East Coast United BJJ and MMA Blog

DRILL!

2012-02-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

As I've already posted, JoJo continued ECU's tradition of excellent seminars by hosting Dustin Denes. While the instruction was great, and I'll be using everything I was taught often, I learned something even more important...

DRILL!

I'll admit that in the past I haven't always been the most diligent student when it comes to drilling new techniques. Even though JoJo emphasized the importance of repetition, I'd often check the clock and decide that I was "done".

However, at the seminar, another "light bulb" clicked - If I want to improve, I need to train like a champion. Now, I take the clock as a challenge. If it says thirty seconds, I try to see how many times I can do a particular technique before the bell sounds.

While trying to increase the number of repetitions is certainly an admirable goal.

JoJo also wants to emphasize that each repetition be done properly. If a student does a technique wrong 100 times, will not help the student improve. Instead the student should strive to do each technique correctly, and then try repeat it as much as possible.

Looking back, I realize that JoJo had been sending this message for a long time I just needed someone else to "clean out my ears".

Dustin Denes Seminar 2/11/2012

2012-02-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

In its brief history, ECU has established a tradition of great seminars.

This past Saturday was no exception as ECU welcomed Dustin "Clean" Denes.

I'll admit I had some worries about this seminar, but I decided to take JoJo's advice and made sure I registered.

I'm glad I did!

Instead of bombarding us with technique after technique, Mr. Denes emphasized that we relentlessly drill everything he taught.

As much as I loved what I was taught, I learned even more about how I have to train if I want to improve in the future.

Thanks to JoJo for arranging another outstanding seminar and to Dustin Denes for opening my eyes.

CHOP CERTIFIED!

Train to Dominate, Train to DESTROY! February 11, 2012

2012-02-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

Since JoJo opened ECU, he has made it a point to host regular seminars. I've loved every single one of them. Now JoJo has upped the ante, and is making ECU "CHOP CERTIFIED".

Yeah, that's right, Dustin Denes will host a seminar at ECU on February 11th.

I could write for hours about Mr. Denes' accomplishments, but I think everyone who reads this would enjoy watching him on YouTube more. So go watch!

As Mr. Denes is a triangle ace, I expressed concerns to JoJo that this might not be a seminar for me, his immediate response was, "Henry, don't miss this seminar."

I hope that I'll see everyone who reads the ECU BJJ and MMA blog on February 11th.

I'm already registered!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlYvGolhml0

22 + 1 Black Belts

2012-01-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

I meant to write this post sooner, but a little thing known as the flu set me back a bit.

This past Saturday, several of my ECU brothers and I traveled to "JOP" (Just Outside of Philadelphia) to attend the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United's Tenth Anniversary celebration/annual team day. Even though I wasn't at my best, I'm still glad I made the trip.

I guess I'll have to digress slightly and give everyone a little back story. This year's team day almost didn't happen. A sprinkler malfunction flooded BJJ United headquarters. For a time, it looked like Saturday's event might have been cancelled, but BJJ United founder Jared Weiner and the rest of his team worked around the clock to get everything ready for the big day.

When things got started, I was shocked to see how many Black Belts were in attendance. My quick count noted 22 Black Belts. WOW! But my first count was quickly proven incorrect. For only the second time in my BJJ career, I had the privilege of witnessing a Black Belt promotion.

Later, we had the opportunity to train with our teammates and in some cases with the Black Belts in attendance. While I personally couldn't take advantage of every opportunity, my friends/training partners had nothing but raves about the day.

Thank you to JoJo, Jared, and the entire ECU/BJJ United family for such a great day.

Finally, even a New Yorker like me has to admit that Philly soft pretzels are outstanding.

Growing Stronger!

2012-01-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about being an ECU student/chronicler is seeing my fellow students make tremendous strides.

BJJ progress isn’t incremental, it’s, as I mentioned in previous post, it’s a matter of when the light goes on. In my case, I’ve felt like my progress has stagnated for a variety of reasons (and sometimes this is reflected in the frequency of my posts), but I’ve learned it isn’t always the case.

It’s not that I’m stagnating, it's more a case of other people’s "light bulbs" lighting up at an astonishing rate.

Tuesday night, I sparred with a new ECU Blue Belt. In the past, I dominated him. We hadn’t rolled in a while, but I still expected more of the same. My eyes were opened! I had to admit that the student I’m talking about had made huge strides. In fact, he did a couple of things that I’m considering adding to my own game.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of who improves when.

JoJo always give us the tools to improve, if we keep training hard and smart, somebody’s next light bulb is just around the corner.

“The Light Bulb”

2011-12-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

As students, it’s often easy to dismiss a technique as, “not for me”. Sometimes, we might feel a move is “too difficult”, or that it doesn’t fit “our” game. However, I’ve found that drilling techniques we don’t like right now will often help our BJJ growth.

A long time ago, JoJo said that not every technique will work out exactly the way he teaches it, but we should still see the opportunities.

While I've had tons of these experiences in my BJJ carereer – so far, two stick out:

The first was when JoJo introduced me to the “Brabo Choke”. I was stuck in the half-guard of a skilled guard player. Suddenly, he moved to a position that resembled position that JoJo had said was ideal for the submission. I went for it, and quickly got the tap;
The second time was just a couple of weeks ago. While I’ve had plenty of instruction from JoJo and Tito Hartz about leg locks in the past. They’ve never really been at the top of my list, but last week JoJo taught us a different variation, and my eyes were opened. While I wasn’t able to do exactly what JoJo taught, the blinders came off and I found myself in a whole new world.

A day later, a group of ECU students and I were talking. Amid the laughing and joking, many of us admitted that our favorite submissions were the result of a similar experience.

Our teachers give us the map to success. It’s up to us to find the right route.

“Jared Weiner Seminar November 19, 2011”

2011-11-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

For the first seminar at ECU’s new location, we, once again had the privilege of Jared Weiner as our guest instructor.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend classes at Jared’s own school http://www.bjjunited.com/index.htm, as well as attend a seminar he’s given at ECU. Even with other options at my disposal, I knew that I didn’t want to miss a Jared Weiner seminar at ECU.

The turnout was HUGE!

Even though Jo-Jo has moved us to a “bigger boat” space was still tight. That said, everyone in the place was eager to learn what Jared had to say.

We started with a slick takedown. I’d never considered turning an arm-drag into a leg-trip before, but I definitely want to add it to my arsenal.

Next, Jared taught us two great ways to pass an open guard. I absolutely loved these techniques. At one point, Jared asked me what the principles of this pass were, my immediate answer was, “MEAN, NASTY, and SLOW!”

Later we learned how to turn side control or “knee on floating rib” techniques into Triangle chokes.

Finally, we worked on De LaRiva/X Guard transitions. There was some really cool stuff there. Jared showed us techniques that looked intimidating at first, but once anyone tried it, could be incorporated into every ECU students’ game.

This might not be my last post about this seminar, as I have several other ideas. I also know several candidates for guest authorship that will do this outstanding seminar justice.

I want to thank JoJo for once again bringing Jared to our school, and thank Jared for running an amazing seminar.

After the seminar there were numerous promotions, but I'll save that for another day.

ECU IS FOR EVERYONE!

2011-11-14T09:32:00.000-08:00

If my five+ years of training with JoJo Guarin have taught me anything, I’ve learned that anyone and everyone can study Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and that if BJJ isn’t your thing, ECU still has plenty to offer.

At ECU there are tall students, small students, women students, fat students, skinny students, strong students, old students, young students; and too many other combinations and variations for me to count.

JoJo welcomes everyone, and has a unique talent for ensuring that every student reaches their maximum potential.

Whether you want grappling, striking, yoga, or simply to get fit, talk to JoJo.

“Mix It Up”

2011-11-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

I know I’ve partially mined this territory recently, but my latest collaboration with Eric Guido encouraged me to re-visit this topic.

As most of my regular readers know, I’m an older student with destroyed knees and various other injuries – 99% percent were pre BJJ.

Looking elsewhere is not always a bad idea as a good instructor in another Art or simply a different training regimen can never hurt.

Many of my training partners, including JoJo, have visited a local cross-fit program run by ECU Purple Belt Dan Stearns. While I’ve heard endless praise of the program, I realize that I’m not the right candidate.

However, JoJo has offered me a KickBoxing program that has let my knees feel better than they have in nearly twenty-five years.

At ECU, there’s also a Yoga program that gives every student the chance to improve their core and/or flexibility.

I love BJJ, but sometimes we have to step outside our comfort zones in order to take the next steps.

Fortunately, I train at an academy where I have plenty of opportunities.

Fundamentals Part II

2011-11-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

This is part two of my study of an ECU Fundamentals Class. Once again, I have to thank ECU Fundamentals Instructor Eric Guido for his insight and help in describing the second half of an ECU Fundamentals class. This time, I’ve used Eric’s ideas, but have put them in my own words:

The second half of an ECU Fundamentals class is devoted to self-defense. ECU Black-Belt Walter Zayas is not only an expert on BJJ self-defense; he also holds belts in many other disciplines.

Over the past few years Walter has trained Eric and others in seamlessly incorporating various styles into ECU’s self-defense program.

