Time for Sparring!

 

Master DeGeorge, Grand Master Jiho Choi, and Master Bardatsos with Garden State Cup Champions

Kixx Martial Arts Academy in Little Falls, NJ

Today, I went to meet with my sparring mentor, Master Peter Bardatsos. Like in the case of Lisa, Master Bardatsos was one of those people who I have known from the past but had every intention of having in my life for a greater purpose, even if I didn't know what the timing would be. Having been separated from my old master for three years (as of this Friday), I have found so many ways to moving forward with my training and making such phenomenal breakthroughs in my martial arts career and going past any limitations I may have had in the past.

Master Bardatsos is a six time national coach and made it on the national Taekwondo team in 1993. He is probably known as the best Olympic sparring coach on the east coast. I have seen his students and they are by far the best I have ever seen. This past Saturday at the Garden State Cup, I had the chance of watching several of the "Team Bardatsos" students spar, and was in absolute awe. I got to spar Steven Lin in my first match myself, I got to watch some new students he and his partner, Master Richard DeGeorge, are training, and I also got to watch an old friend from his school spar and win against Merissa Pico, who is training to be an Olympian herself.

Today I went over to meet with Master Bardatsos at his new school that he just opened in Little Falls, NJ called Kixx Martial Arts Academy. I went to discuss furthering my training in sparring and what we can do to get me to the level of training I want to be at. We discussed some business things and reminiscing on old sparring days (I HAVE known him since I was 13 years old), and of course the topic of my old master came up as well. We both know how commercial my old master was, but he brought up a great point that there is nothing wrong with making money, but you need to take care of "your people." Master Bardatsos tested MY old master for his 4th Degree Black Belt back in 2000. Now he will be helping me with my own goals as I reach closer to my 4th Degree test.

Even one of Master Balon's students is training with Master Bardatsos to improve his sparring, and he lives all the way in Freehold, NJ! When you want the best, Bardatsos is the one! But I was mostly enthralled in what a gracious master he is. Kind, humble, and peaceful, yet his skill in sparring is superb, a true warrior. As my other martial arts mentors, he truly embodies exactly what a true master should be. Recently, Master Bardatsos became a white belt to start all over again in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, not afraid of showing his students even a 6th Dan Black Belt can be humble enough to start fresh and be a student once again!

So of course I asked him to give me an honest analysis of my match against his student, Steven Lin, from Sunday. I was ready to hear that I needed to work on my speed, my power, kicking higher, etc. He told me all of those things ANYONE can improve on to get better, but those were not the points he had in mind for me at all. It was all about TIMING! Well how symbolic can that be for me! EVERYTHING for me has always been about timing in my life. And sometimes my timing is off, and it drives me crazy. So the lack of timing in my sparring represents a lot in my life. I feel the better I get with my timing in sparring, maybe the timing in my life will improve as well.

Being the great coach he is, Master Bardatsos explained to me how I will learn to just be able to read people's body while sparring and I'll know exactly what I need to do. Like, when he says fast kick, Steven will know whether he needs to set me up for it or just do it NOW. It's like a football coach setting up the play, and if it works, it works! And if it doesn't, it doesn't, new play! I need to have the plan in my head BEFORE I get into the ring. usually I do, but I never stick with it. Master Bardatsos will teach me to balance having the plan and putting it into action. He told me I was on the right track because I "definitely have the heart" (he has no idea how much that meant to hear!) and that I know how to spar (thank God he thinks so!). So we discussed training, times and options, and he is very mindful of the fact that I have my own business to run also, and tells me to focus on my family first. I am so grateful for his understanding, and it only increases the level of respect I have for him.

Training with Master Bardatsos, I will be able to spar with the Invictus Sparring Team, the cream of the crop. He told me to get better in sparring, SPAR! Spar, spar, spar! Go to as many competitions and seminars and SPAR! Makes sense. I will be able to spar Steven and the rest of the team much more and it is a chance to really help me get to the level I want to be at. A piece of advice from Master Bardatsos is surrounding yourself with the right people in your training is key. And that is exactly what I am going to do. He also told me, he would even coach me at future competitions, being part of the team and school! What an honor! (no offense Robert =P)

I explained to him that as my own students improve and train, I will be doing the same. He then told me he started his own school around the same age as I am now, and while he was training others, he was training also. Although he was the head coach and trainer, his students got to watch him train and improve as if they were going through the process themselves. I can't hep but think about how my Black Belts (Frankie, Robert, Andrew, Samantha, and Erin) get to watch me go through that same process. One of those people from the past who trained under Team Bardatsos was Anthony Graf. I remember watching him spar at the US Team Trials in Orlando, Florida in 2003. It was amazing to see. Looking back, this was someone who got to watch his own instructor groom to becoming the coach he is today. And now here's Steven, a three time world champion as another true legacy of Bardatsos training!

Anthony Graf, Steven Lin, and Master Bardatsos

I told him flat out, I am afraid. My best and greatest training partner was the bag. Always there for me, and never let me down. But the bag doesn't kick back. I sparred a lot but not the level I needed. I am sure I'll be doing more sparring the next eight months than I have ever done in my life. But he is happy to see that I can come out and say that. It helps the process a lot. I have goals for my 4th Degree test and even more for after. And I know Master Bardatsos can get me to where I want to be.

Now for the greatest compliment this sparring-God can give me! He kept calling me "Master Trento." And I finally said at one point, "You know, I'm really not a master yet. People call me master just because I own a school, but I am not there yet. I am setting the standards quite high for myself." To which he responds, "Maybe not on paper, but I will always call you Master Trento because of your spirit. You are teaching others, you have a school where you create good family environment, and you share what you know. That is living the life." Well I think I just died a little bit inside, I'm not going to lie!

So I really look forward to training with Master Bardatsos, training with the Invictus sparring team, going to more competitions, and sparring the best of the best more consistently. For the first time, I am FINALLY doing what I have said I would do with my sparring. And what better way than to work on TIMING?

Master Bardatsos as a white belt in Taekwondo many years ago

Master Bardatsos as a white belt in Jiu-Jitsu last month

Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO