BREAKING: Lost Instructional Jiu-Jitsu Book by Adisa, The Bishop is Released! The Cloud Scroll !!!

HHCF is proud to announce The Cloud Scroll: Closed Guard Sweeps, Pins & Submissions. This book is a companion to The Iron Hook Scroll written in 2013 (which included amazing finishing holds like the dreaded "Thug Nation" shoulder lock . It is a book Adisa The Bishop wrote 4 years ago but was lost. In May of this year Adisa almost passed away from a bacterial infection. Among other things, he was sad he was about to die a brown belt. As soon as he got out of the hospital he told his instructor Alan "Gumby" Marques his plans to train harder and get consistent back on the mats. He later called Denny Prokopos and told him about his reluctant idea to release the Cloud Scroll. Denny suggested he do it because life is short. The Bishop agreed.

There are three videos that help the reader understand the positions. New video's will be forthcoming illustrating the other positions in The Cloud Scroll.

HHCF 2016 Year in Review!

Happy New Year!! 2016 was a fantastic year for Hip-Hop Chess Federation Inc. The demand has never been greater.

In case you missed it, the media loves us.

Watch: KPIX TV (see our HHCF Chess Club at O'Connell HS by Kenny Choi)

Listen: The Cipher Show Podcast (interviewed by Forbes writer Shawn Setaro)

HHCF Chess & Life Strategies taught as a class at John O'Connell HS- You read correctly. Hip-Hop Chess Federation teaches chess and life strategies as a class in SFUSD. We show how chess and life is connected. We use those connections to help kids make decisions on academic and real life situations. It has been our greatest achievement and honor to date. We also have an amazing group with work with on weekends at College Track in Oakland, Unity High in Oakalnd and Cherryland Elementary in Hayward.. They are some of the greatest kids I've ever had the honor to teach. I feel like these three schools are without question our greatest groups of kids to work with ever. If you would like us at your  school please email contact@hiphopchessfederation.org !

The release of Bobby, Bruce & The Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess- After ten years of research we finally have a book out. It is a self-help book for teens and adults fusing classical chess tactics, Hip-Hip street psychology, and martial arts philosophy to keep you sharp in life. The book has a 5 star rating on Amazon. Now our curriculum can be absorbed worldwide. Get one today or lose to those who have.

Super Bowl 50 on stage with Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Coldplay- The whole team is still in shock. A select number of HHCF Raw Elite kids were invited to participate in the historic Superbowl 50 Halftime Show. Most were part of the amazing choreography on the field. Some were lucky enough to get on stage with Beyonce and Coldplay in the ending session of the halftime show. The rehearsals were insane but he opportunity was priceless.

HHCF National and Regional Titles- I cannot put into words how proud I am of the HHCF Raw Elite Team. I am the strength and conditioning coach. A lot of people forget how much work I do with girls. It is some of the most rewarding work I do. These boys and girls have what it takes to push through and work together. Our cheer and Lyrical Dance team won. Our Lyrical team though, not only won their division. These girls won a bid to compete in Las Vegas this year. If I could only tell you how many frustrating practices, blood, sweat and true tears it took to do what we did. I want to commend the coaches and the parents for their faith in the kids and faith in themselves.  We also had big wins in Hawaii and Santa Cruz. If you think your son or daughter would enjoy the fun and fitness that comes with competitive cheer please visit www.rawtalents.org  .

Also, the ever amazing Grant Torino just joined HHCF as a Hip-Hop dance teacher. This young man is second to none. His choreography is top tier and his ability to give kids confidence in their movements is truly unique.

HHCF Jiu-Jitsu Team wins big at US Open- Chess is jiu-jitsu for the mind. Jiu-Jitsu is chess for the body. That is the HHCF motto. Our team, took time to develop. We are small. I call us the 300. We are not big in number, but we are mighty. Our debut at the US Open was amazing Both kids and adults had amazing fun and won medals. 2017 should prove to open more doors. Our wrestling coach Andrew and our BJJ coach Sammy show practical, effective techniques. Our chess and jiu-jitsu program teaches blends the complimentary concepts from chess and jiu-jitsu. Each class ends with students on the board applying pins, forks and checkmates physically and mentally.   If your son or daughter would like to join call 888 588 4418. If you appreciate the spirit in which we teach, embrace nonviolence and love the gentle art, please get the OFFICIAL HHCF gi for women OR men at www.deusfight.com . We are forever grateful for their support in our team.




