Tag Archives: brown belt

ANDRE GALVAO SEMINAR REVIEW

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If you walked into my school on October 30th, knowing a BJJ seminar was planned, but not knowing who was giving the seminar, quickly you would realize this was something special. First you would see several black belts on the mat stretching and getting ready to learn. Next you would see people from California, Kentucky, and Illinois spread around the mat ready to train. The baited breaths of black, brown, purple, blue, and white belts would tell you a legend was about to teach.

Hopefully you would look around the room. If so, seated quietly near the entrance watching some guys playfully sparring, you would see a highly decorated World Class competitor, smiling. If you haven’t lived under a rock in the BJJ community for the last 8 years, then you would quickly recognize the guy as Andre Galvao, and something tells me you would quickly put your gi on and tie your belt.

The seminar began with a brief introduction, not only to Professor Galvao, but also to his philosophy and that of Atos Jiu Jitsu. What a way to set the mood for the day! This was not going to be a seminar of thuggish ruggish ego-centric testicular explosions; this was defined early as a seminar of sharing love of the art.

Following the introduction, we did a brief but comprehensive warm up and the first indication that Andre is a methodical instructor became evident. He started from the top of the body and warmed every joint imaginable down to the little toe.

Next, we jumped into some drills which led into techniques, which spawned counters and various submissions. Professor Galvao periodically tied the techniques together to remind us that we were on a path of progression and merely exploring a small set of options for each situation. The seminar included but was not limited to the following techniques:

  • Open Guard Pass Drill (variations on blocking the hip)
  • Andre’s Method of holding a tight cross-side from said guard pass
  • Using your hip to prevent an elbow escape, using your head to prevent a roll away (this section alone gave me significant material that I could add a whole new “Hip Control Video” tutorial)
  • Ezekiel from opponent turning away
  • Triangle from cross-side (new variation for Small Axe)
  • Nifty triangle finish detail using a head turn!
  • Guard Replacement drill (from open guard “thread the needle” pass) Roll under
  • Guard Replacement to triangle
  • Triangle defense to Omoplata
  • Omoplata detail clean up! (leg squeeze, far lapel grips, ankle grip, hips away)
  • Clock choke if guy is flexible (I obviously wasn’t)
  • Belly down armbar from omoplata –>rolling if necessary to variations of the traditional mounted armbar.
  • Drilled Guard Retention –>triangle–>omoplata–>clock choke–>armbar
  • Two variations of taking the back off a defended omoplata
  • Armbar off of back take attempt! (very tight and fast armlock… I think I yelped once during the demonstration)
  • Last was an armbar from omoplata control while parallel. Bringing the inside knee in to transition to the armbar.

Once the technique portion of the seminar was done, Professor Galvao began a meet and greet (another way of saying he picked people to spar with). He chose kids, women, black belts, purple belts to roll and he gave lots of different energies and utilized the techniques he had just shown many times. What a pleasure to watch.

Overall, I would describe this seminar as “concept driven”, beginner to advanced, and tons of fun. Andre is very approachable, willing to answer questions, and constantly surveying the participants to correct details. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND an Andre Galvao seminar. There is an old saying, “Some people can teach, some people can do.” Andre Galvao can do BOTH!

Valeu Andre!!!!!

Caique Seminar/Promotions

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Master Caique came to town October 14th to give a seminar at Indiana University. Members of the Indiana University Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club, Lucas Martial Arts, and Small Axe Jiu Jitsu all converged for instruction by the Master.

Caique taught everything from countering the standing guillotine, passing various guards, to continuing to attack an opponent who is playing tight defense from the bottom cross-side. Great material rich in details to refine.

