JiujitsuGeeks Year One

Wow, what a fun year this has been for us at JiujitsuGeeks. The podcast and blog was not even a thing when we rang in 2012. The whole idea to do a podcast came from a conversation Aaron and I had in a parking lot after a jiu-jitsu class. Both of us are huge podcast listeners and were discussing the growing medium when Aaron proposed we start one ourselves. Then, and now, the idea sounds totally crazy. Two guys who are not personal bloggers or overly tech savvy starting their own blog and internet program? It took a lot of figuring out for the both of us. Although it remains a work in progress, I am pretty proud and impressed with what we have accomplished. Not only do we have a good product but the number of downloads and page views is a testament that we are on the right track.

After a few months it became clear that the JiujitsuGeeks had to expand its ranks. We choose to recruit our friend and training partner, Brian. Being young with zero attachments in this world, Brian brought forward a crazy enthusiasm for hearing his own voice as well as unique insights into how to expand our brand.  He is also a talented photographer which is always handy to have on staff. Brian is similar to one of those armless Bob punching bags…he may mean mug but he takes a lot of abuse.

The JiujitsuGeeks are also very fortunate to have a good support network in our inner BJJ circle. We would not have grown the way we have if we were not allowed access to the talented friends of our mentor, Gustavo Machado. Gustavo has been very supportive of us since the beginning and has helped arrange many of our best interviews.  If you are reading this, Gustavo, thank you VERY much.

Also, I have to thank Chris Mahan. Chris is our primary instructor and is gracious enough to lend us his mat space to record many of our episodes. He is also the best go-to guest we could ask for.  His knowledge and understanding of jiu-jitsu makes for some interesting conversations. Thanks, Chris!  

I am pretty excited for what we have planned for the future. We are lining up a few interesting interviews and are formulating ideas for some good articles. We have figured out a way to do distance interviews and have already begun scheduling time with some leading figures in the BJJ world.  Our goal is not just to produce a podcast for the sake of putting out a product but to deliver something interesting and entertaining.  Weather it is talking to the world renowned Renzo Gracie or the owner of a local yoga chain who happens to love BJJ, we aim to showcase the spectrum of the arte suave. Enjoy…the best is yet to come.

E.T.   

Review of Scramble Spats

If I could travel back in time 5 years there would be a list of a few things that I would guess I would never have in my future.  That list would include:

A child

Health Insurance

A Freddy Mercury style mustache

Grappling spats

Here in the present day, I have all of those except for the mustache. It’s not that I don’t want to look like the lead singer of Queen…it is just that I don’t have that type of facial hair growth ability hardwired in my DNA.

Owning the grappling spats takes even me by surprise. I have seen them advertised and worn by the BJJ and MMA elite but could never see me wearing a pair. At first glance they look like just a pair of tights. If you readers are anything like me then you got your fill of wearing tights when you unsuccessfully tried to become a super hero in your mid-teen years. Our buddy Aaron at www.martialartssupplies.com asked the Jiu-jitsu Geeks to review a pair for his website and I am the one that got the assignment.

Vital Stats:

Brand:  Scramble

Style:  Basic

Color:  Black / White

Retail Price:  $59.99 (www.martialartssupplies.com)

Size:  XL – This is at least a size 36inch pants.

Number of times worn:  14

Number of times washed:  14

Review:

It is pretty obvious to state, but the Scramble grappling spats are a rashguard for your legs. They are thin enough to be worn with grappling shorts or even under your gi. I used them in both nogi and gi classes. The best use was in nogi. Wearing them under a gi can get pretty heat intensive. After an intense warm up, I had to hit the changing room to take the off from under my gi pants.

Nogi, however, was a different story. They breathed nicely and did not bunch up at all. Usually, with a long sleeve rashguard, after a few washes the sleeve area becomes loose. It would only make sense that the same would happen to the ankle part of the Scramble spats, right? It didn’t. The material help its elasticity after several warm ups, drilling and sparring sessions, and washes. That is the highest compliment I can give the Scramble spats. Because we are in such a physically demanding activity, durability or our attire is always a concern. I can safely say the Scramble spats will last a long time and many washes.

