Welcome to Draculino Team — a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in beautiful Marbella, Spain. We'd love to have you come train with us.
09
Apr 06
Gracie-Barra BH Marbella Dominates in Barcelona
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.
23
Mar 06
Seminar with Vinicius Draculino in Marbella, 30 April 2006
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 dÃa 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.
26
Feb 06
Scandal at Gracie Barra! (This has got to stop!)
It is utterly appalling the levels to which some people will sink. The above left is an original photo of me, just after one of our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training sessions. (And it’s even a bad photo; I’m actually a bit more muscular than that.) The image on the right, however, which I’ve heard is being circulated and sold on the male photography sites on the Internet, is a Photoshop manipulated creation made by one of my very own training partners — Augusto!
I’ll give it to him, it’s a pretty darn good imitation, but then again, it’s well known that Augusto is an expert at Photoshop image manipulation. But this time amigo, you’ve been caught out! So let this embarrassing moment serve as a lesson that that there are no shortcuts to the discipline, hard work and hours of gym time that I put in to achieve this look.
La foto superior izquierda en una foto original mia, justo después de uno de nuestros entrenamientos de Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (e incluso es una foto ‘mala’; actualmente estoy mas musculado). La imagen de la derecha, que segun lo que he escuchado está siendo difundida y vendida en las páginas de fotografÃa de internet, es una manipulación de Photoshop creada por uno de mis compañeros de entrenamiento, Augusto!
Se la daré, es una muy buena imitación, pero otra vez, es por todos conocido que Augusto es un experto en manipulación de imagenes digitales. Pero esta vez amigo, has sido cazado! Asi que te sirva este momento embarazoso como lección de que no existen atajos para la disciplina sino trabajo duro y horas de gimnasio que he usado para alcanzar esta imagen.
18
Feb 06
February Notes
Hey everybody, it’s been a while since the site’s been updated. That doesn’t mean nothing’s going on, just that your humble author’s been real busy. So, here’s the news from this month:
Sensei Edson awarded Matt Henderson (yours truly) the coveted Purple Belt, after his tremendous accomplishment at the European Championship, where he single handedly executed what may well be the worst takedown in the history of all martial arts.
The academy continues to grow, with the addition of two new Finns and another Spaniard. (All girls!)
We’re back to training No-Gi on Friday nights.
Last but not least, we know, we know — we’re missing a February “Chica del Mes”!
That’s about all for now. Hope to see you soon at training!
Hola a todo el mundo. A pasado un tiempo sin que la página haya sido actualizada. Esto no quiere decir que no esten ocurriendo acontecimientos; simplemente que vuestro humilde autor ha estado realmente muy ocupado. Asi que estas son las noticias para el mes de Febrero:
- Nuestro sensei Edson Jorge concedió, a Matt Henderson (yo), el cinturón purpura, después de una tremenda participación en el campeonato de Europa, donde ejecutó lo que se puede considerar el peor takedown de la historia de las martes marciales.
- La academia continua creciendo con nuevas incorporaciones.
- Reanudamos el entreno de NoGi los viernes por la noche.
- Y por último, pero no lo menos importante ¡ Nos está faltando una chica del mes de Febrero !
Esto es todo por ahora. Espero verte pronto entrenando!
05
Feb 06
European Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships 2006
This past weekend, the Gracie-Barra BH Marbella academy, led by our instructor Edson “Sururu” Jorge, traveled to Lisbon, Portugal to compete in the 2006 European Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships. The team was sponsored by our gym, Platinum, to whom we owe a great deal of appreciation.
All in all, the team had a great showing at the event, bringing home five medals:
- Pablo winning the bronze medal in his (blue belt) division.
- Caloquinha winning the silver medal in his (black belt) division.
- Agusto winning the bronze medal in his (white belt) division.
- Jose Antonio winning the bronze medal in his (blue belt) division.
- Matt winning the gold medal in his (blue belt) division.
The team rode together to Portugal in vans provided by our gym, Platinum. We stayed together in the very nice Alif hotel, about five minutes from the pavilion where the event took place. In all there were more than 700 competitors. In addition, we had the chance to see and meet some famous people like Roger Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr. and Fabricio Werdum. We also met groups from Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Granada, and US soldiers from Rota.
