X-Guard, Back Attacks & Grading Incoming! | E17 BJJ Weekly Newsletter 24/11/25

e17bjj
Nov 24
2 min read

Hey guys,

I hope you all had a great week with Alaa and Mehmet, and enjoyed learning from some different perspectives. I’m happy to be back on the mats with you — even in the cold weather — and looking forward to another solid week of training together!

Winter Grading — Monday 1st December

Our Winter Grading is next Monday, and I’d love to see as many of you there as possible. Come support your teammates, celebrate their progress, share some laughs, and then join us afterwards for dinner and a bit of social time.

The improvements recently have been huge — timing, control, confidence — and it’s been amazing to watch. I can’t wait to recognise everyone’s hard work.

Timetable Changes This Week

Friday 28th — No BJJ Classes!

We’re facing disruption again at the Welcome Centre, so there will be NO BJJ classes on Friday.

However, Judo will be running at 19:15 at Crate 17 in the Mall (same location as our usual No-Gi sessions).

Extra Class to Make Up for Friday - To make up for the missed session, I’ll be running an additional class on:➡️ Saturday 29th November at 6pm at St Mary's Welcome Centre- Fundamentals class, all levels welcome!

🥋 This Week’s Focus

Gi — X Guard: We’ll be working on entering the X Guard, understanding the controls, and learning why it’s such a strong sweeping position. Clean entries, strong balance, and smart transitions are the goal this week.

No-Gi — Back Attacks: We’re focusing on capitalising on back takes — securing hooks, controlling the upper body, and finishing once you’ve got the position. The back is the strongest place to be, and we’ll build confidence in controlling it.

Judo — We will continue looking at the tai otoshi

Announcements

Jumpers: A few winter jumpers are still available — perfect for staying warm before and after training.

Rashguards: New rashguards are available at St Mary’s. If you only attend No-Gi, just message me and I’ll bring one over.

Saturday 6th December — Bonus Open Mat! We’ve got an open space from 12–2pm at St Mary’s Welcome Centre.

Come down to:

Roll
Drill
Practice Judo
Sharpen your favourite moves

No-Gi class will still run as normal at 10am in the Mall

👤 Private Lessons

I’m now opening slots for 1-to-1, 2-to-1, or small-group sessions. These are great for fixing problem areas, sharpening technique, or exploring new parts of your game in more detail.

If you’re interested, speak to me in class or drop me a message — happy to help wherever you want to improve.

Tip of the Week - Ask more questions.

If something keeps happening to you in sparring, don’t stay confused — ask the person who did it, ask your training partners, ask me. Curiosity accelerates progress more than anything else.

See you on the mats!

— Mouncif,

E17 BJJ