60 May/Jun 2018

May/Jun 2018 Issue 60

Cover 60.indd 1

5/9/18 5:33 PM

contents Life

I SS U E 6 0 M AY/J U N E 2 018

080 Ge ar L ab Review CTRL Rook III Chess Weave Gi

008 E d i to r i a l

090 E ven t Coverage

Applied Knowledge

2018 Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu

010 W e i g hi n g I n

World Pro Championship

Renatcha Want?

skills

020 p ro m ot i o n s

086 Gains Opening Up the HIps

098 success Dwane Stover - JiuJitsu Saved His Life

040 cove r f e ature

Belts and Stripes

030 W hi t e B e lt Ch ron icles Switching Schools

Gordon Ryan’s Reign Begins

064 T e ch n ique Garry St Leger - Sweep the Leg!

034 H ow-To

fuel

3D Jiu-Jitsu - Deconstructing Your Game

022 Grub

058 T he L i fe

The Scoop on Protein

Breakage Breakdown - How

body

Armbars Damage Elbows

072 W ho i s ?

Devhonte “Bones” Johnson

082 Me d ic

One to Watch Out for

Saunas - Jiu-Jitsu Enhancers?

Meet The Experts M a rs ha l D. Carper

K at ie elliotT ms rd

James Lawson

Ricardo Castaneda

DR. paul morton

Is a brown belt under

is the founder of

is a US Marine Corps

is a brown belt and

is the Chief Resident in

Sonny Achille. In addition

Elliott Performance

veteran and jiu-jitsu

holds a Master of Arts in

Orthopaedic Surgery

to owning Artechoke

& Nutrition based in

black belt under Rodrigo

Psychology. He is also

at St Luke’s University

Media, Marshal is

Aspen, Colorado. Katie’s

Teixeira who loves to

the head instructor of

and Health Network in

the author of books

specialties include sports

travel and teach jiu-jitsu

Gracie Barra Lakeway

Bethlehem, PA. He has

like The Cauliflower

nutrition, nutrition for the

to anyone who will

in Austin, Texas. Find

experience as a physician

Chronicles and Marcelo

prevention and treatment

listen. He’d love to keep

him on social media @

covering MMA, wrestling,

Garcia’s Advanced

of disease, weight loss,

in touch with you. You

ricardopezaobjj and his

and other sport events

Jiu-Jitsu Techniques.

and worksite wellness.

can stay in touch with

website Jiujitology.com

as well as a competitor

His latest project is

Find out more about

him at: IG: @TwistUUp

for more.

in BJJ, wrestling and Judo.

whitebeltproblems.

Katie at

and his website at

He is a black belt under

com, a free open-source

elliottperformanceand-

thewarriorsclub.com

David Adiv at Gracie New

resource devoted to

nutrition.com

making jiu-jitsu more

Jersey. paulmortonmd@ gmail.com.

accessible for beginners.

Contents 60.indd 1

5/18/18 9:53 AM

ON THE COVER Look for us online: @jiujitsumag

064

technique: Garry St Leger

086

Gains: Ope n in g T h e H ips

090

Event Coverage: Abu D h abi world p ro ch ampion sh ip

Contents 60.indd 2

Gordon Ryan Takes His Throne

40 Photo: Jared Ryder Layout: Mike Dytri

Sweep the Leg Get the Points

Loose Hips Win Championships

The Middle East Heats Up!

5/10/18 5:58 AM

weighing in GIVIN DA PEOPLES WHAT DEY HEY WANTCH!

AFTER YEARS OF AGONIZING NEGOTIATIONS AND BLOCKBUSTER DEALS THAT HAVE FALLEN THROUGH, 27-TIME WORLD CHAMPION RENATO LARANJA FINALLY GRANTED EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FOR A RENATO LINE OF CLOTHING AND RELATED GEAR. NOT SINCE MICHAEL JORDAN AND TIGER WOODS HAS A DEAL OF THIS MAGNITUDE EVER COME CLOSE. Storm Kimonos has been given the honor of producing a complete line of apparel bearing Renato’s strikingly handsome appearance. The Renatch line is available now, but you must hurry. It’s a certainty that it will be difficult to keep these designs in stock. A portion of every item sold will help go towards Renato’s Child Supporch Fund. stormkimonos.com

FEELING IRIE

Jiu-jitsu was born on an island, and it’s no wonder that the irie vibes of reggae music and jiu-jitsu go together so well. Also born on an island, the island of Oahu to be exact, is “roots roll reggae”,which is more than a brand, it’s a movement. Rooted in the love of jiu-jitsu and Rastafarian ideals, the designs are clean, simple, and understated. We especially like the Pau Training Hoodie, which is perfect anytime, but especially after a good roll.

The word Pau (pow) means “finished or done”.

Check out the entire collection on their website. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will go to help kids in need at the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation. rootsrollreggae.com

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011

Martial Law Recently we spotted a post on reddit comparing interest over time between the most popular martial arts: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Aikido, Judo, and Taekwondo since 2004. As you can see from the graph, over the past 14 years, jiu-jitsu has steadily overtaken all of the other martial arts, as the most searched martial art among Google users in the

United States. You can also see the spikes in interest in Judo and TKD during the Summer Olympics. On the global scene, the numbers are a little different. Jiu-jitsu is the only martial art whose interest has risen in the past decade, which however still trails all but behind Aikido. Despite the spikes in interest of Judo and TKD during the Olympics, their relative trend

d o m e st i c

Judo

Aikido

Karate

Taekwando

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

i n t e r n at i o n a l

Judo

Aikido

Karate

Taekwando

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

lines continue to fall both domestically and abroad for those sports. Another detail worth noting, January 2005 begun its sustained upward march in popularity.

That’s exactly the same time that The Ultimate Fighter television series begun airing on Spike. Special thanks to reddit poster “Long_Lost_Testicle” for the tip.

Coming to America Until recently, getting Scramble gear stateside meant having to whip out the abacus to figure out conversion rates and postage charges, not to mention whatever cut Her Majesty needs to take. Well, that hassle and delay is all over now since the fine folks at Scramble Brand have elected to forgive the revolution and set up shop online just for us. They’re down to make jiu-jitsu great again by selling to us red blooded Americans direct at scramblestuff.us! Product is still shipped from the mother ship back in the UK, but thanks to the new website and super fast DHL shipping orders, delivery is just 1 to 2 days with no taxes going to Her Majesty. Check out the entire line of gear from Scramble at their new US website. scramblestuff.us

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5/10/18 6:33 AM

weighing in The Price of Knowledge No doubt by now you know who John Danaher is. Oh, you don’t? You must not be paying attention. Search “Joe Rogan Podcast Danaher” and give that a listen. We’ve interviewed John on a few occasions and have profiled many of his students, including this month’s cover athlete, Mr. Gordon Ryan. John Danaher is quick to share big picture concepts when it comes to his leg lock game or philosophies on life and jiu-jitsu. It’s when you get down to specific questions on techniques, he isn’t so quick to share - that is until now! For just $227, you could own this 8-disk DVD (along with digital) set “Leglocks - Enter The System - Parts 1 and 2”. Yes, $227 is not cheap, but if you consider yourself a no-gi leglock guy, you’re going to behind the curve quick once everyone else ponies up. Mr. John Danaher is considered by many to be one of the best instructors of jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts around. It’s no wonder that his system consists of 8 hour long DVDs. From the looks of the description, he goes step-by-step on the actual mechanics of the system along with the concepts used along the way. bjjfanatics.com

WE MEAN BUSINESS

If you’re a jiu-jitsu school owner, or qualify as an industry professional, we want to set you up with a free domestic subscription to Jiu-Jitsu Business, the new bi-monthly trade publication from the publishers of Jiu-Jitsu Magazine. Every issue is packed with useful, jiu-jitsu academy specific business advice and insights from seasoned professionals. Don’t miss a single issue and get involved in the conversation. Go to jiujitsubusiness. com to sign up. It’s free for qualified academies in the United States and available to schools anywhere in the world for a small subscription fee. jiujitsubusiness.com

News 60.indd 3

Gunk to Get You Out of Your Funk

Recently, the BJJ Box included an item that’s new to the jiu-jitsu world but worth taking a look at. It’s called Punch Gunk, and it’s a topical pain relieving lotion that’s FDA approved.

Punch Gunk was selected to be in the BJJ Box for its effectiveness and the fact that unlike other pain relieving ointments, it goes on smoothly like lotion and is rapidly absorbed into the skin. The 3% menthol solution goes to work quick on pain and is supported by nine other natural ingredients including aloe, kava, nettle, arnica, gotu kola, willow bark, witch hazel, licorice root, and tea tree heart. It not only helps to relieve pain, it also conditions skin and helps stimulate circulation. It’s also not prohibited in or out of competition by USADA or WADA, so lather up! Punch Gunk is available in 3.4oz tubes. punchgunk.com

5/10/18 6:35 AM

weighing in

Coverage Sponsored By:

Where the Pros Go

IF YOU’RE ON ANY SORTA SOCIAL MEDIA THESE DAYS, THERE’S NO DOUBT YOU’VE SEEN SOME OF THE WORLD’S TOP JIU-JITSU ATHLETES SIGNING CONTRACTS AND SINGING THE PRAISE OF A NEW FEDERATION CALLED ACB. WELL, THEY’VE COME TO CALIFORNIA, SPECIFICALLY THE PYRAMID, AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH, THE HOME OF THE IBJJF WORLDS, FOR ANOTHER INSANELY STACKED CARD IN THE ACB SERIES OF JIU-JITSU EVENTS. ACB 13 featured 14 matches leading to two title fights in the Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. Here’s how the two belts changed hands.

He av y w e i g ht Marcus Buchecha and João Gabriel Rocha battled for five rounds to settle who was going to walk out as a champion.

Buchecha used his well known game of explosive wrestling takedowns and top pressure game to control the actions during the match. The fourth of fifth rounds were the one that decided the fate of the belt as Buchecha finally was able impose his rhythm and build a 9-0 lead to win the round. As all the other rounds ended in ties, the lead was enough for Buchecha to win the title.

M i d d l e w e i g ht Leandro Lo knows how good a guard player Gabriel Arges is, so he decided that he would have to get ahead on the scoreboard on all five rounds. The strategy worked perfectly and Lo won all rounds to claim the title. Takedowns and guard passes were the weapons of choice for Lo to beat Arges’ defenses.

N o - G i S u p e r M atch Originally, this matchup was to take place as a Combat Jiu-Jitsu Match on an EBI card in Vegas. Well, that never came to be, so the two matched up at ACB. Vinny Magalhães was able to put the breaks on Gordon Ryan. In the first of three rounds, Vinny was able to pass Ryan’s guard to build a 5-0 lead. The two remaining rounds ended in ties as Vinny was also able to avoid Gordon’s well known heel hook attacks.

The results of the remaining matches were as follows: ❖❖ Bruno Frazatto over Nicholas Welker by decision ❖❖ Ary Farias over Joao Somalia by kneebar ❖❖ Michael Langhi over Victor Silverio by decision ❖❖ Pablo Montovani over Gabriel Marangoni by points ❖❖ Edwin Najmi over Rodrigo Caporal by rear naked choke ❖❖ Isaac Doederlein over Agusto Mendes by points ❖❖ Igor Silva over Jackson Sousa by flying armbar ❖❖ Luiz Panza over Ricardo Evangelista by triangle choke ❖❖ Keenan Cornelius over Yuri Simoes by reverse omoplata ❖❖ Roberto Cyborg over Eberth Santos by points ❖❖ Romulo Barral over AJ Sousa by cross collar choke

The next ACB event takes place July 7th and 8th in Moscow, Russia. acbjj.com

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5/9/18 4:01 PM

weighing in Become Stronger

Who doesn’t want to become stronger everyday? Become Stronger Industries (BSI) is a brainchild of Pake McNally. Pake has used the last 12 years to become as strong as he can to battle wildfires in the mountains and opposing warriors in the cage. Pake is also a jiu-jitsu practitioner, blacksmith, and Combat Engineer in the Army Reserves. His love of iron and strength is evident in his hand crafted works of strength building art WarClubs. Each WarClub is handcrafted by Pake and available in sizes ranging from 8 lbs up to 30lbs. There’s power in words; that’s why each club can be customized with your own custom Motivation Plate. Clubs like these have been used for hundreds of years to help build strength, dexterity, and stamina. Do a quick search of “mace training” and see what we’re talking about. WarClubs start at $24 and go up to $78. If you’re not ready to jump into the world of mace training just yet, you can get some inspiration with one of these one of a kind Words Have Power pendants. Each is handmade with a unique saying beat into it. Check out more of Pake’s work on his website. become-stronger.com

Inked A New Deal Not sure if you knew this, but getting the Jiu-Jitsu Magazine logo permanently tattooed to your body is a guaranteed way to appear in the magazine. That’s how Clemente Lima did it! Clemente started training jiu-jitsu in 2012 in Eagle Pass, Texas. For the past 10 years, Clemente has worked in law enforcement with full time instructional duties. He’s had the privilege to help train hundreds of officers and agents in ground defense. Good job, Clemente! That better not be photoshopped.

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5/10/18 9:27 PM

017

He’s Got It - Under CTRL

Congratulations to our friend and long time supporter of the magazine Blayne Barlow and his promotion to black belt by none other than red belt, Grandmaster Relson Gracie. Blayne started training in the gi under Nathan Zigler. Blayne and his wife Laurinda are the force behind CTRL Industries, so jiu-jitsu runs deep in the Barlow family. Blayne’s brothers Brendon and Billy are also jiu-jitsu black belts. The three began their journey grappling on their mother’s carpet in 1996 watching Royce Gracie destroy everybody in the UFC. Congrats, Blayne!

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5/9/18 4:01 PM

Academy directory Buckhead Jiu-Jitsu

Cascao bjj - Las Vegas

2144 Hills Ave NW Atlanta, GA 30318 678-515-0472 • buckheadjj.com Jiu-Jitsu, No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, Kids Jiu-Jitsu, FITin45

4180 S Sandhill Rd Suite B 5/6 Las Vegas, NV 89121 702-818-7500 • cascaobjj.com Adult Gi & No-Gi, Kids Gi & No-Gi, Muay Thai

Ralph Gracie Jiu jitsu Chino Hills

Checkmat Virginia

14151 Pipeline Ave Chino, CA 91710 909-614-1307 • ralphgraciechinohills.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults, Wrestling

18805 Forest Rd Suite B Lynchburg, VA 24502 434-381-0689 • checkmatvirginia.com Adult and kids Gi, Nogi, and MMA

Missoula BJJ and Muay Thai

Pedro Sauer /OSMA

2301 Palmer Street Unit 12 Missoula, MT 59801 406-686-6255 • missoulabrazilianjiujitsu.yolasite.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults, Muay Thai

360 Herndon Parkway #100 Herndon, VA 20170 703-444-4468 • virginiabjj.com Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Kali, Kids

Bakersfield BJJ

Renzo Gracie Academy

4308 Resnik Ct #203 Bakersfield, CA 93313 661-345-2906 • mattbakerbjj.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults, MMA, Kickboxing

224 W 30th St New York, NY 10001 212-279-6724• renzogracie.com BJJ, Submission Grappling, Kids Jitsu, Muay Thai

Integrated Martial Arts

Triton Fight Center

3816 Hwy 49 S Harrisburg, NC 28075 704-363-6236• maforu.com Gracie JJ Jr GJJ, Kali, Muay Thai, Sub Wrestling

2205 N Willow Ave Suite C Broken Arrow, OK 74012 918-25-CHOKE (24653) • tritonfightcenter.com BJJ, No-Gi, Muay Thai, Judo, Semper Fit

Powers Martial Arts Academy

Team Rhino Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

34425 Lorain Rd #3 North Ridgeville, OH 44039 440-327-3688 • powerskarate.com Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Kids GJJ, Kickboxing, Karate

68 E. Fairview Ave. Meridian, Idaho 83642 208-846-9119 • idahoujj.com Adult and Children’s Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

Urbana Academy 11791 Fingerboard Rd Monrovia, MD 21770 301-539-6289 • urbanaacademy.com Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga

Fresh Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 22520 Greater Mack Saint Clair Shores, MI 48080 313-307-4638 • saintclairshoresmma.com BJJ, Capoeira, and Aikido

GET YOUR ACADEMY IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF POTENTIAL STUDENTS AND VISITORS EVERY MONTH! EMAIL US: FEEDBACK@JIUJITSUMAG.COM FOR DETAILS!

GD JIu-JItsu Academy 1848 E. University Dr. #108, Tempe, AZ 85281 480-968-6303 • gdjiujitsu.com Adult Gi and No-Gi, Kids BJJ

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promotions STRONG MARRIAGE, STRONG NECK. WHO KNEW? School: Triton Fight Center Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

CONGRATULATIONS GOES OUT TO DAMON AND ANGELA BEASLEY WHO BOTH TRAIN UNDER PIET WILHELM. DAMON STARTED WITH PIET MANY YEARS AGO AND THEN TOOK A BREAK FROM TRAINING. When he returned, his wife Angela soon followed.

Since then she has competed alongside her husband from time to time or taken in some advice from Damon while she competes.

Angela was promoted to the rank of blue belt this past December.

Damon and Angela both proclaim that training together makes their marriage stronger or, at least, their necks tougher.

Collecting Belts School: SAS Location: York, PA SAS Team has their newest black belt! Daniel Beleza promoted Jon Tuxford Jr. to black belt in December. Jon is not only an accomplished jiu-jitsu competitor but also recently won the AOW Heavyweight title for MMA. Great job Jon! Way to represent the art.

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021

Purple and Black Attack School: Da Firma Training Center Location: Chesapeake, VA Scott Fuselier was promoted to black belt and Andy Barker was promoted to purple belt. Both of them were promoted under Professor Ricardo Tubbs and Andrew “Tim” Monteiro. They train at Da Firma Training Center in Chesapeake, VA. Professor Ricardo is also the owner of Da Firma Kimono Company. Congratulations, gentlemen!

ONE’s First

A New Brown in the Kingdom

School: ONE BJJ Location: Rio Rancho, NM

In December, Professor Giva Santana gave New Mexico a great gift. He awarded ONE Jiu-Jitsu its first New Mexico Black Belt, Tito Valdez. Professor Tito has been leading a ONE BJJ team from out of Rio Rancho, NM for just over two years. Tito was selected by Professor Giva Santana to start the ONE BJJ school in NM.

School: Gracie Barra Location: Birmingham, UK

Cheers go out to Mark Walker who was knighted to the belt of brown brown under Braulio Estima.

Congratulations, Mark! Your kingdom is proud.

Preserving a Legacy

School: Dragon Martial Arts Academy Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Head Instructor Warren Lee was awarded his black belt, by the legendary Royce Gracie in Miami at the Valente Bros. Self Defense Academy at the Annual RGJJ Gathering and Winter Belt Ceremony. Congratulations, Warren! Well done. And how cool is it to have that pic with Royce? Very cool, we’d imagine.

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5/9/18 3:23 PM

grub

THE SCOOP ON PROTEIN FOR JIU-JITSU ATHLETES

Protein is an important piece of the nutrition puzzle for jiu-jitsu athletes looking to optimize performance.

WORDS: KATIE ELLIOTT, MS/RD PROTEIN IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE NUTRITION PUZZLE FOR JIU-JITSU ATHLETES LOOKING TO OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE. PROTEIN’S MAIN ROLES INCLUDE MUSCLE TISSUE REPAIR, MUSCLE ADAPTATIONS POSTTRAINING, AND MAINTENANCE OF MUSCLE TISSUE THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN. Protein doesn’t earn its chops as an energy contributor. Researchers have estimated that protein only accounts for 2% to 4% of exercise fuel (fat and carbohydrate get the MVP award in this department). But make no mistake, protein is a big deal in its own right. As you roll, train, lift and compete, you are tearing up muscle fibers that can come back stronger if you play your cards right. This is where protein takes the top prize—muscle recovery. So, how much protein do jiu-jitsu athletes need? What type of protein packs the biggest punch? And is there an ideal window to take in protein-rich foods and drinks?

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How Much Protein Do Jiu-Jitsu Athletes Need?

Protein needs per day vary among jiu-jitsu athletes, and more is not necessarily better. In general, serious fighters training for several hours each day should aim to get 1.6-1.7 grams of protein per kilogram body weight.

Recreational athletes training less frequently likely need less than this amount. However, this varies based on the individual and his or her goals and schedule. If athletes are attempting to lose weight, up to 2 grams per kilogram body weight can help preserve lean muscle mass. Basically, when you lose

weight, muscle is also lost along with fat. Protein helps limit this loss and keeps you full. This is why increasing your percentage of protein per day when you are trying to drop a few pounds makes sense. However, intakes over 2 grams per kilogram do not do much good. One research study looked at medium protein diets (1.4 grams per kilogram per day) versus high protein diets (2.4 grams per kilogram per day). There were no differences in the amount of muscle adaptation between the two groups. Furthermore,

scientists saw that the protein in the high protein group was being oxidized (or burned), which indicates there was a protein excess. Other studies have confirmed these findings. Essentially, overdoing it on protein doesn’t do much good and those excess amino acids basically go to waste. It is better to get your protein needs just right.

That way you can also take in enough of the other macro- and micronutrients that you need to perform.

RECREATIONAL ATHLETE

SERIOUS ATHLETE

WEIGHT LOSS

1.4 - 1.6g

1.6 - 1.7g

2.0g

PROTEIN PER KILOGRAM

❖❖ Plan to eat the recommended amount of protein (and no more) to ensure that you get proper amounts of other nutrients.

Does Timing of Protein Consumption Matter?

The answer to this question is yes.

Protein consumed after strength-based exercise like jiu-jitsu has been shown to increase muscle adaptations. The exact window after exercise is not 100% known, but many experts believe the sooner after exercise you consume protein, the better. I tell my athletes to try to consume about 20 grams of protein within 30 minutes to an hour after a training session.

There is also a relatively new concept called protein pacing. Basically, protein pacing means you consume smaller amounts of protein throughout the day.

This spacing of protein consumption has been known to optimize muscle adaptations. Experts recommend taking in roughly .25 grams of protein per kilogram body mass as part of 4 to 5 meals spaced throughout the day.

Other studies have looked at before exercise, during exercise, and before sleep protein consumption. Results of these studies are mixed. Therefore, I recommend focusing on post-exercise protein consumption as well as eating protein at 4-5 meals throughout the day.

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❖❖ Consuming 4-5 smaller meals with protein throughout the day will give you the most bang for your buck in terms of muscle.

5/10/18 6:24 AM

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p r o t e i n

What Kind of Protein Should I Eat? There are numerous sources of protein that come from both plants and animals.

Food-based protein sources include meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes (including soy), and grains such as spelt and quinoa. The effectiveness of protein on muscle mass is generally determined by its digestibility and whether it provides all of the essential amino acids.

Leucine, one of the Branched Chain Amino Acids, seems to be especially helpful in promoting muscle gains. Athletes should aim to get about 2-3 grams of leucine in recovery meals. Leucine is found in animal products (beef, chicken, pork, fish, dairy) as well as in soybeans, pumpkin seeds and peanuts.

There are scoring systems that rate protein quality such as the Protein

Digested Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) and the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score. In these cases, the higher the score, the higher the quality and digestibility of the protein.

Most animal sources of protein garner higher scores. However, consuming large amounts of of animal protein (especially red and processed meat) has been associated with cardiovascular disease. Plant sources of protein generally lack one or more of the essential amino acids, which makes their score a bit lower. However, it is important to note that plant foods offer other important health benefits as they are generally quite high in fiber and antioxidants. You can

also combine plant sources to make sure you are getting all of the essential amino acids. We’ll go through a few of the most commonly researched protein sources for muscle protein synthesis to give you an idea of the pros and cons of each.

Protein Quality Comparison Chart Protein Type

Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) ¹

Amino Acid Score

Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) ²

Biological Value (BV)

Protein Digestibility % (PD)

Whey Protein

1.00

1.14

3.2

100

99

Whole Egg

1.00

1.21

3.8

88-100

98

Casein

1.00

1.00

2.5

80

99

Soy Protein Concentrate

1.00

.99

2.2

74

95

Beef Protein

0.92

.94

2.9

80

98

.25

.47

NA

54

91

Wheat Gluten

Source: 1 Protein Quality Evaluation, Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Consultation 2 Reference Manual for U.S. Products, 2nd Edition, U.S. Dairy Export Council

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p r o t e i n

Whe y P rot e i n

Pea Protein

Whey protein is extracted from milk during the cheese making process. It is most commonly found in protein powders, bars, and other supplements and is beneficial to athletes for a few reasons. First, whey protein has the highest PDCAAS score that is possible, (1) thus it has all of the essential amino acids and is easily digested. Whey is also quite high in leucine, the BCAA most often associated with muscle gains. Finally, some research has shown that whey protein is more effective in post-exercise muscle protein synthesis than either casein or soy.

