Seven Day Slam - Day 4

Day 4: Wednesday - No gi submission grappling
Meerkat woke up this morning with aches, pains and all over stiffness - yes! Just like old days.
I can't explain what possessed me to do this 7 day challenge. I could so easily sit at home and make the most of my week off from the demanding baby. But I read in the papers about Steve Vaught the obese man who is walking all the way across America. I read his diary online and it is an inspiration. Real human courage of spirit and guts. Makes my little 7 day effort seem rather silly. Still, no giving up now as tonight, it was off to Bethnal Green for some no gi grappling, also known as subgrap. Basically it is BJJ without the uniform and it is the speed demon of the fight world. You have no time to rest and hold your guard or cling on mercilessly to the uniform, you have to move move move!!
I have DVDs at home of subgrap tournaments and those guys are amazing. The pinnacle of the sport is the annual tournament in Abu Dhabi. Win that, and your fame is assured.
But back on Earth, my sub grap experience starts here in Eddie's Bethnal Green class. Again, Ed went through a number of techniques, today focusing on takedown, sprawl and counter to the sprawl manoeuvre - ending up in various submission winning positions. I must say, I love subgrap. It suits the smaller faster practitioner and you can still use BJJ skills with slight modifications.
Some pictures from tonight:


No, I am not pretending, it really does hurt!


Meerkat (centre) as ever the shy and elusive one.

Tomorrow - kickboxing...

byMeerkatsu

in

March 23, 2006

Seven Day Slam - Day 4

Day 4: Wednesday - No gi submission grappling Meerkat woke up this morning with aches, pains and all over stiffness - yes! Just like old day...

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Seven Day Slam - Day 3

Day 3: Tuesday - Imperial Ju-Jitsu
Normal training down at the club, only this time, sensei Kevin hosted a series of Iaido introductory seminars. He went through a number of Iaido techniques which led to a basic kata - all vaguely familiar through our own katana work, but perhaps a little more refined. Kev finished the class off with a very impressive kata. This Iaido stuff certainly looks the business when it comes to using a Japanese sword and the precision needed must take hours and hours of practice. It also somehow looks much more impressive when wearing the full haks.
So, club night as normal, mainly teaching but got thrown for a couple of techniques - so I still count it as part of my magic seven!



Tomorrow - submission grappling!

byMeerkatsu

in

March 22, 2006

Seven Day Slam - Day 3

Day 3: Tuesday - Imperial Ju-Jitsu Normal training down at the club, only this time, sensei Kevin hosted a series of Iaido introductory semi...

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Seven Day Slam - Day 2

Day 2. Monday. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The first night of full sleep for four months has rejuvinated Meerkat. I entered the dojo refreshed and itching to spar. Monday night is officially beginners night, so there were a lot of newcomers. But I chose to spar with the blue belts and experience white belts. Although I found it hard going (those once a week only sessions mean I am barely topping up my skills) I have found that my defence and escapes are improving marginally.Quite a few members are gearing up for the big SENI tournament in May. I would love to compete, but will have to wait maybe until next year when I can dedicate more time. So, business as usual on Monday night, I survived and feel great, roll on day 3...

byMeerkatsu

in

March 20, 2006

Seven Day Slam - Day 2

Day 2. Monday. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu The first night of full sleep for four months has rejuvinated Meerkat. I entered the dojo refreshed and i...

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The Seven Day Slam - 7 Martial Arts in 7 dayz

I never thought anything could be so hard as looking after a baby. But there is something almost just as hard - and that is not being able to do my MA. Clearly, baby Meerkat is the priority, and I'm lucky to be allowed time off to still train in BJJ once a week and teach JJ. So when Mrs Meerkat decided to take the baby and spend a week with her folks, I jumped at the chance to use my week off to do as much MA as I physically could.
Hence, my new challenge - the 'Seven Day Slam'. To go training in various MA for 7 days in a row and still live to tell the tale, so here goes:

