Angele Muther- The True Spirit of Jiu Jitsu!

Crispim BJJ is proud to have Angele “AK-47″ Muther (Kasilag) as part of the team and family and would like to take a few moments to share her story with everyone.

Angele is a blue belt and has been training for about two and a half years in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Alexander Crispim. Angele says, “I had always wanted to try a martial art, but I didn’t think I could do it. I was taking boxing classes and just came by the jiu jitsu class one day to see what is was all about. I still remember the day that I came by to watch. I was questioning whether my body can move like that or if am I going to get hurt. I remember putting all these questions aside and just jumping in right away and from that day I was hooked!”

Alexander Crispim says that watching Angele come train at the academy in Pleasanton everyday is a prime example of a true BJJ lover. “She is an inspiration for all of us at the academy. Angele is always ready to train with anyone. She takes her time and helps any new beginner learn how to roll and shows them gratitude and respect for jiu jitsu. Angele is also always ready to train hard with upper belts to help improve her training and provide herself as a solid training partner.”

Angele says, “I like so many things about jiu jitsu. It’s a sport that anyone can train in, no matter what age, gender, or shape. I have gotten so much from training. This is the best shape I have ever been in my life. I have met a lot of good people. It may sound a little funny, but it also made me more confident and strengthened my belief that I can do anything I set my mind to. This is also one of the reasons I choose to train and stay with Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ team. Crispim makes students feel like they can do it. Not only does Crispim train Champions, but he makes students feel like can become Champions.  Just like Crispim, Daniel’s classes are great. He breaks moves down step by step. He is also an incredible instructor and coach.  Getting hurt was also one my concerns about doing jiu jitsu. I know there are some injuries that are going to happen because of the nature of the sport, but here at Crispim BJJ, I know they are always  looking out for us to reduce this risk greatly. ”

Angele also adds, “When you walked into Crispim’s gym, it has nice welcoming feeling. You can feel this when Crispim yells your name when you walk through the door. Everyone is so friendly.  I see people when they come in and everyone gets up and shakes their hand or gives them a hug. Also when we leave, we all shake hands again or give a hug to everyone. When we roll people don’t try to hurt you and there are no egos on the mats.  Everyone is so helpful. It doesn’t matter what belt you are, people are always ready to help. If you have a question or just wanna drill, anyone will say yes.  It is truly a family. After a long day at work, jiu-jitsu helps me forget about the stress of the day. It’s a place where I can relax and have fun and hang out with friends. You can see how we all get along. Juan’s recent event was one of those the examples.”

Crispim sees the dedication and hard work that Angele puts in at the academy every single day. She is such a huge part of the team. Angele is always there to help in any way she can and she comes with a smile and positive energy.  She always passes her energy of never giving up and will keep doing positions over and over until it becomes second nature to her. The team loves her and holds her in such high regard.  If Angele doesn’t train one day, everyone is always asking, “Where is Angele?” The team always wants her to be there and loves training with her. Crispim states that Angele’s confidence has increased tremendously since she has been training in jiu jitsu and that he has no doubt that she can not only protect herself, but also anyone else. 

When Angele isn’t working or training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, she is hula dancing.  She has been doing hula for about six years.  Angele says, “I enjoy dancing and learning. Hula is also like another family to me. I have made a lot of good friends just like in jiu jitsu. ”

Angele finishes by adding, “I like training because it always challenges me mentally and physically. I may not catch on as quickly as others, but I am determined enough to get there. I have to laugh because I used to be so scared of falling or rolling and look at me now.  I hope I will be doing jiu jitsu for a long time.”

It is very easy for us to write about Angele because she is a “true” example of a Leader!!  And she is helping us lead the academy by showing everyone what dedication, determination, motivation, positive energy, the will to never give up and true love for our martial art is all about!

Ossssss!!!!!!!!

Tim Lovato Takes First!!

Team Crispim BJJ had a very successful weekend!