The self defense program has definitely increased in intensity over the past few weeks. Let’s face it, very few of us will be UFC fighters, but there is a chance that we may encounter a confrontation in the street.

They also remind students on a regular basis that first and foremost Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art. It is great and amazing that we can train at nearly 100% and test each other on the mats and in tournaments constantly but what good would it be if you are a Brown Belt in BJJ but can't defend yourself against a headlock or someone throwing a punch at you?

Walter goes way beyond that and teaches knife and gun defense as well as simple combat techniques.

Eric is extremely excited about the direction the ECU Fundamentals is taking. It has become a class that everyone can benefit from it.

Most ECU Fundamentals Classes have an equal mix of White-Belts and Veterans. I absolutely LOVE the direction that Eric and JoJo have taken.

Fundamentals Part 1

2011-10-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I stop by for an ECU fundamentals class. Eric Guido always teaches an excellent class. I asked Eric what he and JoJo thought a “Fundamentals” class should entail, and was so happy with the result that I, again, let Eric tell the story with only necessary edit:

Eric…

A while back, Jojo approached me after I was finished teaching the fundamentals class and had said to me "Eric I want you to focus more on basic movements and drills for these guys rather than chaining moves together. This was after he had caught the end of the class and I was showing a body-surfing drill into a gi choke.

While this might seem like a very basic move for me, but Jo-Jo and I had a difference of opinion. I always try to analyze whatever Jojo says about Jiu Jitsu to me for several reasons: 1) he has been my Professor for many years and I have learned a tremendous amount from him and have nothing but the highest respect for him and 2) because of #1, he knows a hell of a lot more than I do when it comes to our art.

During this time period I also noticed something as well, the newer white belts felt very weak to me when we were rolling. This was not because I was on some insane workout program and getting stronger as I got older, it was something else.

I quickly decided that I had only one option - in order to go forward we had to take a giant leap back. I decided that the fundamentals class would be the time to build everyone’s BJJ foundations. It was going to be a time where we would do all of those old-school drills that I did when I first started and really start to develop everyone’s core and functional strength.

My starting point had obviously been knowledge and drills that were passed onto me by my instructors. This would consist of lots of guard drills...lifts, squats, arm bar drills, sit-ups, etc... The one lingering question I had in my mind had been this, if Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is supposed to give the little guy the advantage in a fight, how can I sell that strength is important in our martial art?

Well, my answer came to me in 2 different directions. My first answer came from taking a look at my professor, who is about 160 pounds and the second came from a book, "Drill to Win," by Andre Galvao. Both of them gave me the same answer: FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH. One excerpt from the book sums up the answer I needed to go in the direction I wanted:

"Don't overlook the importance of getting your body in shape, your muscles strong, your ligaments flexible, and your equilibrium stable. I purposefully put strength and balance drills ahead of technical ones so that your body will be ready to perform common jiu-jitsu movements in the following months."

This was surely the major difference between those of us who have been training for a long time and the new guys who have yet to develop that core and functional strength needed to train.

Fast forward a couple of months: Fundamentals class has been completely changed. There is no technique, only drilling. Drills that I’ve learned; Drills that I have taken from Andre Galvao's book; and Some new ones that I have come up with on my own.

Picture this, 4 minutes of circuit drilling starting with in-place drills, down-the-mat and concluding with partner drills, all of which being used to push your body in the right direction it needs to go to get better at jiu-jitsu.

An Rickson Gracie black-belt once told me the single most important drill you can do is the hip escape, and there is no shortage of those being done. Your hips and core are responsible for controlling the fight.

I've noticed guys who could not finish a set of 10 squats while their partner is in their guard, are now banging them out with ease. Guys who could not do 10 gi pull-ups can now do them for a minute straight. When sparring in the later class, I notice the guard posture to be a lot stronger than it was and in only 4 weeks ago.

I notice that my guard has gotten a lot stronger because of drilling with my students.

I look forward to working with all of Eric's student's in the future.

I thank everyone for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog and hope you've all enjoyed Eric's insight.

“An Awesome Opening Night!”

2011-09-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

On September 26, I had the pleasure of attending the ECU mothership’s Grand Re-Opening at our new location on Central Avenue in White Plains, New York. JoJo and various team members worked tirelessly to ensure that JoJo could find a facility that would fit the growing ECU family within a week.

Even with the outstanding new facility, opening night enthusiasm strained our new facility’s limits – but there are plans already in place for the future.

I was extremely happy to see the largest crowd I’ve ever seen at an ECU training session, and I can’t wait to see how many people the new ECU brings into the family.

Moving can sometimes be hard for everyone involved, but this time it seems like JoJo and everyone else at ECU have traded an apartment for a home.

“An Exciting Time!”

2011-09-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

With the original ECU location straining under its rapid growth, JoJo has had his eye out for a larger space. After considering several options, JoJo found an excellent new facility that will fit the new ECU.

From a student’s perspective, the new facility promises more room to train, easy access from virtually anywhere in Westchester County, and great parking. Of course, the instruction and training will remain as great as always.

While I’ve played only a small role in helping to facilitate the move, I was happy to help. I was even happier to see JoJo’s enthusiasm. He’s dove into this project head-first, and has accomplished in a week what would take most people a month.

According to JoJo, “I'm driven to finish The New ECU in Record Time!”

I can’t wait to post about our first night at the new ECU!

“An ‘Accidental’ Instructor”

2011-09-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

ECU Fundamentals Instructor Eric Guido chose BJJ by accident. Following his graduation from St. John’s University, Eric decided he wanted to get into shape. He found a boxing program at a gym in White Plains, NY.

One day, when he came for his typical workout, he found out that the gym had been taken over by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Legend Sean Alvarez. Sean eventually convinced Eric to "TRY" a class. Eric couldn't move the next day. He was sore in places he never knew existed. Sean told Eric, "I understand, BJJ isn’t for everyone..." and Eric promptly paid up-front for a year knowing full well that it was FOR HIM.

Since then, Eric has made a steady rise through the ranks. JoJo quickly recognized that Eric’s analytical mind and dedication to BJJ, made him an excellent choice as an Assistant Instructor at ECU.

Eric’s goals as an instructor are:

· To pass on the valuable lessons that have been passed on to me that help everyone on and off the mat;

· Do my best to pass on our style of Jiu-Jitsu, always thinking WWJJD (What would Jojo do) while encouraging people to find their own style at the same time;

· To always continue learning as much as I can, trying out new techniques, new positions, while always maintaining the "never stop learning" attitude;

· There should never be a move that you say "Is not for me," because of your size, strength or physical limitations; and

· Always keep an open mind and train hard.

“Mr. B-Kim”

2011-09-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

The rapid growth of ECU has required that Jo-Jo find assistant instructors to meet the demand for more and more classes. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to a few of them.

Brian Kim is definitely one of ECU’s prodigies. Barely three years ago, Brian realized that simply training at the gym was boring, and he needed a better challenge – now he’s an ECU Purple Belt and one of Jo-Jo’s Assistant Instructors.

As a former wrestler, Brian decided that grappling might be fun. He found Jo-Jo. Training under Jo-Jo, Brian quickly became an elite competitor.

Brian’s rapid rise includes numerous competition titles, and his current roles as Head Children’s Instructor, and Tuesday/Wednesday Day Instructor at ECU, give Brian plenty to think about.

Brian handles everything “Expertly”. Jo-Jo definitely made the right decision when he named Brian one of his assistant instructors.

“I thought I knew how to Punch”

2011-08-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of visiting my brother and his family. During some downtime, I checked out my brother’s garage/boxing gym. For fun, I hit my brother’s heavy bag a few times.

While I was hitting the bag, I heard a laugh from behind me. It was my four-year-old nephew Curtis. He had moved a lighter bag into his range and went to town on it. “You have to punch like this Uncle Henry.” Curtis told me - and then proceeded to show me.

If a four-year-old tells me I need to work on my striking technique, I’d figured I needed to learn how to strike. Fortunately, ECU has regular striking classes right here in Westchester that are taught by professional MMA fighters. So I said to myself, “What the hell?” And started training striking at ECU.

I thought my years of watching Joey Kocur videos had taught me enough, but I was wrong. Jo-Jo has completely transformed my striking – and that’s after only three classes.

It turns out that I really don’t know how to throw a punch.

JoJo patiently guided me through my first class. Since then, I’ve had to learn both how to strike properly, and be an excellent training partner.

But I’m learning quickly. What I couldn’t do yesterday seems easy today.

Imagine what I do will do in a year?

So, I’d strongly suggest that anyone who has ever thought of trying an ECU striking class get there ASAP.

Another Great Seminar at ECU!

2011-07-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 9, 2011, JoJo hosted yet another outstanding seminar at ECUBJJ. One of the JoJo’s great strengths as a school owner is his ability to recognize the many different ways he can help his students improve. “When we have seminars, I like to bring in people who have different games than mine so everybody can see different things.”

As a student, I definitely appreciate that. In the less than two years that ECU has been open, I’ve had the privilege of attending seminars given by Black Belts such as “Rob G.”, Jared Weiner, and Justin Garcia, as well as Leg-Lock expert Tito Hartz. Every single seminar has shown me a slightly different perspective that I’d like to think has helped me grow my game.

Saturday’s seminar brought a new player to the game – NJ United MMA & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu owner, and head instructor Jay Hayes. Barely eight years into the BJJ game, Jay currently holds the rank of Black Belt, is a multiple-time Pan Am medalist, and a school owner. When JoJo told me about Jay, I knew this was a seminar I didn’t want to miss.

I’m glad I didn’t.

Even though I arrived a little later than I’d hoped (I had to go home to get my no-gi gear), I loved the way Jay linked the techniques he taught and didn’t overload us with too much information.

While I missed Mr. Hayes’ takedown-defense philosophies, the great Josh Kaplan filled me in. Even secondhand, I could see the advantages.

I did make it back in time for Jay’s exploration of the Guillotine Choke. Jay showed tons of details that made the guillotine much more effective for me (and I hope everybody else at the seminar).

Jay’s details gave me the confidence and skills to finish a choke that I haven’t hit for a long time but, finished six times in three rounds of sparring on the day of the seminar.

I’d like to thank JoJo for bringing Jay to ECU, and I definitely want to thank Jay for putting the guillotine back in my arsenal.

As always thanks for reading the ECU BJJ & MMA Blog. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed the seminar.

Submission!

2011-07-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Recently, JoJo has placed a renewed emphasis on submissions. According to JoJo, “We need to work on submitting our opponents.”

To help us accomplish that goal, JoJo has been introducing new drills that emphasize submitting our opponent.

While I’m admittedly only an occasional competitor (and far from elite when I do), I can see the wisdom of this approach.

Tournament matches typically last anywhere from five to ten minutes. Even the most finely conditioned athletes will eventually tire after four or five matches that go the distance. A quick submission will give the competitor time to rest physically, and mentally prepare for their next opponent.

The second huge advantage is even more evident. In grappling competitions, submissions immediately end the match. Whether you are leading on points, or down significantly, if you earn a submission YOU WIN!

Finally, earning a submission victory lets a competitor win without leaving the match in the hands of referees/judges. As JoJo says, “You can’t fight the ref.”

Words

2011-06-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

While I’ve touched on relations of this topic before, my experiences during Monday’s day class reminded me that I’ve been slacking in my studies, and that an instructor can help his or her students in some simple ways.

Kim is one of ECU’s newest warrior women. After JoJo showed a slick take-down to submission, Kim asked JoJo what the techniques were called. JoJo named the techniques and Kim said that it would help her remember them better.

For the Student:

Write down what you’ve learned after every class. Taking notes/pictures might even help during class. Just don’t post anything on YouTube without your instructor’s permission. :)

For the Teacher:

Try to give every technique/drill a name. It makes it easier for us students to remember. ECU Brown-Belt, and No-Gi instructor Jordan Lutsky dubbed an inverted-guard drill, “The Under the Legs Twirly Drill” – guess the name that’s burned into my mind? I’ve become quite good at that drill.

Before I hit class tomorrow, I’m going to buy myself a brand-new notebook, and make sure that I’m taking notes from now on.

“A Deep Breath”

2011-06-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

First, and foremost I’d like to apologize for the delay between posts. However, I feel that the delay fits perfectly with this topic.

For the past few months, I’ve often talked about how intense the training has been at ECU. That training paid off!

Numerous ECU students medaled in competitions large and small. Those who didn’t compete learned what it meant to train like a champion.

Now that we’re in a lull between competitions, JoJo has wisely decided to throttle down the intensity so that all ECU students can heal and get stronger.

As JoJo likes to say after our typically intense warm-ups, “Take a deep breath and get some water.”

I’d like to think that this month JoJo is giving ECU a collective chance to take that breath and work on what we need to improve.

JoJo: “Intense training all the time can burn everyone out so we have to tone it down and repair our beaten up bodies. That way, we’ll all be ready for the next season of hard training.”

Go With the Flow!

2011-05-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I attended an ECU day class. ECU Fundamentals instructor Eric Guido ran a great class.

Later Eric and I did a first-round of sparring. As two similar-weight Purple Belts it’s natural that we’d both resort to our standard games. When I talked about it later with JoJo, he said, “So you and Eric ended up hugging each other for six minutes”.

I sheepishly admitted that JoJo’s evaluation was pretty much the case. However, a round later, I suggested to Eric that we follow JoJo’s advice and have a “non-competitive” round.

So we did.

Eric and I hit submissions, but didn’t finish them. Sweeps we could have fought, we let happen. At the end, Eric and I opened up our games so much that most people watching us didn’t think Eric and I were capable of so much movement.

I want to thank JoJo for putting the idea in my head, and Eric for making the round so much fun.

Sometimes, the way to advance isn’t trying to dominate every opponent. Sometimes, we all need to put our egos aside and just have some fun.

Every Hurt is a Lesson

2011-05-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

I don’t know how many readers of this blog watch the excellent new HBO show “Game of Thrones”, but I recommend it to everyone.

The reason I mention “Game of Thrones” is that it perfectly fits something that JoJo said the other night.

JoJo: “Who cares if you get tapped out in class? Class is when you try new things. You find out what works for you, and what you need to work on."

A couple of days later, I watched an episode of “Game of Thrones”, when Eddard Stark saw his daughter standing precariously on the top of the stairs, he expressed his concern:

Arya Stark (fictional character): “Master Syrio says every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes us better.”

I’ll talk more about this in the future, but I thought it was really cool that fact and fiction fit together so nicely.

Too Much Competition Talk

2011-05-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

My most recent posts have focused on competition. That’s simply because it’s competition season. However, ECU operates all year. While I think the competition posts have been interesting, JoJo and I want to give everyone the full picture of what ECU has to offer.

Most ECU students compete rarely - if ever. However we all train to the best of our abilities.

ECU offers MUCH MORE than some of the most intense BJJ Competition training on the East Coast.

JoJo offers striking training by professional MMA fighters. He also makes sure that there are BJJ Fundamentals classes for beginners (and I’ll add that even the more experienced students would do well to stop by the Fundamentals class from time to time). He has also begun a “Women Only” BJJ class. Saturday mornings, JoJo also adds a Yoga class to the mix.

ECU students range in age from three to fifty+. Every single student is a member of the family. We may approach our journey in different ways, and for different reasons, but we all do our best to help our family reach their goals.

ECUBJJ welcomes everyone. Even if you don’t think you’re quite ready for “The Grinder”, you can find an ECUBJJ class that’s right for you.

I Actually Like “The Grinder”

2011-05-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

A while back, JoJo asked JT to put the ECU Competition Team through, “The Grinder”.

JT introduced us to “Beat Down” training. It can be long, intense and brutal. It’s designed to make sure that ECU competitors can stand up to the toughest conditions possible. As an older student who rarely competes, I wasn’t enthused at first.

ECU Competition Team members are placed in “no-win” situations, and challenged to win.

So far, JT has introduced us to two different scenarios – both of which I’m particularly ill-suited for – involving defending yourself in open space.

While my first thoughts were negative, I eventually realized that these drills would help me tremendously. They forced me to do, as Rob G. had suggested, “Open Up your game and have fun.”

While I don’t think that any sane person would consider their time in the crucible of a “Beat Down” session “fun”, it’s definitely opened up my game. I’m constantly forced out of my comfort zone and find myself trying all sorts of new things. Some work, some don’t but the further we go, the more I learn.

After a competition class, I had the chance to talk with JT about my revelation, and he agreed that it was purpose of the drills.

As last week’s “Grinder” ended, I realized how much I had learned in a single week. When talking to JoJo later, he said, “I want to make training here so hard, that competition is easy.”

While I rarely compete, I like to train like I do when I’m healthy. While I cannot provide personal proof of how much this has helped me, I can provide proof that JoJo’s methods work in the form of Jordan Lutsky.

Are You Competition Ready?

2011-04-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

If one thing is readily clear to me, it’s that JoJo cares about his students – even when he’s in “MEAN” competition training mode.

While JoJo and I were discussing the confusion about how the ECU family should register for tournaments (ECUBJJ), JoJo also mentioned how he would like to see every ECU student get approval from their instructor before entering competition.

“I’d like for every student to get approval from their instructor before they compete. Only their instructor knows if they’ve been training enough to compete without getting hurt.”

Three Schools (for now) – One Family – ECUBJJ

2011-04-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

ECU’s exponential growth has created a bit of confusion. What started out as fifteen students at the North White Plains location in late 2009 has grown into a three school family with over 150 students.

When entering a competition, many students wonder what academy they should put on their entry form. Some choose, “ECUQueens”, others ”ECUFairfield”, some might even choose “East Coast United”. JoJo was understandably dismayed by this confusion.

All ECU students, no matter where they train, should be listing their affiliation as ECUBJJ.

BTW: The ECU family continues to grow. Leg-lock expert Tito Hartz will soon be opening ECU Bronx.

Are You Ready for “The Grinder”?

2011-04-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

As we prepare for “Competition Season”, ECU’s training becomes more intense. This past Monday at the Purple+ class, JoJo instructed ECU Competition Team coach JT Torres to, “put them through the grinder.”

JT certainly did.

After a quick, but intense warm-up we did numerous rounds of grip-fighting, which is always intense. While many of us were already breathing heavily, the night was just starting.

Then it was time for “Beat Downs”. While I’m not going to go into any details, let’s just say that Beat Downs are probably the most intense drills I’ve seen in my five years of BJJ. JT, a world-class competitor, considers them so important that he does them several times a day when he’s getting ready for a competition.

Even though JT is in Abu Dhabi for the next two weeks, the Beat Downs did not end. At last night’s competition team class, JoJo brought them back. For well over an hour, ECU student after ECU student, finally ending with what ECU Fairfield co-founder Joe Oppedisano called a three-hour workout in 8 minutes.

If you want to learn more about Beat Downs you’ll have to visit ECU.

A Great Day!

2011-04-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, ECU held its first ever In-House Tournament. Not only was pride at stake, but also the opportunity to represent ECU in the Team Competition at the ACOM Sports tournament on April 30^th.

After many a hard-fought battle, ECU’s “A-Team” was finally crowned.

Heavyweight – Andrew Lobsenz

Light – Heavyweight – Jeff Schneider

Middleweight – Alex Nachaev

Welterweight – Brian Kim

Lightweight – Tom Waldren

Congratulations to everyone who competed, and I hope everyone enjoyed the post-tourney BBQ.

“We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!”

2011-03-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

As I looked for a parking space at ECU last night, I was shocked at the number of cars in the lots. I was finally able to snake my way into a tight space.

Since I had arrived on the early side, the White Belt/Blue Belt class was still in full swing. When I stepped inside, I saw approximately, thirty people on the mats. Seminar Numbers!

As the Purple+ crew arrived, it became apparent that we were looking at a record night. So, of course we took a few pictures, even though several of the Purple+ students were still changing, and one was taking the pictures, ECU now has more Purple+ Belts than it had students on opening night.

Despite missing a few people, we hit a record. I think it says a ton about Jo-Jo, ECU’s other instructors, and ECU’s students that we’re in danger of outgrowing our facility in just a year-and-a-half.

Training Partners

2011-03-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

“No easy rolls!” is the unofficial ECU slogan. Sparring at ECU is often intense, and even seasoned players are exhausted at the end of a session.

While this intensity undoubtedly helps our team grow, most ECU members are not professional fighters. We’re pharmacists, contractors, lawyers, personal trainers, business owners, etc. The ECU family basically covers the entire spectrum. While what we do when we’re not on the mats might be different, we all have one thing in common – we’d like to come home from class healthy.

As students, we’re responsible for the safety of our training partners. As much fun as it is to get a submission, we all need to remember that we’re training with teammates.

What Could Go Wrong?

2011-03-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I know I have a tendency to mine this territory quite a bit, but the longer I’m around BJJ, the more I realize the importance of the mental game.

One of my biggest problems, and I’m sure I’m not alone, is that I always worry about “What Could Go Wrong?” I’ll pass on submission, and/or escape opportunities solely because I think about what will happen if I don’t.

I grow my game the most on those rare occasions, when I throw aside my fears in class. I once dared to spin for a knee-bar against a more experienced student. It was (for me anyway) a high risk/high reward technique, but I succeeded.

Later I was talking with ECU Brown Belt, and leg lock expert Tito Hartz. I said to Tito, “I don’t know why I don’t do that more.”

Tito replied, “I don’t know why you don’t do a lot of things.”

After thinking about it, I realized why I don’t do “a lot of things” – I’m scared. I always see the worst-case scenario. I don’t see the submission or the escape, I see myself losing a position, putting myself in danger or getting submitted.

When I spoke to JoJo about this, his first response was, “You can’t win the lottery if you don’t play. It only costs a dollar, but you might get rich.”

While this may seem simplistic at first glance, it actually makes a lot of sense. When we roll in class, we need to try new things. The rewards are far greater than the risks.

As JoJo and I continued talking, he made another great point, “You’ll never know if you’re doing it right if you don’t try. If a technique fails, it’s probably because you made a mistake. If you try it, you’ll know what you’re doing wrong, and fix it.”

Long Island Pride XI March 5, 2011

2011-03-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, several members of the ECU family competed at the competed at Long Island Pride XI Tournament at CUNY Queens. While several regular ECU competitors were unable to attend, those that did made an impressive showing.

The following students medaled in their divisions:

Jordan Lutsky;
Brian Kim;
Vianca Jager;
Tim Orwin;
David Eliot; and
Brian Gill.

While that’s impressive enough, ECU also made noise in the absolute divisions. Jordan took Second Place, Mark Doran Third, and Vianca won the Women’s Absolute Title.

Great Job Everybody!

Competition Season!

2011-03-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

While I’m still mostly watching (injured toe), I can’t help but notice the increasing intensity at ECU, it’s Competition Season! There are numerous competitions coming soon, and JoJo wants all of us to take our training more seriously:

“I expect everyone who competes for ECU to be willing to go through the grinder.”

An ECU class is never easy, but Competition Season classes are nothing less than scary these days. Everyone’s bringing their best to every class. Students who usually come to class two or three times a week are now coming four or five:

“If you're going to compete, you have to put in the time.”

While most of us might daydream about having our hand raised as a World Champion, it will take more than just daydreams. A successful competitor must be focused and serious. They must plan for success and then execute that plan:

“Set a goal and finish it!”

While this increased intensity makes an excellent forge for ECU competitors, it doesn’t exclude newer students, or those who don’t compete regularly. We all improve as our friends and training partners improve.

Even if some of us feel an added pressure to train more intensively, JoJo makes an excellent analogy:

“Put enough pressure on a lump of coal and you get a diamond!”

As always, thank you for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

Notebooks

2011-02-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, JoJo and JT hosted a seminar at ECU Fairfield. After showing some great technique JoJo and JT did a nice Q & A session. At one point during the session, JT pointed out a mistake that everyone in the room had made…

WE DIDN’T BRING NOTEBOOKS!

JT mentioned that he always brings a notebook to seminars, and writes down the techniques taught.

If a world-class, Black Belt competitor like JT takes the time to write down techniques, maybe the rest of us should do the same?

If you'd like some help building your own “notebook”, check out http://twitter.com/ECUBJJ

Something a Little Different…

2011-02-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

ECU White Belt Josh Kaplan is one of ECU’s true success stories. Much like me, Josh is a former Lacrosse Goalie (I’ll admit he played at a better program than I did.) Also like me, he’s lost a tremendous amount of weight through his BJJ training. In fact, if I look at some older group shots it takes me a while to realize that it’s actually Josh in the picture.

This past Saturday, Josh competed for the first time. While I’m sure Josh would have liked better results, every member of the ECU family who watched Josh’s matches saw how hard he fought and how far he’s come on his BJJ Journey.

I had mentioned to Josh that I’d like to use his thoughts on his first competition for a blog edition. Not only did Josh write down his thoughts, he turned them into a POEM!

So here it is, Josh’s thoughts on his first competition - in poetry form:

Thoughts from a White Belt

Itch.

It seems as if it’s the time of year.

Workouts intensify, attendance is up, shirts are printed, cameras, chatter, and then you get . . . the itch.

Never,... I couldn’t. What’s the point? I’m past prime, I have no knowledge base, I’ll be embarrassed, the fear of defeat; worse injury.

But there’s a magnetic draw, it’s almost planetary.

The week of nerves, the fear, the anticipation, hot sweats, cold hands.

The pre-planning, imagery, mental scripting, hope, nerves.

Relaxed conversations, predictions, key phrases.

What if I do it all wrong, what if I panic, what if I let a school of hard workers down.

I did panic, I did it all wrong, I lost, twice.

But not nearly as discouraged as I thought, in fact I immediately wanted to repeat each match again. But that, ... is competition; it, and you will never be the same.

BJJ is an art, it’s a tool, it’s a test, it’s about the mind, it’s a feeling.

Itch,... Scratched.

Josh Kaplan

Nice work Josh!

I also know that while you think you’ve scratched the itch, you’ll want to scratch it again at some point. Good Luck!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed Josh’s poem as much as I did.

Congrats to Joey and Alex!

2011-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

At the seminar this past Saturday, I witnessed ECU Fairfield founders Joseph Oppedisano Jr. and Alex Necheav receiving their well deserved promotion to Brown Belt.

Joey also had the privilege of promoting his niece to Yello Belt.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate ECU’s newest Purple Belt Andrew Lobsenz. I’ve known Andy a long time, and he’s definitely earned the promotion.

The Goal is Black Belt!

2011-02-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

On Saturday February 12, 2011, ECU Fairfield added to the excellent ECU tradition of great seminars by hosting ECU founder JoJO Guarin, and ECU Competition Team Instructor – and World-Class Competitor Jonathan “JT” Torres.

While my participation was mostly limited to photography, I learned a lot. JoJo and JT demonstrated a lot of cutting-edge techniques. Some of them deviated so far from “accepted BJJ” that I almost wanted to question them. Fortunately, I decided to keep my mouth shut. JT and JoJo made it clear why they like these new techniques.

While I can think of many topics that I hope to cover from this seminar, I want this post to focus on one that JoJo stated:

“Everyone in this room’s goal is Black Belt!”

I’ve been in the BJJ game for less than five years. I’m not a prodigy, nor am I an expert, but I’ve seen students with huge potential falter because they became so obsessed on achieving the rank of Blue Belt that once they achieved that rank, their dedication faltered.

