It was a fun year of training, competition and growth!
Well 2008 is rapidly coming to a close. As this year's competition season wains for the holidays (Clebber Luciano is hosting a tournament this weekend and Millenia Jiu Jitsu will host the Turkey Tap in Nov) I am looking forward to an exciting 2009 next year.
This year was fun and rewarding for me. To date I have accumulated two second place finishes and two championships. Here's how my year broke down in Male, Masters/Seniors, Middle Weight, Blue Belt competition:
Pan Ams - DQ on an ankle lock
World Championships - First round loss by submission
Clebber Luciano's Copa Pacifica - Second Place
OTM US Open of Grappling - First Place
American National - Second Place
California Classic - First Place
As a baby blue belt this year has been one I will remember well. We saw the relocation of our studio to yet another larger facility and the aligning of our three sister schools under one banner; Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu, Owner/Chief Instructor John Kvenbo Munoz. We also witnessed our first ever overall team championship. Congratulations to school owners, John Munoz, Anthony Del Valle and Jake Behney. Very nice work guys.
Our team has had continued success in the cage (King of the Cage and others). Our MMA guys are racking up victories on every outing. To date we have only suffered one loss in three years of fighting. We have more fights coming up in Dec for Neil Chaos Cooke, Sean Strickland, Dave Cryer and others (http://bjjtraining.com/fight_team.htm, for more info).
As always I am simply thankful to have been healthy throughout this year and been given the opportunity to train, compete with and observe some of the greatest athletes in the world. My love and admiration for BJJ grows with each passing month. I am thankful to have been influenced by so many in this sport.
One tremendous goal I achieved this year was winning a Gold Medal in my weight class. The OTM US Open (Long Beach, CA) was the place where it happened and I am happy to have achieved this personal goal. Now it's on to a Pan Ams medal and then a World Championship medal. Well that's the goal anyway.
I have also had the opportunity to influence my first student. As you may have read on my blog very recently Kevyn Meredith won two of his first ever Pankration fights by triangle submission. He brought home a bronze medal and had less than a month of training in BJJ. I look forward to working with Kevyn as he grows in this art and in competition. Watch for him on the mat and on my blog. I'll chronicle his endeavors here and on my YouTube channel "BJJTalk".
I'm looking forward to my third year of competition and another chance to bring home a Pan Am and World Championship medal. I should note at 39 it's a great challenge and very exciting for me to compete in the World Championships as an adult. It's my favorite tournament and I look forward to the challenge once again.
Thanks to the guys I have met this year and to the fantastic teams that prepare them for competition, without you guys and your hard work we would not have this fantastic sport to enjoy. I am proud to be a part of your competitive experience.
To anyone reading this post who has thought about getting into submission grappling or competing for the first time or perhaps you have thought about getting back in touch with your Free Style roots. Go for it! Put down the remote, get off the computer and go visit a gym or two and get signed up and begin your journey in BJJ. You will feel better, get thinner, learn more about you and perhaps even find a champion within yourself. All it takes is the first step to get you started, so write down a goal and get started now!
www.bjjtraining.com is where I call home and we are always happy to have guests or new faces come check us out. You will be glad you did!
Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Kenneth Knapp
Blue Belt - two stripes
John Kvenbo Munoz, Black Belt 2nd Degree
under Joe Moreira
Black Belt, Children's Instructor
Kung Fu San Soo
Master Kurt Bellman
www.kungfusansooriverside.com
www.sansookids.com
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
My first coahcing experience is a success!
A couple weeks ago one of the guys I train with, Kevyn Meredith stated he was going to compete in the upcoming 2008 Pankration National Championships, title holders take home belts just like a cage fight.
Now this would not be odd but Kevyn trains in Kung fu San Soo, basically a very aggressive street fighting martial art. It's not BJJ or MMA and most of his nervous system strikes are out side the rules. He is a neophyte in BJJ, so I figured it was going to be a quick tournament experience for him.
Boy!!! Was I wrong!!!!
