Yuri and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Photo: Personal Archive

Yuri Simões, 31, sits on the shelf of grappling greats. The black-belt has two consecutive ADCC titles, won in 2015 in São Paulo, Brazil and in 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, respectively.

Between 2014 and 2015, Yuri started devoting more of his time to no-gi training, and the results were gigantic. For example, before winning his first ADCC, the athlete was already riding the momentum of winning double gold at the IBJJF’s No-Gi Worlds, where he beat Keenar Cornelius, who represented Atos at the time.

A year later, in 2015, on Brazilian soil, the two clashed for the title of best grappler in the ADCC’s 88kg division. Yuri, again, won by three points, after totally dominating the standup and ground portions of the match.

“From that day, I have great memories,” the Brazilian said in a recent interview. “I was coming off a great phase in no-gi; I had just won my weight and the absolute in the No-Gi Worlds, and that ended up being reflected there, also, at the ADCC.”

“Of the fight with Keenan, I have little memories from that day, but I can tell you I was very dominant during the fight. I showed that I had arrived to stay, and that’s what happened. The fight was fast-paced, but I was one step ahead the whole time. I remember that halfway into the fight, I got a takedown and went straight to the back. It was one of the decisive moments of that day.”

About the feeling of bagging the gold medal, Yuri added: “It gave me the certainty that all my hard work and sacrifices to be there paid off! Starting that moment, my name would be etched in the history of grapping, of jiu-jitsu, forever.”

An MMA athlete fighting for AKA, where he trains side by side with Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Yuri is presently keeping his boxing and Muay Thai training active while waiting to be summoned by One Championship.

“I remain focused on my MMA and grappling training,” he said. “I am an active fighter and love the process of learning and training. I can’t wait to put on the gloves again.”

Photo: Personal archive

Jorge Fernandes, a twelve-year-old, is a jewel currently being shaped at American Top Team Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. Jorjão, as he is known, extended a good phase in competition as he won, for the second time, the Pan Kids, held recently by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) in California.

Despite being so young, Jorjão already knows that in order to conquer big challenges in his personal life, he needs dedication, perseverance and, especially, to forgo moments of leisure. That, in his view, is what enabled him to win the tournament again.   

“It’s the result of a lot of discipline and sacrifice to keep up with the diet and training,” he said in a recent interview. “I gave up a lot of fun times with my friends. Really, I like training and competing, so I’m always at the gym training and traveling to the competitions. And I believe this causes me to have more interest in the sport, and gives me rhythm and experience in competition.”

Taught by his dad, Junior Fernandes, who is a black-belt under Ricardo Libório, Jorjão revealed that, in one of his elimination matches, he used a spinning choke that he learned from his father. This move shocked the audience.

“It’s a choke I like to use when I fight playing guard, but I learned some variations from my dad to play on top,” said the young champion. “I just adjusted it to my game. I studied all my possible opponents, and that was a factor that defined my wins. Jiu-jitsu is a sport that requires studying; there are lots of intelligent athletes.”

The results of his studies are seen in practice, through his social media, when Jorjão shares the experiences he’s been having as he trains and competes in judo. “It’s not that I like judo the way I like jiu-jitsu,” he said; “it’s just because it’s the complement to my jiu-jitsu.”

Jorjão added: “I’m in second in the U.S. rankings. I know that judo helps me in my physical preparation as well, so I look at it like I do jiu-jitsu: wherever there’s judo, I try to go to fight and train.”

Jorge has accumulated several gold medals, and it’s worth noting his titles at the American Nationals and US Open Judo Championships.

Lucas Montalvão is a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt. Photo: Vitor Freitas

Lucas Montalvão has just 20 years of age and a massive number of titles in the five years of his career. The Double Five athlete is currently doing a stint of training in Coahuila, Mexico to compete in the Miami Grand Slam and the IBJJF Pan, both set to take place in the U.S.

A recent interview shed some light on his preparation with the Mexican athletes as well as his teammates.

“The training is going at full steam,” said Lucas. “We are training two to three times a day. The work is being done to arrive in top shape in the U.S.”

