We started a 7am class in 2013 and in 2015 we moved it forward to 6am. This is a great class for those that have a busy work schedule and an evening full of family activities that just don’t allow them to get on the mat, or for those that have an evening work schedule and are only able to come train in the early am. The training is quick, it’s efficient, and we get things done.
Here are some basic facts about the 6am class at our dojo in El Dorado Hills:
1. Class ends exactly at 7am (If you need to leave early we understand)
2. Class level is for ALL LEVELS from white belts to black belts.
3. Each class includes, warm ups, drills, and rolling
On most occasions the most difficult part of class is getting out of bed. Hearing your alarm at 5:00am or 5:30am and not hitting snooze to wait and delay for another day of training. The reality is once you get out of your comfortable bed and get going it’s really not that bad. There’s much more to be gained from the 6am jiujitsu class than just a good workout. You begin to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. You become okay with removing yourself from the soft and comfortable pillow and embrace the day that’s about to take place. The facial expression each student has as they walk out the door at 7am to go to work says “I’m just got done kickin’ my ass and I’m ready to kick this day’s ass!” There’s nothing like it.
If you need a jump start to your day to challenge your mind and body, then give jiujitsu a try.
During breaks we try to involve and engage the kids students (age 4-16) in different manners off the mat and bring that back to the mat. One theme we’ve been following through with each break especially during the summer and winter breaks are the RWP program we’ve established. Here is what we mean by RWP:
R = Research / Read
W = Write
P = Present
Kenny giving a presentation in 2016
Students start with researching or reading about a topic. The research can be a very simple conversation with a parent, friend or family member or an excursion to the library. Once they’ve gathered some information they write a little summary to present to their peers and parent’s in attendance at class on that day. The presentation lasts about 30 seconds to 60 seconds a student and we typically have 1-3 presentations a class during the summer months. It’s an engaging activity that allows the students to express themselves in a different way amongst their jiujitsu peers.
Drago giving his presentation in 2015 Summer NoGi Jiu Jitsu.
All of these projects are optional. No one is forced to do anything they are not interested in, but they are reminded that it does influence how they earn their stripes on their belt. While some topics are related to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Martial Arts, we open things up to other topics as well. Our first topic was on Memorial Day and our second topic on the describing what “Never Give Up” means. Students can bring in a picture to go with this topic. This is always fun to share with everyone, including the adults. In the past, we’ve covered topics like; Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champions, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Legends, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Grand Masters, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense, How do you think strong, What is July 4th, etc. Some topics are open to interpretation and other topics are very specific and require the students to go online or to the library to find out some information. As a result, students are able to showcase their different skills. In the future I would love to have a study lounge for the students to hang out before or after class to prepare their presentations.
A few of the writings with some visual photos by Keegan, Ethan, Ryan, and others.
Most importantly, we want to engage our students in activities off the mat that promotes and develops reading, writing, and presentation skills. These are skills that they will be able to utilize for the rest of their life, and the more we practice the more comfortable we will become when asked to research a topic, write about it, or even present it. Public speaking is a skill no one is born with, and not practiced very often in schools. We hope to challenge the students comfort levels and get them feeling at ease when speaking in front of a crowd of people.
A new element to our RWP program we began doing this summer is for the students to ask questions at the end of the speech. Doing so has been a great addition to the entire presentation process. I’m excited to hear all of our interesting presentations this summer!
At El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu our Pee Wee (age 4-6), Kids (age 6-9), and Juniors (age 9-13) class changes it up to train NoGi. Some people who are new to Jiu Jitsu might be wondering what NoGi means. NoGi is a simple way to talk about a uniform that is basically t-shirt and shorts. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and many grappling organizations have adopted this NoGi uniform to give professionalism to the look while considering safety of the participant.
There are a few safety measures to consider when we make the uniform switch from Gi to NoGi. First, it’s important that the uniform doesn’t have any pockets. Hands and feet can get caught in pockets and in a faster paced NoGi training this can be very dangerous. Another important part of the uniform is that there are no metallic parts to the uniform. Many shorts might have zippers or buttons that with pressure can hurt, scratch, and even cut someone. The last thing to consider is the tightness of the shirt. We strongly recommend tight fitting rashguard type shirts. When the shirt is too loose it can become a hazard much like pockets do and trap a hand or foot causing injury.
Here are a few reasons for transitioning to NoGi with our 4-13 year old jiu-jitsu classes.
1: It’s HOT!
2: Learn different skills that don’t allow grips
3: Challenge yourself to our EDH-BJJ NoGi Tournament in September
The 2016 International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation World Championships took place in Long Beach, CA at the CSULB Walter Pyramid. As with every year we saw an even more diverse group of international competitors and spectators from all over the world to cheer on their favorite competitors.
