The WKA National Tournament started at 10am Saturday morning, and did not end till after 1am the following morning! Over 200 competitors in Muay Thai, Kickboxing and MMA fought tournament style, going toe to e with multiple opponents in one night for the chance to become North American Champion. Team Hybrid was in attendance and fought proudly, some waiting up to 7 hours between bouts for their opportunity to showcase their skills.
Early in the day Hybrid Apprentice Instructors Lisa Cuellar, Melissa Carlton, and 16 year old Will Paxson won their first fights in impressive fashion. The day drug out however, and the adrenaline surge form the first fight began to wear off, as fatigue and pain set in from their first battles.
The long wait played heavily on our fighters. Lisa Cuellar won an impressive first round fight by decision, bringing her record to 3-2. She was unable however to continue in the tournament due to injury ( and the fact that her next fight had not been announced even at 1130pm! She fought her first fight around 1pm.) At 40 years of age, Lisa thirst to continually challenge herself is inspiring to us all and we are proud to have her as an instructor at the HTC.
Melissa Carlton fought and won her fight by unanimous decision, only to fight and loose a competitive decision in the finals at 11pm that night (nearly 7 hours after her first bout.) Melissa is a competitor through and through. her drive and determination stayed fast the entire day during her long wait. In the end, even though she lost, she made herself and us very proud for pushing through and “staying the course.” Look to see Melissa and Lisa teaching our Kids Martial Arts Program at the HTC!
Will Paxson, our youngest Team Hybrid member fought and won an impressive first fight by unanimous decision, displaying the poise and technique of an experienced ring fighter. Though loosing his next match (nearly 6 hours later) Will showed tremendous fortitude and bravery for such a young athlete. He is an inspiration and role model for all of our young martial artist at the HTC. Look for big things in this kids future.
Lee Rahliens, fought a stellar MMA match against a Team Renzo Gracie competitor and lost a close and controversial split decision. His opponent was too damaged to fight on in the tournament and gladly gave his spot to the game and ready Lee Rahleins, however the WKA would not allow it. Lee has impressively signed on to fight in the upcoming Cagefest Extreme 10 fight on Saturday June 26th, merely a week after his battle at the WKA.
John Scamordella lost his fight due to referee stoppage due to an eye injury. Early in the fight, Johnny “Law Dawg” came out swinging and had his opponent in trouble early on. A collision of heads late in the first round caused John to temporarily loose vision, thus a stoppage of the fight for safety reasons. Note that even though he was blind, John wanted to fight! Kru Buck Grant and Coach Chase Walden made the safe decision for him. John is a warrior at heart. he’ll be back to fight another day for sure.
Congrats once again to our Team Hybrid warriors for their performance. They did us all proud once again.
Saturday June 19th, Team Hybrid will fight Muay Thai and MMA tournament style at the WKA (World Kickboxing Association) North American Combat Sports Championships. 200 competitors, from 65 different gyms coming from 18 different states and Canada will showcase their talent at this annually run event as they fight for the chance to become the WKA North American Champion! Each fighter may fight multiple times in one day, testing their will and skill against multiple opponents on their way to becoming the Champ. It should prove to be an exciting event for fighters, coaches, and spectators alike and you do not want to miss a single moment of action.
5 Team Hybrid fighters will compete this weekend. Muay Thai fighters and Kids Martial Arts Instructors Lisa Cuellar and Melissa Carlton will compete in the female Muay Thai division, while Johnny “Law Dawg” Scamordellacompetes in the men’s novice division.
Team Hybrid newcomer Lee Rahlienswill be fighting MMA as a novice after coming off of 2 straight wins in his last two fights. Also making his debut is Apprentice Instructor Will Paxson. At age 16, he will be fighting in the newly formed Teens Kickboxing division of the WKA North Americans.
The following day, June 20th, Muay Thai and K-1 legend Rob “The Dutchman” Kaman will be teaching a “Dutch MuayThai” seminar. it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to train with perhaps one of the greatest Muay Thai and Kickboxing champions to come out of Holland.
The fights will take place at the Boo Williams Sports Plexin Hampton Virginia, just a week after Team Hybrid’s BJJ and Submission Grappling Team competed there in the NAGA. For directions CLICK HERE.
Come support your team at a local event that will prove to be exciting for all.
