Phil Cardella
Phil Cardella started offically training Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Aiea assocation of Relson'sran by Sam Mahi, Chris & Mike Onzuka and their assistant instructors
BJJ & MMA fighter Phil Cardella
Phil, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Could you please give the readers a brief bio on yourself?
Phil started Martial Arts at age 12. He first achieved rank in Tae kwon do & Hapkido. Shortly after he started training in Shodo Kan Karate, Akido, Ryku Kenpo, Dillman theory pressure points, Small circle Jiu-Jitsu, Hapkido, Thai boxing, Jeet Kun Do, Kali, and whatever else he could.
Phil started competing while in the Marine Corps and met Master Relson Gracie he has been a part of his competition team since 1997. He has been lucky enough to train with some of the best fighters in the World & at some of the best schools on the planet. He is currently the only Martial Artist/ fighter to train APD's learned skills Instructors. He is a full time fighter & Martial Artist. He feels the best way to judge his skill is to look at the achievements of his students in tournaments. His resume below shows his current record. He is still a active competitor in order to battle test techniques & strive to find the most effective, current & usable techniques.http://www.philcardella.com/bio.htm
How/why did you choose to train with Relson Gracie?
I was in Hawaii stationed there in the USMC & I was told by my little brother the meanest Gracie lived in Hawaii. I started with his team & have stayed loyal since.
How would you describe Relson’s jiu-jitsu compared to other styles of jiu-jitsu?
More submission based with good self-defense applications. Our system obviously works in Sport arenas but isn’t the flashy stuff that will get you beat up in a real fight. Strikes are incorporated with our training for all students we don’t neglect that.
You currently have an academy in Austin, Texas. How did you get started in Austin?
Austin is the coolest city in Texas by far, so I set up there. It’s a shame the lack of networking and honor among the academy in the saturated Austin Market. Several academies less than a mile from my academy teach or grappling type classes. I think that is bad business, nobody supports the events together or works together properly.
What is the main focus of your academy?
The main focus of my academy is to meet the training & fitness goals for those that walk in the door. We “train today so you can train tomorrow”. We train hard, we train a lot & we train technical & with control. We run a clean efficient academy with a 364 days a year schedule.
What kind of programs do you offer?
We train Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu & MMA striking. We have great wrestlers that train wrestling and we have boxers and accomplished strikers in the gym too.
How do you balance being a professional fighter and running an academy at the same time?
Very carefully and I have to try very hard to have time for my own training and I really focus my time on the people that are loyal & honest with me. I am prior Marine Corps, I am good at motivation & dedication of those that follow me. I know I am going to have only 1% of the local population so I try to surround myself & those I train with, with the best people possible.
In May, you won a fight in 48 seconds with an armbar at Shark Fights 4, any other fights planned for the future?
I am fighting Aug. 9th in the WEC in Vegas & I look forward to fighting in the next Shark Fights after the WEC as well. I will finish the year strong as well with a couple more fights.
If a student comes to you and says, “I want to fight MMA, what do I need to do?” What is your response? Are there any guidelines that you use (i.e. at least a blue belt, a year of training, etc.)?
First thing I tell them is that it is not easy to fight MMA & it will require a large amount of focus & discipline. They have to meet my & ultimately the standards of Relson Gracie. Put a gi on & learn a little Jiu-Jitsu & lets see if you have the mental capacity to be a student & learn.
At a seminar, you mentioned that you were primarily a guard player until you were a purple belt. How did you go about developing your top game?
I’m surprised you heard about that. Well after beating a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Brazil that was bigger than me by choking him in my guard a couple times I figured out Relson was right, I have a Black Belt Guard. So I had to round out my game. I listened to advice from my training partners, especially Daniel Moraes & started only trying to stay on top, only playing top position during sparring. I had a couple years to figure it out for the top level competition & don’t really care where on the ground these days I end up.
Do you think that your singular focus on the guard helped or hindered your game in the long run?
In the start of Jiu-Jitsu if you can’t defend & fight off your back you need to practice that. So I think my fundamentals are sound because of that.
It seems like most grapplers have a couple “revelations” in their grappling career. Can you describe any “revelations” that you had?
I started finding some major revelations while teaching really. One of these is to not differentiate between top & rear mount. Another is to always go for the right move at the right time, don’t miss chances that are the correct move. I also started really thinking about tricking people to make matches easier, like my last MMA fight. I tricked him with my submission sequence.
What are some of the things that you do off of the mat that have helped you develop as a grappler?
Rope climbing, swimming & running sprints with a mouth piece in. I surf, spearfish, body surf & stuff like that that builds my lungs & is a different type of work out. Same with rock climbing.
You have been in the game for 13 years now, do you find yourself trying “new” techniques more or simply refining the techniques that you have been doing for years?
I am using new positions, techniques sequences and of course my bread & butter moves.
What else can we expect from you in the future?
You will see me fight Aug. 9, and will try to finish out this year with a couple fights after that as well. I will be fighting for 3 or 4 more years. Expect me to be in more of my cousins movies as he progresses as a film maker.
Any last comments?
Always expect me to give 100% in all my fights to finish my opponents & show a technical exciting fight that holds our sport in the right light. Stop in my academy sometime & train with me if you are ever in the coolest city in Texas… Austin.
Quick Hits
Favorite Takedown: The one my opponent gives me. I like leg attacks for take downs.
Favorite Submission: I would have to say triangle choke.
How many days a week do you train? I am usually seen training 5 days a week.
Favorite music to train to: Rock, fast stuff.
Ratio of drilling to sparring you recommend? it really depends where you are in your training, if you have seen more than you can apply then you need to drill more than spar, and vise versa.
Favorite thing to do outside of grappling: I love surfing in Hawaii, hunting & fishing. I really like humping too… LOL good conditioning…
Favorite jiu-jitsu guys to watch: I am more about the match ups than the individuals when watching Jiu-Jitsu. But I of course like Roger, Jacare, Marcelo Garcia, Leo Vieria, Royler, Rickson, Kron, and rest in peace Helio.
Biggest mistake that new grapplers make: They don’t relax & think when training & train with control. They tend to make the mistake of trying to win matches instead of trying to apply what they have learned…
Contact
© 2023 BJJ Stories., All Rights Reserved.