He added: “I’m competing better every time playing on top, passing guard more, but in my training I’m usually versatile — I play guard and play on top too. I’m happy to have this opportunity to train here in Mexico, where BJJ is growing a lot, and this exchange will generate great fruits of evolution for each person involved.”

An athlete in the ultra-heavy division brown belt currently looking to win a fourth Pan title, Lucas analyzed the overall level of his division, and what the fans might except from him in his following tournaments. “My category is a tough category, with plenty of strong athletes, but this is the category where I feel good, and I’m going in to be champion,” he said.

Lucas also talked about the exchange he will be doing in the following months alongside Rafael Formiga, an avid competitor in the masters’, and how this motivates him to fight for a place at the top.

“I believe the United States is the best place in the world for any athlete — a first-world country and where, in my opinion, they have the best jiu-jitsu hub right now,” he said. “Taking part in this camp with Rafael Formiga and other strong fighters is going to be incredible; I’ll extract lots of good stuff for my evolution. Without a doubt, being world champion in the black belt is my great objective, and all that I do now will be reflected there.”

Photo: Personal Archive

Esdras Jr is in the midst of a great phase on the competitive circuit of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). The black-belt from Ares has been going strong for four consecutive tournaments – he became champion at the IBJJF’s Dallas Open, Houston Open, New Orleans Atlanta Open and, most recently, at the No-Gi Pan, one of the most important competitions on the 2021 calendar.

His latest triumph, along with the points won in previous tourneys, caused Esdras to grab the top spot in the master 1 feather division with 135 points – nine more than the UFC fighter Rani Yahya.

In a recent interview, Esdras Jr spoke of what makes him a champion in 2021. “It’s hard to talk about just on aspect, but I think consistency is the key to reaching any goal. Maybe I’m not even training more in terms of volume, but without a doubt, I’m trying to train in a more intelligent way. Knowing how to understand your body and respect your limits is very important to comprehending when you have to do that training session where you’re fighting for real – most days! – or train by trying to understand and control the situations more. I’ve been going hard in my physical preparation since late last year, focusing a lot on injury prevention work. I’m feeling very well physically and mentally.”

To earn the gold medal at the No-Gi Pan, Esdras Jr had to defeat three tough opponents, including Silvio Duran (Nova União) in the semifinal round and Ermilio Lima (Fight Sports) in the final.

According to Esdras, he felt well and prepared for each match. “I was happy with my performance,” he said. “But I can say the toughest fight this time was cutting weight. The last time I weighed less than 67kg, I was in middle school! This Pan was the first time I hit feather in no-gi, which is well below feather in the gi. On the day of the competition, I woke up weighing 66kg – there I woke up feeling well and ready to fight. It was an incredible journey.”

Photo: Personal Archive

He went on to offer advice on winning any BJJ competition: “First, one should not worry about the result! Perhaps it seems like madness to say that, but when we think about results too much, the tendency is to demand a lot of ourselves, and I believe this demand brings about unnecessary tension. Step on the mat alert, but with tranquility. It’s about doing what you trained to do, match by match, trusting yourself and your jiu-jitsu. That’s all you should think about. Have patience to play – jiu-jitsu is like chess.”

And finally, on the subject of mindset, he said: “When you do what must be done, it works out! It’s a matter of training hard, dieting, physical preparation, technical and tactical training, knowing your strong points and developing a game plan. It’s impossible not to feel well and prepared. Step on the mat and believe that your plan is going to work. Work on your mind to be positive when things don’t come out as planned, because knowing how to control your mind is important. Believe until the end! I couldn’t go without mentioning also Fellipe Barros, my mental coach, who is always there when I need him.”

In the United States, Esdras trains beside Osvaldo Queixinho at Ares BJJ in Phoenix, Arizona.

Ronny and his young students. Photo: Reproduction

A teacher at GB West Bay Doha, in Qatar, Ronny Carvalho is well acquainted with the challenges of an athlete’s life, always looking for titles in Jiu-Jitsu. With that in mind, the black belt opened his chest of stories to GRACIEMAG and told about his path through the gentle art, his focus on training, and the qualities needed to win the dream gold in competitions. Check the lines below!

