Video Bar
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Mastering the basics of Jiujitsu
All jiujitsu practitioners need to master the basics to reach the higher levels. This is the key that opens the door to the advanced movements. In the long run, if you lack the fundamentals it is a waste of time to learn 100 new techniques because you wont be able to do these moves against a skilled opponent. Instead of spending hours playing with new techniques, work the basics. You need to understand how the fundamental principles work from different angles and possibilities. The number of variations that you know will give you more opportunities to defeat your opponent. The secret is body feel and body mechanics. These two attributes can only be developed by drilling the basics, and not necessarily fighting. Drilling the basics is the true secret of jiujitsu.
Learn the basics and develop them without wasting time and energy searching for shortcuts. In the long run, they will not be effective. Al the new techniques found in competition are extensions of the fundamental principles and movements of jiujitsu.
Brazilian jiujitsu was originally developed for self defense. Obviously, this doesn't mean that a jiujitsu practitioner can't attack an aggressor in a fight, but it is important to understand jiujitsu's defensive bias. Because of this, a Brazilian jiujitsu practitioner is trained to attack based on what his opponent gives him. It is the opponent who will determine the jiujitsu fighters finishing technique. The Bjj practitioner will take what is offered and simply complete the other half of the equation. Don't get obsessed with trying to get an arm lock or rear choke, just let the technique occur naturally. If it is not there, then it simply doesn't belong to you. Be relaxed and try to feel your opponent's intentions and movements. Without realizing it, he will give you the right technique to finish him. -Rigan Machado
Monday, August 16, 2010
Rigan Machado, Carlos Gracie Jr. and the original Gracie Barra
Rigan: Gracie Barra was my academy before I came to the United States. I was Carlos Gracie Jr. first Black Belt and he and I were partners in Gracie Barra before I came to the United States. After coming to the U.S. I incorporated a lot of new aspects into Brazilian Jiujitsu. For example, the leg locks and foot locks from sambo wrestling; the takedowns and set ups from freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. I would bring back these ideas and teach them to all the Black Belts from Gracie Barra and other academies. There were a lot of Black Belts down there then, and they all used these new ideas to bring the jiujitsu up to a new level. It was an exiting time for me.
Who would you say were the biggest influences in your early years?
Rigan: First I would have to say Rolls Gracie. He was one of the most aggressive fighters around at that time. He taught me that the more aggressive we are, the less defensive we need to be. He emphasized the attacks in jiujitsu. He was the best instructor I ever had in terms of aggression and attack. Next I would have to say, Carlos Gracie jr. He was good at coming up with drills to develop the jiujitsu game. Carlos Gracie Sr. was very influential for me. He taught me that jiujitsu is not only a sport and an art, but a way of life. He was a very philisophical person who brought a whole other dimension of jiujitsu to me. Also my brothers, Carlos, John, Jean-Jacques, and Roger. Because we are and still remain united in our efforts to develop jiujitsu. We have taken it a long way. Between us there is no ego and this allows for more experimentation and development on the mat. This is the culture we have set amongst ourselves. It is a very special thing....LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR...
Friday, August 13, 2010
The teachings of Carlos Gracie
John Machado and Rigan Machado with Uncle Carlos Gracie.
Our goal was never to incite revolt, to provoke disagreements, to excite temperaments or to train human bodies for ends that would reduce our disciples lamentably to emulate a fighting rooster. -Carlos Gracie
PROMISE YOURSELF
1. To be so strong to the point that nothing can disturb your peaceful mind.
2. To speak to all about happiness, health and prosperity.
3. To convey to all your friends the feeling of their worth and value.
4. To look at things from the bright side and place your enthusiasm towards reality.
5. To think the best, to work towards being the best, and always expect the best.
6. To be as fair and enthusiastic in respect to the success of others just as you would be about your own.
7. To forget about the past mistakes and focus your energies on future achievements.
8. To always keep a happy attitude and smile on your face to those who approach you.
9. To employ most time in self-improvement, and not time in criticizing others.
10. To be too great to feel uneasy, to be so noble to feel anger, too strong to feel fear and to be too happy to feel adversity.
