Gracie-Barra Andalucia

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Grappling & Mixed Martial Arts Academy

Welcome to Gracie-Barra Andalucia. Our academies train and compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and grappling/submission-wrestling, under black-belt Edson “Sururu” Jorge. Join us in beautiful Marbella and La Linea, Spain (Andalucia) training the most effective martial arts in the world. Learn more about the academy , or read our blog below.

Hey everybody, great news!– we’re really happy to be able to provide you with a downloadable video of Edson’s TKO win against Manu Garcia at the recent KO Arena 5 event. See for yourself why Edson “Sururu” Jorge is one of the world’s top welterweight/lightweight fighters, and remains undefeated at 5-0.

Click here to download the video (28 MB)

A really big thanks goes out to our friend, and KO Arena producer and promoter, Pablo Espejo, for giving us permission to provide this video from the event. Be sure to regularly check out Pablo’s sites:

• FightSol.com

• KOArena.net

Also be sure to check out Pablo’s photo gallery of the event:

• KO Arena 5 Photo Gallery

Hey everybody, we’ll have a couple pictures up soon, but just wanted to make a quick announcement about the great news– Edson is the new KO ARENA Welterweight Champion! In last night’s event, he fought Manu Garcia, considered one of Spain’s top fighters. It was incredible– Edson, one of the world’s top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Grappling athletes, put Garcia on the floor with a first-round jab, and quickly followed up with strikes on the ground for the TKO, one minute into the first round! Few people realize that Edson is also a devastating stand-up fighter, as seen last night, and his recent KO kick-boxing victory.

Congratulations Edson, the new KO ARENA Welterweight Champion!

(And a big thanks to Pablo Espejo, KO ARENA producer and promoter, for putting on another great event!)

On November the 18th the Gracie Barra Marbella competition team led by Edson Sururu took home the team championship at the Inaugural Copa de Granada de Jiu Jitsu Brasileño organized and hosted by Luis Zarate Jiu Jitsu Granada and held in the Centro de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (CARD). The victory was due to excellent performances from our white belts; Dani and Tete took first and second in the under 76kgs, Agusto won the under 82kgs finishing his final with a hard earned, excellent armbar as well as second in the Absolute, “Aleman” won the under 88kgs division convincingly, while Leo dominated his final in the under 94kgs category until a tecnical error allowed a suprise kata getame from the bottom position in a side-control that left him in second place. He redeemed himself magnificently in the Absolute class with a beautiful winning triangle in the final proving to everyone who was the best White Belt overall. The debut match for our newest competition team member “Gigante” saw a combined 250+ kgs battle in a stand up war. Both Gigante and his opponent attempted many throws and counters fighting hard, aware of the consequences of being caught on the bottom in a ground battle. Eventually in a display of raw power Gigante lifted the 140+kgs opponent by his pants legs and toppled him to the ground, shaking the floor with the impact. Shortly after Gigante won by a verbal submission taking the gold in his first ever competition.

With Jose Antonio out because of knee surgery and Ben Johnson no longer with the club only Mike Rios and Pablo Cabo represented GB Marbella in the Blue Belt category. Both won their matches in their weight division. Unfortunately, Pablo had shoulder problems and could not compete in the Absolute division and Mike lost in the opening round.

Thanks to Luis Zarate for a great event and we look forward to defending our team title next year!!!

El pasado día 18 de Noviembre el equipo de competición de Gracie Barra Marbella liderado por Edson Sururu gano el Campeonato por Equipos en la Primera “Copa de Granada� de BJJ organizado por Luis Zárate Jiu Jitsu de Granada en el Centro de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (CARD). Esto fue por el esfuerzo excelente de nuestros cinturones blancos; Dani y Tete quedaron primero y segundo en 76kgs con técnica y voluntad sólida, Augusto gano en 82kgs finalizando en la final con una excelente llave de brazo bien elaborada, “Alemán� gano en 88kgs dejando claro su superioridad, mientras Leo domino en 94kgs en la final hasta una kata getame desde abajo en 100kilos por su contrincante le dejo en segundo. Leo no tardo en revindicarse dominando la categoría Absoluto y finalizando con un triangulo la final dejando claro quien era el mejor cinturón blanco del día. El debut de nuestro miembro más nuevo “Gigante� fue un espectacular duelo de 250+kgs combinados. Lucharon de pie intentando múltiples proyecciones y defensas sabiendo las consecuencias de quedarse abajo en una lucha en el suelo. Al final en una muestra de su enorme potencia Gigante levanto los 140+kgs de su oponente por los pantalones y le lanzo al suelo cayendo con un impacto que vibro el suelo. Poco después sumito verbalmente y Gigante se llevo oro en su primera competición.

