Blood • Swæt & Tears

DUSTIN BROWN - Professional Athlete - JiuJitsu Competitor - Yogi -Surfer - Coach var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-28892453-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[dbkauai]

USA, VIC, UAE, QLD & Prep for the Worlds

Well to say there has been a lot going on is a understatement! Since my last post I have been on a few planes racking up the FF miles. Let's start back where I left off! 

Clark Gracie came through Melbourne and we got to train and I attended his seminar. Got a few sneaky moves that I have been using frequently!   Melbourne Sights 

Rodolfo Vieira came to Australia and spent some time with us. It was a great experience to learn from him and his teacher Julio Ceser Pereira and rolling with him, lets just say he had good pressure! 

The following weekend was the Sydney qualifiers for the Abu Dhabi WPJJC. A few of us from Cia Paulista went up to win a ticket!! Fun weekend! My coach Carlos Vieira won the -76KG Brown/Black division and the ticket to go to the UAE and compete. I fought and lost my first fight on points. I learned something invaluable in this comp. On to the next! 

Graffti in Bondi Beach 

The next weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Sunshine Coast and do another seminar at Ignite FC with Rodolfo and Julio Cesar. I jumped on a flight and went to get more details for my guard passing game!! 

I also had the chance to catch up with Cristiano and the guys from How We Roll at Full Metal BJJ on the Gold Coast and film a little technique. After we had a few rolls and I headed back to Melbourne! 

Check out the moves here : VIDEO 

After a few weeks of prep it was time to head to Cali for Pan Ams!! 

It is always good to be in Cali and catch up with the CIA team from all around the world! Gazze academy in Huntington Beach, CA, is the Cia Paulista World HQ lot's of good times and hard rolls! 

We all headed down to San Diego and Carlos Vieira had a Seminar at Clark Gracies school in La Joya. 

A few days later it was time for Pan Am's! Carlos and I did not fight until saturday but we were at the comp pretty much everyday to support teammates and watch fights. Here we are catching up with one of coach's old friends.

I fought on Saturday in the -73KG Brown Belt Division I had a by and then fought up to the quarter finals where I lost by 2 points. It was a tough fight but I am training very hard so that next time will be much different. Here are a few fight pics below

  After Pans was finished I had a few days left in Cali so I met up with Kauai Kimonos Jon and we went to San Diego and trained with friends (and had lots of fish tacos)! FUN TIMES ! 

On the day I was heading home to Melbourne, I saw that the Victorian AFBJJ championships were on 3 days after I got back, I could not resist and I jumped in. I won my (small) division all by submission! Stoked!!

I did not have much time at home before I left for the UAE, so I spent most of it training hard and the rest with Nova and Ninja! 

Once again I found myself in the UAE, and this time I was prepared!! I found this to be one of the best trips of my life!  Abu Dhabi loves Jiu Jitsu that is for sure!! 

Here is a video of the hotel and comp area in AD : 

 After the comp we let loose a little bit and had fun! A few of us went to Dubai where some mind blowing things went down!! 

Thanks to a great friend we had the chance to dive in the Aquarium at Atlantis Dubai check the VIDEO here : 

We also got to surf the Al Ain wave pool !! So much fun !!  VIDEO : 

I got back to Melbourne and straight back into life here and training for the worlds. Dog park with Ninja 

Dinner at Rockpool with wifey Nova 

Caio Terra came to Aus and gave our team a little private seminar at our academy was good and very funny hanging with Caio. He is someone who, even if very, very wrong, likes to always be right!! LOL 

Again at the last minute I arranged and flew to QLD for the Queensland AFBJJ State Championships, I fought in the GI and NOGI divisions and since there were no competitors to fight at -73KG DIV they bumped me up to the -79KG DIV  I WON the NoGI division and got second in the GI. It was a really fun weekend and I cant wait for the next trip up to QLD !! 

Check out the VIDEO ! 

I leave in one week to LA for the IBJJF WORLD Championships. I have been training hard drilling everyday and competing as much as a I possibly can. I feeling very ready and my goal is to be at the top of the podium. However more and more I am coming to realize that its not all about being number one, you must enjoy EVERY moment BEFORE, DURING & AFTER!  I am enjoying every minute! I'll keep you updated!!  Aloha & Osss !! 

