Showing posts with label media coverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media coverage. Show all posts

29 Apr 2011



I'm very proud to be a contributor to UK based magazine Jiu Jitsu Style. Get your copy by ordering online at the website here: www.bjjstyle.com. On the website you can order single print edition copies, or digital mobile phone app copies or yearly subscriptions.

Here is a sneak preview of some of the content, which I contributed to:



There is loads of other bits and bobs from me in there but more than that, the magazine is a collection of some of the best BJJ media talents around and I'm humbled by the awesome efforts from my friends: photographers James Oluoch-Olunya and Mark Corpe, plus the writing talents of Can Somnez, Meg Smitley and Carl Fisher among many others. We're talking quality, high level writing and photography. Go buy it now!

:D
byMeerkatsu
in
April 29, 2011

Jiu Jitsu Style - Issue Two Out Now

I'm very proud to be a contributor to UK based magazine Jiu Jitsu Style. Get your copy by ordering online at the website here: www.bjj...
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21 Feb 2011

Europe's first ever magazine dedicated to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - Jiu Jitsu Style - flew out of the printers and into my grubby mitts today. Oh my God! It is a work of absolute wonder. Helped of course by my lovely photos of World Champ Michael Langhi, an interview with Pippa Granger and my Five Hand Slaps article. But let's put aside for one moment who wrote what and just gaze at the beauty of this periodical. Awwwwwww!



As Roger Gracie says in the introductory guest editorial:

"It's about time we had a magazine dedicated solely to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this side of the Atlantic - it is a great step in the development of the art."

ROGER 'GREATEST FIGHTER EVER' GRACIE!!!!!

So come on, if that is not an awesome enough endorsement for your ears, I don't know what is.

You can buy single copies or order a subscription through this link:

http://www.bjjstyle.com/magazine.php

By the way, have you 'liked' my Facebook fanpage yet? Do it! Cos tomorrow I'm giving away a pristine brand new, unread copy of Jiu Jitsu Style to the person who answers my tricky question, heh heh heh!!!






:)
byMeerkatsu
in
February 21, 2011

Have you subscribed to Jiu Jitsu Style yet?

Europe's first ever magazine dedicated to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - Jiu Jitsu Style - flew out of the printers and into my grubby mitts toda...
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7 Jan 2011

I'm super excited! I know, that's my default emotional state anyway, but right now and in the next couple of months, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will be given the most amazing exposure with the publication of several landmark publications dedicated to our beloved gentle art. In chronological order, here they are:

First up, here in the UK, out on the 13th January is the long awaited BJJ Special Edition of Martial Arts Illustrated. Inside, interviews with Roger Gracie, Victor Estima, Kevin Chan, my own instructor Nick Brooks...and my pals Oli Geddes, Leoni Munslow, Delroy McDowell and also a look behind the success of the Chris Rees Academy in Wales. Plus there's loads more besides that!


Next up is the UK's first ever BJJ dedicated magazine - Jiu Jitsu Style. If I am super excited about the BJJ special of MAI magazine, you can only guess how giddy I am with delight at the prospect of our very own BJJ periodical. Issue One will be out in late February and feature exclusive interviews with Marc Walder, Michael Langhi, Romulo Barral and whole smorgasbord of goodies, delights and wonders. Oh and I get to sneak in an interview with my good pal Pippa Granger - one of the UK's most prolific female competitors.

This photo is a very early dummy edition cover (featuring my photo of team mate Daniel Strauss), the proper one I am not allowed to show yet, but it's freakin' awesome!!!


Phewee! You keeping up? Okay, next up in our line up of coolio new Jiu Jitsu magazines is the US based Jiu Jitsu Magazine. Yay! Actually I don't know much about what Issue One will contain but I have written something nice for you gi lovers out there, so watch out for Jiu Jitsu Magazine when it hits the newstands in March.

Again, I am not allowed to show you the real Issue One front cover yet, but here's a dummy they sent me to whet your appetites:






Finally, let's not forget good ole Gracie Magazine, who have served us with exclusive BJJ coverage for many years now. Well, as you may recall, I was asked by Break Point FC if they could use my gi review montage image for their advert, well, here it is in their latest (Feb 2011) issue:


There's no hiding from Meerkatsu! Hahaha.



UPDATE:
I totally forgot about the Jiu Jitsu Style T-shirt (designed by Scramble). If JJS magazine gets 1,000 'likes' on Facebook, they will give you one of these blue and yellow babies to 50 randomly selected winners (UK residents only). They are on 978 at the time of writing, so if you haven't already joined, please do so.



:)
byMeerkatsu
in
January 07, 2011

Print Matters - BJJ Magazines Galore!