HHCF MMA Fighter D'Juan Owens Teaches in Uganda- After winning in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu matches this year D'Juan took some time to go teach kids in Uganda. It was an amazing journey. He taught Hip-Hop dance as well as classes self defense centered on kids and women. D'Juan was a great example of leadership on and off the mats.

Adisa Banjoko speaking at Kennedy Center in DC- The crown jewel of the year was an unexpected invite to keynote at the Words Beats and Life WBL Fest in DC. For the first time, I gave a talk about the hidden connections between Bruce Lee, the early art battle DJ'ing and its connection to the brains exercising executive function. It was received so well. I was so scared. You can hear a segment of it on Bishop Chronicles Podcast.

Honorable mentions in regards to our impact this year include HHCF Summer Program (funded by RZA). We taught chess, jiu-jitsu and entrepreneurship to kids. We had an HHCF  chess program in Alameda County juvenile hall. Tupac's sister Set Shakur, Ryron Gracie and Ralston Gracie came to visit our HQ. Rapper T-KASH dropped an album about nonviolence  AND he ran yet another Oakland Running Festival to bring more attention to nonviolence. We also hosted the DMC Bay Area DJ championships. The crowd was massive and amazing. Also, one of our performing arts kids was cast in a new movie starring Ludacris called Ride. Look for it in 2017.

What do we need help doing? We need help growing. The demand for our programs is much higher than we can currently manage. We need help scaling. We need grant writers and we need help building our fundraising capabilities. If you can help us please contact us at contact@hiphopchessfederation.org. 

Thank you to all our sponsors and donors. You mean the world to us. Without you, none of the help we give the youth is possible. If you would like to donate to HHCF, a 501(c)3 nonprofit please visit www.hiphopchess.com and donate today! 

Notes from the Field: My Kennedy Center Keynote + I met Grandmaster Flash!

Adisa The Bishop at the Kennedy Center explaining how Bruce Lee, Bobby Fischer and kids from the Bronx changed America forever. 

I had an amazing trip to DC to the Words Beats and Life Teach In. It was in many ways a test of focus and will. Essentially, I got on a plane Thursday at midnight, and touched down on Friday about 11 AM. Right before I got on the plane, I learned that our Southeast Regional Director (Vince Bayyan) and our HHCF Durham Chapter Leader (D'Juan Owens) were not going to be able to make it due to situations beyond their control. 

When I landed, I learned the jiu-jitsu mats were not gonna be there. On the flight the turbulence was so bad. It was prayer worthy. Not just prayers. The kind where you start straight up having rambling conversations you think are heart to heart engagements with The Creator. 

"How bad was it?!" you ask. 

It was SO bad, that someone pooped on the plane twice during the mayhem at thirty-thousand feet. I repeat, twice. 

Despite this, I was totally at peace. In the past I might have wondered if the following were all bad omens. I wrote a whole new lecture just for Words Beats and Life. In the past I might have undercut myself and chosen to do one of my past lectures. 

But I was at peace. 

Upon landing my ride to the Words Beats and Life event at the Kennedy Center. It is an amazing building and I started to get goosebumps as I walked in. Not long after I got there I saw Christie Z Pabon from the Hip-Hop promotions company Tools of War. I also saw Nico Ball of the Terere Kids Project in Brazil. They teach kids in the favelas of Brazil jiu-jitsu and help give them a better chance at life. 

I hung out with them as I waited for my time to speak. At that point I had been up many hours, but I didn't care. I was in a great mood and the crowd was amazing. All the people from Words Beats and Life were kind and supportive. It was organized well from top to bottom. I have to give Asad Jafri and Mazi Mutafa a serious nod for having their crew on point. 

