Black Belt Magazine's Review of the Master Text!

Na Teia do Aranha

The Education of Fighters

If I wanted to be an English teacher, I would learn the majority of my fundamentals at the Elementary and High School levels. Once I had completed this level of education, I would continue on to the college level where I would learn the art of teaching. If I wanted to be a journalist, I would take different courses than a student who desired to become a teacher. Many members of the Jiu-jitsu community do not understand that this concept of education also applies to their art. There are three different types of Black Belts: students (which we all must be), fighters, and instructors. A student of the art may achieve the level of Black Belt with or without winning tournaments or teaching classes in time. There are many great teachers of the art who have not won any large tournaments and even more who just train as students in Brazil who have not competed very much. The second type of Jiu-jitsu black belt is the fighter, and all too often the fighter is confused with the teacher (the teacher, being the third type of black belt as I will describe soon). Sometimes a fighter who has not been educated in the art of teaching will open an academy and try to teach Jiu-jitsu. (Note: I'm not saying that all fighters are bad teachers, there are plenty who can both teach and fight very well.) Therefore, he will try to mold his students in his own image, forcing them to compete. This happens all too often and is a large reason for the misconception that all Black Belts are (or must be) sport champions of the art. The third type of Black Belt is the teacher; this is a student of the art that has been educated and certified by a master instructor. You see, if you were to be certified in my analogy as an English teacher, it would have to be a professor (master instructor) who would give you your degree. The problem grows as fighters who are not qualified to teach open academies and make black belts who are not taught to teach that open more academies. Once in a while a good fighter is a good teacher and vice versa, but we must all first be students. Of course, in order to be a good teacher, you must do your work in the field by competing (as a college professor must do to achieve his PHD) so that you can relate to your students, but it is not your main focus, in fact, most instructors operate academies full time and therefore cannot devote enough attention to the escalated level of physical training required for competition. This happens to many fighters who do both and cannot continue to compete due to lack of financial sponsorship, illustrated by Royler Gracie's withdrawal from the World Championships. So don't get me wrong; I think a good teacher should have the experience of a fighter to some extent just as a college student must do field work to obtain a PHD. The problem is seen the other way around as well when a fighter is too busy training or traveling to compete to be with his students at his academy. In some cases, fighters who teach will be very reserved about disclosing the finer points of each technique and revealing all that they know. The reason for this is because fighters are of a competitive nature and must preserve their "edge" in order to be the best. Some fighters feel that by teaching all that they know, they will create extra competition for themselves and as a result, will usually only teach everything to a select few.

Another problem begins to arise when, as Mario Sperry said in a recent interview, is that some fighters receive Black Belts based solely on sport Jiu-jitsu tournament wins. Because a person is a champion of sport Jiu-jitsu doesn't mean he is a well-rounded Martial Artist. I have trained with Brazilian Instructors on a regular basis without doing more than a few classes in which sparring started from the feet and even fewer where the lesson had anything to do with a self-defense (outside of sport-rules) situation. Yet, I was able to progress in rank based on sport- tournament performance. Sport is important, especially at a beginner level because it teaches us the art of positional dominance and gives us a way to practice safely, yet realistically. However, going six months to a year without training standing or self-defense movements is ridiculous. Because I had a Black Belt in traditional Jiu-jitsu and a few years of striking, I understood the problem with this and made the appropriate adjustments at my academy. We train at least one day per week at NYMAG without the gi for Vale Tudo (No Holds Barred) and self-defense situations. We spend a second day focusing on standing techniques (takedowns) that I have learned from Judo, traditional Jiu-jitsu and wrestling (I also have the benefit of having two wrestling coaches as students and assistant instructors). Although sport practice (whether in the gym or at a tournament) is important to the growth and development of new technique, if balanced practice is not applied to a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu academy's curriculum, the art will suffer.