GRACIEMAG: What was your first contact with Jiu-Jitsu?

RONNY CARVALHO: I’m from Formiga, a city in Minas Gerais that generated big names in Jiu-Jitsu like Rodrigo Ranieri, Marcelo Garcia and Matheus Diniz. It was through Ranieri that Jiu-Jitsu began to gain strength in Formiga and it was because of him that I got to know the sport. At the time, I was 14 years old and I fell in love quickly. A short time later, I met master Paulão Rezende, who taught Jiu-Jitsu to Ranieri. He lived in Poços de Caldas, which is a neighboring city, and was responsible for polishing this generation of athletes who left Formiga. We left our hometown and went to live there to train with Paulão.

How were your first years in Jiu-Jitsu?

Moving to Poços de Caldas was a big change in my life. The city was already famous in Jiu-Jitsu because Marcelinho Garcia had won the Worlds at blue belt and because of other athletes who left there and left their mark on the sport. When I arrived in the city, I started to have a different view of Jiu-Jitsu and decided that I wanted to make a living from it, but I understood that for that I would need to adapt to Paulão’s training system, which was very tough. Not to mention that the championships were held monthly and everyone competed, encouraged by Paulão. Sometimes we didn’t even have money to travel, but we got together and went in the race to participate in competitions. It was a time full of ups and downs, but it was also a great experience and a very good time in my life. Despite being at Gracie Barra today, together with Bráulio Estima, to whom I am very grateful, I maintain my respect and admiration for Paulão, who taught me everything I know about Jiu-Jitsu.

Eventually you left Minas Gerais and stayed in Brasília, under the tutelage of Professor João Roque. What motivated this change?

Despite living in Poços de Caldas, I often needed to leave the state because of work and, on these occasions, I looked for other gyms to train. When I went to Brasília, I looked for João Roque on the advice of my master and I adapted well to his style. João is an incredible master and I started to consider him and the people there as my second family in Jiu-Jitsu. I kept competing monthly and I was impressed with the athletes there, all very tough. After a year and a few titles won in Brasília, João Roque graduated me to brown belt.

Ronny e the silver medal acquired at the IBJJF European 2008. Photo: Reproduction

What are the most memorable memories of your graduation to black belt?

I was graduated to black belt at the end of 2008, at the hands of Professor Reinaldo Ribeiro. Shortly after receiving the brown, Bernardo Pitel, who was a student of João Roque, asked me to go with him to compete in the European Championship. I was runner-up in the Master 1 category and decided to stay there, training with Reinaldo. I was raised with him in Jiu-Jitsu, we were on the same team. I felt very honored to receive the black from his hands, a guy who demanded a lot and taught me even more about Jiu-Jitsu. I debuted my black belt the following year and reached third place at the 2009 IBJJF European.

Teaching is an aspect of Jiu-Jitsu that is increasingly sought after by practitioners, regardless of age. In your opinion, is it possible to balance the life of an athlete and that of a teacher?

I think it’s important to stay focused on our goals. If the athlete seeks to be a champion, regardless of being state, national, or world, he needs to keep this focus. The path to reach this level is not easy, there are many challenges and difficulties. Preparing a student who lives with a competitive mindset to be a teacher, especially if they’re young, is something I’m not in favor of. I prefer to work on this athlete’s psychology so that he doesn’t miss his objective, always keeping in mind the things he needs to do to reach this goal, such as training a lot, eating well, and sleeping early.

What training is always a part of one of your classes?

I always use one of the training techniques I learned from Paulão Rezende, in my early days back in Poços de Caldas. I have the students do three minutes of guarding and then, still in the same pair, another three minutes of guard passing. I divide this training into four rounds, with the first two allowing submission, and in the last ones, we only keep the pass. As the goal is for the student to be able to pass the guard quickly, we have a margin of thirty seconds to complete a sweep. This greatly increases the athlete’s level in competitions.

What are the key elements for an athlete to become a champion?

