ATTENTION: HOLIDAY
No classes at CHOKE SWEDEN on Wednesday, April 30th
No classes at CHOKE LYNGBY on Thursday, May 1st
April 23, 2008
New Students in Lyngby
The mats of our main school in Lyngby are getting busier than ever these days. Eric Flynn and his dad Tim came by our dojo to check the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes last week. Eric is a teenager from North Carolina, USA, whose family recently relocated to Denmark. With Eric as its latest addition, our group of teenage students is looking very solid. Welcome to Choke!
We also had a couple of guests showing up for their free intro class in the Blue Belt Program for beginners. Mikkel is a Kali and Escrima practitioner who feel in love with Jiu-Jitsu after joining some training sessions run by our blue belt Nicolaj Garde in Frederiksberg. Then we have Dennis, who just moved from the city of Herning and was impressed with our hospitality and the quality of the training.
In other great news, an old student of ours, Ronni Persson, is about to return to the mats. After a long layoff due to fatherhood and school commitments, he has finally found the time to choke us again on a regular basis. Ronni is a very cool guy to have around and his attention to detail will definitely inspire some of our newest students. Welcome back, Ronni!
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April 15, 2008
Official Choke Ranks
The old team page has been replaced by an up-to-date list of all our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt holders. We currently have 56 color belts at Choke and the number keeps growing! We are very proud to say that all these students started training with us as white belts and have gone through all the steps until achieving their current ranks. At Choke we don't recruit talent - we develop our own. Make sure to check the current list by clicking the "Belt Ranks" button on the left or simply follow this link.
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April 10, 2008
No-Gi BJJ Highlight Video
JP, Morten, Anders and Jens in action
Here's our most recent highlight video. It features our head instructor Joao Pedro Santos along with Morten Pedersen, Anders Rosendal and Jens Petersen in a grappling tournament in Denmark. Enjoy!
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March 18, 2008
New faces on the mat
Blue Belt Program is the place to be!
Over the past month, our schools have welcomed a new crop of students on the mats, both in Denmark and in Sweden. It is fascinating to see their energy and enthusiasm, as well as the transformations they go through as they get bitten by the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu bug.
Let's start with brothers Martin and Rasmus Jensen. The first one is a phisyotherapy student and unbelievable magician - the guy has literally hundreds of awesome tricks up his sleeve! His older brother Rasmus is an egineer and former judo practitioner. Together with Edgardo Lund, they make our heavyweight group even stronger.
Above: Martin working his magic on the mats.
Below: Rasmus and the precise mechanics of a kimura lock.
As always, our main school in Lyngby, Copenhagen, continues to attract many foreigners who are either visiting or have just relocated to Denmark. That is the case with Eamonn Walsh and Shaun Ramos. Eamonn is a traveller and former kickboxer. On the way home to Ireland after a stay in the Czech Republic, he went out of his way just to stop by Choke and get some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. Shaun, on the other hand, currently resides in the country, where he works as a java developer in a major IT company.
Pics: Shaun Ramos (left) and Eamonn Walsh (right).
Then we have teen buddies Jack and Daniel. Sounds like a joke, right? Well, it isn't. Those two came by our school last week for their free intro class and have become our two newest students. Our teen group is looking better than ever and we can hardly wait to see these guys develop their skills and give the older students nightmares, just like Mikkel Kasper, Mikkel Græssler and Daniel Stockmaar do on a regular basis. Ouch!
Above: Jack & Daniel's, anyone?
Below: Blue Belt Program students in Lyngby.
The beginner classes at Choke Sweden, in Limhamn, now have a new group of committed students who are improving at a very fast pace. It all started with neighbors and floorball teammates Linus Svärd and Andreas Bonnesen. With many hours of Royce Gracie footage in their brains and a very dedicated approach to their training at Choke, it seems like they are different kids everytime they step on the mat. It's getting really scary!
Another prospect coming up is Andreas Holmström, who already had some BJJ training in the past but is now sharpening his skills with lots of attention to details and with a renewed commitment to learning the art. He is definitely at the right place at the right time! Our newest member is Robbie, a 15 year old with a special interest for choke holds. Watch out!
