Team Lloyd Irvin Rape Allegations

As being reported by the mainstream media, there seems to have been an alleged rape of a woman on New Years Eve by members of Team Lloyd Irvin.

Here is the video of the news broadcast.



ABC 7 News in Washington, D.C., provides more details:

"... the young woman, Maldonado and Schultz all know each other from the Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts School in Camps Springs where they trained. Police said the woman bumped in the two men at a club in D.C. They offered to escort her to an instructor's home, because she was too drunk to drive. But the men took her to the St. Matthew's Center parking garage instead, police explained, where surveillance cameras captured Maldanado raping the woman and Shultz joining."

Crazy... how could they do that to a teammate?

Things looked even more grim for Lloyd Irvin, as people dug around further into his past.


It might be a case of "same name, different person", but there is a "Lloyd Irvin Jr." being accused of gang rape back in 1990 in the following article

http://articles.dailypress.com/1990-04-21/news/9004210056_1_irvin-two-men-young-woman

Not sure what to say... having a daughter, I can only hope for quick and swift justice for the victim and her family, and that the world as a whole doesn't look at BJJ in a bad light.

Jiu Jitsu is supposed to empower people to stop attacks and rape, not promote them..

UPDATE:

Here is an exhaustive link-fest to all the details around this incident

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f12/lloyd-irvins-students-accused-brutal-rape-part-3-a-2357249/

Crazy!!

Mike

"The Ground Is My Ocean, I'm The Shark, And Most People Don't Even Know How To Swim."

I love this quote.

It is hands down one of the most bad ass things to say to a newbie during their first class. I have heard it credited to Rickson Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Royce Gracie, and even Rolls Gracie.

Closer to it's originator (but still incorrect) is Jean Jacques Machado, and Rigan Machado.

Well, I found the source.. I was reading though old Black Belt Magazine issues in Google Books and came across this...

Black Belt Magazine, November 1994, Page 27

The quote is attributed to Carlos Machado and appears on page 27 of the November 1994 issue of Black Belt Magazine in an article about Royce Gracie's take-downs

The full quote is

"After the clinch, it doesn't matter what happens, one way or another, we're going to hit the ground, and we'll be in my world. The ground is my ocean, I'm the shark, and most people don't even know how to swim."

Cool quote... it's even cooler that it is attributed to the right person.

Mike

Jiu Jitsu Changes Lives...

Before I started BJJ, I was on the wrong path. I smoked, I drank heavily, and I was out of shape.

I was recently looking over photo's of a Jean Jacques Machado seminar that Jesslyn and I attended when we were both white belts. I was shocked to see an old photo of me and how soft around the middle I was.

Now fast forward to the Machado Camp last week, and I had the opportunity to take another photo with Professor Jean Jacques Machado.

I think the results of two years of BJJ are undeniable!

(Also, thanks to Jesslyn for teaching me how to smile!).

Refining Your Warm-Up Technique

I have come under a new appreciation for the warm ups we are doing in class. I had an epiphany style moment when one of our instructors mentioned to me that my technique was slightly off during the warm up.

In our school, we try and focus on technique based warm up drills that approximately mimic certain fundamental BJJ movements. Warm up motions like "shrimping", the "step-thru from turtle", and "phantom triangles" are common and no doubt your school does some of the same.

At the time I was following the class across the mat; butt scooting forward, then shooting my legs up for the triangle. He mentioned I wasn't really raising my hips far enough off the ground, and that the "bite" with my leg behind the imaginary neck was coming from too far outside of the imaginary body. He mentioned that the path my leg should take should be tighter and follow closer the contour of the body.

It was then that I had the eureka moment. If your technique is sloppy during the warm up drills, then you will have helped ingrain crappy technique into your muscle memory. I think it is safe to say that some of that will be carried over into your "fast response" technique in rolling

Lets say you review triangles once a week (which would be a lot). What carries over more in how you perform a technique? Drilling it properly 15-30 times during the "teaching phase" of that one class, or the hundred times you could possibly mimic it over a typical week's worth of warm ups?

