Jared Weiner Photo: Hector Rodriguez

GMA school BJJ United had great results at the recent 2016 New York Spring Open.

Professor Jared Weiner won the master 2 lightweight black belt division.

The school also had good results on other divisions.

Nick Calvanese got 3rd place in the adult meddiumheavy open class brown belt in the gi and 2nd place in no-gi.

And Umesh took 2nd place in the adult blue belt featherweight no-gi division.

Nick and Jared. Photo: Personal Archives

GMA member and leader of BJJ United Jared Weiner couldn’t be happier with how things turned out at the recent 2015 New York BJJ Pro.

Weiner and his brown belt student Nick Calvanese dominated their respective divisions.

Nick won the adult medium-heavy and the open class division submitting all of his opponents in the absolute.

Weiner also did great at the master 2 black belt middleweight division, securing the gold medal.

Know more about BJJ United at bjjunited.com

Not a GMA member. Click here to join!

Jared Weiner (right) and his student Anthony. Photo Personal Archives

GMA member and United BJJ leader Jared Weiner had all the right reasons to celebrate his gold medal this weekend at the New York Summer Open.

After a long struggle with a severe head injury that prevented him from competing, training and even teaching classes, Weiner finally was able to come back.

He wrote us about his feelings: “It was a big victory because I had an year off of competition due to serious injuries and I worked so hard to get back to training and competition after the doctors said I may never compete again. I’m very happy!”

Jared won the black belt master 2 middleweight division.

Besides Jared, United BJJ student Anthony Cronce also celebrated a gold medal at the white belt master medium-heavy division.

Know more at bjjunited.com.

Jared Weiner with his daughter, Ellie. Photo: Personal archive

Jared Weiner, head instructor of GMA BJJ United in Philadelphia, PA, has become a spokesperson for attending to injuries in Jiu-Jitsu. Through his own personal story, he has advocated for those who get injured to not ignore them like he did. At the 2014 IBJJF NY Summer Open, a head injury led to a concussion that he tried to pass off as the flu. The injury, compounded with past concussions kept him off the mat until now. You can read about the initial story here.

GRACIEMAG: How long has it been since the first concussion?

JARED WEINER: My first documented one I can recall was in 1998, and that was also Jiu-Jitsu related. Who knows how many I’ve had through out years, but the ones that started this recent cycle happened back in July 2014.

Describe to me your training since getting onto the mat and how strict you’ve been to your doctor’s orders. What setbacks have you encountered?

I’ve followed my team of doctors orders really closely. I’ve been able to get back on the mats and teach again and roll with guys I really trust. The problem has been once the sweat starts to pour I start going full force and it’s only a matter of time before I bounce my head off of something and then I feel a bit off for a few hours or days. That’s been the main set back. I have to remember to take baby steps with this one. It’s just my personality and wanting to be back to the old me is what sets me back!

Do you miss competition?

It kills me watching all the tournaments and my division without me in it! I feel so bad I can’t go back to the Pan this year and try to defend my title! I’m not that guy to sit on the gold and not go back and try to win it again! It’s eating me up alive! But until I can go a month straight of feeling like me again I cannot compete or train super hard.

Have you been playing more top or bottom? Anything specific you stay away from?

I prefer the top game. I trained judo throughout the years so I love the takedown game. My game is a pressure game and I often lead with my head so I’m gonna have to just be careful. I’ve taken this down time though to drill a lot of new positions from my guard so maybe I’ll throw some people off a little when I come back haha.

But I have a feeling as soon as I’m back to me I’ll get right back to my grinding style game. I was joking with my good friend Yemaso [Marcos Torregrosa] that it took me almost 20 years of training to finally learn to get technical.

Do you take coaching more serious now that you’ve been out? Have you found new ways to be a better teacher?

I’ve always taken coaching very serious and I still do, but not being able to come into the academy for a few months really made me appreciate everything so much more. I never want to be away from my students and the school for that long again. I’m so thankful I have a great loyal team. I never felt stress that anyone would leave the school because I wasn’t in so I was able to focus on recovery that much more. I love my team, staff, and students tremendously.

When do you think you’ll compete again?

I’m not 100% sure and I won’t come back until I know I’m ready. So when you see me back out there and you will eventually know that I’m 100% ready and not playing games. I can’t wait to get back out there. It’s one of my main goals.