[dbkauai]

Pan Pacs 2012 - Melbourne

The Pan Pacific Jiu Jitsu Championships is one of the biggest competitions of the year in Australia . Each year the comp allows us to see the growth of BJJ in Australia in just how man entrants there are. This years comp was no exception beating last year by 25% and the comp is now stretched over 4 days. I fought in the -73Kg Brown belt Division. I took third place after 2 hard fights.  

Phil Eoe and I ready for war

Facing off against Michael Toyama   

Killing deep 1/2 

Kiss of the Dragon-Brimbolo-Leg drag 

Fighting Michael Thome 

I only have one photo of this fight but you can watch the video below.  A hard fought match, I made a mistake with my double under pass and spent minutes defending a triangle. after a tied match to that point I lost by one advantage. Michael went on to win the division.  Respect to Michael, but I hate losing by advantage! 

Although not satisfied with third place, Im happy I so learned much from my fights and it makes my fire grow intensely to train harder and get to the top of the podium. Thanks to my Coach Carlos Portuguese Vieira  and the CIA Paulista Australia team for all the amazing training and guidance. 

Thank you to my sponsors  SUB Apparel, Vital Strength, Hot Box YOGA, TP Performance, Kauai Kimonos, and Nakama Brand. Through their support this year, They have allowed me to reach goals I never thought possible and I thank them for continuing to sponsor me throughout 2013. 

This was the last competition of the year for me, Now Im training hard for the ADWPJJ Sydney Trails Sept 23-24

    Aloha

  Osss 

[dbkauai]

AWPJJ TRAILS NEW ZEALAND - Auckland

The second week of November I traveled to NZ for the weekend to fight in the Abu Dhabi Trails for Auckland. It was a great weekend, and New Zealand is always a beautiful place to visit.

I fought in the -74KG Brown/Black Belt division, although I did not win the comp I had 3 great fights and took second place. Below are a few photos of my matches and two videos. I lost in the final by 2pts to Alex Scott. 

A huge thank you to Matt Gilbert for taking care of me while I was there, letting me stay at his house, showing me the sights and a great time!  Also thanks to my sponsors, who help me achieve my dreams!  SUB Apparel, Vital Strength, Hot Box YOGA, TP Performance, Kauai Kimonos, and Nakama Brand. 

Stay Tuned more updates ASAP !  ALOHA  Ossss !

[dbkauai]

Playing Catch up...

Well I have to say that the end of 2012 got to me! I have been very busy with training and the holidays that I have neglected my blog. I'm sorry blog.. 

So, to make up for it I'm planing on releasing heaps of content and getting caught up to current events while recapping on the past 2-3 months!! 

Stay Tuned !!  Aloha 

Osss!   

[dbkauai]

10 days in Brisbane and Australian Nationals 2012 (AUS Cup)

4:14am - I jolt awake, I beat my alarm by 1 minute, why up so early? I am off to the airport today for a busy week leading up to the Aus Cup in Brisbane.  The Dale brothers and I are meeting the SUB Apparel fightwear PRO TEAM for a gym opening and to shoot a promo commercial for the SUB brand. Things got off to a great start when Kit called me to tell me that he was just waking up and there was no way he was making the flight. Not surprised! Ha!  

After a quick breakfast at one of AJ's regular places we headed off to The Tough Spot in Albion for their grand opening. There, Kit Dale and I showed a few basic BJJ moves and led a 30min introduction to Jiu Jitsu. It was quite interesting to show people who have never even seen BJJ before! Afterwards, SUB had a open competition, if you could last 60 seconds with out being submitted by either Kit or myself you would win free SUB Apparel fight wear! There were quite a few guy and girls lined up to give it a try and after 45 minutes of rolling only a few lucky ladies were sly enough to last the 60 seconds and win free gear!! It was great fun! 

The next day we headed to Axis BJJ on the Gold Coast for some sunday training with friends. It is always a fun time down there, everyone has a really good attiude and loves to train hard. 

 During the week Southside MMA and Sassom Fitness & MMA had Kit and I come down to teach a few night classes at their gyms. During the days we did some S & C circuits and lots of drills with Viencte Calvacante and Paul Stolyar and rolling and drilling with Hansel at Sassom. Thanks to the guys and the gyms for having us there. Its a huge help when gyms open their doors to us so we can keep up with our training and stay sharp!   Much love for all the SOUTHSIDE MMA team!! The team there is like one huge family and everyone is vey humble and I love training there!! Thanks for making Kit and I feel so welcome!! 

