Gurgel at Alliance São Paulo in 2013. Ivan Trindade

The patience of the scores of Graciemag fans who were waiting for an entire decade for the translation of our videos in which Fabio Gurgel teaches how to escape from the controversial 50/50 guard has finally paid off.

The description of the first video, posted on August 21, 2009, reads:

Alliance’s leader Fabio Gurgel teaches exclusively to GRACIEMAG.com readers two escapes from the new and polemic 50/50 guard. The two escapes were invented by purple belt Ricardo Mesquita, who shows the move with Gurgel in the video. Enjoy the first escape.

Here’s our decade-in-the-making translated transcript (and sorry, but a couple of words seem to be indeed lost forever, despite our best efforts):

“Arriving in this position, I have to worry about two things. In fact, they are two different situations. The first is when he has the straight foot lock on my foot here. And the second is when he has his hand on the inside, which we’ll look at later.

“So the first situation, with the foot lock, I’ll open his [?] and take his grip off. I’ll get my hand on the outside of the knee to make his grip weak, and I’ll break it. I’ll control the edge of his sleeve and pull his arm up. My objective now is to step on his armpit to prevent him coming up, and I’ll sit back. So I’ll step [0:37] and stretch my leg here, stopping him from being able to come up.

“Once I’ve done that, I have stretched his body and created space, freeing the movement of my leg — which I will throw to the other side, already undoing the position. To complete this motion, I will throw my leg and now I’ll push his knee over my knee, and the sleeve [0:58] over his body, and bring my leg back. My knee is already free on this side. I’ve undone the position.”

Check back with us soon for part 2, which should be easy to find under the site’s Techniques tab. We do intend to translate it in a timely fashion.

O professor, formado na Gracie Barra e hoje professor na Renzo Gracie Academy, em NY, conversou com nossos parceiros da Gallerr, após conquistar o ouro no master 2 peso pesado. Ele falou sobre suas aventuras nas competições após migrar para as luvas, explicou a diferença entre competir de adulto e master, e fez uma comparação entre os atletas de ponta do MMA com os adultos no Jiu-Jitsu.

Clique no vídeo para ativar as legendas e assista!

Dillon Danis def. Murilo Santana. Photo: Dan Rod

Dillon Danis was the big winner at the Pan No-Gi, held last Saturday at the Nat Holman Gym (CCNY), in New York. Dillon beat the medium heavyweight field and then the open as he closed out the final with his Alliance teammate Jon Satava.

At medium heavyweight, Dillon subbed Gottrell W King Jr. (Gracie Barra) via leg lock and then beat Murilo Santana (Barbosa JJ) 2-0 with a takedown. In the absolute division, he first subbed Todd Mueckenheim via guillotine, which he used again vs. Aaron Johnson in a semifinal before meeting Satava, who had won the middleweight title.

Jonathan Satava def. Cássio Francis da Silva. Photo: Dan Rod

Checkmat’s Karen Antunes stood out amongst the women. She beat the field at lightweight and then absolute, finishing Alison Tremblay (BTT) with a choke from the back. “This was a title I did not have, and I’m very happy to have gotten it. All the hard work was worth it. I’m feeling fulfilled,” said Karen to Graciemag.com.

Karen Antunes def. Alison Tremblay. Photo: Dan Rod

One triumph worth pointing out was that of Ricardo “Cachorrão” at master-2 heavyweight. The black-belt under Renzo Gracie defeated Radji Bryson-Barrett for the gold.

“I went many years without competing in IBJJF tourneys,” said Ricardo. “I moved to the U.S. in 1997, and my first worlds here was in 2007. When the championship came here, I was already fighting at Pride and the UFC, so I did not get the chance to fight in those events. Then, when I stopped fighting in the UFC in 2011, I already had it in my head that I was gonna grab my first opportunity to fight in the IBJJF. I fought at the Pan No-Gi in 2012 and the No-Gi Worlds in 2013. I took a break and came back this year. To me it’s very good. It’s inspiring, keeps me in shape and is fun.”

Ricardo Almeida def. Joseph Oppedisano. Photo: Dan Rod

In the overall teams’ competition, Alliance got first at adult men’s and masters’. Team Lloyd Irvin’s women came out on top. At juvenile, Art of Jiu-Jitsu was victorious.

Click here for the complete results, and see teams’ results below.

Adult Male Division
1st: Alliance (119)
2nd: Unity Jiu-Jitsu (62)
3rd: CheckMat (24)

Adult Female Division
1st: Team Lloyd Irvin (32)
2nd: CheckMat (21)
3rd: Alliance (20)

Master Division
1st: Alliance (130)
2nd: Gracie Elite Team America (65)
3rd: Gracie Barra (50)

Juvenile Division
1st: Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy (36)
2nd: Gracie Elite Team America (30)
3rd: CheckMat (18)

Flavio, Ricardo, André at the New York Spring Open

Purple belt André Almeida definitely has some serious Jiu-Jitsu genes in his body. The younger brother of black belts Ricardo and Flavio Almeida took a while to start in the gentle art, but when he did he knew that was what he wanted for his life.

At 24 years old and training since he was 13 under Jefferson Moura at Gracie Barra headquarters, in Rio de Janeiro, André is already making some big waves in the competition circuit.

After competing at the 2016 Pan, he decided to stay in the USA to have an intense training camp alongside his brothers for the 2016 Worlds.

We talked with André about his start in Jiu-Jitsu and his plans for the future. Here’s what he had to say.

GRACIEMAG.COM: Your brothers are well known within the Jiu-Jitsu community, but you are still a new face. What can you tell us about yourself and your beginning in the gentle art?

André Almeida: I have 24 years old and have been practicing Jiu-Jitsu since I was 13 years old. My mother never really wanted me to start Jiu-Jitsu and like 90% of the kids in Brazil I always were really into soccer but I had always a big influence of my older brothers (Ricardo and Flavio Almeida) that always used to take me to their tournaments and to their trainings in Gracie Barra. One day I was jumped by a bunch of older kids because of a girl back in Brazil and my older brothers (both already living in United States) called their friends and training partners at Gracie Barra to help me out. After that I knew that I wanted to join that team, so I started training Jiu-Jitsu. I’m a purple belt and I currently train at the first Gracie Barra, our headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the guidance of Professor Jefferson Moura. I came to the United States to fight on IBJJF PanAms and decided to stay until IBJJF Worlds doing a camp with my brother Flavio Almeida witch is helping me everyday to get my game sharp for a good result at World’s.

The brothers at the gym

GRACIEMAG.COM: What role your brothers Ricardo and Flavio played in your development in Jiu-Jitsu? 

André Almeida: Today I’m totally devoted to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and that has happened, in big part, because of my older brother’s influence. A couple of years ago I was finishing Law School and working on one of the biggest Law Firms in Brazil, back then I had no time to do almost anything but I used to escape on the middle of the work shift (sometimes at noon sometimes at 6 pm) to train with a couple of friends, after training I would put the suit back on and head back to the office. A couple of times I heard people asking how could I have sweat so much, and I would always put the blame on the hot humid Brazilian whether. My older brothers always played an important roll in my life as been a big inspiration of mine, I believe that their influence has made me grow so much faster than the average kids. I have learned a lot from their actions in simple things like work ethic, never giving up, always believing in yourself. I had the opportunity of embracing – since a young age – the world of my brothers and to watch them thriving in their tournaments. I can easily say that if I’m passioned about testing myself today is because of their influence and good exemple. Fighting alongside my brothers has always been a dream of mine and this year we were able fulfill this dream when we all won our categories Gi and No-Gi competing together at the New York Spring International Open Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF. Following the steps of my brothers I’m glad to defend Gracie Barra and to represent the next generation of Almeida’s.

