Building Chains - E17 BJJ Weekly Newsletter 29/09/2025

e17bjj
Sep 29
2 min read

Hey team,

I hope everyone’s having a great weekend! The weather’s starting to turn, the evenings are getting darker, and there’s a little bit of that spooky October feeling creeping in 👻 Perfect excuse to spend more time on the mats!

Big News – Judo is coming to E17 BJJ!

Starting week commencing October 6th, we’ll be running Judo classes every Wednesday and Friday, 19:15–20:30, with Justin Goh.

Justin is a black belt in Judo, a purple belt in Jiu-jitsu and an exceptional coach – technical, approachable, and a true all-round martial artist. These sessions will be a brilliant way to sharpen up your stand-up game with specialised Judo techniques that complement your Jiu Jitsu.

A separate Judo grading system will also be available, meaning you’ll have the chance to rank up in either or both martial arts.

Personally, I’ll be tying up a white belt and jumping in alongside you all (fair warning: my Judo is whack 😂).

Manny and I returning to white belt for some Judo with Justin!

This Week’s Classes

Gi Fundamentals – We’ll be diving into submissions, primarily the arm bar and triangle, building on the details and focusing on how these submissions connect and flow together. Think of it as building a chain rather than just isolated moves.

No-Gi Fundamentals – Join Chris and I this week as we will be look at connecting to the legs in open guard, Shin on shin to Single leg X guard position where we will be looking at sweeps and the straight ankle lock.

Open Class – This will be our last week of open class in this slot, as Judo will take over from next week, take advantage of it! You’ll still have 15 minutes between sessions to roll, drill, or ask questions. Don’t worry, dedicated open mat time will be back soon!

Tip of the Week – Closed Guard

When you’ve got someone in closed guard, don’t just lock them down. Keep attacking and breaking their balance. The more threats you create, the more openings will appear. Think pressure, chains, and combinations – your closed guard should be alive, not static.

Mindset of the Week

Progress isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s the small victories – managing to stop someone passing your guard, escaping side control where you are normally stuck, or getting to a position you have been trying to work – that mark your real growth. Celebrate those quiet wins, they add up to something huge.

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