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A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championships – Part Deux

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:56:11 +0000

Wed, June 2, 2010

Cathy and I left for BWI for a direct flight to LAX. I suffered a neck injury the week before and thus packed in my carry on all the niceties I felt I would need to cure my neck during the five-hour flight. Slathered with Arnica (for those of you who don’t know what this is, see me), tiger balm, dosed on Ibuprofen, and with ice packs taped to my body we got on the plane. Coincidentally, our Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teammates, Evan Gideon and Tom Shrum were on the flight as well.

Our rendezvous with Team Gideon in Long Beach went off without a hitch!

We had an uneventful flight and arrived at LAX unscathed – my neck was feeling a bit better (from the Arnica of course). We picked up our rental vehicle and headed for the hotel. Halfway to the hotel, we got a call from Evan’s father who lived in Long Beach 30 years prior and thus thwarted all modern technological navigational advancements and instructed us to meet him on the corner of some miscellaneous Long Beach street. We found Evan’s dad, gave him a cartoon style map that we got from Thrify Car Rental, and Evan was off to Venice beach to spend some quality time with his father before his fights on Friday.

Evan Gideon was able to make it to The Pyramid despite Thrifty's Terrible Map

Cathy, Shrum and I were set to fight June 3, the next day, and thus wanted to get down to business and get mentally preparing. We checked into our very nice hotel suite and on our way to get a bit of salad for dinner, as we were all exactly on weight, found Bro Huffman (15 year old teammate from 3rd Law) wondering the streets of Long Beach outside our hotel. Of course, we picked him up and took him with us to get lettuce and tour Los Angeles. We got some salad on the waterfront in Long Beach and then went to Hollywood (to take a picture in front of Michael Jackson’s star on the walk of fame) and then to Rodeo Drive to get some quality American Express points.

After an enlightening tour of Los Angeles, we went back to the Hotel and all hit the gym for a last minute weight cut. We each ran approximately three miles and cut around four pounds. Kim Rivers made it to the room around 7:00 pm and as Roberto Torralbas (3rd Law proprietor and figurehead) was stuck in Atlanta and was in charge of the second room, we all hunkered down in the Zwanetz suite making makeshift beds. Shrum, forever taking crap from all of us, was left without blankets and slept wrapped in our GIs on top of two couch cushions, he says, to help foster a subliminal edge for the tournament. I fell asleep listening to a murder mystery book on tape and had insane dreams as the voice of the author piped scenes of gore into my ears while my subliminal mind refused to let go of the stress and anticipation of the pending tournament. I woke up at 4:30 am thinking I had missed the Worlds and was on the run from the law.

Aung La Sleeps in Full Jiu Jitsu Attire to Prepare for the Tournament

Thursday, June 3, 2010 – White & Blue

We arrived at the famed Walter Pyramid around 9:00 am. When we pulled up to the giant blue structure the reality of what I had been working for set-in. The giant staircase in the Arena’s front brought us into stadium’s upper deck. Upon walking in, I stood at the top looking down on the immaculate 12 ring set-up with impeccable iconic blue and yellow mats. 5000 empty seats surrounded me as the staff, reporters, photographers, and vendors scampered to prepare for the biggest four days in BJJ. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins and the thump of my heart against my sternum.

We went immediately to the scales in an attempt to get at least one of our many concerns out of the way. All in our group were on weight (due to our running the night before). We placed our bags in the area of the stadium that the famed Alliance team would own the very next day and throughout. From 10:30 am I sat and pondered my game plan – mentally battling my way through the nineteen-man bracket. My body felt good, my cardio had been tested through six weeks of circuit training, my hands were immaculately taped, and my ipod was shuffling through a playlist made weeks before for this time (a schizophrenic mix of sonatas by Frederick Chopin, hits by Lil Wayne, and oldies by Phil Collins). Minute by minute the bleachers began to fill and the divisions began to be called. Finally, at 1:00 p.m. on June 3 “the voice” called all blue belt Rooster/Galo weights to the bullpen. I don’t think a needle full adrenaline delivered directly to my heart by Vincent Vega himself could have produced the surge of life that those words produced. Off to the bull-pen I went.

