Why I Train BJJ- Dan Fontaine

Taken from http://www.scoop.it/t/brazilian-jiu-jitsu


Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has tremendously changed my life. I have been training for a year now and at 36, I am in the best shape of my life. Around the academy I hear and see countless stories of how BJJ changed peoples' lives. 

BJJ is not just " another " martial art, it is a brotherhood, a way of life and if you get bit with the bug ( which I have ) it becomes a part of your identity. I say that with pride. Pride for what I have accomplished already in 1 year, pride for what I plan to accomplish in 2011 and beyond. 

The teammates I train with are there for different reasons. Some are trying to get in better shape as I was, others are looking to round our their game for MMA, and there are others who want to compete at the highest levels of BJJ. We have all goals and work with each other to achieve those goals. 

A good academy is a tight-knit group with a strong sense of community and looking out for one another. I see this every time I get on the mats. Whether it is the guys that have been around for years or the people that are just starting up. We all have a common goal, to see each other and help each other get better. 

I will admit BJJ is not for everyone. I have had several of my friends and peers say, 
" I don't know how you do it. " or 
" you really roll around and get all sweaty with strangers and choke each other? ".
I simply tell them that I don't expect them to fully understand, until you step on the mats it is tough to understand. 


I started this by saying that BJJ has tremendously changed my life. I would like to end this by stating just how it has;

Came in weighing 204, Currently weigh 184, Goal weight 175-178.

Came in with poor cardio, ran out of breathe wrestling with my then 3 year old son. Now I can wrestle with adults my own size for extended periods of time without " gassing out ".

I used to be run down and tired all the time and carried a great deal of the stresses of my career in my back, in my stomach in the form of eating a poor diet. Now I eat healthy and my time on the mats 2-3 times a week alleviates the stresses my back seemingly used to carry. Sure I have some other " dings " and " dents" but the stress is all but gone.

Due to the stress I just mentioned I used to have significant mood swings and both my co-workers and wife and have said that I much more " even keeled " since finding BJJ. 

My family sees a healthier me, a happier me, a more confident me and much, much more... I owe this all to finding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I am so thankful I did.

If you have ever considered training BJJ or MMA but have reservations for whatever reason. Give it a go. You may get bit with the bug as I have or you may find it is not right for you. Better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. 

Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreau Seminar & SBJJ News!

Sunday, February 20th Simmler BJJ hosted a seminar with BJJ World Champion Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu where he shared some of his favorite techniques and philosophy on Jiu Jitsu. 

In other news from the seminar, John Saari and Charlie Salmon, both well-seasoned SBJJ Blue Belts were promoted to Purple Belt under Dan Simmler. Both John and Charlie have shown dedication to sport and to those who follow in their footsteps at SBJJ!


Congrats to John and Charlie for their hard work and dedication!

Allaire Tournament Results!

The SBJJ competition team had a strong showing on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 at the Allaire Fitness Tournament in Woonsocket, RI with Marc Berman (2nd) and Dale Kline (1st) rounding out the top 2 respectively. SBJJ competitors Jesse Burns and Nick Aboe also had some excellent performances in the Open Division. Congrats to our competitors! 
Check out some clips from the tournament:


Marc Berman:

Jesse Burns:

Nick Aboe:

Dale Kline:

NAGA : New England SBJJ Results! (Updated!)

Big shout out to all our SBJJ competitors and teammates who represented at the recent NAGA New England held on January, 29-30 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI.

Team Results:

No-Gi Adult Team: 1st Place*

Gi Adult Team: 3rd Place

Overall Adult Team: 2nd Place

Kids/ Teens Team: 1st Place

Day 1 was headlined by some of our veterans (Jiu Jitsu Militia) who did extremely well in their Gi and No-Gi divisions. Here is how they finished:

- Justin Zillman - 1st Bluebelt
- Jay Pope - 2nd Masters Beg. No-Gi
- Jeff Kell - 1st Masters Int. No-Gi, 2nd Bluebelt
- Melissa Ouimet - 2nd Nov. No-Gi
- Jordan Rosario – 1st Adv. No-Gi
- Earl Ebbing – 1st Bluebelt
- Charlie Salmon – 1st Brown/Blackbelt
- Dan Simmler – NAGA Absolute No-Gi Champion

Here's one of Jay Pope's fights:

Charlie Salmon in the Purple Belt Finals:

On Day 2 our SBJJ Kids/ Teens (Mini Militia) picked up where the adults left off with many bringing home new hardware! Congrats to our kids/teens, here's how they finished:
- Fiona Faford – 1st No-Gi, 1st Whitebelt
- Oliva Salmon – 1st No-Gi, 1st No-Gi,1st Whitebelt
- Connor Halloran – 1st No-Gi, 2nd No-Gi
- Leah Halloran – 1st Whitebelt, 2nd No-Gi
- Padraic Halloran – 2nd Whitebelt, 3rd No-Gi
- Emma Halloran – 3rd Whitebelt
- Yanni Paloukas – 2nd Whitebelt
- Diane Robinson – 1st Gi Intermediate
- Nick Robinson – 2nd Expert No-Gi
- Alec Mastrototar – 1st No-Gi, 1st Whitebelt
- Christian Ruiz – 1st No-Gi, 1st No-Gi, 1st Whitebelt, 1st Whitebelt
- Jesse Jacques – 2nd Int. Gi
- Logan Edwards – 3rd Whitebelt

Chris Legacy - Why I started BJJ

This is a part of a guest blogger series that we will be doing in 2011 and beyond. We will be featuring stories and entries from some of the students here at Simmler BJJ. This is our second teammate who's life has been changed by getting involved with BJJ.


