Ireland's best bjj players

crosdad

Who'd be in your top ten? doesn't have to be an active competitor, but who are the guys that you think have the best skills and who could be future black belts?

bilbo79

All bjj players are future black belts if they choose to stick at it and train,

whos the best? Whoever wins competitions

da-bres

IMO You gotta go by belt gradings,

John Kavanagh is an awesome grappler,
id say Liam Beechinor, Fergal Quinlan, Andy Ryan, Paddy Carmody, Darragh O'Connail, Tom King, Mark Curry are all at the top aswell. From a competitive perspective.

as bilbo79 said, a black belt is a white belt that never quit

NG-DOC

i heard there is some blue belt going around called joey breslin who's fairly good

da-bres

NG-DOC wrote: »

i heard there is some blue belt going around called joey breslin who's fairly good

lol:D giv me another 10,000 hours!

fergal_q

Francis Galvin and Chris Bowe are both awesome too

Plastikman_eire

fergal_q wrote: »

Chris Bowe

Chris is smashing up the competition scene over in the UK at the moment.

slats

Riche moore is a top grapler bjj player.

yomchi

slats wrote: »

Riche moore is a top grapler bjj player.

Hi Richie !

agardiner22

I heard Fergal Quinlan is quite good, does anyone here know when and where he runs classes

Ger Healy

agardiner22 wrote: »

I heard Fergal Quinlan is quite good, does anyone here know when and where he runs classes

Fergal coaches out of the

Combat Sports Centre,
Unit B7 Corcanrea Ind Est.,
Dock Rd
Limerick

Web link http://www.combatsportscentre.com

slats

yomchi wrote: »

Hi Richie !

Its not richie i train under richie,he is a top grapler and bjj guy,also a boxing/thai boxing coach and strenght and condtiong coach and i tink he has a high grading at li ching wu.

bilbo79

slats wrote: »

Its not richie i train under richie,he is a top grapler and bjj guy,also a boxing/thai boxing coach and strenght and condtiong coach and i tink he has a high grading at li ching wu.

He is blue belt so not near the top of bjj. Never boxed or thai boxed either so dont know why you'd think he is a great coach at them arts, in saying that he is honest enough that he would not think he is great at them arts

Jason McCabe

Graham Keys at Gracie Barra NI is the best I have rolled with personally


Never rolled with JK and when I did roll with Josie it was very light school grappling so was hard to gauge just how good he was

Darren Friel is also well worth a mention. He is very technical.

Young Michael Devlin is a great talent too.

I'm not active at BJJ just train a little

David Jones

Well mine is bigger, longer and harder than.....sorry thought this was willy waving forum

r_obric

Plastikman_eire wrote: »

Chris is smashing up the competition scene over in the UK at the moment.

thats chris the purple belt as of not to long ago... congrats

chprt

surely


Paul Fox, sexy Clive and a few of the polish lads deserve a mention.

Is the polish lad out in beserkers in naas not meant to be savage, as well as a few other eastern european lads in various other gyms


paddy

da-bres

chupasart.com wrote: »

surely


Paul Fox, sexy Clive and a few of the polish lads deserve a mention.

Is the polish lad out in beserkers in naas not meant to be savage, as well as a few other eastern european lads in various other gyms


paddy

yeah pitor stawski from naas

Arek and nergus from SBG are monsters

Jason McCabe

Poles doing brazilian jiu-jitsu in ireland is an odd one

But seriously there must be something in the water in poleland, some seriously strong dudes from there

chprt

yeah nergus


didnt know how to spell the name and know hes not polish but e european. arek and one of his mates whos name I dont know should also be in there


paddy

Plastikman_eire

r_obric wrote: »

thats chris the purple belt as of not to long ago... congrats

Great news, and well deserved.

