Studies at local gym for grappling skills
He enjoys kickboxing and has shown some interest in traditional
martial arts but San Benito High’s Cris Barber is most interested
in grappling competitions because they more closely resemble
”
real life situations.
”
Studies at local gym for grappling skills
He enjoys kickboxing and has shown some interest in traditional martial arts but San Benito High’s Cris Barber is most interested in grappling competitions because they more closely resemble “real life situations.”
In grappling tournaments punches and kicks aren’t allowed. Instead, competitors must take down their opponents and try to get them to tap out through a number of moves, including leg locks, arm locks and choke holds.
“It’s more like Ultimate Fighting without the kicks and punches,” said Barber, who recently won the 16-17 advanced division at the NAGA Grappling Championship in Las Vegas. “It’s more realistic.”
To win the prestigious title in Vegas Barber had to beat three other competitors. Although he has competed in other local tournaments, the Vegas event was his first big tournament, which made it extra special to come away the victor.
“It really felt awesome,” Barber said. “I just tried to stay focused and do whatever I had to to win.”
Unlike the tournaments in other sports where the events are either timed or done by round, in grappling there are no time frames.
“I beat someone in a tournament in San Jose that went 27 seconds,” Barber said. “You just keep going until someone taps out – some matches can go as long as 20 minutes.”
Barber first became interested in grappling after enrolling in a class at a local karate studio when he was 15. Four months later, he enrolled in the grappling program at Mainstreet Kickboxing in Hollister where he learned the sport from former kickboxing champion Danny Kelly and former instructor Chris Murphy.
“Danny is the greatest kickboxing teacher around here,” said Barber, who also competes in kickboxing as well, but has yet to compete in any tournaments yet. “He has really helped me train and got me ready for all of this.”
So far he has entered five tournaments, competing in the 155-to-169 middleweight division. Eventually, he would like to compete professionally in the sport. The threshold for turning professional requires athletes to compete in and/or win a number of tournaments at the amateur level.
“I want to be able to compete at the highest level that I can,” Barber said. “I enjoy grappling because it is more technical and more fun for me.”
The next major tournament that Barber plans on competing in also takes place in Las Vegas. This time he will compete in the Grappler’s Quest May 3.
“I just want to try and keep it going and make a career out of this,” Barber said. “I’d like to compete on the professional circuit some day. They can make about $3,000 out there for a tournament win.”
