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The following is an interview with Vince done by www.leglocks.com
6/2001 FIGHTER INTERVIEWS:
STAFF> Vince now you are not a traditional bjj type guy, tell me about your background....
VINCE> I began wrestling in first grade and have never stopped. When I was 14 and entering high school I
began training in Mixed Martial Arts. I trained with one of the late great Guru Ted Lucay lucay's students. I was
lucky to have a good place to train in my small Southern IL hometown. We trained JKD concepts, kickboxing,
kali, and a mixed bag of grappling. Being there training kept of out of a lot of trouble through those tough years.
It was during that time that I also began studying from video tapes. Any and everything that I could get my
hands on. BJJ, Sambo, Muay Thai, Judo, knife fighting, you name it I've got a tape about it. There are so many
great instructors in the world and you wont have the chance to train with all personally, so through tapes you
can bring them right into your living room.
After high school I went into the Marines and was stationed in Japan for 2 years. I taught the Marines and
Japanese police how to fight and apprehend people. This was my first time teaching and I couldn't believe
what a learning experience that was. I regularly trained with some submission grapplers and some kick
boxers, and we helped each other out a lot. I did some NHB fights over there, but at that time hardly anyone
knew much about grappling so it was pretty easy to submit those guys quickly. Wow have things changed
dramatically in a short time!
Eventually I discovered Gokor Chivichian in LA. This man makes every other grappler I've ever rolled with
seem like a small child. Even though I'm almost a hundred pounds more than him, you would think it was the
other way around by watching us grapple. I can barely tap fast enough! Every time we train together I learn
something and improve, almost noticeably; and that's why I'll keep training with him. You'll hear a lot of people
talk trash about him over the internet, but I don't care about any of that. He makes me a better grappler and
that's the bottom line for me. He has taught me more about grappling and how to do it right than anyone else. I
still fly out to train with him 4 months out of the year.
I've been in college now for 3 years and running a MMA club the whole time. I've had over 150 students in this
time. We train very hard and compete in anything we can. We host a small Submission Grappling tournament
twice a year that usually has about 50 competitors. We get together outside of class for movie nights, picnics,
and other social events. We have a great time in and out of class. My time is divided between school, training,
teaching private lessons, and trying to enjoy life in the meantime. I've got a year left until I graduate and then I'll
get job in Law Enforcement.
STAFF> How do you see Jiujitsu evolving and do you see leg locks being used more today.
VINCE >Certainly BJJ has a lot to offer as far as positional control and upper body submission, but
stereotypically they are lacking in the leg lock area. I don't know if it's BJJ itself that is evolving, or just that
certain BJJ instructors are realizing that they need to add leg locks to their and their students game. Either
way I don't find near as many students wearing the "BJJ" label that are as untrained in leg locks as they used
to be. It's like for No Holds Barred fighting you can't train in just one style. You add Muay Thai to BJJ, Sambo,
Wrestling, etc, and it becomes much more effective and complete. Grapplers all over are adding leg locks to
their game and making it much more complete as well.
STAFF > On your tape you talk about catching people with transitional leg lock attacks. That is basically my
style I like to catch people on the in-between moves. Tell me more about this.
VINCE > A leg lock is like any other submission. You flow into it if that's what your opponent gives you. Many
people understand how to defend submissions from certain positions that they can easily define and
understand, but there are just as many submission opportunities in the "in-between" places between standard
positions. Training and drilling in those areas is just part of being a well rounded grappler.
STAFF > Now you do a lot of seminars, tell the readers what they can expect at one of them.
VINCE> I really enjoy teaching seminars, traveling to new schools and getting to know other Martial Arts
enthusiasts. I don't charge much for a seminar and I make sure to give the participants much more than their
money's worth. After all, anyone that is into the Marital Arts to get rich is in the wrong business. I do this out of
a passion for it. I cater my seminars to whatever the particular schools wants to learn, within my ability of
course. I have given seminars on No Holds Barred Fighting, Beginner's Submission Grappling, Advanced
Submission Grappling, Fighting within the Muay Thai Clinch, Street Self Defense, and one seminar entirely on
leg locks. That seminar on leg locks was recorded and it is available for sale (I will be recording all future
seminars in the future). It has over 100 leg locks on it and is $40, which was the price of the seminar.
STAFF > Tell me the type of leg attacks that you use in your competitions and for your students.
VINCE > My students and I will use any attack that works, including leg locks. I try to be well rounded in all
areas of combat. If someone presents the opportunity for a nice elbow or knee from the clinch I'll take it. If they
are unfamiliar with leg attacks, their counters or their defenses, I'll try to take advantage of that. Nobody is a
master of it all, myself included. I just try to turn my weaknesses into my strengths. I try to keep an open mind
to other ways of doing things and add to my skills whenever possible. Through constant re-evaluation,
lessons learned through competition, and training with great martial artists, I try to make myself and my
students as well rounded as possible.
