2008 ASIA CHAMPIONSHIPS: JAPAN

Here are some pics from Asia's largest BJJ tournament, the Asia Championships in Japan (Nov. 29, 2008). Thanks to our friend Brad Ku for the pics. -Luke

INDONESIAN SUBMISSION CHAMPIONSHIP 2008: RESULTS

UNDER 54KG
1 – Vincents Genesius Evans (Universal Grappling)
2 – Solihin (Synergy)
3 – Jacky Riawan (Synergy)

55-65KG
1 – Johan Mulia (Synergy)
2 – Budi Wibowo (Synergy)
3 – Dody Tanto (Spider)

66-76KG
1 – Fransino Tirta (Synergy)
2 – Bouzin Essadek (Indi Fighter)
3 – Frederic Martinoli (Indi Fighter/Synergy)

77-87KG
1 – Ray Elbe (Lotus Club)
2 – Max Metino (Synergy)
3 – Coby Jones (Synergy)

88+KG
1 – Vincent Majid (Synergy)
2 – Gunadi Sugiharto (Synergy)
3 – Shiheim Lee(Synergy)

ABSOLUTE
1 – Fransino Tirta (Synergy)
2 – Vincent Majid (Synergy)
3 – Gunadi Sugiharto (Synergy)

MOST SUBMISSIONS
1 – Fransino Tirta (Synergy)
2 – Vincent Majid (Synergy)
3 – Gunadi Sugiharto (Synergy)

ANTONIO 'BRAGA' NETO SEMINAR: SINGAPORE

2008 Mundials World Champion Antonio Braga Neto will be giving a 2 day BJJ seminar on December 20-21 at Evolve MMA in Singapore.

1-day: $100 Singaporean Dollars

2-days: $150 Singaporean Dollars

10am-1pm each day

BLOG NEWS

First I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday, regardless if you celebrate this one or not. Posting hasn't been as consistent as I'd like but when you're away from home, you're not always in control of how things go. So all at once I've posted several updates on events in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. I do have one bit of exciting news that I'd like to share with everyone.Yesterday, while driving between San Francisco and San Jose, I was interviewed over the phone by Caleb at the FIGHTWORKS PODCAST. In an series of interviews he's done these past couple of weeks on BJJ in Asia, he's covered Japan and China. This coming Sunday will be the Southeast Asia edition with me answering questions on the scene. This is the first time I've been interviewed for anything so I hope I didn't mess this one up. To be honest, the scene is considerably large and diverse so some of my answers may not apply to everyone and I did my very best to plug as many of the teams/clubs out there as possible. I apologize in advance if I missed a few details but I'll admit to have been a bit nervous. Because of the limited time, I didn't get to mention or thank everyone that I would have liked but I'm sure you guys know who you are. Without your involvement and interest, BJJ-ASIA wouldn't be what it is.

A big shout-out to my teammates in Bangkok over the years that have helped me improve, my coach and good friend Adam, and to Niti the backbone of jiu-jitsu in Thailand. To all my friends in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Korea, China and Japan, thank you.

And lastly, I want to thank Caleb for the opporunity to share with everyone what's going on in Southeast Asia. I hope this will help spur some interest in guys/gals coming over to train/teach/exchange. I know for most it's a long ways to travel but once you're here you'll have a great time. I'm more than happy to help answer questions to those that are interested in coming to SEA or Thailand specifically with spots to train. I am in touch with just about every club on that's on the blog and can put you in touch with the right people to make your trip the best it can be when it comes to training. Just e-mail me at bjjasia@gmail.com.

The interview will be available to hear this coming Sunday (November 30, 2008) www.fightworkspodcast.com or on itunes.

-Luke

PHILIPPINE SUBMISSION SPORT LEAGUE

We would like to congratulate the organizers of the Philippine Submission Sport League for another great event. On its 3rd installment, this event is now becoming one of the most anticipated amateur MMA events in the Philippines.

The semifinal round was successfully concluded on November 19 at Eastwood city while the finals will be held on December 17 at the same venue.

Be sure to visit www.bjjmanila.com for the official results and www.philippinesubmissionsport.com for event information. BJJ-ASIA will continue to provide coverage for upcoming events.

