Rafa Mendes ADCC/NoGi Innovations + Cole Abate and ADCC 2022 -66kg (Part 1)

09/08/22 • 28 min

We're back! On this episode we're talking about Rafa Mendes, his protege Cole Abate, and Rafa's contributions to the NoGi world. Below are some links from some of the techniques and rolling moments discussed in the episode. Thanks for bearing with me. I've had a summer filled with a lot of loss and illness; life goes on, and I'll continue to strive to make the best of life! I appreciate everyone's support so much! Shouts to Less Impressed More Involved's BJJ's Rafa Mendes video this week:
Rafa Mendes vids:

Some things I didn't cover in the episode were tempo shifts--moments of speeding up and slowing down. Rafa told us that was a critical element of his JiuJitsu. A massive thing that I didn't discuss is Rafa was one of the first people to really seek out the bottom arm seatbelt (weak side) back control position, and strongly advocated body triangles over hooks. Rafa and his brother Gui also notoriously avoided playing half guard, and they thought it was a poor position for smaller grapplers on bottom position. They were also huge proponents of 'active toes' and not playing top positions on the tops of the feet.

Previous Episode

Thoughts on Tye Ruotolo vs Garry Tonon & Future Projects

In the aftermath of Tye Ruotolo vs Garry Tonon, I expect to see Tye being a strong favorite to make the 88kg finals at ADCC, and I see Garry Tonon going into ADCC potentially looking better than ever at 77kg. People not looking at Tye as one of the best pound-for-pound guys on the planet are insane, and people writing Garry off after this loss are also insane.

Next Episode

The Return!!! Love/Hate Relationship w/ Deep Half Guard & Upcoming Instructional

We're back! It's been a long time. Life has been wild this past year, and things are starting to get easier--I didn't want to upload until things could be consistent. Thanks for being patient, and for the kind messages! In this episode I talk about my love/hate relationship with deep half guard, and why I'm currently staying away from it as a primary guard. I also talk a little bit about the instructional that I'll be filming this July. I think it'll be unique, something new to the table, and I hope that folks are able to enjoy it!
Much love!!!