I wanted to let you all know the results of the competition this past weekend at the NAGA Submission Grappling Tournament.
Dan "The Mirror Guy" Genevesi took 1st place, 139.9lb. Division
Joe "Wildman" Marerro took 1st place, 149.9lb. Division
Victor "Apu" Millian took 2nd place, 224.9lb Division
Keith Patterson took 2nd place, 199.9lb Division
"Wrestler" Joe Ruggierio took 2nd place, 225lb+ Expert Division
I am sending out this email to let you all know that this Saturday, November 14th the school will be closed due to the NAGA Grappling Tournament. Many of us are going to be competing in the tournament, so if you are interested in participating or just want to come and support your team you can go to nagafighter.com for details or just give me a call. Thanks and I will see you all on Monday.
Thanks,
Adam Rocco
Roccomma.com
215-778-2517
I am sending out this email to let everyone know that we are changing the schedule to accommodate more time for the Submission Grappling classes. The Submission Grappling classes during the day will start at 12:20 and will end when we are done. I am not putting a time restraint on our class anymore.
For those of you that come in for the Boxing or MMA class during the day, it will begin when we are done Submission Grappling. Assume it will begin around 2:00. If we aren't finished by then, just hit the bag, stretch and warm up.
The Submission Grappling classes in the evening will be extended by a half hour. Monday and Wednesday the class will be from 6:00 to 7:30, and from 7:00 to 8:30 on Tuesday. The classes that follow will stay the same. They will just be starting a half hour later than usual.
We are also going to be stricter with the class as well. You must come on time or you will have to do a separate warm up in the cage before you can join the class. In class I will go over the new format in greater detail. I am changing the format in the hopes of getting our grappling to all new heights. I hope to see you all in class soon.
Thanks,
Adam Rocco
Roccomma.com
215-778-2517
Grapplers Quest-9/26/09 Hanover Academy of MMA's Bob Bitner took second in masters advanced losing by one point.
Brad Herrick takes first, Mens Executive at Warrior Challenge Grappling tournament Oct 24 in Lancaster Pa.
Brett "Night Crawler" Myers, Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge's 170-pound champion, right after his submission victory over Justin Krebs on Friday night. Catch Brett and head instructor George McGinnis at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion.
George, in the middle, with the gray T-shirt, surrounded by his friends/trainees.
From George McGinnis:
I was the only one from our particular school that attended the event. I was also the only one who traveled to the event as well so there is unfortunately no photo's or footage of the event or my matches at this time. However, one of my opponents taped a couple of my matches and mentioned that he would send me the footage to me as early as he could. I honestly don't expect to see it...
Purple Belt 165lb and under (1st place)
Purple Belt 'Absolute - open weight class' (2nd place)
No Gi 170lb. Advanced (1st place)
No Gi Advanced 'Absolute - open weight class' (3rd place)
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Events coming up that I will likely be attending / competing:
CPWC Grappling Challenge - Lancaster Oct 24th 09
New Jersey BJJ Federation - November 14th 09
PABJJ (Team Tatu - Super Fights) - Nov 21 09
As always we would like to thank our sponors...
Sheetz
Miles Muffler
Red Lion Chiropractic
Flying Feet
Ricke Bros Auto Sales / Royal Motors
Imagineered Signs, Inc.
Sincerely Yours: George McGinnis
York Mixed Martial Arts Academy
Contact # (717) 650 - 0500
www.YMMAA.com
From George McGinnis, owner of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion:
Here is a video from my two matches at Grapplers Quest a few weeks back. I was a hair rusty and it shows but I have vastly improved over the past couple of weeks and am now back into tournament mode. Match 1 is against a Team Balance brown belt. I opted to go up in weight and experience because I got bumped out of the No Gi advanced first round and couldn't fight for third because I was first on the card which always seems to happen to me. Second match (No Gi) is against a Maxercise brown belt. Needless to say, it was a tall order for the day. It was a good experience either way and I am actually not as disappointed with the Gi match as I am with my No Gi performance that day. I will be competing next in Lancaster on the 24th of October just a day after my bro Brett is slated to take on Justin Krebs for the 170lb title...
Brett Myers trains the Muay Thai clinch with Hanover Academy of MMA's Jay Haas.
