Business as usual

Meerkat is back from holiday, refreshed and ready for action. Or so one thought until I embarked on my first BJJ training after a two week absence. Boy! all that Greek food and lazing on the beach must have killed my fitness cos I was wasted after just one spar. The ankle and elbow is still niggling though and I was heavily strapped with neoprene.

Mrs Meerkat's pregnancy is in full swing. 20 weeks old and still growing. Things are fine for me to continue my usual training at present, but I can't help wondering how much of an impact a baby will be and how much training I will be able to do after she is born. I see a lot of jujitsuka who take a long break or only start training because their kids have now grown up and they have some time on their hands. I would prefer to continue as I am but know this is not practical.
So, Meerkat will simply have to play it by ear and see how it goes. Until then however, it's business as usual.

And that business will climax with a much anticipated visit by BJJ black belt David Adiv - top instructor under Royler Gracie and the man who's name we wear on our BJJ kimonos. A seminar in July has been planned and I cannot wait for it to happen. It would make a nice birthday present and a good way to forget that Meerkat will nearer 40 than 30 years old. Boo hoo!

byMeerkatsu

in

June 29, 2005

Business as usual

Meerkat is back from holiday, refreshed and ready for action. Or so one thought until I embarked on my first BJJ training after a two week a...

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Fledglings

Our fledgling sister clubs – the women only (WO) club and the Kentish Town (KT) club – have kicked off their tenures with an encouraging start. KT club has been running three weeks now and has attracted a core of regulars averaging around 5 to 6 each week. WO club started last night and the report from Marie Paule was that she had 6 newbies turn up. Which is a great start and hopefully a good base from which to grow. The pressure to succeed is slightly higher with these new clubs due to the start-up costs (mats, licences, insurance, new equipment etc) plus the fact that the rent is quite high. But with an average half dozen turning up each week, this is all one needs to survive.
Meerkat is nursing a double joint injury at present. After 10 months of solid BJJ training, I thought I was lucky not to have sustained any injuries so far. Last week it all came to a head as I received a punishing Americana lock on my arm, plus a rather silly self-inflicted twisted ankle. Time to dust off the neoprene supports as elbow and ankle suffer in pain and mobility. Still, the good news is that our instructor is billed to fight in the cage (Cage Rage in fact) this July. It’s mixed martial arts, not something I am a huge fan of, but it will be cool to see him in action. He promises to reveal some special trademark moves come the big day.

byMeerkatsu

in

June 08, 2005

Fledglings

Our fledgling sister clubs – the women only (WO) club and the Kentish Town (KT) club – have kicked off their tenures with an encouraging sta...

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In the zone

Meerkat spent the day badly driving his white van, as all good white van drivers should, honking horns at arrogant BMW drivers, swerving into the next lane before indicating etc. All in aid of fetching 36 nearly-new dayglo yellow sports mats from their factory in Leighton Buzzard (home of the martial arts mats) down to our dojo. Muchos thanks to our Fire Officer who secured free parking on campus.
So anyway, we laid them out and I had the bright idea of making a two-tone pattern, two rows yellow, one row black. The purpose was to divide the dojo into ‘zones’. The result though made our training room resemble a giant flattened wasp. Worse yet, some of the mats clearly had not stretched due to their newness and awkwardly started to rise upwards so as to look like a speed hump.
Still, these are minor complaints. It is just such a luxury to train on fully fitting training mats that are pleasant to breakfall on, that do not slip under your feet, and do not have holes missing. Oh, and the weird smell from the old mats is gone. They are however, exceedingly bright and after three hours of being in the room, my retina seemed to be permanently cast with a blue haze (the ‘negative’ of course of yellow).Other news: Meerkat gets his third stripe in BJJ class and immediately gets spanked by clubmates. Yep, the age old tradition of a rank promotion is coupled with a serious attempt by fellow club mates to pour cold water on any thoughts of thinking you are any good. I survived the onslaught and even managed to accidentally foot slap the big Ukranian’s face. Luckily he found it amusing cos I was fearful he would crush the Meerkat whilst laughing manically – he is that scary.

byMeerkatsu

in

May 27, 2005

In the zone

Meerkat spent the day badly driving his white van, as all good white van drivers should, honking horns at arrogant BMW drivers, swerving int...

