The Gorilla Press, Issue 87

SBG Spring Camp 2017 In The Books!

The month of April got off to a flying start as the SBG tribe descended on Niagara Falls, Canada, for the 2017 SBG Spring Camp! SBG students and coaches from far and wide traveled to learn and develop in the presence of some of SBG’s best coaches. As always, the camp took SBG’s approach and focus on how to apply fundamentals to the next level, providing knowledge accessible to every student, regardless of belt level. This years Spring camp featured segments from:

SBG Vice President and SBG Montana founder, Travis Davison

SBG East Coast Director, BJJ black belt & Muay Thai Kru, Stephen Whittier,

BJJ black belt, self defense, weapons and law enforcement expert, Paul Sharp,

SBG Alabama Head Coach and world-renowned striking coach Chris Conolley,

Founders of Primate Yoga & the Yoga Room of Montana, Salome Thornton & Kisa Davison,

And, of course,

SBG Founder Matt Thornton.

SBG Niagara Head Coach and host of SBG Spring Camp 2017, Rich Beaupit, had this to say:

“Day 1 of SBG Spring Camp is in the books. Absolutely amazing start to the weekend.

Great rolls with other SBG Tribe members from around the world, and Coach Matt and Coach Travis let the Canadian Coaches teach for the ‘Coaches Corner’ sessions tonight. THAT was freaking awesome.

Our Team photographer, Anthony Sobie, came in and took some amazing shots of things tonight. I’ve put a few here, and will post more as Camp goes on.

Hell yeah! Viva SBG!!

Here is another stellar review, this time from SBG Idaho Coach, pro MMA fighter and BJJ black belt Scott Thometz:

“Spring Camp complete. Another amazing weekend with the tribe. Good Jiu Jitsu, great friends and game changing concepts. Thank you to everyone involved! Camps have easily become my two favorite weekends all year. We are so stoked to be able to host Fall Camp in October at SBG Idaho, you won’t want to miss out!”

And finally, as if the excellence of the camp were in any doubt at this point, from SBG Athens Head Coach, Adam Singer:

I have often taken it upon myself to write an “official” review of the camp. When spring camp was in Athens in 2016 I felt a little biased so I skipped the review and then it skipped my mind for Fall 2016 in Berkley but I wanted to make sure to review this camp. I went back and looked at a review I did of spring camp in 2015 and laughed at how much of that review could stand in for this camp (or probably any other). Although that camp did involve a hot tub and super models I can assume that was a once in a lifetime event (but we can always dream). This camp involved a sauna and a bunch of raucous Boys from Boise (Home of Fall Camp 2017!) but I will keep that to myself.

Let me skip the instruction portion of the camp and say right off the bat, I thank you. Thank you to all the people that trusted us to travel and give us so much of their time. This was by far one of the most diverse, warmest, most welcoming, engaged, skilled and polite camps I have ever been too. The energy never waned, the vibe never changed, the smiles never got smaller while the connections just grew stronger. It is a testament to the coaches and the culture. And it shows that no matter how big we get, SBG is a Tribe that binds us together. Throw some mats in a senior center in the middle of Niagara Falls for three days and we will come running; from the deep south, the far west, the east coast, Europe and all of Canada; to sweat, smile, laugh, hug and learn together.

Planning and Running a camp is hard work. Rich and the SBG team did a great job making sure it ran smoothly.

Thank you to everyone that honored me with a hug, thank you to the best community in the world, SBG, thank you for sharing these experiences, thank you for being my travel companions the last 20 years; I rarely laugh more than when I am with you, thank you for picking me up, thank you for sharing your families with me, thank you for letting me coach you, and thank you to all those super models, wherever you are. I’m sorry I could not touch as many people this camp as I usually do on the mat but I tried my best to touch everyone I could with humor and personal interactions.

Coach Matt made “Connection” the theme of this camp and I think all the coaches did a great job showing how we connect both on and off the mat.

I realized as I wrap up this review that every camp ends up being the best camp we have ever had, and that is the way it should always be. So until I see you all in Boise 2017, Niagara Falls Spring Camp 2017 is the best SBG camp yet.
#SBG #onetribeonevibe

New Stripes for Priit Mihkelson & Phillipe Gentry

Another highlight of this year’s SBG Spring Camp was seeing two of SBG’s fine BJJ black belts receiving the first stripes on their belts. Phillipe Gentry from SBG Buford, and Priit Mihkelson of Estonia were both presented with their stripes from SBG Head Coach Matt Thornton.

Of the two esteemed BJJ athletes and coaches, Coach Matt had this to say:

“It’s always an honor and a privilege to be able to award the SBG black belts their stripes. We couldn’t be happier to have Phillipe Gentry as part of the Tribe… Coach Priit has been able to produce some quality competitors – but also, he truly is a martial arts scientist – always thinking, testing, and helping to advance the art.
We are all happy to have Priit as a valued leader within the Tribe.”

