Teenage Thunder
Natalie Day’s juvenile squad in Bicester, England photographed in Grow available now
When Battles of London commissioned young photographer Oscar Eckel to bring the image-making skills he’s applied to brands like ArIes and YMC over to combat sports, it was the first time he’d set foot IN A MARTIAL ARTS GYM.
Oscar’s now a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt under Roger Gracie, and shooting more martial arts. Grow is a printed mini-magazine (‘zine’) showcasing his photos of a small-town juvenile BJJ team who came together during the C-19 lockdowns.
You can purchase copies of Grow, with a written introduction by Battles founder Steve Langsford Beale, via our webstore. And read this interview with Oscar about the project.
The thriving under-16s team at Grow BJJ, from Grow ‘zine
‘We wrestle with ourselves in order to create ourselves,’ wrote Carl Jung in Man and his Symbols. The pioneering psychologist competed in grappling while studying at university in the early 1900s.
As a clinician, Jung believed that personal growth is the key to our health. He theorised that we evolve by facing fresh challenges on our own individual “hero’s journey,” a search for purpose. If we neglect this urge, a gnawing frustration mounts, and plagues us. So we seek out adventure, and the opportunities for betterment it presents.
And if those challenges are thin on the ground, we’ll invent some.
Bicester is a southern English market town founded during the Saxon Conquest in the 6th Century. Here in the 21st, Bicester’s claim to fame is its vastly popular retail village of designer discount stores. But not everyone is content with a hero’s journey that ranges only as far as the high street.
Natalie Day is the instructor at Grow BJJ in Bicester, Oxfordshire, UK, photographed here by Oscar Eckel, a fashion photographer and BJJ blue belt.
At Natalie’s Grow BJJ, Bicester locals literally wrestle to create themselves.
The best time to begin searching for yourself is when you’re young. And Grow BJJ’s under-16s team is thriving.
Fittingly Grow BJJ’s HQ is a shed in Natalie’s garden, built by the team during the coronavirus pandemic. “The shed has a singular purpose,” reports Oscar, “it feels like a secret space and you’re privileged to be there.” The space has already hosted Grow Events, Natalie’s local BJJ tournament.
Grow BJJ founder-trainer Natalie Day’s daughter Iris having her ear drained, from Grow ‘zine
Natalie is a “captivating” instructor, says Oscar, who himself trains at Roger Gracie BJJ in London. “She’s a born coach who effortlessly holds the room,” he says, “kids attract themselves to a strong instructor.” Students can start training from the age of four. “I’ve noticed that Natalie teaches specific techniques to certain people, noticing what will suit their game,” says Oscar, “even though the class numbers a dozen-plus, she provides individual coaching.”
Because Natalie coaches the adults of Bicester, too, who sometimes roll with the juvenile team. “In general kids are pretty resilient,” says Oscar, They know injury’s a risk and train responsibly. They train with the adults too, so they’re really mature for their age.”
‘Called and even not called, God approaches’ as the Oracle at Delphi told the Spartans on their way to invade Athens, and Carl Jung had written on his grave.
Grow ‘zine features a hand-printed cover design