carr had three matches. In his first fight, he won on points. In his second, he submitted his opponent from half-guard with a straight armbar.

His third and final match was against fellow Gracie Barra competitor, Felipe “the brown brick” Guedes of Gracie Barra Dana Point. Guedes took Carr down, but Carr then locked in the armbar from the guard, submitting him to take gold.

As for his divisional matches, Carr just shrugs his shoulders, “I won and then I lost. I got silver in the final.” So Carr went home with a gold in the absolute and a silver medal in his weight class.

“It’s been a great experience,” Carr says, “All my competitors were excellent. It was nice to have a Gracie Barra final open match. I felt really confident at this tournament. I trained really hard for it.”

As for Felipe Guedes, he had a big day himself. After winning silver on Saturday, he came back to his master’s medium brown belt division and took gold on Sunday.  Guedes had three fights that day. He won the first and second matches by points and the final by Ezekiel choke.

Felipe Guedes and his GB crew

“I was on top trying to pass guard,” Guedes says of his final match, “and I sunk in the Ezekiel from half-guard. Then he recovered full guard, but the choke got tighter and I finished him.”

This is Guedes’s second tournament and first gold medal as a brown belt. “I’m very happy right now,” Guedes says, “Professor Flavio (Almeida) came to coach me in my weight class. He said I was good, but I need to make some improvements to my game. I’m happy to go back to the gym to work on my mistakes now.”

Group shot of Marines and GB Staff. Photos: Publicity/Camp Pendleton

Recently, GB standouts, Kayron Gracie, Otavio Sousa, Fabiana Borges, Marcelo Lacerda Brandao, Rodrigo Simoes, Lucas Rocha, Ronis Gracie, and the rest of the GBSC/GBDP staff went to the base to present a Jiu-Jitsu class to the Marines. It was the first time these GB professors and coaches had been on a military base and they were excited about the opportunity. The Marines were blown away by the level of skill and precision these Jiu-Jitsu greats brought to their community.

Kayron and Otavio Sousa demonstrating a Jiu-Jitsu move.

Kayron Gracie led the class and had a great time doing it. “We got there in the morning at around 10:00,” he says, “Coach Felipe (Guedes) and Coach Charles (Gomes) put them through an hour of physical drills and conditioning,” he says, “Then Professor Otavio, Professor Marcelo, and I taught them some Jiu-Jitsu techniques that were geared more towards the type of self-defense situations they would normally be presented with during combat.”

At the end of the class, the professors and coaches sparred with the Marines. Then as a special surprise, the Marines taught the GB participants a little bit about their combat training. Ronis Gracie was awed by the Marines’ dedication and commitment to training. “I think the most impressive thing I saw was their focus and seriousness during training,” he says, “I can see why these guys are so important to the country and why the U.S. is the strongest country in the world.”

Kayron and Otavio teaching a technique

Black belt Fabiana Borges said it was amazing to see how hard the Marines trained and how disciplined they were in class, realizing that they do it to get ready for war. “The experience changed my life,” she says, “It made me want to go back to the mats and demand more of myself as a professor and an athlete. They inspired me to train harder and teach better. We were teaching them Jiu-Jitsu techniques so they can protect themselves while they’re protecting our country. That gave more value to my art and made me expect more from myself.”

At the end of the training session, the Marines gave the professors and coaches certificates as a gesture of respect and gratitude. Fabiana said she felt a lot of pride at that moment. “I was proud to see how they respected and admired our martial art. It was a good feeling knowing that they might be able to use a little bit of the Jiu-Jitsu we taught them to protect themselves while they are so fearlessly defending the country.”

Frankie receiving his blue belt from Coach Felipe and Coach Charles

Frankie’s start in Jiu-Jitsu was rocky. He’d just moved to California from North Carolina. Like any new student, he was eager to learn and excited to go to class, so, in the beginning, he trained every day. As time passed, though, he was seen less and less. He was living with his mom and stepdad, Paul, who also trains in Jiu-Jitsu. He’d lost some of his independence in the move, became homesick, and subsequently, lost his focus. “I kept thinking how weird it was to live with my parents,” Frankie says. “I wanted to do my own thing, plus, I missed my friends back home.”

So, Frankie moved back to North Carolina to recapture his old life, but as the saying goes, “You can never go back home.” In Frankie’s case, that old adage was true. He left behind his new life, only to discover that his old life wasn’t the same anymore. He had changed, and Jiu-Jitsu was a big reason why. “I missed it,” he said. “The BJJ philosophy changed me. I was living a healthy lifestyle in California. When I went back to North Carolina, I wasn’t living that way anymore. I felt less focused in my life.” Frankie says he never wanted to quit Jiu-Jitsu. The move back home was just something he needed to do to put his past to rest.

For those of you addicted to the gentle art, you may have experienced a similar situation. Frankie had reached his limit in life, and he considered letting Jiu-Jitsu go, but it somehow drew him closer to it. It’s what people call, “the BJJ Lifestyle.” It’s not just about the sport, but also the people you meet, the family you create, and the feelings of peace in your soul you get from doing it. Once you’re hooked, the dedication and commitment to the sport are elementary. Jiu-Jitsu becomes who you are and you naturally embrace the lifestyle.

Jiu-Jitsu was like a magnet and pulled Frankie back to California to reconnect with it. One of his coaches remembers him coming back. “He came in and watched his stepdad Paul train,” says Charles Gomes, “He looked like a little kid in a candy shop – wanting it so badly, but not being able to buy it. He marveled at every technique taught in class. You could tell he wanted to get back on the mats and spar with the other students.”

