Ian Schaffa Interview. Ellite MMA fighter from Australia

Ian Schaffa Suplex

Ian Schaffa has earned a formidable reputation in Japan and Australia. His achievements include:

XFC World Champion, Austral-Asian Vale Tudo Champion, Bronze Medalist at the 1999 Australian National Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, 2 x Kickboxing Champion, 2 x Full Contact Karate Champion, Ranked top 10 Australian Boxing, Ranked top 10 Australian Kickboxing. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a black belt in Kyokushin

BKO Kung Fu: As a profession fighter for 10 years, what tips would you give yourself when you first stated if you could go back in time?

Ian:  Don't listen to negative people.
         Believe in your ability. Practice.
         Dream big.

BKO: What's your best training technique to get better at blocking?

Ian: Have people come at you with different attacks and get used to it. Practice defending. 

BKO: Do you feel fighting against as many different styles as possible has given you unique insight? How so?

Ian: Having to train for different styles in a short period of time taught me to adapt very quickly and perform.

BKO: Where there anything that caught you off-guard when you started to fight in Japan? How did you adjust?

Ian: The Japanese culture caught me of guard. I wasn't used to alot of things. Japanese food, language, etiquette etc but i quickly learned.

BKO: We read about your drinking and fighting in the past? What would you tell someone who does this also?

Ian: If it's caused by personal issues, maybe see a professional to get those issues dealt with. Aim to change your focus. If you can successfully drink and have street fights, then you can use the same amount of energy succeeding in something a little more positive.

BKO: Did you run away from home when you were younger? What was that about?

Ian: Yes, I was a troubled teenager. I had personal issues that had to be dealt with. I held alot of anger and did not know how to deal with it. 

BKO: How did you overcome your anger issues?

Ian: I found something new to focus on and channel my anger through.

BKO: We understand you have a huge interest in helping others less fortunate. Are you currently working on any projects in this field? How can others help?

Ian: Yes I have been visiting a group of homeless people for the last couple of years. I make food and share it with them. They are very grateful. They make me happy. I am not asking for any help directly although if you do know of someone that is less fortunate that requires help please give.

BKO: What are you goals for the next 10 years?

Ian: My main goal for the next 10 years is to continue to grow my business. I want us to be the leading program in the Australian fitness industry.

BKO Kung Fu: We look forward to seeing this happen and wish you all the luck. 

Be sure to visit http://mmaxfit.com.au/ to find out more about Ian's fitness business. 

Interview with Alan La from Invincible Worldwide

Alan La is the Founder & Executive Director at Invincible Worldwide. His organization helps people see their true strength within themselves through a combination of Martial Arts and showing individuals the greatness that is inside them.


BKO Kung Fu: Alan, Why did you start Invincible Worldwide and what makes it unique from other schools?

Invincible is an idea that began on the back of my lecture notes while studying at University. It’s an idea of possibility. It’s the idea that no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you come from, you can achieve extraordinary things in life. It is about empowering people to feel a true sense of inner power that enables them to achieve 3 things: 1. Perform at a higher level in life 2. Be loved and respected by those around them 3. Be able to influence and inspire others to become extraordinary. 

It took a few years to refine, and now Invincible Worldwide has 2 ways we achieve this: The Invincible Athletes Academy builds martial arts athletes with peak performance speed, power, strength, skills and the strongest mentality. And The Achieve Anything Academy empowers ordinary people to become extraordinary by showing them their inner greatness and potential to achieve success in life. 

BKO: Tell us about Alan La, before Invincible Worldwide.

For the past 13 years, I studied and trained in various Martial Arts, including Wu Chu Chuan, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do and Tricking. I’d also spent countless hours on seminars, books and audio tapes, studying and writing on the area of human potential and achievement. After years of martial arts training 3 hours every day and applying everything I’d learnt about the psychology of achievement, I began to notice the harmonizing effects of aligning our physical and mental potentials. I began to feel an empowering sense of inner power and physical power. During that period, the word ‘Invincible’ stood out to me, and it’d perfectly fitted this extraordinary feeling. I wanted to share this feeling with the world. 

BKO: Who had the greatest influence on your attitude in life? please explain.

The first person that comes to mind for any martial artist would be Bruce Lee. However, I’d like to mention someone else as well in my life. My dad. He’s not a martial artist himself, but he taught me the values of being a man, of being righteous, virtuous and striving for greatness – all of which are virtues of being a true martial artist. 

