jiu jitsu
Ricardo Liborio, BJJ/Grappling Legend On A Mission To Help Blind Kids
Today, I just came across a story that I found to be very inspirational, to say the least.
If you follow martial arts, especially MMA (mixed martial arts), you are no stranger to BJJ (Brazilian or Gracie Jiu Jitsu).
Considered Grandmaster Carlson Gracie’s best student, Ricardo Liborio has proven to the grappling world to be an absolute BJJ legend.
Among numerous titles and accomplishments in competition, Ricardo was also the first BJJ heavyweight world champion.
After moving from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to the United States, Ricardo joined forces with Dan Lambert, Marcelo and Conan Silveiro to form the ATT (American Top Team) in Florida and their fighters have been leaving their mark in both the MMA and grappling arena.
Now that might be impressive and all, but what I really think is cool is the following:
Inspired by his 4-year-old daughter, Bella’s blindness, Ricardo Liborio is holding a summer martial arts camp for blind kids in Coconut Creek in Broward County, Florida.
Ricardo and his team of instructors are teaching 15 kids from the age of 6 to 12. Some kids were born blind, others unfortunately lost their sight later on, like Bella Liborio due a genetic disorder.
Guys, we all have our challenges learning new martial arts moves, maybe even old ones. How about learning new moves you can’t see, because …..you can’t see?
The kids at the summer camp, which is organized by the non-profit organization Lighthouse, have to rely on touch and commands they hear from their instructor.
And because they can’t see the position, their instructor will place them in the position and simply explain how the move actually works.
Once they feel how the move works, they can imitate it and with their instructor’s aid, they can try doing the movement by themselves.
A number of Ricardo Liborio’s blind students have continued their training to win national grappling championships and to actually become instructors themselves.
But what seems to be at least as important to Master Ricardo Liborio is the difference he is making by helping the kids live happy and fulfilled lives.
A Very Unusual Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Really Hope Thiago Alves …. - 26 Year Old Brazilian MMA Fighter And Superb UFC-Welterweight FacingThe Biggest Challenge Of His Life.
Do You Punch Like A 7 Year Old? I wish I could punch like this kid. Find out what I mean.
Inglourious Basterds And Infamous Choke On The Ground Got Me Thinking About A way Out.
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen Who Stars Again As Wing Chun Legend, Ip Man
The Kid From Beaufort Who Became Heavyweight Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist And World Champion And I Had No Idea Until Last Week.
Erin Go Bragh! And Don’t Forget The Shamrocks! Ireland Forever And Boy, Did I Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day In Savannah.
I would apppreciate your feedback to any of my previous posts and even topics that I haven’t touched on yet.
Talk soon.
Martial Artist Wesley Snipes Co-Starring In “Brooklyn’s Finest”
Thought you might appreciate to know that we will be able to see fellow martial artist Wesley Snipes in a new movie to be released early March 2010.
The title is “Brooklyn’s Finest” and besides Wesley Snipes, stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke.
And here’s the storyline:
Burned out veteran Eddie Dugan is just one week away from his pension and a fishing cabin in Connecticut.
Narcotics officer Sal Procida has discovered there’s no line he won’t cross to provide a better life for his long-suffering wife and seven children.
And Clarence “Tango” Butler has been undercover so long his loyalties have started to shift from his fellow police officers to his prison buddy Caz, one of Brooklyn’s most infamous drug dealers, played by Wesley Snipes.
With personal and work pressures bearing down on them, each man faces daily tests of judgment and honor in one of the world’s most difficult jobs. When NYPD’s Operation Clean Up targets the notoriously drug-ridden BK housing project, all three officers find themselves swept away by the violence and corruption of Brooklyn’s gritty 65th Precinct and its most treacherous criminals.
During seven fateful days, Eddie, Sal and Tango find themselves hurtling inextricably toward the same fatal crime scene and a shattering collision with destiny. ~ Baseline StudioSystems
The stunts should be pretty impressive, considering that John Cenatiempo was the stunt coordinator. He has done a lot of great work in movies and TV shows such as Body of Lies, Life on Mars, The Wrestler, I Am Legend – just to name a very few.
