Author: Chris
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Cofton Parkrun – Starting Soon?
The planned 5K Parkrun at Cofton Park is great news for runners in south Birmingham / north Bromsgrove, who can now have their own local event, after previously having to travel to Cannon Hill or Arrow Valley. Parkrun is a community event, held at venues all over the country at 9am every Saturday morning. It…
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Kids’ Fitness – Playful Training For Strength & Confidence
I’ve done fitness training with a lot of kids over the years, and I thought I’d try to summarise some key points from my experience. From the outset, certain essentials must always be kept in mind. You need ongoing risk assessment of the location you are using, equipment used, and the particular characteristics or group…
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Waseley’s Best Kept Secret? An Epic Hill Race…
The Waseley Wobbler trail race is held every September, starting and finishing at Waseley Hills High School. It is around 8.5 miles in length, and includes total ascent of well over 1000 feet or 300 metres. This year (2025) it took place on Sunday 21st September, in good weather. I was marshalling for the third…
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My Thoughts On Mixed Martial Arts & Grappling
Mixed martial arts, or MMA, means using a mix of fighting styles together in a single match. In particular, what makes it unique is the combination of strikes (punches, kicks etc) with grappling (throws, takedowns, ground work etc). This makes it especially realistic for self-defence, which is a leading motivation for the average person to…
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Trail Running At Clent Hills Today: From Winter Blues To Blue Skies!
After recent cloudy skies, the weather and scenery were just stunning for the trail running session I led today, on the southern slopes of the Clent Hills. The warm midday sunshine made it feel more like early spring than late winter, and I couldn’t help stopping to take photos. Starting from Shut Mill Lane, our…
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Rugby Speed Training For Kids
I’m writing this based on my experience of training kids for speed, as part of my PT work. I’ve worked with all ages, but the kids I’ve trained specifically for rugby have been 9-12 years old. So this article applies to that age range – give or take a couple of years depending on the…
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Summary of Video By ‘Jordan Teaches Jiu Jitsu’ On How To Beat Bigger Opponents
I thought I would summarise the key points of this recent video, which is a useful one for small beginners. In particular, the tips should help those who are already familiar with the basic details of grappling, but may be lacking an overview of certain concepts: 1. Avoid most submissions from the bottom/guard (especially triangles)…
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Most Common Submissions In Jiu-Jitsu Competitions
Below is a chart of the submissions most commonly used to win jiu-jitsu competitions. It’s originally from a study by High Percentage Martial Arts (link no longer available). Certain submissions are only possible when the gi jacket is worn – i.e. collar, sleeve and bow and arrow chokes. In nogi competitions on the other hand,…
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Modern Grappling – Basic Introduction & Moves
Modern grappling uses knowledge from real submission wrestling to develop the most effective moves and holds against any opponent. Often these are based on techniques from existing martial arts. Personally I prefer a mix of catch wrestling (traditional English grappling) and modern jiu-jitsu. The summary below is based on my experience of works best for…
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MMA Book Recommendations
*Note: I have listened to all of the books below as audiobooks, but I’ve pointed the links to paperback editions* This year, I’ve listened to the following two books about the rise of modern jiu-jitsu grappling. For anyone new to the subject, these would provide a great insight into the revolution that has taken place…
Chris Gibbs Fitness 