Combat Corner Grappling Championship Vol.1 SUCCESS

Written by Tyler Welch
Sunday, 09 November 2008 09:58

MILWAUKEE, WI - Yesterday's first annual Combat Corner grappling tournament functioned as a sort of oversized open mat, but in a good way. Grapplers from all around the southern Wisconsin area came together to compete, rolling against some people they were familiar with, and others with whom they rarely crossed paths. The attendance may have been somewhat lighter than hoped, but the level of competition was high. Representatives from schools such as Duke Roufus, Twisted Fitness, Neutral Ground, Riptide, Agallar CS, Badgerland and Waukesha MMA composed a majority of the participants, but kept the action rolling and the sportsmanship high.

Local grappling personalities (and wicombatsports.com message board regulars) such as Jason "Kaz" Kazmierczak, Ryan "The Beard" Williams, Aaron Bridges added some pizzazz (that's right, I said "pizzazz") to the officiating, providing excellent officiating to an already smooth show. Organizers Eric "Red" Schafer and "Savage" Dan LaSavage worked nonstop to co-ordinate the type of tournament that I'm sure they've always wanted to attend; utilizing clear, definitive brackets, announcing each division and its competitors, and making full use of all of their mat space at all times.

There was plenty of competition in the Beginner divisions, with the opportunity for winners to compete up in the next skill division. This ended up being a blessing for some of the Intermediate and Advanced entrants, though, who in some cases had very little competition. There were great prizes for all divisions, including T-shirts and hats from No Fear for all winners, and Clinch board shorts for winners of the Advanced divisions.
The Combat Corner Grappling Championship wasn't huge, but it was a success. Good supermatches, quality grappling and great sportsmanship from area schools made for a terrific experience that I'm sure will only improve in the future.

Supermatches:

1. Josh Resnick vs. Ryan Williams: Resnick comes in hard early for a vicious throw, but Williams is quick to score his hooks and work the back. Resnick manages to escape, and the pair trade guard pass attempts until Resnick ends the match via reverse armbar after a six minute battle.
2. Andy Acker vs. Greg Schliesman: neither can work a successful guard pass early on. Schliesman pushes the action at the eight minute mark, working the triangle choke, but can't get the arm across and finish it. His attempt lights a fire under Acker, who takes Schliesman's back in a flurry of action and sinks the rear naked choke to win via submission.
3. Final - Resnick via Acker: it was clear the pace would be brutal - the younger, more aggressive Acker knew he had a beast to contend with in the more experienced Resnick, but still went in hard with an assertive game plan. Resnick said before the match "I know he's fast and limber, and I just need play my game, and deal with that. Guys that are naturally flexible don't need to expend that much energy to be limber." Early on it looked like Resnick's hard-nosed style would shut down Acker, but Acker persisted, and eventually scored the win with a triangle from the guard, exploiting his to keep Resnick guessing