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From the patched pyjamas, to homo-erotic spatz and rash guards, the uncontested or rather acceptance of exchanging bodily fluids with total strangers, inevitable addiction to ibuprofen, and no complete understanding of what you are doing at all, sums up the steep learning curve of the first 6-12 months of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

A martial art or modern form of flagellation which has no part timers.

This is a game for keeps. We play until we break, physically and mentally, literally and figuratively.

Once hooked it’s more difficult a habit to break than heroin. That’s according to Anthony Bourdain anyway,

“Friend: What’s BJJ like? Me: It’s like Fight Club but you talk about it all the time.”

The full breakdown of her journey can be found in the Guardian article below.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/22/brazilian-jiu-jitsu-a-soul-destroying-ego-clipping-sport-thats-sunk-deep-into-my-veins

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En route to a competition in Borneo some time ago I stopped by in neighbouring Kuching along the way and happened upon a little gym with a large prescience.

Both the students and instructor impressed me with both skill and courtesy, something both necessary in the skilful savagery of the art we so rapidly pursue and enjoy.

Sadly my journal and photos of the time were lost to a digital disaster some time ago and all i have are the fleeting memories of a time well spent and the impression of Q23 in Kuching. Must have been some time as i don’t believe it exists as was so maybe someone can correct me.

Regardless I stumbled upon a post by the then brown belt instructor Ivan, now Black belt and much more.

I came across a recent Facebook update and thought these developments might be of interest to our readership in Kuching and anywhere in our digital domains.

Performance Coaching with Coach Ivan

There is something I have been doing in the shadows for years , it is now time for me to step into the light!

Do you struggle with:
Communication issues
Finding your footing as a leader
Gaining clarity about your next move
Limiting beliefs that are holding you back

If the answer is yes, then I believe I can be of help. For over a decade now, I have worked with CEOs , heads of NGOs, athletes and folks from all walks of life in helping them overcome challenges that are holding them back from fulfilling their true potential.

As a certified coach I have undergone rigorous training and developed a set of skills that I can use to help you achieve clarity on what you really want, craft a strategy to achieve it and provide accountability to ensure that you really get there.

I am not a guru or some mystical wiseman.

I am your thinking partner and your blindspot mirror.

Through simple yet powerful questions we draw out the stories that are running you currently and see if they need an upgrade.

If this sounds like something that could be of value to you, send me private message and we set up a discovery call to see if I can be of help. Looking forward to hearing for you!

Thankfully the gram has a record of the encounter, a mere 241 weeks ago.

Tempus fugit indeed.

The story of the subsequent competition did survive though whether it should have is another issue entirely.

Copa de Borneo 2018

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Photos by Luca Andreucci  @lunivers.athletics

Having sat on the board of a London and Berlin-based international organization I was privy to perspective from the likes of the sharpest minds – diplomats, political advisers, CEOs, foremost educational experts and finance gurus fundraising for a noble cause.

I marvelled at how they analysed problems, came up with solutions and then implemented them for positive change. 

From that board, I once had an American-Chinese wealth manager tell me he had no deep philosophical background for his choices, but rather simply used his own experience and instinct to make decisions.

“I know what works for me, I know what has worked before, and I listen to that and work from there.”

Some of the most stoic advice I have ever received, and he swore he hadn’t read any of those books for CEOs.

Another was a Scandinavian former McKinsey Exec-turned-independent consultant, whose advice was to always,

“bring strategy to your thinking, and educate yourself to be prepared for a career 20 years down the road that may not exist today.” 

Learning from Gui Mendes in 2022 in Paris, having met him for the first time more than a decade ago in Rio Claro, Brazil, I am reminded of that same kind of keenly determined, perspicacious, down-to-earth savvy.  

Born and raised in a small town a few hours out of São Paulo city.

He is half of the Mendes Bros. brand, which he shares with his also highly-decorated brother Rafael. Now based in Costa Mesa, California (thanks to PM Tenore of RVCA), the prodigy of Ramon Lemos and Andre Galvão’s ATOS family fame is a full-grown father to three and an academy with legendary status worldwide. It’s almost like a pilgrimage to Mecca for Jiu-jitsu practitioners.

I had made that pilgrimage to Rio Claro through serendipity, thanks to the foresight of Filipino BJJ coaches whose vision reached as far as seeing the incredible potential these two brothers had as early as purple belt in 2007. Despite the visit being a short 5 days in 2009, the experience inspired me deeply.  

