Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/yItvlREjwoo/
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Braulio Estima guard pass using kimura
Braulio Estima shows how to pass the open guard (DeLaRiva) using a kimura grip. And how to finish with the kimura once in side control.
Academy Tour: Carlson Gracie Essex, Colchester, UK
April celebrates my tenth anniversary of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You can read about my first ever lesson here. The first ever sparring partner I ever had was with Alain Pozo so it seemed fitting to catch up with Alain at his new academy - Carlson Gracie Essex - in Colchester, Essex.
Read how I got on...
 |
| Alain Pozo teaching defences to the back |
Kid Attack!
I arrived on a Thursday evening keen to make it to the kids class and just about made it halfway in to the lesson. Colchester is around 45 minutes away by train from Liverpool street but the gym itself is located in an industrial park roughly ten minutes drive away from the station so visitors would need their own transport or get a cab.
The class was conducted by Alain with kids ranging in ages from 6 through to early teens. Several older teenagers were acting as coaching assistants. When I stepped onto the mat, the first thing Alain got the kids to do was to spar with me. Being attacked by small but deceptively good jiu jitsu assassins was quite an unnerving experience. I have to give immense kudos to these young warriors. They have embraced every aspect of jiu jitsu training and their emergent skills were in ample display as all I could do was turtle up and pray I didn't get humiliatingly armbarred or choked out!
 |
| Chelsea squeezes a meerkat's head off! |
Throughout the kids lesson, which lasted an hour, Alain kept up a fast pace - a few minutes of one drill followed by a few minutes of sparring, followed by a few minutes of exercises...the fast tempo was designed to fit in with children's naturally shorter attention spans and high energy levels. Towards the end, they were performing one handed cartwheels and scampering up the climbing rope with enviable ease. Throughout, Alain and his assistants kept careful watch on all the students with safety in mind. Parents were able to sit and watch close by and there was a very warm family feel to the whole session.
 |
| Madeline in evil squirrel mode |
Interlude
After the kids lesson, Alain and I sat down for an hour while the wrestling class was on. Alain is quite a raconteur and recounted stories of his time in the early days of BJJ here in the UK plus his experiences training in American, Malaysia and Brazil. It was fascinating to hear how he describes the big changes in the way jiu jitsu has evolved over the years. Alain pointed to some of his teenage proteges and described how the young men and women these days look up to fighters like the Mendes brothers, Keenan Cornelius, Miyao brothers, Andre Galvao and so on. These kids enjoy playing with berimbolos, deep half guards and all manner of complex sport only techniques. It is a far cry from the early days of how jiu jitsu began in Brazil, with its tales of legendary street fights, wide eyed staring confrontations and crazy challenge matches. We both agreed, BJJ today was the geeky student's perfect sport!
Adult class
There was a great turnout for the adults class. I liked to believe it was for my benefit but I was told that this was normal for a Thursday. Besides, they recently had genuine high profile visitors to their academy in the form of Claudio Calasans and Clark Gracie!
Alain ran us through a short warm up which included judo style standup drills. The main lesson was a focus on maintaining position when taking the back, followed by a defence and an escape from the rear naked choke. Alain's instruction was delivered in his perfect spoken English, with a small hint of an American accent.
 |
| Sparring while everyone watches, ooh nervous |
Roughly 30-40 minutes of technical drilling was followed by around 30 minutes of sparring. At first we were all paired up by Alain and sparred all at the same time as a group. I managed to roll with three of the CGEssex members and can attest to their good technical proficiency!
After group sparring, we were told to form a circle at the edge of the mat and observe a single pair who sparred alone. I've seen this sort of isolated sparring before when I have visited London Fight Factory. It's a bit scary because you are sparring while the whole academy is watching on. It's a useful exercise however to get used to rolling under pressure plus any mistakes can be pointed out by a larger number of eyes on the mat and discussed afterwards.
The warm down was taken by the strength and conditioning instructor James. I must say, I really enjoyed the variety of ginastica natural movements we were instructed to perform. It's my first real taste of this limber series of exercises and the perfect activity to warm down smoothly and gently after a heavy bout of sparring.
