My friend Lee is being a real nomad these day, and recently he found himself at the Chin Woo School in Kulala Lumpur, Malaysia. Being so nice he sent me a few photos.
Photos: Lee Kozak.
Elite Training Center St. Petersburg Florida
A break from the cold, rainy weather sent me to Sunny Florida. It’s supposed to be warm there, event though I heard recent stories of it being so cold Iguanas were falling out of trees. But just because I am away it doesn’t mean I can stop training, especially if I want to enter the Tiger Balm Tournament in March 2010. So I asked Sensei Ali if he knew of any where to train in the Tampa Bay area and he found Elite Training Center. So I fired an email their way and the response back from Phil Beatty, the owner and chief instructor, was, “You are certainly welcome here… No attitudes here, just great training with friendly people.” That sounded just great. Elite Training Center is a fairly big martial arts school in the heart of St. Petersburg, being one of the largest and best schools in the whole Tampa Bay area. The school offers Karate for adults and kids; it’s also a Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu School; they have a Muay Thai and Kickboxing program, and have plenty of room for crossfit training, a weight room, and Elite Training Center also offers seminars in Self-Defence on a regular basis.
So on Saturday morning I found my way across St. Pete with the TomTom and met up with Kathy at the front counter and joined the Muay Thai/Kickboxing class. Many students from that day are already in a MMA mindset, since they were in the BJJ class immediately before Muay Thai/Kickboxing. The class instructor was a very capable Roger Patrizzi, who has over 20 years experience in martial arts, a background in Close Combat training with the Marines, and a number of Muay Thai and Vale Tudo fights to his credit. The course plan when I attended class was punching and kicking combinations in the first half and light sparring during the second half. My impressions from the class were that the open and relaxed environment enabled the instructor to keep moving about the class and allowed the students to share some of their thoughts as well. The mat is open after class and I got some sparring in with Alex Cruz. I heard later that Alex is on the card for his first pro MMA fight on February 26, in RFC 20 (Real Fighting Championships) in Tampa (note last I checked the RFC website, they had not updated the info with his fight).
I came back the following Tuesday for another class. This time I managed to borrow some fancy sparring gear ahead of time so I could train with the group that had gear. I was in for a real surprise when I sparred with Jeff Bullock, who had some of the speediest punches I have come across in a while. Turns out he was so hot because he was training for a fight on the 23rd of January! I had to compliment him afterwards for being such a good boxer. He was really amazing. I have since heard from Sensei Phil Beatty that both their fighters from that night, Jeff Bullock and Alyssa Bellini won their fights. Congratulations to both fighters. I understand also that Elite Training Center is set for further expansion to support its growing student base and future programs.
Here are a few photos from my time there.
BJJ training
Kickboxing and Muay Thai Class
Jeff Bullock (blue)
Instructor Roger Patrizzi with student
students discussing the fine points of techinque together
Fancy Loaner Shin Pads!!!!
Alex Cruz and Jeff Bullock Sparring
I finally managed to catch up with a small group of dedicated enthusiasts practice Parcour, the art of running, jumping, flying, flipping, and walking up walls. Parkour is a martial art like no other. Its not at all a combative art. Its about moving within the urban environment creatively and acrobatically through your own course, whether it is for a way through obstacles or around trouble. So I joined them for their practice in this unmarked location to watch them ply their craft. I hope to catch up with them in nicer weather.
There are lots of vids of people doing Parkour on Youtube. Check it out:
Nothing like starting off the weekend by blowing off a little stress. Sparring what its all about; its where you bring everything from your classes and put it all together. We were supposed to be at fight night, but upon hearing that it was cancelled, I came to do a little training instead. Here are a few photos of what we got up to on Friday. Osu!
