Wednesday, March 31, 2010

What a joke this is...

Lets all ban effective throws like kata guruma and morote gari and no start banning entries to techniques....soon grip fighting will be banned.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Ippon of the week

Camilo from Brazil controlling the sleeve and entering for a very nice uchimata. dont believe it was ippon but it was hosted in brazil...so maybe the refs were a little biased.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Ippon of the Week

By my friend Roki Draksic. He performs a very nice seoi nage (bordering on disqualification) and finishes with escaping his leg from side control. It only goes for 1 minute and alot of action so watch it.

Athlete Profile - Ryoko Tani


Ryoko Tani; born September 6, 1975 is one of the world's most famous and successful judoka. She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka. She is now an employee at Toyota Motor Corporation.

Career
She is commonly known as 'Yawara-chan' (from the title character of Yawara!, a popular judo manga). Since she won the International Women's Judo Championships in 1990, 'Yawara-chan' has gone on to win the event every year. She has a record seven world titles and she brought home the 48kg-category gold medal from Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Her 84-match winning streak was finally broken in 1996 by North Korea's Kye Sun Hui.

In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani, an Olympian and professional baseball player then with the Orix Blue Wave (now with the Yomiuri Giants). The reception reportedly cost $3 million.

In Beijing in 2008 Tani, who hadn't been beaten in a major international competition since the Atlanta Games in 1996, saw her hopes of a third-straight gold evaporate when judges awarded penalty points to Romania's Alina Dumitru after both competitors failed to show much aggression. Looking stunned, Tani fought desperately after the final controversial penalty call, but with only seconds left she had no time to mount an attack.

She defeated Russia's Lyudmila Bogdanova for bronze. She gained her fifth Olympic medal with the bronze.

Medal record

Competitor for Japan
Olympic Games
Gold 2000 Sydney - 48kg
Gold 2004 Athens - 48kg
Silver 1992 Barcelona - 48kg
Silver 1996 Atlanta - 48kg
Bronze 2008 Beijing - 48kg

World Championships
Gold 1993 Hamilton -48 kg
Gold 1995 Chiba -48 kg
Gold 1997 Paris -48 kg
Gold 1999 Birmingham -48 kg
Gold 2001 Munich -48 kg
Gold 2003 Osaka -48 kg
Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro -48 kg
Bronze 1991 Barcelona -48 kg

Highlight Reel

Monday, March 15, 2010



"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Andre Gide

Friday, March 12, 2010

Training Judo to help BJJ

I found this great article on intergrating judo into your grappling game. Have a read its a non biased view on the benefits you could get by practicing your stand up.
its from Team Tooke.com
http://www.teamtooke.com/judo_forjiujitsu.html


Today we're talking about the benefits of training Judo to improve your Jiu Jitsu skills. I want to talk about some of the benefits of cross-training to enhance your Jiu Jitsu, and some of the things that it can offer that will help you in that area. One thing that is very important is that people need to keep an open mind about training in Judo, and not look at it as a completely different martial art. I've told some of my Jiu Jitsu students here in Houston that I recommend training takedowns and throws as well, and some of the feedback that I've heard is "I don't really want to learn Judo, I want to learn Jiu Jitsu." But they're really one in the same art, they just have different rules and sport specifics. When you break it down and think about getting good at Jiu Jitsu, a BJJ match starts on the feet. Right now there's not a lot of Jiu Jitsu schools that focus a lot on the stand up game, and if they do, they're often times incorporating Judo. I think that's a very important part of the game. The stand up game, the throws, the takedowns, are just as much a part of the game as the grappling on the ground.


Let's look at some of the benefits of training. First of all, grappling matches start on the feet. You have a definitive advantage when you start on the feet and you have confidence with your throws and your takedowns. If we have a match together, and we're equally skilled as far as the grappling is concerned, then there's not going to be a big chance of one person dominating the other. But suppose my Judo background has made my takedowns and throws very good and I have the opportunity to throw you and take you down. Not only do I get ahead on points, but my confidence is going to go up while I execute the throw, the same time that your confidence is going to down. So by me having the skills to get the fight to the ground on my terms, I have a huge advantage, not only in getting the points by establishing dominance and position early on, but it's a huge mental boost as well. Where as it can take your opponent out of the game when they suddenly realize they're loosing. So there's a huge advantage immediately starting off, because the fight starts on the feet.