We rounded off the evening with some crazy Dragon Ball style group photos which were a heck of a lot of fun to do and makes a change from the usual static group snap!
 |
| Rahrrrr! |
The Only Way is Essex
I've known Alain ever since I first began BJJ. The past ten years have seen a lot of changes in our sport. What I experienced today, in an Essex town, was more than just a regular jiu jitsu class. I saw the foundation for a whole community of people who, through the sport, have empowered their lives for the better. This Carlson Gracie gym is a far cry from the stories of yesteryear. Here, kids run around playfully leaping over crash mats and practising their berimbolos, teenagers relentlessly drill techniques and smile happily whether they are doing the tapping or are being tapped. The adults (pleasing to see many women on the mat too) are here to get fit, learn cool techniques and build up their skills and confidences. In short, it's a typical modern day jiu jitsu gym, with great facilities, first class instruction from an authentic source and a team of friends and family both young and old. I have no doubts the gym will continue its growth and serve as an important base for the community around it.
Thanks to Alain and everyone who is part of Carlson Gracie Essex for making me feel so welcome!
 |
| Paul Frost and I - superhero dad mode |
 |
| Alain Pozo and me! |
 |
| Gil Frost and the back patch I painted for him |
Further information:
Carlson Gracie Essex website: http://www.carlsongracieessex.co.uk
Locations: Colchester and Chelmsford
Timetable: BJJ throughout the week, also classes in wrestling, muay thai and soon to come, crossfit.
.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/37oUi-aR9pI/academy-tour-carlson-gracie-essex.html
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Academy Tour: Carlson Gracie Essex, Colchester, UK
April celebrates my tenth anniversary of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You can read about my first ever lesson here. The first ever sparring partner I ever had was with Alain Pozo so it seemed fitting to catch up with Alain at his new academy - Carlson Gracie Essex - in Colchester, Essex.
Read how I got on...
|
| Alain Pozo teaching defences to the back |
Kid Attack!
I arrived on a Thursday evening keen to make it to the kids class and just about made it halfway in to the lesson. Colchester is around 45 minutes away by train from Liverpool street but the gym itself is located in an industrial park roughly ten minutes drive away from the station so visitors would need their own transport or get a cab.
The class was conducted by Alain with kids ranging in ages from 6 through to early teens. Several older teenagers were acting as coaching assistants. When I stepped onto the mat, the first thing Alain got the kids to do was to spar with me. Being attacked by small but deceptively good jiu jitsu assassins was quite an unnerving experience. I have to give immense kudos to these young warriors. They have embraced every aspect of jiu jitsu training and their emergent skills were in ample display as all I could do was turtle up and pray I didn't get humiliatingly armbarred or choked out!
|
| Chelsea squeezes a meerkat's head off! |
Throughout the kids lesson, which lasted an hour, Alain kept up a fast pace - a few minutes of one drill followed by a few minutes of sparring, followed by a few minutes of exercises...the fast tempo was designed to fit in with children's naturally shorter attention spans and high energy levels. Towards the end, they were performing one handed cartwheels and scampering up the climbing rope with enviable ease. Throughout, Alain and his assistants kept careful watch on all the students with safety in mind. Parents were able to sit and watch close by and there was a very warm family feel to the whole session.
|
| Madeline in evil squirrel mode |
Interlude
After the kids lesson, Alain and I sat down for an hour while the wrestling class was on. Alain is quite a raconteur and recounted stories of his time in the early days of BJJ here in the UK plus his experiences training in American, Malaysia and Brazil. It was fascinating to hear how he describes the big changes in the way jiu jitsu has evolved over the years. Alain pointed to some of his teenage proteges and described how the young men and women these days look up to fighters like the Mendes brothers, Keenan Cornelius, Miyao brothers, Andre Galvao and so on. These kids enjoy playing with berimbolos, deep half guards and all manner of complex sport only techniques. It is a far cry from the early days of how jiu jitsu began in Brazil, with its tales of legendary street fights, wide eyed staring confrontations and crazy challenge matches. We both agreed, BJJ today was the geeky student's perfect sport!
Adult class
There was a great turnout for the adults class. I liked to believe it was for my benefit but I was told that this was normal for a Thursday. Besides, they recently had genuine high profile visitors to their academy in the form of Claudio Calasans and Clark Gracie!
