This is Rafael Rebello's final week with us and he does not disappoint. He continues from last weeks position but finishes with a dynamic cartwheel and a choke. It's important to keep a good base when landing and maintain pressure and a good grip on your opponent's collar. Watch it and make it your own!

This week, photographer William Burkhardt takes us inside Academia Fernando Boi. If you have never trained in Brazil or want to see what the atmosphere is like, this is a great piece that represents the essence of BJJ in Brazil. Check it out!

This week, Rafael Rebello moves into the top side control position. He demonstrates two chokes when your opponent frames your neck. This chicken wing control will frustrate your opponent and if they try to pull their wing out you will have something sweet and crispy waiting for them.

This week, we are reviewing Gaspari Nutrition’s “MyoFusion Probiotic Series” protein powder.    I have to say, I have had a blast testing Gaspari’s products.  Having used a few different protein powders over about two years, I have some sort of vague reference to compare this product to.  Admittedly I have only used the low quality one or two brands that can be found in the vitamin isle at your unnamed one stop shopping center. 

Immediately you’ll notice that Myofusion has a unique offering in that it contains probiotics to support digestive health.  If you are not familiar with probiotics, they are live bacteria culture’s that upon consumption, set up shop in your digestive tract and aid with digestive health.  Probiotics can be acquired by eating various foods such as yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, and even wine and beer.  There are also many supplemental sources of probiotics that can be found at your local pharmacy.

Another unique aspect to Myofusion is what they refer to as their “six stage protein blend.”  Nowhere on the label is this product referred to as a whey protein concentrate, or whey protein isolate.  Gaspari simply states that this is a protein powder, and with closer investigation on the label, it is obvious that this is not a whey protein supplement.  The “six stage protein blend,” is a combination of whey protein concentrate, brown rice protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, egg albumin, milk protein isolate, and whey protein hydrolysate.  These all combine for what is 24g protein per 39g scoop.   What this means is that you are receiving multiple sources of protein, all of which absorb at varying rates. 

The solution does contain 9g carbohydrates per scoop, accompanied by 2g of fat.  This is slightly higher in carbohydrates than other protein powders I have used prior, and is something to take into consideration for those who are super strict about their carbohydrates.  For the majority of people, especially those practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, this should not be an issue.  It is also gluten free, meaning it is acceptable to the growing populace that support a glutenfree lifestyle.  The product is sweetened primarily with sucralose, and is aspartame free.  I would have liked to have seen stevia as the primary sweetener in this product, simply because it is a natural source, and not an artificial sweetener.  However sucralose does not seem to be as heavily scrutinized as aspartame, and it is used in almost all protein powders, so this is only a minor criticism. 

So with all the technicalities out of the way...  How does it taste?  I can say that on taste alone, I am going to have to move on from the low quality powders I have used prior.  The sample Gaspari Nutrition provided BjjWeekly was chocolate flavor.  It did indeed taste like chocolate, but not like the generic chocolate protein powder I have had prior.  The closest comparison I can relate this to, is those little round chocolate candies by the name of “Whoppers,” which are quite delicious.  The powder mixes very easily with a spoon, and does not leave the clumps of protein pulp that is reminiscent of unfiltered orange juice.  With lower quality protein powders, I had almost exclusively mixed them with plain nonfat yogurt simply because I could not stomach the lumpy texture.  It tastes quite good mixed only with water, although it is significantly better with milk,  plain yogurt, or almond milk. 

I enjoyed this product so much, that I have started to use it as a daily meal replacement for the long commute from my workplace to the dojo.  By following the recipe below, you will get a healthy preworkout shake that will keep you satisfied for hours after consumption, and best of all, it tastes like  penutbutter cup icecream.  To try it simply throw the following into a blender:

Robson recently shot a very nice technique for us. He addresses the reverse De La Riva position, a position being widely used right now in sport jiu-jitsu. This setup will make your opponent feel like they can pass but as you load their weight the sweep happens fast and the finish happens even faster. Check it out!

Rafael Rebell‬o‪ continues this week from the turtle position. His opponent tries to defend and Rafael exploits his ‬defense creating an opportunity for submission‪. This is a slick triangle setup and you need to make sure you secure the position before going ‬on the attack‪.‬‬

This Rolling Reflections took place March 2012. Pete rolls with Ralek Gracie in a nice fast paced flow roll. There is a lot of things happening in this roll and many techniques being applied but don't blink because you may miss something. Watch it without audio first and see if you can pick up the positions, then watch it again with the audio.

I remember a while back reading a Rickson Gracie quote where he said that “Once jiu-jitsu is in your blood, you would rather die that go one day without it”. At the time this really hit home for me. It was true. Not having jiu jitsu in my life would be dreadful.   For most of you reading this you have probably gone through a period in your training where you have become ultra-obsessive about BJJ, where you spend the time when you are not training thinking about training, when the thought of not training is too awful to even consider. There are so many positives virtues from training and what I this article will be about is looking at the negatives of not being able to train. What I do want to discuss is the emotional impact when you can’t do the thing you love.

I am currently suffering from a knee injury that has kept me out of action for a couple of months now.  I would say this is the 2nd most serious injury I have suffered, the 1st being a shoulder injury that kept me from training regularly for about 1 year.  Having had two so long lay offs I think has given me a perspective on why I want (maybe even need) to train.

For me the physical pain was something I could cope with. The withdrawal from my drug of choice was what was far less tolerable.

This week we welcome Rafael Rebello. Rafa shows us three very effective techniques for attacking the turtle position. All three techniques are very high percentage moves and work well in competition. In his last technique he demonstrates the perched owl. You have seen this on highlight films but never broken down like this.