By Josh Rosenblatt Amazon link. When Josh Robenblatt got to the age of 32 and realised he wanted to fight in an MMA match, he had to confront a lot of physical problems as well as inner demons before he set foot inside the cage. While the physicality of fighting is explored, this book is … Continue reading REVIEW: Why We Fight: One Man’s Search for Meaning Inside the Ring
BJJ
Don’t be that guy – Blind spots, martial arts and cult-like rituals
Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels.com We often label other martial arts groups as a cult, and laugh at their silly behaviour and rituals, but at the same time we are a bit blind to the cult-like aspects to the things we do, because that’s ‘normal’ to us. I went to a different BJJ school … Continue reading Don’t be that guy – Blind spots, martial arts and cult-like rituals
Teaching children
I've been finally getting around to reading Breathe by Rickson Gracie, which I got for Christmas last year, just before Christmas, this year 🙂 I found this paragraph near the start that resonated with me. Over on the Heretics podcast Damon frequently talks about one of his great loves, Mongolian wrestling, and how they create … Continue reading Teaching children
Gentlemen, this is the ground
I taught an 'Intro to BJJ' seminar for a local Bristol Tang Soo Do group recently - I thought this picture was quite funny. That's me in blue. They don't look too happy about joining me down there do they! In the end we had a great time and it was a pleasure to teach … Continue reading Gentlemen, this is the ground
Zuckerberg blows out his ACL doing martial arts
Get well soon, Zuck! (Image credit: Mark Zuckerberg). Meta (nee Facebook) founder Mark Zuckerberg has undergone ACL surgery thanks to an injury sustained during his preparation for his first MMA fight. “Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it. Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I … Continue reading Zuckerberg blows out his ACL doing martial arts
The best swordsman in the world…
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com You might have heard this quote before: “The best swordsman does not fear the second best. He fears the worst since there’s no telling what that idiot is going to do.” Many attribute the quote to Mark Twain, but it was actually a summation of something Twain wrote in … Continue reading The best swordsman in the world…
Why I’m a martial arts snob
So, apparently I’m a snob when it comes to martial arts! I must be because on two separate occasions now women have accused me of being one (interesting that it’s women both times!) A recent exchange went something like this… Me: Are you going to the seminar with master x this week?Her: Yes, you?Me: Yes, … Continue reading Why I’m a martial arts snob
Imposter syndrome and martial arts
I’ve been delving into the depths of imposter syndrome and how it relates to martial arts recently. It started when we had Dr Marc Reid of the Reid Indeed podcast and author of “You are not a fraud” on our Heretics podcast last week. It was a great interview - one of the best episodes … Continue reading Imposter syndrome and martial arts
I had a great time teaching at the 40+ BJJ Open Mat, South West and Wales, September 2023
I felt very honoured to be asked to teach the technique section at the 2nd South West and Wales 40+ BJJ Open Mat this weekend at Bristol Dojo. It's a group set up by a couple of older BJJ players who just want to organise some get-togethers for people to train BJJ in an open … Continue reading I had a great time teaching at the 40+ BJJ Open Mat, South West and Wales, September 2023
Choke theory
N.B. This does NOT look like a very well applied choke at all, but it's the only free photo I could find! (Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com) Disclaimer: Please only take medical advice from a qualified doctor. I am not a qualified doctor! One of the things I find quite astonishing amongst 'martial artists' … Continue reading Choke theory
The Tai Chi Notebook 