I have cancer again....

 So, the breast cancer came back, in the other breast this time. And it's spread to my bones.  That's called metastatic breast cancer aka MBC. And, it's terminal. I'm still alive, still getting treatment, and we don't know how well the treatment is working yet. So, there isn't really a prognosis. Like diabetes is incurable but can be managed, that's me. I can be managed.

When they tell you the treatment causes some fatigue, they aren't kidding. I slept the whole day yesterday.

So, I am going to add a new article which was written by a guest author, and I'll put her blog in the list on the side there. But I'm not training now and likely won't be training anytime soon. Bone cancer tends to make your bones unusually weak, so that would be bad. But I'm still here if you want to write.

Carry on! :)

Patient review: stacked PAP flap breast reconstruction post mastectomy

 Warning, if you don't like medical language or if breast cancer is triggering, this isn't the post for you!

But if you are recently diagnosed with breast cancer, or are a breast cancer survivor, and are considering an autologous tissue reconstruction I.E. using your own body tissues instead of an implant, and you want to know what this version is like, read on. 

I know there's maybe other BJJ ladies-- or heck, just ladies of any flavor, but particularly athletic ladies-- out there who may need to research this someday. I used to write about training and competing, but I don't feel I have very useful comments on all that. Maybe never did but certainly don't anymore. This might be a place and topic I can help people understand better, so here goes. 

By the way this is intensely personal for me, so while I welcome any questions, I really don't want to hear anything judgey or nasty. Thanks. 

So, I met with my surgeons starting about 9 months ago to discuss my options.

BACKSTORY: I had a mastectomy in 2016 and had (serially) 2 implants installed. First one had healed, but developed a horrible strep B infection and after being hospitalized without any IV antibiotics working, they took it back out, let me heal, and I got a second implant. That implant was recalled by the FDA for causing lymphoma. I don't have lymphoma, to my knowledge, but did have some horrific scarring and the implant was constricted in the scar tissue pocket, and basically glued to my pectoral. I could do crazy pet tricks by tensing up the muscle, but I couldn't do pushups or lift kettlebells and it SUCKED. Haven't trained BJJ regularly since mid 2018, either, so I'm just fat. 

Anyway, a year or so ago I decided it was time to pull the implant and fix things and I started interviewing plastics people (my original plastics guy was awesome but he only does emergent reconstructions for cancer patients and doesn't have time to eat even so... Def doesn't have time for later reconstructions. 

I ended up being extremely happy with the surgeon I picked and he brought in his med school professor/mentor who trained under the doctor who invented this procedure. If my surgeon did the procedure alone, it would take some 16 hours which is no good for doc or patient. 

Thus, teaming up took only 8ish hours and while that didn't sound bad to me, now that I've done it, I realize there's an enormous difference between waking up from 4-5 hours and from 8-8.5 hours, even if you do the superior anesthetic protocol recommended by MD Anderson's people... ****That's a topic for another post, but until I write it, suffice to say never, ever do gas inhalational general anesthesia, for any fucking reason. Do TIVA (total intravenous anesthesia.) Email me with questions and eventually I'll edit to add a link to the post I haven't written yet.****

Anyway... I felt like I understood our discussions well, so uncharacteristically for me, I did no research into the specific procedure I was going to have!! I'd done so much reading on breast cancer, mastectomies, chemo, radiation, anesthesia etc years ago that I kind of took this lightly. Well, I wish I hadn't, if only to really understand what was coming. 

If anyone wants to read what breastcancer.org says about the PAP flap reconstruction, you can read here:

 https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction/types/autologous-flap/pap

But-- I can tell you what's not quite accurate or what didn't come true for me. I had the PAP flap version, meaning they used the fat from my inner thighs and the "PAP" arteries to do the transplants. Well and good. I didn't have any fat on my stomach or back to do another kind of transplant. But apparently I didn't have enough fat in the place where the arteries go, so instead of one moderate 6-8"cut in a straight line where a bathing suit might cover the scar...noooooo, they basically made TWO 14-16" long cuts, one on each leg. 

And on mine, to get the fat plus the arteries, the cuts are L-shaped. One 8" long, following the line where your panties elastic for the leg hole goes around your inner thigh, on each side, and then a right angle, and another 8" incision straight down the back of my hamstrings. So where this article says oh yeah, scars will be hidden... That's a fat lie. Yours truly is feeling 100% pure Frankenstein here 😎

All in all I feel good, except the incisions both around the breast and on both legs are super itchy (they say that's good, a sign of healing) and they're also so tight I can't basically walk, sit, bend over, get up from sitting down, put on shoes, wash my feet etc. So, I walk like I have a stick up my butt, spend most of my time reclining in bed or on the couch, only walking as much as the surgeon told me it's okay.... wearing loose pajamas, with occasionally dirty feet, order in food, and just can't wait to go for my first check up on September 11.

Did I mention the surgical drains? How could one forget those little leashes connecting me to the pouches of love? ALL LIES. I hope to have the 3 surgical drains removed ASAP... They are literally sewn into the skin near the incisions and def not comfortable. 

I don't mean to complain too much, I am unbelievably blessed to have survived cancer so far plus getting the equivalent of 4 quality boob jobs (2 in 2016, this surgery, and coming in November one more "alignment job") plus the equivalent of two thigh lifts and one tummy liposuction in 2017 (to smooth out the original mastectomy contours) and oh yes--thank goodness for health insurance.

And thank God for the Democrats who made sure to include a requirement in federal law saying women with breast cancer are ENTITLED to reconstruction of their breast(s) and insurance HAS TO cover it. 

And thank goodness for wonderful loving women in my family, I don't really discuss in this level of detail with many friends. I'm only blabbing here because I would've liked to know this before I had the surgery. 

I should be healed enough to have the current restriction (I'm not allowed to drive or ride in a car) lifted in about 4-8 weeks. Planning the "alignment" surgery for November so I can take advantage of having paid the whole deductible this year. And then hopefully my surgeon will clear me to train BJJ again.... And hopefully I can get back on the mats next summer.

I'll write a post about anesthesia and my research on that topic soon. 

PS-- the blog post is titled "stacked" flaps because the "flap" (not the skin, just the fat and blood vessels) for the top of the breast comes from one leg, and is stacked on top of the flap from the other leg, which comprises the bottom half of the breast.  And I will note with pleasure that my doc listened to me!!! I said, you take out all the fat you can find without making me look gross when I heal.... but don't you put it all back into me. I wanted smaller breasts as the end result. A cups are fine by me. So he did... And in November the other, OEM breast will be reduced and aligned so they look as symmetrical as possible.

