The game of human chess!

“It’s a chess match” is perhaps the most ubiquitous cliché in all of sports. From football to tennis to MMA, the chess analogy remains irresistible to commentators, most of whom probably wouldn’t know Bobby Fischer from Bob Marley.

BJJ is rather different from other sports, in the sense that there are genuine parallels between the “Royal Game” and the “Gentle Art”. As a BJJ practitioner with four years of training under my (blue) belt, who also happens to be an International Master in chess, I think I’m better placed than most to appreciate the similarities, as well as where the comparison breaks down. Perhaps not surprisingly, I have spent some time reflecting on the relationship between these two passions of mine; and in this short essay, I will share a few of my thoughts on the subject.

A quick disclaimer: if you are reading this in the hope of discovering some grand insight that will bring Chess Superpowers to your BJJ training, then stop right now! I am still searching for such an insight myself...



Let’s start with the Chess/BJJ commonalities. For me, the most awesome thing about both disciplines is that you never stop learning. Chess is a (theoretically) solvable game, limited to 32 pieces and 64 squares – but for the human mind, it’s an infinitely complex puzzle. This is no less true of BJJ. Not only do you have a plethora of different guards, sweeps, passes, submissions and counters; you also have the gi/no-gi variable, as well as the fact that certain techniques will work better or worse against taller/shorter/thicker/leaner opponents.

No matter how naturally gifted you are and how much you train, you will always make mistakes and you’ll never know it all. Learning what to do from certain set positions is vital; but you also have to think creatively and adapt to whatever situation may arise once the battle is underway. Every opponent presents a unique challenge.

Was I talking about chess or BJJ just there? The answer is both! The above characteristics are what make both disciplines endlessly challenging and fascinating.

They are also some of the main reasons why so many people around the world fall in love with each (or in my case, both) of chess and BJJ.

Logical thinking is central to BJJ (and, it goes without saying, chess). Why should I take the grip this way and not that way? Why do I shift my weight at this particular moment? When should I go for this technique rather than that other one? It’s hard to imagine a more brain-intensive martial art. When two BJJ practitioners are evenly matched, the winner may well be the one who manages to think a step ahead of his or her opponent. Some of my most satisfying moments on the BJJ mats have come from acting as if I’ve been going for one technique (an oma plata, for instance), anticipating a reaction, and locking up another submission (e.g. a triangle), the latter having been my real plan all along. I guess everyone enjoys those moments – and as a chess player, this is where I feel the strategic mindset translates especially well.

***

Having covered some of the parallels between these two disciplines, let’s think about the ways in which our so-called “Human Chess” isn’t much like chess at all. Well, at the risk of becoming an instant Black Belt in the art of Stating The Obvious: for all its intellectuality, BJJ is still a physical discipline; while chess, taxing as it is on one’s energy levels and nerves, is a mental one.




Chess players don’t have to contend with being choked unconscious or having their joints reconfigured; while BJJ athletes don’t have to endure up to seven hours of Psychological Warfare to decide a single contest.

I suppose what I’m getting at is this. Although there are clear parallels between BJJ and chess, there’s no point in making too big a deal of them when the difference is so huge. It’s a bit like comparing a car to a boat: each can be used to travel from one place to another, and they have certain features in common; but ultimately, land is land and water is water.

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Here’s a final question which some readers may be contemplating: can learning and practising chess help you get better at the mental side of BJJ? After all, there have been plenty of athletes who have spoken of playing chess as a means of achieving mental focus in the build-up to competition – Lennox Lewis being a famous example. I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to sell chess as a performance-enhancer for a combat sport. If your only goal is to improve your jiu jitsu, then you should focus on that. However, if you happen to enjoy the cerebral aspect of BJJ, then there’s a pretty good chance you’ll enjoy chess too.

A final cautionary point: chess and BJJ both demand time and effort, and attempting to compete and continue improving in both of them simultaneously is far from easy! Then again, we all like a challenge; and it has just occurred to me, while writing these lines, that nobody in the world (to my knowledge) has become both a chess Grandmaster and a BJJ black belt. Maybe, just maybe........

A little blurry this picture was taken late 2014 after a great session!

