In another awesome issue, GRACIEMAG breaks down the secrets to a successful journey in Jiu-Jitsu.

Learn how to jump over the hurdles life puts in your way until the much dreamed black belt.

Other than that, we have wrestling lessons, an interview with Dr. Ida Hansson, the coverage of the 2015 European, Martin Rooney, and much, much more.

Watch the video preview and subscribe now!

Seeing promotions on the podium at the Worlds is a common sight. Photo: Erin Herle

There is a common belief that if you compete regularly, you will be promoted sooner than those who only train recreationally. Every professor is different and so is every practitioner’s journey.

While promotions should not be the center of one’s focus, I polled instructors and athletes about being promoted and being the one to determine a promotion. I asked the opinion on keeping a student at a certain belt level until they win worlds or a major tournament. How do competitions influence promotions?

Here are the answers:

Marcos Torregrosa of Yemaso BJJ in Sacramento, California

“I think the most important thing for an instructor when assessing a potential candidate for ascension is to meet the goals of the individual, within reason of course. A competitor will not always hit their ultimate goal of achieving the gold at a huge event but that is not necessarily the ultimate marker of the maturity that time on the mat gives a practitioner. Does competing accelerate the process? In my opinion it does because they usually train more than the recreational practitioner yet to hold a person back from another set of challenges just because he/she could not meet an extremely high, and unreasonable on a large scale, bar is to teach that only “winning” facilitates growth. If you have done Jiu-Jitsu for a bit you know that most growth happens when losing.”

Fabio Gurgel of team Alliance in Sao Paulo, Brazil

“Every athlete has a different story but in general I don’t have any rush to promote my students to the next belt, so that if they have a good chance to win I would hold them a little longer to get this accomplishment. However, not everyone is capable to win a major tournament nowadays so it is not the most important for me; winning or losing they can get the promotion, it is just a matter of individual timing.”

Samir Chantre of Caio Terra Association in San Jose, California

“I think it all depends on what your student wants for his life. If he wants to be a professional in this sport, I think results would affect since after a win, you will go to the next level more confident and with the feeling that you didn’t have anything else to do on that level, like if you have finished the level that video game you have been playing… So it’s time for a new challenge. And the title you will have it forever, so it’s always good to collect as much as you can. On the other hand, if the student doesn’t have that desire of being a world champion and only trains for one of the other million reasons BJJ is good, and maybe even competes once in a while, it makes no sense to hold him back; he probably makes other achievements in life.”

Daniel Alvarez of Alvarez BJJ in Arlington, Texas

“I keep all my students whether they compete or not at each belt rank per IBJJF minimum guidelines. Some students and competitors could be longer depending on how consistent their training is and what their goals are. Competitors that consistently train but have higher goals like winning Pans, Worlds or any other major tournament will be held back a little longer to allow them a fair shot a their desired goal.

I try to keep it to no more than 2 attempts at Pans, Worlds or whatever major tournament they are shooting for. Any longer seems too much if they are living in the academy and just happened to fall short of their goal.

For example, Danielle is going on 3 years at purple belt but because she took 11 months off to go to Texas State, she really only has about 2 years at purple belt. She has only had 1 shot at Worlds as a purple belt. She took second place in 2014 and wants that world title in 2015. No matter what the outcome this year, she will move up in rank shortly after.

In my opinion, if a competitor does not make it to that #1 spot on the podium, it does not make them any less of a competitor or not worthy to go the next level. Maybe it just wasn’t their time at the belt level but will be at the next one. For me, it’s all about the effort that they put in and so they should be rewarded accordingly.”

Jared Weiner of BJJ United in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“I don’t believe in holding people back for tournament medals. I personally like to challenge my students to be victorious at the best level possible. I often see the student get too much pressure put on them because they have been a certain belt for so many years and know they won’t get promoted until they win the big one. And sometimes the big one never comes and it can actually cause the reverse effect in a students progression and take the fun and motivation out of the sport. If someone is ready for the next belt, then promote them.”

Romulo Barral of Gracie Barra Northridge in Northridge, California

For the guys who train for competition, the competition results for sure influence the belt promotion. I let the guys stay at their belt the average time as the IBJJF standards. Let’s say for example the guy is already there, reaches the time of the IBJJF limit, wins the world championship, has had a good attitude and work ethic, he will get promoted to the next level. But also, if the guy already has the time and he couldn’t win the worlds and the major tournaments, I’ll wait maybe one more chance to try again. If he doesn’t win then of course he will get promoted anyway. And then I’ll see how he can do at the level of the next belt. That’s pretty much the way that I was promoted by Draculino. That’s the way that i learned. And I don’t wait five years for the guy to win a major tournament.