But back to Wesley Snipes, whom we could consider a mixed martial artist, because he trains or has trained extensively in Shotokan karate, Capoeira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of kung fu and Jiu Jitsu.
It’s been some time that he was able to put his acting and martial arts skills on display. The wait is over!
I am looking forward to seeing Wesley Snipes in Brooklyn’s Finest. This should be a good one.
Wow! Another Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Thank you so much for following me here at TheMartialArtsReporter.com
If you’re interested in a specific topic relating to martial arts that we haven’t covered yet or if you’re keen on reading more about something we have talked about here, please feel free to let me know. I welcome your comments. Thanks.
So here it is: Another Week In Review At The MartialArtsReporter.com
Almost 70 years ago, James Cagney, First Martial Artist To Star In A Movie
And it all started in 1946: Robert Trias, Founder Of The First U.S. Karate School
I really mean it: Every Month Should Be Women’s Self-Defense Awareness Month
Reporting from Beverly Hills: Emil Farkas, “Sensei To The Stars” And A Lot More
Just kidding: “Is UFC’s Dana White Rooting For Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell Or Tito “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz? “
And to end the week on a thoughtful note: The Five Virtues Of The Fighting Arts
Have a great Sunday!
Talk to you tomorrow.
Another Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Here’s your week in review at TheMartialArtsReporter.com and two great quotes, just because it’s that season again!
Gegard Mousasi, MMA Fighter With A 27-2-1 Record And Only 24 Years Old
From Leiden,The Netherlands, referred to by many as “Europe’s Best-Kept Secret”.
Is Yildiz Aras The World’s Best Female Karate Kumite Competitor?
From Istanbul, Turkey, meet the “Strong Girl”.
New Zealand’s Maori Haka Get Warriors For Battle
From ‘Lord of the Rings’ country comes a ritual that will get any opponent’s attention.
Bruce Lee And Albrecht Pflueger. Albrecht Who?
Find out who this karate pioneer is and what role he played in my life.
Yoga And Martial Artists
If it helps Rickson Gracie in his workout regimen, could you possibly benefit from yoga?
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu – Behind The Scenes In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Rio is more than just the ‘Girl from Ipanema’.
And here are the two quotes as promised. I hope you like them.
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
Lord Byron
But wait, there’s more!
“Nurture your mind with great thought, for you will never go any higher than you think.” Benjamin Disraeli
Thanks again for following me at TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Bruce Lee And Albrecht Pflueger. Albrecht Who?
With today’s post I’m really going to sound like an oldtimer.
But what has to be said, has to be said.
Albrecht Pflueger is probably THE karate master/sensei who (besides Bruce Lee, of course!) inspired me to start taking Shotokan karate classes in the first.
And like Bruce Lee, I have never met Sensei Albrecht Pflueger (yet).
It’s funny actually, because way back during the mid 70s while living in Germany, I stumbled across a paperback on “Karate – Jiu Jitsu -Judo /Modern Self-Defense” at a local department store. I thought it was pretty cool, never having looked at martial arts before.
I was more into soccer football and trying to date girls. Ha ha.
But I digress, sorry.
Anyway, I really had to scrape the money together to get me this book. Yeah, I know 2-3 bucks in those days was more than today.
Several days later on a Saturday I had the dough and off I went to the store that carried the book.
If you’re not that familiar with store hours in Germany in those days, stores normally closed at 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
I was running late that day, but I somehow made it just in time before they closed for the weekend to become the proud owner of mentioned paperback.
Whatever happened to that book anyway? Hmm, probably got lost in all the moving throughout the years.
To me that little paperback by Albrecht Pflueger made all the difference.
Albrecht Pflüger is in my humble opinion together with Juergen Seydel THE karate pioneer in Germany. Remember Juergen Seydel introduced karate to Elvis Presley while stationed on Germany in the late 50s.
Many consider Albrecht Pflueger also one of the first karatekas in Europe.
In 1957 Sensei Pflueger began studying Jiu Jitsu under Ago Glucker in Stuttgart.
