Professor Elias and Coach Danny Arroyo demonstrate the principles of using the Jello Guard to off-balance your opponent while you hook, lace, scoot, and get behind them. With a sense of urgency and an insistence on constantly pushing and pulling using your lower body this can work even without a gi.
Foundation Chicago affiliation team members have been busy the past two weeks competing across two states. They’ve displayed great technique, heart, and support for their training partners.
Prof. Elias and other coaches have also noticed areas where we can improve our representation of ourselves, our art, and our teams. In the below video Elias discusses some finer but important points of how members of our affiliation should know we expect them to behave at competitions.
In short, we need to think beyond the moment and ourselves and show empathy and awareness for others’ experiences. Our world-facing politics that we’re so proud of don’t mean much if we’re rude to others, and if we’re kind and supportive of others as well as our own training partners we can show people that the martial arts world can be kind and safe, and create more friends along the way!
Professor Elias’ coach Robert Drysdale returned to Pilsen and Chicago to teach the Foundation crew and our friends and shared his world-championship technical and philosophical insights! We will share videos from the event in the coming weeks so that members can study.
Seminar participants already have access to those technique demonstration videos and so are ahead of the game. Elias also gave out several belt stripe promotions to Foundation Chicago team members with Drysdale looking on.
Congrats to all the participants, and a sincere thank you to Prof. Drysdale for sharing his knowledge with us once again!
November 9th Professor Elias’ Coach Robert Drysdale is coming back to teach another great intimate seminar for the Foundation Chicago crew and our friends! The seminar will take place from 12pm-2pm on Saturday, November 9th, at Foundation HQ - at the side entrance of 1530 W. 21st Street Chicago, IL, 60608, and the dress code is Gi.
Athletes from all affiliations and teams are welcome to attend, though space is limited for this intimate seminar, and Foundation Chicago members receive an extra discount! The sponsor is being put on by our 501(c)(3) partner charitable organization, Pilsen Defense & Access, and ticket purchases are tax-deductible donations that go to support our kids scholarship fund.
Go here to make your donation and register for the seminar and you’ll immediately receive a digital receipt for tax purposes. Professor Drysdale last visited Chicago in April of 2023, teaching a fantastic no-gi seminar on the butterfly guard.
This time we’re throwing on the Kimonos as the weather gets cooler, to learn once more directly from the all-time great. Drysdale is a four-time world champion in Jiu-Jitsu, winning world titles in the IBJJF multiple times as well as winning the vaunted Open Weight ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship in 2007.
After wrapping up his incredible sport grappling career Drysdale went on to fight in Mixed Martial Arts, ultimately going undefeated in his professional MMA career, including his fights in the UFC.
Foundation is Professor Drysdale’s only affiliate academy in the city of Chicago, and Elias received his rank of first degree black belt from the Zenith BJJ head. Professor Drysdale has been supportive of Foundation Chicago’s unique mission here in beautiful Pilsen, Chicago, and is once again generously donating a significant amount himself to help our families out.
In yesterday’s post we shared a video of Professor Elias showing a transition from the straight armlock out of one’s own full guard into an omoplata. In today’s we continue exploring possibilities in that position while adhering to the principle of knowing when to transition from one submission attempt to another.
“You really have to start feeling where the elbow starts slipping.” he says, above.
In today’s video Elias sets up a triangle choke from the full guard and then demonstrates an option for moving to an attack on the elbow joint of the trapped arm when our opponent becomes difficult to finish with the initial neck attack. “We’re going to go from attacking the neck in roughly the same position to attacking the elbow joint,” he continues.
“The principle is that you don’t want to just try a submission and if it doesn’t work, give up, either mentally and/or physically. We can usually move to something else and back and forth, back and forth. If we do that with enough fluidity they have trouble defending.”
Watch, practice, share, and get to class!
According to Foundation Chicago Head Coach Elias Cepeda, “one of the elements of going from [being] a super, super beginner to [being] a more advanced beginner - a blue belt, basically - is chaining together different submission attempts or moving from position to another and having really good timing; knowing when to transition, when to bail on something and go to something else.” During a recent class Professor Cepeda discussed this transition principle and it is one that will be a key component discussed and elaborated upon in the forthcoming “The Path to Blue Belt” video instructional.
The new video instructional, now available at a half-off pre-sale and tax-deductible rate of just $12, will include techniques and principles needed to compete with blue belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as explanatory discussions of the training structuring one needs to get there, and effectively utilize those skills in competition. In the above video Elias demonstrates one set of submissions from the full guard that we can think of as connected and attempt in a manner that both commits to finishing any one of them while also staying prepared to transition to logical next moves when our opponents attempt common defenses.
