You aint hardcore unless you live hardcore.

BJ Penn is a freak!

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:33:00 +0000

AMAZING! Got these videos from bj penn's youtube channel.

Mundials 2009: Marcelo Garcia vs. Lucas Leite Medio Semi-Final

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:47:00 +0000

Found this one in Youtube. Sharing it to everyone. Anyone have links to videos of other blackbelt matches from the last mundials? Please share as well. Thanks!

My First Match in the last Pan Asian BJJ Int. Tourney

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:49:00 +0000

I am supposed to upload more videos but my connection at home is crappy for over a month now. This video was uploaded by Erwin. Thanks Erwin! It was another learning experience for me during that tourney, all matches that eliminated me were all semi-final matches. It was quite frustrating but it is all ok. Once again, I had a hard time with bigger and stronger opponents.

Also wanted to give a shoutout to Leron Gandoali. It was a great match, looking forward to do it again! Keep training man!

Ricky Gamboa (Team VPF) vs. Leron Gandoali (Purebred/Lloyd Irvin)

Rollapalooza 3: SUPREMACY

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Heads up! Rollapalooza 3: SUPREMACY is now scheduled for May 17, 2009. IT'S ON!

ROLLAPALOOZA 3 RULES, REGULATIONS AND WEIGHT DIVISIONS

Rules:

take downs - 2 pts
knee on belly - 2 pts.
passing the guard - 3 pts
full mount - 4 pts.
rear mount - 4 pts.

advantage points will be given to attacks/attempts that were clearly defended by your opponent.

Submissions allowed:

wristlocks (on the ground)
armlocks (twisting or straight)
shoulder locks
chokes
straight footlocks
toeholds (mata leo on foot)
knee bars
body locks/chokes

Submissions & techniques not allowed:

neck and spine cranks
standing wristlock
heel hooks
small joint manipulation (fingers & toes)
suplex above the hips
slamming your opponent when he has guard, armbar or triangle on you
slamming your opponent backwards when he has rear mount on you

Weight Divisions (Men's):

Featherweight: 139.9 and below
Lightweight: 140 - 159.9 lbs.
Middleweight: 160 - 179.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight: 180 - 199.9 lbs.
Heavyweight: 200 lbs. and over

There will be a Women's division as well. Weight classes will depend on the number of entries.

Registration is from May 11-13, 2009 4:00-9:00PM at the Judo Room, Blue EagleGym, Ateneo de Manila University. Registration fee is P500 only.

Entries on the tournament day (May 17) will be held from 7:00AM to 8:00AM only. Registration fee then will be P800.

For more information and updates please go to Rollapalooza.TV

Some Updates...

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:06:00 +0000

I know I have not posted for quite some time now. I have been busy with a lot of things (work, training, and some other stuff). Here is a list of what has been going on.

- Won gold in my division (medio) in the last 2009 Philippine National Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships. Thank you teammates
- Got my 3rd and 4th stripe on my white belt last March. Again thank you teammates!
- Getting ready for the PAN ASIAN BJJ/GRAPPLING INTERNATIONAL this weekend. i have to start setting realistic goals for this tourney.

I tried to post regularly before but got lazy along the way. Hopefully I can be more consistent from now on.

SUMMER BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU CLASSES!

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:58:00 +0000

Finally decided to take up Brazilian Jiu-jitsu? Learn from the country's best and MOST technical Brazilian Jiu-jitsu athletes from Team VPF Jiu-Jitsu!

Instructors:
RALPH GO - BJJ Brown BeltSilent, but deadly...really
ALI SULIT - BJJ Purple Belt4th Degree Judo BlackbeltAll around nice guy...most of the time
Check us out in youtube! tags: team vpf, ali sulit, ralph go, carlo pena. jr santos, jan cortez

Venue:
Judo Room, Blue Eagle Gym, Ateneo de Manila UniversityKatipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines 1108

Schedule:
Monday & Wednesday: (Gi/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)9-1030AM
Tuesday & Thursday: (Gi/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)430-630PM 730-930PM
Saturday: (No-Gi & Gi, Open Mat)9AM-12PM

For inquiries on our rates and special promos, send e-mail to alisulit@yahoo.com or contact 0917-8588230

VAMOS PARA FRENTE!

