Marcelo vs Ricco Rodriguez

Here's a classic David vs. Goliath match everyone needs to see. Marcelo Garcia faces a giant Ricco Rodriguez in the ADCC absolute division. It is a fairly long match but worth the watch. Part 2 is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNzA4RdZnh0

CrossFit WOD:

Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

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OOPS!

Dave ripped his shorts the other day doing Murph!

CrossFit WOD:

Seven rounds for time of:
185 pound Front squat, 3 reps
7 L-pull-ups

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MMA Grappling

This is probably the coolest grappling I've ever seen in an MMA fight. A LOT of nice submission attempts, but these guys are ridiculously flexible and keep escaping. I don't even know who these guys are but it's a very fun match to watch!

CrossFit WOD:

Five rounds for time of:
40 Double-unders
30 Box jumps, 24 inch box
20 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood

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Jason got his blue belt yesterday!

Please congratulate Jason Cook on passing his blue belt exam with Mr. Harris yesterday! He did very well on his exam and got smashed by Mr. Harris at the end for over 10 mins! Jason has been putting a lot of work in the gym, competes consistently and also helps with the kids class. We are very proud of him!

CrossFit WOD:

Thruster 3-3-3-3-3-3-3

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Roy Harris Seminar

Mr. Harris did mount control seminar at our academy today! A ton of great info and details on mount positioning and finishing the choke. For those of you that didn't make it, YOU MISSED OUT(as if u didn't feel bad already)! It was an honor to have him here, hopefully he will be back soon!

CrossFit WOD:

30 Muscle-ups for time

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If you cannot do the muscle-ups do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips.

Robson Moura

For all you smaller guys, check out Robson Moura. He is a 7x BJJ World Champion at light featherweight! He won his first championship in 98 and his most recent in 07. Amazing staying power! Robson also has a lot of matches and highlights online if you have some time to look around.

CrossFit WOD:

Snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

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Meet Alexander Karelin!

The greatest Greco Roman wrestler of all time. Nuff said!

CrossFit WOD: Rest Day

Women's Self-Defense

Women's Self-Defense Workshop

This past Sunday, we hosted our first free Women's Self-Defense Workshop. Jim instructed the class and it was a great success! We thank everyone who came out to participate, and hope you can make it out to one. Our next scheduled class is March 28 and is currently full, but we will be scheduling future dates.

CrossFit WOD:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Chest-to-bar pull-up
Box jump, 30 inch box
GHD sit-up

Excerpt from "Choke"

Here's some old footage of Rickson Gracie in his movie "Choke". Rickson is preparing for an MMA fight and shows some of his Yoga and Ginastica Natural training. It is very interesting to see how a living legend like Rickson trains and hear his philosophies!

CrossFit WOD:

Three rounds for time of:
275 pound Deadlift, 10 reps
50 Double-unders

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Tomoe Nage

Tomoe Nage is a great throw for BJJ. If it fails you can always just sit to guard. This throw is also commonly used as a sweep from open guard. Check out this highlight video of Judoka using Tomoe Nage to throw for ippon!

CrossFit WOD:

For time:
Row 1K
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 50 reps
Row 750m
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 35 reps
Row 500m
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 20 reps

These are one-arm squat snatches, alternating arms.

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Inspiring Speech

Here's some Friday morning inspiration to get you through the weekend. Great speech combined with some memorable BJJ highlights.

CrossFit WOD:

With a continuously running clock, do one pull-up and one handstand push-up the first minute, two pull-ups and two handstand push-ups the second minute, three pull-ups and three handstand push-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able. When you cannot complete the required number of reps for either exercise, continue only with the other as long as you are able.

Use as many sets in any order each minute as needed.

Post number of minutes successfully completed for each exercise to comments. Their sum is your score.

Grappling X Team Champions

This afternoon we got word that we won first place as a team at Grappling X (at their largest event to date)! Congratulations to everyone! Remember this is a team sport, you're only going to improve with good training partners. Keep up the excellent work everyone!

CrossFit WOD:

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

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Jacare

Here's a cool highlight video of Ronaldo "Jacare", a multiple time world champion and an Abu Dhabi champion. Jacare is a excellent example of an athlete with good technique combined with AMAZING speed, power and explosiveness. All his submission attempts are at 100mph! While he is not someone I would fully model my game after, he is very entertaining to watch. Unfortunately he is no longer competing in BJJ and has been focusing on MMA for the past couple years.

CrossFit WOD:

"Murph"

For time:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

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Kron Gracie vs Phillipe Della Monica

This match took place in Arizona last weekend. Pay attention to Kron's deep half guard passing game. He stays calm and tight, then finds an opportunity to pass to mount. Also check out his arm and head positioning while hes trying to pass.