SBG Ladies’ Camp Registration Opens!

Hot on the heels of the super successful SBG Spring Camp, early registration for the 2017 Ladies’ camp is now open! Act fast because early registration ends on May 12th, which will allow you to save a cool 50 bucks! SBG’s Ladies Camps are now an annual event after the enormous demand over the last two years, and grow in both attendance and awesomeness every single year! Last years camp at SBG’s HQ in Portland was a huge success, with two days of specialized training from some of SBG’s top female coaches. This year, SBG Ladies’ Camp will be held in beautiful Berkeley, California. Head over to sbgcamps.com for all the information on registration fees, location details, and suggestions for lodging. Registration through sbgcamps.com also allows for awesome special SBG Ladies’ Camp t-shirts and gi patches to be purchased. SBG members and non-members alike are welcome to attend. Don’t miss out on this incredible annual event!

Life Advice From VP Travis Davison

“The same person that you can control in real life, there’s only one, and it’s you.”

From a Harsh Look to a Hand Grenade

Check out SBG Head Coach Matt Thornton’s latest blog post. In it, Coach Matt uses some of the material taught by Paul Sharp at the SBG Spring Camp as a starting point to discuss some of SBG’s core principles. Paul Sharp’s segment, highlighted in the video shown in the blog post, is what we, at SBG, consider a fundamental. As SBG puts it, a fundamental is not necessarily what’s most basic, but rather, what’s most important. As a root skill-set, it is transferable across different scenarios, locations and people. These fundamentals, drilled alive against a resisting opponent to develop timing, are what make SBG the success it is today. This applies from BJJ classes to self-defense hand-fighting classes, like in the video.

A truly skilled martial arts scientist should have the dexterity necessary to handle any aggressive and potentially violent situation.

At SBG we want you to be able to handle everything, from a harsh look to a hand grenade.

Check out the full article for an excellent insight into what makes SBG’s approach so special.

Matt Thornton Seminar in Boise

Matt Thornton continued his tour of North American SBG’s with a visit to the SBG Idaho gym in Boise this month. Matt, with the aid of fellow SBG Portland Coach John Diggins, spent two days worth of seminar imparting in-depth knowledge on the mount position. Anyone who has yet to take this seminar should jump on the next opportunity to do so, as SBG students in Portland and Boise are seeing their mount games improving leaps and bounds as a result.

As always, Coach Thornton takes the approach of “as simple as possible, but no simpler” to break down positions to their fundamental components and teach in a clear way, accessible to all students.

Matt Thornton Master Class

Coach Thornton released an intriguing statement at the end of April, one that will excite any SBG Portland students that are looking to take their BJJ knowledge to the next level. On May 1st, Matt is starting a program he has named the “Mastery Cycle”, a new program at SBG Portland that promises to dig down to the fundamental core of jiu jitsu and teach it in a lasting way so that it will continue to be passed on. May 1st has passed, but it isn’t too late to get involved:

“Starting May 1st we are going to back to the core of Jiu-Jitsu. The science that makes the art functional.

Piece by methodical piece, we will break down the structure that gives Jiu-Jitsu its strength.

Detail by detail, we will discover the ‘why’ of Jiu-Jitsu’s technique, not just the ‘how’.

Position by position, we will make sure the foundation our games are built upon, is rock solid, and meant to last.

The old school, fighting orientated, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, will not be forgotten – because you will pass it on.

Who is ‘you’?

Those of you who sign up for my Mastery Cycle, UA classes – Mon, and Wed and Fri, with me.

Who is eligible, any CAP orange or above.

All enrollees still have full access to all their other CAP classes and instructors as well.

When the art is taught well, every generation should be more knowledgeable and more skilled, more quickly, than the one that came before. I intend to make sure this newest generation continues to prove that.

I want to keep these classes smaller, so I can work more directly with everyone. So see the front desk today to get enrolled.”

Coaches Cane & Ella Provost Talk Takedowns

If you haven’t yet, take some time to watch and share the above video, and others like it at SBG Portland Coach Cane Prevost’s YouTube Channel. Alongside being an excellent coach, Coach Cane also takes the time to make wonderfully simple but informative short videos like this, as well as publishing an equally clear and concise post on his blog. In this video, Coach Cane teams up with his daughter and fellow SBG Portland Coach, Ella Prevost, to go over the basics of the seated single leg takedown. The videos and blog cover fundamentals from a whole host of BJJ positions, as well as thoughts on subjects like the need to relax and breath during rolls, and other BJJ talking points. Its a great resource for all those students who aren’t fortunate enough to be able to take Cane’s classes at SBG Portland on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check them out!

