Many people have been playing around with the position but one brown belt under Rubens Cobrinha Charles has worked on a counter.

Here, Isaac Doederlein explains a way to not only combat the tie-up but he also shows how you can take the back from there. Check it out and let us know if this seems like something you would use:

Tanquinho became the world featherweight champion in 2013 versus Rafa Mendes. They might clash in different outfits now. Photo: Ivan Trindade

After a World Championship filled with the usual high dose of exciting moments, the attention of many black belt stars (and many fans) now turns to another charming competition, the ADCC.

Held for the first time in Beijing, the no-gi affair is set to take place at the end of October, and the lineup is getting more and more crammed with your favorite athletes.

Soon after the Mundials, some gold medalists had the pleasure of being invited to take part in the tournament created by sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan back in 1998. Augusto Tanquinho and Michelle Nicolini were among them. Nicolini, who lost the Brazilian qualifier to Michelle Tavares, was asked to fight in the under-60kg category. World medium heavyweight champion after having subbed all of her three matches, Nicolini will be returning to her original weight class in Beijing. She is a current ADCC runner-up, having lost the final to Kyra Gracie in 2011.

Tanquinho, who won the featherweight division of this year’s World Championships, spoke to GRACIEMAG about his invitation. He will be competing in the under-66kg division and knows that people will be expecting to see a rematch against Rafael Mendes, the current king of the division, as well as a possible fight with current runner-up Rubens Cobrinha. It bears pointing
out that these three have eight world black belt titles among them, so obviously none can be ruled out.

“My plan for now is to continue my MMA preparation, but, since I have no upcoming engagements, my immediate goal is to become ADCC champion this year in China. I’m happy I got invited. I’m fighting in the under-66kg division and hope to shuffle things up all over again!” said Tanquinho.

There’s great expectation surrounding the October event. Besides Tanquinho, Rafa and Cobrinha, another competitor sure to be in the lightest male ADCC division is brown belt João Miyao, who won the Brazilian qualifier held in Rio. He’ll probably be joined by brown belt Marcio André, who got a gold medal in the Walter Pyramid and finished second at the qualifier with a point-free final versus João Miyao.

Who do you think is going to win the under-66kg division of the ADCC? Share your thoughts with us below.

Michael Langhi. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Lightweight double world champion in 2009 and 2010, Michael Langhi returns  to the largest event of Jiu-Jitsu relieved and happy after fixing his visa, a problem that kept him out of the Worlds in 2012.

The prodigy who is a student of Rubens Cobrinha at Alliance already dreams of returning to feel the weight of the gold on his chest, in the Worlds that begins by the end of May. And if possible, Langhi wants to have an “easier” work.

“Alliance is coming with a squad in the light division. It would be nice to close with my teammates. It is a pleasure and makes the work easier,” he says. See what else we learned from him:

GRACIEMAG: You were the world champion in 2009 and 2010, got the bronze in 2011, in the reign of Gilbert Durinho, and finally saw Leandro Lo at the top of the category. How has your training changed since 2009?

MICHAEL LANGHI: I’m training a lot more than before, but I’m smarter too. My training is very well designed and divided; I’m able to train all aspects the best possible way. I’m back stronger than ever and willing to fight. The strategy is to go for it and stay ahead of my opponents the whole time.

Is “maturity” the key word this year?

I’m certainly more mature and experienced, that’s why the goal is to always be ahead of my opponents, both on the scoreboard and the positions. But in fact, the difference will be the desire to win. I couldn’t fight last year due to some problems with my visa. All settled, I’m back and I’m sure nobody wants that gold more than I do. You can expect a lot of will and Langhi doing his best to win another Worlds. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get out of there as the champ. I’m training all aspects and all situations that may occur in the fight, so I’ll be prepared for anything.

How do you see this rivalry with Leandro Lo, who will also be fighting for the lightweight gold?

Actually, there is no rivalry. Lo is an excellent athlete whom I have fought three times and have yet to defeat, but that’s it. I don’t think we have a rivalry; we get along really well and have had the opportunity to talk a lot. He has my respect, and the greatest way I can prove this is to prepare myself as much as possible if we fight again. If the fight happens, I will do my best and I won’t think about anything but the victory. He will also come with the same thought, so who will gain from it is the public, because they will see a war.

Who should decide the category, in your opinion?

My goal and Alliance’s goal is to close the lightweight category. We have several athletes enrolled in this division and it would be nice to close with my teammates. I’m eager to get there, after all, as I said I lived a nightmare and I couldn’t fight. So with that, I’m willing be world champion.

