31 Dec 2010

2010 kick started with my promotion to purple belt whereupon I continued competing and getting smashed but happily growing and enjoying myself. I've been lucky to be involved in a number of great interviews, reviews and media projects, the highlight of which was my Crazy-Ass Gi Design contest, which attracted hundreds of entries from all over the world and grabbed me a slot on the prestigous Fightworks Podcast radio show. I'd like to wish all my readers, friends, training partners and loved ones a very merry Xmas and prosperous New Year. Peace.


..damn, that was four sentences.

My 2010 in three sentences or less

2010 kick started with my promotion to purple belt whereupon I continued competing and getting smashed but happily growing and enjoying myse...

29 Dec 2010

Hey good people! Did you get any nice and exciting BJJ related Xmas presents? I got a load of Amazon vouchers from my family because I really wanted them, and also I'm one of those people who is impossible to buy a present for.
Anyway, cheers to the lads at Scramble, who sent me their latest creation, Guard.



Background c/o The Matrix.

Guard v The Matrix Dojo

Hey good people! Did you get any nice and exciting BJJ related Xmas presents? I got a load of Amazon vouchers from my family because I reall...

24 Dec 2010

Review: Spider Guard Groin Protector - tested by SpiderBoy

 

19 Dec 2010

Well with all this snow plus a load of other commitments, I've been done zippo training. But these wintry nights mean I get to play around with my doodles a lot more. Here's two more:

Grappling Panda!
This was done for some Chinese friends of mine who wanted to start up a Facebook Group for those UK-based BJJers who are of Chinese background. The actual FB group is linked here. If I had more time, I would have changed the background rays into a Union Jack, to emphasise that it was a UK group, but peeps seem to like it regardless.

(i) Quick lunchtime sketch

(ii) Better sketch

(iii) Final Render



Evil Teddy - Kumachan
Kumachan is a blog run by my buddy Gerry Hurtado. It's his nickname and he wanted a patch made so commissioned me to design a logo. Teddy's are all evil anyway, right?

(i) First sketch

(ii) Final Render

You can see how Gerry used the picture on his blog header, here.

I know, I really need to get out more ;)


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Angry Pandas and Evil Teddys

Well with all this snow plus a load of other commitments, I've been done zippo training. But these wintry nights mean I get to play arou...

17 Dec 2010

I believe it is summer down under, oh gee, what I'd give just for a smidgeon of warm sun right now. Oh well, at least I have this postcard from Irish BJJer, Stephen McKirgan, to keep me warm as he tells of his fun training in Sydney right now...


Around the World in 80 Dojos: A Postcard from Sydney

I believe it is summer down under, oh gee, what I'd give just for a smidgeon of warm sun right now. Oh well, at least I have this postca...

13 Dec 2010


Just completed a really fun assignment to design a brand new logo and mascot for F4 Martial Arts Academy over the pond in Arkansas, USA. The finished result is above, but I thought you might like to see the thought process that went through all our minds as the four instructors and I thrashed through, accepting and rejecting as the ideas evolved.

So let's start off with the original F4 logo:

F4...creation of an academy logo and mascot

Just completed a really fun assignment to design a brand new logo and mascot for F4 Martial Arts Academy over the pond in Arkansas, USA. Th...

11 Dec 2010

Hey! Just heard, American grappling phenom Rafael Lovato Jr is heading to London for a couple of seminars (Jan 22/23) at EKBJJ academy. I'm so onto that one, it's gonna be awesome as Rafael is a hugely successful champion and also one of the relatively few BJJ celebs who likes to blog regularly. Oh and he endorses one of the most bling gis on the market - the Lucky Gi!

Speaking of gis, after the thrill of reviewing the Break Point gi, I received two rather extraordinary reactions, one on each side of the appreciation spectrum. The first is that Break Point Fight Company loved my review so much, they want to feature it as an advert or advertorial within Gracie Magazine! So little ole me will be centre spread, so to speak, inside THE Gracie Magazine in January - totally high five me!

Sadly, on the other side of the coin, my reviews seem to have attracted a level of criticism and sneering that I genuinely did not expect. Have a look here. Within the various positive and negative responses posted on that thread I write a fairly lengthy explanation as to why I write gi reviews which I think justifies what I do, not that I need to justify myself, but there you go. The poster is not a troll job, he's someone I know and respect and yet his rant came out of the blue. It's nice to know who your friends are!