BKO: How has leading Invincible Worldwide changed your life?

Since founding Invincible Worldwide, I’ve been able to live out my goal of empowering other young people to also feel this new sense of self-worth. This alone is WHY I do what I do. My vision is to empower everyone in the world to become extraordinary. 

It began when I inspired the guys in my team to rise above mediocrity in their lives. They are now my brothers, my family. At the beginning of each year we list out together the craziest things we want to achieve for that year. And it is always so amazing to see each goal get ticked off one by one. This year alone, we’ve done a national tour, been on TV, featured in newspaper articles, reached millions on Youtube, been honored to partner with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Hyper Martial Arts, performed on big stages, did motivational seminars for 200+ students, nominated for the Young Citizen of the Year Award, received the Australia Day Medallion – the list goes on. And there’s never a day that I don’t appreciate it all. I appreciate every student that walks into our class. I appreciate all the efforts and hard work that my team has put into the vision. I appreciate every worldwide fan that sends us daily encouraging messages. I guess leading Invincible Worldwide has changed my life in that it allows me to appreciate the possibilities of life and what we can achieve if we put in hard work, vision and heart. 

BKO: What do you believe holds the majority of people back from achieving their dreams? What do you recommend to overcome this?

You know when you’re running to the point of exhaustion, where your heart and lungs are trying hard to catch up, where your muscles are numb, and your body feels past its limits? Research has shown that at this point, you’ve only reached 70% of your body’s full potential. It is just like in life. Too many of us have never even tried pushing ourselves to that point of exhaustion in chasing our dreams. The reason why we don’t do this is because the vision is not great enough, and so the pain of trying and the possibility of failing or getting rejected are far greater than the pleasure and excitement of feeling worthy and competent. 

Try pushing yourself a little bit more in everything you do. It’s called releasing more latent ability. Just give it a little more than 110% in what you do, whether it in training, job or school. And when you begin to see big results, you start to develop self-confidence and the inner belief to take on the bigger goals. 

BKO: Can you tell us of your favorite success stories with one of your students?

There’s a success story with every student. Some of them will tell you in person with tears in their eyes, or through long heartwarming messages. Others will keep it to themselves. Whichever the case, you can always see it in their eyes and their presence. It is the moment they realize their true potential, the moment they realize they are truly Invincible. Every success story is unique and different. I appreciate every single one. 

BKO: You company goal states you want to have a worldwide impact? How do you plan on doing this? (World tours, Internet, Franchises?)

Yes we are planning to tour around the world. We’re also developing an online program for people in remote areas to access. The goal is to create a movement where people are living out the Invincible idea, becoming more of themselves every day, living with peak physicality and mentality, and inspiring others to do so. The world will be a better place. 

BKO: Let's say someone wanted to open one of your schools in another country? Is that an option? What would you require of them? 

We haven’t planned for that. But you never know. 

BKO: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Awaken the Dream. If anyone is interested in joining the movement and helping us create a better world, connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InvincibleWorldwide 

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and give us such awesome photo's. 

Watch this amazing video with Invincible Worldwide.

Interview with Sifu Armando Sainz, Wing Chun Expert

Sifu Armando Sainz

Sifu Armando Sainz was nominated by the Florida Black Belt Hall of Fame as "2005 Sifu of the Year", "2006 Master Instructor of the Year" and "2011 Hall of Fame Silver Life Award" for 30 plus years in martial arts presented by the International Independent Martial Artists Association. He is certified as a full instructor in Wing Chun and has earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan karate and Hapkido self-defense. (Expanded bio)

BKO Kung Fu:  What do you feel is the biggest myth about wing chun? How do you respond to people who respectfully ask you about it?

Sifu Sainz: There are a few myths surrounding Wing Chun. There is a generally accepted legend about a shaolin nun named Ng Mui, a master of Kung Fu that developed a system effective against men and her friendship with Yim Wing Chun whom she named her kung fu system after. However, there is a more believable account with some historic documentation of a man named Leung Jan, his Tai Chi roots and his development of Wing Chun by his encounters with western men with Pugilistic abilities. I'm not sure why Wing Chun became shrouded in legend but the fact remains that the Wing Chun system has been developed by some very intelligent individuals who took great care in making Wing Chun a highly efficient kung fu. One of the main differences between Wing Chun and other martial arts is Wing Chun is a concept based system and that changes everything!

BKO: In some of your articles you mention your style is a step beyond traditional wing chun and leaves no gaps in it's technique. What makes your style different than Jeet Kune Do?

