Monday Lunch Class

Today we started with a single leg takedown:

This was followed by Cobrinha teaching a guard pass:

A Letter from our UK Guys

A note from Lee in England:

Hi Jacare,

We have just arrived home from the Hereford open bjj comp, which was a white belt competition but with 22 of the uk's top bjj teams entered we knew it couldnt be taken lightly. This is our first competition so we didnt know what the level was like in the uk, also it was all of our guys first fight!!

We had Joe Young take silver in the under 50kg then Rick Brown took bronze in the over 100kg. In the absolute division again Rick Brown took the bronze and Danny Tyler took the silver. Danny only missed on the gold because he had to retire because of a knee injury halfway into the fight (with even scores).

We also had Kyle Farley, jay Young and Tom Charlton winning their first fights and only narrowly missing out on the medals, next time!!! We are so proud of everybody that took part and we know we can get much better, we are looking forward to the next one.

Hope all is well over there,
Take Care, Lee

Sao Paulo WPLL

In Brazil the Alliance Team did a great job in the WPLL. The WPLL is a professional tournament that was held this past week end in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The tournament featured more than $30 000 in prize money. There where 9 finals in the black belt division and of those 9 Alliance had 4 champions. Bruno Malfacine won the rooster finishing all opponents by submission, Lucas Lepri won the light weight division. Sergio Moraes the medium heavy. Bernardo Augusto won the heavy. Furthermore, Sergio took second in the absolute after a very controversial final against Alexandre Sousa.

All these competitors were in Atlanta training before the last World Championship this past July and all will be back in 2010 to visit us again.

Congratulations to Fabio Gurgel and all of our Brazilian teammates on another excellent performance! This result leaves us with high expectations for next years tournaments.

New Blue Belt

Congratz to Mark Sullivan on receiving his blue belt! Keep up the good work

Saturday's Class

With Cobrinha out of town Jacare got creative with the warm-ups





The series of techniques for today was the armbar from mount. Daren shows how these moves can be linked together depending on your opponents reaction

Fabio on the cover of Graciemag!

We just received word that Fabio Gurgel will be on the cover of the next Graciemag. For those that don't know, Fabio is the co-founder of the Alliance team and was the first person Jacare awarded a black belt.

We will announce when this issue is in stock and available to purchase

Newest Member of the Alliance

Alliance would like to welcome the newest member Sasha, the newest member of Cobrinha's family:

Friday Lunch No-Gi Class

Today we covered a take down directly into a guard-pass:

Jacare Article

Romero Jacare: ‘It was the hardest year of my life’

by Graciemag Newsroom — November 17, 2009.

“When I got a call from Luca Atalla wishing me a happy 57th birthday, I had a flashback to these 30-or-so years – ever since I started in the ‘70s at the famous Carlson Gracie academy, over Casa Gebara, in Copacabana, with professor Tuninho, an instructor to this day.

“That was where I really started to fall in love with Jiu-Jitsu, and became sure it was I wanted to do the rest of my life. Jiu-Jitsu wasn’t as popular as it is today; there was no Brazilian National Championship, no Pan or Worlds. Jiu-Jitsu in Rio was divided into south and north zones.

“On our side of the city, the best by far were the Gracie academies, Joao Alberto and Alvaro Barreto, and Osvaldo Alves, while at the other end Mansor’s Kioto stood out, as did Monir, and in the east of Niteroi there was Amelio Arruda, a kindly and educated fellow who always brought ferocious opponents to competitions.

“Heel-hooks and slams were allowed; it was rough, a mistake in defense would cost you the match. You would only get a rematch the following year, since it wasn’t like now with competitions all the time.

“I once took a slam at the Rio Championship and spent a few months unable to train. I got greedy about the arm from the guard and only woke up a while later.

I always converse with my late master Rolls Gracie. I ask him: ‘Now are you satisfied? You left the party early, but we’re here till now to make you happy.’” Romero Jacaré

“Over these 30 years I witnessed the development of our art, perhaps the fighting style growing most in the world. Today it has reached worldwide epidemic proportions. Wherever you go, at all four corners of the globe, there is Jiu-Jitsu

“I produced good teachers and students, participated in all the competitions since the ‘70s, and I’m proud to be part of this history, first with Jacaré, then Master and now Alliance.

“I know mission is being accomplished, I always converse with my late master Rolls Gracie. I ask him: ‘Now are you satisfied? You left the party early, but we’re here till now to make you happy.’

“He answers: ‘Dear Jacaré, this isn’t even the beginning. We still have a long way to go.’ And I sleep content, knowing we are doing a good job and carrying on with what he started.

“It was in 1989 that I promoted my first black belt, Fabio Gurgel, in Ipanema, where I had my first academy.

“He is without a doubt doing an extraordinary job and if today we have branches in South and North America, Europe and Asia and still remain united, I owe a lot of it to him, who always believed we could stand tall again after all we went through.

“These days we are grateful to him, to Gigi Paiva and others who make Alliance a force in Jiu-Jitsu worldwide.

“This year of 2009 has been the most difficult of m life, as I went through moments I thought I wouldn’t make it through. After training at the gym I felt this horrible pain in my chest. I went to the hospital and woke up with a quadruple bypass. The whole time at the hospital I was thinking it wasn’t time to go, that I still have much to do.

“When Renzo called me one day and I was too weak even to speak. He told me from the other end of the line, in his characteristic cheerful and positive way: ‘Champ, be strong because you’ll get past this, we’ve been through rougher patches before, this is nothing.’ And I imagined him standing before me, with that winning smile that shrugs off hard times, and thought to myself: ‘Of course I’ll make it past this.’

“I did, and I could bear witness to a great 2009 for the team, which after a few years of modest results returned to the top, conquering the main Jiu-Jitsu Grand Slam tournaments – again proving that without hierarchy, union and command you will never get anywhere.

