DarthPenguin

Thanks for posting - was a very informative read! I have noticed that a lot of police officers train bjj over here (in my current academy and also my old one) and have wondered about it before. When thinking about it i thought that (out of the styles i am aware of) it is probably the best suited to a police officer due to it being what i would term 'analogue in nature' rather than most other arts which i would term as 'digital'. What i mean by this is in a 'digital' art (which i would describe most striking styles as) then someone is either hit or not hit, with that hit either being hard enough to be effective or not being. If you are trying to restrain an individual then if you are mainly trained in a striking art then you either put them down or you don't. In the UK this would likely result in action being taken against the police officer. Judo and Sambo were styles i initially found hard to caregorise but i decided i would lump them in with the striking arts since the techniques they are most known for (the throws) are similar in that aspect to strikes - someone is either thrown or they are not! Then if they are thrown there is a good chance of someone being injured. While both styles do contain groundwork, it is not their major focus and if that is what you are looking for then i (personally) think you would pick up the necessary ground skills faster at bjj since that would be the main focus of the class. For an analogue style you can choose the level of force applied in the technique with a wide range being possible. As an example you can restrain someone in a chokehold and immobilise them whilst choosing how hard the choke is. It could go from immobilising and not really choking all the way up to choking someone out quickly, with the officer able to decide how hard to go. Bjj takes a very very long time to rank up and 'master' but a lot of that time is spent learning how to beat other people who also train bjj. Someone can pick up enough to be able to apply simpler techniques to an untrained individual a lot faster. The other style i thought that would potentially be useful/applicable and i would class as analogue for this purpose is Aikido. I admit i don't know much about it but i think from what i have seen the techniques would allow the selective application of force. The reason i don't think it would be as applicable as bjj (though this may just be my ignorance) is from what i have always heard it takes an extremely long time to become good enough at Aikido to apply it in a fight to a resisting individual. This time period is why i don't think it would suit. Anyway, i hope i haven't taken your thread off in a tangent! Even as a non police officer i have always thought it is quite an interesting topic!

Yeah glad to hear you are getting back into the swing of things. Unfortunately there is not much else that you can do sometimes, no matter how difficult it may be. When my father passed, he had been ill for a long time so it was not unexpected (which helps a little) but no one can ever be totally ready for it. Glad to hear that things are gradually returning to a sense of normality though - that can help with dealing with things (i think so anyway)

yeah is a shame on the cross training though tbh it's not really cross training since it is some of his old students and they will be covering his style (plus some goju). Maybe it's the same style that is more of an issue to the CI- i can think of former instructors of mine that were fine with you going for extra training at classes run by their seniors (indeed it was encouraged at more senior grades) but were a little less keen about going to classes run by their juniors

interestingly i noticed this morning that a uni in Sacramento has just agreed a combat sports tie up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male. Not a degree but they are saying that there is a possibility of future scholarships for the students. Thought it was quite interesting!

this times 1million!! It is a fundamental life skill i think

yeah should be a good one - i am more hopeful than i have been for prior matchups. The addition of Cook at RB has made a massive difference; having someone other than Allen able to run just gives him a slight breather

Thursday 18 January Lifting session Seated overhead press 20kg x 5 25kg x 5 30kg x 3 37.5kg x 5 42.5kg x 3 47.5kg x 7 Lat pulldown 70kg x 10 70kg x 10 70kg x 10 face pulls 20kg x 20 20kg x 20 20kg x 20 triceps rope pushdown 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 biceps cable curls 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 ski erg 1km

Tuesday 16 January Lifting session Squat 20kg x 5 40kg x 5 60kg x 3 70kg x 3 80kg x 5 90kg x 3 100kg x 2 managed these but felt tough. Think i need to work on my quad strength and knee stability more. Going to lower the weight a little for next training cycle and try to get more reps in - also will try to add in front squats Cable flyes 15kg x 12 15kg x 12 15kg x 12 15kg x 12 15kg x 12 Triceps rope pushdown 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 Biceps cable curl 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 ski erg 1km

In wrestling, this is referred to as "chain wrestling," using one move to set up the next, or to a more appropriate response if the opponent does something different. It's really the next level stuff. Yeah it is what i need to work on next. I've made a start on trying it from in guard - i have some preferred grips and some chains i try to work from when there. Then need to start getting that smoother and working on the same from other positions.

