Fitness? Who? Me?

What do you call a group of judoka (judo players) ?

After our seemingly eighteen months of winter in the UK, I think a 'flurry' of judoka would be most appropriate.

Either way, perhaps a flurry of judoka will not be happy with what I'm going to say.

Sharp intake of breath...

I came to judo as a late starter in my forties and I wasn't an athlete before I started.

This is a personal experience and hopefully could be helpful to a few people. It comes with a positive and constructive spirit attached to it.

When people start judo (myself included) one of the main motivations for doing so is that it 'will help me to get and keep fit'.

I disagree.

In my limited experience, judo brings many great things but unless a session has involved randori (free practice) from start to finish, developing fitness through judo alone is going to be a tough goal to reach.

The time spent watching and trying out techniques in a regular session will be time spent not getting fit.

It's worthwhile to learn of course but having the fitness to apply techniques in randori might have to come from outside of judo.

Running and spinning (group exercise cycling) are great for getting fit and building lung / breathing capacity.

Swimming is even better as, unlike running and spinning, breathing underwater has to be controlled (otherwise things get 'uncomfortable'!)

This discipline of controlling breathing is particularly useful for groundwork.

Then that's just the cardio vascular side of the fitness coin, there's the muscle and weight bearing capacity to consider.

It might seem obvious but few things can help in gripping, pulling and throwing as strong arms.

Powerful quads / thighs can help in throwing and groundwork too.

Oops nearly forgot to mention the value of a powerful back and core in all aspects of standing and groundwork.

In short, all the above, although very useful in judo, need to be worked on before any judo session.

From all of this, I now know one thing.

I can't get fit from, with, by, or because of judo alone.

I can get fit for judo and enjoy it so much more when I'm raring to go, stepping onto the mat ;-)

Hope this helps!

Bye for now.

Mike

The London 2012 Paralympic Games are over - The memories have begun...

London 2012 Paralympic Games and judo – What was it like?

If you want a throw by throw account with full details of perfect judo, you ain't going to find it here!

I will tell you what it felt like to be in the crowd at the Excel Centre at the judo in the London 2012 Paralympics.

And because we don't live in a bubble, you'll also get an idea of what people thought of paralympic sport as the events kicked off in London and the UK.

Setting the scene

You probably saw a fair amount of TV coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.

It went well. Very well.

When the Paralympics kicked off, it felt like the London 2012 party had re-started and people wanted to get back to it so tickets were selling out. Something that had never happened before!

These games were SO not an afterthought.

And as if to underline that fact the Paralympics even had their own 'What the Flip' (WTF) moment in the Opening Ceremony...

You may have seen James Bond and Her Majesty the Queen chatting together then skydiving into the Olympic Opening Ceremony (as one does).

Well that moment made me say 'WTF' and the Paralympics Opening Ceremony was not to be outdone either.

After some spectacular events revolving around Shakespeare's Tempest and being enlightened through learning, the Ceremony took on the subject of disabled people fighting for their rights in the face of unenlightened people.

The sight of a group of disabled actors singing the protest song 'Spasticus Autisticus' left me stunned.

The song (banned by the BBC for years) and written by the disabled musician Ian Dury, had words which took on the abuse thrown at disabled people and it threw it right back.

This song was about getting 'it'.

And just what was 'it'?

That disabled people are capable of achieving pretty much anything they put their minds to.

Which brings us to Paralympic judo.

As I said, I don't do play by play commentary.

Instead here are some views about going to see the 'gentle way' at the Paralympics.

In no particular order, memories of the day went like this:

* Going into the security line with a disabled family member and being remembered by one of the security people who had frisked us several weeks before at the Olympics!

* Couldn't believe how friendly the security people (civilian and military) and volunteers or 'games makers' were.

* Heading into the Excel Centre and being able to attend other events in the building (powerlifting, table tennis and seated volleyball) – Perhaps a legacy of Paralympics games past where organisers struggled to fill venues?

* No problems of venue filling at London 2012 Paralympics – Table tennis was full to capacity and we only just got into the powerlifting crowd.

* Getting into the judo venue realising that it was exactly the same as for the Olympics but with some major differences.

The crowd were different for a start...

I'm not saying the Paralympics audience were a tough crowd but when British judoka Sam Ingram walked on to fight in the gold medal final, a couple of youngsters were shouting 'Go on Sam, rip his head off'!

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a brutal atmosphere.

Rather, it was good natured and more informal than the Olympics.

Added to this, the crowd got behind all judoka, from Chinese to Cuban and all points in between.

It gave me as much pleasure to see foreign judoka applauded and cheered on as the local athletes.

