BJJ BEAUROCRATS BERIMBOLO BAN AND OTHER IBJJF RULES BANTER.

The berimbau is a Capoeira single-string percussion instrument and these are real t-shirt you can buy, grappler.  Go figure.

Grapplers, here's another great article for you from my teammate and fellow black belt, Daniel Rodriguez aka Da Rod aka Akume.  Daniel is a talented coach and a Pan American Gold Medalist.  He's contributed to DSTRYR/SG a number of times, recently by doing Jiu Jitsu at.13,000 feet (i.e., while skydiving) and in a write-up last week about Non-Gracie BJJ lineage.  He also has, hands down, the most magnificent beard in all of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 

I asked Daniel what he thought about the very recent IBJJF rule affecting the berimbolo/DLR hook.  Here's what he had to say:

Lately, there has been quite the controversy on the latest rule to affect tournaments - an underhook to the shin while performing the De La Riva/berimbolo. In sports, rules are constantly being modified and changed for different reasons. It wasn't too long along that a rule was instituted that if you looked at a ref wrong in the NBA, you got a technical foul. It's a sport, these things happen and, in IBJJF's case, their reasoning is that the underhook creates pressure on the knee that can potentially injure competitors. Personally, I don't get it because Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a sport in which the submission is the ultimate goal. ALL SUBMISSIONS CAN POTENTIALLY INJURE COMPETITORS. I can see the interest in protecting the athlete at brown belt and below, but at black belt adult, I believe anything should be game. On the flip side, though, when the heel hook was eliminated --> the 50/50 was born so maybe this restriction with give birth to a new guards and techniques. Who knows.

But while we're on the list of adding rules here's a few that should be added to the list:

• No more gentleman's agreements.  This is a tournament not rock, paper, scissors. I don't care if you're from the same team --> there can only be one gold medalist and you don't train to be second. If you don't wanna fight someone you should be DQ'd.
• No more team trophies.  Jiu Jitsu is not a team sport. Yes, you train with teammates, but if this is going to the Olympics, realize that it's broken up into countries and not Gracie Barra, Humaita, Atos.  If the IBJJF's goals is to get this to the Olympics, then it needs to start being organized accordingly.

That aside, what we need to realize is that there's a bigger problem. I've scoured several forums and people are always saying, "quit bitching and do something about it," but the IBJJF has no transparency in the system. I very recently became a recognized IBJJF black belt which required me to fork over $60 bucks for a referee course, $90 dollars for a first aid course, and finally $400 dollars to become registered. Now I'm a part of the organization, where is there a rules committee? The board of directors? Where's my vote? Where's my ability to participate on issues and topics that affect the organization? So far the only thing this registration has given me is the ability to send students to tournaments under my name and stripe recognition for my black belt degrees as I receive them. Going to the website reveals a FAQ page that's been empty for years and a few emails in which to contact the org. There's not even a list of people who work in this organization! Personally, I think the organization needs to confer with it's members, especially it's black belts, about these rules and issues in general that affect it's members. Their tournaments are super organized, now its time to clean house.

WATCH ROBERTO SATOSHI SOUZA v. MICHAEL LANGHI AT 2012 IBJJF EUROS!

Every grappler knows one of the big stories of the 2012 Euros was Roberto Satoshi Souza's huge victories over  Michael Langhi and JT Torres to claim gold in the lightweight division.  Satoshi one last year, but this year he did by taking out two of the world's best in the division.  Is he a contender for the Worlds?  Maybe.

Side note:  We need to slightly knock Satoshi for his flashy hairdo, but not that much.  He shreds.

Check out Satoshi versus Langhi. Go.  

WATCH BERNARDO FARIA v. RODOLFO VIEIRA IN 2012 IBJJF EURO ABSOLUTE FINAL!

Grapplers, check it.  These are the big boys doing their big boy thing.  Let's not waste time talking and instead simply witness the some world class BJJ.

Super special thanks to our brother, Miguel for filming this.  Excellent work as always.

WATCH STUART COOPER'S "BRAULIO ESTIMA: THE EVOLUTION OF BJJ."

I'm about to make a broad, sweeping statement about society.  But, I think you will all agree with me when I say we tend to give athletes too much credit.  Many do amazing things in their respective sports, but, at the same time, are giant douchebag toolboxes (case in point, Floyd Mayweather Jr.).  And, that's OK.  We shouldn't expect them to be great at everything.  After all, they're just people like us ... only they have exceptional timing, flexibility, stamina, dexterity, muscle tone, fauhawks and six-packs (I could go on).  I'm not jealous or anything.  No.

All that is true, and I'm sure you agree with me, grapplers.  But, Braulio Estima seems to defy all my jealous stereotypes of athletes.  He really is a phenomenal Jiu Jitsu athlete and an overall pretty stand-up, humble and cool guy.  Check him out being that swell guy while maintaining the best and most famous inverted triangle in the business. 

Oh, and thanks Stuart Cooper Films, for another beautifully shot and produced documentary. 

2012 EUROS ARE DONE. CHECK OUT THE BLACK BELT RESULTS.

Check out the results for Black Belt males at this past weekends 2012 IBJJ European Jiu Jitsu Championships. 

