Gene "Aranha" Simco Interview

July 2001.
Interview by D. Brush.

When and where did you start your martial arts training?

When I was 9 years old, my mother enrolled me in Karate classes to help with some problems I was having in school. I was a hyperactive kid and was making a lot of trouble. After that, I took a break when I was in high school to concentrate on music, but started again after I graduated.

What types of arts did you study?

I studied Jeet Kune Do for two years to compliment my grappling, Judo and Classical Jiu-jitsu were the main things I was working on when I came back to Martial arts. I also wrestled and did some boxing.

What other arts to you have belts in?

The Classical Jiu-jitsu school I attended was also an Aikijitsu school, I have a black belt from there.

Why have you decided to stick with BJJ?

I prefer the Brazilian style of Jiu-jitsu over Judo or Traditional Jiu-jitsu, I think it's more effective.

Who are some of the BJJ black belts you have trained with?

Renzo Gracie, Joe Moreira, Alan Goes, Marcio Simas, Edson Carvalho, and Nilton Ferreira in Brazil. I've also trained with Sean Alvarez, he's brown, but he's very good. There are some other guys for sure, but those are the one's who stand out.

Do you feel that BJJ is a "superior" art?

Yes - The techniques of Jiu-jitsu are superior if you get the right guy to drive them.

Does your school focus on sport or NHB?

We do some Vale Tudo training, but mostly for self-defense. I have boxers at my school that we work with and I also have a broad martial arts background, so we mix it up a lot. Fernando concentrates more on sport in his classes, I like to do sport, and Jiu-jitsu for self defense, but primarily sport.

Why primarily sport?

Sport Jiu-jitsu teaches the importance of positions by placing a point value on them. It is safe and attracts more people to the art. There are very few people who want to get hit in the face every day. Everyone is a tough guy on the Internet and talking, but when I get a guy on the phone that wants to do NHB, comes to class once and sees that NHB is rough, he never shows up again. I think people must believe it comes easy. NHB is very hard; I also think that for the art of Jiu-jitsu, we have a responsibility to send our best students to represent the art. I like to see a fighter develop a technical ground game and get it to be second nature, training with the gi (sport) makes you very technical, then get a brown or black belt, then think about NHB. Some people just like the glory of it, they are in it for themselves, but as a teacher and professional, I have a responsibility to the quality of the art for the future. Less people want to do NHB; sport is more popular for recreation, so it is good for the growth of my school.

Do you compete?

Yes, I have won some, lost some like everyone else. I started Jiu-jitsu on the east coast of the US where I live and when I started, there weren't very many tournaments. I can remember traveling to California just to get a variety of good training (I got my blue belt while I was there from Joe Moreira). By the time I was purple belt, there were hardly any divisions for people my level. I competed when I first got to purple at Florida State and once recently. I am known for my teaching, my students do really well in tournaments. I like to use my guard, so it is very hard for me to fight under time limits.

How do you feel about how competitions are run?

Some are good and some are bad. The tournaments that are run by BJJ federations with a lot of experienced Black Belts are better. Some of the local guys are cheap and they don't get good refs. I hate when I fight and the ref knows less than I do. Some people are making submission grappling tournaments and get too big for their britches - they don't realize that sport jiu-jitsu was invented by people with a lot more experience than them and try to make all these weird new rules that don't make sense. I have tons of video footage of my students being robbed of victories at tournaments due to poor reffing. This is probably normal in any sport, but I think we have a long way to go in the US, everyone is in it for the quick buck, so the quality suffers.

Will you compete on a world level?

I will be competing in Brazil next year. Like I said, the thing I don't like about sport are the time limits - I am not a part of Helio or Royce Gracie's team, but it is one point I kind of agree with them on, some of the rules and points make it hard to see whom the best fighter really is. I started practicing Jiu-jitsu before there were any tournaments around me to compete in - I trained all the way to purple belt with very little BJJ tournament experience, it was all challenge matches then (Vale Tudo) with no rules, vs. any style, not sport. As far as sport is concerned, I've never been tapped out in any tournament, but I've been beaten by 2 points and it irritates me because I usually feel the other guy got his points and then stalled the game. I am just practicing like everyone else and I keep trying, we'll see. I read an interview once with JJ Machado and he said that he doesn't feel like he won unless he taps the guy, he doesn't play for points and that's what Jiu-jitsu is all about.

