Merry Christmas

Have a safe and merry Christmas everyone!!!

Rolling armbar in Sambo

Grip to Win by Rhadi Ferguson and Jimmy Pedro

A month or so ago I did a brief 1 hour seminar on the importance of having your grip and also how vital it is for your opponent NOT to have their grip.
Over the coming weeks I saw many of the beginner and intermediate level Judokas only grip fighting in Randori. They were not trying to throw, they were simply making sure their opponent didn't have their grip.

I then realised that I didn't stress enough that it is during Randori that we allow our opponents to have their best grip, because if we are constantly grip fighting at training we end up losing our ability to throw.
The principle "use it, or lose it" is a saying that isn't too far from the truth. If all you are doing in Randori is grip fighting you will soon lose the 'feeling' of what it is like throw during Randori. Resulting in Randori becoming difficult and less fun.

Over the coming week think about how much grip fighting you are doing at raining. Challenge yourself not to grip fight that often and see how you fair during Randori. You may find another technique to work on while your opponent has their best grip.

there are a lot of great Judo videos, DVD's and books on Tachi waza and Ne Waza but there are virtually no resources (besides Grips by Neil Adams) that talk about grips and competition gripping tactics.
American Judokas Rhadi Ferguson and former World Champion Jimmy Pedro teamed up a few years ago to develop Grip to Win, a product that assists beginner and intermediate Judoka put a system in place regarding the gripping aspect of competition Judo.
If you have any questions regarding grips and gripping strategy and are looking at getting a deeper understanding of grips then I highly recommend you get a copy of Grip to Win by Rhadi and Jimmy Pedro. To learn more about Grip to Win and what Rhadi has to say on the matter Click HERE.

Tokyo Grand Slam Judo

Im fighting tomorrow in the Tokyo Grand slam you can follow all the info and fights at www.ippon.org
Talk soon
Matt

Burpees

Ippon of the week - Drop Seoi Nage

At 2007 World Championships