Now that you have a daughter, have you been able to introduce her to the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle?

Recently I’ve been bringing my daughter Ellie to the gym during kids class and she has really been showing interest in what’s been going on! It’s the best thing ever. I can’t wait to see her with a little gi on actually participating. She is the best thing in my life and she is my main motivation to get better and 100% healthy. She is my world.

Big thanks to the companies that stood by me during this injury and have had my back the whole time. Fokai Industries, Shoyoroll, Pitchfork, Casa De Roc, Dukes Barber Company, and Glenside Tattoo I can’t wait to rep for them when I get back on the mats.

Learn more about Jared and his academy at www.bjjunited.com and follow Bjj_united on Instagram.

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?

Jared Weiner competing at the NY Open. Photo: Erin Herle

Sometimes when training Jiu-Jitsu, there are injuries. Much like any other physical activity, there is always the potential injury and with one black belt, he has something to share about his.

Jared Weiner, head instructor of GMA BJJ United in Philadelphia, PA, has had his fair share of injuries in his nearly twenty years of training. But recently, an initial head injury at a tournament, compounded with a training injury on the mats at home, has made him push for a better awareness of how to handle these types of injuries.

Hear his story and share it to spread the awareness of these cases that we sometimes try to ignore:

“I was always the first person to tell someone to suck it up and fight through the pain, no matter what the circumstance was. If we were training for a tournament winning was the only thing that mattered. I can honestly look back and say that was a bad mentality and we are very lucky more serious injuries didn’t transpire over the years.

The back story: On July 19, I was in the finals of the IBJJF NY Summer Open. My opponent executed a beautiful single leg, he lifted me up and my head bounced off the mat. I saw the “camera flash” but kept fighting (This had no outcome on the match, my opponent won with great positions, and I don’t want to take away from his victory). Immediately after the match I became very nauseous and dizzy. I found myself dry heaving in the bathroom, and I wasn’t sure how I ended up there. That night I continued to throw up and feel “off” but I thought I was coming down with the flu and left it at that. That was HUGE mistake number 1.

Fast forward to exactly one week later: I was still feeling a little “off” but training hard anyways. All I knew was I had the Chicago Open coming up and I had to win coming off that loss in NY. During that training session I was accidentally kneed in the jaw by one of my students and knocked out cold. I have very little recollection of the actual hit, but I do recall coming to and asking what happened. I was  not really sure what was going on but I decided to keep training anyways because if I missed a day of practice (in  my mind) I would be soft and It might effect the outcome in Chicago. HUGE mistake number 2.

Fast forward to August 3: I finally decided to go to the hospital to see what was going on with me, because since the day I was knocked out, I felt light headed 24/7.  I was experiencing horrible headaches and scalp pain. I had crazy pressure in my left eye, and I was not able to sleep. Any type of light was hurting my eyes, and worst of all I became sad, emotionless, and suffered memory loss. I was scared as I never felt like this before, and I didn’t know what was going on with me.

I remember the doctor being really cool and trying to talk MMA and BJJ with me.  She then advised me that I suffered two back-to-back concussions within a week and that is rare and extremely dangerous. She told me it could have been fatal to get two right on top of each other. She said it will take time but I should feel normal again eventually. EVENTUALLY.

So here I am almost three months later still stuck in this “fog”. My headaches are not as severe, but I am still walking around light-headed and really “off”. I have not been able to train live, only teach, but even that is very difficult for me these days. A lot of things have been put in perspective for me over the last three months. The last thing on my mind is medals and tournaments, but being well for my daughter and family is my priority. This has been a nightmare for me, and people who have never experienced a head injury before never really seem to understand, and its very frustrating for me. I may seem normal, and look normal, but I feel far from normal.

I’m hoping to bring some awareness to head injuries in our sport and they are to be taken very seriously. Take some time and educate yourself on the topic and if you are ever feeling “off” from a head shot get checked out.”

Follow more of Jared Weiner and his recovery or learn more about BJJ United at www.bjjunited.com

The Purebred Jiu-Jitsu Guam Team. Photo: Personal Archive

On August 23, GMA Purebred Jiu Jitsu Guam won their 14th consecutive Copa De Marianas adult and kids team championship trophies.

