Alvis Solis
“Hound Dog”
Source: dogbrothers.comA former track athlete, Alvis "Hound Dog" Solis went from Dog Brothers stick fights to a black belt under Carlos Machado and his own academy north of Houston.
Biography
Sources for this profile
TXMMA.com, "Texas Spotlight – Alvis Solis on his Dog Brother Beginnings and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Future", February 26, 2011.(opens in a new tab)
In February 2011 TXMMA profiled Alvis Solis as head instructor and owner of Solis Martial Arts and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Carlos Machado, and said Solis had then been teaching in the North Houston area for almost fourteen years.
Where in the source: Introduction, the two paragraphs after the author's note — "Known primarily"
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Solis said he competed in track and field from age 5 to 22 and that in 1980, at 16, he received an invitation to the Olympic trials in the 400 metres, the year the United States boycotted the Olympics.
Where in the source: Interview, first answer (life before martial arts) — "Olympic trials"
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Solis said he ran for Texas A&I University on a full scholarship for two and a half seasons until a severe hamstring injury, recovered full use of the leg after rehabilitation, and graduated with a degree in psychology.
Where in the source: Interview, first answer, middle — "Texas A&I"
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Before moving to the Humble, Kingwood and Atascocita area near Houston in 1993, Solis worked as program administrator of a children's psychiatric unit at Charter Hospital of Corpus Christi, by his own account.
Where in the source: Interview, first answer, last sentence (work before moving near Houston in 1993)
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Solis said he began martial arts in 1989 in Corpus Christi: after being mugged he walked into a taekwondo school, noticed a Filipino man striking a heavy bag with two sticks, and asked to become his student; the man was the arnis teacher Reno Lumampao.
Where in the source: Interview, answer to how long he has trained, opening lines — "Reno Lumumpao"
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After moving to Kingwood in 1993, Solis persuaded Grandmaster Alfonso Seneres, Lumampao's own teacher, who was visiting Houston from the Philippines, to teach him, and trained privately with him four days a week, four hours a day, for a year.
Where in the source: Interview, same answer, sentences on the 1993 move to Kingwood and Grandmaster Seneres
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Solis said he first met Brazilian jiu-jitsu at a Dog Brothers gathering, where he was taken down and fought from his back; Rigan Machado watched one of his fights, told him ground fighting would improve his stick fighting, and invited him to the Machado academy.
Where in the source: Interview, same answer, last paragraph — "DB Gathering"
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Solis said that, to keep his jiu-jitsu skills up, he joined Moussel's Self-Defense Academy and trained with Eric Williams in its combat grappling program.
Where in the source: Interview, same answer, final sentence — "Eric Williams"
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Solis said Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny and Eric "Top Dog" Knaus of the Dog Brothers took him under their wing, that the experience taught him to test what he learned and keep only what worked, and that it was through the Dog Brothers that he met the Machado brothers.
Where in the source: Interview, answer to the Dog Brothers question — "Hound Dog"
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Solis said he started a blog called 50 by 50 as he approached 46 to push himself to compete far more often, and that by February 2011, having just turned 47, he had competed in nine tournaments under the project.
Where in the source: Interview, answer on the 50/50 blog, last sentences — "9th tournament"
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Solis said in February 2011 that he had just turned 47, which places his birth in 1964; the same interview has him aged 16 in 1980.
Where in the source: Interview, answer on the 50/50 blog, last sentences — "just turned 47"
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Solis said Carlos Machado had promoted him to second-degree black belt in January 2011.
Where in the source: Interview, answer on what is left to accomplish, first sentence — "second-degree"
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Solis said jiu-jitsu let him train with and teach his daughters, and that this was one reason he encouraged families to train together and built a family-friendly atmosphere at his school.
Where in the source: Interview, answer on what jiu-jitsu has done for his life, second half (his daughters and family classes)
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Asked what he still wanted from the sport, Solis said his aim was to be remembered through generations of students passing on what he taught, and that his students were taught to be respectful and show sportsmanship whether they won or lost.