Finally - for undecided Xmas present purchasers - there are still some cool pre-Xmas discounts to be had: Black Eagle are offering a massive 20% off all BJJ uniforms, valid until Dec 19th, check out their website here: http://www.black-eagle.co.uk/brazilianjiujitsu

You can also get 5% off Tatami Fightwear products using the code MEERKATSU5

And don't forget, for US readers, that MMAOutlet are offering 5% off everything using MEERKATSU code.

Cheers
:)

News and bits

Hey! Just heard, American grappling phenom Rafael Lovato Jr is heading to London for a couple of seminars (Jan 22/23) at EKBJJ academy. I...

9 Dec 2010

The new January 2011 issue of UK title "Martial Arts Illustrated" is out now. On the cover and six pages inside is my interview with BJJ black belt Gazzy Parman accompaying an amazing photo set by awesome photographer James Oluoch-Olunya (www.combat-bjj.com). I have to say it is one of the most intense interviews I have ever done and I feel privileged that Gazzy chose to share her story with little ole me.

But I made a mistake and I would like to take this opportunity to issue a formal correction and apology, here goes:


Gazzy Parman Interview - A Correction and Apology

In the January 2011 issue of Martial Arts Illustrated (out Dec 9th), I interviewed BJJ black belt Gazzy Parman and include an incorrect factual statement. In the article, I wrote 'Gazzy suffered a mental breakdown and had attempted suicide....' I formally wish to state that this is wholly incorrect.
During the many conversations Gazzy and I had as part of this interview, Gazzy talked about a period of her life where she was at a very low ebb and among the many things we discussed, she stated she was on "the verge of death". I misinterpreted her statements about this difficult time of her life and made my own, wrong, assumptions.

I would like to offer my unreserved apologies to Gazzy and to readers of Martial Arts Illustrated for this error. As a regular contributor to Martial Arts Illustrated I take great pride in the accuracy and integrity of my work and I regret this lapse in the usual high standards that Martial Arts Illustrated adheres to. I hope this does not detract readers from a feature article that charts Gazzy's amazing career as one of the great female fighters of the sport. I apologise once again for any harm my interpretation has caused to her reputation and wish Gazzy the best of luck with her future as a teacher, mentor and role model to so many aspiring young stars of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world.

Seymour Yang

My Interview with Gazzy Parman is out now!

The new January 2011 issue of UK title "Martial Arts Illustrated" is out now. On the cover and six pages inside is my interview wi...

8 Dec 2010

Gi Review: Break Point Fight Company Light Weight Deluxe Gi in White A1




Summary
A super stylish, extrovert uniform - the Break Point Deluxe BJJ gi is more than just pimped up bling; it offers a well constructed, well fitting and comfortable prestige quality gi with a number of innovative features.

DISCLAIMER: I am not sponsored by any company nor to I endorse any brand. This review represents my honest, unbiased opinions. Thank you to www.made4fighters.com and www.breakpointfc.com for sending me this gi for review.

Gi Review: Break Point FC Deluxe

Gi Review: Break Point Fight Company Light Weight Deluxe Gi in White A1 Summary A super stylish, extrovert uniform - the Break Point D...

2 Dec 2010

Gasp! A postcard from somewhere sunny and nicer than frosty UK...my friend Benjamin in Singapore, let's see what he says about BJJ in his home country...


Hi Folks, I am Benjamin Liu from Singapore, I am 27 years old and I am a Blue Belt under Moura Jiujitsu. I was training in styles such as Taekwondo, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do and Escrima for six years before coming across grappling.

Around the World in 80 Dojos: A Postcard from Singapore

Gasp! A postcard from somewhere sunny and nicer than frosty UK...my friend Benjamin in Singapore, let's see what he says about BJJ in hi...

30 Nov 2010

Okay so here's the dilemma - do you purchase your own Christmas gift now, or wait until you 'think' your loved one has ordered you your heart's most desired gi on the actual day? Oh and what about the January sales? Surely there will be some fightwear bargains to be had after Christmas, right?

Well here are a few things happening right NOW that you really should try to get a handle on.


First, my good friends over at Scramble, MMAOutlet and BJJWeekly are joining forces to do something cute - they're offering you the chance to win a Scramble package including Scramble rash gear and tees, an incredible $50 voucher from MMA Outlet, and one of BJJ Weekly’s fine jiu jitsu t-shirts.