Imagine row after row of temporary fold up seating and hundreds of people banging their feet to 'We will rock you' by the rock group Queen and that was just when the judoka entered to fight!

This got pumped this up to 11 when the British judoka were introduced.

On the day I was there, the Ingram brothers (Joe and Sam) were fighting for medals and Sam went on to the gold medal final.

Both brothers were born with conal dystrophy. They have monochromatic vision and are officially registered blind.

The sound that greeted them must have been awe inspiring and I read in an interview with Sam that the Union Jack (British flag) is more visible than others with its colour and outline.

Again the quantity and size of flags must have made a great impression on both brothers.

As it transpired, after a very hard fought fight, Sam lost out to the Cuban judoka and it was great to see the Cuban get applauded when he stood on the podium for his gold medal.

The roof was raised however when Sam was presented with his silver!

It's at this point where I have to say I really enjoyed the judo at the Paralympics.

There was hardly any fighting for grip (which I appreciated very much) and a lot more groundwork (ne waza) than the Olympics, it was really enjoyable to watch.

Also appreciated the informality where judoka who had finished in their weight class came up to our section in the stands and greeted each other as friends.

Add to that the informality and roars of support from the crowd, you begin to realise just how special this day had been.

I also got involved in explaining competition rules, referees' signals and the finer points of judo to other crowd members, it all had that level of informality.

So, coming to the end of the day and this article, if I may I would like to finish with two points, one big and one tiny and insignificant.

As for the bigger picture, the Paralympic movement was born out of the games for patients which started after World War II at the Stoke Mandeville spinal injuries hospital in the United Kingdom.

Coming right up to today with sold out events, huge TV coverage and support (certainly in the host nation) one could quite rightly say that the Paralympics at London 2012 had 'come home'.

Seeing disabled athletes doing so well put the focus on the athletes and their performance and not their disability.

It was truly inspiring to witness up close just how remarkable people can be.

So what about the tiny and insignificant point?

After several weeks going to events at London 2012, the Paralympics judo was the last time I would go to see the Games.

Walking past the games makers, the security, the bright pink (yes!) signage, waiting for that iron door to close behind us at the security perimeter exit, I became really sad.

Yet looking back at London 2012 with all the great performances, the wonderful exuberance and support of the crowds, the way that disability would not be seen in precisely the same way ever again and so many other positive things besides, I started to smile.

Then, a few days later, of all things, a cat put it better than I ever could...

Or to be more precise, the creator of 'Cat in the Hat', Dr Seuss wrote the following which summed up, for me, what I felt about London 2012 from that moment on:

'Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.'

Giant shoulders...

I read about a judo player who sees the 'gentle way' as a sport for individuals.

The article said that this player saw that winning and losing as dependent on each individual and his / her performance every time they step on the mat.

I can see reason in this, up to a point.

Competition gives instant feedback to the individual and their performance usually decides their results.

But isn't this just the 'tip of the iceberg'?

Let me be clear, I have respect for anyone who takes time in their lives to train in a sport or martial art.

My own experience is training in judo for fun (?), fitness and for the remote possibility of self defence.

From this limited experience, I'm fully aware that judo is a sport for individuals who are supported by a group of people.

Whether it's sensei teaching technique or training partners providing the appropriate level of opposition (and extending that technique), a group of people support the individual judo player.

Personally, I can even point to different techniques and the people who have brought these to my attention.

From how to remember ko and o ouchi to varied grip positions for ippon seio nage (and much more besides), I can point to the people who, as they say in all the best awards ceremonies, 'made it all possible'.

So going back to the judo player at the start of this blog, I can only assume he was focusing on the day of competition itself, if not the very seconds of competition.

Every time we step on the mat we rely on the experience and support of so many other people.

As no lesser authority than Sir Isaac Newton put it:

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

As a final point, I hope you have enjoyed this blog. Please feel free to add your comments, They are greatly valued!!

Also if you would like to follow my motivational quotes on Twitter (or Tweet me!) I am at #toughcom – Be great to hear from ya!

Till next time.

Mike

Scratching one's head...

Thought: "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, but because we do not dare, things are difficult." Seneca

Learning judo is one of the toughest (and most rewarding) things I have ever done.

Falling over, getting out of breath, getting sweaty and experiencing some discomfort are part of the price we pay to progress along the 'gentle way' as judo translates from Japanese.

That being said, as an adult coming to judo, I found making clumsy and slowwwwwww progress to be the most difficult things I have had to overcome.

Here's a few thoughts on my experience to date...

Unconscious incompetence

I found judo at the start to be particularly challenging.

The lucky few (as with anything) will get 'it' right away.

