Michel Miyashita, will be teaching a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Seminar in El Dorado Hills, CA on August 12th 2017.
9:00-10:00AM (age8-12) $20
10:00-NOON (age 13+) $45
Noon ~ OPEN MAT
The seminar will cover some of his best technical positions. Michel recently finished with a Silver medal at the San Jose IBJJF Open and will be competing in the Master World Championships in Las Vegas in several weeks. Join us for what is going to be a fun and learning event in El Dorado Hills.
El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a Martial Arts school located in EDH off the latrobe exit on the highway 50 corridor. The Martial Art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is traditionally taught to adults for it’s refined skills in the art of physical self defense, but EDH BJJ offers a great outlet for kids and teens to join in on the training.
EDH Jiu Jitsu had separated the kids and adults curriculum so that the kids and teens are exposed in a developmentally appropriate environment for them to thrive. While the classes start as young as age 4, the classes are separated into different age groups: Pee Wee class (age 4-6). Kids class (age 7-9) and Juniors class (age 10-14). This allows the instructors to gradually challenge the students as they mature in age. Not only are the students challenged with their expectations to listen, observe, and think about the technique but their physical challenge is increased with age. With age and training experience students are give more “responsibilities” to lead their peers with their actions. The responsibilities are taught and enforced as a method to build leadership, communication, and teamwork.
For example, when stressing the importance of communication, students are taught that every good encounter and relationship begins with a good greeting. Students are held accountable to follow through with this, by saying hello and introducing themselves when a new students steps on the mat to train. This strategy to communicate is not just something we teach the students to do at the dojo. We also recommend they take what they do on the mat and apply it to their life off the mat as well. “If you notice a new student in your class at school what should you do?” “How do you feel if you don’t know anyone in a group? How do you feel if no one said hello?” “How would you feel if someone came up to you and introduced themselves and helped you feel welcome?” These are some of the questions teachers use to get the students to think about the value of noticing new people in their environment and going out of their way to say hello.
In a time where children spend hours in front of a screen, face to face communication can become less comfortable. We make an effort to teach students that face to face communication is an essential part of a good relationship. Through self introductions, students are better able to establish a channel to communicate with one another. This is one of the key components of not just our kids and teens martial arts program, but our entire program. We believe that the ability to communicate is a skill that needs some coaching and lots of practice. Therefore, our program takes time for a social element to take place.
For more information visit our website: http://www.edhjiujitsu.com
Eliot Kelly
Kids Camp El Dorado Hills had the first week of camp for kids age 5 and up. The camp is an opportunity for local children to learn jiujitsu, chess, and have fun moving. Healthy snacks of apples, almonds, cheese, and yogurt are provided to the campers are picked up fed and tired. The next week of camp will be JULY 31 – AUGUST 3. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY to join the camp! We welcome beginners to jiujitsu, chess, and anyone looking to learn, move, and have fun is welcome!
In the jiujitsu lessons the coaches teach the fundamental movements and positions of guard, mount, side control, back control, a strong stance. These fundamentals give students an opportunity to better understand strong positions that are advantageous in self defense and anti-bullying situations. From these positions the campers learned different movements and submissions to control their opponent. When working with a partner, students not only are learning about the physical space their body occupies, but also how to communicate with their peers. Communication is an integral component of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Campers are taught the importance of communicating with their body as well as their words to convey their thoughts. Developing healthy communication strategies at a young age leads to higher EQ, emotional intelligence.
In addition to jiujitsu and the lessons we are able to teach through it’s practice. The camp also includes the teaching and learning of chess. While jiujitsu is chess with the body, chess is jiujitsu with the mind! After a morning of games and lessons in jiujitsu and self defense, the campers are given a healthy snack and an opportunity to continue working on their communication. Since we have multiple levels of chess players, we incorporate peer mentorship, “No Stress Chess” (a chess set designed to teach the basic game while playing the game of chess). and some adult coaching. This allows all levels of chess players to have fun and keep up with the game. During chess, the campers are given an opportunity to calm down from the previously rigorous games and exercises and direct their focus and attention on the chess board. Even the most rambunctious children tend to focus in on learning and playing chess.
A strong component of our camp is the concept of learn through play. To do this we design our games with technical lessons and concepts to develop leadership and/or teamwork. One example of a game we play is tug of war. In tug of war, the team concept is developed along with leadership. The leader of the group is responsible for helping to “unite” their group to pull all at once. At the end of the game, the winning team will assign a number to the losing team to practice a technique learning during the jiujitsu lesson. If the number 10 is picked, the losing team will do 10 arm bars (for example) and the winning team will perform half (5 in this case). In this example, leadership is developed by the vocal member of the group to pull the rope all at once. Teamwork is shown and developed when everyone works together to pull the rope all at once. Technical skills are developed after a winner and loser is established to disguise the repetitions practiced.