For me I was a blue belt for one year and a half and I didn’t win a lot. I got second and third but i didn’t win Worlds, Pans or Brazilian Nationals. But I got promoted to purple belt anyway. At purple belt I won my first tournament that I competed. And then I won every single tournament at purple belt. Sometimes you stay a little longer to give the guy a chance to win the tournament and then see how much he improves. But sometimes there are just little mistakes but you know that he’s ready for the next belt. Basically what I expect from the guys who compete is when I see they’re ready to win at the next belt. As a blue belt, they need to be able to win a purple belt tournament already, not entering to gain experience.”

Ida Hansson of Arte Suave in Copenhagen, Denmark

“I believe it is right to promote people by different criteria depending on what their ambitions are; do they want to just roll a few times a week instead of going to a fitness center, or are they really dedicated, and want to become world champions? I believe the athletes with high ambitions should be held longer in their belts than the guys who train just for fun. They should be given two shots at the big titles before they are promoted to their next belt. It is also important to take into consideration what kind of dreams and hopes the athlete him or herself have; if it is their great dream to win the worlds in their belt, that should matter too. But you can’t hold people forever. If you have to be a world champion to get a new belt, not a lot of new belts would be given out. I believe you at least should be given the fair chance to win it. With that said getting a promotion is not just about winning tournaments, it is also about how you carry yourself on the mats, the attitude you have when rolling, being able to roll with everybody, if you have a general understanding of the game, it is not just about learning new techniques. It is about developing your game, and with all that you can’t really avoid growing as a person. The way I see it, being of higher rank in your academy is also about being a role model. You represent your belt, school and teacher both on and off the mats.”

Darragh O’Conaill of East Coast Jiu-Jitsu in Dublin, Ireland

“Keeping a student at a certain belt level until they win a major tournament is something that has become more and more common in sport Jiu-Jitsu. With the sport growing every year it becomes more difficult for people to win/medal at the elusive big tournaments. Personally I have no problem with this for the most part. If an instructor sees potential for a student to win or medal at a major tournament, or has a good relationship with the student and knows his/her goals, oftentimes it will take a couple of efforts to gain enough experience to hit the podium. Of course I also realise that sports Jiu Jitsu tournaments are not everything and are only a small piece of the Jiu Jitsu puzzle. A lot of people have no goals to succeed in them and jiu Jitsu is just for hobby, fitness, fun or self defence. As an instructor I think it’s important to have a close relationship with your students and understand their goals/potential. If they are motivated and willing to put in the work to make the major tournament podiums, I see no problem with giving them time to gain experience or as people call it “holding them back”.

I was a brown belt for 3 and a half years. This allowed me enough time to gain confidence and rack up plenty of losses at big events before I could start winning. Of course there are extremes to this and I’m not saying you can keep someone at a belt for years and years, but isn’t the average time for a BJJ black belt 8-10 years? That’s almost 3 years at blue, purple, and brown. Enough time for anyone to gain good experience, even though some might say this is “holding someone back”.

Justin Rader of Lovato’s School of BJJ in Oklahoma City, OK

“There are so many variables that come into play and should be considered when promoting somebody to a new belt in my opinion. And competition is just one of those aspects. Other variables that should be considered are knowledge base, age and athletic ability, time on the mats, ability to teach others, how well they spar with others in the room at their level and with higher ranks, how comfortable you feel with them as a person and the example they set, etc. And with each promotion, each of these aspects is held in a higher esteem. So, I do not believe that competition is or should be the only indicator of promotion in this art. However, I do encourage everyone to compete at least once at each belt. And competition can definitely speed up how fast you are promoted because you are then constantly testing yourself against people you do not know, who don’t know you or your style, and you learn to adapt during a match and learn more about your own weaknesses, both mentally and physically, and can work to fix those weaknesses, and test yourself again to show they have been fixed. But to hold somebody to the standard of winning the World Championships before being promoted can actually hold a person’s ability to progress in this art back and be detrimental to their overall martial arts journey. So, just like in all things in life, a balance of all these aspects is best.

