I woke up Saturday morning still feeling every muscle and joint in my body. My back and neck killing me. I have had the past couple of days off work and used them for a much needed rest and recovery from the two a day practice this past Wednesday. I walked into the dojo at 11:30 and to my surprise it was a light practice.
The guys were working on some other types of submission techniques such as leglocks and ankle locks. This was a good diversion and a fun training session. Although it was explained that these were Sambo techniques I think it is interesting to know that at one time before judo was considered an olympic sport that judo did consist of leglocks ankle locks and neck cranks . (Mikunosuke Kawaishi published a book entitled "My Method of Judo" in 1955 in which such techniques were demonstrated.)These techniques however are deemed illegal in competition. However they were a nice break from regular training.
After the leglocks we got back into judo newaza techniques. We began to drill as we had done before we were grappling in 3 minute periods and then changing opponents. I was still not moving as I thought I should be, I was still stiff and sore. It was a great cardio workout and in the end I was exhausted.
The instructor let the class know that Monday we would be doing randori. Randori is a term used in Judo to describe free-style practice or sparring. I left the dojo just wanting my body to stop aching and now wondering how I was going to do at randori Monday at practice.
A judo match takes place between two players, on a mat, and is watched and scored by referees.
Within a judo match, the objective is to score an ippon, which is akin to a pin in wrestling or a knockout in boxing. When an ippon is scored, a match is over. There are three ways to attain an ippon:
Throw the opponent over so that he lands hard on the back.
Hold the opponent on the back for 25 seconds.
Make the opponent submit by a strangle hold or an armlock.
There are hundreds of variations of throwing techniques. Some throws use mostly legs, some mostly arms, some a combination of arms, legs and torso. Some students throw their opponents over their own hips, shoulders or backs. They can also sweep the opponent's feet out from under him or drop down and throw the opponents over their own fallen body.
To pin an opponent, a student can press down from a facedown or side-down position (generally controlling the head and an arm or leg) so that the opponent's back or a shoulder is on the mat.
To obtain a submission, pressure can be applied directly on the elbow of a straight arm, or an arm bent at a right angle can be twisted in either direction (armlock). To strangle, or choke, pressure is applied to the sides of the opponent's neck (not the windpipe) by one or both forearms or by using the opponent's own collar. Strangle holds are only allowed on players 13-years-old or older. Arm locks can only be used if the player is at least 17-years-old.
Although strangles and armlocks may seem dangerous, the players are trained to know when they are in danger and will submit by tapping either the mat, or the opponent, twice, before any damage is done. The referees are extremely alert when one player attempts to apply a choke or an armlock. If the referee thinks the technique is about to cause serious injury, he can stop the match and declare a winner.
There is a long list of things not allowed. Mainly, players are expected to play fair and continuously attack. They are penalized for things like intentionally going out of bounds, refusing to attack (stalling), being too defensive, making rude comments or gestures and performing dangerous acts (like not giving the opponent a chance to submit). The rules are rarely broken except in the tactical areas, such as stepping out or stalling. Penalties in judo are severe; a repeat of any transgression results always in the next higher penalty, the lower one being removed.
Three referees officiate in a contest. Two sit at opposite corners and the third moves around the mat to observe the players. The center referee also controls the bout and signals the results. Each decision is agreed upon by at least two of the three referees.
Although an ippon is the objective, there are partial points scored. In each bout, however, it is the highest quality score that wins. A score is signaled by the referee's arm; the higher the arm signal, the higher the score. For example, an arm straight up signals an ippon.
How can you tell a technique's score? Watch the center referee's hand signal and listen to the call. The higher the signaling arm, the higher the score. The scores, in order from highest to lowest quality are:
Ippon: arm straight up.
Waza-ari: arm out at shoulder level
Yuko: arm 45 degrees out from the side
Koka: arm against the side; hand in a sort of stop or greeting signal
Anippon is awarded for (a) a throw that lands the opponent largely on their back in a controlled manner with speed and force; (b) for a mat hold of sufficient duration (twenty five seconds); or (c) for opponent submission. Awaza-ari is awarded for a throw that does not quite have enough power or control to be considered ippon; or for a hold of twenty seconds. A waza-ari is a half-point, and, if two are scored, they constitute the full point needed for a win.
Yuko is a lower grade of score, and only count as a tie-breaker; it is not cumulative with one another. Scoring is lexicographic; a waza-ari beats any number of yuko, but a waza-ari and a yuko beat a waza-ari with no yuko.
There used to be a fourth score called koka but it has been removed. When the koka was in use it was a lower score that yuko. Like yuko, koka is purely a tiebreaker and used only when competitors had the same amount of waza-ari and yuko. A yuko beats any number of koka.