In that instant when you need to call on a technique and not think about it, you brain and muscles quickly recall what they have done the most.

Now... I am not saying that your warm up should be as technically sound as the proper drilling of the class. It is a warm-up after all. But I think by adding a little more thought into how you perform the techniques during the warm up, you can do a lot to improve your reactionary time for certain techniques.

 I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, 
but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.~ Bruce Lee

While I was doing a little bit of research into this, I found this post from The Jiu Jitsu Labratory. If you have time, give it a quick read. I think it's fantastic!

Mike.

Review: Gorilla Fight Gear 2012 "Apeman" Gi

 It seems I had done a thorough enough job when I reviewed the Gorilla“Hitman“ cotton rip-stop gi, to warrant Mike over at Gorilla to give me a closer look at his new 2012 “Apeman” crystal weave gi.

This time around, I got the opportunity to learn a little more about Mike and Gorilla Fight Gear.

 Mike started Gorilla fight gear back in 2005 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At that time a back injury forced Mike to have a long and hard look at his career in law enforcement. To hedge his bets, he started a fight gear company: Gorilla Fight Gear.

 Gorilla Fight Gear BJJ gi’s are some of the more cutting edge designs on the market and I think it all stems from Mike’s willingness to try and innovate. Not every style choice is a home run in my opinion, but I respect the mindset of trying to keep things fresh and on the edge..

 In Mike’s own words “What sets us apart I would say it's our customer service, if you have an issue with a product I’ll do everything in my power to make it right. Other then that, I’m always crazy about making a better product, so I’m constantly on the look out for new materials or concepts that would make Gorilla Fight Gear unique, I just don't like being the same as everyone else.”

 When I asked about what new products he is thinking about designing, “All our new BJJ gear we have planned for the future all revolves around fabric like bamboo, hemp and even some synthetic fabrics… Make sure we have more gi models in our slim and big sizes. As for other bjj related items we plan on bring in some BJJ accessories and t-shirts. We have to see about that as the main priority (right now) is to remain stocked up at all times.

 I had asked him about his training and he explained that it has been sporadic due to a bunch of different injuries. If you’re interested, Mike keeps a training blog at www.fatninjas.com

________________________________

The APEMAN from the Gorilla website

I ordered the 2012 “Apeman” in blue from Gorilla Fight Gear's website. I ordered it in an A5 size. I generally order an A5 and then super hot wash and nuclear dry it to shrink fit down to a roomy A4.
 I now own ultra-light gi’s (which are great for hot weather) and heavy durable gi’s (that help keep my opponents grips off). This gi would be a welcome “middle ground” between the two. The most interesting part of this gi for me was the “crystal weave”. Promisiing to be a little different than the regular sea of "pearl" weaves, light "gold" weaves and the like.

The “Apeman” sells for $149.00 off the website with a Canada Post Flat Shipping Rate of $9.95 to Ontario. Throw in roughly 20 bucks for Ontario taxes and it tops out at just a couple bucks south of $180... gi in hand (or dojo)

The gi came neatly wrapped a few days after ordering it. I ripped into the packaging and found three large zip-lock bags, each containing a different article. The package contained 1) a “crystal weave” top 2) a pair of regular Gorilla twill pants and 3) a premium white belt.

 
My initial impression of the crystal weave as I unfolded it was “this thing is soft!” It is by far the softest gi I have felt. The weave could only be described as a cross between a gold weave and a old school single weave. It is light feeling and seems to breathe well.

The top also has some fairly loud styling to it, with a large embroidered star on the from crest of the jacket, and white contrasting “trim” around the jacket and pant side vents. It is much more pronounced than I had thought based on the pictures on the website. Also along some of the major seams, the stitching is white to contrast the blue fabric. It seems as a conscious style choice, not all of the seams are stitched with the white thread.