CRUSH BJJ CAMP: MALAYSIA

from: Marcos EscobarIt has ended last 16th NOV the 1st CRUSH BJJ Camp & Seminar after 3 days of pure BJJ combined with lots of good food, gourgeous view, beach & everything else that a 5 stars resort can provide.

It was held at Pangkor Island Resort with 3 BJJ sessions/day and it has count on participants from Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico & USA. Conducted by Marcos Escobar, Chico Mendes and Cristiano Carvalho it was focused (by popular demand) in BJJ GI Basics. The weather was just perfect and the response was amazing... beyond expectations I have to confess.We're glad to have brought such kind of event to SEA and we're already looking forward for it's second edition next year! Open to suggestions and you also can vote in our pool @ www.escobarbjj.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fodvllzD4c0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvlUHhoLhBM&feature=channel

We'd like to thanks God and everybody that believed in BJJ and helped us to build this event. We believe that it's just the beggining! Special thanks to BJJ Asia for all support given!

Cheers,

Marcos Escobar

MMA PHUKET: BBQ BEATDOWN VIDS

Here are some amatuer MMA vids from last week, courtesy of MMA Phuket.

***note: Having some technical difficulty getting the embedded html to post so here are the links for now. I will correct this as soon as I can. -Luke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7VF7XDHpaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVABg5QviOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVXWPM3ryY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THK7dTE3trs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTPy0rNfsjw

QUICK UPDATE

I'm still away on holiday, just a few days away from gorging myself on turkey and mash-potatoes. Just got to California yesterday morning and got to train that evening. It's probably been 2 weeks since I last trained with all the work/projects to manage before my leaving Bangkok. Even so, I had a great time despite being tired and a little out of sorts. It's nice to be able to hold your own but I'm even more appreciative of the opportunity to learn and exchange with new guys on all levels. If you're ever in the San Jose area, I highly recommend checking out AKA (American Kick-Boxing Academy) with Dave Camarillo. Very cool vibe and tough/technical training. Hope to make it again at least one more time before I head back to Asia.

I'm still missing the Bangkok Winters cause the weather is the type that you pray for all year round and I've traded that for bitter bitter cold. Well, SF/SJ ain't bad but was in DC for a bit and I could do without the below freezing temprature.

Hope everyone is well and I want to give all my buddies heading to Japan this coming weekend the best of luck. Tear it up and represent SEABJJ.

-Luke

MMA PHUKET: BBQ BEATDOWN IV

THAILAND TOURNAMENT MEDAL SIGHTING!!!

Here's a sighting of one our medals from the FBT Thailand BJJ/Grappling Open, this past September. Like I said, I am now wide awake cause of the time difference, I should be sleeping but am surfing the web. The imgae was taken from the blog of the head instructor of Alive Academy in Japan.LINK: ALIVESACHOU

IT'S SO COLD

Having left Bangkok just a couple of days ago, posting has been a little slow but am looking to change that as soon as I can. I am currently in cold cold Virginia (USA) visiting relatives and will later be in the San Francisco/San Jose area after the weekend visiting more relatives for Thanksgiving. For those who aren't familiar with this US holiday, it's where you gorge yourself with food in the company of family and friends while watching American football all day long.

My blood has definitely thinned out since leaving New York for Bangkok so I am having some trouble adjusting to say the least. Even with the cold, it is nice to have a change of environment and as always visit other schools to train when time permits. Not sure where I'll be heading to in VA but will hopefully get some nice pics to share my experiences on the blog.

Body is still adjusting to the time so by 8pm here, I'm basically passed out. It's now midnight and I am wide awake, ugh. Anyways, news is still coming in and I will keep up with things as best I can. Also, the previous post is for the 'best blog of 2008' by the FIGHTWORKS PODCAST. Be sure to check that out.

-Luke

FIGHTWORKS PODCAST: BLOG OF THE YEAR CONTEST!!!

So BJJ-ASIA just missed the deadline for last years competition but here we are, a year + old. So show your support and represent Southeast Asia!

Click on the link below and nominate BJJ-ASIA for best blog of 2008. Once the nominees have been decided, a poll will be posted and your vote can be casted then.

