Battle on the Thames Results

For all of you following our Kickboxing/ Mixed Martial Arts fighters, here are the results from the "Battle on the Thames" in New London, Connecticut this past Saturday.

Doug Mars won on a technicality because his opponent landed some illegal shots at about 30 seconds into the fight. Afire being punched to the back of the head and a knee to the face when he was down (illegal in amateur MMA) Doug was stunned pretty bad. The ref stopped the fight due to Doug's condition and disqualified the other fighter. Doug was pretty disappointed that it went that way, but he got some great experience in his first fight, and is looking forward to another.

Brendan Kelly followed his training and the fight strategies that he was given him to a "T" and controlled the fight the entire time. His opponents' strength was boxing, so he stayed on the outside landing vicious kicks and forced his guy to desperately move in to close the distance. When he did, Brendan took him down and controlled him on the canvas. He had a couple of awesome sweeps and two attempted submissions! In the end he got the win by split decision.

Tim Helmer could not be cleared by the doc as his heart rate was too high from cutting weight, so he did not get to fight. We believe he would have won, too, if he had though.

One of the greatest things about these fights was the amazing support shown by the assistant coaches/ instructors and students form the OKS group. As our fighter and Muay Thai coach Edwin Castro put it, we are like a "Familia des peliadores" or "Family of Fighters." It was an awesome night and alot of fun. Thanks to all of the fighters for doing a fantastic job and thanks to all of the folks who came out to support them!

Don't forget that the dojo has three fighters competing in the "Battle on the Thames" MMA event in New London, Connecticut on June 14. They are Brendan "The Warrior" Kelly, Doug "Roman" Mars and Tim "Timmay" Helmer. For anyone who would like to cheer them on in person (as well as experience the rush of live MMA), tickets are available at the front office of the dojo.

Royce Visits Berkshires

Royce Gracie stopped by the Okinawan Karate School on May 14 for three hours of amazing instruction and training. Over thirty students from the Berkshire group attended the seminar (not bad for a Wednesday night!) Mike Torres of Royce Gracie Jiu-jitsu New Jersey, also brought three of his students to the clinic.

The training focused on techniques and strategies that can be used with or without the Gi. As always, the evening ended with some spirited grappling supervised by Royce.

Several students from the OKS received promotions at the close of the event including: Elysia Mars to Yellow/White Belt; Calvin & Ethan Mars to Yellow Belt; Alex Iwanowicz to Orange Belt; Dominic Garzone, Stephen Dalton, Chris Paoloni, Edwin Castro and Shannon Burns promoted to Blue Belt, Brendan Kelly promoted to 1-stripe Blue Belt; Warren Harrison to 4-stripe Blue Belt; and Jedd Hall promoted to Purple Belt! Congratulations guys and keep up the good work.

At Royce’s request, Coach Mark Flynn will be making a trip to Los Angeles in June to see the 2008 Mundial World Championships and do some special training.

Instant Thai

On Saturday, March 8, long time student of the Okinawan Karate School, Brendan Kelly, fought his first amateur Muay Thai kickboxing match. The bought was part of the “Battle on the Thames” Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts event in New London, Connecticut.

The fight could be summarized by Brendan dominating his opponent, Chadi Salamoun of Boston, with awesome movement and striking during most of the three rounds of action. Brendan also took Salamoun down to great ground position several times within the Muay Thai rules in effect, but was stopped and stood up again. Salamoun would sporadically throw wild punches during the fight, catching and dazing Kelly at times. With 30 seconds left in the third round, Salamoun landed three wild punches, putting Kelly on the canvas. Brendan was slow to get up, and the referee stopped the fight at that time.

The best part of this story is that Brendan had actually prepared for an MMA fight against an opponent with a heavy grappling background. Days before the event, that opponent backed out of the fight, leaving Brendan hanging on the hope of a replacement. The day of the event, Kelly was given the choice to fight a Muay Thai fight, or not at all. Like a warrior, Brendan stepped into the ring for a fight with very different rules than what he had trained for, against an opponent who had prepared exactly for those rules.