“My expectations for 2010 are the best possible, we’ll try and win all the main tournaments: the European, Pan, Worlds and Brazilian Nationals. Whether we will or not, I don’t know, but we will be the main protagonists, always respecting the other teams.

“In 2009, at the tournaments we had great joy and some sadness, with our mains stars shining bright: Cobrinha won his fourth Worlds and third Pan, Marcelo returning in grand style to win his third Worlds, Langhi breaking through, our girls Luanna and Gabi collecting medals and so many others, at all belts, who there is no room to list here.

“And we hope to win more, like the Abu Dabi, but patience: there are great athletes at the other end to. Cobrinha and Marcelo lost twice but there’s nothing to get beat up about. We are proud of them and are sure that like all great warriors, they know how to pick themselves up. Winning and losing are part of an athlete’s ilfe – and they are working with that in their minds.

“To close, I wish the entire Jiu-Jitsu community a 2010 loaded with success and everyone doing their part for this marvelous sport to become even greater, so when the day comes that we meet our eternal masters, Carlos, Helio, Rolls and Carlson, once again we may ask them: “Where do we go to train?”

Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti

Thursday Beginners class

Tonight's class started off with Judo style warm ups and the Jacare focused on the finer points of the rear naked choke.

Thursday Lunch Class

Today we covered half guard, top position. First Jacare explained theories, and then we went into two different passing options:

Option 1:

Option 2:

Jacare Seminar in Pennsylvania

On Saturday Nov. 21st. Jacare was in Pennsylvania for his annual Seminar. The Seminar was held at the old location but the new space will be opened by the end of the year.

Thanks a lot to Alex Britto for hosting the seminar, and thanks to everyone that came to support.
Now go train!

Tuesday Lunch Class

Today Professor Cobrinha went into detail on his theories of half-guard top control:

This was followed by "taking the back" situational training:

New Rashguards

We just got a new shipment of Rashguards. They are sublimated, and on a heavy material. Come in and get one before they sell out!

New Gracie Mag Article

Here is the latest article from Gracie Mag:

Taken from: http://www.graciemag.com/en/2009/11/alliance-moves-up-in-capoeira/

Alliance moves up in capoeira

by Marcelo Dunlop — November 29, 2009.

Athletes from Team Alliance will participate in the capoeira “baptism” to be held this Sunday, November 29, in Sao Paulo. Professor Ricardo Mesquita and Joseph Augusto “Gugu”, also Jiu-Jitsu athletes, will promote an integration event at the SESC Pompeia building starting at noon, under the supervision of Master Paulao.

One confirmed to be there is general Fabio Gurgel, who has been overseeing the work done by his brown belt Mesquita and world champions Luanna Alzuguir and Gabrielle Garcia – who practice capoeira in parallel with Jiu-Jitsu and will see their first promotion.

“I started practicing capoeira at the beginning of the year to help in my conditioning, and my teacher Mesquita, for being a Jiu-Jitsu player as well, knew how to direct our training and did an excellent job. I ended up getting involved and kept up my training, now I’m going to have my first promotion!” remarks Alzuguir.

Other fighters on the team and also capoeira practitioners, like Michael Langhi and Sergio Moraes, will also be present at the event, as will Bruno Malfacine, Leonardo Nogueira and Antonio Peinado.

Gurgel with Tiago Rocha

Team Alliance made the most of the end of the year not just with festivities, but to promote the students. In Uberlandia, Minas Gerais native Tiago Rocha received his black belt from Gurgel, in a seminar held by the general and Elan Santiago.

In Boise, Idaho, in the United States, it was Alexandre Gigi’s turn to promote his 60th black belt, Mitch Coats – the Master’s first American black belt.

Now in South Carolina, Romero Jacare closed out his annual seminar inaugurating Alliance Greenville, with professors Rafael Rosendo and Billy Fletcher – his latest black belt.

News From Alliance de Santa Catarina

Hey Guys! We have an update from our guys in Santa Catarina, Brasil. We are going to have a translation later, but here it is for everyone who knows Portuguese:

ALLIANCE NO SUL AMERICANO 2009

Grandes estrelas do Jiu-jitsu Mundial participaram do Sul Americano de Jiu-jitsu 2009 da CBJJ e aEquipe ALLIANCE esteve presente como sempre conquistando várias medalhas com seus atletas. A competição rolou no Ginásio Multiuso de São José em Santa Catarina nos dias 21 e 22 de Novenbro.

Karl Méliga mais uma vez conquistou a medalha de ouro na categoria mais importante da Faixa Azul o Absoluto. Gisele Kruger e Ricardo Quadros foram os outros destaques na Faixa Azul conquistando a medalha de ouro. A também medalha de ouro Cláudia Nelz foi o maior destaque na Faixa Branca eRodrigo Peres Lima campeão na Preta.

Outros grandes destaques da Equipe na Faixa Preta foram Franklin Jensen medalha de prata, poucos dias depois de ter sido campeão no 3° NITRIX FIGHT realizado em Itajai – SC. A volta aos tatames do Faixa Preta Leonardo "Banana" Balena conquistando a medalha de Bonze e Jairo Chaves medalha de prata. Tivemos também na Faixa Roxa Wagner Lucas da Rosa que finalizou Fred Gracie (filho de Rolker Gracie). Wagner conquistou a medalha de bronze.

Parabéns à todos os participantes e fiquei feliz em ver de volta aos tatames alguns atletas como o Banana, Jackson, Alexandre Meyer. Que isso sirva de estimulo aos nossos outros grandes atletas que estão afastados das competições. Gostaria de destacar também a excelente participação das meninas da Equipe.

Mestre Paulo Sergio Santos.