In the physical part, I believe that a champion needs to have at least six hours of Jiu-Jitsu training a day. These hours can be spread over several sessions in the day, but the athlete needs to formulate a strategy and practice a lot. The champion’s game must consist of, at most, four positions that he will use in fights, that is, keep the training focus on what he already knows how to do. A takedown that he can do well or a sweep that he is used to, are movements that should be part of this athlete’s game and should be the priority in training.

On the psychological side, in my view, it is a joint effort between the teacher and the athlete. On the one hand, the athlete needs to have the discipline and dedication to reach the high level necessary to become a champion. Drinking alcoholic beverages, or even soft sugary drinks, and sleeping late is not part of the life of a professional athlete. On the other hand, the teacher needs to know how to manage the psychology of this student, without going overboard. In addition to physical fitness, a champion needs to be mentally shielded to put aside the difficulties of life on and off the mat and successfully execute his strategy in the competition.

Júlio dos Anjos is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Master Júlio César Pereira. Photo: Ralfh Jigger

Julio dos Anjos, 28, is one of the main propagators of Jiu-Jitsu in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. An avid competitor, winner of titles from the IBJJF’s Pan and Euros, Julio now splits his time between his usual heavy schedule — teaching as many as six Jiu-Jitsu classes in a day — and the launch of his own gym, JDA Training Center.

The gym, located in Dubai, will provide bespoke training for students wishing to improve the quality of their lives or even becoming high-performance athletes, as Julio explained in a recent interview.

“JDA Training Center has a personalized training program for different needs,” he said. “If the practitioner just wants to train as a hobby, to have a healthy lifestyle, or compete also, this is the right place. I’m very excited to teach everything I know to my students and help them achieve their goals.”

JDA Training Center in Dubai. Photo: Ralfh Jigger

After five years — the time he’s been a black-belt — Julio is starting to reap the fruits of his decisions from when he was younger. If nowadays he’s starting his own business, previously he had tougher times, including financial troubles in 2017.

“In 2017, I had to leave Brazil with my family to seek out a better living standard, because we had lots of financial difficulty,” he said. “Thank God now is a new period; we are achieving our goals, and that makes us happy and motivated to carry on with our journey. My daughter will be turning two soon, and I’m able to give her a good quality of life. This country has taught me many things and made me grow a lot as a human being.”

A Jiu-Jitsu student since he was 14, he also plans to compete in the coming months — which means focusing on his physical preparation. “For a long time, it was hard focusing on the training,” said Julio, whose wife Enaile is a fellow black belt.

“Even when you are competing from time to time, it’s not the same as being 100% focused on the training like athletes today are. But I have plans now to train hard and, God willing, arrive better prepared at my next competitions.”

If you were to ask Jiu Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia how to get better at Jiu Jitsu, he would say to just train. But the greatest of all time, who made his mark on the history of BJJ competition, is an anomaly. People like me, a black belt with over ten years of training and competition experience, will agree that for us normal people, conditioning and injury will bring more success on the mats.

If you’re a competitor, conditioning will help you withstand multiple matches in a day as you move up the bracket to gold. If you’re a hobbyist, conditioning will help you recover faster between training sessions. Either way, conditioning your body to tolerate and withstand specific movements/situations will make the most out of your time on the mats.

The longer I train, the more grateful I am for my body’s ability to evolve and grow. Conditioning and recovery are key for this growth. I’ve compiled a list of goals for conditioning and its importance as well as some equipment from Nogi BJJ Gear that will help you achieve these goals:

Become accustomed to resistance from an opponent’s body weight.

When we train Jiu Jitsu, whether playing guard or passing, we must be able to resist the weight of our opponent. Push and pull are the basic mechanics of Jiu Jitsu so training to do just that can be done outside of the mat.

A sandbag is perfect for resistance training. A bag simulates the resistance from a person’s weight, which is not solid or stable. Think of all the time you’re pushing and pulling within a jiu jitsu roll. Defending your guard, escaping from bottom side control, staying dominant in back mount.