Let's look at a couple of other things that throws can do to help your Jiu Jitsu game overall. You will improve your stamina. Judo is a very, very physical workout. It's going to get you in really great shape. Grip strength; you're constantly working on getting the dominant grip, which is something that I think is sometimes overlooked in BJJ. The gripping game (gi specifically) is important standing up and on the ground. A keen sense of balance is very important in Jiu Jitsu. Judo is definitely going to help your balance. Foot placement is going to help you recover from being thrown. These are all things that come into play while you're grappling. You have to recover from sweeps, you have to recover from reversals, you have to have balance. Core strength; in Judo you use your core as much as any sport out there. Your core muscles that are involved in the throws and takedowns, are going to see the benefits of that. You're going to have much better core strength, which is very important to your grappling game.


Of course, your confidence is going to go up, with the stamina, and with this new found core strength. And the more confidence that you have, the more you are going to progress. So when you can find something that gives you a higher sense of confidence, your grappling will improve as a result.


People still look at BJJ and Judo as two different arts. They don't necessarily want to cross-train both. That goes both ways. There are Judo guys that don't want to train BJJ, even though in a Judo match you're allowed to choke and arm-lock your opponent. So many of the moves that you're allowed to do in Jiu Jitsu, you're allowed to do in Judo as well. Judo players focus a lot of time on the throws, which they should because they aren't given a lot of time to grapple, but it can't be neglected all together. And of course some of the BJJ guys don't want to do it, they say they don't like it. They don't want to do throws, they want to do grappling. But if you want to compete and you want to excel in what Jiu Jitsu is, overall, then Judo is going to help you. You absolutely have to make it part of your training, at least part time.


Some of the top fighters in Jiu Jitsu right now, if you look at the World Championships, the Pan Ams, Abu Dhabi, all of these guys are training Judo. Xande and Saulo Ribero, Roger Gracie, Jacare, "Margarita", Leo Viera, these are handful of names that are all proficient in Judo. They all have excellent takedowns and throws, and they've all incorporated them into their competition training and it's shown by the advantage that they have in the stand up and the takedown game.


Don't forget to train sport specific. Some people say "I don't like doing those throws. Look where you land. You're giving up your back" or "look at that throw. You're completely exposed, you've landed in a choke position." Answer to this problem: modify the techniques. It's all a matter of modifying it to make it sport-specific. Anything you train should be specific to your goals. If you want to be a good wrestler, then your goal is to not get pinned on your back. You're not allowed to choke in wrestling, therefore you can give up your back more. In Judo, you're main goal is to throw your opponent on their shoulders. You throw your opponent, you win the match, the match is over and there's no need to worry about being choked or anything like that. So of course you're going to do everything you can to get to that position, even if it means giving up your back, because if you accomplish your goal then it doesn't matter. The match is over. My advice to someone wanting to add takedowns to their game, who may be worried about putting themselves at a greater risk: You modify the techniques. That's all you have to do. You pick out the techniques that don't involve the risk of putting yourself in a bad position, because obviously in a BJJ match you don't win the match on a throw. You just get points for the throw and put yourself in a better position. And the throws that typically put you in a bad position, you simply modify them, work them out with your partners, and you find a way to do them that does not risk exposing your back quite as much, or that does not risk putting you in a compromising position. That's what you have to do and that's what BJJ is all about, finding the most efficient way to win. It's not a matter of "I can't do this." It's a matter of eliminating or taking out some of the stuff that you don't want to negatively affect your game, and keeping everything that is positive for your Jiu Jitsu.


The bottom line is, it's all grappling, and it's all fighting. Everything goes well together. Even with some of the striking arts, a lot of the concepts go along with martial arts in general, from one martial art that's all striking to one martial art that's all grappling, so many of the concepts go well together. And don't forget to analyze and modify the techniques to make them specific to what your goals are. You're going to find that you can learn a lot from being open minded, listening to people that offer advice and not being closed minded to learning something new. I think Judo for Jiu Jitsu is one of the best things you can add, if you are a serious Jiu Jitsu player and you're serious about improving your grappling over-all.