A fifteen-second hold down scores yuko. If the person who secured the hold down already has a waza-ari, they only need to hold the hold down for twenty seconds to score ippon by way of two waza-ari (waza-ari-awasete-ippon). Throws further lacking the requirements of an ippon or a waza-ari might score a yuko. So-called "skillful takedowns" are also permitted (e.g. the flying arm-bar) but do not score.
If the scores are identical at the end of the match, the contest is resolved by the Golden Score rule. Golden Score is a sudden death situation where the clock is reset to match-time, and the first contestant to achieve any score wins. If there is no score during this period, then the winner is decided by Hantei, the majority opinion of the referee and the two corner judges.
The contest area is a square eight meters long on each side. The outer meter (“danger area”) is red and is inside the playing area, but competitors can only remain in that area for a few seconds before attempting a throw or they will be penalized. There is a three-meter “safety area” in which a player can be thrown as long as the thrower remains inside the contest area.
Sketch of a Mat
There should be one or two scoreboards to show the state of play. Because in Judo it is always the highest quality score that wins, the scoreboard is laid out left to right to show the scores like 3-digit number.
Waza-Ari
Yuko
KoKa
Medical
Shido3
Shido2
Shido1
BLUE
0
3
1
+ +
WHITE
1
0
0
+
Shido3
Shido2
Shido1
Looked at in this way, the score is 100 to 31: White's single waza-ari beats the lesser quality of Blue's 3 yukos and 1 koka. Other features of the scoreboard are as follows:
The Ippon score is not shown on the scoreboard because there can only be 1 Ippon and scoring it ends the bout.
If two waza-ari's are scored by the same person it is considered the same as an Ippon and the match ends.
On the above scoreboard, Blue has two medical timeouts; White has one. If blue needs another medical timeout, the match will end and white will be declared the winner.
The boldface Shido2 on the White side indicates that one of Blue's Yukos was as a result of White's penalty. If White received another penalty, the Shido2 would be removed and the Shido3 would appear in boldface; on the Blue side, one Yuko would be removed and a Waza-Ari would be added. Penalties are explained in more detail in the next section
If an Ippon has not been scored by the end of the time limit, the player with the highest score wins; if tied, the clock score is cleared, the clock is reset to the same match time and the players enter “Golden Score” which means that the first score (or penalty) wins. Golden Score is a new rule in Judo for the 2004 Olympic Games. If the score is still tied after Golden Score, then the referee (1) and judges (2) decide who is the winner using a majority decision. They will each hold a blue flag in one hand and white flag in the other. On the referee's command of “HANTEI” (HAHN-TAY), each will indicate their vote by raising the flag having the same color of the uniform of the winner.
At 11:45am I walked into the dojo feeling like a sack of sore bones. Sensei Martin and his daughter greeted me shaking hands and saying hello. I walked to the back of the dojo to the changing room to put on my gi wondering what was to be in store for me today looking forward to class and dreading it at the same time.
We began our warm up by doing uchikomi using our favorite technique. UCHI KOMIis a traditional skill building exercise of practicing a technique to the point of throwing without throwing your opponent. By not throwing we can practice the entry to a technique many more times than if we were to take our opponent over each and every time.
EXAMPLE OF UCHI KOMI
First we did uchi komi from a static position then we began to do uchi komi on the move. I was really having a hard time, my timing was off and it was coupled with the soreness I was feeling from the previous class and carrying a few extra lbs that I shouldn't be. I felt like I was moving around like a sack of potatoes.
I began to do my uchi komis usingIPPON SEOI NAGE several on the right and then switching to my left alternating back and forth from left to right. Ensuring both sides got equally drilled. Trying to work out the soreness and get my timing back. It was painfully obvious to me that I was indeed missing a step. I was indeed rusty. Despite the encouragement I got from Sensei Martin and his daughter on my performance,I began to wonder about the factors contributing to my mat rust. I knew i could move better and quicker. Yes, it was obvious that time away from the mat surely effected me but I wondered if my age did too. I wondered why was I doing judo in an competitive environment and not a more recreational one.
IPPON SEOI NAGE
The drill was then changed up to moving around and doing 4 uchi komis and then on the 5th attempt throw. This is a great drill for timing and footwork something that I desperately needed. again I began working the right side and then on my next set of uchi komis working the left not favoring one side over the other. I then incorporated changing my grips from going off the tradtional sleeve and lapel to using more unconventional grips and throwing off of them. The soreness began to slowly drift out of my mind as I began to concentrate more on the uchikomi drill.
Our next drills were for newaza working a sankaku jime turnover to a choke. I had worked up a good sweat from the uchi komi drills but the switch to groundwork was a good change of pace. The re familiarization of techniques was indeed good but although I knew the techniques and could do them in my mind getting my body to respond and react as quickly as my mind could was a different story.
EXAMPLE OF SANKAKU JIME
After practice I decided to have lunch, the soreness had crept back in and again my mind was on judo, my performance or lack there of and the factors affecting it and me. Am I being overly critical, I wondered. In my heart I felt as if I was better than my performance, again how much of it is rust, how much of it is age, is it a matter of just getting back in shape or has father time began to be a factor. To early to tell maybe.
EVENING PRACTICE
At 5:00 pm I had grilled chicken and asparagus for dinner. After training for only two days I am slipping into dieting mode and eating right. At 7:30 I walked into the dojo for the second part of the two a day practices. I was aching from the practices and wondering what I was going to be put thru tonight.
The warm up started off with stretching, running and then we went on to Handstands, cartwheels and round offs. These skills are good for teaching the judoka to try and cartwheel out of the throw teaching the judoka to turn out rather than fall on their backs. Also escaping from throws as well as entering into NeWaza from a throw. We finished the warm up with calisthenics.
We then proceeded to do ukemi or break falling techniques and then right into newaza drills. Newaza is ground techniques such as hold downs, turnovers, chokes and joint locking techniques. This morning we worked on turnovers to a choke and tonight we worked on more turnovers to juji gatame. We then did newaza in three minute periods changing partners after each period. I felt I did okay though some were able to get me with techniques that I saw coming but just wasn't quick enough to counter.
I was surprised that as sore as I was I spent very little time dwelling on it. I was just concentrating more on getting thru the workout. When the training come to an end I was indeed relieved glad for it to be over. I began to critique my performance and again wondered how long it would take to get rid of the rust and get my timing back. I could see everything coming at me but couldn't get my body to react in time. I am hoping I will get sharper. I am feeling torn down and my ego has definitely taken a blow getting caught in submission techniques that I feel I shouldn't get caught in and not being able to move or react like I feel I should be able to.
Despite what I was thinking, a part of me enjoys being sore, enjoys the hard work, enjoys being committed to something. Is this a battle against father time? Is this simply my ego? A middle age crisis that maybe I am going thru but dont know it yet? Could it be that I am rediscovering something about myself? Do I need a challenge of some sort to feel some self worth or is it a love for judo? All these things are rushing thru my mind. Maybe it is a little bit of all these reasons. Whatever the reason I have jumped right in with both feet. The two a day practices are going to leave me hurting for awhile I think.
I am a little sore but it feels good. The last thing on my mind last night before I feel asleep was judo. I was mulling over the night's grappling drills. Doing newaza in my head recalling each drill and each match seeing the mistakes and missed opportunities.
My neck is sore, my face is a little marked up from the newaza there is blood on my gi, mine mixed with the others I was grappling with. The muscles used in grappling are an entirely different group of muscles used in anything else. My return to Judo seems like being reunited with a long lost friend. The familiarity was felt as I was putting my old judo gi back on for the first time last night before class.
I cannot believe how good it is to be back doing judo in a competitive environment. I have been so involved with all sorts of B.S. the past two years that I hadn't been able to really enjoy anything. However, life seems to make sense on the judo mat. It is nice to be able to "SEE" your opponent and what he throws at you.
I woke up this morning with a purpose and a clear unclouded head. Undaunted by life's troubles and the crap suffered over the past two years, the competitive juices are flowing. I am at peace and looking forward to stepping back on the mat again Wednesday. A long lost familiar feeling. I haven't felt like this in a long time.
Earlier tonight I walked into a judo class for the first time in two years. I can honestly say it was indeed bittersweet. All of my training had been at the Winter Haven Judo club. However, tonight I walked into a different dojo about 15 minutes prior to class. As I sat and watched the ending of the children's class I found myself searching for a familiar face but I knew one would not be here. I was in a different state at a different dojo training in a totally different judo atmosphere for the first time.
The instructor walked up and introduced himself and then we all lined up for class to start. I had gotten inline with the rest of the students but the instructor had asked me to stand next to him at the front since he and I were the same rank. I however commented to him that I wanted to be treated like everyone else. There were several in attendance all of different rank. As we were going thru warm ups all managed to introduce themselves to me. I was indeed critical of myself and how I would perform.
It had been a long while since I had done any serious judo training and I soon found out this was not a recreational class. The instructor was indeed extremely knowledgeable of high level judo play. His daughter is in a bid to compete for a spot on the olympic team.
After warm up we began to drill TACHI WAZA the instructor had all of us line up and the person in front was to throw everyone in line using their favorite technique. The nervousness of being back in class had long since worn off and I felt more at ease as periodically all would engage me in small talk between taking turns being thrown and throwing. We then moved to newaza working on some guard escapes.
