Scramblog
We’ve just released our latest jiujitsu gi themed NFT, the Base-K.
This one is special – first owners of the NFT can claim a real-world kimono shipped anywhere in the world via the unlockable content.
Check it out here!
Scramblog
Our first round of NFTs sold out in about three days, and batch 2 is now available. For this release, we have digitised the Athlete 4, one of our best selling jiujitsu gis from 2018 / 2019.
This gi came in three different weights – 375, 450 and 550, with the 550 being the heaviest and most expensive “collectors edition”.
The 375 was a lightweight comp gi and the 450 was an all-rounder.
We also released a “midnight edition” of this – All black with extra special detailing.
The new NFT collection follows exactly this pattern, and you can see the listing below. Perfect for collectors of jiujitsu and grappling based crypto art.
Scramblog
We at Scramble have joined the exploding digital art world with our first NFT release.
Drawing on over a decade of brand building and releases, our first collection of NFTs will be a digitised catalogue of our best-selling gis.
We start with the Athlete 5. The Athlete is our flagship model, a gi that we have refined over the years and has become synonymous with the brand.
For a few years now we have offered the Athlete in multiple weights and colours, from the competition focused and lightweight Athlite to the pro editition, which is a collectors item with an added attention to detail.
The initial price for the Scramble NFTs is approximately what it costs to buy a real kimono from us. We felt that this was a good starting point for collecting digital goods from Scramble. It is likely that subsequent releases will naturally increase in price.
Scramblog
Click or tap here to be taken to Scramble Europe.
We are very excited to finally launch Scramble’s European store. Now you can shop for gis, rashguards, grappling shorts and more, in Euros, with fast, simple flat rate shipping and best of all no extra taxes or duties to pay. We take care of all the tax behind the scenes, meaning you should simply receive your package in the post with no hassle.
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Tom Halpin is a black belt under Fight Sports, since 2017. The Irish grappler made a name for himself with standout performances on Polaris, as well as submitting his way to a spot in the ADCC finals by winning all his matches in the European trials.
We asked Tom about his start in the world of combat sports.
“I discovered MMA while on holidays with some friends in Ireland. We were playing the original UFC video game and I kept losing while striking, which upset me quite a bit. When they all went to the beach, I stayed home and learned how to play the ground fighting parts of the game and never lost again after that. Even back then I realised it was something where skill was the most important component and there was a lot I could learn. When I returned home I started watching the UFC and started training BJJ and MMA the following year in 2011.”
Amazing. Such humble beginnings for a humble athlete.
Tom counts his biggest achievements as his near flawless ADCC European Championship performance, and his winning the EBI Combat Jiujitsu World Championships, which included a lightning fast submission against the legend himself Masakazu Imanari.
“At the moment I do 7-10 nogi sessions a week. Consisting of variations of sparring, specific training, drilling, and lab work. As well of lot’s of study and thinking at home. I also do yoga, weights, and other exercises to keep my body athletic and healthy. Rest is also the most important part of the training, so I never neglect proper sleep and some quality time on the PlayStation.”
As with many professional jiujitsu athletes, ADCC glory remains the goal. ADCC has been around so long, and crowned many great champions, it has cemented itself as the pinnacle of no gi grappling competition.
“ADCC Champion is the ultimate goal, as well as owning my own school and sharing any knowledge I’ve gained throughout the years.”
In terms of heroes or people he looks up to, Tom had the following to say.
“I’ve never had any heroes in the sport, as I always thought of them as friends, training partners, or future opponents. However some of my biggest sporting inspirations from other sports would be Roger Federer and Ronnie O’ Sullivan, as well as many others. I love listening to interviews with other elite athletes as there’s always something to learn from them, especially in some of the more higher paying and competitive sports. I’m always struck by how they balance their competitive nature with a humble and down to earth attitude.”
Many jiujitsu athletes are very vocal about their favourite moves, techniques and positions. We asked Tom what were his favourite techniques.
“The best technique I’ve ever learned is that pressing the ‘J’ key on YouTube rewinds the video 10 seconds, ‘K’ pauses the video (or hold for slow motion), and that ‘L’ fasts forward 10 seconds. I use this every day studying matches and footage, to catch every little detail. It’s helped me improve my game more than anything.”
Indeed! Tape study seems to be used by the best of them.
Tom’s first bit of Scramble kit was the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba t-shirt.
“A friend gave me one of the original Scramble Sakuraba t-shirts that he had and it was the first BJJ related t-shirt I ever got. I wore it religiously and I like to think it improved my game by at least 1%.”
Nowadays, although Tom is on the mats every day head to toe in Scramble lycra, he gets the most mileage from our Scramble bag range.
“The Scramble backpack has been with me around the world to every single training session and competition the past few years and never lets me down. It’s also just big enough to fit everything in, while still being small enough to bring on every plane for free. Great success!”