COLOCAÇÃO DA EQUIPE ALLIANCE

CAMPEÕES

Rodrigo Peres Lima

Karl Méliga Absoluto

Gisele Kruger

Ricardo Quadros

Claudia Nelz

VICE-CAMPEÕES

Franklin Jensen

Jairo Chaves

Alexandre Meyer Luz

Jackson Ernesto - roxa - Master

Lucas kichise

3º COLOCADOS

Leonardo Balena

Alexandre Meyer Luz Absoluto

Wagner lucas DA Rosa

Karl Méliga

Orlando Oliveira

Manoel Campos Goulart

Paulo Sergio Santos

Faixa Preta 4°Grau

(Ceinture Noire 4éme DAN JJB)

Equipe PSALLIANCE Jiu-jitsu

Tel.: (33) 06 21 64 12 02 Paris

www.alliancebjjfrance.com

www.psalliance.com.br

New Blue Belt

Congratulations to Jason Reece on earning his Blue Belt!

Thanksgiving Saturday

The Thanksgiving Saturday class had a great turnout! We started things off with some throws:

After the throw we went into an armbar off of the same throw:

Mixing Things Up

Just a reminder to everyone that we are going to be training BOTH GI and No-GI on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Please remember to pack both if you want to roll No-GI at the end of class

Interview with Phillipe Gentry

Alliance Brown Belt Phillipe Gentry recently did an interview with georgiafighters.com to promote the Fighting For The Future Charity Tournament

Phillipe Gentry: The New Face of Jiu Jitsu in the Southeast!

Posted on 22 November 2009

A few new MMA promoters have popped up on the scene recently in Georgia, jumping on the exploding popularity of the sport, but one recently turned 30-year-old, Phillipe E Gentry has chose a slightly different path and is fast becoming the one and only face of Sport Jiu Jitsu tournaments in the Southeast, far outpacing the growth of NAGA.

Jiu Jitsu Tournaments are one of the most important training grounds for anyone wanting to become involved in MMA , so with the sport of MMA having the type of popularity right now, Jiu Jitsu tournaments are an essential ingredient for the continued growth of not only the pure nature of sport Jiu Jitsu and for the development of our kids in the sport, but also as a type of testing ground for anyone even thinking about competing in a MMA fight.

With this in mind, and the constant complaints about the poorly run, but largest Grappling tournament in the nation,NAGA, Phillipe recognized an opportunity and Lutador Grappling was born, which has really put Georgia on the map in the Grappling world !

We got to sit down with Phillipe and ask him a few questions on how it all got started, and he also let us in on a few exciting projects he has lined
up in the near future, plus he also let is in on some personal family info.

How long have you been doing jiu jitsu?
I started training BJJ in 04’. Since then I have trained under a number of amazing professors. Old school Brazilian BJJ thought would consider me a traitor for bouncing around but, I’ve found that it opened up my game quite a bit and I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many awesome people. I guess it’s more an American thing. Currently, I train at Alliance and see it being my home for a long time. It’s where I started so, I’ve gone full circle.

It seems like everyone in Jiu Jitsu has a nickname, do you have one?
LOL, yeah I have a bunch. A few of which I can’t say here. LOL. The others are “Phillie”, “Chicken Wings” and “Tagarela”. “Phillie” is an old nickname I got from my high school and college friends. My real name is Phillipe E Gentry, so, it just kinda fit. I got the nick name “Chicken Wings” a couple years back while doing strength and conditioning training with Diego Saraiva. We were at Oglethorpe University doing stadiums and sprints and stuff. In one of the exercises we had to carry each other on our backs up the stadium. At first it seemed easy but, ¾ of the way up it was like hitting a break wall. My legs started shaking and I got a little wobbly. Diego yells out, “hey man, you better not drop with those chicken wings!” LOL. Obviously, he meant to say chicken legs but, it was so funny that it stuck… “Chicken Wings”. “Tagarela”, is the latest. I either got it from Jacare or Cobrinha. I’m not sure, it just kinda happened. Tagarela, means talks a lot or chatterbox (or something similar) in Portuguese. Cobrinha, believes in hard training, not social training. I’ve done a good bit of push ups for my mouth thus far. LOL. What can I say. I work hard and when I’m on the mat, I like to B.S. some while I’m training.

What accomplishments do you hold in jiu jitsu?
I have won some medals and even an absolute division here and there but, I really didn’t do anything spectacular (in my mind) until this year when I went to the 2009 Pan American Championships in Cali. I won the gold medal after submitting everyone in my division including a flying triangle that I hit in the semi’s on one of Saulo Ribeiro’s guys. Shortly after that, Jacare and Cobrinha gave me my brown belt.

Why do so many choose the mma route and why did you stick with jiu jitsu?
It’s funny that you say that because I just took a fight on Sin City Fight Club’s January 16th card. However, to answer your question, I direct the majority of my energy focusing on BJJ as opposed to MMA because of the beauty of it. It amazes me that for every move there is a counter move and then a counter to the counter add infinitum. Sport BJJ (in the gi) is really a chess game with your body. I see it as more of an art than MMA and the art part intrigues me. If you play football you learn to catch and throw and run and hit etc. etc. There are techniques that are used when doing certain things but, at a certain point that’s it. There’s no more to learn. You just get better at doing the same things. You become a faster runner or a better catcher, or a better hitter etc etc. However, in BJJ there is always something new to learn. It’s ever evolving and never ending. There are new techniques developed almost every day. It’s crazy. Granted BJJ is boring as hell to watch if you don’t understand the sport. I think that’s the primary reason MMA has gained more popularity. Everyone understands an ass kicking to a certain extent.