Later in the week Kit and I headed to the Gold Coast so we could meet up with Cristian and the guys at Full Metal Jiu Jitsu. We did some training and filmed an interview with How We Roll .com

Christian asked some cool questions. Here is the interview below check it out !! 

Also I say in the video I started training in late '05 start of '06 BUT after thinking about it and asking my wife, I figured out that I started training in September 2006! Thursday the 20th being my first ever class and the day I will always remember getting my ass kicked by a woman and young boy. That makes it exactly; 5 years, 10 months, 19 days  OR

185,673,600 seconds

3,094,560 minutes

51,576 hours

307 weeks  ...from starting Jiu Jitsu until I received my BROWN BELT. A cool random fact!   

  As the week came to an end we tapered off our training to prepare for the comp on Saturday and Sunday. To keep up with my routine at home I made sure throughout the week to go to Yoga every morning at FLEX HOT YOGA  and the final two days before the comp with less BJJ training, a couple of extra HOT YOGA sessions was exactly what I needed to keep my weight down and to stay feeling loose and comp ready. FLEX HY is also owned and operated by James Mantra a fellow JiuJitsu competitor and Yoga teacher. Thanks James for looking after me at your studio! 

The competition time was finally here. We made it to the venue where a bodybuilding comp was going on at the same time I was a bit confused when we showed up and there where a bunch of guys in man thongs rubbing dark tanning oil on themselves. Below is the BJJ area!

My fight was at 1pm, so I coached a few of my team members that were there. Megan and Jason did very well and it was cool to watch all their hard work come out on the mat during their matches. Stuart, Nicole, Dean, and the rest of our extended CIA Paulista family from QLD did very well, taking home medals and putting on some very great fights. 

  The way my bracket worked out I fought Gabriel Molon twice. In the first round we had a very intense fight that went the distance and Gabriel came out with the win. I then had the second round with Dennis from Axis. I ended up catching him in a triangle. 

In the final, Gabriel and I both went for it, exchanging multiple positions and footlock attempts. After it was all said and done with the score 0 - 0 1adv Gabriel took the win. 

My fist competition at Brown belt Australian Nationals Second Place. After the comp everyone headed over to Brisbanes worst vegetarian restaurant for huge steaks and good food. After dieting hard for the entire time i was up here it was great to have a big and well deserved cheat meal..   

Our last day we spent shooting footage for a soon to be released commerical for SUB Apparel Fightwear brand. Shot all in HD and by a pro team, it should look really great, so keep you eyes out for that! 

The whole ten days up in QLD was a great time and was highlighted by the competition at the end. Great people made the whole experience that much better!  A HUGE  thank you to:  Lisa Ng  Benicio Murray  Jason @ SUB APPAREL  for the photos of me competing!  All other photos taken by me with my iPhone.  Thank to SUB APPAREL for flying me up and taking great care of me the whole time I was in QLD. Thanks to my Coach Carlos Vieira for working with me everyday to make my JiuJitsu sharp! Thanks to my awesome wife NOVA who never gives me stress and supports my JiuJitsu 100%! And thanks to all my other SPONSORS!  ALOHA  Osss!   

[dbkauai]

The SECRET to Jiu Jitsu

Everyday you see a million and one things that are going to improve you and your Jiujitsu instantly. Supplements, grips trainers, breathing masks, diets, videos, and many more. I am not at all trying to say that these things I just listed do not work, however there is one pure and simple SECRET that is not expressed enough. This one thing is all it takes to be truly great at Jiu jitsu. My coach explains it well.   

There is no secret at all to getting good at Jiu Jitsu. All you have to do is show up and  TRAIN. -Carlos Vieira 

Carlos went on to explain that for him, from blue to brown belt the academy he went to was open everyday from 3pm-11pm. Carlos would train the entire time the academy was open, afternoon class, drills, MMA sparing, night class and more drills always sparing with everyone who came in to train. 

 Now with CIA Paulista HQ in Melbourne CBD Carlos is starting to create that same environment. All we, as students need to do to improve is show up and TRAIN! This is what it takes to be a champion. No crazy shit (ok maybe a just little) and as much mat time as you can get. Everyday. Forever. 