When Tom is not on the mat ripping people’s leg bones apart, you can find him on Instagram or putting together his actually brilliant podcast, Inside Position.
Inside Position Podcast or search ‘inside position’ on any podcast app. Thanks!
Tom also has a jiujitsu instructional hosted over at our friends Techniqly.
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Jeremy Skinner is a black belt under Lachlan Giles (and Craig Jones I guess) of Absolute MMA in Australia. He has appeared in a number of domestic competitions in Australia and also flown to the UK twice, where he has picked up two submission wins in Polaris.
Jeremy took a few minutes to talk to us about his career in jiujitsu, and Scramble.
Jeremy’s jiujitsu career started unexpectedly – initially he was on the side of light, doing karate like a good boy, but he soon spotted the dark side, shrimping in the corner:
“While attending a karate class as a teenager, there was a Jiu Jitsu class happening on the other matspace and I thought “That looks cool” 😅
In terms of his BJJ competition record, Jeremy is most proud of his submission wins in Polaris so far. It’s not surprising – Polaris is the biggest and best jiujitsu stage in Europe, possibly the world, with a consistently high calibre of athletes invited to compete on its mats. Jeremy has two submissions on the show, wins that were watched by tens out thousands of people wordwide.
We asked Jeremy what his week looks like, in terms of jiujitsu.
Currently I spend more days teaching now! Typically I’ll train or teach class twice a day with technique study inbetween. I find a large amount of my development comes from study: reviewing footage, taking notes and testing.
With the Polaris wins under his belt, we wondered what the goals would be in jiujitsu and grappling moving forwards.
Competitively my primary goal is ADCC (both qualifying and winning) with the secondary goal of submitting high level competitors. Personally I want to develop all aspects of my Jiu Jitsu continuously and constantly push for my skills to be at the cutting edge of the sport. Long term I intend to focus more on my role as a coach in the sport: looking to build up and support aspiring competitors.
Many of us grew up in the sport with heroes, or people we aspire to be like.
I don’t believe in heroes in Jiu Jitsu. Maybe a cynical answer but I think it’s important to remember everyone is human.
It’s a fair point. I have lost count of the number of heroes I have met so far doing the sport, and almost all of them turn out to be very human indeed 😉
Jeremy Skinner’s Top 5 Jiujitsu Techniques are:
1. Rear strangle
2. Inside heelhook
3. Kata gatame
4. K guard
5. Bodylock pass
We have been supporting Jeremy for a while, but I could not remember what the first Scramble item was that Jeremy bought or owned. “Semi-custom gi and purple ranked V2 rashguard,” he says. The Scramble Standard Issue semi-custom is not surprising – it’s one of our best-selling gis, and one we try to keep in stock year round. The ranked rashguard is also a popular staple. Speaking of which, it’s probably time for a new one.
As to Jeremy’s favourite current bit of Scramble kit in rotation?
Combination shorts. Perfect for both training and day-to-day. I always wear compression shorts underneath other shorts so to have it all in one is just right for me.
Not a massive surprise there – the Combination shorts are one of our best-selling items. They took many months to perfect with a lot of samples discarded.
If you want to check out more from Jeremy Skinner, have a look at his Youtube Channel, his Instagram, or consider buying his heel hook / leglock / positional instructional at Techniqly.
Scramblog
We are very proud to support the Francis Ngannou Foundation in Batie, Cameroon. Scrambler Sam Crook has been over there teaching jiujitsu at the foundation to the local kids (and adults) for a while now.
Check out this video from the UFC where Francis returns to his village and foundation. You can see the gis that we supplied there that all the kids are wearing. At this time, Sam was stuck back in the UK due to travel restrictions so he missed his chance to be featured on the UFC broadcast, but we are certain he will have another chance.
Scramblog
Hi, if you are reading this, you are either someone looking to shop for gifts for yourself or your significant other – in which case, welcome!
First up, Scramble face masks. We made these when inklings of the apocalypse began earlier in the year, and it turned out we couldn’t make them fast enough. Turns out you guys LOVE masks. I don’t blame you, so do I, in fact. PSA: A mask is a small strip of fabric that might slightly help the transmission of airborne pathogens, and NOT a mind-control device or political tool. Just FYI.
Here at Scramble we actually do have the perfect Christmas gifts for jiujitsu fans. There’s a load of stuff that’s small and inexpensive as stocking fillers, or if you really want to make your significant other flip the dang heck out and cry tears of joy on Christmas day, pick up some limited edition items or soon-to-be-sold-out specials.
Next! Water bottles. Our Mixu XL flask is a great way to say not only that you love to stay hydrated (admirable) but that you are fashion conscious too, as it has some mega tasty but still subtle Scramble branding on it. Plus this one holds approximately a gazillion deca-litres of water so it’s perfect for those long rounds with Polish beasts. You can also add the coffee cup to list this, because it combines two of our favourite things – Coffee, Scramble, and Skulls. Wait that’s three things. It combines three of our favourite things: Coffee, Scramble, Skulls and Jiujitsu. Oh never mind.
