Most important people to your BJJ?

[Rob T]

I posted this on the EFN forum, it's worth putting on here as well I reckon...

Which 5 people have most influenced the BJJ you use? (EDIT: should be grappling as many on here don't do BJJ... can't change the post title now though :( )

I assume a lot of people will have their main instructor as the obvious no.1 (although, I could understand it may not be so clear at clubs with numerous top level instructors; Carlsons, RGA etc...), but who are the others?

It will also be really interesting to hear this from the more experienced guys on here, who have trained with many more top guys than I have.

Mine;

1. Chris Rees (obvious) - he has taught me the vast majority of what I know and use. I do think some people in the club don't realise this because he has a pretty different game to me.

2. Braulio (again, obvious) - first off, this is where a lot of what Chris has shown me has come from. For actual techniques being taught, there isn't loads I use... but, from rolling with him and watching him roll with others I have picked up so much small detail it's crazy. Just little things which I then tried out and realised it made positions/control so much tighter.

3. Italo Ferreira - he has shown me some crazy stuff and also loads of minor details which have really helped me. Every time I rolled with him he would go over a few specific things with me at the end... just little points on grips etc, but they made loads of difference.

4. Marcelo Garcia - although I've never trained with him, I have watched his videos A LOT. Got me really working on arm-drags, x-guard and taking and maintaining the back. Can't wait to train with the guy.

5. either Victor Estima or Rob Stevens - I've picked stuff up off both of them during rolling and Rob has also shown me a few details on techniques when I've trained with him. Victor taught me how important is is to keep my elbows in tight to stop getting armbarred... haha. It didn't work at all against him though :D

[Rosi]

Aside from my regular coach, Karl T, it's probably the four people who I roll with most often :D

[Harley]

Levo - The man can work wonders with anyone ( I am proof!)
Ryan Hall - triangle
Marcelo Garcia - armdrag and back mount.

[Duchman]

1 Marcos Flexa
He is the master of my gi game. tight basics, no fancy stuff. also correcting small details. even the most little grip he corrects, always patient. very old school smash game.

2 Leigh Remedios
he has taught me the vast majority of what I know and use in no gi, also a lot of my leglock game. Plus stressing inportance of being a good athlete.

3 Boca Vagner
Added a lot of my new school moves. being in brazil, he always shows me the latest moves. So that i will be aware of it.. Helps me add to my game, instead of change

4 John Danaher
Only trained for a little while in his classes in the usa, and took some privates. his wisdom and approach helped me loads in my look on bjj. Esp quilotines.

5 Daniel Bertina
started me off in bjj, put a lot of time in me back in the days. one of the most loyal people i know.

loads of people i rolled with made me change and tweek alot of moves
only trained with him a little bit.. John kavenhaugh.. shoulder of justice..and the insane pressure.
Marcus Vinicus, insane details on the basics.. everything hurts.
training at quannem.. made me realise i needed to be huddersfield strong.

[MikeyL]

1) Jamie T - Taught me the most, nothing is ever to much trouble. Very patient and explains things well. Only person that will put up with my Bravo nuthugging and drill it with me. Cheers pal.

2) Nathen B - Taught me my first submission moves (which I still get the most taps with). Taught me the need to shout/grunt while applying a submission. Nothing puts fear into people like a Bruce Lee 'WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHH' lol

3) Mark Chen - Constantly fucks me up with no effort then takes the time to explain how he did it.

4) Eddie Bravo - same as everyone I suppose, half guard etc etc

5 Ari Bolden - Many people slag off his site but its helped me in a couple of areas

Cheers guys

[boxingbrit]

training at quannem.. made me realise i needed to be huddersfield strong.

Get chasing sheep:p

[Duchman]

Get chasing sheep:p

To sum up huddersfield from a outsiders view
1 Sheep
2 Huge Hills
3 Lunatics
4 Scary nightclubs

[widge milward]

Nice thread Rob, i dont think i could narrow it down to 5 lol:

1) Danny Rushton - Trained with him the most and the guys natural ability is insane, he only needs to see things once, goes away comes back and will tap people repeatedly in training with it.

