Thoughts on opening a gym

About a year ago I was asked for some advice from a friend on opening a gym, we discussed it a bit and I shared some thoughts with him. After the conversation he suggested that I release a blog post about it, I liked the idea so I wrote one in broad strokes. However I never got round to completing it as I had a few other posts take precedence and then it went by the way side. I have now rediscovered it and like a good house in slight disrepair, all it need was a fresh coat or paint and some basic repairs and it was good to release.

So here are my thoughts on opening a BJJ gym, of course most of these ideas apply to any business type.


Defining success

If you are planning to open a gym (or any business venture for that matter), you really need to think about two things. The first, and the one most people do to a lesser or greater extent, is looking at logistics; such as costs, fees, equipment, space, timetables etc. The second, defining success is as, if not more, important than the first. Basically defining to yourself what success will look like gives you a goal to work towards and allows you to keep on task. Without the goal in mind it can be easy to get off track in response to other influences, which may or may not be helpful to you.

Friendship and fun is key

Running a successful gym is only possible if it is built on a large enough community to be self-sufficient. I am not necessarily saying that the bigger a gym, the more successful it is, but I am saying that for longevity you need to reach a certain critical mass. Regardless of whether your gyms focus is on Competition, MMA, Self Defence or anything else, the biggest factor that will keep it together for the long term is a positive, friendly and fun atmosphere. These things don’t mean that the work can’t be hard or that you can’t chase the podium finishes, but that building the community is the focus. So that said here are some things that are a great idea:

• Encouraging students to be positive ambassadors for Jiu Jitsu inside and outside the academy
• Trying to match your schools culture as close to your greater community as possible to avoid exclusivity
• Allow friendships to develop between your students and the greater community
• Encourage your students to respect and analyse all knowledge regardless of its source

Genuine friendship is the real key to success

Community, not Cult

Above I have mentioned the importance of investing in your community of people over specific outcomes, however there is a trap here…. In the Jiu Jitsu community as well as most of the martial arts and fitness worlds there are certain groups that have developed a fairly “cultish” mentality. I do not need
to mention any names here because we all know of at least one school or group like this. However, I will say that running your school like this may seem like a good idea as you will probably keep lots of members that feel like a community, the risk is that people only want to blindly follow leaders for so long and when “the spell breaks” you are likely not to lose more, rather than less, of your students. A few examples of things that are probably best to avoid encouraging are:

• Developing exclusive behaviours and mentality
• Trying to influence life/behaviours too much outside the academy
• Trying to prevent your students mixing with other academies
• Trying to portray others in a negative light - As my coach Thiago Stefanutti (Maromba Australia head coach) says “If Jiu Jitsu is healthy, my business is healthy”

If you have followers instead of students, you are doing it wrong.

The environment you create reflects the people you will attract (and vice versa)

This is a sensitive topic, but it is a very important one. I have discussed above the importance of the community you build in having a successful gym, but it is important to be aware of what that entails. The sad truth is that not every person is compatible with every environment; some people for whatever reason are either toxic influences or are self-serving and destructive. If your academy doesn’t have a professional, fun and friendly vibe, then you will only attract and keep the minority of students who are happy in that environment. With that in mind it is really important to be in touch with your student base and be aware of the type of people you have around. While in my case I have always tried to have a policy that Jiu Jitsu is for all, the sad truth is that in 3 years I have had to ask a few people to leave who were damaging the school. You put your heart and soul into building your academy and nothing hurts more than seeing it broken up by a destructive element.

Positive and family environments, attract positive people.

Focus on the majority not the minority.

There is a real temptation at times to put all of your effort into the gyms “Stars”, those few who are really successful in competition, or MMA etc. If your gyms focus is on competitive success then certainly attention needs to be paid to these people (and probably specific comp training needs to be added to your timetable), but remember, without a functioning gym, no one has success. While, the success of these competitors is built on their hard work, this is not possible without a training facility and large team of training partners who help to get them there. It is also important to think about what you teach in terms of the majority as well. For example, if you have one successful competitor in the class and 19 beginners, you really should be focusing much more of your time on fundamentals than on high level competition specific techniques.

Value your time, then everyone else will to.

In many cultures (and definitely Australia) there is a strange mentality that people don’t seem to like the idea of others making money and particularly in Martial Arts this is somehow seen as "selling out". I have never understood this mentality and feel that it really only hinders everyone. However I have found that the best approach is to be positive and confident in valuing yourself. For example if you are offering private lessons you need to be realistic with what you charge people and do not undercharge as the temptation often is to do. The truth is that if you put the effort into providing quality training then people will pay for it despite the cost. However if you undercharge, then people won’t see its value regardless of how good it is. Not to mention your time won’t be seen as a valuable investment and you are more likely to have people skipping lessons and wasting your time etc.

Selling private lessons is really selling yourself.

Kids

Kids are both your bread and butter and your future! You need to put a lot of effort into teaching your kids, this means either take the classes yourself or get a suitable ranked student with appropriate skills to do it. I would suggest writing or using a set curriculum for kids that spends approximately equal time on self defence techniques, competition techniques and fun physical games. Despite the fact that Jiu Jitsu has been shifting more and more towards a sport focus, it is important to remember that kids need to know how to protect themselves and also that a lot of parents sign their kids up for martial arts to learn self defence, so they will be expecting to see some very obvious self defence techniques.

Help build tomorrows adults, they will help build your gym.