Muchas Gracias a Luis Zárate y nos vemos el año que viene cuando defenderemos nuestra Copa!!

Edson “Sururu” Jorge would like to thank all the coaches and participants that attended the event, as well as the Pink and Plantinum for sponsoring the event. Next year Sururu will host a Grappling (no gi) tournament in June/July as well as the second edition of the Copa de Marbella (with gi) in October. Check this website for information on these and other upcoming Spanish events.

Edson “Sururu” Jorge quiere agradecer a todos los entrenadores y competidores que acudieron al evento y tambien los patrocinadores Pink y Platinum por su apoyo. En el año que viene Sururu organizará un campeonato de Grappling (sin kimono) en Junio/Julio y la segunda Copa de Marbella en Octubre. En este sito web informaremos sobre estos eventos y los de mas eventos en España proximamente.

White Belt /Cinturon Blanco

65 a 75 kgs 1. Jesus Velasquez (TNT) 2. Ismael Cordoba (TNT) 3. Tete Garcia (GBM)

76 a 85kgs 1. Enrique Marin (CS) 2. M. Nisteroy (TNT) 3. “Aleman” (GBM)

86 a 95kgs 1. Carlos Ona (TNT) 2. Antonio Cordoba (TNT) 3. Leo Galatti (GBM)

+96kgs 1. Antonio Garcia (GBM) 2. Reza (GBM) 3. Adrian Correa (LZ)

Absoluto 1. Carlos Ona (TNT) 2. Reza (GBM) 3. Cesar Honduras (TNT)

Blue Belt/ Cinturon Azul

Por de bajo de 75kgs 1. Raul Velazquez (TNT) 2. Juan Jose Pozo (TNT) 3. Pablo “Paleta” Cabo

Por encima de 75kgs 1. Mike Rios (GBM) 2. Ben Johnson (GBM) 3 Antonio Sanchez (LZ)

Absoluto 1. Ben Johnson (GBM) 2. Mike Rios (GBM) 3. Raul Velazquez (CS)

Team Cup / Copa de Equipos 1. Team New Team Madrid 2. Gracie Barra Marbella 3. Crazy Sevilla 4. Luis Zarrate Granada

Congratulations to everyone!!/ Enhorabuena a todos!!

The Gracie-Barra Marbella Jiu-Jitsu academy of Professor Edson Jorge is pleased to announce the 1st Marbella Cup Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament:

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2006

Where: Platinum Gym, Puerto Banus, Marbella, Spain

Time: 16:00

Cost: 25 Euros/person

Belt Categories: White and Blue

Weight Categories: 65 to 75 kg, 75 to 85 kg, 85 to 95, 95 and above kg, and Absolute. Note that these weights are with kimono (gi).

Registration & Weigh-in: Friday, October 28, from 16:00, or on the day of the event, from 14:00

Prizes: Medals and Shirts

For more information, contact Edson Jorge (in Spanish) at +34 600865979, or Mike Rios (in English or Spanish) at +34 666412121.

Our academy professor Edson Jorge is set to fight the well-known Spanish fighter Manu Garcia at the KO Arena 5 Mixed Martial Arts event, for the Welterweight Championship Belt!

Don’t miss it! More information at KO Arena website

In other news, Edson won a kick boxing fight this past weekend, by KO in the second round. He’s looking quite ready for KO Arena!

Boy, do we have some news! Gracie-Barra Marbella’s own Pablo Cabo, representing Spain, has achieved a third place finish at the BJJ World Cup, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

Nuestro compañero Pablo Cabo, representante español de la Gracie Barra Bh/Marbella ha conseguido obtener un 3º puesto en la Copa del Mundo de BJJ celebrada los dias 19 a 25 de julio de 2006 en el Gimnasio Caio Martins en Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro .

Pablo, third place in the Copa del Mundo!

Pablo traveled to Brazil early, to complete his training, after having conducted a month of private preparation with Edson in Marbella. These trainings were fundamental to achieving his competitive level.

Pablo viajo a Brasil para terminar la preparación de cara al mundial, que ya venia realizando con Edson durante un mes previo. Unos entrenamientos que han sido fundamentales para alcanzar los resultados obtenidos.