Here's what the Scramble boys say:

The competition is simple. Santa is practising his BJJ in five pictures which will contain clues as to the identity of a famous fighter. One will be released in the BJJ Weekly newsletter (be sure to sign up so you don’t miss out on the first clue) on 6th December. The remaining four will be hidden somewhere on both the MMA Outlet website and the Scramble website on the 7th and 8th of December. You’ll have to have a root around those sites on those two days to find the hidden images. Once you’ve found the pictures and the clues, you should be able to piece it together to find out who the famous fighter is. The first person to post the correct fighter’s name on the Scramble Facebook page will win the Christmas booty! Make your guess wisely though as you’re only allowed one guess per person; multiple guesses will be void! AND you aren’t allowed to start guessing until a post on the Scramble Facebook page tells you to.
The winner will be announced on Friday 10th December!  Good luck and happy hunting!

Oh and even if you don't win the three prizes on offer, you can at least console yourself with a free keyring and funky sticker whenever you purchase two or more products from the Scramble website (as seen hanging on my Christmas tree photo above).

Speaking of MMA Outlet, I'm pretty impressed with this US fightwear shop - Mike is on the email to me every few weeks with news of this and that so I finally asked, can readers of this blog get a discount? Mike said yes sure! so here it is:

MMA Outlet discount coupon code: type MEERKATSU at checkout for 5% off.
Now let's see, ooh they sell Sprawl, Vulkan, Break Point, Atama, Fuji...the list goes on omg I'm so filling up my Christmas shopping list right now!

That's not all friends, don't forget you can always get a handy 5% discount of all Tatami Fightwear products by just typing in MEERKATSU5 at checkout. And while I'm on the subject of Tatami, I see they've just produced a very slick video advert featuring my good friends David Onuma, Pippa Granger, Daniel Agard, Pedro Bessa, Greg Creel and Kevin Cox. Enjoy...



:)

Santa does Jiu-Jitsu

Okay so here's the dilemma - do you purchase your own Christmas gift now, or wait until you 'think' your loved one has ordered y...

29 Nov 2010

Oooh look what came in the post at Meerkatsu HQ today? A postcard from Portugal...

Howdy boys! My name is André Costa Silva, I'm 28 years old and I'm a white belt jiu-jiteiro from Portugal. I've been training for about half a year and I've been hooked on it from day one. There's nothing quite like it and chances are you already know how efficient it is from MMA, but you have to try it to know what this obsession is all about.

Around the world in 80 dojos: Postcard from Portugal

Oooh look what came in the post at Meerkatsu HQ today? A postcard from Portugal ... Howdy boys! My name is André Costa Silva, I'm 28 y...

26 Nov 2010



Richard Shore, or 'Shaky' to his friends, is founder and head instructor of the Tillery Combat MMA Club in Abertillery, Gwent, Wales. A long time practitioner of martial arts, the BJJ purple belt is also a successful mentor and coach to kids brought in from the Youth Offending Service - turning their lives around for the better. Earlier this month, one of Shaky's students, Mark Marshman, a former young offender, won the prestigious Prince Trust Young Achiever Award and the Tillery Combat MMA club received a runners up prize in the  Impact on the Community Award. Both awards were the culmination of a lifetime's dedication to the sport and the power that MMA and jiu jitsu can bring to the community. I was moved by shaky's posts on the Cagewarriors forum so I asked him to explain more about his work...


Fighter Profile: Richard 'Shakus Maximus' Shore

Richard Shore , or ' Shaky ' to his friends, is founder and head instructor of the Tillery Combat MMA Club in Abertillery, Gwent,...

25 Nov 2010

Top lady BJJ black belt Gazzy Parman - she of the ultra tough warm ups and twisty turney open guard is back in the UK and hitting the country with a couple of not to be missed seminars - see below for posters of her 4th December Sheffield date and her 12th December London date.

She's also gonna grace the front cover of Martial Arts Illustrated (out December 9th) with my epic interview  and James Oluoch-Olunya's magnificent photoshoot. Stay tuned folks because the moment MAI is out, I will let you know, oh yeah worry ye not!



Read about Gazzy's previous seminar here: http://meerkat69.blogspot.com/2010/08/gazzinator-gazzy-parman-seminar-review.html


:)

News just in...December renamed Gazzymber..official!