Pea protein is generally extracted from split peas and contains roughly 90% protein. This is a great plantbased option as it contains high levels of BCAAs and has been associated with muscle protein synthesis. Its only limiter is that it is low in methionine, an essential amino acid. Consequently, it has a slightly lower PDCAAS score than whey, casein, or soy protein.

is sometimes used along with whey (in supplements) to offer both quickly and slowly digested protein. Some studies have suggested that eating casein at night might lead to greater muscle adaptation, though this evidence is fairly limited.

Cas e i n

Soy Prot ein

Casein is produced from the solid fraction of milk after it is exposed to an acidic environment. Casein takes longer to digest than whey and soy protein and

Soy is a vegetable protein that is isolated from soy beans. This plant-based protein has a PDCAAS rating of .99 to 1 (depending on the source you look at). This is the same score that is assigned to many animal-derived proteins including whey.

Soy protein also contains a high amount of BCAAs including leucine. While it is not as high in leucine as milk, it is a great plantbased protein alternative, is appropriate for lactose intolerant individuals, and has some potential health and performance benefits.

Plant-Based Blends Plant based blends such as rice and pea protein combine to contain 100% of the essential amino acids. Their PDCAAS score is 1, which is the same as whey. Many companies are using several sources of plant-based protein to make their blends comparable to animal sources of protein.

DO I NEED A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT? You definitely can get the amount of protein you need from real food. Furthermore, the amino acid profile of food is often superior to that of supplements. In addition, food tends to be cheaper than supplements, and you don’t have to worry about contamination when you choose a food-based meal.

However, protein powders are convenient for athletes on the go. It can be easier to bring your protein drink to the gym than to take a meal with you and have to worry about refrigeration, etc. Basically, there are pros and cons to each alternative. I generally tell my clients that bringing a protein drink post-workout is fine to accommodate a busy schedule. I recommend picking a product that is a food label (not a supplement) and is, thus, subject to FDA regulation. If you do choose a supplement, look for an NSF label or other 3rd party certification designation.

I will also point out that it is important not to overdo protein powders. Use them when you absolutely need the convenience, but ensure that the majority of your nutrition comes from real food. ❖❖ Looking for a 3rd Party Certification label like this one can help you avoid contamination that is sometimes found in supplements.

In conclusion, getting the right amount of protein is vital to performing at your best. Ensure that you time your protein ingestion to get the most out of your workouts, choose a variety of high quality protein sources, and don’t overdo it on supplements or protein in general.

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white belt chronicles

5

WAYS TO DEAL WITH SWITCHING ACADEMIES

WORDS: JIM LAWSON

CHANGING ACADEMIES IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, A TRICKY MATTER. THERE ARE MANY EMOTIONS THAT MAY BE ATTACHED TO SUCH A THING. The act of changing academies would earn you the moniker “creonte” back in the day which is loosely translated as “traitor”.

Well, it’s a new day and times have changed. Judgements like that may not come as easily as they once did, and although there are no real simple answers to this conundrum, we will take a look at some fundamental actions you can use to help in the process of changing academies.

1.

Identify the “Why” This will play a major role in the reasons in which you find yourself at the crossroads of changing an academy. They can be reasons as obvious as scheduling conflicts or moving locations to something more subtle, such as no longer feeling comfortable in your training environment, or you simply feel that you are no longer absorbing the benefits of training in a fulfilling manner and advancing your skill level. Whatever your reason, it is important to know and understand why you’re experiencing these winds of change so that you will be able to effectively execute the next step in this process.

2.

Communicate your intentions Although none of these items should be looked at as some sort of “hard rule set”, there is a sense of decorum and courtesy in how things can be approached. Given the assumption that your relationship with your instructor is a healthy one, first and foremost communicate to your head instructor your intention of changing academies. It should and will serve as a much appreciated courtesy and cut off any potential awkward interactions in the future (remember, jiu-jitsu is a small community).

Once that has been done, it may also be a good idea to fill your training partners in on the move as well. Having already talked to the instructor, it’ll likely go over a bit smoother knowing that you have received any and all types of blessings on the matter.

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3.

Full disclosure to your new academy Once you’ve identified the new academy that you want to train at, it’s good etiquette to inform them of any training you have received and any previous affiliations. In fact, it’s pretty common that you’ll find sign up forms asking if you’ve had any previous training. Being candid about items like this will set you on a better path for a healthy relation with your new mat family.

4.

Don’t speak ill of your previous academy Like the old adage goes “if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone or something, don’t say anything at all”. It’s just not a good look, being “the new guy” who is constantly trashing their previous academy. Whether it’s in hopes of creating new bonds, to fit in, or venting on some legitimate gripes you may have had, it’s generally a good call to take the higher ground.

Come to think of it, it’s just never good to try to appeal to anyone at the expense of another.

Sooner or later, that type of behavior always seems to come back to haunt you at around the worst possible time, one way or another. Another thing to consider is that your new training partners will most likely distance themselves from you with concerns that they may be the topic of your next less than flattering rant.

5.

Take care of any financial obligations This last one really goes without saying but is worth mentioning. Be sure to square away your finances with your academy of departure. There may be some form of protocol of ceasing payments. This will not only benefit your academy and serve as a courtesy (there’s that word again), but it will also help you minimize any confusion or surprise charges when that billing cycle comes around and protects you from the headache of chasing incorrect charges to your account.

As previously stated, there are no hard set rules to this. We’re all human (yes, even white belts), and always remember that context is king. Remember, not all academies are “competitive” academies, and don’t really bat an eye whenever people leave.

Also, remember that you are the one paying dues to the academy, financial or otherwise. Ultimately you control your journey, and however you treat this journey, it will be sure to treat you in kind. But having these pointers at your disposal should make the process of switching academies as painless as possible and will minimize you earning the title of “creonte”. Bom treino!

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The life

3D JIU-JITSU DECONSTRUCTING THE RUBIK’S CUBE OF JIU-JITSU WORDS: MARSHAL CARPER BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU POSITIONS ARE LIKE RABBITS: THEY REPRODUCE AND SPREAD AT ALARMING RATES. WHEN I FIRST STARTED IN THE ART, WE HAD A HANDFUL OF CORE POSITIONS WITH SOME NUANCES IN VARIATION BETWEEN THEM. At the time, the wildest jiu-jitsu guard on the market was Rubber Guard, and plenty of folks thought that whole system was pretty far out.

Today, the rate of innovation in jiu-jitsu has dramatically accelerated. It’s to the point that it feels like every new Keenan Cornelius Instagram post debuts a new position, and then we have the leglock crowd pushing the game in that direction, and of course Eddie Bravo and his flat-Earth jiujiteiros are adding new positional variations to the 10th Planet System as well, and then we’ve got the Miyaos and Mendes brothers adding to the growth—and that’s just a few of the great minds in our sport.

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All of this is pretty incredible, and it keeps the sport interesting. From a knowledge standpoint, however, the trend of developing and classifying individual positions naturally leads to knowledge silos.

Before I go any farther, let me be clear: naming individual positions is on the whole very useful, and I encourage my students to learn how to differentiate one position from another.

This is what I do if my opponent underhooks me in Half Guard.

My issue with knowledge silos is that jiu-jitsu students— especially newer ones, though many colored belts struggle with this too—start to look at positions in isolation. Each technique in their arsenal is the answer for one very specific

This is what I do if my opponent underhooks me in side control.

scenario. When they encounter a new scenario, they find a new answer. This happens hundreds of times over, and eventually these individual solutions end up grouped into buckets by position.

This is what I do if my opponent underhooks me from mount.

These solutions may all be perfectly technical, but the problem is that it keeps you in a what and how mindset. You know what to do when you see a certain problem, and you know how to execute it, but you aren’t able to articulate why a technique is effective or why a technique is the best answer for a particular problem. You have a big bag of tools, and each tool solves only one problem you are likely to see in a roll.

Breaking Down Silos If you learn how to break technique apart and compare seemingly different techniques to each other, you train yourself to think about jiu-jitsu, and that’s a valuable skill. In order to create your own solutions or to troubleshoot a technique when someone with the answer is not available, you need a process for deconstructing techniques and figuring out what makes them work and why they are useful in certain situations.

I ca l l t hi s p ro c ess 3D Jiu-Jitsu.

To me, jiu-jitsu positions are a bit like a Rubik’s Cube. To understand everything that’s happening, you should spin the cube around and look at it from

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all sides and all orientations.

When you do this for enough positions, and puzzle over what it means when this color is here and that color is there, you start to encounter familiar problems.

The problem might not be exactly the same, but it’s close enough that you can leverage what you already know to find the ideal solution more rapidly.

In jiu-jitsu, when we rotate positions around like this, we find that a lot of seemingly different scenarios actually have a lot in common.

Let’s look at the classic armbar from guard and compare that to the armbar from mount.

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❖❖ Secure the arm.

❖❖ Position the arm and prepare

❖❖ Secure the head.

❖❖ Change your angle.

for angle adjustment.

❖❖ Capture the head, extend hips to finish.

A r m ba r m o u n t

❖❖ Secure the arm.

❖❖ Position the arm and prepare

❖❖ Secure the head.

❖❖ Change your angle.

for angle adjustment.

What you need to accomplish in each step is virtually the same regardless of whether you’re on top or on the bottom.

You need to first isolate an elbow, pulling it inside to break the plane of your opponent’s torso line. Then you wedge a knee behind the shoulder and elbow to block your opponent from returning to a safe position. You then rotate your body 90 degrees to create an angle for attack

❖❖ Capture the head, extend hips to finish.

and to cinch your hips tight under the arm. And to maximize your pressure, you bring a leg over your opponent’s head so that you can create the space you need to hyperextend the joint.

If we zoom out even more, it turns out that mount is a lot like an upside down guard. Your bodies are in virtually the same position, and the core mechanics of

your attacks are virtually the same as a result. The major change is that being on top gives you gravity and a different way to use the mat for your attacks.

But as far as your positioning goes, whether you are looking for an armbar, cross choke, or triangle, your limbs are looking for the same key ingredients.

Applying 3D Jiu-Jitsu to Your Training Putting this idea into practice means a lot of daydreaming about positions and mechanics and finding training partners who don’t mind you playing out a list of “what if?” scenarios on them.

We don’t have the space to run through dozens of examples, but if you’d like to see more, the full instructional I produced on these ideas is free to access online. It’s full of videos and GIFs, and you can look at all of the material without even entering your email. https://artechokemedia.com

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Technique

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GORDON RYAN GI, NO GI, NO PROBLEM

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WORDS: MIKE VELEZ | PHOTOS: SHAWNA RODGERS

IT’S BEEN ABOUT TWO YEARS SINCE THE JIU-JITSU WORLD TOOK NOTICE OF GORDON RYAN. BACK IN ISSUE 45, WE PROFILED GORDON SHORTLY AFTER HIS EBI 6 PERFORMANCE WHERE HE TOOK THE BELT ALONG WITH $25K. Since then Gordon has gone on to win an ADCC championship which propelled him into the rarified air of the grappling community. Gordon has become a polarizing figure in jiu-jitsu: he’s brash, isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and is always quick to remind the competition that they’re all “F**ked”. Not long ago, the gi world was put on notice when Gordon proclaimed that he was going to win a gi world championship. He picked up a gi sponsor (Hypnotik), put the gi back on (he actually used to train in the gi when he first started jiu-jitsu), and has begun going to work. If you read our last interview with Gordon, you’d know he has a tremendous work ethic and has sacrificed a lot, including a normal life. Right out of high school, he began the life of train, eat, sleep, train, and repeat. With success comes greater expectations. Gordon’s not afraid to earn his self-proclaimed title as King Ryan. We managed to get some time with Gordon at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC as he was training for his ACB Super Fight with Vinny Magalhaes. Along with his girlfriend Nathalia Santoro, Gordon demonstrates some techniques in and out of the gi that we think you’ll find useful. He also gives us a look at what life’s like these days and what his subjects can expect from the new king.