Pic: JP, Linus, Andreas B, Robbie, Andreas H, Tony.
All in all, this is a great time for our students and for those of you who dream of learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of the highest quality in a friendly and welcoming environment. Our work in Scandinavia has received a lot of praise from our Master Sergio Souza, who is currently training a group of seven students in his dojo in Ipanema, Brazil (see post below). If you feel good about reading our online news, imagine how much cooler it would be if you were sharing your sweat with us on the mats?
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March 14, 2008
Choke in Rio
Seven students at Master Bolao's dojo
Although Choke is based in Scandinavia, our roots lie in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the birthpalce of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and home of the Gracie Family. Right now we have a group of seven students going through intensive training with our Master Sergio Souza, aka Bolao, a 6th degree black belt under the late Carlson Gracie. That's what we call "learning straight from the source".
Pic: Break for some açaí at Bolao's favorite juice house.
Michael Pedersen, Anders Rosendal, Silvan Popovic, Jonas Bek, Jacob Damgaard, Denis Dzankovic and Gabriela Strelkow are training twice a day at Bolao's dojo in Ipanema. They have a special session with the Master in the morning, then come back at night to join the group classes led by black belts such as Marcelo Cazuza, James D'avila, Bruno Ximenes, Chico Salgado and many others.
Pic: Michael Pedersen trains with brown belt Neto.
During the three weeks they are spending in Rio de Janeiro, they will have the chance to explore the city and the Brazilian culture. Oh yeah, they might also stop by Ipanema beach once or twice to check the girls... errrr, the surf! The Choke gang has been posting updates about their trip in the Choke Forum. Make sure to check it out!
Pic: Jonas Bek living the good life in Ipanema.
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March 8, 2008
2nd Choke Cup Report:
80 matches, 11 champions crowned
This past Saturday we held our first in-house tournament of 2008 in Odense. The 2nd Choke Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cup brought our students together once again and was a total success. There were nearly 80 matches throughout the day and some incredible moments that got the crowd exciting and cheering for their friends and teammates. Below you will find some of the (many!) nice pictures taken at the event...
It was most definitely a very nice day among friends with lots of positive energy and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We are already working on the next event which will take place before summer. It will be an invitational tournament with some of the best BJJ schools in Scandinavia in attendance. Until then!
Link 1: Complete Results
Link 2: Photo Galleries
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February 29, 2008
All Systems Go!
2nd Choke BJJ Cup is tomorrow
After much anticipation and hard work, everything is ready for the 2nd Choke Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cup. The event takes place tomorrow at Choke Odense in Denmark and will pit over 50 competitors from our five schools in Scandinavia. This will be our second in-house event for Choke members only. The blue belt division is packed with talent and hungry newcomers looking to run over last year's champions - but can it be done? We will have to wait and see!
Brackets, chronogram, transportation and after-party info can be found in the Choke Forum. In the meantime, we leave you with a video of the 1st Choke BJJ Cup held in 2007. The highlight was edited by our student Nicolaj Garde and turned out pretty cool. Enjoy!
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February 13, 2008
Flying High in Sweden
Steen and Mikkel visit Limhamn
In the past couple of weeks, Choke Sweden received two of our champion blue belts from Lyngby for some knowledge exchange. Steen Hørsholt and Mikkel Kasper have been taking the trip to Limhamn on Wednesdays and that has resulted in some great training sessions for everyone. Besides all their Jiu-Jitsu tricks, those two also train judo extensively. Mikkel is a member of the Danish National Team and travels regularly to international competitions.
Since they were visiting us, black belt instructor Joao Pedro Santos took advantage of the situation and held some stand up training sessions. It was definitely tough - people were being thrown up in the air all over the place -, but it's not everyday that we have the chance to practice with and learn from guys like Steen and Mikkel.