Sparring on Friday
Sparring on Friday
Sparring on Friday
Sparring on Friday - perfect leg block
Fight CancelledAn hour ago I just got an email with a message that just floored me. Gionco International has announced at the last minute that the ISKA BC championship and 5 MMA bouts scheduled for tonight, Friday January 29, 2010, has been cancelled, a decision made by Mr. Gionco. It seems that there was a question related to the pro or amateur status of Victor Wang of Posener’s Pankration & Kickboxing. As such, there is an issue of contention from the City of Vancouver which cannot allow this fight, the main event. Cancel the main event, cancel the night. Gionco regrets having to take this action, and refunds are in the works for all ticket holders.
The fight did go on after all. I hear that the hot fight of the night was Josh Jauncey, with a 1st round TKO.
River Rock Theater, inside River Rock Casino in Richmond on Saturday, January, 23 was host to the first ever MMA fight night inside the cage since the City of Vancouver agreed to sanction Pro Mixed Martial Arts Fight events on a two year trial basis. West Coast Promotions, together with River Rock Casino Resort put on this amateur fight night with all the preparations that a pro event would have.
Cage Night at the Rock
FightNews.com has awarded the team of Manny Sobral, Neil Pope, and Alister Brodie all of West Coast Promotions as the Promoter of the year. In recognition of their work putting on top level fight nights at The Rock and Red Robinson, calling them ‘… a real class act’. They are of course also the guys who run the North Burnaby Boxing Club.
Manny Sobral talked about the transition to MMA in an interview with boxingcinema.com: “It was an evolutionary decision on behalf of West Coast Promotions as we are in the combative sports promotion business. There is a lot of cross over between the fastest growing sport in N. America, MMA, and boxing so we felt it important to be promoting yet another very exciting avenue of sport.
There are people still wondering about the safety factor of Mixed Martial Arts. Fighters attended pre-fight medicals, and as pointed out ahead of the event in their press release, “…all the officials for the event have been trained and certified by either IPRO (International Professional Ring Officials) or C.O.M.M.A.N.D. (Certification of Officials for Mixed Martial Arts Development) training programs and have many years of experience in their respective fields.” Paramedics are also on hand for the duration of the event.
The first cage fight in greater Vancouver was a very well organised event. The River Rock Theatre had an enthusiastic full house.
MMA Cage
And like any event I have seen, trainers and fighters from gyms from various cities around BC and as far away as Alberta came together to make a great night. Fight of the night was awarded to the women’s MMA match between Wendy Roy and Sarah McLeod, which ended in a draw based on identical scores by all three judges. These two fighters fought a determined match until the end and demonstrated skill, strategy and surprises. MMA is all about the surprises, that is what the crowd has come to see.
Iman Rahmim of Versus21
An award was also handed out to Versus21 (disclaimer, where I train), by F.I.L.E.S News, for the best new martial arts gym in Vancouver.
MMA in a cage had a great debut in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland. UFC 115 is slated for June at GM place, and there are going to be more great fight nights to come in this town.
Link to full set on Flickr.com.
Fighers on the ground
Fighters in Guard
Coaches shouting directions
Card Girls Are Lovely
Fighter Wendy Roy
Fighters Sarah McLeod and Wendy Roy
Emilio Ditrocchio and Bazooka Joe
Fighters in Guard
Right Cross
Ground Work
Fighter Ready To Enter
Link to full set on Flickr.com.
Fight Decisions published from West Coast Promotions, January 26, 2010.
| Decision | Winning Fighter | def. | Fighter |
| TKO Rear Naked Choke |
Kurtis Waterston | def. | Jacques Lizardo |
| Tap Out Rear Naked Choke |
Chris Anderson | def. | Abraham monte be Ramos |
| Draw ‘Fight of the Night’ |
Wendy Roy | def. | Sarah McLeod |
| Tap Out Arm Bar |
Emilio Ditrocchio | def. | Bazooka Joe |
| Tap Out Rear Naked Choke |
Dia Grant | def. | Andrew Cheverie |
| TKO Round 1 |
Nick Austin | def. | Rami Kadi |
| Unanimous Decision | Brendan Kornberger | def. | Nathan Swayze |
| Tap Out Rear Naked Choke |
Dia Grant | def. | Andrew Cheverie |
| Walkover Due to injury |
Heidi Otterbein | def. | Tyme Hennenfent |
| Walkover Due to injury |
Hugh Rogers | def. | Byron Toutant |
| TKO Round 1 |
Bastien Huveneers | def. | Kiarash Moghaddam |
Source: WestCoast Promotions, Press Release.
