Xpereince : Continuing On

"Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginnings End"- Seneca

Well it seems like my awesome two year venture with  Xande Ribeiro and Gang has come to an end as I now find myself back where I started in 2011 with no BJJ home ( wow talk about full circle). I cant begin to explain how  blessed I am to be apart of such a great team and instructor and although it sucks that it has come to an end one thing life has taught  is to stay strong, never give up, and keep moving forward which I will continue to do.

A new purple belt in hand, instructor back in Brazil, and team disbanded I guess the question everyone has been wanting to know is "What Are You Going to Do Now Monta"? I asked myself that same question and if you would have asked me earlier this month I would have told you I Don't Know. Fortunately now I do have an answer so here goes.

After visiting some new gym options, thinking, and talking with some close friends I have reached a decision. Starting next year sadly I will no longer be under Xande Ribeiro Jiu-jitsu and I am now apart of  ... Team (click link).

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If you click the link all I gotta say is ....GOTCHA !!!! ;-)

The reason for this decision has nothing to do with loyalty to the Bossman but rather a sense of happiness and satisfaction with the association I am apart of. Coolest thing I have discovered about being apart of the Ribeiro team is whether you looking to become a world champion or just another dude training, fellow  people that are apart of the group (at least the ones I have meet outside my gym team)  will be willing to help you the best way they can whether it is picking you up for the train station, hang out afterwards, giving advice, or even giving you a place to stay as an out of towner.

There is certainly no shortage of charity with this faction even when being caught in the confusing situation I found myself in after Xande's departure back to Brazil.So I figured why go through the pains of joining another academy, starting over, trying to fit in, and other quarrels  if a situation can be resolved/fixed. ( especially since I just train and compete on occasion).

Thanks to two special individuals (whose choose to remain anonymous) the option of remaining Ribeiro is now possible as  I will now be cross training between 2 Ribeiro gyms on a weekly basis. This way I can continue to maintain a regular training routine, stay a purple belt under the same team, and   above all it eliminates the "burning bridges"/ offending anyone factor with my actions.
I guess you can call me a Ronin  Ribeiro Guy.

Many great BJJ practitioners such as Tom Barlow, Adamson Brothers, Darragh O Conaill, and lets not forget about a truck load of 10th planet practitioners have followed this road/format I am embarking on and excelled well without the 100 % dependency of their instructor...So hey as the peer pressure of drinking would suggest "Don't Diet It, Try It" ( ok that was a bad example)

In addition my training won't stop there as I will now be devoting some of my time on Thursday Nights at my old college Cal State Los Angeles at the BJJ Open Mat. The CSULA Martial Arts Program is where I got my start from and I can honestly say if it weren't for the people that helped me I wouldn't be the person I am today. On many occasions when I left the college I wanted to go back but wasn't ready. Now with a purple belt , 9 years of experience, and a little more mature I think its only fitting I go back and give back to my community that did so much for me being the uncontrollable, angry, opinionated character I was at the time.

Also FYI that also means all you other  Xande Ribeiro Ronins  now have a spot to train on Thursday nights !! :-)

As for the rest of my plan for next year the script remains the same.... training, writing, Grapplethon events, traveling, challenging myself in competitions (going for 3-4 tournaments next year), and cant forget about my good ol paper job...So only thing to do at this point is.... Continue On.

Typing this last blog of this year all I can do is reflect and prepare for what is to come next year.
2013 was a wild and crazy year filled with ultimate highs and super lows points which has helped in my growth as a person. I don't know what 2014 will bring but one thing is 4sure whatever challenges come my way...the goal will always remain the same.

 Becoming a better man than I .........(awww I'm tired of writing this year you know the rest !!!!) :-)

Peace Out

monta (pronounced like Monday with a "T" replacing the "D")

Xperience : Leading The Way

"Our Lives Aren't Just Measured in Years. The Measure of Our Lives Are The People We Touch Around Us"- Peeta Mellark (Hunger Games: Catching Fire ).

Everything in life happens for a reason including the people that enter into it. People don't come into our lives by accident and although  their presence  may  often be  temporarily the interaction provides as a great learning experience to help us in our growth whether the lesson is harsh or uplifting.

