Popping in to say hello. I'm Steve, from Staffordshire in the UK. I'm about to (re)start Ju Jitsu and have been to watch a couple of different classes locally to get a feel for them. I'm happy to say that it's hard to choose from the selection of great classes that I've been to as they are all good. Nice to see. I say (re)starting because I trained under Sensei David Hand, in Ju Jitsu, when I was a kid and in Wado Ryu Karate in my late teens. Since then I've not practiced any martial arts but have staying very active with road and mountain biking and plenty of rock climbing (mainly bouldering). However MA has always been in the back of my mind and it was only a matter of time before I started training again. Looking forward to getting started!
Hi and welcome to MAP, There's a couple of us Stokies on MAP. Stoke is a lovely place indeed Where do you climb and boulder? What MA are you hoping to train?
Cheers Bozza! Yep Stoke is lovely I climb all over the Peak District but The Roaches and Churnet Valley (over Oakamoor/Alton way) are my local outdoor venues. I spend a lot of time at Awesome Walls in Longton as well which is a great local resource. Do you climb? I'm starting Ju Jitsu again but I'm debating whether to try BJJ instead of JJ as I'm keen to do some ground work and grappling. I'm going to check out Simon McGovern's BJJ class at Impact MA on Thursday and make a decision from there as I know he has a good rep. Where do you train?
Cheers! Bouldering is a niche(?) discipline of climbing which is typically done with indoors or outside. Boulder 'problems' (or routes) are generally shorter than roped climbs so you just climb above a portable crash mat and don't use ropes. For many it's a very pure way of climbing because all you need is a pair of shoes, some chalk and a mat. It's very much focused on strength, power and technique – which is why I like it. Check this: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzJ1H0Qp4j8"]Bouldering is AWESOME! - YouTube[/ame]
The funny thing is although Stoke / Hanley is a bit of a hole, the surrounding countryside is really quite beautiful. I didn't know there was a place in Longton, my folks live just down the road a bit. Must be new? I was climbing, just walls to start with, and ended up messing up my shoulder which seems to affect my arm and hand. I need to get it sorted out and start up again. I love the sport. Great fun...even though I hate heights. We have a really good bouldering place here, I need to check it out. I pretty much train in the centre of Turku (Finland) I haven't lived in the UK since '99. Check out Impact and Simon. I trained JKD there in the late 90's before I left the UK. It was just JKD, kali and silat then. But it was a great club; very professional, relatively cheap, excellent instruction. I got to know Simon a bit and he is a great martial artist and a good guy too, best of both worlds. Sadly Dave Carnell, the head instructor and owner, passed away a few weeks ago. Let me know how you get on at Impact. I have fond memories of the club and honestly still miss the place.
He's got a great rep, as another former JJJ er who went to BJJ odds on you'll love it! Ps youve also got another BJJ blackbelt close and a few judo clubs so if you cant make classes youve always got options!
Yes being so close to the Peak District is definitely a bonus, also not far from North Wales and the Lakes so good all round for out door fun! The wall at Longton has been open for a while now but it opened after you left the UK. It's doing well. Yes, I heard about Dave Carnell, such a shame. He sounded like a great guy. RIP.
How did you find the transition? I don't want to start a JJ -vs- BJJ topic so I'll be careful how I ask this. What do you personally find in BJJ that you love so much? How long ago did you transition? Who's the other?
According to the page: "Awesome Walls Stoke is England's largest dedicated bouldering centre". Holy smokes! Stoke also has one of the biggest skate parks in Europe...I should have never left, the town really has picked up.
The learning via self discovery and the no BS attitude really attracted me, but the pure enjoyment of rolling keeps me training. Really its easier in the beginning to not compare them and get on with being a white belt. I started training bjj eight odd years ago, and I restarted judo 3 odd years ago too. Ill dig out the address for you