Finian123

crosdad wrote: »

Who'd be in your top ten? doesn't have to be an active competitor, but who are the guys that you think have the best skills and who could be future black belts?

i think 3rd strip purple belt john macateer is a very good grappler !!!
michael devlin best blue belt in the country
pat ferry also good blue belt !!

bjj-fighter

Finian123 wrote: »

i think 3rd strip purple belt john macateer is a very good grappler !!!
michael devlin best blue belt in the country
pat ferry also good blue belt !!

From where? Josie Murray's?

I've never heard of John McAteer? Has he ever competed?

Shane Fitz

Karl, check the belt listing, http://www.bjj.ie/beltlist.php you'll find their grades, date and lineage. i didnt want to post them here. you'll understand why.

Barry.Oglesby

That list is a few months out of date. Me and Paul Fox are still blue on it and there's none of my blue belts on it so it might be missing a good bit more too. I mailed them about it but they didn't alter it.

dasmoose

Sorry about the list guys, we're still working on it, sql issues are a nightmare... As Barry says there are definitely parts of it out of date, don't take it as gospel by any means. In a month or two when we can get it sorted we'll probably start over from scratch, please bear with us until then and enjoy the rest of the site

vasch_ro

bilbo79 wrote: »

All bjj players are future black belts if they choose to stick at it and train,

whos the best? Whoever wins competitions

just wondering is this true ?
Can every one be a black belt, as i do not think this applies to me

Chris89

vasch_ro wrote: »

just wondering is this true ?
Can every one be a black belt, as i do not think this applies to me

I think so.

If you're training and not progressing then I guess you either have to address how often you're training, or how you're training.

And the belt ranks are obviously a measure of the progression people should be seeing?

NG-DOC

Chris89 wrote: »

I think so.

If you're training and not progressing then I guess you either have to address how often you're training, or how you're training.

And the belt ranks are obviously a measure of the progression people should be seeing?

This is fully off topic now but,

So if you're 40 when you start bjj and you've never done any competitive sports before, do you think you can still achieve black belt?

Chris89

Al Bundy got his bb from Rorion Gracie and im pretty sure he started training in his mid to late forties.

I think if you are in good physical condition and have the time to train as much as a younger individual, then age shoudlnt really matter.

Like as long as you dont die half way through or something.

NG-DOC

Chris89 wrote: »

Al Bundy got his bb from Rorion Gracie and im pretty sure he started training in his mid to late forties.

I think if you are in good physical condition and have the time to train as much as a younger individual, then age shoudlnt really matter.

Like as long as you dont die half way through or something.

from what i understoof ed o neil (al bundy hh) got his black belt after training for 15 years.

if he started in his mid fortiers, lets say 45, this means he got his black belt at age 60. he got it in 2007 which would now make him 63.

if all this is true, that's pretty impressive, and apparently you can start bjj at any age and become a black belt.

Chris89

Yeah he is in his early 60's now. (hh)

I suppose he had the financial stability to just train as much as he wanted but still, 15 years is 15 years.

45 to 60, or 20 to 35, still 15 years studying the same curriculum i guess.

He might not be winning any big tournaments, but hes still a bb.

NG-DOC

Chris89 wrote: »

Yeah he is in his early 60's now. (hh)

I suppose he had the financial stability to just train as much as he wanted but still, 15 years is 15 years.

45 to 60, or 20 to 35, still 15 years studying the same curriculum i guess.

He might not be winning any big tournaments, but hes still a bb.

some good points there Chris89 you really are a fountain of knowledge on this topic h

Finian123

bjj-fighter wrote: »

From where? Josie Murray's?

I've never heard of John McAteer? Has he ever competed?

yes he has

bjj-fighter

Finian123 wrote: »

yes he has

Fantastic! I don't recall ever seeing him compete or place in a competition so
I'm just wondering what he has been in or won? But maybe some of the more experienced lads have seen him.

Michael devlin I have heard of though and have seen him perform well.

bjj-fighter

Shane Fitz wrote: »

Karl, check the belt listing, http://www.bjj.ie/beltlist.php you'll find their grades, date and lineage. i didnt want to post them here. you'll understand why.