Try to be cost effective

As with all businesses you need to have quality equipment and a tidy and clean gym to teach from. Having said that you don’t need to over capitalise on equipment on day one, I am sure we all want to have 160 square metres of competition grade Zebra Mats on the floor, with matching wall pads and a complete weights and heavy bag area from day one. However, the reality is that buying quality 30mm jigsaw mats is usually at the least half the costs of the zebra mats and look very neat if cleaned regularly (which they should be anyway!!!). Weights room and other extras can come as your business and needs grow.

or you know, open the most beautiful gym in the world, either way works well.

Location

Location is so important, you need to be where your market can get to you. That means parking nearby, close enough to schools etc to offer convenience for parents. Once again cost is also a factor here, you may need to sacrifice on that huge premium location you have always wanted in order to get started. Compromises like sharing a location with a fitness gym or other related business can be a cost effective way to start as long as everyone is happy with the arrangement from the start.

If your gym is too hard to get to, you may lose business....

Running a gym is really rewarding and fun, but takes a lot of work and that can be very thankless. I would suggest giving it a lot of thought before diving in, but if you go for it, I wish you the best of luck!

if the technique is wrong, the variation is irrelevant

It has been a while since I lasted posted a blog, I did have it in my mind for a while to post with strict regularity. However, sometimes I find I am feeling creative and sometimes not and when the inspiration isn’t there I would probably only produce fairly subpar content. So I figure it is best to let it be until the inspiration strikes and then work with what I have.

As is often the case my inspiration comes from teaching, as I “cast my line” for an appropriate metaphor to make a point in class, I sometimes reel in inspiration. In this case I was planning to teach two variants of a technique and I knew from past experience that certain mistakes were common. So I made a point of teaching thoroughly the fundamental principles of the technique without worrying about either setup or the particular variation of the finish.

One of my widely read posts from 2013 was called Technique: Principle vs Preference. In that article I talked about the fundamental elements that make a technique work and then the variations that can be applied in achieving these fundamental elements. I often think this way about techniques that I am planning to teach, because I believe that as long as the core is understood by everyone, then everyone will be able to do the technique regardless of physical differences or preferences.

Last night I was making the point that, the variation you choose to enter or finish your technique really has no effect on how well it will work if you don’t have the fundamentals of the technique locked in. To make this point I said to my class “If the fundamentals of the technique are not right, then the variation you choose to use is irrelevant...” I then started to teach.

The subject of last night’s class was Head/Arm chokes, I had planned to teach a variation from the top position (Kata Gatame) and a variation from head to head {a little like a combination of an Anaconda  and a Guillotine). Considering how different these techniques look at a glance I knew that I would have to be even more conscious than usual that the underlying principles were locked in. To add to this I know from experience that in the case of Kata Gatame that is it common to get some strong opinions on how to finish it.

I mentioned when discussing it that, off the top of my head I could think of 5 variations in hand grip and at least 5 variations of body position/movement. I explained that in any of the possible 25 variations that these combinations could give me “that if the fundamentals of the technique are not right, then the variation you choose to use is irrelevant...”

Jiu Jitsu aaaaannnnnd maths.....

It is not my intention in this post to teach the world to finish a Kata Gatame, I just thought of the post title while I was teaching it. So my two techniques for the night turned into three practices sessions…

1. The fundamentals of the Head/Arm itself.
2. The first version, from the Kata Gatame position.
3. The variation from the head to head position.

By the time I was finished helping tidy up details with my students on all three variations I had repeated an extension of the title of this post so many times that I just stopped the class and said it to everyone: “If the fundamentals of the technique are not right, then the variation you choose to use is irrelevant. However if the fundamentals ARE right, then the variation you choose to use is irrelevant.”

That is a concept that I have considered before, but never really put into words. It still causes some argument though as a lot of people tend to be vested in their preferred method. I genuinely think that in most cases people are either mistaking their variation for the fundamental concepts of the technique, or don’t think about technique conceptually at all.

Three variations on the finish to Kata Gatame, but the same core principles.

In my experience conceptual teaching and learning is the most effective method, however that may just suit my mentality and other methods may be better suited to others. However I challenge all coaches who read this to think about their next lesson and try to teach their techniques with an emphasis on the principles that link the techniques and make them work. If you are a student (as we all should be), then try to take your lessons on in the same way. Look for the principle “under” the move, ie. ”what is it that is making this actually work?”

I hope you try it and I hope it helps your games.

Legion wrap up.

Sunday, 24th of April was Legion Fightsports’ charity mixed event in Launceston. With a total of 19 bouts, including Muay Thai and Grappling, there were both exhibition and pro fights on the card. Hobart Martial Arts Academy (HMAA) fielded the largest group of competitors of any gym, with four entrants across three grappling tournaments and four Muay Thai bouts.
All HMAA competitors represented with distinction and showed the kind of spirit we strive for. I have always said the outcome of a match is secondary to the way in which it is contested, and by that measure I couldn’t be more proud of the way every one of our competitors conducted themselves. Thanks also to Carla Johnson for the wonderful photos and the videos of the matches!

Brodie "The Spider Monkey" Nunn opened proceedings with a Muay Thai exhibition match against Cobra Muay Thai’s Russell Dalco. Brodie showed great composure in his match letting his technique and training do the talking. While no winner was decided on an exhibition match, Brodie performed exceptionally well and set the bar high for the rest of the evening.

Brodie getting his hands wrapped by none other than "Super" Steven Maxwell

Next up was Brett Boatwright, who fought Hybrid Training Centre’s Dylan Sass. Brett used his range to control the pace of the first round well, landing solid leg kicks and making good use of the right cross. Landing three consecutive takedowns after catching his opponent’s kicks highlighted Brett’s skills. Unfortunately Brett got clipped early in the second, and despite answering the eight count and continuing to fight, wasn’t able to get out of the second round. It was a true demonstration of warrior spirit when facing off against a stronger opponent. Great job Brett!