Train hard without ego, all the time and watch your Jiu Jitsu grow.  Aloha  Osss!!  

Need something new in your training, lacking motivation, or feeling stagnent ?  come train at CIA PAULISTA MELBOURNE. Fresh moves served daily. 

[dbkauai]

Faixa Marrom - Brown Belt

On Sunday the 26th of August CIA Paulista Australia held Its 1st annual NOGI Tournament. Carlos gathered everyone together in rank formation there was definitely a buzz in the room...

For the select few of us that were wearing GI's a grading was about to take place!  Carlos surprised Jhunior by giving him his 1st stripe on his Black Belt.

He then looked at me said "And the next surprise is for you Dustin Brown! You are NOW a Brown Belt!" I was (am) STOKED!!!

I have been training with the goal to always improve and be better than I was the day before. The concept of Kaizen. Brown is another solid step forward on my path. 

Being graded by my coach and JiuJitsu mentor  Carlos "Portuguese" Vieira is an honor and something I am very proud of. I have worked very hard to get this far and will continue to work everyday to further my knowledge and skills. I know this new chapter in my JiuJitsu life is full of great chalenges.

Six of my other team mates were also graded, five Purple belts and one Blue!   Michael Torcasio, Stuart Kuan, Lan Ta, Joel Warren and Thong Chai were all upgraded to the well deserved rank of Faixa ROXA or Purple belt!!! A huge congratulations to you all!

After the grading the NOGI comp continued, I helped out by scoring, timing and refereeing some matches. There were some great fights, especially in the purple belt division.

    Dallas and Michael After I was graded I was told I would be fighting in the Brown belt division and my opponent would be Crazy Jon! MY first hours as a brown belt and my first comp already!! Haha, awesome!!  We started the match and I got an arm grip and went to half guard, as Jon stood I hooked his leg and swung under to deep 1/2 and into the waiter position. I wanted to go from waiter to the back but as I started to go through, Jon went for my leg and I came up in to a leg drag- 50/50 pass

I tucked my foot back to protect and save my leg and then dove for his back. I got my hooks for a min before starting to work for a choke and look for a arm to lock up. 

  I secured a good grip and went for his arm, we rolled a few different times, eventually coming out up with the arm fully extended. Jon tapped. My first win for Brown belt!

  The whole day was great, the whole team really came together. So many great fights, a good vibe from everyone and great format! There were even great prizes to the winners of every division!

Congratulations Coach Carlos, and TEAM CIA PAULISTA AUSTRALIA on your success!! 

I want to say THANK YOU all my training partners, family, friends SPONSORS and of course my coach Carlos for helping me reach this milestone in my BJJ journey!  Anyone that knows me will confirm for the last six years I have lived and breathed Jiu Jitsu and the rewards are apparent and amazing!  Here is a photo from when I had just started BJJ. I was about 94kg then. 

Jiu Jitsu has helped change my life in so many ways! Healthy goals and a lifestyle that supports them, friends and teammates WORLDWIDE. I am forever grateful!

I am excited to start the path to black belt! I have new goals and I'm a little bit worried for my big feet! Till next post... 

HUGE THANKS TO MY SPONSORS !!!

SUB Apparel

HOTBOX Yoga

Vital Strength

Nakama Brand

Kauai Kimonos

TP Performance  Aloha  Osss !  

[dbkauai]

Photo Trip - USA

Here are some photos from my last trip over to the USA. My time there was a mix of training hard for the Worlds followed by lot of amazing time spent traveling with family and friends. All photos taken with my iPhone 4, between May 21st - June 25th. I hope you enjoy.

  Im back home now and getting back into my routine; Yoga at HOTBOX Yoga every morning and training at CIA Paulista Jiu Jitsu day and night. Im hungry to compete as my Worlds trip was quite anti-climatic.

Im working on getting stronger grips and drilling techniques till they are automatic. Got my goals set and my eyes high. Time to do WORK! 

Aloha Osss 

[dbkauai]

IBJJF Mundials

I really don't know what to say about my experience at this years worlds. Here is my FB post on the day I was to compete :

"Because of a coordinator error, I was left waiting in the bullpen to be called while they ran my whole division. I asked repeatedly if I would be on soon, and every time I was told to wait longer. WTF !! So devastated I did not even get a chance to try... I'm so upset, how can this happen at IBJJF WORLDS !!??" That pretty much sums it up. I'm in contact with the IBJJF working on compensation for their error. At this time it is not resolved.   

