BORETS
In this guide
- The experience behind the school
- The children who became the team
- Kostya: from an armbar at seven to an adult final at sixteen
- Sanya: white belt beside Ievgen, black belt beside Ievgen
- What the system did
- What parents can take from it
- Your child's place in this story
- Questions parents ask about the archive
A photograph can show a medal. An archive can show the years behind it. Our school photographs follow children who grew within BORETS and later became athletes and coaches themselves. Ievgen Skyrda built that school together with his team; Yaroslav Blazhko now leads it and its children's programme. Their story gives parents a concrete way to think about a development environment that lasts beyond the next tournament.
The experience behind the school
Before becoming a BJJ black belt under Max Carvalho, Ievgen Skyrda spent roughly fifteen years in judo and sambo. Starting another discipline meant becoming a beginner again while bringing that earlier experience onto the mat. The school grew through the work of Ievgen and the team around him. Its mix of wrestling, submissions and physical preparation reflects that background. The archive shows the progression in people, not simply a sequence of logos or facilities.
The children who became the team
Kostiantyn Zhyvanov and Oleksandr Oliinyk grew within the school's system and now contribute to its coaching team. Yaroslav Blazhko took a different route: he began grappling at nineteen without previous wrestling experience, became the school's first black belt developed from a beginner, and now leads the club and children's programme. The different starting points matter. There is more than one route into a school, and today's beginner can eventually become someone who helps the next generation.
Kostya: from an armbar at seven to an adult final at sixteen
The archive shows Kostiantyn Zhyvanov at seven, applying a submission in Abu Dhabi at one of his early away competitions. At sixteen he reached an adult ADCC Trials final. The photographs do not tell us every detail of the years between, but they establish a real connection between childhood training and later competition. Today, members can bring their sambo questions to Kostya himself. An athlete who grew inside the system has become part of the team sharing it.
Sanya: white belt beside Ievgen, black belt beside Ievgen
Two photos from an Instagram post tell Oleksandr Oliinyk's story without a caption. In the first he is a small boy in a blue gi with a white belt, standing next to Ievgen. In the second he is a grown man with a black belt, standing next to the same coach. The themes the post drew out are the ones we care about most: a development environment that stayed stable for years, calm under pressure, the ability to get up after losses, respect, and consistency. Sanya now coaches jiu-jitsu and grappling himself, which means the environment that produced him is the one he now produces for others.
What the system did
A school's environment is made visible through repeated actions: explaining a task clearly, selecting suitable partners, helping an athlete review a difficult match and connecting technical practice with physical preparation. At BORETS, the continuity between students and coaches is visible in the archive. That does not mean every child follows the same path. It means families can see who developed here, who teaches now and what kind of team they are being invited to join.
What parents can take from it
Ask about the next month and the longer direction. What is the child learning now? How will practice change as they grow? What happens when their enthusiasm drops, competition becomes stressful or school gets busier? Keep the child's own voice in those decisions. A long-term plan works best when it can adapt, including a change of goal or a break. The lasting value of a school includes the habits and relationships a child takes with them, whether or not they pursue elite sport.
Your child's place in this story
Your family does not need a previous connection to BORETS to join. Membership opens a conversation with the coaches behind this school: choose a coach, describe your child's situation and receive guidance, including a video response when it helps. Your child can keep training locally while becoming part of a Ukrainian team with a long view of development. Register for the video school's launch; the archive and our YouTube channel let you get to know us today.
Questions parents ask about the archive
Does every child become a black belt or an international finalist? No. The athletes in these photographs are examples from the school, not a promised outcome for every member. Children can gain confidence, skills and enjoyment while choosing very different sporting paths.
Is eleven too late to start? A child does not need to copy another athlete's starting age. Discuss an appropriate beginner class with a coach. Yaroslav's own start at nineteen shows that meaningful development is not limited to people who began as small children.