Blind Judo athlete heads for World Champs

Blind Judo Athlete Heads For World Championships
by Kevin Murphywrite the author
http://www.southcountytimes.com/Articles-i-2010-03-12-168987.113118_Blind_Judo_Athlete_Heads_For_World_Championships.html


Adnan Gutic, 25, of Affton, is competing in the IBSA Judo World Championships for blind athletes later this month in Antalya, Turkey.

Gutic was nine years old when, in 1994, he came to the U.S. with his family from Bosnia. The family has lived on Antonette Hills Drive in Affton since 1996. Totally blind in the right eye with minimal vision in the left, Gutic attended elementary and high school at the Missouri School For The Blind.

It was there that he became interested in sports, particularly wrestling. He would go on to wrestle at Lindenwood College, where he is currently in his final semester as a student teacher in physical education

"I wrestled at Lindenwood for three years, and I was doing both wrestling and Judo in my junior year. It got to be too much, I was doing too many things. I was a little better at Judo, so I quit wrestling," Gutic said.

Judo is a martial art that consists of throws, pins, chokes, and arm bars. Matches are five minutes long and can be won with a varying score dependent upon throw quality, pinning the opponent for 25 seconds, or the opponent submitting from a choke or arm bar.

Judo is a difficult sport for fully sighted athletes but Gutic makes it look easy. Gutic's vision is somewhere between 20/800 and 20/1000. When asked what he sees on the mat, he can tell that there is an opponent across from him but he can't tell when he moves. He relies solely on feel.

Gutic's wrestling background has helped him win many matches with his ground fighting. Last year he took first in his weight division in the Visually Impaired U.S. Open, first in the USA Judo Nationals, and third at the Pan American Championships.

Gutic said he is honored to be a part of the U.S. World Team this year and is using this tournament as a stepping stone toward the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

"Right now I'm just trying to stay positive," Gutic said. "I've always had good conditioning and my technique is getting better. Most importantly, I'm trying to remember to have fun."

Derick Wellman is coach and owner of White Dragon Judo Club in Overland, where Gutic trains.

"We're real proud of Adnan. He needs to remain confident and take it one match at a time," Wellman said.

Gutic leaves March 23 for Turkey.


Above: Yoshida JPN getting thrown by Honoroto BRA at the Sydney 2000 Olympics

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pic of the Week - Flexibility

The flexibility of judo players.

Thanks to topjudo.com for the photos they are incredible.



"No sacrifice... no victory"


Wrestling nationals video

Fight 1

Fight 2



Fight 3 (the final)




Score Blue or white?

Here is a huge judo throw at a recent tournament.the mongoloian enters with an uchimata but gets countered nicely by the estonion with a huge huge atheltic uranage.
The throw appears at 1min 25
Enjoy

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Athlete Profile - Tadahiro Nomura



Tadahiro Nomura, born December 10, 1974 in Kōryō, Nara, Japan) is one of the most famous judo competitors in Japan. He is the only judoka in the world who has won three Olympic gold medals in a row, all in the extra lightweight (-60 kg) division.

Biography

Nomura was born into a family of judoka. His grandfather was a local judo instructor, and his father was the coach of Shinji Hosokawa, who won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Nomura's uncle, Toyokazu Nomura, was also a gold medalist at the 1972 Summer Olympics in the (-70 kg) division.

Nomura began learning judo at his grandfather's dojo at age six. He was successful in several local and national level competitions during high school and junior-high school, and entered Tenri University in 1993. He won the All-Japan judo championships for his weight class in April, 1996, to gain a spot on the Japanese olympic team for the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. Though relatively unknown at the world level at the time, he won his first olympic gold medal on July 26, 1996, defeating Girolamo Giovinazzo by seoi nage.

Nomura swept the All-Japan judo championships again in 1997, and won a gold medal at the 1997 World Judo Championships in Paris to reinforce his position as the premier competitor at his weight class. After winning the All-Japan judo championships for the third consecutive year in 1998, he injured his left knee in the Jigoro Kano Cup semi-finals on January 9, 1999, and was forced to retire from the competition. He did not participate in competitions for the rest of the year to recover from this injury and to complete his degree in health education.

