Metamoris 7 - another fighter withdraws!

http://www.bjjee.com/bjj-news/after-buchecha-roger-gracie-yuri-simoes-pulls-out-of-metamoris-7/

 

Lunch time class @ London Fight Factory!

No rest for the London Fight Factory posse, no days off for the dedicated, as we continue with the momentum of preparing for upcoming competitions over the next few months; Luiz delivered a killer specific based class this afternoon, with the mats packed with over forty warriors, all working hard and sharpening the iron.

Looks like another hard week ahead down at Ebenzer St, just the way it should be!

Valmyr Neto @ London Fight Factory!

Had an awesome No Gi session today, with a surprise guest instructor, in the shape of Valmyr Neto, who delivered a masterclass on the butterfly guard position; as you walk down the steps into the lair of LFF, one never knows who is going to be coming through the doors and as always, a massive thanks to Luiz for arranging this awesome surprise.

I really learned a lot today about the butterfly position and Neto showed a classic sweep and gave everybody a number of slick options and submissions to play around with, before putting theory into practice and thus rounded off for me, an awesome week of training at LFF.

As most of you know I've had trouble with a lower back injury and for now, everything seems to be OK and I've managed hard training all week and still managed to get out bed and put my socks on unaided.

Rest day tomorrow and back at the coal face on Monday, with a monster session with Luiz in the afternoon and my regular Monday session in the evening.

It's what Bank Holidays are made for - Ooooossssss!

Friday lunch time class @ LFF!

The end of the week draws to an end and everyone has got that Friday Feeling in the gym, plus the fact the weather is nice and warm and it's a Bank Holiday, so what better way to enjoy the afternoon than by getting a Gi on and hitting the mats in today's lunchtime Open Mat session.

It really is the calm before the storm, as the Saturday 2pm class really rounds the week off, and tomorrow the session is No Gi, as we all prepare for the British Nationals No Gi event. 

As I bade Luiz farewell this afternoon after the class, he told me to be prepared for a total wipeout in class tomorrow afternoon, that's it's gonna be out of this world tough. So, no change there then!

Thanks to Fabio, Joao and Slavimir for being excellent training partners today, with plenty of good technical rolls and some awesome drills from Fabio. Thank you all :)

Eddie Bravo Invitaional 7 - Full Card

Here's the full card for the seventh instalment of the Eddie Bravo Invitational on July 16th, which will see a new featherweight champion; the event has Baret Yoshida in the line up, flying the flag for the Masters and Seniors at the highest level. 

Go Baret!

http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-news/ebi-7-full-card 

The Rules of BJJ & Grappling Competitions

A must see video and reference tool from Nig Gregoriades, explaining the rules of BJJ and Grappling events, covering the IBJJF rules and regulations; excellent production, clear and concise information and explanations from Nic.

Reading the rule book with over thirty pages isn't everybody's cup of tea, so making a video like this is an enormous help for athletes and coaches alike, which gets across all the key points and technical details.

Great work Nic and the Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood!

 

Last night's class

Another busy class with lots of hard work and sweat from everyone on the mats, as we went through another competition class, focussing on takedowns, with plenty of drills and rolling time.

Huge thanks to Magda for coming over last night and filming the session for a short promo film,as well as taking action shots throughout the evening, look forward to seeing all these real soon.

Ooosss!

DVD review - Killing the half guard by Fabio 'Mastermind' Holanda

The half guard can be one of the most effective positions in BJJ and if you don't know how to stop it against an experienced player you will have problems.

 

Fabio Holanda  aka "The Mastermind" has had some amazing wins as a competitor,  defeating Kenny Florian and Murilo Santana and is a multiple time Brazilian Champion and has trained the likes of GSP in Mixed Martial Arts.

 

 BJJ Superdeals are renowned for releasing high quality DVD instructionals and this continues with a great DVD on killing the half guard by BTT black belt Fabio Holanda.  A lot of the half guard DVD's that are out now, spend a lot of time and attention to passing the half guard, plus sweeps and counters, so this DVD is a welcome addition to this position.

 

Twelve chapters are on the DVD and it starts with Fabio talking about the anatomy of the half guard and the importance of being in top half guard position.  From this position, Fabio starts off showing how to defend an underhook attack from his partner, which leads into the second chapter, which covers the knee slice pass, which also starts from the same underhook position and continues this position for seven chapters.

Deep half guard defence is covered with options to finish via armlock and kimura, plus a nice counter to the waiter sweep from deep half guard ending up with an Achilles lock submission.

The DVD is available from www.bjjsuperdeals.com

 

The Gentle Art - coming soon!

Check out this great little trailer from Magda, who trains at London Fight Factory.

From Magda -  ''BJJ is not just a sport. It is a way of life which trains our minds to focus on the present moment, eliminate the worries of the future and concerns of the past. It is a journey of constant growth - physical, mental and spiritual - where you learn to be at peace. It is a process of building yourself up stronger and better after every fall and finally - it is a community of people who go through this process together every single day for years. Jiu Jitsu is a way of life and my team is my family.''