First, Alexander Crispim and Team Crispim BJJ would like to congratulate Jordan Porter for his victory at the Ultimate Reno Combat 20 Fights in Reno on Friday, December 10, 2010.  Jordan made his debut at this fight against Paul Hubble.  Jordan dominated the first two rounds and finished his fight when he tapped out his opponent with an arm triangle choke at 1 minute 22 seconds in the second round.  Jordan trains under Allan Maravilla and with Alexander Crispim.  Congratulations for this exciting victory.

Next, Team Crispim BJJ of Pleasanton had multiple team members compete in the Grappling X Gi and No-Gi Tournament in Sacramento this past Sunday.  Tim Lovato took first in his no-gi division and second in his white belt gi division.  Erico Monteiro earned third in his purple belt gi division.  And Brooke Goldsworthy was awarded 1st place in her women’s blue belt division.  Brooke also made her debut in the men’s division and put on an incredible show.  She dominated most of her matches and the crowd wouldn’t stop coming up to her congratulating her performance against the men in her division.

As you all know, we like to highlight a team member periodically and this month, we would like to put the spotlight on Tim Lovato.  Tim joined the Crispim BJJ team about four months ago and he just entered his first tournament, and took home a gold and a silver.

Tim has a wife and two teenage daughters and lives here in the east bay.  Tim works for the United States Army as a Military Intel Analyst at Camp Parks in Dublin (east bay).  He joined the Army in 1991, served 2.5 years and then decided to attend Cameron University where he received his BA in Criminal Justice.  He then re-entered the Army in 1997 and has been serving our country ever since then.  Tim also served in Iraq from 2008-2009.

Tim’s background in sports was with wrestling during high school and unit level softball and football in the Army.  In August of 2010, two other soldiers who work with Tim at Camp Parks in Dublin mentioned that they were training with Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton and Tim decided to give it a shot.   Tim immediately became part of the “family” and everyone loves to be around him.  He is dedicated and motivated to doing well and he has achieved very fast improvements in his game, which was clearly demonstrated this past Sunday.   Tim won 1st place in the No Gi Super Heavyweight Division and 2nd place in the Gi division.  Two of his matches were won by submission and one of his matches was won by points.   In one of his matches, he competed against an opponent who was over 120 pounds heavier than Tim, which clearly shows how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu works allowing a smaller competitor to dominate a larger opponent through skill and technique.  The entire Crispim BJJ Team is so proud of Tim’s accomplishments and to have him as part of our team.  He brings a very positive energy to the academy and encourages others to push hard and train a lot.  Alexander Crispim says that Tim is incredibly strong and learns very quickly.  In addition, even as a newer white belt, he is constantly focusing on his strategies and thinking about developing his game plan.

We asked Tim why he started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and here is his response:

“I have always wanted to train in BJJ, since I saw Royce Gracie in UFC 1.  I love watching BJJ and MMA.  When I first got married and had kids, we could
not afford for me to train.  Then when we could afford it, there were no BJJ Academies to train where I lived.  When I was reassigned to Dublin in July of
2010,  I was talking to 2 of the Soldiers that work in my building and they both told me they had just started training at Crispim’s.  There were many training academies to choose from, but I decided to tag along with them to watch a training session, and between Crispim’s personality, the team’s friendliness, and the way everyone made me feel like part of the team from the first day, I knew this was my home.  The place I wanted to train.  Looking back over the last three months I would be disappointed if I would have choose any place other than Crispim’s.  It is definitely my home away from home.”

Team, please feel free to add any comments to this post to formally congratulate Tim and the other Crispim BJJ Team members who fought and competed this past weekend.   They all represented well!!!  Let’s keep training and working hard and 2011 is going to be even better.

Also, just a reminder that our potluck holiday party is this Sunday, the 19th, at Karma in Dublin.  The fun starts at noon.  We hope to see you and your families there.

Bryant “The Rock” Pangelinan is a World Champion

Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ Team in Pleasanton would like to congratulate Bryant “The Rock” Pangelinan on his incredible victories at the World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship this weekend.  The Rock competed in both his Brown Belt division and in the Absolute division.  He earned the GOLD MEDAL in his division and the SILVER MEDAL in the absolute division (approximately 16 competitors in this division).  This is such a prestigious title and we are so proud to have The Rock as part of the Crispim BJJ jiu jitsu team.

