Inverted Gear Blog
Tag: Daniel Bertina
Meet the Pandas – ‘Be A Sponge, Not A Rock’ - Kyvann ‘Guapinho’ Jimenez
The Panda Nation has many awesome citizens, like black belt Frederico Silva, who we introduced in the previous installment of Meet the Pandas. Today, we like to show what drives Kyvann ‘Guapinho’ Jimenez: purple belt competition monster, former bone breaking skateboarder, and videographer extraordinary. Purple belt Kyvann Jimenez (26) was dragged into jiu-jitsu kicking and screaming by his dad. After years of skateboarding and Muay Thai, that ground-fighting stuff just seemed silly. But once ‘Guapinho’ (a nickname for ‘little handsome guy’) finally got obsessed with the art after an unexpected tournament win, he went on a dominant winning spree, while at the same time working a fulltime job and graduating from college. So, you didn’t think jiu-jitsu would work? Kyvann...
Meet the Pandas – ‘Respect Everybody & Go Forward’ – Frederico Silva
In Meet the Pandas, we introduce the many members of Panda Nation to the BJJ world. Previously, we took a closer look at Hillary Witt, mastermind of the Inverted Gear designs and daily operations. In this episode, we focus on the freshly promoted black belt Frederico Silva, who is taking the BJJ-scene by storm with his super-dynamic style. Frederico Silva (27) grew up admiring his cousin, the multiple-time world champion and all-round badass Lucas Lepri (of Alliance fame). After leaving his hometown Brasília for a life in the States, and getting promoted to black belt by his cousin, Frederico has been tearing up the competition scene. He’s also a very committed instructor at Lepri’s dojo in Charlotte, NC. Did your...
Meet the Pandas – The Panda Mastermind – Hillary Witt
In Meet the Pandas, we shed some light to the many awesome people that make up Panda Nation. Previously, we spoke to Steve Pachon, the creator of the iconic Inverted Gear logo. This episode takes a closer look at Hillary Witt—Black belt instructor, competitor, traveller, and mastermind of the Inverted Gear designs and daily operations. Hillary Witt used jiu-jitsu to overcome her anxiety and shyness. As a smaller-sized woman she started training in the art to learn effective self-defense, but she fell in love with the comradery and the challenges of competition. After winning the Worlds at purple belt and picking up a National title in judo, she met her partner-in-crime-and-life, Nelson Puentes. Now she co-owns Inverted Gear and travels...
Meet the Pandas – Steve Pachon – From Pole-Vaulter to Omoplata Guy
To be part of the Panda Nation you don’t have to be a medal chaser, like sambo wizard Reilly Bodycomb – whom we spoke to last time. Some of our sponsored athletes are regular folks with day jobs, who use jiu-jitsu to better themselves. Like Steve Pachon, creator of the iconic Inverted Gear panda. A little over five years ago, purple belt Steve Pachon (31) barely made it through the warm-up of his first jiu-jitsu class, taught by his high school friend Nelson Puentes. But he stuck with it. Not only did he keep training, he was also a contributor to the rise of Inverted Gear – designing the awesome panda logo and the first batches of shirts and gis....
Meet the Pandas – Reilly Bodycomb – The Flying Scissor Leglock Wizard
We like to give some insight in what drives our sponsored athletes, and why we are proud to support them. Previously, we talked to Eric Sian, Guam’s first world champion grappler. For this installment of Meet the Pandas we speak to Reilly Bodycomb: sambo champion, leglock wizard and all-round badass grappler. Reilly Bodycomb (32) has been leglocking people into submission since 2005. He became famous for his own dynamic, take-no-prisoners grappling style – honed by his instructor ‘Sambo’ Steve Koepfer at New York Combat Sambo, his excellent coaching ability, and his willingness to share his leglock knowledge in various instructionals. Reilly’s been on a tear this year, winning gold at the Sambo Nationals, the Sambo Pan-Ams and the Dutch Sambo...
Meet the Pandas: Guam’s First World Champion – Eric ‘Chambolo’ Sian
We want to introduce the world to our sponsored competition team and share the stories that inspired us to support these up and coming grapplers. Last time, we shared the story of Jose Mazariegos, a Princeton student balancing a full course load with a full-time commitment to training. In this installment, we talk to Eric Sian, Guam’s first world champion grappler. Eric ‘Chambolo’ Sian (25) never expected to be any good at jiu-jitsu. As an obese, uncoordinated and insecure kid, he was bullied in school. But under the guidance of his professors Stephen Roberto and Terence Aflague of Purebred Guam, he became Guam’s first homegrown world champion – winning the gold medal in a stacked adult division, while competing as...
Meet the Pandas: No Jiu-Jitsu, No Princeton – Jose Mazariegos
We are exploring the stories of grapplers sponsored by Inverted Gear. Last time, we talked with Carlos Saquic Pérez about balancing a demanding career with intense jiu-jitsu training. In this installment, we talk with Jose Mazariegos.At 19, this purple belt’s passion for jiu-jitsu gives him an enormous work ethic, allowing him to conquer his ADHD and getting him accepted into Princeton. When Jose is not studying at the prestigious Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs—with the goal of becoming part of the United States intelligence community—he’s training with Emily Kwok and Marcelo Garcia and collecting medals at tbig tournaments. How did you discover Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?Jose Mazariegos: I was very hyperactive as a child. I had ADHD, and my...
Meet the Pandas: From the Pool to the Mat - Carlos Saquic Pérez
Everybody fights for a reason. Over the next few weeks, we will explore the stories of the awesome people being sponsored by Inverted Gear. This is our first installment of Meet the Pandas. Brown belt Carlos Saquic Pérez (24) isn’t afraid to take the hard route. He combines living and breathing jiu-jitsu as a competitive athlete with a demanding full-time job as a mechanical engineer. Dividing his time between his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, training with his teachers Manuel Rey and Eduardo Ortiz of Behring Puerto Rico, and sharpening his skills in New York City, learning from the legendary Marcelo Garcia. Carlos shows that sleep is overrated. How did you get started in jiu-jitsu? Carlos Saquic Pérez:...