Just watched the documentary choke! for the first time and all I have to say is WOW. Rickson Gracie is something else! One thing that stands out, apart from the superior conditioning of Gracie was his ultimate confidence. So my question to you is does Gracie get his confidence from his Jui Jitsu or does his confidence in himself make his Jui Jitsu that much better? IMO I think maybe a bit of both. One thing that this documentary shows is that mindset is just as important as skill level. The kick boxer seemed to talk himself out of fighting using the shoulder injury as an excuse not to fight once he had secured the first win and the money to fund his olympic dream.
That's an awesome documentary. If you liked that, you should watch "The Smashing Machine" with Mark Kerr in it. If possible, you should get the dvd with the extras on it, as it has a short documentary following Renzo Gracie during a similar period and the contrast between the two is amazing. Mark Kerr has lots of personal problems and his confidence is steadily eroded in the lead up to the Pride event at the end. Renzo Gracie is basically shown having a laugh with his wife and kids, going to an event with all his mates, winning, going home and playing with his kids again.
Choke is fantastic. Love the bit with Rickson doing his beach routine, Yoga and that funky stuff he can do with his abdominals. Not seen the Renzo footage. Have to try and catch that.
So glad they released Choke on DVD. I remember I bought a copy from MVC like 10 years back on VHS and it was faulty...no other shop had a copy and I kinda forgot about it. Now I've got it on DVD....and I've yet to watch. Gotta get into the mood....
If you're interested in doing some of that, its called Gynastica Natural: http://www.ginasticanatural.com.br/ingles/ I had a go when I was in Brazil. It's hard.
Fantastic. Didn't realise it was a "thing" in itself. I'm always looking for body weight exercises so that's right up my alley. Cheers dude.
Choke is a real insperation to ANYBODY who practices Martial Arts. GF, you're quite right about the differences between Kerr and Renzo. I heard an internet rumour that HBO planned to do a documentary on Renzo too, but that he was 'not as interesting' (read: not as screwed up) as Kerr.
Yes, the filmmakers say that on the DVD extras. Basically, they were following a few people filming them and wanted to do Renzo, but his story is basically: "Chill with family-> train -> have a laugh -> fight -> win -> go home". Just not enough angst there for a full length film!! The difference between the two is massive. Renzo has a superb support network of family and friends, enjoyment of what he does and unshakable confidence. Kerr appears in the Dvd as an isolated figure who is undermined by those closest to him and seems to doubt his own abilities, despite his track record.
^^^ So true. Also, Renzo seemed to have a good connection with his fighters/training partners. Whereas Kerr seemed to have a purely business relationship with his (except maybe Coleman).
Also on the Smashing Machine you get to see Bas knock out his sparring partner. ...... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Hg0eo9cjM"]YouTube[/ame] the look on Kerr's face is fantastic
