Random Image and Technology

I'm certainly not the most tech savvy individual but I feel pretty comfortable in the 'blog-o-sphere'.  As many of you know, I was offline for a while and have recently returned to (somewhat) regularl blogging.

I just discovered a 'spam' folder - where comments go that Blogger thinks might be suspicious.  I found a few kind comments from friends of this blog.  I was touched and promptly marked them all as "not spam", as I planned to respond to them.  

Well, they disappeared from view in the spam folder and I now have no idea where they went.  

Soooo... for those of you who took the time to leave a comment or kind word and never heard back from me, I apologize.  But thanks.

Oh, and here's a cool quote (I think from Buddha):

Agreed.

Be well.

Keep Kicking Ass, Sue

I want to wish Sue at Journey to Black Belt all the best as she signs off her excellent blog.  

She has a ton of excellent posts and we’ve had several great discussions/debates over the last few years.  Maintaining a blog takes a lot of time and energy and she is pursuing some other interests and dreams.  Good for her.

If you haven’t done so already, there’s a lot of great material over there.  Take a look here.  You'll be happy you did.

Sue, thanks again for all the support and food for thought.  Hope you're back one day...

JM.

Unexplained Absence

Hello readers,

I have been mysteriously absent of late and for that I apologize.  

There's been an awful lot going on lately that has caused me to step back from a variety of things.  I've often talked about maintaining perspective in life and concentrating on what's important.  I have had to do this over the last while.  I've re-evaluated some things, a tough but important part of any journey.  

I've not even trained more than a handful of times over the last couple of months, something that hasn't happened in over a decade. 

I don't mean to be overly cryptic about anything, but some intensely personal things have gone on and much of my time and energy has been required elsewhere.

Interestingly, things that are really important to me are coming back into focus. I'm getting the training itch again, a mildly agitated state that comes from lack of training.  And I miss this blog, and reading all of yours.

I ask for patience and understanding as things slowly come back on-line (pun) in my world.  Things will be sporadic for a while yet, but I wanted to give you an idea of what was going on.  

I appreciate every person who takes the time to read my ramblings.  So thank you.

And now to blow your mind...

Did you know that Jellyfish are immortal?

It's true, look it up.

Train safely, be in touch soon.

JM

Happy Holidays

Hey, I guess the world's a more dangerous place for everyone...

My best wishes to all over the holiday season and into the new year.  I look forward to sharing my journey with you in 2013.

Stay safe,

Journeyman.

Blog Update

Bear with me everyone, regular posts should be coming soon.

Thanks for your patience.

Welcome to my new followers.  I appreciate it.

Train well.

"Summer Breeze, makes me feel fine..."

Song quote aside, it's been a hectic but enjoyable summer so far.  Training is ramping up in anticipation of a major event I've been invited to where I'll have the opportunity to train under masters in several styles.  This will likely be followed by a bit of a break, our dojo shuts down for a month or so, time for us all to recharge, heal and renew our martial spirits.  Give Sensei a break from all of us too, which I'm sure is a welcome one...


I'm also about to enjoy some much needed time away from work, which I'm really looking forward to.  This last year has been the busiest one on record for me and I need to unplug.


I'll try to keep the posts coming, but forgive me if they're a bit more sporadic for the next bit.  I may actually not go on a computer for a week or so, something I recommend for everyone from time to time.  No facebook, email, smartphone, etc.  I may rely on others to fill me in on any major world events, as I'll likely not turn on the t.v. or even listen to the radio.  I think it's good to truly disconnect from all the distractions for a little while.  


Having said all that, there's lots of posts forming in my head.  


We've been doing blindfolded training (very telling of how smooth your technique is).  So I'll be thinking about that.  I'm attending a sword seminar, which is something I've never worked on, so that should be some good fodder.  The event I'm attending should also provide lots of food for thought.


And off topic completely, I can't get over the level of athlete I've seen in many of the events in the Olympics.  Wow.  


I hope everyone is getting a chance to enjoy some summer time relaxation. "blowing through the jasmine in my mind..."


Thanks for reading.

Japanese Jiu Jitsu : A Journey turns 2!

It was two years since my first post on March 22nd.  A lot has gone on in my life since then.  I truly find it amazing that I have no shortage of topics to discuss.  I hope this indicates my journey is constantly evolving and moving forward.  

A couple observations and thoughts as I being year three of this blog.

1.  Maintaining a blog is more work than I anticipated.

2.  Maintaining a blog is more rewarding than I anticipated.

3.  A blog takes on a bit of a life of its own.  JJJ: A Journey is not what I had initially thought it would be.  I'm happy about that though, it's far more interactive and takes me in directions I might not have gone in without input from readers and from reading and commenting on other blogs.

I'd like to thank everyone out there who maintain quality blogs.  I get a lot of inspiration from reading the material of others.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to follow, comment, recommend, link, or just visit this blog.  I was surprised to discover how much this means to me. Thank you to all.

I will do my best to keep things interesting for year three of the journey...

Update

I've been sent on some training unexpectedly and haven't had access to a computer for the last little while.  Fear not good readers, new posts will be coming soon.

Thanks for your patience.  

As always, train well and be safe.

Housekeeping and Friends

Just a couple of updates.

Jiu-Jitsu Sensei has moved to her new combined website/blog.  I recommend you check it out at Pacific Wave Jiu-Jitsu.  Under the resources tab, select Jiu-Jitsu Sensei blog for new and older posts.  I'll leave the link to the original blog under the links tab on this blog.

Bob Patterson at Striking Thoughts has decided to take a break from blogging after an impressive near 7 year run.  I wish Bob all the best and hope that he returns.  Blogging is a labor of love, sometimes the labor seems like it outweighs the love.  Lots of good archived material left for readers to enjoy.  His inactive blog will remain in my links section.

I'm also experimenting a bit with the layout of JJJJ.  Any feedback is appreciated.  Stay tuned for some new posts soon.

Overload

Things have been pretty crazy for me lately and I've found it challenging to post regularly.  I just wanted to say thanks for your patience and I'll be posting more again soon.  And I also wanted to say thanks to all of you for posting quality material.  I may not always have a chance to comment, but I'm always reading and there's been a lot of great stuff lately.

Blog News

Japanese Jiu Jitsu:  A Journey looks a bit different now on mobile devices. Blogger has added some features for 'on the go' folks.   I hope you like it.

I've added the Budo Blog to my links list.  Check it out.

Blog Update

I just wanted to welcome the new readers who have signed up to follow this blog over the last several weeks.  Welcome and I hope you enjoy it.  And to all my followers and visitors, thanks for taking the time to read the blog.

I've added a few new blogs to the links section as well.  I recommend you check them out.  There so many great blogs out there, and I hope to add some more links in the near future to the ones which continually impress.

Cheers.

Busy times

I haven't been posting quite as often lately.  I'm going through a particularly busy and exhausting time in my life.  There's simply not enough hours in the day.  I've got lots of topics in the 'hopper' and anticipate having some more time freed up in the near future to post a bit more regularly.

So thanks for all your support and stay tuned!

Congratulations!!!

Sue C from My Journey to Black Belt is the proud new owner of a black belt. She and her husband tested this last weekend and they were both successful.

It's a fantastic accomplishment and I couldn't be happier for her.  I encourage you all to congratulate her (and hubby) and to read her blog if you haven't visited before.

Way to go Sue!  I look forward to the next leg in your journey.

Blogger down

As many of you may know already, blogger had some issues and 30 plus hours of added content was  removed as they fixed a glitch.

I've lost a post and some comments that I made.  I'll give it another day to see if they return.  Thanks to all those who've commented on new and recent posts.  I'll do my best to re post my stuff soon (as best I can remember) if blogger doesn't get it back.

