Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/rVy10bY8qrI/
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Gi Review: Zombie Kimonos 550
Summary
With cool branding and a good fit, this gi has a lot of potential however it could do with a few significant tweaks, notably the itchy tape lining, loose threads and rapidly deteriorating inner screen print.
Introduction
I've always found it odd when companies brand themselves after strong pop-culture imagery and then refuse to carry any of those images on their apparel. Zombie Kimonos is one such brand. Have a look at their website - you won't see a single zombie image on there. Sure the biohazard symbol kind of alludes to it, but it irked me so much that last year, when the owner of Zombie Kimonos contacted me offering a gi for review, I suggested I would do it only if they would at least make a patch with a zombie on it. That patch design is here, only, it's not been made yet. so Zombie Kimonos at present, remains zombie-less. Regardless, it seems the emphasis with the brand is less about zombies, more about raising funds to support jiu jitsu athletes. As the About Us section states:
" I created this company out of my passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as my hope and vision to one day one day "Give Back to Jiu-Jitsu" by helping compensate the top level athletes of our sport and sponsor new and upcoming talent."
Giving back is a laudable aim and I commend that for a mission statement. Now let's get on with the review...
Size, Stats, Shrinkage and Other Info for A1
Sizes in centimetres brand new v three 40 degree washes
A: 163cm / 157cm
B: 75cm / 73cm
C: 53cm / 52cm
D: 16.5cm / 16cm
E: 50cm / 48cm
F: 92cm / 89cm
G: 20.5cm / 19.5cm
Jacket Weight = 1.1Kg
Trouser Weight = 0.5Kg
My stats: Height 167cm, Weight 59Kg
Made in: Pakistan
Price: $149.99 (white) / $159.99 blue or black
Website: http://www.zombiekimonos.com
Wingspan is always a concern of mine with A1 gis. Happily, at 157centimetres wide, the Zombie 550 has a very good length on it that suits my long arms. This is very much in line with models such as the Tatami Fightwear Estilo, Kingz Kinonos and Gameness Elite. Many A1 gis in the past have measured much shorter than that. Torso length and width are perfectly fine and fit me well. The trousers are less of an ideal fit for me. The length of 89 centimetres is much shorter than other models - the Estilo for example (96cm), or the Bull Terrier Limited Edition (94cm) - but not wholly out of fit for me. Most other brands measure around the 90 centimetre mark - eg Ronin Insignia (91cm) or the Kingz Kimonos (89-91cm).
Overall the zombie is cut very well and fits me pretty well. Weighing 1.6Kg it is not the lightest gi on the market but does not feel heavy.
Jacket
The Zombie 550 jacket is made from cotton pearlweave fabric. It's a little rough at first but softens after a few washes.
The collar has a rubber core and is covered with ripstop cotton. It seems a little thin and more flexible than the average gi to me.
Side vents are lined with red coloured twill tape and reinforced with ripstop cotton patch.
Inside the jacket is a very large screen printed patch. It deteriorated rapidly following the first couple of washes. Large flakes of print came off and left ink stains on the inner surface.
I observed a couple of small areas where the stitching has come apart on the front panel. This may affect long term durability at a key gripping point.
The seam tape covering the inside cuffs are very scratchy. If I did not wear long sleeve rashguard this would be a very big problem for me - to the point that I will not wear a gi with scratchy tape. Other gi brands have shown that it IS possibly to use tape that does not scratch (either as twice folded piece of woven fabric or a different material).
Patches
The sleeves of the gi jacket have embroidered Zombie logos. These are lovely and very well woven, although I worry that the placement on the right arm might just fall foul of IBJJF rules. If you observe their gi patch chart here, you'll note that patches are allowed on the shoulder and bicep/tricep but anything going past the elbows is dodgy ground. On me, the logo runs all the way down my humerus bone and just partially over my forearm. I'm sure this would be fine but it would be extra nice to get this clarified by an official of the IBJJF.
I have already mentioned the flaking patch on the inside of the jacket. I feel that a large design here is a great touch for artists such as myself, but application and durability are more important - unless the faded look is intended.
Trousers
The Zombie 550 trousers are made from ripstop cotton. They're pretty light but there is the slight feeling of ripstop stiffness to their texture which I'm not a huge fan of. Despite this, they did not seem to annoy me as much as other ripstop fabrics have in the past.
The rope drawstring is a plus in my opinion - I much prefer rope to flat cords. The contrast coloured loops (6 in total) are a nice touch.