Nomura made his return at the All-Japan judo championships in 2000, winning the competition for the third time to gain a second trip to the olympics. He became the first -60 kg division competitor to win consecutive olympic gold medals on September 16, 2000 by defeating Jung Bu-Kyung of South Korea by sumi otoshi only 14 seconds into the match.

Nomura married former model Yoko Sakai in May, 2001. He won the All-Japan judo championships for the first time in three years (fourth total win) in April, 2003 to advance to the 2003 World Judo Championships where he made a disappointing bronze medal finish. He won the Japanese nationals for the second consecutive year (fifth total win) in April, 2004, which enabled him to seek an unprecedented third consecutive olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. On August 14, 2004 he achieved this feat with a win over Nestor Khergiani of Georgia. This made Nomura the only olympic judo practitioner to have won three consecutive gold medals, and the first olympic competitor from Asia to win three consecutive gold medals in any competition. This was also the 100th gold medal won by Japan in the Summer Olympics.

Nomura did not participate in judo competitions after the 2004 olympic final, but on January 10, 2006, he announced his intention to seek a fourth consecutive gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He made his return with a win at an international tournament held in the Czech Republic, and won the All-Japan judo championships for the sixth time in 2007. In 2008, however, Nomura failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games when, on April 5, he was defeated by Daisuke Asano in the semifinals of the -60kg category at the National Weight Class Invitational Tournament, which represented the last opportunity to clinch the berth as the Japanese athlete in the -60kg category. A day after his defeat, Nomura made it known, through a spokesperson, his intention to retire from competitive judo.[1] On April 25, he underwent knee surgery, although it remains unknown whether this injury might have played any role in his unexpected elimination from the aforementioned Olympic-qualifying competition.

He announced he will continue his career and intends to qualify for the Olympics in London 2012.

Highlight Reel

Monday, March 8, 2010

Wrestling Nationals photos




Wrestling Nationals - 2nd place

A few weeks ago i found out that the Naionals for wrestling would be on in Canberra so i thought i would go along and have a wrestle and see how i went. I decided that because i had ACT open a few weeks ago i would keep my weight down and fight 60kgs at the wrestling nationals.
One awesome thing awesome about wrestling is that you weigh in the day before, so on thusday i didnt eat too much and Friday i saunaed off about 2kg. I weighed in at 59.7kg and then went off to judo training that night and did a few rounds of fighting.

I had 3 fights and won 2 and lost the final to the guy that represented australia at the comm games a few years ago.

Wrestling have 3 rounds. If you win 2 rounds you win the fight. You get different points depending on what type of throw or takedown you do as well as scoring a point for taking an opponents back or rolling them over on the ground. On the ground there are no submissions but if you pin your opponents 2 shoulder blades for half a second you win all 3 rounds automatically (almost like a knockout.)

In my first fight i fought a guy from Sydney and his training partner stayed near me in beijing so she knew i was a judo guy so she was telling him to stay away from a clinch and just shoot on my legs over and over. When he shot in once i took his back for a point and then i did a high crotch reversal for 2 points and then pushed him out 1 time to win the first round 4 -1. in the second round i out worked and out muscled and fitnessed him to win 4-0 and won the fight.

In my second fight i fought a tall skinny guy from canberra Ben, we had a good little biff i stepped out once to lose a point and then got a shoot turned to lose another 3 points but with 25 seconds to go i relaly piuled on the pressure knowing he was going to defend out the round and he somehow rolled from a single leg to me in side control (side mount) and just on the buzzer with 0 seconds on the clock i pinned him to win the fight.

In the final i fought the reigning aussie champ and aussie representitive from melbourne. He is a good wrestler and has been wrestling all his life. He won his first fight in 6 seconds and his second fight in 1 minute so i knew i had my work cut out for me.

