BJJ Goodies!!

Just wanted to share a couple of items I received this week.  First I finally picked up a "man size" white belt as the belt I was using was off my old 170 size Judo gi and when tied looked like a little bow tie round my waist!!  So I ordered an A2 size belt to go with my gi of the same size from searching through Ebay and found this Tuff Fightwear belt for around £4.99 excluding postage.  I am happy with the quality as it's thick and feels secure once tied also, and most importantly, it has a nice black patch ready to accept all the stripes!!

I also got hold of an issue of Jits magazine.  You may have seen Jits before via their Youtube channel , they produce some great videos and their website has loads of BJJ goodness.  You can veiw their magazines free by registering on the website or order a print version with paying a small postage fee.  The magazine is great with, unlike a lot of commercial magazines, minimal advertising and maximum useful content.  This includes; drills (from Robert Drysdale), feature on Rodolfo Vieira (see elsewhere in my blog for more on him), training / nutritional advice and even a random article on scuba diving, all makes for a good read whether done online or in your hand.

Surely to be the first of many post showing what is available out there...BJJ related of course!!

Back on the mat!!

Last night was my first time back training since injuring my knee.  It was great to get back training in the gi and I'm planning to get back with a vengeance!

I hate missing training as when I have a small break I feel like I'm starting all over again...so making an effort to get in at least three times a week with looking after my strength and conditioning on the off days.  Speaking of which I one a decent little conditioning workout on Wednesday as follows:

1 min kettlebell swings - 24kg
30 sec rest
1 min jump rope
30 sec rest

Repeated till done 5 rounds, took 15 min total!

Also found a great post on another blog about the BJJ belt system and expectations at each level, interesting read....http://www.rgaa.co.uk/blog_article.htm/my_blogs/progress_in_bjj

Thanks to rgabucks for posting on EFN forum!

Rodolfo Vieira v Buchecha 2012 Worlds Absolute

Just watched this via Dstryrsg.com, amazing BJJ qualifying match for the absolute division from this years World BJJ event with Rodolfo Vieira and "Buchecha" Almeida.  Great exciting match with points going back an forth.  I am trying to watch more and more matches as had not seen many prior to beginning training but ones like this are great!

Thanks to Dstryrsg.com for highlighting it and thanks to Budovideos for uploading.

Be humble!!!

I always thought I was humble when rolling and would often say to others "yeah just tap if you get caught and start again, no issues!".  Well, at No-Gi this week I learnt my lesson and the little voice in my head was dancing to the tune of "I told you so!".

I had been away on holiday to Cuba, with this week being my first back in training and I was looking forward to getting back on the mats.  After a great session on footlocks, knee bars and calf crushers I was feeling good and enjoying myself.  A couple of rolls in my body was getting tired, the last roll came and I'll admit I was lazy... letting myself get caught in a set up for a knee bar.  All of a sudden I thought I was Andre Galvao and tried to twist and kick out only to discover that my lower leg was in a vice like grip!  I heard a little "pop" and waited for pain.....didn't come?!!  "No worries" I thought, finished training went home, then my knee started to seize up and has been in pain for the rest of the week

I've took anti inflamatory's (Ibuprofen) all week in an attempt to subdue the swelling but it's still painful.  Hopefully a little R&R and it will be good as new soon.

Big lesson learnt for me and even though I thought I would be humble and tap when I should, I obviously didn't. So as they say...."tap don't snap" (cringe!!)

Rodolfo Vieira - Black Belt Hunter

Came across this short documentary on GTF black belt Rodolfo Vieira, European open champion 2012, Pan am Champion 2011 to name a couple.  The film gives a good insight into his past and his training.  There are also plenty of clips of him competing on Youtube.  His profile can also be found at bjjheroes.com

Thanks to the creators and original uploaders Jits Magazine!!

Happy Easter!!!! Gi review - Strike Tactico!!

Hope your all having a good Easter and not eating too many eggs...who am I kidding, I'm sick of chocolate now!!
I thought I would put a little review of the Gi (Jiu Jitsu uniform) I am currently using, I know when I was shopping around any views and advice helped loads when picking one.  When I first started training I was using a cheap Judo Gi I had picked up in Sports Direct or somewhere years ago, it done the job and was hard wearing though was a size A1 so the sleeves were a tad short!!  But, as my passion for training grew I knew I would need a proper more suitable Gi, so after trawling through many sites and blogs realising that Gi's are fairly expensive £100+!!! I found a category of Gi that was perfect for me, the £50 and under bracket!!  It was in this bracket I came across the Strike Fightwear Tactico Gi.

For me the Gi looks clean and tidy with no excessive patches (though I do like patches!!) and I like the orange patches and contrasting stitching.  After a little advice from the Strike customer service team I chose a size A2 based on my height of 5'9" and weight of around (ahem) 85kg.  The Gi fit great out the bag and it was nice to have sleeves that are the right length!!

In regards to any shrinkage, after approx 6-7 washes I have noticed a little shrinking in the trousers though the jacket has been fine, this is washing the suit at 30'C.

One of the main reasons I picked this Gi was the price, this was an absolute bargain at around £33 (inc postage) and is worth getting just to have a spare Gi.

All in all this has been a great 1st Gi for me and I would definitely check any future Strike Fightwear Gi's though for my next one I think I will invest a little more but we will see!

Welcome to my new blog!!

This is my new blog that I am dedicating to my newly found passion - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!!  I have trained in Muaythai (Thai boxing) for nearly 2 decades and although I will always love the sport I have many injuries that prevent me from fully immersing myself into the sport, one being a titanium screw in my foot!!!

I had trained in a little submission wrestling and dabled slightly in No-Gi Brazilian JJ and did enjoy it but had not really trained in a Gi (Jiu Jitsu uniform), anyway a few months ago I started training at ABJJ (Aspinall BJJ) at locations close to me and I have been bitten hard by the bug!!!

This blog is to document my journey in the sport / martial art and hopefully inspire others to take it up.

I look forward to posting OSS!