- July 17th In House Tournament RegistrationStarts at 11:30 AM!!! Entrance fee is $5. Loading… Tweet . . . → Read More: July 17th In House Tournament Registration […]
- A Lawyer in Long Beach pt 4 : Clash of the TitansSaturday at the Mundials was the real beginning of the “Clash of the [BJJ] titans.” The junior blue-belts divisions, the purple-belt male and female open divisions, as well as the brown belts and the lighter-weight black belts (my favorite divisions of course) were on the docket. The bullpen, the stands, and the surrounding areas were flooded with BJJ royalt […]
- A Lawyer in Long Beach pt 3 : Once the Dust SettledLater in the day we came up with a plan whereby each fighter from Crazy 88 preparing for a fight would be assigned an assistant who had fought the day before, to make sure they had everything they needed. It was an honor to be able to assist, in what little way I could, in a teammates’ preparations. SEVEN (7) Lloyd Irvin competitors became World Champions on […]
- A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championships – Part DeuxWed, June 2, 2010 Cathy and I left for BWI for a direct flight to LAX. I suffered a neck injury the week before and thus packed in my carry on all the niceties I felt I would need to cure my neck during the five-hour flight. Slathered with Arnica (for those of you who don’t . . . → Read More: A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championsh […]
- A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championships by David ZwanetzAs most people know, the “Super Bowl” is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the premier association of professional American football. It was first played on January 15, 1967, as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two leagues’ . . . → Read More: […]
- UFC 114: Rampage v Evans Review by Jon DelbruggeUFC 114 was a Mayweather style hyped card. Two of MMAs best light heavyweights finally fighting each other after 15 months of well publicized trash talk. The under card had some relatively unknown fighters as well as some well known names here and there. All in all the card displayed some . . . → Read More: UFC 114: Rampage v Evans Review by Jon Delbrugge […]
- Blogging About Brazil by Tye RyanEnjoying the View from Barra Bella Something like a paleontologist excavating his first fruitful site or a young astronaut making his first step on the moon, my dedication, sacrifice and embracement of the brazilian jiu jitsu lifestyle had culminated into a great opportunity. I was headed to Brazil to compete in the Brazilian Nationals, better known . . . → […]
- STRIKEFORCE: Heavy Artillery Review-Jon Delbrugge- In today’s mainstream MMA we have an oversaturation of the blood splattering, lightning bolt, tribal tattoo designed logo appeal to it. I like how Strikeforce is trying something different they are going for the complete opposite. Saturday night’s Heavy Artillery card had different audiences, different fighters, different TV deals. The produc […]
- 2010 Team Lloyd Irvin Pan Jiu Jitsu RosterTeam Lloyd Irvin Pan Am 2010 Roster . . . → Read More: 2010 Team Lloyd Irvin Pan Jiu Jitsu Roster […]
- Running a Large Martial Arts School vs. a Small OneI’ve had the opportunity to be a student at “small” academies that grew into big ones and also have had the good fortune of watching my own Howard County Martial Arts academy develop into a “big” school as well. One thing that I’ve noticed is how different it is to run a successful big program vs. . . . → Read More: Running a Large Martial Arts School vs. a […]
On May 18th, 2010 I was promoted to the rank of purple belt by Master Lloyd Irvin. It is a great feeling to be one step closer to my goal, which is achieving my BJJ Black Belt, competing against the best, and becoming the best.
When I heard Master Lloyd call my name and told me front and center, my mind was blank, I was shocked and didn’t believe what was going on. I stood there baffled as he walked on the mat with a my purple belt around his neck. Not to mention all that was going through my mind was the whippings that I was about to get. It’s tradition to do the paddy wagon, and I was not excited for that part at all, and the class was HUGE!
I was overwhelmed with joy, holding back tears….I am proud of myself. I came to Maryland for one thing, and one thing only. I was fortunate to visit during Christmas time in 2008, also during team training. At that point in my jiu-jitsu career, I was injured but that didn’t stop me. I saw the training, the lifestyle and that’s exactly what I wanted, Jiu-Jitsu by day, Jiu-Jitsu by night. I sat down with Master Lloyd and we discussed what my goals were, and what I wanted to do with my career. And for those of you who know him, he can be a very intimidating person, boy was I nervous.
Through all the trials, tribulations, and struggles that I have been through during the past 18 months, it was and is all worth it. Moving here was the best decision I have made. With that being said, I want to Thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am at today. My journey continues, and I am following my path to make my dreams come true.
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