tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11312783936773865142024-03-13T09:54:45.970-07:00BJJ in ChicagoBrendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16545388033563652939noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1131278393677386514.post-45653648614409752342011-06-13T08:23:00.001-07:002011-06-13T08:23:24.806-07:00Gym Review: Torres Martial Arts (2/3/11)Gym Review: Torres Martial Arts (2/3/11) <br />
<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/02/08/gym-review-torres-martial-arts-2311/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/02/08/gym-review-torres-martial-arts-2311/</a><br />
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<blockquote>At Torres Academy, students can evolve with the ever changing aspects of hand-to-hand combat and the associated sports. A full range of martial art studies is available: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts.<br />
Whether a beginner or seasoned veteran, Torres Academy has specific programs to meet the needs of the student. Kids classes, women’s and men’s cardio-kickboxing, self-defense courses, competitive submission grappling, and full-contact training are offered.<br />
<span id="more-38"></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Address:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Torres Martial Arts Gym<br />
7030 Indianpolis Blvd.<br />
Hammond, IN<br />
219-588-5447</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Instructor(s):</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> </strong><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="240px" src="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/41083_146659668708350_138247609549556_230004_7600726_n.jpg" width="320px" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Miguel Torres </em>- Former WEC World Champion, BJJ Black Belt (Carlson Gracie), 38-3 MMA record, Pan American Silver Medalist</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04601.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-40" height="377px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04601.jpg?w=1024" title="DSC04601" width="502px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Andre ’Maneco’ Leite </em>- BJJ Black Belt (Carlson Gracie), Pan American Gold Medalist</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Fighters:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="336px" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1376.snc4/164882_166510546725002_100000981744427_309044_3876288_n.jpg" width="504px" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Anthony Gomez and Bill Johnson</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="379px" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1359.snc4/163126_1808440134620_1348467228_2040359_4724337_n.jpg" width="504px" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jake Nauracy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="283px" src="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs059.snc3/14640_370146480367_766205367_10137879_7873194_n.jpg" width="423px" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tom LeCuyer (with Ricardo Liborio after winning the Fila World Grappling Games)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Facility:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Old Gym (yes, this was the whole thing)</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="160px" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-ash1/v213/190/12/13803025/n13803025_32480413_5336.jpg" width="600px" /></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>New Gym</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04594.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-48" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04594.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04594" width="300px" /></a></em></div><div style="text-align: center;">Entryway</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04592.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-46" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04592.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04592" width="300px" /></a></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Weights Area</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04593.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-47" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04593.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04593" width="300px" /></a></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dumbbells and Cage</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04588.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-45" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04588.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04588" width="300px" /></a></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Part of the mat space</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04587.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-44" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04587.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04587" width="300px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pads, Bags, Conditioning Area</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>My experience:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Class began with a discussion of what we were going to learn about that day and then went into warmups. The warmups were traditional and included jogging, stretching, judo falls and rolls, technical standups, etc.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The second part of warmups included working basic armbars and other variations.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The class was made up of 5 blue belts, 3 white belts, and a purple belt (me). This was an early morning class (10am). As you see below, the class is not all men (there are a large number of very skilled women who train at Torres Martial Arts).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04596.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-49" height="768px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04596.jpg?w=1024" title="DSC04596" width="1024px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Technique for the day was a basic clock choke against a turtle. Miguel is still training for his fight and Andre is teaching. Andre showed the position from a lot of different angles as well as showing where to set up grips. He used a very simple approach to teaching without variations (at first). This seemed to allow all of the students to understand information prior to moving on to advanced techniques.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04589.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-53" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04589.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04589" width="300px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04591.