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.

2013: Bring it on.

You've probably read a lot of BJJ bloggers already doing a recap of how 2012 have been for their journey and whatnot. Well, this won't be much different, though I won't be dispensing of BJJ and life wisdom because I don't have any at the moment.

The year has been a roller coaster ride for me. I got promoted to blue, entered my first BJJ competition and got a medal despite sucking at it. The year has also saw me undergo a lot of trials and tribulations at work and at home but throughout it all, BJJ remained a constant in my life.

Suffice to say, BJJ kept me sane this year.

Roll on 2013.

Into the blue...

I've been using a blue belt for nearly a month now to keep my gi jacket closed on the mats. I was awarded it by Felipe Alves de Souza and José Henriqué Leão Teixeira on the recent BJJ School summer grading last July.

I must admit, the belt promotion came as a surprise, as I never expected it. I was struggling a bit on the mats in the couple of weeks leading to it and thought that at best, I was getting a stripe or two. But when Jon, BJJ School squad mate and fellow Pinoy who trains at Willesden said that Felipe does not award stripes at formal gradings, I stated that if that's the case, I wasn't getting any then haha.

So when, Felipe called my name, he had to say it thrice, as I thought it was someone else with the same name as mine. Suffice to say, I had the most confused look throughout the ceremony. I didn't think I deserved to be at blue belt level but after reflection, if Felipe, Ze, and the rest of the BJJ School instructors believe in my skills, who am I to dispute?

Well, those who disputed were the white belts who smashed me the following day I got on the mats. Haha

To be honest, I looked forward to that. I felt I needed to prove to myself and to others that the belt does not bestow the wearer any power ups and special skills upon receipt. That I was the same guy who came in the week before, just wearing a different coloured belt.

For a lot of people, being a blue belt means that the wearer has put in a significant amount of time and effort in learning the art. He or she will have gained at least a minimum amount of knowledge necessary to give a new guy an introduction to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

I would like to think that when your instructor awards you with a belt, he sees something in you - be it skills or personality traits that he likes and approves of, and that you are worthy of carrying the school/academy name with you.

You have to understand, when black belt awards you a belt, his name is forever associated with you - he is passing on his lineage to you .


No pressure there.

My lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda -> Carlos Gracie Sr. -> Carlos Gracie Jr. -> José Henriqué Leão Teixeira -> Felipé Alves de Souza -> me

Chat with Gawakoto boss, Bong Abad

 

I caught up with Bong Abad of Gawakoto Clothing the last time he was in London and what was a general catch up turned into an interview-type session. You can be privy to that conversation below.

BNSTR: So, bro, how did Gawakoto Clothing started? I remember reading something about a virtual studio...

 

BA: Haha, yes it did start as a virtual studio. In 2005, my daughter, Lana, who was then 2 1/2 years old, did  a book about a toddler's typical line of thought. It was so good that we decided to have it published. As we wanted to just print a small number of copies, I thought, "Why can't we just print it ourselves?" So, in that year, Gawakoto was born.

                                                                       Lana's book

BNSTR: Why the name "Gawakoto"? Is it to identify the company as Filipino? (Gawakoto or "Gawa ko 'to" means "I made this" in Filipino Tagalog dialect).

 

BA: Actually, it is a homage to Chris Carter, who created the X-Files. I was a huge fan of that show and his production is called "Ten Thirteen". At the end of every episode, after the credits have rolled out, Ten Thirteen would come up and you'll hear a young  boy's voice saying, "I made this."

                                                        Chris Carter's 1013 Productions

BNSTR: I, too, am a fan of the X-Files. Actually, I like most things with "X" in it -- X-Files, X-Men, X-Force, X-Guard, triple X... lol
Ahem, but seriously, although Gawakoto is Tagalog and pronounced as such, some people mispronounce it and think it is a Japanese company. What are your thoughts on that?