Dave Z Marvels at the Superiority of the IPad vs. His Blueberry

After waiting in the bull-pen for what seems like a day, I heard my name and saw the representative from Mat number nine waiving me to the scales. My Gi was checked and my weight was verified. Three pounds under despite the Acai bowl I ate to quench my hunger pains only two hours before. I was escorted to my mat and on the way was able to make eye contact with the team that ran to the rails to coach. “Fighters are you ready,” “do you have any questions before you begin,” “shake hands,” “fight.” I establish my grips and sit-guard, a small scramble ensues but I am able to quickly stand, reposition, and re-pull, I slap on my left hand overhook, and begin to fish for my opponents right wrist. I can hear instructions from Julius and Jon and see nothing but my opponents forearm across my face. I feel a space on the right side and latch on a triangle (the focus of my plan). I pull my opponents head and squeeze my knees so hard that I feel random cracking of joints. I remember hearing the reassuring “AYYYY” coming from my teammates as my plan progressed. Then I felt what I had been waiting for “a flurry of taps on my thigh.” I had won a match at the Worlds. There is no greater high than the traditional hand raise that comes with a win.

Squaring Off for Match at the BJJ World Championships!

My second match went exactly like match one. I was one step closer. At this point I had to have a teammate massage the lactic acid from my arms. The second my third match began, I knew it would be different. The grip position that had worked for me in the last two matches was torn off by my opponent in a quick controlled burst – he was fast and strong. I immediately switched to my plan B game plan centered around sweeps. Match three was a battle! Master Lloyd’s distinctive voice along with familiar voice of Julius guided me through the match. After seven minutes of high pace action I prevailed – winning on two points. I was entering the finals at the 2010 Mundials.

I was told that I would have ten minutes to prepare. I could do little more than shake-out my arms and rehydrate. The match began with a double guard pull, something that we had worked repeatedly during the training camp. I immediately popped up for the advantage and was able to score another two during a scramble. Just as things were going my way, my opponent locked on a kimora. With the fierceness I would expect in the Finals of the worlds, my opponent wrenched my arm backwards. I attempted to roll out of the move and in mid-air I could feel my tendons stretching against my opponents’ push and my counter pull. Simultaneously I heard and felt a pop – my shoulder popped clear out of its circular cradle. Fierce pain followed and just like that my run at the title had ended. Medic to mat eleven.

I did not win gold at the 2010 Mundials. However, I learned more in my four matches than I could ever express in any blogpost. I became a more confident in my jiu jitsu and overcame many hurdles relating to the mental aspects of competing. The experience I obtained, the lasting memories that will forever help me in all things that I do, are the real value that I attribute to my trip to the Worlds. The silver medal is an amazing tangible reminder of what went into Thursday June 3, and the years before. However, the most important thing that I see when I stare into the shiny medal is my own reflection. I have always said that “when one points their finger at someone else they should pay very close attention to the four fingers are pointing back at them”. When I look into my medal, and stare into my own eyes, I am reminded that I won three matches in the biggest tournament in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but also reminded that I lost one as well. This image, these fingers point back at me, are going to assist me in this new season prepping for the Mundials 2011, where I will again leave it all on the mat yet again and get one step closer to the ultimate goal.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Glamour Shots

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A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championships by David Zwanetz

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:28:56 +0000

As most people know, the “Super Bowl” is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the premier association of professional American football. It was first played on January 15, 1967, as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two leagues’ champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was consummated in 1970. After the merger, each league became a “conference”, and the game was then played between conference champions. Super Bowl I was played in 1967 to determine the championship of the regular season played in 1966, and the last super bowl, Super Bowl XLIV was played on February 7, 2010, to determine the champion of the 2009 regular season. It would be hard to imagine anyone born within these years in the United States that has not at least watched one Super-Bowl game, if not all. In fact, the day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a de facto American national holiday. “What are we doing for Super bowl Sunday,” is a question I have asked, or been asked, since I can remember being old enough have independent thoughts. It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving, and a day when there is enough beer consumed in the United States to fill every swimming pool in the west coast.

