ROYLER GRACIE TO VISIT UK

World renowned fighter and BJJ technician ROYLER GRACIE will be teaching a seminar at RGDA UK in October 2008, Dates to be confirmed.

This is an amazing opportunity to train with Royler, many claim he is the most technical of all the gracies.

The seminar will be held at RGDA UK for further information please contact us at.

rgdainfo@yahoo.co.uk or call 07960 932 224.

stay posted for more news.

BLOODLINE FIGHTER TO HEADLINE CAGE RAGE 28

      

Piotor (DOKTOR) Kusmierz Bloodlines heavyweight fighter will be headlining Cage Rage 28 where he will be coming up against non other then James (COLOSSUS) Thompson.

Thompson is a pride fighting championship veteran who has just come off a loss to (Kimbo Slice).

Bloodline have assembled a great team for doktor to train alongside and have put in place a training camp like no other , Doktor is definitely the underdog in this fight but he hopes to put on a great show for the fans.

RGDA worldwide wish DOKTOR good luck with this fight...........

This show will be live on nuts TV on September 28Th , or you can check out www.cagerage.tv for ticket info and venue. 

SLAVE TO THE CLOTH

Any one who truly knows me knows how passionate i am in relation to Brazilian jiu jitsu, Especially that taught at the RGDA.

BJJ is my passion, my self defence,  my sport , my martial art and most of all my philosophy, every time i am on the mat,s teaching or training i feel a huge energy not just in my physical but in my spiritual too.

It is an energy which allows me to forget about problems in my life, its an energy which has taught me a lot but most of all it has taught me compassion,respect, honor, sacrifice and most of all it has taught me how to yield.....

among many questions i have been asked one i am asked a lot is "which is better gi or no gi" and i usually answer like this...

I prefer to train with the gi, because it tightens up my game and teaches me the technicality's and intricacies of bjj, when wearing the gi one has to be careful of variations of attack given the pace is also a lot slower with the kimono plus the kimono can also be used as a weapon.

No gi is a much faster pace, there is less to grip, and the opponent is slippery  yet it is still as technical as the gi but in a different way.

most of the champions at world level have trained with the kimono at some point and some to a very high level (Royler is a perfect example) he is a multiple time world bjj champion and also a 6 time abu dhabi champion, (Saulo is also a very good example ) there are a lot of others too.

Everyone at my academy wears the kimono, all of the guys whether they are mma fighters or no gi fighters they have to learn to train with the kimono after all we are a Brazilian jiu jitsu academy first, then a no gi and mma academy after , we all train with the gi right up to the fight, (alongside the other classes ).

because in my own opinion to be the complete fighter one has to be able to enter any arena and be able to hang in that arena , i believe at RGDA UK  we have that combination because our mma team can enter a bjj comp, our no gi guys can fight wearing the kimono, and all of them can fight mma yet they all train with the kimono ?.

so don't become slave to the cloth, let the cloth become slave to your game.......

E.K

BLOODLINE FIGHTER FIGHTS SATURDAY

Bloodline Fighter SEAN FOLAN 3.0.0 will be making his 4Th entrance to the cage this weekend where he will be taking on Chris Garry 3.0.0, Folan has been training extremely hard for this fight alongside Bloodline fight team which include Paul Marut (thai boxing ) and Eddie Kone (Gracie jiu jitsu ) black belt.

The training has gone to plan and this fight has the makings of a war.

Good luck Sean from RGDA UK.

updates will follow shortly along with photos.

Also RGDA ROMANIA will be fighting this Friday at the beach in mamia Romania, rgda uk wish all the fighters a safe and victorious fight for information and fight results please check out www.absoluto.ro or www.rgda-uk.com............

Good luck to Tudor, Ferry ,Toleah, Eugine and the guys ............

BJJ AND SELF DEFENCE

So here i am teaching at the academy when a voice from within the class says " i came to learn Brazilian jiu jitsu not this " on closer inspection i notice a young guy wearing a tee shirt and shorts at the front of the class ?

i stop the position and ask the guy what he meant by this to which he replied " i saw a bjj competition the other day and they were on the floor fighting "the class erupted with laughing, i addressed the class explaining this.

Over the time i have spent in bjj i have noticed in its evolution a lot of bjj academy's have stopped or they do not teach the basics, when i say basics i mean they teach sports bjj not the self defence side of it it seems most academy's nowadays neglect this element of bjj  but bjj is and will always be a self defence art designed to handle situations on the streets, it wasn't developed for points or to be fought under time constraints, it was devised to defeat any opponent any size any situation with devastating results.

the new student had recently been to another academy and saw them rolling together on the floor and assumed that was what bjj is.