Here's the story and his final match that ended in 30 seconds by Triangle choke:
This past weekend I witnessed what heart, focus and a simple high percentage plan can do for the right competitor. As you may not be aware I teach Kung Fu San Soo to children weekly (www.kungfusansooriverside.com). One of my fellow adult instructors is a very young black belt named Kevyn Meredith (age 19). Now Kevyn knows his way around a fight in the street but he knows little to nothing about BJJ and MMA. In fact he has received less than 30 days training in BJJ informally. So when he came to me and stated he was competing in the Pankration National Championships this past Sunday at 185's I thought he was crazy as a loon. But I told him I would teach him what I could given his goal and timeframe. BTW: the kids tall, thin, flexible and loves to hit hard. He's got steel fists.
Given we had less than two weeks to prepare him for his fights we knew he had to focus on a simple striking plan that focused mainly on points for contact to the ribs and chest with kicks and punches and he had to do his best to stay out of a ground fight and away from submissions and takedowns.
Now Kevyn has good flexibility and a natural desire to compete. His heart is 100% focused on winning. Knowing this I set out to teach him very rudimentary basics of BJJ given his extremely limited timeframe. We also had access to a good friend, Jeff Frater (Millenia Jiu Jitsu) who referees and runs a Pankration fight team locally so we knew the rules and the goal of the game up front. This was an advantage but something amazing happened once we took to the mat.
Kevyn's First Win Ever in Competition!
Kevyn's Third Match - turned out to be his last... 30 second Triangle!
Kevyn has been interested in grappling for a while now but never received formal training so he's very rough. I took his desire to learn and focused his game specifically on his striking (point accumulation - get out ahead and stay out ahead), foot work (I wanted him to circle, stick and move and take the angle) and finally triangle attack if he gets taken down and always reset to his closed guard if he's caught in side control or mount. I specifically took training I read from Lloyd Irvin and spoon fed it to him, here's what I pounded into his head:
Order of operations for Triangle Attack:
(Posture Control - we really focused on posture control) No rush or urgency just this process as follows:
1. Threaten
2. Lock - legs locked together for structural integrity and difficult to escape
3. Perpendicular Angle - rotate away from trapped arm. Provides reduced effort and closes the choke down it cinches shut. Acquisition of this angle is paramount.
4. Finish - hang the head, squeeze the knees, finish your choke to submission.
Kevyn also got special training with Master Jeff Frater who runs a Pankration fight team and coaches tons of great kids and adults to compete in this sport. So Kevyn had an edge and understanding of this game coming in.
With this basic knowledge and a focus on winning Kevyn took to the mat. His nerves got the best of him (he suffered a first round loss to a long term grappler) but after a loss, a bye, and two submissions via triangle choke and a final match that never happended due to his competition dropping out of the tournament he came out of his first ever tournament with a third place medal, in the National Championships of Pankration! And all this with less than 30 days of BJJ training. The kid literally didn't know spit about BJJ or grappling when he stated he wanted to fight in this tournament less than two weeks ago. All toll'ed he had four days (two hours each day) of real training to prepare his game plan, focus and technique. I think he did an excellent job of sticking to his simple plan. Kevyn did well in his first National Championship in Pankration (www.fightleague.org).
I could not be more proud of Kevyn and his first accomplishment. Special thanks to Master Jeff Frater for helping and inspiring Kevyn on to victory.
Best Regards,
Kenneth Knapp
Black Belt - Children's Instructor
Kurt Bellman's Riverside Kung Fu San Soo
Blue Belt - two stripes
John Kvenbo Munoz, 2nd Degree Black Belt under Joe Moreira
Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu (AKA: Team U.S.A. BJJ - United Fighting Systems)
Now this would not be odd but Kevyn trains in Kung fu San Soo, basically a very aggressive street fighting martial art. It's not BJJ or MMA and most of his nervous system strikes are out side the rules. He is a neophyte in BJJ, so I figured it was going to be a quick tournament experience for him.
Boy!!! Was I wrong!!!!
Here's the story and his final match that ended in 30 seconds by Triangle choke:
This past weekend I witnessed what heart, focus and a simple high percentage plan can do for the right competitor. As you may not be aware I teach Kung Fu San Soo to children weekly (www.kungfusansooriverside.com). One of my fellow adult instructors is a very young black belt named Kevyn Meredith (age 19). Now Kevyn knows his way around a fight in the street but he knows little to nothing about BJJ and MMA. In fact he has received less than 30 days training in BJJ informally. So when he came to me and stated he was competing in the Pankration National Championships this past Sunday at 185's I thought he was crazy as a loon. But I told him I would teach him what I could given his goal and timeframe. BTW: the kids tall, thin, flexible and loves to hit hard. He's got steel fists.
