Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2018

Practice Wherever You Can

I was in Niagara Falls on Vacation last week. But just because you're not in the dojo doesn't mean you can't keep your practice on. Here I am at a bus stop in Niagara falls practicing a little Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi using a nearby pillar.  Years ago, when I would ride the subway home from practice, I'd do the same to the pillars in the subway. Although, to be fair, in NYC, no one would blink an eye at this kind of behavior.

Change of Scenery, Same Good Luck

Even with the current state where I can watch literally all of the Judo World Tour Events live on-line, actually watching them can still be a challenge - primarily because of the timing. Most of the events occur in Asia and Europe, so they're actually happening overnight here in the US. Generally speaking, at least for the European Events, I can catch some matches in the morning while getting ready. I manage to catch this match above - Canada's Christa DeGuchi vs. reiging Olympic Champ Rafaela Silva of Brazil. While Silva ultimately wins the Match, I love DeGuchi's attack style and energy. She brings the fight to Silva and has her fighting defensively most of the match. Fighting Silva is not new to DeGuchi as she defeated the -57kg favorite back at the 2013 Tokyo GS to win the Bronze Medal. But then DeGuchi did something interesting - she switched countries - from Japan to Canada. (Her father is Canadian and her mother is Japanese).  Doing so meant having to sit out of

No, we're not related... as far as I know

One of the biggest emerging names on the Judo scene is Japan's Aaron Wolf - currently the reigning World Champion at -100Kg. Despite having the same last name and the same fighting weight as me, and as far as I know Aaron and I are not related. Although maybe in the right circumstances, he could pass for one of my kids :)

Conditioning

There is a story about two men who go out to seek the advice of a fitness expert. The first approaches him and says, my goal is to run a 5k. The guru tells him to start with 1K and gradually add distance every day for a month until he can complete the 5k. The second man tells the guru that he wants to race a 5k. The guru tells him to run 20k at your fastest speed every day for a month. The second man is flabbergasted - "I don't understand, " he tells the guru, " you told the other man to start with 1k and build up, why did you tell me to start with 20k?" The guru responded: " because if I have you run 20k at your top speed for a month, by the time the race starts 5k will seem like nothing." If you want to compete in Judo (or any sport for that matter), you need to be able to go the distance. Not just the full 3,4, or 5 minutes as it is, but also be prepared for another 3,4,5 or even 20 minutes of Golden Score. You need to be as fresh after 10 minute