Grass roots jiu jitsu: The squad went out into East End London to train tonight at the new gym of UFC fighter Claudio Silva #claudiohannibalsilva who has opened a new school and does a fine job teaching jiu jitsu. The squad spends most of our time in a basement in NYC so it's always a pleasure to get outside and train in new places around new people. It often reminds me of my early early days in jiu jitsu when my dear sensei Renzo Gracie would teach in small clubs and Dojos to tiny groups. It is like going back to the grass roots of the sport – small groups of dedicated enthusiasts learning our craft far from the big centers of the sport. I always feel like it's good for ones soul to do this – to go back to where you started from and get that same feeling of wonder you had as a white belt – it's a rejuvenation we all need periodically. Here Garry Tonon, Jake Shields and Oliver Taza work their submission skills as I run them through a workout at Claudio's little London gym #claudiohannibalsilva Preparation is going well – at this stage it's polishing skills rather than developing skills – more of the same tomorrow as show time gets close!
