Started treatment Friday…Working through my nausea and fatigue but in spite of it all I feel pretty good. Things are still OK! Had to work to day and was hard to focus…b/c on top of the live interview I was blessed with on Http://www.bjjedge.com last night (Go and become a member as there will be a LOT of great things happening there!!!) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW I also saw where I have an article that was on the FRONT page of http://www.graciemag.com (thanks and nice meeting you to the reporter Gabriel) … Here is the link: http://www.graciemag.com/news/144/ARTICLE/15178/2009-08-03.html I am very honored and humbled by this…
I meant to say if you guys didn’t know, I have been sponsored by GOMGI(www.gomgi.com) for some time now and believe they have the best GIs anywhere…But I picked up a few new sponsors…One of them is Athletic Body Care (www.athleticbodycare.com). I had been a fan of their defense lotion for a while and I am happy to be a representative of their products and I must say the soaps and especially the bath salts are GREAT…Check them out…I am also sponsored by Kelly’s Lawn Service and by the great guys over at http://www.jiujitsuforums.com Make certain to go become a member and see the great things going on over there…
Will talk more later but have to run for now…I fight on…

Thought For The Day: “Do or do not. There is no try!”

International Masters & Seniors World Championships
Preta Senior 1 Masculino
Super Pesado
Primeiro STEPHEN HALL Alliance
Segundo PAULO RODRIGUES CURI Peposo Team
Terceiro NICOLAU MÁRIO Reação
Terceiro LUCIANO GOULART Ataque Duplo

Rio International Open
Preta Adulto Masculino
Super Pesado
Primeiro ANTONIO BRAGA NETO Gordo JJ
Segundo RODRIGO CAVACA Check Mat Bjj
Terceiro THIAGO GAIA Nova União
Terceiro STEPHEN HALL Alliance

Weight: 218.4

Update…
I honestly have thought of this day, dreamed of this day, and fantasized about what it would be, how it would feel, and what it meant…I honestly still don’t know what or how to feel! I am numb. The biggest thing, is that I always held and still hold the wearers of the Faixa Preta in such high esteem as to have them be akin to super heroes in my eyes. As much as I have been confident in my abilities, and confident in my skills, I just never felt I could live up to being seen in that light. Jiu-Jitsu has kept me alive. It has given me incentive to do things that are conducive to living well, healthy, and with good peace of mind. Anyways, Coach Allen and Coach Marcus felt I was worthy and I even had Professor Jacare’ tell me that my belt was well deserved, so who am I not to feel that I am?
A good and bad thing about milestones in life, is that they present an opportunity to see what people really feel about you. People harbor opinions of you within themselves which become their reality. No matter what you do, say, or how you act, they feel that this is the truth and how it really is, no matter what is evident in the contrary in reality. It is really hurtful to find this out from people you care about. Especially painful is to find out they already were doing things behind your back because of their incorrect ASSumptions and opinions. It’s even hurtful when you work really hard to do or be something and find out even total strangers have negative opinions of you. All that said, I guess it is a good thing, because it allows you to rid yourself of those who care not enough to get inside of you to see what is really there. Take the time for someone you claim to care about, to listen and understand what they need or want even if it is not how you think it should be done. This is something Jiu-Jitsu has taught me that every situation can be approached and handled differently…You can see and assume something is a certain way, but until u approach it on it’s own terms and merits (NOT under what you ASSUME it to be.) you will most certainly always make the wrong decision about it.
Jiu-Jitsu has been a guide in changing my life, in helping me to be a better person, in allowing me to express myself to the world. I’d always believed that between this and my attempting to be a good father to my daughter, I could be at least a decent person. Well, my daughter is gone to be living with her mother now, and I truly feel as lost as I was as a white belt. I can not concentrate, I can not focus, and I can not deal with the things good or bad as they should be dealt with. I hope that I can find focus again. As in jiu-jitsu when things go wrong, even a tad bit, they go horribly wrong in a downhill spiral, but there is always a chance, if you keep fighting, that you could snatch victory from the precipice of defeat at the last minute when you feel you can take no more. I hope that comes back to me.
I have a few more goals to add to my list now…..One of which, is to compete two more years (I would be 40 in 2011)at the Mundials. Another is to go down to Masters&Seniors in July and to win my division…The others I will post later but to live up to the trust has been placed in me…I fight on…

Thought For The Day: “One day, I will wake up and no longer be able to do this: Today is NOT that day!” - author unknown

Thought For The Day2: “Cultivate the poise of a dead man. The samurai should be incapable of being emotionally aroused, particularly by lust, greed, pride, jealousy or anger.”