But Frankie hesitated to get back on the mats. He says Paul kept telling him to go train. “Professor Flavio would say, ‘Where’s your gi?’” Frankie says, “And the coaches would tell me not to quit. They encouraged me to continue and told me I was doing good here.”

Frankie wondered, though, if Gracie Barra would accept him back. “Paul said they’d accept me anytime, anywhere,” he said, “They’re very accepting people and it was true. When I came back, it was like nothing had changed. I hit the ground running with no hurdles.”

Frankie’s fears of being blocked in his return to Jiu-Jitsu were unfounded. He picked up right where he left off. “I felt better because I was committed this time,” he said, “This is who I am now. They made it easy for me. I didn’t have to fight myself or anyone else to come back.”

Frankie says he likes Jiu-Jitsu because it’s “kind of like a safe haven for me.” When he goes to train, he says he feels like life outside the mats doesn’t exist. “It erases any stress I may have and just keeps me calm and focused,” he says, “My mind goes blank and opens up for learning. I also like it because it keeps me active and in shape. I’m approaching the best shape of my life! Need I say more?”

Frankie competing for the first time as a white belt at the GB Season Opener

Frankie became a part of the GBSC Staff where he’s the assistant instructor for the kids program. “He’s a very valuable member of our staff,” Coach Charles says, “He works with the students to make them better and he carries himself in a way the kids really respect. Frankie attends all the kid’s classes and helps them patiently and respectfully.”

Frankie recently accomplished that elusive goal he wanted so much. He received his blue belt from Coach Felipe Guedes and he was completely surprised by the honor. “He looked around to see if there was another Frankie in class,” Coach Charles jokes, “Nope, just him. Then he walked up and received his blue belt.”

Coach Charles says he had the honor of being Frankie’s last training partner for the day. “When someone gets their blue belt, I make it a little harder for them than I normally do,” he says, “We had a great roll for six minutes and I pushed the pace, but this time I felt a little more pressure from him.”

When they were done sparring, Coach Felipe, who was watching the roll and evaluating their progress, said ”Guys, I want you to train like that everyday. It’s time for you to push each other because that’s what’s going to make us all better.”

Frankie says the thing he likes the most about Jiu-Jitsu is how it brings everyone together like a family. “Everyone’s on the mats to learn with each other and from each other. Everyone’s also willing to open their minds to new ideas on the mats. If you have a question about a technique or even a situation at home, your GB family/friends will be there. The camaraderie that Jiu-Jitsu brings is second to none.”

Frankie takes a moment to reflect on his journey from white belt to blue. “It’s my life now,” he says, “The whole journey was a discovery to realize that jiu jitsu is who I am.”

The YMCA has a program called “Indian Guides” and its slogan is “Pals Forever.” The program’s purpose is “to foster the understanding and companionship of father and son.” It’s designed for dads and their boys, aged kindergarten to 3^rd grade, and gives them opportunities to spend quality time together, while building memories that will last a lifetime.

Matt Hartanov is the Tribal Chief of the Shoshone Tribe in Orange County, California. His group consists of 15 dads and their sons, which totals about 24 kids. Recently, Hartanov, who is a Gracie Barra blue belt, wanted to find a local activity on a Saturday morning for fathers and sons to do together, before all the other weekend events started, “I’m always looking for something new to do for the families, so we can all learn something we haven’t experienced before,” Hartanov, says, “I love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wanted to share my family’s experience with the other members of the tribe, so I set up an hour one Saturday morning for all of us to get some exercise before starting our busy weekend activities.”

Hartanov said there were 12 dads and over 16 kids on the mats the day they caravanned to the school, “We had a full mat. It was great. Our coaches, Felipe Guedes and Charles Gomes, were there at 7:45 am on a Saturday morning to lead the class.” Hartanov says this is typical behavior of his Jiu-Jitsu coaches, “They are so dedicated, not only to the school, but to their students as well. They care about the community, and want to make a difference in people’s lives. They’re a great influence on our kids’ lives.”

Coach Guedes said it was a special day for all, “Fathers and sons had the chance to learn some great Jiu-Jitsu and play some games on the mats. I prepared a special anti-bully class for the visitors, some of whom were already students at our school.” Guedes said he opened the class with an introduction of what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is, “Some of the fathers and sons had never experienced Jiu-Jitsu in any form before, so I explained to the group what it is and then talked about the benefits of being able to defend yourself, whether outside at night or on the playground during the day.”

Guedes and Gomes put the group through the GB warm-up and after they finished, they began teaching them some basic Jiu-Jitsu fundamental techniques, “It’s always special to see the bond between parents and their kids, and Jiu-Jitsu definitely makes that bond even stronger when they have the chance to train together.”

After class Guedes and Gomes talked to the guys about how important Jiu-Jitsu can be to their lives and covered the major benefits of Jiu-Jitsu, like, self-defense, a healthier lifestyle, increased self-confidence, exercise, making friends, and mostly, having fun, “Everyone had such a great time today,” Guedes said, “It was such an honor teaching and training with these fathers and sons. I really enjoyed myself.”

Photos: Deb Blythe

Hartanov said it was really fun watching the dads and kids working together on the mats, “I think the kids learned a lot about self-defense. Fathers and sons learned real world techniques to defend themselves in any situation. Wherever you find yourself in life and no matter how old or young you are, you can always use them. Everyone had a great time and I’m thankful for the experience we all shared today with our sons and each other.”