Enter the Dragon!

The stretching that I do for martial arts is more about developing and harnessing the elasticity of the body than increasing my flexibility (range of motion). For inspiration and understanding I look to our animal cousins, not the traditional five animals of kung fu -- dragon, tiger, leopard, crane, and snake -- but rather the flea (such as you might find on a dog) and the kangaroo ... The flea and the kangaroo Apparently fleas -- who can jump over 100 times their own body length -- can only jump so well because they have built-in elastic structures in their legs. They don't use their muscles to jump directly, but rather to stretch -- much like pulling on a bow string -- and then the elastic snap powers the tremendous jump. Source : The Flea, the Catapult and the Bow . Another animal that uses elastic energy in dramatic fashion, this time for energy efficiency, is the kangaroo: A red kangaroo Kangaroos have large, stretchy tendons in their hind legs. They store elastic strain en...

Aikido is a 20th-century offshoot of jiu-jitsu, whose core empty-hand techniques are -- unsurprisingly -- drawn from jiu-jitsu. Since aikido terminology is standardized and widespread, it's useful for me to have a ready reference so that when someone starts talking about a particular technique by its aikido name I can quickly visualize a corresponding jiu-jitsu technique. So here are some basic aikido techniques and the nearest equivalents in the jiu-jitsu system that I practice [the jiu-jitsu names are fairly widespread too]. Ikkajo ( aikido ): Elbow roll submission, elbow turn-takedown ( jiu-jitsu ) Nikajo : Side wrist throw, wristlock technique, bent elbow wristlock Sankajo : Wristlock comealong, corkscrew, lifting wrist-flex comealong Kote gaeshi : Basic wrist throw, metacarpal wrist throw Shiho nage : Shoulder-lock comealong, shoulder-lock rear takedown Hiji-jime : Reverse armbar Each technique comes in many variations and diverse applications. However, in each case the jiu...

I am just back from the mid-year grading presentation at our Honbu (HQ), where grading certificates were presented to everyone who passed a grade (or grades) in jiu-jitsu, judo or chinese boxing. From our school, congratulations go to Lisa, John, Jeremy and Lejoe who all passed their respective gradings with flying colors. Additionally, certificates of merit were awarded to David, Ashley, David and Connor, all of whom completed significant training and made excellent progress, but were unable to do their gradings this time round. Well done, everyone! This was the most people I've had grade in one go, but if present trends are any indication, we should have an even larger contingent at the end of the year.

I haven't been blogging that much recently, partly because I've been getting ready for my marriage to another (more popular) blogger, PatchAndi , which came to fruition last Sunday. Here's my beautiful bride, walking in with her parents: We were married under a chuppah that Andi made out of kimono fabrics (inspired by my martial arts obsession and her love of the color red) ... ... surrounded by our respective parents ... and our two gorgeous children. An extensive party followed, featuring much dancing, eating, drinking, speeches, and more dancing. It was all great!