The Hill Sports Academy is the best place in Canberra if you want to train and compete in Judo, BJJ and Kickboxing as well as running Crossfit classes 6 days a week.
Check it out at http://www.hillsportsacademy.com/
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Hill Sports Academy
The Hill Sports Academy is the best place in Canberra if you want to train and compete in Judo, BJJ and Kickboxing as well as running Crossfit classes 6 days a week.
Check it out at http://www.hillsportsacademy.com/
Friday, July 30, 2010
Judo and the new rules - My perspective
Obviously in the Judo community there has been a huge uproar in the changing of Judo rules regarding leg grabs, pickups and Russian style techniques. I have travelled all around the world and experienced different styles of Judo, from the traditional Japanese judo, the Russian pickup style of judo and even the weird Mongolian and Kazakhstan styles as well.
I read the Judoforum.com maybe once or twice a week and there are constant threads about the new rules and people who just keep on complaining about how Judo isn’t a martial art anymore and how we are excluding grappling techniques that aren’t necessarily used in only judo but also in various forms of wrestling.
For a while I was very against the new rules of Judo due to the fact that it clashed with my own style of Judo that I have been doing for so long. Although recently I have travelled to Taipei, Rotterdam, Samoa as well as Brazil and now in Japan and I think the new rules have been great for the sport for multiple reasons.
I have participated in many training camps over the last few months and have noticed that a lot of the top judo guys who used to do pickups and leg grabs (and now cant) are still here doing judo and still performing at a top international level e.g. Tsaagaanbaatar (MON) despite that fact that their main techniques have been banned.
Although I am also aware of a few competitors who have suffered immensely such as Brazils 2 X world Champ Derly BRA 66kg. Who, to my understanding is not to highly ranked in Brazil anymore.
Due to me being in Japan and having a lot of time on my hands I have been doing a lot of thinking regarding other sports who have changed rules for various reasons.
Taekwondo
A few years ago in competitive Taekwondo competitors were able to punch to the head. But what tended to happen was amateur boxers would enter the tournament block all kicks to the head, come in close and knock fellow competitors out. The pure essence of Taekwondo is their amazing kicking skills, but due to the way the sport went spectators were not seeing spectacular kicks they were seeing a boxing match.
So by banning punching to the head the more complete taekwondo fighter using the very essence of the sport would more often than not win the match.
By changing the rules they could keep the essence of the sport alive so that when people came and watched they would watch Taekwondo's amazing kicks not just a boxing match.
In my opinion yes they were taking out an effective attack in a punch to the head but to keep the essence and spirit of the sport alive, I see no problem with the change.
Rugby League & Rugby union
Rugby league and rugby union at first can look very similar and for a long time they were similar especially when the Scrum in rugby league was contested. It would collapse and they would start over. Very similar to Rugby union.
But by not contesting the scrum onlookers would hopefully be able to see the difference between league and Union.
In the end one major aspect of the game of rugby union is the contested scrums and rucks, while in League it isn’t a huge part of the game. By eliminating contested scrums league and union could stay different.
I see nothing wrong with this.
Brazilian Jujitsu.
It is my understanding that in BJJ once you throw or perform a takedown you must then engage on the ground, if you don’t you may lose a point.
These rules are in place so that the throwing sports such as judo and wrestling cannot come in and (due to superior stand up) throw and break away, throw and break away. If these rules were allowed the essence of BJJ wouldn’t be there. The fundamental nature of competitive BJJ is the ground game. Without the ground game what is it? Is a Judo or wrestling match. But by keeping these rules you are keeping the essence of the sport alive.
Imagine going to a BJJ comp and all you saw was stand up and no ground work. Same as imagine going to judo and all you saw was ground work and no standing fighting. It’s not what the 'Sport' is.
Judo
What makes Judo...Judo? Is it the Gi? Is it the throws? Is it the Japanese names?
In my opinion Judo is the most superior unarmed Martial art as well as sport. It has all the making of real world self defence as well as a sport.
For example in Judo the fight starts standing and in most cases the ground game is well and done after no more than 1 minute. I have never heard of a street fight or a fight in a pub where both fighters were wrestling on the ground for 10 minutes and the fight finishing with an omaplata from rubber guard.
What makes Judo unique is the techniques we use that are used in our sport.