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January 29, 2008
Well deserved promotions
in Århus, Odense, Sweden and in CPH
CHOKE ÅRHUS: On Saturday the 19th, Joao Pedro Santos visited the school for another Master Class. We started the day with some belt whipping as a warm up. That's right: long time student Nima Baharlooie was awarded his blue belt on the spot and went through the classic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu initiation. At the end of the day, Jakob, Jesper and Søren were awarded stripes on their white belts.
Local supervisors David Nielsen and Alexander Rasmussen received their second degrees for the awesome work they have been doing in Århus. The school has become a Jiu-Jitsu haven with all the extra classes they offer and the number of quality students they produce. Everyone has a solid base and positive attitude. Way to go!
CHOKE ODENSE: Sunday the 20th started pretty much the same way as Daniel Sørensen, one of our first students in Odense, was finally promoted to blue belt. Amir and Denis received the first stripes on their belts and looked hungry and ready for our upcoming tournament. We expect great things from both of them.
And how about Malte Nielsen? He's spent weeks training with our 5th degree Master Sergio Souza in his dojo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We have heard great things from his time on the mats down south and since he could not attend the annual graduation we have decided to promote him... via email! That's a first time for us but don't worry Malte, your buddies in Odense have a special surprise in mind for when you come back (-;
CHOKE SWEDEN: Our wonderful dojo in Limhamn has a new yellow belt moving up the ranks. It's none other than Emil Mattsson, winner of the Junior Division at the 1st Choke Cup back in 2007. Emil is a very dedicated student and his intense training sessions with old friend Mikael Hansson show that these guys are very serious about keeping their school on the forefront of Choke's Junior Division. Are we raising pitbulls or what?
CHOKE CPH: We might have some pitbulls in Sweden, but our headquarters in Lyngby have become a production line of savages. Late blue belt promotions include Benoit Chollet, ambassador of the smile diplomacy; and Mads Vestergård, nicknamed "Crazy Legs" for his intuitive guard work.
Oh yeah: long gone are the days when the white belts would be crushed for months and months... Now these guys are out on the prowl and if you leave an arm or neck in front of them, get ready to tap! Recently Bo Olsson, Chris Blaski, Luiz Felipe, Christian Flintrup, Rasmus Petersen and Daniel Koch stepped up their games and the progress has been a joy to watch. And how about our own Geo-Physics PHD Stig Lyngsie: he's gone from claustrophobic to armhunter in a matter of weeks! Talk about the right mindset, huh? All these guys have been awarded stripes. Congrats!
After such a long post about promotions you might be wondering how many color belts we currently have at Choke: 55 (yes, fifty-five!). The complete ranks are available in the forum and will soon be posted here on the site as well. Congratulations everyone, you guys are awesome!
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January 18, 2008
It's time to hit the mats
+ new students in Sweden and in CPH
It feels like the new season only started this week. Our schools in Limhamn (Choke Sweden) and Lyngby (Choke Copenhagen) were packed with students eager to leave it all on the mats. After all, what better way to burn the excesses of the holidays than on the mats and among friends?
This past Wednesday we had an awesome training session at Choke Sweden. Our head instructor Joao Pedro Santos had a couple of surprises: mat wizards Michael and Morten Pedersen. The twin brothers represent some of the best Choke has to offer and they were hands on with the group of new students that showed up for their free intro classes. We had four beginners on the mats: buddies Linus Svärd and Andreas Bonnesen, and former Combat Jiu-Jitsu practitioners Tomas Sawicki and Christian Olin.
We started with some specific drills and exercises to get everybody pumped up and ready to go. The technical part focused on clinch and takedown followed by knee on stomach control and a beautiful armbar submission. The advanced class (19:00-20:00) - led by recently promoted David Nilsson, Joanna Libertson, Mikael Hansson, Tony and Martina Johansson - followed up and we went into further details and a long sparring session.
It wasn't much different this past Tuesday at Choke Copenhagen. We had full mats and three new students: Rico, Andreas and Casper. Those guys were under the supervision of our blue belts Anders Rosendal, Nicolaj Garde and Kuba Tyszecki. They received a one-on-one intro to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the focus on our most lethal position: the mount. The rest of the group went through a side mount class (which has been the theme for the past couple of weeks) and together we dissecated weight distribution and different attacks.