Alain ran us through a short warm up which included judo style standup drills. The main lesson was a focus on maintaining position when taking the back, followed by a defence and an escape from the rear naked choke. Alain's instruction was delivered in his perfect spoken English, with a small hint of an American accent.
|
| Sparring while everyone watches, ooh nervous |
Roughly 30-40 minutes of technical drilling was followed by around 30 minutes of sparring. At first we were all paired up by Alain and sparred all at the same time as a group. I managed to roll with three of the CGEssex members and can attest to their good technical proficiency!
After group sparring, we were told to form a circle at the edge of the mat and observe a single pair who sparred alone. I've seen this sort of isolated sparring before when I have visited London Fight Factory. It's a bit scary because you are sparring while the whole academy is watching on. It's a useful exercise however to get used to rolling under pressure plus any mistakes can be pointed out by a larger number of eyes on the mat and discussed afterwards.
The warm down was taken by the strength and conditioning instructor James. I must say, I really enjoyed the variety of ginastica natural movements we were instructed to perform. It's my first real taste of this limber series of exercises and the perfect activity to warm down smoothly and gently after a heavy bout of sparring.
We rounded off the evening with some crazy Dragon Ball style group photos which were a heck of a lot of fun to do and makes a change from the usual static group snap!
|
| Rahrrrr! |
The Only Way is Essex
I've known Alain ever since I first began BJJ. The past ten years have seen a lot of changes in our sport. What I experienced today, in an Essex town, was more than just a regular jiu jitsu class. I saw the foundation for a whole community of people who, through the sport, have empowered their lives for the better. This Carlson Gracie gym is a far cry from the stories of yesteryear. Here, kids run around playfully leaping over crash mats and practising their berimbolos, teenagers relentlessly drill techniques and smile happily whether they are doing the tapping or are being tapped. The adults (pleasing to see many women on the mat too) are here to get fit, learn cool techniques and build up their skills and confidences. In short, it's a typical modern day jiu jitsu gym, with great facilities, first class instruction from an authentic source and a team of friends and family both young and old. I have no doubts the gym will continue its growth and serve as an important base for the community around it.
Thanks to Alain and everyone who is part of Carlson Gracie Essex for making me feel so welcome!
|
| Paul Frost and I - superhero dad mode |
|
| Alain Pozo and me! |
|
| Gil Frost and the back patch I painted for him |
Further information:
Carlson Gracie Essex website: http://www.carlsongracieessex.co.uk
Locations: Colchester and Chelmsford
Timetable: BJJ throughout the week, also classes in wrestling, muay thai and soon to come, crossfit.
.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/37oUi-aR9pI/academy-tour-carlson-gracie-essex.html
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Meerkatsu Art: Heavenly Lions T-shirt and Havoc in Heaven T-shirt
I have just posted three new t-shirt designs for my store - www.meerkatsushop.com
The first, as modeled by my team mate Daniel Stauss, is the same design I used in my popular hoodie, the one I call 'Heavenly Lions'. It features my hand drawn artwork of two adult Chinese lions with one baby lion. In the brown t-shirt version, the artwork is inverted and I used a dark yellow ink.
In the second version, seen here below modeled by my team mate Jack Cronin, the colourway is a more traditional navy ink in white t-shirt.
Both Heavenly Lions t-shirts have a design on the back too. Again, I repeated the same design as per the hoodie. Already, both t-shirts are selling fast on my store website.
The final design is one I am particularly proud of. It's my rendition of the battle between the Monkey King against the boy prince known as Nezha. I will discuss more about this artwork over on my art blog, but it was inspired by the Chinese animated feature film Havoc in Heaven.
All three t-shirts are available now through my store - www.meerkatsushop.com
.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/_YRI06Touy4/meerkatsu-art-heavenly-lions-t-shirt.html
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Seminar: Helv�cio Penna, Mill Hill, London
Summary
Legendary competitor and 3rd degree black belt under Ricardo de la Riva, Helv�cio Penna visited London and taught a three hour seminar at Mill Hill BJJ (the place where I train). Helv�cio taught us a very nice series of techniques based around, as he describes, little things, that he has picked up through his experience. And boy what experience!