I have had to look past that day and focus on the positive things. I'm so grateful of the amazing prep and training I got to put in before the competition. I have spent time with old friends and met new amazing people. The skills and lessons learned in training, travel and life are with me forever. I have to say THANK YOU to some amazing people who have been there for me and helped me out on this trip. Kate & Kane - You guys are the best thank you so much for letting me stay with you and the fun times!

Waldomiro Perez Jr. - Coach, Jiu Jitsu Master, Great friend, Thanks so very much for the details and techniques. Most of all letting me stay with you and treating me like family!

Paulo Gazze Jr.- Thank you for making your gym our home away from home. All my friends and family that sent messages and gave encouragement, Thank you always for your support!! I will never give up on my dream!!

Thanks to my Sponsors and Aj @ SUB Apparel your support helps make training comps and travel possible for me!!

After Worlds finished, I met my wife and family in LA and sent some quality time together (living in AUS I don't see my fam often) then my wife and I went to Vegas, San Fransisco and are now in NYC exploring the city and enjoying some holiday time.. (training still of course !! )

After NY its back home to freezing Melbourne, where I'll be, with my head down...  working hard... preparing for the Worlds 2013

Aloha Osss!

[dbkauai]

QLD & a week to LA !

What a month! In the time between my last post and now, so much has been going on an I have had no time to update here!! Ill start by leaving where I left off and catching up! After a hard week of training I went to Brisbane to catch up with the SUB Apparel crew and compete in the QLD State championships. The comp was very well run and after a short shift as a referee I started my warm up and got prepared to fight. My division only had 2 other guys and when it came time to fight only K. Jeffers and I were ready to go. Meaning it was a straight final. I started the match by pulling deep half guard, coming up right away with a sweep, getting my grips I started my guard pass on him a shifted my foot out of his half guard, transitioning to the north south. I started to work for a kimura grip and as he defended I switched to a over under or bread-cutter choke. I applied pressure and finished the fight. 

All the guys and girls in the SUB Team came home with medals and Bruno won the grand BB prize $1000 cash. All up it was a great weekend!! I had to fly back to Melbourne the next morning and get ready as the next weekend I would be flying to LA again!

Thanks to SUB Apparel for flying me up to compete and taking great care of me while in QLD. It was great to be with you guys again!!

Check back for more updates soon!

Including: - My final Mundials prep - "The Drama" that was my IBJJF Worlds experience - And enjoying life with Nova traveling around Cali and the US

All this and more !! Aloha Osss!

[dbkauai]

AFBJJ Victorian Competition / Worlds prep continues

2012 AFBJJ Victorian Championships - This past weekend the 2012 Victorians were held in the town that I live in, Melbourne, Australia. Even though I just got home on Wednesday night 7pm from Abu Dhabi and I was feeling a bit jet lagged when it was time for me to fight on Friday morning there was no way that I would not compete! 

 At the comp... my first round was a bye and my second opponent could not make it, meaning that I would most likely be facing my long time friend and old training partner Aaron Hughes.   Aaron is a amazing competitor and we had a very fast paced exciting fight. I was able to come out on top with a submission win in the end, even after Az started the match with a big double leg take-down.  A huge Thank You to Jason Hill for the pictures and Aaron Depmsey for the video!

  Leg drag pass

Looking for the back

Looking for the choke

Winner

Stoked to add the AFBJJ 2012 Victorian State Championships Male Adult -73kg GOLD to my list of titles!

Sushi and I closed out the division - CIA Paulista wins!

Simon "Sushi" fought two hard fights and submitted both of his opponents on the other side of our bracket. Sushi and I were happy to close out the division together as we train and fight each other in the gym everyday!  After I finished competing I put on my referees uniform and refereed some fights. I try my very best to be an excellent referee and always give 100% of my attention to the fighters. In the past I have been the victim of shitty refereeing and it sucks, I never want to have someone walk away from any of the fights I have refereed and think that I was not paying attention or that I did not know the rules properly. I enjoy being a referee, I find it can be mentally and physically draining standing for hours at a time but I learn a lot of good strategy and get to see what is working in comps firsthand. It really makes it all worthwhile. 

