Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year News!



Here is some exciting Alliance news for 2011!

-New Fundamentals and Self Defense Class on Saturdays from 9am-10am. This is the perfect class for anyone who can't make our noon advanced training. Clinton, our manager, and a certified Alliance Instructor will be teaching (I know the ladies will be happy about that). Class starts January 8th 2011.

-New 7am Class on Wednesdays. Our 7am class has grown considerably in the past year. Professor Jacare agreed that its time to add another class on Wednesdays! More BJJ for the money! What other school offers 19 BJJ classes per week? Class starts January 8th 2011.

-2011 Alliance Phase I Instructors Course Confirmed. We have confirmed the dates for our next Instructors course. March 14th, 15th and 16th. From 9am until noon. Cost is $400. Spots will sell our quick so pre-register soon.

-2011 Pan Training Camp. In 2010 Alliance won the Pans by a huge margin. Incredibly, Alliance Atlanta athletes scored enough points alone to win the tournament. To prepare our team for a repeat performance we will be having our annual camp from the 14th to the 19th of March. Two and a half hour competition specific classes will be held twice daily from Monday thru friday, with one final class on Saturday.





Monday, December 27, 2010

Packing on the Christmas Pounds?

New York Times Article from 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exercising-before-breakfast


Phys Ed: The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast

Ian Spanier/Getty Images
The holiday season brings many joys and, unfortunately, many countervailing dietary pitfalls. Even the fittest and most disciplined of us can succumb, indulging in more fat and calories than at any other time of the year. The health consequences, if the behavior is unchecked, can be swift and worrying. A recent study by scientists in Australia found that after only three days, an extremely high-fat, high-calorie diet can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Waistlines also can expand at this time of year, prompting self-recrimination and unrealistic New Year’s resolutions.
But a new study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias.
Phys Ed
For the study, researchers in Belgium recruited 28 healthy, active young men and began stuffing them with a truly lousy diet, composed of 50 percent fat and 30 percent more calories, overall, than the men had been consuming. Some of the men agreed not to exercise during the experiment. The rest were assigned to one of two exercise groups. The groups’ regimens were identical and exhausting. The men worked out four times a week in the mornings, running and cycling at a strenuous intensity. Two of the sessions lasted 90 minutes, the others, an hour. All of the workouts were supervised, so the energy expenditure of the two groups was identical.
Their early-morning routines, however, were not. One of the groups ate a hefty, carbohydrate-rich breakfast before exercising and continued to ingest carbohydrates, in the form of something like a sports drink, throughout their workouts. The second group worked out without eating first and drank only water during the training. They made up for their abstinence with breakfast later that morning, comparable in calories to the other group’s trencherman portions.
The experiment lasted for six weeks. At the end, the nonexercising group was, to no one’s surprise, super-sized, having packed on an average of more than six pounds. They had also developed insulin resistance — their muscles were no longer responding well to insulin and weren’t pulling sugar (or, more technically, glucose) out of the bloodstream efficiently — and they had begun storing extra fat within and between their muscle cells. Both insulin resistance and fat-marbled muscles are metabolically unhealthy conditions that can be precursors of diabetes.
The men who ate breakfast before exercising gained weight, too, although only about half as much as the control group. Like those sedentary big eaters, however, they had become more insulin-resistant and were storing a greater amount of fat in their muscles.
Only the group that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. They also burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently. “Our current data,” the study’s authors wrote, “indicate that exercise training in the fasted state is more effective than exercise in the carbohydrate-fed state to stimulate glucose tolerance despite a hypercaloric high-fat diet.”
Just how exercising before breakfast blunts the deleterious effects of overindulging is not completely understood, although this study points toward several intriguing explanations. For one, as has been known for some time, exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. When you burn fat, you obviously don’t store it in your muscles. In “our study, only the fasted group demonstrated beneficial metabolic adaptations, which eventually may enhance oxidative fatty acid turnover,” said Peter Hespel, Ph.D., a professor in the Research Center for Exercise and Health at Catholic University Leuven in Belgium and senior author of the study.
At the same time, the fasting group showed increased levels of a muscle protein that “is responsible for insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle and thus plays a pivotal role in regulation of insulin sensitivity,” Dr Hespel said.
In other words, working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight.
There are caveats, of course. Exercising on an empty stomach is unlikely to improve your performance during that workout. Carbohydrates are easier for working muscles to access and burn for energy than fat, which is why athletes typically eat a high-carbohydrate diet. The researchers also don’t know whether the same benefits will accrue if you exercise at a more leisurely pace and for less time than in this study, although, according to Leonie Heilbronn, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia, who has extensively studied the effects of high-fat diets and wrote a commentary about the Belgian study, “I would predict low intensity is better than nothing.”
So, unpleasant as the prospect may be, set your alarm after the next Christmas party to wake you early enough that you can run before sitting down to breakfast. “I would recommend this,” Dr. Heilbronn concluded, “as a way of combating Christmas” and those insidiously delectable cookies.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Cobrinha's last day

After some emotional speachs everyone lined up for one last photo with Cobrinha before he leaves








Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Alliance Grand Slam Seminar -Success

Thank you to all who Supported the Alliance Competition Team!