Day 1. Sunday. Vale Tudo
My BJJ coach Eddie has started a new Vale Tudo (aka NHB or MMA) class in Bethnal Green of all places - YES! Only a stones throw from where I live - there is a God.
I used to deplore the seemingly mindless bish bash of MMA, but now I love it. Not only is it an exciting spectator sport, it is a very realistic method of training self-defence. Without the gi to grip onto, you have to rely on cunning body movements and timely striking. Without doubt an art in its own right.
Eddie taught techniques for us to drill for about 1.5 hours then we sparred for half an hour. At this stage, you could be toe to toe with an experienced cage fighter. But the pace is just right, as no one wants to get seriously injured. Still, I seem to be a sucker for getting my foot locked.
I survived (despite having only had one hours sleep the night before) and so onto Day 2...

byMeerkatsu

in

March 20, 2006

The Seven Day Slam - 7 Martial Arts in 7 dayz

I never thought anything could be so hard as looking after a baby. But there is something almost just as hard - and that is not being able t...

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Red and yellow and pink and blue...

I somehow knew that JJ kyu gradings were not going to be as straightforward as normal when one student pulled out and another's budo pass went 'walkies' all at the last minute. Then, there was mini chaos when unbeknown to me, head sensei had changed some of the belt colours around (I seem not to have received the circular that went around a few weeks ago). White belt was now yellow and yellow was now orange. This led to dozens of yellow and white belt students running around not knowing which hall to grade in and which colour belt to wear. Still, it was all sorted out in the end so I settled down to watch my green belts grade for their blue. Oh dear, what are the chances of two of your students who week in week out produce quality techniques to have a really bad grading. Poor chaps, they looked almost ashamed of their performance. But it wasn't all that bad, their minds just went a bit blank. They passed in the end, though Meerkat was given a little bit of a dressing down by one of the examining senseis about the performance and I could only mumble something about possible nerves getting the better of them as my defence.
Still, the day was not all lost. I got to catch up with my original sensei, Steve H, and it was really nice to see him again after such a long time. Plus, with slightly fewer numbers of students at these events due to a couple of clubs leaving the association, I quite like the newer slimmed down version. Previous events always seemed to me rather bloated with huge numbers of bodies running around, the noise, the nerves, the whole thing seemed a bit too much. Mind you, it means less places for grading students to hide on the mat - so that probably contributed to my blue belt's nerves. The events of the day gave me the resolve to get students working harder and committing a little more to their training. Hopefully, the next grading will be incident-free!

byMeerkatsu

in

March 13, 2006

Red and yellow and pink and blue...

I somehow knew that JJ kyu gradings were not going to be as straightforward as normal when one student pulled out and another's budo pas...

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Revisiting the past

Many martial art philosophies believe in the circle as the ultimate symbol of their art. For me, this is true as I have recently revisited my old martial art haunts. Whenever I spend a considerable time indulging in one activity - and then leave it - I never forget about my time, always thinking that it will come back around again.So it is with kickboxing. I left the gym around 18 months ago. Mainly to spend more time on BJJ and JJ but also to leave more time for my family too. But since Mrs Meerkat gave birth, she has been bemoaning her lack of fitness. So I hooked back up with the kickboxing gym and our coach has offered to give private training sessions just for Cat. It was weird going back into the gym. Nothing really has changed and the staff greeted us as if we had never been away. It strongly tempted me to restart my kbxg training.
I often wonder how many of my ex-students who had to give up JJ, actually intended to come back, but were too afraid to make that step back into the dojo?

I've just had 5 hours of kobudo training (traditional weapons) and finally managed to nail a couple of the new katas. Kobudo is an art that you must contstantly practise as they always grade you on the previous katas as well as the new stuff. Towards the end, our head showed us a new way to twirl the bo staff and I must say, I really took to this more dynamic option.

byMeerkatsu

in

February 26, 2006

Revisiting the past

Many martial art philosophies believe in the circle as the ultimate symbol of their art. For me, this is true as I have recently revisited m...

