DOUBLE PHOENIX NAGA TOURNAMENT 12.19.20

NAGA TOURNAMENT EVENT LINK

Intro:

Double Phoenix Jiu Jitsu starts the day with two kids BJJ competitors. Like a small special ops team, Mitch Chen and Johnny “Lil Croc” Brattelli came in and cleaned house with 5 gold medals between them.  The Jiu Jitsu tournament was a NAGA in MD

MITCH AND JOHNNY'S TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHT ON YOUTUBE

Mitch Chen’s Fights 

We kick the day off with Mitch Chen. For someone that this is their second time competing in jiu jitsu, Mitch did extremely well. Mitch wins his first match in dominant fashion, Hitting throw bys, double legs and great passing.  Fight by fight throughout the day Mitch seemed to get better and better with more control of his technique and movement.  Seeing the mental and technical improvement was very cool to watch as a Coach. This kid is special and has a bright future. 

Johnny “Lil Croc’s” Fights

Next up is Johnny “Lil Croc” Bratttelli who was super stoked to compete.  Johnny comes out in typical Lil Croc fashion and double legs his opponent and quickly passes the guard.  He solidified the north south position and then went to knee on belly and then mount for a total of 11 points to 0.  This was the nogi division (Without the uniform).  Watching Johnny compete is always exciting because the amount of heart that he gives is insane, his technique is beautiful and he’s always a great sport. 

The second match for Johnny is in the Gi or (the BJJ uniform). The second fight looked identical to the first match. Take down, guard pass, north south, mount and then armbar.  The ref stopped it to protect the opponent's arm. It’s always great to see the classic fundamental jiu jitsu work time and time again. Great job Johnny! 

Conclusion:

The boys finished the day with 5 gold medals and had a great time competing together.

Lyndon's Third Place fight on Youtube

Lyndon Yates - ADULT DIVISION

For the adult division we had Lyndon Yates who is a dedicated blue belt at the academy.  Because of Covid, tournaments are becoming few and far between. So Lyndon was excited for the opportunity to compete. 

The first match started with Lyndon attacking and being aggressive with triangles.  His opponent was being conservative and waiting for opportunities to attack off Lyndon’s attacks.  The opponent tried to pass several times and Lyndon’s guard retention defended the pass.  Earlier in the month Lyndon’ injured both his thumbs so he couldn’t make a grip in the traditional sense.  So not being able to block inside space with a “C” grip became a factor.  His opponent was tough and ended up passing the guard for the win. 

The second match was the Nogi Advanced division against a brown belt. Lyndon showed that he can hang with higher belts by showing a high level of skill in framing and guard retention.   Eventually, the opponent was able to catch a kimura and control the position for the remainder of the fight.  This was a great experience for Lyndon and we’re glad to see him as a blue belt challenging himself against the upper belts. 

The last fight was the intermediate division match for 3rd place.  Lyndon was coached to make some adjustments in his technique due to his thumbs not being in tip top shape.  He used more forearms on the inside space and got more control of the opponent's head before attacking the triangles. This adjustment worked! He was able to get a quick triangle choke that was super clean and looked very tight. 

Conclusion:

As Coaches, we’re super proud of Lyndon for getting out there and challenging himself despite being injured. Looking forward to seeing more of Lyndon and other students compete in the near future. Some people don’t like to hear this but it’s true, we either win or we learn. It’s a win either way.