11. To hold a good opinion of yourself and let the world know it, not with self-praising words but with good deeds.
12. To have the firm conviction that the world will be by your side as long as you are loyal to the best part of yourself.
-The teachings of Carlos Gracie Sr.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
RIGAN MACHADO New T-Shirts are Dope!
ORDER YOUR SHIRTS NOW! HERE!
| Sizes |
2010
Rigan Machado Shirt - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - "New School"
Color: Black
Size: S - M - L - XL
Price: $20, plus $3 shipping
ORDER YOUR SHIRTS NOW! HERE!
Jean Jacques Machado 2010 seminar schedule
2010 SEMINAR SCHEDULE
All dates, times and locations subject to change.
Contact the event organizer for full details.
| March 6-7 Windsor Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Windsor, Ontario, CANADA |
| March 11-14 IIMAIA Instructors Conference | Los Angeles, California |
| May 15-16 Machado Rochester/ World Gym MMA | Rochester, New York |
| June 10-13 Legends 2010 | Los Angeles, California |
| June 19 Pura Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA |
| August 7-11 IIMAIA Instructors Conference | Los Angeles, California |
| October 14-17 IIMAIA Instructors Conference | Los Angeles, California |
| October 23-24 2010 Fall Training Camp | Tarzana, California |
Jiujitsu brotherhood friend Nic Gregoriades
A great article from our friend and Roger Gracie Black Belt Nic Gregoriades:
We look at our world and can see that the majority of strife comes from division. War, prejudice and bigotry – all of these social ills require that their participants share the false belief that “you are different from me.”
Despite the fact that martial arts were initially devised as tools for warfare, in their current evolution they have superseded their original purpose and become agents for cooperation and brotherhood. After his fights, Genki Sudo, one of the best fighters of the early MMA generation used to hold out a banner reading “WE ARE ALL ONE”. He advocated the primary tenet of eastern mysticism – that everyone and everything is connected on an intrinsic level. I believe that Jiu-Jitsu and martial arts can change the world, and that they will do it by fostering awareness of this interconnection.
I have seen many examples of this awareness during my own journey into the martial arts.
Fraternalism
Several years ago, when I had first arrived in London, I met one of my best friends for the first time. I am a white South African of Greek descent. He is a black Frenchman of West Indian extraction, whose great-grandparents were affected by the slave trade. On the surface we couldn’t be more different. When I was introduced to Antony at the Roger Gracie Academy in 2004, he spoke little English and I spoke even less French. But we both understood jiu-jitsu. It dissolved any barriers that there might have been between us. It was through the art that our friendship was born. Today, I consider him my brother, someone with whom I would trust my own life.
At the academy where I teach I roll with people from countries including Poland, France, Canada, Croatia, Japan, Morocco and countless others. Admittedly, London is a very cosmopolitan part of the world, but I have not experienced any other institution here or anywhere else that affords the same diversity of nationalities, professions and cultures as the dojo. Millionaire bankers spar with cleaners. Grappling world champions train with school teachers. Muslims learn alongside Christians. On the mat all stereotypes and categories fall away, and in this process it becomes a catalyst for fellowship and camaraderie.
Martial arts connect people. Jiu-jitsu initially spread from Japan to Brazil and now continues to propagate to the farthest reaches of the globe. It’s a reflection of the increasingly global, interconnected nature of our world. Personally, I know that I can go almost anywhere on earth, be it Tokyo or Buenos Aires, and all I need to do is find the local jiu-jitsu academy. There I will almost certainly find a warm reception and a new group of friends. It has been my experience that almost all martial artists feel the same way.
The jiu-jitsoka ultimately realizes that the concept of ‘your country’ and ‘my country’ is outmoded, as is the idea of ‘me’ versus ‘you’. Your training partners and tournament opponents are not people who are in competition with you, they are individuals who are who helping you to experience life and learn about yourself.
Empathy and Humility
Through Jiu-jitsu I have come to understand that I am ultimately no different from anyone else. No better and no worse. Discrepancies in size, strength and skill level, and the dualistic concepts like winning and losing feed the illusion of separation. Some people will always eclipse you in ability, and you will most certainly surpass others. But beneath the shell of the physical, the interconnected spirit is pervasive, and it is on this plane where we are all similar. Jiu-Jitsu and the other more physically intensive martial arts can help us understand this because they harshly exposes the limitations, and ultimately, the mortality of the physical body.