Sifu Sainz: Without getting into too much controversy and at the risk of sounding like an arrogant 'know-it-all', I'll explain. Both Innovative Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do come from Wing Chun - Jeet Kune Do to a lesser degree. What is not as well known is Bruce Lee only had about two and a half years of Wing Chun training, and not only that, but also the form of Wing Chun he learned was inferior to what Ip Man taught to his inner circle students. The fact is Ip Man never actually taught Bruce Lee himself but had two of his lesser favored, and therefore lesser skilled students, teach him. However, to Bruce Lee's credit he noted the deficiencies and embarked on a journey to create what he called a "formless" martial art. He really wanted to develop the ultimate fighting system. Unfortunately, Bruce Lee died young and was unable to fully realize his vision. As a result, Jeet Kune Do is a technique based, sport-oriented system with a few Wing Chun moves.

On the other hand, Innovative Wing Chun comes from the inner circle. It comes from the less famous, but more skilled, line of students hand picked by Ip Man. After Wing Chun got into western hands, it was further optimized making it far better than Ip Man himself imagined. First of all, Innovative Wing Chun is free of any sport-oriented thinking, limiting tradition or ceremony. Although Bruce Lee curbed tradition and ceremony, he failed to free himself from the snag of sport-oriented techniques. Nothing has been more destructive to the idea of real world martial (war) arts than the influence of sport. Also, Jeet Kune Do is not concept based like Wing Chun, therefore requiring preconceived maneuvers like the other martial arts from which it strived to break free.

Technique based systems work like this: someone throws a punch at you, you block it, and then you do a combination of punches or kicks at them. This is too shallow if we think of self defense as sophisticated as a language, for example. Language is fully concept based. When we speak we have no need of a preconceived script. We are free to speak in real time to each other. By the same token, Innovative Wing Chun is concept based freeing the practitioner from combinations or preconceived maneuvers. It enables them to fight in the now or in real-time. Innovative Wing Chun uses structure (skeletal alignment) rather than muscles to deliver devastating blows eliminating the need to be physically strong. It incorporates important ideas concerning preemptive positioning making one seem faster without actually being physically fast. It's the idea of already being there. In addition, concerning empty hand fighting, and although there are hundreds of martial arts styles, the practitioner is taught that in actuality there are only three kinds of fighters out there. They are the puncher, the kicker and the grappler / wrestler. Once he realizes that, because we all have two arms and two legs, all martial arts fall within these three categories, he can know the simplicity of a universal method to beat them all. In addition, Innovative Wing Chun brings the practitioner into the modern world by merging weapons instead of adding them via the concepts already present in the system. Once again a world view facilitates this by categorizing weapons as blunt instruments, edged weapons and firearms. On top of that, the student learns the different scenarios and situations and the laws that govern self-defense. Innovative Wing Chun is designed to recapture the ancient knowledge of those who fully understood life and death conflict, coupled with modern self-defense scenario awareness. It is the best of east meets west.

BKO: Why are all your lessons private? Why don't you do class training like everyone else?

Sifu Sainz: Private lessons are just better! One on one with a student is by far the best way to transfer knowledge and skills. Knowledge is transferred much quicker than in any group setting. You can completely customize each lesson to the individual and his or her particular needs. Each person learns differently. So once I know how they learn, I can hone in on making the most of each lesson. I've gotten some very good results this way. I will from time to time bring in a master level student of mine to help a particular student experience different energies and to help them hone their fighting skills. One of these experts is Robert Nunes who is a young master of Wing Chun and a high level Ju Jitsu practitioner. He is a sparring partner for a professional MMA fighter. On top of that he weighs 300 pounds and has vice grips for hands. If you can do well against him, you can do well against anyone.

BKO: If you don't have a belt system to promote people, what type of goals do you set to keep your students on track?

Sifu Sainz: Because I teach only private lessons, I am able to treat each student as an individual. Therefore, the use of uniforms and belts become irrelevant. However, I do have a complete syllabus with extensive notes that each student receives when they join. A student can easily see what level they are any time and make short and long-term goals within their training. I do not do any formal testing along the way because lessons are so hands-on. They are getting real time feed back every class. However, I do test them formally for black sash and beyond. Once my student is ready, I test them for black sash because of what it means. Black sash in my school means you can handle yourself against any attacker quickly, with ease in an almost effortless manner.

