New promotions at RGC Polska

Our students Krystian Kwiecień (Silesia) and Jakub Kubiszewski (Wroclaw) were promoted this month. Krys became a brown belt in Raciborz two weeks ago, and since last Wednesday Kuba is the newest purple belt in Wroclaw.

With a higher belt comes always a bigger responsability, as more will expected and demanded from you. The brown belt is the last step before the black, so the expectations are even bigger.
Krystian is more than ready for it. He started BJJ in Raciborz in 2002, later moved to London and trained extensively at our club since early 2004. Back to his home country, he has graded on Sports Science, competed and won BJJ, Submission and Amateur Shooto matches, started clubs in Zawiercie, Lubliniec and Czestochowa, besides teaching sports to kids at his home town’s school and becoming a father of young Kasjan. His help was fundamental to establish our base in Silesia, not to mention that was him that first brought me to Poland to teach BJJ.

Bardzo pracowity as we say in polish language

Kuba finds time to train even though he is graduating in engineering, working as a doormen and going to London every summer to work. His responsability comes also from his surname (Juscelino Kubichek, JK, was one of the best presidents Brasil had, building Brasilia, our capital city, on the late 1950’s). Our own JK will sure help build our club stronger with his good technique and friendly manners.  

Wielkie Gratulacje (Huge Congratulations) to them both!

Soon pictures!

December Wrap-up

Xmas is coming and so is 2008. A new year arrives and is time to reflect on the past year, check our goals, fix the route if needed and keep forward. Is also time for gradings in Brasil, and this year we have a new black belt in our ranks. Congratulations to Daniel Niemeyer, from Cabo Frio. He received his belt from Robinson Machado, in the first ceremony to be held in our new gym (same location, new dojo).

Marco Chuck (RGC Buzios) will be holding his own ceremony this friday and I was hinted that Luiz Eduardo Rosa Junior will receive the brown belt. Luiz, aka Dentinho, won recently two medals on the purple belt in Teresopolis, a gold in the light open and a bronze in the middle weight, at the Pan American (CBJJE). This month he travelled to Sta. Catarina and took the silver medal in the South American (CBJJ), this time in the light weight. Watch one of his fights below.

Gradings were also held in South Africa, Italy and Cyprus. Igor presented Panicos Aravis his well deserved purple belt, and I promoted Bernardo Serrini (Italy) and Chris Bright (S. Africa) to the brown belt, as well as Liam, Sergio, Bradley, Dennis and Ryan from Johannesburg to the purple belt. All those changes can be noticed on the page About Us, that keeps the records of our official gradings worldwide.

Mauro Chueng is keeping busy in Portugal. He is helping the Dynamite Team (Muay Thai) from Algarve, improving their ground game and coaching their athletes that will fight MMA. Mauro has a solid No Gi experience and trained extensively with Pequeno back in Brasil, besides being one of the most creative fighters I have ever seen in Jiu Jitsu, so I expect some of those guys to be kicking ass soon.

I acted as a referee in the I Catalunya Vulkan BJJ Cup. I noticed that our sport is growing in Spain and had the opportunity to meet good teachers from the new generation that are bringing the art to a higher level in the old continent.

Among them, Yan Cabral and Paulo Sergio in France, Leonardo Pelucio in Tarragona, Augusto Frota and Anderson Pereira in Switzerland, as well as my friends Rafael Haubert (Barcelona) and Edson Sururu (Marbella) showed through their athletes that BJJ is improving fast in Europe. So Merry Xmas and put up your resolutions for 2008, among them do not forget to train more, rest well and eat properly, to keep healthy and fit to fight!

Chuck, Fabio, Daniel and Robinson

Mauro Chueng and Florin

Watch Luiz fighting: