The New iCompete.Org
January 31, 2009
Rafael Lovato Jr. attempts to set up the omoplata in the 2007 BJJ Mundials against Luiz “Big Mac” Theodoro.
For some time I have held that the very best place on the internet to find information about Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling competitions was on iCompete.org. The founder of iCompete.org, Chris Shorrock is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in Vancouver and created icompete in 2006 as a side project from his normal programming duties, not knowing it would become so popular.
In the years since iCompete’s introduction, he and I have kept in touch on and off. Chris’ responsibilities at home and office have grown, and he is now understandably unable to maintain iCompete.
I asked Chris if I might take over the domain, and he agreed, knowing that the site has become a reference for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community online. So, here’s the deal:
While iCompete is no longer running on the same software that it did originally, icompete.org will still announce all the upcoming BJJ and grappling tournaments out there! I will update it whenever I hear of a new BJJ or grappling event anywhere in the world. The best way for you to keep up with everything that’s posted there is to sign up for the site’s news to be delivered to your email inbox or by way of its RSS feed. (And yes, it even has its own Twitter account).
Many thanks to Chris Shorrock for his efforts with iCompete, and we wish him all the best in the future. In the meantime, if you know of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu or grappling tournament, please add it to the site!
BJJ Poll: Do You Compete in BJJ or Submission Grappling Tournaments?
January 31, 2009
While I think it is safe to say that most Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies encourage students to compete in tournaments, I do not think many academies actually force anyone to compete, or make it a real requirement for belt promotions. So in the end the decision to compete is left up to the individual student.
Competition certainly helps one improve in jiu-jitsu, but it also requires more time and dedication to training if you want to do it right. There is also probably a higher risk of injury when you compete, and the performance anxiety is just too much for some people too.
In any case, some folks love competing in BJJ and/or submission grappling tourneys. Some participate once in a while, and others just don’t care at all for the competitions.
What about you? Do you make a habit of competing? Or do you leave that to the other folks at the academy? Leave comments below!
Resources to Fight MRSA and Staph Infections Among Grapplers
January 30, 2009
As The Mighty 600,000 knows, one of my pet projects is to help get the word out about MRSA, a potentially deadly form of staph infection that is common among Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling competitors. In a recent poll on our site, 25% of respondents said they personally have had either MRSA or another staph infection on their skin. That is very alarming!
The good news is that stopping MRSA is pretty straightforward if we all do a few simple things:
- Shower thoroughly immediately after training
- Wash your gi, rashguard, shorts, etc immediately after training
- Clean the mats, grappling dummies, etc immediately after training
I recently shared the results of our MRSA poll with Jeff Hageman of the United States Centers for Disease Control. (If you’re a long time listener to The FightWorks Podcast, you know that Jeff was one of the very first guests we ever had!) When he saw the poll, he wrote back with some resources that can help Brazilian jiu-jitsu school and academy owners to spread the word about preventing staph among their students.
This site has a ton of great posters in varying styles that you can hang around the gym (especially the locker room!). I strongly encourage you to print some of these posters out to hang at your school.
Secondly, a recent video aimed at high school wrestlers was produced in conjunction with the National Wrestlers Coaches Association that does a great job explaining ways to prevent MRSA and other skin infections, as well as how to identify them. Hey even Dan Gable speaks in the video! Of course you want to watch it!
Go forth! Tap your opponents! And STAY CLEAN!
Helio Gracie Has Passed Away
January 29, 2009
Helio Gracie, second from the right, in December 2008.
According to both GracieMag and Tatame, Helio Gracie passed away last night at the age of 95. Helio Gracie’s last public appearance was at a belt promotion ceremony for red and black belts in December of 2008.
Without the efforts of Helio Gracie, Brazilian jiu-jitsu would surely not be what it is today. Very few of us would be training Brazilian jiu-jitsu were it not for his works. On behalf of The FightWorks Podcast and The Mighty 600,000, I offer our most sincere condolences to the Gracie family.
If you have any thoughts on the life of Helio Gracie that you would like to share, leave us a message at 877-247-4662 and we will include it in Sunday’s show. You can also leave a comment below.
UPDATE 5:06 PM PACIFIC: According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, the hospital stated Helio Gracie’s condition originally suggested pneumonia. Leukemia was discovered, although the article stops short of stating that leukemia was the GrandMaster’s cause of death. The funeral will be held at 5pm this coming Thursday in Petrópolis Municipal Cemetery.
Tournament Review Tuesday: The Good Fight: Dog Fight in Dover
January 27, 2009
From Michael Withrow, of Team Viper (A John Garfield Affiliate School)
A few days ago I was choked, my arm was nearly bent to the point of breaking, and I was thrown onto the ground repeatedly as I battled tirelessly with 6 or 7 people with only 4 or 5 minutes to prove who was the better man. It was just another typical Saturday .
I competed in “The Good Fight: Dog Fight in Dover“ Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament this past Saturday. The Good Fight is a growing BJJ tournament circuit that offers both professional and amateur fights for children, teens and adults. I enjoyed watching the pro fight with Seph Smith (50/50 BJJ) and Dave Bass (Alliance) battling it out on Friday as well as others like Pablo Popovitch (Team Popovitch). The amateur fight was held in the same area with four mats running simultaneously with different weight classes. Over 250 competitors showed up for the event Saturday.
The staff was very friendly and professional and everything stayed on schedule for the most part. The majority of matches started on time and I don’t think that anything was much further than 15-20 minutes behind schedule.
Competitors that pre-registered received a cool t-shirt and medals were given out to first, second and third places. The medals were custom-made for the event and are pretty nice. I also would add that there were brackets for brackets for beginner, intermediate, and advanced and the weight classes were pretty fairly matched at 140-149, 150-159, 160-169, 170-179, 180-189, 190+.
The atmosphere at the event was one of fun and good sportsmanship. I made new friends on the mat and learned where I can improve my game. I felt that the match-ups were even and there were a lot of great fights. I noticed a few questionable calls on points in a few matches but all in all, I think the event was well very ran. Our team did well and we had a great time. I look forward to competing more in this circuit.
This is the sixth in our new column, Tournament Review Tuesdays, where FightWorks Podcast listeners submit reports about Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling competitions that happened the weekend prior. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of The FightWorks Podcast. – Caleb
Tournament Review Tuesday: Copa Nova
January 27, 2009
Review #1, from Jeremy Lafreniere, of Capital Jiu-Jitsu
The Copa Nova Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships, held at the new Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Virginia, turned out to be a medium sized “local” tournament with big teams and big names present. Competitors from Lloyd Irvin, Yamasaki, Capital Jiu-Jitsu, Fightworks, 50/50, Caique, Gustavo Machado, Vanguard, De La Riva, Revolution BJJ and many more teams made it to the Saturday event. Names of coaches and competitors included Gustavo Machado, Lloyd Irvin, David Jacobs, Doug Esposito, Ryan Hall, Tony Passos, Andrew Correa and Toney Waldecker.
The day started off very well, with Andrew Correa providing an informative rules meeting, and the action beginning promptly. Though the mat space was tight, the expert staffing made the experience very smooth. Also, there was plenty of room to walk around, warm-up and watch as the competitors did what they came to do.
At the end of the kids’, women’s and No-Gi matches, the staff cleaned and disinfected the mats – a very nice touch! Also, there was NO unnecessary mat traffic. In general competitors and coaches seemed more friendly and respectful than usual – but that might have had something to do with the fact that most attending didn’t need to drive far, the space wasn’t at all crowded and it was all done in less than a day (the tournament was completed by 6:00pm).
Stand-out competitors include Melissa Lopes from Capital Jiu-Jitsu and Tim Koren from 50/50. Melissa, the lightest women’s competitor at 119.6, won intermediate No-Gi, women’s blue belt (120 – 134.9) and women’s blue belt absolute. Tim Koren won the advanced lightweight and purple belt lightweight divisions. Looking at them both, it is clear that they have much to look forward to in the world of competitive grappling.
Review #2, from Kenny Savercool, of Team Balance/Fifty50
Having attended nearly every Copa Nova tournament since Fightworks began putting on the event (had to sit one out due to knee surgery), I have had the pleasure of watching the event grow and mature into what it had become yesterday… and that was one of the finest run local events this area has seen since US Grappling nearly a year ago. The following is an overview of Copa Nova from beginning to end, highlighting the pluses and minuses for the competitors.
Upon arrival, I was greeted with table workers at two stations. One area for filling out registration forms and another for recording competitor divisions and weights. Although I only noticed one scale, I didn’t even have to wait in line. The whole registration process was quick and efficient thankfully. The price was more than fair I felt. In a world of rising tournament prices, I paid $75 for as many divisions as I wanted. For those that compete in open weight or masters divisions in addition to their weight class or adult divisions, this saves a ton of cash.
The rules meeting covered all the normal stuff. Scoring for positions, illegal techniques etc. The tournament for the most part followed CBJJ rules. There were some grumblings from competitors about certain rules. For example, when going for a straight foot lock, the outside foot was not only banned from crossing the hip to the reap the knee, but rather it was not allowed to be placed on the hip whatsoever. This included advanced divisions in which twisting knee locks were in fact legal. I found that contradiction in the rules somewhat strange. Also any form of neck crank was made illegal even for Advanced divisions. Here are my favorite quotes from head ref Andrew Correa during the rules meeting:
“You do knee on belly like this what do you get? 2 points? NO! A business card with the name of my gym so you can learn how to do knee on belly correctly.” (In reference to proper knee on belly scoring)
“That’s not a submission, that is pressure. If you can’t take the pressure, you tap. I like red, you like blue, so tap.” (In reference to a competitor asking if a body triangle was a legal submission)
The referee’s and Andrew Correa’s organization of the event were by far the highlight to me. The reffing was extremely consistent in accordance with the rules of the event and I can count the number of poor calls on one hand. Or two fingers to be exact. As head ref, Andrew was constantly moving around the mats observing his refs and jumping in when need to be tell coaches to move back off the mats, or call competitors to their mat as a division started. There was very little downtime between brackets. What I found most noteworthy about Correa’s crew was that one two occasions throughout the day they halted matches to wash down the mats with anti bacterial in order to further prevent any skin diseases from being transmitted. The whole process of washing and drying took only minutes and hardly disrupted the event.
Another highlight of the event that was out of Fightworks and Correa’s control was the high level of talent at the event. In the past, the Copa Nova has been conflicting with Yamasaki’s in house tournament, and not had a strong showing from Lloyd Irvin students. At this event, twice as many competitors showed up as ever before and every division was extremely tough. Some of the best locals from every association came out and some of the matches were real wars, especially the purple belt division as a whole. Brendan Raedy and Roberto Torralbas had one of the most exciting matches of the day in their advanced no gi division, which Torralbas won by advantage in overtime.
Another thing that impressed me was the way a teammate of mine was treated by the staff. Having paid to enter three divisions, he was injured in a freak shoulder popping out of place accident in his first match. Unable to continue, he asked the staff if it was possible for a teammate that was only competing in one division to step in for him for the remainder of the events that he could no longer compete in. They had no problem with this and quickly filled in the stand in’s name on the brackets. I grew up in the punk rock scene, with a strong DIY work ethic. And as such I carry about a mentality that when putting a show, you treat the band right and do whatever you can for them. When you support the scene in which you participate in, they will support you back. This is how small communities continue to thrive. I was really happy to see the staff of this event value the competitors experience at the Copa Nova over money, when I know for a fact that at some of the bigger tournaments they would have laughed him off just for asking.
The only real complaint from the event that seemed to come from the fighters was the division of the weight classes. With such a large turnout, the weight classes seemed inappropriately condensed. They went up by 15lbs at a time, with the lowest being 149.9 and below. One competitor who weighed in at a natural 129lbs was wrestling against an opponent that weighed in at 149.9lbs but cut from 160lbs to get there. With the large turnout I would say it is time to bring back the 139.9 and below division that has been present in past Copa Nova’s and possibly change the weight divisions to increase by 10lbs at a time rather than 15. The promotion gets bigger with every event and there should be more than enough fighters to fill out the brackets.
Reading back over the review I almost hate to submit it having sung so many praises. But Fightworks and crew more than deserve it, as this event proves you can cater to the competitors while still running a successful tournament by being organized, having an efficient staff and working for the interest of the competitors. (After all, without the competitors, the event dies) I am looking forward to competing in future events and watching as the Copa Nova takes over as the top Washington DC local tournament.
This is the fifth in our new column, Tournament Review Tuesdays, where FightWorks Podcast listeners submit reports about Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling competitions that happened the weekend prior. – Caleb
#150 Russell Redenbaugh, Danny Ives
January 25, 2009
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Danny Ives.
Have you ever felt like there was something you could not do? Something that you could not achieve? If so you should listen to our feature interview on this week’s episode of our Brazilian jiu-jitsu internet radio show, when we sit down with Russell Redenbaugh. Redenbaugh began training jiu-jitsu when he was fifty. Now, thirteen years later, he is a BJJ brown belt! Did I mention that Redenbaugh is completely blind? Or that he only has five fingers total?
