Childrens Self Defense Workshop at St Augustine School was a Lot of Fun!

Coaches Rodeo, Devastator, Oz, Cathy, and Danny

Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was asked by St Augustine School in Elkridge, MD to come in and run a Kids Self Defense Workshop for the day.  Each gym class was divided into three groups and the children were taught some basic Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, and Wrestling in the context of defending themselves.  Due to the effectiveness of the techniques taught, the instructors emphasized the importance of using these moves only when absolutely necessary. It was amazing to see how quickly the children were able to learn and perform the techniques shown.

Kids Team Kicks Butt at NAGA World Championships

On Sunday April 11, we took 11 kids to NJ for the NAGA World Championships. This is the largest group of kids we have taken to a competition. With 11 competitors bringing home 15 medals, we definitely proved that the Crazy 88 Kids Martial Arts team was there to win and make it happen.

Majene Boyer placed 2nd in beginner gi and no-gi. She fought a third match in the expert division and though she didn’t pull out a victory in that match, she definitely did an excellent job. Majene has some excellent take-down defense, take-downs and submission ability, not to mention pure love of the sport. Majene is hungry for gold and we expect her to bring it home in her next tournament.

Shawn Suser‘s drive and ground game pushed him through the intermediate gi and no-gi divisions and led him to 1st place finishes in both divisions. He won with a combination of points and submissions. His most notable moment was an arm lock from the guard in no-gi with 40 secs. left in the finals. Shawn will be moving up to the advanced divisions with only one year of training, and he definitely has proven that he is ready for the challenge.

Brendan Bill moved up to the advanced division and did well against his opponents. He was paired up against some tough kids. This was an excellent learning experience for him and we look for him to bring home gold in his next tournament.

Seth Fillers had some tough matches and put on possibly one of his best performances. He brought home 3rd in no-gi and 2nd in gi in the advanced divisions. Seth finished all of his winning matches by dominating in points with the exception of one match where he took his opponent’s back and sunk in a standing rear naked choke and finished once he and his opponent hit the floor. He also hit a text-book standing cement mixer.

Tony Kosack was pumped and ready to go for his first tournament. He definitely made it clear that he was there to win, by taking 1st place in no-gi and 3rd place in gi beginner divisions. He won multiple matches by using good solid take-downs and pressure guard passing.

Lil’ Anthony was competing in novice (no submissions). His division much like Mason’s was one of the largest, with about 25 competitors. He was on top of his game and proved he is ready to compete. Lil’ Anthony ended up bringing home a 2nd place finish in no-gi and a 1st place finish in gi. Solid take-down defense and excellent guard passing combined with great ability to hold position while in mount led him to victory.

Kai “Jersey Shore” Atanasoff had some very tough matches. He fought in the intermediate division in his weight class and did an excellent job. Jersey Shore is ready to get back in the gym and start training and bring back gold medals in his next tournament.

Ethan Ho had an excellent showing in NJ. He pulled out some nice victories. He finished two of his matches 2nd in both beginner divisions. Ethan had an overall excellent showing from take-downs, take-down defense, as well as, taking his opponent’s back in multiple matches.

Amanda Kosack had a great first tournament. She showed phenomenal take-down defense, despite being in the wrong division. She finished 4th in no-gi and 2nd in gi in the novice (no submissions) division. We look forward to taking her back for her 2nd tournament.

Fard Muhammad faced some very tough opponents in the intermediate divisions. His opponents were able to avoid his outstanding sweeps. Fard is one of our most technically advanced fighters in the kids’ classes and we look forward to his next tournament where he will have the opportunity to show off his skills.

Mason Hollis competed in one of the largest divisiions at the tournament, with about 25 competitors. He brought his A-game and was on top most of the day. Mason brought home a silver medal finishing 2nd in no-gi, and 1st in gi. He displayed arm drags to double-leg take downs then taking his opponents back.

Congratulations to all the Kids and Parents who held down the fort on the East Coast while the Adult Competition Team took care of business on the West Coast.  Special thanks to Amanda Fillers for the write-up.

Make sure to check out the Crazy 88 BJJ Fanpage for the latest videos from the Pan Ams!

2010 Pan Kids Jiu Jitsu Championships by Brian Neal

Greetings from Carson California! Today is the day that we’ve been waiting for;  the 2010 Pan Kids BJJ Tournament. We brought Seth and Brendon from Crazy 88 Baltimore.

First up was Seth Fillers, he had a five person bracket, so we needed two wins to take home gold. His opponent was from Coachella Valley.  The match started with Seth using what we’ve been teaching all month, he got his grips, snapped his opponent down and when he reacted up Seth shot in for the double leg…two point lead!  The next two minutes of the match was Seth trying to pass and his opponent trying for arm bars over and over. Seth was able to use the arm bar defense that Coach Danny has showed in the past and stepped over the head. Seth actually almost passed twice but the kid was taller than Seth and was able to return Seth to his guard. Seth tried the Coach Rodeo pass that we’ve been working on all month and let his arm slip up a little bit and the yellow belt was able to lock in the fight ending arm bar. While I admire Seth’s desire to continue fighting, as he didn’t tap to the submission attempt, the referee decided to halt the match with about a minute and a half remaining in the contest.

