Thursday 30 June 2016

Last night's class

Now that those misfiring millionaires are out of the Euros, it was back to business last night at the club, with a good turnout, even with a good half dozen absent through work commitments.


Looking like the Southend Open in September will be the next competition for the club, so lots of hard work and good training ahead.

 

Stripe night!

Huge well done to Martin who was awarded his first stripe on his white belt; keep up the good work :)

 

Wednesday 29 June 2016

New Podcast with Jackson Sousa!

Check out the latest instalment from the ever popular In Bed with Aaron and Helene Podcast!

http://ibahpod.libsyn.com/ibahpod-20-special-guest-jackson-sousa 

 

DVD Review - Brutal Bouncer by Russell Jarmesty


Summary - A seven disc set of no nonsense techniques, that will give you the upper hand in a live situation, plus the psyhcological tools to help you 'switch on' instantly and finish the job fast!

Russell Jarmesty is a martial artist that needs no introduction to those in the martial arts industry; his credentials and achievements are second to none and this year Russell picked up an award at the British Martial Arts Awards 2016, for DVD of the Year (Brutal Bouncer) and came runner up for Martial Arts Man of the Year.

In addition to this DVD set, Russell also has an Instructor App called Mean Streets, both on the App Store and Google Play; drawing on his fifteen year's experience on the doors in Manchester, his blend of Karate and Applied Jiu Jitsu have been tried, tested and evolved into the techniques that you see on this DVD today.  The key to any good martial arts styles is to regularly pressure test the techniques against live, resisting opponents, this is why the UK has seen a surge in popularity in Brazilian Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts.

To realistically pressure test live situations that on the streets have no time limits, rules and referees, one can go out every weekend in any town centre and sure enough, there will be someone willing to have a fight, which isn't a very smart idea, unless you're a lover of prison food.  The other way, is to work on the doors and provided you stay within the realms of the Law, one is able to study how fights escalate from verbal cues and body langauge, to the point when it's going to 'kick off'. In addition, the use of de-escalation techniques can also be used, studied and improved upon, whilst working the doors. These skills are vital if you are teaching realistic self defence classes through the week and want to teach students applied martial arts theory and practice.

Disc one is the intro disc where Russell starts to explain what to expect on the whole set and sets out his teaching methodology and psychological concepts; the main thrust of this disc is of being aware of your environment, to develop a healthy paranoia when you are out and about. It deals with psycholgical issues and the different attitudes people can display, as well as breaking down awareness levels.  Mirroring people's actions and the use of body language are touched upon and looking at the body language pre fight.  How to deal with adrenaline and adrenaline dumps, taking the initiative, verbal de escalations and the best advice of all - you can't beat a good kick in the bollocks!

Disc two involves more of Russell talking rather than showing the meaty stuff, as there's more to everything than showing hundreds of fancy techniques, that will end you up in a gutter or on a slab.  Here he talks about his takes on the techniques and scenarios that you will most likely encounter out in the real world, not just in a club but in day to day settings.  What to do when you have to go first, covering 'The Moment' when it kicks off and the use of reasonable force. Not everyone needs annihilating!  Verbal cues and keywords that help you 'go', also verbal distractions that you can used are talked about and explained in later discs. How to use pre emptive strikes on the bag are shown on the bag and tips on how to train strikes on the bag in all directions. 

Disc three is where the meaty part of the series starts with thoughts on the need of finishing a fight in three seconds and on why that three seconds feels like minutes in a live situation; here Russell shows why using the back of the hands when using a closed guard is better than in a stance with palms facing the opponent.  What if scenarios are covered together with training drills, body movement and options when up against the wall, or when your opponent is against the wall.

Hammer fists, knees, elbows and forearms are introduced, plus face bars and neck cranks as opposed to guillotines, as well as letting the punch go and smothering the oppoent. Single and double grabs from front side and rear are demonstrated with option for all positions.  Working on the inside and outside of the body and the use of pre emptive strikes are covered in more detail and how to set these up and using conversation to set them up ends this disc.

Disc four goes one step further by showing scenarios and how you can apply the strikes and body parts discussed in Disc 3; this is where you can see the influence of Trevor Roberts, whom Russell has trained with for many years and still does today.  Chokes from behind, various disengagements and lots more Jiu Jitsu techniques, mauling and smothering are covered in greater detail, with the emphasis of spending as little time as possible on the ground.  Russell shows how to incorporate vertical grappling into these scenarios, with lots of drills and ideas demonstrated.  Russell uses bag work to show how fast you can gas just by going all out with strikes for ten three second rounds with three seconds rest. 