2)Chris Milward - spent most of my time on the mats with him, but he improves my game with just little tweaks / advice to techniques i already used. usually in the front room at my mums, "Widge, come look at this, you reckon that would work?"

3) Alan / Debbie Jones - My two former judo coaches giving me a general understanding of grappling

4) Jim Watson - My former wrestling coach. again basics and attention to detail and positioning.

5) - several people who ive picked up little details from watching the roll, speaking to them etc. Levo, JK, Jack Mountford, Lenny West, John Melling etc

[boxingbrit]

Les Allen- Les taught me to grapple. He introduced us to MMA/ grappling and i am back training with him now to improve my movement and all over ground game. He is still the best grappler i have seen or witnessed.

Dave Butlin- Dave is probably the most underrated grappler in the country and taps me easier than anyone else. His knowledge is unbelievable and his application is horrible.

Roberto Atalla- Roberto came to stay with us for 12 month + when he moved over. He trained with Dave daily and i got in as many sessions as i could.

Leigh R- We trained together almost daily for over 12 months. Great principles

John Kavnagh/ Paul McVeigh- both these guys have come to stay at ours and i have stayed with them. They are both quality ground guys and the names they come up with for positions/ techniques really helps memory. Both have added loads to my game.

[Waterboy]

In kinda chronological order...

1) Jason Tan (Next Gen Chris Brennan nogi brownbelt) - ridiculously natural talent for BJJ/grappling. Above all else taught me the importance of being relaxed and using technique and leverage rather than just strength.

2) Paul Rimmer (Next Gen Chris Brennan nogi purple) - BJJ encyclopedia and stickler for the finer points of any technique. Taught me more more tweaks and tricks for making even simple moves work than I could ever remember.

3) Dave Faulkner (Wolfslair chief weirdo) - years ago taught me how to use wrestling as part of groundwork, and some nifty tactics I still use now.

4) Eddie Bravo (10th Planet guru) - only trained with him for a couple of weeks, but with his instructionals and books has definitely affected my game. Don't use the rubber guard as much anymore, but things like the stomp to butterfly from half guard, and the correct way to do an old-school sweep are great for MMA

5) Marcelo Brigadeiro (RFT Rio/Kaobon Luta Livre blackbelt) - only been training with him for a couple of months, but the guy is immense in every area, don't think I've ever felt sooo far removed from being able to tap someone as I do rolling with him. Has already improved my overall gameplan, and taught me more leglocks than I ever knew existed :D .

[K.G.B]

Melvin Manhoef
Anderson Silva]
Andy Souwer
Joeri Mes
and..............................Lol...

[SDR]

1. The Chicken from Family Guy - He really taught me about determination and not quitting when you're behind on points, just keep moving your hips out and try to improve your position.

2. Jake the Snake Roberts - He taught me that innovation is the key and to be a truely good grappler you must come up with your own moves. The DDT was some of his finest work. Not to mention he helped me when trying to squeeze that last extra bit out of my body via supplementation.

3. Chris Benoit - Chris taught me some of the finer details on finishing. His mentality of "cranking" it on really showed me that unless you're really prepared to finish your submissions on your opponents, your game will never be tight enough.

4. Rocco Siffredi - Rocco taught me that the choke part of the game is the most vital. Opponents can have varying flexibilty in different joints and tendons, so cutting off an opponents air/blood supply is the way forward.

5. Zangief from Streetfighter - As one of Fedor Emelianenkos Ancesters, I think he really pioneered the incorporation of takedowns and judo throws into my game. He also taught me one of my "money" moves, 'Spinning Pile Driver' 360 motion on d-pad+p (close to opponent).

[Hywel Teague]

I've only got it to three.

Karl Tanswell, my coach for the last 6 1/2 years.

Matt Thornton, his coach and the guy who pretty much developed the way we train in SBG.

Gunnar Nelson, 21 year old BJJ prodigy - the few months we spent together gave me a totally new outlook on jiu-jitsu.

[Waterboy]

Gunnar Nelson, 21 year old BJJ prodigy - the few months we spent together gave me a totally new outlook on jiu-jitsu.

He's only 21??!!! Shit. I've heard people - who've seen a lot of people - call him the best they've ever seen.