What’s on your mind minutes before facing an opponent at the Worlds?

I just try to think of everything I have done to be there. I think about my training and outlined strategy for that fight, I recall that I gave my best and I prepared the best I could. I have nothing to fear. The psychological side is covered in my training. The more I train, the more confident I get. I try to talk a lot with my family, wife and my coaches. Fabio (Gurgel) is always advising me and helping me closely. And another person who helps me and gives me a lot of confidence is my professor, Cobrinha. He always says I need to listen and keeps me confident always.

And you, do you know the feeling of fighting a World Championship? Tell us about it!

To see the championship through livestream, visit www.ibjjftv.com and for our live coverage follow our google + page!

Cobrinha after winning the 2009 World Championship. Photo: Alicia Anthony.

The 15th reason to follow, and in this case compete in, the 2013 World Championship is about the competitor. For this type of motivation, you must be able to evaluate your training and yourself as you compete.

Reason #15: Win or lose, competing will allow you to test yourself against the best in the world.

Competing is always about experience. It’s a confidence booster and sometimes even a slap in the face to wake up and change your training approach. Sometimes it’s not even what you’re training but how. And sometimes it isn’t the amount of training you’ve completed to prepare but how you’ve been able to prepare mentally.

We often hear black belts talk about having a “good day” and that is what can determine who wins a championship. Other times, when asked about how they handle being at the competition the day of, they talk about how they keep their mind right with music or solitude in order to get ready for battle, so to speak.

The experience of competing, win or lose, is just that: Experience. You must be able to use the testing grounds for improving yourself, even if you are able to submit every opponent. If you lose your first match be it to a referee decision, you must be able to take the opportunity as a way to come back stronger the next time and not place blame on any outside sources. Simply take the loss and make it productive.

Rubens Cobrinha Charles is a decorated athlete who has won the World Championship four times and has always come back with motivation to compete. When GRACIEMAG asked how he finds this motivation these days, he said, “For me, it’s a challenge and as long as I have a challenge in my life I will keep working towards it.”

DJ Jackson is a newer black belt who has had his fair share of losses in the expert black belt division so far. But he always comes back for more better than he was before. He says, “The experience you get from competing is one of the best ways to improve your Jiu-Jitsu. You will be tested and you will make mistakes. If you fix your mistakes and don’t make them again you will see your Jiu-Jitsu skyrocket.”

To sign up before the deadline tomorrow, May 21, click here.

Augusto Tanquinho on top against Rubens Cobrinha, in WPJJC final. Photo: Erin Herle/ GracieMag

Augusto Tanquinho won the featherweight category in WPJJC Abu Dhabi 2013 last Friday, and confirmed again that he is on the same level of top division superstars like Rafael Mendes and Rubens Cobrinha.

It was precisely against Cobrinha, who had won the last two times they have fought, that Tanquinho made the final of the 70kg division. A sweep gave the gold medal to the Soul Fighters professor from Rio.

In an interview with GracieMag, Augusto Tanquinho listed what he learned in the tournament, analyzed his fight and highlighted the main recipe for success:

GracieMag: You and Rubens Cobrinha have fought several times and know each other very well. How do you analyze the WPJJC 2013 final, in Abu Dhabi?

AUGUSTO TANQUINHO: It was a strategic fight, in my point of view. I went in with a strategy and followed it until the end to win. Cobrinha is very dangerous when he takes the cross sleeve and I knew I couldn’t let him make this grip at all. Thereafter I went for it, I just didn’t let him take the fight to his game; after all, a dangerous guy like Cobrinha with his main move would be deadly. I know his game well and I know the danger when he grips the cross sleeve.

What was your strategy in details?

In a 6 minute fight, the main thing is not to start losing. My strategy was to get ahead, sweeping or taking him down. And when I was on top, the tactic was to break his cross grip all the time and look for spaces to pass. In the end, it worked out (laughs). Cobrinha has a very good base and it is also always difficult to sweep him. People are used to seeing me fighting more on top and think I have no guard, but at the gym I train much more bottom than on top. So I could sweep and win.

And you lost to him earlier in IBJJF Pan.

I think my star shines in Abu Dhabi (laughs). I believe that both in European and Pan I lost by detail. In European, I lost by 2-0, and in the last minute I attacked standing up, I was on bottom and took the points. In the Pan, I lost by advantages, I thought I had to get two points when I attacked the foot and we left out of the fighting area, but the referee didn’t give me the points. Anyway, I’m not complaining about the referee, but this time the win came by detail too, I missed less and took up the opportunities more. That made a difference in this championship.

Did you have other memorable fights in WPJJC 2013?

