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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