Top lady BJJ black belt Gazzy Parman - she of the ultra tough warm ups and twisty turney open guard is back in the UK and hitting the countr...

22 Nov 2010


Michael Langhi is a very cool guy. His coolness, and the awesome seminar of his that I just attended stopped my day today from becoming one of complete disaster.

Spiderman! A seminar with World Champ Michael Langhi

Michael Langhi is a very cool guy. His coolness, and the awesome seminar of his that I just attended stopped my day today from becoming one...

19 Nov 2010

My team mate Anthony Warby fights his debut MMA fight in two weeks. His prep team asked me to draw a little logo - War Bee, gettit?

Okay so I start with some sketches:


Then I unleash Illustrator...



And, here's the T-shirt!

:)

War Bee

My team mate Anthony Warby fights his debut MMA fight in two weeks. His prep team asked me to draw a little logo - War Bee, gettit? Okay s...

18 Nov 2010

I'm too poor to go travelling. If I did have the time and money, I would travel the world seeking BJJ academies in places where you wouldn't think such dojos exist. But then I thought, why travel the world when I can let the world come to me! So allow me to introduce my new project: Around The World In 80 BJJ Dojos!

Oooh, look what came in today! A postcard from Iceland...shall we see what it says?


Around The World In 80 BJJ Dojos: Postcard From Iceland

I'm too poor to go travelling. If I did have the time and money, I would travel the world seeking BJJ academies in places where you woul...

17 Nov 2010

I'm off to see spider guard wizard Michael Langhi this Sunday in Brighton. I'm so pumped for this one as he's actually been in the UK for the past two weeks and word from my brethren is that he is teaching some awesome tech. I cannot wait. As usual, I shall bring my trusty sword, in the shape of my camera and notepad and reporting on how the seminar went.



.

World Champ Michael Langhi is in the House!

I'm off to see spider guard wizard Michael Langhi this Sunday in Brighton. I'm so pumped for this one as he's actually been in t...

15 Nov 2010

Two lady warriors that I have had the great pleasure of both training with and interviewing - Ana Maria India and Gazzy Parman have their own little fan-made highlight videos.

Here's Ana Maria's:


Ana Maria India - BJJ & MMA - Highlight [HELLO JAPAN] from Hello Japan on Vimeo.

It was made by fellow blogger Stuart Jones, who produces the Hello Japan (http://hellojapan01.wordpress.com) blog. Stuart trains in Manchester and is a purple belt. Of Ana Maria, he says:

"I trained at the Minotauro Team in Rio de Janeiro for 6 months in 2008, where I met Ana Maria in the Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu classes. She was really cool to me and I was inspired by her dedication to training and Jiu Jitsu, she is a very technical grappler. I learned a lot about her through the interview on your website and thought it was really cool how she started training and dedicating her life to Jiu Jitsu. In my spare time I like editing fighter highlights and seeing as there were so many videos around of Ana Maria, I thought why not make a video of her best moments. So I did and I hope everyone enjoys it."

I noticed he posted the video on Facebook and Ana Maria herself said: "“Wow! Many thanks, I loved it a lot” ~ Ana Maria India.

Cooooool!

Gazzy Parman also has a really cool highlight video made by a fan. The video is called 'Beautiful Assassin' and I nicked that headline for my own interview with Gazzy - which is coming out in Martial Arts Magazine on December 5th. It's my best interview ever so look out for it!



Gazzy did more than just 'like' this video, she...well why don't we let Gazzy explain for herself:

"The most impressive fan I've ever had in my life, has now become a good friend of mine. I didn't know who he was when he contacted me on myspace to have me check out the "Beautiful Assassin" highlight video he made. I was nearly in tears when I first saw it. He touched my soul when he made the Beautiful Assassin highlight clip of some of the things I've done. I couldn't believe someone would spend so much time making such an amazing highlight clip of me.... he did such a great job for the few fights if mine he could find. The music is spot on and the feeling he gave it really shows off my soul. I love him him forever for that. He's called Zen Monkey on YouTube, real name Jakub Bobrowski, from Poland."

Now that's what I called a 'like' !!!

Oh yeah, Gazzy's coming back to the UK in December - watch out for seminar dates to be announced soon.

Kick Ass Lady Grappler Highlight Videos

Two lady warriors that I have had the great pleasure of both training with and interviewing - Ana Maria India and Gazzy Parman have their ...

13 Nov 2010



In part two of my interview with the featherwight veteran, Alain Pozo, he descibes his teaching principles at his academy, Black Label in Colchester, Essex and his impressive competition heritage...

Fighter Profile: Alain Guerra Pozo - Part Two

In part two of my interview with the featherwight veteran, Alain Pozo, he descibes his teaching principles at his academy, Black Label in...

12 Nov 2010



Alain Guerra Pozo may not know this, but he is a very important man in my BJJ life. For most people who began BJJ in the early 2000’s, Royce Gracie was their inspiration. Not me. I had never heard of Royce before, but Alain was the very first person I ever sparred against. I’d like to say he held my hand and introduced me to the arte suave with cotton gloves, but the reality was a very different story...he tooled me in a way only a Brazilian, trained in the old skool hard core ways could ever do with a raw beginner. I cannot remember how many times I had to tap to him within the first twenty seconds but it was brutal. And yet, that experience, over seven years ago, left a very deep and profound impression on me. Here was a small, slightly built man, not much bigger than myself, giving hell to guys twice his size. Ever since that moment, I vowed that I too could be the small guy who kicks jiu-jitsu ass. It’s also nice to know that Alain, who I see at every tournament, is still giving hell to guys twice his size.


Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you part one of my interview with Mr Alain Pozo where he discusses his BJJ origins in Recife, Brazil where he met and befriended a young unknown talent called Braulio Estima, plus a whole ton on the early history of BJJ in the UK back in the day...


Fighter Profile: Alain Guerra Pozo - Part One

Alain Guerra Pozo may not know this, but he is a very important man in my BJJ life. For most people who began BJJ in the early 2000’s, Ro...

10 Nov 2010

I'm not really big on the whole post-match analysis thing. But I'm posting this fight at the English Open of my final with Mark Phung because it's pretty hilarious stuff. Check out Mark's audacious cartwheel at around 2:20 and my ONE good sweep thingy at around 3:10. Apart from that, I get pretty much owned every second of the way, but it's all good fun.

In the video, I'm the little guy, no, hang on, we're both little, okay, I'm the Chinese guy, no, wait...okay I'm the one wearing the white gi (Faixa Rua leve if you must ask) - enjoy!

Flying Cartwheels and Dodgy Half Guards - My Finals Fight

I'm not really big on the whole post-match analysis thing. But I'm posting this fight at the English Open of my final with Mark Phun...
This is an instructional video by my good friend and instructor Oli Geddes on behalf of his sponsor Black Eagle. Regular readers may recall that I dubbed Oli both 'The Half Guard Wizard' and 'The UK's Most Prolific Competitor' when I interviewed him for the Fightworks Podcast last year. Yeah, I like my headlines, it's all I'm good at.

To be honest, I really wish he wouldn't do these videos, it means all those sessions where he teaches us, in class, these same techniques is being shared by all and sundry and really, I need all the help I can get haha! Joking aside, Oli is a legend and it was good to see him in action at the English Open this weekend, cleaning up his division and taking gold in the brown absolute too. A monster, and a Gent!



Expect more Oli media coming soon. In the meantime, did I post this picture before? Not sure, anyway, here's my photo of Oli posing in his Scramble (for he is also a Scramble sponsored athlete) hoodie. I love it because I had literally five minutes to shoot it and it just all came together nicely. I love the fact that the mat and wall splits the image into three thirds, plus the climbing lugs in the background look like stars or explosive shrapnel caught mid-flight. Anyway, I've got the same hoodie but don't look half as cool as Oli.




.

Half Guard Instructional by Oli Geddes

This is an instructional video by my good friend and instructor Oli Geddes on behalf of his sponsor Black Eagle. Regular readers may recall ...

8 Nov 2010

I had a blast at yesterday's English Open BJJ Championships - had a couple of great fights, met up with a huge bunch of great people and witenssed some mouth wateringly tasty fights. All in all, a grand day out.