El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu had three competitors. Steve Chaffin in the adult white belt division, Zack Smith in the adult blue belt division, and Eliot Kelly in the adult black belt division. Pictures and short clips from the championships can be viewed on our instagram (follow us!).
Steve with his Bronze medal and Coach Eliot at the 2016 IBJJF World Championships
Steve, competing in his first World Championships finished with a BRONZE medal! He had a dominating performance in the quarter final round winning on points. In the semi final he fell short of getting to the finals after being outscored by his opponent who went on to win the Gold. With two children and working a full time job, Steve worked very hard to get to the world championships in the best physical and technical condition possible! We’re excited to see his progress from this experience.
Zack made his debut for worlds in the lightest rooster weight division. Another full time family man and with a full time job, Zack has was on a roll winning the Pan American Championships and American Cup leading up to the World Championships. Although he lost his first fight, Zack came away with a new appreciation for learning some of the different attacks and positions. We’re excited to see his improvement into 2016.
Eliot began with the black belt open class (all weights combined) and won his first fight by an advantage. In his second fight he faced the reigning world champion Marcus Almeida (Buchecha) and fell short 6-0. Following the open class, Eliot lost his opening match and fell short from making it to the placing rounds. Eliot has a new sense of enthusiasm to compete and train after competing with the best in the world.
Here are the champions from the 2016 IBJJF World Championships:
MALE CHAMPIONS:
Rooster: Bruno Malfacine
Light Feather: Paulo Miyao
Feather: Rafael Mendes
Light: Lucas Lepri
Middle: Otavio Sousa
Medium Heavy: Leandro Lo
Heavy: Andre Galvao
Super Heavy: Leandro Nogueira
Ultra Heavy: Marcus Almeida
Open: Marcus Almeida FEMALE CHAMPIONS:
Rooster: Rikako Yuasa
Light Feather: Gezary Bandeira
Feather: Mackenzie Dern
Light: Beatriz Mesquita
Middle: Monique Elias
Medium Heavy: Andresa Correa
Heavy: Fernanda Maio
Super Heavy: Dominyka Obelenyte
Open: Dominyka Obelenyte
In April, EDH JiuJitsu participated in one of the BJJ Tour – All Star competitions held in San Francisco, CA. The ALL STAR was held in the Cow Palace, an big and exciting venue for tournament competition.
Zack with a double leg takedown to start the match and score 2 points!
EDH JIu Jitsu had 5 competitors in the kids / teens divisions and 6 competitors in the adult/master divisions. The All Star is one of the professional cash prize tournaments for black belts, offering prize money for the champions of the black belt weight divisions and open class division.
Angel Scrambles to finish on top!
The team did an incredible job preparing and training for the tournament. We always want to approach training for competitions in a three part process. The first being the preparation. Getting the body and mind prepared for tournament performance. The second being the actual event or tournament. The third being the reflection and corrections based on the event. Following the three part process ensures that each competitor gets the most out of their time training and make conscious technical and mental improvements to better our performance next time.
Tanner transitions from submission to submission and gets the win!
The next California BJJ Tour competition takes place in Santa Cruz, CA at the end of June. We look forward to seeing the competitors improvements over the last few months and how their changes and technical additions have improved them on the mat!
Some of the guys after day one of the All Star BJJ Tournament in San Francisco.
Tournaments are a constant reminder of the spirit of kaizen (written 改善 in Japanese). This idea is the spirit of constant improvement and growth. Making small and incremental improvements each and every day. This idea took precedence in Japan during the post war era when the Japanese automobile industry saw incredible growth. While the process reshaped the entire automobile industry, at the core and emphasis of the process was on the individual. The individual worker or laborer taking responsibility for their work and progress. With every tournament and training experience, we look to apply the idea of Kaizen. Congratulations to all the competitors!
Drago from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Bronze at the All Star. Big improvement from last year!Keegan from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Bronze at the All Star. Tough semi-final match that ended with a referee decision.Michael from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Silver at the All Star. A big jump in progress as he prepares for the Kids Worlds this summer!Javen from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Gold at the All Star. An impressive technical performance in the finals!
Dave from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Bronze in the open at the All Star. His brown belt debut matches were great! Keeps improving from match to match.Drahomir from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Silver at the All Star. Another most improved!Zack from EDH Jiu Jitsu takes Gold at the All Star. On a roll from Pan Ams he secures another gold in his division.
El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sends 6 competitors and brings home 3 medals from the IBJJF Pan American Championships. This is one of the largest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament in the world and definitely the largest in the United States of America. From El Dorado Hills, we had 6 competitors train and participate in the event. Here is a list of the competitors and medalists:
Adult Blue belt division: Angel DeSantiago
Master 1 Blue belt division: Zack Smith – GOLD
Master 1 Purple belt division: Garrett Aldrich – BRONZE
Master 5 Purple belt division: Allan Scott – BRONZE
Adult Black belt division: Eliot Kelly
Master 1 Black belt division: Michel Miyashita
This was the first time for El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to bring home a GOLD from the IBJJF Pans event. The team made some great leaps heading into the tournament with the highly anticipated Pans Mini Training Camp as well as the addition of another Black Belt Michel Miyashita visiting from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Congrats to all the competitors and team on a great showing and performance!
