SG PRO INTERVIEW

I was recently asked to participate in an interview with SG Pro and thought I'd share the link. -Luke

http://www.sg-pro.com/2010/01/16/sg-pro-interviews-luke-chaya-founder-of-bjj-asia/

NEW VIDS FORM TIGER MUAY THAI

Interview with 2x UFC Fighter Chad Reiner at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training Camp Phuket, Thailand. 

UFC vet Roger Huerta holds a MMA Seminar at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training Camp, Phuket, Thailand.

INTERVIEW W/ ROGER HUERTA

Sarah Bahous interviews UfC vet and MMA superstar Roger Huerta at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp, Phuket, Thailand.

INTERVIEW / LEGEND FC'S MICHAEL HASKAMP & CHRIS POLLAK

Today's interview is with Legend FC's creators/producers, Michael Haskamp & Chris Pollak. A unique opportunity to hear the concepts that have lead these two gentlemen to bring MMA to Hong Kong with a focus in cooperation and incorporation of HK's deep martial arts history. -Luke

For those who aren't familiar with Legend FC, please share with us its history and aim for Hong Kong and potentially all of Southeast Asia.

The idea for an MMA organization based in Hong Kong came from a conversation we had last spring, when we were talking about how Hong Kong – one of the world’s great cities and home to so much martial arts history – has such a strong martial arts community but no MMA tournament of its own. And so we decided to organize one.

Our goal is to give the Asia-Pacific’s best MMA athletes a platform on which to showcase their abilities and develop their skills. In the process, we want to raise the profile of MMA as a sport and give these men the credit and recognition they deserve as some of the most hard-working, talented competitors in the sporting world.

What do you feel differentiates Legend from other MMA promotions in Asia outside of Japan?

We are fans of all of the other MMA promotions in the region, and go to their shows when we can. From our perspective, this sport has enormous growth potential, and the more opportunities athletes have to earn a living from their hard training, the better they will get, and the better MMA will be to watch. For our part, we are focused entirely on building awareness of MMA in Hong Kong as an ethical, professional, world-class sport.

On the website you reference Bruce Lee's influence in martial arts and what may have evolved to become MMA as we know it today. How do you see events like this affecting the more traditional martial arts community in Asia? Is there opposition or acceptance?

We often refer to Bruce Lee because he was one of the pioneers of the idea of incorporating the most effective techniques from a range of martial arts in order to develop the most powerful integrated system – the “style of no style,” as he referred to it.

The response from the traditional martial arts community has been positive since most people understand that the development of MMA in Asia will be beneficial to the overall martial arts community. As people become more interested in MMA as spectators, a desire to actually learn and engage in the martial arts will naturally follow for many of them.

Very few people will ever have first-hand experience organizing such an event. What do you see as the major challenges to overcome?

Our largest challenge is Hong Kong’s low awareness of MMA. We have a long road ahead of us in terms of building a reputation for MMA here as an international professional sport on par with football and rugby, but that is exactly what we aim to achieve.

Do you feel there are any stigmas about MMA and its fighters that you would look to change or promote to this new public?

As the readers of BJJ Asia know, the sport earned a bad reputation in the US in the 1990’s for marketing itself as a “no holds barred” competition in the early years, among other missteps.  Fortunately for us, because no one has previously organized a professional MMA event in Hong Kong, we have the opportunity (along with the rest of Hong Kong’s martial arts community) to help build the sport’s reputation from the beginning among the people of Hong Kong, who are not yet familiar with the sport. For our part, we hope that we can establish the sport’s reputation as one conducted under a strict set of rules to maximize athlete safety; as a contest between high-level professional athletes; and as a new and exciting sport with broad appeal.

What do you look for in the competitors you have in your events? Is there a specific criteria and how does one go about securing a fight-card spot at Legend FC?

As avid MMA fans, we make matches that we are excited to watch. We look for tough competitors with aggressive fighting styles. We attempt to create dynamic, balanced bouts where the competitors are well-matched against one another. All other things being equal, we would sooner have an athlete with fewer wins but most of them by knockout or submission than someone with a better record whose victories come primarily via judges’ decision.

While MMA experience is important, we also look at athletes who have a strong competitive background in other martial arts and who have made the crossover to MMA more recently. We’re constantly looking for new talent, so athletes interested in competing at Legend should contact us through our website with an introduction, their stats (e.g. height, weight, etc.), a link to their Sherdog record, and links to video footage of them in competition for us to get a sense of their skills.

Is there anything you'd like to share with the readers of BJJ-ASIA?

Yes…buy your tickets to the event! January 11, 2010, at Star Hall in Kowloon Bay – tickets are available now through HK Ticketing (www.hkticketing.com) and Tom Lee music stores.

INTERVIEW W/ RALPH GO

 (pic from: BRAZIL BLOG)

For those that aren't familiar with who you are, please share with us a bit of your BJJ history. How and when did you get starting in BJJ and where did you receive your initial instruction/promotions?

 

My name is Ralph Go, I started BJJ in late 2003 with Ali Sulit. He was my original instructor and he is reponsible for the structure of the team we have today. Before we used to be an affiliate of New Breed Academy based in California under John Ouano and Myles Vives. i recieved my blue and purple belt under John Ouano and brown under Makoto Aramaki, unfortunately due to lingering internal problems that we were unsatisfied with for quite some time, we decided to go our seperate ways from Newbreed to form VPF here in the Philippines. now VPF here in the Philippines is affiliated with Atos of Brazil.

Coming up in the Philippines, how have you kept so focused especially when access to higher-belts/black-belt instructors was very limited?

before when we started we were all white belts, even Ali was a white belt. very rarely a colored belt would to come to train since we only trained at an affiliate gym which was outside of the main branch in the Philippines. I relied alot on video instruction to help me learn BJJ. However, in my opinion this can only get you so far. It made us very hungry to learn BJJ and it had me go to Japan, Guam, US, Brazil to learn.

 

What kind of advice would you give to those in similar situations where the instruction is not ideal?

 

keep traveling, learning and competing. I have seen many people be contented to what level they have achieved and just stop progressing. I have seen many people with alot of talent but no dedication just fade away and stopped training. If you have alot of dedication and passion for what you do you attract other people like you towards you that can help you.

Perhaps one of the most decorated competitors from the SEABJJ scene, what aspect of jiu-jitsu do you see playing a larger role in your training? sport or martial art? Do you separate the two or do they go hand-in-hand?

 

in my opinion they go hand in hand. my primary goal is to win competitions and reach the rank of black belt. outside of the competition areas, my objective is to be a good individual, someone other people can recognize for honesty and good conduct

How does this focus translate to what gets taught to your students at VPF/Atos?

 

we are what we do repeatedly, success is the constant practice of winning actions and fundamentals. there is no luck or miracles involved, nothing of that sort.  

This year has been quite busy for you having taken several months out of the year to travel to Brazil and US to train/compete. What was the experience like for you as a student in the birthplace of BJJ? How was it competing in Brazil?

 

it was an awesome experience, sometimes it feels like a dream. something you ask youself like did that really happen? or am I watching a video or am I really here? It was really hard at the same time. the training schedule we had we were training 3-4X a day in the middle of nowhere. No beach, the restaurants closed at night/weekends, basically not doing anything but bjj! many people say its actually not the typical brazil experience that other people have. You really have to love bjj to get through that, training that much really takes its toll mentally and on the body too! Competing in Brazil is a defintely at a very high level, the brown belts winning my category would definitely give high level black belts alot of trouble somewhere else. 