 

BA: That's perfectly fine. Truth be told, I did think that some people might mistake it for a Japanese company, but because I like Japanese stuff, as well, maybe it was a subconscious decision on my part to go with the name. What kept it Filipino is the Baybayin characters (ancient Filipino alphabet) on its logo.

 

BNSTR: So, how did a virtual publishing studio that made children's books turn into one of the highly sought  out companies that provided fresh designs for the MMA/BJJ world?

 

BA: You're too kind, bro. I am not that highly sought out... Anyways, in 2010, I started doing Kali under Gary Hortroff. I offered to do a club shirt for the group for an event called "Warriors' Circle". I thought that Kali, being a traditional Filipino Martial Art, having Lapu-Lapu, the first Filipino hero, as the  main character of the design would best epitomise the warrior spirit that I wanted to portray. Fortunately, they liked it and the design remained as my best-selling work.

Around late that year, I ventured into submission grappling, initially under Gary who trained under Erik Paulson and in 2011. I started training at the Tokon Academy under David Webb, who is affiliated with Nicolas Gregoriades' The Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood Academy, currently as a two-stripe white belt. Another opportunity came up again, and I was able to design our academy's rash guard.

 

As I became immersed in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and its lifestyle, I started to look for fight wear/lifestyle wear that would suit my views on the contemporary martial art. Skull and bones seemed so 90's and I wanted a fresh take on things. With my background in comic and animation, I decided that I wanted to contribute on taking the MMA/BJJ fightwear in another direction.

 

BNSTR: Scramble appeared to be doing that then...

BA: Precisely. that's why I hooked up with Matt Benyon (Scramble head honcho) thru facebook. To me, Scramble had the freshest ideas at the time, and I was glad I had the opportunity to be part of it.

 

BNSTR: Oh, yeah, I remember the comic strip Scrambleman. That was your first,
wasn't it?

                                                                  Published in Fighters Only

 

BA: Yep. Scramble was my first client and Scrambleman was my first commissioned work. Afterwards, I did Bone Crusher when the company sponsored UFC fighter Darren Uyenoyama.

Did you know that Scrambleman was meant to be t-shirt design?

BNSTR: Really?! I guess having the comic strip on an established MMA magazine was better in terms of advertising the brand rather than just a shirt...

BNSTR: You have a full-time job and a young family to boot. How do you fit everything in your schedule?

BA: It is a challenge, really. From work, after spending some time with Jan and the kids, I then go to my small studio (AKA sofa & macbook) and work on the commissions. I'd hardly sleep earlier than 3 AM, most times.

BNSTR: I can't say I envy your work, my friend... Speaking of commissioned work, can you tell me how the process goes?

BA: Sure. Usually, a potential client sends me an email to signify the possibility of doing a commissioned work or a collaboration work with them. I would then reply to them to ask for specific criteria that they want for the design. Some clients have got a more definite idea of what they want, but  generally, most would paint broad brush strokes of what they want and they will give me free rein in the design process.

 

I would then do quick pencil sketches and send it to them with annotations of details. Once they approve, I would then start doing clean pencils then inking. I would then send the final draft for approval. Cumulatively, it takes around 12 hours from the time I open the email to the finished product.

BNSTR: 12 hours?! That's quick. I would probably spend 12 hours just conceptualising a design, if ever, and not even start putting pencil into paper...

BA: Haha. It has become easier for me because my mind is now used to working around those parameters. You'll get used to it eventually.

 

BNSTR: Any new commissioned work, Bong?

 

BA: There are a couple, yes, but I can't divulge them yet. Top secret (smiles). All I can say is I'm very excited about these.

 

BNSTR:  Well, hopefully, I can get some sneak peeks at some point, haha. So, what's next for Gawakoto? Which direction are you planning to take the company?

BA: I would love for Gawakoto to be known outside the MMA/BJJ world. I hope that eventually I could branch out to becoming a street wear brand whilst maintaining roots as a fight wear brand. It would be nice to be able to open a retail shop, as well.

BNSTR: Well, best of luck to you, brother. You can rest assured that your fans will support you and Gawakoto in your endeavours.

Twelve months on: What I've learned

It has been about a year now since I started this blog, so I thought it'd be appropriate to take stock of the year gone by. As you know, the start of this blog coincided with my return to learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after a two-year hiatus. Mind you, I did not possess much skills then before I stopped, as I have only started going for around a month or so, so whatever I learned before did not really stick after two years of changing nappies and feeding puréed food.


 I have learned (and continue to learn) techniques that looked easy until I tried doing it.


 I have learned that having injuries is annoying and has initially put a huge dent on my ability to train but I have since learned to work around them. From May to December, I actually had more days injured than days I actually came to class. Funnily enough, I get less injured now than when I first started. Maybe it has something to do with being more aware of which positions to avoid being subjected to (knee rides can cause fractured ribs FACT!)


 I have also learned to relax if I find myself at the bottom or getting submitted (which is frequent) and concentrate on my breathing and to try to find a way out(which is less frequent). I'm sure that any low level BJJ player had this thought at some point in their training - "Now, how did that guy in the YouTube video do it again?"


 I have learned that there is no replacement for drilling techniques and positions. Attending beginners classes is worth its weight in gold.


 I have learned that properly applied techniques beats strength anytime but with equally skilled players, the strong or bigger one wins. I have been on both sides of the coin, fortunately or unfortunately.


 The things I have learned in the past twelve months will help shape the way I approach the challenges in front of me and are undoubtedly important in developing my game, but equally important, as well, besides learning the art of BJJ, going back to training afforded me with the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals who share the same passion with me, and a host of other interests, as well - blogging, films, music, drawing, comic books, gi-shopping(lol), etc. This is where training partners became friends. These are friends I will always grateful of, for accompanying me in my journey in learning and appreciating this gentle art we call Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.


 Oss.

Drill to Win (repost)

I am reposting this for those who are not able to access it on my blog.






In the last several classes, we have been drilling techniques in side control – escapes, transitions, and submissions from this position. One good thing with attending the beginners' classes over at Battersea is that most of the techniques taught week after week tend to be chained together, so that the techniques from the previous session is revisited, as the technique is shown.

As beneficial the beginners' classes are to me in solidifying my fundamentals, I would also like to start attending the mixed classes. I imagine it would be like the old Kamon classes where there would be an even amount of time for drilling and rolling, except that there would be more coloured belts to roll with. I promised myself that I'm going to attempt to attend at least two classes a week to further my skills. I have not been too successful with it lately, with this blasted weather making me and my family ill with colds and flu. As if the weather isn't miserable enough...

A bit of good news to finish this off, my good BJJ pal, Elliott has been awarded two stripes by Dante over at Kamon several weeks ago. Together with Gerry and Rob, they are the first ones to earn stripes on their belt. If you remember on my earlier posts, it isn't Kevin's style to award stripes, although I have been told he has given his blessing to this awarding.

Well, truth be told, earning stripes is a sure-fire way to keep one motivated. 

I hope to earn one before the year ends. ;)

 ------------------------

At the moment, I have been typing and posting blogs via my phone. My daughter (who recently celebrated her birthday, by the way), decided in typical 5year-old fashion, to remove the space bar and the letter N on my laptop. This obviously affects the speed of my typing – imagine driving on a road where there are random speed bumps...Meh.

Commitment (repost)

I am reposting this as for some reason, this particular post (and another one) does not show up on the blog. Technology, eh?






In this age of technology, you'd think that Microsoft and Apple would get their  shit together, but no. Friday night, I attempted to download the latest version of iTunes on my laptop. Well, it wouldn't. At least, that's what my computer says. It spewed a bunch of error codes, which took me the whole of the weekends to trawl thru internet forums to find a solution. Turns out to be that I'm not the only one. Microsoft or Windows Vista has trouble with updates and software installations,  that even tech geeks were having problems finding a solution for it up to now.

Now I can't access all my music. Sheesh.

