Posts by Brandon Hayes73

It’s gotta be Bruce Lee style for me! Those outfits are absolutely killer, and there's just something so incredibly cool about training with all those flashy, clashing weapons. Is that kind of stuff even available here in the States?

http://www.maotw.com/list/ma01.html

If anyone wants to pick out which of these techniques they could actually go out and train right here in the States, I should probably narrow this list down a bit so it isn't so overwhelming.

Here is the full roster of Grandmasters:

http://www.maotw.com/gmg/

http://www.winner-america.com/html/cro/index.htm

Sometimes I just can't help myself, I guess that's just part of being Brandon Hayes73!

And since I'm already out here sharing links from the web, check out this other great one I found:

wanderingridge said:well, they don't really do that in amateur wrestling. It's just beginner, intermediate, and advanced (though even those labels are kind of a stretch)
I'm honestly not sure where the lines are drawn, but my best guess is that beginner covers you up to your first year or maybe eighteen months, then intermediate goes until about year three, and advanced kicks in after that. A huge chunk of the guys at our local amateur tournaments have been at it for over three years now.

Which brings me to the big question: I'm already 33 years old, so what does that make me?

🤣

It’s honestly such a relief that they’ve decided to implement separate seating sections at the Indian Wells Masters too...

There were four purple belts in the mix... everyone else was just rocking white or blue. To wrap things up, two guys from Brazil wearing brown belts put on an exhibition match.

Man... look, this isn't some backyard Jiu-Jitsu where you hand out ranks and colored belts just because someone showed up with a handful of cash and a smile...

It looks like Barun Trenk has officially landed in the Ravnica setting!

Budapest, November 28, 2006.

There were about a hundred fighters there, a real melting pot of talent including Canadians, Poles, and Mexicans... honestly, it felt like the Mexicans might have even been the biggest group present! Aside from our crew from Black Dragon - Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, we had Bojan Mirković's guys from the Winning team showing up, and one of them actually walked away with gold in his division.

Taking home first place in their respective categories were Dubravko Čolić, Martin Starčević, Denis Bažulić, and Jakov Šperanda.

Since this was our very first time stepping onto the mats for a gi tournament, things felt a little unpolished regarding the rules. Our matches felt way too short and were heavily focused on tactical maneuvering rather than action. Most of the competitors were just playing for points, which isn't really our style of fighting.

The officiating was handled by Brazilians, and I thought they did a pretty decent job. The rulebook looks a bit more intimidating than Submission Wrestling, but once you get the hang of how the submissions work, it’s actually quite straightforward. There was even an American there—a big shot from the IBJJF—who was handing out the awards.

Once the weight classes wrapped up, they moved into the Open weight tournament, where each team could enter two fighters per belt level. We entered Matko and myself for the white belt division, along with Dubravko and Ilija for the blue belt side, but they never actually put us on the bracket! By the time the matches kicked off and we realized nobody was calling our names, the window had already closed. That was really the only hiccup with the organizers.

All in all, we had a blast! We had a great time hanging out, but the most important thing was getting a taste of how the sport operates in other places. BJJ is exploding right now, both in terms of skill level and the sheer number of people involved. It gave us a clear picture of what we need to tighten up during our own training sessions, and we came back feeling incredibly motivated to hit the mats harder. Gracie Barra Canada is planning to host a submission-only tournament this spring, followed by another BJJ event in the fall.

Blue Belt -94 kg

1st place Dubravko Čolić, Black Dragon - Alliance
3rd place Ilija Čavarović, Black Dragon - Alliance

Blue Belt -88 kg

3rd place Bojan Mirković, Winning team

White Belt +100 kg

1st place Martin Starčević, Black Dragon - Alliance

White Belt -100 kg

1st place Jakov Šperanda, Black Dragon - Alliance
3rd place Mario Vranješ, Black Dragon – Alliance

White Belt – 88 kg

1st place Denis Bažulić, Black Dragon – Alliance
2nd place Dario Plichta, Black Dragon – Alliance

White Belt – 82 kg

1st place Marino, Winning team
2nd place Matko Kvesić, Black Dragon - Alliance

Go ahead and ask your sensei about it. I mean, what else could he be if he isn't a total master of TKDa?

I'm still waiting on that update! said:It looks to me like Brandon Hayes73 was clearly selling you a load of nothing!
I’m telling you, Kyokushin karate definitely isn't one of those watered-down sports styles that leaves you totally helpless if things ever get real out on the street!

You hit the nail right on the head! I’ve spent plenty of time on the mats training both Shotokan and Kyokushin, but honestly, it only took a single session of Muay Thai to realize I was basically playing tag back in my karate days. It’s like trying to win a drag race in a minivan; you just don't have the raw horsepower for that kind of combat. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how you apply your intelligence to the fight!

Oh, please... I am begging you guys... don't even think about taking this out into the streets!😉

True, but look, the guy is already 24. He’s definitely not a kid anymore under any legal standard here in the States...

If you want to see real, rapid growth, you've got to dive into Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! When I talk about "progressing," I’m not talking about chasing some colored belts—since you don't really have that system in Boxing, and even in Jiu-Jitsu, those stripes can be a total grind to earn—I’m talking about building a massive toolkit of techniques that you actually trust. It's about reaching a point where, during live sparring, you can test your skills against your training partners and know for a fact that nobody is trying to pull a fast one on you or sell you a bridge!

Karate is really just for little kids. Once they grow up and find their footing, they’ll move on to some real sports—like Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or even Aikido...

rustytinker3 said:... Choking is basically just applying leverage to the neck...

🙏

Now I'm totally convinced you're just pulling my leg!

ruggedfalcon2 really covered some serious ground in record time:

It starts as simple curiosity... then maybe a hobby... then a habit... before you even realize it’s turned into a full-blown obsession or a total addiction.

You’ve got a point there, ruggedfalcon2! It’s like any other craft—you’re basically practicing for the rest of your life. Honestly, it’s such a blast and a great way to fill up those empty hours; I’d say it’s easily one of the most rewarding hobbies out there. (Though, obviously, we shouldn't go confusing the art of it with just getting into scraps or basic self-defense!)

Look, skill isn't something you just possess; it’s something you have to grind away at for twenty years straight! If you end up getting your nose broken in some local dive bar and find yourself wondering where the hell you were or what on earth you were doing with your life for those last two decades, then you clearly haven't been putting in the work.

Well, it’s pretty obvious why, because even Che has a handful of idiots he can milk for some quick cash...

Man, oh man... looks like these forums are all we've got left...

Robin Palmer3... what kind of kimono are you talking about??? If I had known we were fighting over some fancy robe, I would have personally handed you a rib instead...

Wait, are you really planning on opening up the school the second you get back home?