Kids and Adults Take Home Gold From Helena, MT BJJ Tourney

Team Integrative/Grapplers Guild students took home their first golds this past weekend in a BJJ and Judo tournament that took place in Helena, MT. Seven competitors jumped on the opportunity to compete last minute and notched some of their best performances yet. Results are listed below. Pictures- Above: Jacob DeLeon submits his opponent with a standing guillotine in the first round of his grappling (no-gi) division. Below: Mike McCray (far right) proudly displays his gold after many grueling matches and flawless subs in his gi division.

Congrats to all who competed and thanks again to all the parents and friends for your support!

Adults:

~Mike McCray: 1st BJJ white belt division, 2nd Grappling Novice division (6-1 overall!)

~Chad Spade: 2nd BJJ white belt division, 2nd Grappling Intermediate division (stellar performance)

~Danny: 2nd BJJ puple belt division (lost 3-2 in the finals...a heartbreaker haha)

Kids:

~Tyler Hammack: 3rd BJJ mixed belt division, 1st Grappling division

Others who competed and showed improvement:

~Stryder Miller

~Jacob DeLeon

~Grant Simmons

Small Town School Proves Big Time Competitor

Team Integrative/Grappler's Guild sent 8 competitors out to "The Revolution" BJJ/Grappling tournament and didnt leave without making its mark among other bigger and more well-known Seattle and Portland schools. Highlights of the tournament included Cole Thompson taking 3rd in the kid's BJJ division (his first tourney!), Forrest Therrian taking 4th in the white belt division out of 20+ competitors in his bracket, Curtis Mickelson taking 5th in the same division, and me (Danny) sweeping both divisions (purple belt gi/advanced no-gi) without a single point or advantage lost. I was a candidate for the "vicious submission" award but ended up lossing it to a gal who landed a flying triangle choke in :14. Definitely got me there! Everyone who competed came away with some impressive victories and, as a coach, I could not be more proud of those who stepped out on the mat and let it fly. All our matches were victories in my eyes as I witnessed a beautiful combination of impressive technique, excellent conditioning, and tons of heart on the battlefield.

Congratulations to all 8 who competed: Spencer Dawe, Mike McCray, Curtis Mickelson, Forrest Therrien, Jacob DeLeon, Dakota Kivett, Cole Thompson, and myself. A special thanks to the parents, family members, and friends who came and supported us so far from home. Nothing was more rewarding than all of your cheers as we stepped on and off the mat! It means the world to those who train so hard and go out there to put themselves to the test.

Remember...Promotions for all Jiu Jitsu students tonight and Kids' BJJ students Saturday morning!

-Danny

Team Grappler's Guild of Sandpoint Prepares For Next Tourney

The troops are being rallied...some of which are under 5 foot tall. The excitement is building up as Team Grappler's Guild of Sandpoint prepares to return to Seattle, this time with a full force (including kids!). Danny, affectionately (?) known as Sensei to the kids, prepares to return to competition as well. So, how does one prepare for a Jiu Jitsu tournement? We condition our athletes with the standard protocol plus some. Longer sparring rounds, plyos in between rounds, situational live, to say the least. Add in some Russian Kettlebells and even some "Yoga for Martial Artists" and top it off with with your instructor pushing you past your comfort zone and you end up with a pretty sweet formula for success. We appreciate all the support of our parents and friends as we prepare and lead a not so typical lifestyle... Look forward to hearing about some stellar performances.

Something Worth Committing For

The word commitment is often associated with fear, self-doubt, procrastination, and impatience. Take a minute to ask yourselves why? Why can I not stick with something long enough to see the outcome that can completely transform my life and well being in a positive way. Committing to something such as yoga, martial arts, writing, mountain biking, etc can help you become more confident in yourself and your capabilities in life. You know how people say its not the top of the mountain with the glorious view that they look back and remember and feel, its the journey to the top. Once you begin to climb up that rocky, challenging, and strenuous mountain you know that deep down you have just committed to yourself that you will reach the top no matter what it takes. You have committed to go through pain, joy, peace, and challenge to achieve the goal only you have set. The greatest thing about this is that nobody else told you that you had to achieve this goal; that you had to get to the top to be a better person. You know that you must reach the top because it is something that will help you become truer to yourself. So you begin your climb, you stumble over a few rocks, sweat, and even get stung by a wasp. You have the fear that a grizzly bear can smell even your thoughts from miles away, yet you keep going. Why? COMMITMENT! So with physical obstacles, fear, and mental obstacles you still climb with one foot in front of the other taking one step at a time. You know that there is no easy way out or quick fix to the top other than to keep moving. So just keep moving, tell yourself you are almost there and how good it will feel to know that you have accomplished something so mighty like hiking this vertical climb to the top of a mountain. There is no time to procrastinate or to hide from fear or dwell on self-pity, you only slow yourself down. The climb down is always so rewarding and gratifying. You tell your self, "I did it, I committed and did it with everything I had in me and I achieved my goal!"

Bottom line, whether you are training for a specific event or sport, general fitness, or just for fun find something to strive for and to live for. Give your heart a run for its money and release the adventure from within. Committing to a practice can and will transform your very existence not just your physical appearance . Whats the fun in taking diet pills and yo-yo dieting or only pushing yourself in areas that you know are possible? Go beyond and dive deep. LIVE! COMMIT!

"Practice and all is coming" Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois -Ashtanga guru/founder

"Find your limits or edge and start there"-Abby

-Abby

Team Grappler's Guild Sandpoint Competes in Seattle

Congratulations to Jon Adams, Cord Rink, Curtis Mickelson, and Spencer Dawe for stepping into their first tournament and representing newly assembled Grappler's Guild of Sandpoint! We travelled together all the way to Seattle to compete in "The Revolution", a highly regarded tournament that drew many competitors from all over the Northwest.

Lets be honest, it takes some guts to step into a large competition for the first time after only training for under 3 months. All factors considered, the guys did excellent. The brackets were stacked with upwards of 20 men per division and we were proud to get great experience as well as take home a bronze for the team. Congratulations to Spencer Dawe for taking home our first medal!

We are all looking forward to our next tournament (competing is addicting) and I will be preparing for my return to the World Team Trials in Phoenix, AZ after taking forth last year (highlight was submitting the former World Champion of Team Grappler's Edge in Denver).

-Danny

Tim Miller's Workshop

Over this past weekend I had the opportunity to learn under Tim Miller, the first American to get certified in Ashtanga Yoga. Tim has over 30 years of practice and it was very evident in his teaching. I shared a very sweaty Mysore and Led Primary experience with about 40 other people while Tim strolled the room with confidence and grace giving adjustments. His adjustments transformed my practice. Tim's presence alone seemed so calm yet confident; masculine yet nurturing; strong yet graceful. He had this way about him that you just had no other choice than to want to just sit and absorb every word that came out of his mouth and every action that moved from his body. The energy among the practitioners who attended his workshop was very uplifting. I cannot express enough what it feels like to have about 40 people in one room practicing yoga, creating this energy through movement, breath, and focus. The more I put myself in learning situations like Tim's workshop the more life and my purpose becomes clear. Knowledge is a very powerful thing to have and the hunger for it is what keeps you alive.

Knowledge is power; The question is what are you going to do with the power?

Namaste,

Abby

Now We're Rolling...
Transformation of the Martial Arts Space

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After...

PS - Very excited about the Kid's BJJ program starting Monday June 15th!