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Last weekend completed one of the most exciting events in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu calendar: The IBJJF World Championships. We say this every year, but it’s always true… this was one of the most exciting Worlds Championship yet!
This year, there were some familiar faces on the podium, but we saw even more shakeups, as the latest generation of champions are making themselves known.
Even more exciting? Nine of our amazing Kingz Athletes hit the top of the podium… a few of them (FIVE in total) leveling up as they did so! If there’s nothing better than that feeling of being crowned World Champion, second best has got to be the pride in seeing one of your own make it.
This weekend, two of the most highly-anticipated black belt promotions happened at the IBJJF World Championships in Anaheim, California.
After about a decade of training, twins Mia and Ashlee Funegra received their black belts from their long-time coach Guilherme Mendes, shortly after Ashlee’s dominant gold medal win in the brown belt light-featherweight division, and right before Mia would step on the mat for her debut in the black belt featherweight division.
Yes, you read that correctly. Because Mia was a previous world champion, as per the IBJJF rulebook, she was allowed to sign up in the black belt division while still a brown belt. The decision was a strategic move, allowing both to compete in the light-featherweight division and have the chance to fight their way to the top of the podium without having to close out. It is unusual, yes. Was it warranted? Absolutely.
Closed guard is arguably the most fundamental position in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. For most jiu-jitsu practitioners, it was their very first entry into the world of martial arts and/or self-defense. For everyone else, it was likely their second. This is because it is the safest position to be in when you know next to nothing.
Just as its name implies, the closed guard is a “guarded” position, in which there are very few attacks your opponents can execute from inside the guard. In order to do anything, they must first break the guard and move to more advantageous positions. However, for the person on bottom, there are a multitude of attacks he or she can employ.
As much as each of us would like to spend all day, every day on the mat, most of us don’t have that luxury. Even those who do, would quickly find that they don’t want to.
No, the fact is, we can only handle so much time on the mat. Physically, but also mentally, too much time on the mat is counter-productive to actually learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu efficiently and effectively. That’s great news for those who have other obligations – work, family, other interests and hobbies – that limit their time in the jiu-jitsu academy. Those who spend most of their waking hours on the mat actually don’t have as much of an advantage over those who don’t. There is a little benefit, not going to lie, but it’s not as large or unattainable as one might think.
What does make a difference, is the amount of time spent studying the gentle art. The act of studying can take place both on the mat and off, and there is an optimal balance between the two that is unique to every person. However, there are a few things that contribute to whether that time spent studying is going to be produce real benefits to your jiu-jitsu game.
The IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships are often considered a sneak-peek into one of the most-anticipated events in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: the IBJJF World Championships.
At the Pans, not only do you get to see which jiu-jitsu stars are top contenders for the coveted world championship title, but you also get to see some of their emergent - or long-standing - rivalries, which athletes are still in the running for a Grand Slam win, and some of the latest techniques and tactical strategies that may be that extra edge to propel them to the top of the podium.
This Pans event, we were not disappointed. Even better? An astounding 14 of our athletes showed up, showed out, and came away with the gold... or two!
Check out which of our awesome Kingz athletes hit the top of the podium, and what led them to victory...
