New year, new affiliation, same family

Around early August (maybe earlier), our main instructor and school owner, Felipe Alves de Souza felt like he needed to step away from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a while, leaving the school and causing a lot of trepidation on the part of the students and instructors alike.

The recent situation has brought up a lot of emotions from the team and many felt unsure of the future of the school. I was one of them. There was so much negativity - some people too quick to judge without knowing what the full story was. I cannot even imagine how the instructors were coping, knowing the time and effort invested in running the school.


Despite this, like true leaders that they all are, they (Nicky Robinson, Antony Chahal and Leoni Munslow) gathered the group and provided us with a forum that allowed us to deal with the negative emotions in a supportive manner and guided us to think beyond it. They've put aside their own emotions and helped us through ours. They've kept us strong and kept us united.


Some of the black belt instructors left and pursued other directions and most stayed to rebuild the school and show support. It was very clear from this point that we needed to change the school's direction (and name) and needed a head instructor for knowledge and guidance. They shopped around and spoke to a lot of senior black belts and after much deliberation, finally decided that an affiliation with Helio "Soneca" Moreira would best embody the direction that the instructors would want to take the school.


Our previous affiliation with Felipe and Ze Beleza will always be remembered and honoured every time we step on the mats. Our performance on the mats and our behaviour outside it shows our heritage. They are part of our lineage. They will be with us for the rest of our BJJ lives.

Still, I am quite excited with this new direction and can't wait to go back to the mats.

Post surgery: Three weeks on...

It's been three weeks since the surgery and I feel that things are going well. I have graduated to a single crutch to help with walking and weight-bearing but I could pretty much limp about around the house.

To give a bit of background about what brought about the injury and subsequent surgery, my knee popped during a takedown session in class around late January from a botched outside trip that I tried doing. I have re-injured the same knee when I tried to come back two weeks after from a poorly executed single leg takedown from my training partner. MRI findings showed a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus. Several months of physiotherapy failed to address the pain and knee instability (knee gives way 1-4x a day) and I was referred for arthroscopic knee surgery.

As perverted it might seem, I was actually hoping to go under the knife, sooner rather than later. I have read several literature regarding ACL injuries and most have said that these type of injuries tend to develop more complex and chronic knee problems further down the line if no surgical intervention was made. Physiotherapy can help with strengthening the muscles around the knee but will not heal a torn ligament. Furthermore, having a partly-working ligament means that the other structures around it works harder to compensate for the loss/decrease in function, and could lead to other injuries.
Going for surgery means longer time off the mats but at least I will come back healed and stronger and less worried about the state of my knee, like a ticking time bomb. In any case, during the surgery, the surgeon found out that my patella has a full chondral lesion (grade 5 tear), as well, which could account for the pain in front of my knee that I've been suffering, too.

The doctor gave me a month off for rest, recuperation, and initial rehabilitation. Rehab exercises started the night after the surgery and have been doing them 4x a day. I must say, these exercises are a  b*tch. I never thought that raising a straight leg off the floor can make you cry out in pain. Good thing is I have made friends in the first two weeks of rehab. They are called Codydramol and Ibuprofen. They have been very supportive during these trying times.

Next time, I'll write about how I've been keeping myself busy.