The energy in our schools is at an all-time high with so many new faces and a group of great people that are united in this life changing journey called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. If you are reading this page but have yet to stop by one of our schools for your free intro class, we have one advice to give: once you get hooked on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you will really regret having taken so long to start. Just ask any of our students. See you on the mats!
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January 12, 2008
Master Class Weekend
Århus 19/01, Odense 20/01
Next weekend our head instructor Joao Pedro Santos and assistant instructor Michael Pedersen will be hitting the road for a weekend of Master Classes accross Denmark. The first stop will be at Choke Århus, on Saturday. The next day they go to Choke Odense and wrap up the road trip. Sign up is required and can be done in the Choke Forum. Rumor has it that some late promotions are to be expected... Can it be?
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January 01, 2008
Happy New Year from Choke!
We would like to wish a wonderful new year to all our students, instructors, sponsors and friends. 2008 promises to be our biggest year ever with a number of exciting events such as the 2nd and 3rd Choke Cups, the official Choke Trip to Brazil, Choke Summer Camp and the Annual Graduation in December.
Are you ready to take your Jiu-Jitsu to the next level in 2008?
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December 31, 2007
Choke Sweden expansion
Two more weekly classes in Limhamn
We close the year with excellent news for our Swedish students: starting on January 2008 we will have four weekly classes at Choke Sweden. Our head instructor Joao Pedro Santos will be teaching on Wednesdays and Fridays 18:00-19:00 (Blue Belt Program / Beginners) and 19:00-20:00 (Advanced Program). The first class of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9th. See you on the mats!
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December 12, 2007
An ever growing family:
hungry new students hit the mats in Lyngby
As 2007 comes to an end with most of our students already slowing down and making plans for the new year, our headquarters in Lyngby, Copenhagen receives a new crop of Jiu-Jitsu fanatics. In the past couple of weeks four people contacted us to schedule free intro classes. Teenage buddies Rasmus Petersen and Daniel Sørensen were the first ones to come over and thanks to their background in Karate and traditional Jiu-Jitsu they managed to quickly absorb what they were shown. Amazing!
Christian Flintrup was brought to our school by Nicolaj Garde, one of our old blue belt team members. With his 192cm bodyframe and an attentive eye for details, it didn't take long for Christian to be seduced by the true chess on the mat that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is. Not even an old snowboarding rib injury can keep him away from the mats now. It seems like we have another "guard wizzard" in the making.
And how about former JKD practitioner Bjørn Christensen? He has been a friend of our school for a couple of years but now he has finally decided to take his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training seriously. He travels from Nyborg to Lyngby twice a week just to train with us. Bjørn is also making plans to join Choke Odense for some extra sessions. Talk about commitment, huh?
L to R: Christian, Daniel, JP, Morten, Bjørn, Rasmus
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November 18, 2007
Pushing Forward:
dedication is recipe for success
Nothing is more rewarding than seeing our students develop their skills and hungry for more knowledge. Some people go the extra mile in their search for Jiu-Jitsu, and we at CHOKE are very lucky to have quite a few of those guys - and girls! - in our schools in Denmark and in Sweden. People like Tony Johansson, Martina Olsson, David Nilsson, Joanna Libertson and Gabriela Strelkow, for example, who travel from CHOKE Sweden every other Friday to join our 3-hour training sessions in Lyngby.
And how about the guys at CHOKE Århus, who now have extra training sessions at seven in the morning? You got that right: when most people are still in their beds recharging batteries, Jacob Hedegaard, Rune Thorbek, Nima Baharlooie, Marcello Clement and other zombies are in their Gis and ready to have some Jiu-Jitsu for breakfast. That's what we call the "Twilight Zone Training".
CHOKE Odense has a different approach: they make use of the "Chokemobile" to attend our events all over the country. Supervisor Torben Alstrup loads his van with guys like Jacob Damgaard, Daniel Sørensen, Malte Nielsen and heads to one of our schools for a full day of training. CHOKE Hvide Sande supervisor Michael Lund does something similar: he is always on the move with students from his windsurfing paradise in Western Jutland.
