Author Archives: Charles

Superfight: Grapplers' Quest at UFC Fan Expo in Boston, 2010... […]

I was born and raised in Hawaii, been to Italy, traveled the United States and parts of Canada, but Buzios was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The beaches are pristine and the water is crystal clear. The locals are laid back and friendly. It was like I stepped into a different world after two weeks in Rio. There are much fewer cars than […]

Found a link to a link, and ended up at the Graciemag site (imagine that).100 Things To Do Before Reaching Black BeltThis article is awesome. And it got me thinking how many I can check off already from my short two years doing this stuff. Suffice to say, I've got a ways to go. But of course, I've got lots of time.That said, I've got #59 down: […]

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Manchester/Fighting-Fit-Martial-Arts-Centre/43367623641?ref=ts WOW!! What an amazing response the interviews received! Who knew people from places as far as New Zeeland and Argentina would be interested in the Manchester MMA scene! Many thanks to all who took the time to read (and even send emails!) my interviews with head co […]

I’m hurt, I can’t train hard, and I’m enjoying a mildly-normal vacation for once. So, that night I spent with a friend from college who had since moved from Arkansas back home to Brazil. We ate more sushi than two humans should ever attempt to ingest and I introduced him to the greatest series ever, Jersey Shore. He wasn’t quite as moved as I was. I was exit […]

In 2009, in the course of working with Marc Walder to organise the Essex BJJ Open, I received an unexpected email from a would-be competitor. This competitor, a blue belt out of the Roger Gracie Academy Bucks who also trains at the McLeod Academy, was keen to enter his first competition. He did have one concern, however, his age. He was 69, was this going to […]

Hi all. We all learn some techniques from instructional videos. It s a good way to learn new sweeps and submissions. To be honest most of my sweeps and submissions that i successfully use in sparing these days came from instructional videos.The reason why i love learning from vids is because it keeps me ahead of my class.I get to sweep them and do crazy stuf […]

Last week, Romulo discussed his thoughts on teaching. In part two, he talks about competition.slideyfoot.com: You began competing quite early in your training: how would you advise a new student coming to you saying “I want to compete”?Romulo Barral: I have a lot of people who do that, and my advice is like this: the competition needs to be something natural […]