While in Brazil, Pablo competed in the two most important competitions in the world: The World Cup (organized by the CBJJO) and the World Championships (organized by the CBJJ). The experience to compete at this level was invaluable, and will serve as a motivation for the rest of the team in its future European competitions.

Su presencia en los campeonatos ha sido por partida doble, participando en los dos campeonatos mas importantes a nivel mundial, la Copa del Mundo realizada por la CBJJO y el Mundial por la CBJJ. Creemos que ha sido una experiencia muy positiva y esperemos que sirva para ayudar al equipo de cara a las próximas competiciones.

Below is a video of Pablo, in which he loses to Guilherme Mendes in the semifinals. (Gilherme eventually became the Champion in both the World Cup and the World Championship.)

Aquí esta el video de la semifinal en la cual Pablo pierde para Guilherme Mendes, campeon de le categoría en la Copa del Mundo y en el Mundial.

Lucha de Pablo en X-Combat.com

Commenting on the technical level, Pablo states, “The truth is, I didn’t see a large difference in the technical level of the Brazilian teams in comparison with the foreign teams. Little by little, one begins to see foreign competitors achieving impressive results in Brazil. I’m convinced that our own team will continue in its success, especially at the next European Championships.”

Nuestro compañero nos ha comentado su impresión del nivel técnico encontrado en Brasil, y dice: “La verdad que no existe una gran diferencia técnica entre los participantes de otros países extranjeros. Poco a poco van apareciendo mas competidores de otros países realizando muy buenos combates e incluso alcanzando muy buenos resultados. Y estoy convencido de que este año el equipo va conseguir muchas medallas en el campeonato Europeo el próximo enero�.

Pablo, with competitors from Draculino’s Gracie-Barra Belo-Horizonte

This year has been great in terms of competitive results for the team, and especially for Pablo, as he has become of Spain’s top competitors.

Este año a sido muy positivo para el equipo, consiguiendo unos resultados extraordinarios. Por su parte Pablo se ha convertido en este 2006 en uno de los mejores competidores de BJJ en España.

We hope that Pablo will be able to count on the support of our gym, Platinum, as well as other sponsors wanting their brand to be associated with the hard work, dedication, discipline and, ultimately, success that Pablo is representing in Spain. We should all keep in mind that Pablo is traveling 60 km to Marbella to train, while keep the hard schedule of a student!

Esperemos que este año puedas contar con el apoyo de Platinum, así como de otros sponsors que puedan ayudarte a conseguir tus objetivos. Pablo al ser un estudiante ha de trabajar las horas q los estudios te permiten para poder costearse los entrenamientos y los viajes a marbella, ya que vive a 60km de Marbella.

We wish you all the best, Pablo!

Te deseamos mucha suerte para esta temporada 2006/2007.

Pablo especially wanted to say thanks to Edson Sururu Jorge, for all his hard work, to Caloquinha for opening the doors to his home, and to Telmo. And he wants to say thanks to all the guys at Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte for their warm and welcome reception of Pablo in Brazil.

Pablo ha querido agradecer muy especialmente a Edson por todo el trabajo realizado, a Caloquinha por abrirle las puertas de su casa en Brasil y a Telmo. Así como a todos sus compañeros por el apoyo que le han dado y ha querido mandar un saludo a nuestros compañeros de la Gracie Barra de Belo Horizonte, por el trato obtenido y por la ayuda prestada en cada momento.

(Reported by Mike Rios)

On Saturday the 22nd of July some of the Gracie Barra Marbella competition team travelled to the Spanish/American base in Rota Spain for the Inaugural CHOCO classic held on base and hosted by the CHOCO team as a fund raiser to help the guys pay for their trips to Germany to compete. The four team members were Ben Johnson, Antonio Garcia and Mike Rios along with Jose Antonio’s student Roberto. (An unfortunate mix-up prevented our non-Spanish/American/British team members from participating.)

The two weight categories were above- and below 80kgs, so Roberto and Ben fought in the under, and Mike and Antonio fought in the over.

Antonio was injured in his first match by an armbar and could not continue. Roberto, fighting in his first competition, felt the affects of nerves and adrenaline and after a hard fought first match which he won 20 to 4 looked a little worse for wear. He fought 3 more times though gaining some valuable experience and going 2 for 2 on the day.

Both Ben and Mike won their categories in the with Kimono competition. Mike with three submissions and ben with two submissions and a hard-fought 6-4 victory in the final. In the no kimono competition after lunch Mike won again with three submissions and ben won one and lost in the final by a guillotine choke (could happen to anyone) in a rematch of the kimono competition.