Given we had less than two weeks to prepare him for his fights we knew he had to focus on a simple striking plan that focused mainly on points for contact to the ribs and chest with kicks and punches and he had to do his best to stay out of a ground fight and away from submissions and takedowns.
Now Kevyn has good flexibility and a natural desire to compete. His heart is 100% focused on winning. Knowing this I set out to teach him very rudimentary basics of BJJ given his extremely limited timeframe. We also had access to a good friend, Jeff Frater (Millenia Jiu Jitsu) who referees and runs a Pankration fight team locally so we knew the rules and the goal of the game up front. This was an advantage but something amazing happened once we took to the mat.
Kevyn's First Win Ever in Competition!
Kevyn's Third Match - turned out to be his last... 30 second Triangle!
Kevyn has been interested in grappling for a while now but never received formal training so he's very rough. I took his desire to learn and focused his game specifically on his striking (point accumulation - get out ahead and stay out ahead), foot work (I wanted him to circle, stick and move and take the angle) and finally triangle attack if he gets taken down and always reset to his closed guard if he's caught in side control or mount. I specifically took training I read from Lloyd Irvin and spoon fed it to him, here's what I pounded into his head:
Order of operations for Triangle Attack:
(Posture Control - we really focused on posture control) No rush or urgency just this process as follows:
1. Threaten
2. Lock - legs locked together for structural integrity and difficult to escape
3. Perpendicular Angle - rotate away from trapped arm. Provides reduced effort and closes the choke down it cinches shut. Acquisition of this angle is paramount.
4. Finish - hang the head, squeeze the knees, finish your choke to submission.
Kevyn also got special training with Master Jeff Frater who runs a Pankration fight team and coaches tons of great kids and adults to compete in this sport. So Kevyn had an edge and understanding of this game coming in.
With this basic knowledge and a focus on winning Kevyn took to the mat. His nerves got the best of him (he suffered a first round loss to a long term grappler) but after a loss, a bye, and two submissions via triangle choke and a final match that never happended due to his competition dropping out of the tournament he came out of his first ever tournament with a third place medal, in the National Championships of Pankration! And all this with less than 30 days of BJJ training. The kid literally didn't know spit about BJJ or grappling when he stated he wanted to fight in this tournament less than two weeks ago. All toll'ed he had four days (two hours each day) of real training to prepare his game plan, focus and technique. I think he did an excellent job of sticking to his simple plan. Kevyn did well in his first National Championship in Pankration (www.fightleague.org).
I could not be more proud of Kevyn and his first accomplishment. Special thanks to Master Jeff Frater for helping and inspiring Kevyn on to victory.
Best Regards,
Kenneth Knapp
Black Belt - Children's Instructor
Kurt Bellman's Riverside Kung Fu San Soo
Blue Belt - two stripes
John Kvenbo Munoz, 2nd Degree Black Belt under Joe Moreira
Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu (AKA: Team U.S.A. BJJ - United Fighting Systems)
Monday, November 03, 2008
California Classic - GOLD!!!!!
A Story of Personal Triumph...
Yesterday was a good day for me and for Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu. I began training in BJJ just over two years ago on Father’s Day. And the California Classic was my first tournament I ever competed in for John Kvenbo Munoz and Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu (AKA: Team USA BJJ). Sunday was my third experience at this Rommel Dunbar hosted event and over the years it has been a challenging and rewarding event for our school and for me personally, but this year was something special for me.
As an older competitor but still new to this sport every event is a new learning experience and every match is challenging. As a still young Blue Belt it has been a humbling and enormously rewarding experience to train, learn and compete in this incredibly complex martial art. And it is nice to feel my progression through my tournament experience.
Tournament day is when the training stops and the application of knowledge begins. After running hundreds of miles, suffering a diet and weight cutting process that denies me life’s simple pleasures and hundreds of training days on the mat you are either ready or you stay home. Sunday I was ready!