As a competitor you need to know the rules of Jiu Jitsu 100% without question. There are videos, downloadable PDF's and live workshops before every major and IBJJF competition. Although they can be time consuming they will only add to your competition knowledge and game. If you compete PLEASE study and know these rules!!

Training for Worlds - 

I guess it never stops! Just a few trips in between lots of hard training and competitions. I am back home in Melbourne until the 18th of May before heading back to California to continue training and prep for the IBJJF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS May 31st - June 3rd . My coach and a few of my teammates will be heading to Cali along with the SUB Apparel PRO Team. Until then we will be training hard, pushing our limits and mentally preparing for the biggest competition of the year!! "The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." —Vince Lombardi

But before all that im sure there is a QLD comp and possibly some other local ones here around Australia. If you would like to see some photos of the Abu Dhabi competition shot by AJ and my self, Check out the gallery on SUB Apparels website.

Here are some awesome photos I found from the trip

  SUB Apparels Online web store is now up and running!  The SUB Apparel GI's are already being bought up !! Get on it and get yours before they are gone!! www.SUBAPPAREL.com Thanks to my SPONSORS and TEAM for all the support!!

I'll update soon !! Aloha Osss!

[dbkauai]

ADWJJP 2012

Abu Dhabi World Jiu Jitsu Pro Reflecting on the last week in the UAE, I find myself in constant amazement of what just happened! Imagine a giant hotel in the shape of a Sting Ray, full of the best Jiu Jitsu players in the world! Eating, training, competing and all staying together in the same place. As one friend said "This is like Disneyland for JiuJitsu people!" Indeed !! I did not have the competition result that I would have liked, but just being there training and competing, made for an unforgettable experience! It also makes me hungry to compete again, train more, and to fix my mistakes! Almost everyone who trains knows about and has been following the comp in Abu Dhabi. Instead of babbling on about my view of what went on, I thought I would show you my photos of the trip.  I hope you enjoy. 

  Sunrise over Sheik Z. Bridge

Me, Kit Dale, AJ and Bruno Alves

THE ARMED FORCES OFFICERS CLUB (mini size)

Armed Forces Officers Club

Inside the AFOC miles and miles of Marble

AJ and Bruno at ADCC

The tatami at AFOC packed with the best BJJ players in the world!

Brulio Estima showing some guard passing positions on the hotel marble floor!

Cara De Sapato and I

Antonio Carlos Jr (Shoe Face), Lekinho Silva and I

AGIG Jess and I

TEAM SUB Apparel

Kleber and AJ In Sauna suits in a Sauna, say that 5 X fast!

The comp was a huge production!

The biggest bullpen ever!

The comp venue ADNEC

Competition Finals day

My teammate MICHAEL TORCASIO WON the -94kg Blue Belt Division ! He got a huge medal and $3000 USD for his efforts!! Fuking Amazing job bro!!

The Grand Mosque !

The Grand Mosque, inside, around and with lots of BJJ BB's !

Detail : inside of one of the Mosques many domes.

Me Brian Morizzi, Kit Dale and Edwin Najmi

Traditional Spices

I rubbed every lamp like this I saw, unfortunately NO Genies ! 

Kalifa park

Worlds only 7star hotel

Wild Wadi Water Park

SUB Team enjoying the waterpark post comp.

Flo- Rida !

Dubai Mall is mind-blowing !!!! I had a great time and Im already looking forward to next year! The UAE is really something to experience and a comp at this level, with huge cash prizes, will continue to grow and grow and I think every year be bigger and better.

I have to thank my SPONSORS, especially SUB Apparel  for making this comp possible for me and helping me reach my dreams.  

A HUGE thanks to everyone who sent me massages and comments of support and encouragement, My coach Carlos Vieira, Team CIA PAULISTA and of course my beautiful WIFE Nova who is my biggest supporter. The Victorian Championships is on this weekend and Im in! Jet-lag or not!! Then back to hard training and prep for WORLDS !! Its only 7 weeks away !!! GET READY !!! Aloha ! Osss!

[dbkauai]

Pan Am's and Onward !