 Hopefully ill be back in the next year for Andrew achieving his purple belt! 

Keep up the good fight :)

Andrew Greet is a BJJ blue belt under Ricky Gillon at Gracie Barra Glasgow. He is an International Master in chess, and a member of the Scottish national team. He works as an editor at Quality Chess, the world’s leading publisher of chess books. http://qualitychess.co.uk/

Strategy games and Jiu Jitsu.

A comparison made and something commonly heard in the sport is - 'Jiu Jitsu is like human chess' in regards to the strategic element but how do stategy games compare to Jiu Jitsu?

Having been an avid gamer all of my life I’ve always been attracted to strategy games which have taken some level of skill and logical thinking to beat an opponent.

(I have a guest blog from a chess a master and fellow bjj team mate coming up so keep posted!)

Board games such as risk and chess, card games like Magic the gathering and Hearthstone to computer games such as Starcraft or Age of empires.

Playing games like this this can certainly improve your thought process for Bjj by involving problem solving, creating combos of moves, thinking contrary to the norm, visualising the possibilities and having the skill to think ahead while under pressure and within a limited time frame.

I will speak about what I know most of trading card games!

Magic and Hearthstone are card games which I still play keep me entertained while off the mats and that challenge me mentally via problem solving, planning, calculating and using logical thinking to come out the victor all be it over a table or online.


Magic the gathering has a ‘‘deck’’ which comprises from 60 or more cards. You can select from 5 colour classes which you can mix, selecting your cards from thousands available. Decks can be full of creatures, spells, enchantments, architects which make the possibilities endless and planning ahead essential with set plays and combinations.

Compare this to Jiu Jitsu in a certain sense with ‘’styles’’. You have unlimited movements but will find people tend to stick to particular game which suits them mentally and physically. Your style will be comprised of guards, passes, submissions, counters and transitions.

Piecing together Jiu Jitsu chains is one of the most fun aspects of Jiu Jitsu as your opponent is constantly resisting and you have to visualise a clear path, counters to your opponents movements all while setting traps for them to fall in to. It is certainly a mental game and usually the first one to tire is the first one to make a mistake which can be fatal!

I mainly play black colour decks as I prefer hard removal spells, making your opponent discard cards, losing your own life for benefits such as card advantage all while going straight for the win.

And I guess I see this in my Jiu Jitsu with my game being a pretty straight forward submission based style, pressure passing making my opponents spend energy and move in ways they would not necessarily want to go and then taking advantage of this with something nasty!


                      NEXT UP - Chess Master Andrew Greet's guest blog on Jiu Jitsu and Chess!

Frontline Academy Bergen!

During my last trip to Bergen, Norway I was able to swing by the highly touted Frontline Academy.

This academy opened in 2013 and is the second academy in Norway the first being in Oslo city although both are managed by Eduardo Teta Rios who is well known black belt jiu jitsu practitioner having grew up under the tutelage of the legendary Brazilian top team and Ricardo Liborio.



The Bergen club is ran by his best friend Andre Fievel who is also a black belt under the legendary Ricardo Liborio and it was Andre who runs the day to day classes and teaching at the academy.

We arrived at the academy for an evening advanced class and were greeted by the reception and shown the facilities by a team member. Currently the gym has 2 large fully matted training rooms, proper changing and shower facilities and a small shop as you enter the academy where you can buy the branded frontline academy clothing range and training wear. Everything was clean and looked after with and it was obvious everyone took pride in their academy.

We were greeted in the class by Andre the professor and Anja a blue belt who was helping coach the class. We were really happy with the very friendly attitude of all the team and how the greeted us in to the academy which made us feel like home.

Andre was teaching the advanced class and decided to show us a RDLR sweep and attack chain and then how to control the 50/50 position and then pass the guard.

The teaching was in English and was well thought out with Andre explaining the intricacies of the techniques well and offering some insight in to the positions and where to place your body weight properly to control the guard.