Imagine if at a judo competition all you saw was double and single leg takedowns, fireman’s carries and bear hug kosotos, (would you think you were at a judo or wrestling tournament.) Yes, I know they are all legitimate judo techniques but are they unique to judo, so when someone saw judo match and a wrestling match they could see a difference.
Imagine coming to a Judo competition and all you saw was uchimata, tai otoshi, seoi nage and foot sweeps and then going to watch freestyle wrestling and seeing mostly doubles and singles but sometimes an uchimata and foot sweep. You would be able to easily note the difference between the two sports.
That is what the international judo federation is trying to achieve with the rule change.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with trying to keep Judo unique.
Another example is from firsthand experience at a few training camps around the world. For a long time Georgia’s Khergiani has been the number 1 in their country and consistently placing at various top level tournaments for the past 10 years. His style of judo was a bent over wrestling style posture and the only techniques he ever used were a fireman’s carry (kata guruma), pickups and an occasional drop seoi nage (shoulder throw).
Now the new rules have come in and I don’t know is he has retired or is injured or is not number one anymore but now Georgia have 2 new judo players in 60s. Asumbani and Papinashvilli, both these guys are a complete contrast to Khergiani. These guys both have huge uchimatas, tai othoshis and seoi nages. These guys are showcasing the stereotypical 'judo' techniques while their predecessor was showcasing more wrestling styles of judo and in my opinion the new style is a lot better than the old style.
In the end I see nothing wrong with the new rule change because it will keep judo unique in the eyes of spectators as well as competitors.
Another quick example I have which is completely unrelated is from my favourite author David Gemmell. He wrote medieval fantasy novels that were fantastic. He only once wrote a suspense mystery novel under an alias (different name.) When asked why the name change Gemmell said that when people pick up a David Gemmell they are expecting a medieval fantasy novel, if they pick up a Gemmell and its a murder mystery they will be disappointed as that is not what a Gemmell novel usually is.
I thought this was interesting as he was willing to change his famous writing name to keep his fans from being disappointed because Gemmell is a fantasy novelist not a murder author. Eg Gemmell wants people to pick a Gemmell and get a fantasy novel the same way when you come to judo you want to see Judo, you dont want to see a wrestling match.
I just thought i would write from my perspective what i thought about the new rules. This is due to the fact that i have see alot of styles of Judo all over the world and since being in Japan it has really driven home to me what 'judo' techniques really are.
Feel free to comment or email me at matthewdaquino@yahoo.com
Catch ya
Matt
I read the Judoforum.com maybe once or twice a week and there are constant threads about the new rules and people who just keep on complaining about how Judo isn’t a martial art anymore and how we are excluding grappling techniques that aren’t necessarily used in only judo but also in various forms of wrestling.For a while I was very against the new rules of Judo due to the fact that it clashed with my own style of Judo that I have been doing for so long. Although recently I have travelled to Taipei, Rotterdam, Samoa as well as Brazil and now in Japan and I think the new rules have been great for the sport for multiple reasons.
I have participated in many training camps over the last few months and have noticed that a lot of the top judo guys who used to do pickups and leg grabs (and now cant) are still here doing judo and still performing at a top international level e.g. Tsaagaanbaatar (MON) despite that fact that their main techniques have been banned.
Although I am also aware of a few competitors who have suffered immensely such as Brazils 2 X world Champ Derly BRA 66kg. Who, to my understanding is not to highly ranked in Brazil anymore.
Due to me being in Japan and having a lot of time on my hands I have been doing a lot of thinking regarding other sports who have changed rules for various reasons.
Taekwondo
A few years ago in competitive Taekwondo competitors were able to punch to the head. But what tended to happen was amateur boxers would enter the tournament block all kicks to the head, come in close and knock fellow competitors out. The pure essence of Taekwondo is their amazing kicking skills, but due to the way the sport went spectators were not seeing spectacular kicks they were seeing a boxing match.So by banning punching to the head the more complete taekwondo fighter using the very essence of the sport would more often than not win the match.
By changing the rules they could keep the essence of the sport alive so that when people came and watched they would watch Taekwondo's amazing kicks not just a boxing match.
In my opinion yes they were taking out an effective attack in a punch to the head but to keep the essence and spirit of the sport alive, I see no problem with the change.
Rugby League & Rugby union
Rugby league and rugby union at first can look very similar and for a long time they were similar especially when the Scrum in rugby league was contested. It would collapse and they would start over. Very similar to Rugby union. But by not contesting the scrum onlookers would hopefully be able to see the difference between league and Union.