Alexander Crispim met The Rock  years ago while training at Fairtex in San Francisco.  He immediately saw a huge potential in his skills, abilities and drive.  Crispim loves training with him because The Rock trains hard and pushes himself to always do the best he can.  The Rock is the epitome of what a brown belt in jiu-jitsu should be.  He is respectful, he teaches, he encourages others, and is always a positive influence at the Crispim BJJ academy and to all of the team.  In addition, his skill level is extreme and his power is second to none.   The Rock is highly determined, motivated and very passionate about jiu jitsu and again, we want to congratulate him on these accomplishments of achieving World Championship level in the Brown Belt division.

Here is some background on Bryant “The Rock” Pangelinan:

“I started wrestling back in elementary school and wrestled all through high school and college.  I did a lot of training with many  high level wrestlers in college including,  US Silver Medalist Mat Ghafari, the US Army team, and many others. My career in high school was 127 wins-23 losses in four years.

I first picked up jiu jitsu when I was still in college, at Relson Gracie’s academy in Hawaii in 1995-1996, but it wasn’t until after my last wrestling tournament in 2003 that I got serious about it.  It was then when Josh McDonald and I were still coaching wrestling together that he told me I should come down where he was training (at Cesar Gracie’s and Fairtex).  I had to learn jiu jitsu very quick, be it that some of my first partners were Jake Shields, Dave Terrell, The Diaz Brothers, and Gilbert Melendez.  I earned my blue and purple belts through Cesar Gracie.  Through the years I won the California Open No Gi Advanced Division in 2004 in Half Moon Bay, I was a finalist at the Gracie Open in the No Gi Advanced Division twice (I took 2nd in 2005 and I won it in 2006 defeating a Machado black belt when I was still a blue belt).  I won the No Gi Worlds in 2008 as a blue belt as well.  One of the nicest things about that victory was that I was the first ever World Champion grappler from my native island of Guam.
http://www.fokai.tv/blog/?p=1211

I met Alexander Crispim while training at Fairtex in San Francisco, and not only was it his teaching that drew me towards him, but mainly our strong friendship. He has pushed me to do better and always allows me to be the best I can be.   And… he gave me my new favorite other nickname “Dente de Sabre” …the Saber Tooth hahahahaa!!!

I train because wrestling/grappling has been part of my life for almost 28 years.  I couldn’t imagine not doing what I do. ”

Crispim BJJ Team- please take a few moments to comment on this post and wish The Rock congratulations.  The Rock, We can’t wait to see your next battle!!

Crispim BJJ Team Brings Home The Medals

We would first like to thank Charles Gracie for inviting the Crispim BJJ Team to participate in his jiu jitsu tournament today in Tracy.  It was an honor to be part of his event.

We would also like to congratulate all of our competitors who showed up, fought hard and had a great time today.  Many of our competitors today were the Crispim BJJ kids team and for lots of them, the FIRST tournament they ever participated in.  The kids made us all very proud with their determination, courage and skill.  Every single one of them did great and their results are as follows:

1st Place-  Aaron Zagar

2nd Place- Niko Castillo, Brendon Beliso, Dustin O’Shea, Marcus Rivera

3rd Place- Jaco Kong, Aidan Magcale, Nico Jimenez

Congratulations to all of our young fighters!!  Great job!

We also saw HUGE success with our adult team members.   We had 5 1st Place victories:

Brooke Goldsworthy

AJ Ting

Joseph Spiegel

Mark Ward-  Crispim BJJ/UFC-Gym

Justin Steele-Crispim BJJ/UFC-Gym

Great job to all of our competitors, you represented the Crispim BJJ Team well.  Also, we would like to thank Hayden O’Shea for his help with coaching our kids and for settting such a great example as both a competitor and a coach.  Also, thanks to Daniel Elias for his help in teaching and coaching.  And last, but not least, thank you to all of our team members and their family and friends for showing up, cheering them on and supporting them with their competition.

