The new Summer timetable is finished!
The Academy will close for 2 days on Thursday 21st August - reopening on Tuesday 26th August after the Bank Holiday. Hopefully it will give me a chance to take off the Gi/MMA shorts for a few days! :)
Awesome news just in....The Academy Team took 4 Medals at the WEKAF World Championships in Cebu!
The United Kingdom finished in third place with 12 golds, 11 silvers and 15 bronze medals behind World Champions the USA and runners up The Philippines.
No Individual Results in yet!
More to follow.....
This week we have been rolling and grooving during our very sweaty Kettlebell workouts to the sweet Lovers rock sounds of Louisa Mark. Very hard to find Japanese import on the incredible Rock A Shacka Label. Worth every cent if you can track it down!!
If you have never heard Louisa's Seventies classic "6th Sixth Street".....words fail me at the joy you have to come!
Louisa is up there with Janet Kay, Carol Thompson and the amazing Sharon Forrester (check her version of Asford and Simpson's "Silly wasnt I"....an all time fave!!
Rock A Shacka also release very limited 7" singles on their "Gayfeet" label...everyone a joy!..I saw a fine selection in a record shop in soho (Berwick Street), last Sunday at £20 a single...so for you Vinyl junkies out their...essential!!
If you cant track em down and need your fix of rare 6T's/7T's Jamaican Summer grooves...grab your Kimono and Gloves..take an extra class...we are rocking!!!
See ya on the Mats!
Danny with former Student (Bob Breen Academy and British Champ) Roger Barnes
Interesting T-shirts Guys!
John & Brandon Training hard!!
The Guys!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=38835114
Awesome performance...great to see the big guy back!!
Brandon and the Girls!
Danny
Danny - John and Terri in background
John receiving Instruction as Terri Looks on.
Looks like the Team is in good Spirits and having fun!
First fight on Weds - John
A question im often asked is "the best way to escape a position" or best way to submit an Opponent from a position". Naturally over the years i have found high percentage ways that work best for myself, but my role as an Instructor is to offer techniques to Students whom then can develope, via drilling and sparring, the optimum ways that work for themselves.
I'm on the mats an average 5hrs a day, 5 days a week, and therefore teach and train a lot of material during the course of a week. To avoid too much repetion, sometimes its fun to train the more "advance" stuff, such as helicopter arm bars...however the vast majority of my Mat time is spent working the basics....Guard passing, Mount escapes etc....
So it was very interesting to hear Our Head Coach Marc Walder describing "basics" such as the Kimura as the advanced techniques.....
After my weekly session with Marc this morning, we worked Head Lock escapes. Now Marc showed me these years ago and i regularly train and teach them.....but after 10mins, he broke it down again to such detail that i really saw another level to this "White Belt" escape......The technique hadn't changed, but my deeper knowledge had.....at moments like these, one can really see the evolvement of ones understanding of this beautiful art.....the basics are truly the advanced techniques!
UFC now doing their own Hot Sauce!! Discovered in Cebu Resturant lol
All the guys arrived safely....Danny arrived in Cebu first followed by John, Brandon and Terry.
They headed to the gym yesterday for some cardio and light training....then bought some Stick Fighting Equipment from a local sports shop.
Danny says "the weathers great and the girls are...well i think they are girls!!!"
Terry Hall
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Jimmy Cliff
Just back from the Rise Festival in Finsbury park.....what an awesome day!
Spent an hour at the DJ Tent witnessing Jerry Dammers play some scourching Ska from his incredibly rare 7" collection...then on to the main stage to catch Terry Hall and Lynval Golding play "Gangsters" with the Dub Pistols....what joy!....we can only hope the rumoured Specials reunion finally happens!!
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (whom played on Amy Winehouse's last CD) were superb...tight soulful sounds with a storming version of their 100 days!
Last up the Legend that is Jimmy Cliff.....nuff said......would love to have him perform more earlier classics like King of Kings or Miss Jamaica.....but maybe thats jus the ol Skinhead in me :)
Great to bump into Roger Gracie Academy Black Belt and Instructor Jude Samuels and have a chat (Jude received his Black Belt on the same day as Marc from Mauricio)
Nice to see my friend Ian's Boxing fitness book doing well. I had a few phone calls from Students who recognised me from the Book in Mens Fitness Magazine recently.
Ian has written several Books on Boxing and Fitness, all of which i throughly recommend. So it was nice to hear from Ian yesterday, who asked me to be in his new DVD on Boxing Fitness. We will be Filming on August 10th with Wayne Rowlands (cover "star" on the book)...cant wait!
Dannys arm after Sundays training (this was with Armour!!!!)
Sunday was the last days Squad Training for the British Team. John, Danny, Brandon and Terri we again put through their paces with over 20 rounds of sparring!!
Up until Sun they were still cross training in the BJJ and MMA Classes, working their fitness and mental toughness in the sparring sessions.
With flights booked, jabs done, money saved, they fly out to Cebu on Sunday. After a week getting used to the climate and further training and fight strategy, they compete the following weekend!
Hopefully Danny will manage to keep us informed (via internet cafe), and ill update you via the blog!
This week we have been rolling to Derrick Morgan!
Derrick is playing alongside George Dekker (Desmonds Brother) next Saturday in Margate
at The Sugar Lounge on the Sea Front.....See ya there!!
Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Marc has very graciously composed a Testimonial. See Testimonial section...
