Tournament: High Wycombe Open, Kleos Grappling

Today I attended the High Wycombe BJJ Open, the debut offering from Kleos Grappling - a tournament series founded by some of my academy team mates. The High Wycombe event was staged at the Wycombe Judo Centre, a full time matter judo academy.

There were some amazing matches and the winners of the blue and advanced (purple, brown and black belt) absolutes were able to take home a gigantic hammer as their prize.

Here are some photos:

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March 30, 2014

Tournament: High Wycombe Open, Kleos Grappling

Today I attended the High Wycombe BJJ Open, the debut offering from Kleos Grappling - a tournament series founded by some of my academy t...

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Seminar report - Dustin Denes

A week ago my instructor mentioned that Dustin 'Clean' Denes would be visiting the academy and he enthused that I should go. I hadn’t heard about Dustin before (to my eternal shame) so I did a little prior research. The story of Dustin can be read here on BJJ Heroes. Briefly, he is an American who, as a young man about to enter college, dropped everything to live and train in Brazil. Not remarkable in itself until you begin to listen to the stories. How he submitted Marcelo Garcia and Jeff Monson among many high profile scalps, how he carries a fearsome reputation as a warrior on the mat. I simply had to find out for myself...

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March 27, 2014

Seminar report - Dustin Denes

A week ago my instructor mentioned that Dustin 'Clean' Denes would be visiting the academy and he enthused that I should go....

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Gi Review - Fudoshin Kimonos, Classic White

Summary
A reasonably plain gi made by the company behind Tatami Fightwear, the Fudoshin offers judo level uniform strength within a BJJ cut uniform. The thick and heavy materials along with formidable reinforcements make this a tough BJJ kimono for those who prefer a heavier set of features.

Full Disclosure: I was hired by Tatami Fightwear to design the logos and branding for Fudoshin. I was paid a fixed fee so I receive no royalties based on sales of this gi. The views expressed in this report are my own and those of my guest contributor - Mark O Brien.

Information
The Fudoshin gi website - http://www.fudoshinkimonos.com/
Fudoshin Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/fudoshinkimonos
Price: £85 UKP

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March 24, 2014

Gi Review - Fudoshin Kimonos, Classic White

Summary A reasonably plain gi made by the company behind Tatami Fightwear, the Fudoshin offers judo level uniform strength within a BJ...

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Meerkatsu Brand: Heavenly Kimono

It's here! Finally, my very own BJJ uniform under my own brand. I call it the Heavenly Kimono.

You can buy it on my website www.meerkatsu.com price £100 plus shipping from Friday 21st March 2014. It goes live from 8am UK time.
The first x100 orders from my meerkatsu store will receive a signed art card (see below)

Here is everything you need to know about this gi...

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March 20, 2014

Meerkatsu Brand: Heavenly Kimono

It's here! Finally, my very own BJJ uniform under my own brand. I call it the Heavenly Kimono. You can buy it on my website www.mee...

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Review - Scramble Relax-a-tron Jogging Bottoms

Summary
Loose fit jogging pants with Scramble branding - these joggers are stylish and uber comfortable. A few minor tweaks would make them perfect, but for what they are, they make a fine pre-training outfit for hanging around the gym or slopping around at home.

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March 11, 2014

Review - Scramble Relax-a-tron Jogging Bottoms

Summary Loose fit jogging pants with Scramble branding - these joggers are stylish and uber comfortable. A few minor tweaks would make t...

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New Brand - Patches O'Toole

Patches O'Toole is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu themed merchandising company started by Australian based BJJer Aengus Ryan. Primarily stocking tattoo-themed patches for adornment on jiu jitsu uniforms, there is also a few t-shirt designs. I chatted to Aengus about the brand and what he hopes to achieve with the company.

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March 06, 2014

New Brand - Patches O'Toole

Patches O'Toole is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu themed merchandising company started by Australian based BJJer Aengus Ryan. Primarily stock...

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Grapplethon 2014

*** UPDATE - the whole Grapplethon 2014 event raised £4,511 for Kinergy (incl sales of my art print) ***

This year, my friend Can Sonmez, owner of the Slideyfoot blog and of Artemis BJJ, is hosting another 24-hour Grapplethon in Bristol on the 12th April 2014. See the poster for the address.

This year's event will benefit the charity Kinergy which offer professional counselling for survivors of sexual abuse and rape. The charity was chosen because of the important work they do and because fellow Artemis BJJ instructor Donal Carmody is himself a Kinergy counsellor.