[usual disclaimer - I'm crummy at remembering and describing techniques so follow these at your own peril]
Judo Style
Helv�cio told us that before BJJ he was at first a judo guy, but took up BJJ in order to learn more ne waza. His old judo instructor used to be friends with Helio Gracie and Helio would often pop in to his old judo academy with his son Rickson to exchange ideas and techniques on groundfighting. As you can imagine, my training buddies and I were rapt with attention - we love old skool jiu jitsu stories!
It was natural then for Helv�cio to kick off our seminar with a judo style warm-up. He ran through various leg and foot movements related to judo trips, sweeps and throws, but all done solo. We kind of looked like rookie ballroom dancers but it was all good fun.
Size matters not
The thing I liked about the techniques that Helv�cio showed was that they were utterly unreliant on strength or physique. I mean I know that BJJ is all about the technique, what I am trying to say is, for a big fella (Helv�cio fights heavyweight - over 90kilos) he sure knows some cool small guy jiu jitsu stuff. I guess having Mestre Ricardo de la Riva as your instructor means that your guard is gonna rock.
Helv�cio kicked off the techniques portion of the class with a sweep from the spider guard where you loop one of your legs over and under the opponents arm (you are gripping him at the sleeve cuffs). Your other foot is on his hip. We call this the hooks guard, but others may refer to it as a variation of the spider guard. Normally we just play off this position, but Helv�cio told us to push our hooking leg all the way through to what we ourselves dubbed the deep hooks guard. We then had to bring the opponent onto and over our own bodies before sweeping him over with a little hip and knee movement.
The next technique sort of followed on from this open guard position. In this scenario, the opponent has one hand underneath your leg, threatening to apply pressure or pass your spider guard. Helv�cio showed us one of his favourite little moves that, unsurprisingly given his history, reminded me a lot of a judo throw, but performed on the ground (if that makes any sense!) It involved cleverly trapping your opponents arm and maneuvering so that his weight was over your own hips (you are kind f crouching almost turtling) and by going underneath the opponent, he is thrown to the other side. The cool thing with this technique was the armbar that was ready and available when you finished sweeping him.
My favourite technique from the session was the next one. Helv�cio showed us an open guard where you grip your opponents opposite lapel with one hand, your other hand is sleeve gripping same side (as you face him) and your foot is on his hips. You release your sleeve grip and move your hand under and over your oppoent's elbow, cupping tightly.Your free leg then moves over your opponents arm and shoulder and tucks in under your opponents hip bone/top of thigh. Straightening this leg and re-poisitoning your own body a little brought about the most excruciatingly tight armbar. We all had fun drilling this manouevre!
Helv�cio also showed who this set-up could be applied for an omoplata finish or a triangle or even, thrillingly, a rather flashy knee bar. I actually found the knee bar attempt a bit less complex and easier to drill than the other versions. Regardless, they were all very neat ways to play open guard by dominating entirely one whole side of your opponent.
Misdirection and trickery
Another really useful technique we learned was how to deal with a person who is in your closed guard and is about to break it open to set up a pass (from sitting) but has one of those immovable arms placed strongly on your own torso for stability. Helv�cio told us to grip the sleeve of that arm with both hands, let the opponent open up your guard, then hip shift to one side as your push the opponents basing hand away from you. Almost immediately after, in a circling motion, manouevre his arm over your own head and direct that arm to the complete other side of you. This exposes his back where we worked on how to drag the opponent into our back take position and securing a bow and arrow choke.
It reminded me of the push-pull philosophy of judo training.
We also drilled some useful escapes when your opponent has taken your back - something that I do really need more practice in.
Final thoughts
Meeting someone of Helv�cio's stature, is to see someone who lives, eats and breathes jiu jitsu beyond anything I could ever imagine. Competing as he does, at the elite level against guys half his age, I can only assume the reason is beyond being purely down to an ultra competitive nature - it's simply that he really really enjoys it. Jiu jitsu for him is pure joy and this is totally evident when he teaches - the enthusiasm, patience, passion and technical mastery on display today were everything a seminar should be.
Thanks to my instructor Nick Brooks for inviting Helv�cio over to the UK, I look forward to him visiting again and picking up more big man/small man jiu jitsu along the way.