If only there was a way to do liposuction on my fat derriere without the end result looking lumpy bumpy. I want the equivalent of A cup butt cheeks, but there's only one way to do that and it's called work your ass off.

Oh one more question I have heard a lot... That is, why not just do liposuction on your inner thighs or whatever and squirt the fat into the pouch created by the removal of the implant? And you know, when I had the implant put in, at the end they did lipo on my tummy and squirted the fat back into my breast to smooth things out. 

But the problem is, liposuction is really hard on the fat cells that get sucked out. It bursts a lot of them, so they die, and the ones that didn't pop still need a blood supply to live. Only when you have a mastectomy, the surgeon is trying to get you clean margins ie no cancer cells on any perimeter. So that means (at least in my case with a clean margin of only 0.48mm) that virtually all the blood vessels in your original breast tissue are gone. 

The medical profession used to try to do autologous fat transplants for breast reconstruction by liposuction and they ended up with lots of "oil cysts." That means pockets of dead and rotting fat cells instead of a boob. So this procedure, transplanting pieces of fat with all the nerves and blood vessels and stuff, and connecting those up as best they can, produces (I'm told) a real live breast made of fat that lives. And crazier still.... those reconnected nerves? They're working. I can FEEL where I couldn't feel anything for the last 8 years.

Ok, that's enough for now. Thanks and good luck. 

Quite the layoff....

 Geez, it's been over a year since I thought I was coming back.

Well, I've had to have surgery, and I have another surgery coming. So I kind of allowed the laziness to continue being in charge. I hope I'll be done with surgeries and done with healing by next spring, and I hope I'm allowed to come back to BJJ without risking my health. I should say, I hope coming back to BJJ won't risk my health, because that's the only reason I wouldn't come back.

Until then, I'm still here, lurking in free live streams (like the Celestino 'guard retention' Livestream hosted free from digitsu this Friday afternoon (noon central time...)

Wishing you the best.... 

Blue belts quit. Purples take layoffs.

Hey everyone!  Can you believe it?   It's been roughly four years since I last trained. And... I'm back!

 This is me right after my first gi class, yesterday at lunch. 

I kind of figured I might start blogging again, too. . . I finally have something to talk about. I felt like I was saying the same stuff over and over again, before...

So, now, I think (maybe) I'll be talking about sustainable jiu jitsu for the older, more-sore, physically banged up group. I'm turning 50 in August. I've survived breast cancer and a mastectomy and all the plastic surgeries associated with that... then a while after I last trained in Dallas, I rolled over in bed and herniated a disc at L5-S1, and I survived a very successful microdiscectomy surgery that made me pain-free.

But then the pandemic happened and I've gained 30 lbs due to me being a lazy butt. I'm happy with my work and happy with the house I bought, happy with my dog... but not happy with the weight or the lack of something I'm passionate about. So let's talk about all those things, and a funny saying I heard at the gym today...

Blue belts quit.  Purple belts just take layoffs. 

Let's talk about layoffs and coming back and getting older.

Happy to be back and happy you're here!

..edited to add...  I looked around at my blog list and WOW, lots of BJJ bloggers not bloggin' no more. 

I'll tell you one of my FAVORITE jiu jitsu guys that I lost track of YEARS ago... Dev! Devlin! of "Fueled by Fear" fame (yes, some of my oldest gis still have his patch on them.)  He moved to somewhere in South America with his wife, working for the US Govt... and we lost touch.

His blog was Fueled by Fear, devbjj.blogspot.com. I wish I knew where he was. If anyone knows feel free to comment please!

Coral belt and convicted pedophile Joao Marcos Pierini opens BJJ school in Malaga, Spain

 https://www.bjjee.com/articles/convicted-pedophile-bjj-coral-belt-under-reylson-gracie-opens-bjj-academy-in-malaga-spain/

I just heard from a member of the BJJ community there and we spoke briefly about some steps she could take... Safely.... to hopefully get this the kind of press and public pressure that motivates solutions. I will keep you posted!

Did Rigan Machado knowingly promote a sexual predator to black belt? if not, who did?

You may recall my post almost four years ago about Austin Texas jiu jitsu instructor Paul Saucido, convicted of two counts of indecent exposure and one of unlawful restraint, stemming from twice sexually penetrating a nonconsenting woman in 2009... at the time of my first post, he was a brown belt under Rigan Machado and was trying to teach women's self defense seminars at his new school in East Austin.

I also posted about it on MMAUnderground.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/metv_producer_faces_sex_assault_charges was the original link.  It's so old, it's down, but still preserved on the Wayback Machine here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20111101073146/http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/metv_producer_faces_sex_assault_charges

http://austinvida.com/city-culture/2011/saucid-probation-sex-offender/
Wayback version: https://web.archive.org/web/20160917124303/http://www.austinvida.com/city-culture/2011/saucid-probation-sex-offender/

And the Texas state website: https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/SexOffender/PublicSite/Application/Search/Individual.aspx?IND_IDN=12321661

In my original  post I was happy to share that his instructor and former employer Rigan Machado was disavowing any connection with Paul, not teaching seminars for him and generally distancing himself from this inserter-of-a-penis-into-a-woman's-sex-organ-without-her-effective-consent (for those apologists who objected to me calling him a rapist since the 2009 offenses he plead guilty to in 2011 were unlawful restraint and indecent exposure.)

But until this afternoon, Paul bragged that Rigan promoted him to black belt.  Here's a screen grab from the morning of March 20, 2017. Second sentence.

Wait... this was Rigan's stance at the time:

This was Carlos' position:

Fortunately both Carlos and Rigan reacted promptly to my original version of this blog post. Whatever they did, by this afternoon, Paul's website was changed:

http://www.zenfitaustin.com/instructors/bio/id/169

My understanding is that Carlos Machado has no affiliation with either Paul or Rigan, according to Lindsay Machado, Carlos' wife, and a written signed statement by Carlos.

Rigan also prepared a statement:





 It seems, and I hope, that Paul was lying for the obvious credibility boost of being a Rigan Machado blackbelt.



Here's what I do know.  He's teaching girls and their moms. Does mom know you're a registered sex offender? August 2013.

October 2013.

February 2014.

 

July 2014.

November 2014 with Rigan. No relationship, no ties.

And here in January 2015, he has his black belt. 

 

September 2016 he's promoting students to brown.

October 2016 he was promoting a Rigan seminar (that link no longer works so I cannot confirm if it was a seminar Paul hosted or just promoted.)

January 2017 he's presenting at least two instructors at his academy as Rigan blackbelts.  Maybe visitors? (Screen grab from 3/20/17.)