Redenbaugh has trained with Brazilian jiu-jitsu icons like Saulo Ribeiro, Jean Jacques Machado, and others. He has even won medals at the 2004 and 2005 International Masters BJJ World Championships! If you have ever wanted a story to inspire you to overcome, whether on or off the mats, this episode is for you.
FightWorks Podcast contributor Dan “Micro” Faggella will also sit down with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Danny Ives, an established competitor on the east coast Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene. Ives has been training BJJ for over a decade and has a long streak of victories in NAGA and other grappling competitions, and will give his opinions on the differences in the level of BJJ in the different regions of the United States.
Don’t forget our FightWorks Podcast gi patch photo contest! You could win a copy of the new movie Renzo Gracie: Legacy!
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show
Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Competition Confusion
January 24, 2009
Just a heads up. Most people think of the no-gi submission grappling championship when you hear ADCC’s. That is a correct association, but the folks back in the United Arab Emirates who originated the famous no-gi ADCCs are now putting together a competition in the gi too called the World Professional Jiu Jitsu Cup.
The first USA trials are going to be held in Florida and are called the Abu Dhabi Pro World Trials. (It will be held on Feb 28, 2009 in Florida and is being put together by the gang behind nafafighters.com, which includes Helio “Soneca” and Renato Tavares.)
Here in the United States there has been confusion about the no-gi ADCC trials that were postponed until May. Many have understandably confused the no-gi competition with this new one for gi competition. However the trials for the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup will still indeed be taking place in Melbourne, Florida on February 28th. Competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners here in the USA would be wise to enter the trials in Florida because if they win, they will have a chance to compete in the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup, where gold medalists will win $7,000.
Here’s a quick rundown of the schedule for the global trials for the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup:
- Oceana-Australia Trials: February 8, Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre
- United States Trials: February 28, Melbourne, Florida
- Japanese Trials: March 1, Omiya Budokan, Saitama
- European Trials: March 7 and 8, Barcelona, Spain
- Canadian Trials: March 7, Montreal
- South American Trials: March 14 and 15, Porto Alegre Brazil
- FINALS: MAY 1 AND 2, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Carlao Santos is providing all the official details on the World Professional Jiu Jitsu Cup here.
BJJ Poll: How Do You Care for Your Jiu-Jitsu Gi?
January 24, 2009
Some people are very particular about the way they care for their Brazilian jiu-jitsu gis. After all they are our uniform when doing jiu-jitsu, and most are not inexpensive, so you can’t blame someone for being careful about how they take care of their gi.
I have heard two schools of thought about drying a gi after it has been washed. Some people do not put their gi in the dryer, saying that the heat and wear and tear that a gi is exposed to will shorten the lifespan of the gi. Others prefer the convenience of having a gi dried quickly so that they can use it sooner.
What about you? Do you prefer to air dry your gi or put it in the dryer? Leave comments below!
New Gi Patch Photo Contest
January 20, 2009
Yes, that is my leg. (pre-injury)
As announced in episode #149 of our humble Brazilian jiu-jitsu internet radio show, we are trying to gather photos of FightWorks Podcast gi patches in the wild out there, on your gis! Cohost Dan came up with the idea to have a contest where the person who sends in the photo we like the best will receive a copy of the movie Renzo Gracie Legacy, which was released in late 2008 and has been very well received among the jiu-jitsu community. (To hear more about the movie, check out our interview with the producer and cameraman Gethin Aldous.)
Admittedly, the criteria for what we like best is not very well defined. And we should also say that there is a good chance we end up using whatever photo you send us down the line somewhere. But heck, it’s a fun little contest and I think others would like to see the photos too. There are no guidelines that say the photos must come from competition action, or whatever. Whatever you think is best.
THE IMPORTANT STUFF:
- The deadline for your entries is February 25th.
- You can email them to me at the email address caleb AT (this website) DOT com!
- Please include your name, belt color, and where you train!
- Multiple entries are okay.
- If you train jiu-jitsu at the original FightWorks school in Northern Virginia or where I train here in San Diego, you can’t participate. Sorry, it’d be too easy for folks to say we just gave you the prize because we train with you. (That doesn’t mean we don’t want to see your photos
)
Can’t wait to see your shots!
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