Tag Archives: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

New Jiu-Jitsu Class for ages 4 to 6 in El Dorado Hills

We are starting a new section for our Pee Wee aged (age 4-6) Jiu Jitsu class. The class is on Tuesday and Saturday and therefore, it’s titled TS PeeWee Jiu Jitsu. We are open for enrollment and look forward to new trials starting on their fun jiu jitsu adventure.

In the class we focus on learning through fun and play and make special care to emphasize collaboration, teamwork, and learning through social play. Our curriculum is set with an understanding that consistent training of 2 times a week will lead to technical improvement but more importantly, an improvement in their ability to learn how to learn.

BJJ demo in Folsom with peewee student and Dad

Parent participation is not mandatory, but we welcome parents who are interested in coaching to join us on the mat. All we ask is that you wear proper uniform attire and are willing to work with all of the students in the class.

Blue Belt Promotion in El Dorado Hills: Javen

Blue Belt Promotion
🛡柔🛡
January 2018

Javen has been training for six years and he is finally eligible to be promoted in the “adult” belt system since this is the year he turns 16. His passion for martial arts  has been pivotal in his growth and maturity on and off the mat. He is a role model for students in the peewee, kids, and juniors jiu jitsu classes. He is patient, kind, and takes time to listen. He has such an impression on some of the students that they even follow his nogi style of wearing a rash guard with gi pants. Javen is looked up to by the students he coaches as well as the parents who notice him in action.
Javen has embraced learning both skills of training and implementing jiujitsu as well as the art of teaching and leading. In addition to jiu-jitsu, he excels in his academics at Oak Ridge high school and pursues his passion in music and the language arts in his spare time.

El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense is lucky to have such an outstanding individual! Congratulations Javen!

New Classes & New Schedule at El Dorado Hills Jiu Jitsu

EDH Jiu Jitsu is adding two new classes during the weekly training cycle in 2018! We welcome students with a curiosity to learn and understand the grappling arts of jiu jitsu, wrestling, judo and the like. Our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu martial arts program is a one of a kind in El Dorado Hills, with  age appropriate curriculums for toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to start with a FIVE day FIVE dollar trial!

TS Pee Wee Jiu Jitsu Class (age 4-6)

The PeeWee Jiu-Jitsu Class is a class for toddlers to learn through fun, work with different coaches, socialize with their peers, and develop skills that will help them off the mat. The new class is on Tuesday at 3:30pm and Saturday at 9:10am.

MW Adult Basics Jiu Jitsu (age 17+)

The Adult Basics class is a perfect class for adults that are beginning jiu jitsu or looking to get back into jiu jitsu but need a little time to get the body back in shape before training in the advanced class. Our jiujitsu program makes an emphasis in learning and drilling the technical positions and movements before participating in any uncontrolled sparring situations. This allows the student to build a skill set of moves and develop an understanding of what is possible on the mat. Once these skills are acquired, the adult student is welcome to engage in different sparring situations.

We have students with successful weight loss testimonies, students who have found ways to deal with stress, and others who finally found a life long hobby. All are welcome to start with our five day five dollar trial!

 

Bronze to EDH from IBJJF NoGi World Championships

Eliot, Marshall, Vin, Tanner

EDH Jiu Jitsu had 2 competitors compete in the most prestigious NoGi IBJJF tournament this year in Anaheim, CA. The IBJJF NoGi World Championships. Eliot Kelly and Tanner Ford made their preparation for the competition this weekend. Eliot finished in third place on the podium with a bronze medal and Tanner, coming back after a year sabbatical from an injury, finished with one win and one loss.

The tournament was a great learning experience for both competitors as they made their way through the tough bracket at the world championships. “The best of the best compete in this tournament. It’s a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck that takes you to the next round and to the top of the podium.” Visiting black belt from Rhode Island and IBJJF NoGi Pan American medalist, Vin Canabarro, was also on the mat at EDH in the week of competition. “It was great to have Vinny in town. In his first year as black belt he’s made a name for himself on the east coast. It’s only a matter of time before he is all over the world.” Vinny fought through the tournament with one win and one loss as well.

Eliot and Diego in the open class

Eliot Kelly competed in the open class as well as the weight category. Having finished with a silver medal in 2012 at the super heavy wt division, Eliot had high aspirations to finish at the top of the podium in his category and double medal in the open class division. He fell short in the open class to Diego from Ze Radiola Team 2-0 0-3. “I came to win and didn’t, but I did get some task goals accomplished that I’ve been working on only in the last few weeks. I just need to keep working on them.”

Joao Assis, Lucas Barbosa, Aaron Johnson, Eliot Kelly, Super Heavey Wt. IBJJF NoGi World

Eliot fought his way to the semi finals of the tournament, but was stopped by Lucas Barbosa, the eventual weight and open weight champion of the tournament.

