This weekend I went to London to fight in the London Open and the first European Open No-Gi championship, with 9 of my students. This was my first competition since the Europeans in January. As always I look forward to going these trips with the team. We always have a really good time and I get to know people better, then the guys that I only see at the academy.

So if you have the chance to go on a trip with your gym, even if it’s not that far away, then Do It!

Everybody from CheckMat Denmark did an excellent job at the competition, and even if they did not win, I’m sure that they learned something. I learned a lot from my fights and from Leo Vieira, when he helped coaching my students and me. He is the master of strategi.

Here are the the majour things that I will change in my training.

• move more and go more for the submissions
• to get into more scramples

I had some problems with my back one week before the competition. I had a sharp pain in the lower right side, just above the hip. Luckily I only felt it in the end of my last fight, where I got my back taken, I could feel it the day after, but today it is not that bad. The finale was not my best fight, I really fucked that fight up, I was to stuck up on getting one sweep from the half guard, but he sprawled  and took my back. I wont do that again, next competition I have to make a better weight cut.

I was fighting in my own gi brand and there was no problem in getting it approved by the gi checker, so you can use it in the IBJJF competions. This is the best gi that I ever had, the best fit and everything. Next week we should have the new shipment of the black and blue gis, really looking forward to this.

Thank you Leo Vieira, Rico Vieira, Bob Esponja and everybody else who helped me on my journey in the wonderful world of BJJ. A big thank you to everybody in the best club, Arte Suave. See you on the mat!!