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Worlds’2015 Blue & Purple Part I: Control your breath and go on hard!

By admin on June 8, 2015

The Universe is so unfair! There are hundreds of extremely talented athletes and inspired jiujitsukas in blue and purple belts divisions, but few black belts are known by general public. We should fix this and let the world know about those rising stars! In our Worlds’2015 Blue & Purple series we will offer you nine awesome stories of nine high-level athletes, who did their way through blue or purple division’s and got their place on the Worlds’ podium. How did they do it? BJJMAG.COM reveal their secrets for you. Today you meet three of them: Espen Mathiesen, true viking from Sweden, Tracy Pham and Gianny Crivello from sunny California. Enjoy and stay tuned!

Tracy Pham from Gracie Elite Team, Pleasanton, California, bronze medalist at female blue belts featherweight division:

Tracy Pham, Gracie Elite Team, Pleasanton, California

For ten weeks I did a customized program with a local crossfit gym. My crossfit workouts were modified in order to compliment Jiu Jitsu moves, and it helped me a lot: my strength and cardio was the best it has ever been!

I used a scissor sweep variation quite a few times in the Worlds. I prefer bottom game but I have fun playing top game…I like to pretend I am Buchecha when I am pressure passing haha!

I would like to add a lapel guard and berimbolo to my game next year.

I want to say thank you to my amazing instructor Bigalex Guerrero, my training partners at Ralph Gracie, and Crossfit Danville for helping me prepare for Worlds 2015!

BJJ Mag: What is your advice to beginners before their first competition?
– My advice is to have fun and remember to breath!

Gianni Crivello from CheckMat, Costa Mesa, California, US, bronze at purples male heavyweights:

Gianni Crivello from CheckMat, Costa Mesa, California, US

I had a great camp with Checkmat in Long Beach as well as my home gym with Lucas Leite in LaHabra, along with countless hours of drilling with my dad any chance we got, and I did weight training three times per week.

I had a very specific game plan going into Worlds. It was pulling guard, sweeping, coming on top, and passing the guard. Obviously working the sweeps and passes that were practiced in training.

I have already started fine tuning and working on techniques for next year.

I want to thank my Dad, for constantly helping me, supporting me, and developing my game. My family for supporting me. I wanna thank Lucas Leite, Johnny Ramirez, my team mates, and all my sponsors. See you next year!

BJJ Mag: What is your advice to beginners before their first competition?

– Just go out there and fight as hard as you possibly can, and if you don’t get the result you wanted the first time, don’t give up, just come back harder the next time around. Win or lose, if you fight your hardest you will never be disappointed.

Espen Mathiesen, from Nova União, Egersund, Norway, second place at male lightweight purples:

Espen Mathiesen, from Nova União, Egersund, Norway

Normally I train in Norway with Kimura Egersund but I chose to do a two months camp in Arizona with Gustavo Dantas academy. We trained 2 or 3 jiu jitsu sessions a day for 5 or 6 days a week.

I also did some weight training in the first few weeks of the camp but for the past month or so, it has been jiu jitsu only. I typically pull guard and that is what I did in all my matches. The leg lasso and berimbolo were the most useful techniques in this tournament.

I feel happy with my performance this year even though I didn’t win the gold. I pushed myself to the limit during the camp and I gave it all during the tournament. But to be honest silver is a bit of a disappointment so I’m gonna make sure that I will get the gold next year.

I want to thank everybody at Gustavo Dantas academy for being so welcoming and kicking my ass every day. Also a special thanks to Josh Rodriguez and Horlando Monteiro for inviting me to live with them and being good teammates. Thanks to my hometown academy Kimura Egersund and to my family and friends that have supported me from day one. I also want to thank my sponsor Moka Hardware.

BJJ Mag: What is your advice to beginners before their first competition?

– For a beginner I would suggest to not overhyping the tournament and try to have fun. Another big thing for beginners is to manage to control their breathing.