Brett landing one of three devestating takedowns.

Ethan Gallahar stepped up next against Abaddons Legion’s Branden Fulham. Once again this was an exhibition bout so there was winner declared, but both fighters put up a good fight, showcasing very different styles. Ethan used his long range effectively and landed plenty of high kicks, as well combinations to the head and body. Ethan’s clinch work was on point and he was in the fight to the last second, just like with Brodie, I am so excited about Ethan’s future!

Ethan landing a body shot on the tough Branden Fulham

Last but by no means least, HMAA coach Mat Stennings took an exhibition bout against Abaddons Legion’s head coach Zach Robinson. This was definitely a fan favourite and highly anticipated match. Mat was typically strong and technical in the clinch and made great work of covering distance to setup leg kicks and great body shots. It is fair to say that at the end of the bout Muay Thai was the real winner of the bout.

Coach vs Coach - Mat vs Zach

On to grappling. In the opening round of the middleweight tourney the first HMAA competitor was the 17 year old Dani Effendi who took on HTC Judo Brown belt Hamish McLaren. While Dani lost a close decision, he secured a takedown on a takedown specialist and was attacking the entire time. Huge credit has to go to Dani for showing he was absolutely at home in a division of tough adult competitors.

HMAAs youngest competitor on the day, 17 year old Dani Effendi, with coaches Adam and Gerry

Next up was Brad Hutchison who met with BJJ Tasmania’s Mark Edmunds; the match was back and forth with submission attempts, and sweeps traded back and forth from the first second. Brad came close on a foot lock and a knee bar, as well as showing some lovely X guard work. Unfortunately, Brad was caught in Mark’s famed “Cattle Clutch” (rib crush) and was forced to tap.

Brad looking to transition into a knee bar

Opening proceedings in the heavy weight tourney was, HMAA representative Kieryn Wright up against BJJ Black Belt Chris Stone. Kieryn was patient and technical in securing a spectacular takedown and worked well on the top. After avoiding a committed kimura attempt, Kieryn took the back and sunk in the rear naked choke for the finish. In the final’s Kieryn met BJJ Tasmania’s Brown Belt Kane Brewer in what was a technical and faced paced match. Kieryn succumbed to an armbar from Kane’s guard after a gutsy performance to that point. Great job Kieryn!

Kieryn and his first round opponent Chris Stone pose with the ring girls

The final entrant was HMAA/Maromba representative Neil Campbell in the lightweight tournament. After putting on a show, Neil made quick work of his first match, submitting Kuzushi MMA coach Heath Howard with an ankle lock before winning the final against Bayden Mandich via Gogoplata. Of course there’s no disputing that the real victory went to Neil’s fight attire.

Neil "Flamboyant" Campbell takes out the lightweight tourney.

Quick video on chokes.

Check out this video of related Gi and No Gi choke options.

Thanks to Joel for the great camera work!

Grapple Fight?

This is part 2 of my two part series on types of competition, following on from the last article, this one centers around that word "fight" and it's appropriateness...

Why is competing in grappling based sports like BJJ, Judo or Wrestling called a Match?

Why is competing in striking based sports like Boxing, Muay Thai or MMA called a Fight?

They are all sanctioned and regulated sports based on combative techniques. Yet there seems to be a reasonably constant opinion that some are matches and some fights, why is that?
My first thought is that it has something to do with striking, that the perception is that only combat involving striking can be considered a “fight”. Now, if that is the case then we should say “Tae Kwon Do Fight” as well. However we don’t, Tae Kwon Do competition is conducted in “matches” or “bouts”, so perhaps it has to be full contact? So, what about Kyokushin? That is full contact, but they have matches and bouts too. So even if it is a question that strikes are the prerequisite to define an event as a “fight”, why is that? Is it to do with the techniques perceived effectiveness or danger in a real combat scenario? If people believe that grappling isn’t dangerous or effective then they haven’t seen someone slammed by a strong wrestler (or Rugby player) outside a night club.

or Zangief for that matter....

So maybe it isn’t about striking, maybe it is about spectator vs participant focused competition? I mean striking based sports are usually called fights and are largely spectator focused whereas grappling based sports are more participant based. But if that rationale is right then, competing in events like Metamoris, Polaris or Boa Super 8 should be called “fighting” too as they are spectator based events, yet people still don’t use that term.

Hmmmm, what a pickle….

I have given this a lot of thought and have decided that since I can’t determine any rhyme or reason (or at least consistency in terms), I will define this myself.
My thought is that you can call a BJJ match a fight… and you can also call an MMA fight a match.
To me it is not about the actual event as it is about the competitor. Since we are using combative techniques then I think whether you are in a fight or match is all about approach and mindset. I believe that the people who have BJJ fights are those that go out there with tenacity and determination in order to dominate and finish their opponents, Marcelo, Roger and Xande spring to mind. Whereas the Mendes and Miyao Brothers who often go out strategically, looking for a points win are probably competing.

and if you find yourself across the mat from this guy you can damn well consider yourself in a fight...

Same is true in MMA, some competitors are there to knock out or submit their opponent while others choose to play the rules and look for a decision. Off the top of my head I would say that two names who stand out in the “fight” style of MMA are Rousimar Palhares and Demian Maia where as I think that Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch where more the competing types.

So there it is all combat sports are matches not fights, but you can either compete or fight in either depending on your style and mindset.