 

Why do I care? I have no financial stake in this-- I'm not an instructor, don't own an academy. Don't even train any more while I recover from some surgeries.  I have no personal animus towards Paul (despite the rumor that we had a relationship, it was never more than casual acquaintanceship, and I think he came and trained at the Relson school in Austin with us once or twice.) Well, other than my disgust that he forced himself on a woman passed out drunk at his own birthday party. He refused to give her her panties back because "she wouldn't want a reminder of that night." I'll bet.

I care about women (and men) who have survived an assault and come to jiu jitsu seeking safety, empowerment, healing and prevention. I care about people who seek to prevent being assaulted. And I think they should know who their instructor is. If Rigan didn't promote Paul then who did? and why? why afford such a position of respect and power to a predator?

Let Paul make his living wherever, however... but I want his students to be aware. To have the privilege of knowing consent that his survivor that night in 2009 didn't.

Griddled oatcakes

From Epicurious:

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 cups (or more) water
1 3/4 cups steel-cut oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup plus additional for serving
1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Melted butter (for brushing)
2 pints strawberries, hulled, sliced

PREPARATION

Butter 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan or rimmed baking sheet. Bring 3 1/2 cups water to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add oats and salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until oatmeal is tender but still firm to bite, stirring often and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, about 30 minutes.

Add cream, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, sugar, and vanilla; stir until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. 

Spread oatmeal in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. 

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Cut chilled oatmeal into squares or triangles. Heat griddle or heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush griddle with melted butter. 

Cook oatcakes until golden brown and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Divide oatcakes among plates, drizzle with maple syrup, spoon strawberries over, and serve.

Instructional review: Flow Jitsu by Mike Bidwell

I was really tickled to get an advance peek at an instructional by Mike Bidwell called Flow Jitsu. I'm enjoying BJJ in my forties but I am really working on being less rigid and smashy, more fluid and crafty what with all these young twenty-something monsters on the mat. This sounded just up my alley.

The video is available in digital download format only at Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood Gear for $49.95 and is about an hour long.

Who is Mike Bidwell?  He is a blackbelt under Phil Migliarese and Ken Kronenberg, founder of blog BJJ After Forty, creator of Flow Jitsu, and he persevered through a very long brown belt phase from 2001 to 2014.  So, I think he knows how BJJ can become a grind. In his introduction with Nic Gregoriades, Roger Gracie blackbelt, Mike emphasized that he believes in the ideas of flow, movement, adaptability, and the importance of acknowledging and working with any limitations on your physicality by seeking easily-replicatable techniques for all skill levels. Does he deliver? Let's see!



First, let's talk about technique content: As the name suggests, all his techniques connect one to the next to create a flow. Here's the first few "modules" as he terms them--

1. Outside Kimura Sweep from Closed Guard
2. Inside Kimura Sweep
3. Kimura Sweep Counters
4. Chaining Sweeps and Setups
5. Americana Setups from Mount
6. Americana to Peek a boo [I didn't know this term]
7. Seatbelt Counters [chockablock with submissions!]

... and the list goes on. A consistent theme is his desire to avoid meeting resistance with resistance, strength with strength... instead, he teaches an approach of setting up chains of stimuli that take advantage of their natural defense instincts and go with their momentum to get what you really want. If that doesn't work, well hell, go with that too because all paths lead to a submission.  That's a lot of fun to think about and plan for.

Here's an example from Module 3, Kimura sweep counters:



Mike is careful to regularly show adjustments to use these techniques in a nogi context, demonstrating alternatives to gi grips and alternative submissions. In addition, he shows you alternatives you can use if you are stiff or sore, or lacking flexibility in some element of the movement.

As far as non-BJJ-technique issues: what a nice instructional, overall.  The download comes as an MP4 on a player with intuitive controls and handy buttons for rewind 10 seconds or fast forward 30 seconds. However, I found the lack of a menu with chapter headings (or "module" bookmarks) a little weird.

The lighting and audio are excellent.  Most techniques are demonstrated from a side-on view, with the camera adjusting almost seamlessly to capture a closeup where needed.  Sometimes, you get a nearly bird's-eye view. The background/mats are blue, and while he wears a white gi, his partner wears black, so everything is very clean and easy to see. It's nitpicky to say I found his phrase at the start of every module-- "All right, ninjas!"-- to be a little annoying. It really doesn't get in the way of his instruction since he only says it once each chapter.

I distinctly found this instructional to be more upper-level. There are excellent basic techniques taught in every chapter-- kimuras, back mount, americana, omoplata etc.-- but he gives fewer details and moves right along with a quicker pace to his speech and the amount of repetition. It is refreshing to have basically a "dense" and efficient dose of technique. You could watch this on your phone and feel like just a few minutes were fully packed with things to play with. There are few to no drilling sequences and while he reviews techniques as he goes, it never gets excessive.

One thing I liked about his relatively minimal level of detail compared to some instructionals is that I'm getting set in my ways, and I find that when someone teaches a detail which directly contradicts something that works really well for me, I mentally debate it. I challenge it or counter it in my mind and get distracted. This did not happen often in the video, which was refreshing. I found it to be like the end of open mat, where some brown or blackbelt is showing someone else something, and while it goes by quickly, it contains all the information you need to plug it in to your already-working technique library and expand it in new ways.  It does tend to assume you are familiar with the language and positions so if you are a rank newbie this may go a little bit quickly for some.

Another thing I liked was the constant stream of sub attempts. It's a facet I would like to include more in my style-- attack attack attack. However, I did think that some of his techniques assume some equality of size and strength between partners. He did such a great job talking about compensating for other limitations of physicality, I wished he could have included some adjustments us smaller-folk could make to tweak the techniques. If I had my druthers, he would have stepped back and had a smaller person demo against a larger one to illustrate such possibilities, a la Emily Kwok and Stephen Kesting.

Mike did a great job on this instructional. It's a very solid efficient hour, worth your time and money.

Texas jiu jitsu instructor convicted of sexual assault of student

Former owner of BQuick Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Stephenville, Texas has been found guilty on July 27, 2016 of sexually assaulting a student who was 14 years old at the time. The jury had reached the verdict in less than an hour in Erath County.

Samuel Lewis was promptly escorted out of the courtroom following a guilty verdict. He was arrested back in January 2014 and charged with sexual assault of a child, a second degree felony.

According to a local news report  the victim testified saying she began training under Lewis in the summer of 2013. She also said Lewis claimed to be unhappy in his marriage. The victim testified that Lewis knew she was a high school freshman at the time. The teenager felt bad for him saying: “I felt bad and was sympathetic towards him.” She said the two communicated through text messages and Facebook, and that the relationship turned sexual on Christmas Eve 2013 when they had sex in the bathroom inside the gym.

