There are days when it feels like I stole my black belt, that it was given to me out of pity because I’ve been around so long and always help out, and not because I have any actual skill. I am pretty sure that pity gradings are a thing.
Women Warriors Series: The Ju-jitsu Suffragettes
The Ju-jitsu Suffragettes Just over a hundred years ago, a number of women who belonged to The Women’s Social and… Read more Women Warriors Series: The Ju-jitsu Suffragettes
Podcast: Catalogues, Books and Writing
So I wandered into a lovely office in a nursery in Johannesburg to speak at Radio Today, a community radio… Read more Podcast: Catalogues, Books and Writing
Review of The Dying of the Light by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant is not a series for the weak-hearted. It is a dark, hilarious and addictive thrill of a series,… Read more Review of The Dying of the Light by Derek Landy
The Foolishness of Book Jackets
Bad cover design delegates books to the wrong sections, gives them the wrong or no readers and so often puts great books on sale tables, alone and unwanted and left to die next to untold numbers of Dan Brown books.
Martial Heart Series: The Concept of Giri
Whether it is the federation that supports its instructors with consistent training by bringing in instructors from around the world, the sempai that took the time to train you on a Sunday morning on a rugby field when the dojo was closed, the junior that asks the questions that you hadn’t considered, or the Sensei who works tirelessly to keep the dojo open so that you can train with others – no one becomes a martial artist alone.
Hojo Undo 101: Chishi
A number of people look at martial artists and think, ‘do you even lift, bro?’ Actually, yes, we do lift, bro.… Read more Hojo Undo 101: Chishi
Review of Kill Yourself & Count to 10 by Gordon Torr
Reproduced in full with kind permission from the Sunday Times. For an entire generation of South Africans, the Border War… Read more Review of Kill Yourself & Count to 10 by Gordon Torr
Review of The Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lia is not that far removed from many of us – strained parental relations, trouble at school, low self-esteem. She finds that being thin makes her popular, that dieting will give her control over her rudderless life.
Fifty Fights, Two Hours and Ten Lessons
After a lesson covering some of the basic principles, gumguards were shoved into mouths and half-gloves pulled on. We lined up, the timers began, and so went 150 minutes of fighting. Here are ten things I learned while getting the shit kicked, punched and thrown out of me. Take them as dojo advice, or life lessons – I think the two are inseparable.