Purple Belt Promotion at El Dorado Hills Jiu Jitsu

EDH BJJ black belts Sean, Eliot, and Aaron promoted Mat to his purple belt

Congratulations Mathew on earning his Purple Belt! @matheweckhardt serves our community as a full-time firefighter and family man. He does an excellent job of balancing his schedule and life to accommodate for consistent training. In the past year he has excelled in both, traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Only NoGi. His dedication to the Art and the focused presence he brings to class serves as ideal modeling for all the other students at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Mat has overcome the difficulty we all face in life. Finding balance in a constantly changing and traveling boat of life. In his weekly routine, constantly changing as a result of his shift schedule, mat has found the ability to schedule training sessions at least 2 -3 times a week. He is diligent in in drilling and brings a sense of optimism and enthusiasm to each class. Thank you and congrats!

Community Service: Making & Giving Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

As we enter this season of giving, many of us search for ways to engage actively in giving. How can we truly participate in this process? We can donate food and toys, we can give money to charitable organizations; there are so many choices! As altruistic and generous as the act of donating is, as a parent I look for ways that my family can work together to share what we have with others in a meaningful way. I want to put the food or toys in the hands of those that need them. But how can a family with young children do this? How can a jiu jitsu school with over 100 students ranging from age 4 to 60+ do this?
One way is to host a PBJ event: a simple and easy way to engage your family and community in an act of giving that puts food in the hands of those who need it most!
Step One: Gather your people! Advertise! Shout it from the rooftops! Tell your students and friends to tell THEIR people! All are welcome and the more hands on deck, the better.
Step Two: Gather the goods! Your basic requests are bread, peanut butter, and jelly. Bread is the limiting factor so it’s best to ask people to bring at LEAST two loaves of bread each, along with a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly. Some items to consider: plastic knives, plastic sandwich bags, and paper bags to put sandwiches in. You can request these from participants, you can ask for donations from local stores or companies (grocery stores are great for these types of donations!), or you can provide them yourself.
Step Three: Market, market, market! Social media, local community boards, coffee shops…get the word out! Because this kind of event has no age limit, encourage families to come. Tell them to bring their friends. Local Girl/Boy Scout troops may need a service project and this is perfect!
Step Four: Sling sammys! Set up tables or just lay tablecloths on your floor space. You’ll want each sandwich to go into a plastic bag and then 6-7 sandwiches to go into a brown paper bag. Offer wet wipes so people can wipe peanut butter and jelly off their hands. At about half way through the allotted time, encourage people not to open new jars of peanut butter and jelly until the open jars are empty. Unopened jars can be donated to local food banks, but opened jars need to go home with participants or tossed.
Step Five: Distribute! Go to a local area with a large homeless community. Often, this is near shelters, soup kitchens or other resources. Pack the brown bags full of sandwiches into bigger bags and encourage your participants to walk around and offer sandwiches to anyone who might want some. People may approach you and ask what you have. Offer a smile, dignity, and respect. They are appreciated just as much as food.
Step Six: Regroup! Ask your participants what they thought. How did they feel? Did they notice anything in particular? How would they do it differently next time? You may have heard people asking for certain items as they received the sandwiches…maybe you can do a drive to collect those items next time?
A PB&J event is a unique way to get into the community and give people a way to get to bed with food in their belly and wake up to food for breakfast. You will not walk away from it unaffected by the people you’ve served and it will offer you a jumping off point to talk to participants of all ages about gratitude, perspective, and mutual respect. Participating in this kind of event should leave everyone with a sense of pride in their ability to serve those who need it most, but also questioning how they can help more.

Black Belt Promotion in El Dorado Hills: Sean Gonsolin

Here are some words from Sean after his promotion to black belt. “I was first introduced to BJJ in 2008 by a blue belt neighbor who showed me some BJJ in exchange for me helping him with his boxing. I ended up starting about a year later in late 2009, and started competing 3 months later. I met Allicia when I was a white belt. And we tried to be each other’s training buddy and motivator. The main reason i train Jiu-jitsu is for the self defense application; particularly with regards to controlling and understanding movement and body mechanics. My ultimate goal with BJJ is always longevity, to train for life.”

Black belts in attendance were (from left to right) Eliot Kelly, Julio Veliz, Marcus Boness, Sean Gonsolin, Marcos Torregrosa, Borston Marc, Jerel Tengan.

 

Black Belt Promotion in El Dorado Hills: Aaron Martinez

Congrats Aaron on the black belt promotion! This was a special occasion for Aaron to visit his original academy at Claudio França Santa Cruz where he was promoted from white belt to black belt from 6th degree Claudio França. A school with 22 years of tradition in the greater Santa Cruz area.