Thought For The Day 3: “If you are not with me, you are against me.”

Life’s a bitch sometimes…In the midst of it being at it’s most highest point of bitchtivity(yes it’s a word cuz I say so), it can really give you the boost you need to keep going!…Oh, and while I think about putting the weekend down into the blog, I’d like to go on record as stating that dog farts are the most horrid thing on earth!!! EWwww…Beneful gives my dog gas, but as she is back to herself, I am happy she is eating…
On to the Jiu-Jitsu….I got Third Place at This Weekend’s World Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Championships…Brown Belt, Super Heavyweight Division…and the Alliance team won the team championship by a WIDE margin…

Day One:
Got up about 4am…got to the airport and hit the plane for a smooth flight about 6:10am….Couldn’t sleep even though I was exhausted as my knee bothered me badly..haven’t said much before the tournament b/c I did not want it out to opponents, but I couldn’t bear much weight on my left knee when flexed and it hurt constantly…Gonna have to hit the ortho doc to have it checked…Got in to have the rental company charge a $500 deposit before checking to see that my rental was prepaid which should have been a $50 deposit(They reversed it but even so, it had to wait until it hit my bank to drop off…This would not happen until Monday night as they don’t process over the weekend….This, on top of the fact that deductibles from my hospital and from my car being wrecked were taken out a week earlier then they should have which left me with pretty much NO money for the weekend…Anyways…I had snacks etc and needed to work off some weight as I was a few pounds over anyway…got to the hotel and unwound a bit…Then went off to the pyramid at Cal St LB…got there too late to see Sampson’s matches so I went up to the stands to join the team…It always feels great to be received as family when I see these guys…they always treat me well and it was great to see all the folks I hadn’t in some time…Anyways saw a LOT of great matches including some from some names you will hear for some time to come, David Bass, Johnathan Thomas, and Michel Langhi…The latter two closed out their division with Michel getting his new brown belt on the podium! I also got to see and talk with some friends from http://www.jiujitsuforums.com and got to talk with a lot of folks who read the blog…this was started so I could keep track of what I did, how I felt, and what was memorable through my travels in the art, and several times the notion has struck me to make it private, but to hear so many say this inspires them and that they enjoy reading my boring ranting made me feel great…Meeting these people and being in that atmosphere really made me know that I have found what I was meant to do in life! Thank you all who care enough to take the time to read here!…I spent the day running back and forth to the locker room and the scale trying to make certain I was making weight…Left that night with a headache and about a half pound cushion…Got back to the hotel feeling a tad bit exhausted and weird…Decided to try to do some cardio to sweat off a pound or two to allow me to be able to eat some as I had put some of the little $ I had left aside to do so…Changed into some shorts and went down stairs…b the time I walked across the lobby and into the fitness center, I was having horrible chills and shaking uncontrollably…It was hard to keep from looking like I was on crack as I shook so bad my walking was crooked as I tried to hurry tot he elevator…Then I tried to contain myself so the folks who were staring in the elevator didn’t think I had swine flu and call the CDC on me…I get back into my room and jump into a hot shower…The shaking stopped, until I got out when it returned worse…I almost crumpled to the floor, but I got on my shorts and t-shirt and put on the hotel robe and got extra blankets from the closet and got in bed…Took me about an hour to stop shaking and another hour to get to bed as all I could think of was getting choked out early…Only good thing was….