Here are some of his answers to questions that students posed after his recent seminar last February at Le Cercle Tissier, the foremost European Martial arts academy located in Vincennes, Paris. Coming fresh off the Roman European Open win of Tainan Dalpra, his student of 8 years, Professor, or Mestre Gui (as he is affectionately called by Brazilian-born, US-based Dalpra) shares some of what makes them so successful at what they do.  

What do you do after a competition? How do you as a coach and former competitor view what has just happened and how do you spend your time? 

“Everything continues as it was, we don’t do training camps. We keep doing and living as we did before, and this will keep going no matter what happens. The championship is a test, not a goal.

Our goal is much larger than that…Tainan’s goal is not to be the European champion. If he wins it, it’s proof that he is on the right path, and that he should continue. It’s a chance to find out if you have prepared well and when you succeed you know you are doing things right.  

Dalpra showing passes for De La Riva guard

“Be realistic. You set your goals, work towards them, knowing what is possible in your situation, in your environment…I started at 11 years old, so I knew I had the time to make a career in JiuJitsu. Sometimes people get frustrated because they set goals so high and when they don’t achieve them, they give up.” 

How do you get the kids to be so disciplined?

I think it is the ethos of the academy, the culture of the school. When they come there they see how we do things and they understand, they respect and follow that.

The teachers you see here (gesturing to three young champions all clearly under 20 teaching with him) have all come up through the children’s program at AOJ. They stay because they see what stages of development can come if they continue.

It’s very different from an academy where your teacher is only there twice a week and that’s it.

With us, they can imagine what progress they can make because they have examples and a clear path to follow. It keeps them motivated and helps them stay on track. They have examples and role models of what is possible if they keep training.

Some people make the mistake of staying in a [school] then reaching a very high level like black belt only to realize they don’t agree with the school’s philosophy, then decide to move. When they do and they join a new group, they have a hard time to integrate, because they already have a way of doing things.

I experienced this within the first five years of our academy, and that’s why I understood I had to start from the beginning. So we developed our program with this in mind.

Growth mindset, long game, and grassroots development – these sound like how Leo Messi was reared in Barça’s camps once upon a lifetime ago.

Outliers creating a new standard. 

L-R Thibault Olivier (Le Cercle Tissier), Gui Mendes (AOJ)

 He recognizes the dedication, consistency, and strategic patience necessary to achieve victory – what is often called the “long game”.

He is also known for his passing technique characterized by a long-step, where you create space in a counter-intuitive direction, in order to come back and dominate more closely in a kind of crouched side mount.

A kind of perspective so deeply entrenched in one’s practice that most people would never have the stamina to implement, nor long term vision and dedication, to execute.  

Showing the finer details of his famed “long step” pass

It’s the kind of grit his own Mestre Ramon Lemos is known for (now current head coach of the Abu Dhabi national team), who once confessed to me his greatest fear on his journey was living forever in a small apartment with only a cooler for a fridge, wondering if he was going to die that way.

It’s wonderfully satisfying to see him skiing with his family and doing Insta live from the slopes, on other days beaming hundreds of aficionados in a world-class facility working to become professional athletes of the sport today.

Far removed from the humble dojo I shook his hand in for the first time, where former blue belts would mop the floor and toilets in exchange for fees they couldn’t afford, all of them now enjoying full-time careers worldwide.  

Emphasizing the low center of gravity and mobility needed

We reminisced over old photos and videos of him demonstrating a technique first in Portuguese, then translating it to English – since his goal was to get out of Brazil. He knew then that a foreign language would be part of his passport. At the time, he traded me a Dragão kimono covered in time-worn patches for those lessons.  

L-R Ronaldo Candido, Leandro Brassoloto, Author, Gui Mendes, Denilson Bischiliari
Rio Claro, 2009

Focus, humility, hard work, vision, and conviction. The master and his disciples’ now visceral and continued success is a natural consequence of their ability to implement habits and mindsets that go way beyond the average, a kind of paradigm shift where a problem is only solved by becoming greater than the situation which created it.  

L-R Guilherme Mendes, author, Tainan Dalpra Paris, 2022

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Author of this article

Jehan

Jehan is a former hedge fund trader that caught the jits bug whilst structuring capital investments for offshore gas exploration in Brazil.
The deals failed but he was seduced by the gentle art and has pursued it ever since.
He travels the world, trades, and trains as much as his Masters 2 physiology will allow him.

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Author of this article

Jehan

Jehan is a former hedge fund trader that caught the jits bug whilst structuring capital investments for offshore gas exploration in Brazil. The deals failed but he was seduced by the gentle art and has pursued it ever since. He travels the world, trades, and trains as much as his Masters 2 physiology will allow him.