---------------------------------

In the past couple of weeks, I have been diligently attending the beginners' classes over at BJJ School and have augmented it by attending the Friday mixed classes.

I must say, it is a totally different atmosphere (at least for me) in the mixed classes. It seemed more laid back and loose, as compared to the beginners' classes where we were put through our paces - teaching technique followed by drilling, then positional sparring, to be finished by full sparring (most times).

In the mixed classes, where there is a terrific abundance of coloured belts, it would be pretty much of the same format although there is more time spent on sparring. Also, people can just drift in or out during the sessions. On one class, Felipe taught two techniques involving leglocks and calf slicers that just went over my head. Duh. Good thing that there were two other white belts during the class, and sensing our confusion, he decided to teach us three a more basic technique.

As there were loads of higher belts, there is no dearth with sparring with blues, purples and browns, though I was kept busy enough sparring with the lighter coloured ones. One thing I very much like with sparring with different coloured belts is that each roll is terrific for learning and a good grounding experience with regards to seeing how I am progressing. It provides me with a valuable insight on my improvement, or lack thereof, as a BJJ player. With people that you train with regularly, this can be difficult at times, as you pit yourself with someone who is also improving, unless one's rate of progression is faster than the other person. I guess in these instances, an outsider, or someone who hasn't seen or trained with you for a while, might notice the improvement.

I told myself at the start of the year that I am going to make more of a commitment to training BJJ. I have set myself goals – really small ones, like, getting off work on time, getting to class, training at least twice a week, etc. I have had a chat with my wife about this, as well, as I needed her on board with this and supporting me, which she has always been, in her own little way (Thanks, hon).

My body is also adjusting to the increased demands brought about by training. Good nutrition and enough rest should take care of it (and painkillers and liniment).The key here is to resist the urge to overdo it, as injuries would only set you back, as I have learned last year.

Time spent away from my family is time that cannot be taken back. I need to make it count.

Light rolling, anyone?

One valuable lesson learned in tonight's mixed class - the true definition of light rolling.

Myself and Keith, regularly drill and train together over at the BJJ School for several months now. On some occasions, when we feel a bit knackered or are nursing a bit of injury, we'd say, "Let's do some light rolling, bro." And then, we'd proceed to do just that - or what we think what light rolling meant.

The first time I rolled with Bong, on our first ever open mat, Bong said, "Let's do some light rolling as we wait for the others to turn up." I nearly took his eye out by accident (as I would always tell the judge if I was ever hauled in court).

Tonight, as myself and Keith were doing some "light rolling", one of the higher belts spoke to us the danger of rolling hard - as we were doing apparently! He also said that higher belts would not be too keen to roll with us if we go hard every rolling session - as injuries arise especially when noobs (like us) goes balls-to-the-wall. This means that we potentially lose valuable input from them if we just continue to roll like we do.

I think was what happening is that we were reacting to the bio feedback we get with each other during rolling and if we perceive a certain force against us, we naturally respond with an equal or slightly bigger amount of force to "counter" the force exerted against us. So that's why what starts of as a light roll transforms itself into a more intensive one.

Point well taken and as I have had the experience rolling with higher belts (a blue and a brown) during the class tonight, I saw what light rolling truly is. It is an amazing learning experience.

Pinoy BJJ Group Meet II

The 18th of March marked the day when our small group met formally for the second time since we founded it. This time, I hosted it and we held it at the BJJ School in Battersea (Battersea Youth Centre), where I train.

The usual suspects turned up - Jon, Dio, Jodi, Bong and myself. I managed to coax my regular training mate, Keith, and our old training partner, Elliott - both members of the Chili Brotherhood (wassup spice-loving homies), to come and join our little group to boost our numbers. We tried inviting some of the higher belts we knew from BJJ School and other schools but I guess they were busy...you, know, Mum's day and all that...