Day Two:
I woke up about 4 lbs under weight…So I wasn’t shaking when I awoke but I was exhausted and a tad bit sore..someone said it might have been from not eating and trying to cut weight…If so, I am going to work on getting my weight up to about 240 now so I don’t have to worry about cutting, and I can handle those huge guys at Pessadissimo…Anyways I get to the gym early and make certain I am prepared mentally and as time nears for my match I notice the high level of talent this year…Also notice how much better in shape everyone seems to be than I am as well as how much younger everyone looks! My confidence is really gone about now…I felt that I only wanted to get on the mat, and not look stupid and I would be ok…Well I take my first match by walk over as my opponent does not make weight…My next two matches go arm-bar, then combination arm-bar/triangle…Both in less than one minute…I am through to the semi-finals…Suffice it to say, that in this match, I had pts that were not called for me, pts called against that should not have been, a horribly incorrect re-start position, and a missed submission attempt I should have finished so I was not happy with the calls and feel like that match was taken for me…That said, my opponent ended up winning the title and is a great guy…the ref………that’s all I have to say about thaaat….Besides tearing off half a fingernail and bending up 3 others and hurting my neck a tad bit, I was really ok with my performance and for an old guy of 38, I did put in a decent showing against the young ones at the Mundials…At least I think so…That evening after I cooled off about the reffing, I caught some great black belt matches! I also got a new sponsor http://www.bjjedge.com that will help me to cover reg costs and allow me to do a few things such as write and show some techniques as well…Thanks Pesh!…Will tell you guys more about this in my next post, as I’d like to cover everything that will happen with it first…That said, ANYONE who practices the gentle art, and perhaps in some other areas would be wise to get in on this soon…So I walked out a little dejected but feeling good as I had a few more folks tell me they recognized me from the blog and that they liked and followed it!…So after saying my goodbyes…I got in the car…and knew after that night was ending and I was driving to my hotel late that night, that our brown belt teams put Alliance in place to cruise to victory as a team!

Day Three:
All I can say is the atmosphere was electric..I got there about 10am…And watched as our black belts put in a clinic…Between having the entire team together and chanting back and forth between us and Gracie Barra/Gracie Humaita/etc the hours flew by…I got to see more good friends, including Big Rick who trains up in Washington and is only six weeks removed from brain tumor removal and therapy who competed this weekend! Needless to say, Again, I was inspired…Watching Jacare’ come back after his illness, watching folks overcome their shortcomings and hardships and being int he company of people who had so much good will with one another even int he midst of harsh competition makes me happy I found Jiu-Jitsu…It was wonderful…As we took the team trophy that night it was just the perfect end to a great weekend…Even got a picture with Roger Gracie…He seems so huge on the mats but after standing near him, I am about the same size and actually weigh more than him now…Hope to one day be able to at least match his strength and even half his technique though…I will work on it…I talked at the end of the night to Caleb from http://wwwthefightworkspodcast.com and we shared how he is doing after his injury and about coming back to train as well as had him tell me more about folks who enjoy my blog which lifted my spirits as well…even though I was broke, hungry, hurting, and really down about my real life before I came, and dreaded returning to it as things are only worsening…I knew I made the right decision to do so, and am really glad God decided to bless someone so unworthy with such abundance…If I did not have my daughter and Jiu-Jitsu, I would die, as it seems everything else crumbles…So…the old man continues….I fight on…

www.peshphoto.com

www.peshphoto.com

Weight: 218.2

First Of All – R.I.P. Uncle Percy
There is a concept I have read of called Aliveness (Click Here To Read About It) in BJJ that I have played around with. I took a lot from this article and really sat and thought a lot about how I could expand upon this for myself…The concept says that Aliveness is timing, energy, and motion. For something to truly be alive, it must possess all these three elements. I have been playing around with this idea and added my own philosophy to it lately. In addition to those three things, I think that to be in the Aliveness state in BJJ requires a true state of openness…Meaning to be in the moment at all times…If you are truly IN the moment, and possess all of the other attributes, then you will always be ahead of your opponent…The philosophy of the technique/position you are trying to implement must also be understood…Not merely the mechanics of the technique or position, but the actual objective and aim of it which also gives you ability to tie it in to other techniques/positions without thought…