• Follow
• Follow
• Follow

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Javier – I first came to Thailand after my first fire season as a Hotshot firefighter in the fall of 2012 with my coach and long time mentor Glen Cordoza who had been coming to Thailand for 5+ years training Muay Thai. As a wrestler in highschool who moved over to BJJ I wanted to improve on my striking skill set and coming to Thailand would be a great chance to travel and learn the art of Muay Thai.

During that trip I fell in love with the country and its people and so after the fire season ended and all  my co workers were buying cars and houses I saved to come back to Thailand to train.

I mainly trained in Bangkok and was offered a job teaching No Gi Jiu Jitsu and MMA at my old Muay Thai gym called Fighting Spirit . So for the following years I would fight fires in the summer,  train in the fall and winter in Bangkok and not having to pay gym fees anymore was a sweet gig to me.

In 2015 when I was training at Bangkok Fightlab and heard they had a MMA team but i was still teaching at FSG. The crew from the Full Metal Dojo promotion came to the gym Fighting Spirit asking if anyone was interested in fighting on their upcoming show. The manager at FSG said “I think Javi will do it”.

I asked what the rule setting was they said “Universal rules i.e. 12 to 6 elbows are allowed, knees to the head of a grounded opponent allowed, stomps to the body but not the face and every hardcore MMA fans favorite technique … soccer kicks to the head are allowed!! We are REALER THAN REAL CAN GET!”

Now me being a martial artist and a bit of an adrediline junkie I was down for this I saw this as an opportunity to test my skill set as I always wondered what would happen if me and another trained man would fight in rule set that was close to vale tudo style. It was always a dream to fight just like the Gracies did in Brazil. My style is aggressive and violent and I think that I just clicked with the MMA fans here a Thailand. I racked up 3 first round submission victories and a viral video KO. Now I will be making my 7th apperance in the Full Metal Dojo Bangkoxploitation cage this November 30^th.

BJJ ASIA – What are your connections to 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu and your plans to open an affiliate here? Under which black belt are you?

Javier – My Involvement with 10^th Planet came through one of my mentors who I previously mentioned before Glen Cordoza. I admired Glen and hung on his every word. He is New York Times best selling author, did all the photograpghy and writing for martial arts instruction books such as Marcelo Garcia, Fedor Emelianenko, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva and Eddie Bravo.

He had the highest fight IQ and understanding of MMA than of anyone I knew and in a conversation we had back in 2012 he told me “ If you favor being a grappler in MMA you will have to study the 10^th Planet system as it will give you the techniques needed to be competitive in modern MMA  cause you want to have a successful fight career right?” He was right during my amateur MMA career I relyied on my wrestling because pulling closed guard and having your back to the mat seemed crazy to me.

In the early UFC’s the strategy  made sense because nobody knew what Jiu Jisu was but once you understood basic closed guard defense a wrestler with good pressure and balance can grind down the BJJ fighter with some ground and pound very easly but Master Eddie Bravo saw this and developed a modern jiu jitsu system that can nullfy a good wrestler and not take damage on bottom. The system made sense to me so I became a 10th Planet ronin and to sum up the school in one phrase “You evolve or you die”.

I favor any system that promotes adapting with the times as what to used to work today may not work tomorrow. You have to keep growing and keep inovationg in the world of modern martial arts. I wouldn’t say I’m under any blackbelt in particular but I studied under Marvin Castelle as I believe his leglock system and method of teaching in training clicked with me when I went to 10^th Planet HQ in LA to train for a month.

I would say my style is influenced by Nathan Orchard and Geo Martinez combined with Marvin’s leg lock system which makes for a deadly Jiu Jitsu game. Maybe in the future I will open an affiliate branch here in Thailand as for a date and location still undecided at the moment.

BJJ ASIA -What are your thoughts in training with the gi vs nogi. Do you see any practical use or application for the gi in the modern world?

Javier – I still train in the Gi and just received my brown belt last week. I believe in the concept of “Universal Jiu Jitsu” meaning that my Gi, No Gi, MMA and self defense that my style and techniques can be applied into all situations and rule sets. I don’t want holes in my ground game because of relying on certain gi lapel grips I just don’t think things like spider guard or berimbolo are applicable outside of sports Jiu Jitsu.

I just keep my game simple I rely on controling the body rather than the gi. I tell my students you can apply your no gi game to Gi but you cant use your gi game in no gi. With a few minor adjustment in grip fighting, a no gi guy can hang with gi competiors in my opinion.

“To me no gi will always be my favorite to put it simply sometimes gi jiu jitsu is like having sex with a condom on, its not as fun and it takes a lot longer to finish.“

BJJ ASIA -What are your thoughts on Bangkok vs Phuket vs Chiang Mai as  a fighters training destination. 