I'm super excited! I know, that's my default emotional state anyway, but right now and in the next couple of months, Brazilian Jiu J...
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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
byMeerkatsu
in
December 09, 2010

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...
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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.

:)
byMeerkatsu
in
October 17, 2010

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...
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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 :)

.
byMeerkatsu
in
October 14, 2010

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 ...
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12 Aug 2010



It is my personal quest to get BJJ into mainstream sports media, but first, I must tackle the martial arts media and so for the brand spanking new September issue of Martial Arts Illustrated magazine (Britain's biggest MA publication) which is available in all newsagents from today - you can read my full feature interview with BJJ black belt, Roy Dean.

Oh and the photos are mine too.

The step-by-step techniques that Roy demonstrates are sweet too. Go buy, help bring BJJ to the masses!


.
byMeerkatsu
in
August 12, 2010

My Roy Dean Interview in Martial Arts Illustrated

It is my personal quest to get BJJ into mainstream sports media, but first, I must tackle the martial arts media and so for the brand span...
Read More

12 Jul 2010

Those spiffingly dedicated people behind top UK publication Martial Arts Illustrated have wisely chosen to publish my interview and photo set with Master Leao Teixeira, who conducted a seminar at BJJ School last month.

Well, if you buy the August 2010 issue you get not only my Leao interview, there is also an interview and step-by-step technique by BJJ black belt Thiago 'Monstro' Borges (not written by me). And, an entry by BJJ wunderkid Daniel Agard chronicling his ADCC World Pro gi tournament experiences (where he won the blue belt division). And, the issue states quite clearly and categorically, that my BIG Roy Dean photoshoot and feature interview will be coming out in next month's MAI....Wow! Truly a bumper issue indeed. Please buy it.

byMeerkatsu
in
July 12, 2010

Huge Bumper Issue of Martial Arts Illustrated this Month

Those spiffingly dedicated people behind top UK publication Martial Arts Illustrated have wisely chosen to publish my interview and photo s...
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12 Mar 2010

Woot! My interview and photo feature is published in the new April issue of Martial Arts Illustrated magazine. I'm really pleased with the way they have laid it out, looks pretty nice I think.


During the photo-shoot, Ana demonstrated a really cool lapel choke using your own gi. It involves a bit of leaping into the air and jiggery pokery with the gi skirt, but MAN! what a technique!!! So I've taken the liberty of presenting it here in its step-by-step form...


byMeerkatsu
in , , ,
March 12, 2010

Indian lapel choke

Woot! My interview and photo feature is published in the new April issue of Martial Arts Illustrated magazine. I'm really pleased with t...
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11 Dec 2009


Woohoo, two magazine articles by my goodself in one month, why Mr Ambassador you are surely spoiling us???

byMeerkatsu
in ,
December 11, 2009

Felipe Souza BJJ School Interview Out Now in MAI

Woohoo, two magazine articles by my goodself in one month, why Mr Ambassador you are surely spoiling us???
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30 Nov 2009



My interview and article with Penny Thomas is finally out in Fighters Magazine - December issue which is in shops now. Photos by James Olouch-Olunya of Combat BJJ Photography.



More of my martial art media output to come in the next few weeks so watch this space!!
byMeerkatsu
in ,
November 30, 2009

My Penny Thomas Interview is finally published!!

My interview and article with Penny Thomas is finally out in  Fighters Magazine - December issue which is in shops now. Photos by James O...
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3 Apr 2009

Oh boy it's all go here at Meerkatsu Central HQ Dojo, home of the small.

Leaving my Trad JJ Club
First up, the big news, I have finally retired from running my trad JJ club.
It is the club where I first began learning my traditional style of ju-jitsu over ten years ago and the place where I honed my teaching skills for five of those. I will miss the club and the great bunch of people who attended, but due to various constraints on my time, I felt the club would succeed better under the fresh stewardship of my JJ pal David. Good luck to everyone at the club.



It's a good time to reflect on the highlights of my time at Imperial. I achieved the rank of second dan black belt, I competed at numerous tournaments, met lots of people and made good friends. And it was through trad JJ that I discovered BJJ.
I will miss the club, it has dominated my martial arts life for so many years. But there were a couple of hairy moments:

Probably the worst injury I recall happened to a chap called Daniel. He was sparring on the ground and, in a completely freakish accident, managed to bang his elbow on the mat surface in such as way to make it shatter in several places. His pain was obvious. He has since recovered mobility in his elbow but can never do jujitsu again.

And who can forget the comedy pratfall as I demonstrated a spinning jumping back kick and landed to the sound of my ankle ligaments snapping apart!!