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-54" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04591.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04591" width="300px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">As the class was mostly blue belt and higher, we proceeded on to learn to attack the turtle and the crucifix position. The crucifix position was covered very briefly as it’s a very new position for everybody.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04603.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-55" height="300px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04603.jpg?w=225" title="DSC04603" width="225px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The sparring was intense and safe and all of the blue belts (usually about half of the class is blue belts or above) rolled about four or five 6 min. rounds. As a gym that encourages competition, this helps students ready themselves for tournaments.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3yV3evmLvA]</div><div style="text-align: center;">Andre rolls with Dustin</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVCMEq2cXJo]</div><div style="text-align: center;">Chris rolls with Dan</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04606.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-56" height="768px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04606.jpg?w=1024" title="DSC04606" width="1024px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The morning class. Great turnout considering it was the Snowpocalyse outside.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Overall, this was an excellent experience and I would wholeheartedly recommend Torres Martial Arts to anybody in the Chicago area (especially those in northwest Indiana).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04583.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-52" height="768px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc04583.jpg?w=1024" title="DSC04583" width="1024px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Andre’s immaculately well-behaved dog, Kia.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! Videos of the rolling at Torres Martial Arts will be up tomorrow!!</div><br />
<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/</a>Brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16545388033563652939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1131278393677386514.post-8502769148127489912011-06-13T08:22:00.003-07:002011-06-13T08:24:54.689-07:00Gym Review: Valko BJJ (3/8/11)Gym Review: Valko BJJ (3/8/11) <br />
<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/03/25/valko-bjj-gym-review-3811/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/03/25/valko-bjj-gym-review-3811/</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Address:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Valko Brazilian Jiu Jitsu<br />
820 N. Orleans inside HiFi Fitness<br />
Chicago, IL<br />
773-556-8155</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="more-153"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Instructor(s):</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="317px" src="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v252/59/80/613315608/n613315608_1382921_3127.jpg" width="423px" /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=39570945608&set=a.487293065608.292407.613315608" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','www.facebook.com']);"></a><strong> </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Jay Valko</em><em> </em>- BJJ Black Belt (Eduardo de Lima), Pan American nogi Bronze Medalist, U.S. Nationals Gold Medalist</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="334px" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a184/jayjitsu/RJ.jpg" width="445px" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up04U-3hcKc]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>RJ Cohen</em><em> </em>- Judo Black Belt, Am Can Gold Medalist, Junior World Team member, Junior US Open champion</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Facility:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Valko BJJ is located within a personal training facility called HiFi Fitness.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Upon entering, adhere to the following directions:</div><ol><li style="text-align: left;">Walk into HiFi Fitness (820 N. Orleans) </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Walk up the strairs </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Walk around the desk </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Walk down the stairs </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Walk down a super long hallway </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Walk across the fitness floor (I felt like I should’ve been in Narnia by this point) </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Attempt to change in the locker room </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Realize that this locker room is a public (read: mixed gender) locker room </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sheepishly put shirt back on and walk to the Men’s locker room </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Dress in a VERY nice locker room (with all amenities including showers) </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Finally arrive at the mats! </li>
</ol><div style="text-align: center;">Please feel free to omit #s 7-9 and <em>not</em> make a fool out of yourself.</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovFyS99UY9k]</div><div style="text-align: center;">Jay has a great space set up in the main training room. The mat space was sufficient for the 20+ people who were in class on Tuesday night. The largest classes are usually the open mat on Saturday and the Monday night class.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Jay has thought about expanding the space and also has plans to add in a cage wall for his mma fighters to practice with.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>My experience:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Class began in a very calm manner. Warmups consisted of shrimping in place, hip and leg movements, and a few other movements that I was familiar with. The final warmup movement was awkward, but was a HUGE part of the sweep we’d learn later in the class. Great forward thinking to include it in the warmup.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Technique for the day first how to stand in guard, and a sweep as defense. Details were excellent and although I had learned the technique before, I didn’t realize a few of the subtleties that Jay showed. I realized that underhooking the leg was important and moving my hips laterally to sweep was better than pushing into my partner. But, what I always had trouble with was coming on top. The warmup that we went over really allowed me to come on top without ANY issue whatsoever. I never used this sweep because I could bump my opponent over but never came on top in the ensuing scramble. With this detail, there was no scramble and I always landed on top.