I have chosen to follow in both of my parent's footsteps and become an educator, it is in my blood. I first began as a student (which I will always be), then began to fight in order to test my technique (in both sport and Vale Tudo matches) and now I am perusing a career as an educator. Because I wish to become the best instructor I can be, I must seek education from Master instructors who have been trained to teach jiu-jitsu properly. Once again, save the hate mail as I say this, but a Master instructor of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is very hard to find. Actually, I feel that teaching is a good profession to get into because there are so few Jiu-jitsu instructors. There are many master-level fighters, but very few who possess the ability to teach what they do professionally; this point is illustrated at hundreds of Jiu-jitsu academy websites where the first credentials of an instructor are his tournament wins (fight record), but nothing is mentioned of his success as a teacher. Of course, the success of the academy's students in tournaments may be an indicator of sorts as to the head instructor's ability to teach, but this is usually not listed as prominently as the instructor's fight record, which has very little to do with his ability to teach. This is a sign that a majority of the Jiu-jitsu community has been misinformed and is lacking a complete picture of the entire martial art that is Jiu-jitsu. (Note: I said majority, not EVERYONE, so before you send hate mail, think about why that made you angry.)

Overall, the most important thing to remember is that you are happy at your school and that you know your personal goals. Develop a good relationship with your instructor, fellow classmates, and have a good time. There is no one school of Jiu-jitsu that is for everyone and each student is practicing for their own personal reasons.

Have Fun!
ARANHA

Aranha to Host a "Thank You" Seminar at NYMAG

Aranha will be holding a Seminar at NYMAG in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Saturday, July 13th for $10! He will be assisted by Shannon Logan (Pan Am Champion and Renzo Gracie Purple Belt). The seminar will be broken in 3 parts: Sport Jiu-jitsu techniques with the Kimono from the standing, top (pass the guard) and bottom (guard) positions. Vale Tudo Techniques will make up the second portion and the third section will allow students to have their technical questions answered by Aranha. The next day, he will be available for private lessons.

"I want to thank everyone who has supported my website, book, and Jiu-jitsu career in general … without these people, I might be nothing!" - Aranha

Space is limited to 50 persons, so if you would like to attend, please email your name, phone number and address to Aranha at aranha@jiu-jitsu.net Remember to bring your copy of The Master Text!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar

Guest Instructor Gustavo Machado

Date - July 27, 2002
Time - 11am to 3pm
Seminar fee - $80.00 per person
Place - Family Martial Arts Center
        206 Manhattan St.
        Ameriucs, GA  31907

Contact -  Ken Hudson
        phone # 229-931-0006
        cell # 229-938-9921

Gustavo Machado’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy is located in Virginia Beach Virginia. Gustavo is the most senior and unchallenged Black Belt in the state of Virginia. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the hottest martial art being practiced to date, and Gustavo is the most knowledgeable professor in the state of Virginia. He is expanding and will be teaching here in Georgia several times a year. Do not miss this chance to train with this instructor.

Read his January 2002 interview on this web site.

Minnesota Combat Sports

June 7th and 8th - Dedicated to taking fighting sports to a higher level.

June 7th at the Wade Stadium Horton's gym will be bringing us some of the top boxer and kick boxers as well as several headliner No Holds Barred Extreme fighting. This show will be chock full of action. So full in fact that one date could not hold all the action. So the very next day at Horton's Gym in Duluth we will be seeing submission grappling, Shoot Wrestling as well as more Mixed Martial Arts action. Plus a seminar given that morning.

First the Battle at the Wade. Wade stadium, one of Duluth's best outdoor venues will be rocking. The fight card is full. You do not want to miss these fights.

On Saturday at 11AM Horton's gym will host a true Mixed Martial Arts seminar including Boxing, Punching Power from Chuck Horton, Brazilian Jujitsu from Machado Student Bill Plum, Leg Locks and Catch Wrestling from Mike Reilly. Seminar is free for competitors either Friday night or Saturday afternoon. The Seminar will last roughly 2 hours.

Then at 3PM there will a Submission Grappling - NHB show. Expect 400 or more fans for this show. There are a few fight slots open for that show.

Chuck Horton has proved himself to be a promoter here who is really going that extra mile for fighters and fans. Come and support these outstanding events.

