Ortiz Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts

First of all thank you very much to all students for the support during our first year. We’ve done incredibly well in just one year and it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the number of people involved directly and indirectly in the academy.

A huge thanks to my wife for all the support at home, it would be impossible otherwise to be a good teacher without her help. My daughter for the tremendous support inside and outside the mat making her a perfect secretary and additionally taking over some of the teaching responsibilities. To my parents in law travelling every single year to come and help us in Australia also is a big help.

Thanks to Seth for all his work and dedication he has put into our academy. Wouldn't be the same without him. Thank you Seth

Also a very big thanks to all the students and families involved with our academy.

For our first year we had the opportunity of gathering together at Church Point for a BBQ and picnic, also good opportunity for us to get to know each other better outside the mat.

It as priceless to see our kids having a good time, having fun playing, climbing and running along the park. Definitely we should promote more activities like this for the benefit of our kids.

I can’t wait for the camping trip. Thank you all for the wonderful experience.

On Thursday 5th of August 2010 we (Hayden, Jason, Seth and myself) had an amazing opportunity to participate on the Royler Gracie Seminar. What an experience to be able to learn from the son of the Master Helio Gracie. Just to be able to be there sharing experiences and memories. The energy in the air was awesome. Thank you again to Bruno Panno for the hospitality in extended in welcoming our team. We were all delighted to listen to Master Royler about his history, family and his challenges.

Romeo was one of my senior students, very dedicated, humble, friendly and always helpful.

I still remember when he came for his first class. It was a Saturday morning and it was just me and him on the mat. From the very first day I could see that he was very determined to achieve his goal. One day he told me how delighted he was to be training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, regretting he hadn't found this sport before, like we all do. Then he told me his strong wishes and goals to get his blue belt one day. He always pushed himself hard at training.

I graded him 3 weeks ago before my trip to Geelong to his first stripe as a white belt. He was astonished with his own achievement. Perhaps I'll never be able to promote him to blue belt or see him on the mat again, but to me I’ll remember him having a good time on mat, having fun with everybody else, sharing every single drop of sweat and blood on the mat, sharing knowledge and skills for life.

Wherever he is now, he may never need to use those skills, but one thing I’m sure of is that to have seen him enjoying every moment and sharing his joy with us was simply priceless.

Rest in peace my student and my friend.

First of all congratulations to the entire team. And also to the supporters who spent a sunny Mother's Day indoors, watching our competitors. A Brilliant result for kids & teens bringing home 3 golds and a silver. Dylan Johnson completely dominated his division with a well deserved Gold Medal by scoring 17–0 in his first fight against an orange belt and scoring 8–0 in his second fight against a tough girl also with an orange belt.

Mahala Hill, Elvis Hill and Lewis Sutherland were unlucky in their draws as they found themselves fighting their first matches against the eventual champions of their respective divisions, resulting in an early elimination for both of them. Lucas Nicol has done fantastically well and played the game like an experienced fighter scoring his points well before submitting his opponents at the first chance he saw. Lucas earned his gold medal and at same time made the victories seem almost easy.

James Suttor had the fight of his life in the match for first and second place against his opponent, a blue belt two stripes and several times Pan Pacific Champion. I’m not sure why a blue belt level fighter was competing in a beginner level division, but unfortunately we cannot pick who we fight. But to me the second place came with a taste of first place. James with just 3 months of training managed to go to the final and earned himself a well deserved silver medal. Charlie Wiseman has done extremely well in applying an arm lock from guard after being crushed, spinning into an inverted arm lock. The last weeks training paid off with this achievement. For his efforts, Charlie went home with a gold medal of his own. In the adults open division we got a fourth place with Beau Cram in the largest division from the Championship (32 participants). Bert Browning, Luke and Oliver Chard, Osuka Lloid, Henry Sheridan, Tom Suttor, Joz Morton and Kent Collins unfortunately lost in their first fights which I would say was due to inexperience and nerves. On the Adults masters division we got 2 third places with Mark Kamminga and Andrew Green who have done very well. To all my students, this was your first comp and as you experienced for yourself it isn’t easy. You've demonstrated great courage to step onto the mat to fight someone you don’t know and demonstrated good enthusiasm in sacrificing a holiday to compete. You've also demonstrated great sportsmanship by showing respect to your opponent regardless of whether you win or lose. But above all you have proved to be the most unified team around, showing a bond no other team has. In the end of the day we went on to compete as a big family and we fought as a family with some members coming home with medals. To be able to watch and experience this group supporting each other was priceless and gives merit to our entire Academy. I could not be better represented. Thank you, to all students for being part of our Club.