In the end one major aspect of the game of rugby union is the contested scrums and rucks, while in League it isn’t a huge part of the game. By eliminating contested scrums league and union could stay different.
I see nothing wrong with this.
Brazilian Jujitsu.
It is my understanding that in BJJ once you throw or perform a takedown you must then engage on the ground, if you don’t you may lose a point. These rules are in place so that the throwing sports such as judo and wrestling cannot come in and (due to superior stand up) throw and break away, throw and break away. If these rules were allowed the essence of BJJ wouldn’t be there. The fundamental nature of competitive BJJ is the ground game. Without the ground game what is it? Is a Judo or wrestling match. But by keeping these rules you are keeping the essence of the sport alive.
Imagine going to a BJJ comp and all you saw was stand up and no ground work. Same as imagine going to judo and all you saw was ground work and no standing fighting. It’s not what the 'Sport' is.
Judo
What makes Judo...Judo? Is it the Gi? Is it the throws? Is it the Japanese names?
In my opinion Judo is the most superior unarmed Martial art as well as sport. It has all the making of real world self defence as well as a sport.
For example in Judo the fight starts standing and in most cases the ground game is well and done after no more than 1 minute. I have never heard of a street fight or a fight in a pub where both fighters were wrestling on the ground for 10 minutes and the fight finishing with an omaplata from rubber guard.
What makes Judo unique is the techniques we use that are used in our sport.
Imagine if at a judo competition all you saw was double and single leg takedowns, fireman’s carries and bear hug kosotos, (would you think you were at a judo or wrestling tournament.) Yes, I know they are all legitimate judo techniques but are they unique to judo, so when someone saw judo match and a wrestling match they could see a difference.
Imagine coming to a Judo competition and all you saw was uchimata, tai otoshi, seoi nage and foot sweeps and then going to watch freestyle wrestling and seeing mostly doubles and singles but sometimes an uchimata and foot sweep. You would be able to easily note the difference between the two sports.
That is what the international judo federation is trying to achieve with the rule change.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with trying to keep Judo unique.
Another example is from firsthand experience at a few training camps around the world. For a long time Georgia’s Khergiani has been the number 1 in their country and consistently placing at various top level tournaments for the past 10 years. His style of judo was a bent over wrestling style posture and the only techniques he ever used were a fireman’s carry (kata guruma), pickups and an occasional drop seoi nage (shoulder throw).
Now the new rules have come in and I don’t know is he has retired or is injured or is not number one anymore but now Georgia have 2 new judo players in 60s. Asumbani and Papinashvilli, both these guys are a complete contrast to Khergiani. These guys both have huge uchimatas, tai othoshis and seoi nages. These guys are showcasing the stereotypical 'judo' techniques while their predecessor was showcasing more wrestling styles of judo and in my opinion the new style is a lot better than the old style.
In the end I see nothing wrong with the new rule change because it will keep judo unique in the eyes of spectators as well as competitors.
Another quick example I have which is completely unrelated is from my favourite author David Gemmell. He wrote medieval fantasy novels that were fantastic. He only once wrote a suspense mystery novel under an alias (different name.) When asked why the name change Gemmell said that when people pick up a David Gemmell they are expecting a medieval fantasy novel, if they pick up a Gemmell and its a murder mystery they will be disappointed as that is not what a Gemmell novel usually is.
I thought this was interesting as he was willing to change his famous writing name to keep his fans from being disappointed because Gemmell is a fantasy novelist not a murder author. Eg Gemmell wants people to pick a Gemmell and get a fantasy novel the same way when you come to judo you want to see Judo, you dont want to see a wrestling match.
I just thought i would write from my perspective what i thought about the new rules. This is due to the fact that i have see alot of styles of Judo all over the world and since being in Japan it has really driven home to me what 'judo' techniques really are.
Feel free to comment or email me at matthewdaquino@yahoo.com
Catch ya
Matt
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Grappling injury - Jersey Finger
What is it?
A jersey finger is an injury to one of the the finger tendons. Typically, an athlete will sustain a jersey finger while participating in tackling sports such as Rugby, Judo or BJJ. The injuries are usually sustained while an athlete is grasping a player's jersey (when attempting a tackle in rugby) or during intense grip fighting in Judo and BJJ.
The injury usually ovccurs when a finger becomes stuck in the gi or jersey and then having the material being quickly ripped away.