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04697.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" height="597px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04697.jpg" title="DSC04697" width="448px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I believe that this detail is typical of training at Valko BJJ. We continued with an omoplata from the same sweep. Jay noted that some people are taught to roll to escape (which is what I was originally taught). Rolling escapes the submission but ends with you on bottom in a REALLY bad spot. Typically, people brace their arm and base their leg out to prevent the sweep and protect their arm. This makes it very hard to finish the submission.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lastly, we went over an omoplata by the bottom person in defense of the stand. Moving directly into the sweep proved to be the best option. Right off the sweep Jay taught a 1-step triangle from s-mount on top. I always learned it in two steps, but the one step (with a single added detail that I didn’t think about) I was able to going straight to it off the sweep. Again, detail in technique seems to be a keystone of Valko BJJ.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As the class makeup was mixed between white belts and a fair number of colored belts (at least 10-15 with half being purple or brown), this technique seemed very familiar to them. It’s easy to tell a large number of people have been with Jay for a long time. This being said, it was one of the most welcoming environments I have ever been in.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/untitled.png" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" height="216px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/untitled.png" title="Untitled" width="640px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After technique we went into sparring. I really enjoyed that Jay had a focus for the sparring for the day of guard passing. 4-5 people were in the middle and we ran a king-of-the-hill style training where you had an opportunity to train with a large number of people of varying ranges (including Jay). I was handily swept by one of his purple belts and by Jay when attempting to pass their guard. They both hit some sweeps that are very different from what I’ve used before.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04682.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-159" height="384px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04682.jpg" title="DSC04682" width="512px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The sparring was intense and safe and after positional sparring we moved to open sparring rounds. Jay is very good at keeping time (I’ve trained at academies where one round will be 5 minutes, the next is 12, the next 9.. and it just depends on whenever the instructor feels like rotating) and keeping rounds consistent. With a large class tonight, we started from the knees, but typically Jay starts on the feet to encourage a complete game.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jE43BO4HyI]</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx_hKuctYEk]</div><div style="text-align: center;">As a gym that encourages competition, this helps students ready themselves for tournaments (which Jay’s students typically do very well at).</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhrgGO_kZx0]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The next class was judo and, I must admit this is completely my fault, I can’t remember any of the throws that Jay went over. He and his purple / brown belts have a very good judo game thanks to working with their judo instructor, RJ Cohen.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04711.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-166" height="597px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04711.jpg" title="DSC04711" width="448px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, RJ was unable to make class tonight and Jay taught, but typically this is not the case. I had a great discussion with Jay about how much he enjoys being a student of judo and wrestling and I really liked seeing an instructor enjoying being a student again.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04704.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-160" height="384px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04704.jpg" title="DSC04704" width="512px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Training with Miguel and seeing him continue to grow after so many years of training has been very good for my jiu-jitsu. When your instructor is still learning, so are you. I feel that Jay’s students are growing exponentially compared to others who train at academies where the instructor is set in his/her ways.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUEsu8zQtlE]<br />
For example, here’s a great video Jay made of the his wrestling class.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/judo-throw-2.png" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-161" height="391px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/judo-throw-2.png" title="judo throw 2" width="448px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSiOLLESjiw]</div><div style="text-align: center;">After judo technique, we went into standup sparring. This was fantastic because I’ve not been to a gym where standup grappling was emphasized as much as it is at Valko BJJ.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc047061.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-164" height="597px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc047061.jpg" title="DSC04706" width="448px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I just want to take the time to highlight the Allen vs. Allen duel that took place. The pictures say it all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04707.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-165" height="478px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04707.jpg" title="DSC04707" width="358px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Overall, this was an excellent experience and I would wholeheartedly recommend Valko BJJ to anybody in the city, or anybody with the time to travel in. It’s really not a difficult drive at all. I drove all the way from Northwest Indiana with no issues whatsoever. Just don’t trust your GPS and always account for traffic once you get into the city.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04719.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-158" height="597px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc04719.jpg" title="DSC04719" width="448px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A special thanks to Jay for opening up his academy to me!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/02/08/gym-review-torres-martial-arts-2311/"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/</a>Brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16545388033563652939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1131278393677386514.post-42041103802842247972011-06-13T08:22:00.001-07:002011-06-13T08:24:08.094-07:00New Breed Jiu-Jitsu – Chicago Gym Review (4/5/11)New Breed Jiu-Jitsu – Chicago Gym Review (4/5/11)<br />