Over two days, we had a lot of fun, and a lot of fights! Some memorable moments were: Agusto trying to lose 2 kg in less than six hours (somehow he managed!), Ben’s triple attempt at a wild judo throw that landed his opponent directly on his back, Mike’s fight with Dolf Lundgren’s twin, Edson’s fight with US grappler Mike Fowler, the incredible weather (hail!) driving back through Portugal, and the great dinner at Chimarao!
Probably the most exciting fights of the event were provided by our instructors, Edson “Sururu” Jorge, and Claudio “Caloquinha” de Matos. Watching black belts fight is really something.
It was a great experience for all the guys, as everyone had the chance to gain experience in competition. We’ll now start preparing for the Spanish championships, in April in Barcelona, and then the World Championships, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in July.
A very very special thanks go out to the girlfriends of Jarno and Posi–who provide the team with massages between fights throughout the event. We were really the envy of the event, and even had other fighters coming over offering to pay to have these special ladies give them a massage!
Following is a list of fights for which we have video clips available. You will need the latest version of QuickTime in order to view these videos. Each video is an average of 18 MB.
La pasada semana, la academia de Gracie-Barra BH Marbella, liderada por nuestro instructor Edson “Sururu” Jorge, viajó a Lisboa, Portugal, para competir en el campeonato Europeo de Jiu-Jitsu brasileño 2006. El equipo estuvo esponsorizado por nuestro gimnasio Platinum, a quienes les debemos un agradecimiento.
El equipo tuvo una gran demostración en el evento, consiguiendo 5 medallas:
- Pablo ganó una medalla de bronce en su división (cinturón azul)
- Calonquinha ganó una medalla de plata en su división (negro)
- Augusto ganó la medalla de bronce en su división (blanco)
- Jose Antonio ganó la medalla de bronce en su división (azul)
- Matt ganó la medalla de oro en su división (azul)
El equipo viajó a Portugal en autobuses provistos por nuestro gimnasio Platinum. Estuvimos alojados en el hotel Alif, a cinco minutos del pabellón donde se celebraba el evento. Participaron mas de 700 competidores. También tuvimos la oportunidad de conocer gente famosa como Roger Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr. y Fabricio Werdum. También encontramos grupos de Barcelona, Alicante, Málaga, Granada y soldados de EEUU de Rota.
Durante dos dÃas, nos lo pasamos muy bien, y hubo un montón de peleas! algunos momentos memorables fueron: Augusto intentando perder 2 kg en menos de seis horas (y de alguna manera lo consiguió!), el tercer intento de Ben de proyección de Judo que tiró su oponente al suelo directamente de espaldas, La lucha de Mike con Dolf Lundgren, la pelea de Edson con el grappler americano Mike Fowler, el temporal de vuelta desde Portugal y la increible cena en el Chimarao!
Probablemente las mejores luchas del evento fueron las que participaron nuestros instructores, Edson “Sururu” Jorge y Claudio “Caloquinha” de Matos. Observar luchar a cinturones negros es realmente impresionante.
Fue una muy buena experiencia; Todos tuvieron la oportunidad de ganar experiencia en competición. Ahora hemos comenzado a prepararnos para el campeonato de España, en Abril, en Barcelona, y el campeonato mundial, en Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), en Julio.
Quiero dar las gracias de manera muy muy especial a las novias de Jarno y Posi, quienes nos facilitaron sesiones de masaje durante el evento. Fuimos la envidia del campeonato, e incluso otros competidores nos ofrecÃan contratar este servicio para tener la oportunidad de una sesión con ellas!
Lo que sigue es una lista de luchas que tenemos disponibles. Necesitarás la última versión de QuickTime para poder visualizar correctamente los videos. Cada video tiene un tamaño aproximado de 18 MB.
- Augusto (Fight 1)
- Augusto (Fight 2)
- Augusto (Fight 3)
- Augusto (Fight 4)
- Augusto (Fight 5)
- Antonio Garcia (Fight 1)
- Ben (Fight 1)
- Caloquinha (Fight 1)
- Caloquinha (Fight 2)
- Edson (Fight 1)
- Edson (Fight 2)
- Jarno (Fight 1)
- Jose Antonio (Fight 1)
- Leo (Fight 1)
- Matt (Fight 1)
- Matt (Fight 2)
- Matt (Fight 3)
- Matt (Fight 4)
- Matt (Fight 5)
- Mike (Fight 1)
- Mike (Fight 2)
- Pablo (Fight 1)
- Pablo (Fight 2)
- Pablo (Fight 4)
- Pablo (Fight 5)
- Posi (Fight 1)
- Posi (Fight 2)
- Tete (Fight 1)
- Tete (Fight 2)
19
Jan 06
Gracie-Barra BH Marbella Continues to Grow
The Gracie-Barra BH Marbella school continues to grow at an exciting pace, and is set to become one of the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies in all of Europe. The school now counts not one, but three black belts! Led by Edson “Sururu” Jorge, he’s now supported by two new Draculino black belts — Thelmo Calmon (above right) and Caloquinha (above left). Thelmo has many years experience competing and instructing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and was most recently teaching in Portugal. Caloquinha is a recent black belt, after having won the world championships as a brown belt. Furthermore, Caloquinha will be fighting in the superfight against top European lightweight Thomas Hytten at the upcoming KO Arena 4 vale tudo event.
