Rickson & Royler Gracie Demo

This is the Rickson Gracie and Royler Gracie Pride Demonstration from Japan.

Machado / Lutador Americano Gi Review

Well I bought a new gi so I thought I would throw up a quick review. The first gi I purchased was an Atama double weave which is a great gi, at least until it started getting hot this summer. It is an extremely heavy gi with a very thick collar which is great as I have had several people tell me it is tough to get a good grip on it. But, I wanted something a little lighter and cooler for the summer so I bought a Hybrid Weave Lutador Americano Gi which is the same as the Machado Hydrid Weave gi's and are available on Mkimonos.com (I wanted the Machado since it didnt have as much embroidery on it but they werent available at the time). The gi is awesome, at first I was a little concerned because the collar is much thinner than the Atama but it is so much more comfortable. The fabric feels nice to the touch and there is no seam down the back of the gi like with the Atama which can be uncomfortable when doing shrimps down the mat. I would advise anyone looking for a new gi to get one as I like it much better than the Atama for training. As a side note I still only spar in the Atama as I think it is a better sparring gi . The Atama is extremely strong and tougher for opponents to manipulate so you really can't go wrong with either.

Here is a pic. of the Gi

A Blue Belt In Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Well in my mind I thought getting a Blue belt in BJJ might take me a year or so but I am now thinking that getting it within 2 years is more likely. The more I practice the more I see that even though I know a move I don't really know the move that well. After watching blue belts execute moves I have been using with success in class they look completely different. They use practically no force or energy to execute the moves where I use everything I have to execute most moves. There are so many small details that make up each move and you cant force a move on an opponent and expect not to have to use energy. The blue belts flow with the opponent allowing them to give them the submission instead of forcing it. Its kind of a cliche but it really is a chess match going on between two people even though it doesn't look like it to the casual eye.

Hughes vs. Gracie

Well let me start by saying I didn't know who Royce Gracie was when I started BJJ so I didn't know too much about him until recently. The way everyone in class talked him up led me to believe he was invincible so I was amazed at how easily Hughes beat him. This led me to go back and watch his old fights on Google video to see what all the hype was about. The old fights made Royce look like a completely different fighter than the one I saw this past Saturday night. I would say it was Royces age but I think it was just Hughes dominating him so well that it made him look horrible, the same way Royce made fighters of the past look so sloppy. It just shows that the sport has progressed, the fighters of today know what works so when they get in the ring its about athlete vs. athlete not style vs. style. It was sad to see the pioneer of the sport in the U.S. beaten but no one can take away from the fact that the sport owes its existence in the U.S. to Royce Gracie and his early domination of opponents far larger then himself. Several people in class seemed discouraged by the fact he lost but I think if Matt Hughes didn't know BJJ Royce would have beat him. BJJ is a powerful tool but it is just one of many tools needed in an MMA match today.
WATCH THE FIGHT AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF

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