Craig Jones has officially named Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu Academy as the coach for the America’s Misfit team for the upcoming Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2).
The announcement was made during the premiere episode of “On Borrowed Time with Craig Jones,” where host Alex Wendling interviewed both Jones and Souders about the upcoming event.
Souders, who has made waves in recent years with his team, expressed excitement about the opportunity to lead the America’s Misfit team.
“It feels great. We made a lot of noise in the last couple years as a team and getting the invite to coach a bunch of guys that I’ve never coached before. It’s an exciting prospect and I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Souders said during the interview.
When asked about how the jiu-jitsu community might react to his appointment, Souders acknowledged there would likely be mixed reactions. “I think it’s going to be mixed. I think a lot of people will be angry, but a lot of people be happy. I think everyone will be interested regardless.”
Souders confirmed that DeAndre Corbe will represent the team in the 66kg division, but noted that the rest of the roster is still being determined. Unlike the Australasia Misfit team led by Lachlan Giles, who is planning trials for his team, Souders indicated he won’t be conducting formal trials for the America’s team.
“We have so many strong American prospects. I don’t think we need to make them fight each other,” Souders explained. “We have a long history of what the Americans are capable of at the highest level of competition. So, I guess we just look at who’s doing the best in a wide range of different tournament rule sets and we pick the ones that are most appropriate.”
The CJI 2 will feature a hybrid Quintet format, where teams from different schools and regions compete against each other. Coaches will play a crucial role in the event, as they’ll decide the order of competitors in real-time during the matches.
“I would focus on three things,” Souders said about his coaching strategy. “First, the athletes I have and knowing what their capabilities are historically. Second would be the same thing on the other team. So who are we facing? What are the skills of the other people as we decide who’s going to go with who? And finally, I think the opinions of the athletes themselves, knowing which one of our guys would like to fight which one of them.”
Craig Jones emphasized that the coach’s role will be particularly important in this format, which draws inspiration from professional wrestling’s Royal Rumble. Unlike traditional Quintet events where teams have a pre-arranged order, coaches at CJI 2 will make strategic decisions about which competitors to send out based on who their opponents put forward.
“The coach is going to be important,” Jones explained. “Where it’s going to come into play is that you’re going to see how coaches think people match up against each other.”
Souders believes team cohesion will be critical to success, despite working with athletes who may not have trained together before.
“Having a bunch of athletes that don’t know each other that might not have worked together before, getting them to work as a cohesive team is going to be, I think, the thing that’s going to make the difference,” Souders said. “If I can get them to come together and get them convinced to train in the way I would have them train, I think that’s what the key to success is.”
CJI 2 is scheduled to take place after the Masters Worlds weekend in Las Vegas. The event will also partner with the Guardian Project through the Fair Fight Foundation, with plans to build an academy in Manora, Peru, continuing CJI’s commitment to charitable causes in the jiu-jitsu community.