Where in the source: Interview, answer on what is left to accomplish, middle — "live forever"
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TXMMA founder Paul Erickson wrote that meeting and training under Solis more than a decade earlier was what gave him the enthusiasm for BJJ and MMA to start TXMMA.com.
Where in the source: Boxed quote signed by Paul Erickson, before the interview heading
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By 2011, according to TXMMA, Solis had produced a handful of black belts and affiliate schools and was still competing regularly in local and national tournaments at 47.
Where in the source: Introduction, second paragraph, second sentence (black belts and affiliate schools)
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TXMMA.com (Arclight), "Black Belt Interview: Alvis Solis", February 19, 2005.(opens in a new tab)
In February 2005 TXMMA reported that Vandry BJJ had interviewed Carlos Machado's newest black belt, Alvis Solis of Humble, Texas.
Where in the source: Opening line of the post — "Carlos Machado's newest black belt"
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The 2005 Vandry BJJ excerpt quoted by TXMMA said Solis had placed in many Texas state championships, had won divisions at the Pan American championships at purple and brown belt, and coached a team within Carlos Machado's Texas network.
Where in the source: Quoted Vandry excerpt, second half — "Purple and Brown belt divisions"
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Solis Martial Arts Academy, "About Us", solismartialarts.com, archived by the Internet Archive on 1 December 2010.(opens in a new tab)
Solis Martial Arts Academy (SMAA) was founded by Alvis W. Solis in 1997 in the Humble, Texas area, according to the academy's own website.
Where in the source: About us, first line — "Founded in 1997"
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The academy's website stated that SMAA was the first school in Texas to develop and teach a children's Brazilian jiu-jitsu class, starting in 2000.
Where in the source: About us, first paragraph, second sentence — "Children's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu"
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The academy biography gave Solis's birthplace as Corpus Christi, Texas, and his residence in 2010 as Humble, Texas.
Where in the source: Profile table under the owner and head instructor heading, Born and Resides rows — "Corpus Christi"
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The academy biography listed Solis's nicknames as "Hound Dog" and "King".
Where in the source: Profile table, Nicknames row — "Hound Dog"
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In his academy biography Solis wrote that he first trained formally under Reno Lumampao in Simplified Modern Arnis, reaching purple belt, and then, in Houston, became a private student of Grandmaster Alfonso Seneres of Iloilo City, under whom he reached instructor rank in Arnis de Mano.
Where in the source: Training history, first paragraph (Lumampao, then Grandmaster Seneres) — "instructors ranking"
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- Conflicting accounts
Solis wrote that he was given the name "Hound Dog" and became a full member of the Dog Brothers on 13 November 1994, that head instructor Marc Denny promoted him on 13 August 1995 in Kingwood, Texas, and that he was the only certified Dog Brother Apprentice Instructor in Texas.
Where in the source: Training history, Dog Brothers paragraph, last two sentences — "November 13, 1994"
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The academy biography described Dog Brothers fights as stick fights with fencing masks, street hockey gloves and heavy unpadded rattan sticks, in which strikes, throws, grappling and chokes were allowed, each bout lasting until a tap-out, a knockout or 90 seconds, with no judges declaring a winner.
Where in the source: Training history, Dog Brothers paragraph, middle (equipment and rules) — "90 seconds"
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Solis wrote that Carlos Machado awarded him his blue belt in December 1997 and that on 31 August 2000 his school became the first Machado Network Representative School.
Where in the source: Training history, Carlos Machado paragraph, first dates — "Representative School"
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Solis wrote that Carlos Machado promoted him to purple belt on 11 March 2001 together with two of his own students, to brown belt on 11 January 2003, and presented him with his black belt in January 2005 at the Winter Wars tournament in Dallas.