EXAMPLE OF TACHI WAZA
Then we started NEWAZA training going for a couple of minutes and then changing partners and going another couple minutes we kept this up untill everyone had a shot each other. We ended the nights training with some conditioning drills and calisthenics.After the class all began to engage me in conversation once again making me feel very welcome.
EXAMPLE OF NEWAZA
Needless to say for the first time in a long while I really enjoyed myself just training and working on judo. No politics, no hassles, no games, no posers, no B.S. of any kind, just pure Judo. The pure enjoyment of just training and getting ready for competition. I am sure I will be a little sore tomorrow but it sure feels good to be back doing something I love. Wednesday will be a two a day practice. I am sure I will have more to say then.
Campbell was born in Auburn, California in 1933. During Campbell's childhood, his father had problems with alcoholism, often leaving the family for weeks and months at a time. His mother had health problems, with tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease that limited the contact she could have with her children and continued to force her into the hospital for long periods of time. These problems led to Ben and his older sister Alberta spending much of their early lives in nearby Catholic orphanages.
While working in a fruit-packing plant, Campbell picked a fight with a Japanese co-worker, who put him on his back with a judo move."I kept finding myself on the bottom, and I didn't like that,"he said."They invited me to come down to their judo club. In those days, Japanese kids were discriminated against very badly; it was right after World War II. I guess I felt a little bit of the same thing and identified with them."
"In those days, judo wasn't in the Olympics, there were no world championships, no intercollegiate and no high school championships - there was nothing. You were just in it because you enjoyed it."
Worn down from his home life, Campbell quit school and joined the Air Force, eventually landing in South Korea, where his passion for judo intensified.
Campbell obtained his GED while in the Air Force and after returning to the United States, Campbell used his GI Bill and work as a truck driver to attend San Jose State College (now San Jose State University), where he joined the Yosh Uchida coached judo team, a sport he first participated in as a teenager. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education and fine arts in 1957.
Campbell later studied Japanese culture at MeijiUniversity in Tokyo as a special research student from 1960 to 1964, where he trained with their world-renowned judo team in preparation for the Olympic Games. While in Japan, Campbell continued to return to the United States to compete in judo competitions, winning three U.S. national championships and a gold medal in 1963 Pan American Games judo competition.
"I think judo taught me dedication to purpose, to not give up and to fight and to not take a beating and all that stuff. But I knew a lot of terrific athletes who weren't training any harder than me, in golf and tennis and other sports, and they ended up making a full-time living and making a lot of money doing that sport."
"In those days, there was almost a spiritual component," he said. "They believed being good - not winning - was what you should strive for. The training was very hard, very brutal.
"As underclassmen, you had to dutifully do everything upperclassmen told you to do. You scrubbed the floors, cleaned the toilets, washed the upperclassmen's uniforms. You did a lot of things American athletes would never submit themselves to do."
"If you lost, you were required to shave your head. If you threw a guy down in training, someone would kick him in the head or stomach to make him try harder. If he got up and threw you down, they'd do the same to you - with no personal animosity. They'd carry a bamboo stick around, and if you weren't trying hard enough, you'd feel it across your back."
"When I was an upperclassman, I was expected to do that to lowerclassmen. But it made me very uncomfortable because I was an American. I didn't do it very hard; one time my instructor told me I was avoiding my responsibilities."
Campbell won six Pacific Coast titles, a gold medal at the 1963 Pan Am Games, an important Olympics tuneup, and three national championships."I'd come back to compete in our national championship,and then go back to train in Japan,"he said.
Tokyo was supposed to be the first Asian Olympics host city in 1940, but Japan's invasion of China and World War II ended that. Twenty-four years later, the country hoped to use the event to demonstrate the success of postwar reconstruction. As host, Japan was allowed to choose an additional sport. Not surprisingly, it was judo. "The Japanese had such a strong hold on judo in those years, most people expected everyone else to lose,"Campbell said.
Competition was held in four weight divisions, but the open division - Campbell's class - mattered most to the Japanese. The overwhelming favorite was Anton Geesink of the Netherlands, the eventual winner. Still, Campbell dreamed of a dramatic victory, even after injuring his knee at the Olympic trials, the same knee that eventually would betray him before the medal round.
He easily won his first match, but the odds caught up with him in the second, which he calls one of the worst moments of his life."We trained five hours a day, and to have it go out because of an injury . . . it just slipped away,"he said.
During the Closing Ceremony, Campbell was chatting with American swimmer Don Schollander, who had won four gold medals, more than any other athlete in Tokyo, when a U.S. official approached the pair."Don carried the flag into the Closing Ceremonies. I was standing by him, inside the stadium,"Campbell said."One of the officials said, 'Don, you're not going to be going with the rest of the team. You're flying home separately, and you need to leave now. And so they asked me to carry it on the spur of the moment. I wasn't the official carrier, but it was an honor."Despite a limp, Campbell made it to the finish line this time.