From my own personal experience, I never won a blue belt world title, gi or no-gi, when I was promoted to the rank of purple belt in 2006 by Professor Rafael Lovato Jr. I had been a blue belt for 4 years under him (3 total years, I spent half of two of those years wrestling for my high school team), and I had competed at the Pans 3 times, coming away with a silver and a bronze medal on two of those times. I won many tournaments in Texas over those years as well. But my game was very one dimensional: score the takedown right at the beginning, and then don’t get swept or subbed, even if it meant gutting through things and just not tapping, and if the person pulled guard, don’t stop for a moment pressuring the pass, get my points, and ride out the match. And this worked better than 90% of the time for me, and I always did very well in the big competitions like the Pans, so my mind-set was if it wasn’t broken, don’t fix it. And I was limiting my own growth in the art, because I almost never got put on my back in competition. So why drill it? Professor Rafael saw this, realized I would not be pushed to open up my mind to the rest of the art of jiu-jitsu, especially in using my guard, at the blue belt level. So he promoted me to purple belt, where many guys now had much better guard games and could use them to neutralize me, shut me down, and I saw my competition success almost disappear for the better part of the first 6 months as a purple belt. I lost a lot of matches during that time, and it taught me that I had to open up my mind and learn to use my guard in the training room. Most nights Professor Rafael would make me start on my back, and if I got a sweep, I had to go right back. But he knew the better I could use my guard in the training room, the better I would understand the guard, and the better I could defend it. And he was right. I saw my competition success return, and never looked back. So there are definitely times when a person needs to be promoted based on more than just competition success, especially a standard as high and strict as having to win the worlds, and many aspects should be taken into account. World titles are nice, especially at the belts below black, and for those with goals and aspirations to win world titles, a black belt world title should be the ultimate goal. This was my experience, and I was lucky to have Professor Rafael Lovato Jr. to guide me through my jiu-jitsu journey.”

What do you think about competition and belt promotions?

Both Shanti Abelha and Ida Hansson are active black belt competitors from Denmark who have won and medaled at the most prestigious Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. On March 28-30 you can join with these two pioneers as well as other black belts like Yaz Wilson from GMA RGA Buckinghamshire and MMA fighter Rosi Sexton.

The weekend training camp will be held at Arte Suave in Copenhagen, Denmark. The agenda boasts 5-6 training passes, time for eating, resting and a little sightseeing around Copenhagen.

The camp cost is 100 euros for the weekend which will be reduced by 10% if you’ve attended the camp before and 20% if you attended two or more camp recently. To sign up please email bjjbonanza@gmail.com

Reserve your spot now for a fun-filled weekend of learning experiences from two of Europe’s best females on the mat!

Ida Hansson in action in Munich Photo: IBJJF

The Saturday was all about Jiu-Jitsu in Munich, Germany.

The 2014 Munich International Open gathered hundreds of athletes at the EVS Munchen gymnasium.

In the adult male black belt division, the highest glory went to Cicero Costha’s Mauricio Lima, winner of the open class and the ultraheavy division.

The biggest name among women was Sweden’s Ida Hansonn, winner of both the medium-heavy and open class division.

In the teams competition, Gracie Barra topped the podium as the you can below.

1 – Gracie Barra – 190
2 – Pound for Pound Team – 113
3 – Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team – 83

The Munich Open had an unprecedented female refereeing quartet

In the other black belt divisions, the results were:

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light Feather
First – Edvaldo da Mota Ferreira – Academy Caveirinha
Second – Baruc Martin Barrios – Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather
First – Gabriel Marangoni de Oliveira – Zenith BJJ
Second – Carlos Eduardo de Almeida Goncalves – BJJ Revolution Team – International
Third – Julien Robin Gaillard – Toulon JJB
Third – David Gustav German Lejenäs – Hilti BJJ Stockholm

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light
First – Paulo Henrique Alves da Silva – Zenith BJJ
Second – Oliver Leys Geddes – Roger Gracie
Third – Cristofer Martin Barrios – Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team
Third – Felipe Thiago Pereira da Silva – Carlson Gracie International

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle
First – Gareth Edwin Neale – Gracie Barra
Second – Philipy Jose Clarindo Gaspar – Gracie Barra JJ
Third – Matthew James Callaghan – Gracie Barra Europe

