A Christmas Video

Cobrinha told Gracie Mag all about the video from the Alliance Christmas Party, the video is here.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/ElbFdECT3zUxq9kV

Happy Holidays!!!

There will be no classes until Monday the 4th of January 2010. All the best over this Holiday Season, we will see you next year

Interview With Jacare

Jacare recently did an interview with Combat Journal:

Interview with: Jacare Cavalcanti

Interview with: Jacare Cavalcanti. System: Brazilian jiujitsu Interview conducted by: Salim Badat CJ-How did you get started in Jiu-jitsu? JC-I started when I was about 12 years old with Jaildo Gomes a brother of a famous NHB fighter Ivan Gomes in Copacabana, Rio De Janeiro where I grew up, it was a small school and I trained there until I got my yellow belt then I quitted for a little while and then started again at Carlson Gracie school when I was 16. CJ-Please tell us about Rolls Gracie? JC-I met Rolls when he began to teach at Carlson school in 1971, then I moved to NY in 72, and he went there to visit his mother in a regular basis and we became good friends, later I moved back to Rio and him and Carlson were sharing a school, I went to one of his classes and became his student until he passed way in 82. CJ-What is unique about your style of Jiu-jitsu? JC-My style is based on what I have learned from Rolls, Carlos Gracie, Crolin Gracie, Reyson Gracie and Rickson, mainly from Rolls and a lot hard work developing new ways to train my students and giving them the resources to be succesful not only in competition but in life too. CJ-What are the most important basic elements of Jiujitsu? JC-All Jiu Jitsu elements are very important: a good guard, a good mount, side control, escapes, passing, taking downs, etc.... You have to be good all round. Do you conduct seminars abroad? We have affiliated school around the world and I teach seminars in North America, South America and Europe all the time. CJ-What is your diet and personal training routine? JC-Well I am 57 years old now and dealing with some health issues now, but I always took care of myself, I eat very clean with lots of fruits and vegetables, I train and exercise almost every day all my life. CJ-Where you a natural at Jiujitsu? JC-Not really, but I loved to train and was very flexible and athletic, I lived on the beach and that helped too, always surfing, running, playing soccer, swimming, in Rio we have a very healthy life, close to nature all the time with nice beaches and mountains and of course growing up with the Gracies and training with them all the time in the their house in Teresopolis made me understand the principles and the philosophy of the art. CJ-Do your students cross train and compete in mixed martial arts? JC-I have been teaching for almost 25 years and there are times when I had students competing in MMA but most of my students are really focused in training jiu jitsu, competing in jiu jiutsu with gi or no-gi tournaments, we won the world championship (Mundials) 4 times in 98, 99,08 and 09 and that is more rewarding than anything is a proof of your style and your team being the best. CJ-What is the most important advice you can give a student? JC-Well first of all they have to connected with our philosophy of life, they have to know who we are where we came from and what we expect from them, they just have to be respectful, train hard and pay attention to the details when we teach, that’s all. CJ-What attributes and qualities make a good Jiu-jitsu teacher? JC-Treat jiu jitsu as science, be very patient, have passion to teach and observe how you can get the best of each student, you have to water the plant everyday to grow. CJ-You head two strong teams .Please tell us about them and their achievements? JC-I head only one team the Alliance the others split from us and wish them the best but my team is the Alliance. We won many titles 4 world championships, many Pan am tournaments, brazilian and state tournaments, MMA challenges, Naga events here in Georgia, Abu Dhabi individual titles, man there is so many that I can’t keep track, but for sure we are one of the most important teams of all times and we already have secured our place in history, I can say for sure that I helped to build the house. CJ-Who are some of your top students in the USA and Brazil? JC-They are so many but just to name a few: Fabio and Fernando Gurgel, Alexandre Paiva, Leo and Rico Vieira, Roger Brooking, Chris Moriarty, Ian, Ryan, Bull Shaw, Ratinho, Felipe Neto and Felipe Costa, Alec, Jamanta, Darren, Chace,Pinduka, Toti, Telo, Paulo Bodas, Peck, Meme and the new generation like Cobrinha, Marcelo Garcia, Gabriel Goulart, Lucas Lepre, Batista, Tarsis, Tati, Gabi, Luana, Thiago, Rafa, etc.. some don’t train with me in a regular basis but are all part of our team, In fact I have or had so many good students that I forget sometimes. CJ-Do you accept foreign students to come over and train with you? JC-Of course we have students from all over the world training here in Atlanta with us all the time, they are very well treated and learn a lot, all they need to do is contact us at the school 404-843-0606 or send me an email tomasterjacare@gmail.com or checking our site at www.alliancebjj.com. CJ-Please tell us of your future goals and achievements? JC-My goals are always to try to be a good instructor, have a good team, stay healthy and make my students successful inside and outside the mats, take good care of my family, help as many people as I can and win as many important championships as possible and most important live a good life. CJ-Thank you for allowing us to interview you. JC-It was a great honor to share a little bit of my life with you, thanks.