Javier – It depends on what your looking to do there as are well established gyms everywhere now. Bangkok is great if you like to do things outside training, always something going on and got great guys coming through but usually for a short time because Bangkok is a quick stop before heading to the bigger gyms down in Phuket and Chiang Mai.

I will say this about Bangkok that in my time coming here the BJJ scene is great there are so many schools now with quality instructors such as Bangkok Fight Lab, Arete BJJ, Bigfoot BJJ, Q23 and a guy coming here has lots of options to choose. MMA wise, Phuket is the mecca of training with Tiger and Top Team and a dozen other spots up and down that road it’s a hub of martial arts but for me personally I like training in Chiang Mai.

At places like Team Quest that I’m currently training at and I think it has some of the best muay thai in Thailand when it comes to instructors like at the first gym I ever trained at, Santai Muay Thai to name one. Im not a fan of the beach long term and being a wildland fire fighter I feel at peace when I’m surround by mountains and knowing that Im only 20 minutes away from hiking around in nature which is what keeps me there.

BJJ ASIA – Possibly the most important question on this list.  Asian girls or American girls? And why?

Javier – Asian girls win for sure as most of the girls I’ve met here speak two or more languages, highly educated and treat you like man. As where most American, not saying all but most have been ruined by modern feminism. They just demand to much from you and expect you to be the man and do all the things a woman should do, sadly most modern American women cant even boil an egg and I feel they don’t treat men right. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze to me but that’s just my opinion.

BJJ ASIA -Sticking with the theme. Do you refrain from sex before an MMA fight? Is there any credibility to this theory?

Javier – No if the opportunity is there Ill take it. Mike Tyson said he would have sex the night before he smashed some poor cunt and if it works for Tyson than that’s good enough for me. “I want to be like Mike”.

BJJ ASIA -What are your thoughts on PED use in MMA or BJJ? Depending on your answer, is the any compound you would recommend for either sport. Maybe something you overheard somewhere or read on a forum.

Javier – We are involved in a sport where people are hyper competive and individuals will use and find any way to get the edge on the competition. I’m not advocating the use of PED’s but if this is the route you choose know that people are using them and even with strict testing and rules guys will always find ways to use and get away with it. Just know that PED’s if you like it or not are in these sports. They don’t guarantee they will make you a better fighter or BJJ player. You still have to put in the long hours of training and countless reps and drilling and there is no way around it. I say go ahead take whatever you want. You will still suck and I’ll still beat you cause I logged in the hours and the hard work and in the end that’s what really matters. As for a compound? I heard that good Acai will get you jacked hahaha.

BJJ ASIA – As regular cannabis user I personally don’t see any effects in the CBD products going around. Just give me good old fashioned bud and some rizla. What are your thoughts on CBD? Any brands you would recommend?

Javier – Same here being a 10th Planet guy, cannabis and BJJ are like peanut butter and jelly. They go hand in hand, allows you to stay calm and get into a flow state of training and just makes it like playing the ultimate video game. CBD I’ve been experimenting with the last two years using oral drops and vape pens. I found that my stress level decreases the same as the use of cannabis but without the paranioa effect sometimes you can get from THC but I feel the advantage to the use of CBD for myself is helping out with my quality of sleep.

I used to have bad bouts of insominia and couldn’t sleep and to be honest good quality REM sleep is the best PED anyone can be taking. I figured out the insomnia comes from elevated levels of cortisal and adrenaline you get in your system after training. Naturally your cortisol and adrenaline are at its highest when you wake up to keep you alert because back in the day our ancestors needed this so you can survive being attacked by tigers and give you energy to hunt for food and as the day winds down your levels drop making you go to sleep.

If you practice Jiu Jitsu in the evening these levels are raised even though conciouslly we know we are just practicing and drilling and rolling our bodies think we are in a fight to the death and elevate cortisol in your body. This leads to sleepless night of tossing and turning. The benifet of CBD is that it drops cortisol in the body and this combined with a zinc and magnesium will lull you into a good night of sleep. Personally I use a UK brand called Cana CBD, they are also a sponsor of mine.

There a lot of fake CBD products on the market but I know personally the Canna CBD owners take pride in providing a quality product I use both there vape juice and oral drops you can use this referral link https://www.cannacbd.com/?ref=55 if you’re interested in buying CBD and part of your purchase goes to me which I use to help support my training and fight camps.

BJJ ASIA – What are your ambitions going forward? Regarding MMA and BJJ, as both a competitor and as a coach.

