Sensei was not happy with what he saw during newaza randori.
He stopped everyone and said he's seeing a lot of people doing something he never taught us-- pulling your opponent squarely, directly on top of us (ie "pulling guard"). Guilty. Oops.
He advised to pull our opponent across us, "always at angle!"

He said he had a friend who was a machine on the ground. Sensei was a toy in this man's hands (on the ground). After a few go-'rounds with that guy, sensei said he really concentrated on his newaza practice!
Anyway, he said this man's strengths were that he never left space if he was on the attack. When one is being attacked, he said we must create space.
I could've told ya that. (I could also tell ya not to use a fork to pry a piece of toast out of the plugged in toaster, too.) One of these days I'll move past knowing and will start doing. ...preferably before I get a new 110volt hairdo.

Generally, I was wiped out all class. I did a pretty intense & long bit of lifting & cardio earlier in the day. The workout didn't affect me during the day but once I got to class and we got to some marathon dands ("judo pushups") and then had a pretty randori-centered class...my arms were rubber. Not to mention, the "enthusiastic" beginner doing the spazzy-standing-guillotine-take-down-attempt-dance several times. Thanks to Mr.let's-see-what-this-guy's-got, my barely healed neck was acting up. It still is.

Last night was a good night with "K Sensei."

Again he spent some time speaking to us throughout class; before warm-ups, in between techniques and when we lined up to bow out.
He started with his thoughts about studying hard so we can keep our mind clear and he pointed to the mirror along the wall. If mind isn't clear we won't be able to see. He said Buddha hasn't done much for him and chuckled. He said he does meditate (& I believe he said he chanted...but I could be 100% wrong) 3x/day to keep his mind clear and polished ....so he can see.

Then he explained "seeing."
If your mind is clear, you can look at your judo opponent and know. You look in his face and if your mind is clear you can already tell what he is going to do. (This didn't seem to be Ueshiba-esque mysticism about seeing spiritual bullets coming at you before the gun is fired so you can dodge them.) He was saying that if you are clear-minded, you will notice "tells" (my word- Google 'poker' or 'lie-detection') in your opponent's face and in the movement of his leg (he gave the example of knowing where the opponent was going to kick).
He said he'd come in to see his son in the morning and by his son's face...he'd know. He knew there were shenanigans last night. He'd tell his son, "I know." "aww daddy how you know?!" "Your face. I ALWAYS know." He laughed.
Great stuff.

Later in class he said to learn now but to move on with your judo. He said "Don't be like me." "You be like me you will have bad character."
Shocking. Why wouldn't we want to be like a hachi-dan who has survived the hardships of a war-ravaged country? Bad character? Sensei? Hardly.
He clarified that we should do what he says now and learn in class but after... keep learning.
I think he was saying that imitation (once you have a base) is not good. If I emulate him in my judo then I will at best end up a foolish imitation of him and a horrible me.

Once again he stressed that "smarts" are not necessarily so smart. He's had many students who have shown him their wall of judo books... but on the mat they weren't so smart. In light of his talk on "smarts," a story about a Harvard guy, girl's panties, government and it being our money came up but it was lost on me. Sorry. That sounds like it would have been the best one of the night!

In the pics, Sensei is helping the beginner beginners.
*warning* Pay no attention to the blue zubon. I don't want any of the self-appointed judo intelligentsia to have a cerebrovascular accident as they are peering over their glasses and down their learned noses. I mean, what could this man possibly know about purity and respect for judo?
[/sarcasm]

Had another great class with "K" sensei.
Here's some of his teaching...

Friends are what is important in life. Make friends now and they will be there for you 5, 10 years from now.
He spoke of judoka being more friend-oriented (even though we kill each other) than karate people. He again spoke of the gentleness of women in judo and how they are better than men!

He talked about working 3 miles from his home and when he would walk to work and back, he would practice foot sweeps the entire way.
When someone happened by...sensei would act like he was just walking along. When the person passed...right back to tsubami gaeshi!
This was in the context of him stressing that judo be practiced always. He said that if he woke in the middle of the night--off he'd go for a run. His father would ask what in the world he was doing but off he'd go. Judo was always on his mind.