Have fun on the mat.

To perform under lights...

This post started out as being part of a series on an upcoming submission only event in Tasmania called “Caged Grappling”, however as with most of these things, it has gained momentum of its own. This is now the first post in a two part series on types of competition, in this post I will talk about participation vs entertainment based competition. In the second I will talk about whether competing in BJJ or grappling is “fighting” or “competing” and whether the same question can be asked of MMA.

So here is part 1.

When you are involved in Combat Sports it seems like everyone you know competes. Of course the reality is only a small percentage of people compete in any sport, let alone getting on the mat to do the whole “mano a mano” thing.

(the whole "mano a mano" thing)

It takes courage to compete, especially when the game is real like in BJJ, Judo or Wrestling, where your opponent is either trying to slam you down, choke you out or take your arm home. Not many people have that in them, and even though competing isn’t a huge part of my life, I am glad to say that I have done it.

However, if few people ever compete in Combat Sports, then a very small percentage take on the challenge of fighting on a show. They are two different things and are different for a number of reasons. Firstly when we look at grappling styles like BJJ, Judo and Wrestling the competitions are almost universally based on tournaments and more focused on the competitor than spectator. These are designed to compete in and try to win, they usually involve many competitors, sometimes hundreds or thousands in a day, but are only really ever spectated by people close to the sport. You could say that there is a level of anonymity in the large field of competitors that you sometimes find. With this most of the pressure in such competition comes from yourself, your commitment to compete isn’t necessarily public and is not contractual.

these are the sort of crowds I have usually competed in BJJ in front of.

There is a different kind of pressure that comes from fighting on a show where the focus is on entertainment. A fight show, whether it be Boxing, Muay Thai or MMA has few competitors and is often viewed by people without an in depth understanding of the sport solely for the excitement. As such deciding to fight on a show involves an agreement, often contractual as well as a hell of a time and life commitment. You agree, to put the work in to attain a certain weight, to be in shape, to fulfill public obligations and to fight one person…. A person that has agreed to fight you… A person that everyone knows about…. It is a different kind of pressure.

these are the sort of crowds I have never competed in MMA in front of.

Along with this pressure comes the expectation that you will be part of the show and try to make your entrance, match and even post fight interview entertaining. There is no doubt that a promoter wants a fighter with a personality, someone who can sell fights. I have personally never had a problem with the idea of entertainment, having been in rock bands for many years and been involved in various forms of public speaking. I like selling an idea to the crowd and enjoy planning ways to do it. The only problem is that I am allergic to getting punched in the head (…. don’t laugh, it is a legit condition) so I was never keen on trying out MMA. So in my case Caged Grappling gave me the chance to work on hype, plan an entrance and to perform under lights.

grappling and a show.....

Ultimately competition in any combat sport is a good thing and regardless of what sport or level you compete at it is a life changing experience. While “the show” might not be for everyone I am glad that various promotions like Boa Super 8 and All Styles Grappling are giving grapplers the chance to experience professional competition.

My next post will talk about “fighting in grappling” and “competing in MMA”.

A Great Historical Work

If you are remotely interested in the development of what we now refer to as BJJ and also MMA, I can't recommend this article (and the entire blog really) highly enough.

Do yourself a favour and check it out, it is meticulously researched and written.

https://mixedmartialartshistory.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/the-great-underground-ryu-ha-ha/

The Means vs The Ends

I have been thinking a lot recently about refinement and improvement; I have been brown belt for about 4 years and feel that while I know a lot of technique, I could stand to improve on a lot of it. The reason that I first got involved in Jiu Jitsu was a combination of looking for effective self defence and to find a “ground system” to compliment my existing stand up training. The initial goal of rolling in Jiu Jitsu was explained to me as “make the other person tap without getting tapped yourself”, which is I suppose a reasonably apt description.

However, as time went by I heard more and more people talking about technique and particularly “technique over strength”. So I started to get the idea that it wasn’t just getting the tap that mattered, it was getting it in such a way that didn’t rely on strength. So I soon discovered there were two ways to look at rolling, one where the tap was the ultimate goal and all that mattered, and the other where clean technique is what matters, regardless of the tap.

As a Brown Belt with 14 or so years of experience I am certainly no expert, but I have developed enough basic (and real world) skill that I don’t need to focus solely on the outcome of every roll. A roll is no longer just a means to an ends, if the ends is a tap, the means is now just as, if not more important.

I recently had a roll with a friend that I have not trained with for about 2 years. He trains in a different club, but he had some time so he called in to train and we a great session. As is often the case the fun bit was feeling out changes in each other’s games and working out how to deal with it. In this case my friend was working a transition from De La Riva to Single Leg X and I really had to use solid posture to keep from being swept. I nearly managed to pass, but my friend turtled, however my pass involved a collar grip that lead to an opportunity for the Clock Choke, however at the last second I decided not to go for it, because I sensed that my grip was too shallow and that I would need to, at least in part, muscle the technique. After the roll was finished my partner asked me why I didn’t go for the choke? because he felt sure that I would have tapped him. I replied that I am not interested in getting taps, just executing clean techniques; sometimes one leads to the other and sometimes not...

(and I do love me some clock chokes...)

I believe that this thought can probably be extended to competition. What I mean by this is that you can approach competition in two ways. The first being to use the best Jiu Jitsu you can in a challenging environment, with the possible outcome of winning, or the other is to win as your primary focus. Just to be clear I am not judging and don’t think that either position is better than the other, I just know my own motivations and reasons. The only thing I will say is that I believe that competing in any sport with the goal of winning placed higher than the goal of playing that sport for it’s own sake can lead to playing it the wrong way. For example if the goal of Jiu Jitsu is to use efficient technique over muscle and athleticism to submit your opponent, then winning solely by being the strongest may not be within that mindset. However who am I to judge someone else’s journey?