Now, imagine you played amateur or even semi-pro football, or to make matters even more realistic, were simply an enormous fan of the sport and practiced three times a week with other semi-pro football players in attempt to hone your skills. Imagine further, that you got a phone call RIGHT NOW from your coach and he informed you that you could, if you chose, attend Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Your coach explains that, “for the price of the ticket to Texas, a rental car fee, a hotel, and a $60.00 ‘spectator’ fee you can get a front row seat and watch as the world’s greatest NFL athletes collide in the famous venue, on the famous field, whereby you could watch history in the making.”

Don't Settle for This!

I would imagine that seconds after said call you would go to your calendar and pencil off those days – and as you have one-years notice you would save the money it would require to pay the nominal fee to get yourself to and around Texas for the event. The excitement would build in you, you would tell everyone you know, you would count down the days until the big-event, you would probably lose sleep thinking about the big day, as the anticipation of being part of history would slow the time clock in your mind.

Lets up the ante a bit, and take this visualization exercise a step further:

Before getting off the phone with you, your coach adds, “by the way, if you do all that is necessary to perfect your skills, and play and win as many local games as possible, you can play at the next Superbowl, in Texas, on the same field as the greatest in the game, immediately before the main event, where you will be matched with other players/teams at your skill level, and you will have the chance to also become a Super Bowl Champion” – - “with all the prestige and pride attached, and even the famed gold championship ring.” “You have the chance to be and NFL Super-Bowl Champion!”

I have a feeling that anyone who is a real fan of football would immediately plan to go as a spectator, and anyone who is real fan of playing football, after they regained consciousness from passing out during the initial conversation, would begin the training required to prepare for and accept this colossal challenge.

Even BJJ White Belts have the Opportunity to Compete!

The World Championship of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (also knows as the Mundials) is the Super Bowl of Brazilian JiuJitsu. It is the most prestigious Jiu Jitsu tournaments in the world. The Mundials are hosted annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). It is held in an historical venue, on historical mats, and competing are without a doubt historical figures and historical teams. The first Mundial tournament to be held outside of Brazil was in 2007 at the California State University in Long Beach, California. This trend continued with the 2008 Mundials, once again in Long Beach in 2009, and this year as well. The first World Championship was held in 1996 at the Tijuca Tênis Clube (still the location of the Brazilian Nationals) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has since grown tremendously, with over 2000 competitors (including 250 foreign athletes) fighting before a crowd of over 4,000 spectators.

Tijuca Tenis Clube - Home of the Jiu Jitsu World Championships 1996-2006

Long Beach Pyramid - Home of the BJJ World Championships since 2007

My hope is that this article will serve to put everyone on notice that the opportunity exists to be, at a minimum, a spectator of the Super Bowl of BJJ and supporter of Team Lloyd Irvin (the winningest American Jiu Jitsu TEAM in history) at the Mundals 2011. More importantly, if you accept the challenge, to encourage you to fight alongside the sport’s elite athletes, your teammates, and the creators, innovators, and supporters of our beloved sport – to put you on notice that you can make history!

I accepted this challenge in 2010 after my coach, mentor, and friend, Julius Park asked me to confirm and memorialize my personal goals for 2010 (I believe this was a request made for the entire Baltimore Team Lloyd Irvin Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team). Realizing that the opportunity, as described above, was something I simply could not pass up, I wrote Julius a letter listing “winning at least 1 International IBJJF medal” and “attending the ‘Worlds’ as a representative of TLI” as two of my prime goals:

I shall do my best to recount the experience, which for me was life changing…

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Whats Up with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Associations?

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:56:14 +0000

Firstly, there is a difference between an Association and a Team. An Association is oftentimes a business relationship and is usually centered around a head instructor. Big teams can consist of multiple associations i.e. Team Gracie Humaita consists of Pedro Sauer as well as Saulo Ribeiro who run separate associations but will often fight under the same banner at International tournaments.