Sand moves within the bag as you lift, swing, squat, and anything else. It imitates the shifting movement of an opponent in BJJ. The workouts you do with a sandbag are full body and can emulate movements you do on the mats. Build up the necessary muscles and joints that facilitate in a specific BJJ move and you can modify for your game and assets/weaknesses.

Gain a solid base for moving and balancing.

Footwork is one of the most underrated aspects of BJJ. I will admit that I struggled with moving my feet in a way that would evade my opponent’s attacks while placing myself in the right position to pass guard. A speed ladder improves speed, precision, and will adapt to the dynamics of passing the guard.

Despite being on the ground for most of the sport, a passer is only as good as his or her footwork. Being able to control grips from the bottom, pass even the trickiest of guards, not giving your opponent your weight, which in turn gives them control of your body and movement. The ladder allows for you to speed up your feet, train complex movements, learn to react quicker to weight distribution issues.

A stability ball can also help with balance and base. All of BJJ on the ground comes from your core. Every limb and appendage is attached to your torso, which keeps you safe and capable of attacking. Nine out of ten times you can find me playing guard in all of my rolls, so my core is essential.

The number one defense I have towards an aggressive passer is to keep my knees tight to my chest. I like to extend my legs only when I am working a specific set up for a sweep or submission and when I feel any danger, I bring my knees back to my chest. In order to have power, using the Stability Workout Ball from Nogi BJJ Gear used for core exercises is perfect for the dynamic movements we do on the mats.

Get a strong grip that will last through full techniques.

Grip is everything when it comes to catching and submitting an opponent. When I won the 2015 Nogi Worlds at brown belt, I relied on my grips to secure my two submissions that won me the gold— toehold and wristlock.

\When sweat joins the grappling equation, it will come down to how long and well you can hold on to your opponent. Wrist strength is important for maintaining posture, breaking grips in the gi and nogi, and techniques that require posting on the mat or your opponent’s body.

So the strength of your hands can determine whether you get the takedown or not, or if you can complete a submission chain to end the match. The BJJ Ultimate Grip Strengthener comes with three different tools: Metal 10-60kg Hand Grips, Hand Grip Exerciser, and the Finger Grip. Don’t let a weak grip prevent you from completing your favorite moves!

Gain more finger dexterity for grips and defense.

The first guard I ever truly used was spider guard. After training extensively with spider guard expert Romulo Barral, I learned to use my feet on the biceps to create distance with my training partners who were all much bigger than me.

Finger dexterity for Jiu Jitsu is essential with guards like spider guard that rely on gi grips. Being able to grip the gi and not have to let go because of fatigue or pain is a flex on the mats.

When you train for a while, calluses form, cartilage gets damaged so bone regrows in a painful process. If you work on your finger dexterity early on, you can forgo the growing pains. The Silicone Finger Gripper from Nogi BJJ Gear can help you with this. Fingers need to have flexibility and strength to modify grips at any time so use a finger strengthener to practice your grips anytime, anywhere.

Rescue your muscles from soreness and tightness.

The foam roller is my best friend. I use it before and after a workout or training session because it warms up my muscles and helps recover faster. It releases the fascia of muscles to allow for more flexibility and elasticity.

The Reflex Foam Roller Set from Nogi BJJ Gear comes with a high density EVA foam roller and two different lacrosse ball sets—one ball and two balls. The roller can be used over major areas like back, legs, shoulders, etc. The lacrosse balls are to be used either leaning against a wall or on the ground. They find the spots of pain or stiffness and get into the smaller spaces of your muscles.

Warming up with this set will help prevent injury during your training sessions and will allow for better movement throughout. Post-workout use will help relieve any late onset muscle soreness.

Where to find these tools

Unless you want to just peruse amazon to find all these, you can save time and go to one place that sells equipment geared for Jiu Jitsu practitioners— Nogi BJJ Gear. It’s a great all-in-one site that lets you purchase training gear and training equipment in one spot.

Right now NoGi offers 55% store wide on their products! Click here to go to the store.

For 10% off, use this discount code at checkout: GracieMag

Rash guards, too!

Not only do they have home equipment gear, but they also have rash guards, spats, and other wearable gear for your every-day training needs. In fact, their rash guards come complete with double layer joint padding technology. This new technology gives extra support in the elbow area to protect your joints and common wear and tear.

