Over the past few weeks I've been trying to put together a game plan, a series of throws and combinations that I can really perfect and pull off during randoori.
I've had some luck with minor foot sweeps, but upon reflection, the success rate is fairly low, i.e. I tend to get a reaction from my opponent rather than the actual sweep.
We have practised various combinations during the classes, and call me dumb but I've just realised that to be effective you really need to 'set your opponent up'. This is where the foot sweeps are great.
I have therefore tasked myself with working on a couple of combinations:
Ouchi Gari to Tai Otoshi
Ouchi Gari to Harai Goshi
One of the successful throws during the recent grading was the Makkikomi, it only makes sense to to think about this as well, Ouchi Gari to Makkikomi:
Last week I had my first Judo Grading which was an interesting experience to say the least.
Barnet Judo Club is governed by the British Judo Council (BJC). Recently they made changes to the syllabus which essentially broke the progression from white belt to green belt into a series of 'tabs'. This is new initiative was implemented to ensure that green belts are not too 'green'. At green belt you are expected to fight for your next belt, blue, but it seems that a lot of students have been racing through the belts only to get at green.
I see the logic in this but was slightly concerned because as a white belt I was only eligible to grade for one tab. The requirements consisted of a series of breakfalls and a Morote Seoi Nage throw, I felt that I could perhaps go beyond this, but being respectful of the etiquette and my instructors opinion I of course complied with the grading system.
So on the day of the grading I felt very confident that I could perform the tasks necessary for my first tab. I partnered with another white belt and Stuart tested us on the various techniques. After completing them I relaxed and sat down to watch the higher belts grade. But to my surprise Stuart asked me to step back onto the mat. At this point I thought that someone probably needed a partner, but I was wrong. Instead Stuart asked if I would like to go through some of the other tabs in light of my Jiu Jitsu background.
So we proceeded to work through the syllabus and I did a series of throws, combinations and some groundwork.
One throw I was particularly pleased with was Tsuri Komi Goshi. I only had the chance to practise this once before the grading, so I was happy that I pulled it off with relative ease.
So after completing the extra assessment the lower belts were presented with their new grades and I was awarded an orange belt.
Orange is still a junior belt in the grand scheme of things, but when I think back to my first lesson and how non-existent my Judo was, jumping two belts in five months is still pleasing.
I don't think I'm yet at green belt level as I have still have a lot of work to do, but this does give me the impetus to continue training hard with the aim of getting to the business end of the belt system.
It was also very interesting to see the rest of the grading, particularly the greens and above who had to fight for their next belt.
After watching the fights several things became apparent:
1. Having a 'go to' throw. I only witnessed one or two clean throws by a couple of guys which led to ippon or a dominant ground position. Upon speaking to the Judokas who landed these throws, they seemed to have really worked at perfecting one or two techniques. I've yet to figure out what my go to throw(s) are, but its something I intend to work on.
2. Groundwork matters. Due to the lack of clean throws many of the contests were won on the ground. Considering my BJJ background this is less of a concern, but I'm glad I've heeded the warning.
3. Conditioning. As with any physical contest conditioning gives you an advantage, whilst a lack of conditioning gives you a disadvantage.
Finally, it was also interesting to see how formal the grading was, BJJ gradings are almost a party, the atmosphere last week was much more sombre. All in all it was an eventful day and a great learning experience.
In my last post I mentioned that I had a sore Achilles from a recent road run. Well, so much for it being a minor injury, one month later and the it's still very sore. I say that but having just returned from the Osteopath I have a range of stretches to try, plus a new support, so I'm hoping to see some improvement soon.
Less encoraging is an injury I suffered to my big toe joint. I picked this up about three weeks ago during a Randoori session with Sean, the 15 year old Green belt. I'm not quite sure what happened, if I recall it was a clash of feet, but I do know that it hurt like hell. After icing it for weeks on end and stupidly still training on it, the damn thing is still swollen and painful. Well this morning, I went to the hospital to have an X-Ray, I was convinced that I must have fractured a bone somewhere. But no, nothing, the doctor said its probably just a strain and to keep icing it, that's good news I guess, but it's three weeks and counting and it still hasn't healed...
Anyway, I realise I train a lot, four to five times a week and I'm relatively fortunate that most of the injuries I've picked up during my travels, bar a badly sprained ankle about three years ago that kept me out for four months, have never kept me out of action of any significant length of time.
Injuries are part of the game, so last night I strapped my ailing feet up and trained anyway. There were six of us in the class which meant getting a lot of attention from Stuart the Dan grade.
We first went through a series of Newaza holds and pins which included Kesa Gatame and an escape, Kuzure Kesa Gatame and an escape, so on and so forth.
We then practised some Uchikomi, but this time practising a combination of throws. One of the combo's I tried was Ouchi Gari to Uchi Mata. Apparently this is Stuart's favourite combination and he has a very similar build to me. I took to this really well and of course I need to brush up on my technique, but it's certainly something to work on.
Stuart then introduced two new throws to us Harai Gosho and Hane Goshi, the latter I have actually been working on during the last few weeks:
These throws seemed to work great for me, particularly Harai Goshi. The entry is very similar to Uchi Mata and it's certainly one to work on.
My injuries prevented me from any Randoori and it will probably be that way for the new few weeks, nevertheless I learned a lot and proved that if you are injured you can still gain a lot from a class.
