1point2 @ West Point Judo NOOBERY

Martial Arts Training Forums Member Competition and Throwdown Footage
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YouTube - My first judo tournament

West Point Judo tournament November 22, 2008. I’m a white belt in the White-Green (novice) 178lb division. I lost my first match to a yellow belt via overreaching for ouchigari and getting summarily uchimata’d (osotogari’d? I couldn’t see). Lots of adrenaline.

Second match my gf caught on video.
I like the action at 1:25 and 2:10 (reversals) and my opponent won by ippon at 2:45. Originally it was called as Ippon for me by the head judge (via tani-otoshi-sort-of), but he was overruled since the corner judges saw the kouchi-makikomi win. I thought I countered intelligently (it was actually part of my plan!), but apparently since he initiated, he got the point.

My opponent and my teammates mentioned that I need to get a better grip, move laterally, and create more kuzushi in order to attack. Any other ideas? I completely A) gassed and B) entered a mental block after the first minute.

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You should mention which one you are.

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Besides mentioning he’s the white belt?

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Good job Grizzly Adams.

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Your opponent was shorter. My strategy advice for you on this is to let go of his right lapel and control his left shoulder instead. This will set up O soto gari. If you can face in the same direction, he’s heavy on the left foot, and do an advancing foot sweep (Judo name debatable.)

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PS…liked the throw at the end.

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Thanks for the feedback, Omega. And yes, I am the well-bearded white-gi man.

I’ll work on that. I also tend towards a poor yama-arashi/soto-makikomi with that grip, more from desperation than anything. I’m also going to ask my judo coach the rules for cross-gripping. I thought it was illegal, so I tried to avoid it.

Another thing I noticed was that I need to commit more power to all the throws. I’m gonna start doing squats and focus on entries–I felt like I was repelled with every attempt to move in.

Last week I sketched my general “game plan,” based around what throws I’ve learned, and the moving-uchikomi combinations we’ve worked on. I’m trying to see if I can upload/attach it…

Oh, and I had a plan for kouchigari-to-ouchigari…I didn’t feel confident with it, but seem to have tried it more than anything else. :stuck_out_tongue:

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That actually is a good plan. Cross gripping doesn’t become a factor. You simply don’t grip at all. It’s a weird set up I learned in SAMBO not Judo.

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hmmmm… honestly I say you threw him, but I do sorta see the kouchi-makikomi. IMO you were the one who initiated and threw him so I would have given it to you, but I’m not even a judo novice so perhaps someone else can enlighten me.

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Thanks for the support CF :slight_smile: I see both sides of the argument–he definitely entered first, and I definitely had intent to throw.

But what’s really important isn’t how the throw is scored (except that, same as with the shidos, it’s good to know what judges look for), but rather, what strategies I should look for in the future.

After class today, I know I still need to work on my osotogari and seoinage entries, though for gripping, I just need to be more aggressive, and develop favorite grips for my throws. I didn’t get a chance to work Omega’s suggestion, since all my randori partners today were nikyu+ and did not feel like being osoto’d. My tai otoshi might be pressed into service someday, too. I think I am overrelying on kouchi and ouchi-gari due to nice partners in class.

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Starrett Judo Tournament - Jan 2009

Second tournament was Starrett in Brooklyn. I found my first match on my opponent’s youtube page, strangely enough. I lose a LONG match by seoinage (ippon in both senses) after gassing hard. My lungs were burning. However, I fulfilled my promise to my teammates: no sacrifice throws. I’m a yellow belt now. I’m the dark, bearded one in the dark belt (judges made me wear a blue).
YouTube - Alex Fridman - Judo Starrett Cup - Novice Division - Match 1

You can see me accidentally scratch his face/nose/eye(?) at 1:00 and apologize midmatch. Considering that my choke attempt bloodied the inside of his mouth later, I think…I may owe him another apology.

I also had a teammates’ friend tape it, in three parts, worse quality.
YouTube - Starrett Judo Tournament 2009 - match 1 part 1
YouTube - Starrett Judo Tournament 2009 - match 1 part 2
YouTube - Starrett Judo Tournament 2009 - match 1 part 3

My second match is in the loser’s bracket. I was still tired, 10 minutes after the last match. Very tired. I think I could’ve won if I had met him in my first match–but that’s bull so nevermind. I lost by sotomakikomi, which I don’t have a great defense for.

YouTube - Starrett Judo tournament - match 2

I’m going to work on cardio hardcore for next match. I’m running hills/stairs (I have an OK hill nearby, and if I can find stairs within ~1 mile I’ll do those) and will be getting a judo-specific workout from my coach.

I also have no forward attacks–my only confident technique is kouchigari, which takes a bit of posture and opportunity. My coach suggested tai-otoshi and foot sweeps (primarily okuriashibarai IMO). I also want my seoinage and sprawl to improve before I go out again.