The jacket and pants ....in all their glory

________________________________

The Top

I carefully went over the top stitch-by-stitch. It is well constructed with no "problem area's" I think since Gorilla has been making BJJ gi's since 2005, they have long since worked out any issues with their gi's. As I have come to expect, everything is well stitched, well re-enforced, and (mostly) well thought out.

The "artistic depth-of-field collar shot"

Right off the bat, you notice the large embroidered star on the front lapel. I believe this is a "love it" or "hate it" styling cue, and is not for the faint of heart.
Being over thirty, I think my days of rocking the explosive-in-your-face clothing is well behind me. I have never owned a piece of clothing with an energy drink logo on it, and I dont intend to start. In complete fairness though, the star may appeal to a younger demographic, and certainly will help you to stand apart from your peers...if that's your thing.

Embroidering the proverbial target on you?

 From a quality standpoint, the star is well embroidered, and is small enough that a team lapel patch will fit over it and cover it completely... but just barely.

View from inside the jacket...if you put a patch over the front.. this will stay to haunt you

Finally, there is perhaps a demographic that might be heavily attracted to this star: The Dallas Cowboy fans.

Since Professor Carlos Machado is based in Texas, and this is a heavily Machado based blog, perhaps some people attending his school, are also Cowboys fans.... hey... you never know.

Anyways...enough about the star.

________________________________

The gi top has a few more labels on it, a small gorilla patch at the bottom of the left collar, a stylized "G" black-belt logo on the right sleeve, and an maker/sizing tag inside the back of the jacket.

Collar Tag

Maker/Sizing Tag

For some reason I didn't take a pic of the arm embroidery....Hmmm... I thought I did... oh well.. I ripped this one from Gorilla's website so you get the idea...

 ________________________________

 The sleeves on this gi are more tailored than the Hitman gi I reviewed. They are more like a Gameness style sleeve (if you know what I am referring to) I never liked the wide sleeves that resemble a judo gi, or the sleeves that are so tight they restrict movement. These ones are a perfect balance between the two.

Sleeve Stitching Close Up

Sleeve Cuff Re-enforcement (folded inside out for clarity)

Like I had said earlier, the side vents are trimmed in white. It certainly looks more pronounced in real life than the pictures show, though not to the point of being "too much"

Side vent in an action shot!!....just look at that venting performance!!!

Side vent plus the inside re-enforced area

Something that Gorilla does wonderfully is "tape" the inner seams of the jacket with re-enforcing strips. I believe this is an old technique carried over from judo gi's. I especially appreciate the "taping" that helps attach the collar to the jacket body. This alone will help to increase the life of the jacket by at least a factor of three.

If you think about it... the biggest "rip-zone" when some savage is yanking you around, is from top to midway along the jackets collar...Exactly the place Gorilla has re-enforced.

A final touch on the jacket body is a small inside pocket on the jacket. A couple of years ago, this was all the rage to have on your tournament gi, so you could put a Visa or an MP3 player in there while waiting to be called up. In theroy it seems like a great idea, though I have never used this pocket on any of my gi's for anything. I have in fact, started to dislike the thought of them, as they are perfect "toe catchers" when playing spider guard. I also could easily see that during a competition, you would be fired up enough to forget that you've put your Visa in there before stepping on the mat...

If you dislike it, it looks easy to remove it with a stitch ripper

________________________________

The Pants

The pants are fairly straight forward medium-weight cotton twill...except for the crotch re-enforcement which is the same "crystal weave" as the jacket.. Same as the jacket, it is trimmed with white fabric, and has some contrast stitching in white at various seams. The pants have six loops to weave your drawstring through, make sure you can cinch your pants tight without any bunching in the front. A nice touch. They fit on the baggy side, and are plenty roomy for movement...

Loops-o-plenty

As mentioned the crotch fabric is the same as the top...and is generously cut for all the guard players out there. It also seems to breath a lot better than the regular twill the rest of the pants are made from. So it helps to create an sort of "air-conditioning" effect... Who couldn't use that?

