Training with Leandro Vieira!

After months of searching, sweating, and building, the academy is finally finished (with the exception of a little furniture that still needs to get picked up and a women's locker room door). This week, we had our first few training sessions with some friends and it feels amazing to have built the new home for the Vieira Bros in the US. It may sound cheesy, but it does feel like a great honor to get train with someone of Leandro's caliber everyday and see what a great guy he is. I know Ronnie D, Jae, and Nick all felt the same way.

So, to bridge this back to my previous non-shilling posts, what is it like to roll with Leandro? I've had the chance to roll with him before and train with all of his brothers, so I feel that I am in a position of some insight into his/their game. First off, I'll talk about the similarities between all three brothers.

In my opinion, creativity is what sets apart all three Vieira Bros from other BJJ legends and elite competitors. All three teach basic moves, but they leave the framework very open for exploration of technique and personal expression. I've heard it before that, "this academy is the laboratory", but nowhere have I found this more true than training with these guys. On a rolling level, Leandro, Leo, and Ricardo share more in common than they don't. Every session is filled with WTF moments where you just sit there scratching your head puzzled. On a power level, all of these guys are empty jackets... I have seen all three absolutely destroy elite BJJ competitors and black belts without using much power, strength, or aggression. Maybe its because they all started BJJ so young (Leandro the youngest to start, then Ricardo was next youngest, and then Leo), maybe it is something special with them. Who knows?

Stylistically, you can see some differences between the three, but even this evaluation is difficult... you'll see why in a second. Typically, Leo is seen as a guard passing master. He has the amazing back taking and fast passes that leave people dumbfounded. Ricardo has what is in my opinion, the best guard I have ever seen. He is loose, fast, flexible, and his open guard is something to behold. Before we get to Leandro, let's get to the confusing part. Like most world class guys, these guys are so well rounded it is ridiculous. Though Leo is a passing master, his ability to control the range within the guard is second to none. When I see his guard, I do not see the world's most amazing guard (though it is definitely one of them), but when I feel it - it is incredible. He moves in and out of it while keeping you at bay. He is never where you want to be and you are never passing where you want to. Ricardo is the flip side of this coin. He is so small and light, he has developed his own style of passing that plays off your proper reactions so that he is always where you are not (usually your back). So, although Ricardo is known for his guard, he is one of the most dominant passers I have ever felt (and also one of the most dominant competitors of our time).

This brings us to their baby bro Leandro. I think of Leandro as two things: a bridge and a sponge. First the bridge... Leandro started training with Romero "Jacare" Cavalcante with his brothers when he was a toddler, making him the youngest in that academy. He learned from the likes of Franjinha, Ratinho, and Jacare and bridged all of their basics into his game just as his brothers did. Then, after Alliance split into Master and later Brasa then Check-Mat, Leandro learned exclusively from his brothers, training mostly with Ricardo, though his training partners included Terere, Demian Maia, Telles, Comprido, etc. Here is where Leandro learned his spider guard, open guard, and crazy passes. This is also where he made the push to black belt. At this point, I'd say Leandro had a game that mirrored his middle brother's. Next he moved to Sao Paulo to train and teach with his oldest brother, Leo, this is where his strategy and sensitivity changed again. This (in my opinion) is why you see so many of the arm trapping (cop locks) and crazy Leo moves in Leandro's game. Basically, he is the bridge between old and new school as well as the bridge between brothers. There is a reason that both Leo and Galvao said he is one of the best teachers and talented practitioners in BJJ - in my view, it is because he can successfully bridge so many elements with such success (Leo said he is the most talented brother and Galvao shook his head and said he is an amazing instructor and his BJJ is mindblowing - those are some good recommendations).

The sponge is easy to define and I would relate this to Leandro starting at such a young age. Basically, his mat sensitivity and timing is through the roof (like his brothers), and his repetoire is deep from constant testing and creative expression. I've heard that BJ Penn can add a move that he sees at random into his game in an instant. I feel that all three brothers have the same abilities. Must be nice.