What Everybody Ought to Know About Mental Preparation

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Competition is just around the corner so I thought about looking for a podcast that discuss about mental preparation for sports. Podcast because I like listening to them during my commute to the office. I used to watch instructional videos on my PSP or read books on the bus but I get nauseated when I do so.

I have to admit that I have my own issues on the mental aspect of the game. On my search earlier today I found this site that discuss about sports psychology topics that a professional or even an average athlete may experience.

Dr. Patrick J. Cohn, President of Peak Performance Sports of Orlando discuss about topics like...

The discussions may not be as in depth as I would have wanted but they successfully discuss the main points making them informative enough for me. You may pick-up one or two tips per episode and these tips can go a long way.

There rest of the topics can be found on the link below:
Get Psyched for Sports Podcasts

I believe that Mental Preparation is as important for a competition athlete, as his skill mastery and conditioning. There are times that I lost matches because I lost focus or I got tired or I just plainly gave up; and I knew that if I was mentally tough enough, I could have bounced back. I have read it from everywhere, your mind can save you even from the toughest of situations. Hopefully, I will see some improvements on this aspect of my game during the tournament this weekend.

P.S. Master Lloyd Irvin gives good advice regarding the mental game. as well You can visit www.thegrapplingblueprint.com

Jiu-Jitsu: Lifestyle

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Got this from GringaBJJ. It is a documentary from VCU TV about normal people who try to strike a balance between work, family and their love for the sport. It is a good watch and I think some if not most of us can relate to the individuals featured in the video.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

The Preacher Walk

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:22:00 +0000

I just would like to share a conditioning workout that we do in Team VPF as preparation for the incoming tournament. Brown belt Ralph Go got this workout from the site www.bjjengineer.com. The first time I did this I swore never to do it again. But after I gassed out last Rollapalooza 2 , I decided to do add this to my preparation.

Basically you raise a bar over your head and do lunges from one side of the mat to the other and then do 21 burpees. You will be doing this for 5 laps while timing yourself to record your personal best.

The workout was not as "killing" when we did it last Friday compared to the other times we did it. We cannot explain the reason for this; maybe it is because of our new kettlebell program or the longer rounds of rolling we are doing right now.

Personal Best: 7 minutes

video from www.bjjengineer.com

After Rollapalooza 2

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:23:00 +0000

I felt like I did not perform the way I expected myself during the last weekend's tournament. I won my first matches both on my division and in the absolute but I failed to go further from there. Well, the moments of pondering on what I did wrong are over now. I have done my homework and took note of the stuff I need to work on . Right now I am trying to patch the holes that have been magnified last weekend. Indeed, this is a never ending learning process.

Next stop :The 2009 Philippine Gi and No-Gi Nationals.

Rollapalooza 2 Results
Rollapalo0za 2 Images
Rollapalooza 2 Images from my cam

Rollapalooza 2: February 8 @ the Ateneo Martial Arts Center

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:32:00 +0000

The premier submission grappling tournament of the Philippines is back and is now bigger. Now expanding to accommodate experienced grapplers in an ADVANCED Division adding to the Novice and Womens division from Rollapalooza 1. Also, there would be a 5-man (BELOW 165lbs) TEAM SURVIVAL event which I am really excited about.

Please go to Rollapalooza.TV for more information.

Rollapalooza 1 Images
Rollapalooza 1 Videos

Photo on this entry courtesy of:
Mr. Erwin Nolido
SCANLINE Video Editing Services
Lower Ground Level
Burgundy Plaza
Katipunan Avenue, QC

Dominacao Absoluta Videos

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:46:00 +0000

Better late then never...

Superfight: JR Santos (Team VPF) vs Alvin Ramirez (Yaw-yan Buhawi)

Carlo Pena (Team VPF) vs Jan Cortez (Team VPF)

Macky Siazon (Team VPF) vs Javier Mirelez (Purebred-Lloyd Irvin)

Kathy Duque (Team VPF) vs May Masuda (Masuda BJJ)

Luis Nazareno (Team VPF) vs Ricky Gamboa (Team VPF)

Ricky Gamboa (Team VPF) vs. Lars Roxas (Team VPF)

The Formula

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:59:00 +0000

This Ad from His Airness may have been the theme of 2008 for me. There were a lot of down times but I have always bounced back stronger everytime; may it be in BJJ, work, or in relationships. Honestly, the best lessons I have learned this year all came from failures.