Where in the source: Training history, Carlos Machado paragraph, purple, brown and black belt dates — "Winter Wars"
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Solis's academy biography listed his styles as Arnis de Mano, Jeet Kune Do Concepts, Dog Brother Martial Arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, and named Ron Balicki as his teacher in Jeet Kune Do Concepts.
Where in the source: Profile table (Martial Art Styles row) and last training paragraph on Jeet Kune Do Concepts
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Solis Martial Arts Academy, "Instructors", solismartialarts.com, archived by the Internet Archive on 8 April 2009.(opens in a new tab)
SMAA instructor Robert Soliz wrote that he met Solis at a 1995 Dan Inosanto seminar, became his private student in Filipino martial arts, was promoted by Solis to Isa Guro in Arnis de Mano in 2003, and received his BJJ black belt from Carlos Machado and Alvis Solis on 21 April 2006.
Where in the source: Robert Soliz, Instructor, second and third paragraphs — "April 21, 2006"
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In 2009 the academy's instructor page listed Robert Soliz, Siggi Schoen and Anthony Bernabeo as black-belt instructors under head instructor Solis, with Schoen described as a black belt under Carlos Machado and Alvis Solis who had joined SMAA in 1997 and worked in its children's program.
Where in the source: Instructor list at top, and Siggi Schoen, Instructor, second and third paragraphs — "BLACK belt"
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TXMMA.com, "Interview – New Alvis Solis Black Belt Spenser Gilliam on his BJJ Journey and Earning his Faixa Preta", dated Houston, January 13, 2012.(opens in a new tab)
Spenser Gilliam, who received his black belt in early 2012, said he began training with Alvis Solis in October 2004 at the age of 16, after a classmate at Kingwood High School, which had no wrestling team, told him about Solis Martial Arts Academy.
Where in the source: Interview, first two answers — "October of 2004"
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Gilliam named Solis as the person who had helped him most, saying Solis had taught him everything he knew about jiu-jitsu, and recalled that as a beginner he could do nothing against the academy's senior students Robert Soliz and Anthony Bernabeo.
Where in the source: Interview, answers on staying motivated and on who helped most — "everything I know"
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Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association, "DBMA Instructors, Schools, Training Groups, & Tribe Members", dogbrothers.com.(opens in a new tab)
The Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association lists Alvis Solis, "Hound Dog", among the members of the Dog Brothers tribe; the same page lists Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny and Eric "Top Dog" Knaus among the Original Dog Brothers.
Where in the source: Section "The Tribe", list "Dog Brothers" — "Alvis Solis – Hound Dog"; list "Original Dog Brothers"
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TXMMA.com, "2012 Texas Open Results, Recap, Photos, and a Ton of Match Video", November 26, 2012.(opens in a new tab)
Solis Martial Arts won the team standings at the Fight to Win / World Grappling Circuit Texas Open in Spring, Texas, on 17 November 2012, ahead of Gracie Barra and BJJ Revolution; TXMMA reported it was the team's second Fight to Win / World Grappling Circuit tournament title of the year, after the Austin Open.
Where in the source: Section "2012 Texas Open Team Results", places 1-5 — "1st Place – Solis Martial Arts"
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Solis Martial Arts Academy, "Instructors" (bio.htm), solismartialarts.com, archived by the Internet Archive on 5 December 2004.(opens in a new tab)
SMAA instructor Kevin Purtee wrote that when he met Solis in 1997, Solis described his school as focused on the practical use of weapons, stand-up and grappling skills, and signed him up after showing him a video of a Dog Brothers gathering.
Where in the source: Kevin Purtee, Instructor, second and third paragraphs — "practical application"
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Purtee wrote that Solis promoted him to Isang Guro, first-degree black belt in Solis's Filipino martial arts curriculum, in October 2001, making him one of three black belts under Solis at that time.
Where in the source: Kevin Purtee, Instructor, fifth paragraph — "Isang Guro"
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2001", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2001 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (Machado Dallas) is listed first in the Master 2 purple belt heavy division and third in the Master 2 purple belt open class.
