The Flog!

This past Sunday was the last full training session that Dave and Mike will have before the nidan grading next Sunday.  Mike’s injury is better, but not perfect. Both guys seem to be thinking too much about their techniques, kata, and so on. 

Now that we’ve gone through all the requirements multiple times, such that some techniques are becoming muscle memory, we concentrated on small changes to make throws or breakfalls better. 

After walking through the kata once and then doing the full kata, incorporating the throws, we discussed what seemed to be problem areas. We set up our improvised crash mats again to work on the those throws and resulting breakfalls - ura nage, uchi mata, harai goshi, sumi gaeshi, and kata guruma. Ura nage is the throw in which Mike was injured, so we wanted to ensure that there were no lingering problems. Dave also felt that he should be landing differently as he threw Mike, but we practiced many times and ended up doing the throw exactly the way we’d started. With uchi mata and harai goshi, Dave could do one side well. The other side had a crooked leg in both techniques, causing the uchi mata to look like hane goshi, while the harai goshi just didn’t work well. In both cases, hip placement was at issue and with minor changes moving in, the problems were corrected. With sumi gaeshi, Dave felt that he was falling to his side when this is a back sacrifice throw, so he threw himself a few times falling straight back and then threw Mike to ensure that he would retain that position with the uke.  With kata guruma (as with tsurikomi goshi, and ippon seoi nage) we worked on Mike’s maintaining a super-straight body which would make the throw and breakfall look better.

We videotaped one run-through of the kata and then watched the tape to determine if there were anything we had missed.  It looks better each time we tape. There are still minor problems, but since we don’t have our own dojo and cannot work on this every day, it’s going well.

After walking through the kata again, we went through ground techniques to give Mike a break. Basic judo throws and the shinmeisho no waza were next. There are three more partial sessions for the nidan grading training and then the weekend. JudoOntario is offering a technical seminar for grading participants on Saturday afternoon, which I think the guys will attend. The actual grading is on Sunday in a club about an hour from here. The last time Dave attended the gradings there (as uke for Chris’s shodan grading) there were four mat areas set up in order to do four gradings at once, two judges per grading. I’d love to be there to tape the grading for posterity, but there are no visitors.

Click here to go to Studying for/Working on Nidan Grading – Part 1

Click here to go to Studying for/Working on Nidan Grading – Part 3

ayjay

January 13, 2009

Dave is testing for his nidan in two weeks. By the time we checked the information on JudoOntario’s website, we had only six weeks to prepare, or wait another six months or more for the next grading. Mike is to be Dave’s uke, so Mike had to be proficient in all the curriculum as well.  Lots of work to do and not much time.

We’ve been getting together at the Hamilton School of Martial Arts every Saturday afternoon, and Sunday, when possible. Luckily both guys have had Christmas week off, so we’ve been able to go in almost every day.  I say “luckily” only in the sense that we’ve had the opportunity to practice everything, but Mike has been thrown hundreds of times for the grading, right after having been thrown thousands of times for this website.  I think he needs a break.

For those of you who do not know what’s involved in a judo grading, imagine having to know and perfect all the throws, ground holds, joint locks and chokes, as well as having to learn the kata. For first degree, the kata comprises nine throws, thrown right and left side. For second degree (the grading Dave is doing), the kata is fifteen throws, both sides. Second degree also incudes nineteen additional throws, known as shinmeisho no waza.

The person being tested must have a partner, so his partner must know everything as well. In order for the throws to look good, the partner, uke, has to do good breakfalls. When being tested on ground techniques, uke must know what position to be in, in order for the technique to be applied. In a number of cases, uke initiates the technique. During the kata, uke attacks tori or pushes tori, depending on the throw. In most of the shimmeisho no waza, uke attacks tori and tori retaliates.

As you can see, uke’s role is crucial to the grading. We thought six weeks was perhaps too short a time, but Dave wanted to go for it, and Mike was willing. Since Mike had been involved in almost all the videos for this website, we all felt that we had already spent three months toward studying for the grading.

The grading is now two weeks away, literally. Both guys are exhausted, so today is a day off. They will only be able to get together another half dozen times before the grading, but the major obstacle is surmounted and now we’re on fine points and little errors.

Our most serious problem was, and is, an injury that Mike sustained about a week and a half ago. While being thrown with ura nage, Mike’s arm got trapped under Dave’s back and his body kept sliding. He ended up with a pinched nerve in his shoulder and an understandable fear of this throw. For several sessions, we walked through the throw, or did the kata, and did not throw the ura nage.  We had brainstorms: what are we doing wrong with the throw in order for Mike’s arm to be trapped? How do we practice the throw if Mike can’t be thrown? What if Mike’s not better by the day of the grading?