As I reflect back my on month in California, the vast amount of skill, knowledge and techniques I have learnt is overwhelming. I am grateful for the good times we had and all of the new friends that were made. It is awesome that through JIU JITSU we have a family around the world.

Prep for the IBJJF Pan American JIU JITSU championships 2012 started well before I left for California, with my coach Carlos Vieira and the CIA Paulista team here in Melbourne helping to push me everyday in training.

In California, from day one we hit the ground running and did not stop! Here is a brief rundown of the prep and schedule we had leading up to the PAM AMS.

The training camp at Atos was top notch, everyday we were pushed to the limit in training. With Andre Galvao and the Mendes bros running classes, it was inspiring and showed what it takes to be a champion! 

The daily training schedule would be : 10-12pm Drills 12-2pm Comp Class 4-6pm Drills 6-8pm Comp Class

Weekends = some well needed down time! 5 days on 2 days off. 

We followed a strict Paleo diet for athletes (carbs after training) and for 10 days pre-comp to cut more weight we used Paleo with little to no carbs. I have found that this formula works for me perfectly.

I use hot yoga as recovery and rehab on the weekends; and to help with cutting weight pre comp, generally 3 to 4 days prior to Abu Dhabi Pro and Pan Ams. For me, yoga balances my mind and aligns my body, it helps keep my water weight down and makes me feel loose and amazing. At yoga it was cool to randomly run into some Pro MMA fighters doing exactly the same thing!

IBJJF PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS  2012

I felt very well prepared for this comp, mentally and physically. Here is a quick run down of my matches as I can remember them, the first few are quite a blur.

First round : By! Bonus!!

Fight 1 : The photo below pretty much was the whole fight him in 1/2 guard and me trying to pass. I won after 2 adv. Tough fight.

Fight 2 : Was against Marcos Paulo Cruvinel of GF Team. If was a very hard fight. Me trying to pass, a big scramble, me pulling guard, and scrambling finishing the fight with me on top. I won by 2 adv again. Fight 3 QUARTER FINAL : Was against Yusuke Hayashi of BJJ  Revolution team. We fought very hard. He pulled guard and I almost passed. Big movements and then I tore his pants. He had to change pants and then I quickly grabed his leg forcing him to pull guard and I got on top 1/2 and nearly got the finish with a brabo in the final seconds. I win by 2 adv AGAIN ! Fight 4 SEMI-FINAL : Was against Danny Wilson of Alliance.  He pulled guard quickly and did a big scissor sweep and to get his 2 points. We restarted and I have a 1/2 spider guard and a pants grip. I sweep and get to 1/2 on top an finish with a brabo. Submission !

Fight 5 FINAL : Was against Gerardo Gualdron of Alliance. He got a single leg and I sat to 1/2 guard, after working for a min my heel was caught in his pant cuff and the ref pulls it out for me. I then set up and finish the final by triangle Submission!! Watch the video here! :

Winning this comp was an amazing feeling. Months of prep, training and hard work all paying off in one moment and fulfilling one of my Jiu Jitsu goals and dreams. When I looked up and saw my friends and family cheering for me, I felt so happy and grateful. I celebrated for a minute, but now I am back to training and I must set my focus on my next goal. I know there are a huge amount of things that I need to work on to tighten up my game and there is not much time until the next comp!

I have to say a HUGE thank you to Andre Galvao for coaching EVERY one of of my fights, his advice was perfect and he always said the right things to put me in a winning mindset. I cannot thank him enough, as my coach Carlos could not be there, Andre looked after me like I was one of his own. Mutio Obrigado Irmao !!

I think Jiu Jitsu needs more guys to be like Carlos and Andre !!!

My good friend, travel partner, and SUB Apparel teammate KIT DALE WON Bronze in the Brown Belt -79kg Division. Congratulations on a such huge accomplishment! It was great to watch him on fire up to the quarter finals. Keep your eyes on this guy!!

Thank you to Waldamiro Perez Jr and Gazze Jr. for opening the doors of CIA Paulista HB to us anytime we needed to cut weight, drill or train before the Pans. It was great to spend time with my CIA PAULISTA family in Cali and I cannot wait to see you all again! If you're in or near Huntington Beach check them out!!

I am back home in Melbourne with my family and team for just 4 days before heading over to the UAE for the WPJJC 2012 main event! Training never stops and I'm super excited to see what Abu Dhabi has in stall for me. I LOVE JIU JITSU !!! Again thank you to my sponsors and especially SUB Apparel for helping make my dreams come true! Stay tuned!

