Hi All!
Welcome to Mat Rat News, the featured newsletter of Journeyman Grappler Online.
What is, you may ask, JG Online? It’s first and foremost an online platform that collects and distributes the Jiu Jitsu techniques taught by Caleb Khan (the Journeyman Grappler), making them available to everyone. Additionally, it serves as an online platform which allows the grappling community to share their goals and improve together. We’re looking forward to working with you!
What happened?
My girlfriend Anita and I recently returned from an amazing, Jiu Jitsu filled trip to the Island of Kauai. As you may know, Hawaii is home to many legends of combat sports such as BJ Penn, Max Holloway, Yancy Medeiros (who I got to train with), Relson Gracie, and many more. Kauai, in particular, is a place that always interested me. My friends and training partners Julian Marquez and Jake Scovel (head instructor at Empire JJ in SF) both started on the island at Longman Jiu Jitsu under Bruno Ewald. After years of hearing about the ‘Garden Island’ from the boys, Anita surprised me with flights out to Kauai. While there I had the opportunity to train with Julian and Luke Hacker at Longman Jiu Jitsu Koloa.
The training was amazing, of course, and Anita and I even got to witness Pro Surfer / Fighter / Activist / Politician Dustin Barca receive his black belt. A particularly memorable moment was seeing Julian run his kids (Keiki) program. Everyday Julian drives to Koloa’s low income housing and picks up a car full of kids, all of whom train for free or at a discounted rate. He also provides them with Gis! It’s amazing to see people making a difference while doing what they love. Mahalo Julian, Luke, and the Longman Jiu Jitsu team. You can check out Julian’s Kimura Trap here!
Even though I was away, the Guardian Gym team back in Oakland kept doing excellent work, taking third in the ‘Elite 8’ division at Jiu-Jitsu World League’s (JJWL) San Francisco event! JJWL’s Elite 8 division allows smaller teams to have a shot at placing in the team event by only counting the top 8 competitors of each team. Guardian’s competitors were Jackson, Erica, Matt, D’von, RJ, and Oscar. Jackson and Matt served as my Gameplan Guideline Guinea Pigs and filled out the 1 page guide I created covering their individual goals for the tournament. The form requires competitors to write down their flawless victory flow chart and gameplans for the 7 base Jiu Jitsu positions. I’d suggest asking me for one and filling it out if you plan on competing. Great job team! Let’s keep up the good work!
What’s happening?
Guardian Gym is redoing the mats!!! Say bye-bye to duct tape and the unfurling seams.
Guardian is hosting a Happy Hour at Oakland’s Kingfish Pub & Cafe on Wednesday the 27th!
Anita, RJ Bets (Guardian Gym) and myself will be heading up north to compete in IBJJF’s first ever Portland Open.
Stay tuned for news regarding an upcoming Guardian Gym promotion ceremony!
Test your skills in some of the upcoming tournaments:
March 16th Evolution Sports Expo Gentle Art Challenge Santa Clara Gi & Nogi
March 20th-24th IBJJFs Pan Am Championship Irvine Gi
May 4-5th BJJ Tours American Cup San Jose Gi
May 11-12th IBJJFs San Diego Spring Open Gi & Nogi
June 8th BJJ Tour Sacramento - Gi & Nogi