Here are some choice photos from Day Two of the fights:
Alain Pozo v Roger Middleton

Vicky Todd v Tiff

Black belt superfight 1


Alex De Souza wonders what Bruno Melo (below) is complaining about

Graham Welsh attempts an armbar

Zagham Younes fights with huge spirit

Judo genius and now BJJ brown belt, Graham Welsh maitains calm

Delroy McDowell in high flying action

Rachel McMillan storming her way to absolute gold

BTW Tiff here (above) is not showboating, the ref halted the match but kept position so Tiff smiled at me while waiting


How did I do?
Oh well ifyou must ask, I won silver in my category. It was such good fun to compete - I think I've shaken off those early purple belt nerves and I can now go out there just to try and do my stuff. I didn't take any videos sadly, which is a shame as I think you would have enjoyed watching the pint sized maestro that is Mark Phung flip and cartwheel around me in the final match heh heh!

Oh, and I forgot to bring my contact lenses - you could say I fought my matches completely blind, which I almost am with out my lenses or glasses. But hey ho, luckily the nature of BJJ contests mean far sightedness is not such an issue.

I want to thank my fellow purple belt master fighters James Carey and Mark Phung for our fights and a big thankyou to David Onuma who popped up out of nowhere like a guardian angel and gave me a thoroughly brilliant pep talk before my fights. I want to also thank Andrew Marshall for all those early Saturday morning conditioning sessions which paid off today. And of course thanks to my coach Nick Brooks. Cheers and well done to all my Mill Hill BJJ team mates who fought with such amazing spirit these past two days, I'm so proud to represent the badge. Days like these make me smile the biggest BJJ smile. Onwards and upwards!

A Bit of English

I had a blast at yesterday's English Open BJJ Championships - had a couple of great fights, met up with a huge bunch of great people and...

3 Nov 2010


Summary
New fightwear brand Masaru launch their debut BJJ gi alongside star name endorsements. With a decent pearl weave fabric, light weight and sensible cut, this gi promises much and delivers in most areas. However my review sample exhibited several quality control issues and I was not convinced by the quirky logo designs.

Gi Review: Masaru Fight Co, BJJ Kimono in blue

Summary New fightwear brand Masaru launch their debut BJJ gi alongside star name endorsements. With a decent pearl weave fabric, light wei...

1 Nov 2010



Oooh as if my ego needed more massaging LOL!

Here's a little interview I did with fightwear company Black Eagle on all sorts of questions about the BJJ scene in the UK. I hope it's an interesting and informative read, I actually had to try to think hard and come up with sensible answers for a change hahah!

Read it here: Black Eagle interviews Seymour Yang.

Thanks.

Interviewer turns interviewee - Black Eagle quizzes the Meerkatsu!

Oooh as if my ego needed more massaging LOL! Here's a little interview I did with fightwear company Black Eagle on all sorts of ques...

31 Oct 2010


Matthew Benyon is a BJJ purple belt Brit with a passion for all things Japanese. He spent a lot of time over in the Land of the Rising Sun, absorbing the culture, teaching English, learning some kick ass grappling moves from some of the finest BJJ instructors in the country. A multi-talented, multi-tasking media guru, I thought it was high time I brought some Meerkatsu attention to Matt’s awesome video making skills - a project that he calls: The Grappling Dummy.


Meerkatsu: Hey dude, let’s open up with a brief biog about you, your grappling background and what you currently do?

Matt Benyon: By day I am a mild mannered copywriter for an internet company, and by night I transform into a wildly overstretched, maniacal creative type with a debilitating penchant for coming up with new schemes before the last 12 schemes have run their course. I also enjoy biting off more than I can chew and sometimes training jiu jitsu.

I created the monster that is Scramble, a UK based clothing company that aims to breathe fresh life into a genre until now populated by shuffling zombies and the colour black. I also have a blog, The Grappling Dummy, where I used to talk about my training and tell stories about my life in Japan but now mostly use to post my creations. Which include The Grappling Dummy, an ongoing video series about jiu jitsu and grappling.

I also write regularly for Fighters Only and Fighting Fit magazine, and some others here and there. Phew, I got tired just writing that.

The BJJ TV Maker: A chat with The Grappling Dummy, Matt Benyon

Matthew Benyon is a BJJ purple belt Brit with a passion for all things Japanese. He spent a lot of time over in the Land of the Rising Sun...

28 Oct 2010



Summary
I present a small roundup of rash guards produced by British fightwear companies.

Introduction
Good old rash guards. Not just the preserve of surfer type water people, but now the athletic under-armour of choice for many a full contact sportsperson. For us grapplers, a good rash guard will prevent gi burn, keep you cool or keep you warm and most of all, make you look like and feel like a lycra clad superhero. But there are a dizzying array of choices, plus there's the decision of whether to opt for long sleeves or short sleeves.
So here are a bunch of rashies that have recently landed on the desk of Meerkatsu HQ, let's take slithery peek...

