A Look Back at My 2008 BJJ Competitive Season

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