Ray Stevens Academy

📢 NEW CLASS — BROWN BELT JUDO THEORY 🥋

We’re excited to introduce a new ongoing Sunday class dedicated to taking your judo knowledge to the next level.
These classes are designed for brown belts who want to understand the theory behind the techniques and develop the knowledge needed to progress towards black belt.

Expect discussion, technical breakdowns, practical application and plenty of opportunities to test your understanding.

📅 Every Sunday
🥋 Brown Belts
💙 FREE for Ray Stevens Academy members
💷 £20 drop-in for non-members

Whether you're preparing for your black belt or simply want to deepen your understanding of judo, this class is for you.

Book into class on the day at arrival to reception or via the live timetable on our website.

🥋 ADULT BJJ GRADINGS 🥋

This Saturday, 22nd August, it’s time for our Adult BJJ Gradings at Ray Stevens Academy! 👊

If your being considered for a stripe or belt promotion, or just simply coming along to support your training partners, we’d love to see you there.

It’s great to recognise the hard work & progress thats been put in since the last grading and celebrate those who grade up together. 🥋👏

So if you’re up for grading, come along and be part of it! And if you’re not, get yourself down anyway and show your teammates some support. The more of us there, the better the atmosphere.

And then, of course, there’s the club BBQ! 🔥🌭

Our tasy feast is being run by Gerson.. a man of many talents. Member. Coach. Referee. BBQ boss.
Honestly… is there anything this man can’t do? 😂

📅 Saturday 22nd August
🥋 Adult BJJ Gradings 1.30-2.30pm
👏 Support your teammates
🔥 Club BBQ afterwards 2.30pm (ish) onwards
👊 Open to all RSA teen & adult members

Come along, celebrate, have a laugh and enjoy some food afterwards.

See you Saturday! 🥋🔥 OSS 🤙

🥋🇬🇧 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS! 🇬🇧🥋

It’s a huge week for Jolene Donaghue as she's currently in Heidelberg, Germany, representing Great Britain in the VI Squad at the IBSA Judo European Championships! 🇬🇧🔥

Competing in the -52kg J1 category, Jolene will take on some of Europe’s best judoka on one of the biggest stages of her young career.

From putting in the hours on the mat at our academy to stepping onto the European stage... this is a moment we're so proud to see 💪🥋

Her first contest sees her face Havva Elmali of Türkiye in the quarter-finals.

The whole academy will be cheering you on Jolene! Go show them what you can do! 🔥

ONE MAT. ONE GO. GIVE IT EVERYTHING. 🇬🇧🥋

The Commonwealth Games are in full swing and its not long now till Frema Agyei steps onto the tatami & competes 🇬🇭🥋

📺Watch her live on the 31st July, in the UK via TNT sports or HBO max.

Our very own RSA Judo Coach Ala Jrad is all checked in and ready to coach Team Ghana 🇬🇭

Wishing both coach Ala & our student Frema & the whole of team Ghana every success.

Good luck, guys...we'll be cheering you on every step of the way !

🥋🇯🇲 Good Luck, Lauren! 🇯🇲🥋

Everyone at the Academy would like to wish Lauren Semple all the very best as she steps onto the tatami on 1st August at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

We are incredibly proud to see Lauren representing Team Jamaica 🇯🇲 on such a prestigious stage. It's a huge moment for both Lauren and the Academy, and we know she's wearing the Jamaican colours with pride.

We're also especially proud to see our Head Judo Coach, Ed Semple, in the chair coaching Team Jamaica 🇯🇲.
Seeing father and daughter together on the Commonwealth stage is fantastic and a moment all the Academy will be cheering for.

Make sure you tune in on Aug 1st in the morning to watch Lauren compete.

Lauren, everyone at the Academy is rooting for you. We're so proud of you, so excited to watch you out there on the tatami.

TV

🇨🇦🌍 Flying the flag for Ray Stevens Academy! 🌍🇨🇦

Massive congratulations to Kyran, who represented Ray Stevens Academy in Canada at the Oshawa Open and came away with an incredible DOUBLE GOLD in both Gi and No-Gi! 🥇🥇

💥 5 matches
🔥 5 wins
🤝 4 submissions
🏆 1 points victory

An outstanding performance that reflects Kyran & his talent, dedication, and commitment. Kyran puts effort into his training week on week and look at his results!

We're also incredibly proud to hear that so many people at the event were asking about Ray Stevens Academy. It's an honour to have Kyran and his family flying the flag for us overseas and encouraging others to visit us if they're ever in London.

Congratulations, Kyran – what an achievement! Your coaches & the whole academy is proud of you. 👏💙

🌟 Featured on the Official Olympics Website! 🌟

What an incredible achievement for Frema Agyei, who has been recognised by the Olympics website for her inspiring journey and ambitions towards the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Behind every successful athlete is a team of people who believe in them. Frema's talent and determination have been evident from day one, but none of this happens without the unwavering support of her amazing family, who have backed her every step of the way. Their commitment, sacrifices and belief in her dreams have played a huge role in helping her reach this point.

A special mention must also go to our Head Judo Coach, Ed Semple, whose tireless work, guidance and dedication have helped Frema develop into the athlete she is today. The countless hours on the mat, travelling to competitions, planning training programmes and supporting athletes through every challenge often go unseen, but they are a huge part of stories like this. This year alone, Ed has worked hard to help not one, but two of his students achieve selection for the Commonwealth Games – an outstanding achievement and a reflection of his commitment to developing talent.

At Ray Stevens Academy, we are immensely proud.

We and our coaches support athletes chasing excellence both on and off the mat. Seeing our judoka inspire the next generation and represent their heritage on the international stage embodies everything our academy stands for.

Frema's story is about much more than medals and competitions. It's about perseverance, family, community, and the power of believing in a dream.

Congratulations, Frema. We are incredibly proud of everything you have achieved so far, and we cannot wait to see what comes next. 🇬🇭🥋🔥

A must read! Check out the Olympic Websites fantastic writeup:
https://www.olympics.com/en/news/frema-agyei-beacon-ghanaian-judo-dakar-2026-comm

🥋🏆BIG WIN FOR US AT THE SURREY CLOSED JUDO COMPETITION 🏆🥋

What an incredible day for our club at the Surrey Closed Judo Championships!
Our team delivered outstanding performances across all categories and we’re proud to say we made history as the first club to win the Surrey Cup! 🎊 🙌

🔥 Senior Ladies
🥇 Frema Gold (57kg & 63kg)
🥇 Lauren Gold (63kg & 57kg)
🥈 Chenko Silver (63kg & 57kg)

🔥 Senior Men
🥇 Ala Gold (90kg)
🥇 Andreas Gold (+100kg)
🥇 Donatas Gold (-100kg)

🔥 U16 Girls
🥇 Afia Gold (48kg)
🥈 Alice Silver (57kg)
🥇 Amara Gold (42kg)
🥇 Gabriela Gold (U40)
🥈 Jessica Silver (U28)
🥉 Molly Bronze (U28)
🥇 Jolene Gold (52kg)

🔥 U16 Boys
🥉 Leonard G Bronze (U44)
🥈 Leonard T Silver (U44)
🥇 Anthony Gold (U30kg)
🥉 Lucas Bronze (U30)
🥉 Leonard C Bronze (U30)

Every single student showed our true judo spirit 💪 & we couldn’t be prouder of this team effort 💯🙌✨️ the results speak for themselves!🚀💥

Congratulations to everyone who graded at our Spring Adults BJJ & Judo gradings 🥋

Every step forward is well earned, and it’s great to see the progress on show.
The journey continues...

Well done to all ... and on to the next stage 👊