But first here’s an introductory note to explain how BJJ and Abu Dhabi got connected:

The relationship of BJJ and Abu Dhabi was initiated by Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the son of then U.A.E. leader Sheik Zayed. In 1993 Sheikh Tahoon was studying in the USA and became a fan of MMA and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu after witnessing Royce Gracie defeating much stronger and heavier opponents in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. Shortly after that he started practicing BJJ in San Diego. When he got back to his home country he created the most exclusive grappling event in the world: the ADCC.

Sheikh Tahoon is now a Renzo Gracie black belt.

Many years later, around 2005 his older brother and ruler of the country, Sheikh Mohammed observed how one of his sons character and personality improved drastically after starting to practice Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The ruler then announced that if he invested in his son he should also invest in his people and become a strong believer that BJJ should play a part in the country’s educational curricula and should be easily available to all.

It was then that the School Jitsu program was born. More than eighty BJJ black belts were contracted to the program and may more are being admitted.

To execute this massive undertaking, the company Palm Sports was created. This company employs all the black belts and don’t be fooled: It isn’t a BJJ academy. It resembles more like an official organization with a structure that oversees and manages the School Jitsu project. The BJJ black belts have to comply with a set of norms, guidelines, processes and methods.

I was fortunate to attend to one of the School Jitsu class in the center of Abu Dhabi and witnessed how happy the children were in the mat. The BJJ instructor was a Brazilian black belt named Oscar Junior and the kids loved the games and exercises that he proposed during class.

During my stay I got in touch with many Brazilian black belts working under Palm Sports. I was amazed to see how well the Brazilian adapted to the local environment and local culture.

One of these examples is a black belt named Polónio. He lives in Al Ain, the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He’s been living there for 5 years and he is already fluent in Arabic. He is proud of his work. Many of his students earned medals in the many competitions that the UEAJJ Federation organize in the country.

During the first day of the World Pro 2012, it was the Kids tournament and there were many kids from the School Jitsu program competing for the medals.

But local adults have also achieved glory in the competition. In fact, I’ve witnessed UAE purple belts turning local heroes by displaying great heart and technique to become world champions.

In fact School Jitsu seeks the creation of local black belts within athletes from the UAE. They are fully aware that having local instructors will enable full integration of Jiu-jitsu in the Emirates lifestyle.

From what I’ve learned during my stay at Abu Dhabi, the relationship between BJJ and the Emirates has been professionally managed and enjoys a bright future ahead.

The world’s greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and Mixed Martial Arts fighting legend Roger Gracie embodies the uncompromising No Half Measures spirit of Relentless Energy Drink.

To watch him fight is to see a powerful kind of art in motion, and this short film, shot at Gracie’s gym in New York, delves deep into the psychology of this born winner.

Way to go Roger!

The Machado’s are 5 brothers:

• Carlos Machado – 8th Degree Red & Black belt. Oldest of the five brothers.
• Roger Machado – 7th Degree Red & Black Belt. Second oldest among the brothers.
• Rigan Machado – 7th Degree Red & Black Belt. Third oldest of the five brothers. From the age of 14 through 21, Rigan won the Brazilian National Championships every year and in every belt division. His record stands at 365 wins and 2 losses.
• Jean Jacques Machado – 7th Degree Red & Black Belt. Fourth oldest of the five brothers. He held the Rio De Janeiro Jiu-Jitsu State Championships Cruiser Weight Champion and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu National Championships Cruiser Weight Champion from 1982 to 1992.
• John Machado – 5th Degree Black Belt. Youngest of the five brothers. From 1993-1994 Pan American Games Sambo champion.

The Machado’s have held titles in every competition they have entered. The most recent family champions have been Rigan Machado, Jean Jacques Machado and Carlos Machado. The most successful Machado in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is Rigan Machado with an amazing record of 365 wins and 2 losses. The family now trains mixed martial arts fighters in organizations such as UFC, WEC, and Strikeforce. Rigan has awarded black belts to John Will, Erik Paulson, Dan Inosanto, and Chuck Norris. Jean-Jacques had also helped in awarding black belts to John Will and Dan Inosanto with Rigan. Jean-Jacques has also awarded black belts to No Gi proponent Eddie Bravo, Women’s World champion Felicia Oh, and former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez.

We will be writing more about the Machado family. For the time being, here is a rare video from 1992 where we can see excerpts of a typical training session, with John, Jean Jacques and Rigan Machado, training in their first academy in California.

Here are the medalists in the Kids cup:

Competing today are the participants of the the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup for Kids.
It takes place in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), hall 12.

Inside the massive hall we find all the six combat areas surrounded by stands full of cheering attendants.

The cup for kids has 450 participants! This high number is due to the fact that Abu Dhabi has implemented “School Jitsu” – a BJJ program in the public school system. The large majority of the competing youngsters come from that program.

BJJ Advice will take a deeper look into that soon.

But right now you can take a look at the venue here:

Here is the schedule of the competition:
12TH OF April – KIDS – ALL WEIGHT DIVISIONS
13TH OF April – All belt and weight divisions fight until SEMI FINALS – INCLUDING THE SEMI FINALS
14TH OF April – FINALS OF ALL BELT AND WEIGHT DIVISIONS – ONE MAT ONLY

Don’t miss out! we will be following all action and will be posting all that is happening. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Actually they are drawing two events to take place outside the UAE.
Their first goal is to create the first European UAEJJ Championship, aiming to take place still in 2012 or at the beginning of 2013.

The host countries for these events are yet to be determined.
The organization is yet to select the team responsible for the trials and other events that take place outside the United Arab Emirates.

The UAEJJ will request documentation from all World Pro trial organizers and after receiving all data and signing all agreements, the organizing teams will be nominated.

For more information, don´t forget to visit the website http://uaejj.com/en/

BJJ Advice: “How well are the athletes adopting the new rules? What else is there to do?”
Alvaro Mansur:“They are adopting well the news rules. What we need to do more is keep publicizing and propagate the new rules. People need to go to the website and read the rulebook there and study the new rules. If there are any doubts regarding the new rules, please email us regras@ibjjf.com and we will try to answer the questions quickly.”

BJJ Advice: “Should a really simple rules course be developed specifically for white belts? Like a crash course for dummies?”
Alvaro Mansur: “We cannot simplify the rules anymore. The rules are part of a whole, I cannot break a rule in half in order to simplify it because then it would not fit into the remaining rules.
If a white belt goes into a competition, there is a whole bunch of mistakes that he makes them because he misses knowledge of the rules. If he knows the rules, knows how to score a point or how to keep away from penalties, he will be a much more complete competitor.
In a rules course, there are many rules we don’t actually mention, but a competing athlete must be aware of all of them, therefore the rule book must be read and studied. In a rules course, the teacher will focus on the rules that are harder to understand. The rules course takes many hours and sometimes it’s even a bit boring…”

BJJ Advice: “But many competitors don’t take the course. Should the rules course be mandatory to all competitors?”
Alvaro Mansur:“The opportunity is there. All official championships have a course the day before the competition. It is open to all teachers and competitors. Anyone can attend. ”

BJJ Advice: “What advice can you give to someone that is about to take the first Jiu-jitsu class?”
Alvaro Mansur:“My advice is to ask a lot of questions to the teacher. A new student knows nothing about BJJ and is eager to learn. He wants to learn, learn, learn. So my advice is to keep asking questions. A good teacher likes when students ask questions. It gives him the opportunity to share knowledge to the class.”

BJJ Advice: “And what advice can you give to someone that is competing for the first time?”
Alvaro Mansur:“Firstly take the rules course. If not then be sure you learn the rules through your teacher. If you only read the rulebook, some misunderstanding may arise in some points. Nobody can successfully compete without knowing the rules of that specific sport.
Secondly my advice is to learn how to lose. If you learn how to lose then you know how to win. You will always be humble and will never get into trouble in a competition or in your life. ”

BJJ Advice: “Do you remember being white belt?”
Alvaro Mansur:“Not really! I was six years old when I started practicing BJJ and never stopped. My best memory in BJJ is when I got my black belt. ”