Results IX BJJ Spartakiades 2009

6 fighters from the academy where at the last Spartakiades in Brussels this past saturday april 25th. The results are excellent. We came back with 4 medals and a lot of extra competition knowledge. I had a good time and tried to stay injury-free. I fought 3 times and learned that you cant rush things even if you feel like it. Congratulations to Jessica, Jan and Stef for their performances! ! !

Videos of my fights are up now on the new BJJ Gent Youtube channel.

Jp-







Adults Female White Belt - 64kg
1. Schaalckx Am-Katheim (Gracie Barra Hamburg - Germany)
2. Jessica Cantineau (Sequana Academy - Belgium)
3. Nele Dujardin (Challenge Roeselare - Belgium)

Adults White Belt -64kg
1. Ivan Cmaionny (Breizh’il - Germany)
2. Jan De Paepe (Sequana Academy - Belgium)
3. Frederic Morlan (US Pecq - ??)

Adults White Belt -88kg
1. Mahamadou Soumare (Urban Team - France)
2. Vaklil Babak (BBJJA- Belgium)
3. Jean-Pascal Bolle (Sequana Academy - Belgium)

Adults White Belt - 94kg
1. Nsomboli Deli (Urban Team - France)
2. Stef Ballyn (Sequana Academy - Belgium)
3. Verdoncy Jean-François (Yawara - Belgium)


From the International BJJ Federation:

D-) THE MOUNT: is when the athlete sits on his opponent’s torso;
the opponent can be lying on his stomach, side or back. The one mounted can
be on top of one of his opponent’s arms, but never on both. It will also be
considered a mount if he has one knee and one foot on the ground, 4 POINTS.
OBSERVATIONS: no points will be awarded if his feet or knees are on his
opponent’s leg. Also if an athlete applies a triangle while in the guard and
in so doing lands mounted on his opponent, it will be considered a sweep,
not a mount.

Upcoming BJJ competitions *updated*

Looks like there will be more time to spend in my weight class before the Mundials. Here's a recap of the upcoming competitions I'll be fighting at:

April 25th, 2009 - Open BJJ Spatakiades IX - Brussels, BE
May 16th, 2009 - BJJ Limburg Open 2009 - Houtalen, BE
June 4th, 2009 - World BJJ Championship 2009 - Long Beach, USA

The next trainings will be more competition oriented for those eager to compete for the first time or those getting back to business.

L'union fait la force.

Jp-

Back to training, 2 months left before the Worlds 09!

Finally back from a long exhausting trip in the US. The new Rise and Fall record is almost done, minus mastering, and it should be out this summer on Deathwish Records.

I didnt completely stop training while in Boston. After the drum parts were done, I started training with my new friend Ryan Parker at Northshore BJJ, a Gracie Barra school located in Salem, MA and lead by black belt trainer Danny Morera. I had some awesome roll time with the Northshore guys. Mad props to Northshore BJJ for the warm welcome and the great times on the mat. I learned some new moves and I cant wait to try them here.

If you ever go to the Boston area and want to train there, I can only recommand you to check out http://www.northshorebjj.com

So I got back home sick and tired from the US and had to take a couple of days off to get back to normal. My first training was on saturday and it litteraly killed me. I felt empty and had no power at all after sparring. It's time to get back to normal and train hard every day. I have designed a complex cardio and strength program to support my BJJ training. I'm hoping to peak by the end of may, early june. I included two competitions in my preparation. I'll be fighting at the Spartakiades in Brussels on april 25th, followed by the Gracie Invitational in London on May 2nd just so I can taste competition again before Long Beach in June.

There is also a Demian Maia seminar planned in Brighton, UK on april 18th. I feel like I cant really miss that one so if I find people to drive with me I might as well go there. More info about this soon.

Train hard, Fight easy!!!

Jp-

Recording and training in Boston.

I'm currently in Boston for 3 weeks recording the new Rise and Fall album due out this summer.

I'll start recording tomorrow and by the end of the week all drums parts should be done which will allow me to resume training.

