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?

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!

No Gi Grappling – Avellan Brothers Style

Crazy 88 BJJ was happy to bring Marcos and David Avellan to Baltimore for a three-hour No-Gi Grappling Seminar.  Marcos and David bring impeccable No Gi credentials to the mat including a recent Bronze medal at the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championship by David where he defeated Rafael Lovato (Gracie Humaita), Tarsis Humphries (Alliance), and “Cyborg” Abreu (BJJ Revolution) among others.

The session was very fast-paced due to the high technical level of the attending students and they were able to cover their favorite takedowns along with their home-grown guard passing style.  We will be posting video clips from this seminar so make sure you “LIKE” our Baltimore Martial Arts fanpage.

If you are a Martial Arts School Owner and are interested in hosting the Avellan brothers for a seminar, I would highly recommend it.  You can reach them at Marcos’ fanpage here…

US Grappling NC State Championships Results

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Phil Thorn rematerialized in North Carolina for the US Grappling event held in Morrisville.  Phil went undefeated for the day, winning three Gold medals including the Open division 1st-place medals for the Intermediate No-Gi and and Blue Belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  In the Blue Belt weight class, there were no other Ultra Heavyweights so Phil was unable to get four!

It was a dominating victory.  Phil was unscored upon and won via Rear Naked Choke, 2 Armbars (1 from top, 1 from guard), and 7-0 in the No-Gi divisions.  His Gi opponents were also unable to score on him as he won there by Bread cutter choke, 5-0, 3-0, and 2-0 in the finals.  He exhibited good takedowns, taking all his opponents down that did not pull guard immediately, as well as a variety of different submission holds.  Eight wins to no losses – Not a bad day’s work!

Great job Big Phil!
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PS – We put up new SpyCam video of our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes so make sure you check it out!