Seminar with Rener

Saturday was the first ever Rener Gracie seminar in the Vancouver area. He was up here to work Brendan Schaub's corner at a UFC event, and had enough spare time to run two 2-hour sessions.

It all happened at the Steveston Martial Arts center. This is a beautiful facility that seems to be associated with a recreation facility. We used the center's Judo hall. It's the first time I've ever trained on such a beautifully sprung floor. You'd swear we were in Japan.

There were about 75 people present. Our school made up the single largest contingent, with over 20 of us taking part. The morning class was wonderful, and focused around submissions from the mount. It was all BBS1 material, but there were enough refinements and details to keep those of us who were familiar with the main techniques interested and learning.

The other session concerned a back mount position called “Triple Threat”. This went well beyond BBS1 level, and included higher level material. My brain over-filled.

Between classes there was a group photo, and a line up for individual shots with Rener. Afterwards, he rolled with a few of the higher ranks present.

On my way out, I passed another hall full of noise and power where Kendo was being practiced. I would have loved to pop in and watch, but had a ferry to catch on a tight timeline.

For most of our people it was their first contact with any of our association's Chief Instructors. Experiencing his level of knowledge and smooth teaching style they could not help but be impressed.

Pretty good for a day trip.