Next up was Brendan “Spike” Bill. Brendan’s bracket was a little larger than Seth’s with a total of eight competitors. This time we would need three wins to take gold. Spikes first opponent was from MMA LAB. The match started with both kids trying to get their grips. Spike and his opponent were engaged in a strong gripping battle; both kids showed great wrestling skills and attempted to take each other down with limited success. Spike shot in for a sweep single leg, his opponent was able to sprawl out, and Spike was forced to try and pull guard but was only able to get back to half guard. Spike was able to sweep his opponent quickly from his half guard using the half guard sweep. Spike fought the rest of the match on top with some great battles trying to pass his guard.  With about 6 seconds left in the match, spikes opponent starting crying from an apparent knee to the place you never want knees to go. The ref stopped the match to ensure that he was ok and allowed the match to continue even though it states in the rules that if a match is stopped for crying  that the match is over. Also, when they were restarted, they restarted back on the feet instead of with Spike on top passing. The ref restarts the match, the kid shoots in and takes spike down to win the match 2-2 2-1. Spike opponent was able to acquire his two advantages via close back takes while Spike was trying to pass.

While it’s not the ending that we had planned for, it’s a good experience for both the coaches and the kids. We picked up a lot of good information and are going to start putting it into the Childrens Martial Arts classes as soon as we get back!!

Seth Competes at the PGC as Warm-Up for Kids Pan Jiu Jitsu Championships

With the Kids Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships coming up next weekend, the Fillers family drove to the Philadelphia Grappling Championships in order to get Seth some more experience. Seth is one of our first students at our Baltimore Kids Mixed Martial Arts program and is one of our top Kids competitors.

At the tournament, Seth had three matches, winning two (video below).  Seth used his solid takedowns and defense from on top to get the victories.

Due to the smaller size of the competition, the children’s weight classes were a bit more spread than usual so Seth also had a chance to wrestle a 110+ lb’er.  Even though Seth did not win that one, it turned out to be good experience for future Adult Open divisions!  Next week, Seth and Brendan “Spike-a-Doodle” will fly to Los Angeles for the first Kids Pan Ams so make sure you keep an eye on the site to keep up to date with the results!

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Results: Baltimore BJJ Championships by The Good Fight

Today we sent a few of our Adult Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Columbia Childrens Martial Arts competitors to the local Baltimore grappling tournament run by The Good Fight.  It has been a while since a promoter tried to run a grappling-only competition in the Baltimore area (actually, I don’t know if one has ever tried) but it would certainly be convenient if the tournaments become profitable enough for promoters to consistently run tournaments here.

Seth Fillers, and his sister, Vanessa Fillers, started the day off for Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Seth is one of our best kid grapplers and it showed as he mounted and armbarred his two opponents to take Gold in No Gi and followed it with an Americana and Rear Naked Choke for Gold in Gi.  Today was Vanessa’s first tournament and she fought great but the staff at the event messed up; they allowed Vanessa’s opponent to do submissions and he caught her in an armbar to end the bout – BUT- Vanessa was competing in the Beginner No-Submissions division.  Hopefully the staff at The Good Fight can be more aware of this kind of oversight in the future!

Jon “Devastator” Delbrugge had 4 matches total – all by submission to win Gold in his Purple Belt weight class and Purple Belt Open.

Matthew “Little” Burr won his matches 13-0, DQ (9-0 for Burr before slam), and 11-0 to win his division!

Jermaine “Big Burr” Mathis had two submissions and a points victory for his weight class championship.  He then went on to win the White Belt Open.

Clarence Melton and Kwami Mensah each won a match to close out their division.

“Rodeo” Brian Neal won Gold!  His first match was 14-0, not sure on 2nd.

Lawyer Dave scored 9 points on his first opponent before tapping him with a breadcutter choke and then trounced his finals opponent 12-2.

** = Split division with teammate; no losses

CopaNOVA BJJ Tournament Results – Team Lloyd Irvin Dominates

Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu exploded into 2010 with the competition team being divided and sent to two tournaments. The Northbound squad headed to the OTM Northeast Regional Championship in the Philadelphia area while the Southbound squad drove to the Copa Nova competition to combine forces with Team Lloyd Irvin Camp Springs.

** = Split division w/ teammate
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Results posted as they come in.

Wade “Gracie Barra” Laurent went 4-0 with no points scored against him this weekend.  He bowed out to Big Al in the semis of the Open and split 3rd with Hernan, after taking Gold in his weight class.

Frank Marinello won his blue belt debut with bow-and-arrow choke after an 8-0 lead.

Cathy Tran-Zwanetz won her match in typical Cathy style, passing the guard, mounting, and finishing with an ezekielle choke.

