Group picture from Fox Fitness

    I was fortunate enough to attend two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminars by Andre Monteiro.  December 7, 2012 at Castillo Jiu-Jitsu, and December 9, 2012 at Fox Fitness BJJ.  Both of the seminars were in the gi, but he often explained how the techniques would work well for no-gi.
Andre is a fierce competitor and a great instructor. I have been to many of his seminars and he always lives up to his reputation of doing an outstanding job.  Andre’s vast understanding of Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu always amazes me.
Day 1
Andre showed some excellent techniques and details to attacking a turtled opponent.  He also introduced us to the side control that he has been using a lot.  I was particularly eager to learn about his side control.  It was about a year ago that he showed me a few things from this position and it greatly improved my pressure and ability to set up submissions.  I was certainly not disappointed in his side control, it was remarkable. The details he shared help put more pressure on the opponent.  I had a few questions about it and he was pleased to answer all of them.
Andre also showed several attacks from Kesa Gatame and the back.  These techniques went well with what he showed us about the turtle and side control.  He had us learning several gi chokes, some of the students were having difficulty getting them properly.  He stopped the room from training and said something that really made a lot of sense “Don’t fight for the choke, fight to get your hand in the right place”.  After that comment, everyone in the room seemed to be finishing the choke easily.
Day 2
The second day was similar to the first, a day full of new techniques and important details to moves I thought that I knew.  Before the seminar Andre asked me if there was anything in particular that I wanted to see.  This is a great example of the type of seminar that he gives.  He genuinely cares about everyone on the mat and wants to do his best to help people reach their full potential.  I told him that I would be interested in learning more about his side control; he introduced it to the people that did not attend the first class and help fine tune it for the students that had seen it in the previous seminar.
He also covered many techniques and ideas about grip fighting.  He showed some excellent takedowns that I think will really help my game.  Andre’s half guard is amazing.  He was happy to teach us some of his favorite sweeps and passes from the half guard.  It was great to learn half guard from someone who is so proficient with it.
Overall
I have attended several seminars by Andre Monteiro and they were all excellent.  I highly recommend training with him if you get the chance.  One of the things I really like about Andre’s teaching style is that he is great at teaching to the students in the room.  By this I mean he will show something that people want to see and make sure everyone understands it, then in a one on one situation add smaller details to the more advanced students that are able to understand.  Andre is excellent at looking at the room full of students doing a technique and then he corrects the common mistakes people are making.  Andre is on the road a lot doing seminars all over the world, if he is teaching near you don’t miss out on a great opportunity.

Links

Check out Andre’s free online training!
Connect with Andre “Tim” Monteiro on his facebook page
Castillo Jiu-Jitsu website
Fox Fitness BJJ website
BjjBrick facebook page