Campbell remained involved in judo as an instructor on the national and local levels, and wrote the judo training manual Championship Judo Training Drills, published in 1974.
Campbell became successful in business, ran for the House of Representatives, was elected, ran for the Senate, was elected and served many years. He was a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005 and was for some time the only Native American serving in the U.S. Congress. Campbell was a three term U.S. representative from 1987 to 1993, when he was sworn into office as a Senator following his election on November 3, 1992. He was only the 3rd Native American to serve in the U.S. Congress in history. He was the second Native American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also the second Native American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Campbell also serves as one of forty-four members of the Council of Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe.
One day, when an attacker came at Senator Quentin Burdick, Senator Nighthorse Campbell used his judo skills to take down the man and protect his fellow senator. In 2008 Ben Nighthorse Campbell was inducted into the USA Judo Hall of Fame.
The technique of Yama arashi can be found as Yamaotoshi in Sekiguchi-ryu (which is the old style of Jujitsu). Shiro Saigo studied and developed this old technique to use in Judo practice by himself and became very famous in the Judo world. The people said: "There is no Yamaarashi before Saigo and after Saigo." To understand the technique of Yamaarashi, it is important to know the technique of Saigo.
In the book, Sugata Sanshiro, written by Tsuneo Tomita, published by Shunpo-do in 1950, the author describes Saigo's Yama arashi. As you know, the author's father (Tsunejiro Tomita, 8th dan) was the first Judo student of Jigoro Kano and was known as one of the famous four. He left many articles about development of Judo techniques. The author of this book uses his fathers articles as follows: "When Kodokan Judo fought against many other old Jujitsu schools, Shiro Saigo successfully used his unique Yama arashi to defeat others and left many outstanding winning records. But, nowadays, nobody tries this unique technique and many black belts do not know the technique of Yamaarashi. Therefore, I explain the technique of Yamaarashi on behalf of the late Saigo. Before I explain this technique, I would like to tell you about Saigo's personality.
He was born in Aizu, Japan. When he was a lad, he wanted to be an army general. He was a very small man. But, he had a giant heart and was a brave man. The technique of Yama arashi is not depended upon powerful arms or body. It depends upon a strong mind, such as, the spirit of go for broke.
According to the dynamics, the logic of Yamaarashi is based on the breaking of the opponent's balance within a short distance and attacking with full speed. It is the most dynamic and skillful of all other techniques. If we hold each other in right handed position (Saigo was left handed), Tori grabs Uke's right collar deeply with the right hand and grip Uke's right sleeve with the left hand to take an extremely right handed position. Tori moves his body up and down to pressure Uke backward. In response to Tori's controlling movement, Uke tries to push forward to regain his position. When Uke tries to come forward, Tori picks up Uke's body on his shoulder in full speed and sweeps Uke's right ankle like a Haraigoshi (a gust of wind).
It can be considered a combination technique of Haraigoshi and Seoinage (the thumb of the hand grabbing the collar can be inside or outside of the collar). According to my memory, Saigo used both ways. This technique seems easy enough for anyone. However, in reality, it is a very difficult technique. Why did Saigo use this technique as his favorite technique? Saigo had two distinctive physical characteristics.
First of all, he was a very short person. Therefore, he did not need to lower his hip to pick up an opponent who was pushing back. He saved time because he did not need to lower his body and did not need to worry about being squashed down. Another characteristic was that his toes were different from others. All the toes were pointed downward like a rake. Therefore, when he sweeps his legs like Haraigoshi against the opponent's ankle, he never missed the aimed spot. His toes always stuck to his opponent's leg like an octopus.
Furthermore, when he executes his throwing techniques, he always aimed for only one shot and he never failed to throw the opponent. This technique is more effective for a short person rather than a tall person." According to the record, the height of Saigo was 153 cm and weight was 53 kg.
Much or what we revere in today’s submission wrestling, and in particular, Japanese MMA has direct links to Karl Gotch. Known as "Kamisama" in Japan which translated means “God of Wrestling” he is one man who truly made an impact in the grappling arts.
Born Karl Istaz in Antwerp Belgium, a holocaust survivor, Karl was a 7 time Belgium Greco-Roman and 7 time Belgium Freestyle wrestling champion and would compete in the 1948 Olympics in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling which by today’s standards is unheard of. Traveling to England, Karl trained at the the fabled Wigan “Snake Pit” gym. He would go on to become feared in american catch wrestling becoming one of the greatest wrestlers in the 20th century.
