Chris Haueter responds!!

For those of you who know, Chris Haueter is fighting Jeff Glover in the US this weekend at the Mr Olympia Expo in Vegas; after being called out by Glover, this is Haueter's response.  The man is insane!

Hereford Open - even more pix!

Hereford Open - more pix

Hereford Open 14 in photos

Dave Coles and his team offered the chance for white belts to strut their stuff on the mats on Sunday September 16th at Hereford Leisure Centre.  I had one student enter the event in his first ever BJJ competition and fellow student Mike Taylor came down to support his team mate and brought his camera and took some great photos of the event, some of which I thought I'd share with you on here, over a few posts.

If you like what you see then check out http://500px.com/miketea

Drill to win!

There's  no stopping Caio Terra at the minute!  Passionate about the Arte Suave, Caio is a shining example of technique beating brute force, as he wins titles in the Absolute division.

http://www.facebook.com/caioterrajiujitsu

Meerkatsu's online Emporium!

My good friend Seymour Yang has a new online shop, where you can purchase his original jiu jitsu design t shirts, patches and stickers.

http://store.meerkatsu.com/

Take a look and get your hands on some really cool items!

Drill to win!!

After reading Andre Galvao's book 'Drill to Win', back at the club, we have placed more emphasis on drilling in the class sessions; we drill positions after a warm up, over and over again and the results were evident after just four weeks, both with the students and myself.  Transitions were a lot smoother and rolling was more fluid from everyone and I can say it's the best book on the market, spend some time studying the drills and the rewards are massive.

Drilling might seem boring for the people who only want to learn subs and more subs, but you can't beat the value of adding drilling into your training; I shall leave the last word with Caio Terra.......

Technique conquers all!

Caio Terra speaks the truth brothers and sisters :)

Drill to win!

RIP Michael Clarke Duncan

Just thought I'd share this great photograph, which shows the beauty of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu off the mats and how the unlikliest of friendships can blossom, just by sharing a common passion for the Arte Suave.

Don't mess with Renzo Gracie!

How cool is Renzo Gracie?  Walking in the streets of New York, Renzo spots two guys eyeing him up for a mugging - bad call! Not only did Renzo defeat the two muggers, he gave a blow by blow (pun intended) account on Twitter as he set about they guys!

Check out the report - http://fightersonlymag.com/content/news/17088-renzo-gracie-batters-muggers-live-on-twitter

Renzo Gracie - legend!!

The New York Bad Ass kicks ass!

I had the pleasure and privilige of hanging out and training with Phil Baroni back in 2010 at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, as well as watch him being put through his paces during his own training.  Beneath the bluff and smack talk and divided opinions that Phil brings upon himself, once you get to know him, Phil is a really cool and humble guy.

We shared many a post meal and drink at the camp and we struck up a friendship and I got a few interviews with the NYBA during my stay.  Phil has had to deal with a number of losses recently, after training like a Spartan for each fight and has been thirsty to get back to his winning ways.

Winning ways returned on August 31st, as he fought  Rodrigo 'Ximbica'  Ribeiro at the OneFC event in Manila, Philippines; walking into the ring, Phil was as cool as ice, as he danced and swaggered into the ring and once introductions were over in the cage, the bell rang and Phil got to work..........................

Way to go Phil - BOOM!!

50 ways to better Jiu Jitsu - DVD review!

The world of DVD instructionals is immense; just about every man and his dog has a DVD out, from the fundamentals to guard passing; attack the back; half guard; mount; Berimbolo; turtle guard; octopus guard (YES, octopus guard, care of Eduardo Telles) and many many more.  Every year there is a new DVD out covering the latest techniques and guard passes, such is the creativity of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

One such man, minus his dog offers the latest in BJJ instruction; Combat Base brown belt Adam Adshead has released a 2 DVD set titled '50 Common Mistakes to Avoid in BJJ' and Adam was kind enough to give me a copy to review.

DVD 1 is split into four chapters, namely:-

• General mistakes
• Guard
• From the feet
• Passing guard

DVD 2 is split thus:-

• Side control
• Side control attack
• Escapes
• Mount

As the DVD title suggests, Adam offers short clips on the most common mistakes people make in their jiu jitsu game; Adam, like the rest of many BJJ coaches up and down the country, has travelled far and wide in the pursuit of quality BJJ tuition and has trained with numerous world class elite level BJJ fighters and instructors and has a broad and in depth knowledge of the game.  Endless hours on the mats watching his students roll, taking notes has culminated in this DVD set and is an invaluable tool both for student and instructor alike.

Knowledge is power 

For both individuals, the DVD acts as a reference point and gathers together numerous concepts and tips for finishing triangles more successfully and passing the guard more times than not, to name a few.

Each clip is between two to four minutes long and is packed with technical details and tips and pointers that are easy to digest and even easier to add into your game.  As an instructor myself, this is an invaluable addition to my DVD collection and brings all the concepts and tips onto two DVD's, which I can dip into anytime and drop them in at my Fundamentals class and all classes to be honest.

For the student, I recommend purchasing the DVD, as opposed to say purchasing the latest DVD on the 50/50 guard or Tornado guard; although these two positions can be found on the competition circuit, nothing beats the basics and this DVD gives over fifty ways to improve your game.  So by adding these tips to your game one by one, you'll become fifty times the grappler you were before you started watching the DVD.

Not bad eh??

http://factorybjj.com/

121 Masters Budo Course, Chelmsford, Essex!

Had a great day showcasing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu alongside high ranking Dan grades in Traditional Martial Arts, down in sunny Chelmsford, Essex on Saturday September 1st.  The event was held at Dovedale Sports Centre and was organised by Stephen Mitchell, owner of Masters 121, which organises one day and weekend Budo courses throughout the year.

I was first invited to teach on a 121 event back in November 2011, from my Judo coach George Launders and this weekend was the third event for me and I was sharing the mats with some true martial artists; the line up consisted of the following instructors:-

Chris Moslin - Aikido

Gordon Lawson - Judo

George Bishop - Jiu Jitsu

Terry Hall - Jiu Jitsu

George Launders - Judo

Carl Fisher - BJJ

Philip Bradely - Weapons

Michal Bil - KAPAP

Paul Adams - Ninjutsu

121 Masters Instructors

Four mats were running during the day and the attendees were split into groups and had 45 minutes on each mat; I was sharing the mat with George and we started with George showing a throw or takedown, then I stepped in and showed them how to finish them off.  I have worked with George on a number of seminars and at my club and this partnership works really well and compliments each other's art.  Take to the ground and finish.  No faffing about in the 50/50 guard or stalling for a win.  The aim of the game is to finish the job as fast as possible and be ready for the next man.

George Launders feeling the pressure

In between teaching, I managed to catch a glimpse of the other coaches teaching their styles of self defence, many of which have been pressure tested both on the street and in the Army.  No nonsense techniques, again designed to finish the job fast.

Arm bar from knee on belly

At 3pm, all the students gathered on one mat and each instructor came on and showed one technique each and left the students to it, my favourite part of the day; when my turn came I showed a nice lapel choke series from mount position, which drew favourable comments from the other instructors, something that made the trip down very worthwhile.  To receive acknowledgement from high ranking instructors made me feel very proud as an instructor myself and proud to be showcasing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to a wider audience.

With my right hand man George Launders

Huge thanks to Stephen Mitchell for organising a most enjoyable event and I look forward to the next one.

http://www.masters121.co.uk/