I will be visiting a few gyms and will be rolling with new people which I'm really looking forward to. I'm really excited about this and I cant wait to get going.

I will post photos as soon as I have some.

Trainings in Gent continue in the vein of past few months every wednesday and saturday. Thomas will be making his comeback on wednesdays starting april 1st.

Jp-

News in short.

Congratulation to Steven who became a proud father last weekend. We wish him and his family all the best.

Congratulation to Robin as well for having been awarded a third stripe after saturday's training.

Most of you probably noticed it but I think it's important to mention it once again: the amount of people training on both wednesday's and saturday's has consistently increased the last few months and most importantly, the overal level of each students has grown at light speed. Thomas and Ben are very happy with the motivation and the engagement shown by all of us. I can only hope we'll keep the pace and push the level higher in the upcoming months so our academy will become a force to be reckon with.

I'm currently talking with Thomas to restart the wednesday classes with him as previously agreed if we were to reach a certain amount of people per classes. Seems like we're looking at April at the latest for this to happen. More info soon.

Dream but dont sleep.

Jp-

BJJ European Championships 2009

Last weekend I was in Lisbon, Portugal for the BJJ Open European Championships 2009. I had a blast and met tons of great people. I saw tons of great fight and learned a lot from this trip.

I was fighting on friday in "meio pesado" (medium heavy, -88,3kgs) white belt - adult. I didnt know what to expect from a major tournament like this and since I've only been training for 10 months I figured I had nothing to lose. Knowing I had been training a lot in the past few months helped me to start the competition with barely any pressure. I felt good and apart from a light shoulder injury I was ready for it.

My objective was simple. Make it at least to the second round. I finally made it to the third round and lost by points against the new European champion. Too bad for the semi-finals that seemed so close but after just a few months of training I cant complain about the result. It just makes me want to train even more and harder. I came to another conclusion after the tournament: I will be fighting at the World Championships in Long Island, CA in June.

This has only be possible thanks to my trainer Thomas and of course all my team mates who keep challenging me days after days. The hours spent on the mat finally start paying off but I still have a long way to go. Next up in line will be the world championships in June. I'm currently working on my training schedule in order to be 200% ready by then.

First round vs Christopher Morgan - Clan Gracie Barra


Second round vs Raulf Hanif (?) - Gracie Barra Lagarto


Videos courtesy of my good friend Shannon from Barcelona.

Keep training hard.

Jp-

RIP Grand Master Helio Gracie.

Founder and Grand Master BJJ 10th degree red belt Helio Gracie passed away yesterday at his home in Brazil.

On Tuesday morning Grand Master Helio Gracie was tanning at his ranch in Brazil, and on Thursday morning at 9:15 he passed on due to natural causes. His legacy will survive forever in all members of the Gracie Family, jiu-jitsu practitioners around the world, and all those who have benefited from the revolution he began.In his final years, the creator of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu often spoke of his satisfaction with his life’s work. He openly stated that he had accomplished everything he had set out to do, displaying his preparedness for the transition into the afterlife.The Grand Master believed that such a transition should be seen as a positive step in one's spiritual evolution. In a recent interview he declared: “I’ve already told my sons that when I die I want there to be a party. No drinking, no debauchery.”

In one of his final magazine interviews the Grand Master expresses his concern for the future of Jiu-Jitsu:

“The Jiu-Jitsu that I created was designed to give the weak ones a chance to face the heavy and strong. It was so successful that they decided to create a sportive version of it. I would like to make it clear that of course I am in favor of the sportive practice and technical refinement of all athletes, whatever their specialty may be, as well as good nutrition, sexual control, avoidance of addictions and unhealthy habits. The problem lies in the creation of a sport-oriented Jiu-Jitsu, based on rules and time limits, which benefits the heavier, stronger, and more athletic individuals. The primary objective of Jiu-Jitsu is to empower the weak who, for not having the physical attributes, are often intimidated. My Jiu-Jitsu is an art of self-defense in which rules and time limits are unacceptable. These are the reasons for which I can’t support events that reflect an anti Jiu-Jitsu.”

-Grand Master Helio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009)