THE FIGHTWORKS PODCAST

HONG KONG: MASTER KEVIN CHAN SEMINAR

Kamon Martial Art Federation in association with Kylin Bjj Presents:

Wing Chun Kung Fu / Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar with Master Kevin Chan Seminar: Sunday, 30th Nov, 2008
Venue: 1/C Wing Yu Building, 31-33 Bonham Strand West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.
Time: 13.00 - 15.00 (Wing Chun) 15.30 - 17.30 (Bjj) 17.30 - 18.30 ( Bjj Sparring)

Master Kevin Chan
Chief Instructor and Founder of Kamon Martial Art Federation since 1992 (www.Kamonwingchun.com)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt - Mauricio Gomes/Roger Gracie Academy (Gracie Barra UK) (www.kamonbjj.com)

Master Kevin Chan originally hails from Hong Kong and has been a Wing Chun practitioner since childhood and founded the Kamon Martial Art Federation since 1992 with successful academies all over the UK. A practitioner in constant search of knowledge, after over ten years of training in Bjj, Kevin became one of four only Black Belts in the UK given by the legendary Mauricio Gomes, founder of Gracie Barra UK and father of 8X World Champion, Roger Gracie. An active member of Gracie Barra UK, Kevin has competed in many Bjj competitions and has competed and placed in the most prestigious events including the Mundials and Pan American.

Master Kevin Chan will be in Hong Kong to introduce his unique approach to Wing Chun Kung Fu demonstrating its practicality in today's society followed by a Bjj seminar open to all schools and practitioners.

Double Seminar:
1/ 2 hours of practical Wing Chun ( Subject: Explosive Power)
Break
2/ 2 hours of Bjj (technique) - 1 hour Sparring (Optional)

1 seminar: Wing Chun or Bjj - HK$300
2 seminars: Wing Chun & Bjj - HK$500

For registration or further enquries please contact:
Chris - chrislam89@gmail.com (Chinese & English)
Tel: +852 94984717 ( Pls leave name & No. if no answer)

3RD SEABJJ SHIRT SIGHTING!!!

Thanks to Dimitrios for sharing this one with me. The SEABJJ shirt has made it to Melbourne, Australia for the Pan Pacifics this past weekend. -Luke

TECHNIQUE: MIKE FOWLER

Another clip from the guys at ROLLAPALOOZA.TV

From what I can tell, this was recorded probably just after HAJIME, the recent judo tournament organized by the same team, lead by Mr. Ali Sulit.

Mike Fowler demonstrating the basic upa sweep.

FIGHTWORKS ASIA: GB SEMINAR PICS

***UPDATE:Quick recap from Ofer about his seminar weekend.

seminar in singapore 8-9/11/08

The seminar took place at Fightworks Asia - a great improved gym that has all the martial arts training styles and all martial arts training facilities ( a big mat, a ring, a cage, heavy bags and a power station) !! wawoo

The instructor is a black-belt from manila - Alvin Aguilar and he came with a top MMA fighter from manila - Richard Lasprilla.

The seminar was 50% gi and the rest no gi and focused on basic drills but with advanced thinking in BJJ.

We had a great time and we learned a lot of small critical details and what was the best in the seminar is the comment Alvin gave from watching he fixed everybody's game and basic movements.

Next time I am in manila - I will go to train with Alvin for sure!!

best regards -
Ofer from Bangkok

Our friend Ofer was kind enough to share some pics from his recent trip to Singapore where FIGHTWORKSASIA hosted Gracie Barra black-belt, Alvin Aguilar. -Luke

TECHNIQUE: ADAM SHAHIR KAYOOM

Adam Shahir Kayoom demonstrates the scissor-sweep from the closed-guard at Bangkok BJJ.


WWW.BKKBJJ.COM

CHECK MAT BJJ CAMP: MALAYSIA

Last Saturday, CHECKMAT black-belt, Chico Mendes, arrived to Kuala Lumpur. Having just arrived from Europe where he was teaching and organizing the Scandinavian Open with Leo Vieira and Peter Blackwell. It is an annual tournament with it's best turnout in 2008 with IBJJF support, counting more than 500 competitors.

Info at www.scandinavianopenbjj.com

Both Chico and Marcos Escobar will be conducting the 1st BJJ Camp/Seminar at the Pangkor Island Resort, organized by CRUSH MMA Center. In the week prior to the camp, Chico will be instructing alongside Marcos at CRUSH. Here are some pics so far.Later this week, Cristiano “Alemao” Carvalho will be arriving from Singapore to instruct at the camp as well.