Watch, share, and make your pre-sale purchase of The Path to Blue Belt video instructional series, today!
Sunday afternoon Foundation Chicago is thrilled to host a special martial arts workshop taught by affiliate Coach Ramy Daoud and sponsored by our non-profit partner Pilsen Defense & Access. Tickets were sold on a sliding scale of $5-$35.
Proceeds from the workshop are going to a Palestinian family friend of ours living in Gaza under attack as well as for medic training. This Sunday’s event has already raised $200 for our Palestinian friends in Gaza and another $175 for street medic training!
This is the second such event we’ve hosted this year at Foundation Chicago and are so proud to do our small part to support activists, and Palestinians under the persecution of genocide. Stay tuned for the next such events so you can take part and contribute!
One of the most common questions Jiu-Jitsu Professors get from beginner students is “what do I need to do in order to get a blue belt?” This question can, of course, be asked in different ways.
It could be asked with a sense of genuine curiosity from a student who has learned that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu often uses a colored belt ranking system and whose learning is such that clear objectives help them focus their hard work. The question could also be asked with a sense of entitlement from a student already feeling jilted for not having received rank recognition commensurate with where they themselves feel they are at.
When a Professor perceives the question is asked in the latter’s manner they may not give much credence or effort to the question and answering it for the student. When the coach feels the former is the case then they may very well receive the question warmly.
In either case, however, students often get a stock answer of “just keep showing up to class and working hard.” While this is not an untrue answer or even unhelpful if the academy is a good one where teachers recognize progress and are willing to give recognition, it still may leave students wondering what they should be doing, exactly, to optimize their learning and progress.
“Keep showing up” is a simplistic if true answer. Any answer more in-depth and detailed is going to be a very long one, but students still deserve the right to know expectations of their coach.
For that reason we’ve decided to give our very subjective answer for what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students should be thinking of and working on if they want to move towards becoming a legitimate, knowledgeable, and proven blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu in the form of a three-part digital video instructional. Foundation Chicago’s head Coach Elias Cepeda will soon release through the non-profit charitable organization Pilsen Defense & Access The Path to Blue Belt Video Instructional for our students here in Pilsen as well as good people all over the world who want to structure their training a bit more.
The instructional will be divided into there parts: Technique, Concepts, & Praxis. Part of advancing as a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner is developing a kinetic vocabulary, so to speak, and The Path to Blue Belt will give a full and demonstrated listing of moves all blue belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu should be comfortable practicing. A key component of advancing past white belt in Jiu-Jitsu, however, is also understanding a bit more of the ‘why’ behind each move, and how it starts to connect to other positions and techniques in a fight, and that’s where the Concepts portion of The Path to Blue Belt instructional will come in to assist with explication.
A large part of Foundation Chicago’s philosophy has to do with much less tangible things than techniques performed in a vacuum and our Praxis section will help students understand what we expect from them in terms of how they prove that their knowledge is being put to good use. Reciting and even running through a list of techniques is one level of knowledge, but it is essential in any non-theoretical field such as fighting that we also be able to demonstrate that we’re able to physically apply that knowledge in the gym during sparring and in competition.
That is one part of taking technique out of a vacuum. Another crucial part is showing that you’re using the gained knowledge responsibly by being a selfless teammate, helping and not hurting those around you, and seeing your technical knowledge as a responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves. This last section will discuss our standards for demonstrated knowledge and responsible wielding of it and also give you helpful ways to prepare to do all of that as a growing martial artist and competitor.
The Path to Blue Belt course will be taught by Professor Elias Cepeda, a first degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under four-time BJJ world champion and undefeated UFC veteran Robert Drysdale. Elias began his BJJ training in 1999 and has not stopped training and competing, since.
An active Jiu-Jitsu participant to this day in his 40’s, and a veteran of MMA, Elias has coached many local competitors to grappling and MMA and Kickboxing victories, including a national amateur MMA championship. In addition to his martial arts experience, Elias is a university lecturer of American Literature, Journalism, and Critical Theory, and a journalist with 18 years of publishing experience.
In the coming days and weeks we’ll share more of what is to come in The Path to Blue Belt series so stay tuned! The pre-sale price of the digital video series is only $12. After its release the price will be $25.