Crazy 88 continues to be the most productive martial arts school in the Baltimore area, producing successful competitor after successful competitor.  It is great to see all the hard work pay off and the results were amazing since many core competition team members were resting or preparing for the European Open!  Let’s keep up the pace and have a record-breaking 2010!

Copa NoVA Competition Team

Children’s Martial Arts Results – Copa Nova BJJ Championships

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Another strong tournament for our Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team. This time we sent a few of our veterans along with one or two first-timers but still got great results. If you live in Howard County and are looking for a top-tier childrens martial arts program in Columbia, MD, please give us a call.

Coach Jon with 2X Gold Medalist Mason Hollis

Shawn and Sean... Crazy 88 Competitors

Dylan gives the Thousand Yard Stare

Brendan Bill was Back on Point for the Copa Nova

Happy Holidays from Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

Happy Holidays from everyone here at Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

Please enjoy the time with your families and friends.  Eat, drink, and be merry because come January we are going right back into the swing of things with a local tournament on the 9th as well as the IBJJF European Open in Lisbon, Portugal.

Remember, the schedule can be found at our main website by clicking Crazy 88 JiuJitsu Class Schedule.

The uninterrupted Adult Training schedule will resume SUNDAY, January 3rd.

Children’s Martial Arts classes restart the following day, MONDAY, January 4th.

Please note that the school is not closed.  In fact, we have been having some good Open Mat training sessions with Roberto Torralbas and Fred Ramie back in town.   Check the schedule above for the times.

Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Closes-Out 2009 (and the Ruth’s Chris Banquet Hall) in Style

“Steaks, Suits, & Champagne” was the theme last night as Crazy 88’s annual Holiday Regalia at Ruth’s Chris Baltimore. Who knew that fighters could be such ladies and gentleman? All joking aside, the night was a complete success from beginning to end, and each and every one of you deserves many thanks.

A Respectable Gathering of Ladies and Gentlemen!

Congratulations are in order to all of our annual award recipients. Keith “Trainspotting” Cebula, for the second time in three years takes the award for Most Improved. In 2009 Keith took his game from “good to great” and won a staggering three International Medals for the school. Rookie of The Year was awarded to none other than Al “Big Al” Washington. Big Al is a true inspiration to all. Despite a severe break to his leg in late 2009, Big Al still happily fought in almost every BJJ tournament available, had multiple Muy Thai matches, and even prevailed in his first MMA smoker fight. The award for Competitor Of The Year went to a humble and much deserving Jon “Devastator” Delbrugge. Jon went from blue-belt to purple-belt in 2009, and has since traveled the globe sweeping his competition. Jon spends day and night at the academy acting as a coach and role model to all. Lastly, Jason Smith was given the coveted Student Of The Year award. Jason is a proud father of six and credited most of his success and impeccable work ethic to his wonderful children and his supporting wife, of over twenty-years, Sarah.

Crazy 88 had a lot to be thankful for this year, which was evident as toasts, hugs, and laughs filled the Ruth’s Chris ballroom. Adult membership doubled in size in 2009, and the academy itself has gone from “warehouse to penthouse,” with the addition of three thousand extra square feet, a cage, and a completely revamped reception and waiting area. The children’s program grew from six students to a whopping seventy-five students. The white-belts won thirty-five gold medals and the upper-belts took home thirty-seven gold medals, seven of which were coveted international titles.

The strides that Crazy 88 has made since its inception in 2005 are simply astounding. Crazy 88 is much more than a Jiu Jitsu & Muay Thai team – Crazy 88 is a family. As the night was coming to an end and the last stragglers were leaving the ballroom, I was approached by the Manager of Ruth’s Chris. He said, “I had no idea that a sport could affect and touch the lives of so many people in such an emotional way.” I simply could not have said it better myself. Each and every student has a different story relating to why they started and how their training has affected their lives. One thing remains constant, however – Jiu Jitsu & Muay Thai improve upon daily life.

Sincere thanks go out to each and every student and supporter of Crazy 88 for helping to create an environment for all of us to thrive. Special thanks go out to Julius Park for being the mastermind behind all that goes on at Crazy 88, to Rodeo Brian Neal for putting together a spectacular slide-show, and to Ms. Cathy Tran-Zwanez for her hard work to make the holiday banquet and Crazy 88 truly special.

Things Begin to Deteriorate...

*The more incriminating pictures should be available on the Crazy 88 BJJ Facebook Page.

The blizzard was very fortuitously timed for all Crazy 88 staff!

Emergency Room Physicians Attend MMA Seminar

Dr. Veronica Deza & Jon Delbrugge at the MMA Safety Presentation

Dr. Veronica Deza invited the instructors of Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu up to Franklin Medical Hospital to speak on some of the medical issues involved with Mixed Martial Arts training. With the popularity of MMA increasing and the explosion of “MMA schools” trying to cash in on the trend, doctors will unfortunately be seeing a lot more injuries from MMA training. It is commendable that they are attending these presentations as to better understand the mechanics of the sport.

Dr. Deza is the mother of Aiden and Madeline who are both involved in our Childrens Martial Arts Program and is actively involved herself in the Womens Only Kickboxing.