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Cotton wool balls

Meerkat attending the debut session at Pete's new dojo on Saturday. All one can say is WOW! Situated in the main exercise studio of LA Fitness, it has all the modcons you expect from a first class fitness gym.
Mirrors all around meant that the Meerkat was too transfixed with the novelty of viewing himself in 360 degree glory, than actually doing any useful ju-jitsu. If that was not enough, through the sliver of glass next to the door one could see all the fancy hardbodies pounding away on the running machines and other contraptions - many of the svelte looking females were very, ahem, distracting to the eye...anyway back to the main point of this blog, suffice to say, the gym is a draw-droppingly fantastic place to host a dojo. They even offer complimentary balls of fluffy cotton wool in the five star changing rooms, what more could you ask for?
My only gripe, well, the new mats are too hard for me, but then I am a wimp when it comes to nice soft landings, so it's a much needed 'slap' of reality to hit the floor with that little give.
Looks like Pete has started off his new venture in a good place and with any luck, the punters will come flocking.

byMeerkatsu

in

May 22, 2005

Cotton wool balls

Meerkat attending the debut session at Pete's new dojo on Saturday. All one can say is WOW! Situated in the main exercise studio of LA F...

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Life, the Universe, and almost everything jujitsu

The Meerkat had to attend a days coaching seminar to earn his next level of coaching badges. But what I thought was a necessary chore ended up being a delightfully entertaining audience with none other than the man who founded our style of JJ. With over 50 years practising and teaching jujitsu, this man has definitely seen it all – and more.

The seminar was aimed at instructors and those thinking of instructing. The content was a list of do’s and don’ts approved by the BJJA-GB (governing body). What it turned out to be, was a series of personal anecdotes and memoirs by the great man himself. A lot of it funny, some of it poignant – for example, he went through two divorces and lost touch (or fell out with) with his kids and grandchildren – all because of JJ. There was a lot of content about the correct way to deal with vulnerable people – and the not correct way to deal with them. Whatever mistakes have been made in the past, they were usually done by him in the first place and he was there to offer us his advise and wisdom.

It is clear, when you hear from someone who has dedicated his life entirely to one activity, how much personal sacrifice has been involved. But he was happy to point out that JJ offers so much too, such as meeting new friends and partners, progression and personal development, and, maybe, a little extra income if you are lucky too.
The seminar was a humbling and honest account of a life in JJ. It gives people like me, a useful guide for the future. JJ means so much to so many people. I am happy to be a part of the family.

byMeerkatsu

in

May 18, 2005

Life, the Universe, and almost everything jujitsu

The Meerkat had to attend a days coaching seminar to earn his next level of coaching badges. But what I thought was a necessary chore ended ...

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Yellow

An exciting time in Meerkat world at the moment. Obviously the prospect of being a dad tops the cool list. I’m also quite excited about decking out the dojo with brand new mats soon. I could have any colour I want, as long as it is yellow. So yellow it is. Black is SO last year.
Another exciting development is the opening of two new clubs. Pete’s one in Kentish town and Marie-Paule’s women only club in Stoke Newington. Meerkat wishes both ventures the best of luck.
Meerkat has been asked to host a martial arts seminar for gifted children. Every year, the university invites hundreds of children down to a ‘summer camp’. These are only the brightest kids in the country and during the day they will take part in science projects and lectures. They also need social activities during the evening so the organiser thought of our club. I have never taught kids before, but it will be an interesting challenge to come up with a schedule that can capture their attention. I was warned that some of these kids may never have done any real sports or martial arts, preferring instead to stick to the books and computers. But who knows, being gifted children, they’ll probably excel at ju-jitsu too. Though I will probably have to omit the eye-gouging and groin stamps that we so love.

byMeerkatsu

in

May 13, 2005

Yellow

An exciting time in Meerkat world at the moment. Obviously the prospect of being a dad tops the cool list. I’m also quite excited about deck...

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Mini meerkat

The Meerkat is happy to announce that, all paws crossed, a baby meerkat will be on it's way in 6 months time.
Right now, the mini meerkat is cocooned inside a comfy waterworld, as seen here:

An ultrasound scan only shows one frame. When you see the scan live, you see that the foetus, at 12 weeks, sure does move around a lot! I swear it was already actively practising side and roundhouse kicks aplenty.
A full set of pint sized kobudo weapons and sparring gear awaits the new member of the family, and maybe my vision of building a dojo creche will have to be realised.
I am over the moon about the news and so is Mrs Meerkat but her main concern is trying hard to deal with the debilitating effects of morning sickness. I am assured that no amount of martial arts training can compete with the sheer slog of surviving morning sickness.
More updates soon

byMeerkatsu

in

May 04, 2005

Mini meerkat

The Meerkat is happy to announce that, all paws crossed, a baby meerkat will be on it's way in 6 months time. Right now, the mini meerka...

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Biting the BJJ tournament cherry

Just got back from SENI 05 - The UK's largest martial arts exhibition and trade show. It was the usual mix of martial arts stores, demonstrations, 'PR' girls and seminars. Top of the bill, in our eyes however, was the Gracie European Invitationals - arguably the top BJJ tournament in the UK.Our BJJ club entered five players - all were BJJ contest virgins, so there was no expectations and nothing to lose, spirits before the competition were high. Our boys on paper did well - two bronze medals and one who got through to the second round. The results however hid a slight sense of disappointment from the team, who all, apart from Brad, lost in their first round fight. Of course, me and the other travelling posse of club supporters did our best to convey the fact that they did marvellously well for their first ever tournament. For players who had not even trained in BJJ for a full year, to hang there against BJJ veterans who have been training for years, is a remarkable achievement. So my hats off to all at the RGDA-UK academy for putting in a valiant effort. Next year, we all agreed, things would be very different.



Apart from the drama of watching your team mates battle it out on the mat. The whole event was very enjoyable and well organised. Yours truly did his best to take some snapshots before being unfairly chucked out the inner zone by the stewards. However, like a good pap, I managed to sneek back in for some action shots with the snazzy D70.
One thing I did not capture, was the appalling scene between one blue belt finalist and the referee. This chap clearly did not expect to lose and when he did, argued in the most heated manner possible over various technicalities that he disagreed on. Taking off his gi top and throwing it down, swearing, finger pointing - it was scenes not unlike the worst you see during a football match. All the way through his tirade of abuse, the ref remained calm and unswerving. It was a good thing that he did, for the ref was none other than Roger Brooking - one of the UK's most senior instructors and, with his rep, not someone to cross swords with.

Other notable matches included a very technical and surprisingly entertaining juniors division, and a small but competitive women's division. There were rumours that our owb instructor was to compete against a brown belt, but the tournament over-ran so the match was cancelled - shame as many of us wanted to see Eddie in action.

Elsewhere, in the exhibition, I saw very cool demos of capoiera, Muay thai (with the evergreen Master Sken), some bizarre Indian martial art dance thing, lots of hot PR girls (well they were nicer to look at than musclely blokes), aikido sparring (thought the two were incompatable) and Royce Gracie. All demonstrated to a very high standard. Well, so would you if you had to perform in front of thousands of, mostly, expert eyes.

Finally, a small note to the Gracie Barra club who all looked like they were devotees of the Millwall supporters club...COME ON THE TRAIN!!!!! You know who you are.
Roll on 2006.

byMeerkatsu

in

April 24, 2005

Biting the BJJ tournament cherry

Just got back from SENI 05 - The UK's largest martial arts exhibition and trade show. It was the usual mix of martial arts stores, demon...

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Keeping the faith

Last night we were treated to a two and half hour seminar with our association head (AH) who is a 7th Dan. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and walked away with a real sense of pride.
It is not uncommon for all practitioners in their art to suffer an occasional dip in form, self-confidence or enthusiasm – it is all part of the learning process. The Meerkat is no stranger to these ‘lows.’ Seminars like the one last night do much to reinvigorate the senses and wake you up to the fact that the martial art you do is pretty damned fine. Everyone needs role models and people to look up to in their lives. When these people show you the amazing potential of the art – you cannot help but be enthused.
True to his word, our AH showed us lots of ground techniques – something he has been keen to promote since taking over the association. Some of it was familiar to me from a BJJ point of view, although with slight variations. There were still lots of techniques I have never encountered before, and I made sure to make a good mental note of them for use in BJJ class!
There were still plenty of 'Old Skool' techniques - still very effective, and painful! Plus one extremely weird trick that some poeple seem to have encountered before but I never have and it was a bit freaky!
Having chatted to the AH in private before. He mentioned he was keen to see more of other clubs and meet members in a more relaxed dojo environment, rather than simply being viewed as the serious looking sensei who barks commands during gradings. I understand his point entirely. At one point in the seminar, I asked a question about a technique and he replied that he didn’t know the answer! Well, if the AH is big enough to admit he didn’t know the answer to my question, then I am impressed. How many people have you met who would rather make up some gobbledy-gook than admit they don’t know the answer to your question (politicians aside). In the end, he did in fact have an answer to my query, which he worked out on an unsuspecting uke. There is a certain aura that surrounds someone of such high calibre, whatever their profession or art – but last night, we were given the chance to meet the more human side of our AH.

byMeerkatsu

in

April 21, 2005

Keeping the faith

Last night we were treated to a two and half hour seminar with our association head (AH) who is a 7th Dan. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed t...

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Remember my name....fame!