You can pre-order your digital copy, here. All purchases are contributions to the charitable organization Pilsen Defense & Access, which provides support to the Foundation Chicago academy and its youth Jiu-Jitsu program, 100% of whose families receive some type of scholarship to train and compete. You will receive a tax receipt immediately upon purchase.
Thanks for the support, and see you on the mats!
Yesterday Coach Trip showed an entry into the Spider Guard from the Closed Guard, along with a bit of the reasoning of why and when we may choose to do so. In today’s video he demonstrates an effective sweep from the Spider Guard that utilizes pressure on the biceps and some chopping connection on one of our opponent’s knees.
Good news for all you Scissor Sweep fans out there - Today’s sweep from the Spider Guard utilizes some of those same mechanics, just from a slightly adjusted position. Check out today’s Spider Guard Biceps & Knee Scissor Sweep, demonstrated here by Coach Trip, then get to class and drill it!
Monday and Wednesday gi Jiu-Jitsu classes are focused for a bit on the Spider Guard - an open guard that utilizes manual wrist controls along with angles on our back and our feet and legs engaged with the upper and lower body of our opponents. In this short technique video Coach Trip demonstrates the when, why, and how he enters into the Spider Guard.
He begins in the closed guard because, as he says, “this is probably where you’ll learn the ins and outs of the Spider Guard.” From there, Coach Trip says that a common scenario for entering into the Spider Guard is when we feel a loss of control of the posture of our opponent on top and that they may soon force open our closed guard if we don’t react, fast.
Coach Trip’s approach is to turn a reactive situation into a proactive and offense one, soon, by opening our closed guard on our own terms, before our opponent can force it open, and then getting our feet on the hips of our opponent with complementing sleeve/wrist grips, and a bowed knee position to exert push/pull pressure on the hips and arms of our opponent.
“I really feel like my guard is about to open. I, in general, don’t want him to force me to open my guard. If I feel like he’s threatening that guard-opening…I want to be offensive on this, here,” he continues.
Watch the full video to study and then get into classes! Also, stay tuned to the team Youtube page and blog, here, for more videos forthcoming!
On night two of this week’s MMA Mini-Camp Foundation Chicago athletes drilled reactive takedown entries, explored the inside-outside wall trip paradox, worked on three different types of lower body pin controls on the mat against the wall, as well as pairing that with upper body traps and wrist controls from the top to facilitate effective ground striking.
Tonight, the last night of the MMA Mini-Camp, Foundation Chicago athletes will do a half hour of field conditioning, power striking drills on the ground and hanging bags, full MMA sparring, and then we’ll close with belt stripe promotions. We’re so proud of our participating athletes for not just committing to their own improvement but also for supporting our Kids Jiu-Jitsu program through their MMA Mini-Camp registration fees.
The MMA Mini-Camp registration fees go to support our Kids Jiu-Jitsu program and scholarships and are tax-deductible through our supporting 501(c)(3) organization, Pilsen Defense & Access. If you’d like to take part in the final night of the camp, you can Register Here, and receive your tax receipt after doing so!
Last Saturday Coaches Karina and Elias visited our friends at Studio Fit Chicago to teach a women’s self-defense seminar. The tax-deductible donations made by attendees for the seminar go to support our kids Jiu-Jitsu program here in beautiful Pilsen!
The Studio Fit Chicago community was enthusiastic about the learning, asked great questions, trained hard, and were generous with their donations! It isn’t too late to pitch in and donate yourself if you’re just reading this. If you’d like to learn more about the work we do with our kids program, and where funds are going to this year, as well as consider making a tax-deductible donation, Click Here!
During the seminar we covered together standing strong to defend ourselves against shoves and punches, how to safely fall and stand-up, breaking the arm of an attacker who has us pinned on our backs, and more! Attendees also had fun kneeing and kicking the stuffing out of us and our pads the technical and powerful way, and we look forward to the opportunity to return to Studio Fit Chicago in the future for more seminars.
Studio Fit Chicago has a special place in Foundation Chicago’s heart and story. In the year prior to us moving to Pilsen Studio Fit Chicago opened their doors to us to house our programs.
Our time at Studio Fit Chicago was a time of great growth and fun, and we were honored to be the first program with men in it to even be allowed inside their women’s only studio. Studio Fit Chicago’s thoughtful, wholistic, and caring approach was and is a great fit for what we try to do here at Foundation Chicago and it was so nice to be able to be back in their vibrant studio on Armitage last week.
This week Coach Elias is running an MMA Mini-Camp for Foundation Chicago athletes. Night 1, Monday, focused on proactive takedown entries, setting and breaking patterns with strikesn the feet, and takedowns against the wall.