Javier – My overall goal in MMA and BJJ is self-mastery. I’ll achieve this by training and competing as often as I can during that process. I plan to achieve getting my Black Belt both in Gi and the 10^th Planet System. MMA wise to become a champion in a major organization but more than that I just want to continue to travel the world and fights its people. Take a similar path as one of my heros in Jiu Jitsu  Mitsuyo Maeda.

One day in the future I know I will put on my gear for MMA training and start training and half way through the session I will say “You know… I don’t want to do this anymore Im tired of being hit ,I’m tired of being in pain and dealing with injuires.” On that day I’ll retire from MMA and focus on instructing in Jiu Jitsu and helping out the next generation of guys that want to fight and compete. I just hope like my mentors before me I can help these guys achieve mastery of themselves and express themsleves through the art Jiu Jitsu and MMA but until that I’m gonna keep fighting and competing.

BJJ ASIA – Thanks for your time Javier. We wish you all the best in life, the cage and on the mats.

You can follow Javier with the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/javier.trujillo.39

https://www.instagram.com/javitrujillo.mma/

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The co-main event saw Sagnick Gupta of Indian Top Team MMA take on Ishtiak Ahmed Chowdhury of Invictus BJJ and MMA (Bangladesh). The main event had Ryan Davis from the Northwest Jiu-Jitsu Academy based in Seattle, USA going up against Siddharth Singh from Crosstrain Fight Club, India.

The group matches followed the league format with the athlete getting the most number of wins taking the gold, and the silver awarded to the runner-up. The results under the different weight categories are as follows:

Below 50 kg: Sandipan Roy (North 24 Parganas Judo Association) – Gold, and Rohit Mitra (North 24 Parganas Judo Association) – Silver.

Below 55 kg: Prem Prakash Pal (Kratoz Combat Academy) – Gold, and Harish P. Tiwadi (Dragons MMA Gym) – Silver.

Below 60 kg: Biswajit Das (North 24 Parganas Judo Association) – Gold, and Koushik Mondal (Next Level MMA) – Silver.

Below 65 kg: Aditya Saha (BJJ Ronins) – Gold, and Pratik Suryavanshi (Dragons MMA Gym) – Silver.

Below 70 kg: Kabir Sarkar (BJJ Ronins) – Gold, and Rahbar Ali (North 24 Parganas Judo Association) – Silver.

Below 75 kg: Rachit Tyagi (Crosstrain Fight Club) – Gold, and Debayan Sinha (BJJ Ronins) – Silver.

Co-Main Event: Sagnick Gupta (Indian Top Team MMA, India) – Gold, and Ishtiak Ahmed (Invictus BJJ & MMA Gym, Bangladesh) – Silver.

Main Event: (Super Fight): Ryan Davis (Northwest Jiu-Jitsu Academy, USA) vs. Siddharth Singh (Crosstrain Fight Club, India) – Draw

Famed Indian wrestler Virender Singh attended the event as the brand ambassador. Virender Singh is an Indian freestyle wrestler from Haryana and is regarded as one of India’s most accomplished deaf athletes. He has won three Deaflympics gold medals and a bronze medal. He received the Arjuna award in 2016 for his stellar contribution to Indian sports. Also, for the very first time in India, the promotion organized a mixed-gender bout. Though the bout ended in a draw, the contestants, Prem Prakash Pal from Kratoz Combat Academy, and Sankalita Chakraborty from BJJ Ronins delivered a solid all-round performance.

Chief Convener and Founder of GRIND, Shiba Pradhan said – “GRIND 3 has been an upgrade from our previous two events. We have had significant media coverage this time. The co-main and main event was exceptional. Watching the veteran athletes fight it out has been an enriching experience for our athletes. Virender Singh was very appreciative of the fact that we wanted him as the brand ambassador. His presence was a source of inspiration and empowerment for the competing athletes. We have plans to include more international teams and super fights next year. We are also planning to hold try-outs across the country and invite elite athletes.”

CEO and Co-Founder of GRIND, Subhoroop Ghosh said – “GRIND 3 has been an exciting event. We had some of the best athletes from the country competing in the tournament; hence, the level of competition has got even better. The super-fight was astounding. We saw two skilled athletes battling it out on the mats, and it proved to be a learning experience for the competitors. The inclusion of Arjuna Awardee Virender Singh as the brand ambassador has been a blessing for us. We aim to involve him in seminars and workshops in the coming days so that athletes can improve their skills. We wish to gear up and get ready for a GRIND – World Championship soon. To realize this we need support from all combat gyms across the country and abroad.”

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