Along with the practice of jiujitsu, chess, and games we emphasize gratitude. We talk about gratitude at the end of each session and ask the campers what they are thankful for. Through out the day, an emphasis is made of saying thank you, writing a thank you card to take home and give to someone, and thinking about the things that are necessary to be thankful for.
Join us on our next camp experience in El Dorado Hills! We welcome new comers and look forward to having our current members join us for a fun half day of jiujitus, chess, gratitude projects and games! Next camp will be July 31st -August 3rd!
Last weekend I competed at the Pan American Championship in Irvine. The Pan Ams is my favorite annual competition. It’s the only international competition in the U.S. where the entire competition team can participate in; from Juvenile to Master and White to Black Belt. It’s the first competition of the year where I focus all my efforts into being as well prepared as possible beforehand and give it my all when the Referee starts the match… usually.
My strategy going into my first match was to stay on top with either a takedown or letting my opponent pull guard, and then go for the pass. The Master’s divisions are short matches so I wanted to score first and be in the position to ride out the clock and work for Mount or submissions from Side Control.
I’m stretching in the bullpen, taking in the atmosphere of the building. The bullpen is a mix of tension with the fighters waiting to be called for their fights and elation with winning or being done for the competitors who already fought. The ring coordinator calls my name and my opponents and we follow him to our mat. I’m warm, I feel good, and I’m ready. The referee calls us out and I run on to the mat, bow, slap hands and fist-bump. It’s on.
My opponent is careful to engage, and we spend a couple minutes dancing around until I chase him down. We make grips and he pulls to an open guard. “Perfect!” I think. And this is pretty much where the entire match takes place. I feel good with my base and every time he tries to unbalance me I hold strong and ride it out. He has a good grip and Spider Guard on my left arm, but every time I try break it or get in a position to break it, he off-balances me and I have to focus on my base. There were a few instances where I broke the grips or he let go and I was moving and working my passes and then he’d get his grips again and we’d be right back in the same Spider Guard.
I’m watching the clock tick down to zero with the score tied at 0 points, 0 advantages, and 0 penalties. I’m thinking it would be foolish to try something risky to earn an advantage. I was on top and more active. I was more offensive and closer to a pass then he ever was to a sweep. All I had to do was not get scored on and there was only 10 seconds left. My opponent tried extending me one last time, but I stayed low and kept my weight back.
Time ended and we fixed our Gi’s. The referee held our arms and I took a deep breath. He raised my opponent’s arm and I turned away. I shook my opponent’s hand and congratulated him. I bowed to the Referee, thanked him for the job he had done and walked off the matt. I couldn’t believe it. How could I have not earned the decision win?
Well, I let the fight end with a tied score. Was the referee wrong with his decision? No, of course not. They don’t want to make the decision; they want you to score and make it clear that you won. It didn’t have to be in the last 10 seconds, but at some point in a 5 minute match you have to at least score an advantage. Otherwise there is nothing to have hard feelings about, other than your own performance.
What is the referee looking for in those situations? It’s completely subjective, yet completely justified. Every loss is a learning lesson and this isn’t the first decision that resulted in a loss for me, which is why I thought I had won. The lesson I take from it now is that it’s a coin-flip, in terms if you agree with the decision or not. They have their reasons and I’m sure if you ask, most will tell you why they ruled that way… after the fact.
Aaron Martinez
EDH Jiu Jitsu had three competitors in action at the competition arena this weekend in San Jose, CA. Jamie, Ricky, and Danny all made their show in the NoGi divisions of the NAGA San Jose Grappling Championships. (North American Grappling Association).
Jamie won gold in the intermediate blue belt division and was called up to compete in the expert division for purple belts and above. Overall she made some impressive improvements from her last competition, and challenged herself to play outside of her comfort zone.
In the expert division, the final score of the six minute match was 8-3. Congratulations to Jamie on her performance and constant improvement. For those who are not in the know, Jamie trains 2-3 times daily both on and off the mat. Her dedication to improvement and pursuit of success is unmatched.
Danny and Ricky competed in the men’s division of the NAGA championships. Ricky fell short in his first match. Danny pulled through to the finals and finished with a Silver medal. He also made some impressive improvements from his last tournament experience at the Grappling X in Elk Grove, CA in November.
Regardless of the outcome, preparation for competition done right always leads to continued improvement. It’s exciting to see everyone give their best in the arena and make no excuses about their performance. We look forward to seeing these competitors in action again soon!!