All that said, I have been attempting to use this in my own practices instead of merely drilling/rolling etc…It has paid off great dividends as between the great instruction I hvae been receiving, and the work I DO put in to drilling/rolling, the understanding and ability to be alive within the moment has really been evolving…The last few practice sessions I have had have really been great…I actually allowed myself to triangle someone yesterday… I have purposely pushed myself away from the technique in the recent months…At first it felt like I was really ineffective…That said, with my recent success from the top game in Rio, and with the lessons learned from Coach Marcus and Coach Allen, it was the best thing I could ever do…My passing has become very heavy and crisp, and I still have a LOT I can improve upon…That gives me hope that I can actually one day be close to the level I would like to attain…I still have much work to do to get to the proper body positioning for the half guard/x-guard passes…Especially working to get my knee down properly to prevent the x-guard pass has been problematic, but because of the great understanding I have received from my privates with Coach Marcus on that position, I at least understand the objective, and have been able to adapt and adjust on the fly, even when I don’t get to the “perfect” position….Also, with the same info on a couple of my favorite side control submissions (Especially the Paper-Cutter Choke) I got from Coach Allen, I can adjust to ensure success with the position even when I don’t quite get there from the beginning…

I had gotten some confidence that I would be able to at least win a match or two at Mundials from my performance at the Brazilian Nationals…Also, the practices I have been having have been crisp, while my cardio has been holding up well…This helps me to feel like I can at least be competitive enough not to look silly out there…In short, I felt like my being(and feeling) as old as I am could be over come, at least for a weekend at the World Championships…Also, had Coach Allen ask me the other day after watching me practice, what brand/type Black Belt I wanted, as he wanted me to have the kind I liked…That all depends upon me winning my division, which I am really not too sure I will come anywhere near doing…Well, it’s the last few days until the registration deadline (Tuesday, 26 May 2009), and now the plane tickets have jumped from $229 to $449…Would still have to get a hotel room, and a rental car as well…Due to a lot going on in my life…I won’t be able to afford to go…Maybe it is for the best, as I don’t feel, even with how good I have been doing, that I am near warranting the promotion…I will have to work hard to get a sponsor or two to be able to get to some of these tournaments as things aren’t so good as they used to be,where I could handle these type things myself…So if anyone knows any companies/individuals who would be a candidate to be a sponsor, please let me know…

Some great news…Coach Allen has made it possible for me and my school to become an official member of the Alliance organization…This will allow for a lot of benefits to the school…This is a really good thing to happen! I look forward to being a very productive member, and living up to the trust instilled in me.
Also…congratulations to my good friend Tyler Bosard….He received his Black Belt today from Draculino and Leo Cantu…He has been a great friend and also is my equipment sponsor (www.gomgi.com – best GIs and grappling gear in the world!!!) …Tyler runs Gracie Barra – RGV…If you are ever down in that area…Make sure to pay his school a visit!…He is a very technical and knowledgeable BJJ artist! Congrats Tyler!!!

It seems in BJJ there is a LOT of loss to deal with…It is something that both builds character, and teaches how to overcome adversity within the art itself…Been dealing with a lot of loss of confidence as I really just know enough to be dangerous now…Knowing the things I do, I can see how far I am from being what people think I am on the mat…I really hope to be able to live up to these thoughts of me in the near future and will be on the mat as much as I can, to be able to move forward…It’s just humbling to know how much you really don’t know…To look at yourself and not see the person everyone else does…That said, BJJ for me is a microcosm of life…Loss sucks ass, but I am trying my best to take it, and hope to make something positive from it if that is at all possible…I never thought that I would still be alive now, much less being able to do anything productive…So…I fight on…

Thought For the Day: “Death is not the greatest loss in life…The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”

MAN, I needed this today…Simple Illustration…

I have lots to work on in Jiu-Jitsu and in life. Seems as if nothing is satisfactory to me or those around me. It’s really hard to have to sit and think through every move in relation to what it might or might not cause to happen or the reaction it may bring. Jiu-Jitsu has taught me that, and I need to apply it better. Thing is, in the gentle art, I have found that the way to best results generally, is to focus on what you are doing, and make your action work to the desired end. I have much more to learn it seems. I fight on…

for now.

