Jimmy Pedro clinic clip

The Judo Podcast has an upcoming interview with Jimmy Pedro. Visit their site in order to suggest any questions.

The announcement has a clip from a recent clinic (Takes a while to load). It’s an interesting demo of an alternative grip entry for Tai Otoshi, and it is nice to see the emphasis placed on remembering to keep rotating!

I’ve ordered Jimmy’s Grip Like A World Champion DVD, so expect a review soon. He also plays left-handed (although note he is demonstrating right-handed in the video clip).

Never too old to Rock and Roll!

BBC Radio 4 highlighted this cool little project on Front Row.

Weekend Warriors is a scheme being run by the Music Industries Association.

The Weekend Warriors programme gives lapsed musicians the once in a lifetime opportunity to re-join a band and relive their musical youth. It’s run in music stores throughout the UK. They will provide you with the latest equipment, rehearsal space, and a mentor to provide advice and support. It starts with an induction evening where you join other Warriors and start your new band. Then after 5 rehearsals you play your own live gig in front of family and friends!

How cool is that? Also, a participating store is close to me. I have been mulling over getting myself along to some jam sessions again, but the above sounds even more ideal!

First week of Judo and Starting Strength

This has been the first week that I have been combining Judo with my new weight training routine.

I have already covered Monday’s Judo session so here are some crib notes from the rest of the Judo:

Tachiwaza:

  • I’m continuing my left-handed approach, with further success with Osoto Gari. My version is more of the “hook and drive” style and I really do need to watch the Kuzushi on this. It’s something you can get away with against smaller players, but an extremely hard counter will result if Tori is not careful.
  • The above throw against opponents with extreme right-sided stances makes it difficult to gain the entry. So probably not the best throw to use then. Ouchi Gari would perhaps be a better option, or of course a forward throw instead. And consider the usual sacrifice possibilities, and Ura Nage.
  • One of my favourite throws is Hikkomi Gaeshi (sometimes referred to as Obi Tori Gaeshi). Works well when working as a left-hander against a right-handed opponent as it is easier to get the over-the-top belt grip. Now working on throwing when getting the LEFT hand over the shoulder. First attempt was amusing… I got the grip, then threw myself onto my back as I forgot to go in the opposite direction 😉
  • At one club, there are more people either my size or bigger! This is great, as it means I will have to adapt a lot. Really means I have to play for movement and not try and beat strength vs strength when I am weaker… it does not end well!
  • MUCH more work on Ouchi Gari needed. Feels all over the place.
  • Hiza Guruma is working MUCH better now I am stepping closer. When successful it really does FEEL like Uke is being wheeled over! The closeness also means that the standard Osoto Gari to Hiza Guruma combination feels more natural in my head now.
  • When gripping the collar, back etc, BEND THE ELBOW. Or that arm is very vunerable to being locked. Reminded me to go for the Whizzer grip myself when someone makes the same mistake… it’s very strong and useful to proceed into Ouchi Gari with.

Newaza:

  • Speed over strength. Newaza can quickly turn into a bit of a tug of war in some positions. Far better to use speed to gain positional advantages, and to switch between different techniques.
  • Turnover: Grab Uke’s right wrist with right hand (IMPORTANT: Thumb on TOP so your own grip doesn’t prevent movement). Rotate around Uke’s body anti-clockwise. Be on your feet for power and balance. Once on opposite side, use both arms to pull Uke onto their back. Need to practice this further. Note there is a Sangaku entry from here when half-way round.
  • Don’t be taken by surprise. If “rushed” by an opponent, balance should at least be as such so they can be pulled into guard. Should NEVER be forced to turtle. Keep one leg up?

And the weight training?

I went Wednesday and Friday (remember I only started on Wednesday). Ouch. Sore. The good kind though, as opposed to things going a bit awry. Certainly means I have less strength available for use in Judo when in recovery, but hey, if that helps with my technique then that can only be a good thing…

Hug a Judoka, today!

I visited a new club yesterday (after taking a bit of a detour due to some intriguing satnav behaviour).