Afterwards it was over to Vinnie’s house for a BBQ by the pool and some laughs as everybody took turns telling BJJ and other “warâ€? stories. Unfortunately it started getting late and Ben looked nervous about the consequences of arriving too late to meet the Mrs, so I had to leave without getting to taste one of the luscious looking burgers Vinnie had on the Grill. You owe me a burger Ben!!

Overall my impression from the event was that team CHOCO is made up of some great guys, excellent athletes with lots of heart. They have a great future ahead of them. The event was well organized, and will no doubt become an anticipated annual event.

Thanks, and good luck in Germany, TEAM CHOCO !!!

Lots of exciting things happening this summer:

• Our very own Pablo Cabo is heading off to Brazil to compete in the BJJ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. This is big time stuff. Pablo’s been training mano-a-mano with Edson for a month or so. He’s totally ripped, and ready to go. Good luck, Pablo– we’re all hoping the best for you, as you represent Spain and Gracie-Barra.

• Jude (above left) is down from the UK to train with us for a few months. He’s a recent Roger Gracie black belt, and a long-time buddy of ours. He always claims to be “out of shape”, but we know the truth.

• Bruno (above right) a BJJ purple-belt from Portugal, came down to Marbella for some quality beach time and training with us. Bruno is one-tough-dude, let me tell you (he submitted me in about 10 seconds with some kind of weird handlock from the guard), but is one of the nicest guys we’ve met. Was great having you Bruno, and we hope to see you back soon!

• Our Swedish buddy Andreas Tjärnberg came down for a week a sun and training, and showed us a few “Goshindo” moves. Great seeing him again!

• The club just keeps growing and growing. Just last night, we had three new Brits join up and a new BJJ purple belt from Brazil recently moved to Marbella. Edson has been showing us a great series of attacks and counters from the spider guard.

• We’ve got a HOT NEW CHICA DEL MES. Check out Olga, From Russia with Love.

• Last, but not least, we’re all looking forward to heading down to the Rota military base on 22 July, for a BJJ and grappling tournament hosted by the US Navy & Marine Corps. Be sure to contact Vinnie Carlucci at CarlucciV@nctams.rota.navy.mil if you’d like to participate, or signup online at:

  http://www.teamchoco.carluccifamily.net/

Un monton de cosas excitantes estan pasando este verano:

+ Nuestro compañero Pablo Cabo está planeando ir a Brasil para competir en el campeonato mundial de Bjj. Pablo ha estado entrenando mano a mano con Edson durante un mes aproximadamente. El está preparado para ir. Mucha suerte Pablo. Estamos todos esperando lo mejor para ti, como representante de España y de la Gracie-Barra.

+ Jude (a la izquierda de la foto) ha bajado de Inglatera para entrenar con nosotros durante unos meses. El es un recien cinturón negro de Roger Gracie, y un viejo conocido de nosotros.

+ Bruno (a la derecha de la foto), cinturón purpura de Portugal, vino a Marbella a pasar unos dias de playa y entrenar con nosotros. Dejame decirte que Bruno es un tio duro (el me finalizó aproximadamente en 10 segundos con una llave de mano desde la guardia), pero es uno de los mejores tios que hemos encontrado. Fue bueno el tenerte Bruno, y esperamos verte pronto de vuelta!

+ Nuestro Buddy sueco, Andreas Tjärnberg, viajó por una semana de vacaciones y entreno, y nos enseñó algunos movimientos “Goshindo”. Fantastico volver a verlo!

+ El club continua creciendo y creciendo. La pasada noche, tuvimos tres nuevos miembros británicos y un nuevo cinturon purpura de Bjj de Brasil que recientemente se desplazó a Marbella. Edson nos ha estado enseñando una magnifica serie de ataques y defensas desde la guardia araña.

+ Tenemos una nueva chica del mes. Olga, desde Rusia con amor.

+ Para el final, pero no lo menos importante, nos estamos preparando para el campeonato de Bjj y Grappling organizado por la US Navy & Marine Corp, en la base militar de Rota, el 22 de Julio. Si quieres participar, contacta con Vinnie Carlucci, en Carlucci@nctams.rota.navy.mil o realiza la inscripción en:
http://www.teamchoco.carluccifamily.net

28 Fights, 26 Victories!! Overall Team Champions!!

Gracie-Barra Marbella, led by professor Edson “Sururu” Jorge, went to Valencia, Spain to compete in the Valencia Grappling tournament on Saturday, May 20, 2006. The team performed unbelievably well, bringing home the overall team competition.