Disc five is what Russell describes at the Torture Side; when you're in the shit, you have to do shit things, you have to be prepared to go all the way and it mirrors the title of the box set. It's a brutal world out there, whether you're on the doors or in real life.  Russell discusses how you can change the assailant's mind from coming back and doing what he said he was going to do.  

Eyes, fingers and groins are covered and how to dismantle someone quickly and with as much pain as possible. If you are going to put it on, put it on! Hold those fingers like they're you're own, never give them back and let it go if it has to go and go for something else.  

Disc six goes through more scenarios, with lots of tips and pointers, as well as the use of common sense and awareness of your environment, as well as the use of slaps over punches and the best time to use slaps.  Knife scenarios are covered, but it's not the fancy shit you see on the movies and in great details, it's Russell's take on the issue after life on the doors. Using coins in your pockets is covered and shows you how deadly a coin be when thrown at some one (don't panic, Russell uses plasterboard to demonstrate - no people where maimed or killed in the making of this DVD set). Multiple attack scenarios are covered and how to get switched on and ready to go and thus concludes the DVD set.

Disc seven is a bonus disc and Russell teams up with Ian Goer who runs NAP Ltd, the company that has made and distributes the DVD's; on here are a handful of real life fights that have been captured on You Tube and social media, some of which are well known and both of them comment on the fight action, which I thought was a neat idea. Showing real time fights as they happen with running commentary gives the box set that finishing touch and ends with Russell's thoughts on society as a whole.

Afterword - this DVD set is not designed to scare the living daylights out of people and make them hide behind the couch and never step foot into the outside world.  The world can often be a very brutal place at times and the most brutal of incidents can happen in the local supermarket or in a local park, just as much as they can happen in pubs and clubs.  Russell has put himself in really bad situations time and again in his job as a doorman and is able to pass on applied techniques that work under the most intense pressure.  As a doorman myself, I can identify with everything on these DVD's, these are the real deal; if you want to learn hundreds of different moves, there are plenty of martial clubs out there, but if you want to learn tried and tested bread and butter techniques that will get you home in one piece, then this is the box set for you.  

The box set can be purchased at http://www.jarmestymartialarts.com/shop/

Tuesday 28 June 2016

In bed with Aaron and Helene Podcast!

Check out this cool Podcast :)

Website - ibahpod.libsyn.com

iTunes - apple.co/1XtQ1Br

Stitcher  -  bit.ly/2978CS0

Last night's class

Quite a good turnout last night, as the class clashed with the woefully embarrassing England match against Iceland; for those that made the session, we had a Royal Marine PTI, one Benny Benson, joining in the fun with the rest of the team.


Hard work from everyone as always last night, haven't picked a competition yet, but still training hard regardless.  More of the same tomorrow guys!

BJJ has gained recognition within the Armed Forces and you can show your support by liking their Facebook group, 'RM BJJ.'

Monday 27 June 2016

Welcome aboard the BAIN train!

My good friend Harj Bains has now unleashed his new business onto the grappling community, check out this cool promo video.  

In the words of BAIN - ''Our first design is a shout-out to all the grapplers out there. Especially the sneaky ones who always manage to outsmart the bigger, stronger guys.'' 

The store's website is now live and you can enjoy a 10% discount by entering the code, 'FIGHTINGPHOTOGRAPHER',  which lasts until December 31st!



Checkmat BJJ first place Gi and No Gi at the British Nationals this weekend!





WELL DONE CHECKMAT BJJ!

Thursday 23 June 2016

Friday 17 June 2016

Checkmat Wimbledon on tour!

Huge thanks to my student Craig for repping the club rashguard whilst away in Italy :)

 

Brock Lesnar - blue belt!

Imagine drawing him in your first match in the blue belt Absolute?!

 

Grappling in your 30's and beyond!

Check out this great article from Chewjitsu, where he addresses the issues of training in your thirties and beyond; even if your a young tearaway, pay heed to his good advice and look after your body, it's the only one you have!

https://www.attacktheback.com/grappling-in-your-30s-and-beyond/ 


Tuesday 14 June 2016

More Bullshit exposed!

http://www.bjjee.com/videos/bullshido-meet-fake-judo-8th-dan-bjj-coral-belt-rudy-rodriguez/

Keep up the good work guys, these scumbags are taking away income from legit instructors who have worked hard to obtain their grades.