The crotch/gusset panel is made from pearlweave fabric same as the jacket. I have noticed many gis recently using this configuration - I presume this is to add strength to an area under stress during training.
The knee reinforcements are interesting - sandwiched between the two ripstop layers is, from what I can gather, a layer of pearlweave fabric. This makes the knees a little bit padded. It is a shame however that the triple lining could not be extended right down to the ankles as it seemed a wee bit short to me. When kneeling on the mat, the lining barely covered my knees, which kinda defeats the point.
The base ankle seams have the same scratch tape. It is less irritating than on the wrists.
Rolling Performance
I received this gi in December and have had ample time to roll and really test this gi out. The fit, as mentioned before, is very good for my personal body size stats. I like the length of the sleeves and though the trousers could do with a couple more centimetres (I prefer length around 93-95cm) it was perfectly wearable. The ripstop material of the trousers were okay - not my favourite material but not the worst I have sampled.
I'm worried about the loose front panel stitches. These are not cosmetic loose ends of excess threads - they were threads coming undone from the triple stitched front chest panel - a crucial stress zone on the gi.
Conclusion
The Zombie 550 is the second generation of gis from the Zombie Kimonos brand. I feel it needs a fair bit of work to make it worthy of the price tag. $149 equates to roughly �95 in British money. Not the most expensive gi but there many that cost less. Certain aspects that I have highlighted in this review can easily be changed or ignored as they are cosmetic, but I feel the patch placement on the right arm needs to be checked with the IBJJF to confirm if it is comp legal and I suggest removing or replacing the scratchy cuff taping.
DISCLOSURE: This review represents my own opinions and I report on this as fairly and unbiased as I can. I submitted artwork to Zombie Kimonos in the past as part of my activities as a freelance illustrator. I am unconnected with this particular product.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/4WSRrxCM2eE/gi-review-zombie-kimonos-550.html
BJJ DVD Project ? Mundials 1997
This was the second Mundials/World tournament by the Confedera��o Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJ), the Brazilian counterpart to North America’s IBJJF. I am still working to get my hands on the the first Mundials from 1996.
My notes may be a little off, since I watched about 6 hours of competition footage in one night, and my notes aren’t exact play-by-plays. Thankfully, I have found many of these matches on Youtube, so you can watch them yourself.
Robson Moura vs Armando Conde
…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/aesopian/~3/X2BRYfiOw70/
Friday, March 23, 2012
Rousey vs Tate: The Armbar Felt Round the World
Man, oh man!� Did you guys see that fight on Saturday night?� Holy cow.� Now, I want to say that I want to like Rousey in the worst way.� But her palpable arrogance is making it very difficult. The point of this post, however, is to talk about the armbar.� I just want to mention [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/jwDV/~3/s21JrVtdY14/
Meerkatsu Art: Thundercats, dragons and flying skulls
I've been very lucky recently to have been involved with a large number of design projects. My thanks to all those who commissioned me, I hope they like their designs. Here is a brief rundown of recent artwork:
THUNDERCAT
Personal logo for Pro MMA fighter Craig 'Thundercat' White. Craig will print these off for his friends and followers and also use the design on a walk-out t-shirt. Good luck to Craig on his future fights.
OSS! CLOTHING DRAGON T-SHIRTS
My ever expanding portfolio of oriental dragons continues apace with a couple of designs I drew for Oss Clothing - the brand that hired my to design the Miyao Brothers signature t-shirt. Below the coiling dragon floats surrounded by water and clouds. The chinese words say: ch�ng f?ng p� l�ng - riding wind and waves (click here for explanation).
I also drew another dragon, originally designed to go on the other side of the wind and waves dragon but Oss liked it so much as a standalone design that they will issue a separate t-shirt. Here is a draft of what it looks like:
If the postures, poses and angles of Chinese dragons here look familiar, then it's worth noting that most classically depicted Chinese dragons are modelled on several very famous sculptures, pottery designs, costumes and other items of art harking back to dynastic times. The most famous of these is the 9 Dragons Wall in Beihei Park, Beijing, China. It is hands down my personal favourite among all depictions of Chinese dragons and I used to marvel at it for hours on every one of my many trips to China in the past.
X-GUARD BRAND T-SHIRT
A slightly different style of design from the ones above, this design focused more on the energy and movement typical in many BJJ matches. I sampled from my own collection of BJJ photographs taken at the many tournaments I have attended. I then reduced the pictures down to just black and white lines and composed them into a giant 'X'. The end result is an intentional melee of arms, legs, torsos, gis, belts etc. The printed tees should be available any day or so.