Phillipe Gentry Fighting Jan 9th.

Hey Guys, our Brown Belt Phillipe is fighting on this card. The number to order tickets is at the bottom of the flier. Hiram is in extreme Northwest of the Atlanta Suburbs. He is fighting Jason Valle a 3-1 fighter from American Top Team.

Eating Healthy over the Break

In the interest of not gaining to much over the break I found an article on eating over the Holidays, it was at: eatthis.womenshealthmag.com. I like it because it gives you regular food options, and is very easy to follow.

Worst Holiday Appetizer

Crab Cakes

400 calories

19 g fat

This is what happens when poor, defenseless crab is bound in mayo, rolled in breadcrumbs, and dropped into a vat of bubbling fat: you end up with a single, calamitous cake that packs more calories than three dozen shrimp. (As bad as it may be, it has nothing on some of the appetizers being served at chain restaurants all year long.) Opt for the crustacean cocktail, but keep your dipping under wraps; most cocktail sauces are light in calories, but loaded with sodium.Eat This Instead!

Shrimp Cocktail (12 shrimp)

165 calories

1 g fat

Worst Holiday Party Cocktail

Gin and Tonic

210 calories

22 g sugars

You may be shocked to see the light-tasting G&T on this list, but the sad truth is that tonic water contains more than 20 grams of sugar per 8-oz serving, making it nothing more than a glorified 7 Up. Champagne is just as bubbly but contains only one-fourth of the sugar—plus, you can't look classier than you do holding a champagne flute, right? Drink This Instead!

Champagne

100 calories

5 g sugars

Worst Holiday Party Snack

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

285 calories
17 g fat (11 g saturated)

Looking at your Aunt Debbie's recipe for spinach and artichoke dip, you might get confused. Aside from, well, spinach and artichokes, the ingredient list reads like a roll call of the worst offenders out there: mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese, not to mention whatever other cheeses Deb likes to throw in to make it hers. And that's without the chips or hulking hunks of bread. Limit yourself to one chip's worth and fill the rest of your snack plate with something healthier, like the classic Italian appetizer, prosciutto-wrapped melon balls.Eat This Instead!

Melon Balls Wrapped in Prosciutto

100 calories
7 g fat (2 g saturated)

Worst Holiday Beer

Sam Adams Holiday Porter

211 calories
13 g carbohydrates
6% alcohol

Winter-themed beers tend to be heavier and higher in alcohol content, so it's no surprise that Sam's seasonal brew is loaded with extra calories. But there are too many quality low-calorie cervezas to ever mess with one that cracks the dubious 200-calorie threshold. Downgrade to Sam Adams Light and you'll save 87 calories a pop-no small amount when you consider how much beer some people put down during the holiday season Instead!

Sam Adams Light

124 calories
9 g carbohydrates
4.2% alcohol

Worst Holiday Side

Baked potato w/ butter and sour cream

400 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated)

The difference here is in the toppings—add bacon and cheese to the mix, and add an extra 150 calories. Another smart sides rule: Not all salads are paragons of virtue. Greens with croutons and Italian dressing pack in 140 more calories than a serving of peas with pearl onions.

Roasted red potatoes (1/2 cup)

100 calories
5 g fat (1 g saturated)

Worst Holiday Entrée

Prime Rib

750 calories
45 g fat

The only thing prime about the prime rib is the price you pay for eating it. This coveted holiday cut comes from one of the fattiest parts of the cow, which explains the thick rim of greasy stuff you must saw through to get to the meat. In fact, you can pretty much guarantee that any time you see the word “prime” on a menu, you’ll be ordering an extra 50 to 100 calories over the next dish, easily. Beef tenderloin is just as tasty with just a small fraction of the calories and fat.Eat This Instead!

Beef Tenderloin

165 calories
7 g fat (3 g saturated)

Worst Holiday Dessert

Pecan Pie a la Mode

810 calories
65 g fat
55 g sugars

In the wide world of holiday pies, nothing is worse than a slice of pecan. True, some of the fat is healthy fat from the nuts. Most of these calories, though, come from the filling, which is a sickly-sweet sludge of corn syrup and sugar. Fondue, in comparison, is a fun and relatively healthy way to splurge after a big meal. Angel food cake makes an ideal dipper: light, low in calories, and-because it's made with egg whites-virtually fat-free. Use fruit instead and you'll save even more calories.Eat This Instead!