Most people will take time to learn each technique. Then relearn it when they forget how to do it (or is it just me?)

In short, progress will be slow until they practice and work, over and over and over (oh and over yet again) or is that also just me?

Conscious incompetence

This is the point where progress starts to be made, but it for me, it has often felt like 'one step forward, three steps back'.

Where tai otoshi (Body Drop throw), ippon seio nage (one armed shoulder throw), kesa gatame (scarf hold) etc. can be delivered upon request but more in study than in randori (sparring).

In randori (literally 'chaos taking' in Japanese), an opponent is aware of and able to stop your techniques while trying to improve his own techniques.

I like the 'stress test' element in randori, more often than not, my technique will crumple in the face of opposition, but when it works, WOW what a sense of achievement!

And yet again, then there is no guarantee (and reason why) techniques will deteriorate for me from one session to another.

My tai otoshi is still not as good as when I first started judo, when it was rock solid.

Why this is, I have no idea!

Add to this, a wealth of new techniques to be learned along with combinations, counters, entries, variations etc. and this stage can be the most difficult to get through.

The thought of quality deteriorating as the quantity of techniques increases is also a constant concern.

Unconscious competence

Then one day, something CLICKS!

A throw, a movement, a combination come together then don't work again for a good while ;-((

Now I might be a little pessimistic here.

In the ideal world, a technique can be learned and improved upon.

Variations and combinations can be added and this can be immensely satisfying and encouraging.

I truly hope this is the case for you.

And yet...

For me, a technique can be achieved sporadically, or maybe not at all.

Then, all of sudden, after a LOT of work it finally clicks.

I will write about unconscious and conscious competence when I get there.

For now, I would say the main things I have learned from judo (so far) have been:

Patience, ability to bounce back, persistence, teamwork and collaboration to achieve objectives, the value of really, REALLY hard work, consistent focus on improvement, learning from success and failure, supporting other people who face similar or new challenges to myself and getting my sorry self up off the mat despite hitting it hard and working to improve each time.

Oh and I've learned some breakfalls, throws and groundwork techniques too!

I hope that I have come across as positive in my judo practice.

My approach is that hard work, determination and practice WILL help me along as I learn the 'gentle way'.

In fact, the more difficult things are, the more we learn.

As Kahlil Gibran wrote:

''Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge."

Bye for now and would be GREAT to hear your experience of learning judo.

Opportunities for judo?

It all started with a question on a judo chat forum.

Someone asked what were the best methods for advertising their new school.

A lot of great ideas were shared and it also got me thinking (marketing professional here!) about how best to advertise judo as a sport.

Bearing this in mind, I started to focus about judo slightly differently and came up with some interesting possibilities.

Be great to hear what you think...!

1. Judo as a fitness class

I can't claim complete originality on this as I train already in a combat fitness class. This class is like shadowboxing, using moves from a variety of martial arts from Tae Kwon Do to BJJ and from Cage fighting to boxing. Most people know that judo is one of the most aerobically demanding sports around. Couple this with shadow movements and music, and this could allow people of all ages to get involved in our sport with fitness as their focus. Again, I understand that the BJA in Britain has a judo fitness class (haven't seen it in real life) which could be based along these lines. Either way fitness from judo moves in a class which would be easy to understand for most people, and this could provide a very popular introduction to the 'gentle way'.

2. Judo as self defence

I believe that BJJ has useful things to share with judo. Specifically, the syllabus approach I have seen for several BJJ schools is interesting and think there are elements that are well worth considering. In real terms, some BJJ schools give their students a choice of whether they want to focus more on sport or self defence in their classes. Sport is a great part of judo and competition can be useful for most people. But self defence, realistically, is a large driver these days for people to step into the dojo. I only scratch the surface on this issue and don't propose to add to the judo as a sport or martial art debate. That being said it would be good to hear more on judo's role in self defence and sport.

3. Learning to 'roll' with judo

I am so lucky to be able to go to classes at several judo clubs. Great teachers. Terrific classmates. Judo couldn't be better. And yet, with all the clubs and classes available to me, there is only one training session dedicated to solely to groundwork (ne waza). I came to judo from a grappling (no gi) background and I guess that's why I would like more specific judo groundwork classes. Although I do some cross training in BJJ, judo I believe, misses major opportunities by having few groundwork classes. Again, the recent success of Mixed Martial Arts and BJJ have shown the importance of groundwork. Judo has a lot to offer in this area and it would be great to find out so much more.

If what I have said has set the 'cat amongst the pigeons' please rest assured.

The examples I have given show elements of judo that are already there (fitness, self defence and groundwork) only the focus has shifted.