For more information on the event go to www.wkausa.com or visit them on Facebook HERE.
It is said that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Our dear friends Hope and Alex have provided us with nearly a thousand pictures of our Muay Thai Testing that will leave you speechless. Our Kids Martial Arts, Adults Muay Thai and Muay Thai Black Belt Test are all put intoindividual galleries and slide shows that showcase every single student (over 40 total) that tested on the night of Friday June 4th.
The positive atmosphere of HTC is apparent in every picture, and on every smiling face that participated in our proud occasion, but don’t take our words for it. Go to www.hybrid.hopeandalex.com to see for yourself how happy and proud our family is at the Hybrid Training Center!
After 4 years of hard work and dedication, Coaches Chase Walden and Jody Morgan successfully tested for and passed their black belt test. Both instructors took drastically different routes to obtain their black belt. While Chase took the traditional route, fighting and obtaining several Muay Thai titles while running the Muay Thai program at the HTC, Jody Morgan took his competitive spirit to the MMA cage and CrossFit Games while running the TRX program.
Both Black Belts started together as white belts under Kru Buck Grant. Their training paths came full circle, as they met together to showcase their Muay Thai skills in front of nearly 40 HTC students who were testing for rank as well at our Quarterly Muay Thai Test on Friday June 4th.
Congratulations to all of our dedicated students for participating in our quarterly event. You continue to make us proud in your journey towards Black Belt excellence. Jody and Chase exemplified and embodied the true spirit of Muay Thai and served as great motivation to all of our students who continue on their path to greatness.
We want to once again thank Hope and Alex Ignacio for their amazing photography. Look to see more professional photos of the HTC from them in the near future. For more pictures of our Muay Thai Testing, CLICK HERE and visit their blog spot.
After 4 plus years of hard work and dedication, Coaches Chase Walden and Jody Morgan test for their Black Belt in Muay Thai under Kru Buck Grant. Chase and Jody started as white belts together under Kru Buck, and though they have taken drastically different paths to reach their Black Belt, both have arrived at this shining moment at the same time.
Come experience their crowning achievement, along with Hybrid’s other shining students during Muay Thai Testing tomorrow. Our Kids Martial Artists will test at 6pm, followed by adults and then the Black Belt Testing will serve as the finale of an outstanding event. Bring your family and friends to our Open House Muay Thai celebration as Jody and Chase earn their Black Belt!
It is that time again! June 4th will mark our 2nd Quarterly Muay Thai Belt Testing for 2010. Come support your friends and family as they move up to their next rank. Testing at the HTC has always been more of a celebration rather than a test. The hard work and dedication has already been shown to get them this far, so come celebrate their achievements. All students, family members and guests are welcomed so don’t miss out!
Testing will start at 6pm. All students testing must be at the HTC no later than 545pm. Students are encouraged to arrive as early as 530pm to warm up and review testing combinations with fellow students and instructors. THERE WILL BE NO MUAY THAI CLASSES ON FRIDAY.
Congratulations to Stacy Grant for being awarded the title of Kru Muay under Master Toddy this past weekend. Kru is the title for “Teacher’ in Muay Thai, and no one embodies that title more than Kru Stacy. As the first pro female MMA fighter in Virginia and and active Muay Thai fighter and coach, Stacy has motivated and inspired our entire team of fighting females (and males for that matter.) Kru Stacy (alongside Kru Buck Grant) has taken an all female team of thai fighters twice in the past few years to fight Muay Thai in Vegas. Our team competed impressively against the West Coast’s best female amateur fighters at Master Toddy’s “Fight Girls” events, largely due to Kru Stacy’s coaching and mentoring.
Kru Stacy is one of a very few female Kru’s under Master Toddy. Stacy (along with her husband Kru Buck) have been asked to accompany Master Toddy to Thailand in December to showcase her Thai Pad holding skills and to train with some of the best Thai born coaches in the world.
Following her footsteps, congratulations are also in order for our new Assistant Krus, Chase Walden, Kim Smith, Phillip Wyman, and Jose Roman. All instructors have been mentoring under Kru Buck for years before they embarked on the instructor course this past Sunday and Monday. Over 24 hours of training was logged in the course of this weekend, directly under the expert eye of Master Toddy.
