Postus pebbledashium

Meerkat was knocked out last week having caught a bout of gastroenteritis. In fact the whole Meerkat family caught it. Being ill sucks, especially when you still have to do all your chores and look after a sick baby. But I'm better now and back in action.BJJ sparring this week has been going pretty well. I finally feel I am achieving a level where I had left off a few months back. My plan to get down to BJJ training twice a week is paying off and the techniques are beginning to flow. Mind you, young whippersnapper KJ still caught me in a nice gi choke from the back leaving me with no choice but to tap to the pint sized assassin.

The autumn season is gonna be a busy one. Of course there is the Jikishin tournament in a fortnight. Team Imperial is shaping up pretty well, with me and the guys drilling some ground-fighting basics each week (6 of us in total entering ground fighting). I can only really cover the basics, and then, only the need-to-know relevant techniques. After all, one could go on for hours about how cool this pass would be or that hold or this choke, but really, for the groundfighting tournament that we enter, it is all hands on decks basic escapes, pins and submissions - all in the space of 90 seconds. Not pretty and not tactical, but still very workable, and it is where my BJJ training is helping big time. I have NO IDEA how competitors from our style managed to win ground fighting prior to BJJ coming onto the scene. Maybe they knew some judo or wrestling, or just played it instinctively. (I know, ju-jitsu came before BJJ etc, but you know what I mean).
And I have not neglected the random attacks event either. Three Team Imperial members are entering this year and we've made an extra effort to drill these. I think the standard is better than previous years, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Soon after the tournament, there is the Rolker Gracie seminar at Eddie's club. I'm looking forward to this because Rolker is less well known but he has established a very good rep as a teacher so I hope to pick up some valuable tips.Then, after that, I'm glad that Eddie has agreed to come down to Imperial again and host a seminar. We talked briefly about the content and I think it would be nice to mix it up a bit this time. Maybe include more Gracie self defence, since a lot of it is similar to our own ju-jitsu, but with nice little twists here and there which I'm sure the dan grades will just love (with modules in mind!)

Meerkat's martial arts media career has been scuppered. I finally finished my 'Secrets and Science of the Martial Arts' magazine article (3,000 words!). This has taken me about 3 years to mull over and finally get written. So as I send out the final version to all my magazine contacts and international agents - what happens? Flipping National Geographic Channel release their 'Fight Science' TV press release pictures exactly at the same time. Of course my little write-up can't compete and everyone has printed the NatGeog pictures and text instead of mine. Damn their eyes!Although I have to concede that the graphics of the human body they use are very funky.All may not be lost however. Some of my contacts say they still like the feature story and may run it later in the year, we'll see.

A little note about BJJ uniforms - which the general lingo affectionately call the 'kimono' even though it is not strictly a kimono. I see the brand KORAL is being marketed quite heavily here with big star endorsements (Wanderlei Silva and Jacare). And I bring this subject up because I see a lot of newcomers to the BJJ club have bought one. But I can't think of a more ill-fitting and badly designed uniform. For £120+ I expect something from Saville Row, not Skid Row. Maybe it is just down to personal taste but it's one expensive mistake to make if you agree with me. I got mine brand new from Ebay for £50 ages ago, and that I think is £50 too much. My criticism is that the cut is too baggy, the collar annoying (it is made of rubber), the cloth like sack canvas and the damn trousers always fall down no matter how tight I make the ties. For me, ATAMA is the best. Wearing and training in one is like a second skin. They are less expensive and do shrink and fade a little, but that is all part of their charm. Each week, while one gi hangs drying, I pack the other one in the bag. I actually dread having to wear my Koral instead of my beloved Atama, that's how bad they are.The other uniform I had was an MKimonos. God knows what I was doing but that thing shrunk to the size of a Barbie Doll singlet after just two washes. Anyway, enough ranting, just wanted to add my tuppence to the great kimono debate.