A jersey finger is an injury to the flexor tendon of the finger. The flexor tendon
pulls the finger down into the palm as you contract the flexor muscles of the forearm. The injury occurs at the tip of the finger, and typically the tendon snaps back to the base of the finger or even into the palm of the hand.
Symptoms of a Jersey Finger
An athlete who has sustained a jersey finger will be unable to bend the finger down into the palm of the hand. This is usually an obvious injury as the fingers normally rest in a partly flexed position. If you set your hand on the table at rest, the normal posture of the hand is a position similar to if you were to be holding a glass. The reason is that the tendons flexing (bending) and extending (straightening) your finger are balanced. Therefore the finger assumes this partly bent position. When the flexor tendon is injured, the finger will straighten excessively at rest. At rest, patients with a jersey finger will notice one finger straightened out unexpectedly.
Treatment of a Jersey Finger
There are a few different ways you can treat jersey finger depending on how bad a tear you have sustained. If you have completely torn the tendon then surgery is the best option to repaid the injury.
If you have only suffered a sprain or slight tear you may be able to tape your finger to prevent the finger from fully flexing and fully straightening. You may also want to ‘buddy tape’ your fingers (meaning you tape the injured finger to the finger next to it) and this will help the finger not become stuck in the gi or jumper while applying a technique.
http://orthopedics.about.com/od/fingerconditions/qt/jersey.htm
For more Grappling injuries visit my grappling injuries page on the right.
A jersey finger is an injury to one of the the finger tendons. Typically, an athlete will sustain a jersey finger while participating in tackling sports such as Rugby, Judo or BJJ. The injuries are usually sustained while an athlete is grasping a player's jersey (when attempting a tackle in rugby) or during intense grip fighting in Judo and BJJ.
The injury usually ovccurs when a finger becomes stuck in the gi or jersey and then having the material being quickly ripped away.
A jersey finger is an injury to the flexor tendon of the finger. The flexor tendon
pulls the finger down into the palm as you contract the flexor muscles of the forearm. The injury occurs at the tip of the finger, and typically the tendon snaps back to the base of the finger or even into the palm of the hand. Symptoms of a Jersey Finger
An athlete who has sustained a jersey finger will be unable to bend the finger down into the palm of the hand. This is usually an obvious injury as the fingers normally rest in a partly flexed position. If you set your hand on the table at rest, the normal posture of the hand is a position similar to if you were to be holding a glass. The reason is that the tendons flexing (bending) and extending (straightening) your finger are balanced. Therefore the finger assumes this partly bent position. When the flexor tendon is injured, the finger will straighten excessively at rest. At rest, patients with a jersey finger will notice one finger straightened out unexpectedly.
Treatment of a Jersey Finger
There are a few different ways you can treat jersey finger depending on how bad a tear you have sustained. If you have completely torn the tendon then surgery is the best option to repaid the injury.
If you have only suffered a sprain or slight tear you may be able to tape your finger to prevent the finger from fully flexing and fully straightening. You may also want to ‘buddy tape’ your fingers (meaning you tape the injured finger to the finger next to it) and this will help the finger not become stuck in the gi or jumper while applying a technique.http://orthopedics.about.com/od/fingerconditions/qt/jersey.htm
For more Grappling injuries visit my grappling injuries page on the right.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Nearly finished in Japan
Still in Japan and my training has been going fantastic. I always love coming to japan to live and train. I've been here for just over five weeks now and will be coming home at the end of this week.
My training at Tsukuba university has finished up now so I have been doing a lot of gym work, cardio and a lot of visualization. I'm a massive fan of visualization and this trip in particular I have done a fair heap of it and I really believe it has helped me mentally prepare for my next comp in three weeks time
Throughout the trip I have had a lot of trouble sleeping , but I talked my state institutes sport psyche and she gave me some really good tips on how to sleep better and I have taken some of these on board as part of my prep as well.
I'm feeling really fit and strong and my judo has improved so much since being here and I think this has got to do with a couple of things.
Firstly being in japan u are away from home and work and uni and u can spend every minute of ur day thinking, analysing and disecting judo and the different aspects u mist work on in order to improve.
Secondly the fact that you are fighting the best technical guys in the world. If you saw some of these guys in the gym you would notice that a lot of them aren't monsters lifting huge weights, but get them on the mat and due to their technical ability they are strong agile and hard to fight. The only down side is u may draw a european in a comp who IS a monster on and off that mat that's why you need both europe and japan as part of preparation and your judo journey.
