Source: http://jiu-jitsusensei.blogspot.com/2011/10/10-things-you-can-do-outside-dojo-to.html
Sunday, September 30, 2012
BJJ Single Leg X-Guard Sickle Sweep
In this video BJJ Black Belt Jeff Rockwell breaks down a very high percentage sweep from the very effective single leg x-guard position (Marcelo Garcia uses this guard a lot, this guard is also called “anaconda guard” by Demian Maia) where he utilizes one of the most basic but highest percentage sweeps…the sickle sweep. Watch [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/gAlcbOcSkyg/
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Gi Review: Arte Suave - Premium Lightweight
Summary
This extremely lightweight gi with comfy pearlweave jacket and wonderful ripstop trousers is perfect for weight cutting tournament use or hot weather training. The sleeve length and rough taping was not to my liking but the design elements in my opinion are beautifully put together.
Disclosures
I have been commissioned in the past by Arte Suave to produce artwork. I have had no contribution to this design. This and the following report will be my own personal opinion and remain as objective and unbiased as I can.
Introduction
Arte Suave is a clothing brand based in Hawaii. They have been operating for a couple years turning out clean, intelligently designed t-shirts. I first came across owner Scot on Facebook during discussions about fightwear design which led to him kindly hiring me to design a t-shirt for his clothing store. I was aware of his debut BJJ gi as he showed me early stage layouts of the design. I was impressed with the lovely use of various weights of Helvetica font and small graphics placed over the gi design. It has taken some time for that diagram layout to turn into reality, but it is now here. I took the gi for a spin over the course of a couple weeks, here is my report...
Size, Weight and other stats
A1 size dimensions (cm) new vs after three 40 degree washes
A: 156 / 154
B: 76 / 75
C: 57 / 56
D: 17 / 17
E: 52 / 52
F: 94.5 / 93
G: 22 / 20.5
Weight:
Jacket: 800g
Trousers: 350g
Made in China.
Available from: www.artesuaveclothing.com
Price: $139.99
My height: 170cm, my weight: 59Kg
The stats reveal how little, if any, the gi shrinks. It also shows how incredibly lightweight it is. At just 1.15Kg for a size A1, this makes it one of the lightest comp legal gis on the market.
Arm wingspan is at the smaller end of the A1 scale. Many gis I have reviewed have tended to be longer (which personally suits me) - for example the Estilo Purple (160cm), Kingz Kimonos (157cm), Gameness Elite (157cm). There are of course many brands with similarly small wingspans, such as the Atama Mundial No.9 (150cm). All other jacket dimensions are average and comparable to most other gi brands. Trousers are also pretty standard at 93cm long.
Jacket
The Arte Suave Lightweight is made from 420gsm pearlweave cotton. 420 is very thin and very light but the pearlweave textile makes it more durable in my opinion than other rival ultra light brands that use ripstop woven cotton. To me, pearlweave is a superior fabric for BJJ and is far less prone to shrinkage compared to ripstop (jacket version). Just to give you a comparison with how much lighter and thinner this gi is, for a comparison, the current model of the Tatami Fightwear Zero G (which I have not reviewed) uses a 475gsm pearlweave and that A1 weights a tad over 1.3Kg. The Vulkan Ultra Light (not reviewed), another very thin and light pearlweave gi, uses its own 'honeycomb' weave and it weights a total of 1.2Kg.
The styling on the Arte Suave kimono looks very clean and simple but on closer examination, there are actually a lot of small graphical details placed throughout the kimono.
The sans serif font used (helvetica I think) give the gi a clean, fuss free, modern feel to its appearance. The splashes of bright green on the logos and the stitching add a colourful touch.
The collar is the usual rubbery foam core. It is covered with ripstop cotton - the same material used on the trousers. In normal light (ie not really visible in my photograph) the collar is a slightly different shade of white compared to the gi fabric. The collar itself is slightly slimmer than most other gis. Apologies for the absence of a collar by collar comparison photo, just take my word for it that it is thin, but not by huge margin.
The sleeve cuffs feature woven tape on the inside. Unfortunately it is the rough, scratchy edging type of woven tape that I find incredibly annoying to wear. I mean it's very pretty, but very uncomfortable for me.
A patch of extra material acts as reinforcements for the underarms. I should note at this stage that unlike most standard weight pearlweaves (which can be quite stiff when new), this gi was very soft from the beginning.
Embroidery on the tail skirt is my favourite design element.
Trousers
The trousers are made from 8oz ripstop cotton. They are incredibly light and very comfortable to wear. During my testing phase, I would be bold enough to say they are the best trousers I have worn in many a gi. But they are very thin so my only concern would be long term durability.
The trousers use a flat cord to tie the trousers up. I'm not keen on these ties. They are very thin and after a hot training session, soaked up a lot of sweat and were very difficult to untie.
The extra layer of material covering the knee could really do with being longer. When in seiza position (kneeling) the material barely covered my knees. I noticed that the fabric (same as the collar covering) is a slightly off-white colour.
The same scratchy rough edged tape is used to line the inside of the trouser ankles. The scratchiness is less annoying here as the opening is much wider compared to the jacket sleeves.
Fit, Comfort and Rolling performance
It was fortuitous that when I was testing the Arte Suave gi, we experienced a very hot and humid couple of weeks in the UK. The ultra lightness and super thinness of this gi was perfect to wear for such weather.
Conclusion
I have this internal little joke about wanting to write five paragraphs in every review on how I open up my gi review packages. In the case of the Arte Suave gi I will mention that when the package arrived, I genuinely thought it was a mistake. Such was the lightness of the parcel, that Scot has only sent me a couple of t-shirts. He actually DID send me a couple of t-shirts as well as the gi, and it STILL weighed less in total than any other gi sent to me.
Naturally, the incredible lightness of the gi has a bearing on how it feels when worn in the BJJ class. For me, I found it the perfect gi to wear during our oh so brief hot summer in the UK. The jacket wicks away excessive sweat and feels both cool and light on the skin in the hot, humid atmosphere of the gym. The pants are seriously one of the most comfortable ripstop pants I have ever worn. I've never been to Hawaii but I imagine this gi is perfect for BJJ training in the warmer climate they have over there.
As usual, no gi review of mine is complete without a few criticisms. The sleeves, always a problem for me with my long arms, are too short on me - but for the average guy, I'm sure they are the right length. The tape used to line the inside cuffs are too rough. The drawstring is a flat tie and I found them very difficult to untie after a sweaty training session compared to rope drawstrings. I also think the double knee layer should be extended to the ankles as it is very short and I'm worried that the reinforcements within the pant gusset may not provide long term durability.
This gi would make a most excellent secondary gi for use when weight cutting at tournaments is a priority or if you train in a hot weather climate.
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Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Gi Review: Tatami Fightwear Purple Estilo
Summary
Bright and jazzy coloured model to the Estilo range from Tatami Fightwear. This gi carries all the usual high quality aspects of previous Estilo models with the added bonus of limited edition and novel colour.
Introduction
Tatami Fightwear's new purple version of the Estilo gi is the first in their new range of alternative colour gis. Future versions will include a variety of unusually dyed gis as the poster below suggests:
Clearly such gis are not IBJJF rules compliant however they offer the more daring jiu jitsu student something creative and expressive to wear during normal training (assuming your academy allows such non-traditional gi colours).
Disclosure
I have been commissioned in the past by Tatami Fightwear to produce artwork and designs. I have had no contribution to this design. This and the following report will be my own personal opinion and remain as objective and unbiased as I can.
Size, weight and other stats
Size in cm new vs three 40 degree washes for an A1 gi:
A: 162 / 160
B: 76 / 76
C: 56 / 56
D: 16.5 / 15.5
E: 51 / 50
F: 95 / 95
G: 21.5 / 21
Jacket weight: 1.2kg
Trouser weight: 0.5kg
As the stats above show, the shrinkage is very minimal even after three washes. The sleeve wingspan of 160cm is quite long and fits within the upper tier of most gi brands. The Atama Mundial A1 for example is 150cm and the Bull Terrier Limited Edition is 153cm. Other gi brands such as the Kingz gis and Submission Fight Co Hemp gi have wingspans of around 157cm.
Trouser length at 95cm is the typical length of Tatami fightwear gis. This would make them a little longer than many other brands, including those mentioned above.
Weight at 1.7Kg would make this gi heavier than specialist lightweight gis such as the Do or Die Hyperfly gi (1.4Kg).
Jacket
The first noticeable visible aspect to the purple estilo is the distinct lack of patches. The standard Estilo (currently v3.0) is festooned with chest, shoulder and leg patches. The fabric used is 500gsm pearlweave cotton.
The purple Estilo collar is constructed from stiff rubber foam and covered with canvas cotton. Stitching is a shiny grey colour that also appears on the side vent trim.
A single laurel leaf 'Estilo' patch is embroidered on each sleeve.
The type of purple used to dye the gi is quite light, edging towards the more lilac end of the purple spectrum but not so light that it could be construed as too feminine. It's not too dissimilar to the only other purple coloured gi that I know of - the Reversal purple lightning gi - see here for a review.
The image below shows the canvas cotton tape used to line the cuffs. This is a far more suitable material compared to woven tape which I have found can be scratchy on my skin.
Trousers
As with the standard Estilo gi, the trousers are made from canvas cotton. The Tatami website states there are 'heavy 14oz canvas' but in my hands they don't seem to feel heavy or thick.
As with other Estilo models, the trousers are held up using rope drawstring. If I was being niggly, I would personally like to see the double knee layer extend all the way to the base of the trousers.
The base of the trousers are reinforced with a simple fold over hem. Other gi brands tend to add an extra layer of tape here.
Rolling tests and conclusion
This gi, as with all previous versions of the Estilo fits my dimensions very well. The construction is very high quality in my opinion and I have not had any issues with my previous models (Estilo 3 and Estilo 2 are part of my normal rotation of gis) so I fully expect the purple to hold up just as well.
Some people however may find the sleeve lengths too long for their dimensions. I understand the new versions of the Estilo may have their arms cut shorter. But for now, the purple Estilo seems to be tailor made or me :)
There is an issue with the colour fade however. After 3-4 washes, I noticed a little bit of uneven fading. Unfortunately it is not enough to really show up in my photographs, but there does appear to me slightly more fading along the creases of both the jacket and trousers compared to the main part of the fabric leading to a slight stone-washed effect. This unevenness may reduce over time as the whole gi fades through the washes, only time will tell.
BJJ is a fun sport and in my personal opinion, fun products such as this gi merely enhance the enjoyment. Not all academies allow such gi colours and IBJJF gi colour rulings mean it won't be allowed in such tournaments. However, if you fancy something a bit different, the purple Estilo is a quality addition to the Tatami range and yet another gi to add to my rotation of favoured gis.
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Flying rolling omoplata
What?s your origin story?
A passing comment by a friend on Facebook reminded me of how I found BJJ.� I?m a superhero fan and have been for as long as I can remember.� I read comic books, watched the cartoons and loved the Christopher Reeves Superman movies almost as much as I loved Star Wars.� All of this means [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/jwDV/~3/cs2ePZD0Dpo/
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Meerkatsu Art: Event posters for Premier BJJ Championships
'Meerkatsu' is proud to sponsor the UK & Ireland Premier BJJ Championships for 2012. The Premier Champs is run by BJJ black belt Pedro Bessa and is run as a series of tournaments throughout the year. For each event, I'm planning to design a different poster that reflects the city it is being held in.
This is the poster for the tournament in Cork, Ireland.
and here is the promo poster for the following event in Bristol:
There will be one more this year - held in Gateshead and I'll be sorting out a poster for that too. In addition to posters, I'm supporting the event by designing medals and t-shirts.
For those interesting in how I put together the design of these posters, I wrote a little commentary on my art blog here: http://meerkatsu-art.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/event-posters.html
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This is the poster for the tournament in Cork, Ireland.
and here is the promo poster for the following event in Bristol:
There will be one more this year - held in Gateshead and I'll be sorting out a poster for that too. In addition to posters, I'm supporting the event by designing medals and t-shirts.
For those interesting in how I put together the design of these posters, I wrote a little commentary on my art blog here: http://meerkatsu-art.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/event-posters.html
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/XrmTfbaU4FE/meerkatsu-art-event-posters-for-premier.html
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Spider guard pass with Jorge Pereira (6 DAN BJJ under Rickson Gracie)
Prof. Jorge Pereira (6th DAN under Rickson Gracie) teach here a nice and simple spider guard pass.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/GjeqesXQaxc/
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