Revelation Gym - Straight Blast Gym affiliated training group

The following dates have been chosen by Mark and I for various events:

6th March - Brechin Competition 1

8th May - 1st LD & ITF TKD Grading/Seminar

4th Sept - LD & ITF TKD Grading/Seminar

13th Nov - Brechin Competition 2

4th December - LD & ITF Grading/Seminar

16th December - Children's Xmas party/fun night (all kids invited)

20th December - Last night before Xmas

With the current bad weather at the moment, could you all please be vigilant and accept our apologies if neither Mark nor I can make classes.

In Aberdeen the weather has been poor recently so if you think it's bad then the chances are we're not able to make it either.

I'll ask Mike Duff to cover if we can't make it.

Thanks

Congratulations to all who tested recently but especially to:

Caitlin Taylor

Emma Keenan

and

Cameron Clark

All were promoted to 1st Degree Blackbelts.

Well done.

http://www.grabandpull.co.uk/index.php?cPath=19

Scottish open BJJ tourney in Edinburgh on 16th jan.

Be good to send a few people.

PS Please do not register yourself as it needs to be done by your coach ie Stuart

Anyone interested let me know.

We've now received confirmation that we're now a Straight Blast Gym affiliated training group (ATG).

Unlike most martial arts organisations you can't just join the SBG as an ATG, you have to be invited and then selected.

Stuart has been coaching with the guidance of his Instructor, John Reid, and therefore associated with the Aliveness Gym SBG (ATG) in Aberdeen. Nothing here will change, but to have access to the best BJJ/MMA curriculums, world class coaches, camps, latest tips, tutorials, and opportunites for seminars & belt testing is fantastic news for us.

We hope to now become an assett and produce some of Scotland's next best and brightest combat athletes in either BJJ or MMA or both.

Stuart has been training under the Straight Blast Gym International (SBGi) Affiliated Training Group (ATG) known as the Aliveness Gym for a while, his Coach/Instructor John Reid continues to teach Stuart normally at least once a week. 

John Reid oversees our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and occasionally visits our gym having put faith in Stuart granting Aliveness Gym ATG status prior to us gaining full SBGi ATG status.

Qualifications as such are not really necessary in BJJ, since realistically there is no emphasis placed on belts. There are only 5 belts and the SBG under Matt Thornton has only produced 3 blackbelts worldwide! Two of which come from England and Ireland.

Anyone from the Aliveness Gym in Aberdeen who is a blue belt or above can coach Revelation Gym BJJ/MMA students including Stuart.

Stuart will remain coaching the BJJ for the foreseeable future or until someone else has the technical knowledge and ability to do same. 

One tribe, one vibe. 

Stuart Mulligan is the only International Combat Hapkido Federation (ICHF) recognised Instructor with the entitlement to grade students.He's also the only person with a Scientific Fighting Congress (SFC) Basic Unarmed Combatives Instructor Qualification.

The following people are Assistant Instructors, again more than capable of passing on knowledge, they occasionally cover classes:

Alan Roberts

Rhodri Thomas

Mark Mitchell

One tribe, one vibe. 

Name                                                         Qualification                                                     Current Grade

Stuart Mulligan                   International Instructor & International Umpire        5th Degree Blackbelt

   Senior Coach

Mark Mitchell                                National Instructor & Umpire                            3rd Degree Blackbelt

              Lil' Dragons Director

Rhodri Thomas                           National Instructor & Umpire                            2nd Degree Blackbelt

Michael Duff                                 National Instructor & Umpire                            1st Degree Blackbelt

Steven Macdonald                    Senior & Junior Club Instructor                          1st Degree Blackbelt

Jack Cavanagh                         Junior Club Assistant Instructor                         1st Degree Blackbelt

Gregor O'Neill                           Junior Club Assistant Instructor                          1st Degree Blackbelt

The International Instructor (Sabum) is the only qualification which entitles a blackbelt to grade (assess) students. To become an International Instructor the minimum blackbelt degree requirement is that of a 4th Degree. As an International Instructor, rights can be granted to other Instructors to grade students provided the grades are signed off by that International Instructor.

In some circumstances 3rd Degree Blackbelts can grade students without an International Instructor. This has to be sanctioned by the most senior person in the organisation (usually a Grandmaster/Saesong or President).

The National Instructor & National umpire (Boosabum) is a qualification which entitles the holder to teach in the UK and without grading students.

The ITF Encyclopaedia states that qualification of Boosabum means, "Assistant Instructor". This is very ambiguous because most Instructors who run clases are not high ranks, so in the Revelation Gym Boosabum means a qualified instructor.

We also have club level titles which basically mean the individuals concerned are neither International nor National Instructors, therefore at present unable to open their own classes elsewhere.

All qualified ITF teachers should wear the appropriate shoulder patches to clarify status.

NB. Just because someone has the appropriate qualification doesn't necessarily make them a good teacher, likewise just because someone doesn't have a recognised qualification doesn't mean they're not a good teacher. 

At the Revelation Gym we try to stamp out the hierarchy nonsense that is prevalent in Traditional Martial Arts such as ITF, we keep the rules and reg's though so as not to confuse people when they go to other ITF TKD events................one tribe, one vibe 

Straight Blast Gym regional director and head coach Karl Tanswell will be at the Revelation Gym in June.  Don't miss it!