Author: Curmudgeon In Chief

I was recently involved in yet another club randori night (as one does). Going hard. Giving as much as I was getting. I eventually changed partners and moved on to one club mate who I’ve always had a scrappy randori with. This chap has a poor tani otoshi in the kenka yotsu (right vs left) […]

Recently a Judo coach I have the pleasure of working with told me I need to “just relax” when I’m doing randori. We’d recently had a 5 minute practice together and he elaborated that I needed to take it easy a little on the grips. I found this comment both surprising and amusing at the […]

So you’re a week ahead of your first/next Judo or BJJ competition and you’re wondering what to pack? Well, this guide is for you! Small disclaimer: I’ve been to three competitions run by British Judo and two BJJ competitions (British Open No-Gi, Grappling Industries). I’ve also won a gold medal in all of these events. […]

And a happy new year to you! It’s my first post of the year so I thought I’d start it in true curmudgeonly form and rant about late last year’s experiences competing at a BJJ competition (Grappling Industries) in London. To those that aren’t versed in BJJ competitions in the UK, they happen literally every […]

A quick post this time! My regular readers will be aware that I started Judo in the mid ’90s and took a 21 year hiatus. The ’80s and ’90s in particular were an interesting time when some older Judo figures from Kano’s day were still about. I graded a couple of times at the London […]

I’ve been fortunate to have had a string of unbroken success on the Judo and BJJ competition front. The latest was last Sunday at the Sussex County Judo Open where I won the gold medal for the under 81kg kyu grade category. This article details out the things I learned which you can hopefully benefit […]

Given my earlier 5+ month layoff following distal bicep tendon surgery/reattachment I signed up to a regional competition to rebuild my confidence again. The competition was this past Sunday.. The day couldn’t have started worse what with my motorbike deciding it wouldn’t start (battery trouble). Given time was ticking I jumped into the family car […]

To bring you up-to-date, I tore my left distal bicep tendon at the end of March this year. A surgery and extensive rehabilitation program later, I partook in Judo randori at my local club 5 months later. It was a combination of utterly exhausting, saddening and thrilling all rolled into one. Let me explain.. That […]

If you’re reading this, you’re probably of an advanced age and your body reminds you of it every session. If my demographic wizardry is correct, you’ve probably picked up Judo at a later stage in life rather than having trained in it throughout your years. You’re probably seeing a lot of technique being “muscled through” […]

It’s been four months since surgery more or less. Recently I had my third and final physio appointment, compliments of the UK’s National Health Service. Generally things are looking good (i.e. the surgery appears to be largely successful) and I’ve been given some general workout tips to progress on my own from here. Training planning […]