So why are you fighting again?
This probably sounds lame but, I just turned 30 and I’ve been on this weird bucket list like kick. The birthday came with a realization that I won’t be young forever so, I want to do everything I can while I still am. (LOL) Even though I won my last fight, I wasn’t happy with it. I thought I looked sloppy so, I want to push myself to put on at least 1 good performance before I hang up the gloves. I imagine this will be my last fight though, win or lose. I’m really grateful for the opportunity but, the intense training sucks so far. I really admire the fighters out there, that day in and day out train like machines. It’s tough stuff.

Who is lutador grappling?
Lutador Grappling is a company run by Derik Crouch, Jason Evangelista and myself combined with all of our volunteers and sponsors that host BJJ and submission grappling tournaments. Our goal is to continue to be recognized as the premier event in the South East and to grow into something huge. Our focus has always been about the competitor and spectator experience as opposed to just making money. That’s why we offer all the cool stuff that you will never see at any other tournament. The only down side to throwing Lutador is that I can’t compete in it. LOL. I know I’m biased but, it really is the best tournament around. We are perfectionists almost to fault so, we are always looking for new ways to improve. Ultimately, I think that’s where the other tournaments are lacking. I’m not sure but, it seems like some of them just don’t care to get better. They just want to be profitable. At the end of the day, it’s not just a business to us. It’s a passion.

Why and when did u create it?
Lutador was started in Sept of 08’ and I joined the team after their first event. Jason and I have been training partners for years and after the first event I was so excited about what him and Derik were doing they brought me on as a partner. Even though I wasn’t there when Lutador was created, I can definitely tell you why it was. We were tired of paying big money to go to unorganized tournaments with mediocre mats, medals and prizes. When I came on board we as a company had already decided to take our experience competing all over and use it to throw the best tournament the South East has ever seen. This year has been a great year for us. We learned a lot and feel that we have truly found who we are as a company and the direction that we want to head.

How did you come up with the name?
We wanted something that represented BJJ competition internationally. Lutador actually means fighter in Portuguese.

It seems to be growing into something greater than just a grappling tournament with some charity work being included, what is the charity your involved with and what else are you working on through Lutador?
We’re working with One Childhood and Toys for Tots to help them put on their own tournament Saturday, December 12^th at Riverwood H.S. It’s not really a Lutador but, it is backed by us. We will be handling the bracketing, reffing and so on along with using all of our equipment. One Childhood is an organization that helps children from single parent households participate in sports and other activities where they wouldn’t normally be able to. Coming from a divorced home myself, I can really relate and want to do what I can for these kids. We like doing what we can for charities. In the past we’ve worked with GA Firefighters Burn Foundation as well. My partner Jason is a firefighter as well so, it’s something he feels passionately about. Next year we would like to look at developing a relationship with one charity that we all feel good about and donate a portion of all of our proceeds to them along with doing a 100% charity tournament for them at the end of the year.

Other than that, we are just working on growing and growing. Like I said, this year, we discovered who we are and the direction we really want to go in. Our goal is to host 2 huge events a year (plus help a charity do their own event around Christmas) and to bring in a bunch of amazing talent from all over the World. This year was awesome for that. We had some unbelievable guys compete at our events like, Cobrinha, Samuel Braga, Rafael Dos Santos, Fabio Costa, Ranieri Paiva, Chris Moriarty, Diego Saraiva, Bruno Amorim, Mark Fletcher, Jonathan Tooker, Ian McPhearson and on and on. There’s probably not time for me to mention everyone.

You seem to be fast approaching over taking naga as the premier bjj competion to be at locally. Just how far away are you from accomplishing this and once you do are you thinking of expanding outside of GA?
Personally, I think we’re already there. There is no other tournament in Atlanta or the South East for that matter that does it like Lutador. No one has the top of the line Zebra Mats or the barriers or computerized brackets, or the cash payouts, or the IBJJF certified refs etc. etc. The coolest thing about us, is we just keep pouring everything we make right back into it. Next year we are going to blow people’s minds with the medals and other stuff were adding to it. We’re even getting swords or nunchucks or something like that for the kids. We also have a free massage therapist and sports chiropractor (Dr. Wax from Pro Sport) there, and traditional Brazilian foods and all kinds of other vendors there with all of the hottest gear on the market right now.

As far as travelling, we are going to stay right here for now. Our focus is quality not quantity. If down the road our tournament grows beyond our imagination and there is a demand for it elsewhere, we will consider travelling. For now though, we are happy here. Looks at all the talent in the South East and more specifically GA. This is the spot that’s about to blow up like Cali and Vegas did.

Not satisfied with one project, you have also created your own line of athletic and competition wear, tell us about wicked jitsu.
Wicked Jitsu is in it’s infancy stage right now but, is working hard on becoming a solid brand. We’ve had some manufacturer and investor issues as all start ups do but, we are finally getting in gear. The company is more of a gi company that offers shorts, rash guards and t-shirts to as opposed to a straight up fight gear company. I started it because at the time, there wasn’t a whole lot of reasonably priced American styled gi’s for competitors to wear. There were fight shorts and T-shirts but, no hot gi’s. There were some hot outrageously priced gi’s and then all the Brazilian style gi’s that didn’t really do it for me stylistically. The other concerns I always had was fit. Everyone’d body is different but, there are some common builds out there like mine that I think there should be a perfect gi for. I never had a gi that fit me properly and didn’t shrink or fade or something. So, I started this Wicked Jitsu to solve all of my problems and hopefully help out a lot of people as well. So far, most of my sales have been out west but, there’s been a lot more people rocking it here. Wicked Jitsu just started sponsoring a few people including Douglas Lime who’s about to fight in the finals of Sin City Fight Club’s Grand pre for the $10,000. I’ve also got a few other bad asses on the come up both in BJJ and MMA.

