The BTT Boston team. Photo: Personal archive

On June 14, 2014, head instructor of GMA Brazilian Top Team Boston Bruno Amaral and his fiancé Nathalia Azoff wed in Lexington, Massachusetts. The proposal happened just over one year ago in the middle of Bruno’s Jiu-Jitsu class and so it would only be appropriate for their Jiu-Jitsu family to share this special occasion. The wedding had Nathalia’s and Bruno’s family and friends present along with many of their teammates including Bruno’s uncle and owner of Brazilian Top Team Boston, Joao Amaral. This was a very special evening for the happy Jiu-Jitsu couple.

Just a couple of days after the wedding, rather than taking a honeymoon, Bruno and Nathalia were back on the mats for the BTT Boston belt ceremony.

On June 16, 2014, Joao Amaral, Daniel Gazoni, and Bruno Amaral awarded many stripes and belts to BTT students. Thayse Soares, the first BTT Boston female black belt was awarded her second degree on her black belt and Roger Woo, owner of BTT affiliate Woo Kickboxing Academy was awarded his first degree on his black belt.

To complete an already great evening, 5 black belts were awarded to very deserving students; Nathalia Amaral (our new bride), Aniss Al Hajjajy, Vincent Silvestre, Attila Javor, and Tatasuya Goto. This was the most successful belt ceremony to date. “I am proud of everyone and their accomplishments. Today was very special for all of us and I look forward to seeing all our students grow and evolve in this sport,” says Joao Amaral.

Needless to say, this has been quite an exciting few days for Bruno and Nathalia!

Learn more about the adventures of Bruno and Nathalia along with their GMA academy BTT Boston at www.bttboston.com

See pictures:

Using a knee slice pass to side control, Nathalia secures her position and covers her sneaky way of grabbing her own lapel. While diverting the attention of Bruno’s far hand, she is able to feed the lapel to her hand around Bruno’s neck and secure a very tight choke.

Her details along with her do’s and don’ts make this move great for anyone, no matter the gender or skill level.

Check it out!

Women at the Groundswell Grappling Concepts camp at GMA BTT Boston. Photo: Bruno Amaral

GMA Brazilian Top Team (BTT) Boston hosted the first ever Boston Women’s Grappling Camp by Groundswell Grappling Concepts on President’s Day weekend (February 14–17, 2014). The camp had over 40 women from all over the United States and of all ages and skill levels. The camp was run by black belts Valerie Worthington, Emily Kwok, and Hannette Staack and organized by Lola Newsom.

The weekend started off with a welcome dinner where new campers and “return offenders” alike were able to chow down on some Brazilian BBQ while getting to know each other and share a few laughs. Saturday and Sunday featured day-long training sessions in both gi and nogi, taught by Valerie, Emily, and Hannette. Our hosts BTT Boston head instructor Bruno Amaral and his student Nathalia Azoff also ran a gi session where they showed some of their favorite drills, techniques, and submissions.

In addition to the physical training, the campers and instructors wrapped up each day by sitting down together to discuss a variety of topics. These roundtables gave campers the chance to ask both the black belts and their fellow campers questions and also trade stories about their Jiu-Jitsu experiences.

The mission statement of Groundswell Grappling Concepts (GGC) is a limited liability company dedicated to supporting self-actualization through BJJ and grappling. They believe the mental, physical, and psychological demands of BJJ and grappling, when properly channeled, have the power to transform lives. They provide products and services aligned with this belief, and with the expectation that personal fulfillment contributes to societal improvement.

To learn more about GMA BTT Boston and their dedicated women, go to www.bttboston.com

More pictures from the event by BTT Boston’s own Bruno Amaral: