Rene Kunz from Fuji Mae NZ posted a picture with Vanderson Pires on his FB. The hint was they were planning a new BJJ event. Could they be organising another submission only competition which was called Artaxias?

Open mats from 10 am at city bjj on Saturdays. 8 West Street, Newton, Auckland, 1010. see you on the mats.

This week was guard submission for beginners and introduction to our intermediate guard system for our more advanced students (3 stripes white belt and above). Serge taught de la riva on Tuesday Gi class. Stu taught reverse de la riva and biejo (also known as the kiss of the dragon) on Thursday Nogi as this guard is more suitable for Nogi. For the beginner, Serge taught a combination of Kimura and Hip Bump Sweep. Then we had our usual situational rolling, takedown sparring and normal rolling. Next week, we teaching guard sweeps for beginners and the blue belts can drill their preferred techniques.

After training, I like to drink Kava to relax my muscles and mind. Especially when sparring late at night, I always find it hard to fall asleep. My body was stiff from sparring and I had sleepless night Sometimes, I use to do shrimp escapes in my sleep. lol Kava has been a great natural and organic drink to relax and help me unwind after a day of work, teaching and training. Recently I have been introduced to Taki Mai. I found the product to be of high quality. The fact that you no longer have to strain the product into a cloth is a big bonus and make the experience hassle free. All the Kava powder is used during preparation. There is not waste like the traditional kava product. Because it is grinded so fine, you do not have to strain it. You will notice that it tastes better. Tonight after training, Stu is hosting a Kava degustation party with Zane (founder of the brand Taki Mai) at his house All club members (including the Judokas), welcome. After training

North South position was known at this stalling position. However, Marcelo Garcia turned this position into an offensive position due his famous choke. We will covering this topic 4 time this year. We drilled north south escape for warm up, side control recomposition and arm bar from bottom side control We taught Kimura and North South choke made famous by Marcelo Garcia See link for more details http://www.aucklandbjj.com/2014/03/training-report-north-south-choke.html Situation rollling Take down sparring and normal sparring. TAKE DOWN TOPICS Tuesday take is Ko Uchi Gari which we are doing for 1 month Thursday is double leg takedown which we are doing for 1 month. This takedown is more suitable for nogi compare to Ko Uchi Gari.

We are organising our annual bjj competition for masters in our Epsom dojo. We will have different age categories: 30-40., 40-50, 50 + super matches. Repechage system also known as double eliminations. More details to follow. Limited entries. All bjj clubs welcome.

Great training at city bjj this morning.

Open mats from 10 am at city bjj on Saturdays.  8 West Street, Newton, Auckland, 1010. see you on the mats

Our fees are $20 per week on A/P. We would love to take more new students. However, we have reached maximum capacity for the beginning of the year. For safety purpose and quality of the classes, we have a limit on the number of the students we can cater for. We will be looking at having another intake of new students next semester (July). However, we still will make space for our old students that are away on holidays or been working, studying etc..). If you are interested to go on our waiting list, please email us your contact details. Do not call. Clubs that we recommend: Auckland University Club (same location as our club but different days for Judo classes) http://www.judokong.com/ City BJJ We also attend the City BJJ open mats every Saturday. http://citybjj.co.nz/ They are located 4 km from our Epsom Dojo. Otherwise, have a look on the following list http://www.aucklandbjj.com/p/other-auckland-clubs.html

This week topic was knee on the belly. Tuesday (gi), we taught the concept of knee on the belly and 3 submissions from knee on the belly: baseball choke, near side arm bar and far side arm bar. Couple of rounds of situational rolling from side control. Starting from knee on the belly would have been too easy. Then we split the class with competition training on one side. It is rounds of 4 minutes with a fresh person jumping in. It starts from stand up and we use points system as well. Thursday was nogi and we covered knee on the belly escape and pretty much we use the same format as Tuesday. Next week topic is North South. See you on the mats.

At our club. we will never have a compulsory uniform: gi or nogi. However, I noticed that lot of people are still wearing random shorts and t shirts to train nogi. While it is understandable for your first couple of weeks, you might want to start invest in some good gear for the long term. A rash guard is a must. I even wear under my gi. You do not have to buy a rash designed for grappling but they are better for such activities. I buy my rash guards from Auckland Martial Arts Supplies and MMA addicts. http://www.amas.co.nz/uniforms/venum-mma/venum-no-gi-ibjjf-approved-rash-guard-blackblue/ http://www.mmaaddict.co.nz/MMA-Fitness-Gear/Grappling-Rashies Please note that some competitions will require you to wear no gi ibjjf approved rash guard. Like the NZ grappler Nationals NOGI competition 2015 required competitors to wear a colored rash guard according to their belt level. For shorts, just buy a MMA shorts. But beware of the flashy colors if you plan to compete.

http://nzgrappler.co.nz/2016-no-gi-nationals/   DIVISIONS Competition is for both kids and adults of all levels and from all academies. There will be Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced divisions for all weight classes. The adult weight classes in kilograms (kg) are IBJJF No Gi divisions: MEN (kg): 55.5, 61.5, 67.5, 73.5, 79.5, 85.5, 91.5, 97.5, 97.5+ WOMEN (kg): 51.5, 56.5, 61.5, 66.5, 71.5, 76.5, 76.5+ Make sure you do not wait last minute to lose weight. You have 8 weeks to prepare the smart way. You can also register. For our club members, please register under Auckland BJJ.

Open mats is usually a training session that is not a formal class. It means students and instructors just get together for sparring (rolling). Sometimes, we also do drilling. Drilling is very important because you need to develop muscle memory. Our group class are for teaching concepts and techniques. Also, I can always answer questions that the students have on Saturday. I cannot answer everyone questions during group class otherwise we will never cover the weekly topi. So Saturday is the time for rolling, drilling and asking questions. Also, the open mats starts from 10 am but you can always turn up late. No big deal. Just use the changing room and leave your bag in the changing room. Walk in the mats and shake hands with everyone. After training, shake hands with everyone and thanks your hosts for inviting us at their open mats. This year, we are attending city BJJ open mats. It is a great opportunity to train with different people and their mats are eas

Congratulations to Henry Burns for receiving a sponsorship from Tahiti Nui (Tahiti Airlines). Henry Burns is a student in New Zealand and competes in Kick Boxing, MMA and BJJ at City Kick Boxing (Auckland) also known as City BJJ. http://citykickboxing.net.nz/ http://www.aucklandbjj.com/2014/11/tahitian-wins-gold-medal-in-auckland.html https://www.facebook.com/AirTahitiNuiAustralasia/?brand_redir=10441011365

If you have some spare cash, please help out Clinton achieving his dream of competing overseas. Clinton is sponsored by Fuji Mae NZ. http://fujimae.co.nz/ " I'm a blind athlete who needs help to raise money to compete in jiujitsu tournaments overseas" It will close on 31 Jan 2016 See his page for more details https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/blindgrappler/#

It will be held at ASB stadium, register at  http://nzgrappler.co.nz/

Check out their facebook page for more information. It is held at Oliver MMA South Auckland. A great way to get introduced to BJJ. Perfect for self defense and fitness. " ATTENTION FEMALES THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE TO THE WEDNESDAY TIMETABLE... THERE IS NOW A "FEMALE ONLY" CLASS FROM 6-7PM-STRIKING,FITNESS,SELF DEFENCE,SELF CONFIDENCE AND A BIT OF GRAPPLING WITH OUR RESIDENT BROWN BELT KRIS HOHAIA ... TAKE ADVANTAGE LADIES BECAUSE THE CLASSES WILL BE FREE TILL THE END OF FEBRUARY 2016!!!  ‪#‎ GameChanger‬   ‪#‎ TagAndShare‬ " https://www.facebook.com/SouthsideSnipers/

Latest update from their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/kiwigirls/ "Our highest graded women BJJ Practitioners are confirmed to be at camp!!! Just had official confirmation that they will all be there!!! That is  Keitha Bannan ,  Kate Da Silva ,  Van Do , Maren Frerich and  Ale Moss ! 2 Black belts and 3 Brown Belts all confirmed!  All will be sharing their knowledge! We are also privileged to have Oceania Freestyle Wrestling rep and Purple belt  Krissy Hunter  taking us for a session! This camp is going to be EPIC!" http://www.aucklandbjj.com/2016/01/nz-girls-grappling-winter-camp-2016.html

Knee on the belly. See you on the mats.