Pictures, videos and full story coming soon, but here are the highlights:

• First place, Team Competition: Gracie Barra Marbella
• Winner Superfight: Edson “Sururu” Jorge
• Winner Superfight: Caloquinha
• 1st Place, Open Division, Advanced: Edson “Sururu” Jorge
• 1st Place, Open Division: Mike Rios & Jose Antonio Merida
• 1st Place, Super Lightweight Division: Pablo Cabo
• 1st Place, Lightweight Division: Mike Rios
• 3rd Place, Lightweight Division: Matt Henderson
• 1st Place, Heavyweight Division: Jose Antonio Merida

Videos

The video list will grow over the following days:

• Superfight: Edson “Sururu” Jorge

• Superfight: Caloquinha

More Videos

Here are some videos of Jose Antonio “Zen of Aikido” Merida, Pablo “Vai Vai Vai Vai Vai Vai Vai” Cabo, Mike “Don’t Touch My Elbows” Rios, and Matt “Yes, I just blew a 6 point lead” Henderson:

Photos

Be sure to check out the photo gallery of the event in Pablo Espejo-Saavedra’s FightSol website.

Thank you!

We’d like to close the article by giving a big Thank You shout out to our mates at Crazy Valencia MMA Academy. You guys did a great job organizing this event. Everything was well organized, and went very smoothly. There were nearly 100 competitors, and just as many watching in the stands. We’re looking forward to the second edition next year!

**28 luchas y 26 victorias!!**

Gracie-Barra Marbella, liderada por el profesor Edson “Sururu” Jorge, viajaron a Valencia, España, para competir en el campeonato de Valencia de Grappling (Submission Wrestling) el sábado 20 de Mayo de 2006. El equipo tuvo un rendimiento increiblemente bueno, trayendo a casa el campeonato por equipos.

Fotos, videos y la historia completa vendrán pronto, aunque aqui un adelanto:

*Primer lugar en la competición por equipos: Gracie-Barra Marbella

*Ganador de la Superfight: Edson “Sururu” Jorge

*Ganador de la Superfight: Caloquinha

*1º lugar, categoría open, avanzado: Edson “Sururu” Jorge

*1º lugar, categoría open: Mike Rios & Jose Antonio Merida

*1º lugar, categoría super ligero: Pablo Cabo

*1º Lugar, categoría ligero: Mike Rios

*3º Lugar, categoría ligero: Matt Henderson

*1º lugar, categoría pesados: Jose Antonio Mérida

**Gracias!**

Nos gustaría cerrar este articulo dando un gran agradecimiento a nuestros compañeros de la academia Crazy Valencia MMA. Vosotros hicisteis un *gran* trabajo organizando este evento. Todo estuvo bien organizado, y transcurrió sin problemas. Hubieron cerca de 100 competidores, y casi lo mismo mirando en las gradas. Estamos esperando para la segunda edición el año que viene!

Our Swedish friend Andreas Tjärnberg, who visits and trains with us from time to time just wrote in to let us know he recently won the Swedish team-championship in something called Goshindo a few weeks ago.

Be sure to check out the website:

http://www.brandbil.se/goshindo.htm

On the website, he writes:

På väg från Jakan med vinnarbucklan. Livet leker men bulorna i fejset börjar kännas.

Being almost fluent in Swedish myself, I can translate that for our readers:

I would like to thank all my friends at Gracie-Barra Marbella. Thanks to what I learned there — how to pass the guard, and how to give the opponent a mean look before the competition — I was able to win my Goshindo Championship.

Or something like that, anyway…

Congratulations, Andreas! We’re all looking forward to your next visit to Marbella.

This past weekend, the Gracie-Barra BH Marbella academy had the pleasure of hosting a BJJ and grappling seminar with Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães. And I honestly have to say, it was the best seminar I’ve ever attended.

Draculino is the head of the Gracie-Barra Belo Horizonte (BH) jiu-jitsu academy in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and is considered to be one of the world’s leading instructors of modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission wrestling. To consistently produce world and pan-american champions, as Draculino has done, it’s essential that an instructor continually studies and evolves the art.

The theme of the seminar was change and the unexpected. Draculino began the seminar by discussing the modern day situation in competition jiu-jitsu. He explained that knowledge of the art has dispersed to a point that nearly all the traditional strategies and tactics are now commonly known, and that to have an edge in today’s competition, one must be prepared to react to situations in unexpected ways; ways in which your opponent will not expect. He said that much effort is given in his academy to in-depth study of positions and strategies, and that much of what we will see in the seminar are fruits of that effort.