99 percent of the people that turn up are sound. One or two however were, for want of a better word, misfits, who were slightly deluded as to what martial arts is about and how much work it takes to become proficient. These types, thankfully, never last more than a few sessions. One chap attended one lesson, then went out to buy himself an all black uniform (we wear white) just so he could look like a flipping ninja. He didn't show up after that second time. Then there are the types who ask about samurai swords, and even after I tell them to buy a blunt one, they go and buy a razor sharp one, which is wholly unneccesary and downright dangerous in my view. I could go on, but I should emphasise these were very rare exceptions.

Most of all however, I am proud of the way I have maintained a club where the training atmosphere is friendly, fun and free of bullshit or ego, without sacrificing technical level and quality of instruction. A good session is one where you see the guys and girls have a laugh, sweat a lot, have a drink after and generally beam with confidence.
I was never confortable being called sensei, to me, the students are all grown adults who just come along to learn something new, get fit and enjoy themselves. The last thing they want is an egotist barking at them for two hours. To me, the fundamental principle of good technique over size or strength was always the root lesson of every class. I like to think that as a small guy myself, I could prove to be an example of this principle when competing or applying jujitsu against bigger opponents.

Pre-comp jitters
Well, it is the eve of the Brighton Grab and Pull Tournament and I'm very excited. I've had a clutch of intense sessions at BJJ class, all designed to 'toughen' me up and get me prepared to the type of sparring done in competitions. I must say, it is not pretty. When you spar in competitive mode, gone are the fancy stuff and it is pretty 101 brutal and in your face aggression. It hurts too. Every sinew in my body is aching, and that's sparring with friends! In any case, I fully intend to enjoy tomorrow. It'll be a learning experience and I can only gain, whether I win or (more likely) lose.

Writers fame at last
Finally, those wonderful guys at On The Mat, one of the largest grappling news websites in the world have kindly published my Jiu-Jitsu Sisterhood article. You can read it online here.
byMeerkatsu
in , , ,
April 03, 2009

April Fools, pre-match jitters and leaving my Trad JJ club

Oh boy it's all go here at Meerkatsu Central HQ Dojo, home of the small. Leaving my Trad JJ Club First up, the big news, I have final...
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17 Sept 2008


Unbelievable as it may seem, I do actually have interests outside of martial arts. Photography is one. But if they gave belt ranks in photography, I would be a white belt one stripe, ok maybe the one stripe is an over-promotion.
Regardless, I do appreciate good art, and they don’t come much finer than the image above, taken by top studio photographer Spiros Politis, and featuring our Escrima buddies Diana and Alex from the Doce Pares Filipino Stick Fighting System.
When Alex came to our JJ club a few months back, he showed us his full contact sparring and the big leap depicted in the image is no trick - he really does leap six feet in the air to attack you. It’s amazing to watch, and really scary to be at the receiving end.
I asked Spiros what inspired him to come up with the concept and how he managed to take the photo. He generously got back to me with his thoughts:


“I was playing around with the idea of doing a rain shoot for quite a while prior to knowing about eskrima. Inspired by films such as Sin City and The Matrix I wanted to create a situation where some kind of action took place in the rain.
I came across Alex and Diana purely by coincidence through a mutual acquaintance who is an eskrima practioner herself and having seen them in training several times approached them with the idea.
The set up was technically very complicated and needed a big studio and an elevated stage for them to perform their action on in order for me to capture them at their most dramatic angle. The addition of rain to the set up meant that it had to be lit in such a way that the light went through the rain and wasn't reflected by the rain whilst still being able to light the people.

Keeping the very powerful photographic lights dry and away from the water was also v important in order to avoid fried martial artists! We then had a collecting pool below to pick up all the excess water. Needless to say it was also a rather expensive set up!
Shooting martial artists really doesn't differ much from shooting other sports in action. Its all in the preparation of the photographer and the talent of the performer. Incredibly though at the very point of capturing the image I cant actually see it as the shutter goes up-so a modicum of premonition is always good.”

The full set of images appears in the October issue of Men’s Health Magazine and is possibly the most exciting visual depiction of martial arts I have ever seen in a long time. Thanks to Spiros for permission to use the images. In the meantime, I’m inspired to take photos of ju-jitsu myself. Sadly, the finger-over-the-lens, out of focus effect is not as striking as Spiros’s. But, as we say in the MA world, practice, practice, practice, then beat the crap out of it.
byMeerkatsu
in , , ,
September 17, 2008

Stickfighting in the rain

Unbelievable as it may seem, I do actually have interests outside of martial arts. Photography is one. But if they gave belt ranks in photog...
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