GRACIEMAG.COM: What do you see for your future in the gentle art?

André Almeida: I have been training Jiu-Jitsu for over 10 years now and I’m 100% focussed in competition and preparing for IBJJF World’s this year. I’m dedicating myself entirely to competition and I plan to one day be a Black Belt World Champion. For this year I have won the gold medal at the Atlanta Open, New York Spring Open, New York Spring Open No-Gi, Arizona Open, NABJJF Silver State Open and NABJJF Silver State Open No-Gi; have won second place at the San Jose Open No-Gi; and have won 3rd place at the Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF, Las Vegas Open, San Jose Open. I’m not thinking about MMA at the moment but I have always liked and followed the sport. I always admired my older brother Ricardo Almeida for his accomplishments on the sport as athlete and now as a one of the greatest MMA coaches and whenever I get the chance I take the time to visit him on New Jersey and train with his team.

Ricardo Almeida saúda sempre os leitores com bons textos em seu Facebook. Foto: Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG

Ídolo do Jiu-Jitsu, campeão de MMA em 2003 e atleta diversas vezes premiadas no ADCC, o professor Ricardo “Cachorrão” Almeida listou os três ensinamentos que ele julga essenciais para quem está começando a treinar Jiu-Jitsu.

Se você está embarcando nesta jornada no Jiu-Jitsu, ou pensa em começar, grave estas três dicas de Ricardo Almeida, publicadas originalmente em inglês nas suas redes sociais, e traduzida pela equipe GRACIEMAG:

1. Comprometa-se: se você deseja mudar sua vida para melhor, você deve fazer isso inteiramente. Mude tudo: alimentação, descanso e modo de pensar. Jiu-Jitsu deve ser um estilo de vida, não uma simples atividade.

2. Concentre-se: não permita que pequenos obstáculos fiquem no caminho dos seus objetivos. A vida é curta demais para perdermos tempo com drama e lamentações.

3. Continue: não fique frustrado quando perder. Todos nós temos dias bons e ruins em cima do tatame. Pense e aja sempre positivamente, e você vai aprender e crescer continuamente.

Qual foi o ensinamento mais valioso que você escutou ao começar a treinar, amigo leitor de GRACIEMAG? Leia a revista de Jiu-Jitsu favorita dos mestres, todo mês nas bancas, e aprenda sempre mais.

Hoje aposentado dos tatames e cages, Cachorrão se dedica aos treinos de outros feras das lutas, além de atuar eventualmente como árbitro no UFC.

Porém, como bom faixa-preta que é, o professor não deixou seu instinto de lado, e no vídeo abaixo ele ensina sete transições para você, atleta do Jiu-Jitsu, finalizar com precisão no braço adversário.

Assista, estude e aprenda sempre com os melhores!

1998 ADCC competitors

The first ADCC event ever took place at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on March 20-22, 1998.

The champions of the first edition shared a total money prize of over US$70,000.

It was the creation of Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast since he first got in touch with the gentle art while studying in the USA.

Sheik Tahnoon himself was responsible for coming up with the rules and training the referees.

Renzo Gracie and Sheik Tahnoon. Photo by Luca Atalla

A total of 72 fighters were brought in for the first edition of the event, divided in five divisions: 66kg (8), 77kg (16), 88kg (16), 99kg (16) and +99kg (16).

The event featured athletes from Brazil, USA, Russia, Spain, Canada, UAE, Italy, Australia, Porto Rico, Iraq, Iran, Philippines, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco and Egypt.

They represented fighting arts such as Jiu-Jitsu, judo, wrestling, sambo and pancrase.

The event paid almost all expenses of the athletes and a few other people invited.

Zé Mário vs. Cachorrão. Photo by Luca Atalla

A car and two jet skis were raffled, along with free tickets to several destinations in Europe.

A brand new arena was built in a venue that used to hold horse shows and it included the three mats for the competition.

Besides the money prize, the open class champion was also awarded with an Arabic dagger made of gold.