 

Friday 10 June 2016

Back to the drawing board

Now the Kent Open has been and gone, it's back to the drawing board, as we prepare for our next adventures, with a number of big events to choose from over the Summer months.


Nothing has been decided upon just yet, but soon enough we'll be entering an event and no doubt the hard work will start all over again; looking forward to whipping everybody into shape and enjoying a Jiu Jitsu filled Summer along the way :)

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Cake and stripes!

Checkmat Wimbledon was two years old at the weekend and what better way to celebrate than with a nice slice of cake :) 


In addition to the cake, I was honoured to award two stripes to student Juliette who has been training hard week in week out at the gym, as well as training at London Fight Factory.


Congrats Juliette!

Monday 6 June 2016

Buchecha is back!

http://www.bjjee.com/featured/results-2016-ibjjf-worlds-return-of-king-buchecha/



Mike Bisping - CHAMPION!

Awesome result at the weekend for a good friend of mine, as Mike Bisping upset the MMA world and won the World Middleweight title with a KO against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, with only two week's notice.

Your time has come Mike!

 

Medals at the Kent Open!

All the hard work of the last few months were rewarded yesterday with a couple of medals at the Kent Open in Canterbury; Big Ron bagged a silver in the Masters White Ultra Heavy and I collected a bronze in the Adult Brown Heavy division. Two other students, Martin and Juliette, narrowly missed out on medals and fought their hearts out in their first ever competition and left it all on the mats.


This was the first ever Kent Open and full props to Paul Mc Ginty and his team for running a great event, with no thanks whatsoever to Network Rail and their engineering works, that led to the delay of some of the brackets; that said, the refereeing was spot on and the sportsmanship of all the athletes was on show for all to see, as well as some great Jiu Jitsu from the junior warriors.


I am very happy with the team's results and matches and as always, plenty to work on tonight and even more so, very happy with my matches, my cardio was strong and most of all my back didn't give me any problems, so back to the drawing board and more hard training for the rest of the week.

Saturday 4 June 2016

Happy birthday Checkmat Wimbledon!

Two years ago, Checkmat Wimbledon opened its doors for the first time at Holistic Fitness Studios in Wimbledon town centre; with the help of Stephen Dixon and Dickie Wilkinson at the club, plus ongoing help and support from Luiz Ribeiro at London Fight Factory, the club has gone from strength to strength over the past two years.


Luiz has helped out by bringing over black belts to come and take classes, namely Neto Nunes and Mineiro and has believed in me from day one and is always on hand for help and advice. The students at LFF have also been of immense help with many of the senior grades popping in for a training session and helping my students out with any questions they might have.


My own personal training down at LFF has been of huge benefit, finally finding a gym to do my own training, as opposed to teaching all the time and the knowledge then trickles down to the students back in Wimbledon.


Students have entered LFF Interclubs and a few BJJ comps, namely the Brighton and Southend Open and tomorrow, we descend on Canterbury to compete in the Kent Open, so hopefully a few medals there tomorrow will be the ideal birthday present for the club, together with cake. 


Huge thanks again to Steve, Dickie and Luiz for all their ongoing help and support, everyone I've trained with at LFF and of course to all my students for sticking with me, when the numbers were low and most of all, enormous thanks to my long suffering BJJ widow and partner Emma, who has had to put up with all the mood swings, constant moaning about injuries and helping me put my socks on and off pretty much every day. You are the best xxx

Thursday 2 June 2016

In bed with Aaron and Helene Podcast - Luiz Ribeiro!

http://ibahpod.libsyn.com/ibahpod-8-special-guest-luiz-manxinha-ribeiro-0

BJJ Podcast

Check out this cool Podcast, run by London Fight Factory students Aaron Ramos and Helene Pei Pei - apple.co/1OeFIPy

 

Ready for the Kent Open!

Blood, sweat and tears have flowed like rivers in SW19 over the past six weeks, as we prepare for war at the Kent Open this Sunday. Everyone has worked hard and the whole team has pushed the ones that will compete on Sunday. I only have two sessions a week with these warriors and I am very proud of all the hard work they have done preparing for this event, as I am of all my students, training week in, week out. Rest up for come Sunday, we dine in Hell! 


Ooooos!

Coming soon.............






T - @bainstore
W - www.bainstore.com