This week we are excited to run an Ask Me Anything with Collingwood Head BJJ Coach Sean Le Gourrierec! Each week we will have a new coach take questions from members via our Facebook Members Only group. New to the club? You can join our group here.
Coach Sean Le Gourrierec is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and professional mixed martial artist with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses. He has been training and competing since 2009. He is also an accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who has trained and competed in Brazil and has won Pan-Pacific and Victorian Championships.
Matthew ‘Jensy’ Jens – Correct me if I’m wrong here. Were you the first student in Australia to grade from white belt all the way to black belt under Thiago Stefanutti?
If so, how long did it take you? If you could go back in time now and give advice to yourself as a white belt, what would the advice be? What was it like learning under Thiago when you first started BJJ?
Thanks Matty! That’s true, I was the first Australian student of Thiago’s to grade from white to black belt. Prior to training with Thiago, I trained under Deon Perkins for 6 months. I have been training with Thiago for close to 10 years, so in all maybe 9.5 to 10 years. My advice to my younger self would be to be nicer to myself. My first class under Thiago was amazing and even though English was not his first language, he was able to express (and still does) his passion for jiu-jitsu with more than just words.
Kelz Lau – How much time do you give yourself for fight camp/bjj comp prep? (sparring/rolling, bagwork/padwork, strength n conditioning, recovery
and in drilling game plan) And how do I look cool with a skateboard?
You can never give yourself enough time for a fight or comp, but you certainly have to make some sacrifices, especially to your social life. When preparing for a fight, I’ll have someone else watch the footage and identify what the five most important skills required are to beat that person. For a comp I look at the rules set. ADCC I focus more on wrestling, for IBJJF I focus on guard retention. When it comes to strength and conditioning, consistency trumps intensity.
Kelz Lau – Also berimbolo yey or nay? Asking for a friend ???
If its for Vince Rogato yay. If its for Dean Burgess nay (only because Dean listens to Slayer not some upside down guard player).
Amit Narayan – When calculating your training volume, how much consideration do you have to give to the fact that you’re incredibly handsome?
Wow thanks Amit! I guess there’s just not that much to consider 😉
Dean Burgess – How old is too old to train Jits!
I read a great book called IKIGAI about the Japanese Philosophy to living longer. Lesson 1 ‘always be active”. I’m nearly 30 years old and I still ride to every session on a skateboard. Find your IKIGAI and you’ll never be too old to train.
Seamus Hayes- What strategy would you recommend to people new to BJJ/striking which has served you in injury reduction? (Apart from having a good rehab specialist)
I used to have an obsession for stretching all the time, but now I stick to a regular routine of:
- Passive + active hang
- Jefferson curl
- Deep squat
- Sauna + cold shower
- Lots and lots of neck exercises
Matt Hamilton-Ho – When did you first realise that you’d be a 10/10 if you didn’t have cauliflower ears?
Richard Lattemagi – “He is 12/10 with cauliflower ears.”
Cheers Matt, but even with my teeth brushed and my hair waxed, I’m probably closer to an 8 at best. I’m not complaining either, I am totally punching out of my weight class.
Victor Tan – What’s the hardest part of BJJ for a white belt aiming to become a blue belt?
Not comparing yourself to other white belts and blue belts, and just trusting in the process.
James Walters – How did you develop such a detailed understanding of the fundamental positions and movements in grappling? Your knowledge and ability to teach the most basic movements and patterns is incredible.
Thanks heaps Jimmy Boy! I have to thank Thiago for two reasons; he gave me the knowledge of my fundamentals and the freedom to express them in my own words. Teaching only introduction classes for 4 years made me realise that people will always need different explanations for the same things and you must never lose your patience. I’m also grateful for the students who have patience for my terrible analogies ?
Nick Baum – How has your BJJ game evolved over your journey from white to black? Is there anything that you’ve introduced to your game as a black belt that you didn’t have at brown? You often refer to animals to relate fundamental concepts (bears, baby monkeys etc). If ADCC entry was extended to the entire animal kingdom, who in your opinion takes the Absolute title and via what method?
Great question Nick Baum, I feel like my journey from white to black belt was just my apprenticeship and it’s all beginning now. The best thing i have introduced to my game since becoming a black belt was becoming a meditation teacher after a month long course with my Girlfriend in Rishikesh, India.
I started mediation the same way I started jiu-jitsu, just looking at You Tube videos, but nothing compares to having an instructor. My Girlfriend Claudia is the best mediation teacher I know, she teaches most nights while I’m at the gym, but I keep a few voice recordings from some of her sessions and listen to them for 10 minutes before every class. A bull elephant could probably strangle anyone with their trunk, especially in the absolute division. But an interesting match up would be a Bonobo vs a Chimp. Both live in the Congo, both have five times the strength of a human and both are 97% the same as us. The Bonobo is the only Primate that doesn’t kill its own kind, but it might kill a Chimp. Either way I would spend a lot of bananas on that stream!
Johan Thomas – What’s your diet like Coach Sean?
Steaks, coffee, spinach, beetroot, blueberries, onions, ? ? ? and ?.
Rio Iskandar – How did you develop your stamina to endure the gruelling matches in MMA? Also, do you have any advice for someone who wants to start training for MMA, coming from a BJJ background?
I develop my stamina by skating everywhere. Gotta go fast to avoid being late. My advice is wrestle and run.