Robin (66kg), Renzo (77kg) and Rodrigo (88kg) represented the Gracie family at the event.

Five men have the honor of saying they are part of the first class of ADCC champions: Alexandre Soca (66kg), Renzo Gracie (77kg), Rodrigo Gracie (88kg), Zé Mário Sperry (99kg) and Ricco Rodriguez (+99kg).

Sperry doubled his honor with the open class title.

Alexandre Soca. Photo by Luca Atalla

The finals of each division were all thrilling matches.

Soca and Robin Gracie battled for almost 30 minutes including the sudden death overtime. Soca managed a rear naked choke to secure the gold medal. In addition to his gold medal, Soca was also elected the most technical athlete of the event.

Renzo Gracie imposed his game over Luis Brito and finished the match with a choke from the mount to win the first of his two ADCC titles. Renzo competed in the first ADCC only five days after fighting Sanae Kikuta at Pride 2, in Japan.

Rodrigo Gracie faced Russian Karim Barklaev in the final and had to use all his conditioning to beat the strong owrestler. After 30 minutes (including the overtime), he took gold for being more aggressive.

Zé Mário and Ricardo “Cachorrão” Almeida waged the best match of the event. Cachorrão attempted a guillotine from the get go, but Sperry defended well. He eventually got the gold medal for passing Ricardo’s guard. The movement happened before the points started being counted, but the judges considered it enough to award Sperry the victory.

Rodrigo Gracie. Photo by Luca Atalla

Ricco Rodriguez wrote his name in ADCC history with a guard pass over Sean Alvarez close to the end of the 20-minute regulation time.

A funny fact regarding the final results of the +99kg in 1998 is that it still is the only male division in history that had no Brazilian among the semifinalists (in 2007, the -55kg female division also had no Brazilians among the semifinalists).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep_hwR37wUQ

In the open class, eight competitors signed up to compete for $11,000 and the aforementioned golden dagger.

After beating their two opponents each, Sperry and Ricardo Morais were supposed to meet in the final, but the Brazilian MMA giant had a injured elbow and could not compete, leaving the path open for Sperry to win his second gold medal.

After it was over, the athletes were invited for a cruise with the presence of Sheik Tahnoon himself.

Here’s a photo gallery with rare pictures of the event taken by Luca Atalla.

Pressionado por Allen, que insistia na derrubada, Frankie, atleta da academia Ricardo Almeida, viu o espaço para laçar o pescoço e preparar a guilhotina. Com o golpe encaixado, fez o oponente batucar.

Frankie tem nove vitórias (cinco por finalização) e uma derrota no cartel. Veja o estilo da fera:

RABJJ kids. Photo: Janice Sarcomo

By Ricardo Almeida – Forth degree black belt

I grew up in Brazil playing soccer every single day. We played soccer at school, when we came home, at the beach and on the weekends we played some more.

I love soccer and follow it diligently to this day so this article is not a soccer bashing but rather a highlight of Martial Arts benefits over School sports.

I didn’t start practicing Jiu-Jitsu until I was 15 years old which by world class standards in any sport is way too late.

I did however, have the unique opportunity to study in a world class Academy (Gracie Barra) under a world renouwned Instructor (Carlos Gracie Jr).

Among the ranks at Gracie Barra I was nowhere near the top level of talent we had on the mats, but the fact the I was surrounded by some of the all-time Jiu-Jitsu greats made all the difference in the world.

Growing up with Jiu-Jitsu has given me goals, sense of purpose and the drive and discipline to go after those goals.

I believe there is no program out there that encompasses physical education and character development like Martial Arts does.

