SHAME ON YOU, McDOJO!!!!!

OK warning, this is a rant. So my wife is looking for a martial arts club to join to get herself back into shape after having two kids. In our town - Borehamwood - there is not a great deal on but it's there if you look hard enough. All she really wants is a simple turn up and pay kickboxing class. So we email around. There is one club in Watford. It is rather slickly advertised and the facilities look good. Nothing. She emails again. Nutta. So she turns her attention to a leaflet posted on the local sports centre advertising Muay Thai classes. She emails them and hears back...nothing. WTF??? I know these classes exist, so it's not like they have closed down. So why the stony silence? If you run a club, you answer your emails, it's a given. It's not just good business practice, it's damned courtesy.

A new customer, especially in these recession hit times, is like gold dust. They enquire, you do the sales pitch, they turn up and you treat them like royalty. After that, if your place is good, they are hooked. It's a remarkably simple formula. One that has served my own club very well these past 5 years.

So I sigh a breath of sadness when a martial arts, or indeed any organisation, feels that we are not worthy enough to be spoken to.

Onto more positive news. I finished my course of antibiotics and my chest is finally clear enough to allow me back into training. And it feels gooooood. Wednesday's session at BJJ looked at the sitting up guard.
I have seen this guard position used by some of the more senior guys but never really done it myself. When Nick showed a few simple sweeps using this guard, I realised this was something I could use as it really suits the little guy.
Sparring later that session was fantastic. Although I am still way too unfit to roll with more than a token amount of puff, I used the chance to play with some more technical positions and moves. But the highlight of the evening was rolling with ten-year-old Jay. This kid is a ju-jitsu phenomemon. It has inspired me to write another proper article about kids doing BJJ when I get the time. Speaking of articles, thanks to everyone for the kind comments and reviews made for my Jiu-Jitsu Sisterhood article..