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium Heavy
First – Julien Cazier – Gracie Barra
Second – Maximiliano de Figueredo Carvalho – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Adult / Male / HeavyFirst – Johannes Wieth – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu International
Second – Samuel Monin – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super Heavy
First – Michal Bittner – Clube de Jiu-Jitsu Pitbull Czech Republic

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra Heavy
First – Mauricio Henrique Cristo Lima – PSLPB Cicero Costha

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class
First – Mauricio Henrique Cristo Lima – PSLPB Cicero Costha
Second – Maximiliano de Figueredo Carvalho – Gracie Barra
Third – Michal Bittner – Clube de Jiu-Jitsu Pitbull Czech Republic
Third – Gabriel Marangoni de Oliveira – Zenith BJJ

BLACK / Adult / Female / Middle
First – Shanti A. D. Abelha – CheckMat
Second – Rita de Cássia Jovel – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Adult / Female / Medium Heavy
First – Ida Josefin Hansson – CheckMat
Second – Gretchen Dawn Zoeller – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Adult / Female / Open Class
First – Ida Josefin Hansson – CheckMat
Second – Shanti A. D. Abelha – CheckMat
Third – Rita de Cássia Jovel – Gracie Barra
Third – Gretchen Dawn Zoeller – Gracie Barra

For the full results, go to ibjjf.com.

O Munique Open 2014 atraiu atletas de todos os cantos da Europa. Foto: IBJJF/Divulgação

Terra do melhor time de futebol da Europa e do mundo atualmente, o alemão Bayern, Munique recebeu, neste sábado, 1º de março, os craques do Jiu-Jitsu.

No Munique Open de inverno de 2014, o destaque foi o peso pesadíssimo Mauricio Henrique Lima, da academia Cícero Costha. O professor de Leandro Lo e dos Miyao demonstra assim que não sabe formar apenas lutadores magrinhos. Mauricio venceu o absoluto faixa-preta na Alemanha, após bater Max Carvalho, professor da GB radicado na Hungria.

Michal Bittner, da academia Pitbull da República Checa, e Gabriel Marangoni, da Zenith, completaram o pódio do absoluto na charmosa cidade da Baviera.

O magrinho Marangoni se deu bem também no peso-pena, divisão em que levou o ouro. No peso leve, o destaque foi seu companheiro de equipe Paulo Henrique, que superou Oliver Geddes (Roger Gracie) na final.

No absoluto feminino, a faixa-preta Ida Hansson (Checkmat) foi a grande campeã.

A Gracie Barra faturou o troféu por equipes, com 190 pontos. Em segundo veio a equipe local Pound for Pound, com 113. Em terceiro, ficou a Icon, com 83.

Confira os resultados no site da IBJJF, aqui.

Para se inscrever no próximo grande evento, o Pan, clique aqui.

Luanna Alzuguir está na final do absoluto do Europeu 2014. Foto: Ivan Trindade

A estrela da Alliance Luanna Alzuguir está em mais uma final de absoluto faixa-preta, desta vez no Europeu de Jiu-Jitsu da IBJJF, que segue rolando a pleno vapor em Lisboa, Portugal.

Sua oponente será a sueca radicada na Dinamarca Ida Hansson (Checkmat). A final do aberto feminino será neste domingo, 26 de janeiro, no ginásio do Casal Vistoso, na capital do país.

Para chegarem lá, as duas tiveram de suar. Na semifinal, Luanna encarou a faixa-preta sueca Janni Larson, e perdia para a nova revelação até os últimos 30 segundos de luta. A vitória precisou vir com emoção, graças a uma raspagem no finzinho que virou o placar e levou Luanna à final.

Ida Hansson viveu sentimento parecido, e com uma raspagem no último minuto, venceu Vanessa Oliveira.

Quem será a grande rainha do Europeu 2014, amigo leitor?

No Europeu, Ida Hansson (por cima) e Vanessa olham para o placar durante a semifinal do absoluto. Foto: Ivan Trindade

Kyra Gracie will not be competing in the 2013 ADCC. Photo: Luca Atalla/ GRACIEMAG

The current -60kg women’s champion of the ADCC, Kyra Gracie, has confirmed she will not be taking part in this year’s edition of the event in Beijing, China. The ADCC is the charming no-gi tournament held by Sheikh Tahnoon of Abu Dhabi.

