31 Jan 2007


Meerkat recently bumped into 4th dan ju-jitsu instructor Nick Brooks, who runs the Mill Hill Ju-Jitsu Club. Both of our clubs have had affiliations going back many years but it came as incredible news to me that Nick is actually one of the rising stars of the BJJ scene having recently won gold at the European Championships in Lisbon last week.
I spoke to Nick about his success and how he reconciles his interests in both traditional ju-jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

MEERKAT: You are having great success at BJJ comps at the moment, what is your current tally of medals won?

NICK BROOKS: Londinium grappling cup gold –73, London Open
gold featherweight, Emirates cup 2nd in pool a –66, Europeans 2005
gold featherweight, Gracie Invitational gold featherweight, Europeans 2006
gold featherweight, Urban Gorrilaz SENI gold – 66, masters & seniors gold featherweight, Europeans 2007 gold featherweight.

MRKT: You still teach and train traditional JJ (www.millhillju-jitsuclub.com), how different and/or similar do you find BJJ and Trad JJ?

NB: The main difference is in how ju-jitsu is trained, not so much what is trained. In my view, trad JJ is more about demonstration of a technique where as BJJ focuses more on application. The time spent drilling and sparring the techniques learnt in BJJ enforces this unlike in trad JJ where your training partner is standing still and letting you do the technique with very little resistance.

MRKT: How do you prepare for competitions?

NB: Preparation is the key. I start training 5 weeks out from a competition,
running 5 km 6 days a week & rowing 5 km 6 days a week. I train BJJ for 2
hours, 4 days a week with my own students & at the Roger Gracie academy. I also travel to Milton Keynes every Friday to train with Braulio Estima, When I compete, I try to be at my physical best. That way if I lose, it’s to somebody better, not fitter or stronger.

MRKT: Do you think Trad JJ students could learn something from training
sport JJ (ie BJJ or related) and visa versa?

NB: Definitely - we all have a lot to learn, the key is to have an open mind.

MRKT: What are your plans for the future?

NB: My goals are to win the world masters at every belt, and just keep
training and improving.

My thanks to Nick for taking the time to chat and I very much suspect he will go on to achieve more golds in the future (and please God let me never draw him in a competition ever!).
byMeerkatsu
in , , ,
January 31, 2007

Nick Brooks interview

M eerkat recently bumped into 4th dan ju-jitsu instructor Nick Brooks, who runs the Mill Hill Ju-Jitsu Club . Both of our clubs have had aff...
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So I get this email from Endomol, the makers of Big Brother...

We are currently in the middle of filming our 16th series of BBC2's Ready Steady Cook and we are looking for new and interesting contestants to come on the show and do some cooking with our celebrity chefs! We would love to get 2 self defence experts onto the programme to tell us all about how important self defence is and to offer our viewers some tips and advice!

Our contestants don't need to be great cooks, they just need to be lively, chatty and willing to join in and have a bit of fun in the kitchen. Would this be something you might be interested in taking part?

I'll look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Amy Tapper


Just mix one Oxo Cube, one slightly undercooked chicken and three racists for a wonderful melting pot.
Sadly, Meerkat declined this wonderful invitation.
byMeerkatsu
in
January 31, 2007

Ready, Steady, Cook!

So I get this email from Endomol, the makers of Big Brother... We are currently in the middle of filming our 16th series of BBC2's Ready...
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26 Jan 2007



I seem to take a perverse delight in showing everyone unflattering images of myself in action. Well, here's another one. Meerkat is bottom, Eddie Kone on top demonstrating a lapel collar choke.
You can see the full set of photos here and here

Two new forums have materialised that may be of interest to readers. The first is the Jikishin Ju-Jitsu Association forum and the second is the RGDA-UK forum.
You know me, I hate to chat. IF you find me clogging up those forunms with my inane banter, it's not me honest.

