NLGA Mentor Finishes Top 2 in the World
It was a banner weekend for No Limits Grappling Academy at the ADCC World Championships in Krakow, Poland — and they didn't have a single athlete in the building.
Joshua Saunders, the Sydney-based competitor who serves as the gym's mentor and technical advisor, claimed a silver medal and cemented his place among the best heavyweights and overall competitors in the world. Along the way, he scored a massive upset over Felipe Pena, the tournament's number one overall seed.
ADCC is the largest and most prestigious no-gi grappling tournament in the world, drawing competitors from every corner of the sport. For a gym in Blakely, Pennsylvania to have someone who finished top two in their corner is an unusual asset — and head coach Matt Marcinek knows it.
An Unconventional Arrangement
"I've said before that this mentor and technical advisor role — or whatever we're calling it — definitely goes against the norms of jiu-jitsu," Marcinek said. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."
The most common objection is geographic.
"A lot of people say, how can he be your coach but live on the other side of the globe? Well, with a traditional affiliation you probably have a black belt who did something special twenty-five-plus years ago, and they come visit your gym twice a year and only see your athletes when they're in the building."
"Here I have a person who is achieving at the highest level in real time. Someone I can talk to daily if I want to. I can share my athletes' progress and get real-time feedback. It might be unconventional, but it's awesome."
Tearing It Down to the Studs
The relationship has been as much a learning experience for Marcinek as it has been for his athletes — something he's direct about.
"It's funny. I'm fifteen years older than Josh. I've been training eighteen years longer than Josh. But when his coaching program opened, I was literally the first person to join, because I knew what he was doing was special."
The numbers back that up. Saunders earned his brown belt in twenty-four months, his black belt in four and a half years, and finished second in the world within six years of starting.
"I told him just this morning — I came into this program as a thirty-nine-year-old brown belt and I threw out most of the grappling knowledge I had. I tore everything down to the studs and built it back up, getting the exact same system Josh and his coaches used to reach that level."
"If all I have to do for NLGA athletes to have that kind of success is put my ego away, that's an easy decision."