“I believe I have achieved my goal at the ADCC,” Gracie said this Thursday, September 5, without speaking any further. Kyra is a three-time -60kg ADCC champion (2005/2007/2011).

Away from the mats since the 2012 Worlds, the champion has been working as a commentator for Brazilian fight channel Combate, and has focused most of her attention on her social project geared toward kids and youths in Rio de Janeiro – the Kapacidade institute.

Hannette Staack was invited but will also be stepping out of the ADCC spotlight as her prior professional commitments have taken priority. She passed her invitation on to Ida Hansson of the Checkmat team in Denmark who will take her place in the over 66 kg division. Hannette won the tournament in both 2007 and 2009. Ida has competed in the event two times already, 2009 and 2011.

Promoters have yet to announce who gets Kyra’s spot in the tournament, which plays out on October 19-20.

Fernanda Mazzelli emotional after defeating Hannette Staack. Photo: Erin Herle

The finals of the 2013 World Championship for the females start Sunday, June 2 at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid. Saturday began the process of narrowing down each division for the two finalists to meet the following day.

Light-feather: Gezary Metuda Kubis vs. Nyjah Easton

Nyjah had one match against Kanako Inaba whom she defeated in order to move into the finals. Gezary defeated Sofia Amarante and moved on to face current Pan American champion Miriam Cardoso who had a bye. She finished the match with an armbar and moved on to the finals.

Feather: Luiza Monteiro vs. Marina Ribeiro

Luiza had a bye then faced Ana Carolina Lebre whom she defeated by points to move to the final. Marina Ribeiro also had a bye and faced Mackenzie Dern whom she defeated by points as well to move into the final.

Light: Fabiana Borges vs. Beatriz Mesquita

Fabiana had a bye and faced Nadia Rodrigues whom she defeated by a choke from the back to secure her place in the final. Beatriz also had a bye and faced Tracey Goodell whom she defeated by points.

Middle: Luanna Alzuguir vs. Vanessa Oliveira

Luanna had a bye then defeated Shanti Abelha by points to advance to the final. Vanessa defeated Sharol de Freitas then Ida Hansson by points to move to the final.

Medium-Heavy: Michelle Nicolini vs. Fernanda Mazzelli

Michelle beat Karen Miller then submitted Talita Nogueira with and armbar to move to the final. Fernanda had a bye since Leticia chose not to fight then defeated Hannette Staack by points to move to the final.

Heavy: Gabi Garca vs. Andresa Correa

Gabi defeated Luzia do Carmo Peixao by armbar and Andresa defeated Luzia Santana to move to the finals as teammates.

Open weight: Gabi Garcia vs. Beatriz Mesquita

You can read the play-by-play of the black belt female open weight division here.

Watch the finals tomorrow on www.ibjjftv.com and follow the live coverage on our Google+ page!

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The winners of the Abu Dhabi WPJJC TRials in Sweden / Photo by M.Zetterberg/publicity

Tryouts for the WPJJC are going down all over the world. Last Sunday it was Sweden’s turn to hold qualifiers. In the nation’s capital of Stockholm, practitioners from white to black belt took to the mats to fight for all-expenses-paid trips to compete in Abu Dhabi in April 2013. Seven travel packages were up for grabs.

Among the standouts at the event was Brazilian black belt Iran Mascarenhas, who won the brown/black heavyweight absolute division. In the lightweight absolute  the winner was brown belt Sebastian Brosche, who outdid the higher ranked and earned his way to the Arab Emirates.

Check out the Swedish brown belt’s performance and the list of the those who’ve earned their travel to compete at the WPJJC:

Qualified for WPJJC:

White belt absolute winner: Marcus Buksinski (MMA Gerke)

Blue belt absolute winner: Max Lindblad (Prana)

Absoluto branca/azul feminino: Ambar Villagrán (CheckMat)

Purple belt absolute winner: Sasa Srndovic (CheckMat)

Female purple/brown/black absolute – Ida Hansson (Checkmat)

Brown/black belt lightweight absolute winner – Sebastian Brosche (Frontline)

Brown/black belt heavyweight absolute winner: Iran Mascarenhas (CheckMat)

Dates for upcoming Trials:

December 1 – Argentina

December 1 – Portugal

December 15 – Italy

December 15 – Hong Kong

January 19 to 22 – Rio de Janeiro

January 26-27 – San Diego, California

February 2 – Hawaii

For further information, visit: www.uaejj.com

Os classificados para Abu Dhabi na Seletiva da Suécia. Foto: M.Zetterberg/Divulgação.