More news on the secret new martial arts product that Senseis Grant and Eddie have invented. It will hopefully be officially unveiled to Jikishin in February at the next Kobudo. I'm dying to show photos, but I guess I'll wait until Feb to unveil onthis blog.
byMeerkatsu
in
January 26, 2007

Mirror, mirror on the wall

I seem to take a perverse delight in showing everyone unflattering images of myself in action. Well, here's another one. Meerkat is bott...
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17 Jan 2007


Hoorah, my new blog skin finally works! Hope you like it. The new year is obviously the time for make-overs as the RGDA-UK website got redesigned and Meerkat is on the front page! (The grainy b/w guy being choked from behind in the pic above)
byMeerkatsu
in
January 17, 2007

New Year Make-over

Hoorah, my new blog skin finally works! Hope you like it. The new year is obviously the time for make-overs as the RGDA-UK website got redes...
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Meerkat’s JJ dojo hit a record number of jitsuka last night – 30 bodies on the mat in all, the previous highest was 29 but that was two and a half years ago. At one point last month I was wondering if my club had hit the buffers as numbers dwindled to about 5-6. Mind you, that was in mid December when everyone was out partying (except me). My new advertising campaign is clearly working brilliantly – I hope the latest bunch of newbies fall in love with jujitsu as much as we have.

Last night was interesting for another reason. A black belt from Hungary visited us and asked if he could provide a demonstration of ‘his’ techniques. I’ve spoken to this chap via email for several months as he has been planning to come to London. His aim is to start a school of Nihon Tai Jitsu in the UK but wanted to hook up with senseis from the current scene. I wasn’t sure at first what to make of him. After all, one doesn’t just walk into someone else’s dojo and ask to teach their students. To some people, it may be seen as a sign of disrespect. But we’ve always pretty open to new ideas and I let him have half an hour to showcase his stuff.

What we saw was a very rock solid display of fairly standard classic ju-jitsu techniques. Mostly culled from very similar stuff we do on the second dan syllabus.
He did them very well and was clearly very proficient but I began to get nervous as some of the techniques were too advanced for the new guys and with so many people on the mat, I was paranoid there would be an injury. But to the newbies – it looked awesome. For the poor ukes he picked on, I could sense a little reservation and nervousness. A couple of techniques misfired since he was not aware that his uke was particularly flexible (Sam W), I mean really flexible.
His English was good although some aspects needed to be explained better and the techniques demonstrated a little slower. But as he stays longer in London, this will improve. For me, I was happy to give him a stage to demonstrate and introduce himself. It was also invigorating to watch traditional jujitsu especially when you see someone perform it so well. It is interesting to see that although from a very different country studying under and different style – the jujitsu is actually very similar.
byMeerkatsu
in
January 17, 2007

Packed out

Meerkat’s JJ dojo hit a record number of jitsuka last night – 30 bodies on the mat in all, the previous highest was 29 but that was two and...
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8 Jan 2007

I have finally got round to viewing the TV documentary: Fight Science, made by National Geographic. Here is my review:
Quick synopsis: dozens of MA ‘masters’ demonstrate their superhuman techniques by bashing car crash dummies under the close observation of scientists.
Highlights – Rickson Gracie making a rare appearance, shows off a couple of takedowns and chooses to have the geeks measure the power of his crucifix lock – the ‘science’ result: yes it is a very bad ass lock that could kill. As can the Muay Thai knee strike – ouch! Other highlights include two brothers who enjoy ‘karate’ chopping endless stacks of concrete slabs - those guys are truly nuts, but very entertaining. A Ninjitsu expert shows cat-like balancing skills as he prances on top of very wobbly poles. Iai masters slicing and dicing with their katanas – correctly identified as the ultimate MA weapon for balance, effectiveness and distance.
Lowlights – too much boring padding from the narrator and repeated clips. It’s supposed to increase the drama and tension but it just makes me hit the forward wind button. Also, very little real science involved. No controls, no taking into account the different weights of the guys punching/kicking the test dummy. Just lots of beardy chin stroking white suited types who look on and raise one eyebrow when their ‘tests’ show that the dummy got a right bashing. A little too much bare chested macho posing by sweaty men with big boobs – well actually just one guy.
Conclusion: This program is an excellent piece of eye-candy if you enjoy the thrill of seeing double spinning back kicks and samurai swords in one program. But the science was junk and there was a tendency to fuel MA myths. However, very nice to see the mighty Rickson in action – who is dsescribed by the narrator as probably the greatest fighter of all.