CALENDAR UPDATE: 2008-2009

NOVEMBER
(2) Makoto Ikuta seminar (Hong Kong)
-venue: Kowloon Jiu-Jitsu
-http://www.kln-bjj.com/CCP.html

(8-9) Gracie Barra BJJ seminar (Singapore)
-venue: Fightworks Asia Gym
-contact: fightworksasia@gmail.com

(9) 9th All Korean BJJ Championship
*location: dobong-gu 'dobong middle school Gymnasium', seoul-city, Korea
*contact: ★ ☞ +82-16-673-5782 tkks2@hanmail.net

(15) Beijing Grappling Tournament (China)
*location: Beijing BJJ Academy
*contact: pedroschmall@hotmail.com

(14-16) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Camp (Malaysia)
* http://escobarbjj.blogspot.com
* 3 black-belts (Chico Mendes, Marcos Escobar, Cristiano Carvalho)

(29-30) 4th Indonesian Submission Championship (Jakarta)(open: gi/no-gi)
*location: Townsquare Cilandak (South Jakarta)
*http://www.townsquare.co.id/

(29-30) Campeonato Asiatico (Tokyo, JP)

(30) Master Kevin Chan Seminar (HK)
contact: chrislam89@gmail.com

DECEMBER
(3) Alexandre Izidro seminar (Phuket, TH)
*info: MMA Phuket

(6-7) Philippine BJJ International Open Gi & No-Gi (PH)
*Venue : SM Mall of Asia
*BB super-fights
*Registrations and payments due by Wednesday December 2
*info: HERE

(6-7) CMD seminar (Singapore)
*@ Kreation JJ

(8-10) Rodney King seminar (KL)
*info: KDTA

(21) Dumau Kimonos BJJ Japan Cup (Saitama, JP)

2009

JANUARY (2009)
(17) Nevertap Tournament (Phuket, TH)
*no-gi event + seminar
*info: NEVERTAP

(14-22) Renzo Gracie & Rafael 'Gordinho' Correa Seminar (Singapore)
*info: EVOLVE MMA

MARCH
(1) Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships, Asia Trials (JP)
*info: JJFJ

ALEX PRATES

NAME: Alex Prates
INSTRUCTOR: Bruno Panno & Royler Gracie
ORIGINAL TEAM: TP Fight Team
SCHOOL IN SEA: Bangkok BJJ
CONTACT INFO: luke@bkkbjj.com
HOMETOWN: Porto Alegre, Brazil but coming from Sydney, Australia
ORIGINAL TEAM: BTT//Gracie Humaita
PROGRAM/SCHEDULE: full schedule + available for privates
TIME OF STAY: Nov. 24 -- late-Jan.

INTERVIEW:
Interview with Alex Prates, by John O'Neil for Warriors Realm (2007)

WR: Alex, can we begin by having you tell us where you are from and how you initially became interested in martial arts?
AP: I am from Porto Alegre in Southern Brazil. A close friend of mine was a really good boxer and he started to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He was impressed by its effectiveness and so I thought I would give it a go too.

WR: Who did you train with in Brazil?
AP: I started to train BJJ at Sul Jiu-Jitsu under Master Walter Mattos and Master Mario Sperry. The Sul Jiu-Jitsu Academy is well known in Brazil for its discipline and hard training and has produced some top Brazilian competitors. I was a BJJ purple belt when I left back in 2000 to come to Australia.

WR: Can you describe the jiu-jitsu and MMA scenes in Brazil? Do the combat sports receive a lot of attention there?
AP: Combat sports are so popular over there, the people treat you like a warrior with lots of respect if they know you have been in the ring – it doesn’t matter if you’re a fighter who’s been in the big shows for top dollars or if you fight on local shows for a couple of hundred, the respect is there. MMA - or Vale Tudo as we call it there - has a long history in Brazil and grew to some extent out of challenge matches between martial artists as to who had the better style, or sometimes just to resolve disputes between fighters. One fighter would go to another’s gym at the agreed time, the doors would be closed, and all arguments would be settled!

WR: When did you first begin training in MMA and what prompted you to take an interest in the sport?
AP: When someone was preparing to fight I was always around to get bashed a bit! Really, when Bruno Panno was training Ian Schaffa in ground fighting for his local bouts, Bruno asked me to spar with him as part of Ian’s preparation. Ian would come back from his fights and say that the sparring was harder than the fighting and that I should give MMA a go.

