Eric and Alberto get their first strip

Here is a picture (form left to right) Eric, Myself, my instructor Kevin, and Alberto. These are kids I mentor for an Albuquerque Ministry called Juntos ("together"). It is a Christian based program that reaches out to the La Mesa, Trumbull area or what many Albuquerquens refer to as the "War Zone". I have been doing this ministry for over a year and a half. These kids we reach out to are considered at risk kids, for the area which they live in leads Albuquerque in the percentage of violent crimes, domestic violence, prostitution, and poverty levels. Aside from the once a week gatherings we have with the kids in which we have singing, a bible lesson and activities, the volunteers are encouraged to be active in relationships with the kids outside of the program, to foster a mentor type relationships with them. What better avenue can you have to teach kids discipline, respect, confidence and self-assurance than BJJ? My instructor has been so generous in offering free lessons to these kids as long as they show commitment, stay away from drugs, violence, and do good in school. I pick them up every Saturday before I go to class, and together we learn the art that I have grown to love, and I hope they will grow to love it as well, for I believe it would only have a positive effect on their lives. I am very impressed on how well they have been progressing, and the hard work and commitment they have shown thus far. This is a picture of all of us the day the both of them got their first stripe.

Submission Highlight Reel

Another HL reel I made for my school. Hope you like it! The song is by Ceza a Turkish rapper. The song is called Holocaust. I have no clue what the song is about, but it has a pretty hardcore feel that I believe fits the spirit of the video.

The Holler Brothers

The above is footage of four brothers that attend my gym. I made this highlight reel in tribute to them and our gym. These Kids are truly amazing, and I am envious of them in a lot of ways. First, the great technique and instinct they posses blows my mind. There technique I attribute to the great instruction they receive from our professor William Carpenter, and I get to take part of that as well (Look at Good techniques executed on very handsome man ;-) below to see what I am talking about). William is a great teacher who cares about every committed student in his school and definitely has a gift in breaking down minute details to help the BJJ practitioner know every angle of the technique. I will comment more on this in another post. Secondly, they have parents that are committed to their education in the art and work together to bring them regularly. Thirdly, they are starting at such a young ripe age. I can only imagine where I would be if I started at their age. That, however, would have been an impossibility of course, for BJJ had yet to be introduced to the states when I was their age. The only people lucky enough to start at their age were the Gracies themselves and other Brazilians that they influenced. They are the new generation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in America. I dread the day they turn into adults, and mop the floor with me in our gym. No, not really, I actually look forward to it in that they stick with it, and beat up the old man I will then be. Keep up the good work guys!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Diet

I have lost 20 pounds, and I have never felt more healthy in my life.

My diet: Go to the Dojo 4 days a week-this is key. It was because of BJJ training that I shed all the weight even while eating like crap. It was the below food diet that helped me cut my weight an extra five-eight pounds I believe. I know, however, that if I followed my food diet more stringently without cheating, and cut beer completely out of my diet, I could probably lose and extra five-eight pounds allowing me to compete in a lower weight class. My next tournament that will be my goal.

Simple Food Diet:
Cutting out sugar completely from my diet. Watching my Saturated fat intake (fried foods, butter, cheeses etc.) I try to stay away from these foods, but I don't completely. I treat myself at least one time a week...OK sometimes more.

Training in Canada

While visiting Canada for 10 days I wanted to keep up my training regimen for my competition in late September. I was fortunate enough to have trained with Omar Salvosa at Salvosa BJJ Ascension Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in Scarborough, Ontario. It was an interesting experience to train at another school. ( I will talk more about the experience in another entry). Salvosa is a Black Belt under Master Marcus Soares, 7th Degree Black Belt of the Carlson Gracie Team, and he was one of the coolest people I have met. He had passion for the art and his students. I admired his style for as you can see he is shorter and light, so he is very fast and agile which has probably helped him beat many larger opponents in his BJJ career. I had the opportunity to grapple with him on a couple of occasions, and I made the mistake of blinking while we grappled. I blinked and when I opened my eyes I was armbared. He was quick and alway 3-4 moves ahead of me. It was a great experience.

Coming to terms with tapping out

"Even if I get tapped out I feel like I learn something and get some knowledge out of it. I feel it's okay to lose to my opponent. I feel it's not okay to lose to myself." I appreciate that comment ashkii. I have been wanting to add an entry on getting tapped. I have never had any problem tapping to others who have been in the game longer than I, but I have struggled tapping to those who are equal in rank or have been doing it for a shorter period of time than I have. I need to look at it as a learning experience rather than looking at it as losing to myself. When it occurs I see their progression, and I commend them for it, but then I ask myself, "Why are they progressing, and you are not? Am I not training hard enough?" I need to check my ego at the door, as one of my school motto's say. I realize how much you can learn when you intentionally put yourself in vulnerable positions; however, the psychological power of constantly beating someone at my level or greater is a very powerful force for my motivation. I see it as a pretty good measurement of my progression. (Maybe I need to develop a new measuring tool. If there is another that anyone knows of please comment to this entry and let me know.) I need to work on this, and look at it as learning experience as you see it ashkii. I acknowledge that there are racial barriers that exist in the world but don't exist in my world, or my dojo, but I haven't gotten past the superiority complex I have over those who have been training as long as I, or have been training for a shorter period than myself. I guess everyone is my equal no matter what their sex, color or creed are, and also if they have been there 10 years or 10 days. I need to realize this. I personally believe it takes a competitive personality to excel in Jiu-Jitsu, but I find that personality of mine getting in the way of me progressing in the art as I should.