During the next four hours, we were taught some amazing strategies, tactics and techniques applicable to the some of the most common competition situations — counter attacks to the single leg takedown, guard, half-guard and side control.

I’ve attended many jiu-jitsu seminars, and several things really caught my attention during the Draculino seminar. First, the man is very friendly, and down to earth. During the seminar, he really seemed like “one of the guys,” which created an environment in which the students didn’t hesitate to ask questions. Secondly, his attention to detail was impressive. He wasn’t satisfied until each student really understood the huge importance of subtle details in each of the various techniques. Finally, the techniques that we learned are techniques that we learned are very applicable. Sometimes I’ve seen techniques taught in seminars that, while often spectacular to what, have a relative small probability to be executed properly in live fighting. The techniques that Draculino taught us, however, seem immensely applicable, and will be very difficult to defend against.

If you ever have a chance to attend a Draculino seminar, we can highly recommend it! And we look forward to having him back during his next European tour.

Esta semana pasada, la academia Gracie-Barra BH Marbella tuvo el placer the impartir un seminario de BJJ y Submission con Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães. Y honestamente tengo que decir que fue el mejor seminario al que he acudido.

Draculino es la cabeza de la academia Gracie-Barra en Belo Horizonte, Brasil, y es considerado uno de los instructores lideres del Jiu-Jitsu Brasileño y submission wrestling moderno. Para producir constantemente campeones a nivel mundial y pan-americano, como ha hecho, es esencial que el instructor esté continuamente estudiando este arte.

La linea del día fue cambiada de manera no esperada. Draculino comenzó el seminario discutiendo la situación actual de la competición en Jiu-Jitsu. El explicó que el conocimiento del arte se ha expandido hasta un punto en el que todas las estrategias y tácticas tradicionales son comunmente conocidas, y que para tener oportunidades en las competiciones actuales, uno debe estar preparado para reaccionar ante situaciones no esperadas; caminos que tu oponente no va a esperar. Nos explicó que en su academia se esfuerzan en estudiar de manera profunda posiciones y estrategias, y mucho de lo que ibamos a ver en el seminario era fruto de este esfuerzo.

Durante las próximas cuatro horas, se nos enseñó algunas estrategias increibles, tácticas y técnicas aplicables a algunas de las situaciones mas comunes en competición — contraataques contra proyecciones a una sola pierna, guardia, media guardia y control lateral.

He presenciado muchos seminarios de Jiu-Jitsu, y varias cosas realmente captaron mi atención durante el seminario de Draculino. Primero, es muy amistoso, y con los pies en el suelo. Durante el seminario, el realmente parecía uno mas , lo que creó un ambiente en el que los estudiantes nunca desistieron de realizar preguntas. Segundo, su atención a los detalles fue sorprendente. No estaba satisfecho hasta que cada estudiante realmente entendía la gran importancia de los sub-detalles en cada una de las técnicas. Finalmente, las técnicas que aprendimos son muy prácticas a la hora de aplicarlas. Algunas veces he visto técnicas dadas en otros seminarios que realmente tiene una muy baja probabilidad de ser ejecutadas correctamente en luchas reales. Las técnicas que nos dió Draculino parecen inmensamente prácticas y son muy dificiles de defender.

Si algunas vez tienes una oportunidad de acudir a un seminario de Draculino, te lo recomendamos! Y esperamos tenerlo de regreso en su próximo tour europeo.

Just a quick reminder about the seminar coming up weekend after next, here in Marbella, with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Vinicius Draculino.

Format: Two hours in the morning (with gi), short break of 30 minutes, two hours in the afternoon (no-gi, MMA)

Costs: 100 Euros per person.

For those traveling into town, the following is a list of hotels you might want to consider (descriptions in Spanish):

1. http://www.hotelpyr.com/index_e.html

   Tres estrellas.Este hotel está situado en Puerto Banus, a 100 metros de nuestro gimnasio. Creo que es la primera elección, tanto por situación como por precios. Aproximadamente 90 Euros habitación doble.

2. http://www.hotelsancristobal.com/ubicacion.php

   Tres estrellas. Hotel situado en pleno corazón de Marbella en Ricardo Soriano, en frente del parque La Alameda. Tiene una parada de autobus a 50 metros por lo que las comunicaciones con PuertoBanus son muy buenas. 60 Euros + tasas habitación doble.

