Friday, August 6, 2010

Utah Grappling Games 2010

As you can plainly see, I have been neglecting my posts in a huge way, so I thought I better catch up on some of the recent tournament action.
I had the chance to compete in the Utah Grappling Games in Lehi, Utah on July 31st 2010. The format of the tournament was single elimination, and they had both Gi and No-Gi Divisions.
I decided to enter the "Advanced Gi" division, and I was fortunate enough to be featured as one of the four competitors in the "Super Fight" division, for the "Champion Grappler Fight Show". The Super Fight division was a few hand picked fighters that had had success in the local grappling scene, as well as international competition. Here is the write up that was used to promote the show.............

Main Events
GRAPPLER SUPER FIGHTS: [Harold Lucambio vs Ben Garner]
VS [Tony Ventrano vs Marc Brewer]

FIGHTER BIOS

Harold Lucambio (Lucambio BJJ in California)
Harold is a Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt, former UCE Welter-Weight Champion, has multiple submission grappling gold medals, and was the Champion Submission Challenge VIII “Absolute Champion”

Ben Garner (Absolute MMA)
Despite being relatively new to the sport Ben has won more local grappling gold medals than any other competitor in the state, earning him the 2009 Champion’s List title “Utah’s #1 Grappler”. Ben has a BJJ fight record of 37-7, he is a 6X Champion Submission Challenge gold medalist (including 2 Absolute Titles), 3X NAGA gold medalist, 2X Far East Invitational gold medalist, 2X AGGRO gold medalist, and 1X Inter Mountain West Judo Champion.

Tony Ventrano (Fusion Academy)
Tony is a Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt, a Gracie Open gold medalist, BJJ by the Sea gold medalist, Claudio Franca Invitational gold medalist, , and a Sub4Santa gold medalist.

Marc Brewer (University of Grappling)
With a dynamic and quick paced game Marc has won multiple titles in gi and no-gi competition at NAGA, Grappler’s Quest, Sub4Santa, and Champion’s Submission Challenge.

My first fight of the day was in the Gi division, against a 2nd degree Purple Belt from Brazil. He was just about my size and weight, so I was really excited to roll with him. That, and I got a chance to talk to him and his team a bit before the bracket started, and he was an extremely respectful, well mannered guy. As I expected, he fought a very tight, controlled match. Aside from a slight wardrobe malfunction on my part, where my arm slipped out of my sleeve during a sweep from my opponent, I think I played a good game. I passed his guard twice, got knee on belly at one point, and scored one sweep, so I ended up winning by points 3 - 0.

So it was on to the second round against a monster Brown Belt, named Osmond Silva, who happened to be a teammate of the guy I had fought in round one. He was an abnormally large man, who looked like he had at least a 70" reach. He was extremely friendly, and I had an absolute blast rolling with him. Much like my first match, we went all five minutes, (not nearly enough time for an advanced match in my opinion), and I was out pointed 2-0. I walked away head high though, having fought a good match, making just a few small mistakes that were simply capitalized on by a bigger, more experienced player. Though I won't lie, it felt pretty good seeing that giant in the corner of the room, lying flat on his back, exhausted, his team mates fanning him with t-shirts. I couldn't help but crack a smile, and feel a small sense of pride.
The match following was to decide 3rd or 4th place. But complications arose, when a fellow teammate named Stump, tapped too late in a tight triangle choke, and was put to sleep. He woke just fine with little ill effect, but was very disoriented, and pretty shaky. All of this wouldn't have been a problem, until the officials notified us that we would be facing each other in five minutes, to fight for the 3rd place seat. So out of respect for Stump, who is my senior being ranked as a 1st degree Purple Belt, I promptly removed myself from the bracket, and forfeited the Bronze medal.

After waiting around for another hour or so, the Super Fight main event was finally upon us. My first fight was against. Harold Lucambio, a tough Brown Belt out of California. Harold had lived in Utah a few years ago, trained with us at Absolute MMA for a year or so while he was a Purple Belt. We had rolled quite a few times before, and I have a lot of respect for him as a person, and as a fighter. As it turns out, he was also the person who had just put my friend/ teammate to sleep... So, that changed things a bit, haha.
Harold turned out to be exactly what my coach had predicted, strong, tight, and calculating. After circling for a bit, feeling each other out, and hand fighting, I got a short single leg take down, and ended in his open/half butterfly guard. I fought off his slight attempts at a shoulder lock, and passed to cross body, then quickly transitioned to mount. In response, he turned belly down, giving up his back. From there I fought for the choke, and to flatten him out, but his base was really strong, and he managed to prop up on all fours, and shook me to his upper back. So I slipped for a sloppy arm lock, and missed, landing me on the bottom, with Harold in my open guard. At that point I saw my opening, (remembering my coach's advice to look for a foot lock,) and threaded my left leg through his, catching his right ankle in a heel hook, finishing the fight by submission.
To Harold's credit, I had to crank so hard before he tapped, that something in my forearm popped, shooting lightning up and down my arm, totally numbing all the nerves on the back of my thumb. Its been a week since then, and the feeling still hasn't returned!

