Pains and Treating them

Since I've started Judo, I know there are a lot of injuries. From muscle cramps and pulled who knows whats to dislocated joints and broken bones. Here are a couple things to do for them.

Tape them! Athletic tape in this sport is your best friend. From "Judo Toe" to a twisted ankle. it helps support injuries and helps them heal while practicing lightly. (I do not encourage practice while injured. If you choice to do so, do so lightly. at your own risk)

Tiger Balm and IBProfien, when I'm soar these have been a life saver. Rubbing Tiger Balm on soar muscles after practice quickens the healing. While IBProfien deals with headaches and joints pains from over zealous armbars.

Lastly but not least. Yoga. Yes Yoga!!!! It has been a miracle worker for soar muscles and staying flexible. For whatever you do, be it a martial art or anything really. I suggest yoga to everyone. The Zen Meditation keeps you calm while the poses keeps you limber.

(I'm not a doctor nor is this medical advise, just some info on what I do.)

CJI Tournament.

Ahh, a good weekend has come and gone. For more reasons than one. Great food, good friends, and the leason of finesse.

All of my matches lasted less then 30 seconds.
- 1st match was won by forfeit/a Bye.
Someone didn't show up....
- 2nd match I lost because I forgot to finish the Kake on a Tani O Toshi. Thus I landed on my back. ending my match. after getting a Yuko for a sweep.
-3rd Match I lost due to not stopping once throw was completed. I rolled to my back after the front of my shoulder hit the mat to enter ne-waza instead of pausing to show the end of the throw.

My point total was 15 which put me in 6th place in the novice 73kg division out of nine.

Oh, the food that was great was lamb shank with saffron rice and seasonal veggies on friday night. Saturday was seafood night. Fryed shimp, calamari, and crab cakes. Thus followed by Pasta with Prince Edwards Island Mussels.

Now to bed before coming home from San Diego.

CJI

The State Judo Tournament is this weekend. I've been training for it with help from both my normal classes as well as the ninja judo classes.

It's here that technical, scientific principles are used to explain judo. The turn like this you'll get this are given but the science validation via the newton laws of motion and energy are also explained in detain here. It's here that my love of sports and science combine into what I enjoy. Lets see if it helps out this weekend.

CJI Training....

It's been a while since I've posted, here is a recap of what has happened.

I've been to three tournaments so far, two bad days and one good one. The two bad days I came in dead last. The good day was the novice tournament. The lesson I learned from this, Classical music and staying pumped up for the matches help a lot.

I'm currently working on technique and adjusting my movements accordingly. This is still new to me but I'm getting things much faster now. Since I have so many people helping me along the way. It's really to them, in the end, I will never be able to thank enough. Today during Ne-waza I was schooled by a fellow Judoka. (I should state this now. I do not call anyone below the rank of shodan, sempi or sensei. I mean no disrespect to those who rank higher than me but don't hold a black belt. It is just that a sempi is a senior, or black belt or the dojo.) In the end, Having my rump handed to me was far move valuable than being the better player. It show that I have a lot of work to still do.

Just FYI: I'm using the Men's Health "Train like a Fighter" work out between practices and I must say, I feel great. So now the real test is to not give in to doubt and just go for it.

Nanka Novice Tournament

It's been a couple of weeks now since my last update.

Last Sunday was the Nanka Novice Tournament, Thus, only those under the rank of brown belt can compete. Well lucky me in this case, I have ten weeks of training, this is for me.

My first match was against a member of my dojo, so it was a good fight. we both landed a couple minor throws but nothing major, It wasn't till the end that it got really exciting. I went for an Osoto Gari that he countered in a Hari Goshi, I twisted out to land with my chest against the mat instead of my back and when we landed I was able to twist him over and nail the pin, Kass Gatame. I did dislocate his shoulder in the counter but things happen. I felt bad but that would come in reflection later.

The second match was against someone who looks like they either had taken Karate or Muai Thai because he kept hopping about, So when I saw the chance I took the opening he gave me for a Tao Otoshi which scored me an Waza-ari and then another pin, this time a Kuzure Kesa Gatame, for the other Wazari which gave me a Waza-ari Awasete Ippon.

My third match, he had game, it was a grip fight to sweeps, I went of an Osoto Gari he countered with a Ogoshi, in a split second I countered with a Sumo Gaeshi. That Nailed me a Waza-ari. This is where something happens and normally costs you the match, I go cocky. I telegraphed as Morote Seoi-Nage, This nearly cost me right there but I got out of the Yoko Osoto and went for a Tao Otoshi, But was out powered into and Osoto Gari. It was one of my best matches to date.