The designs on the Scramble spats are minimal at best. Scramble makes a rainbow or multicolored spats but the pair I reviewed had minimal art design. The famous Scramble logo is on the lower right leg and the “Original and Best Ganso” logo is on the right hip. The pants are black and the seams are white. For someone like myself who never considered owning a pair, minimal design is much preferred. After repeated use and washes, the artwork has not faded or chipped a bit.

Conclusion:

The Scramble spats are great product. They are made of the highest quality and were designed with great attention to detail. I have taken to keeping them in my gym bag for days when unwashed newbies come to class or when I am rolling on foreign mats. When I do finally wear through the Scramble spats, I will be ordering another pair. Of course, from www.martialartssupplies.com

Final Grade - A

Where to order? www.martialartssupplies.com

E.T.

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast / Mauricio Tinguinha Mariano

In this episode of the podcast, JiujitsuGeek Aaron and Brian talk to Mauricio "Tinguinha" Mariano. Tinguinha is a living legend of BJJ and close friend to our own Gustavo Machado. Whenever Tinguinha comes into VA he always makes a stop in Va. Beach to teach a seminar at Gustavo's academy. How could we miss the opportunity to talk BJJ royalty? Enjoy!

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast / Mauricio "Tinguinha" Mariano Interview V.2

E.T.

Tinguina's Bio at BJJ Heros

www.tinguinha.com

Tinguinha

L to R - Gustavo Machado, Tinguinha, Aaron, Brian

The last thing you want to see on your opponent gi at a competition. 

The nicest bad dudes you will ever meet. 

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast / Renzo Gracie

I really don't need to tell you who Renzo Gracie is or what he contributed to MMA or BJJ. If you don't know who he is then today must be your first day studying the art of jiujitsu so congratulations!
I also don't need to mention what a huge honor it was to be able to get a few minutes of Master Renzo's  attention for the podcast. We just finished up a seminar he conducted at Team Mannon BJJ in Blacksburg, Va (http://teammannonbjj.com) and we already on cloud 9 because of the cool stuff we just learned.
This podcast was recorded in two parts. The first part is a post seminar review with Brian, Aaron, and myself. The second part is the actual interview with Renzo.

A big thanks to Tim Mannon for hosting the Renzo seminar and being very hospitable to all of his guests. Tim treats everybody like family..no matter if he has met you before or not. If you are in Blacksburg and are looking for a place to train, be sure to check him out!

 Enjoy!

E.T.

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast / Renzo Gracie

You can find Renzo on the web here.. www.renzogracie.com

Brian being very cool! 

Renzo teaching Aaron some finer points of side control

Renzo corrected Chris on something. I think. 

Renzo and his Tim Mannon

Renzo signing E.T.'s poster. We are nerds. 

Renzo and E.T

One last photo with the master.

Is Jiu-Jitsu Really For Everybody?

If you’ve been training for any length of time you’ve undoubtedly heard “jiu-jitsu is for everybody”, “anybody can do jiu-jitsu” or something similar.  And we’d like to believe it.  After all, this fighting system was revised from its Japanese predecessor to utilize body position and leverage to allow a smaller person trained in the art to overcome a stronger, larger opponent.  But is that really the case?  Can anybody really do jiu-jitsu?  At the most basic level, yes.  Pretty much anybody can do it to one degree or another.  The question that instead needs to be asked is:  Can anybody really be successful at jiu-jitsu?  The answer to that isn’t so cut and dry.

To be successful in this sport a combination of mental and physical attributes are needed, arguably the most important of which is resilience.  Let’s face it… if you give up easily at stuff, jiu-jitsu isn’t for you.  It takes years (for most people) to even get decent at jiu-jitsu and much longer than that to earn a black belt.  This doesn’t just apply to long-term jiu-jitsu goals like earning the next belt; we’re faced with tough situations every class where it might be easier to slack off during the last few reps of an exercise or give up on a position during a tough roll.  Hanging in there is what will inevitably separate the person who gets their black belt from the one that made it to a four-stripe blue belt and then faded out.

Another characteristic that goes hand-in-hand with resilience is resolve.  Being able to grit your teeth and bear it when the going gets tough.  It’s what gets you through those times when somebody catches a choke that’s almost all the way on and is squeezing 100%, or when you get mounted 30 seconds into a round against an upper belt or when you’re in bottom side control against somebody way bigger and you’d rather die than keep going.  If you aren’t able to gut through those types of situations you might see some success in bjj, but not as much as you could. 