Monday, December 13, 2010

Alliance Christmas Party


We will be having our annual Christmas party at Nori Nori, which is located at 6690 Roswell Road Sandy Springs, GA 30328-3161 (The corner of Roswell rd and Abernathy). For those that don't know, Nori Nori is a 4 star all you can eat sushi and seafood buffet.

We will not be having class on Saturday but there will be an Open Mat from 12-1pm if anyone is interested in working up an appetite. For those that don't want to train, please be at the restaurant by 1:30pm


The lunch will be $18.95 + tax and gratuity. This includes all the food you can eat and unlimited fountain drinks (Alcohol is extra).

All payments will be handled by the restaurant, but we need to give them a head count so please sign up at the front desk.

Cobrinha's new school in LA - interview from facebook page

In an audio interview during the 2010 Mundials, 8-time BJJ World Champion Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles Maciel announced his intention to open a school in California. After looking at many different locations throughout the state, he has signed a lease and is packing his bags to head to Los Angeles. We sat down with Cobrinha to get his thoughts on his future school and what his plans are.
What’s new, Cobrinha?
A lot is new! I am moving to California to open my own school - I have been talking about it for a while, but I am excited to finally say that we have a location and I am preparing for the next chapter of my life. This has been a dream of mine since I received my black belt.

When will the school be open?
Sometime in January. They are working on the space right now to get it ready for classes. As they are working on the facility, I am working on the business side of things and getting ready to move. Everything is happening very fast, and I am excited to get everything in place to start teaching classes.

Where is the new school located?
My new school is located at 4929 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Suite 104. It is close to West Hollywood, about 25 minutes from the airport. It is located on the first floor of a mid-rise office building.  An office building location is a little unorthodox, but I think it’ll be great – there’s lots of parking, which is difficult to come by in this area.  It is also a very professional setting which is aligned with the way I will run my school.

How big is your facility?
I’ll have everything people will need to get a great workout, and then to clean up, of course.  My school is 3400 square feet with around 2000 feet of mat space, so there’ll be plenty of room to roll. The school has both men’s and women’s changing rooms, fully equipped with showers.

What made you choose this location?
I prefer living in a big city, and it is hard to beat the energy and opportunities that Los Angeles offers.  The climate is similar to my home in Brazil, so I can spend more time outside. Also, Alliance is not currently represented in the Los Angeles area, so it is a way for us to have a base in the area for the many tournaments that take place in California.

Will you be teaching classes there?
Yes, I’m excited to be teaching all classes every day.

Will the classes be focused on competition jiu-jitsu?
Of course I would like to have a good competition team, but it will not be the only focus. I would like to have a balance of sport jiu-jitsu and practical jiu-jitsu to cater to everybody’s interest.

What will the class structure be?
I have always been structured and disciplined when it comes to training and teaching and think that’s what makes athletes successful.  Basically, each week we will be focusing on a certain position and building on that position for the whole week. I do not like showing random techniques each night; I prefer to build on the previous lesson so that we can build a good foundation in our techniques. We will have a fundamentals class that we build upon in our advanced classes. Fundamentals and advanced classes will run back-to-back and will be structured so that people new to jiu jitsu can join and start learning the fundamentals at any point, and the structured fundamentals course will ensure that new students learn the basics quickly.

Is the school open to everyone from different teams?
Yes, all students of jiu-jitsu are welcome. I will be setting up a visitation program for people travelling from around the world to have a place to stay when they are training at my school. I love to meet people from all over who enjoy my style of jiu-jitsu.

LA is a big jiu-jitsu city.  Other than the fact that you’re a 8X World Championship winner, why should people come to your school, in particular?
I think one of the reasons people will want to come train with me is that they enjoy my style of jiu jitsu, which is aggressive and always going for the submission.  They will also see that I really enjoy teaching people at all levels and with different objectives in the sport – whether it be someone who just enjoys jiu jitsu as a part-time hobby or someone who wants to be a world champion.  I get a lot of satisfaction in helping each person reach his/her own goals, whatever they may be.  People who aren’t sure should come check it out with a free trial class!

How long will the classes be?
The fundamental classes will be one hour and the advanced classes will be an hour and a half. I think this is an ideal time frame – it’s important that beginners are careful and don’t burn out or get injured.  However, on the advanced side, we need more intensity, but still need to get people out in enough time to do their day jobs.