I found out yesterday how wonderfully exhilarating and personally rewarding something as unique as a tournament experience can become. Here’s the story…
In my first year at the California Classic I had won my first round and made it into the gold medal round to face one of my own teammates. As a three stripe white belt John (Moo Ya Do) as we call him handled me easily to win by points. But as a young white belt to win one victory and take a loss to a teammate I felt I had competed as best I could. So taking home a silver medal was pretty neat.
My second year I had high hopes as a senior white belt on his way to his Blue Belt I felt I knew enough basics to get through each match and I had a pretty good plan to earn points and take a submission if an opportunity presented itself. But then I had to face Justin Snodgrass in the first round and I got stopped cold. Justin likes the guard game and he is expert at pulling guard and controlling his opponent. He was a very tough match for me and he ended up sweeping me to take the victory. I was bummed to have lost my first match and to be out of the tournament. That year their was an excellent turn out for the Master’s division so moving on would have been a great challenge and experience. There is nothing worse than being denied when so much personal expectations are set in your mind. But even the greatest BJJ champions have tasted bitter defeat at one point in their career.
So this brings us to this Sunday. California Classic changed it’s format to be in line with other traditional Brazilian rules championships. So we all had to weigh in the day of our matches in gi. This makes weight cutting all the more challenging as now you must weigh the difficulty of dehydration (if your diet wasn’t in check) with having enough energy to compete effectively and avoid cramping up. But everyone was in the same boat for the most part and I believe this strategy does help to avoid some bracket crashers from dehydrating and then bloating up to smash their competition on tournament day.
I had come to this tournament fresh off a US Open Championship and a second place finish at the American National. Not bad for a baby Blue Belt old guy. ;-) I had one thing set in my mind, gold or nothing! I shared this goal with my wife, son and daughter. I wanted them to know what this tournament meant to me. They were there my first year when I took home the silver as well. And they knew I had gotten stopped in 2007.
As luck would have it Justin was back as was I. His team mate Carlos was there as well. Once you hit a few tournaments the faces become all to familiar and we had the usual guys show up for California Classic this year. United BJJ always comes in force as their instructor owns and runs this well attended tournament.
In the brackets I had to get by Carlos to get through to either a second round semi-final or perhaps the gold medal round. So my focus was firmly set at making points and applying my game plan to take home the win in the first round. In the initial moments in our match I went for a quick takedown but made a tiny mistake and had to scramble in spider guard to stay in control and then pop back to my feet. Carlos has a very tough posture to break down on his feet and numerous leg sweeps were thwarted and he was very eager to snatch a single leg every time my leg left the mat. We were stuck in a take down dance for a while (I hate that) but in the end I got my take down and passed his guard (one of my team mates stated… “Once you hit the mat you passed his guard like butter and then just ran up the points’). One of my goals in this tournament was to control the point board form the first seconds of the match and run up a lead and stay ahead. This is simply one tactic I had not truly embraced in previous outings.
Carlos and I had a good match, I was gassed even after running four to five days per week and spending plenty of time in a weighted vest running wind sprints up hill and on the beach along with rolling four to five days per week. I must be getting old. ;-)
All that mattered after this first match was the fact I had made it into the next round and I was hoping Justin and I would have a chance to fight once again. I had to get by his guard.
Justin had a bi so he was waiting for another competitor who had just won his first round before Carlos and I took the mat. This meant that if Justin won his first round, he I would face of in the gold medal match. And as luck would have it that’s exactly what happened.
So after a ten minute rest I was facing off with the guy that had taken me out of contention in 2007 as white belts. Now we faced off as one stripe blue belts once again. Justin is a great competitor and he is a class act. I knew he was in this match for a victory but I had other plans. As we slapped hands and began our match I knew Justin’s primary goal was grips than pull guard. I simply wanted to land in open guard or put him on his back. When he committed and pulled guard I stepped in and we landed with my knee splitting his legs (I haven’t got a video of this match but I think I went for the pass and snaked and pulled me back to his closed guard). From that moment on my only goal was to posture, open his guard and pass and avoid his choke, triangle, arm bar and sweep attempts. In the end I reversed him once, and passed his guard once. He tried every submission he could to the point of gassing his arms out. It seemed like a ten minute match toward the end.