We hosted Michel Miyashita for a seminar on Friday at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Professor Michel Miyashita is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, and received his black belt from Marco Barbosa, leader of B9 Jiu-Jitsu Team. Professor Michel is the leader of Bushido Jiu-Jitsu in Sāo Paulo, Brazil.
The seminar included participants from several different schools including, Yemaso BJJ in Sacramento, Synergy BJJ in Rocklin, Ralph Gracie Sacramento, and students of El Dorado Hills Jiu Jitsu. Thank you everyone for your participation! We enjoy being able to share innovative talent and world class instruction to the greater Sacramento area.
The seminar by Michel had two parts, ONE: a series of attacks and finishes starting from the side control position. TWO: several different movement drills with the purpose of educating the body and training muscle memory. An important lesson we should all take from the seminar is the concept of being locked in along with the concept of making adjustments. There were a few gasps from the participants, as Michel shared different transitions into finishing holds. He also allowed everyone to film the different movement drills from the second portion of the seminar. This was quite unusual. It’s the first seminar where someone has allowed anyone to film anything without any hesitation.
Michel has spent about one month in El Dorado Hills in 2015, and has spent another month in El Dorado Hills for 2016. We really enjoy bringing the best of the best instruction to the greater Sacramento area. This is only possible with everyone’s participation. Thank you!
The three day Pans Mini Camp was a great training opportunity while raising awareness for one of our local youth. Thank you everyone for the participation. We will be making a few changes to the next camp we hold in anticipation of the IBJJF World Championships in June!
During session 1, 3, and 5 we had a three hour training session with a timer going off every three minutes. The athletes chose the number of rounds to train or roll and the number of rounds to take off and rest. Session 2 and 4 took place in the evening and focused on individual drilling and a few situational training sessions. Overall, the training camp was an opportunity for 13 hours of Jiu Jitsu training. For many that is about one month of training. This camp was an opportunity for many to get an extra month of training in just one weekend. The participants got a great opportunity to focus on their best techniques and power positions in anticipation of the IBJJF PANS 2016.
The mini camp was the first time ever in the greater Sacramento area. We had a great turn out with jiu jitsu athletes from Yemaso BJJ, Rice Brothers, Infinite BJJ in Rocklin, Cassio Werneck BJJ, Bruddas BJJ, Ralph Gracie Sacramento, Beda BJJ in Folsom, Ares BJJ in Roseville, Bushido BJJ in Sāo Paulo, and El Dorado Hills BJJ. Thank you everyone for your participation and we look forward to seeing you at our next camp in anticipation of the World Jiu Jitsu Championship!
Here are a list of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts in attendance:
- Tanner Rice
- Gustavo Enriquez
- Marc Kriegsman
- Michel Miyashita
- Eliot Kelly
- Bill Vella
- Todd Jones
Spring is a time of change. El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will be hosting the 2016 Spring Belt Promotions on Tuesday, March 1st.
Belt promotions are done differently at each school, in EDH we celebrate the occasion by saying a few things about each student when they change belts. Many students overcome many different obstacles and triumphs to earn their belt and the ceremony is an appropriate occasion to share each story.
Along with a new belt comes new challenges. These challenges can only be overcome with the training of a team of people that are willing to help one another. As people change their belts, it’s great to see their friends, training partners, and family who were there with them supporting their training. We hope to see everyone on Tuesday night in their best gi!
El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu had three competitors participate in the SJJIF (Sport Jiu Jitsu International Federation) World Championships at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA. This event was the pinnacle event for the SJJIF, where it crowned the World Champion for 2015! The World Championships featured competitors from all over the world including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, European countries, Japan and other Asian countries. Zack, Sean and Eliot put together an excellent performance to finish up the year.
Sean Gonsolin wins Silver at the SJJIF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Zack won his first round and lost to the eventual champion in the second round of the World Championships. He wasn’t satisfied with the results, but is motivated even more to come back a better competitor.
Sean had a mean streak, finishing his opponent in the semi final with a bicep slicer submission. In the finals he matched up with a rival competitor who trains out of Las Vegas. They had an impressive back and forth match with Sean falling short of the victory in the last few seconds of the match.
Eliot had a perfect tournament finishing his opponent in the finals with a knee bar to become the 2015 SJJIF World Champion. “This was a really exciting tournament getting ready. Sean was really optimistic even when we were in the most grueling phase of our training, and that kept things fun.”
Congratulations to the EDH Jiu Jitsu grapplers for bringing home some World Medals!