Thought For The Day: “He who is not with me, is against me.” – Matthew 12:30

Weight: 219.8

Firstly, I have a lot more confidence that I can at least win a match or two at Mundials and not look stupid now…Also have more confidence in my conditioning work, (even though when surfing I tired out after about 20 minutes of fighting waves! lol) as I felt great throughout the day…that said, life is kicking that ass again and no matter what I feel my performance could be, just is no way I can afford to make it to Mundials with all that’s happening and happened to date…Really sucks as it turned from me just wanting to go to have a decent test, to me having confidence I could do OK, and when it turned to that, I have things just go south! Ehh..that’s life. On to the blogging…

Well the day started off great as far as the tournament went. I got to see some GREAT Black belt matches and it felt good that Alliance was WAY out in front after the Brown belt results the day before!!! Seeing Terere’s return was the highlight of the day…His band and rowdy group of fans livened up the entire venue! Between Professor Paiva and Gurgel, in addition to the work put in by Coaches Marcus and Allen, my level of proficiency has gone up a lot more than I thought it would. After seeing the Black belts though, it is really daunting to think that I would be anywhere close to being near competitive technically on the next level without years of work. As old as I am now, by that time, I will be 50 and unable to move! lol…Anyways, I got to get out to the beach, do a little running and sightseeing, as well as caught up with the surf professor Gidget for some surfing (Well, more like for some standing up and wiping the hell out! lol) … Then it was off to the airport…Sucks that was the only nice weather day while I was there and that I couldn’t stay an extra day…Anyways, everything was good until I got to the airport…

Once I got there, I get a call and find out that my dog is really sick…And talking to the veterinarian, she was in shock and close to passing away…that said, do not EVER, EVER take your pet to I-20 Animal Medical Center-Dr. Diane G. (not sure the last name) as they really just want to get you for your $ and don’t care about the actual pet…I was told by this goatmouf trick to choose between paying $1300(the first # was $2200!!) and putting my dog to sleep! I tell her I have about $400 and can pay the rest Thursday upon getting paid, bear in mind I am in an airport in BRAZIL on a SUNDAY! she tells me “just put the dog to sleep then.” Upon being given this “Choice”, I asked what was wrong with her…The chick tells me she doesn’t know, so I ask, what does me paying you $1300 do if you have no idea what you are treating her for? Long story short (there’s a LOT more, but I digress as this is for something else), I decide not to put the baby to sleep, and get her the next day to the nice doctors at the Banfield in Pet Smart near my home…Brought her in(she couldn’t even lift her head, sit up, nothing) and within a few hours she was sitting up and today she is doing great! All this for a little more than half what those other folks were to charge me without even finding out what was wrong! she should be able to go home today, so if you would, send a prayer up for her…

Once I get back home from these trips, it’s like getting back to work on the chain gang…Even though I never really get to go out or do the “normal” vacation things that people do when out of town as I am focused so much on performing well before a tournament, then resting and recovering after, it is still great because it allows me a release….Allows me an escape…I go to a place where the only thing that exists is my passion for the gentle art, where I can just be me and have peace of mind…But at home, life intrudes once again…Case in point, the truck issue is back, and not only do I have to have it fixed, but in a week or so, I have to come up with a down payment and buy something new! With all that has gone on, there is no way to do that…Problem is, with my school, if I have no way to get around, I don’t know what will happen…will pray on it…

Speaking of which, I am very happy with my students’ progress. The few I do have, work extremely hard and they believe in what I am giving them. That will go a long way as thy all have talent and promise.

