Mixed Kicks

I stumbled on this link to the Roger Gracie Brazilian Jui Jitsu Academy, and found that Kru Jonny - who has been training my little boy since last August, and me since April - teaches Muay Thai there as well as at Jackapong. The Muay Thai/Gracie Jui Jitsu juxtaposition is interesting, because from what I have read it seems that Muay Thai on your feet and Gracie Jui Jitsu on the floor is - with a certain amount of simplification - the combination of styles that is proving the most effective in Mixed Martial Arts.

Now that I know what I'm doing, Kru Jonny often asks me to come into the gym when he has the kids practicing techniques in circuits and I hold a Thai pad for them to throw a punch, kick, elbow or knee at. The crisp thwack that cracks the air when a blow is delivered correctly is quite different from the muffled sound that a beginner's effort landing produces, and I find it quite rewarding to be there when one of youngsters suddenly gets the hang of it.

My little one and some of the others are going to do a display at a Thai community charity fund raising event next week. I feel proud of that as it means that Jonny must be confident enough of their skill and language (they count off and name forms in Thai) not to be afraid that they might embarrass him.

The Pajama Game

I knocked off another book in what Matt Polly calls the "idiot-participatory-martial-arts memoir category" over the weekend: The Pajama Game.

I did judo briefly when I was primary school age. Mark Law - the author - didn't even take it up until take it up until he was pushing 50, and many of the venues in the book, like the Budokwai, are within striking distance of here.

Ray Stevens, the Olympic silver medalist (and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu black belt under Roger Gracie) who features prominently has a Wimbledon judo club.

It is all rather worryingly tempting.

Oh, and it is a good book. Perhaps the "self-deprecating-participatory-martial-arts memoir category" would be more accurate.

1st Mon

The Bomber got his first mon grading at judo last night and is a pleased as punch.

I was shooting the breeze with Darren while Ben was getting changed, and asked him why there was a Brazilian flag on the wall of the dojo. He said that the club had some sort of relationship with a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu club and that he'd been training in BJJ himself that morning.

There's really a lot of cross discipline work going on. He told me that one of the seniors is boxing at the Roger Gracie Vie Academy as well as doing judo. That's the same place where Johnny - Ben's Kru - is the muay Thai instructor.

Round and round and round it goes.

Prodnose: Goodness me, there's a lot of testosterone in here today.

Myself: I guess so. Did I tell you that Adam is fighting in Thailand on Saturday?