The Closed Guard -joemasepoes -The Closed Guard -T?bikan J?dan -The Closed Guard -Isn't there a dude on here who gave the Miyaos a good run? Older guy, pretty sure he was out of Boston....thats where id go
I didnt know about that. But I'll go check it out if anyone knows the gym
I wish I could remember his username
I think it's Meatgrinder and he trains at Boston BJJ , not 100% sure
Meatgrinder is the guy!!! He still post here??
Yea his name is Joe Conery
The Closed Guard -Isn't there a dude on here who gave the Miyaos a good run? Older guy, pretty sure he was out of Boston....thats where id go
I just saw this quote. I competed that day.
"a good run"????
I guess for his age you could say that but the reality he was in defensive mode the entire match and then he was smashed and submitted.
But don't let reality get in the way of a good story.
On a SideNote -The Closed Guard -Isn't there a dude on here who gave the Miyaos a good run? Older guy, pretty sure he was out of Boston....thats where id go
I just saw this quote. I competed that day.
"a good run"????
I guess for his age you could say that but the reality he was in defensive mode the entire match and then he was smashed and submitted.
But don't let reality get in the way of a good story.
No way! He hung in with one of the best ever in that weight and in his mid 40s. They run through "pro" black belts all the time.
Im impressed
This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
Yeah Marcio is great
kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
You ever think you will restart it?
Boston proper, or are you including suburbs?
Didn’t see these two mentioned (I’m not from the area)…
Jorge Rivera has a school in Milford, I think.
Bernado Faria has a school in Bedford
Any opinions on Florian Martial Arts? It's half a mile from my apartment. Being within walking distance is a nice idea
jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
You ever think you will restart it?
No immediate plans to... I had grand ideas of producing all sorts of media (intervierws, videos, etc) but when it came down to it, most people blew me off, ignored me, wouldn't commit to working together, etc so I ended up just mostly selling t-shirts. Which don't get me wrong, it's fun, and I like drawing and designing them, and it was awesome to see guys like Dante Leon and Dom Bell repping them hard and showing appreciation, but at the end of the day that was only a small part of what I wanted to do. And it was kind of annoying sending out a ton of free shirts to athletes and never hearing back from them.
Also, I let the site expire when I was in limbo of deciding whether I wanted to continue it or not, and didn't realize there's a time limit that your site is saved to Squarespace, so the entire thing expired and disappeared, which is super annoying because I'm not sure if I saved the text of the Stefan Kocev interview. I definitely don't have the layout of it saved.
I think a big part of it is that it is just really hard to compete with Flo in media. They have all the access, name recognition and athletes recognize them as the company that will expand their "brand" so I couldn't really get the time of day. Hell, even with a website, product, published written and video interviews, I couldn't even secure media passes to Kasai, ADCC, etc.
The last thing I've done to clear the leftover stock of shirts was to allow people on Reddit/IG wherever else to message me what they wanted and name their own price with 100% of the proceeds going to various charities. I broke about even at least, so whatever extra I make, I'm just donating.
Danger Dave - Boston proper, or are you including suburbs?Didn’t see these two mentioned (I’m not from the area)…
Jorge Rivera has a school in Milford, I think.
Bernado Faria has a school in Bedford
Jorge Rivera hasn't been in Milford for years. School has been closed and he moved to Florida. Besides Milford is a good hour and change from Boston.
kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
You ever think you will restart it?
No immediate plans to... I had grand ideas of producing all sorts of media (intervierws, videos, etc) but when it came down to it, most people blew me off, ignored me, wouldn't commit to working together, etc so I ended up just mostly selling t-shirts. Which don't get me wrong, it's fun, and I like drawing and designing them, and it was awesome to see guys like Dante Leon and Dom Bell repping them hard and showing appreciation, but at the end of the day that was only a small part of what I wanted to do. And it was kind of annoying sending out a ton of free shirts to athletes and never hearing back from them.
Also, I let the site expire when I was in limbo of deciding whether I wanted to continue it or not, and didn't realize there's a time limit that your site is saved to Squarespace, so the entire thing expired and disappeared, which is super annoying because I'm not sure if I saved the text of the Stefan Kocev interview. I definitely don't have the layout of it saved.
