Sunshine, New Classes & Bank Holiday Plans - E17 BJJ Weekly Newsletter 27/04/2026

e17bjj
2 days ago
3 min read

Hey team,

Lovely weather this week, which always helps. Hopefully you’ve all had a chance to get a bit of sun and feel human again.

Also a big thank you to everyone who came down to the last community movie night. It was a really nice evening and great to spend some time together off the mats. I’ll be putting up a poll before our next movie, so keep an eye out on our instagram and get your votes in

NEW Classes From This Week

From this week we’re adding two new sessions on Sundays:

Cardio for BJJ — 11:00 to 11:30

This class will focus on BJJ-specific conditioning, using movement drills, speed work and technique-based exercises to improve your cardio, burn calories and build a better gas tank - all while sharpening your Jiu Jitsu.

No offence to running, but this will be a lot more relevant (and a lot less boring).

Sunday Open Mat - 11:30 to 13:00

Straight after, we’ll be running a brand new Sunday open mat, giving you even more opportunities to train, drill and roll.

With this, the gym is now open every day of the week. We’ll continue to tweak and build the timetable as we move toward the grand opening and keep adding value for you all.

Important Notice – Bank Holiday Monday

Monday 4th May (Bank Holiday)

There will be no evening classes. Instead we’ll run:

BJJ Fundamentals with Mouncif - 11:00
Open Mat - 12:00 to 13:30

Come down for a morning/afternoon session and then enjoy the rest of your bank holiday.

Late Gi Classes Reminder

Don’t forget the late Gi classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Ryan and Hugo:

🕖 19:45 to 21:00

A great option if you finish work later or want to get extra training in during the week.

Coaching Update

Christopher Macken will be away this week teaching at a camp, but will be back next week.

I’ll be covering the Friday Gi class in the meantime.

This Week’s Focus

BJJ Fundamentals with Mouncif and Juan (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

We’ll be working from collar and sleeve guard, focusing on control, breaking posture and developing sweeps.

No Gi Fundamentals with Hugo and Ryan (Tuesday & Thursday)

We’ll be introducing butterfly guard, looking at a range of sweeps and incorporating the shoulder crunch to control and off-balance your partner.

Gi Fundamentals (Tuesday & Thursday) with Hugo and Ryan

We’ll be working on De La Riva and De La X, focusing on sweeps and opportunities to take the back.

Judo with Justin

This week’s focus will be transitions into pins, looking at how to secure control after a throw and establish dominant positions.

Wrestling for BJJ with Mehmet

We’ll be working on shot drills and finishing mechanics, focusing on doubles and singles, as well as introducing a basic sit-out from double overhooks and headlock positions.

Teens No Gi with Ryan and Hugo

We’ll be working from closed guard, focusing on the pendulum sweep, and building on arm drags to climb to the back. The aim is to understand how to connect these movements together so you can move from control into strong attacking positions.

Ravenswood Spring Weekender

Over the bank holiday weekend, Ravenswood Collective will be hosting a Spring Weekender, with food vendors, market stalls and DJs.

Keep an eye on our stories for more details.

Come down for our Sunday open mat, get some training in, and then enjoy a great day around the estate.

Tip of the Week "Don’t chase everything at once."

It’s easy to try and learn every guard, every pass, every submission all at the same time.

Pick one area. Spend time in it. Get a feel for it.

Depth beats width in Jiu Jitsu. The more you understand one position, the easier it becomes to understand the next.

See you on the mats,

-Mouncif

E17 BJJ