So now we were on to the finals. Tony Ventrano and Mark Brewer had a very t

echnical match in the first round, and Mr. Brewer came out on top. So I faced Mark for the final match, and for the right to hang that shiny "tournament champion" belt on the wall. To give readers a little back round on the situation, Mark and I had fought two times, in two previous tournaments. Of those matches, we were 1-1. I had come out on top in our most recent fight. So he came with blades sharpened, ready to redeem himself. Needless to say, we were both eager to get the match underway.
We met in the center of the mat, spectators surrounding the borders, pit fight style. The referee gave a brief summary of rules, signaled the time and score keepers to begin, and gave us the green light to begin. We respectfully shook hands, and went to work.
Instantly we both started to circle one another, getting for a feel of the pace, and hunting for a opening to attack. We clinched, and pummeled for position briefly, and I went for

a quick guillotine choke, rolling to my back, then continuing the momentum to the top position. I fought from his guard trying to keep top control, and we ended up in a foot lock battle, Mark was going for a straight ankle lock, and I was trying for a heel hook. I have a lot of respect for him after that brief battle, because not only did I feel his ankle popping and snapping, but a few people on the sidelines said that it sounded like popcorn, and still, he held out and wouldn't tap. After some more scrambling, Mark ended on top, in my guard.
For the next three or so minutes, we fought hard, him trying to pass, and me, fighting for control, while looking to sweep. With intense shouting from the audience on both sides, we were reminded that we had only one minute left in the eight minute round. We both tried to advance, once again, growing more urgent, as the score was still unchanged at 0-0, with no advantages. With 30 seconds left to fight, I managed to catch his leg, during a scramble, and take

the top. Both of us were exhausted, but with 15 seconds left, I passed his guard, held for control, and won the match 1-0.

We both collapsed in complete fatigue, shook each others hands, and chuckled a bit at the messed up scoring system. I give Mark a great deal of respect, for a very hard fought match. He was an awesome competitor, he was very respectful, and gave his best, and I wish him the best in the future.

Monday, March 15, 2010

NAGA, Colorado

I traveled to Arvada, Colorado for the NAGA tournament on March 13th. We drove out on the 12th, and I weighed in at 7:40 p.m. after nine hours of driving. I was accompanied by my coach, Rob Handley, and my teammates, Jeff Nielsen, Denver Merrifield-Nirva, and Chelsea Kilpack. I made my weight class, and was able to sign up as a Middle-Weight (170- 179.9 lbs.) To get an idea of how I compared in an out-of-state, national competition, I opted to enter in against people with my experience level in the Blue Belt Gi, and Intermediate No-Gi (2-5 year) Divisions. This tournament followed standard IBJJF rules in the Gi Division, and was governed by a time limit and point system. As for the No-Gi they, like most clubs, had some of their own rule variations to keep things interesting.

My first division was the Middle-Weight, No-Gi. I had two matches in this division, my first match was against a really cool guy named Stephen Richardson from Infinite MMA, in Loveland Colorado. He fought hard the whole round, and was really hard to handle. I managed to finish the fight with a RNC with about ten seconds remaining in the round.
My second match was won on points against an awesome competitor named David Borron, from 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in Omaha Nebraska . This match consisted of a lot of great back and forth, and really tested my ability to stay calm and keep defending. He had some tricky set ups to sweeps, and submissions that I really liked, and my knee is still sore from his submission attempts. No-Gi Jiu Jitsu is the specialty of the 1oth Planet System, and their competitors are know for very unorthodox, flexible, highly effective No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. In the end I was able to pull off the win, with a 6-2 point victory, and took the 1st place title and gold medal.

My second Division, was Blue Belt Gi, and I was set to rematch with Stephen Richardson. He gave me another good fight, and when he left his arm hanging on the bottom in the cross body position, I pull off another submission, this time a Kimora, taking another 1st place title and gold medal. I have a lot of respect for Stephen and his hard-work, he put up a great fight. Due to the lack of participants in my bracket, I was moved up to the Blue Belt, Light Heavy Weight Gi Division after my second win.