He stayed around and participated in the class and at the end he approached me and said it was a real eye opener and he would definately come back, i asked him why it was an eye opener and he said had he not came down and trained with us he would probly not have known bjj was developed for self defence and assumed it was just a form of wrestling in kimonos................

he has returned to the academy and it has been a year since this happened  he is still there at every training session and still learning and loving the self defence...............

basics basics basics and keep teaching the self defence aspect,s lets not forget what bjj was devised for....

EK

INJURY,S SUCK......

Suppose it had to happen at some time....

I have spent just over 13 years training and teaching in a sport which i completely adore, and during this time i have never really been injured that seriously..... until now, even though the injury i sustained wasn,t through training , it does reflect on almost everything i enjoy doing........ well almost everything,,,

i have ripped my meniscus (torn cartilage) and have a small fracture to the knee , this injury does not allow me to straighten the leg fully and causes a huge ammount of pain when i put pressure on it.

i will be in hospital for an operation shortly until then its doses of pain killers and using crutches to walk around (lol).

as i have been housebound for a few days and boredom has started to set in a friend of mine from the academy picked me up and took me to the gym so i could see everyone and stop feeling sorry for myself, while i was there they got me to pose for this photo.......... i am told that the injury i have sustained is quiet common and i should heel within a month of the operation....

so i am looking forward to quick healing and getting back on the mats, until then i will be a technical advisor for the team ......

E.K

KEEP A CHILD ALIVE.

Every minuet a child in a 3rd world country die,s.

how many minuets are in an hr ? a day ? a month ? a year ?

We can never forget the present is a gift, And i don't want to take for granted the time i may have here, because the lord only knows tomorrow is not guaranteed.

WWW.KEEPACHILDALIVE.ORG

Lets start a virus to end a virus.

TEXT:  ALIVE to  90999

THE RIGHT APPROACH TO TRAINING

So you have found a bjj instuctor your happy with, his credential's check out, you like the academy and the people so whats next as you begin your path into the world of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

The right approach to training....

At my academy  i always try to set an example for students both old and new, i try to represent jiu jitsu the way it was taught to me and pass on its values and traditions to those wishing to learn. 

Inside my academy you there are a lot of different people both men and women all who have different attributes and reasons for being at the academy .

Some are hardcore competitors who are on the mat every day 29 hrs per day who live to fight and have a die hard never tap approach to training , then you have others who just want to keep fit, make Friends or just belong to a team and hang out.

Personally i respect everyone who is at the academy, and i respect there reasons for being there i also find great satisfaction  when watching one of my students progress, gain confidence and achieve there personal goals they have come there for.

So in order to have the right approach to training one needs to adopt a few things,

The correct Mind set, Attitude and be open minded  towards the training and towards the people they train amongst.

One of the most common hindrance's  i found in bjj is peoples ego, most people will not reach their full potential in bjj because of a few reasons but i consider the main ones to be ego,s ,bad attitude,s and biased opinions.

I introduced an idea at my academy which help,s me tame peoples ego so they leave there ego at the door and  they can integrate and become part of the class where everyone embraces them and they become part of the team very quickly.

I call it ego less training, this is a concept that when a new student joins the academy along with the basic /core techniques  he starts to learn and adapt an ego less approach to training straight away, he/she does exactly the same as all the other students in the class until sparring time, then he is placed with a student who has sound technical knowledge and they spar without using submissions , just a continuous exchange of positions (sparing without submissions) and they do this for a few weeks until i am absolutely satisfied  that they will not injure themselves or anyone else in the class and they fully understand our concept,s and what BJJ is .

A final note to the right approach......

The academy has limits to what it can teach you which is why you must keep an open mind, i can provide you with the technical knowledge and tools to help you on your journey into bjj but you will not find the biggest or toughest opponents at the academy, you will find them in that little place in your head called (your mind or inside yourself )

you will need to train for at least 2 years 3 times a week before you can say you know jiu jitsu , you may believe you know or understand it but i know through personal experiance that you really dont, by the time you reach purple / brown belt you will start to have a real understanding .

A lot of students reach blue belt and then leave the academey because they think i am holding back promoting them or they believed they have arrived because they can tap most of the other blue belts in the academy , here is a word of advice,,,,

There is so much more to BJJ then being able to just execute a few techniques and  submit everyone everytime you spar.

Dont think you have arrived before you are even onboard the train.

Train safe

E.K

FOOD FOR THE MIND

A man's character can be measured by his... Heart, Respect, Passion, Friendship, Loyalty, Devotion, Legacy & Love.

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Awsome and insperational words

E.K

BLOODLINE FIGHT TEAM 2008

                                          

Have a look at the new bloodline fight team video.............

RGDA UK / BLOODLINE FIGHT TEAM ...RESULT

 BLOODLINE FIGHT TEAM,S  113KG 6FT4 heavyweight  fighter  (DOKTOR) made his debut in the cage tonight at CAGE RAGE CONTENDERS , and won his first fight in 1 min 45 seconds of the first round with brutal ground and pound .