On the mat we have all faced our own weakness, and been surprised by our strengths. The human being goes through a gamut of physical abilities from the cradle to the grave. The journey of a martial artist parallels this. Like an infant, the beginning student helpless and with very little awareness. En route to adulthood, the child’s body grows and he develops his consciousness and strength. Similarly, through experience and training, the flegling martial artist gains skills and ability. Finally, in old age, both undergo an inevitable decline of capacity and form.
In a microcosmic and contracted expression of a human life, the martial artist experiences his vulnerabilities and capabilities every time he steps on the tatame. These are often confronted in its most visceral and primal state. The most talented and strongest are humbled by superior opponents or old age. The weakest and most timid surprise themselves with acts of courage. When you share these experiences with your training partners, an empathetic bond is formed between yourself and your fellow man. Through jiu-jitsu we can come to realize that we are all one.
So the next time you are at your academy, give the same respect to first-day beginner as to the black-belt master. Remember that, like the world itself, they are both mirrors to your own soul.
Nicolas Gregoriades, London, September 2009
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Mamet, Magno, Machados and Sports illustrated
Jean Jacques Machado, Rigan Machado, Renato Magno.
David Mamet and Dana White
Rigan Machado back in the day.
SI.com: You're obviously a big jiu-jitsu guy, but how big of a leap was it to go from being a practitioner to actually making a movie about the sport?
Mamet: Well, I got to live in the world. That's what got me enthralled. My teacher Renato Magno got his black belt from a Machado brother, so I got my chance to train with these guys. Then, everyone in the academy has lunch together so I got to sit down with The Machados, Rickson Gracie, (Ray) "Boom Boom" Mancini, cops, Navy Seals. I got interested in the inter-pollination between this and the world of guys who were professional fighters.
SI.com: Had this been the case with other projects? Had you worked in a Long Island boiler room (Glengarry Glen Ross) or worked as a con man (House of Games), knowing the culture so intimately?
Mamet: Actually I worked in a boiler room in Chicago! I was fortunate enough to have a rambling youth. In Chicago I was driving a cab and playing poker for about 12 hours a day with a bunch of crooks, and that became "American Buffalo." These secret worlds -- I don't know if it's a Chicago thing or a guy thing, or what -- but they really fascinate me.
SI.com: What is it about jiu-jitsu that has seduced you?
Mamet: From having been involved in other martial arts -- I wrestled in high school, I boxed, I did some kung fu -- it seems that jiu-jitsu is the most applicable to actual physical confrontation. And philosophically, it's the most appealing, especially as one gets older, because it's all about conservation of energy.
SI.com: To what extent are you a fan of professional MMA, the UFC and other organizations?
Mamet: I'm not immersed in that world. I enjoy the UFC a lot. What fascinated me was the difference between what happens in the academy and in the fight world as entertainment. The movie, to me, is sort of a cross-pollination between an American fight film and a (Akira) Kurosawa samurai film, but you could also say it's a parable about Hollywood. It's about the artist in the big, bad world.
SI.com: What about the whiff of corruption in the movie? Is that dramatic license or something you've sensed when you see the sport professionally?
Mamet: No, I don't sniff it out. It looks straight up and down to me. It's really a view of the world, not a view of MMA. One character says, "Any time you have two guys in the ring, it has to be fixed because there's money involved." I don't think that's true. But I do think any time you have two guys in the ring and there's money involved, there's a great temptation for the fight to be fixed.
SI.com: Mixed martial arts has obviously become increasingly international, and your cast is very diverse. Chiwetel Ejiofor, a Nigerian Brit, plays the lead. Alice Braga, a Brazilian, plays his wife. Was that intentional, to mirror MMA?
Mamet: Well I love the Brazilians. The way they roll is different from anyone else. It's just different. And they're extraordinarily philosophical. The essence of jiu-jitsu is philosophy. I knew I had to have Brazilians and I had to have actual Brazilians playing them.
SI.com: And the lead?