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Raw Data Powered by BJJ Heros Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Junior > Renzo Gracie > Ricardo Almeida > Tom deBlass > Garry Tonon > Gordon Ryan

Main Achievements: ❖❖ ADCC Champion (2017) ❖❖ IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2015 brown) ❖❖ EBI 6 OW Champion (2016*) ❖❖ EBI 8 MW Champion (2016) ❖❖ EBI 11 WW Champion (2017) ❖❖ EBI 14 OW Champion (2017*) ❖❖ Newaza Challenge Champion (2015) ❖❖ Grappling Industries Tournament Champion (2017*/2016*) ❖❖ ADCC 2nd Place (2017*) ❖❖ IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championship 3rd Place (2014 purple)

FAVORITE POSITION/TECHNIQUE: Triangle/ Heel Hook WEIGHT DIVISION: Peso Medio (Middle Weight) – 181lbs/82kg TEAM/ASSOCIATION: RENZO GRACIE ASSOCIATION/BRUNSWICK BJJ

GORDON HAS BECOME A POLARIZING FIGURE IN JIU-JITSU: HE’S BRASH, ISN’T AFRAID TO SPEAK HIS MIND, AND ALWAYS QUICK TO REMIND THE COMPETITION THAT THEY’RE ALL “F**KED”.

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JJM: So, first question is gonna be how has your life changed since winning EBI? So, EBI 6, specifically, was really the breakout tournament that got me into the scene. Before that, I was just a local guy who had won some local things; I’d beaten some big names, but I never really had my name inserted among the guys who were the top competitors at the time.

The first absolute that I won was really when people started to know who I was and that was my path to competing against the best guys and eventually winning against top level competitors.

When’s your first gi competition?

I’m not too sure when just yet. I have a bunch of no-gi matches right now with ACB, and whenever I feel comfortable, I’m gonna jump into some random IBJJF tournaments probably. A random open here or there, and just get comfortable competing. My goal right now is just to get enough moves where I feel comfortable going into competition and then getting comfortable with competing in the gi and learning and adapting to the new rule sets. Then going in and attacking the top guys next year. So, I wanna just get comfortable competing in the gi this year, and then 2019 I wanna come in and fight all the top guys.

Who are your training partners these days?

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My training partners have changed. For no-gi, they’re still relatively the same.

We have Jason Rau, we have Oliver Taza, my brother Nicky Ryan sometimes. And a lot of the big guys, the Jason Lees, we have Marlon. A lot of the big guys.

But the gi, it’s kind of just Brian Glick. He’s a big part of it and one of John’s original black belts. Also Garry St. Ledger who’s like an Olympic level judo player and also a black belt in jiu-jitsu. A lot of the big guys are putting on the gi now for me.

Big Marlon, Jason, and a few other guys are really helping me out in gi training.

Is Nicky in the gi yet?

No. Nicky’s just training no-gi. He’s looking to become the best no-gi grappler in the world, and then I’m pretty sure he wants to move to the gi. I’m not sure if he wants to fight MMA, but I’m pretty sure he wants to eventually move to gi competition.

What do you like and don’t like about training gi versus no-gi?

I pretty much hate everything about training gi and love everything about training no-gi. Right now, I’m at a point where I feel interested in learning about the new gripping skills and all of the little intricacies and nuances in the gi, but I’m at a point where I only really know the stuff that John teaches me. So, if I get to a position that I’m not familiar with, I’m just like, “Alright, I have no idea what grips to make from here.”

Versus no-gi, I feel like no matter what position I’m in, I know exactly what to do. I know exactly where my hands should be, where my feet should be, what my goals are from each position. But in the gi, I just don’t have that. I just have a few moves that I’m good at and once I get past those moves, there’s not really much there.

So, right now it’s just learning gripping sequences and then eventually building systems off those sequences. But it’s coming along.

Right now what’s your favorite thing about gi? I know you hate it, but if you had to pick one thing you really do like about it? Or is there nothing?

My favorite thing, I think I’d say about training the gi, is the additional gripping that you get to use to not only control your partner but also to do the submissions. There’s a lot more ways to control the limbs. There’s a lot more strangle holds with the gi. And there’s just a lot more grips in general that you can use to control your partner. In no-gi, there’s a bunch of things you can do, but with the gi, there’s always something extra that you can do to trap them, trap the arm, trap the leg, or go for strangles.

Is there anyway that you’ve found your game has changed by incorporating the gi?

Yeah, my game has definitely changed with guard passing. A lot of my guard passing no-gi is just to negate someone’s

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Gordon’s Insta is pretty good. @gordonlovesjiujitsu

guard at the leg pummel. But with the gi, just feeding the lapel through the legs or grabbing a simple cuff grip on my pants completely negates all my leg pummeling. So, I had to adjust my guard passing a lot, using a lot of either going into Half Guard and using the formal lapel feed under the face as a cross face and going to pass like that. I’m using a lot of the long step passes, a lot of torreando passes, and things like that. My guard passing has definitely changed. It’s a lot more outside loose passing than it is just leg pummeling over the top.

Have you helped Garry (Tonon) do any of his MMA training?

Yeah, so initially when we started, we were both doing MMA drills and then Gary kind of got to the point where he had to spar everyday to really get into the camp because he just has only been training for a few months, so he would spar everyday up until the camp. And when he started sparring every day, then I kind of stopped doing MMA drills, but it just started back up again and after the Vinny match, at least, I’m looking forward to getting back into the MMA drills.

I’m going to hopefully compete in the gi next year with ACB as well as no-gi.

Then after that I want to win Black Belt Worlds [IBJJF] in the gi. Once I win Worlds, I want to start fighting MMA. So, however long it takes me to win Gi Worlds is a determining factor on when I start fighting. Or I’ll just never win Gi Worlds, and then eventually I’ll be like, “Okay, I’m just going to fight anyway.” So, we’ll see how that goes.

What’s the immediate future look like?

I’m excited for this next match coming up with Vinny (Magalhaes). I know you guys haven’t seen me compete too often in the last few months because ACB hasn’t had any no-gi jiu-jitsu events, but the no-gi season for ACB is coming up, so I’m going to have the Vinny match. I’m pretty much just going to fight once a month until the end of the year. So, I’m excited for that.

Cool, well good luck in the future Gordon, we’re sure you’re going to have a long reign.

Haha, thanks.

So, what does the future in the next few years look like for you?

The future for me is just to get comfortable competing in the gi against top level guys. Then next year going in and competing against top level guys.

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OPEN GUARD PASS TO SIDE CONTROL

This is a simple open guard pass that Gordon likes that gives him a high level of control and safety from getting caught up in a dangerous guard. It’s simple and effective for no-gi. Later, he’ll show us a similar pass in the gi.

Step 1 Facing Nathalia’s open legs, Gordon puts both hands on her shins and pushes back so that she’s unable to extend out to establish some sort of guard.

Step 2 With the legs engaged, Gordon moves off to his left a bit and steps into Nathalia’s Half Guard.

His right knee is dragging forward, and as he moves, he lets go of the leg with his right hand but hugs it tight against his body.

Step 3 Gordon then quickly drops his left knee to the mat while at the same time scooping his left arm over the back of Nathalia’s head.

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That wasn’t so hard.

Step 4

Step 5

Once his arm is past the head, he drops his hip to the mat while using his left arm to keep Nathalia close and with little space to escape.

Now Gordon can work on passing the guard by bringing his right arm back to scoop under Nathalia’s left leg and then pushing his left knee across Nathalia’s hip.

Step 6 Once he has that left leg controlled, he then scoots his left knee onto Nathalia’s right thigh, helping to straighten her leg allows Gordon to unhook and step his right leg out.

Step 7 With the legs cleared, Gordon now walks his legs back toward Nathalia to flatten her out and establish side control.

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PASS TO THE BACK

This pass to the back is created by the fact that Nathalia goes for an underhook on Gordan after he’s reached across and gotten control of the back of her head.

Step 1 Starting from step 3 in the previous technique, Nathalia reaches in for an underhook on Gordon, but before she can get in deep, Gordon brings his right elbow down low to block and gets his hand on her bicep.

Step 2 Gordon then pushes Nathalia’s arm back behind her body while bringing his right hand down to control Nathalia’s wrist and at the same time laces his left hand through to his own wrist for a Kimura grip of her left arm.

Step 3 With the Kimura on the far arm, Gordon scoots his hips back to escape his leg from between Nathalia’s.

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Step 4 The most common reaction here by most opponents would be an explosive turn towards the captured arm.

Step 5 This turn by Nathalia creates a ton of space between the two of them; the perfect opportunity for Gordon to shoot his left knee in between Nathalia and the matt and at the same time brings his right leg over to get that hook in.

Step 6 Now, Gordon brings Nathalia across towards his right side, allowing him to get his left hook over her left leg and at the same time brings his right arm up and over her head to lock in the seatbelt (Gordon’s left arm under her left side, his right arm over her right shoulder, like a seatbelt).

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GI PASS TO SIDE CONTROL

This pass is essentially the first pass shown with consideration for grips in the gi. With the gi there are many more grip options, both for the attack and the defense.

Step 1 Gordon gets a grip of Nathalia’s inside pant at the knees instead of the grip of the shin.

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Step 4

Step 5

From here, Gordon can stabilize the position by controlling Nathalia with a grip of her collar along with her pant leg.

Next, Gordon drops his left hip to the mat while at the same time reaching his left arm over and behind Nathalia. He reaches for and grabs her belt from behind while using his left elbow to pinch against her head. This keeps himself stuck to her so that she can’t escape.

Step 6

Step 7

At this point Nathalia is likely to cross her legs to keep Gordon from passing. This causes Gordon to get a grip of her top pant leg right at the knee.

While pulling on the top leg, Gordon extends his bottom left knee downward, forcing Nathalia’s legs open. This allows him to pull his top leg out from between hers, passing her guard.

Step 8 Nathalia’s natural reaction is to post her feet to the mat and attempt to bridge, Gordon helps that movement along by pushing her legs to her left, opening up space for him to get his right knee up against her hip followed by getting the crossface and far side underhook to establish side control.

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PASS TO KIMURA FINISH

In this technique, Gordon uses not only the gi for grips, but also as a weapon to simulate a Kimura grip while still allowing one arm to be free.

Step 1 Starting from Step 5 in the previous technique Gordon is in Nathalia’s Half Guard but has her body and head controlled with his left arm and grip of her belt. Gordon uses an inside bicep tie to force Nathalia’s left arm down so that he can reach through with his left hand for a Kimura grip.

Step 2

Step 3

Using the Kimura grip, Gordon passes control of the arm off from his right hand to his left hand at the wrist so that he can then begin to pull out Nathalia’s far side lapel.

As a temporary hold, Gordon maintains control of Nathalia’s far side arm with his left hand while at the same time feeding her lapel under and around the arm.

Step 4 Once the lapel has her arm trapped, he switches his left hand grip from the wrist to the lapel.

This allows him to maintain a very solid control of the left arm while leaving his right hand free.

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So, is everyone F’d?

Step 5 From here, Godon grips the top pant leg at the knee, pulling up on the leg and sliding his left knee down to create the space needed to pull out his top leg.

Step 6

Step 7

Once the legs are cleared Gordon bases on his knees, pushes her left leg away to square up her hips and create the space needed to establish a side control.

Gordon switches from the lapel hold to a traditional Kimura grip of the far side arm.

Step 8 Finally, Gordon switches his hips to allow him to bring his left leg over the back of Nathalia’s head while at the same time dragging her hand back and up towards her shoulder to get the Kimura finish.

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❖❖ Not Luke’s elbow but an example of how damaging an armbar can be.

THE LIFE

BREAKAGE BREAKDOWN HOW DO ARMBARS DAMAGE ELBOWS? WORDS: BRENDAN BANE

LUKE POLLARD FOUGHT TIRELESSLY TO REACH THE PURPLE BELT ABSOLUTE FINALS OF THE 2014 ALL STARS TOURNAMENT IN SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA. AFTER SEVERAL GRUELING MATCHES, HE HAD ONLY ONE OPPONENT LEFT TO CLEAR BEFORE CLAIMING HIS PLACE ON THE PODIUM. By his calculation, he was up on points. But with less than 20 seconds remaining, his opponent locked on a tight armbar.

He performed the same mental calculation many of us have, measuring the risk of injury against the prospect of victory. He chose the latter and decided not to tap.

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“I could feel my elbow hyperextend,” says Pollard. “I could feel a lot of pressure, and then I felt two or three pops in a row. That was the moment when I knew there was serious damage.”

In less than a second, Pollard endured bone-breaking damage that ultimately warranted surgery. His story is violent, but it’s far from rare in jiu-jitsu circles. Whether persisting through a locked submission in competition or enduring pain out of pride, many jiu-jitsu athletes have courted and met catastrophic damage.

