Baltimore MMA News

Baltimore Aquarium – First Destination for Kids Summer Program

The Kids Summer Program participants took their first field trip today – this one to the Baltimore National Aquarium.  We were able to park the school van relatively easily and get into the facility no problem.  The dolphin show and big stingray pit were the big hit attractions and, surprisingly, the kids just blew past the shark portion of the trip.  We also had a Crazy 88 student Scott Heindl, an employee of the aquarium, go out of his way and feed some of the animals for the kids.

Mendes Bros No-Gi Grappling Seminar

Today was the No-Gi Submission Grappling Seminar with Rafael and Guilherme Mendes. Rafael is the 2009 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Champion in the under-65 kg category. At that event, Rafael defeated two legends – Leozinho Viera and Rubens Charles aka Cobrinha. The seminar was packed again, with both Team Lloyd Irvin students and visitors who were interested in learning from the BEST (there were grapplers who drove all the way from Florida for this seminar). Everyone learned a lot – especially an important point about passing on the knees and on the toes in gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu vs. no-gi! Can you figure out which passing style goes with which type of grappling?

Rafael Mendes & Guilherme Mendes BJJ Seminar was PACKED!

It was a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu overload this Saturday in Camp Springs, Maryland where Team Lloyd Irvin hosted Rafael and Guilherme Mendes for the first day of a two-day Jiu-Jitsu extravaganza. The brothers have actually been here since Monday, training with the team 3x a day, but today would be the start of the “official” seminar.

Rafael and Guilherme are two “prodigies” of BJJ and grappling (I use quotes because they have strong beliefs regarding talent and training).  Both are World Champions at the Black Belt level.  Guilherme is the 2nd person in history to win the Worlds at every belt in consecutive years and Rafael also holds a Gold medal from the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships.

The mats were filled with enthusiastic students – some from Texas, some from New York, and even some from Florida!   As a coach, I am excited to begin implementing some of the new drills, positions, and philosophies that we picked up over the course of the week.

2010 Diamond State Games Results

** = split division with teammate.
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We had a few Crazy 88 BJJ rookie competitors head up to US Grappling’s Diamond State Games.  The event had both Gi and No Gi divisions.  Travis Outten was the star of the show, winning his White Belt division and taking 2nd in the Absolute despite being a lightweight.  Great job guys.

Evan Gideon Promoted to Purple Belt

Evan Gideon Beaten Without Gi

Evan “Oz” Gideon became the 7th Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt tonight.  Evan has been one of our most consistent competitors, winning Gold at the 2010 BJJ World Championships and taking Silver in the Open Division at the same tournament.   He is also tied with the legendary “Hawaiian Punch” in coach-aggravation ability.

Evan had this to say about his promotion, “I just want everyone to know that I am extremely thankful for all their help and patience with me.  And I’m going to train hard everyday to live up to Team Lloyd Irvin and Crazy 88′s expectations.”

Ouch!

Mike Atkin, Evan Gideon, Jon Delbrugge, David Zwanetz

Results – 2010 Grapplers Quest U.S. National Championships

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Great job by the Crazy 88 Childrens BJJ team at the GQ US Nationals event in Morristown, NJ.  The team consisted mostly of competition veterans but we did have Chis Tran and Andre Shiller compete for the very first time (and do awesome)!  Also, of special note is Brendan “Spike-a-Doodle” Bill, Seth Fillers, and Shawn Suser taking the plunge into the Advanced division.

Champions On and Off the Mat!

Rodeo Takes Time Off Coaching to Work on His Upcoming Novel

All the Team Lloyd Irvin Kids Together

NAGA VA Beach Results – Jon Wins No Gi Advanced Open

Crazy 88 BJJ Team at NAGA VA Beach

** = split division with teammate.
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Nathan Allen Took 3rd in His First Tournament!

Josh Almost Went into Cardiac Arrest from Nervousness but Still Won Gold!

Our Up-and-Coming Womens Team!

