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Special Guest on Verbal Tap Podcast

By Ruben Avila  ·   · @RubenEAvila

verbal tap podcast

Verbal Tap Podcast Presents: Metamoris 5

Everything You Didn’t Want to Know, But Now Do…

I was a guest on the Verbal Tap Podcast recently and I wanted to let you guys know about it. I was presented with breaking down the Vinny Mahalhaes match from the news that Kevin Casey pulled out, to the search for the next BJJ talent to challenge Vinny, and, eventually, to the fight itself.

The Verbal Tap guys are my favorite people to follow on MMA/BJJ commentary.  They keep it really real.  As in, when keeping it real goes wrong.  But, in a funny way.  And, in a not wrong way at all.  So, we’re left with funny.  Anyway…

The Other, More Interesting, Guests:

  • Kit Dale
  • Jim Lawson
  • Travis Newaza
  • JT Torres
  • Rob Acree

Thanks Raf Esparza and Kevin Phillips for inviting me! Here it is below: [Read more…] about Special Guest on Verbal Tap Podcast

Black Friday Guide for Grapplers

By Ruben Avila  ·   · @RubenEAvila

bjj black friday sales 2014
Beautiful artwork by the genius Meerkatsu.

 

This was last year’s listing of deals.  For 2015 deals, click here.

No time for B.S.  we have sports to watch.  And food to eat.  And desert to eat.  And family to annoy.  And food to eat.

Black Friday Deals for BJJ, Grappling, & Judo

  • Adidas – Code “SALE40” – 40% off w code 11/28-12/1
  • Atama – Code “BLACKFRIDAY” – 15% all gis through 12/1
  • BJJHQ – 93 Brand Hooks 2.0 Gi for $65 starting Thursday night at 11PM Eastern until sold out.
  • BJJSports – Code “SUPER15” – 15% off w code
  • BJJ Warehouse – Code “KIMONO” – 20% off gis through 11/23
  • Break Point FC – Code “BPBLACK” – 30% off from 11/27-12/1
  • BudoVideos – Code “turkey” – 20% off shirts 11/26-11/27…Code “JIUJITSU10” for 10% off at checkout
  • Digitsu – Code “SAVEROOM4DESSERT” – 25% off w code
  • DoOrDie – Up to 60% off all gear 11/21-11/31
  • CagesideMMA – Sale on select shirts/gloves/shorts through 12/2
  • CombatCorner – 40% off everything starting 11/28
  • Enzo – Code “BLKFRI14” – 40% off 11/28-11/30
  • Fenom – All womens gis are $75 on 11/28 from 6AM-6PM
  • FightersMarket – Code “GIS” – 20% off all gis thru 11/23
  • Fuji – 30% off retail orders; 10% off wholesale orders through 12/1
  • Gameness – Deep discounts on several products, no code.
  • Grapplearts – Code “BLACKBELT” – 33% off with code
  • GroundFighter – Code “BLACK” – 50% off with code (this includes the new Ryan Hall dvds)
  • Kingz Kimonos – Code “FRIDAY14” – 20% off all products storewide.
  • Koral – “Code “KBLACK” – 20% off w code through 12/1
  • Lanky – Code “BF2014” – 40% off w code
  • Meerkatsu – Code “HEAVENLY” – 20% off w code 11/28-12/1
  • MMA Warehouse – 15-65% off items
  • MoyaBrand – Code “MBLIFESTYLEGOODS” – 15% off w code thru 12/1
  • NewazaApparel – 40% off shirts 11/27-12/1
  • Prana – Sale on these listed items 11/28-11/30
  • RollSupreme – Code “BLACK” – 15% off
  • Roy Dean – Code “BLKFRI2014” – 50% off w code
  • Storm – 2 for 1 gi deals
  • thejiujiteiro – Sale on these listed items 11/28-11/30
  • VHTS – Code “BLKVHTS” – 15% off for items over $100
  • Vulkan – Coupon Code “EBF14” (valid thru 11/25) – Free T-shirt + Vulkan bag w/each gi purchase
  • War Tribe Gear – Up to 60% off select items 11/25 – 11/30
  • Zuri – Code “BF2014” – $30 off

If you hear of any more black friday discounts, holla atcha boi.

Progress BJJ NoGi Rashguard Review

By Ruben Avila  ·   · @RubenEAvila

progress jj logo
HUMAN PROGRESS IS NEITHER AUTOMATIC NOR INEVITABLE… EVERY STEP TOWARD THE GOAL OF JUSTICE REQUIRES SACRIFICE, SUFFERING, AND STRUGGLE. – Martin Luther King Jr.

The M6 Progress Rashguard – Simply Sharp

I am very excited to present you guys with my current favorite rashguard in my nogi collection.  It speaks to my growing interest in minimalism, and it is of very good quality.  I haven’t come across many other rashguards that focus on minimal design and great quality.  Usually, it’s going to be a very elaborate design with great quality, or a simple rashguard that isn’t meant for bjj.  Elaborate rashguards are cool, don’t get me wrong.  I like those too.  But sometimes, the loudest statement you can make is the one that you imply.  A new brand seems to have made some… progress in bjj gear design that is both practical and no-nonsense.