Talked with George McGinnis, owner and head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, tonight about several topics. We'll start with his brother Brett Myers' training. Brett is gearing up for a 170-pound title fight against Justin Krebs at Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge III on Oct. 23 in Lancaster. The title was vacated by Justin Scott, who won it at CPWC I in April and defended it at CPWC II in July (against Krebs). Scott will make his debut as a pro at CPWC III.
Anyway, about Brett, George said, "Training's going good, Brett's healthy. We've stepped up a few things (his diet and conditioning) Brett's looking strong."
"No matter where this fight goes, I'm pretty confident that's Brett's capable of handling the situation," George said. "We wish Justin Krebs a healthy camp and good luck."
George said he has continued to work with Hanover Academy of MMA head trainer Bob Bitner on striking, both for himself and Brett. George has also logged time at Jay Haas' new school in Lewisberry.
It's George's hope that Brett wins the title, defends it several times, and then moves on from there. "We're looking at the future for Brett; we're not just concerned about what's going on right now."
George also said that he competed in the recent Grapplers Quest tournament in Lancaster. George, a purple belt under Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda, entered the no-gi advanced division, which meant he was going up against purple, brown or black belts. taking on a member of Maxercise, one of Philadelphia's best academies, George lost by rear-naked choke, he said. Putting on his gi, George took another high-level opponent, a brown belt, who was at least a weight class above him. George was able to hold off any submission attempts by the Team Balance member, but lost on points.
Got a voicemail from Bob Bitner, head trainer at Hanover Academy of MMA. He gave me the run-down on how his team did at the recent Grapplers Quest in Lancaster.
"All in all, I'm very,very, very pleased with our performance. The guys did great," he said. "For us, not being a full-time Jiu-Jitsu school, I couldn't have asked for a better performance than what the guys did."
- Jay Haas won 1st in the men's intermediate division.
- Bo Christie won 1st in the men's executive heavyweight division.
- Alex Giron, won 3rd in the teen novice division.
- Andy Smith won 4th in the men's novice division.
- And the man himself, Bob Bitner, won 2nd in the masters advanced division. It was actually Bob and Joe Martini from Philadelphia's Rocco MMA who were battling it out for first and second, Bob said. Bob called Joe "a very very strong man. He made me work. ... We went the distance, all five rounds," and in the last 20 seconds or so, Joe scored a point on Bob, making it 1-0. "I'm definitely looking forward to getting to that rematch," Bob said.
Rocco competitors excel at Grapplers Quest:
"A special congratulations goes out to Joe Martini with his impressive 1st place performance at the 2009 Northeast Grappling Championships. He was up against very tough opposition but was still able to pull out the victories needed to bring home the championship belt. He showed us all what hard work and determination can accomplish.
Additional congratulations go out to the other four competitors we had representing our school. Pat Macke took home a silver medal. Nick Mimoso, Shawn Quinn and Matt "The Polish Hammer" Kakareka all took home Bronze medals in their divisions. They all fought well and showed great improvements in their abilities. I am very proud of all of our guys that competed.
I would also like to send out a special thanks to those that came in support of our fighters. Their presence at the event helped motivate our fighters and was greatly appreciated by all of us."
New wrestling coach:
"I wanted to let everyone know that we have a new Wrestling coach that will be teaching classes on Saturday's from 10:00 - 11:30a.m. His name is Coach Hassan Jadidi and he was 1991 and 1992 National Champion of Iran. He has also been Drexel University's assistant wrestling coach for the past 10 years. He has a lifetime of experience in the sport of wrestling and is willing to share his knowledge with our school.
This Saturday he is bringing in some former world champion wrestlers to help bring our students to the next level. I highly recommend that everyone attend his class this Saturday if you have a desire to improve your take-downs and your take-down defense. Remember, every fight starts on the feet, so you can be the best Jiu Jitsu guy in the world but if you can't take your opponent down then you are in trouble. Hope to see you all this Saturday and every Saturday from this weekend on."
Thanks,
Adam Rocco
Roccomma.com
215-778-2517
I didn't notice this before, but the Grapplers Quest event that happened today at the Lancaster Convention Center had something interesting: a 5-0n-5 team tournament. I was checking Rated, a Web site that has national rankings for submission grappling, but couldn't the results for the 5-on-5, or the regular tournament.