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Rolling with Royce

Just got back from a seminar with the legend that is Royce Gracie. Once again, his tuition was first class and every technique was sweet and simple but no less effective. You can almost imagine being in the ring tapping out some big UFC fighter using the same trademark subs that Royce just showed us.
The particularly nice thing was that 7 of my JJ colleagues came down too and the grins on their faces at the end of the session said everything it needed to say. Although BJJ was very new to them, they followed the techniques effortlessly and I hope they went away knowing they learned some very useful solid techniques. Thus proving my personal opinion that trad JJ and BJJ do make for a very nice combination of styles.

This year, I came better prepared than last year's seminar and brought my camera, permanent marker pen and a copy of Royce’s latest book for him to sign. The one thing I am kicking myself for not doing was rolling with Royce. Towards the end, he was offering to spar with us students and I could easily have offered myself but I lost the nerve! Typical. Definitely next year though.


Grinning JJ buddies, left to right: Steph,Eddie,Wayne, Grant,Royce,Meerkat,Pete,Phil and David

Finally, a big shout out to KJ and Greg who received their well earned blue belts by Royce. I look forward to the big man's next visit, and I wish him well for his next fight.

byMeerkatsu

in

February 18, 2006

Rolling with Royce

Just got back from a seminar with the legend that is Royce Gracie. Once again, his tuition was first class and every technique was sweet and...

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Rumble in the docks

Meerkat popped down to Tilbury last night to pick up some club merchandise and managed to wind up training with head of JJ. Actually, what happened was I ended up groundfighting with a 4th dan sensei who was three times my size. We were only practising escapes but put it like this - the fact that I could not get the full extent of my legs around his waist to do a closed guard says something about the size difference. Still, I managed to think my way out of a couple of pin downs, and was quite pleased but he casually mentioned that he was letting me do that. What made it a little more awkward was that everyone seemed to know that I have been training in BJJ, so they were keen to see what I could come up with. Erm, not very much seemed to be my reponse. Oh well, maybe Royce Gracie, who is coming this Friday, can offer me a few tips on handling giant opponents. The good thing was that I did show my face, especially in the light of the news below:

A few rucktions within the JJ association have happened this week. Four very senior senseis, representing about a dozen clubs, have declared their split from the association with immediate effect. This has been very sudden and no one seems to know the true reason. I am assured that it was an amicable split, but it is still sad to see their departure. The JJ association remains healthy though, with clubs expanding all the time and students joining in their dozens each week, so I am sure it will take the news in its stride.

Off to revise my defences against titanic sized opponents now....

byMeerkatsu

in

February 16, 2006

Rumble in the docks

Meerkat popped down to Tilbury last night to pick up some club merchandise and managed to wind up training with head of JJ. Actually, what h...

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Crazy Training

Blimey - had to share these pics with you.






They came from Rob's friend Kaoru Kawai, a karate instructor in Japan.

Hmmm, training ideas for the next session...

BUT, not before I attend them mighty Royce Gracie's forthcoming seminar. I really enjoyed it last time and hope, a year on, I will be able to understandmore of the techniques he shows for my own use.

byMeerkatsu

in

February 07, 2006

Crazy Training

Blimey - had to share these pics with you. They came from Rob's friend Kaoru Kawai, a karate instructor in Japan. Hmmm, trainin...