To top it off, some of our newest members at CHOKE Lyngby are proving to be real mat-rats. Jonas Bek, Bo Olsson, Thomas Bernild and South Africa's Chris Blaski bring such positive energy and enthusiasm to the dojo that it is hard not to follow their example. Believe it or not, being choked or armbarred by these guys is always a pleasure (well, maybe not, but you get the idea, right?).
It will be awesome to gather all these people under one roof during our annual graduation on December 8th. Until then!
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November 05, 2007
World Champion Seminar
Roberto Atalla back in Denmark
Last Saturday our main school in Lyngby hosted a special class with Professor Roberto Atalla, a third degree black belt and former world champion. This is the second time he teaches at CHOKE and certainly not the last, as we will be seeing more of him in 2008 when he announces the official opening of his own dojo in Europe. Professor Atalla and our head instructor Joao Pedro Santos are old friends and training partners from back in the days when they were both living in Rio and training under Master Sergio "Bolao" Souza.
The 3-hour class focused on specific drills and a number of guard passes. Professor Atalla showed some of his go-to moves and everybody was really eager to put them to work at the end of the day during the sparring session. In addition to our Lyngby students, we had a group of people coming from CHOKE Odense to attend the event and make it even more special. What a great day!
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October 23, 2007
Training Footage
Here is a short video of a recent late night free training session at CHOKE Copenhagen. It shows our purple belt assistant instructors Michael and Morten Pedersen, blue belts Nicolaj Garde, Anders Rosendal and Lars Sørensen, and also white belts Mads Vestergård, Mads Ingwar and Jonas Bek. Enjoy!
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October 16, 2007
Master Class Pictures
from Odense and Århus
Our instructors Joao Pedro Santos and Michael Pedersen have spent the past couple of weekends travelling accross Denmark to visit two of our biggest schools. On Saturday, October 6, they were at CHOKE Odense, undoubtedly our most beautiful gym. The following Saturday they travelled to CHOKE Århus and held a 3-hour Master Class in front of a packed dojo. Check out the pictures:
CHOKE ODENSE MASTER CLASS 06/OCT
CHOKE ÅRHUS MASTER CLASS 13/OCT
One of the reasons why we had JP and Michael travel together was to better evaluate our students in order to select those who will be promoted in the annual graduation in December. Before these Master Classes we had about 20 names on our list - but now it seems like there will be over 30 students moving up the ranks! The overall level has gone up steeply in the past months, especially after the 1st CHOKE Cup in September.
Big props to our local instructors Torben Alstrup (Odense), Alexander Rasmussen and David Nielsen (Århus). It's through their hard work and dedication that our group has grown so strong. Now it is time to crown a new generation of CHOKE students, with many more to follow. Way to go!
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October 02, 2007
Jiu-Jitsu: theory and battle
Rickson Gracie and Jamal Patterson
Although Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the fastest growing martial arts in the world and despite the fact that CHOKE currently has over 150 members training regularly in Denmark and Sweden, it is not uncommon for us to welcome new students who know very little about the art, its concept and history. They sign up because they have heard we are good and because they find the training fun and exciting. Well, that is just the tip of the iceberg!
At CHOKE the training goes way beyond throws, locks and holds: we make sure every student understands Jiu-Jitsu so that they can become Jiu-Jitsu and one day earn a black belt. If you browse around our site and forum, you will find plenty of information to complement the first-hand instruction you receive on the mats. With that thought in mind, we have selected a couple of nice videos from YouTube to help illustrate the theory of Jiu-Jitsu and its application in battle.
THEORY: The first video is an excerpt from a National Geographic TV show about martial arts. It features Master Rickson Gracie talking about his family's art and demonstrating a devastating lock.
BATTLE: The second video is from the recent IFL Championship Finals. In this professional MMA bout, Jamal Patterson, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Master Renzo Gracie, uses the concept of "technique over strength" to apply a very slick move on his opponent.
Now be honest: did you even see that one coming?
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