I have meet a lot of people along my life journey especially  in my many travels in the MMA/BJJ world. Sitting here writing this blog it still blows my mind of one particular individual and if anyone would have told me 7 years ago that he would be my instructor when I first became a fan  back  at the Pan Ams 2006 I would have called them a bold face liar. But hey nothing happens by accident RIGHT ?
I would like to define the 2 year tenure as not just your typical getting better at BJJ session but also a call of action by someone to force one to improve every aspect of our lives. The individual I am talking about is Alexandre "Xande" Ribiero.

For all you newbies in the game if you don't know who Xande Ribeiro is you need to look him up as he is regarded as one of the most accomplished BJJ fighters of all time. Since 2006 I have somewhat followed his career . While many BJJ greats had the skills and work ethic that made them champions on countless occasions the thing that stood out about Xande for me was his attitude which can be described as  a fearless warrior  ready to go through whatever obstacle  to achieve his goal.

Years passed on in my own journey as I was gradually  trying to find my own place in the bjj universe as a blue belt. But it wasn't until 2011 where I found myself in an unhappy training situation  which left me at a standstill of WHAT NOW ? Xande also seemed to be settling off on his own journey at the time as he moved from San Diego to Los Angeles.  I was stoked when I found back in May 2011that he was going start a school in MY city so why not give it one more shot and  train under a world champion I respected plus I figured being at the start of something for once would be great becuase  I would get the chance to see the academy built from the ground up.

Contrary to what people might have thought (at least IMO) me and Xande were never close from a  friendship standpoint (not to say we didn't get along because we got along great).99 % of our time together was spent on the mat. It's not to say I didn't want to be it just that when I came into the program I had instilled a mentality within myself to "play my position" above everything else which was to be the best student I can be and doing what Xande told me personally to do from day one which was staying committed to my training and my new BJJ family.

The months  passed on as a found myself making close friends with my teammates (some people I consider brothers) while also learning BJJ techniques from the best. However moves taught in BJJ can only apply in the field of combat ( competition and self-defense) because although I learned some great techniques  I learned something far greater which happens to be a challenge all of us go through daily  ...LIFE.

Life is challenge every time you walked out of the door filled with various issues  whether it is on your job, relationships, becoming the best at your craft, or some uncertainty within ourselves.  BJJ World Champions are also not prone from this attack  including Xande. (hopefully I don't get in trouble for saying this but here goes)...

On occasion (especially in Year 2) Xande would come  to class and you can tell something was bothering him. It was like the weight of the world was on this man's shoulders as he took each step trying to overcome whatever "battle within" he was going through. But after strapping on that white kimono something happen  which is something I never seen in all my 9 years of training. Whether it was verbal poetry or raw emotion  he would turn it into positive energy on the mats running intense classes while  spitting words I never heard come out of an instructors mouth something you couldn't find at your typical BJJ gym bound by the rules of train hard and pay your tuition.

"Every time you walk out of your house there is gonna be a challenge how are you gonna respond to it"

"You don't have to be a BJJ World Champion just a better person than you once were"

These were just small examples of  encouragement/motivation he instilled in us something no fan or seminar attendee could ever get. Xande was a man that truly understood what this game is all about.
 He was able to connect life trials with BJJ trials which gave us all a boost of confidence of whatever task or hurdle we were taking on to become better which is certainly made him worthy of the title Bossman..

On a personal note knowing Xande (especially a famous person of his caliber in the BJJ World) provided great influence and a sense of clarity that I wasn't alone. That I wasn't the only deep one , that I too was fighting every day to become better, reflecting, and through it all trying make my own positive contribution to society. It is those qualities that made me proud to be his student, wanting to learn more on how to be better, proud to take two metro trains and a bus 3 to 4 times a week at night to the academy, and most importantly  (n this thought never crossed my mind ever)..... someone I wanted a BJJ Black Belt from someday.

Unfortunately  life has a way of throwing wrenches in the equation as Xande's life (4 good reasons) was directing him into a new direction back to Brazil. Although I understood the reasons I did not take it very well (I have my reasons). Being that I lost so much this year (if you been following my timeline in 2013) this was something that I was angry and upset about asking the burning question why me ?. Not only my instructor but also all the friends (teammates I made in the process all gone. It hurt  me deeply even much so that for the first time I BROKE...I wanted to quit BJJ for good cause nothing seemed to work for me. Then all the reason for this sadness hit me.