He continued this thought later saying that if something didn't serve his judo, he wouldn't do it. If sleep would detract from training; no sleep. If eating took time away from judo; no eating.
Family, friends, girlfriends all took a back seat to judo.

He related a story of the Tokyo University (I believe I am remembering correctly) team having a poor showing and vowing to do better the following year. He said they trained. They trained hard. They trained to the exclusion of all else... "no drinking, no girlfriends, no smoking pot!"
He laughed and said, "No, no , no just kidding." It was wonderful to see him laugh and joke.

To close class he said that small progress every day is the key. A page is 'this small' ...but add another, and another, and another and you then have a book 'THIS thick!' He counseled that you can't throw the seed down and expect the flower. You can't eat the pineapple right away if you've only just planted the seed. It takes time and effort and small improvement.


A couple asides just to show his character, egolessness and love for the spirit of judo rather than the dogma that seems to be held sacrosanct at times by some:
Monday he had on a blue jacket and white pants. The horror. Someone call the judo fashion police.
Tonight we did a drill in which grabbing uke's belt was necessary. Many of us are in street clothes, still (beginners who don't have a gi yet). Sensei removed his belt and gave it to someone to wear for the night.
He laughed, "Just like Karate Kid, no? Just for keep pants up!" ...like it was no big deal to offer a red-paneled belt to one of us schlubs.

Priceless.

The neck is 'this' close to feeling better.
After the first seven days (and not being able to exercize or sleep let alone feel safe to train) I swore I'd be back before day 14
...which was last night.
I'm gunshy about getting on the mat but I heard about judo being taught locally from the
kindly "Mr.O" (not his forum name) on the forum and checked it out last night.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet (that I know of!).
I thought he would pick out the lone new guy walking in but there seemed to be about 20 of us wandering new folks.

I brought my gear but wasn't sure I'd suit up until the last minute.
I did participate and my neck is stiff as heck again even though it was a fairly light class as far as strenuousness goes.
I'm not ready for prime time just yet it seems.

Onto the class...
The class was held in a beautiful facility (fully equipped gym, several floors, locker room, showers, separate,large
studios used for ballet, aerobics and other classes including TKD, aikido & judo).
Looks like it was orientation night from the size of the group that showed up, the mass registrations done after class & the inexperienced folks.
Could have been the 2nd or 3rd class for most from the looks of things.
I'd say 60% did not have a gi (there were some uwagi available at least for some). Maybe 30% female which was fantastic to see.

The tatami were Zebra-brand and quite nice...although they had to be assembled/set up & broken down before/after class.
Such hardships. Did I mention I had to walk to the class...in a rain storm...uphill...both ways?

Sensei was soft-spoken (for the most part!), funny and understanding of the fact that what stood before him were (largely) clueless college kids.
There seemed to be a core group of regulars but the rest of us didn't seem like old hands (least of all me).
He made it known that he thinks men are too interested in strength and slamming people and that this is not so smart...which is why he prefers female judoka!
I believe he made that known more than once throughout the night.
He said his experience with grapplers (of which there were obviously 3-4) has not been pleasant.
He said they were rough and had no manners or discipline.
Again, a gentle and polite man but a man who honors judo and requires we do the same.
After the line-up and talk by sensei we spread out for calisthenics and ukemi. Although beginners, it seemed most of the students did forward rolls fairly well.

Sensei spoke again about how judo teaches us things we cannot get from our parents and that although his students were not trained for competition
(he seemed to frown upon the shiai shiai shiai mentality of many in judo),
their technique was such that some were unthrowable by some competition-oriented students.

After sensei demonstrated and explained some intracacies of the throw,
we did O-uchi-gari while walking from one end of the mat to the other and then sensei spoke about how different
body-types do the same technique differently and demonstrated O-soto-gari.
He then sent us tall folks off by ourselves to practice O-soto. Again I was matched with a no-gi person.
I was impressed at the number of folks there and their willingness to 'get up 8.'