.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/oKLsyVlKR6o/seminar-helvecio-penna-mill-hill-london.html
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-25
RT @graciemag: An example of BJJ devotion: Rafael Lovato Jr is getting married in 3 hours! And still trained today! # Bookmark and share this post: More »Post from: my BJJ blogTwitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-25 Related posts:Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-15 Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-28 Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-23
Post from: my BJJ blog
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-25
Source: http://mybjjblog.com/2010/06/twitter-weekly-updates-for-2010-06-25/
ADCC 2011 Submissions Highlight
click player to close ADCC 2011 submissions highlight. Just the submissions. Enjoy !
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/CtjhA89LbDA/
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
My kids begin the grappling journey, sort of.
I've trained in some form of martial arts since I was 18 and seeing as I am 43 now, I guess that means I've been doing it for a very long time. And yet I know practically nothing about kids martial arts training. I do know that it was always my intention for them to try out martial arts but not at the expense of pushing them to do it if they don't want to.
So it was handy that a new judo club aimed at kids opened up close to my home with a working parent friendly timetable and cheap prices. I checked and they are totally legit members of the British Judo Council and British Judo Association and their head dojo in St Albans has been running for some 60 years!
Another benefit of them learning judo is that I am less likely to jump in and 'take over' as I know little about judo compared to BJJ. Still, witnessing their very first lesson, I couldn't help but feel a swell of personal pride. Y'see my kids are very shy and hate doing anything or going to anywhere new. It's a trauma taking them to swimming lessons even. I knew that taking them to something as strange and alien as a dojo staffed by people wearing white pyjamas was a risking putting them off for life.
In the end, my fears were unfounded. The class was run in an excellent manner. There were lots of seniors around to look after all the kids. There was some technical instruction (attacking a person who has turtled up ha!) and then a ton of fun grappling related games and drills. My kids finished the class beaming and eager for more!
Kids being kids, I have no idea if my two will keep up with judo long term but for now, I'm so chuffed they've taken their very first baby steps onto the tatami.
.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/4f9jkQ6Gb-0/my-kids-begin-grappling-journey-sort-of.html
Monday, April 22, 2013
Ceifeiro de Feijao / Bean Reaper (back taking from reverse DeLaRiva)
The inside leg reap designed by Peter de Been has multiple uses – it can be hunted from many situations or it can be used as a counter to the “de la Riva hook” (outside hook) defence. It will deliver a sweep or a back take depending on the situation. Good luck!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/Dn6rZTPhb8w/
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Lucas Lepri DVD Preview: Butterfly Guard Hip Drag Pass
Lucas Lepri — Championship Guard Passing 2 Disc DVD set Preview Clip – Butterfly Guard Hip Drag Pass In recent years, competition driven Jiu-Jitsu has focused on modern guards such as the De La Riva Guard, Berimbolo, X-Guard, and Spider Guard to name a few. Now, in his first ever English language instructional series, MUNDIAL [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/A81gXhkI2pU/
?jump over? attacks from butterfly guard top
Another one but from the DeLaRiva guard :
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/cX8w8rENjtw/
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Rener Gracie shows techs to remove the lock down
Rener Gracie shows techs to remove the lock down.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bjjtech/~3/SSXeGQwwj2I/
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-28
so, BJJ tweets is up – check out http://tweets.mybjjblog.com/ to see an archive of #bjj tweets # Bookmark and share this post: More »Post from: my BJJ blogTwitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-28 Related posts:Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-22 Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-04-30 Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-15
Post from: my BJJ blog
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-28
Source: http://mybjjblog.com/2010/05/twitter-weekly-updates-for-2010-05-28/
Friday, April 19, 2013
Q1 London BJJ Women?s Open Mat: 3 February 2013 at Total Dojo
Date: 3 February 2013 Time: 12:00-16:00 Location: Total Dojo, The Brunel Centre, Milton Keynes MK2 2ES Address: Cost: Free Our Q1 2013 London BJJ Women?s Open Mat will be held on Sunday 3 February 2013 and will be hosted by Hayley Carter and the good people at Total Dojo. We are pleased to invite women, [...]
Source: http://www.megjitsu.com/q1-london-bjj-womens-open-mat-3-february-2013-at-total-dojo/
How to teach to different skill levels
This question came in response to The case for dividing classes by belt rank, given my�flexible stance on “the basics.”