At the End of the day, for me is all about the Means….

Match 3 – Calum Young vs Deacon Laugher

Sadly another injury has caused this match to change. Hobart Martial Arts Academy’s Ryan Mazengarb suffered an injury and has been replaced by Calum Young, also a Hobart Martial Arts Academy competitor. Calum will now face off against the Hybrid Training Centre’s young up and comer Deacon Laugher. Even with less than a week to go to the event this match is actually looking like being one of the most interesting on the card.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Calum Young

Style: BJJ

Strengths: The word that comes to mind with Calum is “unorthodox”, he is lanky, awkward and difficult to takedown. He is known for his quick submissions and also his great defence. Calum has had experience in MMA and also in BJJ competition. While not quite as big as his even bigger brother, Calum is still strong and durable.




Name: Deacon Laugher

Style: BJJ

Strengths: At 18, Deacon is by far the youngest competitor on the card, but he has had consistent experience on the state and national BJJ scene. Deacon isn’t afraid to mix it up from the top or bottom and will go for any submission he can. This match will be a huge test for Deacon and a feather in his cap if he can pull off the win.

Synopsis: This match is really difficult to pick in terms of how it goes down, both men have strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps the deciding factor here will be Calum’s cage experience and unusual movement, but then again Deacon has great experience and is despiting being the youngest competitor is quite strong. My tip is that this match makes overtime!

Main Event - Shaw “Almighty” Dean vs Craig Jones

…..aaaaannnnndddd here it is, the MAIN EVENT of the evening! Hybrid Training Centre’s Shaw Dean facing off with Isohealth BJJ’s Craig Jones. Both are veterans of Caged Grappling 1, this is a very intriguing matchup between two very different competitors.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Shaw Dean

Style: MMA, BJJ (purple belt)

Background: Shaw is a multi-discipline martial artist with a long history of training and competition. He is currently 3-0 in the cage holding wins over such notables as former Australian Muay Thai Champ, Nick “Rumble” Rundle and Melbourne’s Hoshi “The Freight Train” Friedrich. Shaw is the owner and head trainer of Hobart’s Hybrid Training Centre having recently purchased the business, with his wife Kirrilee, from founder Priscus Fogagnolo. Shaw is scheduled to fight Callan “The Rockstar” Potter for the Valor Welterweight title in November this year.

Strengths: The head of HTC Shaw is tall, tough and a serious competitor. With a title shot in the works for later this year and a submission win over BJJ Black Belt Chris Stone in the last event, Shaw will be coming to win. Expect good cage craft and an explosive powerful top game.

Name: Craig Jones

Style: BJJ (purple belt)

Background: Craig has been extremely dedicated to the competitive BJJ and Submission wrestling scene for many years. Training out of Adelaide’s ISOHealth BJJ, he has made a name for himself as a competitor all over Australia and internationally. Craig has qualified for and competed in ADCC (one of only a handful of Australians, even though he is still a purple belt), he is the 2014 NAGA World Champion, 4 x Pan Pacific BJJ Champion and the 2014 FIVE Grappling Champion.

Strengths: There are purple belts and there are purple belts…. Craig is the latter. At the time of writing this Craig is on his way to Brazil to compete in the 2015 ADCC, yes you read that right, not the trials... THE ADCC! Craig is an amazing competitor and is a threat to anyone, in any division, at any rank, on the planet.

Synopsis: The second match of the night to feature two purple belts, this match is interesting. On paper these two are the same rank, but Craig Jones is one of the best submission grapplers in Australia at any rank, so to me this match comes down to whether or not Shaw can bring the power and cage craft to negate Craig’s skills. I can’t wait to see it.

***Update*** Match 9 - Grant “Grande” Bradshaw vs Adam Newton

News Flash!

With only 8 days to go there has been a change to the semi-main event of the evening. Due to an unfortunate injury suffered by Robert “Razor” Wilkinson in his last fight, this match will now be a mixed weight affair. Grant “Grande” Bradshaw, the Caged Grappling 1 veteran (and event MC) will now face Tasmania’s first BJJ Black Belt and pioneer Adam Newton. Adam of Hobart Martial Arts Academy, takes the match on extremely short notice.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Grant Bradshaw

Style: BJJ (brown belt)

Strengths: Grant has plenty of experience in the competitive BJJ scene and as a Brown Belt under Luke Beston, is now the second highest ranked BJJ player on the card. Grant is no stranger to the cage and is likely to play a smart game. Look out for Grant to utilise solid Jiu Jitsu from the bottom or top and utilise his extensive technical know-how.


Name: Adam Newton

Style: BJJ (black belt)

Strengths: Adam combines a good guard with a surprisingly heavy top game, his timing is excellent and he moves through techniques very smoothly. Make no mistake; Adam is a black belt through and through. Adam also brings the experience and mentality of many years of BJJ and Judo competitions giving him a strong competitive focus.

Synopsis: What we are dealing with here folks, is two highly skilled BJJ practitioners both with their own cards to play. While Adam does have 10 years of age on Grant, he has spent most of the last 20 years on a BJJ mat, with many years of Judo before that. In this match we will be asking if youth (comparatively speaking….) and size can beat technique and experience. I honestly believe that both men have the ability to win this match and while I think that the winner will be whoever gets their game happening first, the truth is that they both have the ability to turn things round in a heartbeat!