Will you be competing in 2011?
Maybe. Right now I am focused on getting my school running first, but I always have a passion for competition.  I have continued to train consistently because I am not ready to close that door.

How do I contact you to learn more about the school?
Right now, you can email me at cobrinhacharles@yahoo.com.br - I will also be posting updated contact information on my website rubenscharles.com and my facebook page as soon as I get things set up.

Anything else in closing?
First of all, I look forward to seeing you in LA!  Come by and check out the school!  But very importantly, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Jacare for allowing me to teach at his school for the past 3 years. I have learned so much not only jiu-jitsu, but also how to run a business and how to be a good instructor. I would also like to thank the students of Alliance Atlanta for their patience with me. They have also taught me a lot about how to teach. When I came, I spoke very little English, but I learned quickly with their help. They will always have a home in LA whenever they want!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

New Alliance Black Belt! Adam Hunnicutt

Professor Jacare recently promoted long time student Adam Hunnicutt to the rank of Black Belt! Adam trains with instructors Rafael Rosendo Dos Santos and Billy Fletcher in Greenville SC.



His demonstration is below:

Corrected Holiday Schedule!

We will be having class on Wednesday the 22nd!












Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Alliance Holiday Schedule

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See Everyone There!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Following win in São Paulo, Sérgio heads to U.S. to preach gi gospel - Graciemag article

by Carlos Eduardo Ozório — December 6, 2010.
 


 

Serginho also focuses on 2011 Worlds. Photo: Alicia Anthony.

Sérgio Moraes won the World Cup belt at this weekend’s Fernando “Fepa”-produced event in São Paulo. After winning the absolute on Saturday, the Alliance ace overcame then-title holder Alexandre de Souza (Gracie Floripa) on Sunday.
“The event was packed and it was awesome. I was stoked about my win. My best match was against Alexandre. I managed to come up with a good win in the end. I feel we gave the spectators a great match, and thank God, I’m the one who went home with the belt this year,” he tells GRACIEMAG.com.
Now the fighter is getting ready for a move to the USA, where he will work on his MMA training, but he won’t be leaving the gi out of his training.
Check out what he had to say:
Will you compete in Jiu-Jitsu in 2011 or will you stay focused on MMA?
I intend to compete at all the main events, like the European, Pan, Worlds, ADCC, World Pro, World Cup… The important thing is to train properly; so long as I’m trained I’ll compete in whatever comes up. I like it, that adrenaline from being matside or ringside.
When will you move to the USA for good?
I’ll spend the end of the year here in Brazil with family, then I’ll move to San Diego. I’ll teach at Minotauro’s academy.
I’m always focused on Jiu-Jitsu, whether in the gi or for MMA. We’ll get the guys training for real. Guys who train in the gi now how it helps determine technical quality, so I want to get everyone training in the gi. We’ll have some first-rate training.
What will improve for you at Minotauro’s academy (reminding of how Sérgio continues to represent Alliance)?
Being on Minotauro’s team will add a lot to my MMA and also, by being abroad, it will get me a lot more visibility. I’ll be on the side with the goal! But the first step is to train, evolve.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

New Blue Belt

Congratz to Alan Dumbra!

Letter From a Friend

Jacare received this email from our good friend and long time student Major Troy Thomas:



Jacare,

Hello, my Friend.  Can you believe it will be 10 years next month that I first came to the Prodo to train with you.  A lot has happened in that 10 years.  Three different schools.  Some health scares.  9-11.  The birth of my son, 10 more years of marriage (for us both), 3 total years deployed to war (8 different times), being promoted to Major in the Army.  Seeing the Army Combatives Program come full circle and continue to spread the Art of jiu-jitsu.  All this has been rewarding and/or life changing, and I'm glad that your have been a close friend through all of it.

One of the proudest achievement for me in this time is being promoted to Brown Belt by you.  I often tell people when they ask me why I stay with Jacare.  I always tell them, "Why would I go to another school when I'm already at Harvard?"  Thank you for everything, and to another 10 great years!!!

God Bless.

Your Friend and Student,

Troy

Please tell everyone hello from me.  I will see you sometime this summer when I get back.  I will then be moving to Montgomery Alabama some time in the middle of July. (Still close enough to come train once in a while.)

Alliance Grand Slam Seminar

What: Alliance Grand Slam Seminar!


YOU CAN HELP ALLIANCE WIN THE IBJJF GRAND SLAM BY ATTENDING THIS SEMINAR! – First Base is The European Championship, followed by the Brazilian, Pan, and finally the Worlds!


Purpose: To fundraise for Alliance Competition Team! All proceeds will go to Alliance Atlanta Competitors who will be traveling to Portugal for the European Championships on January 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th. This trip will cost about $1000 USD per person!


