Judo Challenge Training: First Randori

Waking up yesterday morning at my brothers house was not unusual, I wasn't there because I'd had a fight with the missus...but I was there for a fight, several in fact - this is the tale of my first Judo Randori.

Arriving at Camberley Judo Club we (I'd taken my brother along to take photos) met up with Coach Skillcorn and were introduced to Samantha Lowe - we were in the company of 2 of GBs finest so I couldn't let on that I was nervous about the next few hours.

Shortly after we arrived my fellow students rolled in, each sporting a gi (the name of the kit worn by these double hard dudies) with a different coloured belt, clearly they'd done this before.

We started with the same drills as per my first lesson, hidden within the warm up exercises were the building blocks to many judo techniques.

Honestly, I wasn't parping in this photo...I wasn't!

Within the warm up we played touch American football - this enabled us to get the heart rates going, worked as an ice-breaker between myself and my fellow students and incorporated some of the ducking and weaving skills that we would need for what was to come.

Next we were placed into pairs and the randori began...

I get pinned down during the floor work

Randori is a term used in many martial arts, in judo it refers to one-on-one bouts, while in other disciplines one player may be attacked by any number of opponents, one at a time, with the central player tasked with defending different attack methods.

For the next two hours the randori evolved to the wishes of Coach Skillcorn; periods of bouting would be punctured by fresh skills being taught, which we then looked to apply as the randori developed from floor level to standing combat.

Learning how to throw and be thrown

While I managed to get involved in most of the lesson, there were stages which I sat out and during these I looked to watch and learn from my peers while I mopped sweat from every pore and tried to catch my breath.

During one of the final pairings I managed to drop a big buy ( I think he may have let me), but my sweep on his hampstring left me with a dead leg - he was built like Arnie I swear.

Once the randori was over I met my rival for The Judo Challenge - keep April 23rd free in your diaries folks, more on that to come later.

Stuart, Coach Skillcorn and a fat bearded lad some call The Everyman Olympian

Coach Skillcorn had convinced Stuart to take part in my challenge, he'd been bringing his son for lessons at the dojo for a few years and had often mentioned he'd like to take up the sport.

He seemed like a really sound chap, though we weren't here just to get acquainted, with sweat still dripping from my brow we started a lesson that would last over an hour - covering some basic floor moves, including techniques which were new to myself.

Pain shot through the centre of my chest and in 2 areas just below my shoulder blades, we'd been practising a method of rolling your opponent when I felt and heard bones crack as Stuart practised the move on me.

Not wanting to make much of a fuss yet in pain, I took a break out of the next few moves, the pain subsided but I wasn't sure whether there was any damage.

Last nights sleep I can tell you was not the most comfortable.

My day finished with frozen veg on my dead leg & 2 more packs on my ribs but I loved it!

More to come on The Judo Challenge day at Camberley Judo Club on April 23rd in the coming days.

Training: Week #54ish

After a 4 mile run around my brother's home village of Hook in leafy Hampshire the evening before, I was feeling chirpy though slightly anxious as I set off in the car with said brother to start my training for The Judo Challenge.

Saturday 26th February

I'd managed to meet Coach Skillcorn the week before and he'd assured me that I wouldn't simply be used like a rag doll into the dojo (the name of the room where you practice Judo is the same the world over).

My little/older/wiser/marathon running/brother had come along to take some photos and possibly drive the car back if I was a broken man at the end.

The hour long session started with exercise drills that would later prove to incorporate actual Judo techniques - I hadn't realised at the time I was sliding along on the mats that I was already starting on my path to Judo mediocrity.

Sweating from the warm up drills I then began to learn basic Ne Waza (kneeling techniques) and Osae Komi Waza (holding down techniques) before moving on to escaping methods, Kensestu Waza (arm locks) and Shime Waza (strangles and chokes)...there Waza lot to remember! (apologies Coach).

Coach Skillcorn shows me how to taste my own Adam's Apple

I'd started training for Sport 13 and found another one I instantly liked!

Sunday 27th

Coach Skillcorn had kindly emailed me some training tips which I could do away from the dojo and in the hotel gym as I was away all week, so that eve I was back on a rowing machine for the first time in a while.

Set to Level 7, I did 10 1 minute splits: 1 minute hard rowing, followed by 1 minute going slow x10.

I maxed out at 340 watts on the first minute and struggled to hit 250 watts regularly on the 10th set - this was before I found the Average Watts setting.

The idea of recording the watts was to gauge stamina - the aim being to maintain similar levels throughout the rowing session, clearly I had work to do.

Afterwards I got on the cross trainer for a bit, then hit the showers.

Monday 28th

In the evening I joined my workmates for 5-a-side footie, had a cracking hour (literally - shins clashed with my closest colleague, bruised bones) and managed to score a goal - I'm no player as my mates will testify so I was over the moon.

Tuesday 1st March

On the treadmill early bells and managed to get a new PB for 3 miles before work, 26:26 - not rapid I know but as a fat lad I was chuffed!

Personal Best's don't always look pretty!

In the evening after work I headed back to the gym and repeated my rowing training for Judo, this time I used the average watts setting and managed 257watts on my first set, 191 watts on my 10th at Level 7.

Wednesday 2nd

My tweet after the morning session in the gym said it all:

'Could only manage 2 miles in 18,24 today...shins, calves, knees, toes - all aching with different pains. Gutted'

In the evening I drove to Wrexham to meet Coach Morris to begin The Shooting Challenge...

The hospitality of Coach Morris & his wife Karen was so welcoming and a real treat after nights alone in my hotel, I felt very humbled in the presence of two such prominent folk in the world of Shooting.

During my first lesson I was shown the precious, hand crafted guns used for this technical event, had my handle shaped to suit my hand (amazingly they are made of wood!), discovered I would be able to use the very gun Coach Morris himself hopes to use in the Commonwealth Games 2014 - how generous and cool is that!! - and all the while I wore the shooting frames to enable me a chance to get used to only using my shooting eye.

My 1st Shooting lesson with Coach Morris

2 and a half hours later I left with the confidence that we could do this, I had homework and a method of mimicking the shooting frames - game on!

Thursday 3rd

A morning visit to the hotel pool to test out whether 20 years away from front crawl (freestyle) had taken their toll didn't go so well - the pool was more suited to leisurely souls and too busy to really get any lessons learned, so I opted for 20 mins in the sauna instead.

Feeling disgruntled with my last 2 gym visits I was determined to improve on my rowing, so I upped the difficulty to Level 10 and the attitude paid off: I managed an average of 235 watts in Set 1 and finished Set 10 with an average of 221 watts.

Friday 4th

I looked down at the clock as I hit the 3 mile mark on the treadmill, I'd felt like poop for the last ten minutes but a smile broke out when I saw I'm equalled my PB of 26:26.

Happy Days