Going back to my first question, what is it like to train with Leandro? Well, it feels like I am rolling with Leo and Ricardo at the same time. Sometimes it feels like I am rolling with Galvao - I know they have shared many hours of training and technique. In other words, I get destroyed by someone driving in 2nd gear. It is humbling and inspiring.

So, before I write "War and Peace", let me say this - the Academy is done and we all have a lot that we can be thankful for. Whether it is with Leandro or someone else, find an instructor that fosters your creativity and individuality. We are all different and we deserve to be in a place where we can explore the beauties of BJJ. For me, I am extra lucky, because I get to have my mind blown everyday and see the rules constantly turned on their heads! I am definitley experiencing some BJJ postmodernism (sorry, its the Poli Sci prof coming out!)!

Happy Training,
Kevin

Fight Zone USA FAQs

As stated previously, I am going to list some FAQs to answer the pile of emails I have received. I hope this helps everybody get the info they need!

Q: Where is Signal Hill, CA?
A: Signal Hill is a small city completely surrounded by Long Beach, CA in the heart of Long Beach. It is right off the 405 and is visible if you are looking west from it as you pass Long Beach Airport.

Q: Why did you choose Signal Hill and not somewhere outside of LA?
A: Simple, we wanted to have this academy as a focal point because it is within a mile of the Long Beach Pyramid. Therefore the school could service all of Team Check-Mat when they arrive from all over the world to compete in the major tournaments (PanAms and Worlds).

Q: Why Fight Zone and not Check-Mat? Are the Vieira Bros still Check-Mat?
A: Fight Zone is an academy started by Ricardo Vieira in Rio de Janeiro while Check-Mat is the BJJ team started by all of the Vieira bros. Yes, we represent Check-Mat in all tournaments as our team just as we represent Fight Zone USA as our academy. We are the headquarters for Fight Zone in the USA and there are other branches in Europe as well as the headquarters in Rio.

In addition, we will hold high level judo instruction and wrestling in the future so that we live up to our reputation as the preeminent Fight Zone school in North America.

Q: How many Vieira Bros. schools are there?
A: When you see the logo VB Team, that is basically an homage to Ricardo Vieira's social project in the Cantagalo (sp) favela in Brazil. As far as Vieira Bros schools taught by a Vieira Bro full time, there are only three. There is the headquarters in Sao Paulo taught by Leo Vieira, the headquarters in Rio taught by Ricardo Vieira, and ours in Long Beach/Signal Hill taught by Leandro Vieira.

Q: Who will be the head instructor?
A: Leandro Vieira is the head instructor and will have a full time schedule. He is really dedicating himself to the success of his students as well as Check-Mat/Fight Zone. He will be teaching everyday there are classes. Before I met Leandro, Andre Galvao told me that he was an amazing practitioner (his quote, "he is sooooo goood, his jiu-jitsu is awesome") and one of his favorite instructors at Leo's school in Sao Paulo. Since then, Leandro has lived up to the lofty expectations that Andre gave me.

Q: Will there be judo/wrestling/mma?
A: We are developing all three classes, but first we are picking up judo. We have a great team at OC Judo training center that will be working with us and you might see an instructor from the world famous San Jose State Judo team gracing our mats. Our goal isn't just to market judo, but to have an incredible and competitive judo program. We want to make champions.

Q: Fight Zone USA is just too far from my house, what are the other locations?
A: Unfortunately, this is the only Fight Zone, but there are a few other excellent Check-Mat locations in the California. Here is a list of Check-Mat affiliated academies and their instructors: La Habra JJ - La Habra (Lucas Leite), Check-Mat Upland - Upland (Lucas Leite), and A-Team BJJ - Westminster (Ali Saleh). Here is a list of Check-Mat instructors teaching out of other gyms: Joao Assis - San Marcos (Carlson Gracie), Rodrigo Ranieiri - Santa Fe Springs (New Breed Academy), Ricardo "Pantcho" Feliciano - Temecula (Team Quest), Marcel Louzado - Lake Forest (OCJJ), and Lapela - Victorville (Joe Stevenson's).