We are 9 weeks away from the nationals nogi competition. Do you have any suggestions/questions on how we could help you prepare? For example, Webber wants some internal competitions to help prepare.

Great turn out for our first open mats at city bjj. It starts from 10 am every saturday.

This was the first week back to training. We continue our program from last year. We did the topic of side control. Tuesday was side control concept and 3 escapes. Thursday was side control submissions: americana, arm lock, kimura, wrist lock and arm triangle. Next week topic will be knee on the belly. Everyone seems to be back training on the first week. They are motivated and show no rust after a short break of 2 weeks. Open mats at city BJJ every saturday as usual. http://www.aucklandbjj.com/2015/11/open-mats-at-city-kick-boxing.html

The National nogi competition is in 10 weeks time which is Saturday 19 March 2016. If you want to to lose weight for the competition, I suggest you start dieting right now. It is too stressful to start losing weight a week before a competition. The last couple of weeks before the event should be about drilling and cardio instead of worrying about calories. Official weight categories from the NZ grappler website http://nzgrappler.co.nz/2016-no-gi-nationals/ DIVISIONS Competition is for both kids and adults of all levels and from all academies. There will be Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced divisions for all weight classes. The adult weight classes in kilograms (kg) are IBJJF No Gi divisions: MEN (kg): 55.5, 61.5, 67.5, 73.5, 79.5, 85.5, 91.5, 97.5, 97.5+ WOMEN (kg): 51.5, 56.5, 61.5, 66.5, 71.5, 76.5, 76.5+ Remember that they weight you in before the match. Good luck.

Book for Calendar for 8th July to 10th July. Steve Oliver is opening his gym to host this annual event. For more details, please check out their facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/kiwigirls/ Limited space, so book early as this event is getting really popular. Unique chance to train with girls from all over NZ.

Russian bjj club made a calendar. Cool idea!

Great to see so many people back for the first class of the year.

January  5 & 7       Side Control 12 & 14   Knee on the Belly 19 & 21   North South 26 & 28   Guard Subs February 2 & 4       Guard pass 9 & 11     Guard sweeps 16 & 18   Top half guard 23 & 25   Bottom half guard March 1 & 3        Turtle 8 & 10     Questions and Answers 15 & 17   Competition Training 19              National No GI / Kohimarama Auckland (END OF THE NOGI SEASON) 22 & 24   Mount 29 & 31   Back April 5 & 7       Side Control 12 & 14   Knee on the belly 19 & 21   North South 26 & 28   Guard subs May 3 & 5               Guard pass 10 & 12   Competition Training 14              GI Regionals / Trust Stadium Auckland 17 & 19   Guard sweeps 24 & 26   Top half guard 31            Bottom half guard June 2              Bottom half guard 7 & 9       Turtle 14 & 16   Questions and Answers

15 years ago, BJJ was this obscure sport and martial art that only a few practised. Now due to the popularity of the UFC, even my workmates heard about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Professional clubs are now offering classes to kids and sometimes even offer females class as well. While I could argue that Judo might be more appropriate for kids instead of BJJ, I think it is great to see women training in any martial arts. But recently we have a new phenomena of the sexualisation of females in our sport. Now I am not talking about pictures of world champions wearing less than the usual sport attire like the Gi. We are talking about less known females stripping for a bit of free publicity. Is it demeaning to other females in the sport? Is it just harmless fun? Just have a look on the facebook page of BJJ pix to make up your mind. https://www.facebook.com/BJJPix/?fref=nf

Back to training on Tuesday 5 January.  Topic of the week is side control.  Tuesday is gi and Thursday is nogi.  See you on the mats.