Below are a few reasons to consider Martial Arts for your Child or Adolescent over or in addition to Team Sports:

1 – Self-Defense

This is the number one reason why most people decide to study  martial arts, and pretty much any style is a great way to learn how to defend yourself. Martial arts teach you the techniques to defend yourself, but also the way to think about defending yourself – anticipate and avoid potential dangers. Training also helps  build up the reflexes you need if you’re ever in a dangerous situation, and give you the confidence to stand up for yourself and fight back if needed – which brings us to our next topic…

2 – Self-Confidence

As children become more proficient in their selected style of martial arts, their confidence gets a big-boost. They become more self-assured and confident. Their Professor’s (Teacher’s or Sensei’s depending on Martial Art style) encouragement goes a long way to help them achieve this goal, but the confidence level will extend far beyond the Academy (Martial Arts Studio).

It is all about the kids at the 2013 Pan Kids IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu champiobnship

3 – Belts and Ranking

Belts and rankings are a public recognition among peers for the student’s effort and progress. Martial Arts ranking system helps teach children to set goals and achieve them, to persevere and prioritize.

4 – Discipline

Martial Arts training is a physical expression of ‘practice makes perfect’.  In a class a student may execute a single movement  or series of related movements, hundreds of times. This teaches the student that the progress that always happens during small improvements in technique and stamina, flexibility or power – will come through endless repetition.

Even during randori ( or sparring)   – where the student shows how creatively he or she can apply their well-honed skills – there are still rules and protocols to be followed.  All of this teaches children to respect one another, their opponents and colleagues, and how to play games fair and square – lessons that follow them in their non-Martial Arts lives. It also teaches them to commit, to go to practice even when they don’t feel like it.

5 – Individual Achievement: No one sits on the Bench

Many kids have the chance to experience the benefits of Martial Arts early on, however a big number of children abandon their martial arts training when reaching the teen years in order to participate in school sports. Although there are many lessons to be learned from team and individual varsity sports, the ‘make the team’ model often favors the more physically developed players while alienating the late bloomers. Coaches have access to a endless supply of players that renews itself each year, the big and strong get picked and get to  play while the less physically developed watch from the bench, this leads to a even greater disparity in skill development as the season goes by.

At the RABJJ Academy, our mats are packed while the benches are empty, all kids get equal ‘playing time’. Naturally some kids develop their skills and physical abilities earlier than others but we personally find that many kids who start out with underdeveloped athletic attributes such as strength, speed and size, end up blooming onto some of the finest technicians we have in all of our programs. If  your child is an athletic wonder who is able to stay ahead of the game with his natural talents, athletics may very well bring out the best in him or her. But if want your child’s full potential to be nurtured through years of disciplined and diligent training look for a martial art school who offers a serious program taught by world class accredited instructor.

6 – Gender Equality

I am sure that while many parents would consider martial arts for their sons, not nearly as many would consider it for their daughters. However the martial arts are one of the few sports where both boys and girls can play together. At RABJJ Academy we have a large amount of girls in our Jr Program and in many classes they outnumber the boys. The girls are among the most technically proficient students we have and often dominate many of the local, regional and national competitions they enter. Martial Artist also gives brothers and sisters an opportunity to practice together and learn from one another as well (not to mention the convenience of having all of your kids in one place at a time).

7 – Weight Control

Childhood obesity is a global epidemic and rising trends in overweight and obesity are apparent in both developed and developing countries (CDC stats). The typical  martial arts class will often be comprised of warm-up calisthenics, teaching and practicing of moves and possibly some sparring, as well as some active games. The warm up and practice comprise the bulk of the time, and for that time your child will be constantly on the go – stretching, crunches, takedowns, grappling, punches and kicks. The workout each child gets will not only assist in the natural development of his or her muscles, but also help them build stronger Cardio-Vascular systems. Even in the most active of team sports such as Basketball or Soccer, children don’t get that much of a workout simply because they generally don’t play the whole game and even if they do, there are still breaks in the action.