Mamet: I'll tell you about Chiwetel: we have the same agent. A couple of years ago, I didn't know his world. I ran into my agent eating dinner with Chiwetel and he says, "I want you to meet my client." He says this funny name, I didn't hear it in time, and says, "He's the greatest actor in the world." I look at this skinny kid and say, "Yeah." I've seen him in Dirty, Pretty Things. Great movie." Then my agent sends me Kinky Boots. I say, "Wait a second, if this is the same guy doing a drag queen in Kinky Boots, (who was a Nigerian doctor in Dirty, Pretty Things), he IS the greatest actor in the world!"
SI.com: Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna, all the Mamet regulars had fun with this subculture?
Mamet: We just had a ball.
SI.com: Want to tick off some fighters you admire? Are you an Anderson Silva guy?
Mamet: You know, the younger guys, I admire any of these guys ... Randy Couture -- and I think he's a hell of an actor -- won the heavyweight title of the UFC with his arm broken.
SI.com: Your worst injury?
Mamet: You don't get injured that bad because the difference between the grappling forms and the striking forms is you get to tap out.
SI.com: Sure, but a guy gets you in a knee lock and you'll feel that.
Mamet: Oh, I've been bruised up a little. Hyperextended now and then. And, once in a while, you hear the birdies singing.
SI.com: If you had to rank, what's the testosterone quotient in an MMA gym compared to other subcultures you've visited?
Mamet: Oh, this is quiet. I would compare this to a yoga studio. It's taxing you physically but you're trying to teach yourself not to let it tax you physically.
SI.com: You speak in these epigrams in real life too!
Mamet: No, that's what they say in the studios. I was talking to Rickson and he said about jiu-jitsu: "Once you discover what the essence of jiu-jitsu is, you'd rather die than live a moment of your life without it."
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Machado and Machida: The Wisdom of Strategy
It is necessary to keep the mind pure and broad, and wisdom will find it's place within this breadth. The important thing is to polish wisdom and the mind in great detail. If you sharpen wisdom, you will understand what is just and unjust in society and also the good and the evil of this world; then you will come to know all kinds of arts and you will tread different ways. In this manner, no one in this world will succeed in deceiving you. It is after this stage that you will arrive at the wisdom of strategy. The wisdom of strategy is entirely distinct. Even right in the middle of a battle where everything is in rapid movement, it is necessary to attain the most profound principle of strategy, which assures you an immoveable mind. You must examine this well. -Musashi
1. Think of that which is not evil.
2. Train in the way.
3. Take an interest in all the arts.
4. Know the way of all professions
5. Know how to appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of each thing.
6. Learn to judge the quality of each thing.
7. Perceive and understand that which is not visible from the outside.
8. Be attentive even to minimal things.
9. Do not perform useless acts.
The infamous triangle of Jiujitsu:
The original Gracie Barra school:
Carlos Gracie Jr, Crolin, Rigan Machado, Rillian, Carlos Machado,
Roger Machado, John Machado, Renzo, Jean-Jacques Machado.
The triangle and the basics of Jiujitsu: Saturday night watching the UFC's main event, (Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen) we were treated to a fantastic match between two different styles of grappling. Silva has his Brazilian Jiujitsu background and Chael has his traditional American wrestling background. Through all 4 rounds Silva was being dominated by Chael's relentless attacks. With just over a minute left in the final round, Silva was on his back taking his shots. To the layman who is not versed in Jiujitsu at a higher level, it looked like Silva was done until you saw him holding Chaels left arm with the right foot on the hip and then BOOM!! He slaps on the triangle and wins the fight. What an amazing display of reverting back to the basics of the guard and being able to use it to defeat your opponent. That's why it's good to be patient and diligent in your training of Jiujitsu, because where you are at right now in your journey is where you are supposed to be. Focusing on mat time is the most important part of your discipline. One friend once told me "The mat doesn't lie". It's definitely not the belt that is holding up your pants.....Consider this: Does the real journey in jiujitsu begin once you achieve your Black Belt? Ask someone who has been a black belt for 5, 10, 15, or 20 years.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Bushido Code of Honor in Jiujitsu
Bushido: The way of the warrior and the code of honor. In the martial arts the Samurai warrior lived his life following this code. Today many uneducated enthusiasts and practioners of martial arts are unaware or disinterested in learning more about the true meaning of a martial art. Honor and respect of your fellow man are two that stand out in the world today as we hone our skills of jiujitsu and apply it to our everyday lives. When it comes to the art of Jiujitsu, this is one important code the Machado's hold steadfast to; Bushido and the code of honor.
