BJJ is a martial art rich in details, and a simple change in grip and body position can make all the difference in your game. That’s what Renzo Gracie taught in a 2017 seminar in Florianópolis, Brazil. He showed a simple detail to a grip that impressed even Demian Maia, who was helping him demonstrate it. Renzo simply trades the traditional kata-gatame grip for a simpler, more functional one. It was immediately named the kataga-renzo. Check it out, and if you want to learn more from Renzo, don’t forget to check out Renzo Gracie Online Academy. Over 500 instructional videos here.

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Boa leitura e bons treinos!

Kyra with her girls, Ayra and Kyara.

What is the most valuable gift you can give your children? A gift they can use for their whole lives, of course.

Kyra Gracie, a world champion who is thankful for all she has learned on the mat, wasted no time, and has already begun giving her two daughters — two-year-old Ayra and eight-month-old Kyara — priceless lessons in BJJ.

“At the same time you’re teaching BJJ, you are giving love to your kids,” she says. “At the same time they are in a new situation, they are in contact with me, close to me. All with the confidence of having Mom there.”

You can catch Ayra and Kyara’s training session in this video. And feel free to share your own method of bringing your kids into the gentle art.

Gomes with Roger at a seminar at Zé Beleza’s school. Gustavo Aragão/GALLERR

Some time ago we caught up with coral-belt Maurição Gomes when the celebrated student under Rolls Gracie was marking 50 years in BJJ. He recalled the games he used to play with a young Roger — his son with Reila Gracie, — and how the fighting spirit slowly blossomed in the future three-time absolute world champion.

We asked Maurição to give some advice to any parent out there hoping for their child to become a great champion. “The truth,” he answered, “is that you can give whatever incentive you want, tell your child to repeat whatever position, but, if they don’t like training BJJ, there’s nothing you can do. The main thing, then, is not to make demands, but to slowly lead them to have fun with that.”

“What I used to do with Roger was to play all the time,” he added. “We were always rolling. I would submit him all over the house. Until one day he, already grown, caught me in a nasty wrist lock, and I didn’t want to tap. I went a year unable to prop my hand on the ground!”

After chuckling at the memory, Maurição continued: “But a dad has to take it easy. Roger, when he was ten, hated going to practice. He would tell people repeatedly, ‘I hate this crap. I only go to the gym because my dad makes me.’ And look where we are now.”

Now a father to a boy and a girl living in England, Roger is working on passing the BJJ torch to his offspring — with a light touch, of course. His case is reminiscent of the incentives Grandmaster Helio had in place for his sons Rorion, Relson, Royler, Royce and Rickson. “When I would win a competition, my dad gave me a gift,” Royce once told Graciemag. “When I would lose, he gave me two.”

Kayron Gracie during a class at Gracie Barra. GRACIEMAG

Gracie Barra instructor Kayron Gracie brings you a technique capable of submitting even that peskiest of opponents. He teaches here his invisible armbar — a trick that entails such movements that it’s next to impossible to prevent what’s coming.

Kayron starts on the open guard with a hand on the collar before placing one foot on spider guard and feinting a triangle. Then he moves for the omoplata, sits and starts the invisible attack.

Between his own legs, he gets his foe’s opposite arm, before taking a step toward him and ending up with an arm already lassoed and helpless.

Watch Kayron walk through the technique in this video.

Carlson Gracie at his Rio de Janeiro gym. Archives

Carlson Gracie Jr. teaches here, alongside Mauro Ayres, his father’s favorite guard-passing position. Jr. explains that, nowadays, the toreando guard pass is often used on top. Carlson used to use differently, however, as he kept his opponent’s leg flush and used his body weight to pass, often ending up on the back with a clock choke ready to go.

See it in this video.

Royler and Rorion next to Rickson, the newest grandmaster of BJJ.

After four decades as a BJJ teacher, Rickson Gracie has achieved the title of grandmaster. The graduation took place last Thursday during a seminar of his in Las Vegas. Red-belt Rorion Gracie, his eldest brother, organized the surprise alongside the likes of Alvaro Barreto, Royler Gracie, Jean Jacques Machado, Fabio Melo, Pedro Sauer, Fabrício Werdum and Rubens Cobrinha.

Rorion and the group entered the room as a clueless Rickson was talking. After his ninth degree was given him, Rickson spoke about time spent at each belt, and said he was keeping his red belt to be able to use the coral belt for another five years and receive the ninth degree at the proper time.

But Royler, Rorion and Alberto Barreto insisted that Rickson was ready to become a grandmaster. Rickson complied, accepting the belt and the title. You can watch the historic moment in this video.

Renzo Gracie. Graciemag archives

Renzo Gracie shared some of his best techniques at the Camp, an event held in Florianópolis featuring a host of BJJ seminars. One of them was a position he used to have trouble with — an armbar against an opponent on all fours. Starting from the front, the attacker would try for the lever and would sometimes get thrown by the opponent, causing serious injuries. To avoid that couter-attack, Renzo developed, alongside his brother Ryan and another teammate, a transition where he ends up by his foe’s side and with the arm trapped even tighter. You can watch it all in this video.

If you want to learn more from Renzo, don’t forget to check Gallerr’s online course. Over 200 videos at http://gallerr.com/academy

In a partnership with Graciemag, Gallerr.com is launching the online course: “Renzo Gracie: Mastering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu”. The course is very rich in details and brings a lot of stories told by Renzo Gracie himself and his guests.

If you liked the concept, take advantage of the early bird offer and enroll now at http://gallerr.com/academy

To highlight this course launching, Renzo remembers one of his most curious stories: the day he had to climb up a Rio de Janeiro slum to recover his belt.

“They break my car window, the steal my bag. Inside the bag, there was my belt. I thought: ‘that’s it, I’m not training today, I will find my belt.”

Go to gallerr.com/academy to know further details about it.

Sign up for the whole course at http://gallerr.com/academy

Gregor Gracie. IBJJF

Gregor Gracie had a wonderful performance over the weekend at the IBJJF Boston Spring Open taking home double gold. What might be even more impressive were Gracie’s back to back americana submissions in the medium-heavy semi-final and final.

Both matches lasted under 1 minute as both opponents went for the same game plan of diving in for the deep half-guard. It was during transition from half-guard to deep half-guard that Gracie capitalized. Snatching the under-hook of the free hand and isolating it for the Key-lock submission.

Watch these awesome setups and identical submissions from Gracie below:

Medium-heavy semi-final:

Rayron Gracie. Dan Rod/ Graciemag

At 15 years old, Rayron already carries a huge load on his shoulders. As if being a competitor named Gracie weren’t enough, he is also the son of the late Ryan Gracie, one of the most charismatic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters who ever lived.

“When I was younger I didn’t like to compete because I used to put too much pressure on myself, as everyone expected I would win,” he told Gallerr from New York via WhatsApp. “But I changed my way of thinking, and now I see that inside the mats it’s myself competing, and the only opinion that matters is my own. The most important thing is to compete, do my best and to train a lot so I could do it all over again.”

This video brings a bit of his participation at the N.Y. Open, his fifth tournament in 2017. He competed four times on that occasion, became his weight division’s champion after one match (“It’s hard to find kids at my age weighing 206,” he laughs), and conquered the silver medal in the open division.

“Even losing, I feel like I’m improving bit by bit, following the advice of my cousins,” he says, aiming to compete two or three times per month during the year. “My short-term goal is to become a world champion in June, in California. And my long-term goal is to build a career both in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.”