Q: Does your new�approach to divided classes change your “anything can be a fundamental�technique” stance?
Thanks–I’m appreciating that you’re making your expertise so available to�the community.
A: The divisions between classes have less to do my philosophy about basic versus advanced techniques and more to do with the right way of teaching and structuring classes for different kinds of students. Even if I think all …
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/aesopian/~3/nK7SiBERQzA/
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
It's a Lloyd thing
In the past couple days I have been following the social media output of a Mr Lloyd Irvin Jr. For those who do not know much about Lloyd (including myself up until a few months ago), he is a BJJ black belt instructor based in USA. You will almost certainly have come across something that he has had a hand in if you follow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu online.
For a start, Lloyd is a dominant force in the world of online media marketing. If you visit his website - http://www.lloydirvin.com - or sign up to his emails, there is no escaping the very direct manner of selling. Numerous renowned instructors also follow his marketing 'template'. Some have criticised the way Lloyd sells his BJJ program, but there is no denying, his methods have been extremely successful.
Lloyd regularly makes public claims about his career rise from pauper to millionaire all based on his BJJ programs. Team Lloyd Irvin boasts numerous champion stars such as JT Torres, DJ Jackson and Keenan Cornelius, plus his very exciting female back belt Nyjah Easton, there is no doubt that Lloyd's stable of successful BJJ fighters and students are a major force in the world of BJJ.
The topic of Lloyd and his many claims to fame is worthy of a deeper look but for now, I'm really only focused on his current project - The Next World Champion. This is a tournament being held right now in his academy where 12 of the most highly regarded brown belts fight each other, in gi and nogi. They can win money and a claim to be the best of the best. The tournament is also dubbed the Brown Belt Kumite. There is UK interest in the form of the exciting young Luke Costello (who I interviewed in May 2010.)
Typical of Lloyd, he is keeping a tight lid on what has been happening. Instead he is feeding the masses on his Facebook page with dozens of teasing statements alluding to amazing submissions he has just witnessed or shock victories for an unnamed competitor. It's all incredibly frustrating not knowing what is happening, which of course is exactly how Lloyd wants it. He currently has a very captive audience baying for news of winners and losers. Lloyd is playing this campaign masterfully.
He has offered a snippet however. Here is a very short video of one of the earlier nogi fights, enjoy:
(Photo at top and video here taken from Lloyd Irvin's Facebook page)
.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/15AICFaHmpg/its-lloyd-thing.html
Monday, April 15, 2013
Review: Tatami Estilo 4
Summary
Excellent all round premium gi with improved styling and great quality as with all previous Estilo models. I did find however that the innovative rubber waistline strip to be noticeably annoying due to unnecessary bunching around the hips.
Disclosures
I have worked as a freelance designer for Tatami Fightwear on several projects. I am unconnected with this product.
Information
Tatami Estilo 4 available from April 2013 via the Tatami Fightwear website and all other distributors.
Cost: tbc but likely to be around �95
Introduction
When Tatami Fightwear introducted their first Estilo gi it was the start of their very successful line of BJJ uniforms. At the time I noted the high level of quality reinforcements, materials as well as the roomy cut and fit though I thought the design elements could have been improved with their messy patch designs. It's nice to see how the line-up has evolved over the past couple of years. As you can see from the photographs, this fourth incarnation of the Estilo is hugely improved over the first one from an aesthetic point of view.
Size, Weight, Other Stats
For reference, I am 59-60Kg in weight and 167cm in height. I am used to wearing A1 or A1L size gis though I do have long arms. First figure brand new, second figure after x3 mild temperature washes and then air dried.
Size in cm new vs three 40 degree washes for an A1 gi:
A: 163/ 157
B: 76 / 76
C: 55 / 55
D: 16 / 16
E: 49 / 45
F: 95 / 92
G: 21 / 20
Jacket weight: 1.2kg
Trouser weight: 0.6kg
As the stats above show, there was some shrinkage along the arm wingspan, settling in at the 157cm mark is perfectly adequate even for my long arms. The rest of the torso and trouser dimensions seemed not to shrink that much though interestingly, looking at the stats for the previous Estilo incarnation (the purple coloured version 3 Estilo) this model appears marginally smaller all round. It is still a lot bigger than, say, the Atama Mundial A1 (150cm) and the Bull Terrier Limited Edition (153cm) but inl ine with other gi brands such as the Aesthetic gis and Submission Fight Co Hemp which all have wingspans of around 157cm.