WR: Who have been the main influences on you as a fighter?
AP: Mario Sperry for his discipline and training regime, Ian Schaffa for his mental toughness and Master Bruno Panno for the excellence of his BJJ technique. Master Mick Spinks has helped me to combine all of these elements together and has made me into a more complete fighter.

WR: When did you arrive in Australia and where are you currently training?
AP: I arrived in Australia in 2000 and I proudly became an Australian citizen on 12 October this year. I am currently training BJJ and ground fighting with Master Bruno Panno at the Gracie Sydney gym (http://www.graciesydney.com)and my stand up with Master Mick Spinks at the Double Dragon (http://www.doubledragon.com.au). Former Oceania and Australian wrestling Champion Peter Coppleson also works out with me twice a week to improve my wrestling.

WR: Can you tell us a little about your training regime?
AP: I do two hard fitness sessions and 3 weight sessions each week without fail. The rest of my training time is divided between kickboxing, gi and no gi BJJ, wrestling and MMA sparring.

WR: Do you change your training in the week prior to the fight? What about cutting weight?
AP: I like to have 4 days off from training before a fight. Cutting weight is something Master Mick Spinks is an expert in, so I do whatever he says and we are always spot on!

WR: How do you prepare in the final hours before the fight?
AP: I don’t have to go through any mental processes or do anything too complicated. Knowing that I’m fighting in front of a big crowd is all the psyching up I need. I feel confident because I know that I’ve done the hard yards in training, and I just want to get into the Hexagon and fight.

WR: How much do you know about Korey Gibson and have you been training any specific areas for your fight with him?
AP: I’m a big fan of Danny Higgins who is the head of the Integrated Team. He knows how to prepare his guys - Adrian Pang, Matt Cain and Kyle Noke from Integrated are top class fighters. So I’m expecting Korey to come in ready to go and I’m anticipating a hard fight. I’m not training any specific areas for this fight – we’re both well rounded and I need to be ready for anything.

WR: Anything else you would like to add Alex?
AP: I would like to thank my sponsors Keiko Raça Australia Fighting Wear and Awesome Fighting Equipment. I’d also like to thank my coaches and training partners for getting me ready for this fight.

KDT ACADEMY: RODNEY KING SEMINAR

Rodney King Seminar
@ KDT Academy
December 8-10, 2008

*Rigan Machado black-belt
*Crazy Monkey Creative Director
*Somatic Life Coach

MON: 2-5pm CMD, 5:30pm onwards personal-training w/ Rodney
TUES: 8-10pm BJJ gi seminar
WED: 8-10pm MMA seminar

contact: Vince Choo 012.202.6111

WWW.KDTA.COM

MMA PHUKET: SEMINARS + INTERVIEW

from: Ray Elbe
Last week MMA Phuket hosted two grappling seminars. Brodie Farber, a veteran of both the WEC and the UFC spent two hours going over different takedown setups. He showed a great 4 takedown combination that allows you to transition from one takedown to the next depending on what your opponents counter reactions are. Over 35 grapplers attended the free Seminar. Video of the Brodie Farber seminar will be uploaded onto youtube in the next couple of days.

See more pics from Brodie's seminar: LINK

A couple of days after the Brodie seminar MMA Phuket hosted UFC Champion Contender Jon Fitch and Nate Moore. Fitch is a BJJ Black belt under Dave Camarillo, while MMA fighter Nate Moore is a fellow Purdue University wrestling alumni. Over 60 grapplers showed up for the Fitch Seminar. Fitch spents 90 minutes detailing basic wrestling takedowns that transition into submission opportunities. Highlights of the event included a 30 minute question and answer opportunity with those attending the seminar. No video cameras were allowed for the Jon Fitch seminar, but those wishing to see the techniques taught are encouraged to visit www.mmainstructional.com

See more pics from Jon Fitch/Nate Moore seminar: LINK

10 questions with Jon Fitch


MMA Phuket will be hosting another seminar December 3rd with Brazilian Top Team Black Belt Alexandre Izidro. Izidro is a European ADCC Qualifying champion and an MMA champion for the Cage Warriors promotion. Check out www.mmaphuket.com for more updates regarding this upcoming seminar. This seminar will be free to all participants.