I really appreciated the theory and philosophy sensei shared.
Sensei spoke of how we beat each other up in judo ...and paradoxically foster true, lifelong friendships with these same people.

I had a good sweat going and was out of breath by the end of class but
it was not the go-go-go I've been accustomed to of late and even more 'Japanese' than the traditional schools I've attended in my youth.
Of course, those schools weren't headed by a hachi-dan Nihon-jin.

I've truly enjoyed my training over the last month.
Of the 31 days in August I've gone to class 16x. More than I expected but fewer than I wanted.
The people there have every right to ignore a white belt but I've been warmly welcomed by a few and am grateful beyond words.
If I were a 12yr old who may be worth investing time into because it may bear fruit on the world stage down the road then maybe I could see bothering with a noob. Investing energy and patience into me is pure altruism.
I believe I've gotten the hang of "the routine" around the dojo and don't feel like a complete outsider.
Of course, until I've been here >8months or so I am sure I'm still looked at with a "we'll wait & see if this guy lasts" eye. That's the same anywhere.

It's not all unicorns & rainbows.
My shins have been black & blued and my forearms & hands are sore. I've had a few blisters as well (but they seem to be a 1st week thing that's over now).
I'm getting used to the lack of (what I remember as normal) etiquette. There is no "bowing in" or bowing on or off the mat. "Colorful metaphors" (to borrow a quote from Star Trek IV) are often heard.
I've seen a girl slated for an international comp break a bone in her lower leg. (unorthodox etiquette and language I don't mind but this was a real bummer and truly no one's fault...just saddening to see her dreams delayed.)
I've seen a competitiveness at times and 'coaching' by the older students to be ....not of the 'School Of Positive Reinforcement,' let's say. I've also heard (from BBs and sensei himself) many encouraging words towards others and (undeservedly) toward myself.

The quality of the students is top top notch, A+, First Class all the way. These folks are no joke and having such a great school nearby is like having gold in one's back yard.

That being said, I sometimes feel intimidated. It's rare I get to work out with someone my strength and body type who isn't a technical phenom.
Having such excellence surrounding me can't do anything but wear off on me in a good way I'd think.
If I randori a 16 yr old about my weight, his skill and rank is at levels way over my head (especially in tachi-waza) but I think my age and experience help me to hold my own with students within 10-20lbs of me.

Maybe I'm just frustrated that I rarely train with someone at or just above my skill level. I'd enjoy seeing a technique work 2 out of 10 times a little more if it is earned than if it is given by someone who sees that my heart (and center of gravity!) was approximately in the right place. KnowwotImean?

I hate to admit it but I wonder if a school geared toward weekend warriors may be more my speed. It's probably just the Carisoprodol the doc gave me for my FUBAR'd neck (see today's earlier entry) talking and a little bit o' the poormeez. ie "Who am I kidding? I'm bloody old and am in what's practically an Olympic training center. These guys need to train honestly and if I were 20 I'd be better able to "get up eight." Just go somewhere where other decrepits go to get a bit of a sweat and go home after learning some judo....you're not going to compete anyway."

I feel fortunate to be here and just need to have faith that I am making progress even though I don't see it as I train with amazingly sharp, crisp, fit BBs. I just need to put my big girl panties on and get my "six" on the mat every night I can.

In light of what I'll probably think when I reread this tomorrow here's a bonus movie-paraphrase...
"Looks like I picked the wrong night to start taking Carisoprodol."

Hope you like the 'Rain Man' quote.

I was going to do a "First Month Recap" but have a lesson I've relearned to mention instead.

The other night I noticed at least 5 new faces at the dojo. Cool! Must be the 'college is starting, new kids in the area thing.' Three or four BBs among them.

For the second round of newaza randori I was matched with one of the new BBs. He must have been a student here before since sensei & everyone welcomed him w/ hugs, high-fives & "there's my man!" kind of stuff.
He's obviously a serious weight lifter and has 10+ lbs on me. No biggie-- most of the adults in the school are bigger than me.
I should've known after the first sub to just bow out, though.
He was rough, fast and using a lot of strength. I'm no shrinking violet and can train hard with anyone & "honest attacks" are part of learning but this was violently rough and fast--95% effort stuff.

