Can you imagine Lebron James teaching you how to shoot some hoops? Or having Cristiano Ronaldo come to your training ground to show you his favorite passes?
Well, if you are a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), you can be lucky to have the equivalent of that!
BJJ is still a niche sport/martial art, not very well known in the mainstream with a comparatively small number of practitioners. This situation poses many disadvantages: low earnings from those who try to make a living out of it, lower number of competitors to fight against (especially if you are a woman, or in one of the higher belt ranks), high costs of training, limited opportunities to witness big tournaments and championships.
However, being part of a relatively small community has one very exciting advantage: being much closer to those who are at the very top of Jiu Jitsu. The world champions, the most skilled competitors and the mastermind strategists are all within reach, and with a bit of luck and proactivity you can meet them and benefit from their instruction.
As I mentioned above, since it is hard to make a living out of BJJ –I mean, just look at the payouts that our posts get in Steemit!–it is not uncommon for these Jiu Jitsu "super stars" and high level competitors to tour around and offer seminars where they teach some of their favorite techniques and strategies that they have developed.
Then, if you live with a country with a well-established BJJ community, odds are that you can have access to one of these seminars and learn some amazing stuff right from the source!
I am still a white belt, but I take every opportunity I can to take part in events like this. Here are some of the highlights of the seminars I have attended:
Karel “Silver Fox” Pravec
Silver Fox, with his grey hair, sitting in the center.
Bio: With 20 years of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experience (since 1993). During his training at the Renzo Gracie Academy, Karel has trained with and studied under some of the highest authorities in the art including Renzo Gracie, John Danaher, Rodrigo Gracie, Daniel Gracie, Matt and Nick Serra, Ricardo Almeida & Shawn Williams. Karel is one of Georges St. Pierre’s training partners when Georges periodically visits the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York. Karel is a highly sought after instructor who has taught seminars across the United States and in Europe, coached BJJ and submission grappling on national and international level (ADCC, IBJJF, GQ and NAGA tournaments) & cornered amateur and professional MMA fighters. (Source: BJJ Eastern Europe).
What I learned from him: The details of a great, killer swallow guillotine. This is one of my go-to techniques since I learned it at this seminar, and has proved to be quite effective!
What I really liked about this seminar was that, instead of teaching a variety of techniques, Karel rather chose one and built upon it, developing setups, polishing details and counters to defensive movements from the opponent. This resulted in a very effective learning of the technique for me.
Wellington “Megaton” Dias
Wellington Dias, most commonly known in the Jiu Jitsu community as “Megaton”, is a Judo and BJJ black belt famous for a competitive drive which has kept him at the top of his game for two decades. This Gracie Humaitá team representative is the only Jiu Jitsu fighter to have competed in all first 16 editions of the World BJJ Championships as a black belt (from 1996 until 2011), having reached the podium on 4 occasions. Megaton is also the father of Brazilian jiu jitsu star Mackenzie Dern. (Source: BJJ Heroes).
What I learned from him: The details of the koala sweep that him and Mackenzie use as one of their favorite techniques, a simple one-arm collar choke set up from standing position, and some principles for takedowns which are very much appreciated since we don’t drill them often at our gym.
Oliver Taza
More of a rising star in BJJ, it is shocking to know that he has only been doing BJJ for a bit over three years! Currently a brown belt and a brilliant competitor, Oliver Taza is a testament of the level that you can reach if you have an athletic background, lots of dedication and the best instruction from day one. Now a valuable member of the Danaher Death Squad –the dominant team in no gi Jiu Jitsu nowadays–, he is rapidly advancing up the spots of the most prestigious competitions.
What I learned from him: How do to an effective heel hook – for the first time since I had not learnt them yet, talk about learning from the best! And entries to heel hook: sweeping, controlling your opponent and getting the submission. He also showed us how to do a cool back take from ashi garami.
Oliver Taza answering questions and rolling with people at the seminar. He told me I had a beautiful ashi garami (no, it wasn't an euphemism).
This upcoming Sunday I had another seminar lined up with more members of the Danaher Death Squad –Ethan Crelinstein and Nicky Ryan– but unfortunately I will be unable to take part in them due to an injury (more on that later).
What about you? Have you attended a seminar from a high level practitioner that helped your game or shown you a technique that became a staple for you? Feel free to share in the comments section!
Cheers,
Irime
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Photo credits: The group picture from the Oliver Taza seminar as well as the DDS seminar promotional pic was taken from BJJ Seminar Berlin