Soon after, the victim’s mother learned about it after finding an incriminating facebook exchange- which was followed up with a police report. Lewis’ ex wife also testified against him saying she became suspicious of the relationship between Lewis and the victim. Soon after she went to the victim’s mother with her concerns.

Lewis attempted to commit suicide shortly after arrest and while he was in recovery the wife asked him about the incident: “I wanted to know why. Was it because she was pretty? Was it because she was young? Was it because she did Jiu Jitsu? Because I thought I was a pretty good wife,” she said. “He said it was because of Jiu Jitsu and that was the only time he mentioned it at all.”

Edit to add: scary comments on Reddit about this. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/4vlsvl/bjj_instructor_samuel_lewis_from_texas_convicted/

Spartan Fit book coming out soon! Plus discount on Spartan races!

Joe DeSena’s new book "Spartan Fit!" comes out this summer. I have lots of jiu jitsu friends and sambo friends who do tough mudder and Spartan-type races. This book is a great training and motivational tool.

All of the info including the first chapter download (Free!) is here:

http://spartanracemedia.com

If you like what you read, you can (and should) pre-order it HERE:  http://bit.ly/spartanfit_preorder

I have SO much respect for people who run these Spartan races. They are tough! One of my good friends, a Caio Terra blackbelt near Dallas, runs these suckers and he's pretty addicted. Talk about functional fitness.

You can hunt for a Spartan race in your area by going here.

And if you use the code SPARTANBLOGGER you will get 10% off your entry fee.

Enormous jiu jitsu class makes it into the Guinness Book! And personal update...

I found an article about the top ten coolest martial arts records in the Guinness book, and one of them dealt with jiu jitsu-- the largest BJJ class ever.  Thought you might be interested!

I haven't trained hardly at all in the last 3 months. I swear I'm going back but it's been so hard with my work schedule. I am going to ask for an extended lunch so I can go to the noon class.  I get off at four p.m. and evening class starts at seven, so it's just hard to motivate myself to stay at work late, and my house is the opposite direction from the academy (with work in the middle.) So I know I'm making excuses, but... there it is.

Edited to add:

Thanks y'all for your words of encouragement and support!

I was approved for a 2 hour lunch, hooray!

Yeah, given that I prefer coming in to work at the obscenely early hour of 530-6am, there was no possibility of doing the morning class. And going to the academy to roll or drill for an hour or two before class at night wasn't good either, because, well, I was dating someone and did that for months with him, and then we broke up, and it was/is brutally painful... so, he ended up quitting BJJ, and it just absolutely sucked going to the academy without him. That's a big part of why I wasn't training the last while. I do not like having put on ten pounds, so I just need to buck up and go back. I think going back to a different class with different people will help change things up a bit.

Also, I have a set of kettlebells at home, and I've been doing bodyweight exercises-- pushups burpees and deep squats-- to slow down the slide into fatty. I miss seeing good definition in my arms and back!

Brown butter ginger snap cookies

I'm going to experiment with this cookie which I just found on Pinterest. I think it can be made softer and richer, and I'm going to try my chocolate chip cookie technique of using more, melted butter, two eggs and two egg yolks, and more brown sugar than white.

Let me know what you think..

Ingredients

2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, browned and brought back to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup molasses (mild, not blackstrap)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
*extra sugar for sprinkling (coarse sugar works great here, but granulated will do the job)

Instructions

To make the dough:

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Place butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has completely melted and taken on an amber/light brown shade. It will smell slightly nutty. Once it's reached this stage remove the pan from heat RIGHT AWAY - brown butter can go from good to burnt in seconds.

Scrape butter and any brown bits into a small heatproof bowl and transfer bowl to the refrigerator (or freezer if you really want to speed it up). Allow butter to come back to room temperature (it should be solid, but soft enough to hold the impression of your finger when you press it into the top).

When the butter is ready…

Add butter and sugars to the body of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-speed until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides as needed.

Add the molasses and orange zest and beat until combined. Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly add dry ingredients, beating just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour (or up to one day).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) 30 minutes prior to baking. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Roll the dough into 1" balls and arrange on prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down on the center of each cookie. Sprinkle each top with about 1/4 teaspoon extra sugar, and bake, one sheet at a time, for 9-10 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden.

Remove pan from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Eddie Bravo Invitational 6-- free livestream!

I just heard about FITE, a free mobile app dedicated to fighting sports. This Sunday April 24th’s Jiu Jitsu event – The Eddie Bravo Invitational 6-- will feature a 16-man bracket tournament with submission-only rules. All submissions are legal. No draws!, No judges! All for a $50,000 purse.

The EBI 6 is available on FITE TV which is available anywhere in the world that has WiFi internet connections. This app allows you to watch the matches live on the screen of your TV with just the use of your phone and app. As long as you have WiFi connection (on your phone and TV) it should be easy.

In addition to the EBI 6, on FITE TV you can watch MMA, wrestling, boxing and traditional martial arts - live and on-demand. FITE is a Free download from iTunes and Google Play.

There’s also a big red floating button on the app home screen which allows you to upload your own videos - workouts, training sessions, workshops, demonstrations or fight footage - for fans around the world to see.

Visiting another jiu jitsu academy-- part 2

Are you ready to step on the mat? Check out part 2 by Faisao, a purple belt champion competitor.

PART 2: What Happens After You Step on the Mats

If you’ve read the first part of this article, you are ready to step on the mats at a host academy. Whether learning from an instructor or doing open sparring, there are a few things to remember to get the most out of your visit. The following tips are from my own experiences, other students, and hosts.

When attending a class or seminar where someone is teaching technique, the most important thing to remember is that the instructor is the instructor. You are NOT the instructor. This can be particularly tough on upper belts when a class is being taught by someone of a lower rank. Respect that they have been entrusted to teach and do not question their techniques during class. Pay attention and do the technique that they are actually showing. If the details are different than how you have been taught in the past, do it the way the instructor is showing. Do not show your partner something that is contrary to what the instructor has shown. If you are not the one teaching, keep it to yourself. Only show a technique if asked directly by the instructor. Also, you should introduce yourself to your partner, but do not keep chatting with your partner during class.

Open rolling or sparring is typically less structured and can be an incredible experience. It can also be extremely frustrating for both host and visitor. When rolling with someone you have just met, you have no history of trust. The ego involved when rolling with someone from outside ones own academy can lead to additional problems. Visitor and host alike may feel they are representing their entire team. Remember that you roll to learn and not to win. Sparring is not a tournament and nobody is waiting with a medal for you. The things during a sparring session that will reflect poorly on your team have nothing to do with winning. Hurting your host's students is the worst possible transgression. They have accepted the risk of allowing you into their home. Do not make them regret their decision. Do not slam into or crank on submissions. Avoid pain submissions or submissions with higher risk of injury. Know what submissions are allowed. If you put their student into a submission they have not been exposed to there is a higher risk that they will respond incorrectly and injure themselves.

You must also protect yourself. Your host may allow submissions or techniques you have not learned.
Know what your host allows. If you are not prepared for certain positions or submissions, let your rolling partner know before you begin. If you have an injury, let them know before you begin. Be prepared to tap early. Putting yourself into dangerous positions and waiting too long to tap reflects poorly on your home academy.

To get the most out of your rolls, focus on more than the tap. Sparring allows you to find out how someone with a different teacher responds to situations. Rolling with someone outside of a competition that does not know your game is a great learning opportunity. Avoid thinking of yourself as better or worse than your partner. They may be giving you 10% or 100%.

Typically, timed rounds during a class should not involve pauses to discuss a position. If you are in an open mat situation, stopping to take a closer look at a position is usually acceptable. There is no universal rule for this so take cues from your partner and those around you. As a guest the following guidelines will serve you well:

• If you are a lower rank than your partner, do not initiate teaching a technique unless asked to do so. Regardless of rank, be wary of saying a technique is outright wrong. Your partner may be attempting something from their instructor that you are not aware of. If you wish to offer suggestions, it can be as an option instead of replacement.

• Mat etiquette varies significantly by academy. Rules for the same situation might be quite different. As an example, some academies have rules on who is allowed to ask someone else to roll or spar, while others do not. Rule variations I have seen include:

• Only higher ranks may ask lower ranks to spar.

• Any student may ask any other student.

• Instructor determines who spars with each other.

Rolling with many different skill levels and body types can improve your jiu jitsu game, but you must know your limits and be strong enough to decline a request (even from an upper belt) if you do not feel comfortable rolling with them. If anyone ever warns you not to roll with a particular person from their team, there is probably a good reason. Listen to their advice.

Once you are sparring, be aware of what is happening around you and protect yourself and your partner. Most academies have rules to decide who must move when two or more pairs get close enough to risk colliding. Having these rules helps to reduce disruption during rolls. Some variations for “right-of-way” include:

• Highest rank pair has right of way and lower rank pair must move.

• Pair in position easiest to pause moves.

• Pair in greatest fear of being crushed moves.

Any student will know the rule for their home academy, so you should be able to follow your partner’s lead. Whether rolling or drilling, try not to be a mat hog. Be aware of how much space you are using. Sweeps and takedowns typically take more space. If the mat is crowded, it might be better to work on something else.

The last big thing I’ve learned over the years is that every academy has rules you will never think to ask about. These are the unwritten rules that are reasonable and obvious to members of the academy but will completely blindside a visitor. It is almost impossible to know of these rules before you break them. If an instructor or student points one out to you, your best response it to thank them for letting you know and try not to do whatever you just did ever again.

Hopefully this article will help you make the most out of visiting other jiu jitsu academies. Most hosts are very forgiving of any mistakes you might make as long as you are respectful. Your team is your family, but there is a great extended jiu jitsu family out there for you to meet as well. I hope you make the best of it.

How to be a good jiu jitsu visitor... Part One.

A dear friend, talented purple belt, avid competitor and killer training partner, who now lives a little bit aways from me, wrote this lovely two-part post with some very useful advice.  Hope you enjoy! Part two, next week.

Being a Good Jiu Jitsu Visitor

Part One: What To Know Before You Step on the Mats 

If you stay in jiu jitsu for any length of time (and I hope you do!) then at some point you will probably be a visitor to another academy, school, dojo, gym, mat, club, lab or whatever name your host will use to refer to the place where they do jiu jitsu. Each will have its own unique rules and dynamics. As a visitor, you represent both yourself and your team. Knowing what to expect can help you be the best guest you can be. Through the years, I have come to the realization that I was not always an ideal guest. The following is what I wish I had known when I first started.

Why would you visit an academy other than your own?

There are a lot of great reasons to visit another academy. They host seminars, camps, special events, and open mats open to members of the jiu jitsu community. I highly recommend taking advantage of these events. They can be incredible opportunities to learn new techniques and meet members of the community. Always mention to the head of your academy if you plan to attend an event. It is a sign of respect to your team to let them know where their students will be, and they may have information you

need to know about who you are visiting. They may even ask you to share what you learned when you

returned.

Other types of visits are more personal and you will be the only representative of your team on the mats. If your academy is part of a larger affiliation, you might drop in at other locations within that affiliation. A friend from another team may invite you to visit their academy as a guest. Perhaps you are on vacation or a work trip and want to stop in somewhere to get your jiu jitsu fix. The toughest visit of all is when you are looking for a new jiu jitsu home. There are many reasons you may need to find a new academy, and for the purpose of this article we will assume you are on good terms with your previous team. In any of these situations, let your head instructor know ahead of time that you are planning to visit another academy and the reasons behind it. Your teammates and instructors might have connections and recommendations for places to visit in other cities. Typically your academy will have a policy about cross training. Find out what that policy is. With social media, visiting without letting your instructor know can easily get back to them and be interpreted as disloyalty. Jiu jitsu is not an individual sport and trust is earned between teammates and with your instructors. Take care not to break the trust of your jiu jitsu family.

In addition to being up front with your instructor, there are some basic things to do before you arrive to the academy you are visiting.  For events (Seminars, Open Mats, etc.), always pre-register or sign up as “attending” if possible. This will give the host a better idea of how many are coming and hopefully allow them to contact you if there are any last minute changes. If you have a child, find out whether they are allowed to attend the event or if there will be a place for them to hang out while you participate. 

Whether visiting on your own or with a friend, contact the owner ahead of time for permission to stop by. They have no obligation to allow you to participate even if you show up with one of their students. They are responsible for the safety of everyone that visits their academy, and allowing you onto their mats is a risk that they do not have to take. Additionally, not all classes may be open to visitors or those below a certain rank. Some academies will not want you to drop in unless the head instructor is on site. When you contact the owner, always offer to pay a drop-in fee and ask what it is. Drop-in fees vary quite a bit, and you should never assume fees will be waived for you.  