For the most part Jiu-jitsu is an individual sport, but it requires that you train with a team.  So a good, humble attitude will get you a long way.  This point is pretty simple, don’t be a douche to the people you train with.  If you’re new, know that just because you watch The Ultimate Fighter doesn’t mean that you know jiu-jitsu.  There’s more to it than grabbing on to somebody’s head and squeezing, and frankly if you come in with a bad attitude you will be dealt with.

So far we’ve only discussed mental attributes, but jiu-jitsu is obviously extremely physical so some physical attributes are needed to be successful.  Athletes that train on a high level are never 100% and when you’re training hard in a sport specifically designed to attack your body’s weak spots, you will get injured eventually.  More often than not you’ll just suffer from bumps, bruises, muscle soreness, etc.  To be able to train hard, often, and improve consistently you need to be able take a little discomfort.  If you take two weeks off for a bit of gi burn or one of your ears getting a little puffy than your jiu-jitsu progress will be significantly slower.  So, know your limits and know when to suck it up and train.

Another thing you need is some physical potential.  You don’t have to have “potential” on par with BJ Penn or Andre Galvao.  But the bottom line is that jiu-jitsu is uber-physical and a certain minimum level of strength, speed, flexibility, physical dexterity, coordination and cardiovascular capacity are necessary to make it past white belt.  And even if you don’t meet those minimum requirements when you first come to the academy, you need to have the potential to eventually get to that point.  “That point” isn’t necessarily where you are an exact physical equal with your teammates, but where you can at least hang with them.

This isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive list, it’s intended merely as a deeper look inside one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s biggest selling points.  What we’ve seen here is that to enjoy success in jiu-jitsu there are certain requirements that a person must have.  The good part is that all you need is a modicum of these and jiu-jitsu will expand on what you’ve got and give you what you need.  So get on the mats and keep getting better!

Train hard,

-Brian

JiujitsuGeeks Episode 13 / Eddie Bravo Seminar Review

On this episode of the podcast Aaron, Brian, and I discuss a recent seminar we attended with Eddie Bravo. Eddie is a legend in the BJJ and MMA world so getting to spend some time learning his 10th Planet system was worth the 2 hour drive to Woodbridge, Va. You can hear all about it in the podcast below. Enjoy!

Oh, this was also Brian's first time introducing an podcast. Feel free to tell us (being as harsh as you like) at @TheJiujitsuGeek or e-mail jiujitsugeeks@gmail.com

E.T.

Click below!!


The JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 13 / Eddie Bravo Seminar Review

The legend Eddie Bravo

E.T. getting some stuff signed by Eddie. I am one of those idiot fanboys.  

Not sure what I am trying to express to Eddie but I am just glad he did not choke me to shut me up.

JiujitsuGeeks Episode 12 / The Pork Sandwich Conundrum

After a long hiatus the JiujitsuGeeks return with a new podcast. This week we talk about Carol Gracie, his early life, and the 12 principles he lived by. We touch on a few upcoming things in the BJJ world also. Enjoy!

E.T.

JiujitsuGeeks Episode 12 / The Pork Sandwich Conundrum

Carlos Gracie - Creator Of A Dynasty

Martial Arts Pioneer and Philosopher 

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 11 / Gustavo Machado

On this episode of the podcast Aaron and I talk to Gustavo Machado. Gustavo is a 3rd degree black belt and the leader of one of the most prestigious competition teams on the east coast. Also with us is black belt and yogi Jimmy Yax. The topics vary and go back and fourth...which is the way our thought process works. Enjoy!

E.T.

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast 11 / Gustavo Machado

Visit Gustavo on the web at http://www.gustavomachado.com

Some pics courtesy of Brian Ingle.

Human Chess

(Note : Brian is joining the JiujitsuGeek staff yet he has no idea his first contribution is a rehash of something I posted months back. Lets not tell him that he screwed the pooch the first time out. It will be our secret...hehehe. - E.T.)

(Note:  Thanks to everyone for keeping it a secret, I'm very easily discouraged and your discretion is appreciated.  I trust you'll do the same with the knowledge that E.T. still has a problem with wetting the bed.  Oss!)