SBG Spring Gear Released!

Spring is here! To celebrate, SBG has released a brand, spanking, new batch of BJJ, MMA gear and casual wear in fresh spring colors. Alongside classics such as SBG gis, rash guards, fight shorts, the collection also includes new color combinations on BJJ gear, and t-shirts featuring a new SBG logo design. You can get your hands on all this and more at the SBG Fuji Sports Shop.

John Kavanagh on the “point”of sporting contests

“Ultimately the results of sporting contests are meaningless when we see real life and death struggles in developing countries. So whats the point? For me the only one is to use the struggles, sacrifices, resilience of the champions to inspire the next generation who might be going thru their own tough time at home or at school. Its not about the winning, thats easy. Its about developing the character so that when you get knocked down you get back up. If i can ‘upload’ that app into a few kids minds then my career will have been a success.”

SBG Sweeps The Northwest Submission Challenge

Last week, SBG academies from around the Pacific Northwest and beyond sent BJJ challengers to the annual North West Submission Challenge in Boise, ID in a push for complete domination! Similar to last year, SBG athletes this year did not disappoint. SBG absolutely annihilated the competition, winning the Overall Team championship, the Team Gi & No-Gi competitions, and coming runner-up in the Kid’s Team competition!

At the highest levels, SBG were utterly dominant. Athletes took 1st place in the Absolute divisions at black belt (Coach Gus Nolte of SBG Montana), brown belt (Coach Eddie Ziegler of SBG Portland), and purple belt (Coach Chris Myers of SBG Elko), earning $1.2 Gs in prize money between them! In the black belt bracket, SBG secured first, second and third place, with Gus Nolte being joined by John Diggins and Scott Thometz on the podium.

Congratulations to everyone who competed! SBG truly is leading the way in submission grappling in the northwest!

Rickson Gracie In Portland!

April ended in spectacular fashion, as none other than the greatest BJJ practitioner of all time, Rickson Gracie, captivated the BJJ students from all over with a two hour seminar at a local high school. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as Rickson rarely teaches seminars any more, and it has been decades since he was in the PNW. Dubbed the greatest of all time, it is no surprise that the gymnasium was packed with well over one hundred eager students, from white belt to black, hanging on his every word. Here is what SBG Portland black belt coach, Cane Prevost, had to say about this momentous occasion:

“Great seminar today with Rickson Gracie. It was my first time seeing him in the flesh. This is the first Jiu Jitsu seminar that I’ve ever gone to where I can reproduce everthing we did the entire time. Rickson epitomized Matt’s idea of ” As simple as possible but no simpler.” What I did not get was a bunch of cool new moves to try on my team mates. That’s fast food Jiu Jitsu. What I did get was an inside look at how to examine the art and disect it in the way that the greatest Jiu Jitsu master of all time does. Rickson firmly sets your feet on the path and gives you the compass.
A great revelation that I had was that far too many of us leave too much meat on the bone when it comes to fundamental positions and movements of Jiu Jitsu. Rickson showed how sticking to those fundamentals and picking the bones clean can be a path to Jiu Jitsu mastery. Going back to the basics and finding more there than I had realized is not just a good idea, it’s required.
Looking around the room it was remarkable to see that the material he taught was groundbreaking, fundamental, accessible, and immediately available to everyone in the room from beginner white belts to 40+ year veterans.
In terms of actual material he taught 2 simple concepts from standing, 2 concepts from mount bottom, 2 from guard, and one from head and arm bottom. There was no lengthy explinations of posture or complicated steps. In each position he showed the simple “invisible jiu jitsu” that made everything work. It was all simple enough that he could impart it with a few sentences and showing it a handful of times. Within 5 minuteseveryone was doing it.
If you ever have the rare chance to train with Rickson Gracie don’t even hesitate. You won’t get what you thought you’d get. What you will get will be far more valuable.”

And what better way to close out than with this simple note from Matt Thornton:

“I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with gratitude at the moment. Gratitude to those who first introduced me to Jiu-Jitsu, like Fabio Santos, who I was honored to be on the mat with today.

Gratitude to those who’ve taught me Jiu-Jitsu, like my coach, Chris Haueter.

And, gratitude to the man who has inspired us all, and who revolutionized the Jiu-Jitsu we do today, Rickson Gracie. A warrior, gentleman, and legend.

I have too much to thank them all for at the moment, so for now I’ll let Cane‘s well written review sum it up.

Jiu-Jitsu changes lives.”

Keep an eye out for the next episode of the SBG Podcast. Featuring Rickson Gracie!

The Gorilla Press, Issue 87