Q: Will the other Vieira bros be at the academy?
A: Yes, we are working with their schedules to ensure that our students get to train with both Ricardo and Leo when they are visiting the US. Ricardo will likely be the first visitor and Leo would come during his yearly visits to the US during the Worlds and PanAms. We will arrange academy time with all instructors as well as special game specific training camps and seminars (some open only to academy members).

Q: Will there be other vistors from Brazil?
A: Yes, expect to see a lot of visiting students and instructors from Brazil. We are working with them on their English and they are working with the American students on their BJJ. We require that all visitors from Brazil work intently with all students on their BJJ games; we want to ensure that both the Brazilian and American teams gets stronger together. Leandro has a lot of fans in Brazil, so expect to see a lot of visitors in his classes!

Q: Is there a website?
A: Yes, the website is coming soon (www.fightzoneusa.com), but for now you can track our progress at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Signal-Hill-CA/Fight-Zone-USA/114683039676

Q: When is the first class?
A: Class begins on Tuesday, Sept 8th, 2009.

Q: What are your hours?
A: The schedule will be coming soon, check back tomorrow evening for the final version. With that said, our staff will keep the doors open all day for visitors, private lessons, and those that wish to check out our incredible facilities.

Q: Are there discounts for family members?
A: Yes, we do have a family discount, and ask us about our other local specials (there are a ton of them). We will also be offering early bird discounts for the first 30 students.

Q: Do you have a kids program?
A: As child prodigies and the first kids under Jacare Cavalcante, Leandro and his brothers firmly believe in having a top tier kids program. Oddly enough, all of the brothers have gone on record to stay that some of their craziest moves were learned watching how children attack problems in BJJ class. I should also remind you that this creativity permeates all aspects of the school, expect some diverse and crazy training methods in the adult class as well. The proof of the system is in the students they create!

So, that should cover most of the questions from you guys. If you have any others, feel free to ask me on here!

Building a BJJ School...

I know this isn't the typical type of post you are used to out of me, but because it has been absorbing sooo much of time lately, I am going to briefly discuss the building of our school in Signal Hill, CA. I will end with an FAQ section that should answer most of the questions that people have been e-mailing me about it. With that said, let's dive in.

Construction, construction, construction. There is something oddly therapeutic about destroying old drywall, building railings, and watching my school emerge from that thought that has been floating my mind's eye. Picking up debris and cleaning the massive rubbish piles? Not so much (my best Borat impression). As a kid, I used to help him sand fiberglass hulls of some big sailboats down in San Pedro/LB dockyards, but this has been much more intense and I have had to relearn everything that those 2 years of high school/jr high school wood shop were supposed to prepare me for. Good thing one of our friends is a general contractor that builds AAA BJJ schools, he has been our ace up the sleeve.

As for specifics, we had to change a lot moving in. The place had more potential than any BJJ place I had seen recently, but I knew there would be a lot of work involved. First we had to rid ourselves of the 70s red shag carpet that was stapled to absolutely everything. Then we busted out rooms, reinforced the mezzanine, and cleaned up. We re-routed electrical, built a subfloor, two walls, a railing system, rubberized the floors (no old carpet), and bought a lot of furniture. Improvements wise, we sanded stained, and poly'd all exposed wood to a nice mahogany tone, added a wood and temepered glass rail, removed a post (by adding the hugest beam ever), and gave the academy a nice even paint job. In the end, I am proud of the work our team (my contractor, wife, Horse, Jeremy, Monica, and Ron) did.

So the academy is nearly ready, it will open in one week. Here's what we will be doing in this week off. Picking up Leandro from the airport tomorrow morning. Meeting with our judo instructor, Juan Montenegro, and possibly someone special from San Jose State judo to finalize their schedule and involvement. Putting up finishing touches on academy from furnishing to amenities. Photo shoots for the website and going live on Fight Zone USA (you can also link to us through Checkmatlongbeach and a bunch of other sites as well). Working on our Grand Opening Extravaganza and arranging our first line of student specials for early memberships. Then the mats arrive on Friday (unfortunately I will be in Vegas when they arrive), but we will have them installed by Monday. That gives us classes on Tuesday to start things off!!!