I think a big part of it is that it is just really hard to compete with Flo in media. They have all the access, name recognition and athletes recognize them as the company that will expand their "brand" so I couldn't really get the time of day. Hell, even with a website, product, published written and video interviews, I couldn't even secure media passes to Kasai, ADCC, etc.
The last thing I've done to clear the leftover stock of shirts was to allow people on Reddit/IG wherever else to message me what they wanted and name their own price with 100% of the proceeds going to various charities. I broke about even at least, so whatever extra I make, I'm just donating.
That's a shame that people would ignore you like that. I really liked what you were putting out and always looked forward to new stuff from you.
Do you think that you could start with interviewing newer black belts and not yet big names to grow your base? Though from the little that I know about you, it seems you have access to some big names in the sport.
I saw that you were selling the remaining merch and giving the proceeds to charities on your IG. Which charities did you end up going with? I was thinking of mentioning Favela Jiu Jitsu.
jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
You ever think you will restart it?
No immediate plans to... I had grand ideas of producing all sorts of media (intervierws, videos, etc) but when it came down to it, most people blew me off, ignored me, wouldn't commit to working together, etc so I ended up just mostly selling t-shirts. Which don't get me wrong, it's fun, and I like drawing and designing them, and it was awesome to see guys like Dante Leon and Dom Bell repping them hard and showing appreciation, but at the end of the day that was only a small part of what I wanted to do. And it was kind of annoying sending out a ton of free shirts to athletes and never hearing back from them.
Also, I let the site expire when I was in limbo of deciding whether I wanted to continue it or not, and didn't realize there's a time limit that your site is saved to Squarespace, so the entire thing expired and disappeared, which is super annoying because I'm not sure if I saved the text of the Stefan Kocev interview. I definitely don't have the layout of it saved.
I think a big part of it is that it is just really hard to compete with Flo in media. They have all the access, name recognition and athletes recognize them as the company that will expand their "brand" so I couldn't really get the time of day. Hell, even with a website, product, published written and video interviews, I couldn't even secure media passes to Kasai, ADCC, etc.
The last thing I've done to clear the leftover stock of shirts was to allow people on Reddit/IG wherever else to message me what they wanted and name their own price with 100% of the proceeds going to various charities. I broke about even at least, so whatever extra I make, I'm just donating.
That's a shame that people would ignore you like that. I really liked what you were putting out and always looked forward to new stuff from you.
Do you think that you could start with interviewing newer black belts and not yet big names to grow your base? Though from the little that I know about you, it seems you have access to some big names in the sport.
I saw that you were selling the remaining merch and giving the proceeds to charities on your IG. Which charities did you end up going with? I was thinking of mentioning Favela Jiu Jitsu.
I donated all the money I got from that offer (just shy of 200 after shipping) to the Cantagalo Social Project run by a number of former Checkmat athletes in the Cantagalo favela (which is the same community Nico from Favela JJ lived in and works with- although I believe she does more work with Terere's social project). This is a project I've worked with and donated money to before for food, helping to install a water filtration system, supplying gis and training attire to (big thanks to Nelson and Hillary from Inverted Gear), etc. Douglas Rufino is one of the main instructors and my go-to guy for making sure the money gets to the children and is used properly. I also made a personal donation while I was at it (separate from the Sink Swim funds) to some of the competitors from Cantagalo who are unable to work right meow and struggling due to Covid.
Edit: Also the exchange rate is like 5:1 with the real and US dollar right meow so if anyone is thinking of helping out anyone or any organizations in Brazil right meow, the money goes a long way! Favela Jiu Jitsu is a great and trustworthy one. Nico worked with a lot of Cantagalo athletes personally and helped builds Terere Kids Project! I've donated there before to help fix the lights in the academy.
kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
You ever think you will restart it?
No immediate plans to... I had grand ideas of producing all sorts of media (intervierws, videos, etc) but when it came down to it, most people blew me off, ignored me, wouldn't commit to working together, etc so I ended up just mostly selling t-shirts. Which don't get me wrong, it's fun, and I like drawing and designing them, and it was awesome to see guys like Dante Leon and Dom Bell repping them hard and showing appreciation, but at the end of the day that was only a small part of what I wanted to do. And it was kind of annoying sending out a ton of free shirts to athletes and never hearing back from them.
Also, I let the site expire when I was in limbo of deciding whether I wanted to continue it or not, and didn't realize there's a time limit that your site is saved to Squarespace, so the entire thing expired and disappeared, which is super annoying because I'm not sure if I saved the text of the Stefan Kocev interview. I definitely don't have the layout of it saved.
I think a big part of it is that it is just really hard to compete with Flo in media. They have all the access, name recognition and athletes recognize them as the company that will expand their "brand" so I couldn't really get the time of day. Hell, even with a website, product, published written and video interviews, I couldn't even secure media passes to Kasai, ADCC, etc.
The last thing I've done to clear the leftover stock of shirts was to allow people on Reddit/IG wherever else to message me what they wanted and name their own price with 100% of the proceeds going to various charities. I broke about even at least, so whatever extra I make, I'm just donating.
That's a shame that people would ignore you like that. I really liked what you were putting out and always looked forward to new stuff from you.
Do you think that you could start with interviewing newer black belts and not yet big names to grow your base? Though from the little that I know about you, it seems you have access to some big names in the sport.
I saw that you were selling the remaining merch and giving the proceeds to charities on your IG. Which charities did you end up going with? I was thinking of mentioning Favela Jiu Jitsu.
I donated all the money I got from that offer (just shy of 200 after shipping) to the Cantagalo Social Project run by a number of former Checkmat athletes in the Cantagalo favela (which is the same community Nico from Favela JJ lived in and works with- although I believe she does more work with Terere's social project). This is a project I've worked with and donated money to before for food, helping to install a water filtration system, supplying gis and training attire to (big thanks to Nelson and Hillary from Inverted Gear), etc. Douglas Rufino is one of the main instructors and my go-to guy for making sure the money gets to the children and is used properly. I also made a personal donation while I was at it (separate from the Sink Swim funds) to some of the competitors from Cantagalo who are unable to work right meow and struggling due to Covid.
Edit: Also the exchange rate is like 5:1 with the real and US dollar right meow so if anyone is thinking of helping out anyone or any organizations in Brazil right meow, the money goes a long way! Favela Jiu Jitsu is a great and trustworthy one. Nico worked with a lot of Cantagalo athletes personally and helped builds Terere Kids Project! I've donated there before to help fix the lights in the academy.
Good on you man. I really like the Fevala Jiu Jitsu and Cantagalo Social Project. Is Jackson still running it? Or am I way off..
jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -jiujitsulife1 -kennyfrommd -This is not at all what you asked, but if you like to travel around to different gyms to roll, I would suggest Fight Sports New Bedford (formerly Xcel Academy) run by Marcio Silva. It is about an hour south on the coast of Mass, but I drop in there everytime I'm in town visiting my girlfriend and get great rolls with great vibes and the new facility is awesome. Marcio is a great guy, and super welcoming.
I've also dropped into the SBG nearby in a neighboring town (forget the name) and had a good time there was well, but I've only been there for open mats.
I completely agree with you on Marcio. I will be returning to bjj at his school, it's a long drive for me but from what I hear, he is worth it.
The SBG you are talking about is in Wareham. That's the closes gym to me beside my old gym but I think I'd rather go to Marcio.
Yeah, don't get me wrong- the Wareham SBG was great when I stopped in! A cool facility (with showers) great and tough training partners, etc. My good friend Ryan Parker brought me by there and I had a (straight) blast. It is definitely worth checking out!
But I've trained with Marcio a little more, both in the old location and the new location (it is closer to my girlfriend's house) and I just think really, really highly of Marcio as a friend, instructor and training partner. It's clear to me that it is not just a Jiu Jitsu club, but has some serious family vibes, and I feel like that warmth is extended to me, even as a visitor. Not to mention, to reiterate, the new location is really big and nice. Huge mat space, super clean and organized, big locker room with showers, etc.
I'll be up there a few days before/after the 4th of July and will be stopping by Marcio's if you're rolling by then.
Thanks for the info man. I definitely am going to go to Marcios. If I had my car by July, I would definitely see you there. I just doubt it's going to happen that quick.
Your Kenny with Sink Swim, right?
That's me
You ever think you will restart it?
No immediate plans to... I had grand ideas of producing all sorts of media (intervierws, videos, etc) but when it came down to it, most people blew me off, ignored me, wouldn't commit to working together, etc so I ended up just mostly selling t-shirts. Which don't get me wrong, it's fun, and I like drawing and designing them, and it was awesome to see guys like Dante Leon and Dom Bell repping them hard and showing appreciation, but at the end of the day that was only a small part of what I wanted to do. And it was kind of annoying sending out a ton of free shirts to athletes and never hearing back from them.
Also, I let the site expire when I was in limbo of deciding whether I wanted to continue it or not, and didn't realize there's a time limit that your site is saved to Squarespace, so the entire thing expired and disappeared, which is super annoying because I'm not sure if I saved the text of the Stefan Kocev interview. I definitely don't have the layout of it saved.
I think a big part of it is that it is just really hard to compete with Flo in media. They have all the access, name recognition and athletes recognize them as the company that will expand their "brand" so I couldn't really get the time of day. Hell, even with a website, product, published written and video interviews, I couldn't even secure media passes to Kasai, ADCC, etc.
The last thing I've done to clear the leftover stock of shirts was to allow people on Reddit/IG wherever else to message me what they wanted and name their own price with 100% of the proceeds going to various charities. I broke about even at least, so whatever extra I make, I'm just donating.
That's a shame that people would ignore you like that. I really liked what you were putting out and always looked forward to new stuff from you.
Do you think that you could start with interviewing newer black belts and not yet big names to grow your base? Though from the little that I know about you, it seems you have access to some big names in the sport.
I saw that you were selling the remaining merch and giving the proceeds to charities on your IG. Which charities did you end up going with? I was thinking of mentioning Favela Jiu Jitsu.
I donated all the money I got from that offer (just shy of 200 after shipping) to the Cantagalo Social Project run by a number of former Checkmat athletes in the Cantagalo favela (which is the same community Nico from Favela JJ lived in and works with- although I believe she does more work with Terere's social project). This is a project I've worked with and donated money to before for food, helping to install a water filtration system, supplying gis and training attire to (big thanks to Nelson and Hillary from Inverted Gear), etc. Douglas Rufino is one of the main instructors and my go-to guy for making sure the money gets to the children and is used properly. I also made a personal donation while I was at it (separate from the Sink Swim funds) to some of the competitors from Cantagalo who are unable to work right meow and struggling due to Covid.
Edit: Also the exchange rate is like 5:1 with the real and US dollar right meow so if anyone is thinking of helping out anyone or any organizations in Brazil right meow, the money goes a long way! Favela Jiu Jitsu is a great and trustworthy one. Nico worked with a lot of Cantagalo athletes personally and helped builds Terere Kids Project! I've donated there before to help fix the lights in the academy.
Good on you man. I really like the Fevala Jiu Jitsu and Cantagalo Social Project. Is Jackson still running it? Or am I way off..
Jackson is from Cantagalo and has been involved in the past AFAIK but has been living abroad to train and teach for a few years now. I see him training at FightZone (Checkmat) still on IG when he comes back to Rio...
There are a few people running each program. For Terere Kids Project (which Favela Jiu Jitsu mostly focuses on) I'd ASSUME (but am not positive) it is probably Fabricio Da Silva (Terere's cousin) and a big fella named Nogueira doing that hands on work with Nico now living in the States. They are in this picture with Terere.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0286/8972/7619/articles/TKP_staff_900x.jpg?v=1588964433
Cantagalo Social Project has gone through a bunch of changes. It was once run by Rico Vieira, and then my contact was Alysson Rodrigues and Douglas Rufino, and now I go solely through Douglas, who has been a consistent presence at the social project, and who I have the most personal experience training and working with. He is in the blue Koral gi in this photo.
Julio Nogueira right? If so I've been following that guy for a while on Instagram. It's awesome what everyone is doing. I have always wanted to some how help out. Definitely still want to go to Brazil to train at Terere's.
Thread hijack: Level 7