CrossFit WOD: Rest day

Grappling X

Excellent showing at Grappling X yesterday! We took home a lot of hardware: 16 Golds, 6 Silvers, 4 Bronze. Our no gi games need some fine tuning but everyone looked great with the gi on! We're very proud of all our competitors and would like to thank everyone for coming to support and coach.

CrossFit WOD:

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
15 Back extensions
15 Knees to elbows
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps

Post rounds and fractions of rounds completed to comments.

Mario Reis vs Wilson Reis 2007 Worlds

Here's a nice match with two excellent black belts, Mario Reis and Wilson Reis. Some great movement to start the match and also strong omo plata attacks by Mario(due partially to very flexible knees). Watch the full video for an awesome finish!

CrossFit WOD:

Weighted pull-ups 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Post loads and body weight to comments.

Play to win

This clip is an excellent scene from Searching for Bobby Fischer. The movie is about chess, but the concept of this clip carries over to all sports. Playing to submit and win is what makes Jiu Jitsu exciting. Many times it's much better to go down swinging and taking some risks rather than just letting things pass you by and staying safe. All of my favorite BJJ guys go for the finish, they don't just sit around and wait for time to expire! Think about what kind of tactics you use in your matches!

CrossFit WOD: Rest Day!

Shoulder clip to armlock

This week we are working on clipping the shoulder from closed guard. A lot of times your opponent will try to avoid the triangle and armbar by touching his ear, and try not to over commit his arm. Here is a good way to finish your opponent or force them into a triangle!

CrossFit WOD:

Three rounds for time of:

30 Double-unders
25 L-pull-ups
50 pound dumbbells Squat clean, 20 reps

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Naga Vegas trip!

Last weekend we had 10 guys compete at Naga Las Vegas. The competition was tough and some of the rules were a bit strange so we ended up with a total of 5 medals. Not our best effort by a long shot, but we had a lot of fun and some of the guys gained invaluable experience! This picture was from the best part of the trip, the Rio Buffet! Special thanks to Rafa, Jon Lee and Jay for driving us out!

CrossFit WOD:

Ten rounds for time of:
135 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
15 push-ups

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Tai Otoshi

Another great wrestling class in the books! Today we looked at a great throw for both gi and no gi, Tai Otoshi. Here is the Tai Otoshi in action with the gi on. Enjoy!

CrossFit WOD:

Five rounds for time of:
15 foot L-rope climb, 1 ascent
5 Parallette handstand push-ups
10 Overhead one-legged squats, 45 pound barbell

For the rope climb, begin seated on the ground. For the handstand push-ups, the ears should dip below hand level. For the one-legged squats, alternate legs.

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Nice triangle setup

This week we will be covering more closed guard, focusing on posture breaking and the basic triangle. We will also be continuing to work on our armlock combinations! Sometimes it can be hard to hit triangles when your opponent knows they're coming so they have to be used in combination. Here is a good triangle setup from the kimura by Mike Swick.

CrossFit WOD: Rest Day!

Important message from Lloyd Irvin

Hey guys please watch this video, very important message!

CrossFit WOD:

21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift
135 pound Overhead squat

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Cory vs. Jon

Nice 3 min match between Cory and Jon, both of these guys are really picking up their games! They have some nice transitions here but there is still some work to be done solidifying techniques and positioning. Cory and Jon are both WAY above the level I was at at white belt knowledge and skill-wise. It's awesome to see EVERYONE'S progress within the last few months! Keep up the great work guys!

CrossFit WOD: Rest Day!

Tonya practicing her kip!

Hey guys, here is Tonya doing a kipping pull up first try ever! She does have an athletic background so I wasn't surprised. Now shes in process of doing dips for 100% of her pull ups! Awesome job Tonya. Also check out Tonya's non profit organization http://www.sweetheartsforsoldiers.org. It's for the troops!

CrossFit WOD:

Shoulder Press 3-3-3-3-3-3-3

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Terere

If you're brand new to Jiu Jitsu, you may have never heard of Fernando Terere Augusto. Terere was one of the most electrifying and exciting athletes in BJJ and has won the World Championships at every belt level. Check out his matches with Marcelo Garcia and Roger Gracie on youtube too!

CrossFit WOD:

8 rounds of:
Run 400 meters
Rest 90 seconds

Post total time to comments not including 8th rest.

Team Stronghold at the Kids Pan!

On Saturday we went up to Carson to watch Renzo, Cyric, Justice and Hunter compete at the first Kids Pan Jiu Jitsu Championships. This is the first time the IBJJF has hosted a kids event! Anyway the kids did awesome, Hunter took third in his division and Renzo, Cyric and Justice took first! Please congratulate the kids when you see them. Here is a link to their matches: http://www.facebook.com/thestrongholdsd?v=app_2392950137

CrossFit WOD:

"War Frank"

Three rounds for time of:
25 Muscle-ups
100 Squats
35 GHD situps

Post time to comments.