I am incredlbly excited and all that I can do is keep working hard to distract myself from an awful fear of failure. We all want this school to be the perfect BJJ experience. My wife and I have been around the sport for a long time and are trying to add all of the elements that we feel are necessary to spring load a student's success in grappling.

Now, on to the FAQs...

Times, they are a-changin...

It has been soooo long since I last posted on here, so there really is no better time to resurrect this blog than now! For the past year, I have still been busy with a lot of the projects listed below and they are still moving along. The Galvao book is near completion, but I am a perfectionist, so I am still tweaking things, rearranging, and being hyper critical in general. I have a great fear that everybody will hate my products and this drives me to be my own worst critic. In addition to this, the Ricardo Vieira DVD is done, I am just waiting for some artwork to get back to me so that I can print the thing!!!

Next up is some even bigger personal news. My wife and I decided to open an academy with Leandro Vieira in the Long Beach area (technically, Signal Hill, California). It will be the US headquarters for Ricardo Vieira's Fight Zone academy based out of Rio de Janeiro (hence the academy name: Fight Zone USA). We are a part of Team Check-Mat, so expect to see a lot of Check-Mat/Fight Zone fighters coming through here. For those of you that do not know Leandro, he is Leo and Ricardo Vieira's youngest brother and he is responsible for most of the classes at Leo's academy in Sao Paulo. He is a great technician and one of the funniest guys I have met/trained with. Watch out for his famous (or infamous) Mustache choke!

My mom asked why Long Beach, and for all the grapplers on this blog, the answer is obvious - Long Beach has become a hub for grappling tournaments in the US (it has hosted OTM, ADCC, CBJJ, and more). Basically, we all thought it would be cool to have a home school for all the guys come tournament season.

On a blog-worthy note, I will be updating some of the highs and lows of starting an academy on here. I have already posted some early pictures on our facebook fan page (so become a fan!): http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Signal-Hill-CA/Fight-Zone-USA/114683039676?ref=nf I will post more pics later, but right now, it is easier to send you off with the link!

For the most part, it has been so hectic juggling all of these hats at the same time (wah, I have too much work, wah! - I know I must sound ridiculous!). Luckily, I have a lot of friends and family (including Leandro and some of his teammates) helping out and giving me a release so that I can work on my own projects. In the end, I am sure it will be worth all of this stress; back to that "fear of failure" thing - I am sure we will all make something incredible here.

Just got my Saulo book in the mail...

It exists! The Saulo book finally exists! This is my first jiu-jitsu book and I so happy to finally see it in my hands! Before this, I had only written magazine articles, blog posts, and academic material, and this by far was my most ambitious undertaking in writing.

First of all, let me provide some insight into the creation of this book. I owe a lot to this blog. It has served as a pretty unlikely resume and has given me introduction to a key player (and great friend) in the creation of this book, Eric Goo. After I met Eric Goo through this blog, we became very good friends and training partners (along with everyone at NTT). When I told him that I had talked with Saulo about creating this book with Victory Belt, Eric was the one who drove down to San Diego with me (because he has been friends with the Ribeiro brothers for a very long time), introduced me to Saulo, and pretty much vouched for me as a writer. I really think first impressions are everything, and Eric really helped in the formative part of my relationship with Saulo (which is of incredible importance for a relationship between writers). I am very thankful for this.

Another important player has been John Danaher. When I asked John if he would serve as my editor/technical advisor, he jumped whole-heartedly into the project and proceeded to blow my mind away. Not only did John work on the technical side of the book with me, but he really helped mentor me in my first book. Needless to say, John gave me a lot of confidence when he gave me his final approval. He is a great mind, inside and outside of jiu-jitsu. Again, I am very grateful for this.