After the class we have the chance to roll in with the team for an open mat session. Unfortunately Andre had injured his ribs the previous week and was unable to roll in with us as i'm sure that would have been fun but there is always next time!    I rolled in with Anja twice as she was the highest blue belt on the mat and it was good fun rolls. Strong for her weight and decent guard player she nearly had my back once also in the roll! Saved by the bell haha 

After class we had the chance to chat to Andre and the team more exchanging stories and finding out a little more about the team and their ambitions. I was really happy with our visit here and we will definitely be back the next time in Bergen! You never know might end up moving to Bergen and being a permanent member in the coming year!

Highly recommended please check Frontline Academy out if you are in the area! 

                                                   
                                                                         Contact Informtion
                                                  Nygårdsgaten 94, 5008 Bergen, Hordaland
                                                             http://www.frontlinebergen.no

Masterclass with Chen Moraes.

With help from Mawarriors website we held a live recorded masterclass with BJJ Coral belt Chen Moraes. The lesson was held in Anaconda BJJ academy in Barcelona, June 2016.

Just Chen, myself (purple belt) and a new white belt we had to the opportunity to show both someone experienced in the sport and someone brand new to the sport learn the same techniques.

A quick warm up demonstrating some of the warm up techniques, standing and floor techniques were demonstrated.

More specifically working on hand grips and redirecting your opponents body, shoulder locks, guillotines and bicep slicer setups.




We hope to complete many more jiu jitsu videos with sparring, open classes and more of course more Anaconda techniques.

Its great to work with someone so knowledgeable as a 7th degree coral belt Chen on a near private basis as this really helps fill in all the gaps and spaces in my own style and game.

We hope you enjoy watching the class!

Gracie Barra Glasgow!

The Gracie Barra Glasgow gym is located in the city centre about 5 minutes from the Central station for visitors and students it's and easy access.

Gracie Barra is one of the most well known Jiu-Jitsu academies in the worlds and with the expansion into the UK it was not long before we seen GB gyms pop up in Scotland and I believe we now have 2 or 3 with this one being the biggest.

Run by Ricky Gillon a lifelong martial artist who has both black belts in both traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Lucio Lagarto Rodrigues.

Lucio visits the gym every few months to cash in on a seminar, therefore, all of the gym duties and classes are run at this time by Ricky. Currently, Ricky has one brown belt under him in the academy who occasionally coaches.

Classes follow a regular GB training schedule and are based on weeks of set techniques which are continued until completed and then run back over with improvements as the techniques are understood more and more. This is a great way of learning and developing a solid base and it is imprinted on most GB members.

Also, the classes follow a self-defence and sport style of teaching where you will learn one or two self-defence situations before moving on the sport side of things. Personally, I really like this as I'm becoming more and more interested in the self-defence side of things being more traditional Jiu Jitsu.

The gym has 2 training rooms for Jiu-Jitsu (one huge hall pictured and the other normal sized room nicknamed the sauna) with a separate weights area with a squat rack, kettlebells, bench and numerous other lifting tools and cardio machines.

Complete with separate men/womens changing area and showers which are cleaned every day it has the amenities for every Jiu Jitsu practitioner to feel at home.



Thinking back on the early days of GB Glasgow when it was a small group of twenty or so that would be dedicated to learning the techniques while fighting over the sheets of paper with them listed to make sure you knew them haha  

Then we reached blue belt level and the Nogi started with our first class 2013 again with most of the 20 present killing each other with new Nogi moves!

After the second year of being Gracie Barra and with big names such as Lagarto, Roger Gracie and both the Estima brothers coming up to Scotland for the first time the gym became more and more popular with a good team of individuals dedicated to making it work on the mats with being friendly and open to new students and of course the competition guys who were performing on the open scene.

 

Around this time a few guys left, even more, guys joined and we kept on with the big fight which was turning up every day and showing dedication to the sport.

The gym caters to over 100 students easily.

I received my purple belt from Ricky in 2015 (4+ years) after 4 years of hard training. I was always in class regardless of the struggles in my life and I was lucky to have studied numerous other martial arts in my life so I was in the right frame of mind to start the long journey to black belt.

Jiu Jitsu really did give me a new healthier lifestyle as I left my old job, studied Fitness, Health and Exercise, became a NASM certified PT and I even country to study under new martial arts teacher. Now I am one of the main coaches for my team in Barcelona.