When it was all over I was up on points and he had scored none. It was a great experience to not only come out of this fun tournament with the championship but to have faced the one guy who had spoiled my 2007 experience was an even better feeling.
This tournament and others like it are why I train in Brazilian Jiu Jistu. As a Masters competitor it is often hard to find a decent bracket outside of Pan Ams and World’s. these well attended regional tournaments bring together many well known competitors and schools. And creating little challenges and friendly rivalries is what competition is all about.
I’ll close by simply saying without great competitors there is no competition and I greatly appreciate being challenged by some of the best competitors in California. I look forward to defending my title next year and I know Romell and his team will be all the more ready to crush the competition as well.
I should add this tournament brought the unveiling of Pinnacle Jiu Jistu. It was our first tournament as a team and I am very happy to report our team members performed exceedingly well. Our team members occupied the top honors in many categories through out the days event and in the end we took top honors (1st place team) in this wonderful tournament. I know through this introduction of Pinnacle Jiu Jistu Inland Empire jiu jitsu students and schools will find stronger competition among rival schools and better attended tournaments across the board. As we improve as individuals all Inland Empire schools also benefit.
Congratulations to John Munoz Jr. for his World Championship Gold Medal! The kid is good and we can’t wait to see him fight as an adult! Congratulations to all youth and adult competitors form all Pinnacle Jiu Jistu schools. We did a tremendous job representing our instructors.
See you all next year.
Kenneth Knapp
Blue Belt
Under John Kvenbo Munoz, Black Belt, 2nd Degree
Pinnacle Jiu Jistu – Norco School
(AKA: Team USA BJJ)
Yesterday was a good day for me and for Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu. I began training in BJJ just over two years ago on Father’s Day. And the California Classic was my first tournament I ever competed in for John Kvenbo Munoz and Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu (AKA: Team USA BJJ). Sunday was my third experience at this Rommel Dunbar hosted event and over the years it has been a challenging and rewarding event for our school and for me personally, but this year was something special for me.
As an older competitor but still new to this sport every event is a new learning experience and every match is challenging. As a still young Blue Belt it has been a humbling and enormously rewarding experience to train, learn and compete in this incredibly complex martial art. And it is nice to feel my progression through my tournament experience.
Tournament day is when the training stops and the application of knowledge begins. After running hundreds of miles, suffering a diet and weight cutting process that denies me life’s simple pleasures and hundreds of training days on the mat you are either ready or you stay home. Sunday I was ready!
I found out yesterday how wonderfully exhilarating and personally rewarding something as unique as a tournament experience can become. Here’s the story…
In my first year at the California Classic I had won my first round and made it into the gold medal round to face one of my own teammates. As a three stripe white belt John (Moo Ya Do) as we call him handled me easily to win by points. But as a young white belt to win one victory and take a loss to a teammate I felt I had competed as best I could. So taking home a silver medal was pretty neat.
My second year I had high hopes as a senior white belt on his way to his Blue Belt I felt I knew enough basics to get through each match and I had a pretty good plan to earn points and take a submission if an opportunity presented itself. But then I had to face Justin Snodgrass in the first round and I got stopped cold. Justin likes the guard game and he is expert at pulling guard and controlling his opponent. He was a very tough match for me and he ended up sweeping me to take the victory. I was bummed to have lost my first match and to be out of the tournament. That year their was an excellent turn out for the Master’s division so moving on would have been a great challenge and experience. There is nothing worse than being denied when so much personal expectations are set in your mind. But even the greatest BJJ champions have tasted bitter defeat at one point in their career.
So this brings us to this Sunday. California Classic changed it’s format to be in line with other traditional Brazilian rules championships. So we all had to weigh in the day of our matches in gi. This makes weight cutting all the more challenging as now you must weigh the difficulty of dehydration (if your diet wasn’t in check) with having enough energy to compete effectively and avoid cramping up. But everyone was in the same boat for the most part and I believe this strategy does help to avoid some bracket crashers from dehydrating and then bloating up to smash their competition on tournament day.
