Farewell Denis
RIP to a great training partner and friend
Today I have to share some unfortunate personal news. One of my BJJ training partners at Rev MMA, Denis Tyumbarov, tragically passed away last week. It was a shock because Denis was omnipresent at the gym and I thought he would be there forever.
Denis was close to 50 years old but you would never know by looking at him because of the incredible shape he was in. He was shredded from all his years of training in BJJ, wrestling, striking, and even triathlons. I looked up to him because I wanted to be as fit as him when I got to his age. And I still do.
At the gym, I am friendly with everyone, but I chatted more frequently with Denis than with other regulars. I often spoke to him in the locker room where he always made a point to greet me. I won't pretend that we were best friends but through our short yet frequent interactions, I felt connected to him. I am sure many of my training partners felt the same way.
I remember many of my chats with Denis and one in particular stands out. Early on at Rev, he told me he sees "the look" in my eyes, which told him that I am serious about training and getting better. Hearing those words from someone as skilled, tough, and respected as he was gave me confidence. At the beginning of one's BJJ journey, you often feel like you're constantly getting crushed and you aren't getting better. And in those moments, quitting seems like a viable option. But hearing those words of encouragement from Denis made me want to keep coming to class. Sometimes you need someone else to believe in you more than you believe in yourself. I got that from Denis and I am forever grateful to him for it.
I take detailed notes after every class and I went back to see the things I learned from Denis during my two years of training at Rev. Here are some of his tips:
Never let myself be flat on my back on the bottom. Use my hands and knees to frame so that my guard is harder to pass.
When I am on top of someone's closed guard, remember to defend with my hands and not let them get their hands inside my neck. And I can go two-on-one sometimes, knowing they need the second hand to choke.
When I am passing guard and they put their knee shield in, use my arm to grab under their leg and then pull it to remove it as an obstacle.
Denis suggested a good takedown for beginners with minimal wrestling knowledge like myself. I should shoot in as an attempt to grab their leg as a decoy so that when they pull their leg away, I can grab high on their back and pull them down to the mat. He said it's like pulling down a tree.
That's one thing I appreciated about Denis; He was always willing to pass on his knowledge. Whenever we rolled, instead of easily beating me, he preferred to give me pointers to help me improve. Even if he was much stronger and more advanced than me, he never needed to prove it during sparring. I am a white belt now, but as I keep progressing and new students join the class, I will be higher ranked than them. And when I roll with people less experienced, I will strive to be as open to teaching them as Denis was with me. It's a circle of life; You find a mentor that helps you grow and then you become that mentor to someone else.
The second thing I will take from Denis is his commitment to training. He was always at the gym, week in and week out, dedicated to improving his craft. That's what it takes to be successful at any pursuit and he embodied that mentality. There is simply no way you can't get better if you keep showing up. Even if that progress feels negligible at the time, if you zoom out after years of training, you will see how much you've improved. As a lifelong martial artist, Denis represents the epitome of steady improvement. I hope I can train consistently into my fifties like he did and continue to stay in great shape throughout my life.
After our first training session following his passing, his wife came to listen to our head coach's words about Denis. It was a hard moment for the group because many of us had the privilege of knowing, training with, and learning from Denis. He was an inspiration to us all and I hope he knew that. I told his wife that I looked up to him for how committed he was and I would keep striving to be like him.
Denis, I hope you find a gym in heaven where you can keep pushing guys half your age. You will be missed and never forgotten.