I was watching two upper-level belts roll yesterday and it really dawned on me just how accurate the nickname "human chess" is to bjj.  It's so awesome to watch two people who know what they're doing go at it on the mat (unless one of them is E.T., in that case you'd better prepare for a snoozer).  Whether it's a friendly, technical roll or an all-out battle, the endless combinations of throws, submissions, sweeps, escapes and reversals makes our sport the 3-dimensional (and more dangerous) version of chess.

It made me remember the title of this video.  On days when I don't really feel like going to train, I'll watch it and it always gets me pumped.  Seriously, how could you not want to roll after watching this?  Enjoy!

-Brian

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 10 / Live From The BBC

Aaron and I had a lot of things to discuss this week. So much we had to ask regular guest Chris Mahan to sit in with us. Also with us this episode is Brian Ingle. If you don't know the name Brian Ingle, you are not alone. If you do know his name....what the hell is wrong with you? Brian reviewed the Tatami rash guard for us and will help contribute content for the blog and podcast in the future. Not much else to say on this but we hope you enjoy!

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode X

E.T. 

Notes..

Roger Gracie Vs. Keith Jardine from Strikeforce "Rockhold vs Kennedy"

Hey bro, what did you say your last name was again?

The new BJJ brand we are digging..

Moya Brand

Feel free to drop us and e-mail at jiujitsugeeks@gmail.com

Good friend and instructor to the Jiu-Jitsu Geeks, Gustavo Machado Black Belt, Chris Mahan shows some nice attacks from the mount in this video. Unfortunately, it does not look much different when we roll live.

You can find out more about Chris on the academy's website and YouTube page. 

Enjoy! 

Aaron 

Review of Tatami Rash Guard

A big thanks to Aaron over at martialartsupplies.com for providing us with a rash guard to review. It was a bit too big for JiujitsuGeek Aaron and a bit too small for myself so we gave it to our training partner and BJJ nerd Brian Ingle to test. Brian was a hall monitor throughout middle and high school so we knew he would do a fine job with the review. Enjoy!

E.T. 

Test dates:  5/28/12 — 6/30/12

Vital Stats:

Brand:  Tatami

Style:  Gen X

Color:  Red & Black

Retail Price:  $49.99 (www.martialartssupplies.com)

Size:  L

Measurements (before testing):

-Sleeve length (end of cuff to shoulder stitching):  31”

-Torso length (armpit seam to bottom of rash guard):  18”

-Width of rash guard (flat):  15 ½” 

Number of times worn:  15

Number of times washed:  5

Measurements (after testing):

-Sleeve length (cuff to shoulder stitching): 31 ½” 

-Torso length (armpit seam to bottom of rash guard):  same as before (18”)

-Width of rash guard (flat):  same as before (15 ½”)

Review:

Designed for the rigors of grappling, the Tatami Gen X is triple-stitched and made of a polyspandex material that allows it to flex without tearing.  This shirt is stitched in a way that the seams don’t rub against the body while training.  

The basic color scheme of the shirt I reviewed is red and black, though the Gen X is also available in a white/purple scheme.  There are four graphic elements featured, one on each sleeve and on the front/back as well.  Three of them are simply Tatami’s logo, while the fourth is large chest graphic.  

This rash guard was tested by the Jiu-jitsu Geeks for a month and was worn in gi and no-gi training, as well as during non-bjj workouts.

Pros:

After a month the artwork and color of the rash guard show very little, if any, signs of wear.  The colors look just as good now as they did the first day and the logos are still crisp.  The logos and design elements are dyed into the shirt, so it will last longer than art that is applied via heat or some other post-production process.  Plus, this eliminates the worry that the logos will crack.

Finally, the body of the rash guard didn’t change in size at all.  The size it shipped as is the size it stayed.  The body of this rash guard fits snug and is cut slightly longer too, so it didn’t ride up during training.

Cons:

I tested this rash guard for a month, putting it through its paces both on the mat and by washing it quite a bit over a short period of time.  One thing that I noticed is that the stitching started to fray in a few places after several washes.  This happened along the shoulder, the bottom of the rash guard and at the neck.  Nothing too drastic, it’s not like the panels of fabric started to come apart, but it was surprising that it happened after only a few washes.