Chocolate Fondue

340 calories
10 g fat
28 g sugars

Monday Evening Class

Kicking off the last short week of the year, Jacare showed an effective way to pass the Sit Up Guard



To start the technique Cobrinha is sitting up looking to sweep Jacare.







Jacare counters by stepping back, grabbing behind Cobrinha's shoulder and dropping his head into Cobrinha's chest







As Jacare falls back, take note of the pressure he is keeping on Cobrinha's head with his shoulder. Jacare also keeps control of Cobrinha's far leg





As you can see from this angle Jacare keeps his weight on top of Cobrinha's head while keeping Cobrinha flat on his back. At this point Jacare uses his free leg to push on Cobrinha's knee and release his trapped leg







Once Jacare frees his leg he controls Cobrinha in side control

News from our friends in the UK

Hi Jacare,

Brothers Joe and Jack Young who train with us both competed in Judo
competitions this weekend. Jack who now fights at black belt won
gold in the London open, winning two fights with throws and two via
submissions (collar choke and armbar).

Joe fought the following day and also won gold in his division (blue belt)
winning all of his matches again with a mix of throws and submissions with
the longest of his fights only lasting 20 secs!! Joe also took silver in his
first BJJ comp last weekend and hes only 14!!

Hopefully future stars of Alliance

Take care, Lee


This is awesome news guys! Congratz to you and your students, keep up the great work

Alliance Holiday Schedule

Just a reminder that we will be having regular classes up till Wednesday evening. We will be closed from Thursday the 24th and will resume Monday the 4th of January.

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday and we will see you next year

Promotions!!!!

Last night Jacare surprised us all with the announcement of 2 new Black Belts.
DJ Farmer and Damion Keys have been training with us since Jacare's first school in Atlanta. This is an incredible achievement and well deserved!
Also moving up in rank was Derik Kaivani (Brown) and Stephen Foster (Blue).
Both Derrik and Stephen have been really dedicated and deserved to be rewarded for their hard work

Thursday Beginners class

Today's class started with the running judo drills. The technique was the cross choke from the guard.




Jennifer has Denise in her Closed Guard.







Jen breaks Denise's posture by pulling Denise towards her with her legs. Jen then feeds her right hand into Denise's collar with her palm up






Jeniffer then slips her left hand under her right arm into Denise's other collar. For this technique both hands are palm up







To apply pressure to the choke Jen uses her legs to pull Denise towards her, turns her wrist and brings her elbows to the mat

Alliance - Home of the Original Puppy Mittens

Clinton here, Alliance Manager and dog enthusiast!
Are you tired of your dog's claws making too much noise all the time?
Is your dog's stomping around driving you crazy?
Think there's no answer? There is:
PUPPY MITTENS!!!

So come on down to Alliance, home of the Original Puppy Mittens

Tuesday Lunch Class

Today we had great turn out. We also have some visitors from Ohio and Texas. Everyone is trying to burn off some calories before the holidays.

- Cobrinha and Chase

- Colin and Jordan

- Nate and Jacare

- Pedro and ...

- Jacare explaining his BJJ philosophy

- Julia and Eduardo

- Tracy and Patcick

- Diego and Kenny

- Clinton and Diego

Jacare Interview

Jacare was recently interviewed by Caleb and the guys at the Fightworks Podcast.

http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2009/12/13/romero-jacare-cavalcanti-alliance/

Lutador Charity Event

This last Saturday Lutador hosted a charity tournament with Toy's for Tots. While we only had a handful of guys competing this time, everyone that went made us all proud :)

Alec Baulding, Clinton Gouveia and Preston Smith closed out the Purple Belt Middle Weight Division

And the Advanced N0-GI Middle Weight

Jordan Schultz won both the GI Purple Belt and No-GI Advanced Light Weight Divisions.

Unfortunately no pics but Jeff Cummings and Mark Diffley closed out both the GI Blue Belt and No-GI Intermediate Light Weight Divisions

Congratz to all the competitors and thanks to Jacare, Cobrinha and all our training partners.

We only have a few results, but I'll add to it as we get more

Monday Lunch Class

Today Jacare started with a takedown defense to a back attack:




This was followed by Cobrinha teaching a guard pass:




And a demonstration: