Cornerstone BJJ

Congrats to David for turning up and getting it done at the recent NZCrappler event! We love to see our people compete as a small part of their overall development.

Alex is a beast. Super technical, tough as nails, and more heart than seven standard humans. He might appear quiet at first, but has a tonne of things to say on the right topic - especially on the nuances of BJJ. He's a great coach, both for kids and adults. His clear, insightful, and generous coaching style makes a meaningful difference in people's ability to pick up concepts and movement. He'll also be among the first to offer you tips on how to keep challenging him.

He and Nakita have worked hard to develop a great kids' programme at Cornerstone, bringing a glorious mix of discipline, fun, and technical precision to our first batch of students in Term 1, 2026.

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Min Yawnborne of House Kang. First of his name. King of the Mincels and Refuser of Taps, Lord of the Seven LLMs, Creator of the Kang Drop 'System', Insister of Japanese Nomenclature, Consumer of Monsters, Maker of Pains (mine mostly), Khalessi of the Great Forgotten Warmup Routine, Father of Unnecessary Gagging Noises.

There are a lot of in-jokes about Min (front) at Cornerstone. Mostly because he's always around. He's a technical beast whose pressure belies his stature (people have expected a 6'5, 120kg man monster based on description alone). He's also one of the primary coaches of the CORE classes and you'll benefit from his high quality instruction. He's deeply invested in being funny and friendly and sometimes succeeding!

This is Jonathan (Jonno). He's been at Cornerstone since we opened our doors. Anywhere you look at the club, you will see his impact, whether it's in the solid foundational skills of the newer students (he teaches our Foundations class) through to almost all of the club's built features. He's also at the heart of the community culture of Cornerstone and will likely be the first person to introduce himself to you when you first turn up. But don't be fooled by his friendly demeanor when it's time to roll! When you're ready for a challenge he'll happily provide it - likely subbing you as he sings along to the night's playlist (does he know all the words to all songs ever made??? We're still testing that theory!)

Taking a wrong turn can sometimes result in catastrophe. The more you train the better your decisions... And the less you have to rely on your training partner's good will! Come to class!

This is Nakita (r), she's awesome. She coaches the women's and kids' classes at Cornerstone. She can be one of my toughest rolls in a night, but for others (especially newer people) she's a fun, thoughtful, chilled out training partner that's focused on their development and making them feel welcome. Be like Nakita.

Some pics need to be posted twice. Proud of what's been built here over the last eight years. Some people missing (but less than in the original post now!)

White to blue! Huge effort from these three with all the weeks of prep, leading to solid demos, then 20 minutes in the tank. Thanks to all who helped them cross the line, including Will and Dave from

You're only as strong as your foundation! It's our club byline and we live by it!