Here is what Chris had to say about is his first year training BJJ.

"I knew, by the end of 2009, that I wanted to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; it was an idea I had thought long and hard about. I also knew I wanted to attend the best academy in the area, one that would challenge me and prepare me for competition. A friend of mine had trained at Simmler BJJ for years, so I knew ahead of time that I would receive the top-notch instruction I was looking for. When I discovered this first-hand, it was no surprise. However, it didn’t take much time for me to realize that this academy had more to offer than just superior training. 


In a matter of only a few months, I found myself stronger and faster than I had ever been; I was eating better, sleeping better, and just living better all around. I was even lucky enough to make some new friends in the process. Because of the friendly encouragement I got from Dan and his students, I quickly lost all reservations I had about being the fighter I knew I could be (not mention loads of bodyfat!) Most importantly, I discovered a deep passion for jiu jitsu that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Stepping through the door at Simmler BJJ was the best thing I could have ever done. I’m very happy to say, in the end, I got more than I bargained for."

Thanks for sharing Chris! It has been great to see Chris' progress at the academy. On any given day you'll find Chris tweaking and working on his techniques. Chris has been a great addition to the team and we are proud of his hard work and representing SBJJ on the mats!


For other SBJJ students reading this, we want to hear your stories of success at the academy. Whether your goal is to get in shape, to compete, to be a champion, we want to hear it. Feel free to reach out to Dale Kline or Dan Fontaine if you are interested in contributing to the team blog.

- Simmler BJJ

Matt Monopoli- My First Year

This is a part of a guest blogger series that we will be doing in 2011 and beyond. We will be featuring stories and entries from some of the students here at Simmler BJJ. This is the first of what we hope will be many.

Thank you to Matt for stepping up when we put out the call for guest contributors. Here is what Matt had to say about is his first year training BJJ and Simmler BJJ.

" 2010 was a great year for me at Simmler BJJ. It was my first year doing BJJ and I absolutely fell in love with it. When I first started training at the academy I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with it. I signed up because I needed to get into shape and was looking for a different alternative than going to the gym and doing the same mindless exercises over and over again. When I started I was 274lbs, at year’s end I was 211. That’s a pretty big change in a year, considering I went to the gym twice in the last year all of that weight loss came from BJJ. I never expected to fall in love with the sport, but I did. I like the fact that while your still getting an incredible work out it’s something that makes you think and something that you need to stay focused with in order to get better. I’m happy I decided to go and sign up because I’d probably go crazy if I couldn’t train now. I look forward to what 2011 has in store for me at the academy. Lots of hard work I’m sure. "


Thanks for sharing Matt. It has been great to watch you shed the pounds and your progress on the mats.


For other SBJJ students reading this, we want to hear your stories of success at the academy. Whether your goal is to get in shape, to compete, to be a champion, we want to hear it. Feel free to reach out to Dale Kline or me if you are interested in contributing to the team blog.



-- Dan Fontaine

UFC 118/ Grappler's Quest

As most of you know this past weekend was a huge weekend for fans, fighters, and MMA in general in New England. The UFC came to Boston and hosted their first event, UFC 118 at the TD Garden. Also part of the weekend was the UFC Fan Expo which hosted many of the current UFC fighters as well as other events such as the UFC Grappler's Quest.

Serra BJJ NE/ Team Simmler had several guys compete and bring home some hardware. Alex O'Brien had a strong showing during the tournament taking 3rd place in his Blue Belt division. Alex had several tough match ups and did extremely well. 

Justin Mosher took 2nd place in his No-Gi division after another good showing at Grappler's Quest. Mosher won his first fight by a flying darce choke cause his opponent to quickly tap. 

Todd Montgomery took 2nd place in the Master's No-Gi absolute after a very strong showing. Todd beat a Gracie Barra black belt in the Semi's to make it to the finals. Todd brought home 1st place in his No-Gi division and had a strong showing in his Advanced division coming in 4th.

Dale Kline also did well over the weekend taking 3rd place in the Blue Belt absolute division. Dale also took 1st in his No-Gi division and came in 4th in the Advanced No-Gi division with all black belts. Dale wrapped up his No-Gi day going 1-1 in the absolute division which included a arm-snapping kimura.

Jay Pope and TJ Forbes also had very strong showings at the tournament which turned out to be very competitive. Congrats to all Serra BJJ NE/ Team Simmler competitors as well as those who were present to support the team!