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Cage Rage 15

I managed to get away from the little one last night and enjoyed another scintillating night's entertainment at Cage Rage 15. Good to see Brad being taken to very edge by a very good opponent, and still maintaining his crown as UK featherwight champ but sad to hear the booboys who disagreed with the decision. I thought it was close but Brad edged it.
Good to also see the Americans coming over and using solid BJJ groundwork to eventually tap out their opponents. Although one chap, who is a boxer by training, refused to mix it up on the ground against a Japanese wrestler. That fight got a bit predictable and boring in the end.
Bizarrest match up of the night was giant handlebar-moustachioued newcomerDave Legeno versus Japanese wrestler simply known as 'The Punk'. What the punk lacked in size, he made up for in technique and won with a rare ankle lock. Something tells me though that we'll see more of Legeno as his ego is as huge as his presence.
Another interesting fight was that of Jason Delucia. Representing his own style called 'CombatAikdo' he is a veteran cage fighter of mixed fortunes. Tonight, he fell victim to a classic armbar within two minutes by Brazilian fighter Fabio Piermonte.
I think my favourite fight of the night was the wiley Jean Silva against young Brit Paul Daley. Jean, a BJJ specialist seemed to want to prove himself as a stand-up, and Daley, clearly a stand-up, was playing tactical cat and mouse. It lacked the big gun fireworks but I found it enthralling as each one tried to size the other up. Daley was more than amatch for Silva but unfortunately broke his thumb during the fight and had to stop, handing Silva the victory. There will be a re-match and I lok forward to it.
There were lots of other fights but my time away was limited so I missed the mighty Cyborg being defeated by Muay Thai expert Melvin Manhoef.
Roll on CR-16!

byMeerkatsu

in

February 05, 2006

Cage Rage 15

I managed to get away from the little one last night and enjoyed another scintillating night's entertainment at Cage Rage 15. Good to se...

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When worlds collide

Some time ago I wrote an article on my club website detailing my first experiences of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). At the time, I was shocked to discover how little my previous ability in ‘traditional’ Japanese ju-jitsu (JJ) could help deal with the relentless tangling of arms, legs and neck chokes that I was subjected to. Now, over two years later, it seems appropriate to review what I have learned from training in both BJJ and Jikishin Ju-Jitsu.

At first, the actual techniques and training methods of BJJ seem a world apart and I struggled to cope with learning two systems (plus the fact that everyone was bigger than me). But I am now beginning to appreciate both styles for their own merits. I am also seeing how knowledge and practice of both can link seamlessly into a whole. My BJJ has definitely improved my JJ, and my JJ, has given me a more knowledgable insight into how certain BJJ techniques work.

Learning a syllabus based martial art is an efficient and productive method of learning techniques. At every stage, you and the instructor can see the steady progress with gradings. But I have always felt that training via only the syllabus is a bit too one-dimensional. There must be a component of resistance work against an unpredicatable opponent. I took up kickboxing for this very reason and very much enjoyed it. But when I first stepped onto the mat to begin my BJJ journey, it really sunk home that this was the perfect complement to JJ.

As for actual techniques, the two styles are not so different. A throw is a throw, a joint lock is a lock and a strangle is a strangle (only BJJ likes to call it a ‘choke’.) As I have improved at BJJ I am getting better at my position strategy, timing, fluidity and a myriad of other aspects that can only come through repeated exposure to resistance sparring. But in the topsy turvy world of BJJ, feet are kept firmly on the ground for no matter how fantastically you disposed of your last opponent, the next one could just as easily crush you. I find this weekly challenge very exciting, if unnerving!

In Meerkat world, self-defence style JJ and sport-based BJJ are the perfect complement to one another. Not everyone agrees. Many ju-jitsu clubs (though thankfully not from our style) frown on sport martial arts as irrelevant for self defence. Not surprisingly, I don’t agree. But that argument is for another blog entry.

This year will be a tough year for Meerkat to fulfil all his martial arts desires, since baby Meerkats needs must be the priority. But I am still there, still teaching JJ and attending as much BJJ as possible. As a sign of my progress, Eddie my BJJ instructor awarded me another stripe on my blue belt. This little creature has certainly come a long way since that first date as a confused and frightened fodder for the tapout merchants.

byMeerkatsu

in

January 17, 2006

When worlds collide

Some time ago I wrote an article on my club website detailing my first experiences of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). At the time, I was shocked ...

Read More

Happy 2006

You are never too young to start your budo training with Meerkat...



Happy New Year to all my readers!

byMeerkatsu

in

January 02, 2006

Happy 2006

You are never too young to start your budo training with Meerkat... Happy New Year to all my readers!

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