On January 28th and 29th at the San Jose Community College the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation) San Jose Open took place. The tournament was a two day tournament in the Gi and NoGi. This was a great opportunity to test their skills in a local northern California competition. Probably the biggest tournament outside of the BJJ Tour Championships; US Open, American Cup, and All Star Championships. Members of EDH BJJ, competing as Yemaso BJJ, finished with the following results:
Gi:
Mark Swisher – Competitor
Jamie Gomez – Bronze
Zack Smith – Bronze
Allan Scott – Silver
Aaron Martinez – Silver
Jerel Tengan – Silver
Eliot Kelly – Gold
NoGi:
Jamie Gomez – Bronze
Zack Smith – Gold
Aaron Martinez – Silver
Jerel Tengan – Silver
Eliot Kelly – Gold & Silver (absolute)
The tournament was a great opportunity to start the year with a competition. A few high lights of the tournament came with Zack Smith taking Bronze in his division but coming back the next day to win the Gold in the NoGi division. This showed great persistence and determination. Another big victory of the weekend came from coach Eliot Kelly winning gold in the Ultra Heavyweight division beating Vinicius de Magalhães of Vinny Magalhaes BJJ in the finals. Vinny is an incredibly talented prize fighter in MMA, Jiu Jitsu and Grappling. He is an ADCC champion, IBJJF World Champion, EBI and UFC competitor.
Coach Eliot made his second performance on the Fight to Win Professional submission only show in San Jose, CA on January 27th, 2017. The Gi and NoGi profession jiujitsu and grappling show travels the United States showcasing local talent. F2W Pro’s submission only format was one of the most exciting shows of 2016 among grappling and jiujitsu entertainment. 
The show in San Jose paid out over $30,000 in prize money and with the live audience of over 2,500 and an online viewership over 30,000 the event was a grand success. More on the event can be found here.
Coach Eliot matched up with Kyle Kingsbury, a BJJ black belt and former MMA fighter in the UFC. Their match was NoGi at 230lbs. Their match was one of the anticipated fights of the night along with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legends, KURT OSIANDER, OSVALDO QUIEIXINHO MOZINHO, BRUNO FRAZZATTO, and RHALAN GRACIE.
The match finished with a unanimous judge decision with 3-0 voting for Eliot’s victory. Needless to say, Kyle and Eliot put on a great show for the audience in attendance with a dynamic display of takedowns, guard attacks, and submission attempts.
Rich participated in the Grappling X tournament series held in Fresno, CA on February 12th. He came back from the experience with 3 matches. 1 win and 2 losses. The tournament was a good experience building opportunity, competing as a purple belt in the Gi and NoGi. In his reflection Rich said, “It was a very positive tournament experience for me. The organizer called me and assured me that I would be getting several matches. I’m thankful for them following through on their promise.” Rich also remarked, “I was able to go out there with a positive mind. I’ve been really working on the competition mindset and I feel I was able to overcome some obstacles this weekend.” Congratulations to Rich on this success at the Grappling X Fresno tournament. 
It’s good to decide, before the sparring match, if you would like to Play Guard or Pass Guard. If both fighters want to pass and the match begins on the feet (opposed to the knees) then someone will have to takedown or throw their opponent to the mat, which forces the opponent to play guard. If both fighters want to play guard, the one who pulls guard first is playing guard.
Generally, the fighter passing guard will make grips on the opponent’s lower body (knees, hips, ankles) to control the legs and hips of the guard player. The fighter playing guard will make grips on the opponent’s upper body (Not always, but this is a good way to start off with until you develop a more advanced guard) to control the distance of the passer, as well as their posture, and their ability to move around you in either direction.
It’s good for the guard passer to keep a leading knee between themselves and the guard player to prevent the guard player from closing the guard around their waist. This adds another (dangerous) step between being in their guard and passing guard. The guard player will try to keep their feet, knees, or (butterfly) hooks between themselves and the passer’s body and legs to prevent them from pressuring their guard with their weight.
The basic objective of the guard passer is get passed their guard into side-control, knee on belly, or mount. The basic objective of the guard passer it to sweep (their opponent to the ground: reversing the positions), Submit, or take the back (To back-control with the hooks).
It’s good to practice both, but it’s better to know what you want to practice before your opponent decides for you.
It’s good form to bow and shake hands, before and after a match. It’s also good form not to celebrate when you win and not sulk when you lose.
Being too aggressive with strength and size (rather than technique) might also be perceived as disrespectful and unnecessary. The term “Sparring” implies training to fight by simulating the movements and technique of Jiu-Jitsu. There is force, endurance, strength and agility involved, but the idea behind sparring is that you can do it with anyone, both of you walk away without any injuries or sore feelings toward one another.
Watch the upper-belts and pay attention to how they spar when you roll with them. Most upper belts have training long enough to know what makes for a long term sparring partnership as well as avoid injuries on both sides.
Coach Aaron
Javen Jones, freshman at Oak Ridge High School, took Bronze in the NABJJF (North American Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation) Kids All Americas on the twenty first of January in Cerritos, CA.
Winning one of his two matches, Javen displayed excellent takedown strategy, scoring a takedown on both matches. He managed to secure the mount position and, just as the timer ended, finished with an armbar — a favored technique, as seen from his preceding tournaments. Javen plans to come back from his tournament experience and hit the mats immediately! He has big aspirations to continue competing for years to come.
This tournament was held at Cerritos College.