As for Meerkat training. My own super-human powers were conspicuously absent when, after a richly fuelled Xmas and New Year, I went back to BJJ training and somehow huffed and puffed my way through sparring. Time to get back into shape.
byMeerkatsu
in
January 08, 2007

Fighting junk science

I have finally got round to viewing the TV documentary: Fight Science, made by National Geographic. Here is my review: Quick synopsis : do...
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3 Jan 2007


Happy New Year – let’s hope 2007 will be another action packed year.

Meerkat entered the murky world of website analytics as the first set of stats for the Imperial website came up on the google analytics site. The adverts are clearly working as we are averaging about 50 clicks per day, and I had my first intake of newbies last night. The web stats are amazing. Did you know, for instance, that although the club website is really only aimed at Londoners, that I get people reading it from places such as Caracas, Bratislava and Melbourne! Truly a world wide web.

Meerkat is also helping out with the promotion for a newly invented martial arts weapon. It is top secret at this stage, until the patent number is released, but having played with the product, I can honestly say, it is very, very impressive. More details about this at a later date.
byMeerkatsu
in
January 03, 2007

Happy 2007

Happy New Year – let’s hope 2007 will be another action packed year. Meerkat entered the murky world of website analytics as the first set o...
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21 Dec 2006

Well, another year has passed and we look forward to the start of, omigod, will it really be two thousand and seven???

Highs of the year:
· Winning silver medal in groundfighting
· Meeting and training with 3 Gracie brothers (Royce, Royler, Rolker)
· Getting the VIP treatment trailing Gordon Liu at SENI 06
· Getting my photo published on the front cover of Combat

Lows of the year:
· Getting something like ten colds or flu bugs in a row which stopped me training
· The constant struggle to fit in work, family and martial arts, with MA losing
· Imperial website (and influx of new students) disappearing from google

So overall, a good year with highs just outweighing the lows. My resolutions next year:
· Enter the BJJ Gracie Open at SENI 07 (just to see if I can survive 1 round)
· Increase my photographic work – starting with coverage of the 10K Challenge
· Actually try to learn some 3rd Dan techniques
· Get that elusive gold at the Jikishin nationals

So this is Meerkat signing out and wishing all my readers a very happy jujitsu Christmas and New Year.
byMeerkatsu
in
December 21, 2006

Meerkat's End of Year Review

Well, another year has passed and we look forward to the start of, omigod, will it really be two thousand and seven??? Highs of the year: · ...
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8 Dec 2006

In a survey of over 360,000 people by Sport England on the nation’s sporting hobbies – it turns out half the population over 16 are couch potatoes. The others are quite sporty – walking being the No.1 physical activity. Martial arts makes it in at No. 31 with 0.3 percent of the population doing it 3 or more times a week, just above tenpin bowling and darts – let’s be ‘aving ya!
Interestingly, they list martial arts and then they put separate entries for karate, taekwondo and Chinese martial arts. Now, assuming the category for martial arts does not include the others as listed, then actually if they did combine all the martial arts together, then it would be higher up the list – maybe making it a Top20 sporting activity.
I’m pretty chuffed to know statistically that we (as a collective) are a majority sport, but I’m a little disturbed that the Top 20 also includes: fishing and snooker. So if we get rid of the crap zero physical exertion ‘sports and activities’ from the list, then martial arts looks like being Top 10 easily.
I wonder what the breakdown of most popular martial arts are? The list probably goes something like this:
1. kickboxing
2. karate
3. taekwondo
5. judo
etc etc with jujitsu and BJJ coming somewhere in 10th to 12th I reckon.
byMeerkatsu
in
December 08, 2006

Martial arts No31 in the charts

In a survey of over 360,000 people by Sport England on the nation’s sporting hobbies – it turns out half the population over 16 are couch po...
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5 Dec 2006