This is the longest win streak in Guam sports history. The event was blessed to have Professor Jared Weiner of GMA BJJ United from Philadelphia, PA as a guest official. The following Monday he conducted a seminar at our academy for kids and adults.

“Its a great thing to have Jiu-Jitsu connect people from all over the world. Big thanks to Jared for sharing,” says Stephen Roberto.

Learn more about GMA Purebred Jiu-Jitsu Guam and their accomplishments at www.purebredbjjguam.net

The kids at the tournament. Photo: Personal Archive

The Jared Weiner seminar. Photo: Personal Archive

A benefit seminar to help raise money for John Flite’s battle with leukemiea brings together east coast BJJ community. Photo: John Flite

A student and long-time friend of black belt Jared Weiner recently revealed that he was diagnosed with leukemia, cancer of the blood cells. John Filte, along with his son, is a practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu and part of the BJJ community. Because the gentle art is more than just a workout or hobby, it doesn’t take long before the bonds on the mat extend to the lives of its members. Therefore, the community is joining forces to help John with a benefit seminar.

On Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. in Philadelphia, PA a seminar will be held for John to raise money for his treatments as he works to submit the disease.

Members of the community on the east coast have already confirmed their presence to teach and support the cause: Jared Weiner, Wilson Ries, Rob Schier, Vicente Junior, Daniel Tavares, and Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa who just won the Masters and Seniors Worlds. More athletes will be announced later.

The suggested donation for the event is $50 to help out John and his family. Every affiliation, team, person is welcome. Members of the community from New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts have already confirmed their presence for this benefit seminar.

The address for the location is: BJJ United 428 Old York Rd Jenkintown, PA 19046

For more information contact bjjunitedmma@gmail.com

Hermes nos tempos das vitórias no UFC. Foto: Josh Hedges

A 11ª edição do campeonato de Jiu-Jitsu Long Island Pride se aproxima, e a superluta já tem seus protagonistas. No dia 5 de março, um sábado, o veterano do UFC Hermes França encara o faixa-preta Jared Weiner, atleta da escola BJJ United/Lloyd Irvin.

O evento de nossos GMAs Milton Almeida e Elói Santos será no York College, em Long Island.

Hermes during days winning in UFC / Photo: Josh Hedges

The eleventh installment of the Long Island Pride Jiu-Jitsu championship is coming up, and the stars of the superfight have already been named. On March 5, a Saturday, UFC veteran Hermes França will face black belt Jared Weiner, a BJJ United/Lloyd Irvin athlete.

The event promoted by our GMAs Milton Almeida and Elói Santos will be held at York College in Long Island.

Montanha training with the UFC's GSP early this year. Photo: Debora Rosenn.

At last October 23rd’s Miami Open, the master & senior division boasted some top-notch Jiu-Jitsu, too.

After receiving IBJJF teaching diplomas from Rilion Gracie, in a ceremony met with heavy applause, the masters went to war.

Renato Tavares won the lightweight master division by beating Jared Weiner (Lloyd Irvin). Rhe medium heavweight champino was Marcio Silva (Brawler Academy), while Edson Diniz (ATT) made it back onto the winners’ podium after defeating Rodrigo Clark (GB Santa Barbara), in the medium heavyweight division.

With Rilion at center, Florida's teachers were paid tribute for good services rendered to Jiu-Jitsu in the region. Photo: Ray Santana.

At heavyweight, Todd Allen Cutler (Renato Tavares) took first, while Daniel “Montanha” de Lima won the ultra heavyweight division and the absolute. In the open weight division, Daniel took first, with Rodrigo Clark in second, and Jared Weiner and Ethan Day (Renato Tavarez) in third.

In the Senior 1 contest, absolute first place went to Romulo Reis Pereira (Gracie Elite Team), with Guilherme Arashiro (GB) in second, and Marcelo Rodrigues de Araujo (Gracie Elite) in third. Check out Romulo’s win below:

In the Senior 2, Marcelo Conti (Gracie Elite) won the absolute, with Hector Vasquez (GB) in second.

The next IBJJF champions on tap are the No-Gi Brazilian Nations, on the 30th in Rio, and the No-Gi Worlds, on November 7 in California.

For further information, click here.

Rilion, with Marcelo Araujo, Renatinho Tavares and world champion Rodrigo Cavaca. Photo: Ray Santana.