MK Team Le Havre: 80% competitors, a BJJ club run with OSS Academy

In some clubs, competing is an option reserved for a handful of members. At MK Team Le Havre, it is close to the norm: out of roughly 150 members, 80% compete. That number says a lot about the identity of this Normandy club, founded in 2007 and affiliated with MK Team Paris.

Across 150 m² of mats, Monday to Saturday, a 3rd degree black belt instructor trains beginners, children and competitors up to international level in the same room. And the club’s entire administrative life lives inside OSS Academy.

A competitors’ club that is not a closed shop

MK Team Le Havre’s positioning comes down to a few words: technique, control, respect. The club claims a friendly, supportive atmosphere and welcomes both the beginner discovering jiu-jitsu and the seasoned competitor preparing for an international championship.

That balance is rarer than it sounds. Plenty of competition-focused gyms end up discouraging recreational members, whether through unsuitable class times or simple lack of attention. Here, the children’s classes are led by senior belts, and the seven weekly slots leave room for every level.

All of it inside an association founded in 2007, backed by its affiliation with MK Team Paris.

David Merkhi, over 20 years on the mats

Leading the club is David Merkhi, instructor and president, a black belt 3rd degree. Over twenty years of jiu-jitsu, and a record he keeps adding to:

• Two-time gold medallist at the AJP Tour Abu Dhabi in the 2024-2025 season
• Medallist at the IBJJF European Championship
• Regular competitor on the CFJJB circuit

What he emphasises when asked about his club, though, is not the medals but the mindset he wants to pass on: respect, discipline, perseverance, pushing past your limits. An instructor still competing at that level gives those words a weight no poster can manufacture.

Alassana Touré, the “SilverBlack”

The club insists on highlighting one of its athletes, and it is easy to see why. Alassana Touré, also known as Balass Fights and nicknamed the “SilverBlack”, is a blue belt, 4th degree.

• Bronze medal at the 2026 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Los Angeles
• Multiple podiums across France and Europe
• A strong social media presence that carries the club’s name well beyond Le Havre

Reaching the IBJJF World podium is what thousands of competitors worldwide are chasing. A 150-member club from Le Havre putting one of its own there says a great deal about the level of training in that room.

Podiums at every level

The effect shows across the whole pyramid. Young prospects already loaded with medals, adults trying competition for the first time, internationals like Alassana, a coach still active himself: at MK Team, people train to improve and the results follow.

How the club uses OSS Academy

Running 150 members, most of them competitors, means a serious administrative load: sign-ups, licences, payment deadlines, attendance, information to circulate before every tournament. David looked at several options before choosing OSS Academy, with one clear goal: less admin, more time for the members.

Today the club centralises inside the app:

• Memberships and licences: one record per member, always up to date
• Payments: deadlines tracked in the app, with no parallel spreadsheet
• Attendance: the roll is taken at the start of class, individual tracking is automatic
• Communication: schedules, seminars, deadlines and results sent in a few clicks
• Member self-service: everyone can check their own status from their phone

No more scattered emails and tracking sheets that contradict each other: the data is current in real time, with fewer mistakes as a result. As David puts it, less time spent on admin means more time on the mats.

Do you run a BJJ, grappling or wrestling academy? Create your academy on OSS Academy and focus on your students.