PD3 Has Gone From Afterthought To Distinguished

PD3 Has Gone From Afterthought To Distinguished

The colorful and nomadic Pat Downey has come a long way in his two years at the NJRTC.

Jul 3, 2020
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It’s no secret that Pat Downey and the NJRTC are a match made in heaven. Both parties have widely discussed the mutual beneficiality of the relationship.

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It’s no secret that Pat Downey and the NJRTC are a match made in heaven. Both parties have widely discussed the mutual beneficiality of the relationship.

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Watch Pat Downey get emotional discussing his home at the NJRTC below.

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Downey has made considerable progress since being under the tutelage of head coach Reece Humphrey. At the 2018 US Open, Downey went 2-2 with losses to Dom Ducharme and Nick Reenan. Just one year later, he went 6-0 and won.

Below are four examples of the progress Downey has made in the past two years.

Exhibit A
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Technique aside, would a pre 2019/NJRTC Pat Downey come back from down 7-0 with under 1:30 to go in the match? This was an example of 3 things: 1. Better conditioning 2. Having something to fight for 3. Slightly better technique. 

Besides just the straight-up ability to score seven points on NCAA champion and four-time All-American Myles Martin is the diverse way Downey did it. With a step out, a shot to a body lock finish, a sprawl go behind, and a gut wrench. Downey showed positioning, an offensive attack, defensive scoring, and par terre. 

Exhibit B
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The 2019 Dave Schultz was Downey’s first domestic event after joining the NJRTC, and the start to a great year for the Baltimore Brawler. Here he beat Josh Asper, Kenny Courts, and Brett Pfarr.

Downey often doesn’t get credit for being slick, but look at 2:24 and the smoothness of his club-shot-finish at 4:35. And possibly most importantly if you want to see why Downey is always dangerous, skip ahead to 6:30.

Exhibit C
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Just one year after losing to Dom Ducharme and Nick Reenan at the Open, Downey avenged his name in a big way going 6-0 and winning it. In the finals he handled NCAA finalist Nick Heflin. And at the 6:39 mark, the Lizard King gave us another example of how dangerous he can be from almost any position.

Exhibit D
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Downey has always had tremendous feel and upper body attacks, so this might not be the best example of improvement. However, it is still a solid showcase of skill and ability. Goecen is a University World champion and U23 World bronze medalist.