Team Yemaso Makes History!!!

Yemaso BJJ Makes History by Bringing Back an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation IBJJF Team Title to Sacramento, CA

Marcos Torregrosa, a three-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and Elk Grove resident, led his academy to a 2nd place team title at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation's San Francisco International Open IBJJF Championship on February, 24th 2013.

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Sacramento Jiu-Jitsu Academy - Yemaso BJJ Brings an IBJJF Team Title Home

You don't have to be a fighter to train with our champions.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) March 07, 2013

Local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu powerhouse academy Yemaso BJJ made a visit to the Kezar Pavillion, San Francisco for the IBJJF San Francisco International Open where they brought back 25 medals and earned the 2nd place team title.

Marcos Torregrosa, a three-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, has been on a tear. Before this first tournament of the year, Torregrosa amassed 14 medals at IBJJF tournaments in 2012.

Marcos, with his relentless collecting of titles, is ranked number three in the world among black belts in the masters division. Realizing the number one ranking is one of Marcos' goals for the year. His expression of jiu-jitsu technique and focus was enough to earn him two gold medals in San Francisco to begin the 2013 tournament season.

Yemaso BJJ started the day off taking the adult age group by storm. The group collected 5 medals and started with an early lead in team points. As the tournament unfolded it seemed unlikely theSacramento BJJ academy would earn a team title with only 19 competitors. But, at the end of the night, with only 3 matches left in the entire tournament purple belt Rich Bothun and instructor Marcos Torregrosa both won open weight division Gold medals giving the academy enough points to earn the 2nd place team title.

The open weight division, often referred to as the, "absolute" division, is a division that participants cannot just sign up to compete in. Rather, the absolute division is a consolidation of all of the medal winners from that belt division. You have to be a champion in order to compete in the open weight division. It is referred as the absolute division because by winning a gold medal in that division you firmly establish that you are the best competitor in that entire belt rank regardless of weight. In the open absolute division you can have a competitor weighing 141 pounds competing against a 270 pound, or more, competitor to establish who truly is the undisputed best competitor at that belt rank.

The 2nd place team title is incredibly significant for obvious reasons. But, in addition, there are two circumstances that make this more special. First, the Sacramento BJJ academy has only been in operation a little over one year. Second, the number of competitors they took to the event pales in comparison to the numbers some of the other teams took. Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jisu the 3rd place team title winner, for example, took an army of 50 martial artists to the tournament.

When asked if he was surprised, Marcos Torregrosa said that he was not at all surprised, "We put in tremendous amount of work; I am surrounded by some of the most dedicated individuals I know. The proof is in the pudding. You don't have to be a fighter to train with our champions."

Marcos Torregrosa teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu out of his academy Yemaso BJJ, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy located in Sacramento, California.

Back on the Grind!!!!

As anyone knows, after long and careful thought I have returned to my original instructor Marcos "Yemaso" Torregrosa and Team Yemaso in South Sacramento.  Marcos welcomed me back with open arms and the team is fantastic!!! I am very happy to be training again with an instructor and team that takes jiu-jitsu seriously and like to train intelligently and efficiently. 

Yemaso BJJ training under the watchful eye of Marcos "Yemaso"  Torregrosa 

Going back to the first day was rough!!!! I almost threw up after the warm-ups, which are way more intense than I remembered. We warmed up for about 15-25 minutes, and then went into instruction, drilling and finally rolling.

I had two good rolls. Each round is 10 minutes, which is on the extreme side of things but coming from a military background I am no stranger to tough training. At the end of the day my body was wrecked, I had random bruises, cuts, scrapes, gi and mat burns, MAN IT WAS GREAT!!!!

Now after a week and a half of training my wind is coming back and I don't feel as sore at the end of training, my body is remembering what it used to be able to do and is getting back to that level.

I have had to make some adjustments to my gameplan. I do not have the strength and power in my left side as I used to so it is a lot harder for me to force the americana and kimuras, but Marcos and I have worked on some adjustments and now I have a whole new angle of attacks.

At 31 years old I have knees that grind, a bum left shoulder and a completely torn pec muscle but I am still training and on the grind, until I get my next operation.

What are you doing? have you trained today???

The Hunger For More

While doing my usual web surfing I came across the LLoyd Banks album “The Hunger for More”. The title stuck and accord with me. The Hunger for More is a powerful statement in my mind. It has to do with the issue of settling. 

When you settle, most of the time you settle for less, you compromise, you take less then what you would have received if you were persistent and worked harder.

I know life is complicated and we compromises on a regular basis. I am not talking about compromises with your love ones and in your relationships. I am talking about compromises when it comes to your goals and getting them accomplished.

I am talking about being too weak or scared, to go out and claim what is yours, instead you settle for what life decides to hand you. To me that is being weak, pathetic and not being a Champion.

The hunger for more applies to BJJ as well. At a competition I over hear people say things like “I just want to win my first match.” or “I just want to medal and I will be happy.” WHAT THE HELL KIND OF TALK IS THAT?!??!?!? You are going to be satisfied  with loosing? You are satisfied with mediocarity? WHY?!?!?! Why train hard? Why drill the same moves over and over? Why all the bumps, lumps, bruises, sore muscles, aches and pains is all you want to do is just win one match? Why even bother?

There is nothing wrong with putting out an all out effort and being defeated and getting second or third or not placing at all; what I am referring to is that you don’t even believe enough in yourself or your skills that you have already mentally defeated yourself, by not even aiming for first. You are settling for WAY less then the guy who is going to get first. You do not have that hunger for more, you just want a “decent” showing. What ever the hell that is.

