My First Randoori

So this was my second lesson and I felt a bit more ease about attending as the club is such a welcoming place.  There is a complete lack of ego and all of the judokas, from white belt to black, went out of their way to help and assist Simon and I when they could.

Today we focused on a throw, called O Goshi.  I really thought my prior grappling experience would help me when learning throws, but I was a duck out of water.  The key here is again breaking your opponents balance whilst simultaneously moving your body and particularly your hips into the correct position to execute the throw.  It should look something like this; needless to say my version was some way off:



We practised this a number of times and although Simon didn't fare any better than I did, I was glad to have someone I knew and trusted to work with.

Racky, the Dan grade who was leading the class, then called for a few rounds of Randoori.  At first Simon watched as these guys threw each other all over the place.  We spar a lot in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but there is something very different about Judo sparring.  In a nutshell BJJ is like chess whilst Judo seems like a war of attrition.  As we knew virtually nothing at this statge we were hesitant about having a go, but Racky beckoned us over and we thought 'what the hell!'.  Now of course I got tossed around like a rag-doll, but wow, what a rush.  Its great seeing and feeling the ability of someone who has command of their martial art, it gives you an appreciation for the hard work and dedication, and it also gives you something to aspire to.

A great way to start your Saturday morning!