It’s really exciting to see the school growing and expanding like this. Gracie-Barra BH Marbella now offers its students the possibility to learn and train in the fastest growing martial art in the world, with a world-class unequaled team of instructors, at an unbelievably nice gym, in one of the highest quality-of-living places on the planet.
This week the student group has grown by five new members. Javier is back from Madrid (and looking fit!), we’ve got our first two women students, and two young guys from a combat karate background. I hope to have all their pictures added to the student gallery soon.
La escuela de Marbella Gracie-Barra continua su crecimiento con un paso excitante, y se va a convertir en una de las principales academias de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileño de toda Europa. La escuela ahora cuenta no sólo con uno, sino con tres cinturones negros!. Liderados por Edson “Sururu� Jorge, ahora tiene la ayuda de dos cinturones negros de Draculino – Thelmo Calmon (a la derecha) y Caloquinha (a la izquierda). Thelmo tiene muchos años de experiencia compitiendo y dando clase de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileño, y estuvo hasta hace poco dando clase en Portugal. Caloquinha es un recien cinturón negro, después de haber ganado el campeonato del mundo como cinturón marrón. Además, Caloquinha luchará en la superfight contra el top Europeo del peso lightweight Thomas Hytten en el próximo evento de valetudo KO Arena 4.
Es muy excitante el ver la escuela crecer y expandirse de esta manera. Gracie-Barra Marbella ahora ofrece a sus estudiantes la posibilidad de aprender y entrenar en el arte marcial de mas rápido crecimiento actual en el mundo, con un equipo de instructores inigualable a nivel mundial, en un precioso gimnasio, en uno de los lugares de mayor calidad de vida a nivel mundial.
Esta semana el grupo de estudiantes ha crecido con cinco nuevos miembros. Javier ha vuelto de Madrid, tenemos nuestras dos primeras alumnas, y dos jóvenes chicos con antecedentes en karate. Yo espero tener sus fotos añadidas en la galeria de estudiantes muy pronto.
12
Jan 06
Training: 12 January 2005
As we continue to prepare for the European’s, tonight’s training was a test of endurance. We trained six-minute circuits of takedowns, guard passing, and guard defending. Man, it was hard (but fun! Ok, maybe not so fun…) (Oh, that was, of course, after our warmup 20 minute Spinning class with Don Psycho.)
We then moved on to tournament-like competitions, beginning on our feet. I fought with Pablo, and man is he getting good. I think he’s going to medal for sure at the European’s, and he’s probably getting close to purple-belt by now.
As you can see from the above photo, the group is growing, and we’ve got a super cool place to train!
After class, we all did the “Spa Circuit”. The lovely girls working at Platinum explained the circuit — (1) quick shower, (2) 15 minutes in the jacuzzi (5 minutes in each of the three jacuzzi “zones”), (3) quick shower (4) 15 minutes in the steam room, (5) quick shower and finally (6) 15 minutes on the heated waterbed. This gym is almost too good to be true!
Como continuación de nuestra preparación para el europeo, esta noche fue un entrenamiento para mejorar nuestra resistencia. Entrenamos un circuito de 6 minutos que constaba de proyecciones, pase de guardia y defensa de guardia. Fue muy duro (pero divertido! Ok, a lo mejor no tan diverido ..)(Ha, y fue después de 20 minutos de spinning con el Sr. phicopata).
A continuación realizamos un entrenamiento de competición, empezando en posición de pie. Yo luché con Pablo, y está mejorando mucho. Estoy seguro que está preparado para una medalla en el Europeo, y está probablemente muy cerca de obtener cinturón púrpura.
Como puedes ver en la foto de arriba, el grupo está creciendo, y tenemos un sitio inmejorable para entrenar!
