The Athletes Jyri Manninen and Sari Laitinen, tell why they chose Brazil for its training Jiu-Jitsu. Devoting himself full time in the Training Center Demian Maia in Sao Paulo, had five months of intensive training, have made outstanding performances in Brazilian championships and won several medals.
In this weeks, This week they travel to the United States, where he will represent the Academy Demian Maia / Brasa in the World Championships in June in California, in search of more titles
Nature pure and quiet. Virgin forests and thousands lakes. Midnight sun in summer or winter crepúsculoLappi blue. The constant change of the seasons and the diversity of landscapes makes Finland a fascinating place – a quiet atmosphere with plenty of space. .
1. You met practicing Jiu-Jitsu in Finland? Tell a little history of each other.
Jyri - It’s true that we met training at the same academy in 2005 (GB-GYM, Helsinki – Finland), but at the time Sari was training kick-boxing. I had had my eye on her for awhile already, but the wuss that I am, it took me a long time to build up enough courage to make conversation with her. Eventually I surpassed my fears and turned out that she wasn’t that scary at all. Actually she was super cool person and I found it extremely easy to talk to her (was the first time this happened with a person of opposite sex!!). I would like to say that we fell in love, bought a house and a family car and lived happily ever after with five kids, but that’s not what happened. Because two months after we hooked up, I left to Brazil for the first time. I stayed eight months. But even during my trip we stayed in touch and Sari came to see me for two weeks in the middle of my stay. When I came back from my first visit to Brazil, we got together again, desided that we still like each other and have been together since. This was also the time when I made Sari realize that brazilian jiu-jitsu is the only true martial art and she swapped kick-boxing to BJJ.
Sari - That is about it how everything started. We trained one year at the same academy but only after that time we hooked up and went out on a date. Acctually this is about the same time Demian was having a seminar in Helsinki and he was also fighting in the MMA event Cage. I continued training kick-boxing until the spring of 2008. Then training started to feel a bit boring and I wanted to try something different. At our academy one can train Bjj, Kick-boxing, MMA, Muay-Thai and boxing, and I desided to go for Bjj. The choise was quite natural because Jyri was also training it at he could help me a lot. After a while I found my self in every Bjj traing I could possible be in.
2. When you decided to come to Brazil? Have you adapted quickly? Are you learning portuguese?
Jyri - Ever since I came back from my first visit to Brazil, I had a dream to come back. Together we started to plan the trip about two years before we eventually left. We worked a lot, started saving money, lived modest life and trained when we could. Always we had the goal – Brazil – in our minds.
I think, that a finnish person finds it easy to adapt into brazilian lifestyle. The food isn’t that different from our own and the people are great and helpful. The hardest thing to get used to is the lazy schedule the brazilians live. If training is scheduled to start at 11.00 it really starts at 11.30
I did two months of portuguese lessons in my first trip and after that I’v been trying to learn by listening and speaking. I think I can say that I can speak portuguese, I’m just not fluent – yet!
Sari – The tickets for our trip we bought in April 2009. I was looking for cheap flight-tickets in the US for our stay there during the Bjj Worlds that year, and by accident I found really cheap tickets to Rio. All we had to do was leave before the year 2010 and stay at least one month. That was perfect for us. After we had the tickets we were just waiting for the date 31.12.2009, the date for our departure.
As Jyri said it is really easy to adapt in to the Brazilian culture. I like the people here, the food is good, the weather is nice and warm (for most of the time) and I like the language also. I have learned some portuguese, but not as much as I would have liked. In the begining Jyri was teaching me some basics, but when we started to train really hard we did not have time or the energy to study. So I try to listen carefully what people say and how they say it and try to learn that way. The TV helps to. I watch programs in english and read the portuguese subtitles at the same time and learn some words that way. By the end of our trip I hope I have learned a lot more that I have now!
3. Why did you choose the Training Center Demian Maia?
Jyri - About five years ago Demian was giving a seminar in our academy in Finland. I got to know him a little then and I was totally sold by his technical jiu-jitsu. He made it seem so effortless and I wanted to learn that same jiu-jitsu. Thats when I did my first trip to Brazil and Demian Maia Academy. I think that back in those days there weren’t that many “gringos” around and my acceptance at the academy was awesome. I loved Brazil, São Paulo, the guys at the academy and the level of jiu-jitsu surpassed my wildest dreams. During my visit I got to know Demian better and nowdays I can call him a good friend. So to answer why we chose the Demian Maia Training Center? For us the choice was just natural.