JOHN BAYLON VS MIKE FOWLER @ HAJIME 2008!

Thanks to Stephen for directing me to this video which gives a closer look of the match between John Baylon & Mike Fowler. While many of you may know Mike as an accomplished American black-belt, John Baylon has quite a story in the judo world. More on that soon though, enjoy the video. -Luke

INTERVIEW: ALI SULIT

Anytime I do a 're-post' is when I find that I really connect to what is being said/written/shown and would like to share it with those that may not have access to or know where to look. Earlier this week I re-posted the flow-drills from Nicolas at the Jiu-Jitsu Brother and today, I'd like to share with you an interview by Pons with Ali Sulit, head instructor at Team VPF.

I got to meet Ali and the team this past April in Hong Kong but have seen them compete at a number of events in Southeast Asia beforehand. Very accomplished competitors and great guys off the mat as well. In the interview, the key word that I would like to draw attention to is 'sincerity'. Thanks to the VPF guys for letting me re-post and best of luck to the newly formed team. -Luke

EVOLVE MMA: SINGAPORE

***UPDATE: Just got confirmed dates.

Antonio Braga Neto: Arriving November 22nd and will be representing Evolve MMA at the upcoming Asian BJJ Championships in Japan. He will be training Muay Thai and teaching BJJ at Evolve for a few months.

Rafael 'Gordinho' Correa & Renzo Grace: Will be in Singapore for a 1 week seminar from January 14 to January 22.

EVOLVE MMA is an official representative school of Renzo Gracie and the first in Asia. This partnership promises to bring a number of high-profile black-belts to Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Wanted to share some exciting news coming from Singapore and more specifically the newest edition to the Singapore roster, EVOLVE MMA. In the coming months, the new gym will be hosting Antonio Braga Neto, Rafael 'Gordino' Correa and Renzo Gracie. Antonio is schedule to teach BJJ for a few months while taking the opportunity to train Muay Thai. Rafael and Renzo are due to put on a week-long seminar this January. More to come on specific dates and schedules. -Luke

JIU-JITSU BROTHERHOOD: FLOW DRILLS

Perhaps some of you are already familiar with the Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood and it's author, Nicolas Gregoriades, a Roger Gracie black-belt. Another great resource for information regarding jiu-jitsu training, techniques and related topics. If you haven't already, be sure to check it out.

The clip below is a demonstration of a flow-drill that encourages fluid and constant movement. Often times in competition and training, we get locked into positions and begin using strength in order to see the technique through. Drills like this can help develop a more fluid and transitional approach to rolling. This may not be a ground-breaking concept or drill but it's one that I come back to as often as I can with willing training partners and believe the vid to demonstrate it very well. A great way to warm up before your open-mat sessions if you want to avoid jumping-jacks and burpees, haha.

I want to thank Nicolas for allowing me to repost this video and please be sure to check out both his site and academy below. -Luke



Nicolas teaches jiu-jitsu at the Roger Gracie Academy in London and co-authors the Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood with Alexis de Bretagne.

JIU-JITSU BROTHERHOOD
ROGER GRACIE ACADEMY

MMA TAIWAN: MING WU 'THE MAKING OF'

Check out www.itsavideotv.com for some of the fight coverage and 'making of' of the MMA event Ming Wu (Taiwan). I won't post the fight vids so you'll have to check out the link above. -Luke

"making of"

Making of the video MMA fighting in Taiwan from iix23 on Vimeo.

HAJIME 2008: PHILIPPINES

This past weekend, Mike Fowler and Judo legend John Baylon fought in black/brown judo tournament match. Here's some info on the event along with videos with a hi-light match between Mike Fowler and John Baylon. -Luke

Our 2nd public sighting of the SEABJJ shirt!!! Thanks Carlo for the pic.

TOURNAMENT INFO:

November 8 - 9, 2008, College Covered Courts, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

HAJIME! 2008 will have 2 belt divisions for the Men's and Women's: ALL-WHITE and BROWN/BLACK. This will be a promotional tournament (pending approval by the Philippine Judo Federation).

We will be following IJF weight categories and updated competition rules.

Medals will be awarded to all winners in their respective weight categories and divisions. Special awards and cash prizes will be given to the FASTEST IPPON and FASTEST SUBMISSION for each belt division.