Cornering DOKTOR was K.O thai boxing coach paul marut and RGDA UK head instructor eddie kone .

DOKTOR has now been asked to participate at cage rage 27 in wembley his opponent is yet to be confirmed keep checking back for details.

well done from the whole team.................

E.K

RGDA UK FIGHTER AT CAGE RAGE TONIGHT.

The biggest fighter at RGDA UK makes his debut at cage rage contenders in london tonight , DOKTOR will be fighting in the octagon in the heavy weight divison.

He has been working hard on his THAI BOXING and his JIU JITSU and now feels confident to show the world what he has to offer....

will post reports and pics later.

RGDA UK and BLOODLINE FIGHT TEAM 

wish him all the best for this fight.

E.K

KRON GRACIE

Kron Gracie, son of bjj and mma legend Rickson Gracie competed in the  BJJ 2008 mundials this past weekend and lost his first fight in the black belt division by choke........

I have read a lot on the forums relating to this matter but lets put things into perspective.

Has everyone forgotten,

                                                                           KRON GRACIE

has submitted his last 51 opponent's consecutively , in case you never heard the first time i said  51 fights 51 submissions  in bjj tournaments, and not just in his division but in absolute divisions too .

he has won the worlds pan American's the list go,s on.

So now he loses his fight at the worlds and suddenly i hear kron is not that good etc. so lets have a look, Braulio Estima got submitted, Roger Gracie lost,does this make them or there achievements any less? .look in all sports everyone is allowed to have a bad day, true champions lose true champions come back that's what makes a champion, ask any of them.

The real problem is we put them on a pedestal and try have them live up to our expectations but we forget that we are human, nothing more nothing less, and  we all make mistakes, each and everyone of us mess up that's part of who we are , not one single person is bullet proof .

this is just my observation of this situation.

Better luck next time Kron...

everyone else lets 

keep training ...

E.K

Gracie Humaitá wins big at BJJ Worlds 2008

Congratulations to my team members  RGDA / GRACIE HUMAITA  and all who participated to represent the team at the 2008 world championships what an amazing job.......... 

you have done us all proud.

E.K

POSITION TIMING AND EXECUTION

I have found over my countless hrs spent on the mat,s teaching,sparing and drilling that there seems to be 3 fundamental elements to being able to finish a fight with a submission.

The first element being good positioning , without a good position it is almost impossible to be able to set up the submission . I like to teach a lot of positional games in the academy this teaches students that a dominant position could be the difference between almost submitting an opponent or a clean and decisive submission .

Then there is timing, this is where most people have a problem, when the timing is wrong it is almost impossible to surprise your opponent and make the submission work , so this has to be drilled over and over.

then comes the execution of the technique , clean concise and straight to the point , its the k.o of the bjj world, set him up take him out.

combine these 3 elements together along with combination attacks and 99 percent of the time you will be able to submit your opponent .

Its easy in words but not so easy to perform live, the way i like to drill this is i find a really strong guy in the academy who has some knowledge of bjj, i spar with him and when he starts to use his power i try to stay relaxed and go around the resistance he is offering me by using maximum of 3 moves i.e armlock, shoulder lock , triangle and bounce back and fourth or within the 3 until i catch him.

So In order for you to execute the perfect submission its down to simple mathematics,,,,,,,

gain a dominant POSITION,  work out his/her TIMING,  And execute your move .........

most of all keep working the basic positions and attack combinations...

E.K

A NEW BLACK BELT IS BORN........

                                                                 

                             

I arrived in Newark to a warm sunny day , the flight had been long and tyring all i wanted to do was head to the hotel take a shower and hit the mats to train in hopes it would shake off the jet lag.

 lately i had been feeling both spiritually and physically dehydrated and when this happens threes only one thing to do , head back to the river , the source, where my extended family and Friends were. 

I stepped out of the airport and the humidity hit me the smell of the streets , the sirens , the new york city skyline, wow i thought I'm home....

After a quick shower i headed down to the academy and was greeted by my Friends it was such an amazing feeling to be in a place away from the world where i could just be.

 Training was intense as the worlds are only one week away the academy was packed and after the warm up my kimono could have been wrung out it was drenched , we went through competition techniques and then came the sparring purple brown and black belts , 2 hrs later i left the academy drenched sore and feeling great , the next few days were the same, then Sunday arrived.

There was a sense of unity and urgency within the academy as over 30 reps were present from all over the world, USA , Israel , Brazil , and London i hadn't seen that many black belts in one room since visiting Brazil. 

Royler and David arrived and we were greeted by roylers huge smile and Davids hug, the meeting got underway and  the Rgda vision for the next year looks very promising thats all i am saying , then came the promotions  a brown and purple belt, then four black belts,  david turns to us and says "those of you who didn't get promoted don't worry your turn will come" and explained that we needed a little more time and understanding of the art  etc etc.