BKO: Can you tell us about your history of taking on all challengers to your system? Do you still accept all challengers? Why did you win?

Sifu Sainz: I ran a group class school for eleven years between 1998 and 2009. During this time, people would come in and challenge us to fights. For the most part, they were respectful with their challenges but some where not so respectful. In every case, since martial arts is war arts, either I or one of my higher level students would handle them quickly. The way I did it at my school was no protective gear, just bare knuckles. These challengers were full grown men who had ten, twenty, twenty five years experience in the martial arts. We had Jeet Kune Do instructors, Krav Maga experts, Karate masters, Navy Seals, Special Forces and even other Wing Chun people. To determine the victor we used two methods. One was the challenger could not continue due to being knocked out, or it was so obvious that they were beaten that the challenger asked to stop before it went to the next level. This is the old way. The way it was done back in Hong Kong in Ip Man's heyday. Different people and schools would challenge Ip's students so they would just go up on a roof and duke it out. There's even some old video footage of these events.

As an instructor, running a business I found one draw back to accepting challenges however. Once beaten, the challenger without fail did not join my school. Was it pride? Embarrassment maybe? I don't know. Over time I learned that the kind of person who would ask to challenge was not really interested in learning anyway. They were only interested in testing their fighting ability. Once beaten, I never heard from them again. Personally, I feel those challenges did serve a good purpose at the time for us. My students knew what I was teaching was good. But the challengers, since they went away and never learned why they were beaten so easily, did not benefit from the experience. So today, I view challenges as a good learning experience and somewhat of a stepping stone in my past. But now, accepting challenges doesn't seem prudent or productive anymore. I would venture to say today, for me, it's a waste of time. In addition, I teach private lessons now in a nonpublic setting. So, challenges cannot happen anyway. On one occasion not long ago I received a challenge via email. So I just ignored it.

BKO: Where did you learn your gun defenses from? How long would you suggest someone practice a gun defense move before they tried it in real life?

Sifu Sainz: During my time in traditional martial arts I learned gun defenses from various instructors. Curiously, the occasions were usually student initiated. A student would ask about a particular gun defense and the instructor would give his answer and then go back to empty hands. Guns were never really considered part of martial arts back then. The attitude was that the empty hand was somehow better, even more noble than using a gun. Guns and gun defenses were low on the totem pole. However, in sharp contrast I view guns as a natural part of martial arts in the modern world. Firearms are good in the hands of law abiding citizens. But as we all know the bad guys have them too. So in the early 2000's, I began my quest to incorporate firearms into my system. I received basic and advanced instruction in concealed carry. From there, I began to develop concept based gun defenses that went along with the sum and substance of my system. I then did extensive R & D to make sure what I was doing was as safe, efficient and effective as possible. I did the same thing with edged weapons and blunt instruments and merged them all into Innovative Wing Chun. One hopes to never have to be in a situation where they have to defend against a life threatening attacker. However, the world doesn't seem to be getting any friendlier. I believe it is best to be fully trained and ready to defend yourself and your loved ones. I believe it's better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.

BKO: What's the best way to prevent a fight if the other person is insisting on it?

Sifu Sainz: I teach my students the reality of self defense. I try to rid them of the gladiator mentality that pervades martial arts today. Sport oriented thinking is actually dangerous. The gladiator mentality says the following: Two men, evenly matched, fight to the death while we watch. There is even a Bruce Lee movie that depicts him and Chuck Norris in a fight to the death in the Colosseum in Rome. This is not how real self defense goes and should never be thought of this way. The whole idea of two evenly matched men fighting at a specific time and place, mano a mano is counter productive for the real world self defense practitioner. A real self defense situation is never planned, never evenly matched, completely without rules and will come quickly and decisively. The reality martial artist will respond immediately with overwhelming destruction and will not stop until the attacker stops moving. What I teach is not an equalizer but the maximizer for the safety of my students and their families.

So to answer your question, one would asses the level of the threat. If the other guy is using menacing language, then I would respond in like manner with a verbal warning and perhaps try to defuse the situation with words. However, if this person goes from verbal to physical that changes everything. Then I would respond with physical communication finishing the fight in seconds. The idea is do the right thing; not for the attacker, but for your loved ones who need you and love you and want you to come home to them.

BKO: Why is lineage so important in Martial Arts? Doesn't it really come down to your skill and effectiveness?