I dont quite understand...maybe I'm just thick though. I think Michael Devlin seems like a very good blue belt from what Ive seen and the results he has had. I'm sure it wouldnt be too bad to explain what you mean on here. If not, would you send me a PM then?

I dont want to be antagonising to any club or competitor by all this noseyness though, Im just interested thats all.

bjj-fighter

Also put me on that list Mark! I've been submitted, crushed, beaten and then whipped enough for my place! ha

wetdogsmell

of all the people i've rolled with, liam o toole is probably the best naturaly skilled bjj players i've rolled with

weemate

wetdogsmell wrote: »

of all the people i've rolled with, liam o toole is probably the best naturaly skilled bjj players i've rolled with

not only is he one of the most gifted bjj players in the country,he is also one of the most humble and friendliest guys out there.Why is isnt spoken of more is unreal.maybe its a testament to him as a person that he does his talking on the mat.

SBG Ireland

there aint no such as 'gifted', 'naturally skilled' or 'talented' - the tests have been done, the results are back.

there is only one thing that matters - practice, purposeful practice to be precise.

i'd encourage everybody but especially coaches to read Bounce - Matthew Syed

dispels the talent myth best and shows how damaging it can be for the athlete...and the other athletes in the gym to refer to them as 'talented'

...sorry to drag this off topic but people who know me know that 'talent' and 'basics' are the 2 words that grind my gears

wetdogsmell

i don't agree with there not being naturaly talented people, some people will train hard all there life and never be great, others just seem to get there realy quickly

as the old saying goes,, " YOU CAN'T POLISH A TURD"

SanoVitae

SBG Ireland wrote: »

there aint no such as 'gifted', 'naturally skilled' or 'talented'

How then do you explain BJ Penn's achievements? Winning the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship after only 3 years of training, beating people who had been training their whole lives? It's not as if BJ is known for his outstanding work ethic either!

While BJ is part of a very small percentage of the population, he is surely an example of someone who is truly talented.

For the rest of us, hard work, dedication and persistance in the only way to get to where we want!

Chris89

SanoVitae wrote: »

How then do you explain BJ Penn's achievements? Winning the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship after only 3 years of training, beating people who had been training their whole lives? It's not as if BJ is known for his outstanding work ethic either!

While BJ is part of a very small percentage of the population, he is surely an example of someone who is truly talented.

For the rest of us, hard work, dedication and persistance in the only way to get to where we want!

Work ethic and enough money to train every day!

Tim_Murphy

Of the few people I've heard of getting really good really fast they all have at least one thing in common, they all train hard and they train all the time, way above the average.

All the best guys I know are also the ones who train the most, and who put the most into it. I can't think of any exceptions.

Barry.Oglesby

SBG Ireland wrote: »

there aint no such as 'gifted', 'naturally skilled' or 'talented' - the tests have been done, the results are back.

there is only one thing that matters - practice, purposeful practice to be precise.

i'd encourage everybody but especially coaches to read Bounce - Matthew Syed

dispels the talent myth best and shows how damaging it can be for the athlete...and the other athletes in the gym to refer to them as 'talented'

...sorry to drag this off topic but people who know me know that 'talent' and 'basics' are the 2 words that grind my gears

+1 for more time on the mat... but!!!!!!

... what we commonly refer to as "talent" can also be superior hand-eye coordination, strength, physical learning capabilities and so on. All of which are genetic "gifts". We're operating in a very specific arena and I like to think that BJJ is adaptable for every body type, but beyond that into sport in general and genetic traits play a huge role. Longer limbs, shorter limbs, body part ratios, bone density, fast and slow twitch fibres, visual acuity, balance. As an example, all the time in the world spent on a track will not make me run an 11secs 100m, yet my mate can do one without ever having trained as a sprinter. Reverse the roles and put the 2 of us over 1500m and he'll lose sight of my heels very early.