 Royler says black belts are not gifts to be awarded, a black belt is showing maturity, understanding of the art,dedication and various other attributes. Royler then turns to Dave and Dave says "i almost forgot i have one more black belt to award he paused for a second his eyes looking up and down the room and said "Eddie Kone " i was stunned for a few seconds and walked over to where they were standing, Royler takes of my  brown belt and ties the black belt around me shakes my hand, hugs me and says" well done good job you deserve this " dave does the same and says well done bro you earned it" the rest was a blurr......

After the promotions me and oz headed to new york and partied hard, i don't remember much just that we ended up in hooters bar, a few Irish bars where people were chanting "were not that drunk"over and over,  times square, fifth avenue, and various other places.

Having spent the past few days in new jersey training , hanging out, catching up with Friends both new and old  and just trying to refocus on myself find a little peace of mind and figure out where i will be heading and what i will be doing for the rest of the year both in BJJ and in my personal life this was the icing on the cake, so where do i go from here, ? what do i do now, ?

 let me tell you.....

This is just the begining my bjj starts here, if i can be half the people /teachers/ inspiration's  royler and david are and can inspire teach and carry on the gracie legacy through bjj i have one regret,

that i only have one life to do it in......

Thanks to all who have supported and stuck through both the good, bad ,hard, and easy times with me, RGDA UK , RGDA ROMANIA  you are and will always be special we are not a team we are family  .... 

i haven't achieved much in my life, but i dedicate this achievement to the person i miss most everyday in my life, the person who told me to never give up on my dreams ( my grandmother) this is for you (sometimes dreams do come true , thank you ). 

To everyone else, see you on the mats .

E.K

Dont you wish you had something like this at your academy

if only ......................

IMPORTANCE OF THE BASICS.....

When starting bjj a lot of people come into my academy look around, take a class then there mind starts to wonder ,how long will it take me to be proficient ? how long will it take for me to get my next belt?  these are questions often asked by people who have very little or no knowledge of bjj, and they are surprised when white belts answer " hey i been a white belt for 1 and a half years. It seems that a lot of people come to the academy with hopes of earning a black belt in 3 years .

one of the most common mistake,s i have noticed is new students try to progress quickly from one technique to the other trying to learn everything but being proficient at nothing, this is not a good way to learn in my opinion, because if you learn a technique only to  rush it you acquire 50% of that technique then when you try to apply it in a situation you can only apply 25% of it , what use is this technique ?. The way i found which works in my academy is all the techniques taught on that day link together ,  and i will show the defence to that particular technique , then we drill the hell out of those technique,s with q and a,s at the end. To reinforce what we have learned that day when we spar we start in that position and try work our way around it.

I have found this a great way to learn and maintain the basics.

the moral of this blog

( master the basics )

Select Techniques to finish an opponent

This is by far not an easy task. 

To outsmart your opponent ,think a few moves ahead and snare him in a position where he has no option but to tap or sleep.

but how do we achieve this?. Sure when practicing a technique with a willing partner we can do this over and over but when we have a resisting partner it becomes a little harder.

what i found over the years of training is this .

It comes down to  timing , reaction , anticipation and the ability to execute move,s in combination,s .

Example. one of the basic combinations taught at most schools is armlock , omoplata , triangle, back to armlock, This combination in my opinion is one of the best to learn at white belt stage and maintain it throughout the ranks each time drilled you will find this embeding in your muscle memory , drill this with different body types and levels then try apply it when sparring .

One question and answer session i saw with royler gave me a great understanding of this basic concept, a brown belt asks royler "how often should i practice the basic armlock " royler replies "i been a black belt for over 20 years and i still practice it daily " summed it up for me.......

Hope this makes sense.

E.K

NEW YORK NEW YORK

This weekend i head out to the big apple, not to take in the sites but to meet up and catch the vibe with my friends down at the RGDA headquaters in new jersey.

It will be one of those occassions that could not be missed to train and hang out with both Royler Gracie and David Adiv heads of the association.

It is intresting times at the moment due to the fact the RGDA is spreading throughout england and into europe, the past year i have worked so hard towards establishing a a solid foundation for the RGDA here and across europe and now it really is starting to grow at a rapid rate with invites to establish 3 more RGDA schools in europe hopefully this year.

i am complemented quit often on how our academy is run, from the teaching and technical aspect through to the freindly atmosphere and egoless people that train there. for me it is allways a pleasure to drive to the academy teach train and hang out with the guys and girls and spread the knowledge which has been past to me over the past years.

I know every day i am blessed to have a great many students in my school who marvel at the techniques that are shown to them with the same look on there face that i have when i am taught something by Royler, David , or Royce . it is the most amazing feeling in the world to be able to pass this knowledge on and be trusted to do so .........

EK