Anyways, I believe that the meet was successful, despite the fact that the pinoys themselves were late - a first-hand experience of the term "Filipino time" that both Keith and Elliott unfortunately learned. Did you know that in the Philippines, common custom is when you hold a party or anything that involves visitors, you actually tell them a 2-hour advanced start time as they hardly arrive on time - or shall we say, they would arrive just in time for the real start. This is one of the embarrassing traits that we try to erase to show respect to our colleagues. In all honesty, I was at the Clapham Junction train station 40 minutes early but train delays and closure of the nearest station exit caused some problems for the rest of the group. Enough of the excuses.

We did several rounds of rolling with different partners and I like to believe that I have shown some improvement since the last time we met. As always, both Jon and Dio were very supportive of us lower belts and both Bong and Elliott showed us a thing or two of their favourite moves. Good luck to Elliott as he prepares for competition in June. I hope he does not go against one of the BJJ School guys - I wouldn't know who to cheer for!

I hope that we can schedule another meet around summer and hoping that our numbers will increase. Sometimes I think that the higher belts are not too keen on coming to the open mat as they might think that there isn't much to gain rolling with lower belts. I really hope that this is not the case - the one of the main reasons we founded the group is to use it as a venue to know other Filipinos practicing the art and use it to share our collective knowledge with others in a fun and supportive environment. That is why we greatly appreciate the participation of both Keith and Elliott, as despite not belonging to the group in the strictest sense, their willingness to show support and share their time and skill with us embodies the true spirit of why the group was founded in the first place.

Now, if only you guys would try our adobo, kare-kare, and dinuguan...

Good days, bad days

There are days that I feel that I feel that I "know" BJJ, and there are days that I feel I don't . This past several sessions fall on the latter category. Thinking about it too much would only bum me out, so I don't. I am enjoying it despite the frustrations of getting smashed at sparring or knowing that you could escape into a better position but is too gassed to effect it. Yes, I know - cardio is still an issue but I am slowly getting there. ;)

Sometimes, I am tempted to analyse why am I crappy at BJJ, but most times, I just tell myself, "Knowledge and skill would come soon enough." If you remember recently, I have made small goals for myself, mostly focusing on establishing the commitment to set time for BJJ. I would like to say that I am getting AT LEAST two sessions a week now, and I have been granting myself a third session most weeks. Balancing work, family and BJJ is often difficult, even in the best of times.

On a more positive note, the second Pinoy BJJ Group Open Mat is this Sunday at the Battersea Youth Centre. Aside from the original pinoy grapplers from the first open mat in Hertfordshire, we are lucky to be joined by some of my regular training partners from the Kamon Croydon crew, Elliott, Keith, and possibly blue belt Steve (owner of the nasty Steve-o-tine). I have also been informed that brown belt Paul has confirmed his attendance. Bong has certainly worked his charms in securing this one (Thanks, brother).

I hope someone brings a camera for posterity.

Commitment

In this age of technology, you'd think that Microsoft and Apple would get their  shit together, but no. Friday night, I attempted to download the latest version of iTunes on my laptop. Well, it wouldn't. At least, that's what my computer says. It spewed a bunch of error codes, which took me the whole of the weekends to trawl thru internet forums to find a solution. Turns out to be that I'm not the only one. Microsoft or Windows Vista has trouble with updates and software installations,  that even tech geeks were having problems finding a solution for it up to now.

Now I can't access all my music. Sheesh.

---------------------------------

In the past couple of weeks, I have been diligently attending the beginners' classes over at BJJ School and have augmented it by attending the Friday mixed classes.

I must say, it is a totally different atmosphere (at least for me) in the mixed classes. It seemed more laid back and loose, as compared to the beginners' classes where we were put through our paces - teaching technique followed by drilling, then positional sparring, to be finished by full sparring (most times).

In the mixed classes, where there is a terrific abundance of coloured belts, it would be pretty much of the same format although there is more time spent on sparring. Also, people can just drift in or out during the sessions. On one class, Felipe taught two techniques involving leglocks and calf slicers that just went over my head. Duh. Good thing that there were two other white belts during the class, and sensing our confusion, he decided to teach us three a more basic technique.