Gotch traveled to japan and so impressed the judo and jiujitsu men in Japan, that he gained their respect. In workouts with Japan's top judo and jiu-jitsu men, he beat them so badly, that his wife had to keep washing his training partners blood out of Karl's gi.
Upon retiring from the ring, Karl Gotch remained active in training new generations of wrestliers that included Hiro Matsuda, Osamu Kido, Satoru Sayama and Yoshikai Fujiwara, as well as Masa Funaki, Ken Shamrock and Dieusel Berto all of whom trained under Gotch and Fujiwara.
Gotch trained many of the pioneers of Pancrase, Shooto and Shootwrestling, Pride, and K-1 in Japan, and even the UFC. His influence can be seen both on the techniques used in Japanese combative grappling and in the conditioning methods used in many Japanese dojos.
Gotch woud be known as the man of 1000 submissions. He was a man who lived his life by his own standards he was also qouted as saying that he never took a dime from someone who wanted to learn how to wrestle.
It has been stated by many that Karl spent his last years in seclusion. This is not true. I had the privilege and honor of meeting this great man for the first time thru a friend and student of Karl’s by the name of Dieusel Berto.(Dieusel Berto is the father of Andre Berto the WBC Welter weight champion.)Berto competed around the world in shootfighting and mixed martial arts fights in the mid to late 90s, and even participated in a UFC match at UFC 10 in 1996.
I first met Karl Gotch back in 2000, I was a wrestling coach and judo instructor who had coached a high school wrestling team to its first winning season in about 10 years. It was my first year as head wrestling coach and Berto had heard about the job I was doing and approached me in an resturaunt introduced himself and asked if I could stop by his gym and show some of his fighters some wrestling techniques in return he would train me in catch wrestling. I agreed to do so when the wrestling season was over and a couple of months later found myself at his gym.
Now being a wrestling coach I was familiar with the term catch as catch can or catch wrestling, but I did not know what I was in for nor did I know the company I would be in. Berto along with UFC Veteran Ken Shamrock had been trained by Yoshiaki Fujiwara and throughout our exchange of knowledge I would come to meet and train with some other well known catch wrestlers such as Yuki Ishikawa and the one and only Karl Gotch.
Berto would bring Karl by for his many events and first introduced us at a submission grappling and mma tournament. I had known about and heard of Karl and his accomplishments, I could’nt help but be in awe as we all sat around and talked after the show. He was 78 or 79 then and I couldn’t help but to look at this man and even then he had an air of seemingly invincibility. Living his life by his own terms and submitting to nothing or no one.Karl had some hip surgeries by this time in his life but he was an oak and impressive in every way. As he talked he would pick on Berto but I could tell he had a special place in his heart for him. He was playful toward Berto and to me he seemed extremely likeable a “man’s man”. It will always be one of the greatest moments of my life.
Sadly, Karl Gotch passed on Saturday July 28th,2007 at 82 among his family and close friends at 9:45 in Tampa Florida. He is the last true legend in my book.
Thanks to my friend, Berto, I got to know albeit briefly the great Karl Gotch the "God Of Wrestling".How many of us actually get to meet and get to know our heroes. I was able to and my life is richer for it. - Coach
USA Judo had a touch of Hollywood glamour on Saturday in San Diego when actor Bo Svenson (Pacific Palisades, Calif. / Sawtelle Judo Dojo) competed in his first judo tournament in more than 40 years. Svenson is a television and film actor, whose career has spanned more than 30 years and included the “Walking Tall” series as well as movies such as “Kill Bill 2” and “Speed 2.”
Svenson returned to the sport earlier this year with the goal of competing in the World Masters Championships this summer.
“Staying away from judo so long has been my life’s biggest regret,” Svenson said. “But I joined the Marines and was a disabled veteran who fought in the Korean War. And the entertainment industry has obviously kept me very busy.”
Svenson placed second in his 65-69-year-old 90kg division.
“I broke several ribs a few weeks ago, but I don’t believe in making excuses. I’m just getting back into the sport again and, God willing, I’ll be injury-free at the Worlds,” Svenson said.
The Winter haven judo club and its instructor is committed to teaching and educating people on the physical, mental and philosophical benefits of the art of judo.
The Winter Haven Judo Club was founded in 1973 by Sensei H. "Jack" Ro. It was the first martial arts school to open in the city of Winter Haven and is still the only Judo program in the city to this day. The school has persavered over the years first under the guidance of Sensei Ro and then under the guidance of Sensei T. Tucker. Sensei Tuckers first Black belt Barron Shepherd 2nd degree black belt (nidan) presently carries on the tradition of the school.
