Showing posts with label BJJ. Show all posts

Where to Train: Tony Passos BJJ


Where:
Tony Passos BJJ- Sterling, VA
Who:
The instructor is Tony Passos a second degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the legendary Ricardo De La Riva. With most of the De La Riva team in Brazil, Tony formed a close bond with Andre Galvao and became a quintessential part of their team and  one of the best coaches in the Jiu Jitsu world. He now represents ATOS Jiu Jitsu in Northern Virginia.

What I like: I love the emphasis on practical drilling and warm ups. Tony is including some pretty rigorous cardio in the initial class drills and you might not even notice it. The initial warm-up drilling was probably a good 20 minutes of class and just during that time period alone I saw my skills sharpen, my arm bar get a little tighter and smoother each time. After class I remarked to a student that I was glad I was able to attend a competition class. She smiled and said "Oh, this was just our fundamentals class." My mind was blown. Tony is of the belief system that if you can do it in class, you can do it when you compete. This is evidenced by his no nonsense teaching style and the sheer amount you are guaranteed to sweat before you even begin rolling. Tony and his students work hard and their work ethic is  direct reflection of his leadership.

 What are the classes like: Tony's academy is open Monday-Saturday evenings and mornings. His school features: fundamentals, kids classes, advanced classes and private training sessions. Each class features conditioning and strategic understanding of techniques. Tony is thorough, down to the direction that your toes should be pointing. He is technical and provides every little detail to assist his students in understanding the moves.
Kids Classes: I was particularly impressed with Tony's kids class. Never before have I seen such disciplined, technical little practitioners. Tony refers to it as "Zoo Jitsu" and allows each student to pick an animal name. His students were lined up, ready to go and more focused than the majority of adult advanced classes. He allows students to lead drills and select their own partners but makes sure they stay challenged. He is tough, but fair and his children's program is full of absolute warriors. Just last month I attended a competition where one of his kids was competing and it was like watching a calm,focused little world champion compete.

 Special Features: It's pretty amazing to get a taste of ATOS Jiu Jitsu all the way out in Virginia. Tony really is a top level Jiu Jitsu practitioner who has produced some excellent students. One being Black Belt, Kris Kim (an ATOS affiliate in Seoul, South Korea).Tony's students have access to seminars by some of the greats! They offer seminars throughout the year by the likes of: Andre Galvao, Gustavo Campos and Claudio Calasans.


Kris & Tony featured on AFN

This is a school for students of all levels, backgrounds and abilities. Tony is a game changer and you are guaranteed to come away learning something that improves your jiu jitsu significantly!
Tony's school also has a group of excellent women for those ladies looking for female training partners!
Training in Northern VA? Check Tony Passos out online here or facebook. You can  also get in contact with Tony by email at info@tonypassosbjj.com

Speaking of Spazzes.....


I read a really awesome post this morning from a blogger named Lex, called "Don’t Be a Spaz: Relax and Move Smoothly to Develop Precision. He offers some great tips for developing precision in your game and transitioning out of that awkward spastic phase. When I started Jiu Jitsu my greatest fear was having my arm ripped out of the socket. To compensate, I wildly thrashed about, threw my weight around and generally was probably quite a nightmare to roll with. The more I trained, my worst fear was being known as a spaz that nobody wanted to roll with. Sure, I still have my moments and I can be pretty clumsy. But as I became more comfortable defending myself as well as putting trust in my training partners, I have stopped feeling like everything is a fight to the death. In fact, I will actively allow myself to try positions where I am not my best.

 Lex defines Spaz as "someone whose movement is explosive but lacks precision." This is not to say that being explosive is a bad thing, in fact I think it is one of my greatest strengths. As a beginner being a bit of a spaz is common and expected. You (we) are still learning to control your body and limbs as well as your opponent or partner. It can be quite daunting to realize that you have to take so many different aspects into account. I went through two distinct phases of spaziness. The first included having no idea where to put my hands or legs and passively waiting only to spend my final seconds panting heavily, making frames and spastically trying to defend the submission I should have prevented from happening in the first place. My second phase came once I had a bit more knowledge about techniques and positions. I was so eager to try certain moves that I couldn't focus on anything else. I was so keen to achieve the submission that I wanted it by any means necessary. The upper belts were quite good at counseling me (or choking me) until I chilled out. When I rolled with white belts my nervous energy typically triggered their own and we became two terrors on the mat. Lex offers some great tips and here are a few things that have really helped me.