Great British Rash Guard Review

Summary I present a small roundup of rash guards produced by British fightwear companies. Introduction Good old rash guards. Not just ...

27 Oct 2010

I had the honour last night of popping down to my old traditional/Japanese ju-jitsu club, the Imperial Jikishin Ju-Jitsu Club, to teach a session of ground-fighting. Now it's not cool to call it Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu whenever you visit a trad dojo - there's just too much style versus style baggage whenever a BJJer walks in, so I always refer to it as ground-fighting. It's simpler, less of a mouthful and does what it says on the tin, so all the participants can understand the basic intention for the night.

The last time I popped down (which I criminally forgot to blog about) I ran through a series of tactics and strategies designed to handle an opponent during the scramble for position and grips when fighting off of the knees. Tonight I began with a selection of the animal drills that are a fun, but exhausting, way to condition the body in readiness for a good ole grapple.

I began the technical portion of the class with a simple double leg takedown drill from standing (because somebody asked for this) and continued the sequence with a series of side mount pins, knee on belly attacks and escapes from the side mount. It was just fundamental, simple but workable techniques that I've been taught myself and I know work really well. We finished the evening with five or six rounds of position-based sparring (no submissions): top guy attempts to go from side mount to full mount, bottom guy tries to escape, sweep or block the top guy. Despite not utilising submissions, just playing positional sparring was enough to wipe out my comrades and we all ended with one of those brilliant 'I've just done a lunatic session' type faces!

I always enjoy catching up with my Imperial JJ buddies and I hope to pop down again early next year to maintain the ground fighting ethic that I believe is an important part of any ju-jitsuka's arsenal, traditional or not.

Spot the BJJ guy

I had the honour last night of popping down to my old traditional/Japanese ju-jitsu club, the Imperial Jikishin Ju-Jitsu Club , to teach a s...

25 Oct 2010

There's no doubt that I have morphed into a bonafide gi addict - talking about gis is just my way of expressing my love for the sport. One of the first brands to make their own BJJ uniform in the UK was Black Eagle. So I thought it would be really interesting to talk to the owner, Steve Turner, about what it's like to start your own fightwear company from scratch and what hurdles and dramas he encountered along the way (for there were many!). If you are even vaguely interested in the fightwear business or just how one goes about making a BJJ gi, then Steve gives a really interesting interview and I urge you to head on over to the Kombat Clinic website (you will have to join if you are not already a member, don't worry, it's free and easy to do, plus they won't spam you with Viagra and Rolex ads).

Read the interview here: Kombat Clinic interview with Black Eagle's Steve Turner.

As ever, I always like a cheeky blag and I asked Steve about his forthcoming, brand new and super superlight single weave 'Predator' gi that is about to come out...and he said he would be happy to give one of these gis away as a prize to one lucky reader of the KC interview - anywhere in the world! Whoah!

Below is a photo of Andy Roberts wearing the Predator gi...go on, click on the interview and win the gi, you've nothing to lose!


The competition closes at 23:59 (GMT) on Sunday 31st October 2010 where a winner will be drawn at random on Monday 1st November 2010 and announced online the following day. 


Watch out for more prize giveaways and interviews coming soon!

Win a Black Eagle 'Predator' Gi!

There's no doubt that I have morphed into a bonafide gi addict - talking about gis is just my way of expressing my love for the sport. O...

22 Oct 2010

[WARNING: This post contains nudity and explicitly Barbigraphic images]




Soap Review: A Lather Story

[WARNING: This post contains nudity and explicitly Barbigraphic images]

21 Oct 2010

We've all been there - you turn up to class, some newbie shows up wearing the hand me down club gi. He seems young and very keen - like all the newbies you've met before, but there's something different. He's not a nervous beginner, sure he seems unsure about a spider guard or a hooks guard but he's got game. You spar with him, and end up in all sorts of strange and unconventional difficulties. He's not big but has untold amounts of strength and determination. He is the BJJ-newbie who is actually an MMA athlete. Just like my club mate, Luke Dalmedo.