Of course so many more that I need to thank and that will come soon.

Enough of my rant, on to the book...



For the past couple/few months I have been staring at and making changes to the monster that is my Saulo Proofs. These are single sided, photo paper quality prints of each page of the book. Along with the publisher and Saulo, we have been checking, checking, and checking that this book is the one that we wanted to send to print. One thing about these prints, this is a very big book, and because these prints are one sided, this pile is HUGE!!! I only hoped that the book would be far less than half in size (I want book stores to carry it after all!). Finally, after many weeks, we came up with our final edition, reviewed it with Saulo one last time, and sent it to the printer. Then, the waiting game.



After a couple of shipping delays, 5 books were sent to Victory Belt offices midway through this week. Some may wonder, why 5? Actually these 5 are airmailed from the printer (in China) as a benefit to the authors, while the other thousands sit in a boat that trudges across the Pacific. All I have to say is that I hope that boat is fast, because people get grumpy just as fast when deadlines are missed. This I can understand, I would get pissed too if I pre-ordered something and the advertised date changed. All that I can say is that I am very thankful for all of the pre-orders (as is Saulo), it makes it a lot easier for us to gauge its possible popularity and negotiate future books. I greatly appreciate it guys!



Regarding the shipping time, here is how the publishing process has worked for me. After submitting the final manuscript (needed approval by Saulo, me, and the publisher), the book was touched up by Haley and VB (photos lightened, etc). Then the book was sent to China for printing. After a few weeks, the printer sent us the above proof and we made our last minute changes and troubleshooting. Then we gave our final final approval. Weeks and weeks later, the finished book shows up on my doorstep. For everyone else, the book still takes this path. It moves from the printer, to customs, to a freight container and ship, takes a massive trans-Pac journey, back through customs, voyages cross country to the distributor, gets sent to the retailer, and then to you. I never knew until now how long this would take. It's crazy.

I received my book this afternoon and I am elated. As I said earlier, this is my first book and it feels very good to see so much time manifested in such a nice product. Saulo really went the extra mile here and I think it shows.


This book break down the belt system by theme. Saulo includes the necessary theme that you must accomplish before moving on to the next belt.

Here are some pics from the book opening ceremony on my shabby apartment carpets!


This book is Victory Belt's biggest book to date, and likely ever (obviously a larger/heavier book is much more expensive to produce and ship). It feels like a brick. However, if this book does well, I can continue making big ones for my next three projects (Leo Vieira, Galvao, and Dave Camarillo).


Brabo time!


At first I thought Saulo was so unorthodox in this technique until he showed me how many applications it has throughout his entire system. The leg lasso pass.


Stoked!!!!

Now that Saulo is finally finished, I can dive headfirst into my other projects. I am finishing three seminar DVDs (Ricardo Vieira, Leo Vieira, and Andre Galvao), while working on my new books and keeping up my teaching and training load. For the books, I am currently writing Galvao's next one. Having trained with him for quite some time now, I really believe that this book will provide the insight into why he is so incredible in competition. Afterwards, I will finish Leo's book and then Dave's. All three are photographed, transcribed, and sitting on my externals.

If any readers have any questions, suggestions, or insights into any of my books or projects - feel free to ask!!!! I will try to respond to everything here.

Happy Training!
Kevin

TUF training with Andy Wang and Mac Danzig...

A few months back, my good friend and training partner Mike L called and told me that he'd been frequenting some underground training sessions in Santa Monica and that I should go. Well, my first question was how underground and the second question was who were we going to be training with. Both answers would leave me pleasantly surprised. First to the nature of the "underground session": It was only underground because none of us were supposed to be there and it was one of those, "hey my friend opened up the gym to us after hours" kinda things. Training would be Andy Wang who had at this point recently finished his season of The Ultimate Fighter and Mac Danzig who was soon to be blown up by the very same show. With that established, I immediately agreed and before you knew it, Mike and I were off to Santa Monica.