PITBULL FIGHTWEAR T-SHIRT
The owner of Pitbull Fightwear liked my previous design for him (Chinese Lions) and commissioned another. This time he was clear that he wanted a more traditional MMA style of art. I took this to mean skulls, wings and snakes - which I love drawing! I drew each element one by one (wing, skull, dog collar, pitbull terrier skull, snake), scanned then and vectorised then composed into the final piece on Adobe Illustrator.
If you like my fightwear designs, then it's probably a good idea to keep checking on my Facebook Page to keep up with the latest new designs. I often show sneak previews and early stages of new work and talk about the direction such work is going.
Plenty more design news coming up. If I get time, I hope to discuss the details of the above projects on my art blog - MeerkatsuArt.
:)
THUNDERCAT
Personal logo for Pro MMA fighter Craig 'Thundercat' White. Craig will print these off for his friends and followers and also use the design on a walk-out t-shirt. Good luck to Craig on his future fights.
OSS! CLOTHING DRAGON T-SHIRTS
My ever expanding portfolio of oriental dragons continues apace with a couple of designs I drew for Oss Clothing - the brand that hired my to design the Miyao Brothers signature t-shirt. Below the coiling dragon floats surrounded by water and clouds. The chinese words say: ch�ng f?ng p� l�ng - riding wind and waves (click here for explanation).
I also drew another dragon, originally designed to go on the other side of the wind and waves dragon but Oss liked it so much as a standalone design that they will issue a separate t-shirt. Here is a draft of what it looks like:
If the postures, poses and angles of Chinese dragons here look familiar, then it's worth noting that most classically depicted Chinese dragons are modelled on several very famous sculptures, pottery designs, costumes and other items of art harking back to dynastic times. The most famous of these is the 9 Dragons Wall in Beihei Park, Beijing, China. It is hands down my personal favourite among all depictions of Chinese dragons and I used to marvel at it for hours on every one of my many trips to China in the past.
X-GUARD BRAND T-SHIRT
A slightly different style of design from the ones above, this design focused more on the energy and movement typical in many BJJ matches. I sampled from my own collection of BJJ photographs taken at the many tournaments I have attended. I then reduced the pictures down to just black and white lines and composed them into a giant 'X'. The end result is an intentional melee of arms, legs, torsos, gis, belts etc. The printed tees should be available any day or so.
PITBULL FIGHTWEAR T-SHIRT
The owner of Pitbull Fightwear liked my previous design for him (Chinese Lions) and commissioned another. This time he was clear that he wanted a more traditional MMA style of art. I took this to mean skulls, wings and snakes - which I love drawing! I drew each element one by one (wing, skull, dog collar, pitbull terrier skull, snake), scanned then and vectorised then composed into the final piece on Adobe Illustrator.
If you like my fightwear designs, then it's probably a good idea to keep checking on my Facebook Page to keep up with the latest new designs. I often show sneak previews and early stages of new work and talk about the direction such work is going.
Plenty more design news coming up. If I get time, I hope to discuss the details of the above projects on my art blog - MeerkatsuArt.
:)
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/d1jzGn-BYlw/meerkatsu-art-thundercats-dragons-and.html
Gi Preview: Honey Badger Gi by Tatami Fightwear
This gi incorporates original art created by me for Tatami Fightwear who kindly hired my services. This report is not a gi review. It is a showcase of the art I created for the gi and my commentary on the design and material elements I chose to use for the gi. The photos show the pre-production samples, the final gi will be available to buy from Tatami Fightwear (and other retailers) around late March - April 2012. A full in depth review on the gi itself will be available from impartial gi reviewers soon.
Introduction
Last year I designed a rashguard themed around my illustrations of a honey badger munching on some tasty cobras. To my immense surprise, it was an amazing success selling hundreds and hundreds of units all over the world. I received tons of feedback from happy rash guard wearers, many of them saying one thing: when was I going to release the honey badger gi? Well, here it is. Okay not quite here yet, the sample I am modelling is the first and only copy in the world of the honey badger gi. But Tatami Fightwear's suppliers are making them as I write.
Here is a little more detail about the gi...
Size, Weight and Shrink Data Based on A1
Sizes in centimetres brand new v three 40 degree washes
A: 159cm / 157cm
B: 77cm / 77cm
C: 56cm / 55cm
D: 16cm / 16cm
E: 52cm / 51cm
F: 96cm / 96cm
G: 21.5cm / 21.5cm
Jacket Weight = 1.00Kg
Trouser Weight = 0.46Kg
My stats: Height 167cm, Weight 59Kg
Remarkably, as the stats show, this gi did not shrink much at all - even over three washes at warm temperature. 2cm off the wingspan and nothing off the pant length is quite unusual. These set of dimensions are near perfect for me. It is as if the gi has been tailor made!
