Joker get his Black Belt!

Mike "Joker"Aref one of my main training partners and biggest martial arts influences was promoted to BJJ black Belt today in Champaign by Jack McVicker.  Joker has been training BJJ for over a decade and has a ton of tournament wins including 3 Pan Ams medals, so this was long over due.  In addition to being active in BJJ he is also a 2 time IKF amateur World Thai Champion, not to mention getting his PHD and becoming a medical doctor.  Big Time Congrats to Joker.

Ginastica Natural

Just got done with a Ginastica Natural seminar with Master Alvaro Romano, and must say I can't recommend it any more highly.  This was my second time having Alvaro work with my guys and it was once again a fantastic learning experience.  My students and I had a great time, learned a lot and realized we have a lot to learn.  We will be adding a 10am Saturday morning Ginastica class in January to keep improving.

Some old pics part 2

Here are some more old pics

Team McVicker at 2004 Arnolds

Winning the first ever C3 pro division

Team McVicker winning the first team championship at the inaugural C3

Submitting Henry Matamoros with a kneebar

Real old team photo after Indiana State Jiu-Jitsu tournament

Some old pics

Here are some old fight and competition pics:

Heel Hooking Shonie Carter at NAGA

Win at the Pan Ams 2006

First pro MMA fight

First Championship Belt from Extreme Grappling Open

Ginastica Natural

We will be host a Ginastica Natural for BJJ workshop with Master Alvaro Romano the weekend of December 17-18.  We are finalizing the time and price but it will probably be $30 for a 90 minute workshop.  Anyone is welcome to come train with Alvaro and add Ginasitca to help improve their BJJ game.  Contact me for more details.

Team McVicker is always growing

I am posting the team pic from the Megaton seminar in Champaign.  This is only part of the the team but if you notice the front row we had 6 black belts in the room that day.  Not many teams in the Midwest let alone America get 6 legit black belts training in one room, not to mention the ever growing number of brown and purple belts.  Proud to be part of such a tough team.

Black Belt!

On Saturday I was promoted to Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Jack McVicker and Megaton Dias.  I have been working for over a decade towards this goal and now that it has been achieved.  I couldn't be happier.  I am extremely proud to have earned the rank from Jack and Megaton, and will do my best to up hold their high standards of BJJ.  I will write a post talking about the whole experience of getting my black belt in the next few days once it has time to set in.

Also I want to say thank you to all my friends, family, training partners, and students who helped me get here.

Jeff

Jack McVicker Wins World No-Gi Championships!

Big congrats to Jack McVicker on winning tow gold medals, one for lightweight and one for absolute, in the Black Belt Senior 1 division at the World No Gi BJJ Championships. Jack consistently shows he is one of the top competitors in BJJ anywhere in the world.

Also big congrats to other Team McVicker medalists Chris Howe, Larry Sutherland, and Mark Redding.

Megaton Seminar

Megaton Dias will be in Champaign for a seminar for Team McVicker on Saturday November 13.  Megaton needs no introduction as he is one of the true legends of BJJ.  Its your chance to get to learn from one of the most respected competitors and coaches in the world.  If you are interested in attending contact me.

3 New Serafin BJJ Blue Belts!

Today we hosted Jack McVicker for a BJJ seminar.  As usual Jack covered some great positions and techniques.  Having a world class instructor to provide the key details with a whole series of moves and positions is an invaluable asset.  

After the seminar quite a few deserving students received well earned new rank in BJJ.  There are a lot of white belts with new stripes showing the hard work they have been putting into their BJJ.  Some new belts were awarded as Horatiu Wesser, Ed Loncar and Dennis Odulio were promoted to blue belts in BJJ by Jack McVicker and myself.   I'm very proud of all my students and am glad to see more and more colored belts in the gym.

This week's topic: Back Attacks

This week we will be working on attacks from the back.  We will mainly work on our basic 3 chokes, going into details like proper grips, control angles, and the most efficient ways to finish the choke.  We will also cover some basic ways to take the back that will lead directly to the grips we need to finish the chokes.

US Grappling Chicago

Team Serafin BJJ had a great showing at yesterday's US Grappling Chicago grappling tournament.  We brought back a bunch of medals and showed some great BJJ.  I'm super proud of how well the team performed especially the first time competitors. 

This Week's topic: Sit Outs

This week we will be working on the sit out and switch.  We will cover multiple different versions of the sit out as well as different scenarios where it sit outs will be useful.  The techniques will go from basics of wrestling to more advanced uses including sit outs to set up submissions. 

Jack McVicker Seminar Oct. 24

Guys,
Jack McVicker will be in Evanston on Sunday October 24 for a BJJ seminar.  The seminar will tentatively be scheduled for 11am-2pm, and will be $100.  You must pre-register with me to attend.

For those who don't know Jack, he is my BJJ instructor, one of the top competitors and coaches in the world.  He is a multiple time winner of the Pan Ams, Master and Seniors World Championships, and countless other tournaments.  Make sure you take advantage of having one of the best in the world in your back yard. 

Team McVicker BJJ Camp

The Team McVicker Fall BJJ camp was a great time as usual.  Along with 5 sections of BJJ technique we had dozens of rounds of high level rolling.  I had alot of fun showing some of my game particularly my scissor sweep and triangle game.  I personally picked up some great tips working with Jack, Jimmy, and all the other high level training partners the camp provided.  Looking forward to the spring camp.

This weeks topic: Arm Drags

This week we will be covering the arm drag.  We will work arm drags from the feet, from the closed and open guard.  Arm drags are some of the simplest and most effective moves to set up take downs, back takes, and sweeps, which will be covered in classes this week.

Team McVicker Fall BJJ Camp- No class Saturday

This Saturday and Sunday September 25 and 26 Team McVicker will be hosting our next team BJJ camp in Champaign.  The team's top instructors will be on hand to share some world class BJJ knowledge with all team members making the trip from all over the US.  Due to the camp class will be cancelled on Saturday morning September 25.

Welcome to the Serafin BJJ Blog!

This blog will give up to date info on Team Serafin BJJ activities, competitions, seminars, schedule changes, etc...   Check back regularly