How did you come up with the name?
It’s funny because, I had been thinking about a name for a little while. Then one day I was training BJJ and getting ready for a competition. (When I’m getting ready to compete, I pick up the pace quite a bit and become a bit more aggressive.) A buddy of mine (Steve) was watching me and made the comment that I was practicing Wicked Jiu Jitsu. For some reason it stuck in my head. I thought it to be a little long though so. I cut out the Jiu and Wicked Jitsu was born.

Where can people find your line to purchase?
I have a booth set up at all the Lutador’s but, it’s probably easier to buy it online at www.wickedjitsu.com. The sites a work in progress right now but, it does the job.

What’s Wicked Jitsu’s goals?
Our goal as a company is to provide people with the hottest quality gear and to continue to grow. The focus is the same as Lutador in the sense that I’m doing it because of my passion for it. Eventually, we will develop our fighter profiles and use a lot of videos and interviews to build sponsored fighters. Once you train with as many people as I have you’ll find that there are a lot of diamonds in the rough. My goal is to Wicked Jitsu as a platform to build these competitors up while building the brand. Hopefully bringing attention to these people will build the sport as well.

Phillipe thank you ,and we are really excited about all that you are doing for our sport and your charity contributions!

Cracking Under Pressure

This is an interesting article I found on responding to pressure. The take away is that most times when people "Choke" it is not due to distraction or lack of skill. Rather "choking" is due to a lack of skill in dealing with the stress of competition. The key is competing constantly, not just jiu-jitsu, but in anything and as often as possible. You need to force yourself to learn how to deal with stress.

From the following link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200302/cracking-under-pressure

Cracking Under Pressure

When mastered tasks fall apart under pressure, don't blame distraction. It's really a failure to cope.

By Elena Donovan, published on May 01, 2003 - last reviewed on November 12, 2008

Commentators profess surprise when figure-skating champions like Michelle Kwan fumble.

Psychologists, for their part, might point to "choking"—failing to execute previously mastered tasks—to describe the tumbles taken by many athletes.Researchers at Michigan State University believe they have a handle on choking: It is not caused by distraction, as some had surmised, but by an inability to handle stress.

Thomas Carr, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, and doctoral student Sian Beilock offered two groups of golfers money if they could improve their putt. They upped the ante by convincing subjects that everything hinged on performance alone (they were paired with a partner who had ostensibly met the target score). One group was exposed to distractions during practice, and this group did not choke under pressure.

But the golfers who rehearsed without distractions choked during the evaluation.The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, demonstrate that "a skill performed 1,000 times perfectly can fall apart if an individual is not accustomed to highly stressful situations," according to Beilock. So for those coveting medals, Beilock recommends simulating stressful situations during practice and repeating a key word or song as a distraction during the performance itself.

Thanksgiving Schedule

Update to the Thanksgiving schedule:

Thursday Closed

Friday 12pm Only

Saturday 12pm Only

Monday Lunch Class

Today we started with a Cobrinha flexibility/agility warm up:

Next we covered a kneeling pass for the butterfly guard:

Friday No-Gi Class

Today Jacare and Cobrinha where out in the world expanding our affiliate's jiu-jitsu knowledge. As a result we had the honor of Mr. Ed Kennedy teaching:

Seminars This Weekend

Jacare Seminar in Pennsylvania

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Jacare will be in for a seminar on Saturday Nov. 21st. from 11am -2pm. Everyone is welcome. If you can make it or if you need and other info you can call to the gym

This will be their first day in our new location

Alex Britto
Exton Location
www.alliancepa.com
Phone: (484) 459-2279

Cobrinha Seminar in Cleveland, OH

Cobrinha will be in Ohio this weekend at Alliance Cleveland.

For more info on Cobrinha's seminar contact Ken at:

Alliance Jiu Jitsu Cleveland
Kenneth Kenney
15707 Madison Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107

(440) 862-8209
contact@alliancecleveland.com
www.alliancecleveland.com

An Interview with Stephen Hall, Alliance Dallas

Name:

Stephen “Pesadelo” Hall

Age:

38

Place of Birth:

Donaldsonville, Louisiana (Geaux Saints!)

Belt:

Faixa Preta

What was your first academy, and what was the atmosphere like?

It was under Allen Mohler at Mohler Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It was really inviting and comfortable, but tough. I felt welcome the moment I walked in. Even though I really didn’t know what I was getting into, it just felt right, and I signed up on the spot without even trying a class.

Who was your first jiu-jitsu teacher?

Allen Mohler was my first Jiu-Jitsu teacher. I also owe a lot of my success to Marcus Hicks who is a Black Belt under Professor Mohler, as he helped develop my effectiveness in technique and mental toughness.

What can you tell us about your personal history?

Louisiana born and bred. I have a long standing work history in the Network Engineering field. I have lived here in Dallas, TX since 2000. I am now the owner/head instructor of Pesadelo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ( http://www.pbjj.net )

What is your academic history?

I started out at Louisiana State University, and ultimately graduated from Southern University in Physics.

What is your jiu-jitsu/martial arts history?

My jiu-jitsu studies encompass the last several years. Before BJJ, I studied Tae Kwon Do from age 7 to age 27 attaining the rank of 2^nd degree Black Belt.

What is your family like?

I have a very loving and caring family. My daughter is my entire world.

Where you an athlete before you got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I played basketball in college as well as ran track. I was a high jumper. In HS I was national champion in my SR. year with a jump of 7’ 2”. I had an all time best jump of 7’ 5 ¾”. I still play semi-professional basketball in leagues here in TX when time allows.

What is your competition history?

I have tried to stay active as much as possible, averaging about 18 tournaments per year. I make certain to dispute as many of the “major” tournaments as I possibly can.

What is your proudest Jiu-Jitsu accomplishment?

It would have to be a tie between winning the championship at the International Masters/Seniors Worlds as a Black Belt, and actually getting my Black Belt. Both were realizations of dreams I have had for quite some time!