If you fancy taking part, have a look at the Facebook Page and you may also wish to donate, or set up a fundraising page at Just Giving.

People raising funds will also qualify for a t-shirt version of the poster I made - see here:

Grapplethons are really great fun and if you plan on lasting the full 24 hours, or if you fancy setting one up yourself, then have a read of Can's handy Grapplethon guide.

Finally, art nerds may want to read my work-flow in creating the design for this event here on my art blog.


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March 05, 2014

Grapplethon 2014

***  UPDATE - the whole Grapplethon 2014 event raised £4,511 for Kinergy (incl sales of my art print) *** This year, my friend Can Sonm...

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Contest: Guess these primates

I love drawing primates. They are very popular animals within jiu jitsu and MMA circles - and for good reason; monkeys, chimps, gorillas and all manner of primate animals are the animals that are closest to humans in evolutionary and genetic terms. They are also highly intelligent, social and dexterous - aspects that work highly in your favour if you grapple.

So as you can see, I've depicted many of them in the past few years. All of the primates in the box above have been printed into either a rashguard or a t-shirt. Some of them have been printed as Meerkatsu (ie my own brand) items, some of them have been works for other companies.

Here are the contest details...

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March 02, 2014

Contest: Guess these primates

I love drawing primates. They are very popular animals within jiu jitsu and MMA circles - and for good reason; monkeys, chimps, gorilla...

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A Short History of BJJ Brands in the UK

UK based Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi making is ten years old! I say this because as far as I am aware, the very first British company to make a BJJ gi was Evolution Fightwear - who released their eponymous debut gi way back in late 2003 and beginning of 2004. The photo above shows Dave 'Speedy' Elliot wearing that very first gi!

Andy Smith, owner of Evolution, tells me:

"Evolution began in 2001 and the first BJJ gi I believe was not until the end 2003 beginning 2004 I only made 12 or something like that as a test run and they went well ,they were made in Brazil, I can only find one picture of Dave Speedy in it which is dated Oct 2004 (Im sure this was the first design ) I don’t recall any other UK brands at the time."

While Evolution were most probably the first, they were soon followed by a number of brands - all of whom have been pivotal in shaping the fightwear and jiu jitsu clothing scene we have today. Here is a brief timeline and rundown of the major players in the past ten years:-

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February 28, 2014

A Short History of BJJ Brands in the UK

UK based Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi making is ten years old! I say this because as far as I am aware, the very first British company to make ...

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Review: Tatami Fightwear Zero G (Version 3)

Summary
Improved version of the popular Zero-G range by Tatami Fightwear sees a gi that rivals their own Estilo model. The design elements are much improved and the cut is a little bit slimmer than previous versions. I still prefer my Estilo over the Zero G, but, apart from price, there's little to really set these two apart.

Disclosures
I have worked for Tatami Fightwear on a freelance basis over numerous projects. I have had no input into this product.

Information
Zero G V3 gi is available at www.tatamifightwear.com and various other vendors.
Price: £81 (black model), £77 (white model).

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February 18, 2014

Review: Tatami Fightwear Zero G (Version 3)

Summary Improved version of the popular Zero-G range by Tatami Fightwear sees a gi that rivals their own Estilo model. The design elemen...

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Review: Gawakoto Save The Earth Shorts

Summary
Super colourful fight shorts designed by comic artist Bong Abad and featuring the creative characters of Art Junkie. The shorts are sturdy, well reinforced and provide ample room for movement. Very wide velcro waistband did feel a bit uncomfortable.

Disclosures
I have worked with Bong Abad before on several art collaborations.

Information
Shorts available at http://gawakotoclothing.co.uk/
Price: £39.99

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February 15, 2014

Review: Gawakoto Save The Earth Shorts

Summary Super colourful fight shorts designed by comic artist Bong Abad and featuring the creative characters of Art Junkie. The shorts ...

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Meerkatsu Brand: The Ministry of Jiu Jitsu

I was chatting one day on Facebook to someone about coats of arms and we all agreed that a coat of arms dedicated to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu would be a great idea for me to try. So here it is, the Ministry of Jiu Jitsu t-shirt - available from 13th February from my store www.meerkatsu.com

We printed it onto our very popular soft style, ringspun, high quality cotton t-shirt and we used a lightly metallic water-based soft ink. The printing company did an outstanding job! See the photos here:

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February 13, 2014

Meerkatsu Brand: The Ministry of Jiu Jitsu

I was chatting one day on Facebook to someone about coats of arms and we all agreed that a coat of arms dedicated to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ...

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