The little re-enforcing triangle is still sewn inside where all the seams come together... picture is curiously unavailable... maybe I'm slipping?

________________________________

There is no new ground broken on the pant cuffs or the belt loops or drawstrings. All areas are well built and re-enforced. The only real thing of note here is the flat style drawstring. I prefer a rope style, so in my mind a flat drawstring will always be inferior. Your opinion may differ.

Pant cuff flipped inside out to show the re-enforcement

Again... the pant cuff close up

The "flat" style drawstring

 ________________________________

As I said in my review of the Gorilla "Hitman" ripstop gi, Gorilla makes sure to double up the knee-pad well. It covers almost the entire leg of the pants and is heavily stitched. I hate knee-pads that cover as much of the knee as a drink coaster would. Rarely do they stay in place long enough to keep the doubled up fabric "where the rubber meets the road"....so to speak. How many Lucky gi's have a hole just outside the knee-pad area?...I don't know...but I'll bet a few..

The start of the knee pad

________________________________

The side vents on the pants help to showcase a beautiful little feature of this gi. The rear waist is slightly offset higher than the front. Untold amounts of people have been spared views of their opponents plumbers crack while in turtle simply because of this small design feature... If you have ever felt traditional pants "slip" down while doing forward rolls, then these are the pants for you.

I probably could have straightened out the fabric a little more to really highlight the offset...

Side vent with the full view of the re-enforced area around it. NOTE: the area ti the right that looks like a rip... is just where the belt loop is stitched

________________________________

And finally, something I have only seen on Gorilla Fight Gear pants: A re-enforced seat area. I don't really know why there needs to be double fabric along you butt crack... and I probably don't want to know why... but.. I am somehow glad it is there...

I messed with the contrast on this photo to try and highlight the re-enforcing patch along the butt crack

________________________________

The Belt 

The belt is identical to the one that came inside the "Hitman" gi. If you want to see the photos zip over to that review by using this link 

________________________________

The Measurements

I had the pants professionally hemmed. The * is present on the measurements directly affected by the hemming.

________________________________

The Verdict

As Mike at Gorilla said, I’m constantly on the look out for new materials or concepts that would make Gorilla Fight Gear unique". I think with all things "on the edge" your bound to occasionally be hit-or-miss. The star on the lapel is a "miss" for me. It is too big and flashy. I prefer a more subtle styling. Perhaps if it was a patch, and not embroidery, I could have simply removed it.

I instead ended up putting a school lapel patch over it...problem solved.

With styling aside, it is still a bad-ass gi that is well constructed, rolls light and fluid, and is the rival of any gi in the $200+ market. Gorilla listens to their customers and tweaks their gear to give the public what they want. It fits well around the shoulders, has no seam on the back, and slims the arms down to give it that "true BJJ cut" feeling. This is no modified Judo gi.

I like the "crystal weave" fabric and find that it breathes really well. Sometimes with other companies "pearl weaves", I find they start to feel like wet paper-towel against your skin when soaked with sweat-which is gross. This Apeman feels soft and breathable when soaked...and still weighs in the same range as a "pearl weave"... Gorilla is really on to something with this fabric.

The fabric that re-enforces the crotch provides a nice breathable area for all your bits. It is such a small thing, and yet really helps to cool you down when you back-to-back-to-back roll.

Overall, it is a great second or third gi.. It is kind of expensive for a first gi. It is especially nice as a milestone present to yourself (like getting your blue belt) It is well put together, refined, and has tons of cutting edge features. 

We are both wearing this gi before shrinking it down in the wash... so it is huge on both of us...lol

I will let you guys know how it ages and what changes (if anything) through use.