"I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. 26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."

Thanks to Steve Austin's Perfect Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Travels for posting this ad in his blog. It inspired me to post this entry.

Note-Taking by Mike Fowler

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:11:00 +0000

Got this vid from http://www.bjjengineer.com/.

I am lucky to be in a team that emphasizes on having a notebook in class. Honestly, I was never good at taking notes when I was a student, I usually photocopy notes from my classmates. Studying others notes is not easy; people have different ways of picking up information and different ways of writing them down. Unless, you have the same train of thought as the person you copied your notes from, chances are you will not understand what he has written down. I have my own system on taking notes now, but I still try to improve whenever I find more efficient ways on writing down more info in a shorter amount of time. I believe that is a problem for most of us note-takers. Yes, it is a challenge, but it is essential. Don't you just regret the past lessons you forgot? Especially the ones that were taught on a seminar, don't you just think they were a waste of time and money?

Here is a blog entry by Mike Fowler about taking notes: Back to School...

A Video from Last Weekend

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:53:00 +0000

Here is a video of my first match in the 2008 PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL BJJ CHAMPIONSHIP. Thanks to Enrico's camp (JMC MMA Team) for posting this one.

I finished bronze in the Gi tournament. I lost in the semi-finals. It was frustrating at first but as always, I looked at it as a way to see the holes in my game and then work on them when I get back to training.

In the second day of competition I lost both my matches in my division and in absolute. It was all good, it was my first time to compete in the intermediate level. I learned a lot and it was a fulfilling feeling for me to experience the competition at that level. Now it is time to go back to the drawing board and hopefully perform better next time.

Congratulations to Team VPF for winning second place in the Gi Tournament and for winning third place in No-gi!

For more videos from PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL BJJ CHAMPIONSHIP please go to Rollapalooza.tv

Click HERE for the rest of the competition results.

No Gi Made Easy

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:27:00 +0000

I have been a member of Master Lloyd Irvin's Mailing List for quite some time now. Recently I have been receiving some previews of the soon to be released DVD set "No Gi Made Easy". I already have heard about how systematic the Lloyd Irvin system is and it shows on these previews. The level of detail is amazing and the philosophy that they show in the position and moves makes a lot of sense. I had quite a number of "light bulb" moments while watching these videos. I'll definitely get this DVD set when it comes out!

Check out these links for the previews:

Mike Fowler explaining the concepts and principles of passing the guard

Mike Fowler explaining flow locks

Mike Fowler showing setups to basic submissions

Mike Fowler showing the finer details of the brabo choke

Join Master Lloyd Irvin's Mailing List to see these videos and get other useful BJJ information.

Click here for the main website of "No Gi Made Easy".

Counter to the Front Headlock

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:36:00 +0000

Shot this last Friday for Rollapalooza.TV. Our Brown-belt Instructor, Ralph Go, shared his technique on escaping the front headlock and how to finish it with a submission.

Expect more informative videos like this in the future from Rollapalooza.TV

The RPG Analogy

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:49:00 +0000

During the surprise dinner that we set for Coach Ali's birthday two teammates of mine were talking about joining Rollapalooza. One asked, "Do you think I should compete?" the other answered like this "Just look at it like a Role Playing Game. On these types of games, how do you level up?" So the other answered while laughing "You fight!”. I found it funny myself but it made a lot of sense. In most RPG games if not all, you gain experience by clashing with the opponents. The tougher they are, the more experience points you get. And when you reach a certain total of experience points, you level up.

I have always been a fan of experience being the great teacher. I learned it back in high school when I was playing basketball. There was this one school that keeps on winning championships and owning every single team; Winning by very big margins. I always asked why this team was so good. We practiced 6 days a week and yet we cannot even match up with them. And then I learned that they were joining every single tournament they can from the smallest ones up to the highest level. Wherein back then we just joined one or two compared to their five or more. Just imagine the level gap once you base it in experience points between us and them.

This is why I try to join every single tournament that I can. I train to win but if it does not go my way it is ok. I try to think win-win, there is no such thing as winning or losing only winning and learning. Every after competition, I take note of the things I learned and things I need to work on and then I work on them immediately the next training day.