In the first Light Heavy Weight match, again I was set up again to face the man from Little Rock CO, Stephen Richardson. After his solid arm lock attempt, I passed his guard to cross body, and once again I caught his arm hanging above my head, and submitted him for a third time, with a Kimora. This match gave me another chance at a gold medal in the finals.

During my final match, my coach Professor Robert Handley, advised me to be patient, and let my opponent burn out a bit. I faced John Sterling, out of Easton BJJ Colorado, earlier we had a chance to watch his first match. He was very athletic, seemed to have good control, and a very strong base. The match started, and we had some back and forth from the feet, each of us unwilling to give up top position. I got lazy, and gave up a disappointing take-down, and tried to make him work hard to control the top position. After pacing 2 minutes of the allotted 5 minute round, it was time to move.
I moved my hips, forcing a scramble, and got to my feet, I saw John attempt to take a deep breath, and he started backing away to gain his composure; at this point I pushed the pace determined not to give him air, and successfully threw him with an inside leg sweep, at which point he attempted to defend the takedown and inadvertently injured his right knee.
The execution of the throw was clean, and so the referee and judges did not penalize or disqualify me for it, but unfortunately, the end result was an injury; and a verbal submission/ forfeit to end the final match.
Thankfully, my opponent was able to walk off of the mat with the help of a medic and the referee. I'm grateful that John was not seriously injured, we talked a bit after the match and he seemed to be a really cool guy. He said he planned to compete in the Pan American Championships in April, so I wish him a speedy recovery, and I hope to see him there.
After the finals, I managed to clinch my third and final division, and take home a third Gold Medal. This tournament now brings my BJJ competitive record to 37 wins and 5 losses.

The tournament was very well organized and started right on time. I was very impressed with the set-up, and I can't wait to do another one of their events. Next up, the Pan American Championships in Irvine, CA on April 8, 9, 10, and 11th.

**I would like to thank my coach and teammates and friends for all their incredible support. I am very pleased that I was able to represent Absolute MMA, and Behring Jiu Jitsu the best I could; this sport centers greatly on the concepts of respect and gratitude, and I am very happy to be surrounded by a team and competitors, that hold themselves to such high standards for both virtues.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pre-Tournament Training and Diet

Training

Preparing for a tournament is the culmination of all of my previous training. After months of spending four to five nights a week drilling and rolling at Absolute MMA, I start training twice a day, 5 - 6 days a week (about two to four weeks before a tournament.) This training schedule helps me to get into peak shape for the upcoming fights. It is really important that I pay close attention to my body during this time to avoid over-exertion and injury. Walking into a match knowing that I am as prepared as I possibly could be gives me confidence, and sometimes I'm convinced that's the difference between taking home the gold, or a pat on the back. Here's a general overview of what training two-a-days looks like:

7:00-8:30 a.m.- After eating, I do some light cardio, like Running, Jumping Rope or Yoga depending on the day. I finish with an abdominal workout, and a good cool down stretch.

10:00 a.m.- noon- Training at Absolute MMA. Sometimes my instructor, Rob Handley and I do AKC Kettlebell workouts to start the day. Other days, we start with warm-ups that consist of various rolls, break-falls, and stretches. Once we've warmed up, drilling usually ensues for about a half hour, to forty-five minutes. After drilling, it's fight time. Mouth guards go in, and we roll for as many rounds as necessary. Usually 5- 5 minute rounds, with a 1 minute break. But we sometimes do as much as 10- 3's, or he'll mix it up with 10- 2's, which is a more intense "sprinting style" cardio burn. We usually finish with enough time to work in calisthenic exercises and serious cardio conditioning. I always follow up with a post workout stretch. I always leave with a body that is a few pounds lighter, and a sweat soaked gi that is a few pounds heavier.

6-9:00 p.m.- After working during the day, I return back to Absolute the evening classes. Depending on the night, I will stick with strictly Jiu Jitsu, or I will work in a Muay Thai class as well, after Gi Jiu-Jitsu Class. On the nights when I train strictly Jiu Jitsu, the night is very similar to the morning for training. The night Gi Class is different in the sense that there are many more people to work with. The night class is packed full with strong mid-weight wrestlers, light weight technical wizards, brutal heavy weight tanks, and all around killers that help smash you into peak fighting condition. I will roll with anyone and everyone who is willing, from brand new white belts, up to our world class black belt instructors Pedro Sierra, and of course, when he's feeling frisky Big Rob.
The Muay Thai classes add another level of conditioning with high-intensity anaerobic rounds that consist of knees, elbows, kicks, and punches. I will on occasion spar with my extremely talented teammates, giving them a chance to get even with me for the previous Gi class, by turning me into there punching bag for a few rounds. I also try to do conditioning for both the Jiu Jitsu, and the Thai boxing class. By the end of the night I can hardly move to stretch out my bruised limbs.

