NO-GI Worlds Live Stream

This year's No-GI World Championships will be streamed live from Cali free of charge!
We have a bunch of our guys competing in this one so anyone interested can follow the links to see the SCHEDULE and WATCH THE EVENT.

Good Luck to all the competitors!

An Interview

I did an interview with one of our frequently competing students, Jordan Schultz, as he gets ready for the No-Gi Worlds:

Name:

Jordon W Schultz

Age:

24

Place of Birth:

Buffalo, NY

Belt:

Purple Belt

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

My first academy was a school in Jamestown N.Y. that was affiliated with Carson Gracie. The atmosphere was productive and encouraged individual growth.

Who was your first jiu-jitsu teacher?

My first teacher was a De La Riva black belt named Charles Anzalone.

What can you tell us about your personal history?

There’s really not much to share about my personal life. I’ve always been completely consumed by either jiu jitsu, school, work or a combination of the aforementioned. I believe there is no reason to do anything in life unless you strive to be the best it. Because of my passion for jiu jitsu I recently moved to the Alliance headquarters with the sole intent of training with the Alliance team.

What is your academic history?

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology. I completed the academic requirements in 2008; finishing with a perfect 4.0/4.0 grade point average.

What is your jiu-jitsu/martial arts history?

I started jiu jitsu in 2005, but prior to that I had only studied karate for a few years as a young child.

What is your family like?

I have two sisters and parents that are supportive of my endeavors in jiu jitsu.

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

No. And, that’s one of the many reasons I like jiu jitsu: anyone, no matter your athletic background, can get good at it.

What is your competition history?

I’ve been competing 12-15 times a year since I got my blue belt in 2006. I’ve lost many, many matches, but also won a few.

What is your proudest Jiu-Jitsu accomplishment?

Placing third in the combined Purple/Brown/Black belt division at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Pro gi trials. I was then invited to compete in the Abu Dhabi Gi World ‘s, but unfortunately I could not go due to several personal reasons.

What are some of your tournament wins?

First Place - IBJJF Pan No Gi Jiu Jitsu Championship, Adult Purple Belt, Leve

Third Place - Adu Dhabi Pro Gi Trials, Adult Brown/Black Belt, -65 kilograms

First Place - Adu Dhabi Pro Gi Trials, Adult Purple Belt, -65 kilograms

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

I practice Jiu Jitsu two times a day Monday thru Thursday, and once on both Friday and Saturday. In addition, I’ve been doing extra no-gi training after regular classes. I also do Crossfit at Crossfit Sandy Springs 6 days a week.

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

It’s the same. The only difference is that I train Crossfit less often. Usually 3 to 4 times per week. I highly recommend Crossfit to anyone who does jiu jitsu.

What are your overall goals in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I want to earn a living with jiu jitsu through both competing and teaching. Winning the IBJJF world championships at purple, brown and black belt is essential for me.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’d like to thank Jacare and Cobrinha for being excellent teachers and mentors. I highly respect both of them, and I’m thankful for having the opportunity to learn from two of the best jiu jitsu practitioners in the world. I’m also very grateful to all my training partners. Alliance Atlanta is the friendliest and most welcoming academy that I’ve ever been to, and not to mention that there are world champions at every belt color training here. Everyone that I’ve meet here has helped me both on and off the mat. Lastly, I can’t imagine why anyone would come to Atlanta and not train here.

A Letter from our UK Guys

Jacare just received a letter from Alliance UK and I wanted to share it with everyone. Good luck in the competition Lee, and we would love to have you over here whenever you can make it!

"Hi Jacare,

How are you, hope all is well over there.

Everything is good here although getting a bit cold!! Our bjj intro classes
are doing good and we are preparing the guys for
the upcomoing comp in dec. Tonight we drilled plenty of judo to make sure
their stand up is sharp. I took some good pics from tonights class
i have included for you.

We have a couple of Gracie schools quite close to us and recently a few guys
have come to roll with us. A few of them enjoyed it so much they have now
left and joined our school!!

I was hoping to make a trip over before christmas but work has been getting
busy so i think it will be January now if thats ok.

Oh and please keep up the Alliance blog, it is really helpfull and we use
drills all the time that you and the guys post on there.