DOMINACAO ABSOLUTA (Oct. 25-26 '08) - NOGI and GI competition

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:16:00 +0000

posted by mantis_boxing in www.pinoymma.com/forum

Gi weight classes for WHITE and BLUE belts (weigh-in w/ gi on):
Featherweight: 139.9 and below
Lightweight: 140 - 159.9 lbs.
Middleweight: 160 - 179.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight: 180 - 199.9 lbs.
Heavyweight: 200 lbs. and over

Gi weight classes for PURPLE belts:
Light: 174.9 lbs. and below
Heavy: 175 lbs. and over

Nogi weight classes for BASIC and ADVANCED divisions:
Featherweight: 139.9 and below
Lightweight: 140 - 159.9 lbs.
Middleweight: 160 - 179.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight: 180 - 199.9 lbs.
Heavyweight: 200 lbs. and over

Colored belts and experienced grapplers are urged to register for the ADVANCED divisions but the organizers will not be strict with what skill level you register in, so it is basically your prerogative to select where you want to compete. BASIC, we would hope, is for the NOVICE grapplers and the ADVANCED division is for those who wish to challenge themselves.

For BASIC skill divisions, all chokes, wrist locks (except standing wrist locks), elbow locks and shoulder locks are legal. For ADVANCED skill divisions, all submissions legal in the BASIC skill divisions, plus the addition of straight ankle locks and knee bars only.

Junior divisions for those born 1991 and later: one division, except in the case of an oversized competitor, where we will split into two weight divisions for safety of the smaller players.

For female competitors: one division, except in the case of an oversized competitor, where we will split into two weight divisions for safety of the smaller players.

ENTRY FEES:
For ONE competition (GI or NOGI), the fee will be Php 600 only.
For BOTH competitions, the fee will be a discounted to Php 1000 only.

SPECIAL ENTRY FEES FOR COMPETITORS WHO JOINED THE ROLL-A-PALOOZA:
For ONE competition (GI or NOGI), the fee will be Php 500 only.
For BOTH competitions, the fee will be a discounted to Php 900 only.

Once a competitor has registered for a competition, he/she will be free to join more than one division (just as long as he/she qualifies) with no added charge. Ex: A competitor who was born in 1991 or later can join both the Juniors and Adult division for the same cost.

OFFICIAL REGISTRATION FORMS:
Interested grapplers can download the official registration forms for both competitions at the following links.
GI competition - http://www.mediafire.com/?nazzb2rnwd4
NOGI competition - http://www.mediafire.com/?kya8tj2y0rb

Entries must be submitted at the Ateneo Judo Dojo, 2/F Blue Eagle Gym, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City any day this week starting Monday, October 20, 2008 from 7PM to 9PM. Deadline for submission of entries and payment is 9PM, Thursday, October 23, 2008. Any cases of consideration can be made by e-mailing hardstepping@yahoo.com before this Wednesday, October 22, 2008. You may also e-mail us to request for PDF copies of the official registration forms.

We're very excited to be able to put up an event like this and we hope to have more in the future to help promote the local grappling scene, and also the MMA scene.

We'd like to thank ALL THE TEAMS who supported our last ROLLAPALOOZA tournament and those who plan to join this tournament - this is a good chance to expose our local grapplers on a different stage. Thanks also to LEVEL-UP GAMES, FOKAI INDUSTRIES, SM SUPERMALLS, ADMU, GAMENESS, ON THE MAT, NU107.5, GRASSHOPPER GUAM, GZ FIGHT SHOP, mikefowlertv.com, YAMATODAMASHII, ADIDAS MARTIAL ARTS, UNO MAG, EASTWOOD APARTMENTS, NYKO MACA, PRODIGY and EVERYONE who made this possible.

ROLL-A-PALOOZA: Images

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:41:00 +0000

Thanks to:

Erwin Nolido
Em Matias
Jay Santos

Album 1 (from Erwin Nolido)

Album 2 (from Em Matias)

Album 3 (from Jay Santos)

Album 4 (from Jay Santos)

Album 5 (from Jay Santos)

Album 6: Awarding (from Jay Santos)

ROLL-A-PALOOZA: Videos

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Thanks to Carlo Pena for the vids.

My First Match

My Semi-Final Match

Finals match I was against my teammate/training partner Luis Nazarano. He was quick to counter my moves and beat me by points. Sorry, no vid for that one.