This movie was taken on December 2009. The video demonstrates the simplicity of the omoplata to armbar as well as other techniques. Another technique to notice is the transition from gogoplata to armbar, besides the smooth sweeps and submissions. Please note she was only 12 years old and yes there may be some mistakes. But it is not an easy feat to wrestle against 17 other kids without stop and she is improving very fast. I hope this video serves as a motivation for all my other students to work hard towards improving their techniques. Well Done Nicole, we wish you the best on your journey to purple belt grading.

The general consensus among everybody was that John's seminar was Awesome. There was great excitement and enthusiasm among the students to be able to watch and learn from a BJJ black belt holder. John is more than a black belt he is the highest rank in all of Australia (4 Dans), rare to see in Ozzy land. let alone at Newport. It was an amazing experience to see some techniques demonstrated by Master John Will. Apart from the techniques, he imparted knowledge that could help us achieve more on the mat and perhaps in our lives. In the words of Master John Will "Instead of trying to justify the gifts of talented and successful people, watch and learn from the best by figuring out what they are doing differently that makes them so successful. Then do the same or improve on that". And with those words I would like to take you back to the beginning of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Do you remember Master Helio Gracie? Well that little undersized and unwell kid stood beside the mat for years and JUST by watching his brother teach was able to learn Jiu Jitsu. Then later, not only did he master the art but also went ahead with the help of his brother Master Carlos Gracie to create BJJ which revolutionized the world as the most effective martial art ever. So as said by Master John Will "Having skills to learn by just watching is a gift. But to learn from the best in the field and understanding the little details that make them so successful is more than skill, it is wisdom". Many thanks to Master John Will. Our academy welcomes you at any time. Also thanks to all students who attended this event.

The Seminar was a huge success. I was delighted to see the interest shown by all in learning deeper concepts of BJJ even if it meant giving up part of the weekend. I was honoured to share this experience with all of you. We covered fundamentals to advanced guards & moves. An insight into what's ahead. Thank you everybody for the support and for taking the time to attend the seminar. Thanks also goes to my wife for spoiling us with cakes and sweets during the break. Hope you enjoyed them. Well done to all!

As promised here is the movie recording of the fight between Minotauro and Bob Sapp. But please note that this video has some violent scenes and should not be shown to kids under 13 years of age. Minotauro is best known for his ground techniques with unbelievable submissions from nowhere as he managed to win some epic fights like against Bob Sapp a giant at 2 mts tall and 166 kgs at the time. He is considered one of the best fighters in MMA, with a combination of great skills in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Last Thursday 25th of February I was very fortunate to be invited to participate in what was called as “Minotauro Seminar" by Antonio Nogueira. Despite his recent loss at the Sydney UFC on the 20th of February, he is a legend in the sport with only 6 losses in his entire career. Antonio or Minotauro is a taught fighter and a very humble man. He has an incredible life history from where he started and to later become one of the legends of the MMA. Minotauro is best known for his ground techniques with unbelievable submissions from nowhere as he managed to win some epic fights like against Bob Sapp a giant at 2 mts tall and 166 kgs at the time. He is considered one of the best fighters in MMA, with a combination of great skills in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Even though this fight is a true sample of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu efficiency, I'm going to post this fight here. But please note that this video has some violent scenes and should not be shown to kids under 13 years of age. Also at the seminar was present Minotauro instructor Alan Goes, black belt 5 dans. What an amazing opportunity so see awesome techniques in 3 hours from 2 tops fighters from BJJ. I would like to thanks Bruno Panno for the hospitality and the invitation. He always made me feel at home and welcomed when I went to his academy at Coogee as well all his students. I’m definitely looking forward to share some future experiences again with you guys.