If an academy has a website, it can be a great source for information when kept up to date. It is a good idea to check the website before contacting the instructor. There are several basic things to find out about the class you want to attend: type of class; start time; and attire. Many academies teach a variety of classes so know what you are getting into. Do not show up to advanced MMA class expecting beginner jiu jitsu. Uniform requirements vary by academy.  Example questions for uniforms include:

 Are there requirements for gi colors?

 Are patches from other teams allowed? 

 For no-gi/MMA are spats without shorts allowed?

 Are rash guards required? 

Do you know what submissions and positions are allowed for your rank and below? This can vary

significantly and is important to know for your own safety as well as the safety of your host’s students. Never assume that what is allowed is the same as your home academy. Safe submissions are not universally agreed upon within jiu jitsu.

Whether attending an event or visiting a class, it is best to show up early. Some academies run on

“Brazilian time” and you may end up hanging around outside for a bit waiting for the place to open. Others have punishments for late arrivals. It is better to be early than arriving at the last moment or late. When you arrive, be ready to sign a waiver and pay your drop-in fee. Show up clean (body, clothing, and equipment) and well-groomed with nails trimmed. Don't assume that an academy will have sufficient private changing space for you to get into uniform after you arrive. If possible, arrive so that you could get into the remainder of your uniform in full public view. It may not be necessary, but it is better than having to wait for the only restroom. 

DO NOT WALK INTO A RESTROOM BAREFOOT!!! Footwear and how it is dealt with at different academies has surprised me more than any other item. Figure out the rule for footwear as soon as you enter the building. Sometimes you will have to leave your shoes next to the front door. Other places you must wear them at all times until you step onto the mat. In general, never walk onto the mat in shoes and never walk into the bathroom without. For anything in between, it is probably directly related to how the academy is cleaned and not following the rules can cause bacteria and grime to be tracked where it can cause a problem.

Once you know what to do with your shoes, have filled out the paperwork, and are changed for class,

take some time to introduce yourself to the instructor and other students.  Talking to members of another team can be tricky. Everything you say reflects on you as well as your jiu jitsu teammates. When it comes to first impressions, the best option is to stay positive. Whether talking about your own team or one you are not associated with say nice things or keep quiet. Leave any frustrations or problems you have at the door. Talking poorly about a rival academy or student will reflect very poorly on yourself as well was your team. The impression you will leave with your host is that you are a gossip that talks poorly about people behind their back. They’ll be left wondering what you will be telling others about them. By association, your academy can develop the same reputation.

Typically students do not talk poorly of their own team. They tend to err toward excessive praise of

their instructors and teammates. Remember to be humble when talking about your home academy. You think you’ve got the best instructors and students? That’s great! Then why are you visiting? Realize that they have something special to offer. It could be their location, a class at a time you can actually make, a seminar you want to attend, or that friend that you came with. Saying your team is the best ever means you think the academy you are visiting is not. Maybe your academy truly is that incredible, but respect your host enough to keep your praise in check.

Are you ready to step on the mat? Check out part 2 next week!

Ms. Faisão is a cunning and relentless purple belt with triangles from everywhere.

Happy Thanksgiving recipes and love for you :)

Hi Lovelies!  I have been... just too happy to mess with blogging these days. But Thanksgiving is right around the corner so I'll share a few recipes and tell you what's been up with me lately.. though if we're facebook friends that probably has kept you really posted on my life.

So, the house is all settled in. Still waiting on my handyman guy to put the new closet door into my guest room and a few other piddly things but overall I am so happy with my new house in Austin. I especially like the backyard and the covered patio with all my hammocks. Work is keeping me insane these days so I haven't been training much but once a week keeps me feeling like I am still connected and next year it will get easier for sure.

I am dating someone special, too. I don't need to share all the details, but, he's amazing, and as close to perfect as I could imagine. He even trains! So I won't jinx it, hopefully, by telling you that much!

I'm making Thanksgiving as usual... for about eighteen, maybe twenty.  This year since the new house only has one oven, I'm buying two deep fried turkeys, and my dear friends Sandy and Gabrielle will bring a few dishes, but I'm doing the gravy, a traditional bread stuffing, mashpots, green bean casserole, brussels sprouts, acorn squash (from the bf's dad's garden!), buttermilk biscuits, and my traditional chocolate-caramel-walnut tart.

I wish you and your loved ones the happiest of holiday seasons.  And now, for the cookings....
From the Kitchn.com folks:

Orzo with Butternut Squash, Spinach & Blue Cheese

Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash (1/4-inch cubes)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup regular or whole-wheat orzo
2 cups shredded spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
Preheat oven to 425˚F. Toss butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Spread into a single layer on a sheet tray. Bake until squash is tender and starting to brown, 35 to 40 minutes. (Squash can be roasted up to 5 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Rewarm before serving.)
Place the spinach in a large bowl and set aside. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until just warm. Stir in garlic, remove from heat, and allow to sit until ready to use.
Place the orzo in a pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender but not mushy, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain and immediately pour the hot orzo on top of the spinach. Let sit for a few minutes to slightly wilt spinach.
Add butternut squash to the pasta, along with the blue cheese and garlic olive oil. Toss until well-combined and serve warm.

• Make-ahead moment: Roast the squash whenever you have a spare moment and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm it in the microwave, a low oven, or in the skillet with the garlic before tossing with the pasta.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits -- from Cook's Illustrated (the best source!)

(makes 12)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon sugar 
3/4 teaspoon table salt 
1 cup buttermilk (cold)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2-3 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.
2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2-3 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Caramel Walnut Tart-- again Cook's Illustrated, my tried and true favorite!

Makes one 9-inch tart, serving 12 to 16
WALNUT CRUST

1 large egg, separated
¼teaspoon vanilla extract
½cup toasted walnuts (2 ½ ounces), see note
½cup confectioners' sugar (2 ounces)
1cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
⅛teaspoon table salt
5tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into ½-inch cubes

CARAMEL-WALNUT FILLING AND GARNISH

¼cup water
1cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
⅔cup heavy cream
3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
½teaspoon vanilla extract
½teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
⅛teaspoon table salt
16-18 walnut halves, plus 1 cup (5 ounces) toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (see note)

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon heavy cream
⅓cup heavy cream
⅓cup whole milk
5ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
2tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

INSTRUCTIONS
The nuts used in the crust, in the caramel filling, and as a garnish must all be toasted; the entire amount can be toasted together on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven until fragrant and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. For cutting clean slices, dip the blade of the knife in warm water and wipe with a kitchen towel before making each cut.

1. FOR THE CRUST: Beat egg white in bowl with fork until frothy; remove 1 tablespoon egg white to second bowl and whisk in yolk and vanilla. Process nuts and sugar in food processor until finely ground, 8 to 10 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With machine running, add egg yolk mixture and process until dough forms ball, about 20 seconds. Transfer dough to large sheet plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk; wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm but malleable, about 30 minutes.