We should focus on the ultimate goal, Black Belt!

It may take us years, and we may arrive there by different paths, but let’s all enjoy the journey.

JoJo Guarin

2011-02-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

As part of the process of re-designing ecubjj.com, JoJo asked me to write a more detailed biography for him. Pleased with the results, JoJo and I agreed, that this would also make a nice blog entry. Enjoy!

A Yonkers, New York native, JoJo Guarin began his Martial Arts career in his late teens by studying Kenpo Karate. Later, a friend told him about a “new” martial art – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). At the Thornwood, NY academy JoJo met the man he considers his mentor – future ECU Queens founder Robert “Rob G” Gutierrez. From the time he first walked into school, JoJo has believed that BJJ is his “calling”.

Seeking to challenge himself, JoJo traveled to California to train and compete. He was eventually promoted to Blue Belt by the legendary Royce Gracie.

Later, JoJo traveled to Texas where he trained with the Pedro Alberto association under Eric Williams.

Returning to New York, JoJo began training with the Relson Gracie Association in Bronx, NY.

In 2002, JoJo followed “Rob G” and began training under multiple-time Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling medalist Sean Alvarez. JoJo would eventually be promoted to Purple Belt, Brown Belt, and Black Belt by Sean.

As JoJo progressed, he began assuming more and more responsibilities as an instructor. Eventually, he became the primary instructor at the academy he trained at. At the same time, he made an impressive showing in competitions. Some of the highlights include:

2006 Pan American Champion;
Multiple-time NAGA Champion;
Multiple-time Grappler’s Quest Champion;
Ring of Combat (MMA) Veteran; and
Reality Fighting III (MMA) Champion.

Despite these impressive accomplishments, JoJo decided that in order to continue growing as both a teacher and competitor, he needed to train regularly with other highly accomplished BJJ players, such as Jared Weiner and Jonathan “JT” Torres. These experiences gave JoJo the inspiration to open his own academy.

When JoJo decided to open East Coast United (ECU), he not only named his school, but included a mission statement in that name:

“I chose the name East Coast United, because I wanted to create a school that was united with some of the best BJJ guys around. If I want to get better, I have to train with the best. I look for the best training partners I can find, and I encourage my students to do the same.”

As always, thank you for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

de la Riva Guard (Jared Weiner Seminar Part II)

2011-02-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the outstanding seminar BJJ United founder Jared Weiner gave at ECU. There was so much information that I knew I couldn’t do it justice without breaking into several parts.

The first half of the seminar focused on passing the guard, and attacking once we’ve passed. With its emphasis on “mean, nasty, and slow”, it was right up my alley.

The second half focused on advanced guard play. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to participate fully due to my knees. Wanting to make sure I did justice to the second half of the seminar, I decided to bring in a co-writer – ECU Purple Belt and Fundamentals Instructor Eric Guido. What follows what I’ll call Part A of Eric’s account of the second half of the seminar with only VERY minimal edit:

Thanks to a very eye-opening seminar conducted by Jared Weiner of BJJ United, my eyes have been opened to a number of new options for the de la Riva Guard that I have not looked for in the past. The concept of attacking and submitting my opponent from my closed guard is nothing new to me; however the idea of using a more advanced opened guard such as de la Riva to attack was not an option I had considered until Jared's seminar. Let’s take a look at some of the concepts and attacks:

Jared stated that he preferred to use de la Riva when an opponent is attacking from the ground position, having one knee up and one down, using his leg as a shield in an attempt to pass your guard. Getting a deep guard is vital to success when attacking from this position, having one leg wrapped around the outside of your opponents front leg and intertwined deep into his groin area while the crosses over the front leg and goes deep behind the leg.

The first attack from this position is relatively easy but a real "screamer". From this position your opponent may grab your gi lapel in an attempt to pass. You want to break the grip but still control the sleeve. Replace his hand back onto your gi, high up on the shoulder and cup the elbow for an inverted arm bar. Quick, simple and PAINFUL!

The next three attacks will depend on you getting a two-on-one grip and really stretching your opponent out from that de la Riva position. Essentially, you want to rock your opponent’s base and get him to base out using his far arm leaving you with an armbar, triangle or kimura option. As your opponent bases out and tries to stand back up, he will have one arm on the floor and one arm still being controlled by you and this will be your opportunity to open up your guard and secure a triangle position. If he postures up, transition to an armbar.

Another option would be the kimura attack. As your opponent bases out, abandon your grips on the sleeve and immediately transition to a kimura on your opponent’s far arm. He may roll to either side but keep hold of the kimura and complete the submission when your position is stabilized.

Next time will be various attacks from the foot on hip position, still having a two-on-one grip on the sleeve and transitioning to different guards from there.

Thanks Eric!

As always, thank you for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. It looks like Eric and I will be collaborating on a Part III/B, and maybe an "illustrated" version of this post as well..

Finally, thanks to JoJo for arranging the seminar; Jared for giving a great seminar; and of course Eric for helping me write about it.

Smarter not Harder!

2011-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

I recently read a post on Facebook from ECU Purple Belt Jeff Schneider:

“Sore and it's only Tuesday... I got ran over by some ECU jits last night, time to buckle up and train harder.”

While I’m far from one of the world’s foremost experts on Jiu-Jitsu – I’m a Purple Belt too, I’ve had the privilege of training with some of them. Also, I bring my experiences in fields ranging from auto mechanics to philosophy to law, and beyond.

Somewhere along the line, I was taught the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder.”

I thought that phrase applied beautifully to Jeff’s problem. So I posted:

“Jeff, maybe it's time to train SMARTER? I watched you go harder and harder last night and you kept making the same mistakes. Going harder works against lower-level guys, but higher-level ECU guys are able to capitalize on the mistakes, no matter how hard you go.”

“No Easy Rolls” has become the unofficial motto of ECU. Every healthy body trains hard every time they walk into the building. The only to way to advance at ECU is to learn that if you train at an ECU school you have to pay attention to both the mental and physical parts of the game.

I sent a draft of this post to JoJo to find out if I was on the right track. JoJo responded with a great message:

“Strength fades as you get older, but technique will stay with you until you get old! So I say work on your technique and timing, and it will serve you better.”

Hopefully, everyone who reads this will see the wisdom of JoJo’s statement. Rather than kill ourselves trying to train harder and harder, let’s train smarter, and focus on technique and timing.

Thanks again for reading the ECUBJJ and MMA blog. Part II of the Jared Weiner seminar is coming soon, and several ECU competitors will be competing at the Abu Dhabi US Trials so we should have interesting stories from the prestigious competition.

“Mean, Nasty, and Slow! (Jared Weiner Seminar Part 1)

2011-01-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

On Saturday January 15, ECU hosted BJJ United founder Jared Weiner for a seminar. JoJo credits Jared for inspiring him to open ECU. Having trained with Jared in the past, I knew this was a seminar that I couldn’t miss.

I wasn’t disappointed.

We opened with an extremely slick takedown. I could see the its effectiveness immediately – especially for ECU students.

Jared then expounded upon what will happen after the takedown. He explained how to pass the guard after the takedown, and then moving to a submission. As Jared demonstrated each technique in the series, I was ecstatic. Everything he taught seemed ideally suited to my game. Jared's techniques emphasized positioning, pressure, and patience.

After the seminar, I told Jared, how much I enjoyed the seminar, and how well the first portion fit my game so well, especially his motto of mean, nasty and slow.

Jared, just smiled and said, "Mean, nasty, and slow, that way they'll remember you."

Yesterday's seminar was great, and I have a lot more to say about it. In fact, I may even need to bring in a guest writer or two to cover it all.

I want to especially thank JoJo and Jared for putting together such a great afternoon.

As always, thank you for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog.

Ruts

2011-01-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, I’d like to apologize for not posting for a while. A couple of weeks ago, I was on fire and posted six in a two-week span.

Lately, however, I feel that every new post I try to put together has, “something missing”. I know the ideas are solid, but I feel they need a little more time to brew.

To put it simply, I’ve found myself in a rut (Hopefully, I’ll eventually get the other posts written to my satisfaction, and you’ll see many new posts).

While I struggled with that, I realized that writing and Jiu-Jitsu have a lot in common – at least for me. Sometimes writing comes easy. Other times, I hate what I write.

My BJJ game is much the same way. Sometimes everything comes easy – I’ll rip through guards if I’m on top, or easily sweep my opponents if I’m on the bottom. Other times I find myself in a BJJ rut. I’ll go a week or more without even passing any of my opponents’ guards – maybe even getting swept and/or submitted.

I guess the best way to phrase is it, “RUTS HAPPEN”.

When things are going good, it’s easy to write and/or train, but I’ll admit that the easy days are few and far between - at least when it comes to training at ECU. If you show up at an advanced class at ECU, you'd better be prepared for some of the most-intense training on the East Coast. When things get tough, we need to keep going. It’s a fact that because I keep writing/training, I’ve become a better writer, and an ECUBJJ Purple Belt.

I thank everyone for reading. Comments and suggestions are still welcome.

I wish you well.

