Kon awarded purple belt by John Will!

Kon was awarded his purple belt by John Will on 27 April, Sunday.

It was a momentuous event, for Kon, and for us. It is a long over-due achievement, as Kon has demonstrated a level of Jiu-Jitsu way above his blue belt and a tremendous teaching ability to boot.

Congratulations, Kon! Well-deserved and loooooooooooong over-dueeeeeeeeeeeee!

John Will has a write-up of appreciation of Kon and his recent visit to Singapore on his blog. It gives a glimpse into the person that is Kon. Read it here.


Kon, receiving his purple belt from John Will himself.

HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE!

- 4 golds!
- Most Technical Fighter

Both Aziz and Melvynna competed in last weekend's 2008 Pan Asian Brazilian Jiu-Jistu International in Manila, representing Budo Academy and Kreation Jiu-Jitsu.

Besides sweeping all the womens categories she participated in (Gi; weight class and absolute and No Gi; Weight class and Absolute) and returning to Singapore with 4 gold medals, Mel was also awarded the Technical Fighter of the tournament. It is the highest award of the event with only one given out each time.

And this is the FIRST TIME it has been awarded to a female.

Only 1 of her fights went full time and was decided on points (she was down 3 points in the last 10 secs, but did a take down and went to full mount to win!), and 1 fight ended in submission inside of 15 secs.

We are certain both Aziz and Mel have also gained valuable experience in the tournament.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!


Melvynna in the grappling action (Grappling Circuit 2007, photo courtesy of Paul W.)


Melvynna in Pan Asian BJJ/Grappling Championships in Manila, PH (photo courtesy of bjj-asia.com)

Black Belt In Our Midst!!

BLACK BELT IN OUR MIDST!!!

For over the last 3 months, Cristiano José Carvalho, a native Brazilian black belt relocated here for work, has been a great addition to our family.

We are very excited to be training with him as he is warm, easygoing and approachable. He has a vast knowledge and experience in the art which he willingly and freely shares.

Apart from imparting Jiu-Jitsu, Cristiano had also promised to teach us Portuguese.

Boa vinda, Cristiano!



Cristiano (far right) talking to Sul at a recent tournament.

Scott Calver is back!

Welcome back, Scott!

Scott had spent a considerable time in jiu-jitsu and judo, both as a student and active competitor.

We have missed Scott over the years when he was relocated to Bangkok for work. Whilst there, he trained under Adam Kayoom. Now that he's back in Singapore, we are so pleased to have him in the club again.

Alright Scott, start spilling the beans on the secrets of your tom yam jiu-jitsu! :)

A picture of Scott (courtesy of Luke, bjj-asia.com) with Andre Galvao in the latter's recent seminar in Hong Kong.



Luke has also written a very good article on training partners, in dedication to Scott. Worth a read!

John B Will Seminar & Dinner

John Will seminar has come and gone. Once again, John Will has proven to be one of the best coaches anyone can have the privilege to learn under.

Besides delivering a well-planned and awesome seminar, John Will also gave us encouragement and specific advice on our Jiu-Jitsu pursuit. Without a doubt, everybody walked away with new insights and renewed enthusiasm for the art.

Keeping up with tradition, we had dinner with John Will. This is another cherished highlight of the evening. Many life long stories were shared over pizzas, steak and beer.

Thanks to Kon for organising yet another great seminar, as he's been doing over the years.

(photos of the dinner will be uploaded soon)