Catharsis

Hey

Been a long while since I have posted something in this blog. Things were a bit busy at work and at home, so wasn't able to find time to sit down and write.
In any case, I find myself at home, off work for a month due to knee surgery, so here I am.
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I think that one of the reasons why I stopped writing was because I could not think of a great topic to write about that the reader would find exciting and thought-provoking. At the start, I had these grand ideas in my head about how I am going to talk about great things about jiujitsu and maybe even do a bit of instructional (snorts!) here and there.
But obviously this blog isn't what I thought it would be and now that I think of it, I'm fine with that.
From today, I am just going to write what's on my mind, be it random silliness or something thought-provoking. No pressure, no deadlines.
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Like this blog, I started jiujitsu feeling all motivated and obsessive. New gi, new rashie, coolest gadgets, seminars, etc. But then, my motivation waned. I lost interest and it started to become a chore. I wouldn't admit it. I thought I was just being lazy. Then work got busy. My motivation and energy was refocused into something else - something I thought was more important that my hobby. There was a time when jiujitsu became a constant thing that I did thrice a week. Then I started missing classes. I tried to go back to the normal routine but then I got injured. I kind of lost steam. One injury after another left me with thoughts about the bigger picture. I can't have a debilitating injury that could affect my ability to work. There are a lot of great things about jiujitsu and doing jiujitsu but there is one thing it can't do (to me, at least), it can't provide food on the table for my family.
Don't get me wrong. I am not quitting jiujitsu. The fact is, my seven year-old daughter has been going to jiujitsu classes now for several weeks. All I'm saying is, I need to get my priorities straight. I will still do jiujitsu because it's fun and it's part of a healthier lifestyle for me. No more obsessions. From my experience, I can't have my motivation to be shooting up 100 miles an hour only to have it come crashing down like before. I want it nice and steady. No pressure. Just flowing with the go.
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Adversity and resilience

On November 7, 2013, Guiuan (pronounced Gi-wan), a small coastal town on the southernmost tip of the Samar island in central Philippines was hit by a Category 5 super typhoon named Haiyan (known in the Philippines as typhoon Yolanda) – currently the deadliest typhoon on Philippine records. It caused the death of thousands of Filipinos in Samar and Leyte and affecting millions of people.

Typhoon Haiyan approaching the Philippines on November 7, 2013

One can argue that recent extreme weather conditions such as this can be attributed to global warming and man-made climate change but this is another topic for another day.

As a fellow Filipino, it pains me to see the suffering caused by the destruction of typhoon Haiyan. Although the news footage and pictures try to capture the devastation, you can just imagine the pain, suffering and confusion being felt by those affected by it – the loss of livelihood, property, and the lives of those closest to them in this terrible tragedy. The body count is piling up, as rescuers continue to find bodies amidst the ruin and Haiyan is rapidly becoming the deadliest typhoon on record. Millions who have been left homeless would need relocation and basic necessities such as food and water, clothing, and medicine need to be provided. 

Several countries and their respective governments and agencies have pledged their support to help those devastated by the event and this is sorely needed. I know for a fact that several western European countries (and Japan, USA, Australia and New Zealand) have always been at the forefront of charitable activities and always quick to lend a hand to those needing help, wherever and whenever. 

Several of my friends have initiated fund-raising drives in their workplace to help the cause - one I quite like is called “Pancit Molo (Pork Dumpling soup)for the Soul” by an old buddy of mine, Lemuel, held at a local primary school in West London, and my wife has teamed up with fellow work colleagues at a local hospital for a charity cake bake sale. I am pleased that there is an opportunity for the BJJ community to help out, as well. 

A good friend of mine and Gawakoto owner, Bong Abad, has teamed up with Seymour Yang of Meerkatsu and Matthew Benyon of Scramble to produce a fundraising t-shirt. It features the Filipino kalabaw (water buffalo) RNC’ing a typhoon demon. The Filipino proverb “Ang bayaning nasusugatan, nag-iibayo ang tapang”, loosely translated as “The patriot that gets wounded becomes more fearless” became the foundation of the text, with minor changes to reflect the theme. From these came the words “Stronger and Braver” to echo the resilience of the Filipino people in times of adversity. The popular symbols of the Philippine flag, three stars and the sun nicely round up the design. The  three artists also decided that the colour yellow signifies hope and optimism, clearly in keeping with the theme. The design and layout is amazing, as is their generosity, that I will forgive them for the erroneous spelling of the Philippines ;)

The shirt retails £15, with 100% of the profit going to the Disasters Emergency Committee. This is available for pre-order on the Gawakoto website http://store.gawakotoclothing.co.uk/Pre-Order-Fundraising-Shirt-Stronger-Braver_p_45.html

There is no pressure to buy the fundraising shirt to be able to help. There are other fundraising activities available that support the disaster-stricken Philippines.

