Team Lloyd Irvin is ready for battle!!  We leave for Pan Ams on Wednesday, this time next week we will be watching the black and brown belts tear it up!  Today was a great last Saturday practice.  Master Lloyd had everyone working on their grip fighting in the beginning.  After that he had the guys do a short Team Challenge, BJJ Black Belts Mike Fowler and Marcos Torregrosa.  They had to pick their teams.  The matches were only 3 minutes each, and everyone had to push hard!  In the end, Mike Fowler’s team lost which consisted of Mike Fowler, Mike Easton, Nyjah Easton, Frank Camacho, Sijara Eubanks, Aneene Wynn and Jacob.  Marcos and his team took the victory which was JT Torres, Jim Harbison, Kenny, Arthur, Karen Fong, and Jeremy West.

Marcos will be headed back to California tomorrow, he is focused and ready for the Abu Dhabi Tournament next week.  Another representative form our school will be going to compete as well, BJJ Blue Belt Willie Leonard.  It was a pleasure having Marcos here training in Camp Springs.  Here is an interview I did with him, Enjoy and Thank You Marcos, we will see you soon!

1. Marcos, can you explain a little bit about yourself?

I am a black belt under Cassio Werneck and have been training for about 10 years. In that time I have been fortunate enough to learn from many masters and train with many teams. I am incredibly dedicated to the art of BJJ and I train 2 times a day monday through saturday. I also boxed in Puerto Rico as a kid but BJJ was and is my obsession.

2. When did you first start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and why?

I had an experience with MMA when the UFC went to Puerto Rico. It was crazy!! I was hooked on the idea but at the time there were no schools in PR. It just so happened I had a cousin in California that offered me a job to make some money for the summer. I started looking for schools to feed this obsession with anything BJJ and found one 4 miles from my house!! I started July 27th 1999…. I remember to the day because I knew from then on what I wanted to do with my life!

3. What is your most memorable moment in your jiu-jitsu career?

There have been a lot! I have won many tournaments but I feel that one of the best feelings was to see a group of my students go out and destroy at a tournament. Out of 10 guys, we had 4 first place, 2 second place and 1 third. Man I was so proud of them! It is a great feeling to see that all the work that I have put in to develop individual gameplan’s and to prepare them physically paid off. That was a feeling much greater than winning any tournament.

4. What do you like to do on your free time?

Hang out with my kids! I have 2 kids, my son is 2 and my daughter is 8. I am a big fool for my kids and love acting the fool with them. Teaching BJJ has provided me with a fantastic schedule to be able to be a great father. I also like to dance with my wife.We haven’t been out recently because I have been training so hard for tournaments but I will make it up to her! The only time I have for myself I use to watch BJJ tournament footage. I usually fall asleep on the couch watching footage.

5. What are your goals for the year of 2010?

Compete as much as possible!! I came to Master Lloyd to receive top-notch training and have been very impressed with the level I found. With his help I plan to compete in everything possible and hope to torture all the light weight competitors around the world. I want to close out ADCC Pro, worlds, nationals , us open, GQ, and whatever they put in front of me. Keep your eyes peeled because this year I’m going to run through walls!

6. Currently you are teaching in Sacramento, can you tell me a little bit about your school and what programs you have?

We have classes Monday through Saturday. We also have Judo classes taught by Team Sacramento on Tuesday and Thursday nights. We have a number of children that participate in our classes but we have not yet separated them from the adult classes. We just opened the school last year and I hope to develop more classes as the class size increases.

I want to Thank everyone who made this training possible, Lloyd Irvin, Mike Fowler, JT Torres, Jim Harbison and Tracey Goodell.  They welcomed me into their home and Academy to me with open doors and nothing but positive attitudes.  Being able to train with these top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practitioners is an absolute honor.  I look forward to Training here in Camp Springs more often and you will definitely see me in the near future!  Also, if you are ever in the Sacramento area, come and check me out at Capital City BJJ.

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