As for my jiu-jitsu, I need to work more on the sweep prevention and half guard passing, and there is a particular pass which is pretty much the only one I get passed with, the few times I do get passed. This reared it’s head again in training in Leblon, and needs to be fixed…good thing is, it is one of, if not the favorite passes Marcus does..That should help me get it cleared up in no time, plus Fabio said he would work on it with me if I got to the camp before Mundials…though I do not see that happening now…My left knee is jacked up and hurts badly when bending and flexing and I still need to get in to the doctor to get ANOTHER procedure on my back…It only locked up once while in Brazil, but still, it is a problem that needs fixing…ASAP…No matter… Still…I Fight On…

Thought For The Day: “In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbow’d.”

Weight: 216.8

I wake up on time and get ready…Catch a taxi that actually knows which way he is going and make it to the tournament on time…I first see Fabio when I walk in and he explains to me about the move and really, I dunno if it is part pep talk or what, but he made me feel really good about my skills to know he felt that highly of me to think I could assist at all getting points…Reason I say this is, the level of Jiu-Jitsu there was EXCEPTIONAL! This weekend was all Black and Brown belts for one which lent itself to the competition being good, but it was just amazing to see the guys and women out there competing and really had me a bit taken aback…My confidence was definitely shaken, and I said a little prayer, just not to let one of these young guys make me look like an idiot…I went to change into my GI pants and get my competition free t-shirt only to find out I had to buy food to get the t-shirt…After arguing in very bad Portuguese…I understood it to be something of a food drive…You had to bring in something like a pound of rice beans etc etc and that got you your t-shirt…I thought this was a GREAT idea and it seemed throughout the day to get a LOT that will go to some very needy people….Well I get my GI on and meet up with all the great Alliance fighters…They make me feel like family…It is a great thing that they do as every time I come, it seems I have been missed…I met some new and some old guys and new ladies on the team as well…Met Luanna Alzuguir who is a Fabio black belt and someone Id watched before…was nice to actually meet her…VERY tough girl…Also saw some folks I had met at Master&Senior last year like the ring coordinator Thyzar Albuquerque(I thought it was spelled Gizaa LOL) and her sister the award girl Thiazar…Also saw some guys who screamed at me and made me think I was doing something wrong, but they were just remembering my gold medal match last year when I screamed…When they yelled out Pesadelo Triangulo Perigrosa(sp?) I was really flattered!!!…Anyways…Today really was a good day as I got to put into effect a lot of the things I worked on with Marcus coaching me on in our private lessons and it made so much of a difference I was able to stay on top, in control, and effective with one of the holes I had in my game…On to my first match…
Match 1
I get an inside leg lift to Jacare’ knee/ankle pick and land in side control…I rotate my shoulders and work to secure the back of the collar…I remember a lesson Coach Allen gave me on this and brought the guys head onto my knee and got to my knees and windshield wipered the elbow to finish the paper cutter choke…I am surprised!!!
Match 2
I work trading grips and work the guy to get an over hook to try a hip toss…He hits the ground but bounces up and attempts to pull half guard…I shut down the half guard and smash the knee and straddle with my hips to put my weight down…I hear that little grunt that you hear when you know you are feeling heavy to someone and it gave me a bit of confidence…I tried to scoot up to mount but moved too fast and had him turn outward in an attempt to get to his knees…I work to his back and got in a hand to his collar…He starts to defend the bow and arrow choke as I feignt towards grabbing his leg…But I shoot my hand to the opposite lapel…I work it in and stay tight and work to the straight collar choke from the back…Once again I am surprised as when watching this guy he looked unbeatable…
Match 3
The guy works and tries to pull half guard…Again this plays ito what I had been working with Marcus in private lesson to close up as a hole in my game(I’d always gotten swept or reversed in half guard)…Well I work the under hooks and smash…he works to get the under-hook, and instead of fighting it…I let him…I’d always been scared to as this ended up with me on my back…I wizzer the arm and give his face a DEEP cross-face…Bump my knee up and drive it through…Then I drop my head and make the knee-through pass…I work from there to side control, but felt he was trying to reverse me so I straightened my body out and put all my weight on my chest and moved almost to fifty-fifty…From there I worked to Royler’s arm bar…Learned it from Saulo Ribeiro’s book – University Of Jiu-Jitsu…and got it…On the the Semi Finals…
