Karel Pravec is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner who was born in the Czech Republic but has since relocated to northern New Jersey where he has lived for some time now. He started training BJJ aged 29 and recalls, “I was training and teaching striking but wanted to round out my training and then I saw the Gracie’s in Action VHS Tape. I went to their first East Coast seminar (Helio, Rickson, Royce, Royler, Rorion and many others were there) in 1991, was impressed and in 1993 it became possible to start training which was only once or twice per week on a regular basis.”
Since then, he received his black belt at age 42 and now teaches out of his Silver Fox BJJ Academy in New Jersey which is a part of the Renzo Gracie team. Unsurprisingly, it’s Renzo Gracie and other senior students of Renzo’s who are his current teachers, whilst Pravec also lists Renzo and John Danaher as having the biggest influence on his Jiu Jitsu.
We asked Pravec about his favorite positions whilst doing BJJ, he stated his main guard position is the ‘Split guard’ which he has been a big advocate of. When sweeping he added “I like Omoplata attacks from Split guard and Ude Gatame attack again from Split guard. The opponent sweeps himself due to the submission threats.” When passing he prioritizes the knee cut and lists the Armbar, Guillotine, Knee Bar and Inverted and Reverse Triangles as his favorite submissions.
When competing, Pravec used to compete in the Lightweight category and interestingly didn’t start competing until after he received his black belt. Nonetheless, this didn’t hinder Pravec who did well whilst competing at this level, even against far younger black belts. He lists coming 3rd place in No-Gi Pan Ams Adult Black Belt category at 45 years old as his biggest achievement in competition. On the subject of competition, we also asked who his toughest opponent was and he said “Other than my own mind, Cobrinha.”
Q&A
Where did the nickname ‘Silver Fox’ originate from, i.e. who first came up with it?
“I believe it was Andrew Johnson (many years at black belt now). When I was a brown belt in early 2000’s, guys would come in hard for double legs, and would keep tapping (usually to guillotine) as we hit the ground but I had other techniques which at the time were not widely used (such as ude gatame, inverted triangle etc) so I was ‘outfoxing’ my opponents.”
You’ve been training BJJ for over 20 years and aren’t massive/jacked – what is the secret to longevity as a smaller, older grappler?
“Technique acquisition, efficiency of movement, attack what the opponent is giving you. Outfox your opposition.”
Following on from the last question, do you think your size moulded your game? I.e. an emphasis on guillotines and arm locks instead of ‘strong man’ moves.
“Definitely.”
You’ve got a masters degree, do you think this translates over to learning and teaching BJJ and makes it easier for you to understand concepts etc?
“Not necessarily. BJJ is highly cerebral. Education can be an indication of intelligence but I’ve met many highly intelligent people without advanced degrees.”
I’ve seen a video of you drilling moves underwater. Could you tell us more about this, I.e. do you think it helps improve technique, is the idea that the water adds resistance to your muscles etc?
“Absolutely. I think this is an extremely underrated training method. I do it 2-4 times per week. It helps muscle memory (which is very important for martial arts) without breaking down your body as much as an intense rolling session. So I consider it recovery training, which has allowed me to train 7 days per week without which I believe my game wouldn’t be as technical. Additionally it reduces load on lower back, hips, legs allowing training while banged up or semi-injured. Water resistance also makes you faster and more efficient (finding the smoothest way through the sequence).”
You’ve been in the game for a while. How (if at all) has BJJ changed over the years? I’ve heard it isn’t as wild as it used to be back in the day
“It’s more gentle, more technical and more widely available. I don’t think BJJ is easy but technical progression today is easier.”
Lastly, do you have any plans for the future? (Goals etc)
“I want to continue to train and test myself so I can continue to evolve and pass that knowledge on to my students. Secondly, I want to get the Academy back on track after covid. Thirdly, I want to teach and coach my students to help them achieve their goals. I also want to continue to improve my online instructional presence. Finally, I would like to get back to traveling and teaching seminars around the world.”
You can find more about the Silver Fox on his website here as well as his BJJ Youtube channel here. For a more detailed look at his techniques, his instructionals are available here and you can catch his online courses here. If you prefer reading, his book Fluid BJJ is also available and can also be purchased in digital form.