I kept going sub after sub but knew he tweaked my neck with a half-nelsonish wrestling-type move where my head was shoved into my chest early on.... but it was all in the heat of the moment & we've all gotten nicks and bumps along the way that we just work through....so I didn't pay it any mind.
I went another round with yet another BB and within a few minutes of finishing our ne-waza randori for the night I couldn't turn my head to the left. It all tightened up and I know it wasn't the usual ding ya get in the course of training.

I sat out all but 2 rounds of tachi-waza for the rest of the night & sensei knew it was because of my neck. I didn't get into why/who blah blah blah. I'm really not down with that.
Two days later and my ROM is even less, I'm not sleeping and taking pain pills, ibuprofen & Tylenol like candy.

I'll whine a bit here & get it over with:
This guy & I introduced ourselves, he asked my age (and was taken aback), he saw my glaringly white belt, was told I'd been here 5 weeks & he said he was really rusty from just coming back & laughingly complained about "being too old" (since the class had done warm-ups & 1 or 2 rounds of ne-waza) and he was a bit winded.
So, I'm a little ticked that a musclebound BB who is admittedly not at his sharpest would go shiai (v. randori) on a scrawny white. There, I'm done kvetching. (Well....maybe not done just yet....)

I shouldn't assume that everyone is cool, not an egomaniac, not out to prove something. I don't want to be the one to deprive someone of learning the art by putting a governor on the intent of their attack. I also don't want to miss the following week (or more?) of training, be useless at home and have to take time (and money) to go to the darn doctor.

So, if someone happens to read this and has advice or can counsel me as to how I can process it more maturely - I'm open. Right now I'm feeling 50/50: 50 pissed & blaming/50 it's my responsibility. I'd much rather be 10/90. (I'm under no delusion that I'd ever be mature or enlightened enough not to lay blame somewhat!)

Again, my school has anything but a dog-eat-dog culture. All have been most helpful to this lowly white & even amongst those in the same weight class, everyone is a friend and team mate to each other; elite competitor or not. It is a serious, competition-driven school, though.

As a 40yr old who isn't athletic, isn't terribly strong nor flexible, has a wife & home & job to attend to, I know that I need to warm up 2ce as much to get half as limber and need, above all else, to come home every night in one piece. I will not recover nearly as quickly as some young buck, either. Got it. Check. Knew that going in....but obviously needed a reminder to look out for #1 if things don't seem safe or right.
K. Now I'm really done.

All is going well at the dojo. I am a complete infant skill-wise but I am enjoying my pretending to 'do judo.'

I've been shown Osoto Gari, Ouchi Gari, Ippon Seoinage, Tai Otoshi, Uchi Mata and apologize here to my patient partners for my fumbling attempts as well as for being a poor uke for them.
Some of the most significant things I've learned in the last three weeks are not the details I've been shown re: the throws that I've practiced.

There have been two light bulb moments
These distinctions and lessons are important right now but I feel I will probably keep peeling the onion of their wisdom and they will serve me and continue to become more valuable as my training progresses.

1) grip fighting. breaking the grip. distinctions re: where to grip and how to grip more dominantly and securely.
I still am horrible at gripping and feel the throbbing of my aching fingers and knuckles as I type but at least now I am a CONSCIOUS incompetent (rather than an UNconscious incompetent!... there's not much worse than not knowing and not knowing that you don't know! )
BB & NK were most generous in pointing out some grip-secrets. Arigato!

2) being thrown once by sensei was more valuable than the hundreds of uchikomi repetitions I've done for that throw. I used to do judo when I was young and Osoto was the first throw I learned (you're surprised, I know) and it is the one I've been asked to practice the most in my new judo life. It was always just a scissor to me: take the heel out with my heel and give a little shove/give a little weight downward (you're shuddering, I know) and there you go---Osoto Gari.
Sensei demonstrated Osoto on me to another whitey one time...and reluctantly I might add. Osoto may be the most brilliantly simple, devastating biomechanical ballet ever conceived. Just one throw (99% of the subtleties of which were no doubt lost on my pea-judo-brain) and I have a 180degree new perspective on Osoto. From that one experience I will now forever be on a quest to replicate that perfection.

