Herbert Burns: “The key to Jiu-Jitsu is continuous motion”

Herbert Burns attacks in the featherweight final of the 2012 Brazilian No-Gi Nationals. Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.com.

In winning the featherweight division at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals last weekend in Rio, Herbert Burns had the perfect campaign.

The brother of world champion “Durinho”, Herbert tapped out both his opponents to win the title for the second year in a row. “I feel I’m managing to let my game flow, to show that Jiu-Jitsu the people who train with me know. This time I managed to put it to practice at the Brazilian Nationals,” Herbert told GRACIEMAG.com, showing he is maturing and gaining refinement as a competitor.

Burns stated that his success hinged on managing to impose his game in the two matches he was in.

“In the first one, my opponent attacked with a takedown right at the moment I pulled guard. He then landed in my omoplata. I switched to the triangle and finished with a Kimura from within the triangle,” he explained. “Now in the final, Richard Flood pulled guard on me, and I passed. I tried mounting; he defended. I stayed in half-mount, and that’s where I came up with the keylock. I switched to armbar and then to the triangle, but he held out. So I swept with a triangle in place and finally got the tapout,” he recalled.

According to Herbert, versatility is his path to finishing more efficiently.

“My Jiu-Jitsu is quite versatile, forward-moving. I get takedowns; play top position, bottom position; and I’m always gunning for the tapout, which is Jiu-Jitsu’s essence. The key is to keep in continuous motion, since that’s when you open up holes for the finish and scoring, too. To me, the main thing in a match is movement,” he asserted, before turning his thoughts to his other commitments.

“I had an MMA fight in Asia early this year. I finished with a triangle in just 27 seconds. I’ve been training MMA every day with Durinho, with Professor Casquinha overseeing us. If I don’t get another fight signed I’ll do the CBJJ Brasília Open and then the South American Championship in Florianopolis,” said the black belt, who only isn’t heading to the Worlds No-Gi because he’s waiting on his US visa. Next year he’ll be there, though.