Eventually, two days ago, we came up with making a crash mat (there isn’t one in the club) using very old velcroed mats, piling them up and tying them together with belts (all those sailor knots came in handy). In addition, after some research, we decided that the way we’d been doing the throw over the years was slightly off, more to the back than the side, causing Dave to trap Mike’s arm. So Dave practiced his revised throwing technique and Mike practiced the breakfalls on the new crash mat. By half-way through the second day, we had no need of the crash mat and the guys were doing the throw full force on the normal floor. Mike’s arm is no longer trapped, now that we’re doing the throw from the side, and his injury is not impacted. We’re all relieved.

For the last few sessions, I’ve been videotaping the kata. We’ve all been critiquing it, and for the next couple of practice sessions, Dave and Mike will work on their individual and combined areas of concern. Next weekend we will have two long sessions comprising all the techniques which could be called upon for the nidan grading. There’s still lots to do, but our major problem has been solved.

Click here to go to Studying for/Working on Nidan Grading – Part 2

Click here to go to Studying for/Working on Nidan Grading – Part 3

ayjay

January 4, 2009

Afterword: We found out when Dave was tested (see Part Three [or Drei for the Germans out there] of this series), that the shinmeisho no waza was NOT required for nidan. We’ll certainly be ready for it next time around! ayjay, Feb., 2009

In our class yesterday, Chris was demonstrating koshi jime (hip choke). Basically uke is in a loose turtle. Tori reaches over uke’s shoulder – the shoulder right beside him – and grabs the opposite lapel.  With his other hand, tori goes under uke’s opposite arm and grabs uke’s other lapel. It’s essentially okuri eri jime at that point. Tori then moves his hip onto uke’s first shoulder. pushing himself into uke and moving his legs out around uke’s head until uke is flattened and the choke tight. The choke is very strong.

Dave has, for many years, been successfully using a counter to that choke and demonstrated it for us.  It works by posting the first arm before Chris quite got into position. Even though Chris (tori) had his hip on Dave’s shoulder, he couldn’t push the shoulder down sufficiently and Dave actually ended up flipping Chris over to get a shoulder lock.

As we watched and analyzed the technique and Dave’s counter, I stepped in to attempt the choke. (I may teach basic chokes, but rarely do them with any force since I have developed arthritis in several finger joints and the thumb joint by the wrist in my right hand. The chokes tend to hurt me more than my opponent. ) I just wanted to get into position to see if there were a counter to the counter.

Since the problem was Dave’s posting of the arm, the arm would have to be dealt with before tori’s hip could get into the correct position. I couldn’t use my feet, because then I couldn’t have my legs out to go around uke’s head.  Instead, I drove my knee against his elbow, forcing uke’s arm down and underneath, and before he could get his arm out, pushed my hip against his shoulder and stretched my legs out. It worked and was easy. Dave is going to have to find another counter. A little thing.

Here’s a link to a video describing the choke, the counter, and the counter to the counter: Koshi Jime and counters.

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 1

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 1 Addendum

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 2

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 3

ayjay

December 13, 2008

We had our regular class yesterday.  The classes are usually small, but this was tiny – three seniors and a white belt who comes out regularly from the jiu jitsu club. Dave loves these classes because we do far more when there are fewer people: we can all work on the same thing and “study” techniques in greater depth.

Alex, our white belt, is gearing for yellow; however, there were a few throws he had not yet learned – sasae tsurikomi ashi, hiza guruma and  o uchi gari. We went into detail on each throw, way more detail than we teach if there is a larger group. 

While we were practicing sasae tsurikomi ashi (my doing uchi komi [practice throws] on Dave, Alex, on Chris), Dave suggested a different arm movement for the arm holding the lapel: basically I was to try to hoist him with that arm, pull his sleeve horizontally and then down with the other, while blocking his ankle. Also, I was to step more to the outside and beside his leg, less to the front. OK, I’ve done this throw many times over the last fifteen years, and watched and taped Dave do the throw many times as he worked for his black belt grading (and also videotaping for this website), but I’ve never done the throw like that. The throw has always felt feeble to me (i.e. my version).