Sifu Sainz: Lineage is more or less important from martial art to martial art. In Wing Chun, it seems to be important because there are so many forms of Wing Chun out there and not all are good. Some are really bad in fact. Since Ip Man had inner circle students and outer circle students, then it stands to reason the inner circle ones were better instructed. The fact is this is evident and true and may give credence to the idea that lineage is important for explaining why we fight better than the other guy. My Wing Chun lineage stems from Ip Man through Leung Sheung who was Ip's senior student and leader to Ip's other inner circle students. He was the most skilled and respected student until his death. Even Bruce Lee called Leung Sheung 'Si Hing' which means "older brother". That title was reserved for only the best of Ip's students and is where my line stems from. However, for me personally, I recognize all my teacher's contributions to my learning. It all was an indispensable experience, without which, my now world view martial arts system would be skewed. With all this said, on a day to day basis my lineage matters very little to the person standing in front of me receiving instruction. What matters most are my fighting skills and my ability to convey them to my students.

BKO: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Sifu Sainz: Well, first of all I would like to thank you for asking me these questions and giving me the opportunity to answer concerning my favorite subject. Also, it is an honor to help a fellow martial artist who really loves his craft and wants to make something of himself through it. I'm happy to help! To our readers I would like to say that in the martial arts world today you can find the full spectrum; from total sport oriented systems like Tae Kwon Do to complete reality self defense systems like mine. In all cases, it is important to decide what you want to accomplish within martial arts and then tailor your studies accordingly. If you want performance based systems, then Wu Shu might be good coupled with some stunt man seminars. If you like the idea of tradition and feel strongly about it, then maybe Karate with its eastern tradition and hierarchy is good for you. However, if you are not interested in sport and are interested in real self defense that works for you in real time, when you need it most, then call me :-)

BKO Kung Fu: Thank you for your time to answer our questions Sifu Sainz. For our readers, be sure to visit, http://www.innovativewingchun.com, to learn more about Innovative Wing Chun and Sifu Sainz.

Interview with Angela "Overkill" Hill

Angela "Overkill" Hill is a raising star in the field of MMA. She has recently made the switch to pro fighter and has signed with XFC MMA. She has an impressive record of  1w-0L (pro) with 14W-0L as an amateur. Four of those wins were ko's. She will be making her XFC MMA debut soon. Angela has attracted a great deal of attention already and we suggest you follow her career early on.

BKO Kung Fu: Angela, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for our website.

Tell us about yourself before you started Muay Thai training?

Angela: Before muay thai, I was an art school undergrad working as a bartender and an animator. All that sitting around was catching up to me and I wanted a work out that wouldn't bore me. I took a trail Muay Thai class with Brandon Levi, the owner of Evolution Muay Thai, and I've been hooked ever since!

BKO: What motivates you?

Angela: A lot of things motivate me. Obviously the people around me, my coaches, my training partners, my family and friends. A kind of new motivation is my fans, I'm hearing more and more stories of people, especially black women, being inspired to be strong, active and live healthy lifestyles after following me and my career. I feel like we don't have nearly enough black women in the fight world to look up to, so being able to be a Layla Ali or a Lisa King to other young people who aren't always encouraged to follow their passion means a lot to me.

BKO: What is different about you between when you first starting fighting vs. now?

Angela: I fight a lot smarter now-a-days. Before, I relied on my aggression and just overwhelming my opponent. Now, I'm able to execute the game plans a little more effectively and adapt on the fly when they do something unexpected. I think I hit way harder than I used to too, haha!

BKO: What was the number one life changing event you ever experienced? What did you learn from it?

Angela: Living in Thailand for a month was definitely life changing. We were out in the boonies outside of Bangkok and really saw the level of poverty that exists out there. It made me appreciate the things I took for granted back home. I trained in a Thai camp and fought twice while I was there, and the training was HARD. The best way to describe it is boarding school for American fighters. I learned to focus more when I trained, making goals for myself on top of the 10 mile runs and hundreds of "knee bag" 's I had to do each day. When I got back home there was way less complaining when Brandon would make me do something, haha.

BKO:  Did anything else about Thailand, the culture or country, catch you by surprise? How so?

Angela: I was surprised how many scam artists there were. Luckily living in NYC prepared me not to trust strangers with great bargains "just for me!" All in all though, Thailand was a great experience. One of my coolest memories was going back to MBK mall after fighting the previous weekend, a couple taxi drivers recognized me and went "Oooh! good muay thai!" and started mimicking knees to the face, haha. Good times.

