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Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers Preview Party in Pleasanton Was a Blast!

September 4, 2011 By 3 Comments

Yesterday, we opened our doors at Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers in Pleasanton to invite our local community to come in and sample all of our classes to celebrate our recent expansion which almost doubled the size of our academy, more than doubled the size of our training area/mats, addition of an MMA cage and the addition of tons of new classes.   We had short preview classes in both adult and kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Fight Shape, MMA G&P, Kids MMA (Muay Thai/Boxing) and Iron Core Fitness.  We had people visit us from all over the Bay Area including San Ramon, Dublin, Danville, Hayward, San Leandro, Livermore, Fremont, Oakland and Walnut Creek. When asked why these people traveled to come try our classes and chose to join our team/family, we were told it was mainly due to the high level of instruction that we offer at the academy and the quality of our programs and gym.  This is exactly what we always strive to offer.  We have phenomenal instructors who not only teach and train every day, but also actively compete in jiu jitsu tournaments and MMA fights.  These instructors are the heart and soul of our academy and are so totally committed to providing the best possible classes in the area, that people who have never trained with us before recognize it and know of our reputation!!!

The other big factor for people choosing to join our gym is because of all of you, our team!  The family environment and sense of community was absolutely noticeable yesterday (as it is everyday) as so many of our team members showed up, helped with the party and welcomed all of the new students and members into the gym.   We so often hear about people walking into a gym/academy and feeling intimidated or uncomfortable, but the Crispim BJJ Team is full of such amazing people that this has never been an issue for us.  In fact, you are all a big part of the reason why we constantly have so many people choosing to train with us at our gym in Pleasanton (east bay area).

A note for all of the people who contacted us about the preview party and who were unable to attend yesterday, here is a short list of why you may choose to train with us.

* Incredible Instruction and Family/Team Environment

* Largest mat area in the area

* 7 Days per week Training (We were the first gym locally to offer Sunday BJJ training classes and the first to offer early morning BJJ classes)- We did this to provide to all of you an extremely flexible schedule so that even the busiest person can still find time to train.

* Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes 2-3 times per day during the week. (Early morning 6:15am, lunch time and evening)

* MMA Cage and Fight Team (for those interested in training to fight)

* Clean and safe environment

* Showers and a Dressing Room

* Over 70 Classes Per Week to Choose From!!! Full Schedule including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (adults and kids), Wrestling (adults and kids), Muay Thai, MMA (mixed martial arts)(adults and kids), Iron Core Fitness, Fight Shape, MMA G&P and sparring.

Please contact us at info@CrispimBJJ.com if you would like to set up a Free one-on-one Intro Class to sample all of our programs.

In closing, again we would like to thank our instructors and team for all of the support you give the academy every single day.  We would not be here if it wasn’t for all of you and we truly appreciate all of you choosing to train at Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers!!

 

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Tim Lovato Takes First!!

December 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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.

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Crispim BJJ Holiday Party 2010 at Karma in Dublin

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hello Team,

We just sent an email out to all of you with details on the Crispim BJJ holiday party which is scheduled for Sunday, December 19th from 12-4 at Peter Lee’s lounge, Karma, in Dublin (about 5-10 minutes away from the academy in Pleasanton).  If for some reason you did not get the email, we also posted a copy of the email in the ” Crispim BJJ Students Group” which you can find on the home page on the right hand column.   The email provides the details of the party and some additional Crispim BJJ updates.

Hope to see everyone there!

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New Classes at Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton

August 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hello All,

We just posted our new and improved class schedule!!  You will see a lot of new additions to the schedule including Muay Thai Fitness, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kids Muay Thai and Professional Sparring.  The Muay Thai Fitness is a great addition to our fitness program and will use a mixture of kicking and punching on bags and pads.  It is an incredible workout.  Allan Maravilla will be teaching our morning traditional Muay Thai classes and Josh McDonald will be teaching the morning wrestling classes.  All of these classes started today.  Please come, try them out and have fun.

 In addition, the Little Fighters and Jr. Muay Thai classes will begin on Tuesday, August 24th.  These are classes for kids ages 5-14 (classes are divided by age groups).  These classes will focus on stand up skills (kicking, punching, etc) and will round out our already great kids program of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Now, Crispim BJJ can offer kids classes (BJJ and Muay Thai) five times per week.

We invite everyone to try these classes out and provide us with feedback.   Have fun training!

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Brian Gets His Purple Belt at Crispim BJJ

March 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Alexander Crispim and Crispim BJJ in Pleasanton are proud to announce a new purple belt!!!  Brian Bartholomew was awarded his purple belt yesterday.  Brian is an old friend and has been training with Crispim since back in the days when Crispim was teaching at Ralph’s in Dublin.  Brian is a hardworking member of the team and shares his time between his job, family and jiu jitsu.  Brian’s dedication and commitment to training and the team are commendable.  He is always there to offer himself as a great training partner to his teammates.  He is a good friend, loyal student and very skilled jiu jitsu practitioner.  We are very proud to have Brian as the newest purple belt in jiu jitsu on our team. 