Mike

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Like this Review?? Please Comment Below, And Click Here For My Other BJJ Product Reviews

This review represents my own opinions. I am not an expert by any means in cotton, garment construction, or fabric stress. I am just a regular BJJ student who loves Jiu Jitsu. I consider myself as independent and impartial as one can get. I am not sponsored by Gorilla, though I did receive this gi free of charge for the purposes of reviewing it.. If you have any questions about this review, please comment below or email me at lifevsjiujitsu@gmail(dot)com.  I hope you enjoyed the large detailed photos I included; it is something I think many reviews are lacking. Thanks for reading. 

__________________________________________________

2012 RCJ Machado CAMP

This years annual Machado Camp is in the greater Dallas area on October 26, 27, 28th

 I didn't get a chance last year to go as I had a scheduling conflict with work (I was in Vegas for our industries trade show.). Our instructor and a handful of teammates went down to support and learn from all five brothers. They all came back looking inspired, more dedicated, and full of new techniques that they subsequently used on me

Check out some of the other "RCJ Camp" posters in my post on the Machado Photo History

.
As it was explained to me by a close friend who attended last year, "Each brother is slightly different in their philosophy, focus and "main goal" when it comes to their respective BJJ games". "As the seminar progressed, the five brothers different strengths complimented each other, and provided slightly different perspectives on each technique". I equate what he was saying to the old adage "Five fingers individually, are never as strong as when they work together and form a fist".

The Machado family has a Facebook page set up to help promote the event. "Like" their page to help get this opportunity out to everyone. 

Being able to learn from a group of five world renowned BJJ masters, who are willing to share their insight in BJJ is a pretty special event. I know Jake over at "The Ground Never Misses" is completely stoked

Even with the new baby, and the fact that Jesslyn's birthday is the day before, I will still do everything in my power to attend.

I hope to see you there.

Mike

The Details:

2012 RCJ MACHADO CAMP

Held at RCJ Machado Dallas

4887 Alpha Rd. Ste.#270

Farmers Branch, TX. 75244

For more information, or to register via phone contact MeganThompson at:

214-620-7078

rcjmachadopro@gmail.com 

RCJ Machado Camp Regsitration

$499 Advanced Registration

$599 Week of Camp

Single Day Attendance is Available as well, please call!

Open To All Levels & Belts, 

One Thing Is Asked;

Leave Your Ego At The Door!

Unheard of access to all five brothers who will be sharing the latest techniques and submissions with the following training schedule as well as special dinner with the family.

October 26 (Fri): 9am - 12noon
                            2pm - 5pm
October 27 (Sat): 9am - 12noon

                            2pm - 5pm

October 28 (Sun): 9am - 12noon

The Smallest Things...

On Wednesday July 18th, we welcomed Mackenzie Jane into the world. There has been "radio silence" on the blog due to adjusting to our new life, though I have quite a few things on deck. No doubt she will be a badass grappler who easily exceeds the abilities of her father.

The smallest things....take up the most space in our hearts

A week old, and already a blue belt?

Mike

John Machado: Clock Choke

Embedded from John Machado's You Tube channel

Check out this great clock choke from turtle.

Jean Jacques Machado Competition Video's

There is a great story I read about Grandmaster Carlos Gracie and Jean Jacques Machado

Once was visiting a dear friend of the family, Luzita, who just had a handicapped baby. They were chatting and Luzita was holding her baby when she noticed that Carlos was carefully looking at the child. She asked what he was thinking about and the Master said: “You can be cool (calm) because your son is going to achieve everything he wants in life. This handicap is not going to get in his way at all, much to the contrary." That baby was Jean Jacques Machado, future Jiu-Jitsu phenomenon and ADCC world champion (source)  

(̶N̶o̶t̶e̶:̶ ̶A̶p̶p̶a̶r̶e̶n̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶G̶r̶a̶n̶d̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶C̶a̶r̶l̶o̶s̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶a̶b̶y̶ ̶J̶e̶a̶n̶ ̶
J̶a̶c̶q̶u̶e̶s̶ ̶M̶a̶c̶h̶a̶d̶o̶.̶.̶.̶i̶f̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶p̶y̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶e̶m̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶p̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶
a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶R̶C̶J̶ ̶M̶a̶c̶h̶a̶d̶o̶ ̶P̶h̶o̶t̶o̶ ̶H̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶y̶)

Thanks Alan for finding this gem!!