 

Good practice at competitions

 Ten nuggets of wisdom from black belt Stephan Kesting..............

 http://www.grapplearts.com/10-habits-of-successful-bjj-competitors/

London Fight Factory!

After a long lay off from training due to my creaky back, I have been spending more time down at London Fight Factory, slowly building up my long lost cardio and getting back my sharpness.  Ten years ago, this would have been a walk in the park, but sadly, time catches up with everyone and I find I'm not as invincible as I thought I was all those years ago.

Hard training takes a day or two extra to recover from and training two or three times a day, well that's just a fond memory, but hey, every once in a while, just to keep the flame burning! 

Down at LFF the guys and gals are preparing for major competitions, namely the Sub 15, which sees purple belt Omid stepping up to fight and the big one, the IBJJF British Nationals No Gi event at the end of June, held at Crystal Palace.

Currently all sessions are geared towards competition intensity, as Luiz pushes everyone to the limit and beyond, whether they are competing or not; I've attended three sessions since last Saturday and although I ache everywhere, my back has held up and hasn't given me any grief, which is very encouraging news.  That doesn't mean I'll be going crazy and training every day like a madman, I'll need to rest some days and for all the Seniors out there, don't be afraid to have a rest day and listen to your body.  Better to have a rest day and come back the day after refreshed, than let the old ego in and go and train tired and fatigued and as always, they are the days you aggrave an old injury and/or pick up a  new one.

For me, the training has been a much needed boost both physically and mentally; I feel great that I have finished all the sessions in one piece and not picked up any new injuries and the back is as strong as ever, so onwards and upwards. 

Any old timers reading this post, hang in there and keep on going; pick good partners to train with who you know aren't out to hurt you and give it 100% and keep on flying the flag for the Seniors :)

Many thanks to Magda from LFF for the awesome photos.

Last night's class

Another great session last night, only a few more classes before the Kent Open, so every minute counts and last night was no exception; after surviving the beasting on Saturday at London Fight Factory, I felt it fair that my students should have a taste of the same session.

The room was already nice and warm, as the Aikido class finishes before we start, so I closed all the windows and started the class immediately; there were no complaints, no one left the mats until the drilling was completed, hard work from all involved.

Well done everyone, see you all tomorrow!

Gracie v Buchecha Pt 2?

http://www.bjjee.com/articles/roger-gracie-wants-another-buchecha-grappling-superfight/

Emil Meek KO's Rousimar Palhares @ Venator FC 3 - video!

One of the biggest upsets in MMA in 2016!

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/5/21/11733124/mma-video-emil-weber-meek-knocks-out-rousimar-palhares-in-venator-fc-3-main-event 

 

2pm class @ London Fight Factory!

Epic. Brutal. Hardcore. Awesome.

Just about sums up the 2pm class today, was pushed to the absolute edge and given a firm size 9 over it!

Checkmat Madagascar

Check out this awesome video!

Should you ever find yourself in Madagascar, the Checkmat family will be there waiting for you - no fancy gleaming white academy, just some mats and plenty of enthusiasm and a passion for the Arte Suave.

 

You Tube Guy!

EVERYBODY knows a You Tube guy!

Controversial rape prevention video?

All women should train Jiu Jitsu!

http://www.bjjee.com/videos/jiu-jitsu-in-controversial-asian-rape-prevention-commercial/ 

 

Training update

It's felt like my typing fingers have been cut off since I had trouble with the laptop, with an agonising four weeks away from Blogging; in that time there's been plenty going on at Checkmat Wimbledon and plenty of quality training.
 

Ron and Farhaz repping the Interclub tees

We're in full competition mode over the Summer and after the LFF Interclub, the next event is the Kent Open on June 5th, which we're all training hard, have about four or five guys and gals entering the event.

After that, there are a few events around London, plus the Brighton Open to choose from, which we entered last year and had a great time, a well run event by the 24/7 guys.

Lots of hard work to look forward to over the coming months and as always, our Jiu Jitsu only gets better, so pack your Gi's in your ruck sacks, wherever you train and hit the mats, especially all the lovely Masters and Seniors out there, look forward to seeing you all in Kent!

LFF Interclub!

Had a great day out at the Interclub a few weeks ago, with a couple of students competing and a few sadly missed it through injury; Ron and Farhaz hit the mats and gave it their all, but sadly, no medals to be had.

That said, you never lose in this game, you either win or learn.

Huge respect to both guys for having the balls to get out and lay it on the line; all the prepping for the competition has improved everyone's Jiu Jitsu, which can only be a good thing.

Next stop - The Kent Open in June!

Buchecha out of Metamoris 7!

http://www.bjjee.com/featured/buchecha-out-of-metamoris-7-they-prematurely-advertised-without-my-agreement/

 

Laptop laments!

Had a nightmare last four weeks, being without my laptop, thanks to a pesky hard drive failure! 

Hopefully back to normal now, after repairs, so back with BJJ goodies for everyone :)