With whom did you train in Brazil?

 

I spent a few weeks visiting Rio de janeiro and training at Checkmat, but for the most part I spent training in Rio Claro, a small town outside of Sao Paulo. Here was the homebase of Atos BJJ, Everyday I trained with Rafael Mendes, Bruno Frazzatto, Guilherme Mendes, Guto campos, Claudio Calasans, Gilbert Durinho 3x a day. They have also some monster guys at lower belts. They have blue belts that would totally kill alot of black belts and brown belts it was ridiculous already. 

From your experience training in Brazil, what would you like to bring back to SEABJJ in terms of training/mindset/technique?

I was able to see first hand why everyone was so good. Everyone had the mindset that the one who trains the most will win, and every one reaps what they sow. Hence they train 3-4x a day. I thought I was training alot before I went to Brazil but now I realize I wasnt doing anything! Everyone showed alot of dedication and will to succeed that I havent seen anywhere else. There really isnt any secret formula, all the best guys train alot.

 

Unfortunately you were injured just before the Mundials. How did you cope with not being able to compete after so much preparation?

yes unfortunately I got injured during one of the last training days before going to Mundials so I had to sit out and just watch. I was dissapointed but some things I believe are blessings in disguise, many things I thought I knew about jiu jitsu I had to totally change when in Brazil. My mind was so overloaded with things I felt that I needed some time to adapt to the things I learned first. 

 

You're most recent victory came two-fold at this year's Tokyo Open having taken your weight division and the absolute. Could you walk us through your weekend and a few or you matches? Do you feel this victory is a turning point in your game or is it just another part of the process?

 

Actually I didnt take my weight division, I lost first round by advantage in the lightweight brown division. I was very dissapointed but I was able to enter the 2nd day with alot more will to win and thank God I arrived as champion. I submitted all my opponents except the final of the absolute. I was very happy I was able to implement the things I trained for. However still so many mistakes and things to improve. I'd like to continue to compete in big tournaments to improve such as Europeans, PAN, Abu Dhabi Pro trials, Rickson Cup, Asian Open, Mundials, Brasiliero next year but being limited by budget I can only focus on a few.

VPF has just recently become an affiliate of Atos JJ, one of the newest teams winning gold at the highest level with Ramon Lemos and Andre Galvao as leaders. What does this affiliation mean for the team in Philippines and what changes do you see coming in the new year?

 

Definitely, we are very happy with this opportunity. You can expect the level of Philippine BJJ to go up. Many fellow BJJ practitioners here in the Philippines has recognized our work in VPF and now are training together with us as one team. this happening and the affiliation with Atos what was impossible before, is now possible for us.

BJJ-ASIA would like to thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Is there anything you'd like to share with the readers? 

thanks Luke! I'd like to leave a message to the readers always come to academy to train, depending on how many times you can train or your schedule permits. always try to come to the maximum of your abilities. What we do repeatedly defines who we are!

INTERVIEW W/ ALBERTO CRANE

Alberto Crane was recently in Thailand holding seminars in both Phuket and Bangkok. Here's an interviewed during this time at Tiger Muay Thai.

INTERVIEW W/ SILVIO BRAGA

A bit late on this one but earlier this month the Fightworks Podcast aired their interview with Team Grips head instructor, Silvio Braga. The interview was recorded at Art of War this past Summer. Check it out if you haven't already. -Luke

WWW.THEFIGHTWORKSPODCAST.COM

VIDEO INTERVIEW W/ LEO VIEIRA

Thanks to Prof Escobar and Fang for coordinating this interview for me. A collaborative interview since I sent in the questions and they were the ones executing it. Also, much thanks to Leo Vieira for taking the time to talk with BJJ-ASIA and sharing with the SEABJJ community his thoughts on the growth of BJJ in Asia as a whole and his future plans as leader of Checkmat JJ. -Luke

FIRST OF 2 INTERVIEW WITH LEO VIEIRA

The boys at SG PRO beat me to this one but I think they address different topics with the ADCC champ. Always down for more info. Thanks guys - Luke

Known as one of the most exciting practitioners in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu today, Leo Vieira made an impact when he entered the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships and won the tournament twice in 2003 and 2005 in the lightweight category. He was also a finalist in the 2007 tournament, losing out to former HERO’S and current WEC fighter Rani Yahya and also wound up as a semi-finalist in the 2009 tournament. Recently, Vieira came down to Kuala Lumpur to conduct a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with the help of BJJ Black Belt Marcos Escobar, who teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes at CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts and fellow BJJ Black Belt Chico Mendes and SG Pro was able to conduct an interview with Vieira. Special thanks go out to Marcos Escobar and BJJ Blue Belt Lim Fang Han of CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts for helping us get the interview.

From left to right: Marcos Escobar, Leo Vieira and Chico Mendes

SG Pro: Leo, first of all, welcome to Malaysia and thank you for taking the time to do this interview for SG Pro. It’s an absolute honor having you with us.

Vieira: My pleasure to be here in helping spread the BJJ fever around SEA and even more visiting our first official branch in here.

SG Pro: First of all, can you tell the readers about yourself such as your upbringing, how you got started into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and your gym in California?

Vieira: I started when I was eight years old stimulated by Bruce Lee movies. I consider myself a lucky guy that could watch and participated in BJJ’s growth worldwide. As you all know IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) is based in CA, running big competitions over there. We needed a training camp in that region and today thanks to the great job of Lucas Leite, Pantcho, my brother Leandro and many others we currently have five clubs over there.

SG Pro: The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships is the most prestigious grappling tournament in the world and you have won the tournament twice in 2003 and 2005. What was it like to compete in the ADCC World Championships?

Vieira: ADCC is the biggest grappling competition in the world. It has changed the way people used to see No Gi competitions. All great fighters want to be a part of it. I’m one of the fighters with the most attendance in the competition and is always great to be part of it.

SG Pro: You’ve fought Rani Yahya twice during the finals of the tournament in 2005 and 2007. Both of you are 1-1 against each other. How tough was Yahya in the two fights you had against him?

Vieira: Hmmm… just for the record, we’ve fought at ADCC already three times – BRA 03, USA 05 and USA 07. Rani is a tough fighter and also a great guy. I respect him a lot and our matches will always be a great show cause both of us have a game that moves forward.

SG Pro: Do you see the two of you someday having a rubber match to finally settle the score once and for all and if so, would it be under ADCC or MMA rules?

Vieira: Well, as I mentioned before we’ve fought three times. We’re professional fighters and I don’t think the score is what matters. Fighting is our life and for sure we’ll meet again in some competition someday. Maybe in SEA in the future… who knows?

SG Pro: You competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships this year, but lost out to Rafael Mendes in the semi-finals. What happened?

Vieira: Well, I made some mistakes and Rafael is great fighter. When you commit mistakes with a great fighter you pay the price. That’s what happened. I’m sure we’ll fight again in the future and I’ll try not to commit mistakes.

SG Pro: I understand that you had a match against the legendary Mark Kerr before. Care to share us your thoughts on that match?

Vieira: It was my first No Gi competition and Mark Kerr was in evidence at that time. I think that was a good opportunity to show BJJ’s efficiency once I was fighting someone twice my size & weight. Even not winning that match, till today people remember the fight and ask me about it.