STAFF > Give the readers a no-BS tip that they can use on the mat today.
VINCE > There are far too many injuries that could be avoided happening in grappling training around the
world. Everyone that is training in submission grappling should be sure that they are tapping out before the
pain from any submission hits them. If your feeling a little pain, your suffering a little damage, and that adds up.
Also when your waiting to the last minute to tap your bringing it too close to the edge of serious injury. Often
times grapplers don't have enough control not to hurt you and they go too far too fast when they are executing
their submission. Don't even give them the chance to hurt you. Just tap out and evaluate what you did wrong
to get caught in the first place. Work on not getting put in that vulnerable situation instead of trying to get out
when your already caught. You want to be able to train this stuff when your old and gray, so don't let your ego
cause your own injury. In training, have fun, tap quick and often. I make sure that all of my students tap me out
regularly when were just grappling. It's not a competition or a real fight anyway. Even when you are grappling
very hard in training, when you get caught it's time to give up and go back to the drawing board.
STAFF > How do you drill leg locks do you have any favorite drills.
VINCE > I like to isolate every position and work leg locks (and any other submission you can get) from there.
For example, both myself and my training partner will lace our right legs together and have our right foot next
to each others right hip. This position of the leg gives each other an easy reverse heel hook. Then we will put
our right feet under our left calf's to defend that reverse heel hook. Now our left foot is in a position to be
straight ankle locked, have the Achilles tendon crushed, have a reverse ankle lock applied, and many more
submissions. There are many ways to attack either foot from here and expose opportunities for submissions.
We'll then start and I will be the only one attacking for 1 minute while my partner only defends. Then we'll
switch roles and I will be completely on the defense for 1 minute. They we'll both go on the offence and the
defense simultaneously for 1 minute. After that we'll switch legs and start over. Often people forget to defend
their selves as they are making their own submission attempt. We'll do this type of drill for every position
imaginable and come up with lots of effective options for attacking, defending, and countering every
imaginable submission, as well as quickly gaining proficiency in putting the submissions on against a resisting
opponent.
STAFF > Thank you Vincent.
VINCE > Thank you for inviting me to do this interview. Best of luck in all that you do. Train safe and hard, and
be blessed.
AS ALWAYS.........TRAIN HARD and NEVER QUIT
A.J. Comparetto
2001
6/2001 FIGHTER INTERVIEWS:
STAFF> Vince now you are not a traditional bjj type guy, tell me about your background....
VINCE> I began wrestling in first grade and have never stopped. When I was 14 and entering high school I
began training in Mixed Martial Arts. I trained with one of the late great Guru Ted Lucay lucay's students. I was
lucky to have a good place to train in my small Southern IL hometown. We trained JKD concepts, kickboxing,
kali, and a mixed bag of grappling. Being there training kept of out of a lot of trouble through those tough years.
It was during that time that I also began studying from video tapes. Any and everything that I could get my
hands on. BJJ, Sambo, Muay Thai, Judo, knife fighting, you name it I've got a tape about it. There are so many
great instructors in the world and you wont have the chance to train with all personally, so through tapes you
can bring them right into your living room.
After high school I went into the Marines and was stationed in Japan for 2 years. I taught the Marines and
Japanese police how to fight and apprehend people. This was my first time teaching and I couldn't believe
what a learning experience that was. I regularly trained with some submission grapplers and some kick
boxers, and we helped each other out a lot. I did some NHB fights over there, but at that time hardly anyone
knew much about grappling so it was pretty easy to submit those guys quickly. Wow have things changed
dramatically in a short time!
Eventually I discovered Gokor Chivichian in LA. This man makes every other grappler I've ever rolled with
seem like a small child. Even though I'm almost a hundred pounds more than him, you would think it was the
other way around by watching us grapple. I can barely tap fast enough! Every time we train together I learn
something and improve, almost noticeably; and that's why I'll keep training with him. You'll hear a lot of people
talk trash about him over the internet, but I don't care about any of that. He makes me a better grappler and
that's the bottom line for me. He has taught me more about grappling and how to do it right than anyone else. I
still fly out to train with him 4 months out of the year.
I've been in college now for 3 years and running a MMA club the whole time. I've had over 150 students in this
time. We train very hard and compete in anything we can. We host a small Submission Grappling tournament
twice a year that usually has about 50 competitors. We get together outside of class for movie nights, picnics,
and other social events. We have a great time in and out of class. My time is divided between school, training,
teaching private lessons, and trying to enjoy life in the meantime. I've got a year left until I graduate and then I'll
get job in Law Enforcement.
STAFF> How do you see Jiujitsu evolving and do you see leg locks being used more today.