For ticket information, Seminar info, to become a sponsor or looking for information about the best training gym in the Northland contact Chuck Horton (218) 727-2583 or visit http://hortonsgym.com

Interested in Competing please contact Mike Reilly (612) 715-3147 or e-mail (preferred) Mike Reilly

Lots of rumblings in the MMA community recently. It's a good thing guys like John McCain are busy trying to get campaign finance reform bills pushed through Congress or they'd see all the blood on the water. And guess what? It doesn't even belong to Fred Ettish! We're in trouble guys and gals. Here we thought we were making a big turn for the better with the Zuffa acquisition of the UFC and the quality matchmaking coming of Japan's Pride when all of a sudden a bunch of psychopaths in California decide to throw a monkey wrench into the works.

For anyone not in the know, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of what happened: Ultimate Athlete. It's an NHB event that's had a few shows. The latest was at the Morongo Events Center over in the Golden State. Everything's hunky-dorey until crowd favorite Rick Slaton hits his Russian opponent Leo Pavlushkin in the unmentionables. The ref stops the contest, checks out Pavlushkin and admonishes Slaton. The crowd gets a little restless about the whole thing and decides to start throwing everything short of shurikens into the ring. Fights break out, spread, and next thing you know, it's a full scale riot. I'd get into more detail, but I wasn't there and there's already an excellent account at FighterGirls.com This was back in March so you may have heard of it, but I recommend you read the article anyway. It'll make what happened last week seem highly implausible.

So, Frank Shamrock, incensed like most dedicated fans, decided to start a campaign to get something done in this sport. Frank proposed on a few major MMA news outlets to start a Mixed Martial Arts regulatory and sanctioning body. This would be not unlike the WBA, IBF, or WBC in boxing. Frank says he's actually been approached by several athletic commissions and people interested in seeing our sport preserved. And here's the best news: He's looking for volunteers! So, if you have anything to contribute, find his email address and write to him. I suspect it's available at FrankShamrockUSA.com.

No one should think that this effort will necessarily be successful considering the many different competing MMA shows out there. If there were a uniform regulatory committee on par with the NFL, NBA, or MLB, it would quickly develop into splinters like boxing did with it's three main organizations and subsequent followers. I don't really think Tedd Williams, Dana White, and John Lewis are going to be sitting down at any tables to talk about unifying their organizations anytime soon, but a neutral non-affiliated party such as Frank might be able to create something that would represent everyone fairly. Zuffa's the big head at the table, so preventing them from wanting too big a piece of the negotiating pie will be difficult. Nonetheless, I have faith and I've already signed on for this non-profit venture. I'll keep you posted on what happens.

In fact, one thing I can tell you now is that California of all states just approved MMA. Seeing as how almost everyone important in the MMA game has a base in CA, it only makes sense that this would become a reality, but don't get ready to buy your UFC tickets at the Staples Center just yet kids. Who knows what rules CA will want to impose on us. It's my understanding that they are willing to go with the Nevada/New Jersey rules, but I don't think everything's been finalized with the athletic commission yet. My understanding is that it was just legislatively passed. Still, it's a victory we should be savoring. One bright light in this weary MMA world.

The jerk of the year award goes to Josh "baby faced a$$-wipe" Barnett who's given the UFC a black eye that's going to take a few days with the old icepack to heal. Barnett, in case you haven't heard, tested positive for steroid use after his UFC Heavyweight title victory over Randy Couture. Zuffa hasn't quite decided whether or not to strip him of his title. Chances are they will because the athletic commission is none to happy about this development. There's talk of his heading to Japan to fight for Pride, but even that's dicey as Pride wants to have a show in Vegas sometime soon. Can't have damaged goods in your stable if you wanna ride at the big race. My guess is that Barnett is about to join the ranks of Dan Severn and Becki Levi, who negotiated with Travis Fulton several months ago to throw a fight so "the beast" could keep his rep. Any show who offers him bucks to brawl is going to be looked down upon and even then he'll probably only get a meager payday. My only question is how does Barnett still have those love handles if he's using all these steroids?

Ken Shamrock is heading back to pro wrestling, where the paydays are more certain and the danger is not as high. I guess having Don Frye mounted atop him raining punches down made Ken review his career path. But in a dream match possibility, Zuffa is trying to bring Ken to the table to fight Tito Ortiz. I guess Ken's trying to get all his old scores settled before his body finally decides to quit on him. I actually think it's commendable, if a little ill timed. Hopefully, we won't see any of the Tito/Vitor nonsense that just made you want to give up on MMA forever. Vitor actually had the nerve to have his mother give a press statement for him! And he got kicked off that TV show immediately. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, post a thread on the forum. I'm sure someone will enlighten you.