Match 4 – Semi Final
I had watched this guy smash through everyone’s guard and be really heavy in finishing his opponents (a trademark of Ryan Gracie guys)…Talking to Prof. Paiva before the match..He tells me “Stay on top…This guy is really good there..if you put him on his back you will win for sure!”…I told him I had thought to get to guard and he said do what your game is, but in thinking, who am I to question when someone of that caliber tells you what to do!? So…We work grips for a while and I fight the urge to pull guard..and he works to try to shoot to make me sit..but when he does, I pull and yank him to the ground…I do not get the take down points, BUT, even better he is turtled up! I tell my students and friends all the time…unelss you are Eduardo Telles, then the turtle position is horrible and will only lead you to getting submitted…Well I work side to side with really good leg control and work to try to get my hooks in a few times…I transition side to side and on top and keep digging but his back defense is good, and each time I try to get the second hook in, he rolls out very well…I must work on this more…I try again to work to get hooks in and he rolls early making it to half guard…Once again in what I have trained for…I work my hand under the z-guard leg and then control the bottom hand…after some time of me keeping him at a distance and working to put my head down and pass, I allow him to work tot he x-guard set up…both Coach Marcus and Coach Allen worked with me on shutting this downa dn I sit out and place heavy pressure on his jaw…When I sit out he works to try to under hook me…I swith around and work to a deep knee bar position in sometthing I worked in detail with Marcus…I secure it and pull hard…I’m in the finals!!!!
Match 5- Final…
We trade grips very hard for a long time and trade inside trip attempts…He pulls me into an outside single and puts me to the ground…We work around a bit and I scramble up…we work again and he keeps getting my leg in that same outside pull to single but I keep defending…eventually when he works it, I time it well and get him into a high arcing hip toss…He lands and I think I have him top-side in a sit out position but my weight lands on the floor..not on him…he can move his hips out and gets back to his feet…Weare tied now…This dude is STRONG!!!!!!…When he gets grips it takes EVERYTHING I have to get his hands off…He works me once again to this doggone pull to outside trip…(I WILL fix this when I get back home! ASAP) He gets it and as he does he walks to the outside instead of inside and lands in side control…He clamos down and that’s where the match ends…I lose but I OK with it..I just wish I had pulled guard on him…I think I could have done better…
Anyways I get Silver in the Adult, Super Heavyweight, Brown Belt division of the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championships….At 38 years old, and a normal Senior 1 division competitor…I am really happy with myself…To get the submission in all the fights up to the final tells me I am much more on the road to being where I’d like to be…I have a LOT of work to do however…Wathing the black belts (The Black Belt Open will be closed out by Alliance-Tarsis Humphries and Gabriel Vella, The Ladies Black Belt Open has our Luanna Alzuguir in the final as well and it seems we jumped way ahead inthe team points!) I see much I can do and with the high level of these guys I am FAR FAR FAR away from them. I will keep working on it though…Met and talked with lots of people who congratulated me and gave me an idea of the magnitude of what the day’s events were…Also met with Terere’s father who said that Terere would be competing tomorrow! That will be a definitely highlight…I got a picture with him as well…Got a patch from Thyzar for Athletes For Jesus which I will have to work into my GI somewhere….Met up with Dennis Asche from www. connectionrio.com and hope to make a good connection on a place for when me and the guys come down for Master&Senior in July…Hung out with legends of the game as well as future legends to be…And generally just soaked up all the Jiu-Jitsu as it was intended to be in the Tijuca Tanies Clube, which is, tome, the BEST place for a tournament in the world…Pidgeons flying through, open air stadium, just wonderful…It was a good day at the tournament…
I took a cab to thehotel and made my way to meet my team mate Darren at my favorite Rio place to eat (well Porcao is a close second) Nik’s…Had a BUNCH of salmon, beef, and even had a Caipirinha made with Cachaca! As I write this, my back is killing me, so I know it will have to be worked on when I come back in…But…No matter what…I am encouraged…I fight on…

Though For The Day: Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.

