Since deciding to train BJJ properly at Nova Forca a couple
of things have changed in my life. One being my job and the other my Daughter
starting school. This has meant that getting to Nova Forca in Epsom was
becoming difficult. A quick Google search brought up a fairly new BJJ club in
Reigate, which is literally a 2 minute walk from where I now work. Reigate is
also a lot nearer to my house as it takes 15 minutes by car. So I’ve made the
difficult decision to stop training at Nova Forca and start training in
Reigate. I can think of nothing negative to say about Nova Forca though, it is
a great place to train and the standard of the students there is very high.
Reigate Martial Arts is run by Martin Hollis who is a brown
belt under Keith Mckenzie. The gym is a permanent matted dojo big enough for
20+ guys to comfortably train. So far I’ve attended three classes and have been
made to feel very welcome. The Monday class that I’ve attended is two hours long,
the first hour focusing on teaching beginners and the second hour for slightly
more advanced students, although there are still plenty of white belts present.
The format for both classes I’ve attended has been the same
thus far which consists of a warm up with the usual shrimping and breakfalls
etc and then on to techniques. This is usually one technique and then either a
variation of that technique or a continuation. Then towards the end of the
first hour there is some situational sparring, both classes I’ve attended so
far have focussed on guard passing so one guys starts on the bottom and the
other starts in his full guard. The guy on top has to try and pass the guard
and the guy on the bottom has to try and sweep or submit the guy on top. The
winner stays on. I’ve found it really beneficial to practice guard passing and
also guard retention and I think this is a good way to introduce rolling to
complete beginners.
The second hour of the class will then follow on from the
earlier technique and finish with around 30 minutes of rolling. Martin chooses
who rolls with who, which isn’t a bad thing as far as the instructor assessing
the students skill level.
I’m really enjoying the training at Reigate Martial Arts and
who knows, this may even inspire me to start updating my blog more regularly.