2. Roll out dough between 2 large sheets lightly floured plastic wrap to 13-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick (if at any point dough becomes too soft and sticky to work with, slip dough onto baking sheet and freeze or refrigerate until workable). Place dough round on baking sheet and freeze until stiff and cold, about 15 minutes (or refrigerate about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, evenly spray 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Remove dough from freezer; discard top sheet plastic wrap but keep dough on baking sheet. Following illustrations 1 through 6 below, line tart pan with dough. Freeze dough-lined tart pan until firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 month.)

4. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet. Spray 12-inch square foil with nonstick cooking spray and press foil inside chilled tart shell; fill with pie weights. Bake until light golden brown, about 30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Cool on baking sheet on wire rack about 5 minutes, then brush hot crust with reserved egg white. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

5. FOR CARAMEL-WALNUT FILLING AND GARNISH: While crust is cooling; pour water into medium heavy-bottomed saucepan; add sugar to center of pot to keep granules from adhering to sides of pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; covered; swirling pan once or twice to dissolve sugar. Uncover pot and continue to boil, without stirring, until sugar is deep amber and begins to smoke and registers about 375 degrees on instant-read or candy thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Carefully add about half of cream; mixture will sputter and steam. Add remaining cream and let bubbling subside. Return pan to low heat and stir with heatproof rubber spatula until caramel is smooth. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove pan from heat; stir in vanilla; lemon juice; and salt.

6. Add walnut halves to caramel and stir to coat; let stand until caramel is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon and allowing excess caramel to drain back into saucepan, transfer walnuts to wire rack set over baking sheet; set aside. Stir chopped walnuts into caramel, then pour mixture evenly into tart shell. Refrigerate, uncovered, on baking sheet until caramel is firm and does not slip when pan is tilted, about 20 minutes.

7. FOR CHOCOLATE FILLING: Whisk yolks and 1 tablespoon cream in small bowl. Bring milk and remaining 1/3 cup cream to simmer in small saucepan; off heat, add chocolate and butter. Cover pan and let stand until chocolate is mostly melted, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, stir mixture until smooth; stir in yolk mixture. (Chocolate should be thin and pourable; if too thick to pour evenly, set saucepan over low heat to warm mixture.) Pour filling into caramel-filled tart shell, tilting tart pan as necessary to evenly distribute chocolate to edges of tart. Bake on baking sheet in 300-degree oven until tiny bubbles are visible on surface and chocolate layer is just set (if pan is gently shaken, filling will appear very wobbly because caramel layer is warm), about 25 minutes. Set baking sheet with tart on wire rack; arrange caramel-coated walnut halves on surface of tart, around perimeter. Cool tart until just warm, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate, uncovered, until chocolate is firm, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Colorful Greek Quinoa Salad

This is great for lunches especially if you like to pre-pack at the start of the week. 





2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh mint

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup thinly sliced radicchio

1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped English cucumber

1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

3 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

1 tablespoon minced shallots

Place quinoa in a large bowl; cover with water. Let stand 5 minutes; rinse well, and drain.
Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in quinoa. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Uncover; fluff with a fork. Cool to room temperature.
Combine olive oil and next 5 ingredients (through sea salt) in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa, tomatoes, and the remaining ingredients; toss well.

Train with Jiu-Jitsu Champions. Star in your own documentary. Return home from Brazil.

A guest post by Kate Carsella about BJJ4Change, an amazing opportunity to support the favela kids, a documentary, and a very impressive training camp in Brazil...


Grief and tragedy are known quantities in every community. It is an unfortunate truth. But there is always relief. There are always unions borne of need and compassion. One topical example is the growing number of organizations hoping to give back to the community, to children, by way of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Yes, you read that right.



Up in Milwaukee, WI, a change is underfoot. Never Ending Light Productions, the studio behind multiple award-winning, praiseworthy documentaries is currently working on their project “BJJ 4 Change”.


Train with Jiu-Jitsu Champions. Star in your own documentary. Return home from Brazil. When you purchase a ticket to this event, a portion of the sale is going directly to the children. When you play the documentary in your city, proceeds from the ticket sales go back to Brazil and the children. Resources they need like education, mentorships, gis and new equipment that will go into the gyms where they train. We are also working with the Brazilian and US authorities to help provide paid  visa sponsorships for BJJ coaches to travel abroad.



Included in the purchase of a ticket: All travel, food, accommodations, and safety within Brazil for our scheduled itinerary (the final itinerary will be published December 1st). Your ticket includes all of your training, a close-up moment in the documentary, and one tournament entry. This organization is gaining steam, and so are likewise movements and organizations around the globe.


[Edited to add: More detailed information has been shared by the organizers.  The current line up is as follows and we are still working on growing the list- Rigan Machado, Rolles Gracie, Robert Drysdale, Carlos Terrinha , Clark Gracie, Penny Thomas, and a few more that are still trying to plan their schedules.


This is a 10 day trip (Jan 21st - 31st - 2016) that will consist of two days travel and 8 days in Rio to include four full days of training, two days of helping kids, and finally two days hosting the tournament, dinner, and awards ceremony. 


Each team of 10 travelers will be paired up with a Championship Coach and assigned to a specific school.  Travelers also have the ability to stay for Carnaval (at an additional cost). So far we have been leaving it up to the Coaches as to which schools and children they would like to represent and send the proceeds to.  As you are aware, we are currently in early roll out, so the details of the coaches are coming up over the next few weeks.


In the meantime, Robert Drysdale will be working with the kids in the Terere kids project, Clark Gracie just texted us last night that he also has chosen a school.  We are planning on updating and highlighting the schools in more detail leading up to the trip. 


This trip will be jam packed with coaching, speaking, and filming about 8-10 hours per day depending on how light the schedule. The lighter it is, the longer we take on dinner interviews. In the documentary film, students (depending on package level) will be interviewed and followed to shoot multiple spots - including some nostalgic ones (depending on the package).


The tournament and awards dinner at the remembrance for Helio Gracie will highlight the children and provide a great background cover for the documentary. The coaches, children, and some students will also be receiving an award at this dinner and be giving a speech. We will be using this as part of the ending of the film. Each of the coaches and students has a great biographical narrative so we will be focusing on how BJJ changed their (your) life.  We will be providing a detailed and authorized itinerary about a month ahead of the trip.]