This time, when I moved outside more – not too far since I am short – moved my right arm UP instead of horizontally and pulled on the other sleeve, the foot placement was incidental to the throw. The throw was so strong and easy. Chris and I just gaped at each other, saying, “We’ve done this throw how many years?” Why have I never done this arm movement like that before, or stepped out quite that way before? Who knew sasae could be so fluid and powerful?!

So after fifteen years doing throws, I learned a slightly different movement (a little thing) and, when I applied that movement, did a throw well and strongly. It was fun.

(A version of Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi for MMA is here.)

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 1

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 2

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 2 Addendum

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 3

ayjay

December 13, 2008

Ground holds look relatively simple: one guy is on the bottom, another on the top, and the guy on top holds an arm or squashes a chest or some other body part.  In reality, they are complex placements of tori’s body on uke’s. If one or more of the placements is wrong, the ground hold doesn’t hold. An example: if tori is holding uke with kesa gatame (scarf hold), with or without a gi, and doesn’t have the arm just so - tightly above the elbow – uke can bend his arm and get it free, the first step to an escape.

The little things are vital during application of chokes. While applying okuri eri jime, for instance, if you don’t have your thumb deeply inside the collar – to the back of uke’s neck, even – the choke may not come on, or will take longer and more effort on your part to apply. 

Arm bars are very difficult to learn for the novice. In juji gatame, the thumb has to be up, your hips have to be almost on his shoulder; you try to bring your knees together, and so on. If some of the individual elements are missing, the arm bar may not work or take too long to work, and in a match, time is limited.

And so, we work on the little aspects of the technique in order to perfect it and make it part of the student’s arsenal.

We may study a technique dozens of times over a year. Partly that has to do with new people, but as senior members of our club, we still practice the techniques we’ve been using for years. Every once in a while, there’s something new that someone has figured out, some little element which makes the technique better. This applies to everything in traditional judo or MMA judo, right down to the breakfalls.

We are not sport judo people and only one member of our club attends (and wins at) tournaments. We like the learning and the practicing. There’s lots to learn.

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 1

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 1 Addendum

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 2 Addendum

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 3

ayjay

December 12, 2008

When learning anything new, there can be times when you’ve got sensory overload – too much to remember: do this, do that, don’t do that, watch how I do it or he does it. When you’ve finally learned how to do a technique, a throw or arm bar or other technique, there are still things to learn: my opponent just did this and I couldn’t do my technique, or how do I make it work from this angle, etc.

When teaching judo, after the basic technique is learned, we work on the fine points, the details, the little things, which make the technique stronger, more efficient. I don’t propose that I’m an expert on anything, but if I can do a technique by applying small manoeuvres, then so can anyone.

Years ago we used to do a demonstration to our class to show how little space was required to turn yourself over from a ground hold.  Someone would grab a plain kitchen chair and another person would lie face down on the mats, with arms by the side, and the chair placed on top of, straddling, the judoka. The judoka would turn over while still under the chair.  It’s not fast and can be awkward trying to move your arms and shoulders while trapped, but a little at a time and, voila, you’re facing the ceiling. We proved that you don’t need much space to turn over (basically the width of your own body),  just patience and working a little at a time.  With some practice, this becomes smooth and easy – it makes a huge difference in being able to escape ground holds.

When learning throws, there are of course those gorillas out there who are so strong they manhandle their opponents; it’s less finesse and more brute strength. For everyone else (although a little finesse for the big guys makes for much better technique), we work on the little things: jutting the hips out past uke’s on hip throws, stepping in deeply between his legs for forward throws, gripping a certain way, pinky in the air for ippon seoi nage, look over there during your throw.  All the little touches bring other factors into play during throws.

For hip throws, “jutting your hips past uke’s” gives far better leverage; you should be able to lift him just using your hips and bending your knees. Once the arms and grips come into play, he’s a goner.  “Stepping in deeply between uke’s legs” for forward throws actually places uke off-balance forward; he’s going to fall with far less effort on your part. “Changing grips” on the gi (or the arm, for non-gi throws) may give you better purchase, and may also allow your forearm or whole arm to be used. The “pinky in the air for ippon seoi nage” forces you to hold your throwing arm high, allowing for a stronger and wider turn of the arm. “Looking over there” during your throw forces your head to move, thereby moving your torso. The throw becomes far stronger when you use your core.

I’ve been studying judo for fifteen years and there’s lots more to learn.  It really is amazing how much of a difference the fine details, the little things, make in helping our techniques work.

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 1 Addendum

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 2

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 2 Addendum

Click here to go to It’s The Little Things – Pt 3

ayjay

December 11, 2008