Aiseop's Intro and JT Torres article and interview
Hey folks. I know I'm new to this forum. As some of you know, I've been doing BJJ for 8 years and have the rank of brown belt (1-stripe) under Luigi Mondelli of American Top Team in Connecticut. As part of my brown to black belt training, I've decided to think about jiu-jitsu in writing. And so I have created my own site, as well as written for BJJ Legends Magazine on Tammi Musumeci's "arm break" match, interviewed 2012 and 2013 world champ Gezary Matuda; and the pioneer Emily Kwok. Moroever, I wrote about the Eddie vs Royler "rematch." Through that, I got into studying the 10th Planet system. I have always had a hard time with the bottom half game, until I began the lockdown. So I joined and have been very grateful for all your help. I hope to meet fellow Ronin's up here in the NYC/Boston area soon.
I apologize for the long introduction. I just wanted to frame me sharing with you an article I wrote on Jonathan (JT) Torres and his style of jiu-jitsu.
JT won 3 gold last week (double in gi, 1 in no-gi) at the IBJJF American Nationals (closing out a bracket with Keenan). Given the little rant that Kron Gracie went on about the 50/50, JT's final match in the gi middleweight division against Francisco "Sinistro" Iturralde provided an example of how the 50/50 does not have to "lock the match" in a stalling phase or war of attrition (in JT's words.)
Anyway, sorry for the length of the introduction. I hope you enjoy reading about JT.
THE BRONX GRAPPLER: JT TORRES’ STRAIGHT-UP JIU-JITSU
If there was one match that epitomizes Jonathan (JT) Torres’ style of Jiu-Jitsu, you can look at his finals match this past weekend at the IBJJF’s American Nationals Championship. There, in Carson, California, in the final of the middleweight division against Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde, nearly the entire match was spent in the 50/50 position. To most practitioners and viewers, this is the position of a million deaths by boredom. It is fighting in the trenches, losing much energy to gain a few inches of toe space only to re-lose it a second later. However for JT, it became a prime example for what he calls his “straight-up style” of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As he told us...
Read more: http://throughjiujitsu.com/2014/09/1...-up-jiu-jitsu/
BTW, my real name is E-d-r-i-k Lopez. However, because of the popularity of jiu-jitsu, compared to my profession, forces me to use an "internet name" so that when my students or colleagues (I'm a professor) google me, I need my professional stuff to come up first and not my random rant on 10th Planet, especially if I ever comment on that "ass thread" you all have going on here. LOL