This could well end up as the most interesting match of the evening….

Various Bolos

More of my wonderful work featured on Grapplers Planet, check it out on this link:

http://grapplersplanet.com/bolos/

Caged Grappling 2 – Third Instalment

Now, the sharp end of the stick, the last three matches on the Caged Grappling 2 card including the main event. This is where things get real, three match ups with 6 seriously tough individuals,

Match 7 - James Guy vs Neil “The Troll-father” Campbell

This isn’t necessarily the match up that the public was hoping for, for Neil Campbell, but it is a good one none the less. Head instructor of 36 Crazy Fists, James Guy, will meet Neil Campbell of Hobart Martial Arts Academy/Maromba.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: James Guy

James - the technician

Style: BJJ (purple belt)

Strengths: James is the head coach and founder of one of Northern Tasmania’s most recognised MMA gyms and is a life long martial artist. James is a BJJ purple belt and holds various other Black Belts. Known as an experienced coach (including to Caged Grappling veteran Cary “the Hurricane” Hearn) look for a considered and tactical approach.




Name: Neil Campbell

Neil - always looks like this.....

Style: BJJ (purple belt)

Strengths: Perhaps one of the most popular competitors from Caged Grappling 1, Neil spends his time training between Hobart and Melbourne. His competition record and experience is impressive including two MMA bouts. Neil is a skilled purple belt and has a very technical game from the bottom or top.

Synopsis: Both these men are purple belts and there is no real size difference to speak of. While there is no doubt that James has the edge in terms of martial arts experience, I think that Neil has got more recent competition experience particularly considering the regular events he has competed in in Melbourne. I can’t wait for this one!

Match 8 - Connor “The Law” Murphy vs Harry Grech

Match number eight is going to be very interesting, Hybrid Training Centre’s Connor “the Law” Murphy taking on Igor MMA (Sydney) product Harry Grech. This is a match of two very experienced and very strong competitors.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Connor Murphy

Connor - smooth as vanilla....

Style: MMA fighter, National Wrestling competitor, BJJ (purple belt)

Strengths: Considered by many (including me) to be one of Tasmania’s best MMA fighters, Connor Murphy has fought in 4 promotions across 3 Australian states and has a 5-3 record. As much as Connor is no stranger to the cage, he is also a seasoned wrestler and has competed and submitted some big names in the BJJ world.





Name: Harry Grech

Harry - ready to roll

Style: BJJ (Purple Belt), Judo, Catch Wrestling

Strengths: While new to Tasmanian competition, Harry has competed regularly in BJJ, Judo, Submission Grappling and even MMA. I don’t know a lot about Harry’s style, but from what I have found in googling he is aggressive in his pursuit of the takedown and the submission. He doesn’t mind diving on submissions even if it involves changing positions and seems to have a penchant for Kimuras.

Synopsis: This is a tough match to break down as I don’t know Harry’s game well, however I will say that they are both strong in BJJ and may be closely skilled. While Connor may not have Harry’s Judo chops (see what I did there? “Judo Chops…” lol) he does have high level wrestling. The only notable difference I have seen is Connor’s more extensive MMA experience and cage time; will that be what it takes? We’ll find out on the 26th of September!

Match 9 - Grant “Grande” Bradshaw vs Rob “Razor” Wilkinson

The semi-main event of the evening is a Light Heavy Weight bout that sees Caged Grappling 1 veteran (and event MC) Grant Bradshaw from Beston Gracie (NSW) meet up with the undefeated MMA fighter and Brace For War middle weight champion Rob Wilkinson from Hybrid Training Centre.
Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Grant Bradshaw

Grant - Not playing at all....

Style: BJJ (brown belt)

Strengths: Grant has plenty of experience in the competitive BJJ scene and as a Brown Belt under Luke Beston, is also the highest ranked BJJ player on the card. Grant is no stranger to the cage and is likely to play a smart game. Look out for Grant to utilise solid Jiu Jitsu from the bottom or top and utilise his extensive technical know-how.


Name: Rob Wilkinson

Rob - Undefeated.

Style: MMA

Strengths: Rob Wilkinson is arguably Tasmania’s most successful MMA competitors, being undefeated in 9 professional bouts. The current Middle Weight Brace for War Champion, Rob will be the second MMA champion to compete in Caged Grappling. Rob is wily, strong, rangy and has multiple wins to his name by way of submission.

Synopsis: The story of this match will be between the power and toughness or Rob Wilkinson vs the technical BJJ chops of Grant Bradshaw. There is no question that Grant has the edge in submission skills, but is he tough enough to withstand the pressure and experience of Rob…. Can Grant “blunt the Razor”? I can’t wait to find out!

Stay tuned for the final edition going into detail on the main event of the evening, Shaw “Almighty” Dean vs Craig Jones!

Caged Grappling 2 – Second Instalment

Welcome to the second instalment of my lead up to Caged Grappling, this will cover matches 4, 5 and 6.

Match 4 - Barton ‘the Buttgoblin’ James vs Cory ‘the Hurricane’ Hearn

This is going to be fireworks…. no two ways about it. Hybrid Training Centre’s judo power house Barton James across the cage from the exciting Cory Hearn from 36 Crazy Fists. They are both coming to win and to do it convincingly.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Barton James

Barton - arm collector

Style: Judo (green belt)

Strengths: Barton, a veteran of Caged Grappling 1, is a very well rounded competitor with state and national experience in BJJ, Judo and Muay Thai. Barton is tough and poised with a focus on takedowns and arm bars. Look for aggressive takedowns and a dominant top game, he loves to take arms home with him.






