The Approach to Competition

You are my adversary, but you are not my enemy.
For your resistance gives me strength.
Your will gives me courage.
You sprit ennobles me.
And though I aim to defeat you,
should I succeed, I will not humiliate you.
Instead, I will honor you.
For without you, I am a lesser man.

Safety First!

Athletes,

First class competitions take the safety of their competitors seriously. That is why we are very pleased to announce that Samitivej International Hospital has agreed to provide a complete first aid station staffed by an emergency room nurse during both days of our competition.

Built in 1979, Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital is a leading provider of healthcare in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Today the hospital is recognized as a provider of choice for the local residents and for many of the expatriates living in Thailand. The hospital's commitment to quality care and innovation has been recognized by UNICEF and WHO. Other notable awards include the Prime Minister's awards for Most Recognized Service in 2004 and accreditation by the Joint Commission International (JCI) which certifies top quality hospitals in the United States and around the world. Samitivej Sukhumvit has a comprehensive range of facilities and services from cosmetic to tertiary care. With 270 beds, 87 examination suites and over 1,200 caregivers, the hospital has long been recognized as a comprehensive facility of choice for locals, expatriates and tourists. The hospital's range of high-technology medical equipment, complemented with its skilled team of caregivers and specialists has successfully performed complex surgery from open heart to liver transplants.

Please visit http://www.samitivej.co.th/sukhumvit/aboutus_en.aspx for more information.

See you in September!

TRAIN HARD-

Vesuvius

Announcing a Major Corporate Sponsorship! The 2008 FBT Thailand BJJ and Submission Grappling Open Competition

Atheletes,

We are very pleased to announce that FBT Sports Company has agreed to partner with the BJJ Association of Thailand as the Marquee Sponsor for our event. Our tournament will now be referred to as the;

2008 FBT Thailand BJJ and Submission Grappling Open Competition

FBT was established in 1952 by Mr. Kamol Chokephaibulkit and is now Thailand's leading Sports Company which supplies quality sports apparels and equipment at reasonable prices. FBT also exports to over 40 countries worldwide. FBT has over 2,800 employees and an annual turnover of more than 50 million US Dollars. FBT manufactures all kinds of sports equipment such as sport balls, rackets, shoes, boxing and MMA equipment, and sport apparel to the highest quality to meet international standards. In addition to supplying quality products worldwide, FBT also contributesto developing the Sports of Thailand and Asia. FBT has sponsored the Asian Games, National Games in Thailand, World Petanque Championship, International Children Games, and many other sporting events locally and internationally. FBT has also been awarded the Super Brands award and is truly the leading sports company in Thailand.

Please visit http://www.fbtsports.com/en/index.php

TRAIN HARD and see you in late September!

Vesuvius-

Plan to take home some metal? You will have to work for it!

Athletes,

This year's winners will receive custom made medals designed after those awarded to the victors at the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Los Angeles in 2008. Our medals will be a huge 10cm in diameter and will stand out from all the rest of the competitions in the region. However, this year we will break with tradition slightly and introduce an exciting variation.

On the first day of our competition (Gi), rather than awarding two Bronze medals to the losers of the semi-final matches on both sides of the bracket, we will hold consolation semifinal matches. The winner of this match will be awarded the Bronze medal and the loser will go home to fight another day. This will allow many athletes an opportunity to gain more experience on the mat and should be a real crowd pleaser as athletes play hard for the third and final spot on the podium. This rule will apply to all divisions where 8 or more athletes are competing and only on Day 1 of the competition. For those divisions with fewer than 8 competitors, the semi-finalist who lost to the evenutal Gold medialist will be awarded the Bronze medal. See you in Bangkok!

TRAIN HARD-

Vesuvius

Very Special Discounted Hotel Rates for Competitors

Athletes,

Thanks to the generosity and support of our own Luke Chaya and his family, we can offer competitors a very special 50% discounted rate at the Golden Palace Hotel located on Sukumvit Soi 1 in Bangkok.

http://www.goldenpalacehotel.com/

The cost per person per night will be only 675 baht ($21 USD). For 835 baht ($26 USD) an American breakfast will be included. All rooms have air conditioning, cable TV and mini-bar. The Elefin Cafe in the hotel lobby will also offer all athletes a 20% discount on all food and drinks.

