MAT WARS grappling comp info

ttt

Feedback:


  1. JF is a great guy and was a very upbeat host. Whenever there was a question, he was right there to sort things out.

  2. Pre-registration and weigh-ins seemed to go very smoothly. The divisions were laid out and everyone knew where they were and had a chance to correct any misplacements.

  3. The individually printed T-Shirts for winners and runner-ups in each division were a cool, and (to me at least) original idea.

  4. Everything seemed to be done for the good of the event and the benefit of the participants. It was great for the community.

For next time:

  1. I think we only started around 1pm, 2hrs or so late. I understand we may have been waiting for more people, but perhaps next time it would be possible to start and have people join up until their division begins, rather than delaying everything.

  2. Someone like Brent would help in everyone knowing who is up next, who is on deck, who is in the hole, etc. Sometimes it was a little confused and drawn out.

  3. Last time Angelo and Sylvain reffed and it seemed to go smoothly. While Steph and Phil did a great job, there were a few times when there was confusion over whether someone tapped or not, whether points had been awared and to who, etc.

  4. The rules could benefit from being re-examined(note: I was injured, so this might seem biased, but it is how I felt pre-injury as well). Heel-hooks to some extent I can understand in advanced divisions, however when the novice and advanced were combined, it should have been re-addressed. Neck-cranks and slams from the guard (especially on the thin aerobics mats over concrete) can end a career (there are some fairly famous examples).

Great time, great event. Thanks much to JF for running it, and congratulations to all the winners.

Thanks Rene...I wasn't planning on reffing but JF asked so I filled in. I hate those 'did he tap' situations, but I rather that than a broken arm. I thought it was a pretty fun tournament, I liked JF as the master of ceremonies. He's too much!
Phil

I was slammed a few times on the 1-inch mats on top of concrete. Ya, it was pretty solid, but I don't have any problems with slamming. I thought it was a nice addition that's missing from most grappling tournaments (even though I was slammed like 6 times). It's head spiking that's dangerous, and I know it's tough to have one without the other.

Anyway, great tournament JF; you're a good host man. I'd definitely make the trip up again.

Congrats to Ivan--that man is slick.

Phil, *much* better that than a broken arm.

MonkeyMike, the things with HH, slams, and cranks is that the ratio and potential severity of injury is disproportionate. There have been some well known cases of people getting career ending injuries from slams, cranks, and HH.

And even if you weren't seriously injured, injuries are not all/nothing. They build up. A few ligament micro-tears here, a small disk displacement there, and next thing you know a minor activity blows you out.

Spine fusions, cadaver grafts, etc. are a very high price to pay in a sport without high-level financial recompense at any level (no Jordans, Gretzkys, etc.) work and/or school.

That said, since some events now seem to ban a lot of stuff (slicers, pulling the head for triangles, arching the hips for gillatines, etc.), perhaps there will be a market for less-rules tournaments as well. For my own part, I will find those with what I consider to be an acceptable risk ratio and I'm sure others will do likewise.