Lakita Wins the Blue Belt Division as a White Belt!

Big "Sal" with the Man Who Named Him, Kurt Ratcliffe - Lots of Gold b/w the Two of Them!

Devastator Wins Purple Belt Gold and Advanced No-Gi Open Belt

Kids Grapplers Quest Write Up by Brian Neal

Three of Crazy 88′s Kids Martial Arts Coaches accompanied the kids team to Grapplers Quest US National Championships in Morristown NJ. Coach Danny, Coach Tim and Coach Rodeo met up with parents and kids at Crazy 88 at 5am to make the trip north.

We had two first time competitors going this weekend, Chris Tran and Andre Shiller.

First up was Chris Tran and he got right to business. His first match was the longest match of the day. Chris worked early for the takedown,for his efforts he got caught in an anaconda choke but was able to fight through it and secure side mount. Chris applied all his knowledge that he’s learned in his time training and quickly moved to mount and then back mount. His opponent was able to reverse the position but Chris quickly transitioned to a fight ending triangle choke! Chris’s next two matches followed the same script, his second match Chris’s foe tried to pull guard but Chris did a good job in controlling the knee and setting up the knee cut. This time he finished his opponent with a kimura from cross body. Big congrats to Chris for his double gold performance!!

Madeline Donnelly

With no one in her division, Madeline was awarded a gold medal and offered to either; move up to the advanced division or; bump a weight class. After the coaches talked and talked to Madeline we decided to make the weight class jump. Despite being outweighed by more than 20+ pounds Madeline fought like a champ. She took her opponents back twice but the weight difference was too much to overcome and Madeline ended up losing on points…great effort!! In gi, Madeline was looking to redeem herself and she did in a big way!! She dominated her opponent standing and on the ground enroute to a 30-0 win!! It looked more like the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Baltimore Ravens than a Jiu Jitsu match!! Double gold for Madeline!!

Shawn Suser

This was Shawn’s first try at the Advanced Division and he got a firsthand look into why it’s a difficult division to win. Shawn fought hard all day and was able to use some of the techniques he’s learned in the Juniors classes and was able to find areas that needs work. Like a true Crazy 88 kids competitor, you will see him back in class working to improve on his two 4th place finishes!

Andre Shiller

This was Andres’ first competition and didn’t disappoint! For the day Andre went 1-2 but gained a lot of experience and knowledge for future tournaments. His first match was hard fought and he showed the skills that he’s been working on in the Black Belt Club. His guard opening was spot on! In the end Andre lost a tough battle on points. His second match was against his own teammate Tyler Neal. It was an epic battle, both had takedowns and sweeps with Andre coming out on top of this slobber knocker 11-9! His last match of the day had him squaring off against another Team Lloyd Irvin competitor; even without the coaching , Andre stuck to his game plan but fell short on points again but learning valuable lessons to take back to the training room! Andre finished the day with 1 Silver and 1 bronze…not bad for first time out!

Vanessa Fillers

This was Vanessa’s fist dip back into the competition scene since the mix up at the Baltimore BJJ championships earlier this year. In her first match Vanessa was able to jump guard and defend the pass very well. She displayed very good guard control, but at the end of the day she lost two tough matches but was able to finish with 1 bronze medal!

Tyler Neal

Tyler’s first match in no-gi went like the last few have gone. Tyler shot in for a double leg takedown perfectly but landed in closed guard and left his neck out a little too far and found himself locked in a tight guillotine. Tyler tried to fight it and escape but was forced to tap. His second match was the slobber knocker against teammate Andre Shiller (see his highlights). In Tyler’s only gi match he fought hard again and what could only be described by Coach Danny as “the best osto gari” of the tournament but again wound up on the losing end of a points decision. Tyler ended the day with a 4th place finish in no gi and a bronze medal in gi!