Leo Vieira (blue gi) sparring with Marcos Escobar (black gi) at CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts Gym.

SG Pro: This is your first time visiting Malaysia and here, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is slowly but surely gaining popularity. It is no secret that MMA is becoming the fastest rising sport in the world and recently, there has been a strong interest in picking up the art either for leisure or competition. How do you feel about this?

Vieira: The rise of MMA worldwide is very good for BJJ. However I would say MMA is the fastest rising sport in terms of audience. People love to watch MMA competitions but when we talk about training or practice, most of them chose to go for BJJ. Even in Brazil or US we have much more people training BJJ than MMA. Most of the great MMA fighters came from BJJ. I think what SEA need is to have more people involved with the sport (BJJ) itself… academies, fight wear, competitions etc. This will help in the growth of the sport for sure.

SG Pro: When you came into CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts on Thursday (the day after Vieira arrived from Brazil), what was your reaction like seeing as to how many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners there were in the gym with several of them coming from East Malaysia and also all the way from Singapore?

Vieira: I’m glad to see so many people and to see they love BJJ. I think it’s all about hard work with quality. Marcos Escobar is a good friend of mine for a very long time. He’s also a great fighter with many titles in Brazil and overseas, including ADCC. Nowadays, he’s the coordinator of Checkmat in Malaysia & our official representative in Asia. I’d like to congratulate him for the great job and I’m looking forward to coming back here soon.

SG Pro: What is next for you after this seminar is over? Any upcoming fights for you?

Vieira: I had a great time here, the seminar was great and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel staff took good care of us all. Anyways, I’m far away from home since September and now I just want to go back to my wife & kids.

SG Pro: How do you find it here in Malaysia? Any thoughts of coming back to the country again?

Vieira: Malaysia is a great place, great people, great food… even though I’ve failed in eating Durian for this on I’m still white belt (rs). I’m planning to come back with my family next time.

SG Pro: Who do you think are the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in MMA today and why?

Vieira: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Demian Maia & B.J. Penn. Even though all MMA fighters practice BJJ, in my opinion, those are the ones that use BJJ the best in the fight.

SG Pro: Now it’s time for our SG Pro interview tradition, the word association! What I’m going to do is name a fighter or organization and you will have to describe them in just seven words or less. Let’s start with the first one. Marcos Escobar

Vieira: Checkmat Asia & SEA

SG Pro: Chico Mendes

Vieira: Checkmat wouldn’t be the same without him.

SG Pro: CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts

Vieira: Escobar BJJ Academy.

SG Pro: ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships

Vieira: Biggest and most traditional grappling competition.

SG Pro: Rani Yahya

Vieira: Great fighter.

SG Pro: Barret Yoshida

Vieira: Very flexible.

SG Pro: Rafael Mendes

Vieira: New generation.

SG Pro: Mark Kerr

Vieira: Great champion. A shame he has stopped competing.

SG Pro: B.J. Penn

Vieira: Great friend, big heart and an awesome fighter.

SG Pro: Kenny Florian

Vieira: Dangerous south paw.

SG Pro: Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto

Example of dedication.

SG Pro: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Vieira: First to display pure jiu-jitsu in MMA.

SG Pro: Ultimate Fighting Championships

Vieira: Biggest MMA event.

SG Pro: Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti

Vieira: He who gave me the black belt and someone that I have a lot of care & respect.

SG Pro: And finally, Leo Vieira

Vieira: 1-father (family), 2-leader, 3-coach and 4-fighter. Nowadays those are the priorities in my life.

SG Pro: One last question, do you have any messages you would like to convey to our readers and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners out there?

Vieira: Doesn’t matter how great and talented you are, results come with dedication & faith. Train hard, train more & train always.

SG Pro: Thank you very much once again for your time. We at SG Pro would like to wish you all the very best in your career!

Vieira: Appreciate the opportunity, my pleasure. God bless you all.

WWW.SG-PRO.COM

INTERVIEW W/ BRIAN EBERSOLE

Brian "Bad Boy" Ebersole (Tiger Muay Thai interview and highlight reel)

INTERVIEW W/ LEANDRO 'BRODINHO' ISSA & RAFAEL DOS ANJOS

This interview is brought to us by SG PRO FIGHT COMMUNITY, with Leandro 'Brodinho' Issa. Not only was he awarded 'most technical fighter' at this year's 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Grappling Open, he's also one of black-belt instructors at EVOLVE MMA, Southeast Asia's leading MMA academy. Thanks to the guys at SG Pro for this one. -Luke

Also check out their interview with Rafael dos Anjos: HERE
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SG Pro – Fight Community has the privilege and the honor of interviewing the most technical fighter of the 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open, Leandro Thomas Issa da Silva. Known to his peers and students as Brodinho, he is currently a 1st degree BJJ Black Belt instructor at Evolve MMA and is a BJJ Mundials World Champion with over 11 years of experience and has won numerous regional and national titles in Brazil. Join us as we discover what makes this World Champion ticks!

SG Pro: Brodinho, first of all, thank you for finding the time to do this interview with us!

Brodinho: Thank you. Thank you. I’m happy to be here. I’m sorry for my English. I am still learning every day.

SG Pro: First off, tell us more about yourself, the information that we find about you on the internet is limited. All we know is that you are a BJJ Mundials World Champion with over 11 years of experience, you won the title of Most Technical Fighter at the recent 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open and that you are currently teaching at Evolve MMA.

Brodinho: I am from Ubatuba, Brazil. BJJ is my life. When I young, I was problem kid. I have many street fights all the time. But BJJ change my life and make me understand honor and respect. It make me understand to be calm and humble. I’m training BJJ now for 11 years every day for 6-8 hours every day. This is my life. I’m a professional fighter since I have been 15. I don’t know how many tournament I compete, but I think around 200-250 tournament. I am Mundials World Champion in 2004. In Brazil, I training at Gordo Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro. It is one of best schools in Brazil and have many World Champions and over 50 Black Belt there. Now, Gordo Jiu-Jitsu is become Evolve Brazil. It is championship academy. Gordo is the master there. He is many times World Champion and he invent the half-guard in BJJ. Now, I come to Singapore this year and I will live here forever. Evolve is my life and my family. Thank you to Chatri Sityodtong and Gordinho Correa for everything. I am now learning Muay Thai because I am professional MMA fighter. Muay Thai at Evolve is the best from Thailand. I am thank you to Evolve for making me better in everything.

SG Pro: How old were you when you started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and what draws you to it?

Brodinho: I have about 14 years old when I start BJJ. I love BJJ. It gives me discipline, honor, respect. It make me humble. BJJ is a beautiful art. This is it. It is art. I love to challenge myself physically and mentally. BJJ make me a better person.

SG Pro: We did a search on youtube and found a couple of your fights in no gi competitions in Brazil so do you actually prefer competing in the gi or without the gi and is there any difference to it?

Brodinho: I love gi more. I do both. But with gi, it is more technical and makes you a better fighter. If you learn only no-gi, it is very hard to reach a high level. There is big difference. When you are beginner, it is very important to learn with the gi. For my MMA fights, I still train with the gi because it make me to be more technical.

SG Pro: What is the thing that inspires you to keep on training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu all these years?

Brodinho: BJJ is a martial art. It teach me to become a man. I love BJJ. This is my heart.

SG Pro: You currently have a 4-2 record in professional MMA, winning 3 of your 4 fights via submissions. Are you more comfortable grappling than striking and are you currently working more on your striking?