Also occuring this weekend was a phenomenal Fighter Course and All Levels Training Session. nearly 40 students attended the 6 hours of training. Instructors form local schools such as Bushido MMA, IMPACT Martial Arts, and Team Agguire Mua Thai, were also in attendance to train with a Muay Thai legend.
Continuously raising the gold standard of Muay Thai on the East Coast has been Kru Buck’s passion for over 15 years. He continues to do so by sharing the knowledge of his Grand Master with his top students and teachers.
Come learn REAL Muay Thai from certified instructors and champions at the Hybrid Training Center!
No one understands the value of teamwork more than us. Now you can get the value of Team Training in a semiprivate setting. Your team, a group of friends, or co-workers, can share the cost of private instruction.
Already an existing student? Ask a few of your training partners at the HTC if they would like to share an hour with one of our Pro Trainers. Reap the benefits of one one one attention while building comradery and team cohesion in Group Training Workouts in martial Arts or fitness.
For more information about our rates, CLICK HERE. To schedule your first Team Training session, call us at 757-490-6906 or email at hybridtrainingcenter@gmail.com.
“Kru Buck Grant doing private training with Instructor Chase Walden.”
Ever considered doing private training? Now is the time to try it out! Our entire staff of certified trainers, martial artists, and pro fighters are available to teach you one on one.
Take your training to the next level with a discounted rate on your first private lesson. Your first lesson is only $45 (normally $65 per hour) in whatever your training goals are.
To read more about our PRIVATE and GROUP LESSON program CLICK HERE!
Congratulations to Lisa Cuellar for winning her amatuer Muay Thai match at Modern Gladiators 10 this weekend. The event took place in our own backyard of Virginia Beach Virginia at the Surfside Inn Hotel and Suites, right off of our boardwalk.
Lisa, at the age of 40 years old, was competing in her 4th Muay Thai match (record of 1-2.) Her opponent was 16 year old Devon Fore from Coalition Fight Team who was making her amatuer Muay Thai debut.
Though in most sports, the edge tends to lean towards the younger athlete, Lisa showed no signs of ”slowing down.” Battling a significantly taller South Paw (left handed fighter) proved challenging to Lisa in the beginning stages of thhe fight. However, Lisa quickly adapted, applying tremendous forward pressure and a tremendous pace. Classic strategy against a Southpaw was implemented by Lisa, probing her jab hand, but primarily leading with the straight right hand while countering Devon’s high left kick with her own inside low right kick. Late in the third and final round, Lisa landed a devastating right body hook, crippling her younger opponent to earn an 8 count, sealing the win for Ms. Cuellar by a split decision.
Labeled by Coach Buck Grant as the “Female Randy Couture of Muay Thai,” Lisa continues to improve in every fight (now with a 2-2 record) and continues to be a role model for all at The Hybrid Training Center. For more pictures, visit ourFacebook Page, and to watch Lisa fight in full, CLICK HERE!
The WKA National Tournament started at 10am Saturday morning, and did not end till after 1am the following morning! Over 200 competitors in Muay Thai, Kickboxing and MMA fought tournament style, going toe to e with multiple opponents in one night for the chance to become North American Champion. Team Hybrid was in attendance and fought proudly, some waiting up to 7 hours between bouts for their opportunity to showcase their skills.
Melissa Carlton fought and won her fight by unanimous decision, only to fight and loose a competitive decision in the finals at 11pm that night (nearly 7 hours after her first bout.) Melissa is a competitor through and through. her drive and determination stayed fast the entire day during her long wait. In the end, even though she lost, she made herself and us very proud for pushing through and “staying the course.” Look to see Melissa and Lisa teaching our Kids Martial Arts Program at the HTC!
Will Paxson, our youngest Team Hybrid member fought and won an impressive first fight by unanimous decision, displaying the poise and technique of an experienced ring fighter. Though loosing his next match (nearly 6 hours later) Will showed tremendous fortitude and bravery for such a young athlete. He is an inspiration and role model for all of our young martial artist at the HTC. Look for big things in this kids future.
Lee Rahliens, fought a stellar MMA match against a Team Renzo Gracie competitor and lost a close and controversial split decision. His opponent was too damaged to fight on in the tournament and gladly gave his spot to the game and ready Lee Rahleins, however the WKA would not allow it. Lee has impressively signed on to fight in the upcoming Cagefest Extreme 10 fight on Saturday June 26th, merely a week after his battle at the WKA.