If you took pictures or video today, please forward them to info@CrispimBJJ.com and we will add them to this post over the next few days.

Brooke Wins 1st at the US Open

Alexander Crispim and Crispim BJJ  are very proud to announce that Brooke Goldsworthy won 1st place in her division and 3rd place in the open division last weekend at the US Open in Santa Cruz.  This was Brooke’s first tournament in years and her FIRST tournament as a Blue Belt which she earned on July 31st of this year.  She tapped her first opponent in a matter of seconds and won her next fight by points.  Brooke is an incredible competitor who possesses great strength, technique and a huge desire to learn and train.  She does all of this with a smile on her face and such a positive energy all the time.  The Crispim BJJ Team is very proud of her accomplishments and are very happy to have her as part of the team.

We would also like to take this opportunity to share with you a little about Brooke’s history, goals and reasons for training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

“I was definitely an active and strong little girl, but my involvement with organized sports was very limited. The first time I competed athletically was at Chabot College. I became a member of their track and field team as a hammer thrower with the hope of receiving a scholarship to further my education. I was fortunate enough to achieve my goal and was awarded an athletic scholarship to Fresno State College. Although I was never passionate about Track and Field, I loved being part of a Division 1 team and the camaraderie that came with it.

After college I became a teacher and married my best friend, Steve. We were living in Brentwood, and I was looking for a fun way to get fit again. My brother told me to check out Ralph Gracie’s in Antioch, so I did. I trained with Ricardo Barros for 10 months in 2004. During that time, I fell in love with BJJ, and it became my passion.

When Steve and I decided to expand our family, I stopped training BJJ. I got pregnant with our first baby boy, moved to Livermore to be closer to family, and became a stay at home mom. Jake was born in 2005, Cole was born in 2007, and Trent was born in 2009. I know this sounds crazy, but even after I brought my 3 angels into this world, there still wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about BJJ. When Trent was 6 months old, I knew our family was finally complete, and it was my time to get back on the mat. When I knew that we were going to move to Pleasanton, it didn’t even cross my mind to check out any other BJJ facilities in the area. I was beyond excited to train with Crispim. I didn’t think Crispim was going to remember me from back in the day, but he did, and he welcomed me with open arms. I was elated, and couldn’t be any happier. Every day I feel grateful for having the opportunity to train at Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton. I know it is the absolute best academy that I could ever ask for! Crispim’s passion and knowledge of BJJ is powerful. I feel confident learning from him and trust that he wouldn’t teach us anything that he didn’t believe in 100%. Daniel teaches incredible brazilian jiu jitus as well. He is always very professional and patient with all of his students. As for the rest of the people that train at Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton, they’re simply awesome. I couldn’t ask for better training partners. Everyone at the academy is inspiring, kind, supportive, and helpful! The overall vibe is just cool and I seriously love the BJJ camaraderie! I feel blessed to have a place where I can truly appreciate the art of BJJ and everything BJJ has to offer. I can’t say whether I like the physical challenges or mental challenges of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu better. It’s the combination of the two that drives me like nothing else can.

I feel like I just got my feet wet competing, and want to further explore the competitive side of BJJ. When I threw the hammer, I concentrated solely on how I moved my body. When I compete in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match, I have to think strategically about the moves of my opponent and myself. The dynamics of competitive BJJ are exciting and challenging on so many different levels. It has piqued my curiosity and has made me want to learn more. Thanks to Alexander Crispim, I’ve been given the opportunity to look at my training with a new set of eyes and start to reflect on in it from a competitive perspective. It is challenging and fun–So as long as I’m having fun, I’ll continue to compete!

People ask me how I find time to train. I just do. It’s a priority and my husband supports me 100%. My family reaps the benefits of my training too. I’m healthy, happy, energized, and able to care for them without feeling like I’m running on empty. BJJ is definitely a lifestyle for me. It’s become part of the balancing act and that is a beautiful thing!!”