A huge shout out to Hollywood, Matty, Jack, Mike, Hobbs, Stuart, Colin, Kronk, Davie, Sami, Majid, BIG Gary, Thomas, Kilday, Tommy, Mark, Iain, Shelley, Andrew, Callum, Chris, Corbett and George.

Anyone else I forgot it's because the team is so huge now but I miss you all on the mats!

  

40 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G1 4QN, UK

http://www.graciebarrascotland.com/

Tel : 0141 229 0959

Blue belt promotion!

Finally made my first goal in Jiu Jitsu!!  The Blue Belt!   

Around 2 years after I started my jiu jitsu journey, I received my blue belt here at Anaconda by my professor Chen Moraes. It has been a long journey so far, and I have worked hard to earn my belt.  

I lack confidence in my jiu jitsu skills, but I feel that all the hard work and blood, sweat and tears (there’s been lots) have made me earn my belt none the less. 

To finally say I am a blue belt makes me feel proud of myself and that I have accomplished something. I am stronger and I know things that other people don’t. It is also just the beginning and I know I will never stop learning. When I started I thought I would never get better and never get to blue belt, but I just kept going and kept training. 

Jiu jitsu is something that means a lot to me and has become such a big part of my life. It is the hardest thing I think I will ever do in my life as every day you have to go through pain and struggle on the mat, no matter what! It truly is like therapy, because there is no hiding when you train, you have to face yourself and your weaknesses.

People ask me all the time, why do you train so much?  

Do you have to go to the gym every day?              

Yes, I do.  

It can be hard for people to understand why I would rather go to training than go out for beers. But that is what jiu jitsu does to you, it makes you want to be better. You can’t really drink the night before training, because you will feel like crap and not be able to follow the class as normal. And when you train almost every day, you don’t really fancy drinking that much.  

I lift weights every weekday before work, go to work, and go train at night afterwards. This means that by the time the weekend comes, you’re kind of tired, ha, ha.  But I think jiu jitsu gives me so much, I learn so much about myself and how I deal with situations. And the fact that I get to share it with my man Dean, just makes it even better. We enjoy randomly attacking each other in the house, talking about techniques, or watching fights. 

I originally started with kickboxing and then jiu jitsu afterwards. After we moved to Barcelona I have only been training jiu jitsu and just practising striking on my own. I do miss it as I was part of such a great team in Glasgow and I try to keep it up and think about connecting striking and grappling. 

I have always been a fighter and always liked those kinds of sports. It suits my personality to punch, kick and choke people rather than dancing or doing a spinning class!   

Thinking about it when I was younger I used to hang out with the boys in my class watching wrestling and trying out the different moves on each other. ha ha

Jiu jitsu, kickboxing, boxing and mma are all such challenging sports to be involved in, it will make you so much stronger mentally and make you able to endure almost anything! 

Becoming a blue belt sets the bar higher and puts more pressure on me to be better and know more. I need to step my game up to feel like I belong in the blue belt category. It adds a responsibility to my jiu jitsu, I am not a beginner any more, I am someone with experience and knowledge of the art now. 

I am now working on techniques and positions where I struggle, and becoming more confident. I look forward to finding my own game and to become a better player all around.  

My team mates are helping me every day when I get frustrated and feel like I want to give up. They’re always there to push me further and my professor as well who rolls with me every class. Every time I get frustrated and want to stop, he says keep going you have to work out!   Obviously also, I would not have gotten this far without Dean to push me forward, challenging me, making me work harder and giving me confidence. He is my big motivation every day! 

By Anne Sofie Skalvik

                                                                        

                                                                             

Interview for Martial Arts Warriors Website.

Recently I was approached by a member of MAWARRIORS.COM a website who offers martial artists and schools a free place to advertise and come together posting such things as seminars, live video feeds and interviews such as this.

They asked me a few simple questions in regards to my BJJ and martial arts background as well as asking about my current club and how I ended up in Barcelona.

We are actually going to stream a live class direct from our to gym to help the site on July 2nd so if you are interested then tune in to see some special techniques being shared by a master of the sport Coral Belt Chen Moraes.