Luke is appearing at one of the UK's top MMA events, BAMMA 5 on December 4th. I thought it would be good to talk to this up and coming young fighter for myFfighter Profile slot, so here he is ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you Luke 'El Niño' Dalmedo:


Fighter Profile: Luke Dalmedo

We've all been there - you turn up to class, some newbie shows up wearing the hand me down club gi. He seems young and very keen - like ...

19 Oct 2010



Summary
Tatami Fightwear’s new top of the range gi is an attractively presented and impressively constructed BJJ uniform that will not break the bank. It carries the same excellent cut and fabric of both the ‘Navy’ and ‘Zero G’ gis but with added styling details. It is a strong, light and comfortable gi that fitted me perfectly. I consider this gi to be extremely good value with quality and looks that rival many import brands costing twice as much.


Gi Review: Tatami Fightwear 'Estilo' Gi

Summary Tatami Fightwear’s new top of the range gi is an attractively presented and impressively constructed BJJ uniform that will not br...

17 Oct 2010




Wow, I was interviewed by Caleb for the Fightworks Podcast. You can listen to the show by downloading the mp3 track here (about 24 minutes in):
http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2010/10/17/staph-infection-in-bjj/
Or through your Google Reader embedded player.

I'm absolutely stoked to be on the show - one of my mini BJJ life's ambitions now fulfilled! The Fightworks Podcast has been transmitting quality shows for several years now and is one of the very best BJJ media outlets for learning about what's happening out there in the BJJ world.

Caleb was kind enough to offer me a slot on the show where I talk about the winners of the Crazy-Ass Design a Gi Contest. It gave me a chance to describe on air the range of gi designs that were submitted and to thank all those who helped put this project together. I hope I don't come across as too geeky with all my 'um's' and 'you know's' and the Skype recording wasn't the best quality, but hey, I'm not complaining, it was such a thrill to be on the show!

For those clicking on this blog for the first time searching for pictures of the gi designs, please visit the official Crazy-Ass blog to see the winning designs, plus lots of others.
http://crazy-ass-bjj-gi-challenge.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Caleb for the invite and thanks to everyone for taking part in the contest. As I say in my interview, watch out for next year where I will announce more awesome gi-based contests.

:)

I'm On The Fightworks Podcast!!!

Wow, I was interviewed by Caleb for the Fightworks Podcast. You can listen to the show by downloading the mp3 track here (about 24 minute...

14 Oct 2010

November 2010 issue out now!


Terere should be back in the UK towards the end of the year, but in the meantime, if you are passing though Switzerland, perhaps you can pop in to attend his many seminars there. See: http://mmaswiss.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/terere-seven-seminars-in-switzerland/
Thanks to Harman Bhamra for providing us with some Swiss BJJ news :)

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My Terere Interview in Martial Arts Illustrated

November 2010 issue out now! Terere should be back in the UK towards the end of the year, but in the meantime, if you are passing though ...

13 Oct 2010

Had a really cool day today organising a photo shoot with three of the UK's finest BJJ athletes for a forthcoming edition of Martial Arts Illustrated magazine.

Here's a sneak preview:

Oli Geddes chokes Leoni Munslow

Delroy McDowell, Leoni Munslow, Oli Geddes

Back to front

I have to say though, our location - the BST MMA Gym in Northampton - Oh My God! this place is phenomenal!!!! It is absolutely hands down the most awesome MMA gym I have ever visited - it has everything you can imagine. Cage, boxing ring, Dollomar mats, weights, exercise machines, punch bags, swish changing rooms, showers - the list goes on. If you are ever passing by Northampton, stop by - if not to train, then at least just to gawp and witness the future of MMA in the UK, living and breathing right here, right now!

More Media News
Yes, the Crazy gi contest is finally over. We have three winners. Head on over to the Crazy Gi blog to see the winners.

Even More Media News
Literally just received the new edition of top martial arts magazine Martial Arts Illustrated and my Terere photo set and interview inside looks absolutely amazing. I'm really proud of that one! Will post more details later on.

Yet more Media News!
I'm going to be on the Fightworks Podcast to talk about the Crazy Gi contest I think it will air this Sunday.

Some Contest News!
Big well done to Jon Broster from Nottingham, UK, who was picked by random to win the Kombat Clinic Roy Dean DVD Box Set prize draw. Woohoo to Jon, enjoy those instructionals!



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Me-dia darlings!

Had a really cool day today organising a photo shoot with three of the UK's finest BJJ athletes for a forthcoming edition of Martial Art...

 

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