I know Bob Bitner from Hanover Academy of MMA said he planned on having a few guys in the tournament, so we'll have to see how they did, and anyone else in York and aroudn the state.
EVENT: 2009 Grapplers Quest
Northeast Submission Fighting Championships
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Submission Grappling
Featuring $10,000 in Prizes
When: Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Box Office, At-The-Door Registrations, and Weigh-Ins Open at 8:00 AM
Tournament Starts at: 10:00 AM
Event Location:
Lancaster Convention Center
3 East Vine Street
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603
- 222 Divisions for Men, Women, and Children of All Ages and Skill Levels
- $3,000 5-on-5 Best Team in Northeast Challenge
- 63 Northeast Championship Belts on the line!
This Saturday, September 26th the gym will be close due to a grappling competition in Lancaster. A lot of our guys are going to compete in Grapplers Quest. If you are interested in competing or just coming along to support our team please contact me and I will give you the details. Thanks and we will see you on Monday.
Thanks,
Adam Rocco
Roccomma.com
215-778-2517
From the Grapplers Quest Web site: The new 90,000 square foot Lancaster County Convention Center, connected with the brand new Marriott Lancaster will play host to The 2009 Northeast Grappling Championships on Saturday, September 26th.
The venue is located at the Lancaster Convention Center, 3 East Vine Street,Lancaster, Pa.
DISCOUNT TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW, Save $5 and Experience the Greatest Grappling Show on Earth, Meet Your Favorite MMA Superstars, and Watch the World's Best Grapplers & Fighters,
CLICK HERE
COMPETITORS, Save up to $30 & Get a FREE T-Shirt, CLICK HERE
For Directions go to, LancasterConventionCenter.com
OFFICIAL Hotel
Lancaster Marriott® at Penn Square
25 South Queen Street
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602 USA
• Phone: 1-717-239-1600 CALL 717-239-1600 FOR DISCOUNT RATE OF $139 Per Night
MUST MENTION GRAPPLERS QUEST - Save $40+ per night or BOOK ONLINE at MarriottLancaster.com (MUST use group code GRAGRAA to Get Discount Online)
For more info. go to the official Web site.
Here's an email I just received from George McGinnis, owner/head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy. He compiled a list of the major BJJ tournaments going on in the area, so check it out:
George: I am pleased to announce that the summer is looking to be packed with events, and a few of them are even local! That's right gents. This means that, even though some of you are fairly resourceful and masters of evasive proto call, you'll have to cook up some pretty extravagant stories and excuses to avoid competing this year. [Louie Voice] "Ya gonna do somethin wit dat B.J.J or what?"
Ultimate Grapplers Challenge (BJJ): June 13t 09. Site address - www.ugc-challenge.com/
Small tournament, but great for first timers, or those who are looking for decent comp in the advanced divisions...
A.D.C.C (BJJ): June 13th - 14th. Site address - www.adccusa.com
Some of the best in the world compete in this event *yikes*. There's even a pro division for you high end studs...
Coach Phoenix (Seminar): June 26th 09. Location - Elicker Kenpo
I heard this guy sucks, but hey, its only $20 a head for two plus hours...
Tatu's PABJJ Federation (BJJ): June 27th 09. Site address - http://tatubjj.com
Yes, I / we will be present...
Lancaster Family Martial Arts Center (BJJ): July 25th 09. Site address - http://www.lfmac.com/index.php
This is twenty minutes away, $50 bucks & double elimination. Excuses are futile...
Keystone Games (Judo): July 26th 09. Location - York Fair Grounds
I'll be competing as a brown belt. No pressure, lmao...
Kumite Classic (BJJ): August 21st, 22nd & 23rd. Site address - http://kumiteclassic.homestead.com/JiuJitsu.html
I think a handful of us will be at this one...
Tatu's PABJJ Federation (BJJ): August 29th 09. Site address - http://tatubjj.com/news.html
I'll be sleeping at, I mean COMPETING at this one (ha ha)...
Grapplers Quest (Grappling): September 26th 09. Site address - http://www.grapplers.com/ One of the biggest grappling venues in the country, and its only going to be half hour away!