John Baylon vs Mike Fowler

John Baylon vs JR

Lemuel Basa vs John Baylon

John Baylon vs Gerard

VIDEO CREDIT: Michaelmd

ADDITIONAL THANKS: Rollapalooza.TV

FIGHTWORKS PODCAST: HOW MANY BJJ DVDS DO YOU OWN POLL

Be proud of your BJJ-geekiness. -Luke

Poll: How Many BJJ DVDs Do You Own?

KOWLOON BJJ: PLAYS HOST TWICE OVER

In one week's time Kowloon Jiu-Jitsu plays host to two visiting black-belts. Makoto Ikuta from Trust Jiu-Jitsu (Nagoya, JP) and Cristiano Carlvaho from Kreation Jiu-Jitsu (Singapore), both making time to train and share their knowledge.

I've been to KLN BJJ and it's not the biggest of clubs but man can they pack'em in there. Check out a quick vid from the Ikuta seminar and also be sure to check on Samulime's blog for some pics with Cristiano.

-Luke



WWW.SAMULIME.BLOGSPOT.COM

BJJ MANILA FORUM

Wanted to introduce a new forum dedicated to BJJ in Manila (PH). The year isn't over yet and there's still plenty of things going on in the Philippines and the rest of SEA. -Luke

WWW.BJJMANILA.COM

THANKS

Just wanted to thank everyone that's commented on the recent posts about opening a new school and how that may effect your local scene. I'm sure we're all aware of the kind of politics and personal conflicts that can distract everyone from what we're really here to do which is learn and celebrate BJJ. I respect the fact that my circumstances are different than others and therefore my perspective may be different because of it. It's a unique situation I find myself in, here in Bangkok, with BJJ being so new and just under the radar of the general public. But that's going to change and with that change I believe we are working towards something really positive.

Tomorrow marks 1 week since the academy opened with our second open-mat session. Hope to see you guys there. Just got confirmation for our next guest instructor, I'll be making full announcement on that later.

SEMINAR TOUR
One more thing. I am working on organizing a seminar tour with Mauricio 'Tinguinha' Mariano from Los Angeles, USA and would like to know who's interested in hosting Tinguinha to hold a seminar at their academy. We are still in the early stages of planning so e-mail me at bjjasia@gmail.com if you're interested. This tour will be partially sponsored by BJJ-ASIA & SEABJJ but we could definitely use more support. The idea is to help bring Tinguinha to Bangkok as a base location and from here he can travel and teach at your academy, lessening the expense for you. I'd love to develop a network that helps put on more seminars to clubs/academies/schools that may not always have access to such things. I would extend the same to you out there. If you're looking to produce something similar like this, let's spread the word and see what can happen.

The time frame we're thinking is early April, 2009.

Luke

BKK/BJJ: NEW SITE!

Just got the new site for Bangkok BJJ up and running. -Luke

WWW.BKKBJJ.COM

TECHNIQUE: RALPH GO

Ralph Go from Team VPF shares an escapes the front headlock and counters with a brabo choke.

WHY OPEN A SCHOOL?: PART 2

AFFILIATE & NON-AFFILIATE

I've used the terms 'affiliate' and 'non-affiliate' in previous posts and in describing the new academy in Bangkok. I should more appropriately describe what I am working to be as 'independent' with an 'open-door policy'. All this in an attempt to avoid politics and even that word can be taken differently depending on what situation you and your school may be in. My aim is to create an environment where people can develop and improve their jiu-jitsu, share with like-minded people and support the community that we are a part of. This is separate from the loyalties/responsibilities that I have to those that have invested themselves in me. I believe I can still have a deep respect for the source of my teachings and its lineage while being open to learning from others outside of my immediate training family.

We can play the 'what if game' but that just takes time away from training. I will do what I think is best without compromising my principles when that time comes.

MMA PHUKET: SEMINARS!!!

BJJ Purple belt and UFC-WEC veteran Brodie Farber will be hosting a free MMA seminar at the MMA Phuket training facility on Thursday Nov. 6th starting at 9am. Brodie has been preparing for his UFC fight Dec. 10th on Spike TV with Ray Elbe and Tony Eduardo. Brodie will focus on MMA striking with an emphasis on boxing. Photos and Video cameras are welcome for Brodie Farber's seminar.