Mason Hollis

Mason has been on the medal stand before and this one was no different. In Mason’s no-gi match he had to face a much bigger kid. Mason tried to shoot for the takedown but was stuffed by the larger kid. After an intense struggle Mason’s opponent was able to lock in a fight ending anaconda choke. Mason’s second match was with the gi on this time, and all the hard work on grip fighting paid off. Mason was able to dominate the grips and force the takedown. Once is was on the ground it was a matter of time before Mason got the armbar and won via submission. Two Silver medals for Mason!!

Brendan “Spike” Bill

Spike was another one of our kids that took the dive into the advanced division, and he let them know he was there by winning a bronze medal! His first no-gi match was a tough 9-0 loss but is closed guard is showing marked improvement! Spike’s second match went more according to plan. The kid shot in for a takedown and landed in Spike’s closed guard. Spike was able to secure his opponent in a guillotine choke after breaking his posture. It was only a matter of time until he got the tap. Spikes final match in gi was tough. His opponent was very aggressive. Spike spent the entire match in trying to get back to closed guard from cross body. In the end Spike drew the short straw in a points loss. Great job though….bronze in both no-gi and gi!!

Seth Fillers

Just like Spike and Shawn, this was Seth’s first try at the advanced division. Seth went 1-1 in no gi. Losing his first match by points but was able to rebound in his second match to take the bronze! In gi, it was much of the same, in his first match Seth handled his opponent with relative ease winning 10-2. His second match in gi was a points loss to his teammate from Camp Springs, Romeo. Two bronze medals for his effort!

Crazy 88 Purple Belt Count Gets to 6

New Purple Belt David Z with World Silver Medalist, Brad Pearson, and 2X PanAm Bronze Medalist, Jon Delbrugge

David Zwanetz AKA “Lawyer Dave” was promoted to BJJ Purple Belt tonight.  Dave has been an integral part of the team since November 2007.  Since that time, he has coached the White Belt Competition Team, convinced his wife Cathy to begin training, and just recently took Silver at the 2010 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships.  Despite working full-time as a Howard County attorney, Dave trains 5-6 days a week without fail.  Crazy 88 has only promoted 5 Purple Belts in it’s history – Roberto Torralbas, Amie Turton, Mike Atkin, Malcolm Vaughan, Jon Delbrugge – and now the school is happy to have another join this elite group. 

Congratulations to David Zwanetz!

2010 BJJ Worlds Results – Day 3 – Juvenile Team Takes 1st

Great job today by the Juvenile Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team and Tracey Goodell.  Tracey ended up winning another Gold, this time in the Purple Belt Open.  Tracey was only promoted two weeks ago which drives critics crazy as they can not decide if we are sandbagging (forcing our competitors to fight in divisions below their skill level) or destroying the standards (by promoting our competitors too quickly) LOL!

JT “Spiderman” Torres and Mike Fowler were also up today for the pre-quarterfinal rounds of the Black Belt divisions.  JT submitted both his opponents with chokes from the back and will face Gilbert “Durinho” Burns tomorrow in a rematch of the Brasileiro finals.  Mike Fowler defeated Adriano Silva before losing on points to Abu Dhabi Pro Gold Medalist, Claudio Calazans.

Check out the team results below…

• Tracey Goodell: GOLD @ Purple Female Open
• Shane Hill-Taylor: SILVER @ Blue Juvenile Rooster
• Cedric Bryant: BRONZE @ Blue Juvenile Light Feather
• Jacob “Bro” Huffman” BRONZE @ Blue Juvenile Middle
• Krystal Allen: GOLD @ Blue Juvenile Female Light Feather
• AaRae Alexander: GOLD @ Blue Juvenile Female Middle, GOLD @ Blue Juvenile Female Open
• Kiana Washington: GOLD @ Blue Juvenile Female Medium Heavy, SILVER @ Blue Juvenile Female Open

If you are looking to become involved with the Worlds Best Kids Martial Arts program or the United States Best Womens Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Program, you need to check out Team Lloyd Irvin NOW!