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Luke I n s i d e t h e E l b o w By the nature of our training, we routinely approach the brink of life-altering injury. But how many of us know exactly what happens inside our bodies when we endure a fully executed submission?

To answer that question, we’ll first need to explore the basic anatomy of the elbow.

“The anatomy of the elbow is that it’s basically a cup with a lip on either side,” says emergency room physician Bob Pollard from Santa Cruz, California. In addition to being

a physician for over 25 years, Bob is also Luke’s father and a longtime fan of jiu-jitsu and sports in general.

Bob’s cup analogy begins with the ulna, the long bone of your forearm that runs from your pinky to your elbow. Trace your finger from the outside of your wrist down to your elbow. There, the ulna terminates in a cup shape, which receives the bulbous end of your humerus, the bone that forms your upper arm.

Extend and retract your arm. The boney lips on either side of the ulna’s cup keep your forearm from moving outside a range

of 180 degrees. The first lip, known as the coronoid process, restricts your arm from fully retracting. Curl your arm as tight as you can, the coronoid process prevents your arm from curling any further.

Similarly, the second lip, known as the olecranon process, also restricts movement. Like a door stop, the olecranon process bangs against the humerus in full flexion, preventing your arm from extending past 180 degrees. The olecranon process is a key player in the mechanics of an armbar, which we’ll explore next.

humerus

Medial epicondyle

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Break the Stick, Break the Arm

“I equate an armlock to breaking a stick with your hands,” says seasoned black belt and Luke’s coach, Garth Taylor. “I grip one side of the stick with my four fingers then I grip the other side with my other four fingers, my thumbs apply pressure in the middle, and I snap the stick in half.”

The key to a truly damaging armbar, says Taylor, is proper connection.

“When I apply an armlock, I want my hip and legs tightly connected to my opponent’s torso, and I want a strong connection to the wrist. Using the hip as a fulcrum, I extend my entire posterior chain — the strongest movement the human body can do — against that little elbow joint. It’s just like breaking a stick.”

What happens when you break the stick? In Luke’s case, the olecranon process — the entire boney lip — broke completely off. That bit of bone that once prevented movement now floated freely inside his arm.

As it broke free, the olecranon process was driven into the bone of the humerus.

That bruised the periosteum — the thin membrane that surrounds most of the bone surface within our bodies — which prompted the tissue comprising Luke’s elbow to develop bone spurs.

A surgeon later sawed off several of these spurs, leaving a pile of bone chips roughly the size of quarters.

In 2004, Jacare Souza suffered a similar injury while fighting Roger Gracie at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Brazil. Persisting through Gracie’s undoubtedly tight armbar, Souza endured breakage at the elbow. Watch the match, says Bob, and you’ll see that “...his arm was just completely floppy at the elbow. It was because he had destroyed those endpoints.”

The human elbow, however, is more complex than just a cup with two lips.

“When you hyperextend,” says Bob, “a

❖❖ A handful of bone chips rest at the bottom of

lot of different tissues are involved.”

The bicep and muscles of the forearm are anchored to tendons on either side of the elbow, which can be ripped loose from bone. The fibers that compose tendons and ligaments can fray when under mechanical stress, says Bob, which can lead to bruising, bleeding, and inflammation. The synovial capsule inside the joint, which contains lubricating fluid, can be torn.

Depending on the angle of extension, a range of tissues can suffer damage.

❖❖ What an olecranon fracture looks like.

this cup. Moments earlier, they were loosely attached to Luke Pollard’s elbow.

❖❖ Black belt Garth Taylor demonstrates an armbar setup from closed guard at Kaijin MMA in Santa Cruz, California. The key to a truly damaging armbar, says Taylor, is tight connection at both ends of the arm.

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When to Tap? The promise of catastrophic injury leads us to ask: at what point should we tap?

Jiu-jitsu convention tells us to “tap early, tap often.” But in the heat of competition, many forget the mantra.

“I should have tapped out, obviously,” Luke says. “But as a competitor, it’s hard to tap out when you see ten seconds on the clock. It can be hard to make that judgment call.”

Though the temptation of victory is strong, it’s important to remember proportion, Luke adds. When you compete at the intermediate level of a local tournament, the stakes are low and don’t warrant the extreme risk of life-altering injury. In the case of elite level competition, however, the line is less defined.

“The majority of the time I would say ‘tap out.’ But when I think of Jacare, it’s hard to tell someone, knowing that he won the match with his

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damaged arm, it’s hard to go back and say you should have lost via submission instead of winning the Black Belt Absolute Finals. That’s really the only case where I could swing either way.

In pretty much every other case, it’s not worth it.”

Luke, now a brown belt, tells his students to mind their adrenaline during competition as it can dull the sense of pain and steer competitors toward greater injury. Bob echoes Luke’s sentiments.

“As a medical doctor,” says Bob, “I want to tell people that when you’re a white or blue belt, just tap really early. You don’t want to jack up your elbow for the rest of your career because you were trying to be super tough as a white belt, which is the time when you’re going to be armbarred the most.”

If you do find yourself on the receiving end of an armbar and suffer injury, Bob

recommends three things: proper medical attention, physical therapy, and patience.

Physical therapy increases the joint’s chances of returning to a full range of motion.

“One of the things about scar tissue is, if you give it time, it contracts. If someone has a burn on their neck, for instance, we have to do a lot of physical therapy as the burn is healing to keep the chin up and prevent them from always looking at the floor. Similarly, if you hurt your elbow and

just leave it, you’ll end up with a stiff, scarred up elbow.”

Despite our affinity for joint destruction, Bob says jiujitsu athletes are among the healthiest people he’s seen.

“When I’m in the emergency room,” says Bob, “I see people that are not so healthy. But in jiu-jitsu tournaments, I see people who are working out, who watch what they eat, and who don’t smoke. It’s a great sport for health, both mentally and physically.”

❖❖ Bernardo Faria submits Leandro Lo via armbar at the 2015 IBJJF Worlds.

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Technique

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GARRY ST LEGER SWEEP THE LEG

I

WORDS AND PHOTOS: JIM LAWSON

IN THE MOVIE “FORREST GUMP”, ONE OF THE MANY ICONIC PHRASES UTTERED WAS “LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GONNA GET”.

That about sums up my experience when I traveled to NYC and visited the iconic Renzo Gracie Academy.

Whenever I travel to the NYC area, I try to always make it a point to swing through to visit Renzo’s. Every time I’ve been there, I’m greeted with smiles, great technique, and those same great techniques are commonly applied on me. However, this particular trip was what I would consider as something along the lines of a perfect storm. On this particular trip, I got to reconnect with my “twin brother” Peter Lawson (Renzo Gracie Black Belt. Note the resemblance) who not only orchestrated a meeting with the man himself, Renzo Gracie, but also arranged for me to meet up and do some work with the occasional instructor at the academy, Brian Glick (Renzo and Danaher Black Belt), as well as former National Judo team member and alternate to the 2008 Beijing U.S. Olympic team, Garry St. Leger. As we waited for the arrival of Renzo, Peter, Brian, and Garry shared many of their stories and training experiences at the academy as well as some great techniques.

Speaking of twin brothers, it’s interesting to note that Garry actually has a twin brother Harry. And get this, both of them were U.S. National Team members! Both of them have been have been practicing judo for over 20 years. Garry explains that it was actually Harry that got him into Renzo Gracie’s academy five years ago. Harry serves as one of the coaches at another prestigious MMA gym, Jackson and Wink in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Garry makes it a point to state that they were never competitive with each other on the competition circuit because they fought in two different weight classes, “But”, as Garry says “we naturally motivated each other to be better”. So, we can only imagine what it must’ve been like when there was only one Eggo waffle left in the kitchen.

Following are some of the techniques that both Garry and Brian were kind enough to share with me, in which I will share with you. In this series, Garry shows us a few throws that he sets up with foot sweeps. We all know that foot sweeps are not only effective, but they also show “no mercy”, and I don’t have any problem with that (yes, another movie reference). Enjoy!

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TAI OTOSHI

Tao Otoshi is a common staple in any judoka’s tool box and can be a powerful one to have for jiu-jitsu players and self defense practitioners alike. In this sequence, Garry states that it doesn’t matter if your opponent is standing in front of you with a right leg or left leg forward. What you will need to do is get your opponent’s legs squared to you.

Step 1 Garry starts out with Brian’s right foot forward, grabbing Garry’s collar with his right hand. From here Garry will grab the bottom of Brian’s right sleeve near the wrist. (Note: Garry will rotate his palm down to eliminate any additional slack).

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Garry now brings his right hand over to grip the topside of Brian’s wrist and leans forward to chamber his next movement.

Garry will now explode back while thrusting his grip on Brian forward, effectively breaking Brian’s grip.

As soon as Brian’s grip is broken, Garry immediately grabs Brian’s lapel with his right hand.

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New meaning to the term “throw down”.

Step 5 Garry takes a step to the left side with his left foot and immediately follows that up with a sweeping motion with his right foot, cross body to Brian’s right foot, making Brian step back to widen his base.

Step 6 Once Brian widens his base with the his step back, Garry now pulls Brian forward (not down), slightly breaking his balance and takes a back step towards Brian’s left leg.

Step 7 As soon as Garry completes the previous step, he immediately brings his right calf to Brian’s right shin and rotates to his left to complete the throw.

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DROP SEOI NAGE

The Drop Seoi Nage is a throw that Garry tends to use when his opponent’s same side leg is forward. Garry states that when executing this throw, it is important to have inside grip position. To start this technique, Brian has already established his inside grip with his left hand.

Step 1 To achieve and counter Brian’s inside grip, Garry will bring his right hand inside of Brian’s grip while using his left hand to grab Brian’s left lapel and feed it into his right hand.

Step 2 As soon as the previous step is complete, Brian will extend his left hand to bait Brian into grabbing it which will allow Garry to grab low on Brian’s right sleeve and control his arm. From here, Garry’s lead foot will now be foot to foot with Brian.

Step 3 Garry will now bring his rear foot up to his lead foot and place the arch of his lead foot onto the rear of Brian’s achilles, giving Brian a slight push back to get him to square up.

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Step 4 Once Brian is square, Garry will now bring his right elbow down and parallel to Brian’s centerline and use his sleeve grip to pull Brian’s arm over his right elbow. Maintaining his grips, he will pull himself into Brain, rotating his back towards Brian and and dropping to his knees, making sure to land underneath Brian’s widened square stance.

Step 5 Keeping Brian’s arm tight to his chest, Garry will now rotate towards his left and slightly lift Brian with his legs to complete the throw and wind up in side control.

DE ASHI HARAI

For this particular throw, Garry uses one foot sweep as a set up to follow with another foot sweep. The entire set up is actually identical to the previous technique, so this will serve as an alternative option to the Drop Seoi Nage.

Step 1 Garry establishes the same inside grip and sleeve grip as explained in the previous technique.

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Congratulations, you learned three new takedowns and some Japanese.

Step 2 Again, like the previous technique, Garry will now bring his rear foot up to his lead foot and use the arch of his lead to the rear of Brian’s achilles, giving Brian a slight push back to get him to square up.

Step 3 Once Brian takes his backward step, Garry follows him and brings his left leg forward to sweep Brian’s lead leg from under him as Brian changes his position.

NOTE: It will be common for your opponent to want to regain their base by bringing their lead leg back after taking that initial backward step. It is the timing of this understanding that’ll be key for this technique to be successful.

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DEVHONTE “BONES” JOHNSON WORDS AND PHOTOS: MIKE VELEZ IN YOUTH SPORTS IT’S EASY TO PICK OUT THE KIDS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE SUPERSTARS SOMEDAY. THEY JUST DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY: THEY MAKE THAT AMAZING CATCH AT SHORTSTOP, DRAG THE ENTIRE OPPOSING LINE INTO THE ENDZONE, OR SINK THAT THREE POINTER AT THE BUZZER. True talent, although rare, is easy to spot when you see it. Devhonte “Bones” Johnson is one of those someday superstars. He started training jiu-jitsu at the age of 17 back in 2011. He was a student athlete playing baseball and boxing when an accident led him to jiu-jitsu and his first jiu-jitsu school, Edson Carvalho BJJ, in Paterson, New Jersey. It didn’t take long for Devhonte and those around him to recognize true talent. As a blue belt, he won the 2014 No Gi Worlds along with double gold at the No Gi Pans. At purple belt, he’s a No Gi World Champion, and a Pan American

JJM: So, how did you get into jiu-jitsu?