Also my teammate Adrian Guggenheim won bronze so in short we dominated the Lightweight division! Next stop Dominacao Absoluta!

ROLL-A-PALOOZA: Results

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:33:00 +0000

WOMEN'S OPEN DIVISION:

Gold: May Masuda - Gracie Barra Phils.
Silver: Cookie Pido - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Em Matias - Kamphuis-Fabricio

MEN'S WEIGHT DIVISIONS

Roster Weight:

Gold: Alvin Ramirez - Yaw-Yan Buhawi
Silver: Alain Nadal - Kamphuis-Fabricio
Bronze: Paolo de Luna - New Breed Phils.

Super Featherweight:

Gold: Resty Pandy - McLaren MMA Gym
Silver: Gian Dee - Ateneo Judo / New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Gerald Go - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Pinggoy Danguilan - Sprawl MMA

Featherweight:

Gold: Carl Sabeniano - Hybrid Yaw-Yan
Silver: Raymond Varilla - Gracie Barra Phils.
Bronze: Michael Rubio - McLaren MMA Gym
Bronze: Reggie Cruz - JMC MMA

Lightweight:

Gold: Luis Nazareno - New Breed Phils. / Ateneo Judo
Silver: Ricky Gamboa - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Adrian Guggenheim - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Bryan Bartolome - Lords Gym

Middleweight:

Gold: Angelito Lazarito - Fight Club
Silver: Kyle Kapunan - Gracie Barra Phils.
Bronze: Henson Gosiaco - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Lean Cadut - Kamphuis-Fabricio

Medium Heavyweight:

Gold: Isaiah Ordiz - Kamphuis-Fabricio
Silver: Erwin Nolido - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Iven Go - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Kaith Vallecer - Kamphuis-Fabricio

Heavyweight:

Gold: Lemuel Basa - New Breed Phils.
Silver: Roman Pido - New Breed Phils.
Bronze: Wene Balhon - Kamphuis-Fabricio

Super Heavyweight:

Gold: Kendrick Tan - Kamphuis-Fabricio
Silver: Jess Balmaceda - Kamphuis-Fabricio

SPECIAL AWARDS:

Fastest Submission: Alvin Ramirez - Yaw-Yan Buhawi (28 seconds)

Most Technical Submission: Carl Sabeniano - Hybrid Yaw-Yan (Gogo-Plata)

October Tournaments

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:56:00 +0000

ROLL-A-PALOOZA: Novice No-Gi Tournament (October 12, 2008)
Dominacao Absoluta (October 25-26, 2008)

Saulo Ribeiro on the Katagatame

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:37:00 +0000

Saulo Ribeiro on the Katagatame

I got the link from Side Control's Blog. It is a good video for me not because of the submission. I liked it because of the little details about controlling the mount.

A Day of Promotions [08.16.2008]

rickyg_zip@yahoo.com (Ricky Gamboa) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:57:00 +0000

One of the heads of New Breed Academy, John Ouano, visited the Philippines this week and today New Breed Philippines held its general assembly after a long time. It is the first one I attended and I must say that it is a new experience for me. Having all of these Jiu-Jitsu guys and a few gals in one gym. It is something I have only seen in youtube videos before.

New Breed Academy Philippines

I would like to congratualte my teammates who got the blue belts today. Jan, Macky, JR and Carlito. You guys truly deserve it. Besides from training so hard, you have been great teammates. Keep it up!

The new blue belts with Coach Ali

Also, I would like to congratulate teammates who were awarded stripes today. Carlo (3-stripe blue), Skip (4-stripe white), Ren (3-stripe white), Macaca (3-stripe white), Mikee (2-stripe white), Luis (2-stripe white), Adrian (1-stripe white), Robert (1-stripe white), Ricky P. (1-stripe white) and Tasha (1-stripe white). I hope I did not miss anyone.

Congratulations to our instructors Coach Ali Sulit and Ralph Go for their stripes. Coach Ali now a 2-stripe purple and Ralph a 4-stripe purple.

John Ouano awarding Coach Ali and Ralph their stripes

Lastly, I would like to thank Coach Ali and of course my teammates for my 2nd stripe today. Training with you guys motivate me to work hard and improve everyday.

my second stripe

I must say, doing what you love is a great feeling, being recognized or awarded for it just takes it to a whole new level.

I would like to acknowledge Doc Mike for the pictures. Thanks.