Brodinho: I am BJJ Black Belt. I am a World Champion in BJJ. For me, I am grappler. Submissions is natural for me. But since I come to Evolve, I am now training very hard in Muay Thai. The Sityodtong team is the best from Thailand. My dream is to have my Muay Thai as good as my BJJ. As a professional MMA fighter, this is what I need. I am lucky to have the best teachers in Muay Thai like Nuengpichit Sityodtong, Chatri Sityodtong, Yoddecha Sityodtong, Daorung Sityodtong, and everybody. They teach me so many things and I never seen so much technical detail before. Before I came to Evolve, I thought Muay Thai was just power. Now I realize that it is like BJJ. Muay Thai is art with many technique and details.

SG Pro: We reviewed one your fight at Fury FC 3 against Takafumi Otsuka and it seems that the referee stopped the match too soon and the camera shows you visibly upset and seemingly adjusting your cup. Would you want to share with us what happened in that fight?

Brodinho: The referee is there to protect the fighters. I know this. When I step into the ring or cage, I am prepare to die. The cup break because the Japan fighter knee my balls. This is illegal. I try to speak for referee that the cup is broken.

SG Pro: You won the 2004 BJJ Mundial World Championship under 70kg Category, how has participating in this prestigious event changed your life?

Brodinho: It is nice, but I want to be better more every day. MMA is a new challenge. My goal is to be World Champion in MMA in the future.

SG Pro: You were declared the Most Technical Fighter of the 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open, share with us your thoughts on the tournament.

Brodinho: For me, I am happy because my students do so good. I win too, but more nice is Evolve is the Champion Team of the tournament. We have many tough fighter like Tommy, Judd, Neelan, Brian and everybody. Evolve is tough people. They have many tough fighters there for the tournament, but Evolve is better technique, more heart, and more fitness. The absolute finals for Black Belt was tough because Rodrigo is a top fighter from Brazil too and he is 10 kilos more heavy than me. Makoto in No-Gi final is good fighter too. I am happy to win both of these tough fighters.

SG Pro: When will your next fight be and how is the preparation for the fight going?

Brodinho: I am fighting in Art of War next. It is the biggest MMA show in China. I am start training already for it. Every day, 2x training per day. I train a lot in my Muay Thai with Nuengpichit, Chatri, and Yoddecha. This morning I train with Chatri and Nueng at 9am. I fight on November 28, 2009 in China.

SG Pro: Brodinho, you trained under Professor Gordo in Evolve Brazil and now that you are permanently in Singapore, you are training under Professor Gordinho. How is it like training under two of the best instructors that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has to offer?

Brodinho: I am have so lucky. I have the best teachers in the worlds for BJJ and Muay Thai. I learn every day. I am improve every day. They teach technique and details. So technical. I am so have luck. Gordo and Gordinho is best from Brazil.

SG Pro: How has teaching in Evolve MMA alongside some of the world’s best, changed your life?

Brodinho: I am so have lucky! In Brazil, I train with BJJ World Champions every day. Nothing new. In Singapore, I train with BJJ and Muay Thai World Champions every day. I am learning so fast. I improve so much. My teachers push me and teach me. Thank you for Gordinho, Nueng, Papa, Chatri, Lui, Tommy, Neelan, Brian, Josh, Oliver, and all the instructors. My team make me better. This is my family. My students make me better too. Evolve is my life and my family forever.

SG Pro: You were seen rolling around with your students and sharing tips and techniques with them. Most of the Evolve students we speak to talks of you as a jovial man who always make the effort to greet them when they enter the gym and as someone who is very approachable and that they see you as a friend rather than just an instructor. What are your thoughts?

Brodinho: Thank you for Gordinho and Chatri. Everybody want to be instructor at Evolve now. In Brazil, they have many Black Belt who want to come to Evolve. But Gordinho and Chatri don’t let. For them, only the best can come. The best fighters who are the best teachers and who are the nice people. I think Evolve have the best teachers in the world. All the Evolve instructors like each other a lot. This is family. My students is my family too. Gordinho and Chatri care about everybody a lot. This why Evolve is family. Love for everybody and learning together. Evolve is family.

SG Pro: Beside you and Professor Gordinho, two of your best friends, Mundials World Championship Silver Medalist, Almiro Barros and multi time Mundials World Champion, Antonio Braga are also Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors at Evolve. With such a strong instructors team, do you see any of your students competing more in both local and regional grappling tournaments and events?

Brodinho: Yes, the Evolve team have champion in first tournament in Thailand. Everybody is getting better. In future, Evolve will win a lot. My students will be best in Asia. Evolve is best already. Our family will have stronger and better. Best teacher is make best students.

SG Pro: Are you getting used to living in Singapore and used to the culture here?

Brodinho: Singapore is nice. Brazil is my home, but now Singapore is my home too. I want stay here forever. Everybody so nice. Evolve family help me so much.

SG Pro: We heard that you are really good at UFC Undisputed! So which is your favourite weight class to play and who is your favourite fighter to use? Or have you already created yourself in the Create a Fighter mode?

Brodinho: I play a lot. I like for video games. Andersen Silva is my favorite on the UFC game.

SG Pro: When a couple of our readers knew that SG Pro will be conducting an interview with you. They requested to ask a couple of questions so here goes;
What is the best way to beat an opponent who is bigger and strong than you in a Jiu-Jitsu competition? (eg: absolute division)

Brodinho: Technique make for win. If you better technique than opponent, you win. Practice everything. The detail is important. For big and strong, play top game is important. For submission, take the back and choke.

SG Pro: When injured, do you completely stop training? if you still train what is your training regime?

Brodinho: No I don’t like to stop. If I hurt bad, I stop. If I hurt no bad, I try to something. Swimming and other physical preparation. If no fight, I train 1x a day in the Fighters Program at Evolve. If I have fight, I have 8 week preparation with 2x training every day. BJJ and Muay Thai. Some wrestling and some MMA. I focus most on BJJ and Muay Thai. I eat protein shake and vitamins. I do running too. I do FightShape too. Everything is preparation.

SG Pro: What is the one piece of advice you can give for improving your Jiu-Jitsu game at any skill level?

Brodinho: Train consistent. If you come every week, you will better. If you don’t come every week, it is more time to be better. 2-3x one week, then be better for your jiu-jitsu. If more training, then better more. Evolve have the best teachers in worlds for you. So you can improve more fast.

SG Pro: You are well known for your flying armbar and your technique at jumping guard, is there any advice you can give us on how to train for these two techniques?

Brodinho: My favorite technique is flying triangle. I do many times in tournament for submission. Practice it a lot. This is what I do.

SG Pro: This last question is from one of your student; How do you make really nice pasta? (rumour has it that you made really good pasta!)

Brodinho: Yes I am good for pasta. It is cheap and easy to make. When Braga and I live together, I teach for him the make the pasta. I do pasta cook a lot.

SG Pro: And it’s time for our little word association again! This is how it works, i’ll name someone and you will have to describe that person in just seven words or less. Here goes nothing, Professor Gordinho.

Brodinho: the best in the world

SG Pro: Professor Gordo.

Brodinho: the best in the world

SG Pro: Antonio Braga Neto.

Brodinho: he is UFC Champion in future

SG Pro: Almiro Barros.

Brodinho: very good BJJ, my good friend

SG Pro: Rafael Dos Anjos.

