Different ways of training

'It's Black and white'

Static-X 2001

I've not done a Judo (or any type of blog) for quite some time due to work being a bit nuts.  Thought my 1st blog back would be Judo based following a trip out to another club that I visit when our club isn't on.  Last night we visited them as our venue was closed due to a freak weather storm that flooded the north west region and so power was lost for 3 days.

Although me and my training partner enjoyed the night we noticed a big difference between he learning styles our club and the club we visited have (I think I've touched on this before).  In the car on the way back we got talking about this.  The main difference was that where we normally dedicate 1/2 the night to Uchi-komi and technical Judo, this club focused more on randori.  The only time they have done technically work/Uchi-komi it has normally been following something that has been seen in youtube, normally 'Ippon of the day' (this has become an ongoing joke between me and my training partner as the opening to this part of the session normally goes 'I was watching youtube last night, and, I saw this technique... son, show em how it's done.').  The problem with this is that not every 'Ippon of the day' is a practical technique to practice, Uke-waza for example.  Here is where our club differs, while their session consists of 90/10% randori:Uchi-komi/technical Judo, we do a 50/50% split of randori:Uchi-komi/technical Judo.  The other main difference is that our Uchi-komi focuses on perfecting the basic (Kumi-kata, Kuzushi, Ashi-waza...), our theory being 'if you can't do the basics right... you can't do the advanced techniques right'.  The club we went to is made up of 90% 1st Kyu and Dan grades, they are big guys for the best part, and strong.  Now strength and power are all well and good, but without technique they will only get you so far.  One thing g I did notice was that there was a common the am in the club... everyone used the same 2-3 techniques - De-ashi-barai, Ippon-seoi-nage (who doesn't like this in their repertoire?!?) and Uchi-mata.  Now I have seen these 3 techniques used by the club's 3 main competitive players (all high ranking players)... and they are awesome! But they are now being used by everyone, but the lack of Uchi-komi means that the techniques are not being working on or practiced. This has resulted in poor entry, lack of Kuzushi and a technique that is all power. This doesn't mean that the throws don't work, one of the guys who used to train with us and uses 'all strength no technique' was able to throw me with De-ashi-barai after spending most of the fight kicking my leg. But I will be the 1st to admit that when he got the throw... it was a cracker. Now this is hard for me to say, but when he got it... he got it good.

To sum it up, my view on Judo is that if you want to do good Judo then you need to get the basics right. You can get just as good a sweat on during an Uchi-komi session as you can in a randori session. It's a technical sport and with good technique... you can throw anyone.

Right, it's 06.30 and I need to finish my triple esspresso and head to work. See you all on the tatami peeps :)

A need for more technique

'It is a necessity for Judoka to analyse not only their own movements to become better,

but also the movements and strategies of their opponents.'

Doug Berninger (2015)

It's been a few weeks since I did a blog, between work being busy and social events ive not had much time to myself.  Today's blog is due to frustration and disappointment.   This is not based at any one individual, but at a geographical area within Judo... Judoka within the North West.

This weekend I was dour area Dan grading.  We had a good turnout of 1st Kyu Jodoka (14 people) and a good mix of sizes (69-94kg).  A large group of these Judoka knew each other as they trained together at 2 clubs (Me and my training partner also trained with them over the summer, a friendly and dedicated group if guys).   Observing me doing the sheets was one of the area squad coaches and a very well respected 7th Dan (I think. LoL).  There was around 34 fights in total with 7 Judoka getting their line up, but only 1 of these being successful.  From the start 1 thing was apparent, the technical ability of the Judoka was... well... DIABOLICAL!  Throughout the whole of the 1st Kyu sheet I had both coaches muttering about the lack of kuzushi, ashi-waza, rotation and overall technique.  Both coaches said that 1 thing was obvious... We need to go back to the basics.  There are lots of clubs that run randori nights, and that's not a bad thing as we all like to have a good fight.  But there is a NEEDS for more technical nights within the area. 

At our club we focus on this quite a lot and try to get our Judoka to understand the reason why we do thing the way we do.  Our view is - 'If you can't do the basics right... how do you expect to do the more advanced techniques?'  Getting back to basic drills and repetitive uchikomi will help with muscle memory, as Neil Adams once said - 'Practice doesn't make perfect... it makes permanent!'  When you get on the tatami and take hold of Uki you want to be able to act and react as if it was second nature.