Aloha !! Osss!

[dbkauai]

Q & A with Andre Galvao

 After training this week I asked Andre to talk to me and answer two questions that I find interesting, mindset for competition and how you should drill to get ready for a comp. After every really hard session, as we are running to cool down Andre would say things to give you a positive mindset and feel ready even though we just left it all on the mat.  I have found it often gives you the mental boost and energy you need to push onward. I think everyone could use that !

Thank you to Andre Galvao for taking the time to talk with me, thanks to my sponsor SUB Apparel for making this trip possible.  I have learned so much and the main competition event is not even here yet! 

Please check out SUB APPAREL on FACEBOOK and ONLINE and help support a company that truly supports Jiu Jitsu and its fighters!! I'm off to Hot Yoga to loosen up! 

Aloha Osss!

[dbkauai]

Drill to win.

I feel it in my grips, in my back, I feel it everywhere. Im not sure if its the feeling of being stronger or near breaking. It doesn't really matter because there is only one thing to do, more training! 

Atos Training Camp by BUDOVideos

 This week has been no different than the last. Training all day, training at night, drills after drills, refueling and resting in between. Because we can never stop, we are focused, into the zone. one week to war. More soon. gotta go train. Aloha Osss!

[dbkauai]

Cabeca de Batata aka KIT DALE

My good friend Miter Almeida came up with the name. 

Call him what you like, Kit Dale is serious about Jiu Jitsu.

One of Australia's finest new talents, he is a truly great competitor and his highlight video I put together did not take long to do as most of his fights are short and exciting.  

Take a few minutes to see the next big thing coming up from Australia.

I hope you enjoy. Aloha ! Osss!

[dbkauai]

Forjado no FOGO

(Forged in the fire)

This last week, at the very least, has been extremely intense. I have been training daily with Andre Galvao, the Mendes Brothers, Marcos Souza, Mike Fowler, Kit Dale, Chris Visentin and the Atos Competition team.

 It is quite apparent as to why the level of Jiujitsu of the team is so high, amazing instruction,  followed by consistently drilling the positions learned, equals good Jiu Jitsu!! Drills after drills, grip fighting, comp rounds, specific position training .... All day it's non-stop!!

My body is really feeling the week of hard training. Stretching and following the TP Performance routines has helped keep me in alignment and injury free. From some of the things I have read online lately, people want the next or higher rank or big titles, but they do not want to do the hard work involved to get them. People seem to think that they can reach the top without working hard.

A look into a week of comp training with Atos, is a good example of what it takes. (mid day comp training only, the other sessions are run differently)

Monday: 30min warmup with body movements to get loose, Entry's to take downs, grip fighting for rounds of 2min, followed by take downs, and then 70min of sparing starting form standing.

Tuesday: 30min warmup with body movements to get loose, Guard pull drills, passing the guard pull drills, a specific style guard pull to 5 different positions, followed by sparing for 20rounds of 3min with the focus on finishing your opponent.

Wednesday: 30 min warmup of body movement drills to get loose, followed by intense guard passing drills, then 7min sparing rounds with 1:30 in between for rest 10 times. 

Thursday: 20 min warmup with take downs, and then some drills to take the back, after we did specific training for attacking the back. Running in between rounds, we then  finished with 5rounds of 7min. Friday: 20min warmup of body movement drills to get loose, Drill the positions for 10min each person, 40min specific training followed by 4 X 5min sparing rounds. with running in between rounds.

 These sessions are complimented by comp training at night, open mat time to drill and strength and conditioning sessions. Over all there is not much time to do anything but train!! I am loving it !!

This next coming week the rest of the Atos team is coming from Brazil and around the world to train and get ready for the IBJJF Pan American Jiu Jitsu Championships You can stream this live and watch every match at the comp! Check out BUDOVIDEOS.COM for more details

Next week Ill post an interview with Andre Galvao and more training updates! We will now use the weekend to rest and recover. Then its back in to the fold, as comp preparations steps up another notch. I love this life : ) Thank you to my sponsors that have made my dreams come true. Big things coming from SUB Apparel  next Tuesday ! ! !  Stay tuned ! Aloha Osss!