Trouser length at 92cm is slightly shorter in length than previous Tatami fightwear gis.
Weight at 1.8Kg would make this gi heavier than specialist lightweight gis such as the Kingz 420 Light (1.4Kg). It is actually fairly close in weight to the rashguard lined Enson Spiri of Japan gi (1.9Kg).
Jacket
The jacket appears to be made from the same 500gsm pearlweave fabric that was used on the previous Estilo v3 model. It does not feel heavy but is clearly a sturdy and durable piece of textile. My previous Estilo gis have all gone through numerous training sessions without any problems so I can safely predict this version 4 will be just as durable.
The collar and lapels are the usual rubber core and is covered with canvas cotton material. Canvas is hard wearing and is more resistant to fraying compared with twill cotton material. The thickness was reasonable and it was not too stiff.
The branded seam tape is used to both decorate and cover some seam areas. All other areas of the jacket contain reinforcements as expected in the stress zones eg beneath armpits, side vents, sleeves etc. The sleeve cuffs in previous models used canvas tape, here is is replaced by the woven logo tape which was comfortable to wear (compared with scratchy logo tape used by some other brands).
All patches on the jacket conform to IBJJF regulations. The embroidery appears to be applied directly onto the fabric and the colour scheme is an attractive mix of orange, grey, white and black.
Trousers
Trousers are made from canvas cotton. They feature the usual excellent thick rope drawstring and there are a total of five belt loops. Including a centrally placed loop.
Pleasingly the double lined knee region reaches all the way to the ankles. I find that some gi brands that only use a small knee patch do not cover the knee when the wearer is kneeling on the ground. The circular shin patch appears to be high enough to conform with IBJJF regulations.
The patch used along the side of the trousers is quite thick and does not fold along the crease easily - in case you like folding your gis neatly, like I do.
Rolling performance, fit and feel
This model seemed a wee bit shorter and tighter fitting than all previous models of the Estilo. I was still very happy with the length of the sleeves, jacket and trousers. It could even arguably be considered a much better cut for my physique. Although slightly heavier than previous Estilos, I did not notice it feeling particularly heavy or cumbersome but the waistline was noticeably annoying.
I found a number of problems relating to the rubber strip that lines the inside of the waistline:
The new rubber waistline strip is fairly thick. When the rope string is pulled tight, it causes a concertina effect and there is considerable bunching up of fabric and rubber around the hips and waistline. It also flares outwards rather than aligning itself tightly to my skin, which negates the whole purpose of the rubber 'grip' of the strip. During rolling, I was strongly aware of the thick wad of bunching fabric present around my waistline. After several training sessions it proved to be slightly less annoying when I focused on sparring rather than thinking of the gi but given the choice, I would prefer non-rubber strip trousers over these. Finally, I usually wear a rashguard under the gi and tuck that into the trousers, again this negates the purpose of the 'grip' the strip provides.
Other users of this model gi have given a mixed response. One tester I know of agrees with me about the waistline strip, another tester has found that it was no problem at all. One suggested that the trousers were too big for me and hence the reason why there was so much bunching up. I disagree. The trousers fit perfect for my height and weight, though as you can see from the photos, I am a skinny person.
Which is a big shame because the actual rest of the trousers are amazing. The lightweight yet strong canvas cotton material is soft and comfortable and the styling details are beautiful. The jacket is near on perfect and a joy to roll in.
Conclusions
The Estilo 4 is a beautiful gi and loaded with the usual high standards of materials and construction as expected for a gi costing nearly �100. The rubber strip lining the inside of the trouser waistline is an acquired taste, I personally did not like it and prefer to wear normal trousers, however others have not noted this same problem during testing. Despite my reservations about the trouser hem, I do love this gi and it has made it into my current rotation of training gis.
The gi is out later in April 2013.
UPDATE 8th APRIL 2013
Tatami Fightwear have informed me that the rubber waistline strip will now NOT be incorporated into the final production version of the Estilo 4.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Meerkatsu/~3/0msPzxAFLaA/review-tatami-estilo-4.html
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