I had come to this tournament fresh off a US Open Championship and a second place finish at the American National. Not bad for a baby Blue Belt old guy. ;-) I had one thing set in my mind, gold or nothing! I shared this goal with my wife, son and daughter. I wanted them to know what this tournament meant to me. They were there my first year when I took home the silver as well. And they knew I had gotten stopped in 2007.
As luck would have it Justin was back as was I. His team mate Carlos was there as well. Once you hit a few tournaments the faces become all to familiar and we had the usual guys show up for California Classic this year. United BJJ always comes in force as their instructor owns and runs this well attended tournament.
In the brackets I had to get by Carlos to get through to either a second round semi-final or perhaps the gold medal round. So my focus was firmly set at making points and applying my game plan to take home the win in the first round. In the initial moments in our match I went for a quick takedown but made a tiny mistake and had to scramble in spider guard to stay in control and then pop back to my feet. Carlos has a very tough posture to break down on his feet and numerous leg sweeps were thwarted and he was very eager to snatch a single leg every time my leg left the mat. We were stuck in a take down dance for a while (I hate that) but in the end I got my take down and passed his guard (one of my team mates stated… “Once you hit the mat you passed his guard like butter and then just ran up the points’). One of my goals in this tournament was to control the point board form the first seconds of the match and run up a lead and stay ahead. This is simply one tactic I had not truly embraced in previous outings.
Carlos and I had a good match, I was gassed even after running four to five days per week and spending plenty of time in a weighted vest running wind sprints up hill and on the beach along with rolling four to five days per week. I must be getting old. ;-)
All that mattered after this first match was the fact I had made it into the next round and I was hoping Justin and I would have a chance to fight once again. I had to get by his guard.
Justin had a bi so he was waiting for another competitor who had just won his first round before Carlos and I took the mat. This meant that if Justin won his first round, he I would face of in the gold medal match. And as luck would have it that’s exactly what happened.
So after a ten minute rest I was facing off with the guy that had taken me out of contention in 2007 as white belts. Now we faced off as one stripe blue belts once again. Justin is a great competitor and he is a class act. I knew he was in this match for a victory but I had other plans. As we slapped hands and began our match I knew Justin’s primary goal was grips than pull guard. I simply wanted to land in open guard or put him on his back. When he committed and pulled guard I stepped in and we landed with my knee splitting his legs (I haven’t got a video of this match but I think I went for the pass and snaked and pulled me back to his closed guard). From that moment on my only goal was to posture, open his guard and pass and avoid his choke, triangle, arm bar and sweep attempts. In the end I reversed him once, and passed his guard once. He tried every submission he could to the point of gassing his arms out. It seemed like a ten minute match toward the end.
When it was all over I was up on points and he had scored none. It was a great experience to not only come out of this fun tournament with the championship but to have faced the one guy who had spoiled my 2007 experience was an even better feeling.
This tournament and others like it are why I train in Brazilian Jiu Jistu. As a Masters competitor it is often hard to find a decent bracket outside of Pan Ams and World’s. these well attended regional tournaments bring together many well known competitors and schools. And creating little challenges and friendly rivalries is what competition is all about.
I’ll close by simply saying without great competitors there is no competition and I greatly appreciate being challenged by some of the best competitors in California. I look forward to defending my title next year and I know Romell and his team will be all the more ready to crush the competition as well.
I should add this tournament brought the unveiling of Pinnacle Jiu Jistu. It was our first tournament as a team and I am very happy to report our team members performed exceedingly well. Our team members occupied the top honors in many categories through out the days event and in the end we took top honors (1st place team) in this wonderful tournament. I know through this introduction of Pinnacle Jiu Jistu Inland Empire jiu jitsu students and schools will find stronger competition among rival schools and better attended tournaments across the board. As we improve as individuals all Inland Empire schools also benefit.
Congratulations to John Munoz Jr. for his World Championship Gold Medal! The kid is good and we can’t wait to see him fight as an adult! Congratulations to all youth and adult competitors form all Pinnacle Jiu Jistu schools. We did a tremendous job representing our instructors.
See you all next year.
Kenneth Knapp
Blue Belt
Under John Kvenbo Munoz, Black Belt, 2nd Degree
Pinnacle Jiu Jistu – Norco School
(AKA: Team USA BJJ)
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