All in all I got second place. Three wins one lose, Although one win was by default. which is an empty win.

Another week done,

As this weeks comes to a close, I've decided to not compete this weekend. I need more practice and I'm swamped with work. So It's will be 3/1/09 when I hit the mats again for shihai.

Now, the 15th tournament went well for my first and only having seven weeks of judo to prepare. I got fifth out of fifth, yet to the rest of my competition, they had be beat by at least six months. So I did well for where I was and had a blast.

First match.
Really bad on the mat. I had Osoto Gari the whole time and didn't take it.

Second match,
Did a bit better but I hesitated on Ippon Seio Nage and lost the match,

Third match,
This was with the one of two novice who didn't stiff arm. It went really smoothly and we both got in a throw. this match came to pins, and I had my hips up to high and lost my mount.

Fourth Match,
This was the other without a the stiff arm noob, it was pleasant. His Gi was a pain to grab but I lost it when I opened up to Tai Otoshi and he caught me with a Waza take down.

Since It was My first I not too big on four straight loses but it was a lesson in humbleness I will carry forever.

Also after a conversation with one of the black belts from the dojo, I'm always worried about my manners where ever I am. I need to disconnect. We bow to one another as an understanding to do our best, not worry about injuring our opponents or our partners in practice. Now I think it's time that I apply this and see how I do.

Friendship.....

As another practice comes to a close, I had a short but enjoyable time.

I brought a friend to Judo with me today. Although it's new to him, the martial arts aren't. Having two year of Karate under his belt; I found it safe to bring him on the mat for some fun. After warm-up and conditioning he acquired some groundwork skill. Although watching him struggle with the conditioning was entertaining it was reminder that not to long ago i was in the same boat. He was paired up with a collegian wrestler for na-waza (Katamewaza.) So he did have is butt handed to him there but it was a learning process he gathered quite a bit of knowledge from.

It was followed by the movement techniques used to keep yourself uninjured. He mastered the falling skills used in judo and a sweep move rather quickly.

I was paired up with the one kid who until recent, had no desire to progress and was afraid of what little pain there is to Judo while practicing. So I reinsured him that falling and failing at the technique we're practicing is just us learning ways not to such actions.

Throws practiced today,
Ippon Seionage
Morote Seionage
Deashi Harai
Tai Otoshi
Osoto Gari
O Goshi
Kosoto Gari
Kouchi Gari
Okuriashi Harai
Harai Goshi
Tsuri Goshi
Kata Guruma
Plus Combination of listed throws.

A new idea,

This Came to me after attending another Dojo today as a guest. Judo when done correctly does not cause injury.

This I find 100 % true. It's so easy though to be 0.001 % off to be injured. While learning how to do certain throws, you are expected to have some bumps and bruises from learning. I do have back pain at the moment but I was able to help someone learn how to defend themselves and was shown some beautiful ground work. Being a student means you'll have mistakes and those are where the injuries come from.

So to my new Idea, If you double the time you spend practicing technique by attending two dojo's do you increase your potential 2 fold or 3 fold. This is my experiment to see how well my muscle memory works.

Now to list my next tournaments:

2/15 - San Jose Buddist Judo Club Sensei Memorial Tournament
2/22 - West Covina Judo Invitational
3/1 - Nanka Novice Tournament

Pain,

A another weeks of practice is over and my new training is paying off. I find that my back is still killing but only shortly afterwords, it's nothing like how it felt in the beginning. I've Also had an injured joint in my foot, but that was my own doing. Healed quite well though, it's only painful if it's cold out; like tonight.

This is going to be a long month and I expect more from myself now than ever. Three tournaments in the next three weeks. the 15th, 22nd, and 1st.

So I'm off to bed to heal and run in the morning.

Training...

This is the first time I've keep a journal of anything like this. I've considered taking judo again since I was exposed to it while I was a little kid. At the time I found Ninjitsu to be more my style and I've used it to my advantage in quite a few different things, far from the subjective fights than the expected. Marching band was easier for me because of it. It was also a tool in many sports and amazingly journalism, I was the leak of info from the administration to the school newspaper because I was a cleaver little spy... Enough about that though.

This it to track my progress in Judo from rokyu (this means Noob... I.E. white belt) to first degree black belt (shodan.) My goal is to make it in two years. So I need to acquire brown belt by this end of the year if that is going to happen.

This is something that has just sunk it's teeth into me and spread threw out me at the speed of Ebola. I really want this, it's like an addiction. So much so that I think this is how I will achieve one of my life goals. "To compete for an Olympic team."