Diet
Anyone that knows me knows that I have a love of ice cream and Oreo's that is unsurpassed, and that makes dieting somewhat difficult. I don't have any very strict criteria that I stick to, because I find that crash dieting can be more stressful on your body than eating junk. If you're stressed about what you're eating all day, it can have a huge effect on your end results, and it makes it difficult to maintain the diet as a lifestyle rather than a quick tune up. I have lost over 60 lbs. since I started at Absolute, through mostly hard work and dieting, but I have yet to achieve my life long goal of a six pack. Usually I get close, and those beautiful black cream filled cookies start calling my name pretty loud, at they are just to good to resist... Haha.

For the most part, I prefer to eat "clean." I try to stick to an easy rule of thumb, "Eat things that grow, or anything that eat things that grow". Easy on sauces, flavors, and additives. Instead, use things like lemon, limes, mustard, oranges, and natural flavors like Basil, or other herbs to spice up boring meals. The cleaner the better. For example, if it has label, and the ingredients are more than five items long, and don't include words a 5th grader can read... DON"T EAT IT.
For breakfast, I love a few slices of whole wheat bread with some honey butter, and a glass of orange juice. I eat as early as possible to get my system up and running, then get ready for the day.
Throughout the day I eat a lot of canned chicken, and albacore tuna for protein. I will eat them straight out of the can with a little mustard for flavor, or with some brown rice or Thai rice noodles. During lunch, eat carbohydrates sparingly. If you're on the run, and have to eat out, places like Rumbi's for their brown rice bowls, or Subway, (wheat bread, minus the cheese and mayo,) are good clean options.
Chicken and rice with some steamed or grilled vegetables, are my main staples for dinner, and I'm a sucker for homemade Thai Curry.
On Sundays I cut myself some slack, and have some cookies and ice cream, or home made brownies after dinner, so I can keep my sanity!

Staying hydrated is crucial, and I'm always lugging around a gallon of water. I carry my gallon around stores, to appointments, in the car, at the office, EVERYWHERE! If you get used to carrying your jug like a purse it will remind you to take a sip here and there, and it will be empty by mid-day. If you leave it at home, or at your work, you'll forget, and slip up.
Hydration is crucial to maintaining two-a-day workouts, and my performance and recovery depend heavily on how much water I consume. Also, people commonly mistake dehydration for hunger, and that's a mistake that I can't afford before weigh-ins.

If I'm concerned about making my weight class I will switch to a liquid diet of protein shakes two days (approx.) before a weigh-in. Though some people can cut ten or more pounds the day before a fight, I prefer to be at least three to five pounds away from my goal weight class during a fight camp. I've found out the hard way that cutting weight is as much an art, as it is a science, so its not something to fool around with, without the watchful eye, and direction of a professional.
In my opinion, having to choose between being dehydrated, cramped, physically and mentally stressed out the day before a fight, versus fighting people that are ten to twenty pounds heavier than me is NO CONTEST. Give me the strength, endurance, and peace of mind, and I'll let my opponent sweat himself dry in a sauna to skip down a class, any day of the week.

I hope this (not so brief) run down of training/ diet methods can help on you on the road to meeting your performance and physical fitness goals. I love Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA, and I encourage anyone and everyone to give it a try. It really has changed my life, and I don't know where I would be without it. Well, maybe not, I'd probably still be that fat guy, channel surfing and eating Oreo's on the couch...

Well, thats about it, thanks for reading, this stuff really works for me, and over the past three years, I've tried to learn this stuff training with the amazing professionals at Absolute MMA. Rob, Camrann, and Pedro, have kept a close eye on everything I do, and been there every step of the way, to consult, and advise me before I try anything. But I need to make clear that in no way shape or form do I claim to be one of those professionals. I would recommend talking or training with them to anyone, but at the very least consult a professional before starting any kind of diet or exercise program.

But by far the best thing I've learned from the boys at Absolute is, there is no secret recipe, pill, or exercise, that will totally shed the weight and get the performance results you want. The only elements you need are hard work, commitment, and most of all, FUN...

Sunday, March 7, 2010