I piled a heap of pressure on him in the first round, a wee bit too much pressure that he shot under me a few times and scored a point for taking my back. dont really fully understand the rules of wrestling as i did only do 1 day of actual wrestling the thursday before the competition, and he ended up winning the first round 5 or 6-1.
In the second round i came out very aggresive doing alot of slapping to his head and snap downs and really just draining his energy, i will post the videos up later but you can really see him lose heart and get very veyr tired throughout the second round. Unfortunatley once again putting a bit too much pressure on him he took my back 2 times and i think maybe got a takedown but he won the second round 4-2 so he won the match.
I was really happy with how i went, with 1 day of wrestling and not knowing the rules i beat 2 wrestlers and my fitness, stamina and intensity was great as well as my rehydration and refuleing measures the day before and day of the comp.
Im highly considering trying out for the commonwealth games for wrestling, espeicailly as i did so well with just my judo base but as long as the competitions dont clash with judo.

I would also like to say thanks to Witold for coaching me, his coaching is always clear and precise and is always a very passionate caoch in the chair.
Also thanks for Sam, mum steve nikki and oren for coming along and hanging out all day.


Ill post some videos up soon of my fights.

Rapid weight loss among judo competitors may be cause for concern

Rapid weight loss among judo competitors may be cause for concern
March 6, 2010 | 6:00 am

Some competitive wrestlers are known to drop weight in a short amount of time before a competition. They may not be the only athletes to do so, according to a new study that found similar weight loss practices among judo competitors.

Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo and the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil had 607 male and 215 female judo athletes taking part in regional, national and international competitions fill out a survey called the Rapid Weight Loss Questionnaire that included questions on diet history and rapid weight loss activities.

Excluding heavyweight athletes, 89% of the study participants said they had lost weight to compete, and there was little difference between male and female athletes. Among athletes in all weight classes, 86% engaged in pre-competition weight loss. Most athletes lost about 5% of their body weight in a short amount of time -- generally within a few days of a competition. Most athletes also said they dropped weight from two to five times a year to compete, but a substantial number did that six to 10 times a year.

As for how they did it, most increased exercise, used heated training rooms, dieted gradually, restricted fluids and skipped meals, while a smaller percentage used laxatives, winter or plastic suits and diuretics to drop weight. On average they started to cut their weight before reaching 15 years of age. Researchers noted that while slow dieting and exercise aren't bad ways to drop pounds, some of the other methods, such as laxatives, could be problematic.

The authors wrote, "This finding reinforces the importance of rules aiming to prevent rapid weight reduction." The study was published in the March issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

-- Jeannine Stein

Article taken from
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/03/rapid-weight-loss-among-judo-competitors-may-be-cause-for-concern.html

Discussion at
http://judoforum.com/index.php?showtopic=44594



Photo credit: Thomas Coex AFP/Getty Images

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Huge Uchimata - Great photo

This is a great uchimata that was one of the ijf's ippon of the day. It was an awesome setup and very powerful entry. You can see in the 2nd photo how both girls are in the air at the same time. that shows huge commitment from the thrower and tremendous power.



World champ Cancer survivor

Rob Taylor is closing in on age 70. He’s a great-grandfather and cancer survivor. He overcame skin cancer in 1999 and then tonsil cancer in 2003. Four years later, the tonsil cancer returned. This time it was worse, as it had spread to the lymph nodes in his neck. He struggled through chemotherapy and repeated radiation treatments. He even lost his saliva gland.

Rob has certainly been through a lot. He doesn’t sit around and mope about the circumstances however. On the contrary, he remains as active and strong as most men half his age. He isn’t a lifetime lifter though. Rob didn’t begin powerlifting until he was 64 years old.

Yet, despite the late start, cancer didn’t stop him from getting back into the gym before his hair had time to grow back. It also didn’t stop him from becoming a record breaking lifter for his age group. He’s already pulled over 450 pounds and has his eyes set on 500.