What are some of your tournament wins?

- 2009 INTERNATIONAL MASTERS & SENIORS WORLD CHAMIONSHIPS - NO-GI

WORLD CHAMPION

SENIOR 1 - BLACK BELT - ULTRA-HEAVYWEIGHT

-2009 Miami International Open

Silver - Black Belt - Adult - Pessadissimo

-2009 NO-GI PAN AMERICAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS-NYC

CHAMPION - BLACK- Sr. 1 - ABSOLUTE

CHAMPION - BLACK- Sr. 1 – SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT

- 2009 INTERNATIONAL MASTERS & SENIORS WORLD CHAMIONSHIPS - GI

WORLD CHAMPION

SENIOR 1 - BLACK BELT - SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT

- 2009 RIO OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS - GI

BRONZE - ADULT - BLACK BELT - SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT

- PROMOTED TO BLACK BELT! - Friday, 12 JUNE 2009

-2009 (MUNDIALS) WORLD BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bronze - Brown - ADULT! - Super Heavyweight

-2009 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS

Silver - Brown - ADULT! - Super Heavyweight

-2009 PAN AMERICAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS

Champion – Brown – Sr. 1 – Absolute

Champion – Brown – Sr. 1 – Super Heavyweight

-2009 EUROPEAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS

Champion – Brown – Sr. 1 – Absolute

Champion – Brown – Sr. 1 – Super Heavyweight

-2008 Copa Alliance
Champion - Brown Belt - Pessadissimo

-2008 U.S. OPEN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS XIII
Champion - Brown Belt - Masters/Seniors - Absolute
Bronze - Brown Belt - Masters - SuperHeavyweight

-2008 NO-GI PAN AMERICAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS-NYC

Champion - Brown - Sr. 1 - Absolute

Champion - Brown - Sr. 1 – Super Heavyweight

-2008 AMERICAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Champion - Brown - Sr. 1 - Absolute
Champion - Brown - Sr. 1 – Super Heavyweight

-2008 AMERICAN NATIONAL NO-GI CHAMPIONSHIPS
Silver Medal - Brown - Sr. 1 - Absolute
Champion - Brown - Sr. 1 – Super Heavyweight

- 2008 Europa World Grappling Championships

Silver Medal

Men's - Black & Brown Belt - Super Heavyweight

- 2008 WORLD CHAMIONSHIPS - NO-GI

WORLD CHAMPION

ADULT - BROWN BELT - SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT

- 2008 INTERNATIONAL MASTERS & SENIORS WORLD CHAMIONSHIPS - NO-GI

WORLD CHAMPION

SENIOR 1 - BROWN BELT - SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT

- 2008 INTERNATIONAL MASTERS & SENIORS WORLD CHAMIONSHIPS - GI

WORLD CHAMPION

SENIOR 1 - BROWN BELT - SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT

- 2008 RIO OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS - GI

SILVER - ADULT - BROWN BELT - SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT

- 2008 WORLD BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS (MUNDIALS) - GI

Competitor - Brown Belt Super-Heavyweight (1-1)

Member of World Champion Alliance Team

- 2008 NAGA/Dollamur Grappling Championships

Silver - Black/Brown - Adult - Super Heavyweight

-PROMOTED TO BROWN BELT - 11 April 2008

-2008 PAN AMERICAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS

Champion - Purple - Sr. 1 - Super Heavyweight

Bronze - Purple - Sr. 1 – Absolute

-2008 Louisiana State Championships

Champion - Purple - GI - Super Heavyweight

-2008 Machado Winter Wars

Champion – Purple - GI - Super Heavyweight

-2008 EUROPEAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS

Champion – Purple – Sr. 1 – Absolute

Champion – Purple – Sr. 1 – Super Heavyweight

-2007 - 1st WORLD NO-GI BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS
Bronze - Purple - Sr. 1 - Absolute
Silver - Purple - Sr. 1 – Heavyweight

-2007 GrapplersQuest West XII
Silver - Advanced - No-Gi - Masters - Absolute
Bronze - Advanced - No-Gi - Masters – Cruiserweight

-2007 - 1st Louisiana Open
Silver - Purple - GI - Absolute
Champion - Purple - GI - Heavyweight
Silver - Advanced - No-Gi – Heavyweight

-2007 U.S. OPEN XII BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS
Silver - Purple - Master/Sr. - Absolute
Silver - Purple - Master – Heavyweight

-2007 Machado BJJ Invitational
Champion - Purple - Adult – Heavyweight

-2007 Battle Of H-Town
Champion - Advanced(Brown/Purple Combined) Gi - Adult – Heavyweight

-2007 AMERICAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Champion - Purple - Sr. 1 - Absolute
Champion - Purple - Sr. 1 – Heavyweight

-2007 Texas No-Gi Championships
Champion - Advanced - Masters - Heavyweight
Bronze - Advanced - Adult – Heavyweight

-2007 U.S. NO-GI CHALLENGE
Silver - Advanced - Adult – Middleweight

-2007 WORLD BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS (MUNDIALS) - GI
Made it to round of 8 in Purple Belt Open Division out of 16 page bracket

-Got Picked up by the greatest equipment sponsor out there - GOMGI...visit em at http://www.gomgi.com for any BJJ/MMA/Training gear needs!

-2007 PAN AMERICAN BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bronze - Blue - Sr. 1 – Absolute

What is your training regime like, in preparation for worlds?

Seven days of BJJ training. 2 of those days are devoted to drilling positions, 2 days devoted to situational and timed training, with the remaining days devoted to sparring while concentrating on my game plan. Also there are other training sessions with cardio, strength work, and yoga.

What is your training regime like when there is not a major tournament on the horizon?