Take care, Lee"

Thursday Night Beginners Class

Today's beginner's class focused on passing the Guard, and specifically the correct way to posture and break guard.

To start the move Jacare is in Bob's guard and makes sure that he's sitting up straight so he does't expose his arms or his neck to an attack

Jacare controls Bob's hips and collar as he stands up.

Once standing Jacare forces his hips back and that's what opens the guard

Thursday Lunch Class

Today Jacare taught a way to take the back off of a attempted guard pass:

Competition

I was reading another website, and came across this article. It is written for wrestlers, but it has a lot of cross-over for BJJ players. Taken from: http://beta.mattgentry.com/coach's-corner/wrestling-tips

Tips for Wrestling Competitions

Somebody asked me a while ago how I 'manage' a competition, so I thought I would post some of the things I've learned over the years, mostly from trial and error and bad experience. A lot of this has to do with energy management for a long day of competition, but there are a few tricks in there as well.

Expect delays, but remember they affect everybody, so don't let them throw you off.

If you are called unexpectedly to the mat, don't rush over there. They will wait for you, so finish your warm-up and make sure you are focused and ready to compete as you make your way over there, don't rush over and not be focused when the match starts.

Be sure to communicate what you like to hear in the match from your coach. Whether it is time left in a period, technique, motivation, screaming insults, whatever.

You usually wrestle later than you think. Even after you get called to the mat, it will probably be another 20 minutes, so make sure you don't start your warm-up too early. I hate to see people let their nerves get to them and warm up for an hour before every match, it is a huge waste of energy. Force yourself to sit down and relax.

Along those lines, I used to not eat during the competition because I thought I would be up soon and didn't want food in my stomach. Force yourself to eat something so you have energy for the day. You eat for your last matches of the day, not the next one.

Bringing toilet paper and hand sanitizer to the competition is a must, especially in foreign countries!

Especially in long tournaments, it is very good to get out of the gym in between your matches, get some fresh air, get out of the noise, and refresh yourself. Sitting in the gym all day is exhausting, just ask your parents who don't even compete. If you lessen that toll, you will be fresher at the end of the day. Obviously, tell someone where you are going in case you suddenly come up, but you should be able to time it so you don't miss a match.

Noise is draining, so at long tournaments I bring and wear a set of earplugs. Seriously, it is a secret weapon. One time, I was so focused I forgot to take them out and wrestled my entire match with them in. It was one of my best performances because I was so focused. And yes, I could still hear my coaches, it only blocks out the background noise.

A fresh set of clothes, including socks and underwear, can make you feel like a new person. It is amazing what getting out of the clothes that are sweaty from your warm-up and first couple matches will do.

Make sure you come 'down' in between matches. Don't stay at a peak all day, always ready to wrestle. In between matches, you need to cool down and then sit and completely relax. If you stay at a high pace all day, that is like 10-14 hours straight and is exhausting.

Also, try and not watch too much wrestling. When you watch wrestling, even people you don't know, you subconsciously watch and tense up, at least for me. Remember, you are there as a competitor, not a spectator. You can have somebody film the matches you want to see and watch them later if you really want to.

It is important to film your matches so you can review them later, but don't do it between matches. Take the key points from your coach, but don't focus that much energy on the past, look forward to what you need to do in the future match.

Tuesday Lunch Class Warm-Ups

Today we had a good turnout. We started with a jogging warm-up that included mat drills:

Miami International Open

We had a good turnout at the Miami International, with some great results:

White
Ernesto Borja 3rd
Jose Feritta 1st


Blue
Tim Snyder 3rd
Tim Snyder 1st absolute
Derik Crouch 1st
Derik Crouch 3rd absolute
Mandy Evangelista 1st
Brain Ohara 1st
Raul Andres


Purple
James Shook 2nd
Fawel Abramowicz 2nd
Christain Ledwon 1st


Brown
Jason Evangelista 2nd
Leonardo Ituralde 2nd


Black
Steven Hall 2nd

Monday Class

Today we had covered reestablishing Guard when you are on bottom side-control. Here is a demonstration of the drill:

Teens and Ladies Class

Today was our inaugural Teens and Ladies class. This is a class from 11am-12am every Saturday. It is designed to give everyone a chance to get a great class in. We had a great turnout! We always want new people to come out, so if you have any friends the first class is always free. If they sign up then you get a free month.