No huge surprise - Rodolfo Vieira won gold in Heavyweight and Open Class (beating his rival, and one of DSTRYR/SG's favorites, Bernardo Faria, who took gold  at Super Heavy)  . 

One big note: phenom and recent black belt, Roberto Satoshi got passed both Micahel Langhi and JT Torres to claim lightweight gold.  Huge.  Let's see what he does at Worlds.

BLACK BELT ADULT

ROOSTER

FIRST

Koji Shibamoto

Tri-Force

SECOND

Masaaki Todokoro

Paraestra

THIRD

Gabriel Rosberg

Checkmat BJJ

THIRD

Jordy Jean Peute

Gracie Barra

LIGHT FEATHER

FIRST

Carlos Vieira Holanda

Checkmat BJJ

SECOND

Leandro Martins da Silva

Checkmat BJJ

THIRD

Yuchiro Mizuarai

X-Treme Jiu-Jitsu

THIRD

Francielio da Costa

Alliance

FEATHER

FIRST

Bruno Frazatto

Atos JJ

SECOND

David Lemes

Atos JJ

THIRD

Maxmiliano Campos

Checkmat BJJ

THIRD

Denilson Pimenta

GF Team

LIGHT

FIRST

Roberto Souza

BULL-TERRIER BON-SAI

SECOND

Jonathan Torres

Lloyd Irvin M.A Academy

THIRD

Michael Langhi

Alliance

THIRD

Eduardo Ramos

Atos JJ

MIDDLE

FIRST

Victor Estima

Gracie Barra

SECOND

Alan Nascimento

Checkmat BJJ

THIRD

Clark Gracie

Carley Gracie Academy

THIRD

Gabriel Goulart

Alliance

MEDIUM HEAVY

FIRST

Rodrigo Fajardo

Gracie Barra

SECOND

Nivaldo Lima

Checkmat BJJ

THIRD

Igor de Castro

Academia Caveirinha

THIRD

Marcos Yoshio

BULL-TERRIER BON-SAI

HEAVY

FIRST

Rodolfo Vieira Srour

GF Team

SECOND

Roberto de Alencar

Gracie Barra

THIRD

Paulo Tarcisio

Checkmat BJJ

THIRD

Rafael Lovato

Ribeiro JJ

SUPER HEAVY

FIRST

Bernardo Faria

Alliance

SECOND

Lucio Rodrigues

Team Lagarto

THIRD

Leonardo Nogueira

Alliance

THIRD

Eder Lima

Gracie Barra

ULTRA HEAVY

FIRST

Alexandre Trans

Checkmat BJJ

SECOND

Thiago Gaia

Nova União

THIRD

Thiago Borges

Cia Paulista

THIRD

Andre Campos

Gracie Barra

OPEN CLASS

FIRST

Rodolfo Vieira Srour

GF Team

SECOND

Bernardo Faria

Alliance

THIRD

Lucio Rodrigues

Team Lagarto

THIRD

Rafael Lovato

Ribeiro JJ

YOUR AÇAÍ BOWL RUNNETH OVER. DSTRYR/SG T-SHIRTS ARE HERE!!!

Picture this, if you will, grappler.  You, loafing on your futon at home (i.e., your parent's house).  You're lonely and out of shape.  You fantasize about training, but lack the discipline to make it to the academy.  Instead, you spend your days re-living the glory days when you almost had a serviceable armbar and even claimed fourth place in a small, inter-academy tournament. 

When you look at the framed photo of you and Rickson at the Pan Ams adorning your credenza, you turn away in shame.  Your açaí bowl is empty.

You have no DSTRYR/SG t-shirts.  It’s sad.  Really sad.

Now, picture this.  You, in your mother f*@ken prime.  Yeah.  You’re not lonely, because you have a very attractive female companion by your side and she’s giving you that “come hither look.”  But, you don’t have time for that right now, because you’re too busy mentally downloading inverted guard techniques from YouTube in preparation for today’s training session.  You’re doing all that while chugging some kind of kale-based, "Gracie Diet" authorized smoothie. 

You are a champion and you’re wearing your DSTRYR/SG t-shirt proudly.  It doesn’t make you look buff.  You are buff.  But, it does make you look handsome.  Your açaí bowl runneth over.

DSTRYR/SG SHIRTS ARE HERE.  BUY YOURS TODAY.  AVAILABLE ONLY AT MMAOUTLET.COM.

WATCH KRON GRACIE TALKING GJJ ORIGINS, BREATHING, LEVERAGE AND LEGACY.

I don't know Kron Gracie.  His academy is not far from ours, and although I came close to facing him in a tournament a few years back, we've never met.  But, here's my opinion on the young Gracie:  he's got great Jiu Jitsu skills, a great approach to competition and some real wisdom when it comes to BJJ.  DSTRYR/SG approves.

Below is a Q & A with Kron from a recent seminar in Vancouver.  He talks about a lot of things, including his outlook on improvement, his grandfather's approach, breathing and his personal approach the modern BJJ tournament style competition.  He's got some swagger that one could argue is borderline arrogant, but I don't blame him. He's got some big shoes to fill.  Plus, he lays it on the line and competes in all the major tournaments to test his JJ.