Congratulations Brooke on this incredible accomplishment and your dedication and passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  The Crispim BJJ Team is very proud to have you as such an important part of it.  We are excited to see what is next for you!!! And Team, please feel free to post your comments on this article and show your support for Brooke and her future competitions.

US Open & Crispim’s Fight

Hi Team,

A couple of notes:

Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton will be closed Saturday and Sunday for the US Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament in Santa Cruz.  We have several team members competing and many going to show their support.

We wish all of our competitors from Crispim BJJ and UFC-Gym much success!!  You have all been training really hard and are ready for this!!!

Also, most of you have probably heard by now, but Alexander Crispim will be fighting at the Fairtex and USMF War of the Heroes FC8 at the Santa Clara Convention Center on November 13th.  His opponent is Chris David from No Limit Fight Team and his record is 13-8.    Please come to the academy as much as possible to help Crispim train for his fight. We will have tickets at the academy early next week.

Finally,  we wanted to remind all of you that the Charles Gracie Jiu-Jitsu tournament is Saturday, October 30th in Tracy.  We have registration forms at the academy.  If you are interested in competing, please pick up a registration form and return the form and your payment to either Michele or Crispim no later than October 21st.   They will NOT be accepting any registration after that date- No exceptions!   Thanks team.  Let’s keep training hard.

Josh McDonald Wins at His Debut at Strikeforce

Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ Team would like to congratulate Josh McDonald for his victory at Strikeforce in San Jose on Saturday, October 9th.  This was Josh’s debut at Strikeforce and he won by unanimous decision against AKA’s Ron Keslar (5-3).  Josh’s current record is (8-4).

We are very proud to have Josh as part of our team and our wrestling coach.  Again, congratulations to Josh.  We can’t wait to see what his next challenge is.

UFC-Gym Students Take Home The Medals

On Sunday, August 29th, nine of Alexander Crispim and Jesus Mojica’s students from the UFC-Gym in Concord competed in the Grappling X Tournament in Elk Grove.  Out of the nine who competed, SEVEN took home medals.  These white belt students all started training Jiu-Jitsu since the UFC- Gym opened in November and later and in their very short time for training, they have all progressed phenomenally.   These guys were competing against other white belts who have been training for 1-2 years and they didn’t let this affect them in their focus on victory and success. 

All nine of these competitors showed passion, skill, and an incredible implementation of the positions and strategies that they have learned from Alexander Crispim and Jesus Mojica.

The results are as follows:

GOLD MEDALS:

Rafael Garcia

Brett Baraquil

SILVER MEDALS:

Mark Ward

John Bon

Andres Morra

Rudy Villalobos

BRONZE MEDAL:

Justin Steele

Crispim, the Crispim BJJ Team in Pleasanton, and the UFC-Gym Team would all like to congratulate all nine of the competitors in their success!! Keep training hard and way to represent.

Anthony Diwa Brings Home The Bronze

Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ Team would like to congratulate Anthony Diwa on earning third place in the 2010 Las Vegas International Open IBJJF Championship this past weekend in his division.

Anthony’s performance was impressive and he represented our team well.   Anthony is a skilled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and is on his way to a world championship.  Crispim says, “From the beginning, I knew that Anthony was going to be good in BJJ.  He has always been very devoted and dedicated to doing everything right and perfect.  Anthony can’t get enough training.  He is always on time, or early, to class and is always asking others to stay late so that he can train longer.  Anthony wants to understand the positions, the implementation, and the strategies, and through attention to details, questions and a lot of practice, he is always pushing himself to improve and to become a better BJJ practitioner.   Anthony is extremely patient with the newer students and is always there to help his teammates learn and succeed.  He has all of these qualities and a lot of discipline and respect for others.  Anthony is a “true” Martial Artist.  I am really proud to have Anthony as part of the great Crispim BJJ Team that we are building.”

Here is a little about Anthony and how he became involved in BJJ…

“I discovered jiu jitsu by accident in January of 2006 during my senior year at UC Davis. I meant to attend the Sanshou Kickboxing class at our campus recreation center, but I had the times mixed up and ended up in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class instead. Until that time, I never had an interest in jiu jitsu. I even thought it was boring and always hated when the MMA fights on TV ended up on the ground. Not to mention it also looked kinda strange, two guys rolling around on the floor and all.  