It is scaled back to 5 days of training just as in a regular setting with the training time devoted to 1/3 drills, 1/3 technique and positions, and 1/3 rolling.

What are your overall goals in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
To teach and develop champions, to develop a fully well-rounded game, to place at the Mundials at black belt, to give the gift that jiu-jitsu has been in my life to others, and to make my instructors, and their instructors proud of what I have become both as a BJJ player, and as a man.

What are your favorite techniques?

Do Pesadelo Triangulo! That is what I am known for. I also really enjoy knee-bars, and wheel throws.

Who do you look up to in Jiu-Jitsu?

Marcus Hicks, Fabio Gurgel, Jacare’, Allen Mohler, Saulo Ribeiro, Xande Ribeiro, Batista, too many of my Alliance teammates to name among others. All of these have taken time to make me feel like family, as well as given me lessons not only to broaden my jiu-jitsu, but to improve my life.

What are you tips for people who are new to Jiu-Jitsu?

Keep walking through the door. If you do, you will get to where you are going. Jiu-Jitsu really does reward the patient and perseverant person.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu saved my life. I hope to make those who have put so much into my development, proud of who I have become. I am honored, blessed, and humbled to have had you wish to interview me. Thank you and God Bless!

Wed Lunch Class and Promotion

Today we covered sweeps from the X-Guard:

Next we have some happy news, Big Red got his purple belt! Congratulations!

Lucky Friday the 13th

We received news from Felipe Neto, the Head Instructor at Alliance Tallahassee. On Friday Felipe had a round of belt promotions and 30 of his students passed to the the next level.
Congrats to everyone that tested, you are obviously in good hands!

Tuesday Lunch Class

Today we worked on single leg takedowns:

And if your first option doesn't work here is the second:

Finally, we have Professor Cobrinha showing Alliances second coolest manager the proper way to finish a choke:

Baking!

Professor Cobrinha made us some "special bread" today. Not only a world champion, an amazing chef:

Gracie Mag Article Number 2

Another article from Gracie Mag, this time in BJJ's mother tongue:

Romero Jacaré: “Foi o ano mais difícil da minha vida”

Jacaré gradua Fabio Gurgel, há 20 anos. Foto: Acervo Pessoal.

Líder da Alliance revê 2009 e brinda o leitor com relato precioso sobre os tempos românticos do Jiu-Jitsu

“Quando recebi o telefonema do Luca Atalla para me dar os parabéns pelo meu aniversário de 57 anos, me bateu um flashback desses cerca de 30 anos de estrada – desde quando comecei nos anos 70 na famosa academia Carlson Gracie, em cima da Casa Gebara, em Copacabana, com professor Tuninho, instrutor até os dias de hoje.

“Foi ali que comecei de verdade a me apaixonar pelo Jiu-Jitsu, e a ter certeza de era o que faria pelo resto da minha vida. O Jiu Jitsu não era tão badalado como hoje, não tinha campeonato brasileiro, Pan ou Mundial. O Jiu-Jitsu no Rio se dividia entre zona sul e zona norte.

“No nosso lado da cidade, as melhores de longe eram as academias Gracie, João Alberto e Álvaro Barreto, e Osvaldo Alves, enquanto no outro lado da cidade destacavam-se a Kioto do Mansor, o Monir, e a Oriente de Niterói do prof. Amélio Arruda, uma figura doce e educada que sempre trazia adversários ferozes nas competições,

“Pelas regras da época, valia chave de calcanhar e bate-estaca – sim, era complicado, um erro nosso na defesa e a luta estava perdida, revanche só no outro ano, pois não tinha competição toda hora como é hoje.

“Lembro que uma vez tomei um bate-estaca numa final de Carioca e passei uns bons meses sem poder treinar, Ah, vacilo! Cresci o olho no braço da guarda e tome! – fui acordar depois.

“Nesses 30 anos pude presenciar o desenvolvimento da nossa arte, talvez o esporte de luta que mais cresceu no mundo. Hoje é uma epidemia mundial, com academias presentes nos quatro cantos do mundo.

“Formei muitos professores e alunos bons, participei de todas as competições desde a década de 70, e me orgulho de ter participado dessa história, primeiro com a academia Jacaré, depois Master e agora a Alliance.

“Sei que minha missão está sendo cumprida, sempre converso com o meu saudoso Mestre Rolls e pergunto a ele: ‘Está satisfeito agora? Você saiu cedo da festa mas estamos aqui até hoje para fazê-lo feliz.’

“E ele me responde: ‘Caro Jacaré, isso não é nem o começo, ainda chegaremos muito mais longe’. E vou dormir contente, por saber que estamos fazendo um bom serviço e continuando o que ele começou.

“Foi em 1989 que graduei o meu primeiro faixa-preta, o Fabio Gurgel, em Ipanema, onde tive a minha primeira academia.

“Ele sem dúvidas vem fazendo um trabalho extraordinário e se hoje temos filiais na América do Sul e Norte, Europa e Ásia, e continuamos unidos, devo muito a ele, que sempre acreditou que poderíamos nos reerguer depois de tudo que passamos. Hoje estamos onde estamos graças a ele, ao Gigi Paiva e a outros que mantém a Alliance como uma força do Jiu-Jitsu mundial.


Jacaré e Fabio vibram no Mundial. Foto de Alicia Anthony.

“Este ano de 2009 está sendo o mais difícil da minha vida, pois passei por momentos dos quais pensei que não sairia. Depois de um treino na academia senti uma dor danada no peito, fui ao hospital e acordei com quatro pontes de safena. Mas, sempre pensava, não está na hora de partir, ainda tenho muito a fazer.