We asked Brian to tell us a little about why he trains jiu jitsu and his experiences and this is what he had to say. “I am honored to be able to train with Crispim and everyone else at the academy.  I met Crispim around five years ago when I started to train in Dublin. Before that I had trained a bit, but never anything consistent.  In the beginning , I wanted to train for self defense reasons, but not long after that, I realized there were many more reasons to train.  It didn’t take long til jiu jitsu seemed to be embedded in my mind. For some reason it was as if the hard times in life were even harder when I was not training.  It has always had a kind of pull on me.  For me, it is such an awesome feeling to be able to train your mind in this way.  And that’s what it is for me, a mind game, and it’s like Crispim knows what you are thinking and how you are thinking.  During training, he is not just testing you physically, but also mentally.  Crispim makes you think about your own game and your own challenges within.  I am constantly amazed about the things he teaches and shares. He must have the wisdom of an eighty year old man inside of him.  And that’s why I am here. Crispim is a teacher and a friend and I know you cannot put a price on that.  
 
 Also, the relationships and bonds that are created in the academy are ones that last forever. The diversity is great and you never know who you might meet.  
 
Thanks again for everything to Crispim and his family and the academy.  You guys are strong together, and it can be seen.”  Again… Congratulations to Brian.  We are very proud to have him at the academy, as a friend and as a very valuable member of the team.

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A New Purple Belt at Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers

February 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers Team is proud to announce that today, Manuel Ruiz was awarded his well deserved purple belt.  Manuel became a student and friend of Crispim’s in 2004 in Dublin and always displayed a tremendous passion and drive.  Although Manuel continued training Muay Thai over the years, he did take a break from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for several years.  Since Crispim has opened the academy in Pleasanton, Manuel has made his way back to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has re-joined the Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers Team.  Manuel has trained very hard and has come back to BJJ with an intense energy to compete, progress and learn.  He is truly an example for our academy and we are very proud to have him back on the Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers Team, both in jiu jitsu and in MMA.  Congratulations Manuel!  You deserve this!

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The University of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

December 31, 2009 By 1 Comment

Juan Zuniga, a purple belt from Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers in Pleasanton, wrote this really great blog back in 2007 and once we read it, we wanted to share it with the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community and the Crispim BJJ Barra Brothers Team.  Before we present the article to you, we would like to tell you a little about Juan (for those of you who don’t already know him).

Juan started training  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Sep 2004, which was about six months after his daughter Isabella was born.   He was training at Ralph Gracie in Dublin under the instruction of Alexander Crispim.  He received his  blue belt  in Dec 2005.   Juan temporarily stopped training from Nov 2007 and started up again in Nov 2008, when he found out that Crispim was teaching again.  In Oct 2009, Alexander Crispim awarded Juan his much deserved purple belt.

Jiu Jitsu Belts & The College Degree

I can’t begin to describe the excitement that comes from being rewarded for a job well done. These moments are few and far between. When I received my bachelors degree nine years ago, I remember the excitement and pride I felt. Graduation symbolized four years of studies, 3 years of summer classes & 4 years of unloading and sorting packages UPS.

My promotion to blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu nearly two years ago left me feeling very similar. The promotion symbolized a reward for the hard trainings, long hours on the mat & overcoming the occasional feeling that I was simply not physically cut out for hard training. Receiving my blue belt symbolized that I was progressing, it made me feel accomplished, excited and joyful. With belt promotions coming up tomorrow, I couldn’t help to put some thought into what these belt promotions mean to me, and how they compare to promotions in collegiate studies.

Blue Belt & Associated Arts Degree
Both the Blue Belt and the Associates Degree seem to typically take 1-3 years accomplish. They both represent a basic fundamental knowledge in their respective subject. I’ve met students who earned their AA degree in one year while others took a number of years (some for valid reasons). As for the Jiu Jitsu, some students earn their blue belt very quickly…I’ve heard stories of someone attaining their blue belt in a matter of days (although he was a Judo Black belt, which I’m sure helped!) To me, the Blue Belt, like the AA degree is a stepping stone to bigger and better things to come.

Purple Belt & Bachelors Degree
To me, earning a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu is the equivalent of earning a Bachelors degree in a University. Both take approx 3-5 years to achieve. Both symbolize a deep understanding in their respective subject. Although at this stage you are far from being an expert, you have achieved something that not many have. A promotion to this level represents a series of years of sacrifice, long hours & fighting through adversity. Having a bachelors degree doesn’t mean that you are any smarter than the guy/gal standing next to you, just as having a purple belt doesn’t mean you are a better fighter than the guy/gal standing next to you. However, it does mean that you can set goals and achieve them. A promotion to this level is definitely something to be celebrated.

Brown Belt & Masters Degree
You probably won’t meet too many people who have earned a brown belt in BJJ or a Masters Degree from an accredited University. These people have proven that they are dedicated individuals. Earning a brown belt, like a Masters degree typically requires 6-8 years of study. Individuals who have reached this level deserve much respect. They (and their family & friends) have sacrificed and are well on their way to becoming an authority in their trade. They have acquired a large knowledge base, which makes them very capable of teaching.

Black Belt & Ph.D.
Neither Black Belts nor Ph.D.’s are simply handed out to just anyone. Individuals who have achieved this will forever represent the academy/school who granted them this promotion. These individuals likely diligently worked for 8-10+ years to achieve this. They have been put through the fire. They have learned their trade at the highest level. When you seek to learn, these are the people you want to teach you. Although this seems like the end of a journey, to many this is just the beginning of their new journey.

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