The other thing I noticed is that the sleeves of this rash guard are unusually long.  They needed to be pushed up whenever I wore it because when the sleeves were fully rolled down they came to the middle knuckle of my fingers.  Basically, I would need a wingspan like Jon Jones to properly fill out the sleeves.  When measured after the test period was over, the sleeves had actually stretched a little too (though I suspect was from me putting on/taking off the shirt so much).  Since the body of this rash guard was pretty snug, it stands to reason that if a smaller person who usually wears a “large” got this size than they could end up with a built-in pair of rash guard mittens.  

Conclusion:

Overall the quality of the rash guard impressed me.  Aside from the extra-long sleeves and the few instances of fraying, it’s a solid piece of gear and the price is middle-of-the-road for what you’ll spend on other brands for a long sleeve.  I liked the design and from what I saw I think this will be a rash guard that holds up well over the long run.  If I could go back, knowing what I do now, I would definitely get another one.  Plus, Tatami sponsors Terere.  So wearing their stuff makes me roll like him…right?

Final Grade:

A-

Check out  www.martialartsupplies.com to get one for yourself!

The rash guard. Not Brian wearing it...too much body definition. 

The sleeve length was the main complaint. Note: The girly fingers and gnawed nails are not a result of wearing the rash guard. 

A tad bit of fraying. This may be the work of Brian' cat, Ben Franklin. 

Photos and review by Brian Ingle. 

Questions about the rash guard? Comments on the review? Just want me to insult Brian a little more? Hit us up at jiujitsugeeks@gmail.com 

Got Issues?

It seems every time I find a really cool website or service, it sells something that I am sure will piss off my wife. The other night when I stumbled across a new site that sells back issues of martial arts magazines, I knew I had to hide this from my better half. I already have multiple rubbermaid containers full of martial arts magazines taking up space in my attic, shed, and home office. I will just have to deal with her wrath once packages start arriving.

The guy that owns the site, Jeff, is a BJJ guy with 20 years experience in the martial arts. I have to give him a shout out because his bio reads like mine. Visit the site below and look through his collection. If you see something you like and want to purchase, shoot Jeff an e-mail and he will send you the price and ordering instructions. Even if you have no interest in buying I recommend just looking through the scans of magazine covers. He also buys martial arts magazines if you a collection you are looking to get  rid of. 

Enjoy!

E.T. 

www.ma-mags.com

Joe Rogan Gets His Black Belt From Eddie Bravo

Congrats to newly minted 10th Planet black belt, Joe Rogan. Rogan is a life long martial artist and easily one of the earliest celebrities to embrace Brazilian jiujitsu and MMA. A longer video of the promotion is floating around on line but click below if you want to see the awesome speech Joe gave to his training partners upon receiving the belt.

Enjoy!

E.T.

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 9 / Rolls of Fury

Aaron and I are back for another glorious podcast. This time we give our impressions of the seminars we have attended, recent BJJ happenings, and the latest products we have obtained. These type of podcast are fun because we jabber on and pretty much forget that at some point people may listen to it.

Enjoy! 

Jiujitsu Geeks Episode 9 / Rolls of Fury

E.T. 

Production notes....

Here is the website to the artist that designed the Kurt Osiander t-shirt for Shoyoroll. 

www.iamaplsd.com

This is what is considered dining room art in my house. To me....not my wife. 

Above is the reprinted Bruce Lee cover from his first appearance on the cover of Black Belt magazine back in October of 1967.  Notice that Bruce's name is nowhere to be found on the cover. At this point he was just a television actor. I have a pretty deep admiration of Bruce Lee. Ironically my Chinese born wife does not and seems to not appreciate that I had it framed and hung on display in our house.

Black Belt magazine has featured quite a few BJJ/Gracie Jiujitsu practitioners on their cover...which you can get reprinted in poster form here.... Black Belt Magazine cover reprints.  I ordered the ones with Rickson, Royce, and Helio on the covers and put them in my home office.

Underrated No More

In episode 257 of The Fightworks Podcast, the trailblazers of jiu-jitsu podcasts welcome the guys from DstryrSG to cover the most underrated jiu-jitsu players.  As usual, this is a great Fightworks Podcast, and DstryrSG did an excellent job summarizing why you should know who these jiu-jitsu fighters are. Also, you can find out a lot more about two of these individuals on our podcast. In episode 8, we interviewed Roberto “Gordo” Correa and in episode 7, we interviewed Nino Schembri. Give them a listen after you catch up on The Fightworks Podcast and the latest post DstryrSG, of course.