As seletivas para o WPJJC estão a todo vapor mundo afora. No último domingo, foi a vez da Suécia fazer sua peneira. Na capital Estocolmo, praticantes da faixa-branca à preta lutaram para viajar a Abu Dhabi em abril de 2013 com todas as despesas pagas para o evento principal. Sete vagas estavam em jogo.

Entre os destaques, o faixa-preta brasileiro Iran Mascarenhas foi o campeão absoluto marrom/preta pesado. No absoluto leve, o faixa-marrom sueco Sebastian Brosche desbancou os mais graduados para ficar com o título e uma vaga para os Emirados Árabes.

Confira abaixo a performance do sueco e a lista dos classificados com todas as despesas pagas para o WPJJC:

Classificados para o WPJJC:

Absoluto branca: Marcus Buksinski (MMA Gerke)

Absoluto azul: Max Lindblad (Prana)

Absoluto branca/azul feminino: Ambar Villagrán (CheckMat)

Absoluto roxa: Sasa Srndovic (CheckMat)

Absoluto roxa/marrom/preta feminino –  Ida Hansson (Checkmat)

Absoluto marrom/preta leve – Sebastian Brosche (Frontline)

Absoluto marrom/preta pesado: Iran Mascarenhas (CheckMat)

Abaixo os locais e datas das próximas seletivas:

1º de dezembro – Argentina

1º de dezembro – Portugal

15 de dezembro – Itália

15 de dezembro – Hong Kong

19 a 22 janeiro – Rio de Janeiro

26-27 janeiro – San Diego, Califórnia

02 de fevereiro – Havaí

Para mais informações, visite: www.uaejj.com

Michelle Nicolini armbars Monica Vanessa at European Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Photo: Raphael Nogueira/GRACIEMAG.com.

The black belt Michelle Nicolini (CheckMat) won the women’s absolute division at the IBJJF European Championship this past weekend, outdoing two opponents. In her first match, she submitted Monica Vanessa with an armbar. In the final, she went up against her teammate Ida Hansson, who is soon to become a medical doctor, and won by 16 to 4.

Even after a near perfect campaign, the new queen of Portugal sees her conquest through the lens of a champion: she doesn’t want to rest on her laurels; she wants to pursue new questions. Perish uncertainty, in with the next queries.

The Rodrigo Cavaca-trained champion, who literally lost count of how many gold medals she has in Jiu-Jitsu, remained in Europe, where GRACIEMAG.com caught up with her for a chat about errors, training, strategies and her evolution.

“I’m in Germany, then I’ll head to Switzerland, Sweden, and then Brazil. On February 11 I have a seminar with Andrei Andrezzo in São Paulo; all the readers are invited,” said Michelle in invitation.

IF GOLD IN JIU-JITSU COVERS UP MISTAKES, ABSOLUTE GOLD COVERS UP ABSOLUTELY

“I agree in full that victory covers up mistakes. And that doesn’t happen only in Jiu-Jitsu. In competitions of all kinds, the ones who win most are the ones who make the least mistakes, or know how to capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes best. But the error will always be there! As professional athletes we can realize where we went wrong and tune in to our trainers’ orientation regarding it. With so many years competing, I can tell how victory is something complex that depends on a lot of different factors, which mount up starting from concentration, controlling anxiety, patience, even mental and physical conditioning, the referee’s state of attention and the state the opponent’s in. Often we make mistakes, veer off the path we had set for ourselves but the opponent can’t capitalize on the situation and we get a chance to get back on track during the match.”

CHAMP MICHELLE NICOLINI’S MISTAKE

“Yes, I messed up at the Europeans. It was in the absolute final. I made a mistake, Ida scored, but I managed to keep up the pace and stay ahead on the scoreboard. This situation of risk is there the whole time in Jiu-Jitsu, and we have to keep on our toes to make sure we don’t repeat the mistake—after all, we might not get a chance to correct it during the course of the match.”

HOW TO ANALYZE MISTAKES IN JIU-JITSU

“With one keyword: Study. In my opinion, study via observing and analyzing matches are the tools that help us to be more keen to mistakes. I always ask for technical opinions from people who watch my matches and observe my opponents in action. I always see things in a different light that way. I also talk to Cavaca a lot about how my game is evolving. And there are some folks on my team who have a good strategic vision, like Leo Vieira and Carlos Holanda [also European champion]. I really like listening to what they have to say about my opponents. As they are very familiar with my style of fighting, they can point out where I might run risk, what the best strategy is for each match, and the best way to try and win.

