Thanks, Robert!
Went into Todd's school, off south King St last night. What timing it was! Relson was there himself. I guess he does seminars around the world full time now, and sold his original school down here, but he does seminars with his guys down here once a month, and it just so happens that I walked in the one night a month he is here.
I missed the first part, but the half that we walked in on was really a treat. Todd, the owner, let us sit in and watch. Relson's game is VERY technical and precise. He was showing some awesome side control to knee on belly attacks. I noticed that it was the fine details that he put into each movement that made his jiu jitsu utterly flawless. He was using some BIG local guys to demonstrate on, and not one of them could move an inch from his basic side control or Kasa Katame (sp?) control. I tried taking pictures with my brain, but there was too much to absorb. But he had some great arm lock variations to branch off the basic attacks after you've been knee riding.
I also noticed how much energy he had, and how incredibly fast he was. All the pictures I had seen of him depicted him as one of the older brothers, and at a quick glance, he does look it. But to see him in action shows otherwise. Every transition was lighting fast and fluid, and he was all over the mats, watching over every one of his guys, quick to grab them and show them proper technique.
Some of the guys were asking him about some of the "new school" escapes and submissions, which he was happy to look at. Each time a guy tried one of the escapes they learned or heard of on him, he would make one tiny transition and shut it down instantly.
Some quotes from him that stand out...
"Everybody wanna say they know the technique, cause they drill ten times in class... No, Son!! No!!... You tell me you drill this maybe a thousand times, then I listen to you, cause maybe you understand now."
"You drill the technique till is like driving the car. In traffic, if you don't know how to drive, you get scared and tense, but when you a good driver, is ok, no big deal. That's how jiu jitsu should be. I never think, I never worry, I just go, because I don't think about techniques, I just go..."
And when he handed out his promotions at the end of the night, he hugged each one of his students and said:
"Good job, brudda. Day by day. Day by day..."
Probably the finest instruction I have ever seen a BJJ teacher pass down to his students. I wish I could remember more to share. But I might go back for the no-gi class tomorrow morning to see what it's like to roll with his students. I will post more if I do.
Oh, and where are the best bars to watch UFC at down here??!!!