I would say that in every BJJ class in Ireland last night, these factors played a very insignificant part in whoever improved the most over the session, but the closer to "good" you get, the more acute the diffferences. All of which is completely and utterly useless unless you're spending 5 hours plus per week on the mat of course

Liam_B

I think its somewhat insulting in a way to call a guy just talented. It sounds as if the practitioner is just reliant on talent and not work ethic.
Take the Mendez brothers for instance. Had the pleasure of asking them a few questions @ Informed Performance Seminar a time back. I asked the guys what there training schedule is like.

4 times a day training. Cardio workout with 3 other Jiujitsu based work outs.
There was 1 day off a week. ......& get this ....the day off was still train, 4 times that day but a little lighter.
Now this is definitely not talent. This is work ethic , commitment and discipline .

Also Terere, he also trains ,3-4 times a day. Serious discipline and work ethic, I dont believe its talent. Its the hard work put into the task.

Also opportunities, if you have the opportunity to train with the Best in the business 4 times a day. Your team mates are some of the world champions in the sport, and your training 4 times a day. Its not talent at work, its opportunities and work ethic I think.

Interesting Topic here... :-)

da-bres

SanoVitae wrote: »

How then do you explain BJ Penn's achievements? Winning the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship after only 3 years of training, beating people who had been training their whole lives? It's not as if BJ is known for his outstanding work ethic either!

While BJ is part of a very small percentage of the population, he is surely an example of someone who is truly talented.

For the rest of us, hard work, dedication and persistance in the only way to get to where we want!

hey Just finished reading BJ's biography there and he really dispels any belief about his 'lack of' work ethic, he blames over training and the UFC's marketing for that opinion.

Fact was BJ was flown out to california and paid to train, he trained all the time with the best guys around and competed in as many tournie's as possible.

You could say he is naturally flexible, and has excellent motor skills, but the rest is all efficient mat time.

SanoVitae

Liam_B wrote: »

Its not talent at work, its opportunities and work ethic I think.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Can't you have talent AND work extremely hard and take advantage of certain opportunities to become better?

Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" frequently refers the "10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.

Obviously hard work is required whether you are talented or not. I think it's equally obvious, however, that people are born with natural gifts/talent. When combined with the thousands of hours of hard work makes them stand out from the people who have worked just as hard as them, often for a longer time.

Sid_Justice

It obviously depends on what you define talent or natural ability as.

Could you say someone who has the natural tendency to work really hard, train intelligently, have an excellent work ethic, retention capability, concentration ability talented? Why not?

People are born with and develop under near optimal conditions physical attributes. What's not to say people are born with and develop at an early stage mental capabilities.

SBG Ireland

opinions are nice but facts are better

there is no evidence of anybody reaching a level of expertise in a complicated activity without around 10,000 hours of purposeful practice

none

nada

doesnt matter if its bjj, composing, chess etc...doesnt matter...no natural talent, no genetics

evidence > opinion

talent, gifts, skills....even 'hard work' are all a myth

there are a number of factors that do have to come together at the right time...the perfect storm...to produce a champion

Coaching - the athlete must have access to a coach who is an expert in the technical aspects of the chosen sport - without the knowledge the practice or length of time training is irrelevant. beginners coaching beginners actually slows down their progress.


time - the athlete must be able to practice. it takes about 4-5hrs a day for 10 years to log 10,000hrs....if you have a wife, 2 girlfriends, 3 jobs and 5 kids this may not be achievable.

love/addiction - you must absolutely LOVE the activity. 'will power' 'work ethic' 'hard work'...all bull****....if you do not LOVE doing it you will not put in those type of hours.

as i said read the book...the cool thing about it (and the scientific method in general) is that its not the authors opinion...its based on verifiable studies, facts....your opinion..or mine doesnt matter.

...but its always comforting to look at champions from your chair and say 'well i coulda done that but just didnt have the 'talent'...'

SanoVitae

SBG Ireland wrote: »

...but its always comforting to look at champions from your chair and say 'well i coulda done that but just didnt have the 'talent'...'

Personally, I'd find it more comforting knowing that with enough hard work and time put in, I could be a champion.