Matt D’Aquino is a multiple Australian and Oceania Champion and a 2008 Beijing Judo Olympian. He has been studying Judo for over 28 years. He is a 4th Degree Black belt in Judo and a black belt belt in BJJ. Matt has also come out with a great new instructional set for BJJ players.

In this interview with BJJEE, Matt talks about Judo’s current state, what BJJ players have the best stand up game, how can BJJ players best improve their stand up and much more:

Matt, which Jiu-Jitsu players have the best Judo game? Also which which Judokas past and present have the best ground game?

BJJ guys aren’t normally known for their stand up game but I have seen a number of guys such as Xande ribeiro has some really nice takedowns and so does Roldolfo Veira. The Judokas who have the best ground game would have to be Japanese great Kashiwazaki, Germany’s Udo Quellmalz, and Great Britain’s Neil Adams. At the moment there are a number of guys coming through the ranks with solid ground games including Travis Stevens from USA, Tom Reed from Great Britain, Atila Ungvari from Hungary as well as Ludvig Pasicher from Austria.

What is your opinion on the current Judo rules with all the restrictions for grips and less time for the ground?

The current Judo rules have been in the spotlight for a while now and to be honest most people have just tried to work their Judo around the new rules. In terms of ground work I am slowly starting to see more ground work being played out in compeittion, just a few weeks ago in New Caledonia I saw a ground work phase that went for 2:30 on the ground! So it shows that some Judoka are starting to attack on the ground, but it is also up to referees to allow time for this to happen. For Judo I would love to see a penalty for someone lying on their stomach and not attacking, this would open up the ground game immensely.

In your opinion, is it better for a Jiu-Jiteiro in order to improve his standing Jiu-Jitsu to learn takedowns that are specific to Jiu-Jitsu or to learn Judo on the side?

To improve their stand up it would be awesome if BJJ guys could attend a Judo class a few days a week but unfortunately most of us are time poor and can only commit to one sport at a time. If this is the case then I think BJJ practitioners should learn a modified version of stand up tailored for specifically for the BJJ posture, movement, rules etc. So should bjj guys learn traditional Judo for BJJ, the answer is no. They should learn modified techniques that allow them to flourish in their art. Many Judo techniques finish you off in a great position in Judo and a bad position in BJJ, so it is important to choose Jiujitsu specific throwing techniques and drill them. Rodolfo Viera’s stand up game is a perfect example of modified Judo techniques for BJJ.

What are your favorite judo throw combinations for Jiu-Jitsu?

My favourite throwing options for BJJ include a Fireman’s carry when my opponent underhooks me. I also really like doing a foot sweep into a running leg grab takedown which finishes me in a knee ride position.

Who are the top 3 toughest opponents you have faced in competition and why?

My toughest opponent would have to be a 2008 Beijing Olympic champion Min ho choi of Korea. We went to Korea for a 4 week training camp and every single day and threw me from one end of the dojo to the other. He was just so fast and so strong I literally couldn’t touch him. Although during that camp I did manage to throw him once, and this taught me that it doesn’t matter how good your opponent may be, they are beatable. My second toughest opponent would have to be Rok Draksic from Slovenia. At the moment hs is ranked #1 or 2 in the world. He fights we such ferocious intensity that you just can’t keep up with him. He taught me that with superior conditioning, great grip fighting skills, movement and intensity you can defeat a lot of people, purely by outworking them. My third hardest opponent ever was a Brazilian Judoka who was living in Japan about 10 years ago, I don’t know his name. When I first fought him he threw me with a left kouchi gari, then a right kouchi gari, so I stood still and he threw me with uchimata. I don’t know who he was but he taught me that when you can throw any direction you become a very dangerous Judoka.

Please tell us more about Beyond grappling and your new Judo for BJJ dvds.

I started Beyond Grappling because I didn’t want to just teach ‘Judo” or ‘BJJ’ as sports, I wanted to teach them as arts. Both BJJ and Judo have good and bad things about them and I wanted to teach people the best of both arts. I want to teach more than sport. I want to teach healthy eating, strength and conditioning as well as the art of grappling. So the name Beyond Grappling just came about when I was talking it through with my brother Malcolm. This week I just released a new video series called Judo for BJJ. I made this DVD because when I first started BJJ 14 years ago I was surprised how hard some of the guys were to take down with traditional Judo throws. Over the years I have been modifying my attacking techniques to suit the BJJ posture and movements etc. This series is a culmination of strategies, throws and takedowns I believe are perfect for the sport of BJJ. The techniques in the videos are not overly technical and can be done by people who have only been grappling a few months. I teach these techniques to people want to learn a few easy throws they can do in BJJ competition. I have been filing an working on this video series for a while and I know it will help people take their opponents down easier than ever before.

With These Techniques You Will Throw More People in BJJ Competition Than Ever Before and Instantly Gain an Edge Over Any Guy in Your Weight Division.

• Matt D’Aquino is not only a Judo Olympian, 4th degree judo Black belt, but also a competitive BJJ black belt.
• Simple and easy grip breaks that can break even the strongest of grips Throws and takedowns that almost guarantee a dominate position afterwards.