*******
Another "recap" of the last three weeks:
Twice we were told to "line up" after class rather than just stretch & disperse as usual. This seems to mean promotion time as both times some students were asked to come forward to be presented with a belt. It was inspiring and exciting to see.
Someone got hurt. I really felt for her. She's a hard worker and a really, really good judoka but is now out for a couple months at least. I hate seeing that, especially when it happens to someone that is working hard toward greatness. She'll be back.

*******
RANDOM:
I'm really bruised up after 4 days in a row so I took Saturday AM off. I did some weights, cardio & stretching and will do the same tomorrow.

I sent my sizing info/measurements to Christo @ Fushida early last week!

Thanks for all the great discussions throughout judoinfo & the forum.
I'm looking to get a spare gi (the rush to do laundry & the planning ahead due to drying times is another stress I don't need in life!).

Because of the rave reviews around here I'm talking to Christo @ Fushida.
I'll add to the product-review discussions once I've gotten a customer service experience of my own.
If it doesn't work out with Christo, I'll likely contact Vin for a Mizuno. Seems to be the brand of choice at school.

Thanks for the recommendations, y'all.

Not too much to report. Just going to blab a bit to stay current.

Was a little sore & under the weather so I haven't done more than 2 classes in a row for the last week or so. Even slowed down on the exercizing at home.
I think I'm back, though. I hate being betrayed by this body.
I overdid some rope-skipping and could barely walk for a day!

Here's some funness: I visited another dojo the other night. Since I knew I wasn't going to class "at home" I thought it would be interesting to sit on the sidelines as an observer elsewhere.
It was!

It was more along the lines of the judo I remember from being 10yrs old. They bowed in, bowed on & off the mat, warmed up together etc.
Much more formal & traditional than the school I'm attending.
Somehow, there was almost an aikido-dojo feel in the air. Not sure how to describe it. There was a politeness or a female energy permeating the night which was very welcoming. The training was all judo, though.

The weather's been oppressively brutal & it was another bloody scorcher so the class was only 6 people total: 3 adult BBs, a 20-something green & two whites. It was a nice mix and the senior sensei was kind enough to introduce herself & talk to me & offered to answer any questions I had.
It's such a beautiful art to watch and this school showed the entire spectrum: the highly skilled... some older (aka my age) & relaxed... enthusiastic youngsters (to me, that's anyone <30yrs old. ugh. did I just use the word 'youngsters'?)... first attempts at falling... some fancy, effective throws followed by a crisp break-fall... I really enjoyed watching everyone training with sincerity and heart. Made me want to join in!

Tonight I was back in class & was paired up with a younger (late 20s?)yellow who has 25 lbs on me but is prob 4" shorter. Boy, he was solid.
We were partners for most of the night and he was a good tori & uke; someone else could have been frustrated and reverted to using strength but he wasn't and didn't. He caught me cleanly a couple times during tachi-waza and it was great. I wrapped him up in a few knots when we were doing ne-waza but I think he was just tired or something. ...but I felt a little ego boost when sensei asked if I had been learning from [name deleted] after class because my posture looked ok & my progress was showing because I didn't look completely horrible against a guy bigger & 6months ahead of me during the tachi-waza.

Then I went against 2 BBs & a green who is a tree trunk.
So much for thinking my gi don't stink. :)

Just want to quote Coach Josh from Dec. 2008. (it was a response to someone asking about starting judo as a newcomer)

Before you start Judo do some research on your club. There are recreational Judo clubs and competitive clubs.

*Rec clubs tend to be more formal and not pursue competition events. They do kata and self defense stuff and have a lot of kids classes and gentleman Judo. Randori is not all that hard or long but you will learn the difference between ukegoshi and ogoshi. You will also know every technique in Japanese and the history of everyone.