Name: Cory Hearn

Cory - Smiley, but deadly

Style: BJJ

Strengths: Also a veteran of Caged Grappling 1, Cory is an experienced BJJ Blue Belt and MMA fighter. Cory is fit and game and will keep up the pressure and pace until the match is over (and probably well afterwards….). Cory is a good submission fighter, but is equally in his element in the takedown game. The cage is certainly not going to be an imposition to Cory.

Synopsis: This match is really hard to call, I know there are people who will think that Barton’s ferocity will bring it to an end in short order, but Cory has no quit in him and despite his smiley demeanour is tough and a competitor. I think this is going to be a battle of attrition.

Match 5 - Anthony Pisano vs Sam Cowie

Match number five for the evening will be Equipe Mestre Wilson product Anthony Pisano going head to head with a Caged Grappling 1 veteran in the Hybrid Training Centre’s Sam Cowie. These guys are both seasoned BJJ competitors and should get after it.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Anthony Pisano

Anthony - Clearly needs a haircut...

Style: BJJ (purple belt)

Strengths: Anthony, from Equipe Mestre Wilson, is experienced and strong. He has competed locally and nationally and been awarded his purple belt in a club that is known for its strong competitive focus. Anthony is coming to win, not play.






Name: Sam Cowie

Sam is fast and competitive

Style: BJJ (blue belt)
Strengths: Hybrid Training Centre’s Sam Cowie is another veteran of Caged Grappling successfully beating his opponent via arm bar. Sam focuses on the takedown and has a tough no-nonsense style of grappling. Being a HTC product he has a wrestling and judo flavour to his Jiu Jitsu game.



Synopsis: It is difficult to say which way this one will go. One on hand Anthony is a purple belt compared to Sam’s blue, and is the bigger stronger man. However Sam comes from an MMA gym rather than a BJJ one solely, so has more experience in and around cages. This match comes down to Sam using his cage experience to counter Anthony’s BJJ skills and size, should be an interesting battle.

Match 6 - Mareo “The American” Kerr vs Jeremy “Fantastic” Carroll

Match number six will see Mareo Kerr from Hybrid Training Centre face Kaos Dojo’s Jeremy Carroll. These guys are both experienced competitors in Jiu Jitsu and MMA with unorthodox games and both have good size and strength.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Mareo Kerr

Mareo - XFC LHW Champion

Style: Wrestling & BJJ (blue belt)

Strengths: Mareo is the first MMA champion to have a Caged Grappling match, as the light heavy weight XFC champion. Mareo has good cage craft and is comfortable trading submissions from the top or bottom. Expect a powerful, but tactical and well thought out approach from Mareo.



Name: Jeremy Carroll

Fantastic.....

Style: BJJ (purple belt)

Strengths: Jeremy has been a regular face in the BJJ scene for a long time and has fought in both Brace For War and Valor in MMA. Jeremy is known for unusual submissions and takedowns and approaches his fights with intelligence.


Synopsis: This match is the first one in Caged Grappling 2 that sees both competitors with MMA experience, the presence of the cage shouldn’t benefit one over the other. Both are also known for being tactical and intelligent in competition, so in a lot ways this one is difficult to call. I am expecting an interesting match and perhaps the first one to make a mistake will be what decides it.

The third instalment of my lead up to Caged Grappling will be out soon.

When do we search for a better way?

Jiu Jitsu is a search for perfection in technique… but how do you know if the technique is actually perfect to start with? When do you search for a better way?

Answering these questions is a big part of the problem solving that I love so much about Jiu Jitsu. In Jiu Jitsu we often deal with the same scenarios repeatedly and gain efficiency, but I don’t know how often we work out new or better approaches to these problems. There are existing techniques and methods that are used in most situations and they are used due to their effectiveness. However I don’t believe that the conventional method is necessarily always the best. Or more to the point, what works in a given circumstance may not continue to work as people develop a better understanding of that circumstance.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that I have new and improved methods for every single technique and I am always very cautious of seeming disrespectful to my coaches or the developers of Jiu Jitsu. However, I have found some situations that I feel I have been able to improve.
It wasn’t until I was approaching Brown Belt that I started to investigate changing techniques that I had been learning rather than practicing them the same way I always had. In most cases the process I have followed to improve technique is by considering the most common problems and counters that arise when I am trying a technique and look for ways to pre-empt them. So here are two examples of slight modifications to fairly standard techniques that I think make a big difference.

Harness Strategies 

So, most people have similar strategies when it comes to attacking the back with the harness. Such as “over/under” grip, choking arm on the bottom side and protecting the choking arm. Commonly there are two defences that you need to deal with in addition to actually taking the back. First the opponent will squeeze their chin to their chest so you can’t get to the neck and second they will hand fight to take away your choke.
As such when I approach the harness grip I like to move my arms further round the torso so that my grips are “hidden” outside the opponents arm pit. In terms of dealing with the hand fight this is effective for two reasons. 1. My grip is out of the opponent’s immediate reach and 2. My hand placement lifts their arm a little which reduces their mobility. As for the chin being down, I have usually found that the tighter pressure I generate stops their chin going down and even if it does, pulling arms through this deep has my bicep tight to their carotid artery anyway so they are already being partially choked. Incidentally this actually leads to a sneaky little back control version of the head/arm choke as a bonus.