3. http://www.hotelbaviera.es/

   Dos estrellas. También situado justo en el centro de Marbella, a pie de Ricardo Soriano. a menos de 50 metros tiene parada de autobús para coger la linea que llega hasta Puerto Banus. 82 Euros habitación doble + 15 Euros cama suplementaria del 1 de Abril al 31 de Mayo.

4. http://www.hostalsanramon.com/

   Este es un HOSTAL. Está situado en la plaza de los naranjos, en pleno corazón de Marbella. Tiene precios muy competitivos para las personas que no necesiten servicios propios de un hotel. 40 Euros habitación doble desde Octubre a Mayo.

This weekend, Saturday 8th of April, the sixth annual Spanish Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cup was held in Barcelona, Spain, and hosted by Robin Gracie. This event is pretty much considered by everyone as the da facto Spanish championship. To say that our Gracie-Barra BH Marbella team did well in Barcelona would be quite an understatement — the team, which is less than one year old, took the event by storm. We sent 11 competitors, and came home with no less than eight medals, and took second in the overall team competition! (The winning team was Gracie Barcelona, who fielded 30 competitors!)

Gracie-Barra Marbella medalists included (in alphabetical order, by medal):

• Augusto (Gold medal)
• Pablo (Gold medal)
• Pasi (Gold medal)
• Aino (Silver medal, women)
• Jose Antonio (Silver medal)
• Reza (Silver medal)
• Leo (Bronze medal)
• Mike (Bronze medal)

These medalists demonstrated an incredible level of opponent control, movement, submissions, stamina and endurance. Augusto and Pasi, for example, fought five matches each to win their gold, and Pablo fought four, finishing with an inverted armbar! Aino was impressive in her very first competition. Jose Antonio demonstrated the technical level we all knew he possessed, controlling and submitting his opponents. Reza was a man on a mission, to the unfortunate peril of his opponents. Leo demonstrated the tremendous progression he’s made in the past months. And Mike looked like he was auditioning for the sequel to Rickson Gracie’s “Choke”.

In other action, Javier lost a very close fight (to one of our good friends from Anaconda Barcelona). Tete, finishing fourth in the absolute bracket, suffered the only injury of the day, but should be back in action before long. And Matt lost a close fight in the final moments, by an advantage, to a Gracie Barcelona brown belt.

These results are the best testament to the high-level of Jiu-Jitsu instruction provided by our black-belt instructor, Edson Jorge, and his supporting staff of Caloquinha and Thelmo.

Afterwards, we all went out and celebrated as a team with a fantastic dinner of steak and wine at the famous Asador Aranda. Nobody will soon forget Juan the Waiter, or our table neighbors, Carlos, a man of few words, and his companion Lola. And the night wouldn’t have been complete without Jose Antonio’s Cava Italian Toast (Brindis Italiano), which we decided to practice like four time.

In the next few days, we’re going to try to upload all of the fights (more than three hours!), so be sure to check back soon.

Finally, we’d like express our sincere gratitude to Robin Gracie, and his team at Gracie Barcelona, for organizing this annual event.

And now, we take Gi off, and starting training for the next event, the Grappling tournament in Valencia, in May.

Esta semana, sábado 8 de Abril, la sexta copa de España de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileño tuvo lugar en Barcelona, España, dirigida por Robin Gracie. Este evento es considerado por todos como el campeonato de España de facto. El decir que nuestro equipo Gracie-Barra BH Marbella lo hizo bien es insuficiente. Nuestro equipo, el cual tiene menos de un año, paso por el campeonato como un huracán. Viajamos con 11 competidores, volvimos a casa con no menos de 8 medallas, y quedamos segundos por equipos! (el equipo ganador fue Gracie Barcelona, con 30 competidores!)

Lista de medallas del equipo Gracie-Barra Marbella (en orden alfabético, por medalla):

- Augusto (medalla de oro)
- Pablo (medalla de oro)
- Pasi (medalla de oro)
- Aino (medalla de plata; femenino)
- Jose Antonio (medalla de plata)
- Renza (medalla de plata)
- Leo (medalla de bronce)
- Mike (medalla de bronce)

Estas medallas demostraron el increible nivel en control de oponente, movimentación, finalización, estamina y resistencia. Augusto y Pasi, por ejemplo, participaron en 5 luchas cada uno para ganar la medalla de oro, y Pablo luchó cuatro, finalizando a uno de sus contrincantes mediante armbar inverso!. Aino estuvo impresionante en su primera competición. Jose Antonio demostró el nivel técnico que todos sabemos que posee, dominando y finalizando a todos sus contrincantes. Renza fue el hombre con una misión, para poca fortuna de sus oponentes. Leo demostró la tremenda pregresión que ha tenido en estos ultimos meses. Y Mike parecía que estaba siendo participe de la secuela “Choke” de Rickson Gracie!