The hotel has a nice swimming pool, a great Thai spa for a post-competition massage, and is conveniently located across the street from the world famous Bumrungrad Hospital (let's hope you don't need it) and a 5 minute walk from the Skytrain.

Please email mkt@goldenpalacehotel.com and make your discounted reservations by referencing the "BJJ Competition"

2008 Thailand BJJ and Submission Grappling Competition

Fellow Athletes,

We are very pleased to announce that the 2008 Thailand BJJ & Submission Grappling Open competition will be held on September 27 and 28th. We are committed to staging a top-quality event this year that you will not want to miss. The event will be held at Union Mall in Bangkok which can be easily reached by subway train. The competition venue is very large and fully air conditioned. The mall provides easy access to food, ice and other items you may need.


On Saturday night we will organize an after-party to a good, inexpensive open-air Thai restaurant in Bangkok so you can get to know the guys who tapped you out earlier in the day. Please plan on attending this great opportunity to meet your fellow competitors and build our BJJ community.


Forthcoming postings will provide information on entry fees and advanced online registration. We will have a discounted package hotel rate to offer soon thanks to our own Luke Chaya and his generous support of our BJJ community. Please visit http://www.bjj-asia.com/

Please also visit Bangkok's two fine BJJ academies at http://www.emacthailand.com/ and http://www.bangkokfightclub.com/

This year’s competition will be distinguished by the following;

• Expansive competition mat space covering at least 240 square meters
• High quality refereeing committed to protecting the safety of competitors, following IBJJF rules, and promoting the highest standards of sportsmanship
• First-aid support will be on hand
• Distinctive, presentation-grade medals and trophies
• First 100 competitors with paid registration will receive a custom-made rash guard
• Prizes for Most Technical fighter, Most Submissions and Absolute Champions
• Exhibition MMA matches
• No Entry fees for Brown and Black belt competitors
• Separate, private changing areas and clean bathrooms all weekend
  

Please share this blog site address widely. We look forward to hosting competitors from around the region and will do all we can to make the competition and your weekend in Bangkok a great experience. You can also search events on Facebook for "Bangkok BJJ and Submission Grappling Tournament" for more information.

See you there!


Mark "Vesuvius" Simmerman
marksimmerman@gmail.com


DETAILS:

Weigh-ins will be conducted on both Day 1 (Gi) and Day 2( No gi) days. On Day 1 all athletes will weigh-in with their BJJ competition gi and belt ON. Karate, Judo and other gi are not allowed.

For Day 1 (gi) the complete IBJJF rules will be used. See http://www.ibjjf.org/rules.htm


For Day 2 (No gi) modified ADCC rules will be used. See

http://www.bjj.eu.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=289

On Day 2 there will be 3 categories:

Novice Category (<2 years of wrestling, BJJ or Judo experience) All rounds: 5 minutes with first 3 minutes without points. No draws.

Illegal Moves: Knee bars, neck cranks, any kind of slamming or heel hooks are NOT allowed


Advanced Category (2-5 years of wrestling, BJJ or judo experience)



Elite Category (All BJJ Purple, Brown and Black belts and others athletes with at least 5 years of wrestling, BJJ, Judo or MMA experience)

Time Limits for Advanced and Elite Categories
• Qualifying Rounds = 6 Minutes, first 3 minutes with out points.
• Finals = 10 Minutes, first 5 minutes with out points. Only negative points.

No draws. In the event of a draw, referee will make final decision.

Illegal Moves: Heel hooks, any type of slamming and neck cranks are not allowed.


Note: On Day 2 a single Bronze medal will be awarded to the semifinal loser that lost to the Gold Medalist



More information will be forthcoming. Check this blogsite often!



TRAIN HARD-





Vesuvius