Bushido teaches that men should behave according to an absolute moral standard, one that transcends logic. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. The difference between good and bad and between right and wrong are givens, not arguments subject to discussion or justification, and a man should know the difference. Finally, it is a man’s obligation to teach his children moral standards through the model of his own behavior: The first objective of samurai education was to build character. The subtler faculties of prudence, intelligence, and dialectics were less important. Intellectual superiority was esteemed, but a samurai was essentially a man of action. No historian would argue that Lord Nobunaga's loyal Samurai protoge' Hideyoshi personified the Eight Virtues of Bushido throughout his life. Like many great men, deep faults paralleled his towering gifts. Yet by choosing compassion over confrontation, and benevolence over belligerence, he demonstrated ageless qualities of manliness. Today his lessons could not be more timely.
I. Rectitude or Justice
Bushido refers not only to martial rectitude, but to personal rectitude: Rectitude or Justice, is the strongest virtue of Bushido. A well-known samurai defines it this way: ‘Rectitude is one’s power to decide upon a course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering; to die when to die is right, to strike when to strike is right.’ Another speaks of it in the following terms: ‘Rectitude is the bone that gives firmness and stature. Without bones the head cannot rest on top of the spine, nor hands move nor feet stand. So without Rectitude neither talent nor learning can make the human frame into a samurai.’
II. Courage
Bushido distinguishes between bravery and courage: Courage is worthy of being counted among virtues only if it’s exercised in the cause of Righteousness and Rectitude. In hisAnalects, Confucius says: ‘Perceiving what is right and doing it not reveals a lack of Courage.’ In short, ‘Courage is doing what is right.’
III. Benevolence or Mercy
A man invested with the power to command and the power to kill was expected to demonstrate equally extraordinary powers of benevolence and mercy: Love, magnanimity, affection for others, sympathy and pity, are traits of Benevolence, the highest attribute of the human soul. Both Confucius and Mencius often said the highest requirement of a ruler of men is Benevolence.
IV. Politeness
Discerning the difference between obsequiousness and politeness can be difficult for casual visitors to Japan, but for a true man, courtesy is rooted in benevolence: Courtesy and good manners have been noticed by every foreign tourist as distinctive Japanese traits. But Politeness should be the expression of a benevolent regard for the feelings of others; it’s a poor virtue if it’s motivated only by a fear of offending good taste. In its highest form Politeness approaches love.
V. Honesty and Sincerity
True samurai, according to author Nitobe, disdained money, believing that “men must grudge money, for riches hinder wisdom.” Thus children of high-ranking samurai were raised to believe that talking about money showed poor taste, and that ignorance of the value of different coins showed good breeding: Bushido encouraged thrift, not for economical reasons so much as for the exercise of abstinence. Luxury was thought the greatest menace to manhood, and severe simplicity was required of the warrior class … the counting machine and abacus were abhorred.
VI. Honor
Though Bushido deals with the profession of soldiering, it is equally concerned with non-martial behavior: The sense of Honor, a vivid consciousness of personal dignity and worth, characterized the samurai. He was born and bred to value the duties and privileges of his profession. Fear of disgrace hung like a sword over the head of every samurai … To take offense at slight provocation was ridiculed as ‘short-tempered.’ As the popular adage put it: ‘True patience means bearing the unbearable.’
VII. Loyalty
Economic reality has dealt a blow to organizational loyalty around the world. Nonetheless, true men remain loyal to those to whom they are indebted: Loyalty to a superior was the most distinctive virtue of the feudal era. Personal fidelity exists among all sorts of men: a gang of pickpockets swears allegiance to its leader. But only in the code of chivalrous Honor does Loyalty assume paramount importance.
VIII. Character and Self-Control
Samurai Etiquette
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