As there were loads of higher belts, there is no dearth with sparring with blues, purples and browns, though I was kept busy enough sparring with the lighter coloured ones. One thing I very much like with sparring with different coloured belts is that each roll is terrific for learning and a good grounding experience with regards to seeing how I am progressing. It provides me with a valuable insight on my improvement, or lack thereof, as a BJJ player. With people that you train with regularly, this can be difficult at times, as you pit yourself with someone who is also improving, unless one's rate of progression is faster than the other person. I guess in these instances, an outsider, or someone who hasn't seen or trained with you for a while, might notice the improvement.

I told myself at the start of the year that I am going to make more of a commitment to training BJJ. I have set myself goals – really small ones, like, getting off work on time, getting to class, training at least twice a week, etc. I have had a chat with my wife about this, as well, as I needed her on board with this and supporting me, which she has always been, in her own little way (Thanks, hon).

My body is also adjusting to the increased demands brought about by training. Good nutrition and enough rest should take care of it (and painkillers and liniment).The key here is to resist the urge to overdo it, as injuries would only set you back, as I have learned last year.

Time spent away from my family is time that cannot be taken back. I need to make it count.

Drill to win

In the last several classes, we have been drilling techniques in side control – escapes, transitions, and submissions from this position. One good thing with attending the beginners' classes over at Battersea is that most of the techniques taught week after week tend to be chained together, so that the techniques from the previous session is revisited, as the technique is shown.

As beneficial the beginners' classes are to me in solidifying my fundamentals, I would also like to start attending the mixed classes. I imagine it would be like the old Kamon classes where there would be an even amount of time for drilling and rolling, except that there would be more coloured belts to roll with. I promised myself that I'm going to attempt to attend at least two classes a week to further my skills. I have not been too successful with it lately, with this blasted weather making me and my family ill with colds and flu. As if the weather isn't miserable enough...

A bit of good news to finish this off, my good BJJ pal, Elliott has been awarded two stripes by Dante over at Kamon several weeks ago. Together with Gerry and Rob, they are the first ones to earn stripes on their belt. If you remember on my earlier posts, it isn't Kevin's style to award stripes, although I have been told he has given his blessing to this awarding.

Well, truth be told, earning stripes is a sure-fire way to keep one motivated. 

I hope to earn one before the year ends. ;)

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At the moment, I have been typing and posting blogs via my phone. My daughter (who recently celebrated her birthday, by the way), decided in typical 5year-old fashion, to remove the space bar and the letter N on my laptop. This obviously affects the speed of my typing – imagine driving on a road where there are random speed bumps...Meh.

New beginnings

Last week, I made a conscious decision to seek another BJJ school to continue my quest to learn and understand Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Two schools came to my mind – Gracie Barra London Bridge (ECBJJ) helmed by Eduardo Carriello and BJJ School headed by Leao Texeira and Felipe Alvez de Souza. Both are established schools and appear to provide excellent tuition to their students. I have been to ECBJJ last December to attend the Braulio Estima seminar (amazing, by the way) and liked the atmosphere there as they seem to be a good bunch. My only gripe is that the classes start quite late in the evening and from my experience over at Carlson’s, by the time I get home, shower, eat, wind down and get ready for bed, it’d be in the early hours of the following day.

So on Monday, I went to BJJ School in Battersea to try out their free week. Keith was kind enough to accompany me there for the beginners’ class. Keith was also school-hunting, and has been to several different schools in the past several weeks. To be honest, I actually went to Battersea on Sunday to do a recon of the place and check transport options and such. I am one of those people who get anxious with new places and meeting new people, so if I can, I try to address and eliminate these issues one-by-one, if I can.

I must say, the school is very decent and the people are very welcoming. Leoni Munslow and Felipe de Souza themselves were there and were warm and hospitable.  I need to add that Ed Brown, a BJJ School brown belt and owner of the Ed Brown Functional Fitness, has invited me several times to come train and I am pleased to have finally taken up his offer.

