1. The 2004 Pan Am Tour
You will watch Rhadi Ferguson as he competes in the 2004 Pan American Tour through Puerto, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Ferguson will also take you by the hand and show you the the living conditions while he was traveling (for those of you who think that competition trips are the equivalent to a vacation… you’ve got another thing coming). You will see EXACTLY how including Brazilian Jiujitsu into your Judo training can really increase your submission game and make you extremely dangerous on the ground.
2. The 2004 Pan American Championships
You could virtually call the part of the video serious "The Road to the Olympics". It is the 2004 Pan American Judo Championships held in La Isla Margarita, Venezuela. It was a tough tournament where Rhadi Ferguson had to employ some viscous gripping strategies and pull out every groundwork trick in the book (that I knew at the time). Ferguson’s ability to employ some good gripping strategies, sound tactics and non-stop groundwork really helped him secure a Bronze Medal here. You can see exactly how BJJ really helped his overall game. And you can see the importance of good coaching as you hear 1984 Olympic Bronze Medalist Eddie Liddie and former United States Judo Federation President, David Matsumoto coaching Rhadi through his matches.
This is a superb piece of work due to the fact that you will get to see ‘in-detail” how you must constantly attack that arms of your opponent on the ground, whether you hit the armbar or whether you miss it to build up an international, domestic or local reputation as someone who WILL WORK on the ground. Building up your reputation for your style is critical, especially when you need the referees to allow you to work on the mat. This is something that Rhadi Ferguson learned from 4-Time Olympian and 2-Time Olympic Bronze Medalist, Jimmy Pedro.
In this part of the video series you will also be able to see how Rhadi Ferguson, effectively utilizes his version of the flying armbar for judo. You will also see his matches versus, Canada, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. What makes this video so amazing is that Rhadi Ferguson is fighting 7 months after a complete Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) rupture and reconstructive knee surgery and 2 weeks after tearing his quadriceps muscles. You can see the concentration in his gripping and grip fighting strategy.
3. The Tre Torri International Championships
The Tre Torri International Tournament is one of the strongest tournaments in Europe. It is able to boast in having in its attendance many world champions, Olympic Medalists and European Medalists. This tournament is a very strong tournament and as a matter of fact I attended the tournament with 4-time Olympian Jimmy Pedro and 1996 Olympian Orlando Fuentes. Both who earned gold and bronze medals respectively.
This tournament was the first European tournament in which I was able to get to the finals. I made my way through the grind of the day by using some of my favorite moves against my opponents and employing some good strategy. Unfortunately, the same strategy that allowed me to be successful during the day was the same strategy that cost me a victory in the finals. Here you can get a clear view of what happens when strategy selection goes wrong and why you need to have an alternative game plan if the one you are using isn’t working.
On this day, I made this mistake and took home a silver medal instead of a gold. I could have won, but didn’t. However, I was able to secure some spectacular takedowns and submissions during the day. This is truly a great learning experience and an excellent case study video for those who would like to explore the role and benefits of Brazilian Jiujitsu; its advantages and shortcomings in the sport of judo.
This is one bad @ss tournament!!!!
4. The Grind Matches!!!!
This portion of The Grind is absolutely spectacular. This video segment of The Grind includes the following:
- The 25 minute, triple over time match between 2004 Judo Olympian Rhadi Ferguson and Multiple Time Submission Wrestling World Champion Jeff Monson at the world’s most feared and respected grappling tournament, the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships;
- The match where Rhadi Ferguson almost loses in newaza against 2004 Olympian from the Dominican Republic - Jose "El Toro" Vasquez. Jose actually pinned Rhadi in this match until Rhadi whipped out the Brazilian Jiujitsu game and sealed the deal.
- The never before seen match of 2004 Olympian Rhadi Ferguson versus 2000 Olympian Ato Hand at the toughest Judo tournament on North American soil, the New York Open Judo Tournament. Before this fight Rhadi and Ato had fought each other two times with Rhadi winning one match and Ato winning one match - see the conclusion of the grudge match between two of the best 100 kilogram players in US Judo history.
5. Inside The Grind
In the aforementioned videos you have the benefit of hearing the crowd, the directions from the coaches chairs, and the effect that the ambient has on the match, the players, and the referees. This is an important part of "The Grind" and it cannot be overlooked. Being able to "eavesdrop" in on the coach during a match is priceless. Also I wanted you to actually be "there" in the match with me in the first three discs.
In the 5 part video portion of "Inside The Grind" Rhadi Ferguson wants you to understand, feel, and grasp, what is going on inside the mind of a fighter while he is in "The Grind". This part of "The Grind" is absolutely PRICELESS. Rhadi Ferguson literally takes you by the hand and walk you through every match, every exchange and every thought that he is having during the match. You will basically be able to grab a chair and take a seat inside of my mind. You can see, where Rhadi overcomes, where he mentally shuts down, when he’s frustrated, pissed, and when Rhadi is just not his sharpest and when he’s feeling like he’s on the top of the world.
Most athletes won't show this side in a video series, but I'm not here to lie to you and tell you that I'm invincible. I win and I lose. I'm here to provide you with the information, insight, and tools for you to be successful.
Therefore, you will get every single match in “The Grind” with this feature on “inside The Grind”. Rhadi Ferguson will walk you through every single match and provide you with the details of what he was thinking, what he did and why he did it.
6. Bonus Submissions & Throws
This bonus section is truly one of excitement featuring lightning fast submissions and high amplitude throws. In this video you will see MMA Coach and superb former judo player David Camarillo, Olympic Bronze Medalist and mat work phenom Flavio Canto, one of the most respected people in the United States in the 73kg division Chuck Jefferson, sambo practitioner and expert Joshua Charette, the “judo guy” who has submitted many high level BJJ Black Belts David Ellis and many more. This video is a treat. It’s like the ‘icing’ on top of ‘The Grind’.