The fact that Jean Jacques Machado was able to achieve the accomplishments you will see below is almost unbelievable.  Professor Machado has a congenital disorder on his left hand known as Amniotic band syndrome This disorder severely limits the functionality of his hand. Rather than accept any sort of limitations, the Professor exploded into the Jiu Jitsu scene winning tournaments and "super matches" against the elite. His strong use of under-hooks helped to propel him to the top of the "No-Gi style" ADCC Tournaments.

I personally am fascinated by his "always attacking" style of fighting and his ability to push the pace of the match. Truly a champion. 

IF I can ever find a copy, I would love to watch "Force Of The Spirit". Until then, I will continue to watch these videos of his competition footage, 

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

In BJJ/ Grappling Tournaments

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Roy Harris

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Rogerinho (?)

Jean-Jacques Machado vs.Wallid Ismail

Jean Jacques Machado vs. Yuki Nakai


Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka - L.A. Sub X


In the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC)

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Caol Uno- ADCC 1999 66-76 kg Finals

Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Ricardo Arona- ADCC 2001 Absolute Finals


Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Leo Vierra- ADCC 2000 (?)


Jean Jacques Machado vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka ADCC 2001 Absolute


Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Matt Serra- ADCC 2001 66-76 kg Finals


In MMA 

Jean Jacques Machado vs. Frank Trigg VTJ 1998 - Vale Tudo Japan 1998

If you know of any more on Youtube...let me know and I will embed them here.

Mike

Handmade Custom Bjj Belt: Reviewing My Eosin Panther Belt

When I felt was getting closer and closer to being promoted to Blue belt, I started to research what type of belt I would like. My Gameness white belt still wasn't broken in, even after a year and a half of wearing it.... so getting another one of those was out of the question.

The way I always figured it, your belt should be a special item. Some people are content to tie any old belt around their waist but I am not one of them. In BJJ you really only will have 5 belts in your life (maybe 6 ... if you start really young.) Why not splurge a little?

Originally, I got a War belt. They had high praise, are semi-hard to find, and are constructed of gi material. Perfect. I lived in harmony with it for several months, until I read this from Meerkatsu.

Ummm... Why not "invest" in a custom made belt? It's not all that much, and I was growing a dislike for the width of my War belt. The War belt is only 1.5" wide- not what seems to be the standard of 1.75", so it looks a little thin...especially on a big guy like myself.

For those of you just skimming over the article...This is a pic of my WAR belt.....I had a guy at a tournament once tell me this belt looked like a "ship rope"

I had seen an excellent review on Sherdog by "StoicDude"of a Kataaro vs Eosin Panther, and based on the quality and clear, concise pictures of that review... I decided to get an Eosin.

Eosin Panther is a company based in Kennesaw, GA. They have been making belts since 1974, (for what I can gather it has been mostly for the Taekwondo and Karate Industries). I believe they have just recently started making full blown Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belts. The company representative "Mira" has been helpful during each phase of my order, and answered any questions I had.

In anticipation of writing this review, I wrote Mira an email quizing her on the company history. Her detailed response was:

"Our company first started back in 1974, in Clifton, NJ. We are a family-owned company, and Vincent Yi is the owner and the master craftsman of the company. His passion for hand-crafting and embroidery dates back to more than 45 years now, when he first learned to sew and embroider by hands. He’s always loved making things with his hands, and this opportunity led him to explore his creativity and talent...

"...He now operates his company out of Georgia, with the help of some others, and among them are Linda Yi, who is in charge of manufacturing and Mira Ta, who is in charge of sales and customer service. Last but not least, we can’t leave behind our most entertaining employee and our biggest fan, “Clover,” a white lab who is now 15 month-old..."