Finally, I bought Renzo and Royler's book. These two guys are probably the best in the world at their weight when it comes to grappling. Their technical knowledge and teaching ability is second to few if not none. So, with all that in mind, I have to tell you…buy The Master Text. No bias involved. The book is not as bad as Inside the Lion's Den was, but it's nothing special. It's got slick, glossy pages and some insightful tips on the finer points of technique…but buy The Master Text. Trust me. That's all for now, loyal readers. Next month, I bring gifts. Info you can get anywhere, but you may be too lazy to look for. Cheers til' then. And as ever, keep on rollin'…

Diami J. Virgilio
June, 2002
kneeblock@yahoo.com

Thursday, June 13, 2002
7:00PM - 9:00PM
Extreme Martial Arts & Fitness Academy
1200 Callowhill Street, Suite 104
Philadelphia, PA  19123
215-829-0674
Brad Daddis  
Extreme Martial Arts & Fitness Academy 

Saturday, June 15, 2002
10:30AM - 12:30PM
Modern Combat Academy
810 West Main Street
Lansdale, PA  19446
267-476-1858
Rosendo Diaz
Modern Combat Academy 

On Saturday May 18th, 2002, Jacare taught his first seminar at Professor Luis "Sucuri" Togno's jiu-jitsu academy located at 1607-G Montford Dr, Charlotte NC. Sucuri's academy is an affiliate of the Alliance team and though the academy is relatively new to the Charlotte area, Sucuri is definitely not a new comer to the jiu-jitsu scene. He is a 2nd degree black belt, and has trained in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for more than 19 years. He lived on and off in Brazil where he trained at the Carlson Gracie Academy in Copacabana. Teaching through out the state of North Carolina he finally settled in Charlotte NC where he joined with Jacare and Team Alliance to help bring the best instruction available to the Carolinas. Sucuri and his partner Paulino "Mushu" Elsimani are the only black belt instructors located in South Carolina and North Carolina. And his reputation is spreading fast, as he has devoted students that drive more than 6 hours one way to train with him at the Sucuri Jiu-Jitsu academy.

This first seminar was a grand success with over 30 participants attending from several states. It was great to see Jacare and Sucuri working together to show exciting techniques and some of the newest variations of the older moves. Jiu-jitsu is constantly evolving and changing and both Jacare and Sucuri put great effort into their training and skills to make sure that they stay on the leading edge and keep up with the "latest and greatest" moves coming from Brazil so that they can keep their students at the top of their game.

The seminar started off with a mild 15 minute warm up consisting of stretching and movement drills to get everyone warmed up and stretched out and ready for the training. After the short warm up it was straight to more than three solid hours of awesome techniques. Jacare carefully planned the seminar so that the techniques built on the previous ones which made it very easy to remember what we learned. He also showed many variations of the techniques so that in a real grappling situation when your opponent is not "cooperating" with you, as they NEVER do, you know how to adjust or move, or flow so that the technique can actually be applied effectively. Basically so that you can COUNTER his COUNTER.

After the technique portion of the seminar, everyone paired up for some practice time. Everyone enjoyed the time allowed to free grapple and try to apply the things they had just learned. This time on the mat also gave Jacare and Sucuri time to evaluate certain students that they felt should be promoted. Congratulations to all of those students that received a stripe on their belt (one stripe: Bobby, Paul and Russell) and to the two new blue belts. (Snake and Allen)

Everyone that attended the seminar came away with a lot of new skills and techniques and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. I heard many comments about the quality of the techniques and the organized way the seminar was run. In a world where so many instructors are "secretive" about their skills or "hide" techniques - it is refreshing to work with two extremely talented jiu-jitsu practitioners that are willing to share everything they know. I found Jacare (on the right) and Sucuri (on the left) extremely personable, helpful and both really are devoted to building a successful partnership to provide quality jiu-jitsu instruction to their students. If you missed this seminar - you don't want to miss the next ones.