First of all we want to thank Claudio Franca and his team for a job well done. The  5th Annual American cup was a huge success with over 1000 competitors from around the world including a team from Mongolia.   This is sure to be one  of the premiere tournaments in years to come.  As expected the women’s divisions are witnessing  an increasing level of highly competitive grapplers.  Although the divisions are top heavy on the white and blue belt side it’s our thinking that as more women continue to get on the mat and rise through the belt ranking systems we should see some depth at the purple, brown and black belt levels.   I think that one of the reasons there is a lack of depth is that women are just now discovering the world of competitive jiu jitsu and it takes a lot of time, blood, sweat and tears to earn a black belt.    Academies will need to invest time and energy  in their womens’ program.   When we say invest we mean quality instruction, curriculums focused on good solid fundamentals, instructors who can both understand and adapt techniques to the game women are more likely to play,  mentoring, and a willingness to advance students to the next level.  It’s really exciting to watch the burgeoning of such a fast paced and electrifying sport  especially among women and girls. Great job all around and a great tournament.

May 1, 2012
Categories: Advancing the sport of Jiu Jitsu, Tournament . Tags: American Cup, CA, Claudio Franca, Gold medal, Gracie Humaita Women, Mongolia, San Jose . Author: Kaleb . Comments: Leave a Comment