The children of Brazil have long been grappling with unspeakable violence, poverty, and limited opportunities for change. Fortunately, the leading fighters, coaches, and students of Jiu-Jitsu are uniting against the grim, and pay their success and positivity forward. Recently, the Fightland Blog’s Ottavia Bourdain detailed the 1993 massacre of eight homeless children near the Candelaria church in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.




"In the favelas, children were routinely shot during exchanges between drug gangs, but far more horrifying were the so called “death squads.” In May of 2012 I traveled to Rio with my husband, accompanied by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Igor Gracie. The highlight of our trip was a visit to Insituto Kapacidade, a non-profit organization founded in 2010 by four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Kyra Gracie and businessman Bruno Neves, that teaches BJJ to children in need. Using the sport as its main tool, the institute aims to educate and empower children and improve their self-esteem."



Here is an excerpt from Ottavia's interview with Kyra Gracie:


Fightland: What is Kapacidade about? What inspired you to create the institute and how did it happen?


Kyra Gracie: It all happened when in 2007 I visited the Santa Clara Family (an organization that was Ryan Gracie’s idea and that at the time took care of 70 kids), and I was touched by what I saw. I wanted to give back what BJJ gave me, so in 2010 I got together with Bruno Neves, who is a BJJ practitioner and was already involved with the Santa Clara Family organization. We started teaching the children BJJ and taking them to tournaments. That’s how Kapacidade institute was created.


What are the benefits of BJJ when it comes to children?
Martial arts help them with their self-esteem, respect, competitiveness. It builds their character into become a better person. Because for these kids reality is something really harsh and cruel.  They live in shacks with no flooring and sleep on the dirt.


What are your hopes for your students?
When you are born really poor in Brazil, you don’t have many opportunities. Big chances are you will end up involved in crimes. When the children start training BJJ, we are giving them a trade.  Something that they can embrace and carry on and eventually become a black belt.  With a black belt on their waist, they will have a whole lot of opportunities. They might become BJJ instructors and provide for their families.


 You can support the Kapacidade institute by attending their jiu-jitsu fundraising seminar at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC on June 22, or you can donate directly to Kapacidade through their Web site.



Meanwhile, Nico Ball of the very same Fightland Blog, has had a major life change, centering around Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.


From her Fightland Bio:


Nico Ball recently left her life as a teacher to train mixed martial arts full-time in Brazil. Originally from Pennsylvania, she attended George Mason University in Virginia and got her Masters degree studying the impact of martial arts-based social projects. She’s now living the fighter’s life and pursuing her dream to become a pro mixed martial artist, but has found a way to continue her interest in creating social change by helping organize The Tererê Kids Project, a nonprofit for the children living in poverty in the favela of Morro do Contagalo. The project is centered around jiu-jitsu star Fernando Augusto da Silva, widely known by his nickname Tererê, who used the Gentle Art as a way to escape a life of crime. We asked her to send us periodic updates of how the Project is going.

The following documents one such update: Tererê’s Kids Project.


Fernando Tererê started from the bottom, achieved greatness, and is now a dedicated guardian of the pathways to success, safety, and positivity for others:


Hailing from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, life for Fernando Tererê was replete with problems from a young age. Before the police occupation of the favelas that started in 2009, drug dealers imposed “Favela law”, using violence to maintain order in the slums located a few blocks from the picturesque Copacabana beaches. For Tererê, Gracie Jiu Jitsu was a way to escape the violence that inundated the then un-pacified favela of Cantagalo.


Tererê attributes his success in life to Gracie Jiu Jitsu. His involvement in the sport as a student and later as the founder of the first Jiu Jitsu social project in the Favela of Cantagalo, Pavao, Pavaozinho (PPG), was his salvation, not only as a small kid coping with a violent environment, but also as an adult, battling against schizophrenia and drug addiction.



In 2000, as a blue belt, Tererê founded Amigos Do Morro, the first Jiu-Jitsu social project in the favela of Cantagalo, Pavao, Pavaozinho (PPG). It was in this run down academy with second hand mats, holes in the wall, and no running water that BJJ stars like Jackson Souza, Michel Langhi, Alan Finfou, and Ricardo Viera began their ascent to greatness. It was also there that the charismatic Tererê found his passion for teaching. Tererê’s personality attracted people to him and he had a natural talent for recognizing raw talent like in the case of stars like Cobrinha.  It was his dedication to his students, to his family, and to his community that kept his name alive.


Now 14 years later, Tererê's legacy in the favela remains intact, despite his struggles. Amigos Do Morro, now Academia Fernando Tererê or Tererê Kids Project, is still thriving and providing free BJJ classes for the residents of the Cantagalo favela.



Sally Arsenault, a BJJ coach based in Nova Scotia, Canada uses her own personal history, along with the marketing campaign of OK! Kimonos, to speak to the needs of children today, and how BJJ can be a soothing, galvanizing, productive force for the young:



Most of my clothes were second hand, and without those hand-me-downs I would have had a very limited wardrobe. Because we were lucky just to have food left at the end of the month, it never occurred to me that I could play sports or take martial arts classes. Instead, I spent my days getting into trouble with other people who didn’t do anything productive with their free time.



The brand mascot [for OK! Kimonos] symbolizes Brendan [Hufford, creator of OK! Kimonos]’s message for children. “I want kids to know that it’s alright to be silly, nerdy, and dorky and then step on the mat at a tournament and hit a flying armbar in six seconds.” Training hard, confidence and assertiveness are key but he doesn’t promote unnecessary aggression.



Perhaps “luck” is a kind, yet incorrect word for what is going on with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s positive effect on communities and children with few options. These groups, missions, and efforts live the ethic of paying it forward. These stories are beautiful in their similarity; the chain of hard work, loyalty, and respect remains unbroken.



Luckily, this is not restricted to Brazil. In the Midwest, in Milwaukee, a group of BJJ coaches are cultivating a dedicated family of hard-working adults and children through jiu-jitsu. It is called BJJ4Change. The efforts of this group, soon to become a documentary, can be followed at BJJ4Change.org.








About the Author:
Kate Carsella is BJJ supporter, writer, and advocate for a healthier world. 
katecarsella.com
twitter.com/KateCarsella




[Edited to add: I asked for more information and here were their answers...


Tell me about the charity/ies and how they would help the children: 
http://bjjdocclub.weebly.com/faq.html


I also asked why the three price levels (US$3750 up to $12,000):
Currently, the price levels are structured out on the IndieGogo page : https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bjj-train-film-with-legends-change-lives#/comments


How many students will be permitted?
We have room for up 150.  Don’t worry, it will not be 150 people in a big room together.  They are going to form sub groups and their accommodations will be separated into small groups of 10-20.