4. How has been your training routine during these 5 months?
Jyri & Sari – First 3 months we dedicated our training to jiu-jitsu. We trained more or less twice a day, five days a week. Saturdays and Sundays we rested. This period was very important for us to adapt to the trainings and improve our technic. The level here is quite different from what we have in Finland. The last 2 months we’ve been training three times a day, twice jiu-jitsu + one supporting training (ex. functional, weightlifting, circuit-training), five days a week. In some weeks the championships have changed our routine, but that’s the basic how we have been training. It’s been quite a ride…
5. What about the Championships in which you participated, how did you do?
Jyri – I’v had my ups and downs. But to mention few, I fought in Paulista I etapa and got second in my weightcategory (superheavy) and third in the open weightcategory. I fight in purple belt category. In the CBJJE brazilian championships I won my category after 4 hard fights! Training hard starts to pay off!
Sari – I have participated many championships here in Brazil, because after all that is the best training I can get with someone who is the same size as me and somewhat at the same level. I just got my blue belt in February so I was really nervous how I would do. The first championship as blue belt, the Paulista, I had three fights and I won my category. I also competed in the Brasileiro in Sao Paulo. In my category (leve) there were just 3 girls. I had two fights and I won the championship. I compeeted also in SP Cup and the Paulista II etapa, but in these I lost my first fights.
6. How do you expect to do in the World Championships, in the United States?
Jyri – Well I haven’t been training this hard just to go there to have a holiday so my goal is to be world champion in the weightcategory and preferably in the open weightclass also.
Sari – Both of our expectations are really high because we have worked so hard. My goal is also to win my own category. I’m not taking part in the absolute.
7. After the championship, you come back to Brazil? What plans for your career?
Jyri – Yes we are coming back to Brazil and plan to keep on training, but maybe not so hard as we trained our first half of the trip. After the mundials is time to relax a little bit and try to improve technicly as much as possible. As for the career… If everything goes as planned, you never know, there might be a chance to turn a hobby and a lifestyle into living. But to make a living out of martial art in Finland is very very very difficult. Let’s see what happens…
Sari – I have not accually thought about Bjj as a career, I think that is more something for Jyri. BUt if he continues with this as he would want to, then maybe it could be a familybusiness??
8. When you go back to Finland you plan to keep on training Martial Arts?
Jyri – Jiu-jitsu is a lifestyle for me and whatever happens in my life it will be a part of my life, one way or another.
Sari – Absolutely! It is so good for you, both physically and mentally.
9. Professionally, you want to live out of Sports? Do you intend to return to Brazil? Do you intend to have children??
Jyri – My dream is to be able to live out of jiu-jitsu. Teaching own students, fighting in the championships, give seminars all over the world and I’m working really hard to achieve that dream. But like I said before, in Finland that is very hard. But lets see, maybe we don’t stay in Finland for the rest of our lives. To Brazil I’ll come always when I have the chance. Not just to see my good friends and have fun, but to sharpen my jiu-jitsu and learn the nevest tricks in the game. And preferably I’d come with all my 5 kids (4 boys and 1 girl) that I’m planning to do! 
Sari - Back home I worked with children, that the socialwellfare had placed in a fosterhome. The most important tool in our job was sports. The kids train Judo at least twice a week, they like to go to the gym and also do a lot of other sports. And we did everything together. I like the job especially because I did not have to sit in an office and stare at a computer 8 hours.
I hope that we can come back to Brazil, hopefully already next year or in the near-future. And as Jyri said we will come with the whole family
10. On behalf of the Academy Demian Maia, I want to express our thanks for the interview, and say that we are very proud of your presence, and that you are always very welcome. Good luck in your career, it certainly will be bright. See you soon!
Jyri & Sari – No, thank you. Everything we have achieved in the last few months is only because of the Demian Maia Academy!
Jyri Manninen - Sari Laitinen
The site OLutador.com found in the archives photos of Sari and Jyry in action
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Demian Maia, Sari Laitinen e Jyri Manninen
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