[AVI4]

Gav Boardman: Great coach with amazing ability to break things down so even i can understand them and best grappler ive ever trained with.

Kam Atakuru: Frightening.

Rob Sinclair: Very underrated submission game, taps me when he feels like it.

[piratebrido]

Paul McVeigh made me the man I am today.

[SDR]

He's only 21??!!! Shit. I've heard people - who've seen a lot of people - call him the best they've ever seen.

Travelling the world training Jiu Jitsu and living with Renzo is what I've heard about him.

[Dylan Tanner]

Chris Rees

[TheJuice]

Paul McVeigh made me the man I am today.

via anal rape???

[Hywel Teague]

He's only 21??!!! Shit. I've heard people - who've seen a lot of people - call him the best they've ever seen.


Travelling the world training Jiu Jitsu and living with Renzo is what I've heard about him.

Both are correct. The guy is a legit phenom.

Did you know he beat Macaco in a no-gi match late last year? Macaco didn't even score a point on him, and Gunni only decided to enter the tourney on a whim cos some of the other guys from Renzo's went down.

[piratebrido]

via anal rape???

Paul says rape is such a negative word. He likes us to use the term surprise sex.

[Rob Hannis]

1. Levo, legend. The man has brought my game on more in the last 6 months than the previous few years training have done. Great focus on basics plus the fancy stuff when anyone new is watching. Game plans and coaching really make him/his students a cut above the rest.

2. Ben Poppleton, amazing bjj practitioner and great attitude "Grab his fucking arm and pull". Made my gi chokes what they are today. Wish I had more time to spend with him.

3. Mick Dean, one of my original training partners who's knee on face takes some getting used to.

4. Ryan Hall, ryangle need we say more?

5. Marcelo Garcia, arm drags and chokes with no hooks

[steve_langford]

Martin Cope
Kerry Cope
Rob Stevens
Victor Estima
John Ashley

[Josh Palmer]

At this early stage:

Lee Doski
Nathan Leverton
James Jelly
Matt Thornton
Eddie Bravo

[Fastrat]

Any body I can learn a good leg lock from.....

[shakus maximus]

heath gait (taught me from scratch, and instilled into me the importance of workrate)
ross ianocarro. (i am still in awe of him. perfect e.g. of size dont matter)
simon horner & Paul Davies (my 1st real training partners who constantly smashed me for 2 & half years)
Dave coles (gave me my 1st taste of compition and is my current BJJ coach. very dedicated individual)
last but not least-
Darrel James (been my training partner for years now. we bounce off each other, work each others ass off, and constantly learn off each other)

and the Duchman who inspires me to train hard, to fight with 100% heart, to be humble, to continue to learn, be a loving father and husband, and treat others as i expect to be treated.
Duchman is cool

[Duchman]

heath gait (taught me from scratch, and instilled into me the importance of workrate)
ross ianocarro. (i am still in awe of him. perfect e.g. of size dont matter)
simon horner & Paul Davies (my 1st real training partners who constantly smashed me for 2 & half years)
Dave coles (gave me my 1st taste of compition and is my current BJJ coach. very dedicated individual)
last but not least-
Darrel James (been my training partner for years now. we bounce off each other, work each others ass off, and constantly learn off each other)

what about me?!?!?

[shakus maximus]

what about me?!?!?

you cant have read the post properly:D

[Halli Nelson]

He's only 21??!!! Shit. I've heard people - who've seen a lot of people - call him the best they've ever seen.
Gunnar is actually only 20. He's born July 28th 1988.
And btw he just took the gold at his division (brown belt) at the PAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 beating five opponents thereof Clark Gracie in the first round, and choking out Daren Roberts in the semi-finals and Bruno Alves in the finals. Here are his matches:

1st match (Gunnar Nelson vs Clark Gracie) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz2OczvFKxk)

2nd match (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuVo_EizmY4)

3rd match (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k25IwlSdaR0)

4th match - Semi-finals (Gunnar Nelson vs Daren Roberts) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sOk8Du0adk)

5th match - Finals (Gunnar Nelson vs Bruno Alves) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bh3ajsRN18)

[Duchman]

awesome matches!

concrats to him

[Mike Bishop]

Is Gunnar sponsored by anyone to allow him to focus on training and competing ? I know some of Lloyd Irvin's guys benefit from sponsorship.
Watched a lot of stuff on him and he's clearly an amazing talent. Someone I'd love to have the opportunity of training with

[The Natural]

he looks fantastic..

what a talent..

wnt be long until the big shows comma knocking!!!