*Competitive clubs are more like a high school wrestling team. Generally you show up touch your toes and get after it. Tons of uchikomis and conditioning drills and hours of randori and you will be asked to compete a lot. Instruction is geared towards getting good grips and good throws. Newaza is very situational mostly attacking the turtle. If your lucky there will be some BJJ guys around to make the newaza better. You will learn a few technique in Japanese but for the most part you will learn techniques like the omelet, the trash can, or the Joesoto.

Paragraph 1 describes the dojo of my youth & the 2nd describes my current dojo.

I've wanted to make a blog entry about how impressed I am with my new training hall and when I came across CoachJosh's words I said "that's my place he's talking about!"

I cannot describe the aura of excellence here. I think I'm a tough guy for going 4-5x/week and doing a few pushups outside of class. Wow, lookout Superman, this guy's dedicated!
I'm barely a dabbler compared to the folks I have the privilege of training with and I should be ashamed to even mention that "I train judo."
These people TRAIN JUDO. What I do is prance around in a gi and go home afterward.
I'm inspired by everyone's dedication to constant improvement. The two-a-days, consciousness of diet at all times, attention to detail and the bond of friendship among teammates are all amazing to me. I cannot believe I didn't start here 10 years ago.

I'm not in my comfort zone.
I'm being pushed.
I'm not the big dog.
I have no choice but to leave my ego at the door.
My cup is empty.
I am sore.
I am humbled.

I'm loving it.

Normal AM calisthenics etc

Did a 25 min ExercizeOnDemand routine billed as "explosive upper body"...oy vey.
It was not very demanding nor geared toward explosive strength as far as I could tell. At least I was moving for 25 min. It's better than watching Rock Of Love with a bag of Fudge Stripes in hand.
I added a plank and some push ups out of guilt and did some stretching.

I am noticing an improvement in my flexibility. My feet, butt, forearms, neck & hamstrings hurt but an improvement in something is encouraging.
As a kid, flexibility was a strong point.
Walked & biked (w/weighted backpack).

Went to the Saturday class and this one is a class not to miss if they're all like today's.

Much more hands-on with sensei & there were only 4 (adult) students: 2 BBs, a green who is fantastic and me.

Class was all ne-waza and I was put through the wringer! Anything I tried from the drills in the first half of class were stymied by these three. I'm pretty sure I heard them snickering & mumbling "yeah, right, new fish" but I could be wrong. :)
Learned a ton & look forward to next class.

This is my 6th class in 11 days I think. I am tight & tender pretty much everywhere but nothing too, too taxing. I'm hoping the minor aches and abrasions will be gone once my body has Adapted to the newly Imposed Demands.

Had a 30 min weight+conditioning session a few hours after class.

I hyper-extended my rt. elbow/strained my biceps and sprained my big toe last night.
...during warm-ups.
"Ahhhh, the ol' blindfolded leaping rolls over a pyramid of 10 students," you assume.
Not exactly.
Dodge ball.

Today I'm limping and have a dead arm.
From dodge ball.
Some latter day samurai.

Had a great class and hung out after to shoot the breeze a bit with the lads.

Def. feeling like 9 miles of bad road but feeling energized and well at the same time.

Why didn't you guys remind me about mat burn?
The tops of my feet look like pepperoni pizza for Pete's sake.
Thanks a lot. :)

Had a good class Monday. Sensei was back and sent me and another noob (this was his 2nd class I think) to a corner to do O-soto for about an hour. Felt like seven, though. We did that sankaku for the first half of the class. The two of us were like a clothes dryer full of elbows and knees. Pitiful.

Had a blast nonetheless & can't wait to get back Wed night!

Feeling a little tight in the legs and the feet really are a scabby, stinging mess.

I had already made a medicine ball out of a basketball, sand and duct tape (naturally!) and had filled a backpack with about 22lbs of sand (makeshift weight vest).

Have been wanting to construct a sandbag to incorporate some odd-object conditioning into my training. I bought a 50lb bag of playground sand and last Friday night I got to puttin'er together. Now that's a wild Friday night, right there.