<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/04/16/new-breed-jiu-jitsu-chicago-gym-review-4511/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/04/16/new-breed-jiu-jitsu-chicago-gym-review-4511/</a><br />
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<div align="center"><strong>Address:</strong></div><div align="center">New Breed BJJ<br />
5647 W Howard<br />
Niles, IL 60077</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="266px" src="http://newbreedchicago.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/nb_niles.png" width="363px" /></div><div align="center"><span id="more-189"></span></div><div align="center"><strong>Contact:</strong><br />
(847) 674-3577</div><div align="center">newbreedchicago@gmail.com</div><div align="center"><strong>Instructor(s):</strong></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="432px" src="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/207892_1952950832470_1503647809_2141366_2202264_n.jpg" width="323px" /><strong></strong>I stole this picture from one of Mark’s students because I feel that it perfectly captures Mark’s personality (he’s hilarious).</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"></div><div align="center">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I6vNejZZQc]</div><div align="center"><em>Mark Vives </em>- BJJ Black Belt (Johnny Ramirez – New Breed), American National Champion, Pan-Am Silver and Bronze Medalist, 4x NAGA Champion (this is the short list.. Mark competes a lot)</div><div align="center"><strong>Facility:</strong></div><div align="center">New Breed BJJ is located in the second row of building off of West Howard. Despite Mark’s repeated attempts to properly place the tag on Google maps, it keeps placing them right on Howard instead of back in the industrial park.</div><div align="center">Upon entering, you’ll likely be greeted by a smiling face at the front desk (I was). There’s also a very nice waiting room for parents and others where Mark showcases his and his students’ achievements (as well as some really comfy couches).</div><div align="center"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04733.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-204" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04733.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04733" width="300px" /></a><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04735.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-206" height="300px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04735.jpg?w=225" title="DSC04735" width="225px" /></a><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04736.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-207" height="300px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04736.jpg?w=225" title="DSC04736" width="225px" /></a><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04734.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-205" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04734.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04734" width="300px" /></a></div><div align="center">After a short hallway where you can leave your shoes (the gym’s main office is there as well), you’ll enter the main training facility.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04728.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-211" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04728.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04728" width="300px" /></a></div><div align="center">New Breed BJJ not only includes heavy bags and mat space with 3 competition sized rings, but strength and conditioning equipment as well. They have an airdyne bike, fat bars, a squat rack, LOTS of kettlebells, battling ropes, chinup stands, and many other items.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04731.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-208" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04731.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04731" width="300px" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04725.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-209" height="225px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04725.jpg?w=300" title="DSC04725" width="300px" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cm56Ht1HzY]</div><div align="center"> Including a prison-style incline bench for when Bob”alu” wants to get ready for the streets. In case you can’t tell. Lots of fun will be had at New Breed.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong>My experience:</strong></div><div align="center">Let me start by saying that Mark is one of the most accomodating people I’ve ever met.</div><div align="center">Seriously. I mean it.</div><div align="center">My schedule is insanely hectic and trying to visit a gym on a weeknight is difficult at times. Mark and I exchanged over 20 (yes, twenty) e-mails back and forth trying to figure out the best time for me to come. In fact, Mark probably won’t get why I’m even taking the time to write this. He’s so opening to sharing BJJ with everybody that he’d probably open his doors to any person on any given day. No questions asked.</div><div align="center">Mark put me in touch with some other guys from the gym who come from the same direction as me to get more details about traffic and such and I still ended up getting there late (I have no affection for Chicago traffic).</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="432px" src="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/216868_1952951712492_1503647809_2141369_3540953_n.jpg" width="323px" /></div><div align="center">Class had already started when I arrived and I first met Sam Spiegelman. Sam is a purple belt like me and he is an assistant instructor for the kids classes and also runs the Strength and Conditioning training at New Breed (just thinking about it makes me a bit queasy, but we’ll get to that later). Sam was really nice and introduced me to a few people including Mark, who was already teaching class.</div><div align="center">Class ran in the following manner:</div><ol><li>standup drills </li>
<li>warmup drills </li>
<li>movement / positional drill </li>
<li>technique </li>
<li>king of the hill positional sparring </li>
<li>open sparring </li>