[Read more…] about Progress BJJ NoGi Rashguard Review

PeelGi: The Demon Gate – Rash Guard & Fight Shorts Review

By Ruben Avila  ·   · @RubenEAvila

Demon Gate Rashguard

PeelGi’s Demon Gate Rashguard & Fight Shorts Review

When I received the opportunity to review the Demon Gate rash guard & shorts, I was pretty super stoked, bro.  PeelGi is a new company comprised of two French dudes who value aesthetic design.  Moreover, they like to be innovative in regards to how to use design and where to use it.  This is the first group I have seen really start to venture into other parts of bjj gear design.  For example, they have some very unique belt designs for you to swag yourself out on.  I like seeing creatives take risks with products.  It appears that the belts have been very popular as they have sold out each time.  I’d like one myself.

FROM THEIR ABOUT PAGE:

Peel Gi is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Grappling/MMA & Lifestyle brand from Paris. 
It was created in 2013 by Alexis Hadefi and Julien Rahami. 
Both fighters, kinda picky and unhappy about what we have to wear for our martial art, we decided to create our own brand. 



“I WILL FIGHT THEM ON MY FEET AND ON THE GROUND AND THEIR ATTACKS WILL ACHIEVE NOTHING BUT FAILURE”

THE ANATOMY OF THE DEMON GATE CONCEPT:

The demon gate concept is derived from the series “oni-ni-kanabo” which means “oni with an iron club” a japanese metaphor.  The oni is, more or less, a demon that is depicted in traditional Japanese folklore.  The metaphor of an oni with an iron club refers to a being that is strong beyond strong.  At the risk of butchering the folklore, I will not risk offending my Japanese mat brethren by trying to explain the story.  But, if you are curious, wikipedia has some information.  The PeelGi Demon Gate NoGi ensemble is an expression of this fable under the lens of the modern grappler.

[Read more…] about PeelGi: The Demon Gate – Rash Guard & Fight Shorts Review

What a Black Belt Used to Mean

By Ruben Avila  ·   · @RubenEAvila

What a black belt used to mean, matters less, far less, than what you make your black belt –or your quest to earn your black belt –mean today.

(Some of) The Rules:

  1. There’s no hurry. A black belt earned as fast as you can earn it isn’t something to brag about, it’s a statement of impatience, of confusion about the potential of the training to deeply and permanently empower you and those around you. Your black belt isn’t fast food, it’s the slow food movement, where the process of finding, preparing, and savoring your food, enjoying the company you’re eating it with, and paying close attention to the details, the celebration of living it, is far more important than hurrying through it all. Join the slow belt movement.
  2. Being a “great martial artist” is nearly, if not completely, a monumental waste of your time. Being a martial artist is a very small slice of the pie of your potential; it is easy to be a great martial artist and/or to be a “master” of the martial arts, look how many of of them there are. The challenge isn’t to be a great martial artist, the hardest work is to be a connected, compassionate, engaged, forgiving, participative human being. You learn the martial arts so that you may take what you practice so diligently on the mats –and then apply it to things that genuinely matter in the world.
  3. The higher your rank, the greater your responsibility to lead –and to follow; to both respect tradition and to innovate, to hold onto and to let go of. The higher your rank, the more connected you should be; a peace-maker, a change-maker, a creator, a supporter, a fountain of enthusiasm and patience and drive. The higher your rank, the more you should feel the value, the deep spiritual value, of being engaged with others, with seeking out and solving problems, with joining forces to do, with many, what might never be done alone. The higher your rank the more you respect the novice, the process, the conflict, the hardships, and the simple pleasure of stepping on the mat, working on yourself, helping those around you, and finding meaning in the effort.

Why?

Because we haven’t put ourselves through all of this training, all these hours on the mat, talked all this talk about “the journey” and being “warriors” and about our “philosophy,” to be self-absorbed, superficial, disconnected, ego-maniacs. Because we haven’t done all of this training not to have it ground us, to have it really mean something more than just our ability to fight or perform handsome routines or make money in our schools. Because we have to be smart enough to look beyond the reward, the name of our style, our political affiliations, our desires to line our own nests, our petty conflicts, and our need to look and feel important and valuable. We haven’t done all of this training, dedicated all of this time, and put in all this practice to be any less than we’re capable of –and we’re capable of a lot, despite the fact that we so rarely see people take their practice to that place.

– Tom Callos

5 Ways to Counter & Defend the Berimbolo

By Ruben Avila  ·   · @RubenEAvila

berimbolo defense
Don’t escape the berimbolo, accept the berimbolo, be one with the berimbolo.

Let’s keep this concise.  Whether you like the inverted game, 50/50 positions, double guard pulling, or berimbolos, you can’t just turn your head away, plug your ears, and scream, “lalalalalalalalalalala” and hope these strategies go away.

They won’t.

I wouldn’t hold my breath.  Because, more than likely, someone is eventually going to use them against you to sweep you off your feet and take your breath away.  Pun intended.  So, in the spirit of keeping things concise.

If you don’t personally want to employ these tactics, then simply abstain.

But, do yourself the service of at least understanding how they work and having some go to rebuttal techniques and strategies, so that when these punk ass inverted dudes try them you can win the transition and laugh in their face.  Then you can tell them how Royce Gracie would never berimbolo, “cuz he keep it real yo.”  Furthermore, you can go back to rubber guarding them to their death or using the good old patented gracie jiu-jitsu techniques that pass the Helio filter.

I kid.

5 Ways to Defend and Counter Berimbolo Attacks

[Read more…] about 5 Ways to Counter & Defend the Berimbolo