Aaron

Interview with Shakib Nassiri of SubmissionFC

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Today I am happy to post an interview I did with Shakib Nassiri, founder of Submission Fight Company. Shakib was not only nice enough to give us his time but also a coupon code for 5% off any item from his website. Enjoy! 

Hi Shakib Nassiri…thanks for taking the time to talk to us about your company, Submission Fight Co. 

First, what is your BJJ background? 

I have been training BJJ a little over 3 years now under the legend, Jean Jeaques Machado.

What made you decide to start your own BJJ apparel and gi company? 

Well I started this brand a few years ago when I was a full time college student and had barely started training jiujitsu. I was unemployed at the time because prior to that I had a mortgage company that had to shut down due to the economy. Being a business major and business minded I was always on the lookout for a new business opportunity I can begin. My dream had always been to be working in an industry that I love and I sure did love jiujitsu at the time, still do. It was actually an idea of a friend of mine to start a gi brand for all martial arts like karate, judo, bjj etc. After a while I realized he wasn’t going to pursue his idea so I asked him how he planned on starting the gi company. He told me what he knew and I found a supplier in Pakistan through family so I decided to give it a try. Luckily everything turned out great! 

Is SubmissionFC your full time job or do you have another profession? 

Yes, this is my full time job and I love it! Wouldn’t have it any other way. 

What was your first product? 

The first product I came up with to start Submission Fight Co. was the Pearl Weave Gi. It is now a discontinued bjj gi. 

Where there any challenges to getting Submission FC up and running? 

Yes, of course there were many challenges.  I started the business with almost no money to start, I had no experience when it came to almost any aspect of this business, and there were many times where I had to nearly quit the business because of all the struggle I had with the company. Fortunately, I feel that I have undergone all the hardships that a business has to go through in the beginning, so now you will see Submission Fight Co. come out full force over the next few years! 

Once you decided on a new product design, what is the next step? How do you flesh out the idea? 

I never create a product that I personally would not like to wear even if this was not my brand. Usually, I get a few samples of the products that I would like to soon release and have them tested by high level bjj fighters including myself. I gather all the feedback and see if there is anything to fine tune on the product. If there are any changes that needed to be made I order another small batch of samples until the product is perfect and ready for the market.   

How do your gis differ from the other brands? 

First, let’s talk about our Submission Light Gis. You may see a lot of other brands selling similar gis made of pearl weave fabric, contrast stitching, rip stop pants, etc. However, you will not see any other brand out there that can match our quality at this low price tag. 

As for our Hemp Sensation Gis, well I think this one is a no brainer. This gi differs in the fact that it is made of Hemp! A natural fabric that is simply superior to cotton. 

Where did the idea of the hemp gi come from and what benefits does the hemp material hold over the traditional gi material? 

The idea of the Hemp Sensation Gi came to me about 2 years ago. I knew to stand out in the market I had to create a new niche with high demand and dominate it. I believe I have done so with the Hemp Sensation Gi. The benefits of our Hemp Sensation Gi compared to a normal 100% cotton gi are infinite. Too name a few, hemp is 4 x stronger, 4 x softer, anti-microbial, breathable, super light, super comfortable, environmentally friendly, etc. I can go on and on. The crazy thing is, these Hemp Sensation Gis actually get better after every wash! 

I see on your website you sell temporary tattoos…how can you talk a little about the idea behind that product? I don’t generally see stuff like that from other BJJ product companies? 

I think about BJJ and Submission Fight Co. 24/7, I just can’t get it out of my head. I always try to think of unique products that creates a new niche in BJJ Gear that has a high demand, like what I’ve done with the Hemp Sensation Gi. This idea is just one of those things that suddenly came to me. I searched and found no one sells BJJ temporary tattoos, so I decided to be the first one. Same goes for our really awesome, “Submission Fighter” license plate frame. 

 Does running a BJJ related company ever put a damper on your training? What I mean is, do you get to the point where you need a mental break from BJJ? 