Please feel free to watch and comment!

I always enjoy speaking about my Jiu-Jitsu as you will see!  Somebody stop me! HA

Enjoy!

www.mawarriors.com

Anaconda BJJ Barcelona

For the past few months I have been training here at Anaconda BJJ Barcelona.

I first visited this gym in 2014 and made some good friends in the week I was able to train and kept in touch with some members. After moving to Barcelona for a few months I was still speaking with a few members who then encouraged me to come back and re join the team.

The club is run by Coral belt Mestre Chen Moraes who has been teaching Jiu Jitsu for over 20 years and practicing the art for about double that.  A relaxed figure with old school style Jiu Jitsu he is an encyclopaedia of techniques which he has now in fact put into writing for us all to enjoy.

The gym is on Calle Ventallo (Gracia) and is a 5 minutes walk from the nearest metro stop Joanic (Yellow Line) which is easy accessible from the city and its takes me approx 25 minutes to travel from Placa Catalunya.

The gym has 2 medium sized matted training mats and one unmatted space for fitness classes. It also has a selection of heavy bags, striking equipment, pull up bars, climbing ladder and rope.

The main mat for BJJ can fit approx 12 people (6 pairs) comfortably for rolling although any more than that and the mat space is too busy and you end up being involved in other rolls! haha

Classes are run 5 days a weeks with one morning class 3 times a week 11 am - 12 pm and 5 evening classes either between 6 -7:30 pm or 9-10 pm.   Currently a new schedule is being reviewed as the students have requested more time on the mats as currently 1-2 hours per night maximum is limiting to higher belts who need as much mat time as possible.

Currently the club has 4 purple belts which are the highest grade apart from Chen himself. 

I personally have had the pleasure of learning many new movements and techniques under Mestre Chen as he has a specific eye for finding the most efficient technique for whatever position you are in.

The gym also hosts numerous other martial arts such as Capoeria, Boxing and Hapkido. 

Although with low numbers coming in this needs addressed in that the emphasis be back on the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well as the timetable being revised for students who want free mat time or somewhere to work out on weekends.   

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A subject that has been brought to my attention by members disapproval and that is grading days which require a fee. Belts arent given easily here so after your hard work should you also have to pay a grading fee?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belts are earned on the mat and with my friends having trained for years paying a monthly fee of X amount why should they then pay for a grading come the day they have been working hard towards?

I appreciate that authenticity certificates and knowledge given by the professor but this seems a little outdated with members not interested in grading due to this.

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Other than this the club has been kind to me personally and I have a great experience learning under someone with so much knowledge in Jiu Jitsu. It has been a pleasure training with everyone and having the opportunity to help coach and take the warm ups is great for my coaching progression. 

I have made great friends with the team and everyone wants to work together to take the club to the next level and improve on things that need addressed for future attendance.

A small hidden gem in Barcelona I would advise the club for any travelling Jiu Jitsu practitioner! 

Hope to see you on the mats ! :)

Team Trondheim Bjj

I have had the pleasure of training with Team Trondheim BJJ in Norway. 

The gym training area is 2 big matted areas and a space for striking with boxing equipment available. 

There is also private changing rooms, weight room for strength and conditioning and a kitchen for making snacks! 

There is something for everyone with a timetable full of BJJ, nogi, kids classes, krav maga, kickboxing and MMA classes. 

The club was founded in 2002 and the main instructor Per Christian Andresen has instructor licence under Harris International Grappling Association led by Roy Harris. Classes are also run by active members and coaches of the club that are also competing in national and international tournaments. 

The environment is relaxed and everyone was really nice and friendly to me as a visitor in their gym. The quality of the teaching has a high standard and you can see this in the rolling afterwards. 

There are some great grapplers here and the guys work really hard! I have been exhausted after every session trying to control some of these big guys, so it has been a challenge for me as a smallish girl. I get great use of my big legs though! 

As I now have been training in Glasgow and in Barcelona, I haven't really trained in my home country of Norway. I was quite nervous before as I am still only a white belt myself, and wasn't sure if I would have anything to bring to the table as a visitor in a new club. I manned up and tried my best and tried to just enjoy the experience. And that is what is just so fantastic about jiu jitsu! 