At a total weight of 1.5Kg this gi is very light. Not quite ultra light (my recently reviewed Kingz Comp 420 weighs only 1.3Kg) but pretty damn light enough for tournament use.
Jacket
The jacket is made from what Tatami Fightwear (TFW) describe as 'hybrid weave'. This looks and feels a lot like a judo rice grain style single weave. It is light, strong and very robust. I chose to keep the gi black only. I guess I could have added a white version but for me, I wanted the little honey badger (HB) face to look mean and cryptic within the design, and for that to happen, black was the best choice of colour.
The sleeves (and the front leg) feature the HB face from the rash guard, but with a more stripped back colour scheme - just black and white. I wanted a fiercer and more 'skull-like' appearance.
Unlike the Estilo or Zero G models made by Tatami, I decided to eliminate the shoulder patches on the HB gi. It was too much clutter in my opinion to have additional shoulder patches, just the chest patch was enough. Note that I changed the colour scheme of the standard TFW patch and added crawling HBs - just like the back design for my rash guard.
Due to current IBJJF rules on patch placements and other adornments, adding bling to a gi is quite a tricky task. However, there is still plenty of 'canvas space' for me to apply small design elements - the neck label for example. I put the label together and originally, TFW were going to number each gi individually, hence the No 0001 bit at the bottom. Circumstances have changed and they will now not be numbered on the label. Instead something else will possibly be used to provide a more personal touch to each gi sent out to a new owner.
The sleeves feature tape to cover and reinforce the cuff seams. The tape is woven and contains the words: HONEY BADGER FIGHTWEAR MEERKATSU TATAMI FIGHTWEAR. It is the same tape quality as the Estilo gi, which I have found to be non-scratchy - unlike some other brands using woven tape.
So far I haven't mentioned colour palette. The HB gi uses the same colours as the rash guard but I selected only the three or four that would contrast and compliment each other the best. I wanted something dark with sneaky slivers of elements that were bright, zesty and rich. Hence, for example, the purple used to line the side vents, or the orange contrast stitching throughout the gi, and so on. From the whole gi photos above, the overall effect is actually quite subtle in my opinion, merely hinting at something spicy, but not pushing it in ones face. All opinion of course!
Having just said that, I still wanted something on this gi that would make a big impact, hence, the bold and brassy HB+cobras embroidered on the back.
I am very pleased with the workmanship by the supplier on this sample. I used over 5, possibly 6 colours on the design and the embroidery is damn near perfect. The design is a tweak to the one used on the HB rash guard, I basically got rid of the lower pair of cobras. It looks neater when used this way.
Despite the addition of embroidery, the overall weight of the jacket is very light. I actually competed wearing this gi and it was perfect for the job.
Trousers
The pants are very light twill cotton, the same as those found on the Zero G uniforms by TFW. The brilliant TFW rope cord was something I insisted on, and it had to be orange! the purple belt loops add to the zing!
A close up of the lower leg HB shows the neatness of the embroidery work.
Rolling Performance and other thoughts
As mentioned earlier, I have been testing this sample vigorously. I have rolled in it at class over two weeks and I wore it to the Hereford Open and fought in it. The lightness and strength made it superb for both training and competing in. More than that however, the design drew many compliments, everyone agreeing, it was very cool, but not outrageously in yer face (unlike my rash guard of the same!)
The gi fabric is a little different to other TFW models I have reviewed. The hybrid weave seems softer and less stiff compared to the Estilo's pearlweave. I enjoyed the greater freedom of movement that the thinner and lighter twill trousers gave me compared to the less flexible canvas pants of the Estilo. some might suggest that the thinness of the trousers might be a weak point for tearing or ripping. I can only say that the HB trousers have not suffered any damage so far.
Further Details
When?
The Honey Badger Gi will arrive from the supplier around the end of March, early April time.
How Much?
It will retail in the UK for �95
In the USA and ROW - check your local retailer
Where?
In the UK and areas without a direct seller: www.tatamifightwear.com
In North America: Budovideos, MMAOutlet, BJJHQ, Fighters Market...more outlets to be announced soon.
Other Reviews?
TFW have requested a number of BJJ bloggers to review this gi - I will update their reports here.
Disclosure
I designed the imagery on this gi in its entirety from scratch. All rights reserved. I receive royalties based on the sales of this gi.