Next: Towels. We do a brisk trade in towels – they are small, compact, great for wiping your face in between rounds or if you go for the big one, it can be your ACTUAL TOWEL that you use daily. Or, it works on the beach, too. That’s the beauty of a towel – it’s just a towel and does towel stuff regardless of the location. Also it has jiujitsu words on it so that’s good.
Possibly my personal favourite item of all – the Scramble Skabuki Socks. Socks are a classic Christmas gift, but they used to mean “I could’t think of anything so I got you socks.” Now, with the added awesomeness of jiujitsu and Scramble, socks become “Check out these freakin’ sweet socks I gave you! Open them! NOW! Rip open the packaging right now! For God’s sake just give them here and I will do it. Wow nice socks I might keep them.”
Bonus: For the hardcore who only accept gifts directly applicable to their jiujitsu training, why not try the Scramble Grip Trainers or the Scramble Finger Tape? Both small, relatively inexpensive stocking fillers that let your significant other who does jiujitsu know that you actually give a crap about them. Enjoy!
Stuff that will be sold out and not restocked and is therefore special:
The Kano gi is another personal favourite. Taking hints from the ancestor to jiujitsu, the gi has a judo aesthetic, with simple graphics, a large back patch and a sashiko weave lower half that is a direct nod to the Gentle Art itself. This will not be restocked so get one before they’re gone. Available in men’s and women’s versions.
Just added to the store and with a special mention are these Destiny Forever jiujitsu bracelets, hand made by Enson Inoue in a mountain temple in Japan. OK maybe not in a temple on a mountain but definitely made by Enson himself. These items of jiujitsu jewelry are something different and make the perfect gift for any jiujitsu head.
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Watch the video above.
Patrick Gaudio is one of the best in the world, gi or no gi, and his story of training is a unique one. From humble beginnings following in his father’s footsteps to his current position in Dream Art Academy in Brazil, Patrick Gaudio’s jiujitsu journey contains lessons for everyone.
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Perfect timing for the Covid-19 / Quarantine / Coronavirus / Lockdown thing, Scrambler Oliver Taza has two very useful videos on his Youtube Video.
The first is a really useful guide on how to kettlebell swing. How to swing the bell safely and for the maximum benefit. Oliver believes kettlebell swings are one of the best exercises you can do with minimal equipment, and especially for ensuring you have strong and healthy knees, which is a must for jiujitsu, grappling and MMA.
The John Danaher / Firas Zahabi Tri Star brown belt Taza has also uploaded how to Single Leg Deadlift with a kettlebell – another extremely useful exercise for strengthening the knee, hips, core, lower back, etc. Use this video to make sure you have good form.
Image courtesy:
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Our Youtube channel has quite a library of videos – promotional videos, interviews, snapshots, etc.
The latest Snapshot is with Samantha Cook and Bradley Hill, two jiujitsu black belts currently living and training in London.
We also have a new technique video from Miha Perhavec uploading every Friday.
First published was the “Best Armbar Break”, where Miha shows his favourite grips for breaking the opponent’s defences when trying to apply an armbar.
And also the Punchsoto Gari, a variation of osoto-gari that Miha likes to use when throwing people in jiujitsu.
Scramblog
Use the discount code scramble30 for 30% off any instructional on the site! (Not available in conjunction with any other codes.)
A new jiujitsu and grappling instructional website, Techniqly, has now launched.
We know the people behind it – and they are good people 😉
Techniqly aims to deliver really high quality instructionals from all kinds of teachers – famous or not – from around the world, with the key ingredient being quality of teaching and quality techniques.
Techniqly launched with a solid lineup featuring some well-known Scramblers.
Tom Halpin’s instructional debut covers the X-Guard and Leglocks. The instructional goes into great detail on finishing, and setting up, various types of leglocks (heelhooks and kneebars) from the popular position. Tom is one of the best competitors the UK has produced, winning the ADCC trials and representing Ireland at ADCC.
Tom Barlow’s Death by Arm Triangle goes through everything you need to know for a killer arm triangle. Loads of little details on setting up and finishing the popular submission, all explained very clearly by Tom who is an excellent instructor – as well as being a black belt under Braulio Estima.
Tommi’s Pulkkanen’s “Spaghetti De La Riva” shows us some very nice sweeps and submissions from the famous De La Riva guard, given the Spaghetti BJJ twist. Tommi is one of the best competitors in Europe and his leglocks and lapel game is second to none.
Masakazu Imanari also released “Master of Leglocks” though Techniqly, and altho this clocks in at just 16 minutes, it is completely free for anyone who opens an account at Techniqly. All you have to do is create an account and sign up for the newsletter, and the video will be in your account.
Use the discount code scramble30 for 30% off any instructional on the site! (Not available in conjunction with any other codes.)