Friday Lunch Class

We had a great turnout for lunch class today, especially since it was overcast.

Flower Sweep

Jacare going over the finer points of the Flower Sweep for the beginner's class

Thursday Lunch Class

Today Cobrinha was teaching his back mobility drills to everyone:

Pre-Lunch Thursday

We had a good turn out today, the guys where hanging out right before class began:

And a picture of a large Wednesday night class:

Wednesday Night Class - Back to The Basics

In today's class we went back to the basics and reminderd ourselves of the fundamentals. We warmed up with Judo style grip fighting followed by takedowns and technique. The technique of the day was the Cross Choke from the Mount, Rodger Gracie style!

Warming up - Grip Fighting



Cross Choke from Mount


Jordan starts mounted on Alec, he places his right arm into Alec's collar palm up. Note: As Jordan slides his arm in he shifts his weight to his left, this makes it harder for Alec to bump him off







Jordan places his second hand in the collar palm up (Thumb inside)







To finish the choke, Jordan turns his wrists, pulls his elbows towards his hips and places his head on the the same side as his second hand

Gracie Mag Website

Rafael Rosendo Dos Santos was featured on the Gracie Mag Website today, if you get a chance check out the article.

http://www.graciemag.com/news/144/ARTICLE/16118/2009-10-27.html

Tuesday Lunch Class

Today we warmed up with takedown drills, followed by live takedowns. Nara hit a awesome throw:






This was followed by an escape from side control:

Monday Lunch Class

We had a good turnout for lunch class today, everyone wanted to burn some calories after the weekend.

We started the day with Cobrinha's neck and back flexability warm ups:

This was followed by a basic guillotine defense:

We followed with specific training, passing and defending the guard.

Tracy and Jeff:

Clinton and Cobrinha:

Gracie Mag

Professor Jacare was recently featured on the Gracie Mag website. If you get a chance check it out!

http://www.graciemag.com/news/144/ARTICLE/16055/2009-10-22.html

Thursday Lunch Class

Today we continued our training on single leg takedowns:

Following single legs we did more chokes, and then we had training time. Here we see Eric and Jordan doing a light roll:

Wednesday Lunch Class

Today we started with Yoga warm ups. We then went into variations on the single leg takedown. Jacare covered many options, a demonstration of one:





After Professor demonstrated the takedwon the students did some drilling/light sparring to reinforce the technique:






This was followed by live takedowns, with the leg already secured:

Tuesday Night

Tonight the beginners class started with a personal favorite the zig-zagy snake warm up:

After the warm up Professor Jacare taught us a self defense throw series:

This was followed by a double attack, a cross collar choke followed by a Arm Bar:

Alliance Kids!

Some of the Alliance Kids rolled up on there bikes today, they are hardcore!

New Blue Belts

Some more pictures from Chris and Faron's promotions. Congratulations guys, and train hard!

Saturday Class

Today the Alliance Kids had an intense class:

This was followed by the adult's class. Class today stared with my favorite Jacare Yoga:

Chris and Faron tested for Blue Belts today, both where successful:

A nice sweep during the free roll:

Lutador Pictures

Marisol took some Lutador pictures, and if anyone else has any pictures they want on the blog just send them to bart@alliancebjj.com and we will get them up here.

Thursday Lunch Class

Today we did a lot of rolling, and I showed a new guy some stuff, so no techniques for the blog:

Training Hard

Fresh off our Lutador win we had a packed house tonight!

Despite the fact that there is no tournament on the horizon the classes remain full, awesome dedication guys!

Thursday Night Beginners Class

Today's beginner's class opened up with some fundamental self-defense.

To start the technique, Bart grabs Jacare from behind. Jacare immediately protects his neck, squats down to lower his base so Bart can't pull him backwards

Jacare puts his chin to his chest and throws Bart over his head

Note: Jacare keeps his balance and doesn't fall on top of Bart and maintains control of the arm after the throw is complete

To finish Jacare places his knee on Bart's stomach

And starts dropping bombs! (An armbar would of worked but I guess he was pissed at Bart)