I was glued to my computer for hours this weekend, watching every match (and some more than once) in the Alley at the 2024 Craig Jones Invitational in Vegas.
(I caught little bits and pieces of ADCC, too, but there was more talent and fewer stoppages at CJI.)
The entire competition is available on Youtube…
CJI Day 1
CJI Day 2
Anyway, I came away with a renewed appreciation of how incredibly important three specific factors were…
First, the leglocks…
Fellipe Andrew, Lucas Kanard, Eoghan OFlanagan, Kade Rutolo, and Lucas Barbosa all had super impressive leglock victories. And then there was Levi Jones-Leary, who went on an absolute leglock tear (and should have won his semi-final match, in my opinion). The leglocks, especially those from the backside 50/50, changed the outcome of so many matches!
(Many of the leglock attacks used at CJI are broken down here.)
Then the guard passing…
There were some insanely dynamic guard passes, but in a world of crazy scrambles, Nicky Rodriguez and Josef Chen’s methodical guard passing really stood out. Their body lock and tripod passing succeeding at the highest level should give us hope if we’re not 21 years old and have the endurance of an Olympic middle-distance runner.
(Click here to get great at tripod and bodylock passing.)
Finally, there was the guard retention…
Many of these athletes had an incredible ability to prevent guard passes and recover instantly from near pins. One of the announcers said something like, “Every way he tries to pass, there’s a leg in his way.” The art and science of guard retention was key to athletes’ success in CJI.
(Complete guide to guard retention in gi and no gi here.)
Congratulations to all athletes who competed in CJI this weekend – you put on a GREAT show!
Stephan Kesting