Monday, October 29, 2007

Another Week, another bruise...oh and another bruise!

Harai-Goshi, Sweeping Hip Throw

So we've been working on this throw on Sundays for awhile. When I first started jujitsu I remember Sensei Coleman throwing me in this,m and remember feeling it being quite devastating...more on this later. Once I jumped over to Judo, the Harai was a constant throw they were setting up, when I asked why the explanation was that it was a quick switch from to or from Osoto-Gari. I like it personally because it makes me feel my whole body working with uke to pummel them into the ground!

So check out this video:
http://www.princetonjudo.org/princetonjudo/gokyu/Harai-goshi.html

So it breaks down like this
1. Connect with Uke, either clinch around the neck or grab the sleeves "Judo Style"
2. Pull uke into you while cross stepping in.
look at the video and see how tori places his foot between uke's legs
3. Pull opposite back and sweep with the foot that cross stepped
4. Turn your body towards where you want to drop uke

What starts to happen is that uke rolls off of the hip. This happens because the cross stepped foot has been placed behind uke's center of gravity, so as the leg rises the hip moves uke away from balance to the inevitable fall.

Another thing I noticed from this is that tori is always connected to uke.
A lot of times I can see tori twist before they get to me.

No-Gi Harai
One of the reasons Sensei Coleman has been showing us the over the collar grip, is so we can throw without a gi. Karo Parisyan has been talking about this for a long time in regards to judo and MMA. Here's a podcast on it :
http://www.thejudopodcast.com/audio/ep19.mp3
Here's a youtube video on it as well :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH89qHE68as
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r--Y9sMVhbY

Sukui-Nage, Scooping Throw

http://www.princetonjudo.org/princetonjudo/gokyu/Sukui-nage.html

Normally we do this from a back grab, but you can also counter a ippon this way...I've been meaning to do it when we do throw for throw...but everyone attacks the same way...frankenstein-style.

Karate
I like hitting people. I am getting better about people hitting me, but at least now when I spar I can think about what is happening, not just about how I don't want to be hurt.

Though my badly bruised foot and shins are definitely telling me what I am doing right, and wrong.

Hikite
This is the pulling back hand. As you strike one hand pulls back, creating the torque necessary as your body twists, throwing the punch.

Kicks
I still can't comment. My kicks suck, my legs do not like to kick, because my legs are not use to kicking. This is definitely different than "I'm not good at kicking", it's just that "I'm not good at kicking yet" but don't expect me to do any 540 spin kicks in the near...or even distant future.

Punches
I also call this, pow pow time! I like punching. I don't mind being punched either. Though recently I can tell you a few things, if you don't hit with the first two knuckles you will begin feeling pain on the ridge part of your hand, also you will hear the pad *smack* as opposed to just sink. I believe the smacking is from hitting with the flat part of the hand as opposed to the knuckles. I adjusted accordingly as though I do not get the dramamtic *smack* I do notice that while sparring people will stay away from me.

Sparring
Sparring in Karate is very different then in Jujitsu. Sparring with Sensei Coleman and Stephen was always frustrating because they never seemed to work, they just moved around me, let me try something then came in and f**ked me up. I can feel myself grow quickly after sparring a lot more. What's even better is knowing how to throw. In my sparring matches I have found myself setting up throws, then ... whoa whoa whoa ... this isn't Jujitsu! But it does remind me of what I said above...throws are devastating. Taking someone off balance and dumping them on their head is bad news! We train to be able to take the throw, but when someone doesn't...just remember the first time someone threw you in Osoto-Gari...bam!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Punchin', Kickin' and Throwin’

I cant remember if I have posted since my sankyu test, but all I remember was that I really felt that my fight was really despicable...
actually embarrassing. So I have incorporated a bit of karate into my regimine which I willn throw in the blog from time to time. Hai-yah!

Now that I have started something new, it's refreshing to be really bad at something. With every extra stretch or controlled kick, is a success. I used to feel just making it to jujitsu was itself was a success, then making it to class + warmup, then class+warmup+ukemi, etc...etc... it's nice having that feeling back.



Kicks
Mae geri (front kick)
Kicking is interesting to me because it's something I delieberatley stayed away from , due to my poor stretch. I was advised by sensei that it's not so much stretch as it's bringing the knee up to a certain height and maintaining it.
- With hands in gaurd, raise knee to chest height
- With knee pointing towards opponent, snap foot out
- Hit with ball of foot
- Rechamber
- Place kicking foot in front of you
*Note : Placing the kicking foot in front allows you to move into your opponent, and is the begining setup for a throw or a sweep.

Kakato geri (heel kick)
- With hands in gaurd, raise knee to chest height
- With knee pointing up, stomp down, pushing yourself out into a line
- Hit with heel
- Rechamber + body returns vertical
- Place kicking foot in front of you
*Note : A really big guy told me that if i hit him w/o the pad with this kick it would knock him down.
As I kick I can feel the muscles from my glute and my hips firing the same way in a squat and a deadlift.
I think this may be a technique that's very suited to my body type.

Mawashi geri (roundhouse kick)
I am so bad at this kick I can't even comment...it's embarrassing. ;)

Sparring
Sparring is so amazing because it hits right in my fear center. When we go throw for throw, I feel the same nervousness, though I'm not sure why.
I can take a fall. I know that whoever i am sparring against isn't going to kill me, yet the triggers remain. I don't know if they will ever be dulled.
But I do know that right after you throw a few punches it's gone. Something special happened this last time...I MOVED! I kept getting hit, and I thought maybe I should tai-sabaki, and not only did I think about it, my feet actually did what my mind wanted them to do.

Though..when I'm done, I still wanna throw up.

Throwdown at the OK Dojo...

So in our 3rd installment of Sensei clinics we're on to throws...which is awesome.
A few things I feel about tachi-waza ( body throws ):
- ukemi will improve ( from taking falls )
- you'll become strong ( from performing )
- you'll feel more confident ( from feeling your power )
- you'll become humbled ( from feeling others power )

When I am thrown now, I can fell how the other person is throwing me, where the strength is. Dixon has an amazing whipping motion, Youval has a tremendous drop...etc. It's nice to be able to acknowledge these difference as I am falling.

Harai-Goshi ( Sweeping Hip Throw )



From fighting we enter a clinch similar to a hug and trap uke's body to us.
- Cross step into uke, almost perpendicualr to uke's foot, pull extended foot past your cross stepped foot push back through uke's legs as much as possible
- Pull out on sleeve and wrapping it across your chest
- Pivot and sweep

*Notes on Harai ( tori )

- Enter and Pivot, not Enter and turn, or Slightly Enter and Turn, or Turn
In judo i was consistently scolded for turning my back on uke. Never turn your back. Pivoting looks like you are turning, but you're really not, you're turning your whle body with uke attached.
- Cross step deep
I know it sucks, it's akward and tiring, but it's less tiring than heaving your uke.

Notes on Harai ( uke )
- Energy Energy Energy
As tori my 1st, and 2nd attempt at uchi-komi usually turns into a full throw, I feel because I have the energy from uke. On the third I can feel the hips drop back. I remember Sensei Coleman yelling at me ( I think even like a month ago ) to not shoot my hips back. As uke's we're smart so we want to push our hips forward extending ourselves into our breakfall, pushing our hips back causes us to fall in a awkward postiion, which usually is a pretty hard fall.