He then switched over to Judo and in 1962 he attained 1st Kyu.
As a 23-year-old karate brown belt, he founded a martial arts club near Stuttgart and shortly thereafter in 1965 he became a 1st Dan black belt, certified by JKA-instructors Kase, Kanazawa, Enoeda and Shirai.
Sensei Pflueger has ever since been writing books, promoting karate in Germany in a number of functions in the karate associations as well as teaching at his local club (Karate TSG Leonberg) and countrywide seminars.
And after all these years come to think of it, Sensei Pflueger is actually a mixed martial artist in the true sense:
7th Dan Shotokan-Karate, 2th Dan Jiu Jitsu, 1st Dan Aikido as well as 1st Kyu Jūdō.
And there you have it: Albrecht Pflueger (along with Bruce Lee), the guy who ignited my interest and passion for martial arts.
Kids And Martial Arts Such As Judo?
Would you agree that training in just about any martial art in a safe environment with a qualified instructor can influence a child’s development in many positive ways that can benefit them for the rest of their lives?
In general, martial arts training helps kids focus on avoiding conflict by self-discipline and self-control. They usually improve their self-esteem and self-confidence in a very positive manner.
Most martial arts styles use belts to distinguish rank. Their colors can go in different orders, but most styles begin with the white belt and usually go to a master’s black belt. Usually different degrees of black follow thereafter.
The belt system gives kids (heck, even many adults!) a sense of order and personal achievement.
One specific style that I believe may have a number of benefits for kids is Judo.
Judo means “gentle way” in Japanese. Judo was developed and introduced by the Japanese educator Dr. Jigoro Kano in the late 1800′s.
Judo became an Olympic sport in 1964 during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Judo is a softer form of Jujitsu. It is said to place much emphasis on moral and mental development.
A judo practictioner, aka judoka, first learns “ukemi”, the art of falling properly to avoid injury. That in itself is great for kids.
Children can start to learn judo as early as five years old. It is considered by many one of the safest styles for children.
Judo consists of throws and holddowns on the mat.
When kids reach the age of 13, they are taught chokes. By the age of 17, they learn how to apply arm locks.
The big difference to let’s say karate is that sport judo does not teach you kicks or strikes.
While practicing judo, children learn to work with a partner that has also proven to have a very positive social impact on children.
Judo has often been referred to as the best martial art for kids to start with and let’s be honest, horsing around in an organized way can be a good thing, right?
Escape From The Standing “Rear Naked Choke”
Alright then, so yesterday we got ourselves into a creepy position, aka The “Rear Naked Choke”.
We want to escape from this standing “rear naked choke” as fast as possible.
All kinds of schools and styles promote their preferred ways.
Today I would like to introduce one escape that’s pretty self-explanatory.
If you come across others that are practical, let me know.
As always, be cautious with this and all other self-defense techniques. Professional supervision is highly recommended.
The Greatly Feared And Highly Effective “Rear Naked Choke”
Greatly feared and highly effective, the “Rear Naked Choke” is the chokehold you do not want to be in.
Your opponent’s got you from behind and that is just not a good thing.
It’s never a good thing not being able to see what’s going on, right?!
The term “Rear Naked Choke” most likely originated from Jujutsu and Judo, in which it is also better known as the “Hadaka Jime”, or “Naked Strangle.”
Why “naked”? Well, first of all it has nothing to do with “clothing optional”. Just kidding.
Rather, unlike with some other Jujustu and Judo choking techniques, you do not have to employ a “gi” or training uniform.
When it comes to the “Rear Naked Choke”, the attacker’s arm encircles the opponent’s neck and then grabs his own biceps of the other arm and the hand of said arm presses against the back of the opponent’s head.
There you have it: The “Rear Naked Choke (Sleeper Hold)”.
To make it all more comprehensible I have added the following visuals.
Warning: Kids, do not try this at home or anywhere else without professional supervision!
Here is 2-time World Submission Grappling Champion, Dean Lister:
And, 9-time UFC Champion, Matt “Country Boy” Hughes:
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