Devhonte: I used to play baseball and box, and I broke my hand. They told me that “Oh, you can’t box or do baseball anymore for eight weeks”. I used to come to watch boxing practices, shadowbox.

One day my friend is like, “Look man, you can’t go boxing, but you can do jiu-jitsu cause it’s good for your grip strength. So I was like, “Alright, cool.” So once I got my cast off, I went to the jiu-jitsu gym, and I fell in love with it and stopped playing baseball; I stopped boxing. I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu pretty aggressively since then.

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Champion with his sights set on brown belt. Devhonte’s unique combination of size, speed, strength, smarts, and skills makes him a dangerous opponent to any grappler. In fact, as a blue belt he’s beaten black belts in absolute competition. If you ever get the pleasure of meeting Devhonte in person, don’t expect him to rattle off his accolades. He’s as humble as they come and demonstrates his tremendous work ethic anytime he steps on the mat.

Prior to this year’s Pan Ams, I got to hang out with Devhonte for an evening of jiu-jitsu and sushi and got a good look at why so many people in jiu-jitsu have pegged this young man as a future superstar.

Where did you grow up?

I’m from Patterson, New Jersey. If you’re taking public transportation, it’s about an hour away from New York. But if you drive your car on a weekend, it should be 35 minutes. But you know New York, so it’s just like California: if it’s like five miles away, it takes 20 minutes to drive to.

So you started jiu-jitsu and were you working after you graduated high school?

No, actually I was in college, Ramapo College. I was majoring in political science, and I really wanted to be

a lawyer. And then my third year of school, Unity opened, I dropped out.

Think you’ll go back?

I don’t know. If I have to, I will. Before I was really interested in making money, a lot of money. All I wanted to do, I just wanted to be rich, and I didn’t want to live in the hood anymore.

So, that was my motivation.

Is Patterson a rough area?

Oh yeah. I grew up on Godwin Ave so it’s the worst part of Patterson. Very regularly we’d go to sleep to gunshots

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at night, so it’s pretty rough. Growing up I wanted to make money and help people. Coming from where I came from, I felt like a lot of people got screwed by the system. I wanted to get in the system, if you will, to help people that are getting screwed by the system.

There are a lot of people that do make a lot of mistakes and they deserve to go to jail for the things that they do, but then there’s a lot of people who get...

Rolled?

Yeah I guess if that’s what you’re gonna call it. But they get screwed. Maybe they fit a description so people stick stuff on them. Which happened to me once before, but I was able to get out of it.

Yeah, so it happens. Cops who are - not saying that I don’t like cops, I don’t want to make it about not liking cops - but in the hood there’s cops that are just looking to cause trouble. Sometimes you get picked on; sometimes you’re the guy who gets patted down, who gets roughed up a little bit, and it happens. So, in the beginning I just wanted to be someone who’d stand up for those people. And then I realized, just like for baseball too - cause when I started baseball I was doing it just because people told me that I couldn’t do it. I used to go to school in a Spanish neighborhood, so it was like “Only Latinos can do baseball. Go play basketball.”

And I’d be like “Screw you guys, I’m gonna show you that I can play baseball.

Ever heard of Willie Mays or Jackie Robinson?” So I was really motivated just to shut people up. And then for being a lawyer I was really motivated to help

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other people. But I think at the end of the day, the reason I chose jiu-jitsu is because I started to realize that it was the only thing that I was really doing that I really wanted to do for me first.

So everything else had an ulterior motive behind it, but jiu-jitsu I was just doing it because I really liked it. And so it really drew me in. Then when Unity opened three years ago, I really dove in there. It’s so funny because I started just because it was something that I was doing for me, and then in turn - now I do it for me but at the same time it’s cool to be able to help other people through teaching and stuff like that. So it’s cool, it’s kind of like a circle of life kind of thing. I came into it - the other things I wanted to do I was doing for good reasons, but it wasn’t really for me so I really didn’t feel as dedicated and driven. I was driven by materialistic things.

Good things, but the materialistic things were in the forefront. And then jiu-jitsu, I didn’t even care about the material things.

Even now, I don’t really care about money - money’s good and I want to make money cause I need to eat. But it’s not the first thing that I think about when I wake up.

There are a lot of examples of people in jiu-jitsu - you can look around - that are doing something that they love, make money, and help people. It’s a great vehicle for that. So, do you live in the city?

No, I still live in Patterson. I commute into the city everyday. I don’t go on the weekends though. So Saturday and Sunday I teach at my gym in New Jersey.

I teach at my gym almost everyday. So I have a gym in New Jersey that is also an

affiliate of Unity. So it’s Unity Jiu-Jitsu New Jersey and I train at Unity NYC in the mornings then teach in Unity NJ at night.

So the only days that I train at Unity in NYC all day Tuesday and Thursday. So I get there early in the morning and I’m there until - I kind of get home at 12 at night.

Oh, wow. Long days.

Good long days.

Are you finding that you get kids coming in that are dealing with the stuff that you deal with in a rough neighborhood that are finding jiu-jitsu’s helping them in their lives? I mean is that the clientele?

Not really. Cause jiu-jitsu’s an expensive hobby. And to be honest though if those kind of kids came off the street and asked me to train them, I would not even charge them for sure. But there’s a lack of consistency. They do come in but then they can’t stay consistent. That’s a big thing actually where I’m from, is the lack of consistency. No one’s ever really taught you how to be consistent at anything.

They really like it, but something pulls them away and they’re easily distracted.

So, what’s been your best memory so far in the six years of jiu-jitsu?

The cliché thing to say would be winning my world title, Worlds and stuff like this.

But actually my favorite memory of jiu-jitsu, I have two actually, so the first one is I had a student who - I took like six kids to Pan, to Kid’s Pans one year.

And this kid, man, was really good. In my mind I was like “Man there’s no kid that’s gonna touch this kid.” He might have some tough fights but he’s gonna do

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Thanks to Black House Redondo Beach for letting us use their facility.

really well. He lost his first fight actually.

And everybody else that I brought did really well. They either won or I had one kid that lost in the finals. So out of six of them, four of them won, and one of them made it to the finals and lost the finals by an advantage. He was the only one that didn’t get anything to show for his efforts.

He fought a really good fight; he actually lost by an advantage. I told that kid, I was like, “Look, if you do this, this, this, right?

In a year’s time you’re gonna come back and you’re gonna cream those kids.” He looked at me and he didn’t really believe me, I feel like he didn’t believe me. I feel like he was just kind of like “Whatever, I just lost, whatever.” But he came back the next week. And from the moment he started training again - for a whole year, 365 days or however many days it was - this kid was doing everything that I listed down, training as hard as possible, he was very driven for a year.

The next year he won Kid’s Pans and the look on his face when he won - that’s the most precious thing that’s ever happened.

The look on my students’ faces when they achieve their goals - for sure that’s the most happy thing that’s happened to me in jiu-jitsu, thinking about the kids.

And then as far as my own personal memory, is winning my first Pan Ams with Murilo (Santana) as my instructor. He put a lot of effort into me during that camp.

He puts a lot of effort into me all the time to be honest. He’s one of the most dedicated coaches you’re gonna find.

What would make 2018 a great year?

The most important thing for me is health. So I’d like to continue to be healthy. It’s just not injuries, it’s just like life happens and you never know. I think everybody gets so caught up in chasing medals and stuff like this that they don’t appreciate the fact that good health is more important than anything else.

Because if you’re not healthy then you can’t chase after your goals. I’ll never forget, I remember Joao Rocha, I think it was, had cancer or something like that.

Oh yeah, Joao has come back from testicular cancer.

Yeah, he had to go through whatever he had to go through. Any kind of cancer is not an easy kind of cancer and he had to go through that and that just made me realize. And I think that same year I saw Finfu hurt his neck and they didn’t know if he was gonna compete again.

And I just remember that year or that year and a half or so where I saw those two things happen to those guys, and I was just like “Man, I will never get so caught up in chasing the medals or the tournaments or the competition that I don’t appreciate the fact that I’m healthy.”

So for me the most important thing is being healthy and being able to do the things that I like to do. Then I think I would really like to just go out there and honestly I’d like to win every major tournament. I already won Europeans and hopefully do the job at Pans and Brazilian Nationals and Worlds. Hopefully I’m a black belt in a year. That’s overzealous but it’s what I would like. That would be perfect for me. But even if that stuff didn’t happen, I would be happy, to be honest with you, just being healthy and being able to do what I like to do.

Has the teaching helped your jiu-jitsu?

Yeah. It has. I don’t know how other people teach, but for me it’s - I kind of have a no BS kind of thing. So I kind of do, I try to do a hundred percent as a teacher. I try to do - this is kind of cliché but really lead by example. So I kind of feel like I set the tone for my gym, my little gym. Even though it’s little, it’s still very important to me that the tone is a good tone. So we never put onus on winning.

Even at Unity as a whole. I feel like Unity Jiu-Jitsu as a whole, there’s never an onus on your victories or your titles. Everything that matters is making sure that you’re a good person and that you’re treating people fairly. That you’re respectful and that you’re fighting the hardest. You’re fighting as hard as you possibly could.

So every time I have to teach I make sure that before I step on my mat that I’m ready to give my best effort for teaching that day, that class, and for each and every individual. Not just teach one individual because they’re easy to teach but to teach every individual with the same kind of effort and dedication. Then when I compete, I want to show through my actions and my fights that I’m fighting with a strong mindset and giving the best that I have there. I don’t want to be one of those guys who are like “Do that. Don’t look at me. Don’t do what I do, do what I say” kind of thing. I want my students to all look at me and be able to say “Man, this guy. He’s living what he preaches”.

So, it’s very important for me to do that.

Do you ever have to cut?

What’s your diet like?

No, I don’t cut. I just try to eat clean. I kind of eat the same things every day. I like rice and beans. I like steak or chicken.

So the rice and beans are a fixture every day, or pasta, you know, and then there’s a toss-up between steak or chicken. I try to do the organic stuff. I don’t really know if I believe it’s all grass-fed and purely natural, but there is a difference in the texture of the meat, so I do like to go with the organic stuff. But, I do often treat myself, on the weekends, Fridays, Saturdays primarily. I will eat pizza, I love pizza, and I have no shame in eating pizza.

If you weren’t doing jiu-jitsu, what do you think you’d be doing right now?

Man, now that I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for a while... so I don’t know, to be honest with you. I probably would have had to have finished school because I probably wouldn’t have known any better. I might be a lawyer. I have a lot of friends that are in that field too, so I can see how I might have continued down that road.

But it’s just like thinking in hindsight, man, the person I was then and the way I thought then is so different now.

Do you see yourself competing indefinitely or do you see a finish line at some point? Fast forward ten years, where do you see yourself?

I’m twenty-four right now. Yeah, I’d still

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be competing, yeah. I don’t know when I’d stop competing, honestly. Probably until my body breaks down. That’s it.

have a father relationship, so I really want to make sure I’m a really good father for my kids. So I can’t put time on that either.

knee on belly, once I hip-tossed him. And he’s like, “it’s me it’s me.” I was like, “Dude what’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

How about marriage, kids?

Have you ever had to use jiujitsu in a real life situation?

That definitely taught him.

Is there anything I’ve missed that you might want to add?

That’s different, kind of devoting yourself to other people. Because it’s one thing to devote two hours of your day, three hours of your day, or a few hours of your day teaching other people and helping other people. It’s different to literally devote your life, like everything after what your job is, to that person, and then a child. So, for me, when I have my kids, I really want to be able to focus on their growth and raising them the right way. Because I didn’t really

Kinda, but not really. I had a friend who snuck up on me, but they weren’t really trying to fight me, but they were trying to mess with me. I guess they didn’t think that I knew martial arts. And I like hiptossed him onto the ground. ‘Cause he just like ... You blindside somebody, I don’t really think... I’m thinking “oh shoot - Some dude’s jumping on me” so I hip-tossed him.

And I hit him with a few punches, from

I just want to thank my team, Unity Jiu-Jitsu, my students at Unity New Jersey, and all my sponsors, you know, for supporting me. Moya Brand, Varonis Systems, The People’s Chemist and a special thank you to my long time friend and sponsor Chris Seeger for supporting my endeavors since the beginning.

SPIDER GUARD PASS TO COLLAR CHOKE FROM THE BACK

This is a simple and effective Spider Guard Pass. Devhonte uses some pretty simple techniques to break his opponent’s Spider Guard that you could easily use even if you don’t go any further with the technique. But in its entirety, it’s a nice transition to finish.