After the techniques, drilling, and Q&A, Master Caique recognized some promotion from each team. The following were the Small Axe members who received promotions:

Tim Sledd (3-stripe Brown Belt)
Brandon Sieg (4-stripe Blue Belt)
Vince Kreipke (Blue Belt)
Joe Compton (4-stripe White Belt)
Aubrey Rawlings (4-stripe White Belt)
Kelsey Wagoner (3-stripe White Belt)
Adam Hayden (2-stripe White Belt)
Brandon Mcguire(1-stripe White Belt)
Jake Waltz (4-stripe Juvie White)

It is always awesome to have Master Caique in town for a seminar. His techniques and insight are invaluable. I encourage all my students to travel to the Caique Jiu Jitsu main academy in California to see why we learn the way we do and experience the great instruction.

Happy Grapping!

Chapter 1 of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu

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For those who have taken the time to read my pedagogy and philosophy link, you will recognize the following as the first chapter of that section. I was reviewing it and found it to be withstanding the tests of time. I hope you enjoy and are furthered by it!
CHAPTER ONE:
PRIDE COMETH BEFORE A FALL
“Why boasteth thyself, o evil men? Playing smart but then not being clever. I say you’re working inequity to achieve vanity. But the goodness of Jah Jah idureth for iver. So if you are the Big Tree, we are the small axe, sharp and ready.”
-Small Axe by Bob Marley and The Wailers
I have come to find that in Jiu-Jitsu, it is easy to believe that the color of your uniform, the patch on the back, or the brand of your rash guard will make you feared by opponents. Also, with the adaptation of techniques, students often desire to know the latest and greatest techniques, even if they have not mastered the core fundamental techniques. I came to know this because I was guilty of it.
I too, have been guilty of belt envy. This is the admiration, aspiration, and all consuming desire to obtain the next piece of colored cloth to cover my waist. One must be cautious not to let his or her vanity consume the practice of jiu jitsu! If one becomes too focused on belt color, then failure is close. Professor Caique has a poster in his academy that says, “A black belt is a white belt who never quit.” I had heard this before, but at a time in my life when I was thinking that blue belt was my final resting place, I saw this poster, thought about what Caique was saying by having it up in his academy (a place where there are few posters, flare, or pictures). It sunk in. I was not going to quit. Neither are you!
Forget about the belts. They will come faster and in due time if you are focused more on learning than on progressing. Throwing away vanity is difficult in a materialistic society, but in the practice of Jiu-Jitsu, it is necessary.
Next, it is of dire importance that my students understand that the core fundamentals I have chosen have been instilled in me as the basis for developing a personal Jiu-Jitsu that is effective and practical. It is more important that you be able to escape a mount, submit an opponent from cross-side, pass the guard, or perform an effective sweep, than it is to have the latest and greatest brand of gi or rash guard. I want my students confident that they can enter a competition, defend a real life attack, or at a minimum teach a technique wearing the simplest of outfits. Patches, medals, brands, and other material attractions mean nothing in this martial art/sport and that is why I love it! It is you and me, and our skills, not our money and good looks that will determine who is going to end victorious.
The belt promotion process is a long haul. It will feel nearly like a lifetime. Part of that purpose is to determine loyalty, not only to an instructor, but to the martial art. There will be flavors of the day that will tempt you away from BJJ. Belts come easier in other art forms, so those gratified by cloth will leave for other styles. BJJ requires extreme time and emotional commitment. It is often said that a blue belt is at an experiential equivalent to a black belt in many of the traditional martial arts (hereinafter TMA). I want this to be true of my Small Axe Jiu-Jiteiro. Blue belts better be able to run a class, bring up white belts, and understand the philosophy of BJJ thoroughly.
Summary: If you are worrying about the next belt promotion, you are wasting energy that could be used on improving. To restate my ladder metaphor again; progressing through BJJ is like climbing the ladder to a high dive. The steps upward are narrow and defined (i.e. you are progressing to the next belt level with your peer group and the measurement is more or less uniform). However, once you plunge into the pool of Black Belt, there are no narrow steps, just a deep pool in which one must learn to swim, tread, sink, or float (i.e. the black belt level encompasses a broad spectrum of ability). Thus, worrying about the time it takes it go from white to blue, or blue to purple will seem very insignificant and will seem like wasted energy when you reach black belt and are finding your place in the pool.
I hope this chapter spurs thought.
Tim