Brodinho: UFC Champion in future too

SG Pro: 2004 BJJ Mundials.

Brodinho: Train hard makes victory

SG Pro: 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open.

Brodinho: Team Evolve is Champion!

SG Pro: Singapore.

Brodinho: Beautiful country and nice people

SG Pro: Evolve MMA.

Brodinho: My family is the best in Asia.

SG Pro: Future.

Brodinho: I want learn every day

SG Pro: And of course last but not least, Leandro Thomas Issa da Silva.

Brodinho: I am hope Future MMA World Champion

SG Pro: Some really interesting word association there, Brodinho! What advice would you give to all the aspiring Jit-Jitsu practitioners out there?

Brodinho: Evolve is best teachers here. Training hard every week, ok?

SG Pro: Any parting words for our readers?

Brodinho: BJJ and Muay Thai change your life. This is it. Evolve is special. No have academy like Evolve in the world. Evolve family is champion. Evolve is for peoples who are champion in their heart.

SG Pro: Brodinho, thank you so much for your time and we hope to hear more from you in the near future!

Brodinho: Thank you, thank you. I fight next month in Art of War in China. I will win for Evolve. I fight many times next year. Come train with me!

*SG Pro – Fight Community would like to thank Brodinho for finding time to do this interview with us. Do continuing visiting SG Pro – Fight Community for more MMA goodness!

ANDY WANG ON CARSON'S CORNER

Check out this recent interview with BJJ black-belt Andy Wang on Carson's Corner. Thanks Andy for rocking the BJJ-ASIA during your fight at AOW. -LukeHe's back! MMA's enigmatic wandering Ronin, BJJ black belt Andy Wang, returns to Carson's Corner for an update on his ongoing warrior journey.

Andy recently went to war with ZST, DEEP and Bodog vetern Atsuhiro Tsuboi in Art of War's "Ground Zero" event. Did Andy make good on his previous promise to use his grappling skills, or did he throw caution to the wind again and brawl it out on the feet? What does Andy think about the ongoing Mac Danzig "shirtgate" controversy? Tune in to find out!

In addition to fighting Andy Wang for the right to cross the bridge he guards, Carson also shares his thoughts on "The Simpsons", the unfortunate passing of fighter Sakai Jockygym and rumors of a high-octane street fight involving Tra Telligman of the Lion's Den.

LINK: CARSON'S CORNER W/ ANDY WANG

INTERVIEW W/ RUBENS 'CONBRINHA' CHARLES

This interview with 4x mundial champion Ruben 'Conbrinha' Charles is taken from 'Facebook Fans Interview'. All the questions were submitted by fans and answered by the champion himself. I got to submit a question of my own and to my joy, a question that Cobrinha liked enough to award me a signed t-shirt. One that I will proudly display at the gym. I want to thank Derek for coordinating everything and for giving permission to re-post the interview in its entirety here on BJJ-ASIA. Be sure to check out the fanpage since there's a lot of direct news from Cobrinha. -Luke

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Thank you to all who posted questions – there were nearly 70 questions from people all over the world. To make the interview smooth, my team had to consolidate similar questions and rephrase a few. I wish I could have answered everyone's directly. I hope you enjoy the interview …

Background/History

Please tell us exactly when and how you were introduced to jiu jitsu? (Michael Carn)
I started jiu jitsu in 2000. I was teaching Capoeira at a friend's Martial Arts school. He decided to add a jiu jitsu program to his curriculum because it had become very popular in Brazil, and he suggested that I come try it. In my first class, I got spanked, despite the fact that I was a contre mestre in Capoeira. I had a hard time understading how someone could beat me so easily. It made me want to do it again, and again, and again. I started training & practicing a lot. Little by little, I began spending more time training jiu jitsu than capoeira.

How long did it take you to progress to each belt level? (Gareth Murphy)
I earned a new belt approximately every year. I received my black belt in 2005, after 5 years of training. I won my first IBJJF World Championship as a black belt the following year (2006).

How did you progress so quickly? (Gareth Murphy)
I believe the primary reason that I progressed at the rate I did was because I was very dedicated to training. I trained every day and enjoyed drilling positions over and over. I also think the skills that I had gained from capoeira helped me a lot. From capoeira, I had very good balance, flexibility, and conditioning … all definitely helped my jiu jitsu tremendously.

What are the key differences in your jiu jitsu style as you progressed from belt to belt, or do you feel that your style has remained constant? (Jadon Ortlepp)
My style stayed basically the same over the years, but of course, my technique, timing, pressure, and anticipation improved.

Who were your most influential instructors and what did you learn from each of them? (Paul Moran, Sky Kauweloa, Ian Hardcastle)
I have been very lucky to have some amazing instructors in jiu jitsu, all of who have been a big influence for me. My first instructor was Mauro Pacifico. He gave me a really good base and helped define and develop my guard. Terere became my instructor when I was a brown belt. He polished my jiu jitsu and developed my passing game. Fabio Gurgel played a big role directly in helping improve my back control, but of course a lot of Terere's jiu jitsu and instruction was influenced by Fabio. Currently, I learn something new with Jacare every day. He pushes my training in the right way and helps me identify and fix my mistakes.

When did you decide that BJJ would be a career and not just a hobby? (Chris Visentin)
In 2004, when I was a brown belt, many things came together to clear a path for a jiu jitsu career. I had opened my own bakery but was having some business problems with the landlord. During that same time, I went to compete at the Federacao Paulista de Jiu-Jitsu's Championship where Fernando Augusto “Terere” watched me compete and asked me to move to Sao Paulo to train with his team. After my instructor Mauro Pacifico told me that I could not pass up that opportunity, I left my bakery, two other jobs, and my family to go to Sao Paulo to train with Terere. I will tell you that the adventure of going to the big city of Sao Paulo from little Sao Carlos was a big adventure, which is worth sharing sometime. Anyway, it was upon arriving in Sao Paulo and beginning to train with Terere's team that I knew I had a good opportunity to make a career out of jiu jitsu.

How has jiu jitsu changed your life? (Michael Carn, Nate Mann)
Before jiu jitsu, I liked my life very much. I enjoyed capoeira and I also enjoyed being a baker, which was my primary way to earn money. Jiu jitsu has given me an opportunity to travel much more than I did previously, and I have been privileged to meet people from many different cultures. I have a better respect for people's lives all over the world. My success in jiu jitsu has also put me in a position where some people look up to me. That is both a big honor and very humbling at the same time. Finally, I am very glad that my life allows me to teach others. I think many lessons of jiu jitsu are lessons of life, and I am happy to be able to help others gain attributes that can help them on and off the mat.

When did you finally know you had made it big in the jiu jitsu world? (Chris Visentin)
When I got the opportunity to come train with Terere, that is when I knew I had a good chance to be successful in jiu jitsu.

Before we move on, please tell us where you got your nickname … “Cobrinha”? (Jameel Khan)
My Capoeira teacher gave me that nickname because of my flexibility and smoothness of my movements.

Capoeira

Most people know that Capoeira was your first martial art, and many want to understand how that background has affected your jiu jitsu. First, for those who don't know, please tell us when you started Capoeira and how did you get introduced to it.
I started Capoeira at 7 years old. I had some friends in Sao Carlos who did it, and they introduced me to it.

Do you still practice Capoeira?
These days, I do capoeira just for fun. I still like it very much!