When: Sunday December 12th 12pm-2:00pm


Who: 4 Alliance Black Belts showing their most prized techniques:


Master Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti

Chris Moriarty

D.J. Farmer

Adam BenShea


How Much: $25 Pre-register by Saturday December 11th, $35 At door CASH ONLY

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Alliance Superstar Marcelo Garcia HL

This was left open on my computer today so i thought I'd share. I had forgotten how awesome he is :)

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Jacare Seminar in Greenvile SC

Jacare will be holding a Seminar in our Association school in South Carolina  

Monday, November 29, 2010

Copa Alliance in São Paulo, Brazil


Pictures from this event please go to:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=30089&id=111479765554567&fbid=164712600231283

Learn from Alliance’s newest black belt - Graciemag article

by Marcelo Dunlop — November 29, 2010.


Big with Jiu-Jitsu fans in the United States, having an extensive fan club of his own, stalwart competitor Ian McPherson (Alliance Atlanta) was just promoted to the rank of black belt after nine years of training and lots of dedication.
“Ian got his black belt in Atlanta at the end of October. Besides him, Jordan Schultz was promoted to brown belt after beating Ronis Gracie at the last World Championship”, remarked Romero Jacaré, leader of Alliance Georgia, USA.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Ahi Tuna Jerky Available at Store

Ask the Managers for details, only $6.99

New Healthy Training Snack Available at Front Desk!

Only 6.99 Per Bag! High quality tuna jerky is a staple in any athletes diet. Prof. Jacare eats it!!!!



Better than Beef

A quality product starts with quality ingredients something you will not find in the beef jerky market. Beef jerky is made from older steers graded at the bottom of the FDA’s eight tier rating system for beef products. Itsumo Ahi Tuna Jerky is made from only the highest quality sushi in the world.

DHA Omega 3

There has been a dramatic surge in interest recently amongst the public and health professionals alike on the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish oils. DHA plus EPA are both considered to have beneficial effects in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease plus associated risk factors as well as other chronic disorders.

Natural Sea Salt

Itsumo’s promise is to always use the most natural and healthy ingredients. That’s why we stay away from processing and artificial additives, just look at our label. You can read and pronounce everything on it. What a change! Don’t you think it’s time you have natural, healthy snacking a chance.

A World Leader

We are the world leader in Sashimi Ahi production with 15 tons processed daily. Our main facility in the Southern Phillipines employs our patented chemical free, CO free, and chlorine free shelf life extension and pathogen elimination technology to yield true Japanese grade AAA #1 Ahi Tuna Jerky.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Can 270lbs Men Jump?

Monday, November 22, 2010

Thanksgiving schedule


In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday we will be closed Thursday the 25th through Saturday the 27th.We will be having normal classes Monday - Wednesday so we expect to see everyone training until the break. Hope eveyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Chris Moriarty Friday Nights

With 285 gridlocked we had the opportunity to work with Chris in a smaller group. He covered a lot of details and gave us some awesome review on foot sweeps and related throws

Part 1 - Theory


Part 2 - Drills



Part 3 - Technique

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Jacare teaches and confers black belt degrees in Texas

Last November 13th, the patriarch of the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu team, seventh degreered and black Belt Romero ‘Jacare’ Cavalcanti, gave a Seminar in Dallas, Texas for the three Alliance team affiliates(Mohler MMA, Pesadelo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Texas Elite).

It was extremely well attended by about 100 members of all ranks and sizes. The good attendance showed the strength and growth of not just the team, but of the gentle art as a whole in Texas.


Professor ‘Jacare’ showed many of the techniques proven in high level competition in a very logical and precise manner and imparted his love for Jiu-Jitsu as he exhibited his passion for detail that he has given to the Alliance team over many years.

After the techniques and drills were done for the seminar, Jacare’ promoted several of the Black Belts present. Allen Mohler received his 3rd Degree, Jon Bjorksten received his 2nd Degree, and Marcus Hicks, Carl Ortega, Jeff Hennen, and Kirk Gibson all were promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt.


http://www.graciemag.com/en/2010/11/jacare-teaches-and-confers-black-belt-degrees-in-texas/



Wednesday, November 17, 2010

News from Michael Langi Seminar in the UK

Michael on Back

Group photo

2 new blues


We received this email from our friend and Instructor Lee Livingstone after Micheal Langi spent a week teaching at our Alliance schools in the UK



Hey Clinton,

Just thought i'd send you a few pics of our Michael Langhi training week.

It was a fantastic week of training where Michael showed us his world famous
"Spider Guard" techniques. Michael is an excellent instructor & great ambassador
 for Alliance JJ. We also had x2 guys promoted to blue belt by Michael
 - Keith Joseph & Terry Emery.

Regards,

Lee

Congratz to Dennis Siver

Congratz to Alliance Purple Belt Dennis Siver, who had an impressive win over Andre Winner by choke in the first round of his fight in UFC 122