At that moment I realized this guy is truly making an impact in my life and although I was to prideful to admit it to his face under my straight blank/clueless face demeanor I didn't want him to go, I still needed him in some way to continue helping me...a painful hurt I kept bottled up.

But even in dark sad times Xande always had a way to keep everything positive . Heading into the  Jiu-jitsu Jam/Seminar at Oceanside Jiu-jitsu on 12/3/13 all I truly wanted was just one more time to learn and train with him which I got. Little did I know I had something else waiting for me that night. Giving his speech he talked about the many special people he met during his time in LA. I don't remember much after that but I do remember him reaching in his Gi and pulling out a Purple Belt and saying my name.

The emotion I felt that day was overwhelming filled with shock, surprise, dumb founded for a minute and gratitude. It's was so overwhelming that after he put the purple belt around me I went into a  Daydream Seizure for 10 minutes because I didn't think any of it was real. Even looking back on that day it hard to explain how I felt but I can tell you one thing I was humbled and honored to become his Purple belt. Now if that isn't a way to end a great chapter I don't know what is.

If you want to know about how lives are measure by the people we meet this is what this experience  did for me and whether it is truly temporary (The END) or a mere set up to an upcoming sequel if definitely taught me a lot about myself.

and its not really much to say but ......................

thx Boss Man

1 % better or maybe even 2 % in this case

-monta (pronounced like Monday with a t replacing the d) :-)



to be continued next blog will talk about my training future.........................................

Quick-Stop Grapplethon

Hey everyone welcome to the first installment of Quick-Stop Grapplethon. In an effort to continue our campaign of community and charity the event will be held at the same location as Grapplethon 2.

Dan Lukehart's Brea Jiu-jitsu Academy
379 W. Central Avenue
Brea, California 92821

The Grapplethon events this year in my opinion has been one of the best ideas we came up with which has brought new life and opportunities for all of us here in the Southern California community. So being that the end of the year is coming to a close and competition bug cools off why not spend it one last time doing what we do best training and helping someone in need.

What is a Quick-Stop Grapplethon: Our past Grapplethon events have been organized in an event format filled with challenges, prizes, training and charity. A quick stop Grapplethon event is focused on the core of the purpose which centers of Charity and unity with the community.

What is the Cause? -

This Quick-Stop Grapplethon will focus on helping John Flite. Here is his story (told by John Himself)

John Flite : My name is John Flite. I am a Philadelphia Probation Officer but BJJ is my passion. I am 42 years old and married to my wife Amy. I am a father of two kids. Gabe is 11 and Rosie is 17. I have been training BJJ for a little over 5 years. In August I was promoted to the rank of purple belt by Jared Weiner. My son Gabe also trains under Jared also. This was suppose to be an exciting time for my family. My daughter is a senior in high school and will be off to collage next year. After I revived my purple belt I noticed my energy levels were off. I went to the Doctor and on October 7, 2013 I was diagnosed with Leukemia. I was told it was in 40% of my bone marrow and that I would have to be admitted to the hospital to receive chemo therapy. I was admitted on October 14, 2013 and as of this writing (12/11/13) I have been hospitalized since. I was given two rounds of intensive chemo therapy which seems to have crushed the cancer for now. My Doctor said I may be discharged within the next few days depending on the results of a couple more tests. I have done my best to stay positive the whole time. I keep telling myself that I refuse to be sick! I started writing about my situation on Facebook and was amazed by the outpouring of support I was getting from the BJJ community! Many people that I have never meet reached out offering support to me and my family. It touched me and has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I think Leukemia is going to make me a better person in the end! I am not sure what the future holds for me. I may need more chemo down the line and I may need a bone marrow transplant but my Doctor is optimistic about me being cured! I continue to fight this battle and refuse to stop until I win! I couldn't do it by myself. Without the support of my family and the BJJ community I'm not sure that I would be doing as well as I am.

 

Date: December 21st 2013

Price: $15 {nothing more nothing less}

Raffle Prizes: not that it will be a major focus but there will be 5 raffle prizes given away for the event. {Raffle ticket will be free with your $15 entry}

For more information, updates, or to sign up visit
Quick Stop Grapplethon



Or free to contact me at monta_193@yahoo.com