Where in the source: Division headings "Master 2 / Purple / Male / Heavy" (place 1) and "Master 2 / Purple / Male / Open Class" (place 3)
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2002", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2002 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (Machado JJ) is listed third in the Master 2 purple belt medium-heavy division, behind Brad Adams and Peter Blackwell.
Where in the source: Division heading "Master 2 / Purple / Male / Medium Heavy", place 3
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2003", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2003 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (Machado JJ) is listed first in both the Master 2 brown belt medium-heavy division and the Master 2 brown belt open class.
Where in the source: Division headings "Master 2 / Brown / Male / Medium Heavy" and "Master 2 / Brown / Male / Open Class", place 1 in each
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2004", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2004 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (Machado JJ) is listed third in the Master 1 brown belt medium-heavy division.
Where in the source: Division heading "Master 1 / Brown / Male / Medium Heavy", place 3
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2005", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2005 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (Machado Dallas) is listed third in the Master 2 black belt heavy division.
Where in the source: Division heading "Master 2 / Black / Male / Heavy", place 3
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2006", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2006 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis, now entered under Solis Martial Arts, is listed third in the Master 2 black belt heavy division.
Where in the source: Division heading "Master 2 / Black / Male / Heavy", place 3
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2008", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2008 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (Solis Martial Arts) is listed third in the Master 3 black belt heavy division.
Where in the source: Division heading "Master 3 / Black / Male / Heavy", place 3
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IBJJF, "Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2009", official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2009 IBJJF Pan championship, Alvis Solis (entered as RCJ Machado) is listed third in the Master 3 black belt medium-heavy division.
Where in the source: Division heading "Master 3 / Black / Male / Medium Heavy", place 3
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Alvis Solis, "Why??", 50 by 50: A Personal Challenge (50by50blog.com), February 17, 2010, archived by the Internet Archive on 11 October 2010.(opens in a new tab)
In February 2010, aged 46, Solis started his 50 by 50 blog to chronicle a goal of competing in 50 tournaments by the time he turned 50 in 2014, writing that after years focused on his students and school he wanted a personal challenge and the competitive feeling he had missed since college.
Where in the source: Blog header — "TURN 50 IN 2014"; post "Why??" of February 17, 2010, first and third paragraphs
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Solis wrote that his track career ended when he was injured three days before a national championship and lost his scholarship, and that he searched a long time for something to replace track before finding martial arts, which he then chose as his career.
Where in the source: Post "Why??", second and third paragraphs — "3 days before Nationals"
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The blog's running tally in October 2010 listed seven events since March 2010, among them the Pan championship in Irvine, California, several Houston-area and Austin tournaments where he recorded golds, silvers and bronzes, and a superfight at the Battle of H-Town that he recorded as a loss to Jeff Messina.
Where in the source: Sidebar "COUNTING DOWN", items 1-7 — "Jeff Messina"
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Alvis Solis, "Why I Pull Guard", 50 by 50: A Personal Challenge (50by50blog.com), March 31, 2010, archived by the Internet Archive on 11 October 2010.(opens in a new tab)
Solis wrote that a serious concussion he suffered while teaching private lessons in November 1998, and its aftermath, forced him to change how he taught: he could no longer spar with students in boxing, kickboxing or stick fighting, and jiu-jitsu became the art he could still teach fully and compete in, which is why in jiu-jitsu he pulled guard about 95 percent of the time, to reach the ground safely.
Where in the source: Post "Why I Pull Guard", March 31, 2010, third and fourth paragraphs — "readjust the whole way"
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Solis wrote that at the 2006 masters and seniors international tournament in Brazil he pulled half guard against Megaton Dias in the open division and lost, and described Dias as a black belt he had long admired; the blog sidebar also advertised a half-guard instructional DVD featuring Solis with more than 25 techniques.
Where in the source: Post "Why I Pull Guard", paragraph under the photo — "half guard"; sidebar — "1/2 GUARD DVD"
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