If you do not posses the hunger for more than you have already lost in my humble opinion, and I am not just talking about grappling I am talking about in life. Keep settling for less than what you always wanted to achieve and that is what you will always get, less then what you wanted.

I say SCREW THAT!!!!! I have never stepped on the mats without the intention of winning every match and getting the gold. I visualize my self fighting, struggling, winning. I picture being on the top of the podium and having the Gold place around my neck. Win or loose I defiantly did not sell myself short and give away the gold because I just wanted any medal or just wanted to win a match.

A Champion never thinks that way, that is why there are a Champion.

Have you ever entered into a tournament or any other situation with hoping just to win a match? If so how did you fair? Did you loose because you aimed too low, or did you surprise yourself and win the Gold?

Train Like a Champion, Win like a Champion!!!!

A Dose of Inspiration!!!

A dose of inspiration from the man himself Mr. Dave Camarillo:

"Be positive. Negativity even affects your ability to finish! #SubmitEveryone #Bjj #MMA"


Thank you Dave!!!!


Be positive, focus your mind, always aim for the Gold!!!


Train like a Champion!!!!!

JIU JIU'S BJJ BLOG

Cool blog I came across after checking out the stats option for Blogger. I saw a number of site visits coming from http://jiujiubjj.com/. 

I took a look at the blog and what I found was a super cool blog written by a language teacher in South Korea, who started her journey in BJJ a few years ago and is documenting her experiences along the way like so many of us.

I was also impressed that there were so many other women with BJJ Blogs as well. Women and Children are the future of the sport and art of BJJ. If we want there to be more schools, more seminars, better tournaments and a growth of economic opportunity than we need more women in the sport.

Please visit her blog at http://jiujiubjj.com/ 

Also if you like this post or any others please share via the social network of your choice listed below.

All questions, comments and concerns are welcome as well.

Train like a Champion!!!

SPOTLIGHT: ED O'NEIL

KELLY'S BOYFRIENDS BEWARE!!!! ED HAS SOME NEW MOVES NOW!

Most people will recognize Ed as America’s favorite women’s shoe salesmen Al Bundy from Fox’s now legendary comedy show Married with Children or as Jay Prichett currently on ABC’s Modern Family. 

But unbeknown to many people, Ed has been training for over 17 years in BJJ and received his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Rorion Gracie.

Ed getting the Black Belt from Rorion Gracie.

Ed got into BJJ after friend and director John Milius (Director of Conan The Barbarian) convinced him to join a training session. Ed admits that he was not very interested in the art, but Rorion asked Ed to get on the mats and attempt to knock Rorion off of the mount. Even though Ed was much larger than Rorion he was unable to knock him off of himself. Rorion ask Ed to keep him pinned in the mats as well, but Rorion, escape and swept Ed every time.

After that small lesson of a smaller man using technique to defeat a larger man, Ed signed up for lessons with Rorion and has been training ever since.

Ed has always been one of my favorite actors and I grew up watching Married with Children and now that I am a BJJ student I am glad to know that such an accomplished actor as Ed is a student as well, and is able to spread the benefits of the BJJ lifestyle, and at 66 years old Ed is still going strong and shows that it is never too late to step on the mats.

Now go out and Train like a Champion.

The Gentle Way Girl of the Month

RONDA ROUSEY

I started my journey in the Art of Judo around 2006/2007. I was completely enthralled by the art and the huge collection of videos of Judoka flying through the air either performing throws or being thrown. Of course when the 2008 Summer Olympics came around I was glued to my computer screen at odd hours of the morning to watch Judo at the highest level. 

Alot of mystique was built around a cute young blonde girl named Ronda Rousey. She was the USA’s best chance at finally getting an Olympic Gold medal in Judo. Rousey was fantastic her throwing skills were insane and her groundwork was at the level of BJJ fighter. Her wins by armbar were amazing.

Needless to say she did very well and although she did not win the gold she got a bronze medal, and became the first female Judoka from the US to win a medal in Judo since the sports introduction as a women’s event.

Fast forward a few years and Ronda is well known in the MMA world as being the best female fighter at this time. She has won all the professional fights, and won them all with an armbar in the first round. Seems like all that newaza training as come in handy.

Ronda is known as a trash talker, and berates her opponents every chance she gets, to help promote and amped up the fights. She is very vocal about her opinions and pulls no punches in the cage or on the mic.

Recently Ronda was asked about what non-figthers she would like to fight, well being interviewed on the red carpet for the ESPN Magazine Body Issue event. (A magazine which she is on the cover of.) Ronda stated that she would not mind beating up Kim Kardashian, because she does not think that a women who is famous for a crappy sex tape, has no talent, and is all around gross should not be endorsing products to young girls, who may think that Kim is a role model to look up too. (See video link above to see the interview yourself, I love it!!!!)

Their is a backlash from the Kim fans, but I really don’t care. Ronda has said something I am sure alot of us have said for the past couple of years. Kim K is a no talent whorebag, and I would not want my two young daughters to ever think that she was somebody to pattern your life after. Hopefully my wife and I are role models enough, but as a father who is also a passionate grappler, I would not mind my girls looking up to Ronda a little as a Judo/Grappling role model. She is smart, pretty, tough, a great Judoka and figther, and she has done this while still staying very feminine, for that she is the Gentle Way Girl of the Month.