[Lee Dickson]

Mario 'sukata' Neto: my first bjj coach, taught me all my basic techniques and helped my game a lot, ie sweeping and then dominating from the top.

Tom Blackledge: is so freakishly strong and excellent technically, will be a top mma coach for the future.

Jason Tan: best bottom game out of any uk ju jitsu fighter i ve rolled with, just sweeps you and keeps you off balance throughout the roll.

Paul Rimmer: as Posh Tom said he s an encyclopedia of ju jitsu technique, really helped my ju jitsu game loads.

Marcelo Brigadier: got the best submission game out of anyone else i ve ever rolled with, foot locks and guillotines his speciality.

[marc goddard]

I get to see a lot of fighters in varying levels and degrees.

Very sledom, and I do mean seldom do certain fighters stand out, stick in my mind and can't help but be noticed.

Gunnar Nelson was the last person to do this.

[Halli Nelson]

Is Gunnar sponsored by anyone to allow him to focus on training and competing ? I know some of Lloyd Irvin's guys benefit from sponsorship.
Watched a lot of stuff on him and he's clearly an amazing talent. Someone I'd love to have the opportunity of training with
Yes we do have a sponsor deal but there are room for more ;) Thanks for all the kind words here towards Gunnar.

[Baz]

I'm new to grappling but so far its...

1. Levo - instructor
2. Eddie Bravo - book
3. The dude that made www.bjjtech.com

[Simon Hayes]

great thread!

[AdamB]

1. Marcelo Brigader!
2. Andy Aspinall!

[david5]

1. Marcelo Brigader!
2. Andy Aspinall!

but only one of those is named after delicious candy!

[kneeonstomach]

1. Dean Taylor
2. Rickson
3. Saulo
4. Matt Thornton

[AdamB]

but only one of those is named after delicious candy!

haha, which 1? sorry if im not upto date with my candy names!

[david5]

haha, which 1? sorry if im not upto date with my candy names!

brigadeiro is delicious brazilian candy :D

[AdamB]

brigadeiro is delicious brazilian candy :D

the national candy of brazil!

[SwiftMotion]

Paul says rape is such a negative word. He likes us to use the term surprise sex.
Beautiful reply,pissed myself!

[Jogs D]

My instructors Ze Marcello and Alexandre Izidro - excellent BJJ fighters and teachers - have helped me a lot. Also they have a VERY good understanding of making BJJ work in No Gi and MMA.... Also really nice guys and I'm happy to have them as my instructors.

Danny Batten - superb fighter and excellent instructor - taught me loads and really explains techniques/details clearly...

Murilo Bustamante and Rodrigo Nogueira - trained briefly with these guys at seminars - learned loads of little tips and tricks from them....

Lee Hasdell - my first grappling / MMA instructor - really helped me in the early days and introduced me to MMA training/sparring...

Paul/Alexis from London Shoot - as well as training at Lee's I also used to make regular trips to London Shoot in Kilburn on a monday night - great instructors - can't forget the crazy warm-ups!

However that all being said I think the most important person in my humble opinion is Mestre Carlson Gracie. Even though unfortunately I never got the chance to meet/train with him, I really like his aggresive no-nonsense outlook on BJJ/Vale Tudo. I like the fact that he NEVER held anything back and taught his students everything - look how many fighters he had produced... To me he was one of the greatest fighters and teachers ever. I am very priviledged to say that my BJJ lineage will be traced back to Carlson Gracie.

