Grapplers Quest is an organization mainly concerned with the promotion of submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments. Founded in 1998 by Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest hosts competitions of various division, age, and weight classes.
Grapplers Quest has been host to many high-level competitors in mixed martial arts, such as Matt Hughes, Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, B.J. Penn, and Brandon Vera.
History Grapplers Quest, as part of the Grapplers Company, Inc., was founded by Brian Cimins for his Senior Marketing and Public Relations Thesis at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 1996. The first Grapplers Quest was held on April 24, 1999, at Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey.
The organization has also branched out to form partnerships with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the non-profit AutismRadio.org, among others.
Divisions
The following is a sample of the divisions used by Grapplers Quest divided into their respective weight brackets.
Youth YOUTHUp to 6 Years Old(No-Gi & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)YOUTH7–9 Years Old(No-Gi & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)YOUTH10–12 Years Old(No-Gi & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) TEENS13–15 Years Old(No-Gi & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)TEENS16–17 Years Old(No-Gi & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) Lightweight –49.9 lb –59.9 lb –79.9 lb –99.9 lb –119.9 lbMiddleweight 50–59.9 lb 60–69.9 lb 80–89.9 lb 100–114.9 lb 120–134.9 lbCruiserweight 60–69.9 lb 70–79.9 lb 90–99.9 lb 115–129.9 lb 135–149.9 lbHeavyweight +70 lb +80 lb +100 lb +130 lb 150–169.9 lbSuperweight N/A N/A N/A N/A +170 lb
Women NO-GI BEGINNERLess than 12 Months TrainingNO-GI ADVANCEDMore than 12 Months TrainingBRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU WHITE BELTBRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU BLUE BELTBRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU PURPLE, BROWN & BLACK BELT Class A –119.9 lb –119.9 lb –119.9 lb –119.9 lb N/A Class B 120–139.9 lb 120–139.9 lb 120–139.9 lb 120–139.9 lb N/A Class C 140–159.9 lb 140–159.9 lb 140–159.9 lb 140–159.9 lb N/A Class D +160 lb +160 lb +160 lb +160 lb N/A Absolute Openweight Openweight N/A N/A Openweight
Men +Men's No-GiWeight classNOVICELess than 9 Months TrainingNo WrestlersBEGINNER9–18 Months TrainingINTERMEDIATE18–36 Months TrainingADVANCEDMore than 36 Months TrainingBantamweight –129.9 lb –129.9 lb –129.9 lb –129.9 lbFlyweight 130–139 lb 130–139 lb 130–139 lb 130–139 lbFeatherweight 140–149 lb 140–149 lb 140–149 lb 140–149 lbLightweight 150–159 lb 150–159 lb 150–159 lb 150–159 lbWelterweight160–169 lb 160–169 lb 160–169 lb 160–169 lbMiddleweight 170–179 lb 170–179 lb 170–179 lb 170–179 lbCruiserweight 180–189 lb 180–189 lb 180–189 lb 180–189 lbLight Heavyweight 190–199 lb 190–199 lb 190–199 lb 190–199 lbHeavyweight 200–209 lb 200–209 lb 200–209 lb 200–209 lbSuper +210 lb +210 lb +210 lb +210 lbAbsolute Openweight Openweight Openweight Openweight
Rules
No-Gi
Grapplers Quest uses a scoring system similar to that used by the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship. Unlike the ADCC however, there is a use of advantage points to determine the winner of a match rather than force a judges' decision. Also unlike the ADCC, Grapplers Quest restricts the use of certain leg lock techniques to particular divisions.
The following is a list of the standard match times for each no-gi division.
Round time Divisions 4 Minutes Children & Teens, Women's Beginner, Men's Novice & Men's Beginner 5 Minutes Men's Intermediate, Women's Intermediate & Men's Executive & Masters 6 Minutes Men's & Women's Advanced
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Grapplers Quest uses a simplified version of the IBJJF scoring system for Brazilian jiu-jitsu matches, though one which still retains the use of subjective advantage points. Similarly to the no-gi divisions, there is a restriction of certain leg lock techniques to differing divisions.
The following is a list of the standard match times for each Brazilian jiu-jitsu division.
Round time Divisions 4 Minutes Children & Teens 5 Minutes White Belts 6 Minutes Blue Belts 7 Minutes Purple Belts 8 Minutes Brown Belts 10 Minutes Black Belts
Results
Overall Team Results 2011
The following are the team results from 2011 World Series of Grappling, presented by Grapplers Quest.
Division 1st (Gold) 2nd (Silver) 3rd (Bronze)Team NamePointsTeam NamePointsTeam NamePointsOverall Combined Team Carlson Gracie 270 Drysdale's JJ 122 Cobra Kai 92Men's Overall Team Cobra Kai 81 Charles Gracie 68 Drysdales JJ 61 Woman's Overall Team Paragon 25 Coachella Valley BJJ 24 Ralph Gracie 19 Teen's Overall Team Carlson Gracie 90 Sergio Penna 27 Drysdale's JJ 35 Children's Overall Team Carlson Gracie 127 Drysdale's JJ 36 Gracie Humaitá 34
Overall Team Results 2010
The following are the team results from 2010 World Series of Grappling, presented by Grapplers Quest and Revgear.
Division 1st (Gold) 2nd (Silver) 3rd (Bronze)Team NamePointsTeam NamePointsTeam NamePointsOverall Combined Team Team Lloyd Irvin 367 Team Jungle Gym 148 Renzo Gracie Combat Team 87Men's Overall Team Team Lloyd Irvin 151 Renzo Gracie Combat Team 85 Team Jungle Gym 64 Woman's Overall Team Team Brasa Fifty, ECUBJJ, Team Lloyd Irvin 24 Dave Trader BJJ 19 Team All Rules 16 Teen's Overall Team Team Lloyd Irvin 103 Alliance Jiu Jitsu 48 Team Jungle Gym 20 Children's Overall Team Team Lloyd Irvin 89 Team Jungle Gym 66 Team Pellegrino 50
References
External links Grapplersquest.com - Official Grapplers Quest Website AutismRadio.org - Non-profit organization that provides support to Autism patients Sherdog.com Sherdog search for Grapplers Quest Journey to the Grapplers Quest Interview with Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest founder