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"Martial Arts Planet owner Mike Sweeney's pursuit for excellence is evident not only in his training but also his teaching. His extreme dedication to martial arts can be seen through his continual desire to refine both his personal training and his training methods. While Mike's positive leadership has encouraged me to achieve new levels on the mat, it has also influenced me to attain new levels as a person." Adam Zugec - North American and Canadian Submission Champion

"Mike Sweeney is one of those rare Coaches who possesses the unique combination of personal skill, and teaching ability. Mike has a very high level of performance skill in all areas of fighting: stand up kickboxing, clinch, ground, and weapons. In addition, Mike has a great way of communicating, coaching, and helping others reach their own personal best within the field of functional Martial Arts. I would highly recommend his classes for anyone, of any skill level." Matt Thornton - SBG Founder and President

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LEATHER BOXING GLOVES

2004 COMPETITION RESULTS

Congratulations to our students Rob McArthur, Peter Hawrish, Ian McCormick and Rebecca Sweeney for testing yourselves at Joslin's Grappling Championships on November 6, 2004.

Rob fought a hard match in the big-boy beginner division. He was up 6-0 only to lose the match by 1 point! Ian fought both Gi and No-gi in the lightweight intermediate division. These are some slick guys and Ian is beginning to know them all by name (same guys each tourney). Ian fought hard and although he didn't win, I know he came away with an important lesson. Right Ian? Peter fought No-gi only in the intermediate division. He made a respectable showing, keeping a cool head and following his coaches instructions. Rebecca competed in both Gi and No-gi divisions. Her Gi opponent (there was only one) beat her by points. We found out after the match that she was a Judo champion with 30 (?) years of experience! Rebecca went on to compete in the Advanced No-Gi division, ultimately taking 1st place. Congrats Rebecca!

Although I am of course proud of Rebecca for winning, I am equally proud of the guys for giving their best! Way to go.

Joslin's tournament drew a Big Crowd!

Rebecca's Gi Division

No Gi fight 1

1st Place!

Ian in his first fight - No Gi division

Peter Hawrish fights No Gi

KIDS KOMBAT

A large group of our juniors met on Saturday October 30, 2004 to take part in our second Kids Kombat Competition and Fun Day! The event participants were able to test their skills in striking, clinching and grappling events. The competition was super exciting to watch and we were very impressed with everyone who took part.

The Ring of Fire!

Two big cats, about to do battle!

Back control!

Victorious!

Working for a takedown!

Phase 3 kids show off their new medals!

Two of our jiu-jitsu students traveled to Toronto to compete in the 2004 Showdown Grappling Open.

Shawn Hartwig fought in the advanced division which was stacked with Blue, Purple, Brown and Black belts. He lost his first No-Gi match via points to a very strong competitor. His Gi division was full of Blue belts and 1 Black Belt (Scott Schilling). Unfortunately, Shawn drew Scott, the ultimate winner of the division, as his first opponent:(

Ian McCormick fought an excellent first match in his Gi division executing a very good takedown and getting up several points on his opponent. Unfortunately, he made a small mistake, which his opponent capitalized on, submitting him via Kimura. All in all, we are very proud of the guys for stepping on the mat and testing themselves!

Congratulations Professor Fabiano on your May 22 victory in the TKO!

The following is a description of the fight by Phil "Sled Dog" Gelinas, owner and chief instructor of GAMMA in Montreal:

"When the bell sounded he (Wagnney) touched gloves then was all business. He probed with a few leg kicks, faked a punch and then closed and took Lee down. First time ended in the ropes and they were stood up. Wagnney circled looking for his opportunity again. They closed, Wagnney attacking, he got the take down falling into half guard with Wagnney on top. Wagnney did that wiggling half guard pass he does so well and followed into mount. A little give and take and Lee crossed an arm over his chest and Wagnney cinched the head & arm triangle. Lots of pressure but Lee resisted. Wagnney moves to side control for better positioning and looses mount to half guard but does not let go. Wagnney gets out again and establishes side position and adds more pressure. Finally Lee taps and Wagnney is declared the winner. Lee takes a good 2 - 3 minutes to recover on the floor."

"Wagnney attributes it all to BJJ, Andre Pederneiras (his teacher), Josh (student) and his friends."

KIDS KOMBAT

On Saturday May 15, 2004, 30 of our juniors "did battle" in the first ever Kids Kombat and Fun Day! No, this was no ordinary karate tournament. Rather than participating in point sparring or being judged on the prettiness of their martial arts forms (katas - dances), these students were challenged by a variety of combative events, representative of our functional curriculum.

Good sprawl to defend that takedown!

Big Smiles for a few of our champions!

Working in the clinch!

Even little guys were able to compete!

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for kids!

Proper equipment makes real training safe and fun!

Huge congratulations to our student Gary Yatsula for his 1st place finish at the 2nd Montreal Open BJJ Championships.

To quote Gary: "The day almost didn't happen. I slept through my alarm clock and woke up 1 hr late. I blew a coolant hose on my car and pulled off in Brockville around 7am or so. I found a gas station with a phone book but the gentleman just moved from Toronto 2 weeks earlier and couldn't help much. I found a small garage that was open at that early hour and was willing to set aside his work to get me going again asap. I hooked up with Justin (former student of our school) in Cornwall around 9am. I was getting worried as the time drew closer to 10am (the weigh in deadline) and then passed 10am. We made it to the tournament around 10:15 or so and I signed in. I realized I had forgotten my inhaler (asthma) in my car and raced back down to the underground parking before things started. (and oh ya, I sure needed it later in the day!) But long story short, we made it and had a GREAT time!"

By the way... Gary (below - in baby blue Gi) is not a small boy, but check out the size of his opponent!!!

While participating in Matt Thornton's Spring Camp in Oregon, Mike Sweeney had the opportunity to compete in the Straight Blast Gym's Gorilla Cup. The tournament was fought using Karl Tanswell's Submission League rules in which matches could only be won by submission, not points. In spite of multiple attempts by each of the division's competitors, Mike's division (advanced lightweight) ended with a 4 way tie with no one being submitted.