By TXMMA Staff
Age specific invite-only tournament for kids and teens scheduled for Jan. 4th
In order to do this they first scanned Texas and then the country for the top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players who would accept the challenge. These kids are them grouped by age only and will compete in a submission only tournament with no points being tallied in the traditional sense, but rather be rewarded based on submission attempts. All in all it seems really cool, and we’re excited to see what comes of it and most especially what some of our (Texas) kids gain from it.
Here’s Ryan Kovach with more on the Battle 4 the Ages.
Interview – Ryan Kovach (Battle 4 the Ages)
Ryan Kovach: Battle 4 the ages is an invite-only, youth BJJ, submission only, age absolute tournament that pits the top 8 BJJ players, per age group, against each other, regardless of size or rank. Essentially it is the very best 8 thru 17 year olds in an absolute, sub only tournament.
TXMMA: How did this idea come about and what’s the goal for the event?
Ryan Kovach: The idea came about after years of tournaments that slice up brackets so thin that every kid is guaranteed a medal. Not to mention that you pay $100 so that your kid can have one match. That’s bogus and doesn’t represent the true spirit of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. When the Gracies brought Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to the masses, they did it with a 170 lb kid fighting against monsters. The sport became legend because of that. We are bringing that spirit alive again. Our goal is to show that proper technique wins. Our goal is to find the very best 10 year old, 11 year old or 14 year old on the planet. Our goal is to have nail-biting, exciting, submission only matches that will bring more exposure to the sport that we all love.
TXMMA: What did you look for in the kids you are considering for the event?
Ryan Kovach: Some of it is records… but quite frankly records and rankings can be so fudged with the youth. You can have a West Coast kid tearing up his division and winning Pan Ams, Abu Dhabi’s, NAGAs etc.. but when you look closer, you see that they never fight out of their division. Whereas this kid over here in Kentucky, that no one has ever heard about, who’s 10 years old, hasn’t fought anyone younger than 13 in 2 years. His record may not be great. His name may not be big, but when he steps on the mat against kids his own age, he’s going to destroy them. Those are the ones we are looking for. The ones who can’t even fight in their age group because they are just too good. Get 8 of those in one bracket, and now you have something quite interesting.
TXMMA: Describe what the event will look like from the competitor’s perspective.
Ryan Kovach: One mat… one match at a time. All eyes on them. They will be announced. They will have music. They will be the only one fighting until that age bracket crowns a champion. They will have private warm up rooms. They will have sponsors there actively looking at them. They will be featured in major media magazines. They will feel like a pro. And that is precisely what we want. We want the kids to experience an event that treats them like royalty.
TXMMA: What’s the incentive if these kids win?
Ryan Kovach: Full Gameness sponsorships, featured in high profile magazines, a beautiful championship belt and bragging rights to say they are the very best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player, for their age, on the planet.
TXMMA: Is this a one-time deal or will you be doing it again?
Ryan Kovach: Definitely doing it again. We are already working out the details for another one in March and our planning committee is already working with people in other metropolitan areas to take it regionally with an annual national meet up. We have very big plans for this and so far, so good. The buzz has been pretty substantial. We are blessed.
TXMMA: What can spectators expect who come and watch?
Ryan Kovach: There are two types of spectators. One is the online Pay-Per-View spectator who can view it from their mobile devices, tablets and desktops live as the action unfolds. They will get play-by-play action and can comment, share and chat live with other spectators online. The other are in-house spectators. They will be neatly seated around one mat. The mat will have directional lighting and there will be great audio/visual equipment for announcers and for piping the matches on a big screen for people in the back. Coaches, parents and family get preferential seating during their age bracket. All of the details are very carefully planned out and we believe it will be one of the best youth BJJ tournament experiences ever held.
TXMMA: What do you hope to see for these kids and others in the future?
Ryan Kovach: I want to see youth BJJ transform into something that actually means something. Quite honestly tournaments have become a drag. There are no story lines. Brackets are thin. You get 1, maybe 2 matches. That doesn’t prove anything. I want to see these kids challenge themselves and put the work in on the mats to perfect their technique so that size and weight become less an issue because their technique is flawless.
TXMMA: Any last words for the community regarding Battle for the Ages?
Ryan Kovach: If you want to see the very best kids from all over the US, who have accepted a big challenge to do age-only absolute, please tune in. You can email bjj@battle4theages.com and request Pay-Per-View tickets for $10. This even will start at 8:00 AM and go until the evening. You will see some of the most technical, exciting youth BJJ on the planet. So please, support us and the kids.
TXMMA: How can interested parties find out more?
Ryan Kovach: They can go to www.battle4theages.com but it’s best to go to the facebook.com/battle4theages page. There are constant updates and they can see who is fighting who, watch as the excitement grows and stay up to date on all the happenings.
Thank you Mike and TXMMA for all of your help with this. And thank you Gameness, Jiu Jitsu Magazine, EZ Flex Mats and Future Fighterz for all of your support and sponsorships.