I have a made a video to show what I mean:

Triangle with Gable grips

When it comes to triangles most people tend to agree that there are a few key things that you need for a good triangle; you need to break your opponent’s posture, cut an angle, you shouldn’t see your opponent’s shoulder, you should squeeze your knees etc. Where I approach things differently is in terms of preventing my opponent’s defences, both in a BJJ and an MMA sense. The first two lines of defence for the triangle are similar in both BJJ and MMA. In no particular order they are to drag the trapped arm back from across your body (to take away their angle) and then to posture up. In MMA you also have the very real threat of being lifted up and slammed onto your head.
In most cases the arm defence isn’t really focused on, but there are common answers to posturing up as well as lifting and slamming. However these answers tend to be reactive rather than proactive. In the case of posturing a lot of people try to prevent it by pulling down on the head, whereas the answer to the MMA slamming problem universally seems to be to underhook the leg so that you can’t be lifted off the ground when the opponent stands up.
I prefer to address both problems before they occur and to do it with the same technique. My approach is to cut my angle with the triangle and then underhook the arm rather than the leg, I then Gable-grip over the shoulder and crank downward pressure over the arm. This stops the opponent from being able to posture up and also prevents even the strongest opponents from being able to stand. If the opponent can’t lift their head, then they can’t stand and if they can't stand, they can't lift. The added bonus as well to this is that it maintains your angle and can sometimes result in a tap due to shoulder pressure.

I also made a video showing the triangle details:

Have fun everyone, if you enjoy this post, please check out and like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hobartmartialarts

Caged Grappling 2 – First Instalment

So here is the first of four instalments in the lead up to Caged Grappling 2. Here I will look at the first three match ups on the card, of these six men only one is a veteran of Caged Grappling 1 although they are all already names on the Tasmanian scene. The first three matches will be of disparate styles and are set to excite… so here we go!

Match 1 - Kieryn Wright vs Callum Berechee

The opening match up of the card is between two heavy weights; Kieryn Wright of Hobart Martial Arts Academy/Maromba and Callum Berechee of Hobart No Gi. This is a great way to start the show with two big men with two different skill sets and experience.

Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Kieryn Wright

Kieryn - BJJ Purple Belt

Style: BJJ (purple belt)

Strengths: Kieryn, the Hobart Martial Arts Academy/Maromba product, has had a great deal of experience in competition and has several state and national titles to his name. He is calm under fire and has pulled off a number of upset victories, it is often said that he “moves like a little man” and has a dangerous guard.






Name: Callum Berechee

Callum - Very powerful

Style: No Gi Grappling

Strengths: Callum may not have had the same level of BJJ competition experience as Kieryn, but he is tough and durable and has proved it with several wins in the local MMA scene. Callum is patient, big and strong and I expect he will make Kieryn work for everything he tries. Expect good use of positioning and cage craft from Callum.




Synopsis: This match will be either be really fast or really show, it comes down to whether or not Callum can shut down Kieryn’s offence long enough to use his size and power. Expect a great match up from these two!

Match 2 – Brad Hutchison vs Tyson Read

The second match up of the card is between Brad Hutchison of Hobart Martial Arts Academy/Maromba and Tyson Read of Equipe Mestre Wilson. After the Heavy Weights in the first bout, the light weights will be moving like lightning.
Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Brad Hutchison

Brad - Not scared of snakes

Style: BJJ (blue belt)

Strengths: Despite being a lightweight Brad is well over 6 feet tall and is deceptively strong. Brad has had a considerably successful BJJ career, even going undefeated for a full two year period. Brad is known for his exceptional use of his butterfly hooks and has a deadly array of no gi chokes. Look for Brad to attack with combinations on the ground and the feet and be ready to finish at all times.




Name: Tyson Read

Tyson - A submission hunter

Style: BJJ (blue belt)

Strengths: Tyson is an experienced competitor with over 5 years in BJJ, in his career he has earned numerous gold medals including Gold in the Blue Belt Gi division of Grappling Industries. Tyson likes to work takedowns and aims for the back once on the ground. Look for aggression on the feet and the will to finish.




Synopsis: I don’t think that either man will be happy to waste much time in this match, so a takedown is likely only if it happens quickly. Rather than spending a lot of time on the feet I think that both men would be just as comfortable pulling guard. This match is going to be fairly even with a lot of submissions going back and forth, but either one can finish it quickly if things go their way.

Match 3 - ‘Flyin’ Ryan Mazengarb vs Deacon Laugher

Match number three pits Ryan Mazengarb, also a Hobart Martial Arts Academy/Maromba competitor against the Hybrid Training Centre’s young up and comer Deacon Laugher. At light/welter weight these two will be a stark contrast to the opening match, but the action will be just as intense.
Here is how it breaks down….

Name: Ryan Mazengarb

Ryan - Caged Grappling veteran

Style: BJJ (blue belt)

Strengths: Ryan is an experienced competitor in the BJJ scene and has competitive experience across Australia and has even competed in South America. He is technical, quick and smart with skills in multiple areas. A veteran of the first Caged Grappling, Ryan is adaptable to the environment and has rapidly improving wrestling skills.



Name: Deacon Laugher

Deacon - The up and comer

Style: BJJ

Strengths: At 18, Deacon is by far the youngest competitor on the card, but he has had consistent experience on the state and national BJJ scene. Deacon isn’t afraid to mix it up from the top or bottom and will go for any submission he can. This match will be a huge test for Deacon and a feather in his cap if he can pull off the win.



Synopsis: I foresee a match with a lot of back and forth in terms of positional exchange and submission attempts. On paper it is Ryan’s match to lose, but the cage changes everything and Deacon will be hungry to prove himself!

I hope you enjoyed the read, stay tuned for the second instalment of my lead up to Caged Grappling.