I couldn’t resist it, to test the imbedded picture function on this blog, here is a photo of Aimee – or Aimee-sensei to you. She’s a black belt in ju-crawling and almost-walking-jitsu.
Well, it’s been an odd week, actually a bit ratty to be honest. At BJJ, black belt head of our club David Adiv was meant to come over from America, then it was cancelled, then it was on and now it is off. The reason – not enough people could commit to attending. Eddie was understandably a bit peeved and gave us all a bit of a dressing down about how embarrassing it is for the club to invite special guests and only a few turn up etc. Of course Meerkat is not amongst those to blame as I am always first to sign up. In my opinion, I wonder if the club actually has the numbers to make it work all the time. Sure, when a big name like Royler or Royce show up, we do get 20-30. But the hardcore of the BJJ club I see who turn up week in week out only ever number about 12, maybe 15 – and it is these guys, us, that are ever likely to respond to less well known (but equally excellent) instructors coming over from the States or Brazil.
Next year, Eddie hinted that Saulo Ribeiro was making noises about coming over. This would be totally awsome. Saulo is like one of BJJ royalty. I have the BJJ instructional box set that Saulo put out and it is singularly the best BJJ instructional on the planet – no comparison. I have a lot of DVDs and most are passable to unwatchable, maybe one or two tips filter through. But the Saulo Ribeiro set is awesome. Every single technique (and there are hundreds) is totally money and spot on for technique and applicability. If the man is coming to the UK, then we had better put on a big effort to show up cos his seminar I predict will rock your BJJ world.
byMeerkatsu
in
December 05, 2006

Mini-Meerkat passes her black belt in crawling

I couldn’t resist it, to test the imbedded picture function on this blog, here is a photo of Aimee – or Aimee-sensei to you. She’s a black ...
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22 Nov 2006

The life of a working professional martial artist is not all it is made out to be. Some have jobs or full time dojos to support their income, but for most of those who are actively competing, full time training is the only way to be the best. But most tournaments in the grappling world pay no more than a token prize and that’s only if you win. Sponsorship helps, but it’s not huge sums. Sure, some of the top guys can earn tens, maybe hundreds of thousands through televised MMA events such as Pride and UFC. And there is of course the Abu Dhabi tournament which is pretty well funded. But for the rest, well, they’re doing it for the love of the sport rather than the paltry money.
So when the 10K Ground Clash Challenge was announced, everyone’s ears shot up. What? £10,000 pounds and only one winner. And here in little old Blighty? This was surely interesting enough to attract the attentions of the best in the world. And sure enough this event, being held in Hackney next March will include the very best current exponents of grappling in the world. It won’t be easy, there are no weight categories, something often referred to as the ‘absolute’ division and there is only one winner from a pick of 32.
Full marks to the organisers who are trying to make ground fighting - submission grappling - BJJ etc reach a wider audience.
Of course such an event cannot go un-recorded so guess who is to be an official photographer at the 10K Clash? Yours Meerkatingly truly! One just hopes the soon to be acquired new camera gear works properly.
byMeerkatsu
in
November 22, 2006

Ten thousand

The life of a working professional martial artist is not all it is made out to be. Some have jobs or full time dojos to support their income...
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17 Nov 2006

One of the more interesting ‘perks’ of running your own club is that you get asked to participate in interesting stuff. In the past I have been asked, though sadly had to turn down, a spot on a TV reality program, an interview with a magazine and an offer to be the private instructor to one of the biggest bigwigs in the City. But last week, I was asked by a sales company to take their sales staff on a team bonding session involving ju-jitsu. Now this I couldn’t refuse. The challenge for me was that I had to incorporate their sales ethos into my session and somehow relate martial arts to being a good sales person. Hmmm, a tricky challenge, but with my previous sales experience, I thought I could give it a go.

Well, the evening was a success. 13 sales staff from Magentanews came down to the dojo not knowing what to expect. After the obligatory ‘Welcome to Fight Club” announcement I got the team stuck in to various ju-jitsu drills and, with a little help from my systema training, some non-jujitsu drills. It was all very good fun and I even managed to use martial arts skills as metaphors for handling tough clients or negotiating a sales deal. The men and women seemed to take to the drills with much enthusiasm and merriment. Most of the drills were based on simple wrist lock defences, which always go down a storm with non-jitsuka. There was also a basic rear naked choke, simple straight arm locks, some padwork and the handshake of death grips I picked up recently. I really wanted to introduce groundfighting too but I ran out of time.

I was pleased that they all left the dojo with big grins on their faces and half a mind to try out their techniques on some unwitting office colleague the next day. For me, I enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to reach a wider audience and show them ju-jitsu.
Who knows what to expect next in Meerkat world?
byMeerkatsu
in
November 17, 2006

Closing the deal

One of the more interesting ‘perks’ of running your own club is that you get asked to participate in interesting stuff. In the past I have b...
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