A pure technique session, which was very handy. And it has helped highlight some of the flaws I need to work on. The sad thing is, I’m aware of these, but really need a repeated kicking until I address them properly:

  1. Body contact for throws. Enough said. As a long limbed player, I tend to fight at a distance, but it is important to close this distance when throwing to make things effective.
  2. SLOW DOWN in Uchikomi. It’s not a race. Get the basics down correct first. Employing the correct stepping patterns etc.
  3. Be a better Uke. This generally falls under the RELAX mantra.

I am mostly working on being left-handed right now. I was shown a neat gripping variant of Ippon Seoinage. From a standard left-handed grip, come in for a right-sided attack (in other words, Tori is pulling Uke’s lapel with their left hand, as their right hand releases Uke’s sleeve and comes in under the shoulder).

This would appear to be a technique employed by Toshihiko Koga. I thought it seemed eerily familiar.

Anyway, it feels very natural to me, and due to the lapel grip, ensures close body contact as well.

Here’s a video highlighting this version:

And, as Koga is pretty awesome with this throw in general, here’s a highlight!

As a taller player, I don’t tend to employ shoulder throws too much in Randori at all — but I love the feel of them when practising.

“He’s hacked into my car’s computer!”

As if the Superman III trailer was not bad enough…

This is a trailer for Untraceable (IMDB). Films which feature the Internet can tend to take awful liberties, but this one really seems to take the (Untraceable?) biscuit…

You can imagine them pitching this one. “It’s like the Saw films… but with the INTERNET!”.

(Found via Valleywag.)

Need More Strength (and techniques from the guard)

Training tonight I realised that I am probably the weakest guy there! Ah, the wonders of a desk job, and more importantly, having slacked off the weight training. At least the last part will soon be fixed, as per my last post.

Now, of course technique is super-important, but at the end of the day, speed, agility, strength and stamina do all come into play.

Of course, if someone is obviously stronger, attempting to meet them head-on in Newaza is silly. Using speed and grip-work is important. Again, I need to work on being faster to establish a dominant grip and then work round into a more preferable position. I will continue to beat myself up over this one!

I also would like more techniques to employ when having pulled guard. I have long legs and would really like to get Triangle Chokes to work well.

Great video on this:

Starting Strength

I think I’ve decided on a new routine to ease myself back into weight training. Compound movements are certainly the way to go, as I want to build usable strength for Judo, as opposed to vanity exercises (Hello, bicep curls!)

Starting Strength, authored by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, is much touted as a great way to get introduced to weight training with free weights, and also see results. And despite keeping to a compound movement routine to some of last year, I still very much see myself as a newbie: I’m just not very strong when you look at it in the context of how much I am lifting compared to my own weight.

I have found a great modification to this routine, by Sean10mm.

There are lots of versions of the “Starting Strength” workout floating around the internet, with various modifications done by different people. This is my take on the same basic workout. It is a simple strength training workout intended for people new to weight training. All the fundamentals are the same as the original Starting Strength workout, and most of the exercises are the same. The changes I made were pretty minor.

The changes in question revolve around replacing some of the more complex exercises with ones which are more beginner-friendly (Some exercises REALLY need a coach in order to ensure proper form). On the coaching front, I love Gayle Hatch’s old-school approach.
In addition, dips and chin-ups are introduced.

The routine is designed to be performed three times a week (see his post for the full details, including the exercises!)

Monday – Workout A
Wednesday -Workout B
Friday – Workout A

Week 2:
Monday – Workout B
Wednesday – Workout A
Friday – Workout B

This is fine: three times a week is how I used to schedule things.

We’ll see how I get on. I’d be aiming to do the tabata sprints at the end of each workout too. Could be quite punishing. It would also all need to be fitted into a lunch hour (dropping Dips and Chin-ups would be allowed, as then the routine would revert to the original Starting Strength one!)