Weight: 220.2

Well I am a bit worried about my weight but, will hit the sauna when I get into the hotel and maybe hit the beach to run/surf it off…Hit the airport, and it wouldn’t be a Pesadelo trip if something wasn’t wrong…Plane is delayed two hours and 15 min because of 1. Weather, 2. Service needed on the plane!!!, and 3. The routed the plane to the wrong terminal from the mechanic hangar….Well, that delay pretty much assured that I would miss the connection flight in Sao Paulo and so was put on another flight which would have me about 4 and a half hours later into Rio than I was supposed to be…Being me, I also was worried about my luggage but I’ve learned to carry the essentials with me…The flight was uneventful, but I must make a declaration which should be put into law: ANY nasty bastid that farts on a plane MUST be publicly beaten to within an inch of their life…I have my suspicions, but if I knew for sure who it was I would have strangled them in their sleep! Anyway, I get into Sao Paulo, and in my downtime I check online to get the brackets…I check my age group: Senior 1 and my belt, weight, etc: Brown and Super Heavy and my name is no place to be found…I check the weight class above and below, and ….NOTHING!!! So now I am freaking out…I send frantic emails and call into Jacare to see if he can see what is happening as if my name is not in the bracket listing, I will just be making a vacation trip and not competing…I get a quick email response from the federation (something they are NOT known for generally) which tells me, I was moved to the Adult (18 and up) category by Fabio Gurgel so I had to fight in that division. This gave me some pause as the Brasileiro is widely noted as one of if not THE toughest tournament in the world (some even say harder than the Mundials) and I would be fighting guys in their early 20s who have been practicing the art much longer than me in the toughest tournament around…I was confident of my cardio but had trained for 5 to 6 minute matches and not 8 minute matches as is the case in Adult…I catch the flight from Sao Paulo to Rio and share the plane with the Canadian National Women’s track team…Whoa!…Guess that makes up for the flight delay! lol…When I finally get to Rio, I call Jacare’ and he explains Fabio moved me as the team would be in a close race for points and he thought I could help…I admit I did not feel the same way, but wanted to do what I could to live up to those expectations and was flattered that The General thought so highly of me! I was also worried because I’ve had a good streak of the Major championships going at my age bracket in the GI since getting my brown belt…World(Master&Seniors), American Nationals-Weight and Absolute, US Open Absolute, European-Weight and Absolute, Pan Am Weight and Absolute, and wanted to see if I could keep the same through this year’s World(Master&Seniors)….Ah well…We will see how it goes…Get in to Rio and it’s raining…MAN I am pissed as I wanted to hit the beach…I do proceed to go and eat at Porcao (you have GOT to have the baby beef!!!) and then get in the ca to try to go over to Prof. Alexandre Paiva’s gym to break a sweat….The cabbie gets lost…I tell him to stop and proceed to get out and get lost myself and wander around Leblon for about 40 minutes…I finally find the hotel and hit the sauna…Take off a few pounds (Some I’d gained from Porcao) and it seems I am just right for my day tomorrow or perhaps over one pound or two…But I would let the overnight weight loss as usual take care of that…The Marina Palace Hotel is where I am staying (same place I stayed for last year’s Master&Senior tournament), and it is really nice…bed’s are a bit small but as soon as I hit the bed, I am OUT…(This is after I find out I can’t get my laptop to download my doggone pics from my phone so pictures are coming whenever I get home and dump them…)…Sleep for now…In the morning…I fight on…

Though For the Day: Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.

About to leave to go to the airport….On my way to compete at the 2009 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil…Will be staying in Leblon right on the beach…connections will be available, but not sure how often I will be able to update…But stay tuned…My weight is coming down but I may need to drop a couple pounds when I get to Brazil to make sure I make weight…We shall see…
Other than a few aches and pains I am OK and feel pretty confident in my technique…that said, this tournament is pretty well recognized as one of if not the most difficult in terms of competition in the world…some even rank it above the Mundials! So any success over there will be tough…Just hoping I can do OK and not let anyone down…
Still have some personal issues but you know what…God is Good…I fight on…

Though For The Day: I Am A SHARK. The Ground Is My Ocean And You Cannot Swim.