Prior to meeting Andy, I had only known of him through grappling tournaments and videos. I did not really know what to think of him and Im glad I got to know him a little bit before watching the show or his subsequent fights. What I did know was that he was a black belt under the Inoue brothers at Grappling Unlimited, was like myself a former University of Hawai'i student, and that he had a very open training philosophy. Upon arrival to his LA house (to pick him up for the carpool to Santa Monica), I learned that he was a very humble and likable guy as well. Andy talked a lot about winning and losing, establishing a mindset to succeed, and the very real topic of ring jitters and fear. Andy spoke honestly about everything and needless to say he left a very good impression. In addition, he was a UH fan, so he couldn't be all that bad.

When we arrived in Santa Monica, our destination was a very posh gym and we all were ushered quietly in through the backdoor. There was a thai boxing class that was just ending and Andy was going to take over for some of the students that stayed and others that also knew of the training. Before you knew it, Mac Danzig had arrived as well as some other North American and Japanese MMA fighters. I even met a really good wrestler whom I would later find out was Harrison Ford's son, Willard. This training was going to be good.

Now, being a strictly gi guy (I more or less just started gi less training when I started the blog), I was a little intimidated at first. There were a lot of yoked guys walking around lacing up their MMA gloves and shinpads and I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. However, once the class was under way I realized how fun the training was going to be and I immediately relaxed.

After self stretching and some very good pummeling/wrestling drills, we got into the technical portion of the class. As an instructor, Andy showed a complete lack of ego and he was always asking students to come up to the front and teach a class a move. He would then sit there and try to perfect the move the way the student had taught it and he was very sincere in this. Our first sets of moves were wrestling takedowns that Andy and Willard taught. I liked both moves, but it was clear to me that the wrestling was going to be very technical and that I would have to work on wrestling comfort. What Indy showed really stuck with me, he did a shuck to leg pick that was so nice. I really appreciate the yin yang of wrestling. Although to some it seems so strength based, but it is really about forced reactions just like jiu-jitsu and judo. It was incredible. Afterwards, some students volunteers taught some brabo chokes and the Rigan Twister (to be seen in my next blog entry with Rigan).

Next up we did some stand up wrestling and I had such a blast with the takedowns. I was paired up with Mike L and he was showing great technique, especially with his use of the wrestler's tie ups. My infant like judo skills did help me acclimate a little bit, but I was glad that Mike was so helpful with my movements. There were some really good wrestlers on the mat and it was just plain fun watching those guys go at each other. Talk about athletes. LESSON LEARNED: Get more comfortable with the wrestling game. Dave Camarillo once told me that to be good at standup with the gi, you have to do judo, not BJJ style judo. Likewise, I feel that to get my no-gi standup to a higher level I should also wrestle to minimize that deficiency. Also, as said earlier, wrestling was just a lot of fun.

Now, I should note that the pacing of the class was pretty high and the workout level was something beyond the average jiu-jitsu class. With that said, no one was getting hurt and everyone was focused without attitude. I did not see anyone talking about who they tapped or didn't, only training. LESSON LEARNED: It isn't the intensity that people should worry about, it is only the atttitude. Personally, I think just as many people get hurt by people with attitude problems at less intense schools than those with good training partners at their more intensive counterparts.

After the stand up training, we immediately went into ground grappling and this was just as fun and intense as every other aspect of the training. First off, I rolled with Mike L. and we both played around without going to nuts. We figured that we've rolled with each other about a million times and there was no point in expending ourselves. My next round was with a really tall former jiu-jitsu guy from Santa Monica that gave me a really hard time. He was tall strong and he gave me all that I could handle with his passing pressure. After our roll, we talked a little bit and shared some feedback with each other that definitely helped me out and hopefully did the same for him.