Por otro lado, Javier perdió una lucha muy igualada con uno de nuestros grandes amigos del equipo Anaconda Barcelona. Tete terminó cuarto en el absoluto, y sufrió la única lesión del día, pero debería de poder volver en acción en poco tiempo. Y Matt perdió una pelea muy igualada en los momentos finales, por una ventaja, con un cinturón marrón de Gracie Barcelona.

Estos resultados son el mejor testigo del alto nivel de instrucción de Jiu-Jitsu por parte de nuestro instructor Edson Jorge, y sus ayudantes Caloquinha and Thelmo.

Mas tarde, todos fuimos a celebrarlo como equipo con una fantástica cena de filete y vino en el famoso Asador Aranda. Nadie olvidará al camarero Juan, o nuestro vecino de mesa, Carlos, un hombre de pocas palabras, y su compañera Lola. Y la noche no habría sido completa sin el brindis italiano con cava de Jose Antonio, que decidimos practicar por cuatro veces.

En los próximos dias, voy a tratar de subir todas las peleas (mas de tres horas!), asi que vuelve pronto.

Finalmente, queremos dar nuestra sincera gratitud a Robin Gracie, y su equipo en Gracie Barcelona, por organizar este evento anual.

Y ahora, a quitarnos el kimono, y comenzar a entrenar para el próximo evento de Grappling (Submission Wrestling) en Valencia, en Mayo.

Update: The date has been changed to 30 April.

We just received the fantastic news that Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães will be giving a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar in Marbella, at our training location in Platinum Gym (Puerto Banus, Marbella, Spain) on the 30th of April, 2006.

Draculino is one of the lead figures in the Gracie-Barra organization, and head of the world famous Gracie-Barra BH academy in Belo-Horizonte, Brazil. Our instructor, Edson Jorge, as well as our past instructors (Alexandre Albuquerque and Marcelo Azevedo) and current supporting instructors (Claudio Caloquinha and Thelmo Calmon) all received their black belts under Draculino. His school is considered by many to be the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in the world, as evidenced by the number of Brazilian-, Pan-American- and World competition medalist produced by the school.

Draculino, in addition to teaching, has a highly decorated personal competition career, having won medals in all of the major international BJJ and submission wrestling competitions, as well as being a mixed martial arts veteran of events such as Storm.

The specific planning is still in the works, but it may be that the seminar extends several days, covering possibly jiu-jitsu, grappling and possibly MMA. Look for more information on this website soon, with final details, dates and prices. Feel free to contact us if you’d like to be notified by email.

Actualización: 30 de Abril

Acabamos de recibir la fantástica noticia de que Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes va a impartir un seminario de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileño en Marbella, en nuestro gimnasio Platinum (Puerto Banus, Marbella) el día 30 de Abril de 2006.

Draculino es uno de las figuras lideres de la organización Gracie-Barra, y cabeza de la mundialmente famosa academia Gracia-Barra BH en Belo-Horizonte, Brasil. Nuestro instructor, Edson Jorge, asi como pasados instructores (Alexandre Albuquerque y Marcelo Azevedo) y los actuales instructores asistentes (Claudio Caloquinha y Thelmo Calmon), recibieron todos sus cinturones negros por parte de Draculino. Su escuela es considerada por muchos como una top a nivel mundial de entre las academias brasileñas, como evidencia el número de medallas conseguidas por la escuela en competiciones en Brasil, Pan-Americano y mundiales.

Draculino, a parte de impartir clases, tiene una carrera altamente condecorada, habiendo ganado medallas en las mayores competiciones internacionales de BJJ y submission wrestling, asi como ser veterano en eventos de artes marciales mixtas como Storm.

El planing especifico todavia esta en curso, pero seguramente que el seminario se extienda durante varios dias, cubriendo posiblemente JiuJitsu, grappling y posiblemente MMA. Estar atentos a nuevas noticias en esta pagina web para detalles finales, fechas y precios. Sientete libre para entrar en contacto con nosotros si quieres ser notificado por correo electronico.