There is a great thread elsewhere on the Internet which goes into further amounts of detail on the basic Starting Strength routine. Note that the quote below also has the more complicated Power clean exercise replaced with something more beginner-friendly (Pendlay Rows):

Workout A
3×5 Squat
3×5 Bench Press
1×5 Deadlift

Workout B
3×5 Squat
3×5 Standing military press
3×5 Pendlay Rows

Interesting toy time:

I personally have never really had the desire to do pull-ups in my living room, but this Powerbar seems like quite a cool gadget. Hook it to a door-frame and away you go.

Judo: Left-handed ground techniques, leg encircling guard pass and more

Training again last night. I’m still not into a proper routine as I’m not back at work yet, so I still don’t feel fit to any degree. The whole deal will kick off next Wednesday (I’m writing this to give myself precious little weasel room when that time comes).

Again, not enough movement… but at least I was trying things, even if they weren’t working out.

In Newaza, it is interesting that if I put on a left-handed hold my instincts aren’t in place, as they are for a right-handed hold. For example, assume Kesa Gatame is in place, and Uke decides to bridge. Right-handed, I have no problem posting on an arm to prevent this and slipping into a new position to compensate. Left-handed, it was if it was the first time I’ve done the hold, as I just held on for dear life until I ended up on my back…

So taking some time to drill holds left-handed would be beneficial.

I did employ the guard-pass I was shown recently, which works when Uke has not pulled you into their guard securely. It’s pretty simple: Encircle their legs with your arms (now you can see why this doesn’t work if their guard _is_ secure), bear down, then just move round at your leisure. It’s something I used to (still will?) get caught by all the time.

In Tachiwaza, there was some more crash-mat work (primarily a deep-entry Ippon Seoinage, although I worked on my left Uchi Mata as well).

Randori showed that I MUST ensure deep entry with my version of that throw. Having long legs is great for attacking from a distance, but if that distance isn’t closed quickly, I am exceptionally prone to leg-grab counters!

Lexmark Z1480 Wireless Colour Printer Review

My first, and last printer was a Citizen Swift 9 dot-matrix which used to be rigged up to my old Commodore Amiga computer. A quick Google only found a slightly more modern version of it: Citizen Swift 90E.

Those were the days. When printers were printing, they MEANT it. Every line was accompanied with the clatter of pins striking the ribbon and paper. It was only really suitable for text printing, as graphics never came out very well, and I did dream of one day having a laser printer – prohibitively expensive at the time.

That printer lasted a long time, but was never the same after an unfortunate sticky label incident (the labels came off inside the printer mechanism). That was…messy.

So, since then I’ve never owned a printer. I’ve just printed anything I needed either at university or work.

But I succumbed today.

I picked up the Lexmark Z1480 which was on special offer from PC World. Nicely, it comes with everything in the box (bar paper), so no nickel and diming for cabling and the like. As is the way with printers, replacement cartridges will be where the expense comes in.

One of the main requirements was a printer with network connectivity as laptops rule the roost here. Alas, none of the laser printers tended to have this unless extra money was spent. However, the Inkjet printers had this as quite a common feature, even wireless. Then it was just a case of finding a printer which didn’t have the tacked on scanner, fax machine, toaster, microwave etc.

The Z1480 is a straightforward wireless colour printer (although it can be connected via USB). Set-up is pretty easy (The CD walks you through it, including wireless network connection — it detected the encrypted one here just fine, prompting for the passphrase). After that, it Just Works as any other printer (Tested under Windows XP and Vista). Note that a USB cable is supplied for use during this set-up phase.

The desk footprint is quite respectable, and is a simple rectangular shape. This is another problem with some of the All-In-One units which seem to be trying to out-do each other in how fanciful they look.

Quality is better than I expected considering the cheap price. One thing I’ve disliked about Inkjets generally is “wobbly text syndrome” when text is misligned and, well, just wobbly. But it is crisp here. A few test photographs came out okay as well, although this is not something I have done on proper glossy photo paper yet. To be honest, for keep-worthy photographs, I’d send them off to Photobox as per usual.

Now to see just how long the printer cartridges last, and whether anything falls off it.

One thing is for sure: I’ll be avoiding sticking any sticky labels inside it.