Gosh, the Meerkat was blushing with flattery as I was contacted by a TV production company to take part in a new reality tv program. I was chosen to participate in the program as a martial arts instructor to a woman who was training to be a stunt person. Sadly, I declined their offer as I did not think I had what they were looking for. I did however pass them on to my other instructors in BJJ and JJ, it will be exciting to see if they take up the mantle and get themselves on TV!!! And besides, if I WAS on TV, my club mates would NEVER hear the end of it and I would be the most boring meerkat in the world. Still, maybe I should have accepted…

byMeerkatsu

in

April 18, 2005

Remember my name....fame!

Gosh, the Meerkat was blushing with flattery as I was contacted by a TV production company to take part in a new reality tv program. I was c...

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Twirly Bits

Went to kobudo training on Saturday and was shocked to learn that our tried and tested tonfa kata had new bits added to it. I was not the only one aghast at having to relearn this simplest of katas. It now has new fancy twirly bits added at the behest of our new association head and it was funny seeing seriously high graded instructors grapple with the twirly bits. The collective clang of dropping tonfa sticks was deafening. I must admit the fuss was really over nothing as after a short period, the new bits eventually came fairly easily to the Meerkats tiny paws. The other new katas I had to learn were not so straightforward and although I kept plugging away repeating the same damn moves, it just wasn’t sinking in. It just goes to show, no matter where you are in your status, the learning from scratch process never gets any easier. Perhaps this is a good thing to remember when one has to teach novices – something that seems effortless and easy to you, may not be so easy to a beginner and only through patience and perseverance will the student get to that level.It’s funny. I used to view weapons training in the same vein as groundfighting – something I had to do occasionally but generally disliked. Now, the more I do them, the better I get and the more I appreciate them. Ju-jitsu is more than just throws and locks and I am starting to see the bigger picture.

byMeerkatsu

in

April 18, 2005

Twirly Bits

Went to kobudo training on Saturday and was shocked to learn that our tried and tested tonfa kata had new bits added to it. I was not the on...

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The Brotherhood of Fighting

One of the more unpleasant aspects of the martial arts is the style versus style debate. You still hear these days that so and so could kick your ass because his style of what-fu is better than your which-jitsu.
One of my BJJ colleagues, who has also trained in Kung Fu for 8 years, told me that he tapped out his Sifu with a triangle choke during sparring in Kung Fu class. This seemed to unsettle him for days since he honestly didn’t think he had the skills to beat his master, plus, he genuinely thought his master’s skills were unassailable and now, somehow, his view of sifu has just ever so slightly been tarnished. So what lessons can be learnt from this anecdote?
Nothing really. My BJJ colleague is a mighty strong fellow and he beats all of us at BJJ class, so it’s no surprise that he beat a non BJJ martial artist. His sifu is still a sifu and nothing changes there. If anyone was at fault, it was my colleague for thinking that his sifu was untouchable.
But it does hint at the notion that some people who swear by one style, should perhaps examine their claims and themselves a little closer – I include BJJ in this.

The first few UFC tournaments, many believed, quashed any doubt about style versus style. It showed that taking an opponent to the ground and working for submission was far superior to the supposedly mythic strikes and kicks of other martial arts. To some extent, this was true. It did expose the weaknesses of certain martial arts. But those who have read the book No Holds Barred, by Clyde Gentry, will understand that the UFC was carefully planned and orchestrated purely to showcase Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. The fighters were genuine exponents, but they were perhaps not necessarily the ‘masters’ they were made out to be. Nowadays, mixed martial arts fighters train in all areas, from stand up to the ground. It has ceased to be style versus style and simply person versus person. In a way, UFC did revolutionise martial arts because now they had to take serisouly the threat of knowing how to fight on the ground.

However BJJ has it’s knockers. A quick tour of the forums will quickly reveal those who like to bring it down. But the undeniable fact is that up and down the country, hundreds of very good exponents of traditional martial arts are trying BJJ out for the first time each week and liking it very much. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that BJJ is replacing their art. In most cases, like me, I would say they are cross training in order to compliment their style. For me, it has reaffirmed my belief that sparring against a resisting opponent is an essential component of learning martial arts. It is also a humbling experience to be pinned down and choked out by a person half your size.

That Kung Fu sifu I mentioned earlier sometimes pops down to class and just watches. He is a friendly and open person and heartily agrees that groundwork is important, but he has not made the final leap to actually getting on the mat. For some, the divide is too great. There are years, decades even, of rules, customs, rituals, that have been ingrained into the mind and are very hard to release. To be beaten in sparring by a mere novice is too humiliating for some.

At the end of the day, there should be no debate about style or technique. There is enough choice for people to make up their own minds without all the bitching and immature taunts.

Martial arts is a brotherhood and not a prison. Come join the 'hood.

byMeerkatsu

in

March 30, 2005

The Brotherhood of Fighting

One of the more unpleasant aspects of the martial arts is the style versus style debate. You still hear these days that so and so could kick...

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