We often use our elbows to post, transition, and stabilize positions in Jiu Jitsu. In gi and nogi, the friction caused by such movements can either rip the rash guard or even create bursitis from overuse of the elbow.

Protect your joints and your skin from overuse with this specialized padding and technology.

Head to www.NoGiBJJGear.com to enjoy 55% off site wide. NoGi BJJ gear is your one stop shop for all your training, recovery, and conditioning needs.

This week, Renzo Gracie Online Academy (RGOA) unveils many tricks to bring out your potential as a guard passer. Renzo Gracie and Leo Tunico guide you through multiple paths, revealing ways to get past your opponent’s legs and reach side control in good shape.

Check out, for example, this clever technique for opening guard, a true strategic gem taught by Renzo:

The week is filled with passes based not on physical power, but instead on sophisticated concepts, which will sharpen your perception regarding weight distribution, posture, balance, pressure, dominant grips and more themes inherent to the guard-passing game. Look at this knee-slicing pass taught by Leo Tunico:

In your lifestyle lesson, check out some healthy habits proposed by red-and-white-belt Marcio Stambowsky.

Don’t waste time.

Go to www.gallerr.com/rgoa and get unlimited access to the most sophisticated online BJJ course. Become a student of Renzo Gracie Online Academy (RGOA). 

Oss!  

Learn from Roger Gracie the tricks to avoid losing the armbar

Roger Gracie was in Rio de Janeiro recently to wow the crowd at Gracie Pro and teach the world the value of the basics.

The ten-time world champion also paid a visit to his friend Kléber “Buiú” Paulino’s gym, in a much-sought-after seminar among Gracie Barra students.

As he taught his favorite armbar from the guard, Roger said he learned from a student how to make the position more uncomfortable by swapping the hand that goes on the collar, and showed the way in which he likes controlling an opponent’s posture.

Roger also showed how he uses his legs to prevent his opponent from freeing their arm, as well as other details that can probably add something to your jiu-jitsu. You can catch the lesson in this video.

Tanque corrects his students: to Tanquinho’s brother, losing one’s fears means evolving. Graciemag archives

When was the last time you did something for the first time? If you have never experienced the unmatched feeling of putting on a gi and learning how to beat someone 50kg heavier, or even if you stopped training for fear of hurting your hands, this is the first fear you must jettison. Believe it: the benefits of BJJ outweigh the risks a thousand to one.

But perhaps that’s not even the worst fear in the life of a BJJ student.

To Soul Fighters teacher Bruno “Tanque” Mendes, a brother of world champion Augusto Tanquinho, the fear to raise one’s finger and ask questions can be a mighty enemy to a white-belt or a blue-belt.

“BJJ is always in constant evolution,” Bruno says. “And the best way to stay up to date is to study, learn, ask and seek out new information, either at your gym or at good seminars in your town.”

“I think the student must always be asking, and must never be afraid to ask — at the gym or at a seminar at another school,” he adds. “You just have to do it politely, at the right time. If the teacher, for example, opens the opportunity for questions and answers, then go ahead and satisfy your curiosity. Don’t think that your question is silly. You can bet there’s someone else in the class with the same question on their mind. If the class or seminar ends with no time for questions, then approach the teacher and see whether they would mind answering your questions.”

This tip is good also regarding positions that are a bit different from what was shown by the instructor. “If you like executing the position taught in a different way,” Tanque advises, “then get the teacher and ask about details. The truth is that every good teacher likes being asked about that which they are sharing. The exchange of information is important in BJJ, whether you are a black-belt or a white-belt.”

If you are a black-belt, it might be worth trying to take the work home with you. “I also recommend asking the teacher whether they mind you taping some positions,” Tanque says. “In the case of a reply in the negative, ask whether you can write it down in a notebook. Having a record of what was presented and discussed — and not just the technical movements, but mainly the concepts — will help you in the following weeks when you go to the gym to work on the positions learned.”

Do you have any fears at the gym? Share it in the safe space below.