Chris Newman Joins the Team - E17 BJJ Weekly Newsletter 15/09/2025

Hi everyone,

Hope you all had a good week!

With tube strikes out of the way and summer holidays behind us, it’s time to get back on the mats and start improving that game again!

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This Week’s Focus

Gi Fundamentals – Bottom half guard. A position I see a lot of you guys end up in. We’ll cover what’s a safe half guard and what’s not, along with the offensive opportunities you can create from there.

No-Gi Fundamentals – Double legs and half guard top. We’ll look at a bit of how we can use double leg takedowns to get our partner to the mat, and then we will look at how we can utilise half guard passing to end in dominant positions.

Open Class – Same as always: ask questions, improve your game, and get some practice or sparring in.

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A New Instructor Emerges, Chris Newman Joins Next Week!

We’re excited to announce that Chris Newman will be joining the team from next week! Chris is a two-stripe black belt and a world-class competitor who will be teaching our No-Gi Fundamentals classes at Crate17 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you haven’t tried no-gi yet and are curious, this will be the perfect chance to give it a go.

Your membership gives you access to all classes, so feel free to explore both gi and no-gi. As we continue to grow, we’ll be expanding what’s on offer for you.

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Tip of the Week

Underhooks are when when we have our arm underneath our partners arm, wrapping around the waist or hip (that's the "hook" part). If you can find yourself winning the underhook, you will find yourself able to escape a lot of bad positions, and either getting underneath or behind your partner - able to work towards the back!

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Mindset

The mats are a reset button. Whatever kind of week you’ve had, when you step onto the mats, everything else fades away. Focus on your breathing, your movement, and one step at a time — improvement comes from showing up consistently.

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See you on the mats!

— Mouncif,

E17 BJJ