What elements of Capoeira did you find useful in your transition to BJJ? (Udi Pan, Neomix Nutype)
Capoeira gave me a really good balance, flexibility, and conditioning – all of which were very useful in jiu jitsu. It also helps the fluidity of my movements.

Did Capoeira pose any problems to your BJJ? (Neomix Nutype)
There are no real bad habits that come from Capoeira for jiu jitsu.

Would you recommend someone who does BJJ to start learning Capoeira as a complement? (Udi Pan)
I do think capoeira is big help for jiu jitsu and recommend for anyone who has the time to study it.

Training

Can you please describe a typical week of training for you including jiu jitsu, weights, cardio, flexibility, etc (Brabo Fett)
I train jiu jitu 2 times a day - 5 days a week, plus 1 time a day on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, I have private lessons and/or seminars that will increase the number of times I'm doing jiu jitsu each week. In addition, every day I spend time stretching, doing balance exercises, and doing crossfit (or circuit training).

For weight/ resistance training, do recommend strength, endurance, or explosiveness training? (Adam Johnson)
I don't really do weight training – I think crossfit or similar exercise is good for jiu jitsu.

Of the various athletic skills (strength, flexibility, balance, etc.), what do you think is the most important for a successful jiu jitsu fighter? (Adam Johnson, Ali Seena Monfaradi)
To be world-class, I think you have to have all of these skills. You always have to be working to improve those areas that are not as strong as the others. For people who do jiu jitsu for fun or are not trying necessarily be a world champion, jiu jitsu allows you to adapt your game to take advantage of whatever skills you do have.

Do you adhere to any specific nutritional plan? Do you use supplements? (Mateo Nares)
I don't follow any specific nutrition plan. I just try to eat clean and healthy.

How often do you think people should train in gi vs no-gi (each week)? (Darys Kriegel)
I think training both is important – they both help each other. Training in a gi will help your no-gi game and training no-gi will help your gi game. I train more often in the gi. On normal weeks, only 1 day is dedicated to no-gi training. However, when preparing for a no-gi event, I will train about 50% no-gi.

Do you have any advice for people who a situation where they don't have training partners who are better than them to push them and challenge them? What can they do to improve? (Bendon Barlow, Nathaniel Fitzsimmons)
Drilling positions is an excellent way to work situations with training partners who are not better than you. It helps your muscle memory and prepares you to automatically use the positions without thinking about them. You can also do things during your training session to improve, even if training against people who are not as good as you. You can put yourself in bad situations, that you have to work out of. You can also try new things and figure out what does or doesn't work in different situations.

How many times do you think someone should drill a move before they put it to use in competition? (Josh Mckinney)
I am a big advocate of drilling positions and situations. I think you should do it as much as possible to burn it into your muscle memory so you don't have to think about your action when the situation presents itself to you. But I don't think you have to drill something a specific number of times before you use it. If in competition and the situation arises to use a move … use it. We must always take what is given to us in a competition.

How should a student split their time between drilling & rolling/sparring? (Chris Visentin)
People who are competitive or want to be competitive, should drill about 1 hr and spar about 1.5 hrs everyday. People who just do jiu jitsu for fun or fitness can spend more time on drills and less on sparring.

How important is the mental aspect of jiu jitsu, and how do you prepare mentally? (Mitch MacDonald, Charlie Nbbjj)
For competition, the mental aspect is the most important --- maybe 70% of success is determined by how you handle the competition mentally. You can be physically prepared but your confidence and state of mind will have a huge impact on how you perform. Too many times competitors pay attention to so many things that affect their performance … “What is his record? He “looks” big or strong. He is from XYZ school...” It can make some competitors crazy, and they lose the fight before it ever happens.

Do you prepare any differently for specific competitions or opponents? (Paul McGrath)
For big competitions, the biggest difference in my training is that I push myself more. I train harder ... maybe 3 or 4 times per day plus more conditioning exercises. I will also study jiu jitsu vídeos of competitors so that I have a better understanding of their game. Personally, I don't develop a specific strategy for each opponent, I just study them so that I know what to expect so that I can impose my game on them.

How do you keep things from stagnating or getting boring? How do you keep motivated? (Adam Wesolowski, Ben Thapa, Ali Seena Monfaradi, Joe LaRose)
No matter how good you are, you can always learn something. I try something different in practice every day - variations on positions, different ways to grip, all kinds of things. This makes me think and keeps it very interesting!

Success

What attributes do you think are most important to making a successful jiu jitsu athlete, like yourself? (Chris Visentin, Ramzi F, Jeremy Hatt)
As I indicated earlier, I think the mental aspect of sport makes the difference between great athletes and champions. There are many really GREAT athletes who do not perform up to their capabilities in a competition because of psychological barriers.

In order to make it to the top level of bjj how important is it to train at one of the top academies? (Derek Maguire, Michael Quiles)
The individual is by far the most important determinant of success, but it is certainly more difficult if you don't have instructors and training partners who can push you to improve everyday.

Teaching

Given the success of your students at the last World Championships, what do you think that you, Jacare, and the other Alliance instructors are doing differently? (Michael Chapman)
Our goal as instructors is to transfer all of our knowledge, including very specific (and critical) details, to our students. We spend a lot of time on little details that often make the difference between a move or position working or not. I teach everything I know. My goal is to give my student all of my knowledge and for them to be even better than myself.

If you could give one piece of advice on what it takes to be a good instructor/coach what would it be? (Nathaniel Fitzsimmons)
Like I said, I think details are critical. In each move or position there are many, many details that need to be explained and understood. That means that good instructors need to know and understand all these details themselves before they can effectively teach others.

Positions

What are your thoughts on the 50/50 guard ? In particular, how do you feel about its apparent use to slow down a match or concerns that it is being used as a stalling strategy? (Kris Novell, Tim Lukes)
The position itself is very nice. I have used it for a long time. There are many sweeps that can be done very well from the 50/50 guard. However, with the gi, that position is also very effective to just hold your opponent, slow down the match, and stall. Now, some people are using the 50/50 to do just that, and I don't agree with that use at all, and I do not teach it either. I teach my students to go forward, to try to get a good position, and try to submit. Jiu jistu is still young and has a lot of chance to continue to grow, but slowing down the fights and making them boring is not good for the athletes or the sport. At the World Championships this year, there were too many fights … including fights that I competed in … where the crowd booed. It was the first time in my career where people booed my fight. It made me very disappointed, but I don't blame them because those fights where people are locked in 50/50 for so many minutes is not fun to watch.

Do you believe the IBJJF rules should be changed in order to address the 50/50 position? If so, what? If not, why not? (Eduardo Capeluto)
Yes! Like any position that is used to stall, the referees should stop the position and give penalty or restart the fight. If the competitor re-establishes the same position for stalling after being penalized, he should be disqualified. I'm also interested in all of your opinions on the matter also, so I am opening a discussion within facebook. Please come and tell me what you think!

Should heel hooks (in the gi) be legal for black belts? (Ciaran Toal)
No. They are too dangerous with the gi, and we would have many athletes unable to compete due to injury.

Future plans/ goals

What are your future competition plans? What tournaments do you expect to compete in the upcoming year? (Eric Yu, Andres Perez Belmar)
I hope to compete in the ADCC this year (September). I have had so many words of support from all of my facebook fans encouraging me to compete in next year's World Championship to go for my 5th world title. That has motivated me very much and makes me want to go back to try once again!