Anyways, the instructor who was a Cassio Werneck blue belt at the time, showed us a few moves.  We practiced them and then it was time to spar, or as we Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners like to say, “roll.” At that time I weighed a solid 185. Physically, I was at my strongest and I thought I was tough. My opponent kneeling before me was a small, weak  looking guy who weighed no more than 125 lbs. I almost felt sorry for the kid because I was about to smash him. When the instructor started the clock, I attacked with all of my might trying to do some damage to this skinny and weak looking 125 pounder. I honestly thought he was no match for me, but within 20 seconds, I found myself trapped on my back with my arm being hyper-extended with no way to escape. In shock and panic, I just yelled and he let go. By the end of our 6 minute round, I was completely gassed out and exhausted.  I recall tapping about 5-6 times by this little guy during our 6 minute fight. I cringed at the thought of what could have happened if this were a real street fight.  Every joint in my body would have been dismantled and many bones would have been broken, not to mention I could have died by being choked to death!  I couldn’t believe what just happened. I just got my ass kicked by a scrawny, skinny, 125 pound guy who doesn’t even look like he trains. That was one of those life changing moments, and I’ve been training ever since.

I met Crispim in September of 2006 after graduating and moving back home and have been training mainly with him ever since.  I was always drawn to his teaching style and the way in which he motivates us.  He is very passionate about not only jiu jitsu but also about being a great coach and instructor, which is another entirely different skill set than just being a good jiu jitsu fighter.  On second thought, I think “obsessive” about being a great coach and instructor is a more accurate description of him. In November of 2007, after 23 months of consistent training I was awarded my blue belt. Then, near the end of 2009 I was awarded my purple belt.

Jiu Jitsu was the perfect thing that I needed in my life. I always liked strategy games and before training jiu jitsu, I was a strategy video game playing guy spending hours every day online playing games like Warcraft,  Starcraft and Chess.  I also had a passion for physical exercise and even majored in Exercise Science in college. So… Jiu Jitsu was the perfect thing for me as it is the game of human chess. I also needed something to channel my energy into. In my life, I need to see progression and an ultimate long term goal being worked towards every day.  Jiu Jitsu was a perfect fit and fulfilled all of those needs. 

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I did not discover Jiu Jitsu when I was much younger like the kids at our kids jiu jitsu classes. I really envy those little guys and  really get a kick out of watching them train and watching their reactions at the belt ceremonies.

As of right now my goals in Jiu Jitsu are just to enjoy my time in the purple belt division and try to win as many gold and silver medals as possible before moving on.  After much thought, I have decided on what kind of Jiu Jitsu guy I want to be. I want to be a jiu jitsu fighter with excellent wrestling skills.  I’m excited because not only do I have Crispim as my coach, but also Josh McDonald and Bryant “The Rock” Pangelinan  as my coaches as well.  To say these guys are excellent wrestlers and coaches is a HUGE understatement.  I honestly believe that I can become a world champion one day training with these three. I’m also excited because I always wanted to pick up some Muay Thai and striking skills and as it turns out, we now have an incredible Professional Stand Up Coach Allan Maravilla teaching at our academy as well. I’m pretty blessed and I look forward to training with these beasts!”

Again, Congratulations Anthony.  We are very proud of you and are very fortunate to have you on the Crispim BJJ Team.

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Josh McDonald Wins in 1st Round

Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ Team would like to congratulate Josh McDonald on his victory this evening at the Fight For Wrestling in Bakersfield.  Josh won by guillotine in the first round.

Josh’s commitment to his training and MMA is incredible and we are very fortunate to have him as an MMA Coach at our academy.  Crispim would also like to thank him for always being a great training partner and a great friend.  We are all very proud of Josh and very happy for him and his family on this great victory.

(In this picture is Alexander Crispim, The Rock, Josh McDonald and Gil Castillo)