Después de clase, todos hicimos el “circuito de Spa”. Las preciosas mujeres que trabajan en el Platinum nos explicaron el circuito — (1) ducha rápida, (2) 15 minutos en el jacuzzi (5 minutos en cada una de las tres zonas de jacuzzi), (3) ducha rápida (4) 15 minutos en la sauna, (5) ducha rápida y finalmente (6) 15 minutos en las camas de agua caliente. Este gimnasio es demasiado bueno para ser verdad!
11
Jan 06
Nuevo año, Nuevo gimnasio, Entrenamiento duro (Traducción de January 10th, 2006)
Bien, vuestro escritor ha vuelto a españa después de terminar sus vacaciones de navidad fuera del pais, y que sorpresa cuando encontré que estamos ahora entrenando en el brillante nuevo gimnasio Platinum en Puerto Banús (Marbella). Normalmente no suelo quedar sorprendido con los gimnasios, pero debo decir que este es el gimnasio de mas lujo que he visto en toda mi vida. La zona de entrenamiento es grande y con ventilación, el equipamiento para pesas y las máquinas de cardio son todas nuevas, todo pequeño detalle es de alta calidad (ej. casilleros de madera o lavabos y duchas de marmol en los vestuarios) y una zona de spa (jacuzzi, sauna, etc..) tan grande como mi apartamento. Cuando entras por la puerta, te proveen de una cesta grande que contiene una toalla, un albornoz y otros accesorios relacionados con la zona de spa. Tengo la sensación de que el número de inscritos se va a cuadruplicar. Yo espero poder tener fotos del gimnasio en breve.
Existen diferentes modos de pago, incluyendo entre otros un único pago para tres meses de 249 Euros, que incluye ser miembro a todos los efectos del gimnasio ( puedes realizar todas las actividades incluidas como jiu-jitsu, gimnasio, spa, etc.).
De todas maneras, es Enero, y eso significa entrenar para el Campeonato de Europa a finales de mes en Lisboa (Portugal). Muchos de nosotros llegamos una hora antes, ya que el entrenador del gimnasio nos ha preparado un programa especial para mejorar el cardio para poner en forma al equipo. Dejame contarte que son 30 minutos de pedaleo tres veces por semana conducidos por un instructor de spinning español psicópata. Estamos seguros de estar en forma para final de mes.
En el apartado relacionado con nuestro entrenamiento, se incluyen técnicas especÃficas para competición. No voy a entrar en detalles ya que no quiero revelar nuestros secretos. (Ok, solo uno – Nosotros vamos a empezar todos los combates desde la posición de Karate Kid).
Para los interesados en ir al campeonato, aqui están los detalles:
10
Jan 06
New Year, New Gym, Hard Training
Well, your author is back in Spain after eating his way through the Christmas holidays abroad, and what a surprise to find that we’re now training in the shiny new Platinum Gym in Puerto Banus. I usually don’t get excited about gyms, but I must say it’s the most luxurious gym I’ve ever seen in my entire life. The training room is big and airy, the workout equipment and cardio machines are all new, every little detail is high quality (e.g. thick wooden lockers, beautiful marble sinks and showers, you name it), and a spa (jacuzzi, sauna, etc.) that’s as large as my apartment. When you walk in the door, they hand you huge basket containing a towel, big fluffy robe, and other spa-related goodies. I’ve got the feeling our membership’s going to quadruple. I hope to have some pictures of the gym up soon.
There are several pricing options, including a three-month deal for 249 Euro, including full gym membership (i.e. everything — jiu-jitsu, gym, spa, etc.)
Anyway, it’s January, and that means training for the European Championships at the end of the month in Lisbon (Portugal.) Most of us arrived an hour early, as the gym’s Spinning coach has prepared a special cardio program to get the team in shape. Let me tell you, 30 minutes of pedaling, driven by a screaming Spanish psychopath spinning instructor three times per week, and we’re sure to be in shape by the end of the month.
Training itself involved mostly techniques specific to competitions. I won’t go into it more than that, as we don’t want to give away any of our secrets. (Ok, just one secret — We’re going to start all fights in that one-legged duck stance from Karate Kid.)
For those of you interested in going, here are the details:
30
Dec 05
Holiday Training
Update: For those not quite familiar with the sport of grappling– Despite what it looks like, Bray and Jeff, in the above picture, are actually participating in the act of combat. There is absolutely nothing romantic going on there, and Bray is not trying to pull Jeff’s pants up just a little bit higher.