Do you plan on doing any more instructional videos either gi or no gi? (Chris Visentin)
I do have plans to do more instructional both gi and no gi. I will let all of you know as we get closer to planning. I am also going to be posting some videos here on facebook – in fact, you can look for the first one in the next few weeks.

Have you considered writing a book? (Fabrice Le Mentec)
I have considered it. I do not have specific plans right now, but I have many ideas that I think would be good for a book.

Do you have any seminars planned? How do we get you to come to my school to conduct a seminar? (thanks to the many of you who have asked)
I do have some seminars already planned. You can keep up with those that get scheduled through my website: www.rubenscharles.com and they are also listed in the events section of my facebook page. If you are interested in me coming to conduct a seminar at your school, you can send an email to my manager at cobrinhacharles@yahoo.com.

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Miscellaneous

What do you do outside of jiu jitsu to keep yourself balanced? (Satoru Luke Chayavichitsilp)
I like to watch movies, I like to bake, and I like spending time outdoors. I don't have much time for things outside jiu jitsu, so thank you for reminding me how important it is.

What do you think about the compensation levels of the top BJJ athletes? It seems that they are not compensated properly, especially compared to athletes in other sports. (Dan Thomas)
It is still difficult for many athletes to find sponsors and the major tournaments do not pay anything. Top athletes spend a lot of time training and preparing themselves for competition, and they don't have time to work a regular job to earn income. It can be difficult financially today as a jiu jitsu athlete. The good news is that the sport is growing and little by little there is more money in some competitions. As the sport grows there will be more sponsorship money available – one reason it is important for us to keep progressing the sport. The other good news is that if you have good, attacking jiu jitsu, people will want you to conduct seminars and private lessons which is a source of income for jiu jitsu athletes.

In your travels outside of Brazil, where in the US have you found the best Brazilian food? (Sheena Barlow)
The best brazilian food in the US is at my home.

How do you keep your creativity fresh? How do you keep coming up with new jiu jitsu techniques? (Bobby VanHuynh)
I'm always trying something new, just to experiment and challenge my jiu jitsu. Sometimes things I try don't work so well, then sometimes I find something that does works.

What strengths do you think lighter weight fighters have against bigger opponents? (Anthony Nguyen)
Lightweight guys are usually quicker and more flexible and can take advantage of that against bigger opponents.

How do you always keep your hair looking so nice in competition? (Mike Harmon)
Just lucky, I guess.

What is your biggest weakness? (Gwen Howell)
Strawberry ice cream!!

Is there anyone you would like to compete against in a superfight? (Paul Moran)
There isn't any specific person I am eager to fight against. There are so many great competitors. I just want to fight against the best of them.

After the "cut the head off the cobra" incident at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, did you want revenge at the World Championships and how did you feel after beating him? (Tiago Alves)
No. I was eager to fight and felt very good to win but it was the same as all my battles. I was not looking for any revenge. You always have to control your emotions, and I don't think a revenge is good for the sport. I always want to be respectful and an example for other athletes.


I committed to sending one of my t-shirts to the person who asked the best question. There are so many good ones that is is difficult, but I've selected Chris Visentin because he asked some really good questions in several areas, and I'm also going to send a shirt to Satoru Luke Chayavichitsilp for reminding me the importance of finding time outside jiu jitsu to stay balanced.

If I didn't answer your question, feel free to point it out to me and I will try to post an answer on my Wall. A few of you asked questions about common mistakes, drills and exercises to help with jiu jitsu … some of which I am going to be addressing is a video series that I will be posting for my facebook fans. Look for the 1st one in the next few weeks.

Also, look for a discussion thread about the 50/50 position because I am very interested in getting your opinions on the use of the position and what rule changes would be good.

Again, I want to thank you all for the excellent questions. This was fun for me, and I hope good for all of you.

Muito Obrigado,
Cobrinha
07/02/2009


Copyright 2009
For personal reprints, please cite source: Facebook, Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles fan page
For commercial reprint information, please contact derek@fightsportsmma.com

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

WWW.RUBENSCHARLES.COM

NIKO HAN ON FIGHTWORKSPODCAST

Be sure to check out the recent interview with Niko Han, Synergy Jiu-Jitsu black-belt, on the THEFIGHTWORKSPODCAST online-radio show. -Luke
...From there Dan’s interviews take us to Indonesia, with Niko Han. Niko has been the pioneer in bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to his corner of the world and is now a black belt. We will hear all about the interesting passage of BJJ to Indonesia from Niko himself.

THE BJJ FEDERATION: SHORT & LONG TERM

The subject of the ‘BJJ Federation’ has been on my mind since the end of 2008 with the introduction of the BJJFP and JJFCN (Philippines & China respectively). With this new representative body comes interest over how this will affect the scene. So from the time of their announcement, I’ve done my best to get in touch with the powers that be to find the answers. The most responsive has been Stephen Kamphuis, director of the BJJFP, a Fabricio Martin’s black-belt and head instructor at KMA fitness ‘Team Fabricio’. The organizer of some the largest tournaments in Asia outside of Japan, Mr. Kamphuis has been very open about what the federation looks to accomplish in the short and long-term.

GENERAL BENEFITS:
• Competitions will be officially recognized by the IBJJF and will endorse National titles.
• Belt levels, Schools and Instructors will be identified and recognized to ensure authenticity
and promote the integrity of its participants.
• Having been recognized by the federation, competing internationally will become easier as your rank/school will already be authenticated.
• As a unified body the community will have a voice on the international level and greater access to sponsorship and public awareness.
• Training of officials, supporting-staff and unification of tournament rules.
• Centralized co-ordination of the sport, websites, news and results…and sponsorship for competitions which help lower the organizational costs and could provide more prices/awards to competitors.

Below are a few questions I sent to Mr. Kamphuis and his response. I’ve added some additional questions after the first set of replies to further explain on each topic.

1. How many levels does the IBJJF recognize and what are the powers of each?
IBJJF and CBJJF are the head Federations and run the sport on all Levels. Each of the other Federations are in place to promote, organize and propagate the sport at the local level. We would be the smallest Federation in this group.

1.1 As the smallest federation what are some of the responsibilities we must meet? Is there any quota to the number of registered competitors, schools and black-belts?
No, this is a medium term process we have this year to set up the systems whcih are issuing: ID cards, compiling grades per registration cards and registering schools.

2. What are the requirements for a team to be recognized by the federation? black-belt instructor?
Each team should be under a Black belt, whose own lineage can be traced back to the Arts Founders. Black belts need to be issued by 2nd Degree Black belts and above only.

2.1 For teams that do not have a black-belt instructor, what are their options? Does this situation force would-be competitors to switch teams/schools in order to compete? Would there be any program to have a blanket school to include students that do not have a head black-belt instructor?
The instructor teaching does not need to be a black-belt but the school itself and the teacher should have an affiliation to a black-belt. Otherwise, who can recognize grades and on whose behalf are they made. You could have situations where people start to grading themselves. Basically it identitifies authentic BJJ schools otherwise anyone can call themselves a BJJ instructor. This protects the sport and ensures that students who have worked hard for their grades are recognized and are protected. There have been situations where students enroll thinking that their instructor who is wearing a black-belt, find out later he is not really a BJJ black-belt.

3. How does this effect teams outside of PH coming to compete?
We welcome all competitors. There are no restrictions for players to compete in the Philippines.

