Yesterday Ivey League Mixed Martial Arts traveled to Philadelphia to attend the 10 year anniversary party for one of our closest friends and academies, BJJ United, run by Jared Weiner and Sharon Bonewicz-Weiner.
BJJ United is one of 2 Team Lloyd Irvin academies in the Philly area, the other being Philly MMA run by Brad Daddis (Team LI Black Blet).
For those who don’t know about BJJ United, Jared or Sharon let me give you some background info on them.
I’ve (Master Danny Ives) know them for 15 years at least. Jared and me both started training at the same Gracie JuJitsu academy in Philly back in 1994. That academy was Maxercise and most of the top BJJ talent(90%) in the Philadelphia area came from Maxercise.
Around 1997 I broke away from Maxercise and joined Team Renzo Gracie. Jared stayed on with Maxercise for a few more years but then left to join what at the time was a small but growing BJJ academy, Team Lloyd Irvin (You might have heard the name, hehe).
Around 2002 me and Jared meet up at the Pan Ams, a major BJJ tournament at that time held in Florida. Jared like always was very nice to me and we got to talking about BJJ classes and training. Jared told me to stop by his new academy and train, which was very nice of him especially since I wasn’t with Team Lloyd Irvin at the time but was living in the Philly area and still with Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida.
I took Jared up on training and we would work out from time to time. When I say workout I mean Jared would beat me up and down the mats like a rag doll! It’s ok because that’s just the type of training I was looking for so we keep up with it. In case you’re wondering how I took such a beating let me tell you, Jared is one of the most underrated BJJ players in the game. He’s an absolute beast on the mats.
Jared is still one of the best BJJ fighters and coaches in the world. I learned so much from training with him, I must say that his knee on belly techniques are worth their weight in gold. (Jared also sells a dvd featuring his knee on belly techniques, you can pick it up by clicking this LINK)
Sharon I met through Jared and just like Jared she’s a monster on the mats and one heck of a great person as well. Sharon is a very sought after women’s BJJ coach and has many great lady students as well as a great kids martial arts team (Sharon runs fantastic kids martial arts classes).
Sharon started training in Judo and then added in BJJ training. Her and Jared met at Maxercise as well and the rest as they say is history (Jared and Sharon are now married).
My girlfriend, Miss Teresa, always likes to pick Sharon’s brain regarding business and Gracie Jiu Jitsu techniques. Of course Sharon is always more then happy to help.
I was invited to attend the 10 year anniversary event and you all know I didn’t want to miss this chance so I hopped in my car and hit the road. The 2+ hour drive to Philly went by fast!
Oh and BTW…
The event almost didn’t happen! The academy got flooded when the sprinkler system went off and ruined a lot of things to say the least. Jared and Sharon, being the leaders they are said heck no the show will go on and worked night and day to restore the academy. Which they did as the place looked great when I got there.
They’ve been open now for 10 years, 10 YEARS! Most businesses close their doors in the first year. Not BJJ United. They have tons and tons of happy students and continue to grow every time I go there.
So, in honor of my good friends, Jared and Sharon and BJJ United I thought I’d post some videos of Jared and gang in action.
Congrats again to BJJ United, still going strong and repping my old stomping grounds well!
Oh and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Jared Weiner’s excellent BJJ DVD, Operation Knee On Belly, this DVD is Ivey League Mixed Martial Arts and Danny Ives approved!