 1.Although I still have my moments, breathing has helped me immensely to calm down my rolls and to slow the pace of my movement no matter what my opponent is doing. 
2.Simply putting in mat time has been the most valuable in helping me develop my game. If you don't train you don't learn and if you're not learning you will never be comfortable effectively executing moves or defending yourself.
3.Reggae, as silly as it sounds, has been pretty invaluable. Reggae is something I have used in the past to calm me down, particularly before rugby tournaments, competitions and even plays when I was college. I have a permanent sound track in my head. Sometimes I put on music or catch myself singing a little Bob Marley or  J Boog while I  roll and it is hard to feel high strung, nervous or uptight.
4. Having boundaries. If there is someone who I know is spastic and refuses to reconsider their behavior, I wont roll with them. I learned this the hard way after being concussed by a former training partner (keep an eye out for my injury post). Someday, I imagine I will be in a place where I can effectively control people who spaz on the mat and not resort to playing their game. Until then, I am fine not rolling with them.

 This is not to say that every white belt is a spaz or that you immediately stop being a spaz when you become an upper belt. In fact, I know many people who are close to achieving a new belt status who are so eager to get promoted (as well as recently promoted folks) that they go back to their first few weeks of training, cranking too hard, attempting to impress their professor and occasionally jeopardizing the safety of their partners. The goal for me is to always remind myself that I don't need to be the best, but I do need to progress in a safe environment and attempt to calm my rolls so I am never the reason someone else is uncomfortable or unable to progress. Realizing I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself took the pressure off and is helping me to develop into the Jiu Jitsu  practitioner I know I can be.

BJJ: Rolling With Men

A humorous response to a common question
"How do you roll with men who roll too rough?"
This is a question I've seen posted in nearly every Jiu Jitsu forum I have encountered. My response would be, the same way I roll against any other competitor that has a weight/strength advantage over me. There are men I roll much harder with and there are men who I know will require more technique. Men vastly outnumber women in Jiu Jitsu, so unless you are training in a women's only gym or at a women's seminar, most of the time men will be your partners.

There are many different types of men you will encounter. I've listed a memorable few whose acquaintance I've had the pleasure of making .

1. Conan the Barbarian
Every time you roll with this guy it's an all out war. He is hellbent on destruction and you are the target he needs to obliterate. Sometimes I find these guys refreshing, because I would like to think that in their minds this means I am an equal competitor. If I feel they are in danger of injuring me I'll stop the roll. Sometimes a friendly reminder that I am perfecting a "testicle submission" is all they need to chill out a bit on the mat.

2. Mr. Rogers the Encourager

 This guy is lovely to roll with, encouraging and constantly letting you work and try different moves. They are always positive and overly cautious about coming off as an asshole on the mat.When you nail it, he'll probably be the first person to high five you. Some people hate this, but as long as it's coming from a good place I'm not bothered.

3. The Guy Who Just Can't With You....
Some men really do not enjoy rolling with women. When you two are called forward to roll  they release a huge sigh of distaste. I typically turn it up a bit on these guys, so they know it won't be an easy roll. Occasionally men will say their wives aren't comfortable with the idea of them rolling with women. While it is something I don't really understand, it is something I respect.

4. Napoleon Complex
Sometimes you will run into a guy who is smaller than most of the others in your group or gym. He may be used to being thrown around or manhandled a bit and when he sees you, you become the obvious target. I have never encountered this guy among any of my regular training partners, but when I visit others gyms to train I always seem to run into him and spend the majority of my time defending against wild arm bars,cranks and the impending concussion that his style lends itself to. It is life or death and he refuses to be bested by a woman!

5. The Guy Who Really Wants a Jiu Jitsu Girlfriend
I find these men hysterical and they can be spotted by the prevalence of their jokes about "being in your guard" or why women wearing sports bras is just so distracting and they can't focus. They sexualize Jiu Jitsu and while many women find them obnoxious I just cannot take them seriously. I like to remind them that they are no Tanquinho and I certainly am not Mackenzie Dern and they usually get the point.

6. The "Teacher" 
Unlike, Mr. Rogers these men don't have a sincere desire to teach you. If they feel you are getting to an advantageous position, they often stop the roll to "counsel" you about your technique or over correct for fear of being beaten by a woman. The men I have the pleasure of training with are genuinely wonderful teachers and not fussed about a woman getting the better of them.



There are plenty of men who don't fall into any of these categories who don't see gender as an obstacle when they roll.Again, I have the pleasure of training with some of the best men I've ever known of all shapes and sizes. The most important part is just finding a gym where you are respected and comfortable. Your training partners are invaluable. I know that I won't learn without them and won't improve without their help. These guys don't go easy on me but they also don't attempt to rip my arm out of the socket. It's a nice balance :)
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