</ol><div align="center">Class began with basic takedown drills and then went into what many gyms use as warmups. These includes inversion rolls, front rolls, back rolls, snake/shrimp, etc.</div><div align="center">Next, class continued with a basic movement drill. For class today, we practiced spinning to an opponent’s back when they turn in to face you from bottom side control.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Mark taught a really excellent armbar from the back that I never would have thought of in a million years. It would take a great deal of time to type all of the details here, but it involved doing a few different grips from back mount that I had never tried before and I’ve since used the armbar every time I take the back and so far I am batting 1.000 with the technique. Truly excellent instruction.</div><div align="center">Next Mark went over some escape concepts from the back. Luckily, I was paired with a blue belt named Carlo who was a lot of fun to drill with. In addition to Carlo, I was really surprised by how many people came up and introduced themselves to me. It was an exceptionally friendly training environment.</div><div align="center"><strong>[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cChDhOEGGVA]</strong></div><div align="center">I had a great time rolling during the positional sparring. In the open sparring, I was paired with Nick, Vince, Bob, and then Mark. Rolling with all of these guys was an eye opening experience. With all of the fun I was having, I forgot how good New Breed is. Nick is very good for a blue belt and Bob and Vince are exceptional purple belts.</div><div align="center">Having the opportunity to roll with Mark was really fantastic. In some academies, being able to roll with the instructor is a rare and privileged opportunity, but this is not the case at New Breed. Mark will roll with anybody and everybody.</div><div align="center">You better be in shape when you roll with Mark and the higher belts, and if you aren’t, keep training with them.. you will be soon.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="432px" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/217120_10150208029572640_643042639_8123031_6697789_n.jpg" width="288px" /></div><div align="center">Mark let me leave the mat early to get ready for Sam’s<em> Strength and Conditioning</em> class. Depending on the day, the class focuses on strength, plyometrics, or conditioning. Today was a circuit-style workout that involved 10 stations that we rotated to every 30 seconds. Now any idiot can throw together a bunch of really hard exercises in a row and trick people into thinking they’re getting a real workout. This is definitely not the case here. Sam has a background in training and exercise science and it was evident with properly sequenced exercises and proper intensity.</div><div align="center">I’m the strength & conditioning coach at the school I teach at and I can small a fraud trainer from a mile away. Sam is definitely legit.</div><div align="center">If I was smart, I would’ve taken pictures of what we did, but I was so exhausted and having such a blast that I thought about stopping to take pictures and immediately dismissed the idea. I hope that the next time I visit, I’ll get more pictures and videos!</div><div align="center">After I finished heaving, Mark asked me if I have any questions to feel free to ask. Over the next hour, Mark, Sam and I sat in the front office and talked about everything under the sun. It was a blast and wish I had proper video and audio recording devices. A basic rundown of what we talked about was:</div><ul><li>How Mark got his start and how he got to where he is today </li>
<li>Their visit to Lloyd Irvin’s gym in D.C. </li>
<li>How he hooked up with the BJJ Revolution team </li>
<li>How awesome Rodrigo Medeiros’ BJJ Revolution gym in San Diego is </li>
<li>How long it took New Breed to become profitable </li>
<li>His ideas about spreading BJJ </li>
<li>His beliefs about competition </li>
<li>BJJ in the midwest </li>
<li>After school BJJ programs for kids </li>
</ul><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">After we talked and shared a few coconut waters, we went back out to the main training floor and went over even more questions that I had about inverting and de la riva guard (my recent obsession) until my quad proceeded to cramp up.</span></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="445px" src="http://newbreedchicago.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Niles-Schedule-01-31-2011-BJJ-Area.jpg" width="700px" /></span></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All in all, I ended up staying at New Breed until roughly 11:30pm. I didn’t even realize that the time had passed that much. New Breed has classes running almost all day long so no matter what your schedule is, people are always training. You can try to train for 5 hours straight like I did. Hopefully, you’ll make it past the first 2 (which I didn’t).</span></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04732.jpg" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com']);"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-210" height="480px" src="http://bjjinchicago.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc04732.jpg" title="DSC04732" width="640px" /></span></a>I knew it was time to go home at this point…</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"></div><div align="center">If you live anywhere near Niles, IL, I would definitely recommend checking out New Breed because of the:</div><ul><li>Top quality instruction </li>
<li>Family environment </li>
<li>Lots of different training times </li>
<li>Clean Facility </li>
<li>All-inclusive training facility (bjj/muay thai / strength & cond.) </li>
<li>Hilarious misadventures </li>
<li>Flexing and talking about how strong we are </li>
</ul><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><img alt="" height="222px" src="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/168206_486260452311_663957311_6636476_3399735_n.jpg" width="296px" /><img alt="" height="210px" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185694_10150091873502312_663957311_6887578_3783774_n.jpg" width="250px" /></div><div align="center">Thanks again to Mark, Vince, Nick, Carlo, Bob, Sam, Squirrel and all of the guys and girls at New Breed!</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">All videos and photos <del>stolen from</del> courtesy of Mark (especially the time lapse ones at the end), Sam, Nick, Naledge, and New Breed BJJ</div><a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/2011/02/08/gym-review-torres-martial-arts-2311/"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/</a>Brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16545388033563652939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1131278393677386514.post-10100214502149233922011-06-13T08:21:00.000-07:002011-06-13T08:21:51.520-07:00BJJ in ChicagoBJJ in Chicago<br />
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<a href="http://www.bjjinchicago.com/">http://www.bjjinchicago.com/</a>Brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16545388033563652939noreply@blogger.com0