I've always thought of learning how to fall as a foundational life skill. It's one reason that i had my son start judo as soon as he turned 4 (the minimum age here). I had always said he would start judo or gymnastics to learn to fall safely. His younger sister is 4 in May and she will be doing the same! Even if they don't enjoy it and don't stay with it for the longer term, the ability to fall safely will stand them in good stead all their life i think

Actually i have a feeling that Belichick will end up at the Cowboys or the Chargers. He will have his pick of teams. I would lean slightly towards the Chargers due to the QB (i really really don't rate Prescott at all) but i could see it going either way. More importantly (for me) the Bills won!! Now they get to welcome the Chiefs. Hopefully home field makes the difference. Josh Allen playing like he did last night is a force of nature. That 52yd run was something else. Josh Allen playing with his head screwed on and not forcing it and throwing crazy picks is so hard to stop. I think i saw a stat that when he throws 0 interceptions the Bills have won their last 17 straight!! This is the most optimistic i have been about a Bills team since i was young and watched the Marv Levy teams in the playoffs

Yeah i have to agree with Luther here. From what i see here it has definitely dropped off a lot - also you notice the demographic of people training is different - it's mainly kids or people who are 40's+. The 'fitter' or 'younger' crowd seem to train in muay thai, mma or bjj more here. It might just be an issue with traditional arts in general. I've been trying to find adult judo classes again as i would like to get back into that to help my bjj but it is really hard - most classes are kids only here. People are naturally drawn towards what they see/hear about. The media is generally focused on mma and then by extension you get a lot of exposure for bjj and thai boxing. You also don't seem to get quite as many martial arts movies making it big, which used to be a good source of interest in traditional arts. It's likely different everywhere though. Over here, martial arts training has always been more niche, with most instructors teaching on a non profit basis (which i know is totally different to the USA model)

As a Bills fan i am pleased that they made it through after a rocky patch. Looked some weeks like the best team in the league - in others they looked like they had never met each other before. I'm hoping that the good run they have been on leads them to a good run through the playoffs. If they don't win a SB this year then i see it getting tougher for them as time goes on; it very much looks like their window is beginning to close. I'd like to see Josh Allen get a superbowl ring since he has consistently been one of the top 2-3 qb's in the league for a while now and i think he deserves one. The packers are looking quite scary now too. Such a young team, playing so well and they can only improve really. Jordan Love came on massively over the course of the season. Wonder if the rumours of Belichick to the Cowboys will come true?

Sounds like it is all getting sorted. If you daughter prefers to stay in the current club then that removes any issues with training at another school for you before they even materialise

Saturday 13 January BJJ Session Session was mainly working on avoiding being flattened out in a knee shield half guard and then escaping out onto knees in dogfight position. Working a lot on using a frame with the same side arm as the knee shield into opponents throat area to create space. Worked on that and then drilled it with resistance a lot then several round of sparring. Managed to pull off several cross collar chokes which was good as i am trying to really work on using them from my back. Also managed one bow and arrow choke which i was pleased with as it used to be one of my favourites. main focuses going forwards will be to continue to work on active gripping and on having a clear system of progression from one technique to the next depending on opponents responses (so less 'seeing what is available')

Friday 12th January Lifting session abridged session as could only manage to fit in 30min today at lunch, but something is better than nothing! Bench press 20kg x 5 40kg x 5 57.5kg x 5 65kg x 3 72.5kg x 5 lat pulldown (superset these with bench press) 70kg x 8 70kg x 8 70kg x 8 70kg x 8 70kg x 8 Triceps rope pushdown 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 these felt a little tougher on the final reps of each set so will likely stick at this weight for a while biceps cable curls 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 40kg x 12 cable flyes 15kg x 12 15kg x 12 15kg x 12 ski erg : 1k

Thanks! Pretty much over it now though been left with a bit of a chest infection. Yeah i am quite liking the ski erg machine. It is one of the few conditioning devices i could find that had a heavy upper body emphasis. I thought that working on some upper body endurance would help a lot, plus it does still work the aerobic system. I walk a lot already so it made sense to me. Came down to a choice between this and an assault bike but pleased with the choice i made so far!