The fact that he was able to compete with, and even dominate, his opponent during this bought is proof of his hard work and dedication to training in the martial arts. Congratulations to Brendan “The Warrior” Kelly.

Several OKS students are looking forward to a similar MMA event in June, partly inspired by Brendan’s “instant Thai” fight!

Students Shine at 2008 Tournament

The 2008 Youth Tournament was a great success in many ways. Students put their best foot forward, competing in several different events (click here to see the results)

Many judges commented on the overall improvement in the quality of Kumite or sparring this year. Thanks to a lot of hard work on the part of instructors and students in practice, this year’s kumite was characterized by improved movement, technique, and strategy (even in the younger age groups!) The Jiu-jitsu competition had grown this year to over 30 participants, with six divisions. Another highlight of the 2008 tournament was the creative kata competition. Students showed amazing creativity in their self-made routines, while adhering to the important fundamental principles of the martial arts.

Of course, the most important success of the day was the sportsmanship and effort demonstrated by the students overall, and the leaps made in martial arts skills as a result. Many thanks go out to all of the participants, judges and volunteers who made this year’s youth tournament possible. Plans are in the works for a possible Adult tournament in the fall of this year!

Tourney Photos!

Hundreds of professional quality Tournament Photos are available for viewing and purchase at www.pps.instaproofs.com. Click on the link to check it out!

Gracie Goes To Washington

March came in like a lion this year for all who attended the 2008 Royce Gracie Jiu-jitsu Network Gathering. The annual event brings Network school owners from around the country together for intense training. This year the event took place at Capital Jiu-jitsu in Alexandria, Virginia (a suburb of our nation’s capital.) Among the estimated 90 coaches in attendance were Mike Torres of the Tetsushin Martial Arts Academy, and Mark Flynn of the Pittsfield dojo.

Visiting instructors Ralek, Rodrigo, Royce, and Royler Gracie provided a seemingly endless stream of Jiu-jitsu and MMA material for the group over the weekend. Royce kicked off the training on Friday (February 29) with a two-hour Stand-up/ Self-defense seminar with support from his friends. Next, Rodrigo provided two hours of MMA/ No-gi training on Saturday (March 1.) That afternoon the group endured two hours of freestyle “rolling” or grappling, supervised by the visiting instructors. The training wrapped up on Sunday with two hours of amazing Gi submissions led by Royler.

Royce promoted several of his advanced students to black belt including Jim Hughes of Connecticut, and Capital Jiu-Jitsu owner Jeremy Lafreniere received his brown belt. The weekend also featured autograph and photo opportunities, other CJJ workouts, a group viewing of the UFC, and some awesome Brazilian food! As a result of the trip, Royler Gracie is tentatively scheduled to visit the Tetsushin and Pittsfield dojos in June.

For additional photos of the 2008 gathering click here.

Eastern Hospitality

Nine members of the Pittsfield dojo recently visited the Okinawa Karatedo Association in Okinawa. The group included Clara Flynn, Louise Filkins, Cindy Eksuzian, Deirdre Flicker, Bill Julien, Jack Gaudette, Sensei Connie Flynn, Sensei Mark Flynn, and long time friend of the dojo Sensei Joe Gilbert. The two week stay (beginning on November 7) was filled with wonderful training and activities!

The Pittsfield group had the chance to train with several of the leading authorities of Uechi-Ryu/Shohei-Ryu Karate in the world. At times, the group was provided with as many as three training sessions per day, totaling over thirty hours during the two week visit. The training included visits to the Chatan Dojo, the Yamashiro Dojo, the Ageda Dojo, as well as numerous sessions at the Kenshukaikan or headquarters dojo. The visitors enjoyed learning from a ”who’s who” of Uechi instructors including Shigeru Takamiyagi, Toshio Higa, Shintoku Takara, Tsutomo Nakahodo, Katsuyoshi Higa, Nobuhide Asato, Shinmatsu Okuhama, Hirokuni Yamashiro, Katsuji Tomoyose, and Soukei and Hatsuko Machida.

On Sunday, November 11 Sensei's Jack, Connie and Mark competed in the 2007 All Okinawa Karate Championships. Sensei Mark placed fourth in the Senior Men's Kata competition and Sensei Connie placed third in Women's Kata, bringing home a beautiful trophy for the dojo!

In open Kumite or sparring competition, Sensei Mark won his first match against a competitor from Tokyo.

Watch Sensei Mark's first match!

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In his second match he lost to a former Champion (a 250 pound Okinawan fireplug named Miyagi) in an overtime tie breaker. At a party following the Championship, little Clara Flynn surprised everyone by grabbing a microphone and belting out a song (without music!) Everyone, including her parents, were impressed by the performance. After the song, the place went wild, and the entire party shifted into high gear with music and dancing.

On November 18, Sensei Connie was promoted to Godan (5th degree black belt) while long time Pittsfield dojo friend, Sensei Joe Gilbert, was promoted to Hachidan (8th degree black belt.) Both received special recognition from the examination board after their tests. At a dinner following the Dan test, Sensei Joe delivered a moving speech (see below) and presented a beautiful sculpted bronze plaque to the Okinawa Karatedo Association.

 

Other trip highlights included:

• Senseis Jack, Connie and Mark served as judges on a Kyu (below black belt) Test board at the Chatan Dojo (11/9.)
• The Pittsfield group was invited to help teach a large class run by Sensei Hirokuni Yamashiro at the Okinawa International University. Later that day, Sensei Yamashiro treated the group to a traditional Tea Ceremony (11/14.)
• The group traveled to the northern end of Okinawa to see the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Expo. This attraction was filled with exotic sea creatures from the waters surrounding the Okinawan Islands including the enormous Whale Shark! That evening they attended a special class for women at the Ageda Dojo run by Sensei Hatsuko Machita. Senseis Bill, Jack, Mark, and Joe assisted several of the students in preparing for their upcoming Dan test (11/16.)
• In addition to assisting in teaching during regular training, Sensei Mark was invited to sit on the Test board for the November 18 Dan (black belt) test. The group visited the Shuri Castle. The historical landmark is a reconstructed ancient fortress which once served as a home for Kings of the Okinawan or Ryukyu Islands (11/17.)
• The group visited Yomitan village with the guidance of Sensei Sakae Uechi. The village is famous for it’s pottery and historical sites including a museum and the Zakimi castle ruins. Mr. Uechi also treated the group to a visit to "Cape Zanpa " on the west coast of Okinawa. This location is where huge waves crash against the rocks to make spectacular plumes of water rise up out of the sea. (11/19.)
• During the course of the trip everyone in the group got the chance to display their karaoke skills. Magically, the group witnessed visits by the likes of Elvis, the Carpenters, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, Hannah Montanna, and many others!

 

The most amazing aspect of the entire trip was the level of hospitality provided by the Okinawa Karatedo Kyokai. Everyone in the group was treated as a visiting family member. Everything from the accommodations at the Tokyo Dai-Ichi Hotel to the endless supply of incredible Okinawan food far exceeded anyone’s expectations. The Ryukyu people have a saying “iroiro osewani natte masu” which roughly means “take good care of guest.” The Okinawa Karatedo Kyokai is not only a well organized group of capable people, but also takes pride in taking excellent care of it’s guest. Thanks to the Okinawa Karatedo Kyokai and all of the instructors who helped the Pittsfield group during the 2007 Okinawa trip. Special thanks to Sakae Uechi, Yoshiharu Matsushima,Takashi Arakaki, Tsutomo Shikiya, Yutaka Higa and Kai Machida for making the Pittsfield group feel welcome on this unforgettable visit!

See More Videos

 

Sensei Mark Flynn -v- Sensei Kei Miyagi	Sensei Connie Flynn Competes is Kata Elimination Round
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