Step 2

Next, Devhonte takes his right arm under and around his opponent’s heel to push their foot off of his bicep, then he cups the top of the shin with his right hand.

Step 1 Whenever Devhonte finds himself in someone’s Spider Guard, he will take a grip of their pants on the outside of their legs so that they can’t force his hands inside.

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Like three techniques in one.

Step 3 As soon as Devhonte removes his opponent’s foot from his bicep, he immediately pops his left grip down to get his opponent’s other foot off the bicep. When he pops that grip down, he also steps off to his left pushing both his opponent’s knees down to their right side.

As Devhonte is making this move, he’s also bring his right hand from his opponent’s shin up to the knee with a grip of the pant leg on the outside.

Step 4 A seasoned opponent will recognize what’s going on and bring his knees up and begin to go inverted. Devhonte brings his left hand grip from the knee to his opponent’s near side collar.

Step 5 Now, Devhonte pushes the far side leg down on top of the other with his grip of the pants. The goal is to pin both legs down so they can’t reach him and recover a guard.

Step 6 Next, Devhonte drops his right shoulder down onto his opponent, maintaining both grips, and uses that shoulder down as a post to hop his legs over to his opponent’s far side.

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Step 7 Once Devhonte’s on the other side, he lets go of the grip of the knee and swings that arm down and around the back of his opponent’s neck to catch a seatbelt grip.

Step 8 To establish control and keep his opponent pinned, Devhonte scoots up behind his opponent, gets his ear to his ear and brings his left leg over the top while pulling him backward to take his back.

Step 9 With both hooks in, Devhonte unbuckles the seatbelt so that he can feed his opponent’s left side collar to his right hand. He makes sure that he’s got the inside edge of his thumb and wrist under the chin.

Step 10

When Devhonte finishes, he has his left leg across his opponent’s hip, this, along with the leg over the shoulder, helps to get a slight angle on his opponent that helps add more strength to the finish rather than simply relying on legs. If the opponent resists, he could extend his hips outward which would increase the pressure on the neck.

As soon as the first grip is set nice and deep, Devhonte grabs his opponent’s other collar and falls back while at the same time to bring his right leg up over the shoulder to aid in the choke. He performs the collar choke by pulling back on the right grip and down on the left grip to get the tap.

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Medic

SAUNAS A JIU-JITSU PERFORMANCE ENHANCER? WORDS: RICARDO CASTANEDA

SAUNA USE IS A COMMON PRACTICE AND IS A FAIRLY WELL-RESEARCHED AREA IN THE SCOPE OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS. PLENTY OF STUDIES SUGGEST POSITIVE INFLUENCES, SUCH AS IMPROVED CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, WEIGHT-LOSS, DETOXIFICATION AS WELL AS MANY OTHER BENEFITS FROM SAUNAS. Furthermore, for athletes, research also suggests that sauna use can actually improve performance. Some of the many advantages of sauna use for athletes include increased muscle hypertrophy, improved oxygenation of the muscles and vital organisms, plus more resilience to stress via upregulation of heat shock proteins. In jiu-jitsu, sauna use might just be an immensely undervalued tool to speed up recovery, condition our body to training stress and accelerate our productivity on the mats.

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How Do Saunas Work?

A sauna is a small room that uses a heater to distribute hot air (dry sauna). A sprinkler can be integrated into the heater to release steam (wet sauna) and increase the room’s humidity. The range in temperature can vary, but saunas at most commercial gyms will be set to approximately 170 degrees F. The heat creates a sharp rise in your body’s internal temperature, causing you to sweat. While in the sauna, your capillaries will dilate and your heart will beat faster, which increase blood flow throughout the body. The result is a simulated fever that brings about a cascade of physiological functions, most of which are outside of the scope of this article. Instead, we will focus on how sauna use can help jiu-jitsu practitioners perform better and recover more efficiently.

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NOTE: Please consult a medical professional before adding sauna use to your daily regimen. This article is not meant to be medical advice or treat any underlying medical conditions.

Sauna and the Jiu-jitsu Practitioner Saunas are a great tool for athletes. In jiu-jitsu, our bodies need to be conditioned to the rigors of training. Naturally, the more you train, the more you need to recover. Unfortunately, the more you train, the less chance you have to recover. Adequate recovery is critical for athletes because your body needs time to repair itself for the next go. This period of reparation serves to rebuild damaged tissues, regulate our hormonal response following exercise, and stimulate muscle growth. Furthermore, continuously improving our cardiovascular health is necessary for sustained endurance and adequate oxygenation of your body’s cells. Adding a sauna to your training regimen can help immensely.

Blood Flow and Cardiovascular Endurance Proper blood flow and circulation is vital for jiu-jitsu practice.

The level of cardiovascular conditioning needed to survive an average training session is anything but average. When you get into the sauna and sit for 20 to 30 minutes, you are acclimating your body to a stressful experience. This experience simulates other rises in body temperature, like when you are engaged in strenuous activities such as lifting weights or training jiu-jitsu.

Acclimation to the sauna and the resulting dilation of capillaries, as well as increased blood plasma volume and increased red blood cell count, improves your cardiovascular endurance by facilitating the transport of oxygen and nutrients to your organs and muscle tissue.

Human Growth Hormone and Hypertrophy

There is a substantial amount of research that suggests the benefits of sauna use for improved athletic performance.

Perhaps one of the most important discoveries, as it relates to speeding up recovery, has been the increase in growth hormone. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has notoriety as an anabolic agent (banned from most sports competitions); however, HGH is also produced endogenously by the pituitary gland. Its major functions, as they relate to this article, are to stimulate muscle growth, breaking down fatty tissue, and repairing and regenerating cells in your body. Studies show that regular sauna use substantially increases levels of endogenous growth hormone in the body that could immensely help with your body’s adaptation to jiu-jitsu.

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Heat Shock Proteins

Heat shock proteins are a category of proteins produced by cells in response to stressful environments. HSPs take on many roles intracellularly, but most notably, they seem to regulate your body’s immune response and also help to prevent and repair damaged proteins. They can also help by removing harmful free radicals and support antioxidation in your cells. Studies have shown that regular sauna use can elevate the stimulation and production of HSPs in the body, leading to many health benefits. In jiu-jitsu athletes, HSPs can help by reducing the amount of damaged tissues, increasing muscle growth, and can possibly preventing muscle atrophy in the event of inactivity due to injury or travel.

Cutting Weight In jiu-jitsu, sauna use can also be used to cut water weight. It is important to note that this can potentially be dangerous without proper supervision, but sauna use has been used to shed a vast amount of water weight for competitions. The idea here is to dehydrate your body with the hopes of making weight and rehydrating by the time you compete. This can work for competitions that require day-before weigh-ins but can be quite detrimental to your performance if you must compete immediately after your weigh-in.

Where to Find a Sauna?

Most jiu-jitsu schools will not have a sauna, so you may need a gym membership at a local facility [Author’s note: I personally have a Gold’s Gym membership almost primarily to use the sauna. If the purpose of your gym membership is strictly for sauna use only, you may want to find one that is negligible in cost. If your goal is to lift weights as well, adjust your budget accordingly. Also, saunas are sold on a variety of marketplaces, so depending on your budget, you may be able to afford a sauna of your own!

Protocol for Using Sauna The protocols used in sauna research vary; however, most studies showed clinical significance of improved benefits between 20 and 30 minutes at temperatures between 160 and 190 degrees. Use the sauna after your workout and sit until you begin to get a little uncomfortable. Before using a sauna, please consult a medical professional and follow the safety procedures listed by the sauna provider. If you have never used a sauna before, start slowly with limited periods of 5-10 minutes and work your way up, little by little. [Author’s note: I use a sauna four times per week for 20 minutes each session at temperatures between 170 and 200 degrees F.]

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Gains

OPENING THE HIPS WORDS/PHOTOS: JIM LAWSON | ATHLETE: KETA MEGGETT 10TH PLANET HQ

IN MANY OF THE MAJOR SPORTS THERE IS A COMMON THEME ABOUT A FOCUS ON THE HIPS. WHETHER IT’S A DEFENSIVE BACK COVERING A WIDE RECEIVER, ANY DEFENSIVE MATCH-UP ATTEMPTING TO “LOCK DOWN” LEBRON JAMES ONE-ON-ONE, OR GOALIE GUY HEBERT DROPPING INTO FULL SPLITS FOR THE SAVE, IT IS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED THAT HIP FLEXIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL. You can even go a step further in the jiu-jitsu community, due to the weight bearing properties involved in our practice. Just thinking about the explosion that is needed to create space so that you may effectively escape a full mount or side control, you will immediately see (and feel) the importance of strong hips.

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HIP ANATOMY “Umpa” up for a trap and roll escape. Hip out to escape side mount. Elevate your hips to lock in the triangle. Upward (or downward) hip pressure to secure the armbar. Shoot hips forward to pass the guard. Get your hips under your opponent to successfully throw them.

This is but a few examples of the importance of the hips in jiu-jitsu. But, as you know, this list could continue and go on and on. In warm up routines it is paramount that the hips get their just due and it is important to make it a point to strengthen and lengthen them. It is very common that the more that you exercise and fatigue any muscle group, the shortening of that muscle group occurs.

So, it is always a good idea to add a few gentle movements that will help with keeping your muscles subtle and with a healthy range of movement.

Whether it’s jiu-jitsu or any

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other athletic activity that you participate in, you only stand to benefit from addressing your hips. Your hips are also accountable for many of your occupational movements like walking, climbing stairs, kneeling to pick up something, etc. Following are some basic movements that will help you achieve that strength and length to keep that swivel in your hips and not only improve your jiu-jitsu, but your overall well-being. We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention that you will, more than likely, begin to tear it up on a dance floor near you with your new set of swivel hips.

Keep in mind that the hips are made up of multiple muscles and care should be taken (as with any fitness protocol) to ease into these movements. As always, be sure to check with a fitness professional.

Hip Rotations

adductor Gluteus maximums

This is one of my favorites. A simple and great way to prepare the hips for any kind of stretching and or conditioning protocol.

Step 1

Step 2

Starting position is upright with your feet shoulder width apart and keeping your shoulders square through the entire movement.

In one fluid motion begin to rotate by bending at the waist to your right moving in a rotation towards your back, to the left and forward, essentially rotating in a clockwise direction. After about 10 repetitions, change directions and go counterclockwise. Feel free to alter the reps accordingly until you feel that your hips are nice and warm.

In stretching it is very important to NOT BOUNCE. Slow gentle movements. Be sure to perform all stretches for a minimum of :20 seconds but no longer than :40 second before you switch sides. Anything less than 20 seconds won’t make a significant difference in lengthening muscle fibers and tissue, holding it too long and you risk injury.

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Following are a few stretches that will help with hip flexibility which, in turn, will benefit for positional control in jiu-jitsu.

outer hip stretch Step 1 Lying flat on your back take your right foot (or ankle) and place it on your behind your left knee and twist towards your left side while keeping your shoulds flat on the mat.

Step 2 From here, you may gently press down on your right knee with your left hand to create additional force to stretch your hip and back area. Switch and perform the stretch to the other side.

piriformis stretch Step 1 Lying on your back cross your right leg over your left thigh.

Step 2 Now bring your right knee into your chest, using both of your hands, gently pull down on your right knee in line with your right shoulder, creating a deeper stretch. After holding for the allotted time frame, switch, and perform the same thing to the other side.

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All of these should be performed regularly!

Frog Stretch Step 1 Starting from your hands and knees, slowly open your legs while maintaining your weight over your hips and keeping pressure on them.

Step 2 As you continue to open your legs attempt to rotate the inside of your ankles towards the ground.

Step 3 Hold the stretch and slowly return to starting position. Throughout this movement be sure to keep your chest up. If you need additional range of motion for a better stretch, you may also switch from your hands to your elbows, effectively changing the angle and creating more downward pressure on your hips.

Pigeon stretch

Step 1

Step 2

Starting on your right knee and your hands on the ground, slowly extend your right leg straight behind you until fully extended.

Keeping your leg extended slowly place your left knee to the ground using your hands to maintain your balance and assisting with support.

When NOT to stretch your hip flexors

Posterior pelvic tilt is a condition of when your hip flexor muscles are not shortened and instead are very elongated and open.