Mental note - back up your blog regularly.

Train well.

Interesting blog

I've been reading some posts over at Low Tech Combat.  I enjoy the way the blog examines issues with an open mind.  I recommend you stop by.

Japanese Jiu Jitsu: A Journey - 100 and 1

I was working on a different post when I glanced at the sidebar of my blog and realized that my last article was #100.  So I guess it's an anniversary of sorts. It's also almost been a year since my first blog post.  I'm surprised to say that if anything, I have more thoughts that I'd like to record than when I started.

Some observations as the birthday approaches:

1.  This blog was originally intended to chronicle my training.  It does that, of course, but now it's far less about what we did on any particular night, and more about the take away lessons, thoughts, concepts and principles.  This blog is something more than I had originally intended, and I'm happy about that.  The act of writing has often opened up or clarified some of the things I have been struggling with.

2.  It's more work than I expected.  This is not a complaint, as it's a labour of love, but it's more time consuming than I could have guessed.

3.  I've met friends on other blogs.  I've received invaluable feedback for different sources and I'm grateful.  I've been supported, questioned and challenged on material and think that's fantastic.  I've yet to encounter anyone with any malice and it's great to hear other people's opinions.

4.  Serious martial artists have many similarities.  I regularly interact with people from styles that are significantly different than traditional Jiu Jitsu.  It has surprised me how many similarities there are when people really explore their training goals.  I now believe that we're all trying to go to the same place, we're just using different ways to get there.

5.  It's always nice to see a comment or a new follower.  Commenting on other people's blogs is nearly as important as producing quality content yourself.

6.  You can see what the most recent comments on your blog under the comments tab of a blogspot blog.  This sounds kind of dumb, but I only recently discovered it.  Sadly, I had missed out on some comments people took the time to make on older posts in my blog not knowing this.  To anyone who did make a comment and didn't get a response within a few days, I apologize.

7.  There is an incredible amount of great material out there and fantastic blogs.  It is often hard to keep up with all the quality information out there and differing opinions.

I have a great deal of respect for anyone who keeps up a quality blog. Thanks for keeping my reading list perpetually full.

To all those out there who follow, comment, or just visit, thank you very much. I hope my material continues to provide some value.

It'll be interesting to see what the next 100 brings...

A crazy time of year

It's been a hectic time of year, too much to do and not enough time to do it.  It seems once you're an adult, the holidays always seems to sneak up on you.

I'll be off doing holiday type things for the next few days.  As always, martial arts won't be far from my mind, in fact, there are a few martial arts items on my list to Santa.

I've been discovering some great blogs out there lately.  When things settle down, I'll be adding a few links to my blog.  There's some great people out there with some great ideas and opinions.  I'll also be delving deeper into the topic of knife fighting and realistic defenses to edged weapon attacks.  There's been some interesting discussion on line lately about these topics.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone out there.  I wish you all the best!

Link

I've read a few articles by John Coles over at his Kojutsukan blog lately.  His blog delves into quite a few topics tied in to modern day martial arts study.  He comes at topics from a neutral point of view and references most of his comments with solid research.

I'm adding his blog to my list of recommended links.  Most of his topics apply to a variety of different arts.

Enjoy.

Worthwhile reading and blog news

I came across a series of interesting posts at another blog recently. It's a bit of a read but well worth it.  There is a 3 part series discussing the weaknesses and strengths of different training methodologies, including the age old debate of sparring vs. kata for realistic training.  The author doesn't take sides but lays out some interesting pros and cons of each.  I found it very interesting and well thought out and researched.  Kata lacks a resisting partner while sparring has to have rules to avoid injury.

Check out the blog at http://kojutsukan.blogspot.com

In another blog related matter, Mark's Physics of Aiki blog has disappeared.  I hope all is well with him and wish him all the best. I've removed his link from my blog as it is a dead link.  Mark, if you come back on line, please let me know and I'll put the link back.