VINCE >Certainly BJJ has a lot to offer as far as positional control and upper body submission, but
stereotypically they are lacking in the leg lock area. I don't know if it's BJJ itself that is evolving, or just that
certain BJJ instructors are realizing that they need to add leg locks to their and their students game. Either
way I don't find near as many students wearing the "BJJ" label that are as untrained in leg locks as they used
to be. It's like for No Holds Barred fighting you can't train in just one style. You add Muay Thai to BJJ, Sambo,
Wrestling, etc, and it becomes much more effective and complete. Grapplers all over are adding leg locks to
their game and making it much more complete as well.
STAFF > On your tape you talk about catching people with transitional leg lock attacks. That is basically my
style I like to catch people on the in-between moves. Tell me more about this.
VINCE > A leg lock is like any other submission. You flow into it if that's what your opponent gives you. Many
people understand how to defend submissions from certain positions that they can easily define and
understand, but there are just as many submission opportunities in the "in-between" places between standard
positions. Training and drilling in those areas is just part of being a well rounded grappler.
STAFF > Now you do a lot of seminars, tell the readers what they can expect at one of them.
VINCE> I really enjoy teaching seminars, traveling to new schools and getting to know other Martial Arts
enthusiasts. I don't charge much for a seminar and I make sure to give the participants much more than their
money's worth. After all, anyone that is into the Marital Arts to get rich is in the wrong business. I do this out of
a passion for it. I cater my seminars to whatever the particular schools wants to learn, within my ability of
course. I have given seminars on No Holds Barred Fighting, Beginner's Submission Grappling, Advanced
Submission Grappling, Fighting within the Muay Thai Clinch, Street Self Defense, and one seminar entirely on
leg locks. That seminar on leg locks was recorded and it is available for sale (I will be recording all future
seminars in the future). It has over 100 leg locks on it and is $40, which was the price of the seminar.
STAFF > Tell me the type of leg attacks that you use in your competitions and for your students.
VINCE > My students and I will use any attack that works, including leg locks. I try to be well rounded in all
areas of combat. If someone presents the opportunity for a nice elbow or knee from the clinch I'll take it. If they
are unfamiliar with leg attacks, their counters or their defenses, I'll try to take advantage of that. Nobody is a
master of it all, myself included. I just try to turn my weaknesses into my strengths. I try to keep an open mind
to other ways of doing things and add to my skills whenever possible. Through constant re-evaluation,
lessons learned through competition, and training with great martial artists, I try to make myself and my
students as well rounded as possible.
STAFF > Give the readers a no-BS tip that they can use on the mat today.
VINCE > There are far too many injuries that could be avoided happening in grappling training around the
world. Everyone that is training in submission grappling should be sure that they are tapping out before the
pain from any submission hits them. If your feeling a little pain, your suffering a little damage, and that adds up.
Also when your waiting to the last minute to tap your bringing it too close to the edge of serious injury. Often
times grapplers don't have enough control not to hurt you and they go too far too fast when they are executing
their submission. Don't even give them the chance to hurt you. Just tap out and evaluate what you did wrong
to get caught in the first place. Work on not getting put in that vulnerable situation instead of trying to get out
when your already caught. You want to be able to train this stuff when your old and gray, so don't let your ego
cause your own injury. In training, have fun, tap quick and often. I make sure that all of my students tap me out
regularly when were just grappling. It's not a competition or a real fight anyway. Even when you are grappling
very hard in training, when you get caught it's time to give up and go back to the drawing board.
STAFF > How do you drill leg locks do you have any favorite drills.
VINCE > I like to isolate every position and work leg locks (and any other submission you can get) from there.
For example, both myself and my training partner will lace our right legs together and have our right foot next
to each others right hip. This position of the leg gives each other an easy reverse heel hook. Then we will put
our right feet under our left calf's to defend that reverse heel hook. Now our left foot is in a position to be
straight ankle locked, have the Achilles tendon crushed, have a reverse ankle lock applied, and many more
submissions. There are many ways to attack either foot from here and expose opportunities for submissions.
We'll then start and I will be the only one attacking for 1 minute while my partner only defends. Then we'll
switch roles and I will be completely on the defense for 1 minute. They we'll both go on the offence and the
defense simultaneously for 1 minute. After that we'll switch legs and start over. Often people forget to defend
their selves as they are making their own submission attempt. We'll do this type of drill for every position
imaginable and come up with lots of effective options for attacking, defending, and countering every
imaginable submission, as well as quickly gaining proficiency in putting the submissions on against a resisting
opponent.
STAFF > Thank you Vincent.
VINCE > Thank you for inviting me to do this interview. Best of luck in all that you do. Train safe and hard, and
be blessed.
AS ALWAYS.........TRAIN HARD and NEVER QUIT
A.J. Comparetto
2001