I’ve had some pretty tough fights; I had four until the final. I was happy because I evolved during the championship. In the first fight, I submitted Felipe Cavalcante with a wristlock. In the second fight, I won by decision against Gilson “Neném” Nunes. He surprised me a lot, and showed a very complicated guard to pass. Since I attacked from start to the end, I guaranteed a place in the semifinal. In the semifinal, I fought with Michel Maia, a Brazilian who has taught in Abu Dhabi, and it was a great fight. I was losing by an advantage but I got a takedown and won by 2-0. Michel is very technical and strong in featherweight.

Besides the gold medal and the prize money, what knowledge have you brought home?

I learned that you should believe in yourself from beginning to the end in all fights. And to have enough confidence in your game is essential to train and train. That is the simple secret of success.

Michael Langhi surprisingly playing on top in the Pan 2013. Photo: Ivan Trindade / GRACIEMAG

The dispute of the Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Pan warmed the week in Irvine, Calif. with high-level matches. On Sunday, the eight mat areas were like a red carpet for Michael Langhi (Alliance), who made his return to competition and did well. He got the gold medal in the lightweight closing the division with his teammate Lucas Lepri.

But, before the final, things weren’t easy for Michael, and he had to pass the semifinal against the tough Jonathan Torres, JT. After the fight, the pupil of Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ commented on the triumph with reporter Ivan Trindade:

“The fight against JT was very hard, but I managed to sweep and then submit with a choke from the back,” he recalled.

Langhi was out of the Pan and the Worlds last year because of a setback in his visa to the U.S. Rubens ‘Cobrinha’s student talked about the feeling of winning again on the mats of California:

“The feeling is of being alive again. It is always a pleasure to have Lucas (Lepri) beside me as a fight companion, we feel stronger with each other. I spent one year without coming to the United States, but I’m back and I started the year very well, winning the European and the Pan. Surely there’s more to come,” said the Brazilian, who is confirmed in the Lightweight GP in Copa Pódio, on May 3 and then in the Worlds.

And he promises even more news:

“I have played more on top, wanting to pass the opponents’ guard more. I feel even more confident in any situation, very comfortable both on top as on bottom,” he explained.

Rafael Mendes tries to apply a position in the final with Cobrinha. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GracieMag

In the 2013 Pan, which ended last Sunday in Irvine, Calif., another chapter was written in the Jiu-Jitsu saga for brothers Rafael and Guilherme Mendes.

The brothers, who used to close out the featherweight since they were young, now fight in different weight divisions. At featherweight, in a tough match decided by the referees, Rafael defeated Rubens Cobrinha. During the fight, it was 2-2.

Rafa talked about the conquest with GracieMag reporter Ivan Trindade:

“When time was up, the only certainty I had was that I had given my best in the fight,” ” said the younger Mendes. “I tried to attack all the time to leave no doubt to the referees. Cobrinha also fought very well, and thank God we did another excellent final. And that’s it, a final with an opponent with the level of Cobrinha will always be decided in detail. This time he made no mistakes.”

Asked about the sweep he suffered, and which drew the fight, Rafa said, “Actually, I anticipated and threw myself down to defend his attack. I study my opponents a lot, I see the struggles and I knew Cobrinha makes a very good sweep when he holds the sleeve between the legs of the opponent. When I saw that he was almost able to do it, I threw myself down to try to counter-attack and go to his back.”

Rafael also spoke about the taste of winning in front of friends and students in California.

“I was very happy with the victory and the chance to prove to everyone that, with discipline and focus, you can still be a professor, engage with the students in the gym, train hard and be a champion,” he said. “The year 2013 has been perfect. Our kids team was champion in IBJJF Pan Kids, and after, Gui and I won the Houston Open and the San Francisco Open, and now the Pan! The training is in full swing for the Worlds and ADCC in Beijing.”

Guilherme Mendes swept Laércio Fernandes, in Pan 2013. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GracieMag

Guilherme Mendes competed in light feather, where he won the final with Laércio Fernandes with a score of 4-2. Gui spoke about the difficulty of lowering his weight.

“The diet is no longer a big deal,” said the black belt under Ramon Lemos. “In each victory, I have even more reasons to fight. The feeling is of accomplishment, and I feel all our hard training is worthwhile. The gold rewards any suffering.

“All the positions I had been honing were perfect. I will continue the training and plan to be at my best in the Worlds. I want to win my fourth black belt title, and I know it won’t be easy!

“As a team, we almost reached the top in adults. We lost (behind Alliance) by just two points. We will arrive with the strongest team for the World Championship, because our goal is first place.”