Tuesday Nov. 11th @ 9am, MMA Phuket will be hosting another MMA seminar as BJJ Black Belt and UFC Champion Contender Jon Fitch presents a seminar with an emphasis on wrestling for MMA application. Jon Fitch was a collegiate wrestler at the University of Purdue in the USA and will have fellow All American wrestler Nate Moore helping with instructions during the seminar. Both of these fighters train at the prestigious AKA academy in San Jose California. Rarely in Asia do we have such an opportunity to train with elite wrestlers and Tiger Muay Thai encourages all in the region to try and make arrangements to attend the event. This seminar will be free of charge to anyone wishing to attend, photos are welcome but video cameras will be prohibited.

MAKOTO IKUTA: SEMINAR VID (KLN BJJ)

Here's a vid from the Makoto Ikuta seminar at Kowloon BJJ (Nov. 2).

WHY OPEN A SCHOOL?

I've received several e-mails asking me about the process of opening my own academy and thought I'd share a set of questions given to me by those who've already done it themselves. Not to say that I've got it all figured out but I found that in the beginning I didn't know all the answers and had to take time to think about it. If you're not clear about what your goals are and what you stand for, how do you expect others to follow and support your project? -Luke

COMMUNITY
IS THERE A DEMAND FOR A NEW SCHOOL IN YOUR AREA?
How large an area are we talking about and how many schools are already established? Are we talking about just one other school or are there like four other schools in your city? What's the distance between schools that makes your school a more convenient location for that part of town? Back in NYC, there are 3 Starbucks within viewing distance from each other, each a single block apart.

WHAT CAN YOU OFFER THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS?
How is your spot going to differ from the schools that are already established. Space? Price? Instruction? Vibe? Affiliation?

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL AND MOTIVATION?
What are you interests in opening a new school? Money? Demand? Difference in school of thought? None in your area? No body likes you at their gym, JK?

WILL THE NEW SCHOOL ADD TO THE COMMUNITY?
With a larger body of practitioners, the larger and broader the competition spectrum can be. Would this be part of your goal and point of participation in the community? Again this reflects back to whether there is a demand for the new school.

HOW CAN YOU WORK TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER TEAMS TO MAINTAIN POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS?
How can you work with the existing teams to help each other and maintain positive relationships? How do the teams there support each other in the events put on the for the local scene. Does everyone show their support at the local tournaments?

BUSINESS
HOW WILL YOU SECURE A LOCATION?
A jiu-jitsu family needs a home and consistency in location is a big part of that. How will your facilities/space supply the current demand and will things have to change as your school grows? How do provide a space that is both conveniently located and not too close to other schools?

WITH NO EXISTING STUDENTS, HOW WILL YOU PAY RENT + UTILITIES?
Do you have enough start-up capital to cover the expenses before you can host paying students?

HOW WILL YOU PROVIDE STABILITY FOR THE STUDENTS?
Will you be there in person at the scheduled time so that students can always expect someone to be there to help them. How well can you keep to the promised schedule? Also what are you doing to help promote enough students to be there to help each other with training?

INSTRUCTION
HOW WILL YOU SECURE A QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR? SALARY?
BJJ aint' cheap and neither is instruction. What are your options locally and how might this effect the interest at you school? It's not mandatory that you have a black-belt but what else can you offer so that qualified instruction is there from time to time if not full time?

HOW WILL THE CLASSES BE LEAD IF NO INSTRUCTOR?
What are your options? DVD night?

BANGKOK BJJ: NOW OPEN!!!

This morning marked the first open-mat session since closing for renovations in late September. It's been a stressful process but now that it's done, it feels a bit surreal to have my own academy. I'm waiting on the fitness equipment to come in as we'll add things over time to fit the needs of our students. I snapped a few shots of the guys that came through to help break things in. Thanks to Tomi, Dimitrios, Mark and Carlo.

Be sure to check out our temporary site and blog.
WWW.BKKBJJ.COM
WWW.BKKBJJ.BLOGSPOT.COM

A new site is in the works with more details and should be up within the week. News on upcoming instructors will be up in a couple of weeks so keep checking.

We're a non-affiliate school and welcome everyone to come train, exchange ideas and help each other improve. -LukeNo equipment yet but plenty of space to roll.
View from across the street. We'll be putting up signs soon.
Bangkok BJJ is street side of the Golden Palace Hotel