~ December 9th 2017 ~

Since moving to El Dorado Hills, Aaron has shared his jiujitsu experience with everyone! He has competed across the pacific in Japan, coached the kids & adults in tournaments, and started a blog called bjjdad.com He is a family man who organizes his schedule to balance training, competition, and family time. As a coach, he’s coined many training adages including “keep your intensity within technical ability.” Helping students better understand the progression and journey of learning jiujitsu. The knowledge he is able to share and convey in his teaching and coaching is a reflection of his dedication to learn and understand not just jiujitsu but also people. This practice to understand people and his students makes him a great team player, always willing to give and help without asking for anything in return. Thank you for sharing your passion with us! Congratulations!

Here is a copy of his post from his social media account: “I just wanted to thank everyone for helping me along my journey to Black Belt. When I began training Jiu-Jitsu, my goal was not to become a Black Belt; it was simply to learn Jiu-Jitsu and roll around on the mat. Not too long after I began, I fell in love with competing and really challenging myself mentally and physically. I noticed after a few years how my life was healthier in all areas. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has certainly changed my life and has made me better and more peaceful person. Thank you @dougefreshrn for introducing me to the Art and holding my hand through the first few months. Thank you Master Claudio and @nathanmendelsohnbjj for helping me develop a solid foundation and training for 9 years. Thank you @eliotkelly and @edhjiujitsu for continuing my development and pushing me past my limits, and being such a great friend. Thank you @yemasojj for the serious knowledge and precision, and to the rest of @sacramentobjj for having me as part of the team. Thank you to @horsepowerandbarbells at @pdeliverance & @gymjonessalvation for kicking my but in the gym.”

“And thank you to all my friends, teammates, Instructors, students, and family over the years for all your support and encouragement. Just too many to name, but thank you!”

 

2017 ADCC Championships Reflection

I had two matches at 2017 ADCC Finland. Lost them both. One to Lovato jr. & another to Aly. In reflecting on the weekend, I walked away with some important insights.

1) Embracing my style of “fighting”

2) How quickly your mindset can influence your performance.

As a side note, to me winning & losing are only trivial moments as a result of a bout, therefore I’ve always made an effort to evaluate my performance <physical // technical // mental> in a match instead of the win or loss. I haven’t watched my bouts yet, but I was very unsatisfied after my initial match. I tried to play a strategic game and it was a total failure. Lovato Jr. completely shut me down. 7-0. I walked away from the mat frustrated. I think I played it conservative and there’s no way you will perform well or beat any of the best 16 guys in the world playing it safe.

Thank you Ty, Paul, and Ryan for coaching  and sharing your insights on the match.

The next day I faced Aly in the open class. In between the two days i was able to better understand myself as a grappler. To embrace my style. And I was damn sure I wasn’t going to play it safe on the second day. (And hopefully everyday) And I feel as though did. I didn’t win and there were some things I need to change but I could walk off the mat knowing i was a different person from yesterday. Only one thing changed between the two days. My mindset. My conscious approach to fight hard. To go HAM. (I’m quoting Tanner Rice here)
So I challenge everyone to go and fight their style every match. To embrace who they are on and off the mat. Because when you do…. It make everything so much more fun! And when you don’t it’s almost a guarantee you won’t win…

A special thanks to Komainu Apparel and AK BKK . These guys made this ADCC experience extra special for us. Thank you Satoshi for the photo! 📷

Eliot Kelly

2017 IBJJF Master Worlds Reflection

2017 Master Worlds Reflection

By Aaron Martinez

Last week was the sixth annual IBJJF Master World Championship in Las Vegas, and several teammates and I made the short trip to Sin City to compete. My first impression of the tournament was that there were a ton of competitors. I believe they had over 20 mats running for three days. After the initial massive line to check in and gain entrance into the venue (a large hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center), I found the tournament to be well executed and organized with even free seminars from the likes of the Ribeiro Brothers and Renzo Gracie. There were two large mat areas to warm up and plenty of space to sit and relax away from the mats. The spectating was a challenge, unless you were able to get a spot right at the fence on the edge of the mats.

The only thing I didn’t like about the tournament was that it was in Las Vegas. I like Las Vegas and participated in the first Las Vegas Open, but for the World Championships I’d rather have had as much focus as possible. Staying on the strip the night before made for a challenge to find a healthy, balanced meal, in order to feel optimal for my fight the next day. I much preferred Long Beach where I could easily get to Wholefoods and stock up on anything I needed the days leading up to the biggest event of the year for me. Of course, after my day of competition, it was fun to walk through the Casinos and go to restaurants with my teammates.

The one thing that stood out about the event, compared to the ones in the past, was the large amount of muscular competitors. I’ve never liked to assume that anyone who is bulging through their clothes with huge muscles is on some sort of PED, but I had several people make comments to me about how they would need to start testing for the Master Worlds. I was so focused on my own matches that I hadn’t really noticed the other competitors until someone brought it up. I looked around, and compared to the adult Worlds, their older counterparts were noticeably more muscular. That doesn’t necessarily mean that more Master fighters are using PEDs than the Adult fighters. Men get bigger as they get older and some of it may have more to do with being a tad older, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to start testing just to make sure it’s a more fair competition.