Mike L. training with Willard Ford

My next match would be with Andy Wang. After our feeling out phase, we dove right into it and it was a great session. Without over discussing the session, I do have to say that Andy Wang is a solid gi-less grappler. We traded a lot of positioning and I got the feeling that Andy actually enjoyed the movement phase of the ground game and he proved to be very good with forward pressure and the scramble as well. In the end, Andy got to either my side control or half guard and locked in a very tight head and arm choke. Afterwards, we got to talking and he told me that his game had been feeling really sloppy and that he liked to wear the gi every now and then to clean things up a little. He could have fooled me, all I felt was forward pressure with good movement. LESSON LEARNED: Andy is not a very big guy and definitely is not the athletic specimen, but when you roll with him you can see that he has the biggest heart in the building. I think these are the guys that have to push the hardest, but also get to go further than most. He has a never quit attitude and I really thought that this was contagious when you are around him. I was impressed.

Andy starting to pressure my 1/2 guard. Note: I am way to flat in this picture, therefore giving Andy even more options with the pass.

Here I am on my side more, but Andy has me over committed and he has good pressure, all he has to do is hop over to the other side to have my back.

Voila! Andy takes my back!

Following my roll with Andy and a second session with Mike L., I had my last match of the night with Mac Danzig. Mac was kind of sitting there after rolling and helping one of his guys, so I rolled the dice and asked if he would be interested in rolling. Mac was more than willing and he put on a very technical display of submission wrestling that is perfect for MMA or Grappler's Quest. While we rolled, Mac had really good attacks and when a position of his was almost passed or it seemed like he may have been in trouble, Mac had the uncanny ability to quickly reverse the situation as well my fortunes. Another great thing with Mac was that he was always willing to share his knowledge. After he caught me with an armbar, he quickly showed me how he likes to avoid it and how he caught me and then we jumped right back into it at full speed (or at least I was and Mac was at 60% speed!). For those that want to know what belt he is, I thought he felt like a black belt. LESSON LEARNED: I think for many jiu-jitsu guys who enter MMA, they should look at guys like Mac and Andy and ask themselves if they think they can win in the scramble. For instance, Mac knows he will and he takes that confidence with him to the ring. In addition to this, he has the technique to submit black belts in BJJ (he already has), so when you add his confidence in transition as well as the scramble, he becomes a real nightmare.

Feeling out Mac's open guard

Mac passing with good technique. Note: I am commiting a huge error here, I am only worrying about Mac's pressure/leg's while Mac is sinking in a great crossface control; I should be blocking the crossface.

Moment of glory, I almost hit one of my favorite sweeps on Mac. Oh yeah, almost isn't good enough, Mac scrambled out and subbed me for the effort!

Mac is just relaxing as I spaz pass. He is waiting for something...

Mac transitions into a beautiful Brabo/D'Arce choke while Andy rolls on in the center of the mat.

My closing thoughts on training with the TUF stars Andy Wang and Mac Danzig is that they were both all class and they put training above all else. These guys live for this stuff and you can see this in how they dedicate all of their time into getting more proficient and technical. Both were great guys and humble to the core. In addition, they are both sponges and that to me is the scary part. These guys are just getting better and better.

Mac teaching me how he defends some of his attacks!

Epilogue- After watching Andy on TUF as well as his other recent match, I am left a little frustrated. First of all, I do not think Andy has yet to live up to his potential and his last fights definitely have not been his best. That being said, I still think that he is all heart and he has the drive and spirit to go much further than he has. It is laughable that some feel they can ridicule a guy like Andy. He is a great guy and a consumate warrior. He'll be back and I think some people will be eating a little crow, perhaps crow burgers.

I'm finally back!!!

Sorry for all of the delays, but I have been up to my neck in busy work. Here's where the delays have been coming from: Been writing the Budo Blog and articles for www.budovideos.com (those guys have been great to me), slowly editing a tournament DVD for OTM (sorry guys - I'm a lagger!), and authoring a few books for Victory Belt Publishing. So far, I've been working on the new Dave Camarillo book and the Saulo Ribeiro book as well. Both books are going to set new standards for BJJ books IMO. So, with that said, I've been traveling and training a lot, but unfortunately I have not been sharing some of these stories. Well, that ends here.

I'm finally back to writing on here too! Once again, sorry to those that have been frustrated by the absence of new material.