Nanaimo’s jiu-jitsu club not only wins matches, but shows innovation in their sport.
Island Top Team sent a small contingent to a Grappling Industries tournament last weekend in Burnaby and won five medals, including three gold medals.
The highlight of the March 23 event was Titus Rae’s performance, noted a club press release, as he tried to predict when and how he would win his division and was only 10 minutes off on his guess.
He has been finding success with submissions from the crucifix position, and landed four submissions in his five matches, including a one-handed choke recently developed by Island Top Team instructor Robert Biernacki.
Rae won gold in his purple belt gi and no gi divisions.
One month earlier, Biernacki debuted the one-handed choke to win a black belt superfight at the Battle Grappling event in Vancouver, a pro-MMA-style fight card put on by a U.S. promotion and shown on pay-per-view TV. Training through an elbow injury had led Biernacki to focus on techniques that could be done with one arm, and he was looking to showcase it at a high-profile event against a quality opponent.
“We are calling the technique the Roadhouse Choke,” said Biernacki. “After the Patrick Swayze classic, not the recent remake.”
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