Following the 1st Kyu sheet was done (only 1 player got his 1st Dan in their line-up) it was time for the Dan grades to get on the tatami.  It was at that point that the action started.  My training partner was meant to be on a coaching course but it had been cancelled, so he decided to come to the grading and try get a few points towards his 2nd Dan.  This was only his 2nd competitive time on the tatami in about 2 years... but he hadn't lost a beat!  Within the 1st fight if the Dan grades the 2 coaches with me were smiled and both commented - 'At last, some technique.', 'More ashi-waza in this first fight than the entire morning!'.  As the Dan grades continued it was easy to spot the difference in the ability of the 2 groups both on a technical level, and a competitive level.  My training partner went on to produce some amazing techniques and win his 5 fights (Ippon number 5 in the picture) on the day to get his 2nd Dan... As his training partner for about 15 years I'm taking 1/2 the credit for this :D

Well that's my rant over.  I'm a huge believer in underpinning knowledge - What, why and how are you doing something.  Until next time people, keep throwing!

Back to basics

"Be a simple kind of man.

Oh won't you do this for me son,

If you can."

Shinedown (2003)

 

Well it's the morning after the weekend before... and 26hrs on the Ward as I've been on shift all weekend. 

 

I was working with a good team over the weekend - reliable, hard working and fun to be on shift with.  I got to work with one of our colorectal team, right hand woman to the consultant, and one of my Wards old manager.  She does extra shifts on the weekends (anyone would think that she didn't have enough work to do!) and when we are both on shift at the weekend we normally get put to work together as she works until 15.00 and I take over for the rest of the day with Sister doing my meds.  I enjoy working with her, not only because she is a wealth of knowledge but also because she is fun to work with.  She is great with the patients, laughing and having a joke with them.  A lot of them she has seen in pre-op clinic or in theatre itself so there is a bond before they even hit the Ward.  She always jokes saying 'You have drawn the short straw again.  I will let you do all the work, I don't know why I bother coming in as you end up doing everything. Ha Ha Ha'.  By this she means I normally tell her to go and do other thins that I can't do such as cannulation, prescribing and doing discharge letters as trying to get hold of a Dr at the weekend is like getting blood from a stone.  When it comes to documenting in the afternoon I normally tell her again to go and do something else as I know she has a mountain of work to get ready for Monday and the start of theatre.  'I got this, you go do something more useful.  I'm sure that slave driver of a consultant has left you a mountain of work to do while he is relaxing at home watching the rugby.'  This made her laugh and after 5 minutes of arguing about me not letting her do any of the care plans she went and made me a cuppa and got on with her mountain of work.

 

But as the lyrics say at the top of this blog - "Be a simple kind of man. Oh won't you do this for me son, if you can"  I look after a lot of elderly people in hospital and you find that it's the simple things that can make all the difference.  One of the patients in my bay I had looked after before on a previous admission.  He was a little bit confused on this admission and he was dependent on the staff more.  When he saw me walk in the bay he smiled and called me over.  He remembered my name, always a nice thing as I feel it shows that I must have done something right for him to remember me.  We had a little chat and there was one thing he asked me a question: 

 

'I know it's silly, but is there any chance I can have a shave this morning? It's a simple thing I know, but I'm struggling and I don't have a razor.  Can I borrow your comb as well as I don't have one and could do with combing my hair.' 

 

I looked at him, raised my eyebrow and smiled...

 

'Not a problem, let me go find a razor and we will get you looking good for when your son comes in.  As for borrowing my comb... Do I look like own a comb??? I'm bald... I haven't needed a comb for about 10 years.  I will get you a comb from our store room... unless you want me to shave your head so you can look as good as me?' 

 

He laughed at this, as did the chap in the bed opposite him.  Later that morning after breakfast I got a razor and a comb (not one of mine though) and helped him have a shave and comb his hair.  The smile on his face following this was great, you would think he had won the lottery.  This one action made me feel like I had made a huge difference to his stay in hospital.  I guess this makes me a simple man as well, when something as mundane as giving someone a shave and combing their hair made me feel so good.  It's one thing to be able to give out medication, catheterise and cannulate, but it's the simple things that sometimes have the biggest impact on people, something that me and some of the staff I work with try to emphasize to students and new staff... go back to the basics.

 

Well that's the end of another instalment for 'Trials of a Shaniepoo', hope that this story of how simple things make the biggest impact made those of you who read my blog smile as much as it did me.  Later peeps :)