“Quando Renzo Gracie me ligou um dia, e eu estava fraco até pra falar, ele me dizia do outro lado da linha, com seu humor e positividade caracteríscos: ‘Campeão, força! Você vai sair dessa, já passamos por sufocos maiores, isso não é nada. E eu o imaginava na minha frente com aquele sorriso de vencedor, de que não tem tempo ruim, e pensava que claro, eu ia sair dessa.

“Saí, e pude presenciar um grande 2009 para a equipe, que depois de alguns anos com resultados modestos voltou ao topo, conquistando por dois anos seguidos os principais torneios Grand Slam do Jiu-Jitsu – mais uma prova de que sem hierarquia, união e comando não se vai a lugar nenhum.

“As expectativas pra 2010 são as melhores possíveis, tentaremos ganhar todos os principais campeonatos: o Europeu, Pan, Mundial e Brasileiro. Se vamos conseguir não sei, mas seremos os principais protagonistas, sempre respeitando as outras equipes.

Em 2009, tivemos nos campeonatos muitas alegrias e algumas tristezas, com nossa principais estrelas brilhando muito: Cobrinha ganhou o tetra mundial e o tri no Pan, o Marcelinho voltou em grande estilo ganhando o Mundial pela terceira vez, Langhi se consagrou, nossas meninas Luanna e Gabi colecionaram medalhas e tantos outros, de todas as faixas, que não caberiam todos aqui.

E esperávamos ganhar mais, como em Abu Dhabi, mas paciência: do outro lado também há grandes atletas. Cobrinha e Marcelinho perderam duas delas mas não têm nada por que se abater. Somos muitos orgulhosos deles e temos certeza de que todo bom guerreiro sabe dar a volta por cima. Ganhar e perder faz parte da vida do atleta – e eles já estão trabalhando pensando nisso.

Para encerrar, sucesso a todos e a comunidade do Jiu-Jitsu continue fazendo sua parte em prol deste esporte maravilhoso, para quando, um dia, reencontrarmos nossos eternos mestres, Carlos, Helio, Rolls e Carlson, possamos perguntar: onde fica a academia?”

Romero “Jacaré” Cavalcanti

South Carolina Seminar

A seminar was held at Alliance Greenville SC on Sat Nov 14th. Approximately 50 students from SC and NC attended. 7 students tested for blue belt and 2 for purple belt; all were successful. Finally Billy Fletcher became the latest Alliance black belt. Congratulations!

Gracie Mag Article

Below is the article about Professor Jacare from Gracie Mag:

Look back and move forth

In an emotion-filled report, the leader of Alliance Atlanta sums up a year replete with joy and hardship

Alliance founder Romero “Jacaré” Cavalcanti lived out a year 2009 full of highs and lows. His team won its fourth Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, but the master had some close calls where his health was concerned. “After training with Cobrinha, I felt this horrible pain in my chest. I went to the hospital and woke up with a quadruple bypass, along with some other things,” recalls Jacaré, who had another scare early in the year, when a kidney problem kept him out of combat for a few weeks.

It was in Jiu-Jitsu that Romero sought support: “The whole time at the hospital I was thinking it wasn’t time to go, that I still have much to do.” A phone call from a friend helped in his recovery: “Renzo called me one day and I was too weak even to speak. He told me from the other end of the line, in his characteristic cheerful and positive way: ‘Champ, be strong because you’ll get past this, we’ve been through rougher patches before, this is nothing.’ And I imagined him standing before me, with that winning smile that shrugs off hard times, and thought to myself: ‘Of course I’ll make it past this.’”

Jacaré (in the black gi in the middle) and the Alliance black belts during training in 2008

After the scare, Jacaré turned 57 on October 22 and the date made him reminisce about the beginning: “I had a flashback of these past nearly 30 years, ever since I started, back in the ‘70s, at the famous Carlson Gracie academy, above Casa Gebara, in Copacabana. I trained with Professor Tuninho. That was where I fell in love with Jiu-Jitsu, a sport that wasn’t as hyped as it is today. There were no World Championships, no Pan-Americans, etc… It was the north zone versus the south zone, in Rio.” Competing was a lot different too: “Heel-hooks and slams were allowed; it was rough, a mistake in defense would cost you the match. You would only get a rematch the following year, since it wasn’t like now with competitions all the time. I once took a slam at the Rio Championship and spent a few months unable to train. I got greedy about the arm from the guard and only woke up a while later.”

Since then Jacaré witnessed the growth of his passion and the transformation of a sport into a global industry, as he himself recounts: “Our art is perhaps the fighting style growing most in the world, reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. Wherever you go, at all four corners of the globe, there is Jiu-Jitsu.” And, without feigned modesty, Jacaré knows he played an important role in this growth: “I’m happy to have helped, along with the others, to get Jiu-Jitsu to where it is. I produced good teachers and students, participated in all the competitions since the ‘70s. Alliance, which was first Jacaré and then Master, is around to this day and even the best in the world these past two years. From it others arose, like Brasa and Check Mat. My mission is being accomplished.”

Gurgel and Jacare

The inspiration for this tireless work comes from the example bestowed on Romero by his great master: “I always converse with my late master Rolls Gracie. I ask him: ‘Now are you satisfied? You left the party early, but we’re here till now to make you happy.’ He answers: ‘Dear Jacaré, this isn’t even the beginning. We still have a long way to go.’”

With the words of Rolls echoing, Jacaré finishes: “In 1989 I promoted my first black belt, Fabio Gurgel. He is without a doubt doing an extraordinary job and if today we have branches in South and North America, Europe and Asia and still remain united, I owe a lot of it to him, who always believed we could stand tall again after all we went through with the split. With work and perseverance, we shall always have the hope of better days to come. I wish the entire Jiu-Jitsu community a 2010 loaded with success and everyone doing their part for this marvelous sport to become even greater so when the day comes that we meet our eternal masters, Carlos, Helio, Rolls and Carlson, once again we may ask them: “Where do we go to train?”