You can go anywhere in the world, and no matter what language we speak, we still all understand the language of jiu jitsu! 

As I stood watching he first technique being shown by the instructor, I felt relaxed immediately, because I know this. It is still the same positions, still the same submissions no matter where you are! 

I feel you instantly connect with people because everyone knows what it's like to be on the mats and work your ass off and get beat every day. 

I met some great people and everyone were friendly and welcomed me with open arms. I also learned some great techniques and got experience rolling with new people of all shapes and sizes. I got to test my skills and see how I handled myself in a new environment in a new club. 

As I started my jiu jitsu journey with my man Dean, I usually have him next to me as safety and as a support. It was a big achievement for me to visit a club by myself and represent my former team Gracie Barra and my current team Anaconda. I gained some confidence in my jiu jitsu as everyone gave me great feedback and I know I gave people a hard time on the mats! oSSS!

Team Trondheim BJJ - http://trondheim-bjj.no/

Post by Anne Sofie Skaalvik

www.annesofiesoprano.com

Barcelona Jiu Jitsu Team - Haubert Team - Warriors Factory

Barcelona Jiu Jitsu Academy - Haubert Team.

Or the warriors factory as they like to call it!

Tbh I would say that's exactly spot on as the amount of great quality Jiu Jitsu practitioners is insane!

Firstly Id like to say thanks to David and the team for having both myself and Anne-Sofie and for welcoming us. We both learned many techniques and knowledge was certainly passed on!


The gym is a short metro from the city and on first glance its big with large matted area, pull up bars, punch bags, weights section, cage and therapy room for massages. It has decent changing facilities too which is always a must have.

BJJ training is obviously why people come here and David Blankenheimer (Faxia Preta under Raphael Haubert) is the main professor.  I can say he is no slouch when it comes to Jiu Jitsu and is an advocate for healthy living!

I've seen the guy climb a rope upside down! No joke, upside down climbing rope! Sight to see haha!

His teaching techniques were straight forward and direct and I was lucky enough to join during Half guard week (a personal fave position) so I could somewhat tell if this was going to work which it did!

The warm up drills were great regardless of whether they were passing drills, guard retention or submission orientated they were always relative to the class techniques that day.

Everything I learned from his teachings made it into my game and that makes a good mentor!

This is shown in his teams attendance and numbers! Id say at night there could be 30 people on the mats and with a large majority of this female which was great to see.

Raphael Haubert was also luckily over from Dubai to teach so I got to experience the teachings from another very knowledgeable source!

All put together this is making for some great fighters!

3 golds from the Madrid worlds this week shows that this team is to be reckoned with!

Great team, great mentality and a pleasure to train with!   Ossss!

BJJ Journey!

It's been over 4 years now on my own BJJ journey and time for a new update!

I received my Purple belt nearly a year ago in Glasgow and since then I've moved not only countries but teams!

I've been enjoying my purple belt time so far and I have had the opportunity to learn from some great Professors and even a master of the sport.

Having so many great BJJ teams in Barcelona is certainly a benefit and it seems that the BJJ politics are not so tight here and cross training is rife with many of the top guys training in multiple gyms across the city.

Not because they do not value loyalty or friendships but because all athletes train to be the best and limiting yourself to one set of training partners simply will not make you the best you can be,

Brassoloto, Haubert, Blankenheimer, Moraes, Galvao, Cabanes, Liera Jr  are to name a few some of the black belts who are here regular if not all the time.

I have met many new friends through the sport and I have a small team of good guys that I can learn and improve with now under the tutelage of Chen Moraes.

I plan on staying here in Barcelona until the summer months and then see what happens and where life takes me on this wonderful journey!

Recently travelling keeps coming up in my mind so maybe its time to call shop here and travel elsewhere to pastures new!

Somewhere south , way south! South America? Down Under? Who knows!

Somewhere with a BJJ gym should I say!

Updating newer posts and will re upload them soon! Pics Included this time :)

Newest posts will be updated and reloaded soon with pics included thsi time! Exciting time with some new sponsor and ambassador opportunities opening up!