PS: If anyone reading this still has a chance to attend the Jared Weiner seminar on Saturday January 15, I suggest you sign up now. Size is limited to twenty. I made sure I was one of the first five.

Cornerstones

2011-01-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, we think of a cornerstone as a decorative, or commemorative stone placed somewhere visible on a masonry building. However, that wasn’t always the case. Historically, the cornerstone was the “foundation stone” – the first stone laid, from which all of the other stones would be referenced.

Thinking about how I’d like to grow my game in 2011, I naturally came upon the “building” analogy, and I immediately thought of the most important part of a building – the foundation. Naturally, thinking about the foundation led me to think about cornerstones.

My most important cornerstone has always been consistency. I touched on this subject a few posts ago, and I’ll repeat JoJo’s thoughts about consistency again at the end of the post.

A couple of posts ago, I wrote quite a bit about my friend Peter Simone (Wanderlei Silva Fight Team member, Wand Fight Team children’s BJJ/MMA Instructor, undefeated MMA fighter, BJJ Brown Belt and ECU Brother). If you were bored by that, I’m afraid I’ll have to bore you again.

I remember training with Peter very early in my BJJ career. Peter was watching as I attempted to drill a technique, and failed (remember I was severely over-weight, and this was probably only my second or third attempt at something athletic in the previous six months). After trying several times, I finally said, “I can’t do it.”

In his calm, soften-spoken – yet somehow forceful way, Peter said, “What kind of attitude is that? If you think like that you never will.”

Feeling embarrassed, I amended my statement to, “I can’t do it – YET.”

Peter just nodded, and I kept trying. Eventually, I managed a technique that I thought was well past my abilities.

I hadn’t thought about that particular evening until Peter came back to visit ECU for the holidays. I realized that it was one of the turning points of my BJJ career.

Obviously, if we’re dealing with injuries or physical limitations, we’d all be smart to listen to our bodies/medical professionals, but sometimes (and in my case it often is), it’s our fears that limit us more than anything.

I hope that the followers of this blog will make the same connection that I have.

On to the next cornerstone. A few weeks ago, I quoted ECU Queens Professor Rob G. and his most important advice, for me personally at any rate (If you don’t remember, you’ll have to either search the Blog archives, or read a few more lines). At the time, I wrote that this statement would be the cornerstone of the next steps in my BJJ career. Now, I think that I’ll have to amend that statement and make it four cornerstones:

Rob G.: “Open up your game and have fun!”

JoJo: “Keep training! Every time you come here you get better.”

Peter Simone: “If you think like that you never will.”

Me: “I can’t do it – YET! But I will.”

Wait, make that FIVE cornerstones! I’m forgetting the most important of all – my ECU Family.

So now I have FIVE corners covered for 2011. I’m sure JoJo and the rest of my ECU family will come up with, at least, one or two more somewhere along the line. Who knows, I might even end up with so many cornerstones, that I’ll have to build an octagon for 2011?

I apologize for being a little more long-winded than normal, but I thought this was a cool topic.

Thanks for reading, and if any of my readers have their own ideas for other “cornerstones” please let me know.

2011

2011-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Stolen from JoJo’s Facebook:

“From the bottom of my heart I wanna say Thank you and merry Xmas to all my friends and family! Looking back 2010 is a great year, with the birth of my daughter and the birth of Ecubjj I have plenty to be thankful for! Let's do it bigger for 2011! Can't wait! ECUBJJ is gonna make a big noise 2011!!!”

As I was leaving the Christmas Eve open mat, I said to JoJo, “It’s been a great 2010, and 2011 will be even better.”

JoJo’s response was, “Wait until you see what I have planned for 2011.”

I can’t wait!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, ECU hosted a New Year’s Eve Open Mat from 12PM to 6PM. Since I’ve never been a morning person, I arrived around 2 PM – just as the first wave of ECU warriors were leaving.

Fortunately, there were still some students ready to play. We managed several rounds of sparring, and I was pleased to see how far my training partners had progressed.

Even after that group left, I stuck around knowing that some great friends of mine were on the way. Instead of sparring, we decided to drill some techniques.

Eventually, I had to leave. Three and a half hours is enough for me, but I left knowing that I ended my BJJ year of 2010 right.

Special Announcement!

ECU QUEENS IS Now OPEN!

Professor Robert Gutierezz has established the latest branch of the ECU family tree in Queens, NY.

“Rob G.” is a great instructor. I’ve had the honor to attend two of Professor Gutierrez’ seminars, and interview him. Based on that knowledge, I say with confidence that anyone who trains with “Rob G” is headed in the right direction.

While Professor Gutierrez’ technique is impeccable, it’s his understanding of the mental aspect of BJJ that impresses me the most.

That was # 24.

Coming up next are JoJo's plans for 2011 and my twenty-fifth post.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

ECU Fairfield in the News!

2010-12-28T22:51:00.000-08:00

ECU Fairfield made the local paper!

http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/news/article/East-Coast-United-more-than-a-martial-arts-studio-924991.php

Thanks and congrats to Alex and Joey for giving me a quick #23 (I have a great #25 planned, but was trying to find a direction for #'s 23 and 24.), but, most importantly, for running a great school. Every time I've trained at ECU Fairfield, I was happy I had.

I'm happy to see that my friends and training partners are doing so well.

If you're new to this blog, or just looking for some other mentions of ECU Fairfield, check out my post about my last visit to ECU Fairfield:

http://ecubjjmma.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-latest-visit-to-ecu-fairfield.html

As always thanks for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. Comments and suggestions are still welcome :)

Good Question:

2010-12-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Jeff, via Facebook,

“If a friend said to you: ‘...why don't you wake up at 6 AM, go running or go to the gym like a normal person to stay in shape INSTEAD of Jiu-Jitsu, which seems to take up a lot of time...’ what would your response be???”

A couple of weeks ago, ECU Purple Belt Jeff Schneider asked this very question on Facebook. Of course, my flippant reply was, “Anaconda Choke!”

Several of my ECU brothers and sisters made similar replies, leading Jeff to complain, “Lol. Legit discussion, good debate and all my ECU brothers can come up with is an unsupervised BJJ clinic.”

I thought about it for a while, and came up with my own answers, but ECU Brother/Wanderlei Silva Fight Team member Peter Simone (Undefeated Professional MMA Fighter) posted a great response, and since I can’t do better, I’ll just quote it now and suggest that we focus on the last sentence:

“I'd say, ‘Lets wake up at 6am go running then go to the gym then go train BJJ at 12pm and then train again at 6pm. Who wants to be normal when you can be special?’ "

While most of us can’t train three times a day like Peter does, those hours that we can find are indeed special. We train in an art that challenges us both mentally and physically, and, in a great environment like ECU, find a second family.

Can you do that on a treadmill?

BJJ United Team Day

2010-12-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

On Saturday December 18, JoJo led thirteen members of our team down to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United in Jenkintown, PA for the BJJ United Team Day. In addition to eleven highly regarded Black Belts, there were over one-hundred, probably closer to one-hundred and fifty students from various schools in attendance.

Between a great promotions ceremony, followed by an awards ceremony for all of the Black Belts in attendance, I was truly happy that I’d made sure I’d made it to this session.

As the Black Belt certificates were given out, BJJ United Founder Jared Weiner gave each recipient the chance to speak. As I student I was moved. As a blogger/reporter I wish I’d had my recorder with me.

Nevertheless, my thoughts when we actually got to the training and, hopefully, some of the thoughts from the Black Belts will be appearing in the near future.

My sole purpose in putting up this quick little blog is to congratulate the ECUBJJ students who were lucky enough to receive their promotions at such a HUGE ceremony/training session:

Daniel Cion – Blue Belt
Freddy Medina – Purple Belt

I promise that I have a lot more to say about such a great Saturday, and will include the rest of the promotions from TEAM DAY as soon as I receive them.

Finally, I’d like to thank Mitch, Tom and Aldo for some great training. Somehow, you guys all brought out the best in me.

Thanks again for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

A Couple of Links...

2010-12-16T23:36:00.000-08:00

I've started reaching out among the BJJ community to connect with my fellow bloggers.

In the future, I plan a post with tons of links to other great BJJ and MMA blogs, but for now I'll leave you with two:

The Mental Dojo (http://thementaldojo.blogspot.com/) is a great read. Author Angelo Popofski takes the time to talk about the thoughts every BJJ player has, but doesn't always want to talk about.

Due to my posting a request for contacts on the NHB Gear forums, I've also been linked to the EDojo (http://www.edojo.tv/m/sites/home/) site. EDojo is a mix of great free information, and what looks like excellent for-pay content. I understand that there are some big plans for this site in the near future.

While I first and foremost enjoy training BJJ, I cherish the opportunity to share my love of the art with as many people as possible. Hopefully, I'll be meeting new readers soon, and more importantly, my current readers will make some new friends.

Just Keep Showing Up!

2010-12-16T03:07:00.000-08:00

In my nearly five years of training BJJ, I’ve learned that consistency is one of the most important attributes a student can have. Consistency is not always easy, but if you can find a way to keep a regular schedule, you’ll greatly improve your chances for advancement.

I figure a few good case-studies will illustrate my idea.

Since August of 2006, I’ve tried my best to train every single day there’s a class available. I’ve probably failed twenty-five times to make a class – and half of those involved me training at other schools. I’d like to think that my dedication earned me my Purple belt.

