Finished two training sessions with one of the world's best grapplers, Marcelo Garcia, at the Gresham Oregon Team Quest over June 13th/14th. I should say I have been awaiting an opportunity to train with him - between he and Tim they are the main guys I've wanted to train with for a long time.

The seminar was 12-2 each day, so not a full day's training. However, both ran over as at 2 each day Marcelo announced, "OK, guys, let's roll!" At $150 for both sessions, it wasn't cheap, but - come on - Marcelo is one of the top grapplers in the world.


Unfortunately the line up to get a chance to roll with the man was long and heavily stacked with Team Quest guys and fighters. I didn't get that opportunity. Watching him roll, and watching him basically play with guys like Matt Lindland, was an education in itself.

A friend of mine who is a Quest student told me that Matt brought him up here because after meeting a rolling with him, Matt said "What he does in rolling makes me feel like I'm a kid." I should point out that Matt Lindland is a Olympic Silver Medallist in wrestling.

Even better, Marcelo is a totally humble guy, a good instructor, speaks good English and needed no interpretation to make sometimes technical points, and geniunely seems interested in students learning. He made the rounds and I saw him and experienced him giving hands on instruction clarifying points.

The first session was top game, but involved defending a guillotine to gaining positional dominance. Everything chained off the first move taught, based on what the opponent might do, which meant that with each drill you were practicing the basic components of the drill before - much better for memory. If you have been to some seminars where you are given so much that you walk out not remembering anything, here at least you got plenty of reps of the basic positional stuff he was teaching.

Same thing with the second session, which was all bottom game. He dealt with guys who really hunker down and smother your attempts to do anything to them while they are in your guard, as well as some transitional things.

One thing that really characterizes Marcelo's game, his DVDs, and this seminar was that he teaches a great deal of stuff focussing on the transitions. Rather than dealing with the position itself, which just naturally gets included, he teaches tactics in how to keep a guy from getting a good position to begin with. He deals with the "spaces" in between positions, if that makes sense. He has a very initiative oriented game, and feels that if he is defending, versus making the opponent defend, he is losing.

Another good thing was that the material was very simple and direct. He makes the most simple and even obvious stuff into "advanced" material. Many guys made this point. If you've seen him compete, he does a lot of "Jiu-Jitsu 101" and other simple stuff in his game, though he also has his X Guard in his repetiore..) Some things you just go "Of course, its so obvious, why didn't I think of that!"

Marcelo has some phenomenal attributes as a grappler, despite his dimunitive size, but his stuff being so simple I think it is accessible to all levels of grappler. If you can afford the price tag, I would recommend training with him. Matt and he have clearly hit it off, and both talked about Marcelo's coming out again, so those in the Pac NW, or willing to travel, may want to keep an eye out!

Kit
Basically the same experience I had with him a few months ago when he came up our way. Great guy, and great stuff!
I must admit though they should advertise better, as no one heard about it up our way!
Thanks for the review!
Jake

Marcelo was my first BJJ coach, for a period of around six months before he left NYC to open his school in Miami. All the coaches at the local Alliance academy are Pan-Am and/or Mundial black belt gold medalists, but there's definitely something special about Marcelo, even among BJJ players of that caliber.

He's also an amazingly nice, humble guy who just loves jiujitsu and wants to share it with others.

I'm glad you guys got to train with him. Marcelo and Tim are the only teachers who inspire me with a desire to travel for tutelage.

cool

I watched Marcelo in the finals at the Mundial, he completely shut down Lucas Leite bottom game (which had been unstoppable up to then). Marcelo basically sprawled on Lucas' bottom leg as Lucas attempted to get underneath in the half-guard and hugged Lucas' hips so he couldn't go to Marcello's back. Then Marcelo just passed his guard. Lucas replaced guard and Marcelo passed the same way again.

It was totally one of those "Of course, its so obvious, why didn't I think of that!" moments for me. I feel better knowing it was the same moment for everyone else watching as well!

I was watching and i was waiting for him to do it...

When he finally did it, i was like "took him long enough..." and when he won, i yawned.

just kidding, lol.

Actually, that happens to me a lot, but its usually in mid air when im about to hit the mat.

Wonderful experience!

I'm envious.