The Audience at River Rock
Photos: MMA at the River Rock, Vancouver Sun.
MMA rolls into River Rock, Vancouver Sun.
Ground and Pound: Swinging Sisters Highlight MMA Event, Vancouver Sun.
Saturday Night Nearly Sold Out, Vancouver Sun.
Here is a video of a deadly Ninja warrior… hand.
Found over on Break.com, this hand deserves a hand.
Asian Chick’s Awesome Hand Ninja – Watch more Funny Videos
I’d like to add a plug for a workshop I took in the summer last year. Bartitsu: Fight Like Sherlock Holmes, is a course offered at Academie Duello, a studio for the western martial arts, swords, fencing, that sort of thing. When Bartitsu offered in London a hundred years ago, it was the first time eastern martial arts were presented in the western world. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mentioned Bartitsu (as Baritsu) in his final book on Sherlock Holmes, and hence today we have a new Sherlock Holmes movie directed by BJJ brown belt Guy Ritchie and starring, as Sherlock Holmes, Wing Chung practitioner Robert Downey Jr.
Learn to Fight Like Sherlock Holmes
Learn the fighting style of Sherlock Holmes in this unique one-day workshop at Academie Duello. England in the 19th century was replete with instructors in martial arts from the world over. E.W. Barton-Wright had returned from Japan and opened a school to teach the English gentleman how to defend himself against ruffians using only the most effective techniques whether unarmed or carrying the accessory of the time: the walking-stick. The Bartitsu system worked so well that Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle wrote that Sherlock Holmes used it to defeat Moriarty.
bartitsu arm takedown
Whether your interest is in history or practical self-defense, this workshop will give you the skills and knowledge of 19th century fighting.
Add this Event to your Google Calendar
I managed after all to attend the Open house day at the new location for the North Burnaby Boxing Club. Operating since 2004, they have grown and have now expanded into new digs. The club’s new home is just beside Revs Bowling & Entertainment Center, at 5502 Lougheed Hwy., next to the Holdom Skytrain Station.
The club’s new location is due to its growth and maturation as a club. It was put together over several weeks by club members, who converted two raquetball courts over a period of several weeks, rebuilding the club, installing the heavy wood beam mezzanine by hand, and the club is complete with a large selection of heavy bags, speed bags, ring, spinner bikes, ropes, weight room adjacent, and years of boxing memorabilia transferred to the walls. The title club banner was cut out from the wall of their previous location. The coaching staff of Rob Bortolazzo, Alister Brodie, Rosalia Calla, Bill Kennedy, Andy Mavros, and Manny Sobral bring world class depth and experience in championship level professional and amateur boxing into the club.
The club coaches Manny Sobral and Alister Brodie are also operating West Coast Promotions, for promoting fights like the upcoming MMA fight night at River Rock Casino on January 23, 2010.
I also got to meet Robert Couzens, Canada’s top amateur fighter at 152 lbs and a likely member of Canada’s Olympic team at the Olympics in 2012. As well, Rosalia Calla was there training for an upcoming fight in Montreal. Gym fees are a super affordable 40 bucks a month. That is a totally affordable price to train somewhere. The club is totally accessible being only a 1 minute walk away from Holdom skytrain station.
Website: http://www.bcboxers.com/
North Burnaby Boxing Club
Boxing Coach Rob Bortolazzo
Boxing Coaches Rob Bortolazzo and Manny Sobral
Fighter Robert Couzens and Boxing Coach Manny Sobral
North Burnaby Boxing Club
Fighter Rosalia Calla training with Manny Sobral
Fighter Rosalia Calla training with Manny Sobral
Boxing Coach Bill Kennedy
Website: http://www.bcboxers.com/
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