I am as civic-minded as the next guy but I do not have skills to contribute, unlike others. But I can support causes that I think is worthwhile.

What about you?

HOW YOU CAN HELP IN OTHER WAYS

To donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Philippines Appeal, visit www.dec.org.uk, call the hotline on 0370 60 60 900, or go to any high street bank or Post Office. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000. Stay up to date with developments at www.twitter.com/decappeal or at www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee

Winning (and losing) is a state of mind

I was reading a Kevin Randleman interview the other day and he was talking about the life of a wrestler.  Amongst other nuggets of wisdom he was sharing, based on decades of competitive wrestling, he said, “ (In wrestling), we get our butts kicked by everybody everyday. You never win in practice. Someone is always there to beat your ass. If you’re that good, then there’s someone there that good with you because you didn’t get there by yourself.”

That brought to mind my own experience in training jiu jitsu. I do get my butt kicked by everyone everyday and just last night, I got caught in a nasty arm bar from a really technical sparring partner, which compounded the arm bar I got from one of the black belts two weeks ago (I know, I know, my arm bar defense sucks big time!). Mr. Randleman says that no one wins in practice (in his case, anyway), but in my experience, I do – every time. But then my goals are most probably different from his. I don’t set out to win every time I spar. My goals are much more simple and specific to my own learning needs – to be able to assume a better position, to prevent someone from establishing a better position, or even just lasting longer than before against a very skilled partner. I may have “lost” a sparring session in a general sense, but in my mind, as long as I had those little boxes ticked in my head, I come out as a winner.

Cheesy, I know, and not very “alpha”, but in my opinion, to succeed with anything, as with life, you need to set realistic but dynamic goals. And it is MY journey, you know…

Crybaby

As my training partners fill the mats at the gym, here I am, at home, trying my best to type. One hand clutches a piece of tissue paper, trying to blot my eyes as I fight to prevent the tears from running down my cheeks. Sniffling, my nose runny, eyes raw, I squint to see the monitor in front of me. 

I have hayfever. And it sucks big time.

I have not only missed several days of training because of this, I have also been off work for several days last week. I first had hayfever last year, but it wasn't as bad as this year. Someone told me that there is a species of tree that triggers severe hay fever to those susceptible to it but fortunately, it only blooms every ten years. The last time it bloomed was 2003. Yay.

I've tried a lot of medication, believe me. Antihistamines in various forms - tablets, capsules, liquids. I've also had eye drops and nasal sprays. All of which give me temporary relief. Right now, I'm trying out this eye spray, which is £17 a pop. It is marginally better than the eye drops, and I combine it with the nasal spray and the antihistamines. Gives me enough relief on some days, but not today. 

Sniff, squint, and sneeze. Rinse and repeat.

Sigh.

Back to the grind

My countless followers (read: two) might be wondering why this blog has been quiet for nearly 6 months. Well, it was due to the fact that since the Christmas holidays last year, I haven't stepped on the mats to train BJJ. I was really busy with my old job covering other sites and then I eventually moved to a new job that was waiting for me since November last year. During this period, I must admit, I have intentionally kept myself off from the BJJ world - save from the occasional updates I get from my training partners and friends, Keith and Elliott regarding who got promoted and what comps are they doing, etc. The reason I did that was because I did not want to feel how much I truly miss BJJ and training but I have always had that at the back of my mind. The trouble for me was, the longer I am away from the mats, the more unsure I have become of whatever skills I have acquired.

Last Monday, I made way to Battersea and for the first time in nearly six months, stepped on the mats again. There are several faces that I haven't seen before but I am glad to see those familiar faces who used to choke and armbar me into oblivion. I did not see Keith but am glad that Elliott was there to ease  my way back into training. Elliott has done several comps and medalled since I last rolled with him and it shows. That man literally handed my ass to me - and he seemed to have done this effortlessly (get this guy a sponsorship already!)

And that sets the tone of my return to my BJJ journey. Good to be back.