LOCATION AND CLASS SCHEDULE CHAIN O LAKES COMPLEX 210 CYPRESS GARDENS BLVD WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA PHONE: (863)291-5675
CLASS TIMES ARE MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS AT 7:30PM.
Cost: 55.00 PER PERSON MONTHLY. 69.00 NON RESIDENT For more information you may also contact the instructor, Barron Shepherd. EMAIL: winterhavenjudo@gmail.com
Masahiko Kimura( Kimura Masahiko, September 10, 1917 – April 18, 1993) was a Japanese judoka (Judo practitioner) who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time. Kimura (5ft 7in 170 cm; 85 kg, 187lb) was born on September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto, Japan.
At age 16, after six years of judo, Kimura was promoted to 4th dan. He had defeated six opponents (who were all 3rd and 4th dan) in a row. In 1935 at age 18 he became the youngest ever godan (5th degree black belt) when he defeated eight consecutive opponents at Kodokan (headquarters for the main governing body of Judo). Kimura's remarkable success can in part be attributed to his fanatical training regimen. He reportedly lost only four judo matches in his lifetime, all occurring in 1935. He considered quitting judo after those losses, but through the encouragement of friends he began training again. All through the nights, he practiced osoto gari, a basic leg throw, against a tree. After six months, his technique was such that daily randori or sparring sessions at various dojos resulted in 10 people with concussions. Fellow students frequently asked him not to use his unorthodox osoto gari.
At the height of his career, Kimura's training involved a thousand push-ups and nine-hours practice every day. He was promoted to 7th dan at age 30, a rank that was frozen after disputes with Kodokan over becoming a professional wrestler, refusing to return the All Japan Judo Championship flag, and issuing dan ranks while in Brazil.
Kimura also entered karate in his pursuit of martial arts, believing that karate would strengthen his hands. First he trained what today is known as Shotokan karate under its founder Gichin Funakoshi for two years, but eventually switched to training goju-ryu karate under So-Nei Chu (a pupil of Goju-ryu karate legend Gogen Yamagushi) and finally became an assistant instructor in his dojo
In 1955, Kimura, at 38 years old, participated in a match in which he defeated Hélio Gracie of the famous Gracie Jiu Jitsu family in a submission judo match held in Brazil. During the fight, Kimura threw Gracie repeatedly with Ippon Seoinage (one arm shoulder throw), Osoto Gari(major outer reap) *Kimura's signature throw. He threw Helio 3 times with Osoto Gari.*, Ouchi Gari (major inner reap), Uchimata (inner thigh throw), and Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw). Kimura reportedly threw Gracie repeatedly in an effort to knock him unconscious. However, the floor of the fighting area was apparently too soft to allow this to happen. Kimura also inflicted painful, suffocating grappling techniques on Gracie such askuzure-kamishiho-gatame (modified upper four corner hold),kesa-gatame (scarf hold), and sankaku-jime (triangle choke).
Finally, thirteen minutes into the bout, Kimura positioned himself to apply a reverse ude-garami (arm entanglement, a shoulderlock). Gracie refused to submit, even after his arm broke, forcing Kimura to continue the lock on Gracie's broken arm. At this point, Carlos Gracie, Helio's older brother, threw in the towel to end the match to protect his brother's health. In 1994, Helio admitted in an interview that he had in fact been choked unconscious earlier in the match, but had revived when Kimura released the choke.
"20,000 people came to see the bout including President of Brazil. Helio was 180cm and 80 kg. When I entered the stadium, I found a coffin. I asked what it was. I was told, "This is for Kimura. Helio brought this in." It was so funny that I almost burst into laughter. As I approached the ring, raw eggs were thrown at me. The gong rang. Helio grabbed me in both lapels, and attacked me with O-soto-gari and Kouchi-gari. But they did not move me at all. Now it's my turn. I blew him away up in the air by O-uchi-gari, Harai-goshi, Uchimata, Ippon-seoi. At about 10 minute mark, I threw him by O-soto-gari. I intended to cause a concussion. But since the mat was so soft that it did not have much impact on him. While continuing to throw him, I was thinking of a finishing method. I threw him by O-soto-gari again. As soon as Helio fell, I pinned him by Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame. I held still for 2 or 3 minutes, and then tried to smother him by belly. Helio shook his head trying to breathe. He could not take it any longer, and tried to push up my body extending his left arm. That moment, I grabbed his left wrist with my right hand, and twisted up his arm. I applied Udegarami. I thought he would surrender immediately. But Helio would not tap the mat. I had no choice but keep on twisting the arm. The stadium became quiet. The bone of his arm was coming close to the breaking point. Finally, the sound of bone breaking echoed throughout the stadium. Helio still did not surrender. His left arm was already powerless. Under this rule, I had no choice but twist the arm again. There was plenty of time left. I twisted the left arm again. Another bone was broken. Helio still did not tap. When I tried to twist the arm once more, a white towel was thrown in. I won by TKO. My hand was raised high. Japanese Brazilians rushed into the ring and tossed me up in the air. On the other hand, Helio let his left arm hang and looked very sad withstanding the pain."