Rob’s story is one of true inspiration. He’s overcome repeated battles with cancer and continues to defy age. He doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for himself. He’s too busy taking care of his family and busting ass in the gym. Hats off to him. I wish him continued success and health.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

New rules regarding Judo suits & Belts

The international judo federation have just recently updated their rules regarding judo suits at IJF sanctioned tournaments. All players must now buy new judo suits that have the IJF logo on the pants, belt and judogi.
This is for a number of reasons, the first being that they want all players to fighting in the exact same judo suit make, regardless of whether you are fighting in a mizuno, adidas or Dax gi they are all made to the exact same specifications as the ijf have stated.
This is a massive blow to all international judo players worldwide as you will be instantly disqualified from competition if your gi, belt and pants don't have the approved ijf badge on it.
It is also interesting to note that you can only buy certified gis from a certain number of suppliers, meaning that the smaller companies such as sports master and budo will no longer have players wearing their gis a top level due to the fact that they wont have the money to by the ijf badges in order to put on their gis.

This is annoying for all top judo fighters as we now have to go out and buy 4 new judo suits, but the worst part is i wont be able to fight in my awesome belt that i have, i will have to buy a new one.
Its OK for me as i am sponsored by grapplingstore.com but what about all the other players who are full time uni students with not much money to spare, its just an unnecessary expense for all athletes.

Anyway below is the letter from the ijf to all players.

On top of that, only a certain number of judo suit suppliers have been sanctioned to make gis a

Attention to : All National Federation
Dear Madam/Sir,
We would like to inform you that going forward; IJF is going to be very strict about
implementing the use of approved Judogi and belt. This strict rule is going to be effective from Grand Prix Championship in Tunis and can only be bought from approved supplier given below.

We will be very strict in testing and checking to ensure that approved Judogi and belt is used by all Judoka from approved suppliers. We request everyone to strictly abide by it.
National Federations are responsible for ensuring that their Judoka’s use approved Judogi and belt from approved suppliers only.

We will carry out tests from the Tunis championship onwards until end December 2010 in all the following championships as well: the Senior World Championships, the Junior World Championships, the World Championship Cadets, Grand Slam, Grand Prix, World Masters, Master World Cup (Veteran), World Open, World Team Championship, World Cup by National Teams, World Championship Kata, Olympic Games and all other IJF organized championships.

All IJF Approved Gis can be purchased at grapplingstore.com from September 2010 onwards


A nice ippon seoi nage

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

My recent videos











I thought my Cauliflower ear was bad...






Get your Free eBook on MMA strength and conditioning by clicking HERE

For awesome MMA fight conditioning check this out!!

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Athletic Body Care



I have recently aquired from Grapplingstore.com a new product called Atheltic Body care. It is a new product on the market and here is the advert for it.


I have been this for a few weeks now and i am rather impressed. Its a really good product for me because i might have 2 or 3 PT clients in a row and obvioslyly they dont want each others sweat on each other. So in between each session i wipe myself down with a towel and then apply the anti bacterial foam and im good to go for the next session.
Its not greasy and doesnt run into your eyes like sunscreen would and it also doesnt smell either.
I highly recommend this for anyone who pts and has a few clients in a row.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Athlete Profile - Marcelo Garcia


Marcelo 'Marcelinho' Garcia (b. 1983) is a Brazilian grappler and jiu-jitsu competitor. Considered by many to be the best pound for pound submission grappler (for no-gi) in the world, Garcia is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabio Gurgel of Team Alliance.

Garcia has four world championship titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a black belt in the middle-weight category. He has many submission grappling titles, including from the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. At ADCC, Marcelo has won the 66–76 kg division three times in a row (2003/2005/2007), been awarded the most technical fighter twice (2003 and 2007) and won the best fight award in 2005. In 2005, he finished in third place in the absolute (open weight) division and in 2007 finished second in the absolute division. In ADCC 2009, Marcelo finished second in his weight division, losing to Pablo Popovitch, whom he had defeated in the two previous finals.

At K-1 HERO'S Korea 2007, Marcelo lost his MMA debut against Dae Won Kim twenty seconds into the second round by doctor's stoppage due to a cut above his eye. It was announced that Garcia has joined up with American Top Team in Florida in order to improve his MMA skills. He will continue to fight in BJJ competitions under the Alliance team while representing ATT at MMA events.

In September 2008, Marcelo opened up a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in Pembroke Pines, a city in South Florida located between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. In September 2009, Marcelo opened an academy in New York City where he personally teaches every class.