3.1 Since the scene and federation is still growing, there is no restriction for competitors outside of the Philippines to compete. But in the case that one would like to compete in Japan or the US, they would need to have authentication by the IBJJF and or it’s partnering groups?
Yes, BJJFP is recognized and affiliated to IBJJF.

4. Does the card give access to other major tournaments in Japan or US?
BJJFP ( Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation of the Philippines ) can issue ID cards to its members which are accredited to IBJJF and the other Federations, this will ensure the ranks and teams from the Philippines are recognized.

4.1 Understanding that such an organization needs financial support, what does it cost to the school & to its students to be a member? I know in Japan there is issue between the JJFJ & BJJFJ where one is free and the other is not. How do we balance this concern to discourage the splitting of the community and the formation of multiple federations/associations?
There are three federations in Japan. The small fee that we charge which is about $10 USD and the limited number who take up the card in reality do not support the operational costs of a federation or the associated costs that go into website development and maintenance, competition equipment, poseters, banners, refs, shirts, etc. Basically it barely covers the cost to issue an ID card. In Japan, only one federation is recognized by IBJJF

What we are looking for is recognition and endorsement from IBJJF which we have for the competitions held here such as the Pan Asians, The Philippine Open, the National Championships (which determine national Champions), protection of the sport and recognition of the schools, students and their grades in the Philippines.

Once a federation is in place you do not have to go to an IBJJF comp from say the Philippineas and try to prove your grade or have to affiliate to another school, the process is already in place. If you look at it from the IBJJF perspective it is much easier to work with a federation than a group of individuals, any changes ro rules, grades and reff training programs can be implemented for and on their behalf.

>>>
I want to thank Mr. Kamphuis for taking the time to answer our questions at BJJ-ASIA. I hope this starts some healthy dialogue for those that are interested in knowing more and how they can take part in the positive growth of BJJ in the Philippines and SEA as a whole. -Luke

INTERVIEW W/ PROF. LEONARDO ARRUDA

Stanley Tam from SHANGHAI BJJ was recently in Australia and was kind enough to interview Prof. Leonardo Arruda for BJJ-ASIA. It's great to hear about peoples' experiences both in and out fo Asia as we're all connected by our passion for BJJ. Thanks to Stan for making this happen. -Luke

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Hi everyone,

I’ve always enjoyed reading other people’s training reports on the internet, since I was fortunate enough to train with Professor Leonardo Arruda in Australia, I thought it might interest the readers to write a short training report and conduct an interview with Professor Leo.

During Chinese New Year, I made my annual trip to Australia from Shanghai to visit family and friends. At first I was a bit bummed out about the timing of the trip because it coincided with Tony’s arrival in Shanghai, I really wanted to stay and train with Tony but I couldn’t change my travel plans. Luckily, my best mate in Australia also trains in BJJ and I went along to his academy and trained with Professor Leo. The professor teaches out of Master Vince Palumbo’s ICMA academy (www.grandmastervincentpalumbo.com) in Adelaide and has recently arrived in Australia from Sao Paulo. I remember the first group training session there, the outside temperature was close to 40 degrees amidst the Australian summer; the training area felt like a sauna with no windows and no fan! Coming from the Shanghai winter (and I caught a cold in the plane!), the heat really kicked me in the face and I was literally in survival mode during my first training session there. And those guys train hard, which is always a positive thing to experience.

During my stay, I did many private training sessions with Professor Leo. What strikes me most about the professor is his level of professionalism and his passion for BJJ. He really wanted me to learn something from him and really cared about my progress. A lot of times our one hour training session would go on for 1.5-2 hours, but the professor wasn’t concerned about the time and only cared about whether I understood the lesson or not.

I want to thank Master Vince Palumbo and Professor Leo for having me at the academy, I had a great time! And to Cho, you can get stuffed!

Here is a short interview with Professor Leo.
Professor Leonardo can you tell us something about your training background and how you got started in BJJ?

I started martial arts with judo when I was 7 years old and at age 10 I started Aikido. When I was about 18, I began Capoeira (Afro-Brazilian Martial Art) and at 20 years old I found Jiu Jitsu through a friend’s introduction. He invited me to try one class and I became addicted, after 3 years I stopped everything to dedicate myself to training only Jiu Jitsu.

How long did it take for you to get your black belt?

I took 8 years. Usually training everyday and after a few years of training, twice a day every single day, especially before competitions.

What are some of your notable competition wins?

I have won titles in all coloured belts in a lot of different championships. The most important was in 2007, I won the World Championship from CBJJE in both my division and the open division under 79Kg.

What is your most memorable BJJ moment?

It happened in 2008 at the Pan Pacific Championship, my first competition in Australia; it was the first time without my master, far away from my friends and in front of my students. I won the competition!

Do you practice any sports aside from Jiu-jitsu? And which do you think most compliments Jiu-jitsu?

Nowadays I practice Aikido, Boxing and Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, but what has helped me a lot is the Aikido, because it gave me a very good idea on which strategy is better, making my game nice and relaxed.

You have traveled to the Bahrain to teach BJJ and now reside in Australia, how do you find BJJ training differ in Brazil to the other places you have traveled to?

In Brazil, Jiu Jitsu is very popular and most of the children want to start the training and participate in competitions; just for children only, the competition is held on a separated day, because of the number of enrolment. Another thing is the way Brazilians train. And we can see the lifestyle throughout the practice of BJJ, most of those people who train together in the team become a family where they help each other in any situations outside of the mats.

What advice would you give to a new student when choosing a BJJ academy or teacher?

Make sure the place that you want to stay can offer a very good environment, with discipline, respect and a very good work out.

In your opinion, what does a student need to do to progress in BJJ and reach a high level?

First of all, he needs to persist and do not stop when barriers appear, because the barriers come to ask us to jump over it. Keep the learning simple always, pay attention to the basics techniques, study Jiu Jitsu by watching dvds, try to find the best technique that can fit in your game and look after your fitness, because your fitness is your best friend.

Can you tell us what your requirements are for students to progress form white to blue belt, blue to purple belt and all the way to black belt?

I think the search to understand the practice of BJJ is the point. I mean, how we can control ours partners using our body to get the best movements and submissions. So it is complex, we need to start with learning the basics techniques and watch the development of the game. Jiu Jitsu is the most ‘primitive’ martial art, because everything starts in whatever stance and finish on the floor, people who do not know any type of martial arts, always will finish with grappling on the floor.

Do you think it is necessary for students to compete in order to be competent at BJJ?

Sure! But I reckon there is no need to get all of those techniques for a position if you want to compete, just specialize in those techniques that fit in your game, if we are talking about competition. Most of the best players have got few simple movements, but strong and sharp. Of course we need to train everything to develop the art of Jiu Jitsu, because the specialist also needs to understand an all round game.

Who are your favorites BJJ competitors?

Nowadays I like Marcelo Garcia’s style, he has very good skills and always going for submissions. Before I watched a lot of Nino Schembri; different skills, as well, always looking for something unexpected.

In Asia (outside of Japan ), BJJ is a young sport/art. Many people do not have a regular high level instructor to guide them in their BJJ journey. What advice would you give to people in this situation if they want to excel in BJJ?

The challenge is to always put together all of the techniques in combination during your training session, because if you can have many possibilities in your game, you can always have a counter and your contra attack. You can just practice passing the guard, whatever sweep etc. But the key is to combine your passing, sweeps with something else, like knee on the stomach, chokes, arm locks, mounts etc. So in one exercise you can develop a few techniques that will give you timing and precision.