8 – You can do it with them

Most martial arts schools offer classes for both adults and children. While classes do not run  simultaneously, they are usually one right after the other. This means that you can watch your children workout, and then they can watch you. If you have the proper space for it, you can practice with each other at home, and learn from one another. This will give you a special activity to use as a bonding tool with your kids. You can also become physically fit together. At RABJJ Academy we have many families that come to class together and either take class simultaneously or watch each others sessions. Avoid schools that have children and adults in the same class.

Kids competing in BJJ

9 – The Never-Ending Season

Many team sports, especially those primarily played outdoors, or in specific weather (think Soccer, Baseball and even wrestling) are seasonal. In Martial Arts we have classes year round. This consistency and availability also helps build upon discipline, and allows children to progress at a much quicker pace in the Martial Arts than in Team Sports.

…and 3 more reasons that they should specifically learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Since I am, after all, a Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, I would absolutely reinforce  and recommend Jiu-Jitsu above all other Martial Arts:

10 – Jiu-Jitsu isn’t about brute force, it is about control

Grandmasters Carlos Gracie Sr and Helio Gracie, reinforced that Jiu-Jitsu should be practiced with the mindset that your opponent will be bigger and stronger than you. That technique  and mental toughness should be pursued above all physical attributes.

11 – Athletic Development

Jiu-Jitsu’s main goal is technical prowess and preseverance but the training itself is a whole body workout – Grips, Feet, Hips and Head all need to move in fluid and exact timed motions to properly execute a throw or a fight ending submission. Many world class professional athletes such as  NFL players take up Martial Arts in order to improve their game skills.

12 – Jiu-Jitsu is Global

Jiu-Jitsu has experienced a World Wide growth in the past 10 years unlike any other Martial Art. You can find a Jiu-Jitsu school in any corner of the of any continent. If a Karate practitioner travels to another city he or she might have a hard time finding a school to work out in that has the exact same style and philosophy as their home dojo.

In Jiu-Jitsu, a student may travel to any school and they will still be practicing the same hip throw, arm lock or choke that are taught at his Academy. In fact I encourage all my students whose jobs involve traveling to always bring a Gi and visit other schools. Even when my students go away on vacation they tell me stories of training from the other side of the country to the other side of the world.

Know more at ricardoalmeida.com and newtownbjj.com.

Almeida demonstrates how to defend against various strikes such as roundhouse kick, overhand punch, thai clinch, push kick and some takedowns to use that put you in charge of the fight.

Check it out:

Josh Barnett, autor da finalização mais estranha do Metamoris 4. Foto: Sherdog/Divulgação

Josh Barnett ganhou as manchetes esta semana ao finalizar a pedreira Dean Lister, com sua gravata estranha no cem-quilos, durante o Metamoris 4, no último fim de semana. Após a vitória em Los Angeles, o ex-campeão do UFC aproveitou a oportunidade para, ainda de sungão preto, alfinetar os amantes do Jiu-Jitsu.

“O wrestling não é brincadeira”, discursou Barnett, atleta do UFC. O grandalhão talvez não lembre a clássica frase de Rickson Gracie: “O Jiu-Jitsu é perfeito. Os lutadores, no entanto, erram”.

Para reforçar isso, o GRACIEMAG.com garimpou um clássico das lutas que prova que o Jiu-Jitsu tampouco é brincadeira.

Pelo ADCC de 2000, em Abu Dhabi, Josh Barnett enfrentou o faixa-preta Ricardo Almeida e o resultado não foi tão legal para o americano. Relembre como foi, e comente o que achou:

Butterfly guard in use at the 2013 No-Gi World Championship. Photo: Erin Herle

In no-gi, the butterfly guard is a go-to move. It sets up many options from sweeps to submissions, back-takes and more.

Here are two ways that you can be on the attack in the butterfly guard and submit your opponent:

Ricardo Almeida offers a way to submit with the guillotine or the anaconda choke:

If you’re on the opposite end of the butterfly guard and you want to get around it, here is a way to defend:

Robson Moura teaches how to escape the butterfly guard:

Try these moves and let us know if your butterfly guard defense and attacks have improved!