Secondly, every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Association is different. The first major distinction is whether the Association accepts new members (schools) who are not trained by members of the Association. While most teams require some sort of training relationship prior to a business one, some Associations just require a monthly due and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ranking of some sort.

To use a hypothetical situation – consider Dan Gable / Iowa Wrestling (probably the highest and most marketable pedigree in the United States for wrestling); only members of the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling program who were coached by Dan Gable can truly say that they can teach that “style”. Now imagine if Dan Gable decided to allow any wrestling camp or team that would pay him $500 / month to represent “Dan Gable wrestling”. Those are the two extremes of Associations – one is purely a training pedigree, much like degree from a University, while the other is more of a money for benefits exchange.

Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling and Dan Gable - The Most Marketable Names in Folkstyle Wrestling

So what are these benefits? Firstly, joining a reputable associations is a good way for the new member to get the recognition and reputation of the association without necessarily being of the same quality. Imagine a school that does not have any history of producing competitors and also lacks an instructor with solid credentials; the school owner would greatly benefit by joining an association that has those things. Some associations also offer marketing assistance such as website templates and also training guides such as a consolidated curriculum. Depending on the reason why the new member joined the association, either of those benefits could be huge. A seminar blue belt with a karate school would definitely benefit from having a well-constructed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu curriculum while a struggling MMA school, might need the marketing help.

If you’re considering a school that is associated with someone else, research what was the affiliate’s relationship with the main school / instructor prior to joining the association? Do not mistake yourself into believing that the affiliate school offers the same training, same philosophy, or overall same quality as the main school if the relationship was formed very recently or if the main association head is very far away. Evaluate the credentials of the BJJ where you will be training apart from the credentials of the association. Ask yourself, if the head instructor is in California, how much possible contact can there be between him and his new affiliate instructor in Maryland? If readily available, look at what the requirements for association membership are and think what those requirements imply about both the association head and the affiliate school.

Hope that helps…

PS – Team Lloyd Irvin Pan Am training camp started this week! Make sure you check out the video here.

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Five Mistakes BJJ Beginners Make Dealing with Losses

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:46:08 +0000

At our Baltimore martial arts school, we like to have an active competition team in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, No-Gi, Thai boxing, and MMA. Of course, if you compete, you will inevitably lose. And like everyone has told you, its what happens after the loss that is important. So let’s look at five common errors beginners make when dealing with losses…

Not realizing its a lot easier to switch directions than get started. You’re going to learn a lot from competing and become more motivated from the experience. Competing is a valuable form of feedback and allows you to make course corrections so be happy that you got out there and can now learn from it. This also relates to the next point.
Making too much of a loss. It doesn’t mean you are going to lose forever. It doesn’t mean you should quit training. And you do not have to kill yourself. Stop being a drama-queen. Remember, one win at the higher level of competition outweighs any losses at the lower level.
Lawyer Dave in High School decides he hates Jiu Jitsu and everyone in it!

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Taking too much time off after a loss. To a certain extent, you need to desensitive yourself to the stresses of competing and one of the best ways to do that is by competing a lot. Its too easy to get caught up in your head and over-analyze if after every loss, you are taking two to three months off. Also, the limited competition schedule often makes grapplers make more of each competition than it is; it’s really not a huge deal that you lost BUT it might feel like that if you are doing one a year vs. one a month. Even in high school sports, there are usually a 2 competitions a week so you can definitely handle one a month.
Not separating what can be controlled from what can not be controlled. Winning and losing are not solely in your power; your opponent and the referee are going to play a huge role as well. If you lose, your focus needs to be on what IS in your control rather than what isn’t. Focus on your training, your strategy, your technique, your conditioning, your mindset, etc.
Jimmy shouldn't dwell on the fact that Superman is a psychopath BUT he can always work on becoming a better gift buyer!