The beginners’ class was like Ronseal – it exactly does what it says on the tin. Despite having a smattering of blues in the class, it was a class geared for beginners. The instructor would show one technique (two at most, but interconnected) and we’d drill it until we got it. Then it was positional sparring using the technique, then a quick couple of rounds of general sparring. That is a very effective way to make full use of an hour’s time, in my opinion. I went back on Wednesday to attend James Carey’s class. Same format albeit with a quick warm up at the start of the class.

The good thing with going to BJJ School is that the beginners’ classes start early, which means that I can get home early and allow me to spend time with my family. There is an advanced class after the beginners’ class that fellow Kamon BJJ crew Little Steve attends but I feel that it is too complex for me at the moment. I am able to tweak my work hours so I could leave earlier on those days and just stay a bit later on the other days to make up the time.

Keith was also pleased with the class time and the general level of instruction that he decided to join the BJJ School full-time.

As for me, you could see the new logo on this blog...

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I would like to thank Master Kevin Chan, Dante, purple belt Steve, Galvatron, and the rest of the Kamon BJJ Croydon crew for welcoming me into the school last year. It is sad to leave and seek another school, especially as you have made me feel part of the group and have shared your knowledge, time, and energy with me, as we journey into the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The BJJ world is small and close-knit, and I am sure we will meet each other in the near future and you can continue to submit and tap me out. ;)

2011 Recap (It’s mid-January, but what the hell...)

This year in May marked my return to training in BJJ – new school, training partners, and friends. A social network account made it also possible  for me to set up the Pinoy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Group in the UK with Bong Abad of Gawakoto fame and its counterpart in North America together with the famous Joe Rico of that 90’s seminal thrash metal band Sacrifice.

This re-uptake of this worthwhile but physically demanding sport has caused me to suffer injuries and be sidelined for some time as well (3-4 months in total) – from a fractured rib to the reoccurrence of a chronic rotator cuff injury. This time away from training has also been compounded by the times when I am unable to come to class because of work commitments that have taken priority.

The toll this has taken on my training has made me more aware of how de-skilled you can quickly become when you spend time off the mats – this includes sports-specific cardio.

This year, in 2012, I have made several goals that I plan to achieve, some of them are BJJ-related. Amongst other things, I plan to not focus too much of my time and energy on work and take some back to spend more time with my family and in pursuing BJJ. Training in BJJ is my only “me” time (except playing COD on XBox and PS3). I very hardly go out to pubs and clubs anymore and given the choice, I would prefer staying at home with my family.

Following on that, I plan to attend class on a more regular basis, and train around injuries. I feel more confident now with the sport and with that comes the ability to be more aware of your body movements so as not to put too much strain on your injuries – that is, unless you have got a sparring partner who’s into “Biff-jitsu”.

It would also be nice (and beneficial to me) to find time outside the class to just roll with my BJJ friends. There are a lot of things to consider, of course, as availability and location is a huge factor. With the uncertainty of Kamon BJJ Croydon’s future in 2012, it becomes more apparent to me that a decision has to be made if I want to continue pursuing this endeavour.

There's no "I" in TEAM

Tonight’s session marked the end of the Wednesday classes with Kevin. It was a situation that was saddening to me, at least, as I won’t be seeing some of the guys who can only come on Wednesdays. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Dante will still facilitate the Thursday classes, though he is hoping that he could get a discount from the Croydon Martial Arts Academy to make it financially viable.

On this last session, we did a lot of positional/technical sparring – guard passes, side control escapes, mounts, and sweeps. I felt that I did well today – oh, yes, I still did get submitted (a nasty “Steve-o-tine” from 3B himself) and several more from various partners throughout the session. The reason I was pleased with myself is that I felt I made them work for it and have managed to escape some compromising positions. I was even attempting my own submissions (“attempting” being the operative word, as I never got to be successful with them, haha). I feel like I am making progress. Slowly but surely.