Any and all advice appreciated.

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I made technique of the week at my first opponent’s school! IN SLOW MO GOODNESS

YouTube - Drexel Judo - Throw of the Week - Jan 18, 2009

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Note to self: don’t kouchigari when opponent steps in for seoinage.

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Third tournament - Judo Karate Center Invitational 2009

Went to the Judo Karate Center Invitational 2009 in Cranford, NJ today for my third tournament. Drove down with judo coach, watched some hard-fighting juniors, then waited for another hour for my matches. Well-run single-mat tournament. Instead of ranks and weights, it’s a point division method: take your weight in pounds, add some points for rank and age (from a pair of charts; I got 170 pounds, 40 for 20-29 age and 10 for rank), and that’s your bracket. I was in the senior <250 points and don’t know why I wasn’t in the <225, maybe I’m crazy.

First opponent: teenaged (17?) yellow belt. Won it in the first 10 or 12 seconds with my best throw (kouchigari), full ippon. First tournament win woot! I was also happy that I had avoided the powerful case of nerves I had in the first two tourneys. I was nervous but ready.

Second opponent: Polish kid in his prime who I had seen warming up. Groundwork looked like an alligator. Ranked lower than he should–his throws look brown belt level, and I think he was a yellow? Anyway, I charge in ignoring all these thoughts, defend a little, get nowhere with my tai-otoshi and kouchigari, and get thrown hard with a left-side tai-otoshi. I didn’t take the fall well, because I tried to resist it wrong, so I landed hard on my left shoulder. Probably sprained it; I’ve been taking painkillers, NSAIDs and have been icing it 20-on-20-off.

Third opponent: teenage 200 lb green belt from the dojo we were at. Up-and-comer. My left shoulder hurt a lot, but I trucked on. Kouchigari is fruitless, as are my craptacular ouchigari, deashibarai, and tai-otoshi. We hit the mats a few times. Eventually he rolls me out like a rug with a beautiful seoinage.

Shoulder hurts, but I’m happy.

LESSON ONE: Work on tai-otoshi. Seoinage, which I’ve been working on, is now a lower priority due to how it works in with my kouchigari. I need a throw for when they move their right foot back.

LESSON TWO: Don’t fucking shoulder-plant for your ukemi. Either step over the tai-otoshi, circle it, counter it, fucking teleport out of it, or take the damn fall. I lost the point anyway, but managed to hurt myself in the process. Value: negative one.

LESSON THREE: There are opponents which I can beat in tournament. This is good news.

We await video at the courtesy of the event holders.

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So I just went through all your videos and I have to say that you move well for your rank and I saw great improvement each time. congrats on your first tourney win. Personally, I think you were robbed in your first match, as that was a very clear and well executed tani otoshi.

things that I liked: You look like you have good matwork for your ranl, but the judges were giving you no time to do anything. Unfortunately that seems to happen alot.

2 things you might work on:

1.following up an attack. You seem to go in and if its not perfect back off without even trying a true off-balance. Its constantly drilled into me at my gym that the entry will never be perfect, but if the first attempt gets anywhere, the second or third will finish it off.

  1. loosen up. You will tire up less and your attacks will be less predictable because he won’t feel your muscles shift.

My 2 cents, take it or leave it. On a side note, are you going to the AM-CAMs in buffalo may 22nd? if so I might see you there, trying to get off work now, my instructorsw want me to do it.

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Thanks for the analysis, Beorn. You’re absolutely right with both things I needed to work on, except that #2 has for the most part been solved by this last tournament with no video (this is from my judo coach). I still half-ass a lot of attacks in randori and shiai, though. The only one I don’t half-ass is the only one that works consistently; kouchigari.

I may make the AM-CAMs, not sure. A bunch of guys from my club are going but I don’t know if I’m free. I’ll check.

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[quote=1point2;2112364]Thanks for the analysis, Beorn. You’re absolutely right with both things I needed to work on, except that #2 has for the most part been solved by this last tournament with no video (this is from my judo coach). I still half-ass a lot of attacks in randori and shiai, though. The only one I don’t half-ass is the only one that works consistently; kouchigari.

I may make the AM-CAMs, not sure. A bunch of guys from my club are going but I don’t know if I’m free. I’ll check.[/quote]

do I smell a mini throwdown brewing? or at least a few beers and watching the UFC?

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Howdy ho, now that’s an idea! I’ll know in a week or so, cause of my shoulder. If I can’t randori next Monday, I doubt I’ll compete.

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sounds good man, I’ll be for sure about whether or not I am going in the next week or two, memorial day is a big weekend for my job and I may not get it off.

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tri state tournies

thought I recognized you from somewhere, and sure enough it was at the cranford JKC tournie in late april. I did not compete that day, but perhaps in the future we will find ourselves at the same competition in the same division. You’ll know it’s me when you see serious sideburns.