By Felix Rodriguez | Photo by Mike Calimbas (BJJ Tournament Photographer)
Paragon Dallas BJJ’s Alex Martins and John Brink Demonstrate Half-Guard Sweep
Dallas, TX, August 7, 2013 – Professor Alex Martins Do Nascimento is a second-degree black belt under Faustino “Pina” Neto and the head instructor at Paragon BJJ Dallas in Dallas, TX. Professor Martins began training in BJJ fifteen years ago in Brazil. The Manaus, Amazonas native is a well-regarded instructor in the DFW area, an experienced referee, and remains an active competitor to this day. Professor Martins currently competes in the Black Belt Masters divisions as a medium, medium heavy weight and in the absolute weight as well. Martins kept an active tournament schedule in 2013; the Brazilian took gold at the IBJJF Dallas Open (Masters/Medium) and IBJJF Houston Open (Masters/Medium Heavy), and brought home a silver medal from the IBJJF Pan Ams (Masters/Medium) this year. The 2013 IBJJF Black Belt-Gi rankings list Martins as their #7 medium weight, #22 open weight and #23 medium-heavy weight.
Professor Martins and John Brink have teamed up to lead the next generation of Paragon Panthers to the mats of Dallas, Texas. Together they form the nucleus of Paragon BJJ Dallas, an associate academy of the original Paragon school founded by Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller in Santa Barbara, CA. Brink is the owner/operator of the academy with 11 years of training experience, and has a black belt under Roberto Kaelin. Brink combines his knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu and his background in business administration to compliment Professor Martin’s technical skills and deliver an excellent learning experience to their students. For example, Brink installed the same yellow protection barriers used by the IBJJF in tournaments around Paragon Dallas’ mats to condition his students to feel at home when competing. Their efforts and chemistry so far have led to great success for their students who routinely win medals in tournaments throughout the state.
John Brink will assist Professor Martins in the video.
TXMMA Technique of the Week – Alex Martins (Paragon BJJ Dallas)
Technique Description: The technique being demonstrated is a sweep from the half-guard position used to counter the sliding guard pass. In the video Brink tries to pass to the right of Martins. Brink is controlling Martins’ wrist by gripping the far right sleeve and pinning Martin’s shoulders, using the lapel to keep him from shrimping out. For the sweep to work Martins breaks the technique down into easy steps. First, he uses his right foot as a hook, high up against Brink’s left thigh. Next Martins neutralizes Brink’s control of his upper body; he does this by reaching for Brink’s right lapel with his left hand while simultaneously circling his right hand around Brink’s sleeve grip to establish wrist control. Once Martins’ hook is properly placed and he has wrist control he is ready for the third and final step of the technique. To sweep Brink over his head, Martin must generate momentum by kicking his left leg out towards his own head while using his grips and hook together to bring Brink towards him. These combined movements make Brink extremely top heavy and allow Martins to easily reverse the position and end up on top.
As always practice the techniques shown here with safety and respect for your training partner.
For more information on Alex Martins and Paragon BJJ Dallas visit their Facebook page at your leisure or call the academy at (214) 290-4107.