[rjd]

1. Mauricio Gomes ( pioneer and still the best guy I have ever rolled with )
2. GBBRUM juliano ( first brazilian blue belt in uk 1998)
3. Bruno Melo ( great guy seriously off the hook unorthadox BJJ )
4. Sid Saddique ( the most approachable brown belt I have ever known )
5. Rob T ( fantastic nogi game and cool subs )

[Sir Tapsalot]

1. Shawn Williams. Totally changed the way I train and think about BJJ. Unbelievably amazing instructor (I totally copy him word for word when teaching), and I owe almost 100% of my BJJ to him, especially half-guard, guillotines and brabo/darce chokes. Have been visiting Shawn's for the last 4 years and the difference it's made has been tremendous.
2. Felipe Souza. What I haven't stolen from Shawn, I've got from Felipe, both in terms of training and teaching. Great teacher, and provides such an amazing learning environment.
3. John Danaher. Trained at Renzo's earlier this year at went to John's daytime classes. Totally gobsmacked by his teaching ability, and has made me evaluate the way I look at BJJ. I'd heard amazing things about him from Shawn (both trained together at Renzo's) and the legend is true. Best way to describe John's teaching is that if most BJJ instructors teach A levels, John's like learning from NASA

Along with those 3 are my former instructors and of course training partners, without whose help I'd just be some odd guy rolling on the floor alone in expensive pyjamas

James

[The Natural]

5. Rob T ( fantastic nogi game and cool subs )

thats big props right there rob..

[Mike Bishop]

I managed to embarass myself with John Danaher when I trained at Renzo Gracie's place about 3 years ago. He was sitting on reception and I asked him when the instructor was arriving. He just smiled and said 'soon' and of course I then felt a complete dick when he walked onto the mat and took the class.

[Sir Tapsalot]

I managed to embarass myself with John Danaher when I trained at Renzo Gracie's place about 3 years ago. He was sitting on reception and I asked him when the instructor was arriving. He just smiled and said 'soon' and of course I then felt a complete dick when he walked onto the mat and took the class.

Lol, easy mistake to make. He just hangs around before class chatting, then wanders into the storeroom, pulls out any random gi and a black belt and starts teaching.

[Daniel-San]

1. Karel Gietelink (6th degree Judo). My first and only judo master. Trained with him since age 5 or 6. The only person in the world that I would call "sensei". Taught me loyalty, humility and respect. And also how to toss people on their backs and crush them in ne waza. He has the most sadistic non-bjj ground game I've ever seen. But, a great human being...

2. Mike Yanez (Team Popovitch BJJ / Highlander Fight Team) - My first BJJ teacher. I was one of his first blue belts. Amazing ability to bring out the fight in everyone. Taught me all the basics of flowing, crushing and pressure that make the foundation of my progression in BJJ...

3. Marcos Flexa Neves (Carlson Gracie) - My professor. Gave me my top game and polished all the little mistakes. Trusted me to be his assistant instructor, and to carry the Carlson Gracie flag. Can correct all the small details that you think you know, but really need to be improved. VAST encyclopedia of bjj knowledge, gained from years of furious competition. When you ask him the right questions, he can teach you anything...

4. Roberto Atalla (Rio Grappling Club). Atalla has the most subtile, smooth and sneaky jiu jitsu game I've ever experienced. You think you're doing something right, and then you're sleeping. Like trying to wrestle a cobra. He gave me knowledge on attacking the back with the clock choke, and it's been one of my most high percentage subs ever since...

5. Aaron Karels. My trainingpartner in the BJJ lab. Always ready to train, experiment with new moves and concepts, analyse the game and willing to share the knowledge we gain about life and jiu jitsu. By choking and locking the ever living jesus out of me over a period of many years, he also gave me an insane leglock and choke defense...

Honorable mention:

Ricado Liborio & John Danaher. Both in their own right the closest you can come to being a bjj NINJA

[Godders]

Although Im not in the same league as the guys who have posted on this thread I thought I would chip in.

Back in the day the most important to me was:

My bro and the guys at Royce Gracie BJJ in Glasgow. I used to annoy the crap out of everyone by making people who beat me show me how they did it and set it up.

McVeigh/ kav had a massive impact on my no-gi/ wrestling techniques that I still seem to remember and use (Shoulder of Justice for example). If I didn't leave Scotland I would have been like a ninja or something by now.

The Dinky Ninjas were very important as I got to spar with big, tough and athletic mofos. You quickly found out what did and didn't work! Also that cardio wasn't a good idea, it was a requirement!

I have recently joined a new club and look forward to adding them to the list!