Here is a highlight reel of Marcelo in competition, not his famous arm drag takedowns as well as how fast he is to maintain back control.

Monday, March 1, 2010

US Olympian Rick Hawn Now in MMA

Olympic Judoka Rick Hawn takes to the cage

When three-time U.S. judo champion Rick Hawn decided to take up mixed martial arts, it would be natural to make the comparisons to another judoka who has had success in the cage - Karo Parisyan.

Though the comparison would be fitting, Hawn not-so-respectfully disagrees.

“I wouldn’t want to compare myself to him, kind of just because I can’t stand the guy,” said Hawn. “I’ll be better than he was. He had a base with judo but he wasn’t as good. My judo is a little more advanced.”

Hawn beat Parisyan in Judo twice at the U.S Open eight years ago. Hawn also has a longer list of accomplishments,including a berth to the Olympics, compared to Parisyan - one of the first judokas to make a successful transition to MMA.

Having the same type of success in the cage though as the UFC veteran is something Hawn is striving for.

The 33-year-old made a successful MMA debut in 2009 by winning his first five professional fights. The Dracut resident currently has his plate full. Not only is he training full-time with Mark DellaGrotte in the Somerville-based gym Sityodtong, but is also working fulltime in loss prevention with a retailer.

As he steps in the ring Friday (7:30) at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington for World Championship Fighting, he does so with the hope that 2010 is the year where he can start making enough money to fully concentrate on the sport. After he headlines the show matched up against Tom Gallicchio, he will be taking his fight game to pay-per-view with Shine Fight Promotions.

Hawn just came to an agreement with Shine to make his debut against Brazilian Jiu-jitsu ace Braulio Estima on May 15.

“I haven’t seen much of him yet, I’m just focusing on my next fight,” Hawn said. “I know he’s great at grappling so that’s not where I’ll want to take the fight. It’s his first fight. I don’t believe his standing is going to be up at my level, so we’ll see. But you never know with MMA.”

And though he may be slated for a bigger stage after his bout this week, Hawn’s not looking past Gallicchio - and for good reason. The 23-year-old Gallicchio already has a load of experience, as evident with his 12-4 record.

“I’m not really getting excited yet ’til I whip this kid next week, and then I’ll think about it,” said Hawn. “This is definitely a step up in competition for me. My last opponent was a tough striker and (Gallicchio) has twice as much as much as striking as he does.”

From his pre-MMA days, Hawn knows what it’s like to face a challenge.

From 1999-2008, Hawn was one of the top judokas in the nation. He finished ninth in the 2004 Olympic Games and routinely placed in the top three in the national championships. The Eugene, Ore., native first came to Massachusetts in 2005 to work at Jimmy Pedro’s Judo Center in Wakefield.

It was in Massachusetts where he got his start in the art of mixed martial arts. He started training with DellaGrotte in the summer of 2008.

“He’s a high level judo practitioner. That’s Jimmy Pedro’s protege,” said DellaGrotte. “He’s been in the judo game for a long time and he’s done big things. Now he’s made the crossover and the transition to MMA. He’s been successful, he’s undefeated and that’s another guy to watch out for.”

Hawn said he’s currently trying to hone in on his striking. From practicing his standup with the likes of Patrick Cote, Marcus Davis, Stephan Bonnar, Jorge Gurgel and others, Hawn believes he’ll have even more of an edge when he gets in the cage with his background in judo.

“Getting in the clinch and stuff like that and on the ground, I have an advantage over someone who just wrestled in high school,” Hawn said. “Especially with the takedowns, I definitely used that in my earlier fights and caught some people by surprise.”

Taken From http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/inside_the_octagon/?p=39&srvc=home&position=recent

Pic of the week- Pickups

This weeks pic of the week is a marvellous shot of Dex elmont smashing his opponent with a huge pickup at last months Paris Grand Slam. Thanks once again to topjudo.com


You can alos buy many of these photos just check out his catalogue at http://www.topjudo.com/Catalog06PDF.PDF

Explore, Dream, Discover



"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

Training for Judo Videos














































Arm Cracking

This is a quick video of some throws, just testing out our new camera, but the funny thing is Steve's elbow cracking while i am applying an armlock.