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Not accepting the most obvious solution. I have one very talented very technical student who ALWAYS gasses in tournaments. He loves the classes and is a monster in the room and brings that same ability to the competition mats… for the first 2-3 matches. After that, he enters the “so fatigued that you have to stay on the mat to rest as soon as the whistle blows” mode. I always want him to do conditioning – he always wants to work on the specific technical areas. Obviously, there is a link between better technique (more efficient) and fatigue but this is not a Roger Gracie vs. Blue Belt matchup where no amount of conditioning is going to overcome the skill difference.

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Founded in 1998 – So What?

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:03 +0000

Customers find comfort in the fact that a business has been in existence for a long time. This is apparently a mark of dependability and continual success and so one feels comfortable developing a relationship with the proprietor with less worry that the business will undergo some bizarre twist of fate that causes it to fail, disappear, etc.

Unfortunately, for the individual looking to find quality Mixed Martial Arts training, this is often NOT the case and the quality of a Mixed Martial Arts program can only be determined by also asking…

What level of competitor has the program produced?
How many of those competitors has the program produced from scratch?

These questions have to considered in addition to how long has the program been in existence?

A quality training program must consistently produce top competitors.

Why competitors? Because that provides proof and a point of comparison with other schools. Never judge a school based on the # of colored belts it has because every school has different standards; a Black Belt at one school might be the equivalent skill level of a Purple Belt at another.

Why consistently? Because any school, given time, will eventually run across an athlete that has the genetic and societal background that will make him good. When I wrestled in high school, each high school always has that one kid that is good despite the rest of the team sucking. This kid usually came from a family wrestling background and comes in with years of basement and garage wrestling experience. This kid’s performance is in no way indicative of the school’s wrestling program however. Look the program that has ALWAYS been putting up good competitive numbers.

Why is the level of competition important? Lots of people can coach Championship Little League teams. Fewer can coach Championship High School Teams and once you get into the collegiate and professional levels, there are only a few programs that can coach that level of athlete. The same goes for Mixed Martial Arts schools. Nowadays, there are lots of little schools where you can roll around with your friends and shoot the breeze afterward. But if you want to be a UFC fighter or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion (or an athlete competing at the highest level in any sport), look for programs that have actually produced that level of competitor. Trust me… if a program COULD produce that caliber of athlete – they would!

Remember that the numbers of competitors and titles for each school should go UP with each year that the school has been in business.

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Bullfighting & Jiu Jitsu by “Rodeo” Brian Neal pt 1

admin — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:46:50 +0000

When Julius asked me to write a little artcile for the newsletter, I had no idea what to write about. After some thought, the answer became obvious. Many of you know me as Rodeo, Coach Rodeo, or as Julius likes to call me, Rodeo Brian. What you may not know is WHY I was given that nickname.

Luckily, neck cranks are legal in Man vs. Cow matches

In a previous life, I used to ride bulls, in part for fun and in part for many. I think you might find it interesting if I shared my thoughts about how the two are similar. While I am not suggesting to anyone that if you can or are willing to do Jiu Jitsu, you should run out and jump on the first bull you see, but I hope to give you alittle insight into how riding bulls has helped me in Jiu Jitsu at Crazy 88. While I think the list is long, I will just talk about a couple of the big things I think the two sports share.

I think the most obvious similarity between the two sports is that both are individual sports. They are unique in that, unlike football and other team sports, it is just you and your opponent. This is hard for some people to take; there is a certain level of anxiety that one needs to overcome in order to put himself in that position.

Some athletes like the “crutch” of having someone to blame for their failures. We see this time and time again in professional sports, where one athlete calls out a teammate in the news and throws him under the bus for a loss. In bullriding, there is no one to blame for getting bucked off and not making the whistle; the same is true about Jiu Jitsu If you are not prepared, you have no one to blame for yourself.

This man did not approve of blaming teammates for losses

*** more tomorrow ***

PS – Make sure to watch Team Lloyd Irvin’s Phil Davis make his UFC debut tonight! Phil trains out of Brandon Vera’s school in California and enters the Octagon with an impeccable wrestling pedigree!

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