Yesterday we took the Ivey League BBC kids down to our main team Lloyd Irvin academy for a workout with the best kids in the world. We met up at Ivey League at 9am and hit the road. It’s about a 45 minutie drive so we left early. We were greeted by the one and only Master Donnie Achnick. For those of you that don’t know Master Donnie let me fill you in.
Master Donnie is widely considered the best kids mma instructor in the world. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (he received it the same day as me), a black belt in the Team Lloyd Irvin Thai-Jitsu system. Something that many people don’t know is that Master Donnie is also a very good boxer and has can throw some hands if need be. He was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. I’ve said many times that he’s the cream of the crop. All of the success we’re had here with our kids is a direct result of my instructor training with Master Donnie.
So onto the day we had. It was excellent! Sixteen Ivey Leaguers showed up to learn with the best and push themselves. We had all ages of kids there from as young as 4 to as old as 14 (from our school). In the first hour they covered some highly detailed submissions from the guard. This can be particularly challenging for young kids due to the fact that balance and control is still being developed and in such close proximity to another person, it can be hard for a kid to move around. To wrap up the hour they all rolled with one another for a great workout and practical application of what they learned.
The second hour was more advanced, with mostly older kids in attendance and many of the world champion and pan am champion kid competitors in the room. Master Donnie covered De La Riva sweeps before another long round of rolling. The kids were exhausted but the training definitely pays off. This is where the benefit of being part of an elite team comes in – getting to train with new people who do different things but all who have the same goal in mind, to become the best together. All this work (even on a Saturday!) will prove its worth in our upcoming competitions in addition to the boost in self confidence and feeling of accomplishment.
The day wrapped up with a sweet surprise for many of the kids that stayed a few minutes after, a visit from UFC vet Brandon Vera! He is in town training and came down to say hello and support the kids team. His positive and friendly attitude made all the kids feel special and inspired. He even congratulated our recently promoted yellow belt Spike on his new belt.
All in all a perfect day of training for the kids at Ivey League MMA!