Kimura returned to brazil in 1959, at age 42, he faced an even more formidable opponent in Valdemar Santana. Santana was a champion in Gracie Jiujitsu and Capoeira. He was 27 years old, 6 feet tall, and weighed 205lb. Santana had twice fought Hélio Gracie and won, both fights lasting more than three hours. Kimura threw Santana with seoinage, hanegoshi, and osotogari. He then applied his famousreverse ude-garami (entangled armlock), winning the match.
Santana requested a rematch under vale tudo rules and this time, the result was a draw after 40 minutes in a bout in which both competitors reportedly drew blood. Kimura fought this match despite having an injured knee, and was pressured by the promoter and police to fight against his doctors orders. -WIKIPEDIA
Judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art(gendai budō) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking the elbow or by executing a choke. Strikesand thrusts (by hands and feet)—as well as weapons defences—are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori).
Ultimately, the philosophy and subsequentpedagogydeveloped for judo became the model for almost all modern Japanese martial arts that developed from "traditional" schools (koryū). In addition, the worldwide spread of judo has led to the development of a number of offshoots such as Sambo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Practitioners of judo are called jūdōka.
Early life of the founder
The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanesepolymathand educator Jigoro Kano ( Kanō Jigorō, 1860–1938). Kano was born into a well-to-do Japanese family. His grandfather was a self-made man: a sake brewer from Shiga prefecture in central Japan. However, Kano's father was not the eldest son and therefore did not inherit the business. Instead, he became a Shinto priest and government official, with enough influence for his son to enter the second incoming class of Tokyo Imperial University.
Founder pursues jujutsu
Kano was a small, frail boy, who, even in his twenties, did not weigh more than a hundred pounds (45 kg), and was often picked on by bullies. He first started pursuingjujutsu, at that time a dying art,[4] at the age of 17, but met with little success. This was in part due to difficulties finding a teacher who would take him on as a student. When he went to university to study literature at the age of 18, he continued his martial arts studies, eventually gaining a referral to Fukuda Hachinosuke (c.1828–c.1880), a master of the Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū and grandfather of Keiko Fukuda(born 1913), who is Kano's only surviving student, and the highest-ranking female jūdōka in the world. Fukuda Hachinosuke is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kano's emphasis on free practice (randori) in judo.
A little more than a year after Kano joined Fukuda's school, Fukuda became ill and died. Kano then became a student in another Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū school, that of Iso Masatomo (c.1820–c.1881), who put more emphasis on the practice of pre-arranged forms (kata) than Fukuda had. Through dedication, Kano quickly earned the title of master instructor (shihan) and became assistant instructor to Iso at the age of 21. Unfortunately, Iso soon took ill, and Kano, feeling that he still had much to learn, took up another style, becoming a student of Iikubo Tsunetoshi (1835–1889) of Kitō-ryū. Like Fukuda, Iikubo placed much emphasis on free practice. On the other hand, Kitō-ryū emphasized throwing techniques to a much greater degree than Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū.
Founding
By this time, Kano was devising new techniques, such as the "shoulder wheel" (kata-guruma, known as a fireman's carry to Western wrestlers who use a slightly different form of this technique) and the "floating hip" (uki goshi) throw. However, he was already thinking about doing far more than just expanding the canons of Kitō-ryū and Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū. Full of new ideas, Kano had in mind a major reformation of jujutsu, with techniques based on sound scientific principles, and with focus on development of the body, mind and character of young men in addition to development of martial prowess. At the age of 22, when he was just about to finish his degree at the University, Kano took nine students from Iikubo's school to study jujutsu under him at the Eisho-ji, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, and Iikubo came to the temple three days a week to help teach. Although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name "Kodokan", or "place for teaching the way", and Kano had not yet been accorded the title of "master" in the Kitō-ryū, this is now regarded as the Kodokan's founding.
Judo[5] was originally known as Kano Jiu-Jitsu or Kano Jiu-Do, and later as Kodokan Jiu-Do or simply Jiu-Do or Judo. In the early days, it was also still referred to generically simply as Jiu-Jitsu.[6]
es I think it is interesting to know that at one time before judo was considered an olympic sport that judo did consist of leglocks ankle locks and neck cranks . (Mikunosuke Kawaishi published a book entitled "My Method of Judo" in 1955 in which such techniques were demonstrated.) These techniques however are deemed illegal in competition. However they were a nice break from regular training.
.jpg)