All proceeds from the MMA Mini-Camp go to supporting our kids program and the cost of Athlete Passes are tax-deductible. If you’d like to attend one of or both of the remaining days, Click Here, and purchase your Athlete Pass.
Tuesday night (7:30pm) the camp will focus on reactive takedown entries, pins against the wall, ground strikes, and get-ups. Wednesday night (7pm) we’ll have a half hour of outdoor conditioning, sparring, and belt promotions.
All attending athletes receive film study and notes as well as a summary of each day’s drills and principles covered to review and study.
This Saturday Coaches Karina and Elias are excited to teach a two-hour seminar at our friends Studio Fit Chicago in Lincoln Park. You can register for the seminar HERE and we’ll take donations, digitally, at the seminar (though you can donate now as well and learn more about where the money is going and who it benefits!) but we wanted to let you know the type of things that will be covered at the seminar.
Check out the below to get a sense of the topics we’ll discuss and practice, together, Saturday!
Situational Awareness: Understand how to stay alert and aware of your surroundings to identify potential threats and avoid dangerous situations before they escalate.
Breathing Techniques: Learn how to control your breath to maintain calmness and focus under pressure, which is crucial in any self-defense scenario.
Strong Base and Movement: Discover the importance of having a strong, stable stance and how to move efficiently to maintain balance and power.
Defending Against Grabs: Master techniques to break free from various types of grabs, ensuring you can quickly regain control and protect yourself.
Defending Against Strikes: Develop skills to effectively block and counter strikes, reducing the risk of injury while neutralizing the attacker.
Safe Falling and Recovery: Practice safe falling techniques to minimize injury and learn how to get back on your feet swiftly and securely.
Ground Fighting: Gain practical knowledge of fighting on the ground, including escapes, submissions, and defense strategies.
Last weekend Foundation athletes competed in Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu to benefit the Deaf Defy organization which helps hearing impaired children impacted by imperial violence.
We were honored to be a co-sponsor of the great event hosted by Mission MMA & Fitness in the West Loop and we’re so proud of how everyone tested themselves! We’ll update with photos and footage from the competition, soon!
Adult classes are canceled Saturday so that coaches can go corner Foundation Chicago members competing at the Deaf Defy charity Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing scrimmage event in the West Loop. We are co-sponsoring this great event to benefit kids with special hearing needs who have also been negatively impacted by empire.
Proceeds from fighter registration as well as spectator tickets go to support the Deaf Defy organization. If you haven’t purchased your ticket to watch, yet, do so here.
The event will take place inside Mission MMA & Fitness at 1620 W. Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60612. Kids competitions start at 9am and adult Jiu-Jitsu competitions start at 11:30am, followed by adult kickboxing at 1:30pm.
Since there won’t be adult classes at Foundation Saturday we encourage you to take the opportunity to let your body rest and go watch your teammates compete while supporting a worthy cause. Watching teammates compete is a great way to bond as a group, and it also helps you emotionally prepare for your own future competitions.
It’s important to not chase after fights and instead walk away from them whenever possible. It’s also important for us to appreciate good, practical technique used in self-defense. To that end, we present the above video, with Prof. Elias explaining why you shouldn’t try to out-reach a chair, or chase a man holding a chair who is just trying to protect himself.
On June 15th Coaches Elias and Karina will be conducting a women’s self-defense seminar with our friends in Lincoln Park at Studio Fit Chicago! We’re doing it for donations to support our non-profit organization, Pilsen Defense & Access, which supports our kids scholarship program. If you’re a woman and interested in taking part in the seminar, Register Here, and come join us June 15th at 11:30am at Studio Fit Chicago, located at 1011 W. Armitage.
We’ll post more details on what we’ll be covering, soon, so stay tuned and spread the word to help women empower themselves and support our kids program scholarship fund!
Sunday 1:15pm no-gi class will focus on putting it all together (aka. Mixed Martial Arts) this summer! This class is open to all levels of experience and the training is tailored to wherever you’re at.
In the class you’ll learn how to connect your Muay Thai and grappling in a practical and useful manner to make you a better martial artist and more equipped to defend yourself whether it’s out in the world or as a competitor in the ring or cage. Sign up, get to classes, and get your drilling and sparring in!
This month we’re working on taking the back after snapping opponents down to the mat, face-down. Once we have them there one of our best options can be taking their back.
Study the above video for some great options for doing just that, and then let coaches know what questions you have. Then, get to class and drill!