Now, we’ll take a look at two of the other higher belts in the ECU family…

Tim Orwin has a huge talent for BJJ. As a graduate of SUNY Maritime, Tim has had to spend time at sea. The fact that he and I received our Blue belts on the same night embarrassed me. Tim was far superior. Naturally, he earned his well-deserved Purple Belt first. Now that Tim is working a land job, he’s re-dedicated himself to BJJ and reminds 99% of us just how scary it is when a 6’3” 200+ pound guy is actually good at Jiu-Jitsu. Any time Tim shows up, everyone but Jo-Jo is worried.

Alex Lileika M.P.T. trains twice a week. Between owning his own business and having a lovely family, Alex has a lot of people pulling him in different directions. However, Alex makes sure that he gets in at least two training sessions per week. While some of us train more often, none of us are more committed to making sure we get our sessions each week.

Alex reached the rank of Purple belt early in 2010.

This particular post was a direct response to some of the White belts asking me what it takes to progress. My response was, “Keep showing up!”

Another time, I asked Jo-Jo his opinion. He thought about it for a second, and then said:

“Keep training! Every time you come here you get better."

This is #19 does anyone have any suggestions for #20 or #25?

Thanks again to everyone who reads this.

PS, I already have #20 in the wings so think of ideas for #25.

I Didn’t Always Like Jo-Jo

2010-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

I know it sometimes seems like I’m just a cheerleader for ECUBJJ and in some ways, I am. However, I’m an honest cheerleader. To me, the last 14 months have been nothing less than phenomenal. To my mind, ECU founder JoJo Guarin has done everything the right way – but I wasn’t always JoJo’s biggest fan.

In order to make sure that I keep my honesty credentials intact, I’ll admit a deep-dark secret – my first impressions of JoJo were not all positive. I thought he was mean and hated anyone who didn’t have world championship aspirations. As a fat thirty-something professional, you can see how I wouldn’t like that. However, I knew JoJo’s credential’s and decided to trust him for that one class and if I didn’t like it, I’d move on.

When it came time for sparring, JoJo fed me to one of the most fearsome Purple Belts in the class. I was arm-barred repeatedly, and was mad at JoJo for feeding me to the Wolf. Halfway through the round, between JoJo’s advice and the Wolf’s, I’d learned how to defend my arms. Years later, I’m still known for my submission defense.

A lot of times, the student doesn’t like what the teacher tells them. Even more times, the student doesn’t like the WAY the teacher tells them. However, a great teacher, like JoJo, finds a way to give and tell his students what they NEED!

As I got to know him, I realized that JoJo cares about every single one of his students. He’s just supremely adept at deciding what they need - “RIGHT NOW”.

As students, we’re not always ready for the lesson we need to learn. Our teachers know what we need, and they do what they think is best.

I love BJJ, and I’ve read a lot about it. Almost everyone says that the instructor who takes you from Blue belt to Purple belt is the most important instructor you will ever meet.

I got my Purple Belt from JoJo Guarin. I am blessed!

Coming Back…

2010-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Somewhere along the line, everybody eventually gets injured. Whether it’s over-doing it during class, trying to hold out during a tournament, simply getting sick, playing tag with your young cousins, or just age, sooner or later, every athlete has to deal with injuries.

As everyone who reads this knows, I’ve been nursing a torn Hamstring. Thanks to Alex Lileika and New Rochelle Physical Therapy, I’ve managed to keep going on a limited basis (I could go harder, but decided to stop the “artificial hamstrings” that Alex creates before I got too accustomed to them.).

Two of my great friends have recently returned to full action. Their time away was brought on by different factors, but they did their best to keep themselves in the game.

ECU Fundamentals Instructor Eric Guido suffered an arm injury at a tournament in August. He later went on a trip to South America where he became ill. When he came home, he was immediately hospitalized. He’s slowly worked his way back, and is now ready to go.

ECU Head Kids' Instructor Anthony Vataj has had an even more convoluted path. Anthony slipped while playing tag with his cousins at a family party. He tried to keep training, but his doctors recommended that he take it easy. While he cut down on his own training, “Coach Vataj” arrived every day to teach the kids, even when he had to wear a boot.

While we all deal with injuries in our own way, it’s our friends who help us keep training.

Two More New Blue Belts!

2010-12-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

JoJo also had two additional post-seminar promotions. Congrats to new Blue Belts John DiMarco and Shylton Matta!

My Latest visit to ECU Fairfield

2010-12-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday I was in Fairfield, so I decided that rather than battle I-95, I would train at ECU Fairfield. ECU Fairfield is a great facility located on Boston Post Road in the heart of downtown Fairfield. Open less than a year, ECU Fairfield already boasts sixty-seven students.

I was a little late, since I had attended a book signing (Baba Booey!) across the street, but was welcomed by ECU Fairfield Directors Joe Oppedisano Jr. and Alex Nachaev. Since the class was predominately White Belts, Alex demonstrated an excellent combination of fundamental techniques – Sweep to Americana to Armbar.

After drilling these techniques for a while, it was time to train. I managed to get in two rounds before my hamstring started acting up, and was extremely impressed by both Peter and Matt. If their skills are any indication, and I believe they are, Joey and Alex definitely have their students on the right track.

Whether it’s North White Plains, New York or Fairfield, Connecticut, the name East Coast United means quality training.

"Open Up Your Game and Have Fun!”

2010-12-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

I’ve been nursing a torn hamstring for the past couple of weeks. Thanks to the great Alex Lileika of New Rochelle Physical Therapy, I’ve been able to keep training, but I’m still not 80%.

Thanks to Alex’ help, I was still able to attend an outstanding seminar with “Rob G.” last Friday. Rob showed us an AWESOME series that I think will take everyone who attended the seminar to the next level.

Due to my hamstring injury, I avoided sparring most of the night. Late in the night, Rob asked if I wanted to train. Since I’ll NEVER turn down the opportunity to roll with a Black Belt, I immediately said, “Absolutely!”

Rob and I rolled for a while, I tried Spider, and De-La-Riva guards, but Rob quickly defeated them. Inevitably, I ended up in a bad position. I went into my defensive “shell”, and just tried to survive. Of course, Rob submitted me in the end.

Later, Rob took the time to talk to me about how I can improve my Jiu-Jitsu. While he had several excellent suggestions, the one that I think will be the cornerstone of my next steps in the game is the title of this article.

Congrats to the New ECU Promotions

2010-11-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

Last night I attended an outstanding seminar, courtesy of "Rob G." Thanks to the seminar, I have plenty of ideas for new posts, but I want to get this out fast. JoJo promoted five new Purple Belts and a brand-new Blue Belt.

Congrats to all:

Purple Belt
Kith Pradhan
Terrence Cheng
Matt Kachmar
Tom Waldren
Adam Dickerson

Blue Belt
Anderson Perez

Since, I never like to leave my readers without visuals, here's a quick video of Tom Waldren in a match with elite ECU competitor Brian Kim...

Now I'm stuck with every writer's favorite problem. We've had such a great month at ECU, that I have tons of material. Rob's seminar only added to those tons.

How am I to choose?

Turkey Day Training!

2010-11-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

JoJo decided that yesterday he would host a, “Thanksgiving throw-down! For Free!” Open mat 12-2 at ecubjj.com - open to all. "That's right so if your school is closed come to ECU and train for free! There will be no mat fess for visitors that day! Come burn some turkey!”

That’s what JoJo envisioned. I honestly don’t know how the entire time went since I arrived late and went home early (sorry, but someone had to pick-up Grandma), but I was glad to see some un-familiar faces.

Everyone who made it to the ECU Thanksgiving Open Mat brought their “A GAME”.

Now we get a seminar that not only features Rob G., but JoJo threatens "special guests".

I can't wait!

I Love the Holidays!

2010-11-25T00:18:00.000-08:00

I love training during the Holiday season. It’s a time when old friends come home and inevitably find their way to ECU for at least one night. Whether they’ve been away for school, work, or – in some cases – trying to become Rock Stars, it’s always great to see people who’ve, somewhere along the line, been a big part of my BJJ journey.

I wish everyone who reads this a Happy Thanksgiving, and hope that even more of our old friends will stop by in late-December/early-January.

Takedowns

2010-11-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

ECU founder JoJo Guarin is a Pan-American Gold Medalist. He has collected trophies, medals and Samurai swords too numerous to count.

He’s also a notorious guard-puller. JoJo has so many different attacks from the guard that he’s admitted to allowing takedowns in competition so he can bring the game to his world. It’s a good strategy – if your name is JoJo Guarin.

However, JoJo is not just a competitor; he’s first and foremost a teacher and coach. Realizing that his reputation has created an expectation about his students, JoJo has decided that he will begin a new emphasis on putting our opponents on their backs. Whether it’s a classic wrestling takedown or a Judo throw, JoJo is on a mission:

“Everybody knows I like to pull guard. Everybody thinks that all of my students want to pull guard. I want give my students options. I want their opponents to think ‘he’s going to pull guard’, and then get taken down.”

