You see them at the check-out lines of every organic foods market or running up and down the stairs at 10-thousand steps at Laguna Beach.

Filmmakers Dan Lewis and James Tighe went after these people and came out of it with “Roll”, a documentary on the Jiu-Jitsu community in Southern California.

He just posted it online.

Seat back, relax and watch it.

American Nationals has always been held at the CSU Dominguez Hills Gymnasium. Photo: Ivan Trindade

The IBJJF has plans to move the American National Championship to a new city outside of Southern California. This will be the last year the event will be held in the CSU Dominguez Hills gymnasium but there’s good news.

There is still time to register for the event on September 8 and 9. Divisions are available for both gi and no-gi with some big black belt names already on the athlete list.

The deadline is Friday, August 30 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Prices are set for either the gi division alone or both gi and no-gi.

Don’t miss out on the last chance to compete in the Nationals in Southern California, especially if you reside in the area and don’t have to pay travel expenses to compete.

To register head to www.IBJJF.org where you can sign up, see who is already in, check the division rules and more.

Caio Terra directs the room with knowledge from both he and Leandro Lo at SoCal seminar / Photo by Erin Herle

Normally after a big tournament Jiu-Jitsu athletes enjoy a day of rest, especially if the day of competition garnered victory. In the case of Caio Terra and Leandro Lo, they were rebels to this ritual.

A day after the 2012 IBJJ Pro League on December 9, the two winners of their respective divisions were on the mats in a Southern California academy teaching a three-hour seminar. In attendance were not only the 50+ students eager to see the winning moves, but also three other world class black belts: Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Augusto Queixinho and Luiza Monteiro.

In what was a three-hour marathon of positions, sweeps, counters, passes, submissions and back-takes, the teachings of the technical twosome were matched with a degree of care. As the students all practiced the moves with their partners, the group of black belts made sure to scan the room for questions and confused faces, helping every level along the way.

Those that participated spanned from beginner white belts to seasoned black belts, kids to women to seniors. Everyone was able to learn from the large display of knowledge. Due to Leandro’s premature knowledge of English, Caio was the one to direct the room through his own teachings combined with the translation of Leandro’s. The moves were organized in a way that they started from how to maintain spider-guard that evolved into sweeps and passes to x-guard entrances to footlock submissions all the way to back-takes. It was a progression that allowed for an easier understanding and ability to retain the information.

If you missed the seminar, you can catch the photos that capture the essence of the event.

If you’re lucky, your location may be featured in a tour of seminars being planned in 2013 with Caio and Leandro so stay tuned for upcoming dates. For interested enthusiasts, please contact them by email: info@caioterra.com

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