Well, it’s the holiday season, and that means trying to balance training with travel and Christmas activities. Your humble author is presently in the US, in the middle of an absolute eat-a-thon. And being in the US, that means training at my home-away-from-home, the Gracie-Barra gym of Paul Creighton Mixed Martial Arts, in Duluth, Georgia.
I met Paul about three and a half years ago, when his gym had an enrollment of about four students. Last night, we had a hard time finding room for the nearly 20 people! (And that was the “advanced” class, which takes place after the “beginners” class at 5:45 pm.) The place is definitely growing, and that’s great for Paul and the sport in the northern Atlanta area.
Training in Duluth also means getting see my old buddies like Bray, Josh and whirlwind Mark. It’s been a lot of fun. Last night we did a guard pass (no-gi, passing the butterfly guard) and a leg bar submission.
The news from Marbella (via Mike) is that Edson’s received a great offer, and we’re now training at the brand new Platinum Gym, in downtown Puerto Banus (five minutes from Marbella.) Mike reported that the first night of training was great, although Jose Antonio submitted him about three times. Jose, we better see you at the Europeans!
(Speaking of the Europeans, how in the world am I going make weight by 30 January, given my commitment to have at least one Starbucks Mocca Frappuccino per day???)
20
Dec 05
Training: Mon 19 December 2005
Tonight we trained a nice pass of the sitting guard, and a standup judo-related takedown. We sparred for about 30 minutes at the end of class. Now that Edson is training hard, we really see his talent!
15
Dec 05
Training: Wed 14 December (Belt Graduation!)
Tonight was a special session of the Gracie-Barra Marbella training, filled with happiness and disappointment.
The training focused on defending the back position, with some special training for about 20 minutes.
As part of our training we then did some tournament simulated fighting, beginning on our feet (we do this from time to time). The first match-up was yours truly (me) against Pablo Cabo. Unfortunately, my undefeated record came to an end, as I lost to Pablo 2 points to 2 points, with him winning by advantage. It was a tough fight, with both of us getting a takedown (2 points).
The great news of the day was our first belt graduation! The following students received awards:
Blue belts:
- Matt (me): 3 grades
- Jose Antonio: 3 grades
- Ben: 3 grades
- Mike: 3 grades
- Cesar: 3 grades
- Dani Capoiera: 3 grades
- Pablo Cabo: 3 grades
White belts:
- Dani Nagore: 3 grades
- Antonio: 3 grades
- Leo: 3 grades
- Reza: 3 grades
- Pasi: 3 grades
- Jarno: 3 grades
Congratulations everybody. Let’s get ready for the Europeans!
Ah, be sure to frequently visit the students photo gallery as we add student photos weekly.
13
Dec 05
Girl of the Month: Anabel (December 2005)
As any reputable martial arts club, we’re introducing a Girl of the Month section on the website. (As soon as we have some girls in the club, we might even add a Guy of the Month section. Well, maybe not.)
Anyway, the lads voted, and our first Girl of the Month is the gorgeous Plaza Gym receptionist, Anabel.
Name: Anabel
Age: 23
Home town: San Pedro, Spain
Hobbies: Padel, Aerobics, Cinema, Reading, Snowboarding
Fantasy: Train Jiu-Jitsu with the Gracie Barra BH Marbella guys!
Book: Ciudad de Bestias
Favorite food: Pizza
Actor: Vigo Mortensen
Actress: Julia Roberts
Thoughts on being a GB Marbella Girl: “I love it! You guys are the best!”
13
Dec 05
Training: Monday, 12 December 2005
We had a lot of fun at training tonight. Edson showed us some techniques for taking the back position, attacking from the back, and defending from the back. We spent about 20 minutes in specific training, and then about 30 minutes in live sparring. Edson’s recovering well from his broken hand, and is back sparring with the guys.
Jose Antonio was back tonight from his 25 day trip to Argentina, and, unfortunately for the rest of us, he did lose much technique during those days. ;-)
11
Dec 05
Training: Friday 9 December 2005
Friday night means grappling, and tonight Edson started the class with a technique for passing an opponent’s sitting guard. After we mastered that one, he showed up two incredible leg locks (kneebar and foot lock) to apply when the opponent counters with a half-guard.
And most importantly, we decided that we’re going to introduce a “Chica del Mes” (Girl of the Month) section for this website. Stay tuned!