 Haha its funny you ask that question. Just like most others, I originally started BJJ as a hobby and quickly fell in love with it. I used Jiu Jitsu to get away from the daily grind. Now I work in the Jiu Jitsu industry full time, train regularly and have friends who train BJJ as well. Sometimes it feels like I just can’t get away from BJJ wherever I go. But it’s ok, that’s a good thing! 

I know you train with Jean Jacques Machado but if you had the opportunity to train with anyone else, who would it be? 

I feel there are tons of great jiujitsu fighters out there that you can learn a lot from. One might be a great guard player and another, a great guard passer. So, If I had the chance I would love to be able to travel the world and learn different techniques from high level black belts all over the world.

Looking in a crystal ball 5 years ahead, where do you see SubmissionFC? 

My goal is to make Submission Fight Company one of the top brands in the Jiu Jitsu industry, and at the rate our brand is growing we will. 5 years from today I see myself as the owner of one of the top brands in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by being the leader in organic Jiu Jitsu gear. I see myself not only growing the Submission Fight Co. brand but also expanding the growth of BJJ.

If you could grapple anyone in history, does not have to be a noted BJJ fighter, who would it be and why? 

Maybe Helio Gracie, to see where Brazilian Jiu Jitsu started from and how much it has progressed over the years. 


Thanks Shakib! 


If you see something you like on the SubmissionFC website, be sure to use the coupon code below for extra savings! 

Code: jiujitsugeeks5
Value: 5% off anything storewide
Expires: 12-31-12
www.SubmissionFC.com

E.T.

Electric Oceans

Hey guys, a former training partner of Aaron and I runs a BJJ and "lifestyle" blog called Electric Oceans. I can say with a high degree of certainty that our friend, Mr. O, has a unique blog even amongst all the other unique BJJ blogs out there. Regular JiujitsuGeek podcast guest and contributor Chris Mahan has been interviewed on Electric Oceans so right there you know it's legit. Mr. O has shared with me some future plans for EO and let me just say this is a site to watch. Enjoy! 

 http://www.electricoceans.net/

E.T. 

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 8 / Gustavo Machado & Roberto "Gordo" Correa

This week the Jiujitsu Geek have the honor and pleasure of talking to an absolute legend of BJJ. Roberto "Gordo" Correa was kind enough to give us some of his time. Gordo had just finished an amazing seminar at Gustavo Machado's VA Beach academy. To make things even better, Gustavo gave us more of his time as well.
Aaron and I want to thanks both Gustavo and Gordo for being so gracious with their time and sharing their memories and thoughts about the gentle art! Listen and enjoy!

E.T.

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 8 / Gustavo Machado and Roberto "Gordo" Correa

Roberto "Gordo" Carrera

The good folks at BJJ HQ and Martial Arts Supplies were nice enough to send us a few products for review. We’ve already started battle testing a rashguard and are excited to bring you some pictures and review on the blog and podcast once we have put it through the paces. In the meantime, click on the links below and take a look at their websites. They have great deals on top brands.

Saulo Ribeiro - Jiu Jitsu Inspiration by Michael Ngo

http://vimeo.com/hellomichael

Jiujitsu Geeks Podcast Episode 7 / Gustavo Machado and Nino Schembri

Oh man do we have an awesome episode this week. Two legends of BJJ were kind enough to give Aaron and I some of their time. Gustavo Machado and Nino "Elvis" Schembri sat down to discuss their beginnings in BJJ, their friendship, the early days of Gracie Barra, Pride and a whole lot more. This was recorded after Nino put on an awesome seminar at Gustavo's VA Beach academy. Hopefully Nino won't be a stranger to east coast and can be on the podcast again in the near future. A big thank you to Gustavo and Nino for honoring us with this interview. Thanks for listening!

JiujitsuGeeks Podcast Episode 7 / Gustavo Machado & Nino Schembri

You can visit Nino on the web here..

www.ninoschembribjj.com

and Gustavo here...

www.gustavomachado.com

Here is part 1 of Nino's fight against Kazushi Sakuraba at PrideFC 25.

Here is part 2..actually the full fight. There is no sound in this video so you can imagine how brutal the knees and soccer kicks Nino landed to the face and head of Sakuraba were!

Photos courtesy of Brian Ingle Photography. If you like these you can find more at
www.lifeinblackandwhiterva.blogspot.com

E.T.