“Black Friday” Seminar

2010-11-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

On Friday November 26, 2010, ECU will be hosting a three-hour seminar in North White Plains. The featured instructor will be none other than Rob G. himself, but JoJo is hinting that there will be several “special guests”.

I look forward to seeing everyone there.

An Interview with Jojo and Rob G. PT II – Teaching Philosophies

2010-11-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

After JoJo and Rob G. brought me up to speed about their history together, they wanted to spend some time talking about their teaching philosophies. Of course, I had to listen.

As one would expect, JoJo and Rob G. overlap on two of the most important traits a teacher can have:

Attention to detail; and
A willingness to adjust the instruction to each individual class.

JoJo and Rob G. make sure they have carefully and studied each technique they teach before they present it to a class. I’ve often watched JoJo rehearse a technique with his planned “Uki” before he presents it to the class. I’ve also witnessed classes where JoJo would, “shift-gears” in situations where classes were either more or less experienced than he had anticipated. Rob G. considers this one of the hallmarks of good instruction.

Finally, I’m going to Bullet-Point JoJo and Rob G’s principles of teaching, and end with a great quote from Rob G.

JoJo Guarin

Put every position under a magnifying glass;
Dedicate one month to every position;
Study other player’s techniques; and
Find the best way to teach every class.

Robert Gutierrez

Fitness! (I left this bold on purpose.)
Drills and Cardio related to the techniques he’s teaching;
Creating a path of techniques;
Feeling out the class before I teach; and
Never having a set format. Deciding the format based on attendance.

And now, as promised, the single best quote about successfully teaching BJJ. After the interview, Rob G. had one more thing he wanted to add:

“I feel that the reason I’m successful in teaching Jiu-Jitsu is that I believe 100% in what I teach. I believe 100% in the techniques I teach. I believe 100% in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I believe 100% that what I teach is effective. And I believe 100% that what I do helps my students.”

I still have plenty of excellent material from the interview that I hope to share with you soon – including the principles of ECU itself.

Thanks again for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA Blog. As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

10/30/2010 ACOM-Sports Medal Totals!

2010-11-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

ECU rocked the 2010 ACOM-Sports 2010 Grappling Grand Prix. Every participant in the Pro division reached at least the Second Round. Omar Delgado defeated an opponent who out-weighed him by well over 100lbs.

In the amateur divisions, ECU made a great showing. There were so many medalists that it took me a while. Here they are…

Joe Oppedisano JR – First Place Men’s Purple Belt

Wojciech Husak – First Place Men’s Purple Belt

Henry Strada – First Place Men’s Masters Gi

Terence Cheng – First Place No-Gi

Anderson Perez – First Place Men’s White Belt

Jose Duenas – First Place Men’s White Belt

Matt Kachmar – Second Place Men’s No-Gi

Rick Carde – Second Place Men’s Masters Gi

Daniel Acosta – Second Place Men’s Purple Belt

Terrence Cheng - Second Place No-Gi

Great Job everybody!

I've got some excellent stuff in mind for the next few posts. My only problem is deciding what to cover first. It's a good dilemma to have!

Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

What’s in store for November?

2010-11-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

October was half-guard month.

Since the time he founded ECU, JoJo has made it a point to pick a theme or technique for each month. JoJo believes that truly understanding a position or technique takes a significant amount of time. He decided to dedicate October to the half-guard.

The half-guard is not a glamour position, but sooner or later, everyone ends up there. Whether escaping the Mount, or missing a pass, everyone gets caught in half-guard.

In the basic classes students learned the cardinal rule of half-guard – DON’T LET YOUR OPPONENT FLATTEN YOU OUT! as well as basic sweeps and passes.

The advanced classes learned the nuances of the deep-half-guard, and advanced sweeps – DON’T LET YOUR OPPONENT FLATTEN YOU OUT! STILL APPLIES.

October has let me improve my half-guard tremendously, and now I look forward to what JoJo has planned for November.

Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome.

PS: I still owe everybody two blogs soon. First, I need to release the official medal count from the October 30, 2010 Acom-Sports tournament - it was too big for me to remember off the top of my head. I’ve also been asked repeatedly about my tease about Rob G.’s philosophy of teaching. The teaching post will follow as soon as I feel can do it justice.

PPS: I plan on an interview with ECU's youngest student.

A Plethora of Medals at ACOM-Sports

2010-11-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

The ECU family earned an impressive number of medals at the October, 30 2010 ACOM-Sports tournament.

Pics and Vids to follow.

I'll post the medal totals once I hear from JoJo and Joey O.

ECU Coming in Force!

2010-10-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday October 30^th, ACOM-Sports is holding its 2010 “Grappling Finals”. Three of my ECU brothers are competing in the All-Star Open Weight Championship division. ECU founder JoJo Guarin, ECU Brown-belt Jordan Lutsky, and one of JoJo’s most dangerous students – Omar Delgado - are all ready to roll.

The ECU team is coming strong. From White - Belts through Black - Belts, the East Coast United team has prepared diligently for this tournament. From Novices to Masters, ECU will be bringing competitors.

Let's all hope for a fun and well-judged tournament.

BTW, this is more of an announcement than a true blog. Check back Monday for a more detailed blog.

Comments, criticisms, and suggestions are always appreciated.

An Interview JoJo and Rob G PT 1

2010-10-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview ECU founder JoJo Guarin, and the man he calls his mentor - Robert, “Rob G”, Gutierrez. Both JoJo and Rob G took the time to give detailed answers, to my questions, and even suggested some other avenues for me to explore. When we were done I had so much material that I’m confronted with endless possibilities, and will have to break the interview into several separate posts in order to do it justice.

I think that I should start with a little history, and finish up with a great mission statement from JoJo.

In 1994, Robert Gutierrez (“Rob G”) entered a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in Thornwood, New York. Eight months later “Rob G” earned his Blue Belt.

Not long after the promotion, a young man walked into the academy. His name was JoJo Guarin. Rob recognized JoJo’s natural talent for BJJ, and did his best to help him progress.

Through the years, JoJo followed Rob G to academies in the Bronx, and later to an academy run by three-time Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championship Medalist and UFC Veteran Sean Alvarez (both Rob G. and JoJo received their Black Belts from Sean).

JoJo and Rob G. have both had long journeys in BJJ. At times, their paths have diverged, but today, they are once again working together.

When JoJo founded East Coast United, he knew what kind of school he wanted to create

Re-UNITED, JoJo and RobG have been training together on a weekly basis. In addition, Rob G did an excellent seminar at ECU a few months ago. Working together, they improve both their own skills and those of their students.

Thanks again to JoJo and Rob G for taking the time for an interview. In a later post, I’ll let you know about the best quote I’ve ever heard about teaching BJJ –courtesy of Rob G.

Thanks for reading the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Tournament Preparation

2010-10-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, one of my fellow ECU students asked Jonathan “JT” Torres, what he focuses on in the weeks leading up to a competition. JT quickly replied:

“I like to work on my favorite techniques when I’m getting ready for a tournament.”

I don’t compete that often, but when I have, I often spend the weeks leading up to a tournament trying to fill the holes in my game. I’ve noticed that I’m far from unusual in that regard.

Of course, JT has far fewer holes than I do, but I quickly recognized the logic in JT’s statement. The week before a tournament is not the time to add new techniques, or attempt to fix weaker techniques. It’s a time to focus on strengths.

Adding new techniques takes time, repetition, and testing before it truly becomes integrated. The time to test out a new technique is not during the stress of competition, but back home training with your teammates.

When I discussed this topic with ECU founder JoJo Guarin, he pointed out an extra benefit of focusing on favorite techniques – confidence! Favorite techniques are usually favorites because we’ve had success with them. We’ve probably used them hundreds of times in class, and know that they work, while we may be unsure of a relatively new technique we learned only a couple of days ago.

Finally, I would like to join all of my ECU family in congratulating ECU kickboxing instructor Daniel “K-9” Cion for his victory in his professional MMA debut.

I hope you enjoyed the second edition of the ECU BJJ and MMA blog. As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

What a Year!

2010-10-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the East Coast United BJJ and MMA Blog. I figure that I should start off with a couple of introductions.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Black Belt JoJo Guarin founded East Coast United (ECU) in October of 2009.

October 1, 2009

ECU’s first year has been a time of growth. From new students to belt promotions to competition success to a second location to great seminars by Tito Hartz, Justin “Chim-Chim” Garcia, and Rob Gutierrez, the ECU family has had an excellent first year.

October 12, 2010

In addition to outstanding BJJ, JoJo has also established Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), kickboxing, Judo, and Yoga programs. The children’s program has expanded greatly and now includes both grappling and kickboxing.

Since I’ll be handling the primary writing duties for the ECU BJJ and MMA Blog, I guess I should also introduce myself. I’m Henry Strada. I’ve had the great fortune of training under JoJo Guarin for nearly five years. I currently hold the rank of Purple Belt, and try to train five or six days a week.

As I said, this is merely an introduction. Going forward I’ll be covering a variety of topics, including ECU news, competition results, mini-interviews with ECU students and coaches, training tips from ECU instructors, and sometimes, I’ll just have a random thought or two that I think is worth sharing. I also plan on plenty of pictures.

As we go along, I hope that everyone will enjoy the ECU BJJ and MMA Blog. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please let me know.