What style does the new club teach in? Will you be picking up an additional style too or is it one of the existing ones you practice? More training is a good thing though!

Could make the argument that those who train when something is less obviously popular may be more likely to stay the course as they aren't actively seeking the next big thing. People who are only training due to popularity may be more likely to train for a while and then leave. To echo what sensei8 said on teaching in Japan - from anything i have heard before from people in multiple styles it would be hard to do so successfully unless you are already world renowned in that style. For example if Teddy Riner or Neil Adams decided to open a full time judo school in Japan i am sure they would get members, but generic international competitor (even though they would be amazing) i think would find it a lot harder.

Congrats!

Monday 8th January Lifting Session Trap bar deadlift 70kg x 5 80kg x 5 95kg x 5 107.5kg x 3 122.5kg x 10 Was pleased with this, probably could have tried to force out one more rep but though that would have negative impact on rest of session so didn't Incline bench press (tri-set with following two exercises) 50kg x 7 50kg x 7 50kg x 7 Lat pulldown (part of tri set) 65kg x 10 65kg x 10 65kg x 10 Face pulls (part of tri set) 25kg x 8 25kg x 8 25kg x 8 Could probably have done more here but i had programmed in 8 reps and didn't want to accidentally impact the remainder of workout Triceps rope pushdowns (superset with biceps curls) 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 Cable biceps curls (part of superset) 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 ski erg : did 1k

Hello, nice to (virtually) meet you

I would echo what Wastelander said - you aren't competing with those schools and tbh their very existence may help siphon off those who aren't looking for what you teach. Personally i would say to be upfront, honest and detailed in what you can offer. Strong website with clear details and credentials for you and your instructors/lineages. Nothing negative about the other schools (not that i think you would) but only positives about what YOU can offer. As an example, yesterday i saw some posts from a school in the UK that promoted only self defence etc. Looked quite sketchy and the usual 'we teach street protection / self defence'. Personally i have found that a lot of these type of schools are sketchy (in the UK anyway). I took a look at their site out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised at the detailed instructor bios and the clear lineage : the head coach was a multiple dan in Kyokushin, with his instructors etc clearly listed; affiliations with Geoff Thompson etc and all called out. Everything was listed and easy to check into if someone would. I came away thinking that the school must be a lot better than my original impression and that the CI is definitely legitimate. The fact that a self defence focused school can't point to competition successes etc to advertise itself means that there are a lot of dodgy individuals who take that path to make a quick buck (again from what i have observed in the past). But if you have a clear, solid lineage that can clearly deal with it. Don't need flashy videos etc. For myself i would like to see : Instructor : Spartacus Rank/s : whatever it is. Rank in this style and any others held e.g X Dan in style Y under sensei Z ; clear listing for each and possibly even a link to instructors site if there is one Bio : short training history bio or one for the style Links to governing body / accrediting body (if there is one) Pages on the benefits / what you would get out of training Links to affiliated / related schools elsewhere - it is nice to know you are training in a style with more than one location sometimes (if possible) - can help deal with legitimacy concerns in the students minds Anyway, hope that was of some use - apologies if it seems a little rambling!

As an update i have had covid since just before new years (annoyingly) so not been able to train properly out of stubbornness though i have still been trying to use my new ski erg machine once a day. Started with 600m on the 1st and adding 50m a day. Have managed it every day so far. Thought it would be good to get it into my daily routine as can always do with more conditioning work. Am trying to build it up to 2k to start and then the plan will be to do that a few times a week and shorter distances on other days. Will then gradually work on increasing distances further. Am liking the machine so far though

This is a surprisingly tough question! For me the 4 would be : - gichin funakoshi - jigoro kano - masatatsu oyama - helio gracie / carlos gracie* I put both of the brothers as you hear conflicting stories from different people as to who came up with bjj! Most people say Helio but i have heard plenty say Carlos did. Hopefully the others are self explanatory enough. My main debate was on including Mas Oyama but i decided that kyokushin has had enough of an impact on martial arts that i thought i had to include him