I was in two minds about whether to attend tonight's class. I had a very sore Achilles from a long run I did on Sunday, I know its best to rest injuries but as I'm due to be away for work next week I really wanted to make the class. So I went and bought myself a ankle support and vowed to take it easy.
I'm glad to say that as soon as I had warmed up the discomfort more or less disappeared and I was able to train without too much hindrance. We began the lesson with some light Newaza and then moved onto some positional submissions and escapes. The first was a rather complex reverse triangle submission, I'm not convinced I could pull this off during a sparring session, but it did give me some ideas that maybe I can use eventually. We also practised an escape from side control, this would probably work again a Judo fighter but I'd probably run into problems against a BJJ guy. We then did some Uchikomi in the usual sets of ten, but also walking in tandem up and down the mat. I continued to work on my Uchi Mata but also tried the entry for Hane Goshi:
Again I haven't had any instruction on this yet, but practising the entry now will hopefully give me a head start later.
Racky then showed us a set up for Seoi Nage from Ko Soto Gari. When Uke avoids the sweep by pulling his/her leg back Tori then transitions to the hip throw. I still have problems getting my hips below the level of my opponent due to my height but as always it's still worth practising.
We then moved into some Randoori. I had the opportunity to train with Sean a 15 year Green Belt. I'm bigger and stronger than Sean but I really wanted to avoid using my size during the sparring and rely on technique. There is certainly a difference between a Yellow or Orange Belt and a Green Belt. On the other belts I can usually pull of the techniques but Sean was tough, I managed a Ko Soto Gari a couple of times, but that was it. When I went for a Tai Otoshi and Uchi Mata but he was able to counter my attempts with relative ease. A reason for this was revealed a bit later on when I partnered with Stuart. He said that I need to be more subtle in breaking the balance as it's actually a quick wrist action as opposed to a large full body movement. So up until now I've probably been telegraphing a lot of my movements, something to work on.
We finished the class with some groundfighting, my anke held up well so I'm pleased I made the effort.
Today we reviewed some of the techniques we've been drilling over the last few weeks.
The first of these was Ko Soto Gari - small outside reap. Racky demonstrated the throw and pointed out the finer details. I've also found it vital to recap on previous lessons as it really helps to practise and cement the technique. As if to prove my point I noticed that the hand which has the collar grip is incredibly important to the throw, it effectively helps to further break the balance of your opponent and was a detail I had not paid enough attention to. Racky also demonstrated the throw from the other side of his opponent, i.e. sweeping the leg on the collar grip side. This time the sleeve hand becomes vital in assisting in the breaking of your opponents balance. I feel I've taken to these techniques quite well, so these extra details will hopefully see further improvement.
We also reviewed Suni Gaeshi and I'm pleased to say that the throw felt a lot smoother this time around.
I'm always looking for new ways to improve my Judo, just as I've always looked for new ways to improve my Jiu Jitsu. One of the throws I have seen is Uchi Mata so I thought I would give it a go. I haven't had any instruction on the throw but hoped that I would be able to pick the brains with one of the Dan grades.
Well today I didn't get any instruction on the actual throw but I was able to practise the entry during several rounds of Uchikomi. I was also able to attempt the throw during Randoori. When sparring with Oswaldo, a Black Belt, he made a few observations. He explained that if the Uchi Mata doesn't work I can switch to Tai Otoshi. He also said the same transition works from Uchi Gari to Tai Otoshi. This was a revelation to me as the transition felt so natural. When I did Randoori with another student, it worked like a dream.
I also realised that you can transition from Uchi Gari to Uchi Mata, the possibilities are endless!
We finished the session with some Ne Waza which is always fun, another great class.
In earlier posts I explained that I had had some success with Ko Soto Gari. I've found that timing is incredibly important in pulling of the sweep but it can be countered by your opponent stepping back and establishing or re-establishing his/her base. To counter this defence Racky illustrated Ni Dan Ko Soto Gari which is essentially executing the outside trip to the rear leg. I drilled this with Simon and found it fairly effective, it's certainly one to add to my dictionary of throws.
I also explained that I had some problems getting low enough to execute Seoi Nage. Racky illustrated an adjustment called Seoi Otoshi which is a similar technique but the feet are staggered. This really worked well for me so again its one to drill.
I've often said that I've been very grateful for the way the club has accepted Simon and I, not just as new Judokas but also Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grapplers. Racky introduced a flip over throw called Sumi Gaeshi, but before this he asked Simon and I to demonstrate a similar throw from Jiu Jitsu. I demonstrated a standing butterfly sweep and Racky then drew parallels between this and Sumi Gaeshi.
We ended the class with continuous rounds of Randoori and Ne Waza, a good class.
Racky took the class tonight and we began the session with some wrestling drills. I've done a bit of wrestling in the past and considered focusing on it instead Judo. But I predominately train Gi Jiu Jitsu so felt that if I'm going to train a stand-up art it makes sense to incorporate the Gi, Judo was therefore the best option.
We also did some more foot techniques but this time the emphasis was placed upon sweeping the leg which is furthest forward. So instead of breaking the balance sideways, Uke is 'pulled' forward and the foot is swept a momemt before it hits the ground. The foot which is swept is the sleeve side, the balance is broken by both a pushing annd pulling motion with the sweep momentum accentuated with the hands on the lapel and sleeve. I liked this sweep, definately one to work on.