:)
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/eaQ292kG5IQ/gi-preview-honey-badger-gi-by-tatami.html
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Apparel and Artist showcase: Mike Sixx, House of Daggers
ARTIST PROFILE: MIKE SIXX, HOUSE OF DAGGERS
Mike Sixx is an artist and BJJer who has just started his own clothing label, House of Daggers, based loosely around grappling and jiu jitsu themes. I talked to Mike about his background and plans for House of Daggers. (You can also see a couple of his t-shirts below that he sent me.)
Q: Hey Mike, let's begin by telling the readers about your art background/education/influences please?
A: I started drawing at a young age, always scribbling on homework and school notes. I remember getting into trouble in class once while I was drawing and supposed to be paying attention. Just so happens I was listening the entire time, and repeated everything the teacher was lecturing about. He didn't think it was funny. Used to spend a lot of time in my fathers screen printing shop after school. Watching, learning.
My Sophomore year I went to a High School for Art. Ended up hating it, ended up being really remedial. Few years later found my self graduating College with a Degree in Graphic Design.
Influences .. hmm.. All my life and to this day my biggest influences have been things I surrounded myself with. Skateboarding was huge. I wanted to be an Artist for Powell Peralta when I was a kid so badly that I used to draw and send them Art asking how I could become an artist. I just got stickers in return. LOL
My other influences range from Graffiti, Movies, Designer toys and the music I listen to.
Q: And tell the readers about your BJJ/grappling training, rank, school, tournament highlights etc?
I 've been into BJJ/Grappling for a total of 3 years now. I started in Tampa with Rob Khan at Gracie Tampa. I made the decision to move to South Florida in 2009. After floating around trying to find a school that suited my needs; I finally found myself with my current team at Alliance/Marcelo Garcia. My instructors are the original guys who trained under him in a garage until he opened his own academy here in South Florida. Amazing group of guys. As for comp, I've only competed once locally. If I'm not training, I'm usually embarked in some mission of Art. Hoping to compete a little more this year.
Q: What is House of Daggers?
I like to think of it as the Streets meet the mats. A cerebral collection of Art, Passion, Jiu Jitsu, Life Lessons, all mixed with a little bit of "DILLIGAF" attitude. If you know the acronym you're already on board. I want to break free of this "Everything has to have a Black Belt and Triangle shape" mentality people have for their clothing. I want to make people think (even laugh in some cases) about what their wearing. It's Art with an edge. And edge my followers will hopefully recognize and appreciate. You see someone out with a Daggers shirt on, you'll know. I like to think of HOD as being the Black Sheep or Underdogs who succeed. Kinda like the Rudy. God that was a horrible movie.
Q: How much does jiu jitsu influence your art and how much does creativity feed into your jiu jitsu?
Since 2006 House of Daggers was many things and because of Jiu Jitsu it's now finally off the ground and in it's infancy stages. If it wasn't for my passion for Jiu Jitsu I don't think I'd be at even this stage. It's an all around creative process. I'll be in the gym and hear something or think of something and get home and sketch it out, or jot it down in my Black book. Believe it or not I've been break dancing all my life. Creativity is KING on the dance floor. For me it's just as important for House of Daggers to be that leader and Creative as it is for me on the Mats. I find myself doing things often that others can't grasp or do. I owe it to the ability to flow and make stuff up on the fly. In all Three worlds, Jiu Jitsu, Dance, and Art you've got to know when and how to move.
Q: What plans for the future do you have for yourself as an artist and for HOD?
As an Artist I try to learn at least one thing I every time I sit down to do Art. Be it on the computer or hand drawing something out. My artistic integrity is important to me and that is echoed through HOD. Sky's the limit I guess. I joke about it a lot, but in all seriousness I'm going after a big name company in the Jiu Jitsu world. I think there should be a rival, or Black Sheep of sorts. I'm hoping later in 2012 I'll release the first of many Exclusive Limited Edition/Numbered Kimono runs. I plan on doing a regular stream of them, so people aren't left waiting 8-9 months for a new release. They'll follow the same HOD design philosophy through a quality product. I'm already starting the year off right by bringing on a pretty big name to the HOD team. Multiple title winner, accolades galore. This guys a pocket sized beast! I'll be making the announcement soon.
Further information:
Website: http://www.houseofdaggersclothing.com/
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/House-of-Daggers-Limited-Supply-Co/207243722670095?sk=info
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/mq2V8BXcnro/apparel-and-artist-showcase-mike-sixx.html
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