Towards the end, Kevin spoke with us about the Croydon school’s future plans.  Nothing was set in stone yet, but I (we) are hoping that we can relocate by the beginning of next year. Some of us guys have made plans to continue meeting up on Wednesdays to drill and spar. Kevin gave us his blessings to train on other schools, notably BJJ School (Leao Teixeira) in Battersea and other schools within the Gracie Barra umbrella.

That is certainly an option for me, and I know these schools provide high quality instructions that I would benefit from, but my initial loyalty remains with Kamon BJJ. Not only for the skills that I have learned these past few months, but more importantly (for me), the friendliness and camaraderie I experienced from the Croydon crew. Elliott, Keith, Steve B (3B), Big Steve (Galvatron), Purple Belt Steve, Dante, and the rest of the guys, are people who genuinely want you to learn BJJ. There is no competition, one-upmanship, nastiness with them. They bring in what they learned, saw, practiced to the mats and demonstrate/teach it to others without hesitation. They will let you know what you did wrong during sparring and on many occasions, show you how you could do it better the next time. Unless you’re a total douchebag, there is no other way but to reciprocate the help that has been shown to you. That’s being part of the team.

I am sure other schools have the same level of camaraderie as above, but this is what I’ve experienced, and I will be eternally be grateful to these people. I hope Kamon BJJ in Croydon (or Crystal Palace) will still survive and flourish. If not, I hope we are still able to meet up regularly to train – or better yet, go to the same school.

Here ya go, Santa. That’s my wish this Christmas.

Important point to note:

Fellow Pinoy BJJ Group member, Diosa Atienza won Silver in last weekend’s English Open. Her little daughter, Jodi, won Gold in her division. I am sure that hubby and dad, Jonathan, had a big hand in training them to near perfection! Congratulations, guys. You do us proud!

So, do you wanna be a BJJ player?

Training with Kevin today. For the last week or so, we've been drilling escapes from various positions, e.g., side control, guard, half guard, triangle... The common theme amongst all of these is PATIENCE. It's not about rushing to get out, but to think methodically and move slowly but purposefully. This is Kevin's thing. He admits that in the past, he used to be a very aggressive player, and then he rolled with someone who withstood all his aggression and methodically tapped him out several times. For him, it was an awakening and then proceeded to change his game into what we've come to know and hopefully, learn.
I seem to have benefitted a lot in today's training. It appeared (to me, at least), that he spent some time watching me drill and roll, and gave me pointers throughout the class. What was invaluable to me, as well, is the time I get to chat with him during sparring breaks - I do one-on and one-off sparring at the moment to allow my shoulder to rest, as I wanted to train consistently, rather than be off due to injury again.
We did discuss about the Croydon school closing down BUT with the intention of opening one up in Crystal Palace! If that wasn't good news, I don't know what is. To be honest, when I started asking Pinoy BJJ brother, Jon, about the possibility of going to BJJ School in Battersea, I was welcomed with open guard, eh, open arms, I mean... I have also spoken with Kevin about this, in a very tangential and roundabout manner, and states that Felipe is one of his teachers, so no issue with that, in case I do decide to move there. But it seems that I don't need to do that, fingers crossed.
Towards the end of the class, Kevin gave a speech about investing time and energy in drilling and rolling. He said that if you are the sort of person who only train once or twice a week, your progress will be very slow - unless you just like wearing a gi and talking about UFC/MMA. I thought he was talking about me LOL!!
Seriously, that woke me up a bit. I do want to progress in BJJ. I may not reach black belt level, but as long as I could impart my knowledge and skills to my children, I will have fulfilled my goal. And that is my legacy.

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Congratulations to !ittle Steve and Lanky Rob on getting their blue belts tonight. No bells and whistles, no fanfare, no belt-whipping. Just wear your blue belt the next time you come to class, Kevin says. Typical Kevin - practical, efficient, direct to the point. Like his jiu jitsu.