When it came time to speak, I just went up and gave it my all. I tried to Periscope it, but the signal was bad...It did not work!!! I just focused on my talk. It was very surreal. I didn't think of it as a presentation, but more of a conversation with friends. I illustrated the history of martial arts and chess centered around Hip-Hop dance and DJ culture.We looked at clips of Bruce Lee and I talked about how he inspired so many African Americans to learn martial arts, use it as a tool for nonviolence and explore ideas like Buddhism and vegan living. I showed how that history how it had a ripple effect in shows like The Get Down and Luke Cage. The crowd loved it. I had intended to do a whole series of jiu-jitsu positions to show how they align with chess. But with D'Juan gone all that was outta the window. 

I had a last second idea to have Nico Ball come up and show a jiu-jitsu wrist escape that all young women could use. Also an arm drag to a choke from standing. This allowed me to show how position and knowledge are greater than strength when it comes to self defense. We didn't even need any mats. I went on to share how important it was for women to take jiu-jitsu, judo and take self defense seriously. 

In my conclusion I got into the important role Hip-Hop, chess and martial arts play in sparking executive function in the brain. When I was done, I got a great round of applause. It was a vindication of the highest order. I was so scared. Only my wife and my man J-Live had heard my presentation before I did it. They both said it would work. They were right. 

As I hung out at the place. Grandmaster Flash walked in. I hurried to the back to introduce myself. When I got back there, he was in a bad mood. He was coming down from having an intense discussion with someone. I walked in the room mid convo and it was awkward for me. 

I didn't introduce myself because I felt confused about the best way to introduce myself. Flash was sitting a couch in the back. I was standing in the doorway. 

Grandmaster Flash and Adisa The Bishop (trying to fix his face)

He looked over at me as I was spaced out looking at the ceiling. 

"Fix your face" he barked. "Is something wrong? You look mad?"

The old me would have been mad. I might have started yelling. I am a westsider by birth and I mighta got all riled up. In this moment though, I was not trippin'. 

Without missing a beat I said. "My face is like this because I'm in awe of being in the presence of a legend. If you mistake my face to be anything else, you will truly be misunderstanding my joy. I just talked about how your character and Shaolin Fantastic are just like Po and Kwai Chang Cain in the TV show Kung Fu. My name is Adisa. Nice to meet you." I walked over and shook his hand. 

You could see Flash was still coming down from his anger. He studied me. 

"What do you do?"

"I am the Founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation" I said with a smile. 

Half playing and half perturbed he said "That does not tell me anything. I asked what do you do?!" with a half smirk he leaned toward me. His eyes probed mine for weakness. This dude is a true New York'er. 

"I teach kids chess, jiu-jitsu and Hip-Hop to keep them off the streets."

He raised his chin as he thought, then said "That sounds pretty cool. I think I like that idea."

Then he let me interview him. I cannot tell you everything he said. I told him I'd hold onto it. I can say it was deep. He does have deep respect for chess GM Geller. He loves Kung-Fu films. We took a quick photo then he was off to do his Q&A and get his award. 

What he took to the stage was amazing. He shared a formula he created back in 1969 to DJ parties. It was a blueprint for juggling breaks (a way to play a specific part of any record over and over). It blew my mind and I have to say I was more than impressed. 

A lot of Hip-Hop pioneers are too arrogant or angry about the past. They tend to not share a lot. Flash was the total opposite. He truly is a genius. In the truest sense of the word. I was in awe of his passion and clarity. 

My conversations with him helped me reframe my outline for the sequel to Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess. I created an outline for two more books as I was writing my new one. But being with him made me think deeper about what I was trying to say, and what elements of the history were missing. 

It was an honor and I learned so much going to Words Beats and Life WBL Fest. I hope to do more in DC and more with them in the future. From there I got back on a plane about 7 PM and got shaken through more turbulence. Eventually, I got back to my wife and kids. It was amazing. Despite not getting any sleep for about 24 hrs,, it was something I will never forget. 

In reflecting about my mellow mood through the escalating drama I have to credit my consistent meditation practice. I think it helped me stay in a peaceful zone. That, and I had mentally decided that like the comic book character Itto Ogami, nothing would stop me from getting there and doing my best. And nothing did. 

More to share soon. Thanks so much for your support and taking the time to read this. 

PEACE! 

HHCF Jiu-Jitsu Team Wins BIG at US Open in Santa Cruz !!

What a weekend. I don't even know where to start. I guess I will start by thanking all of the HHCF Jiu-jitsu team members and their families for supporting us at the US Open this weekend in Santa Cruz, CA. I also want to thank Alan "Gumby" Marques and all of the Heroes Martial Arts Family for all their brotherhood and sisterhood. I also have to thank the Deus Fight family for designing the only Official HHCF jiu-jitsu gi (The Oakland gi) and donating the uniforms to our team. Please buy one today.

OK.....

I could give you all the back story but I won't. The thing I will say is that when I launched the HHCF Jiu-Jitsu and Chess program I did not expect this. I hoped for things like this, but really, it was beyond what I envisioned.

My first student Forrest AKA Batman walked onto the mats. He came to my school with encouragement from his father and his sister. He had previously been at HHCF Summer camps, but had never done anything like jiu-jitsu. Forrest is a super quiet kid. Till this day, I have never heard him yell. He always had high character and was always respectful. However he was also very mild. Some might say too might. He was never bullied, but, nobody wanted to see that happen.

What he lacked in vocal tone he made up for in focus and effort. In between time, I worked on his mind using books like Josh Waitzkin's The Art of Learning. I want to thank Josh personally and everyone at the JW Foundation for donating books to our class. With training from myself, HHCF's wrestling coach Andrew Swank and our other jiu-jitsu coach Sammy Teame Batman took home second place. I gave him the nickname Batman because Batman has no super powers. He works hard and he knows HE has enough inside of himself to win. Forrest is the same way.

WATCH his first match here:

He won his first in less than 2 min (virtual textbook win) and losing his second match just before the buzzer. The second match was dynamic from front to back, but I  don't have it on film. When I asked him what match he liked he smiled and said the second- because of the back and forth.

 4 out of 5 of our athletes took home medals.

Batman WINS....This is not a movie. It is real. 

BillyRay aka Megatron took 2nd in his division and 1st in open weight div. 

                                           Bryan wins GOLD in his division. Fight with heart and technique.

                                          Pete was dominant in his first match. Most scores in jiu-jitsu are single digit, like a soccer game. This guy not only racked up 24 points but he secured an armlock with ONE SECOND on the clock. Electric. He went on to submit two more opponents after scoring big but lost in the semi finals. He walked away with a bronze. It was unreal.

                                         One of our guys was DQ'ed for doing an illegal choke in his first match. I take responsibility for that. He thought the choke was legal. I assure you he will be crushing the competition in tournaments to come. I too will be back in the mats in the next month or so. I'm thankful to all our supporters. I also want to thank the coaches from all the teams that make up the HHCF Jiu-Jitsu team. Fighters from Heroes, Team Silva BJJ, Smash Gyms, Mauricio Alonso, KOA Martial Arts and others have united to support the cause of nonviolence and peace through martial arts, chess and Hip-Hop. There was a time in the bay when all of our schools would never support one another. Now through embracing the unity in our diversity, we stand as champions together.

If you would like for your son or daughter to be part of the HHCF Jiu-Jitsu team please sign them up today at www.hiphopchess.com 

HHCF Jiu-jitsu Team Going to US Open This Weekend!!!

A quick shout out to our coaches and students competing in the US Open!!! The HHCF jiu-jitsu team is an affiliate of Heroes Martial Arts and we appreciate the guidance of Alan "Gumby" Marques, coach Sammy and our wrestling coach Andrew is developing our students.  Sign your kids up at www.hiphopchess.com . If you would like one of the HHCF jiu-jitsu gi's go to our sponsor Deus Fight for the "Oakland" gi www.deusfight.com !! 

HHCF Teams w/ Deus Fight Gi's for The Oakland (Silver and Black) Gi.....

HHCF Teamed up with philanthropic jiu-jitsu brand Deus Fight for a new line of gi's. The Oakland gi, is made in the warrior tradition of the Raiders as well as a reminder that Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back had a Silver and Black side to the Album....Proceeds from the sales of the gi will benefit the HHCF Chess and Jiu-Jitsu Initiative. Get one today at www.deusfight.com  Special thanks to BJJ Legends Magazine for connecting our orgs for the greater good of our children. When we say our children, we mean all children. PEACE!