So extra stretching may not be beneficial to stretching and instead could be harmful to maintaining healthy hips. The tricky part about identifying this condition is that the feeling in the hips is that very similar feeling of tightness in the hips. Therefore, again, it is important, as with any physical protocol to be checked out by a professional for any contraindications of these movements.

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event

ABU DHABI WORLD PRO 2018

10 YEARS OF

JIU-JITSU WORDS: PATRICK FLORES | PHOTOS: JASON BOULANGER

Of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is the largest. As the nation’s capital, its hot desert climate is brutal. Fortunately for its inhabitants, the city is in a constant state of development with new hotels, innovations, and attractions every year. Other allures, such as Zayed Sports City, have been around since 1980 and reflect the country’s passion for sports. Of the many sports practiced in the UAE, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the biggest.

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Like most things the UAE does - they go big! Jiu-jitsu is no exception. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships. For two weeks, grapplers from all over the world come to the Mubadala Arena of Zayed Sports City to fight in the World Pro. Although different athletes fight for different reasons, many professional grapplers choose to fight in the World Pro as they offer some of the best prize incentives for a top, male black belt grappler can earn up to $25,000.

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The Sites

Aside from viewing high level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the World Pro, Abu Dhabi has much to offer. Maybe you’re waiting for fight day, or if your matches are already over, there is plenty to do in Abu Dhabi.

The Grand Mosque: For many athletes fighting in the Abu Dhabi World Pro for the first time, a trip to the Grand Mosque is a must. Just a short taxi ride from the arena, the Mosque is one of the most breathtaking visuals in the city. Try to visit around sunset so you’re able to see the mosque both during the day and at night!

The Louvre Abu Dhabi: After completion in 2017, the Louvre of Abu Dhabi is home to various historical artifacts and amazing art collections.

As you’re fly overhead you may mistake the Louvre for an alien spacecraft, but inside you’ll find one of the most intricate buildings ever constructed. The architecture is simply out of this world.

Desert Safari: Having witnessed desert safaris only through social media, we decided to take a first hand look. If you like roller coasters, and trust the driver, you’ll have a lot of fun. Depending on whom you book the safari with, you’ll get 1-2 hours of desert off-roading and about an hour camel ride.

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When in Abu Dhabi, roll, ride a camel, and go on a safari.

KING OF THE MAT

For the first time at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships, 30 former champions in three separate divisions competed for the title of King of the Mat. Divisions include Lightweight (up to 69kgs), Middleweight (over 69kg to 85kgs), and Heavyweight (over 85kgs to 110kgs). Shortly after an opening ceremony, the King of the Mat competition began. Some notable competitors included Alexander Trans, Andre Galvao, and Gianni Grippo.

After the tournament, we were able to interview Andre and ask what he thought about the King of the Mat. He expressed his frustration as he wasn’t given adequate time to rest between matches. Galvao fought Charles Santos shortly after Jamie Canuto. Charles Santos (who ended up winning the Middleweight King of the Mat) had not

fought any opponent prior to Galvao, stirring some controversy.

When asked what was next Galvao commented the following…

“I’m going to go back to San Diego, keep training with my students, help them win a world title If I fight another

Worlds I don’t even know if I would do that…I’m in the stage of my career that I’m about to stop fighting so I need to know what I’m going to do…But for an ADCC Superfight, I’m always ready 100%, always. That’s the only time I stop everything and focus 100% as an athlete.”

King of the Mats Finals Results

PHOTO: IVAN TRINDADE/GENTLE ART MEDIA

PHOTO: IVAN TRINDADE/GENTLE ART MEDIA

PHOTO: IVAN TRINDADE/GENTLE ART MEDIA

Gianni Grippo vs Leonardo Saggioro (Light Weight)

Charles Santos Vs. Jamie Canuto (Middle Weight)

Alexander Trans Vs Cyborg (Heavy Weight)

Throughout the King of the Mat competition, Gianni was able to use his guard and technical jiu-jitsu to get the most of his opponents. In the end, it still wasn’t enough as Gianni was defeated in a scoreless match against Saggioro. Leonardo Saggioro earned the win via referee decision to become the Lightweight King of the Mat.

Santos, who defeated Galvao early on, would go on to defeat Jamie Canuto by advantage to become the first Middleweight King of the Mat.

In another great final, Alexander Trans was able to become the Heavyweight King of the Mat by securing a back choke against the always dangerous Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu.

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The Finals

Unlike most other tournaments, there is a lot of money on the line at the World Pro. This is great for many grapplers trying to make a career out of the sport. Nevertheless, it seems like there were fewer entries of notable past competitors in the tournament. Although there could be many reasons, the rise of exclusive contracts with other organizations could be the culprit. Other reasons could include a difficult qualifying round for those who don’t qualify prior to the World Pro. Female Gi / Brown / Black / Adult / 49KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos GFTeam Livia Gluchowska ABSOLUTE MMA AUSTRALIA The match started with a quick double guard pull, and Livia scoring an advantage in a scramble. Mayssa eventually scored two points with a sweep and taking Liva Gluchowska’s back. Caldas sunk in a choke to submit Gluchowska to win Gold.

Male Gi / Black / Adult / 62KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Joao Miyao CICERO COSTHA Wanki Chae John Frankl BJJ Joao was able to secure a pass to side mount scoring 3 points.

He tacked on an extra 2 with a knee on belly shortly after. Wanki Chae was able to recover guard and score 2 points, but with time running low, Joao would take the 62KG Black Belt Adult Title at the ADWPJJC.

Female Gi / Brown / Black / Adult / 55KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Amanda Nogueira GFTeam Amal Amjahid C.E.N.S. Academy After nearly finishing an armbar, Amal Amjahid was able to secure the back position against Amanda Nogueira. She was able to finish the match with a choke earning 1st place in the Female Brown/Black 55KG.

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The finals always excite!

Male Gi / Black / Adult / 69KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Paulo Miyao CICERO COSTHA Gianni Grippo Alliance The match was tied as the two exchanged sweeps. Tied 2-2 halfway through the match, Paulo scored one advantage point while attempting to pass. Although Grippo furiously attempted to recover the top position, it just wasn’t enough as Paulo was able to take gold in the 69KG Black Belt Division.

Female Gi / Brown / Black / Adult / 62KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Bianca Basilio JFC Almeida JJ Ffion Davies East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy Like always, Bia Basillo was exciting to watch.

Her opponent Ffion Davies, matching Basillo’s intensity, seemed to score earlier in the match only to have it overturned. Down by one advantage point, Bianca Basilo attempted a loop choke on Ffion Davis to tie the match with 2 advantages each. Both Basilo and Davis both fought hard, but in the end, Bia was able to earn gold in the 62kg Black/Brown division by referee decision.

Male Gi / Black / Adult / 69KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Thiago Marques Commando Group Talib Saleh Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club Thiago Marques got a quick submission victory against Talib Salesh to win Gold in the 69KG Black Belt Division.

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Male Gi / Black / Adult / 77KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Jacob Mackenzie GFteam Espen Mathiesen KMR BJJ KIMURA SWITZERLAND In the Black Belt Adult Division 77KG, Espen Matiesen of Switzerland was able to lock in a triangle. Jacob Mackenzie was able to hide his arm to prevent it being crossed over, but Espen was able to switch to a straight armbar and get the tap.

Female Gi / Brown / Black / Adult / 70KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Ana Carolina Srour GFTeam Jessica Swanson Soul Fighters With 1 min left, Ana Carolina was up 9-0 against Jessica Swanson in the Female Brown/Black 70KG. In a last ditch effort, Jessica attempted a toe hold, but was unsuccessful with little time left. Carolina took gold.

Male Gi / Black / Adult / 85KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Isaque Bahiense Alliance Faisal Al Ketbi TEAM 777 Isaque Bahiense was able to score 2 points with a sweep. Up 2 points, Isaque Bahiense put on the pressure against UAE’s Faisal Al Ketbi. With 30 seconds remaining, Isaque held off Faisal’s last second sweep attempts to become the Black Belt 85KG Gold Medalist.

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Even though some big names were missing the action, the drama didn’t disappoint.

Female Gi / Brown / Black / Adult / 90KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Marta Szarecka Copacabana Fight Club Angelica Galvao ATOS In the 90KG Black/Brown Belt Final, Angelica Galvao used an omoplata lock against Marta Szarecka to sweep for 2 points. With less than 60 seconds left, Angelica Galvao was up 8-2 as she faced Marta Szarecka. Able to hold the mount, she earned Gold in the 90KG Black/Brown belt final.

When we asked Angelica what was next she commented…

“I don’t know, I don’t know.” (Smiling) JJM: The Worlds?

AG: Maybe, maybe. I promised myself I would come here and then focus on having the team ready for the Worlds. If I want to change the plan, I need to talk to Andre.”

Male Gi / Black / Adult / 94KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Felipe Pena Gracie Barra Bh Adam Wardzinski Złomiarz Team In an early sweep, Felipe Pena scored 2 points on Adam Wardzinski. Felipe Pena pulled guard with 2 min left and up 2 points on Adam Wardzinski. He was able to sweep again increasing his lead 4-0. Adam was able to hold off Pena’s pass attempts with a wicked guard game, but Felipe Pena took home gold in the Black Belt 94KG division.

“He (Adam Wardzinski) was my toughest fight of the tournament; he has a really good butterfly game. I competed with him 2 weeks ago. Six minutes was fast, so I got the points and played it safe to get the gold.”

Male Gi / Black / Adult / 110KG # MAIN BRACKET (Final) Lucio Rodrigues Gracie Barra Knightsbridge Erberth Santos Guigo Jiu Jitsu Erberth Santos quickly secured a rear naked choke against Lucio Rodriques to become the 110KG Champion.

Abu Dhabi is unlike any other place in the world. Its Middle Eastern culture has more western influences than people might think.

The city is ever modernizing, and is a city of the future. It continues to take Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to another level and is attempting to grow the sport in ways most would have not imagined possible. The Emirati people strive for nothing but the best and take pride in their country. This pride carries into their practice of jiu-jitsu. Abu Dhabi has become a familiar place for grapplers. They never really say goodbye to the city. More of a “See You Later. “

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Powered By:

DWANE STOVER STROKE SURVIVOR

ON MAY 2ND, 2018, DWANE DID LIKE HE DID EVERY WEDNESDAY. THE TWO STRIPE PURPLE BELT WENT INTO HIS SCHOOL (INYODO MARTIAL ARTS) TO TAKE CLASS AND ROLL AFTERWARDS. At the end of class, after a normal day of training and drills, Dwane felt a little more tired than normal. He didn’t think much of it, but then his training partners noticed that he was looking at them a little oddly and was slurring his speech.

Dwane was 53 years old and had been training jiu-jitsu for a while. He and his doctors considered him in excellent shape for his age. Well, that evening, despite the warnings of his teammates, he insisted he was fine and was intent on heading home. His good teammates put up a fight and made sure that he stayed.

A quick call to 911 and the paramedics on scene rushed him to Vail Hospital in Colorado. Once there, it was determined that Dwane was experiencing a severe stroke, in fact it was a Ischemic stroke, a total blockage. He was airlifted to a stroke center in Denver where emergency brain surgery was performed. Incredibly, two days later Dwane walked out on under

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his own power with only a numb index finger. His doctors pointed to his overall general good health thanks to jiu-jitsu as a big part of his speedy recovery. Dwane insists that jiu-jitsu literally saved his life.

Had he not been at class that day, he might have been in bed sleeping when the stroke occured. Thankfully, his teammates came through by insisting he seek help.

Dwane is extremely lucky as stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Each year, approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke, and about 600,000 of these are first attacks. Strokes can occur at any age; nearly one fourth of strokes occur in people under the age of 65. Stroke death rates are higher for African-Americans than for whites, even at younger ages.

Thankfully, Dwane’s story has a happy ending, but it serves as a great warning for all of us to pay attention to this common danger.

Here are some tips on spotting a stroke as soon as possible. ❖❖ Sudden

leg, especially on one side of the body. confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding speech ❖❖ Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes ❖❖ Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination ❖❖ Sudden severe headache with no known cause ❖❖ Sudden

The signs of a stroke depend on many factors. Each person may have different stroke warnings- it may be associated with a headache or may be completely painless. If you or someone you know is having these signs, call 911 immediately and seek medical help. DO NOT try and diagnose the problem by yourself, and DO NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away on their own. Even if the symptoms pass quickly, they could be an important warning that requires prompt medical attention. For more information go to strokecenter.org.

numbness of the face, arm, or

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