"...We’ve been going strong for almost 40 years now, and we take great pride in the fact that we provide our customers a very special, custom hand-made belt – made right here in U.S.A.- that they can be proud to wear.”...

There are three areas on the Eosin Panther website where BJJ belts can be ordered from. The "Standard", "Deluxe", and a dedicated page just for their Black belts. Their stock photo of their belt didn't look so great, but I put it all on the line anyway, and ordered myself a deluxe BJJ blue belt.

The belt specs are

1 x Jujitsu Color Belt Deluxe 2 (JCD02)
Width : 1 ¾” [12 Rows]
Size : 6 1/2 [123"]
Firmness : Soft
Fabric : Cotton
Embroidery : No
Production : Regular without Embroidery (1-2 weeks)
Special Instructions : Please make the black bar 5" long and 1" from the end.


I waited patiently after ordering for almost a month while they handmade my belt and shipped to Canada.

This is what showed up...

Greetings from a happy dog named "Clover"

The Belt all wrapped up

I am a big fan of Clover and her work...lol....she does an excellent job as the company mascot. The card is included to help provoke feedback of your new belt and a "like" on Eosin's Facebook page

The Eosin logo on the tape is a nice touch

A nice dark "Royal" blue

This belt is 100% cotton twill

It seems that the promotional bar is sewn on last, and then re-enforced with 12 rows of stitching....same as the belt

Can you find a single loose stitch? or crooked line?..I am blown away by the workmanship that went into my belt.

Another close up of the stitching....straight as an arrow!

In the special instruction section of the order page, I specifically requested that the promotional black bar be 5" long and 1" from the end. I have seen too many BJJ belts that look funny with a 3" long promotional bar that is 4 inches from the end. That is how my War belt originally was until I had a seamstress fix it.  Note: The beautiful square pattern in the stitching at the end of the Eosin Belt.

12 rows of stitching...count em :)

Up close and personal with the Eosin label on the opposite end from the promotional black bar

This belt has a folded over seam on one side. I read somewhere that you're supposed to place this seam down when tying on your belt.

The Verdict

Eosin Panther makes one hell of a belt. If it is good enough for Marcelo Garcia, then I think it will do just fine for me.

Regarding the quality, I could not find a single loose thread, stitch, or seam and the lines are ruler straight. I went with the "soft" option when ordering and find the belt to be a little firmer than I would say the run-of-the-mill BJJ belt is. The order process is quick and painless, with great customer service along the way. After rolling in it just a couple of times, all the creases from being folded during shipping are completely gone, and it is on it's way to breaking in beautifully.

There is a significant hurdle to overcome with the price ("base" price is around $60....3 times the price of a regular Koral belt) though there is the handmade, one-off, "cool" factor to soothe your empty wallet. Quality absolutely oozes from this belt in a way that makes me proud to own it. I know it will not help my BJJ game one single bit, however if I am going to own three more BJJ belts in my time, then I will make sure they are of this caliber.

Eosin has filled a niche with high quality "color" belts, not just black belts,  though check out the black belt..... Who DOESN"T want that one?

UPDATE:

A week in and still going strong...lol

Some "belt in action" pics

UPDATE 2

I wrote an blog post on the belt after 11 months

It is here: "Handmade Custom BJJ Belt: Update"

Enjoy...

Mike.

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Like this Review?? Please Comment Below, And Click Here For My Other BJJ Product Reviews
 This review represents my own opinions. I am not an expert by any means in cotton, garment construction, or fabric stress. I am just a regular BJJ student who loves Jiu Jitsu. I consider myself as independent and impartial as one can get. I am not sponsored by Eosin, and I paid for this belt out of my own hard earned money If you have any questions about this review, please comment below or email me at lifevsjiujitsu@gmail(dot)com.  I hope you enjoyed the large detailed photos I included; it is something I think many reviews are lacking. Thanks for reading. 

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