I was having lunch with my instructor after watching some 7 odd hours of Mundials action when the subject of promotions came up.  You see, at our academy, we hold promotions twice a year.  We hold one following the worlds and then another in December.  We started talking about who was going to be promoted and the like when he implied that I was going to get promoted to a BJJ purple belt as well.

Befuddled, I anxiously asked, “Wait, you mean I am getting promoted too?”  He matter of factly said, “Yes.”  As if it was a forgone conclusion.

My mind raced, and every roll I had ever partaken in flashed before my eyes (I’m kidding); I began to tune out of the conversation.  I came back.  “Do I have to be promoted?”  I asked, still befuddled but now much more anxious than anything else.  “It’s time.  You’ve put in a lot of work.  You’re ready.  I can’t hold you back.”  Each of those statements said in a cold fuck-your-couch calculating manner.  (I could have picked a timelier phrase there and, perhaps, saved you all that confusion. But … no.  I miss Dave Chapelle.)

Metamoris 2 fight card finally announced and made public!

After the first Metamoris card, I knew this is something that I will be watching on a regular basis every time it comes out.  I may be more pumped to watch this than UFC pay per views now (and, trust me, I get VERY pumped up for UFC fights).

The last Metamoris jiu-jitsu event was done very well.  I think their team did a very good job of listening to the fans when putting Metamoris 2 together.  We have a jiu-jitsu fight card here full of fighters that always go for the jugular.  In case you live under a rock, or mountain for that matter, and you missed the first metamoris (shame on you) here is a nice highlight video of the action in the first metamoris: Read the rest

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH1o61AYRGw]

So, I had the opportunity to go with my instructor to one of his bjj seminars.  This resulted in me putting together a short film.

Marcos “Yemaso” Torregrosa BJJ Seminar

I had a lot of fun making this video, and I think I may have found another outlet for creative expression.  Now, I have to actually learn how to do these things well. =/  At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy it for what it’s worth.  And, if you know of any free videographer courses online, holler at me.

This bjj seminar short film was shot on location (lol) in Bend, Oregon at Roy Dean’s academy.  This is the second bjj seminar that Marcos has held at Roy Dean’s academy.  In addition to the seminar [Read more…] about Marcos “Yemaso” Torregrosa BJJ Seminar at Roy Dean Academy – BJJGrappling.com

Samir Chantre was kind enough to shirt down with us for an interview at the conclusion of the Leo Lo seminar.

The interview discusses several topics ranging from sacrifices for bjj as well as funny moments during fights.  I hope you enjoy this, and please share what you did or didn’t like about the questions.  This being my first interview, I am a newbie after all.

[youtube http://youtu.be/4riBjau5Ixg]

Follow me: @rubeneavila

Yesterday, I had the privilege of learning some Leandro Lo sweeps from none other than the 2012 lightweight world champion himself.

Sacramento Jiu-Jitsu academy hosted the champion Leandro Lo on Sunday, December 2nd 2012 for a seminar.  I was there in attendance and had a great time.  We started the day going over a series of sweeps that Leandro Lo taught himself with the help of Louiza Monteiro.  Leandro Lo meticulously conveyed specific details in each of the three sweeps we learned.  Not only did he call attention to the details (grip placements, weight distribution, movement explanations), but he also talked about the principles of each detail and why he prefers certain details over others.

Leandro Lo taught us 3 sweeps each coming from an open guard position.

To be more specific, each of the sweeps came from a hybrid position.  Leandro Lo has a very dangerous guard, and such is the case because he plays guard in a way that is very fresh on the scene.  The sweeps came from a position that is a hybrid of the De La Riva, X Guard, and Spider Guard.  Obviously, Leandro Lo’s sweeps are effective as evidenced by his volume of accomplishments at the biggest international tournaments this year.  It is very interesting to see the level of creativity, synergy, and sophistication that goes into a series of sweeps at the top of the food chain in the black belt division.

The amount of value in the principles we learned coupled with the sweeps was more than enough, in my opinion, for one seminar.  He was not done teaching.

Leandro Lo then taught us the secret to his guard passing game and two applications of it. [Read more…] about Leandro Lo Sweeps & Guard Passing Seminar

Prior to tonight’s session, I hadn’t been on the mats in days!  Ugh, it felt like weeks!  As my fever went away, I decided my cabin fever got the best of me.  But, can you workout when sick?  Apparently, you can.  And, in many cases, you should.

Workouts when you are sick, propel your immune system to fight harder.

It’s a bit of a generalization, but, for the most part, as long as you don’t have a fever and your body generally feels almost normal you should be able to workout when you are sick.  I prefer to grappling to running on the treadmill, obviously.  Something tells me you might stand to agree with me on this one.  Although, it is important to point out that you should NOT be working out  when you are sick and running a fever.  When you have a fever you are contagious, and your defenses are low.  So, if you workout when you are sick AND have a fever, you will be doing more damage than good.

However… [Read more…] about Can you workout when you are sick? I grappled while sick, and felt great afterwards!