Lastly I am always fighting guys my weight. As I'm the lightest weight of sixty kilos it is sometimes frustrating to constantly be fighting guys at home who are eighty kilos, its nice to come here and have so many sixty and sixty six kilo guys (it makes me want to stay)
At the moment I am on the bus on the way to mount fuji. My wife and I are going to walk to the top, its going to be an experience that's for sure. As most people know judo, like in life, there are challenges and obstacles to overcome. My challenge over the past year has been the obvious change in judo rules and the clash they had with my pickup style of judo as well as me starting full time university. there is a quote that when I heard thought was amazing.
Sir edmund hillary the new zealand fellow who was the first man to climb to the summit of mount everest, he had tried to reach the summit on two or three separate occasions on the latest time he tried and failed he is said to have look up at the mountain and said that You (mount everest) cannot get any bigger....but I can.
He then went on to climbing and reaching the summit on the next attempt thus making history as well as his achieving his personal dream.
I feel that this quote really talks to me, I have tried to reach the goal of winning a medal at the olympics or world champs and have failed twice at the worlds (last year was miserable) and the =olympics, well I dunno how to get out of the throw he threw me with, but like edmund hillary I have grown since then. I've become a different fighter than I was before, different in a good way. Different in a way where I will succeed opposed to getting close but not close enough.
So I'm gonna climb mount fuji, I'm going to imagine I'm sir edmund and overcome everything and become victorious and what I want to in judo and in life.
I can do anything through christ who strengthens me, (cant remember where in the bible it says that. ) phil 4 13.
that's all from me
matt
Beyondgrappling.com
My training at Tsukuba university has finished up now so I have been doing a lot of gym work, cardio and a lot of visualization. I'm a massive fan of visualization and this trip in particular I have done a fair heap of it and I really believe it has helped me mentally prepare for my next comp in three weeks time
Throughout the trip I have had a lot of trouble sleeping , but I talked my state institutes sport psyche and she gave me some really good tips on how to sleep better and I have taken some of these on board as part of my prep as well.
I'm feeling really fit and strong and my judo has improved so much since being here and I think this has got to do with a couple of things.
Firstly being in japan u are away from home and work and uni and u can spend every minute of ur day thinking, analysing and disecting judo and the different aspects u mist work on in order to improve.
Secondly the fact that you are fighting the best technical guys in the world. If you saw some of these guys in the gym you would notice that a lot of them aren't monsters lifting huge weights, but get them on the mat and due to their technical ability they are strong agile and hard to fight. The only down side is u may draw a european in a comp who IS a monster on and off that mat that's why you need both europe and japan as part of preparation and your judo journey.
Lastly I am always fighting guys my weight. As I'm the lightest weight of sixty kilos it is sometimes frustrating to constantly be fighting guys at home who are eighty kilos, its nice to come here and have so many sixty and sixty six kilo guys (it makes me want to stay)
At the moment I am on the bus on the way to mount fuji. My wife and I are going to walk to the top, its going to be an experience that's for sure. As most people know judo, like in life, there are challenges and obstacles to overcome. My challenge over the past year has been the obvious change in judo rules and the clash they had with my pickup style of judo as well as me starting full time university. there is a quote that when I heard thought was amazing.Sir edmund hillary the new zealand fellow who was the first man to climb to the summit of mount everest, he had tried to reach the summit on two or three separate occasions on the latest time he tried and failed he is said to have look up at the mountain and said that You (mount everest) cannot get any bigger....but I can.
He then went on to climbing and reaching the summit on the next attempt thus making history as well as his achieving his personal dream.
I feel that this quote really talks to me, I have tried to reach the goal of winning a medal at the olympics or world champs and have failed twice at the worlds (last year was miserable) and the =olympics, well I dunno how to get out of the throw he threw me with, but like edmund hillary I have grown since then. I've become a different fighter than I was before, different in a good way. Different in a way where I will succeed opposed to getting close but not close enough.
So I'm gonna climb mount fuji, I'm going to imagine I'm sir edmund and overcome everything and become victorious and what I want to in judo and in life.
I can do anything through christ who strengthens me, (cant remember where in the bible it says that. ) phil 4 13.
that's all from me
matt
Beyondgrappling.com
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Pic of the Week - Champions
“Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.” Muhammad Ali
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