Why did you decide to author the BJJ Student Handbook?

I'm not trying to personally offend anyone, but the books out there are terrible. The best one besides mine is the Fighter's Notebook - that book is really great, but in my opinion, the Jiu-jitsu is not as technical as it could be - maybe that's because it's not a Jiu-jitsu book. I've trained with the guys who wrote it and they are great people and good fighters, but the book hasn't been updated and some of the Jiu-jitsu is a little weak now; they were blue belts in Jiu-jitsu when they wrote it - you can be good on the mat, but that doesn't make you a good teacher. It isn't a book of Jiu-jitsu either, there's no extensive gi stuff in there, training without the gi at all takes out a part of the game that makes Jiu-jitsu what it is. My book was made to meet the demand for a real Jiu-jitsu book. I also have my teachers in my second and first book to show that it has been approved by black belts. Now that I have done that twice, and have a much higher rank, I have written the Master Text on my own with the blessing of the Jiu-jitsu community.

Has it been successful?

Very. I've sold it in over 50 countries and all 50 US states.

Are you working on another book now?

Yes - The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Master Text - Complete (or version 3). It will have all new photos. I want to make the photos better and make a few adjustments. It's going to be a little more expensive, but much bigger (more techniques) and if you buy the version that's out now( version 2), I'll give you a discount on the next one.

How many books will you produce?

I'm going to keep making my book better until it is perfect … nothing is ever perfect, so I guess I'll be busy.

Your team has been very successful in tournaments, what do you see in the way that the school is run that attributes to there success?

We're not step-skippers. We teach everyone the basics properly, we train with the gi and most important, we NEVER hold anything back. I have taught visitors from other academies, blue belts that have been very happy because I'm showing them things they haven't seen before - to me it's basic stuff, but a lot of teachers hold stuff back, I don't know why. I'm also their friend - I'm very close to my students, so there is a lot of loyalty and love, I take a lot of time to understand and support them.

What impact has BJJ had in the martial arts community?

It's incredible. I speak as someone who did Martial Arts in the U.S. before the UFC and it changed everything I thought I knew about fighting.

Do you think BJJ will become a saturated market like many of the other traditional martial arts?

Sometimes I think we will have the same fate as Judo. Remember, Judo was all the rage in the 1960's. The first Black Belt Magazine is a Judo issue. I'm not sure, but time will tell.

What makes BJJ so unique when compared to other martial arts?

It's complete. A good BJJ school, my school (laughs) does everything - stand up, self defense, Vale Tudo and sport. This gives everyone an outlet. Self Defense for the street, Vale Tudo to fight other martial arts and sport to give us a safe way to realistically practice the techniques everyday and refine them so the art keeps growing progressively. The techniques of some 'traditional' arts have never grown or developed, but Jiu-jitsu does, every day.

In the past ten years, we have seen BJJ become a highly recognized sport with mixed martial arts competitions and the early dominance of the Gracie family, where do you see BJJ ten years from now?

I hope it grows. We have to be strict with the belts, which will separate us from some of the karate and tae kwon do schools and retain the integrity of the art. It is important to be strong under the pressure of money - the glory fighters will come and go - you can't be the champion forever. We have to concentrate on making Jiu-jitsu fun for regular people and helping the sport grow.

Are there any other BJJ black belts you would like to train with?

Rickson. I've never trained with Rickson Gracie. I'd like to train with any black belt who can show me something.

Do you train in Brazil ever?

Yes, In Bahia.

How is training in Brazil different then America?

The guys there weren't trying to kill me each time I rolled. Here, some guys try to use too much strength. Maybe we don't have enough black belts yet to set a good example.

Do you think the Gracies will continue to have the dominance in the sport that they have enjoyed for the eighty years?