Back in the Saddle

Went back to training last night after about 3 weeks of back to back illnesses. No weights, no exercise, no jiu jitsu. Not that I lift anything other than my own flabby arse and a couple of rubber dumbells.
I was interested to go back and check my level, to see how crappy I had got. [...]

Vintage Video - Shooto vs. Judo

Found this classic clip…
It’s Satoru Sayama, the founder of Shooto, against Yoshinori Nishi, the founder of Wa-jyutsu.
It’s from the Lumax Cup, which was an early days MMA contest in Japan. Enjoy, it’s rare to see the founders of two systems lay it all on the line.

My friend’s tattoo…

Check this dude’s tat out… first time I have seen the whole thing. I had only seen the sleeves on his legs until now.
This is taken during a competition last Sunday. He won the Kumamoto Free Fight.
Dude looks like a full blown gangster… but I am almost 100% sure he is nothing of the kind. [...]

Someone from my dojo fighting

Sugi-pro, in the black pants.
Hell of a fight.

People frum mah gymz, in ur ringz winnin ur fightz

Two peeps from my gym (Paraestra Hakata) won their professional fights recently.
Okumiya and Sugi-pro.
Okumiya I know kind of well, since he speaks really good English (complete with New Zealand bloody accent mate!) and we got pissed up a couple of times at various Paraestra parties.
Here he is. What a handsome chap!
Sugi-pro I only know a [...]

Shooto… where have you been all my life?

So I turn up to training last Friday at 10:30 a.m. When you are jobless, you get to do things like train martial arts in the day time.
I walk in with my gi all wrapped up in my bag, and the room is full of stocky guys with ears so deformed they look like shellfish. [...]