NUMBER OF JIU-JITSU MEDALS

“I’ve been in lots of competitions in the main division over the last few years, besides the medals I won at the lower belts; that’s why I have to confess that I have no idea how many medals I’ve won. But you got me curious, I’m going to count them all as soon as I get back to Brazil!”

Michelle Nicolini finaliza Monica Vanessa no braço, no Europeu de Jiu-Jitsu. Foto: Raphael Nogueira/GRACIEMAG.com.

A faixa-preta Michelle Nicolini (CheckMat) venceu o absoluto feminino no Campeonato Europeu de Jiu-Jitsu da IBJJF no último fim de semana, ao passar por duas oponentes. Na primeira luta, finalizou Monica Vanessa no armlock. Na final, enfrentou à vera a futura médica sueca Ida Hansson, sua parceira de equipes, e venceu por 16 a 4.

Mesmo com uma campanha quase perfeita, a nova rainha de Portugal encara a conquista com uma mentalidade de campeã: não quer ficar sentada no pódio, e sim ir atrás de novos questionamentos. Nada de certezas, mas sim das próximas perguntas.

A campeã treinada por Rodrigo Cavaca, que literalmente perdeu a conta de quantas medalhas de ouro tem no Jiu-Jitsu, continuou pela Europa, de onde conversou com o GRACIEMAG.com sobre erros, treinos, estratégias e evolução.

“Estou na Alemanha, depois vou à Suíça, Suécia e então Brasil. No dia 11 de fevereiro tenho um seminário junto com o Andrei Andrezzo em São Paulo, todos os leitores estão convidados!”, convoca Michelle Nicolini.

Se o ouro no Jiu-Jitsu mascara os erros, o ouro absoluto mascara absolutamente

“Concordo plenamente que a vitória mascara os erros sim. E isso não ocorre só no Jiu-Jitsu. Em competições, de modo geral ganha aquele que erra menos, ou que sabe aproveitar melhor o erro do adversário. Mas o erro sempre vai existir! Nós como atletas profissionais temos como perceber os nossos erros e ficamos muito atento às orientações dos treinadores em relação a eles. Com tantos anos lutando campeonatos, consigo perceber que a vitória é algo complexo que depende de muitos fatores, que vão desde a concentração, controle da ansiedade, paciência, até o preparo físico e mental, atenção do árbitro e o estado do adversário. Muitas vezes erramos, saímos do caminho que estabelecemos, mas o adversário não consegue tirar proveito daquela situação e podemos corrigir mesmo durante a luta.”

O erro da campeã Michelle Nicolini

“Sim, errei no Europeu. Foi na final do absoluto. Errei, a Ida pontuou, mas consegui manter o ritmo e ficar à frente no placar. Essa situação de risco existe o tempo todo no Jiu-Jitsu, e precisamos nos manter atentos para que a falha não se repita – afinal, podemos não ter uma nova chance de corrigir durante o percurso do combate.”

Como analisar os erros no Jiu-Jitsu

“Com uma palavra chave: Estudo. Na minha opinião, o estudo por meio da observação e análise dos combates são as ferramentas que nos permitem ficar atentos aos erros. Sempre peço opiniões técnicas das pessoas que assistiram às minhas lutas e que observaram as minhas adversárias em ação. Sempre vejo um detalhe diferente com isso. Também converso bastante com o Cavaca sobre a evolução do meu jogo. E tem algumas pessoas na minha equipe que têm uma boa visão estratégica, como o Leozinho Vieira e o Carlos Holanda (também campeão europeu). Gosto muito de ouvi-los falar sobre minhas adversárias. Como conhecem bem o meu estilo de lutar, eles sabem apontar onde eu posso arriscar, qual a melhor estratégia para cada luta e a melhor maneira de vencer.

Número de medalhas no Jiu-Jitsu

“Tenho competido bastante nos últimos anos na categoria principal, fora as medalhas conquistadas nas faixas menores, por isso confesso que não faço mais ideia de quantas medalhas tenho. Mas você me deixou curiosa, vou contar todas assim que retornar ao Brasil!”