Although the current focus seems to be on competition which I support, I also realise there are many people out there who would like to try judo if it addresses their requirements more closely. This can be done with sufficient thought and the right amount of 'packaging'. After they have come to judo on their own terms, time may tell if they go on to develop an interest in the full olympic sport that we know so well.

Now that's more than enough from me, so over to you!

What do you think of the points made here?

Have you any other ideas which could be interesting?

Please let me have your thoughts via comments on here, it would be great to hear from you!

Bye for now.

Mike

Two steps forward...

What links ballroom dancing with judo?

It's true that they both should have graceful movement and perfect timing but there's something else I was thinking about.

Have you seen the TV show Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing with the Stars?

On this show, behind all the glamour you will also see people working very hard and occasionally getting hurt, whether it's a blister or something more serious.

So how can judo be linked with ballroom dancing?

Both are safe and low risk activities where accidents can happen and these accidents can hurt.

I bring this subject up as I've been recovering from a stubbed toe this week.

It's not been a terrible injury but it was sore as heck and looked as if I'd jammed it in a car door.

Other than gingerly stepping on the mat and being a bit more cautious than usual, my toe didn't effect things that much. But it got me thinking...

What can we learn from injury?

Having a couple of strains and sprains already, I wouldn't say I'm eminently qualified, but from my own experience and that of other judo players the following springs to mind:

Patience – I took advantage of the recent Christmas holiday break to stop judo and rest as I had been suffering from strain in my abductors / adductors. I stopped from early December to mid January and after the first two weeks it was really irritating! I wanted to get back on the mat. After four weeks I understood that my life on the mat and off it, would be better without this slight injury. After five weeks I was increasing the stretching and yoga exercises. After six weeks I felt great and raring to get back to judo. Patience had paid off.

Exercise – I have been a regular gym user and taken some cardio classes. This has been done with a unclear 'it's good for me' ethos. Now doing judo, I go to gym and cardio with a more realistic purpose. I want to keep healthy for life and for the sport I love. Lifting weights and cardio work is done with judo needs in mind and so are my yoga stretches. It makes gym work that bit easier knowing that I have these end goals in mind.

Appreciation – As I said previously, thankfully my injuries have been relatively slight and I hope they stay that way! Nevertheless, being made aware of how fragile my body is (eg a stubbed toe making my day that bit more painful ) makes me grateful each time I do judo despite some minor aches and pains.

And finally, I have discovered something completely unforeseen...

Encouragement – In the early stages, starting judo at an older age, I was conscious of any possibility of injury. I still am, however after experiencing one or two bumps that have left me very sore, I now have the courage to take things to the next stage. It's as if my worst fear hasn't happened and I have lived to 'fight another day' with a little bit more courage and confidence each time.

I hope that what I've written about makes some sense and have tried, wherever possible to be positive about the lessons we learn from the tough, physical sport of judo.

With this in mind, it would be great to hear from you about what you have learned from any tough times you have experienced in judo be it from injury or anything else. If you could focus on the positive from your experience that would be great!

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Bye for now.

Mike

Things that make you go grrr...

Thought: 'There is no "i" in team but there is in win.' Michael Jordan.

A simple thing helped me make a lot of progress this week.

Ever since I have been studying judo, learning to do tai otoshi (body drop) effectively has been tough.

In fact, I'm not sure whether judo has helped or hindered me in performing this throw.

I came to judo a year or so ago after studying sub grappling and could do tai otoshi in this class.

Then I start judo and lose the ability to do tai otoshi!

I then spent large amounts of training time trying to relearn it in the judo way.

Believe me, I examined this throw from entry into completion with hands and feet position.

I even did the classic tai otoshi 'throw where the head's looking' and nothing helped me improve.

This throw had become clunky, even difficult for me.

Until this week.

Then, suddenly, after the club coach made a comment about feet position, I got it!

It clicked.

Tai otoshi became natural for me to do and I can't stop spinning around with the footwork (and hand position sometimes too) when no one is looking.

Am I the only one who does that? ;-)

Now I could say that I'm delighted to be able to do tai otoshi (which I am).

However, what's given me even greater pleasure is the fact that I have persisted, in the face of growing frustration, and achieved a key objective.

Despite overwhelming feelings that I would 'never do it'. I have done so.

With this in mind, I would like to hear from you about what has frustrated or caused you problems in your judo.

It would be great to hear people share how they achieved despite circumstances being against them and what they learned from the process.

In this spirit would be grateful if you could focus on issues you personally have had to face rather than judo politics or personalities.

Look forward to hearing from you soon on this.

Till next time.

Mike

PS sending out motivational Twitter quotes from @goodkuzushi.