BKO: What do you think is the greatest moment in fighting history? why?

Angela: The greatest moment of fighting history? That's a tough one, there's so many. I'm gonna go with the one that has most to do with my journey and say Cyborg v.s Carrano. It was the first time women had made the main event in a major organization and they showcased athleticism comparable to the mens'. It proved there is an interest in women's MMA and there are women capable of performing at a level to be expected of athletes. It also proved Cyborg is an unstoppable beast.

BKO: What are your top 5 priorities in life, in order?

Angela: Be happy.

              Live with no regrets.

              Eat, sleep, train.

BKO: You've stated before that you stock your fridge with beer and ice-cream before every fight. What is your favorite beer? ice-cream?

Angela: Beer: Rasputin Imperial Ale

              Icecream: Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heathbar

BKO Kung Fu: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

I didn't get a chance to fight Dec 13th but 2014 holds a lot of promise between XFC, Invicta, Lion Fight, and UFC's announcement of their 115lb womens' division. Follow me via my Facebook fan page Facebook.com/AngelaHillMMA or via instagram and twitter @angieoverkill to stay updated on whats up next!

Interview with BJJ Blackbelt Jeff Messina

Jeff Messina is a well-known and respected expert in the world of mixed martial arts. His impressive wins in professional MMA fights help to prove it. He has trained with legends like Tito Ortiz, Fransico Albuquerque, and Rodrigo Medeiros to name a few. He has spent time training in the home lands of BJJ and Muay Thai; bringing his knowledge back to share in the United States. He currently owns 3 successful MMA training centers and is consistently involved with the training at all levels. (Expanded Bio)

BKO Kung Fu: Jeff, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions today.

You have traveled to Brazil to train in Jiu-Jitsu and have traveled to Thailand to train in Muay Thai. We have noticed some other martial artist do this also? Do you believe this helps in a martial artist career? Why?

Jeff: Traveling to the homeland of BJJ and Thai boxing is a great experience to learn from the source and get the history and culture of your martial arts. I'm lucky to have spent the last 10 years going back and forth to train and compete in Rio. My coach has a gym in Rio Called Nova Geracao. I'm actually going next week. I feel privileged to be part of my team. The team is a close knit group and full of integrity with skilled fighters.  It helps to put yourself among others that are just as serious about training as you are and to get away from your routine and daily distractions; to just focus on your training.  When I first started, getting quality training was hard here. So, I went to the source.

Jeff Messina Highlight Reel

BKO: What do you wish more people knew about BJJ?

Jeff: I wish more people knew BJJ is a culture and a lifestyle that is for everyone and will help anyone and much more than they could understand. There's no other martial art as effective or life changing as BJJ. It takes the longest to master but is the fastest to become very effective in. I have seen BJJ change people and even save people’s lives.  There is no realistic martial arts without bjj period. Other styles must incorporate bjj to become effective, not the other way around.

BKO: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in martial arts? Why does it stand out over everything else?

Jeff: I have many good memories from competing in bjj. I feel the best ones haven't come yet but probably the one that sticks out is when I won the IBJJF nationals at brown belt in the absolute category, submitting all 3 opponents, and then receiving my black belt from my coach Rodrigo Medieros on the Podium.

BKO: Tell us about your school in Katy, Texas? What can people expect if they want to become students?

Jeff: I have 3 schools; one in Katy, one in downtown Houston and we just opened one in Richmond/fulshur. A student can expect the highest quality instruction and training in a family environment. You will be adopted into my family and feel important no matter what your goal is.

BKO: What is the hardest thing about leading a martial arts school? How do you deal with it?

Jeff: I would say the hardest thing about running a martial art school is the business side. Keeping people motivated to not give up. Real martial arts are tough and the reward is slow in regards to belts. Most people give up when the going gets tough, not just in bjj but in life. Those who are successful in bjj are usually successful in their personal lives or will become so because of what bjj can teach you.

BKO: Do you train any professional fighters that are actively fighting? Can you name a few?

I have several tough MMA fighters. I would say my top two pro fighters are Domingo Pilarte and Larry Crowe. I have been training Domingo since he was a teenager. He's very talented and dangerous in all areas. Larry is also very dangerous and has huge potential. In addition, I have several great amateur fighters such as Perry Scott, Quetin Kiper and Colby and Sage Northcutt. I have many more that will be making their debut shortly.

BKO Kung Fu: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Jeff: Come give us a try, I will change your life for the better. www.revolutiondojo.com