The backpack is 25-30lbs and the sandbag is 50ish. The bathroom scale gives whacky readings so I'm not sure.
Hauling that sandbag up and tossing it around is a w-o-r-k-o-u-t. Dang.
It's awkward and takes some "manhandling intent" when grabbing it. ...which is the point.

Feels good to Do It Yourself. With the wife gone I was free to take over the living room and play with sand, baggies and duct tape (naturally!).
I had the soo-plies, motive and opportunity. Just had to get around to it.
Speaking of wifey-- she's home! It's good to have her back. I had the house totally clean, all laundry done, dishes done, weeds whacked, lawn edged and mowed, didn't break nuthin', paid all the bills, fixed the attic stairs & the ceiling fan in the bedroom, put up a fence and when the jackals and I met her at the airport guess who she kissed first?
Well we did finally get home and it was awesome to have her all to myself after > a week apart. Would 6 seconds be considered "aerobic" or "anaerobic"? Just curious.

Had a great AM with my normal wakeup-shakeup, 30min w/ ExczOnDemand, 15min bike ride w/dogs (backpack on as usual) and then back to the garage for 10 min w/ the sandbag.
re: that EOD channel: I've tried a bunch in the last few months and so far I would highly recommend Jillian Michaels and workouts by a guy named Steve Maresca.

Feeling a little worn out and a bit banged up but looking forward to starting a week with judo. Will have to think about managing time and workouts around 'judo nights.'

I got to participate for the entire 2 hours tonight and I am beat.

Everyone took it WAY easy on me and I am tired, my hands and fingers hurt, the backs of my knees are raw, elbows are raw and my feet are on fire.
Other than that I feel great. On one foot there's a blister that is bigger than the bottom of my foot. Is that even possible?

It was fantastic, though. There's a "winner's culture" or something in the air at this school. I'm still the FNG (oh, just Google it) and am not one of the gang but everyone was very patient and gentle.
I worked round robin w/two guys who outweigh me by at least 50lbs each. I did O-Soto for about 45 minutes and got tossed by the Green & Brown belt guys with whatever they wanted to practice. I fell pretty good! ...hope I still believe that when I get out of bed tomorrow.

Did ne-waza for ~45min with three diff guys. Some more than once, obviously. I got stalled, stammered and squashed! Awesome stuff. They were all cool about explaining how bad I was (I asked them to) and I loved seeing what I was doing wrong.
[SIDE NOTE]
I'm no expert BJJ dude but I have a decent year-ish of BJJ under my belt. No one I trained with tonight was a black belt. Maybe I'm way too green to be so bold as to have an opinion but re: all the threads around here & elsewhere re: "a BJJ blue can defeat a Judo black belt on the ground any day of the week"...it's bunk.
Maybe judo has caught up in recent years, maybe I just really suck or maybe this particular judo school wrecks the ne-waza curve... but even judo greens are pretty b.a. on the ground. These threads make it sound like judo men will wreck you while on their feet but get them on their back and it's fish out of water time. All I can say is-- not 'round here. In my limited experience, that is. I'd put these judo folks up against a BJJ-er and consider it a fair match. We can all be one big happy m.a. family, peeps. Even those XMA folks. :)


Not sure if I should go tomorrow with this nasty blister on my foot. I really should because 1) Wifey is away and 2) a lot of the school is away for a tournament in FL so the class size is small

Joined the judo club tonight & actually got on the mat.

It was AWESOME.

It's a very professional facility & spacious. The students are young and very high-level. I don't know if that is the norm or not.
I participated in the warm-up (which I am still not sure I didn't imagine). Maybe I'll get into that at a later time.
It wasn't the traditional lineup by rank and bow-in followed by a senior student leading the class in basic calisthenics & stretches that I expected.
Like I said, I've been out of the game since "Van Halen II" came out.

Sensei (as well as a young black belt) watched, adjusted and coached as I was set up with another white belt to do "sankaku." Please correct my spelling on that!
As the rest of the class progressed through different things to train we stayed w/sankaku. Then we set up a crash pad & did O-soto gari and seonagi. Not sure what seonagi it was.
The class then all paired up for randori for 4minute rounds. Sensei asked me to sit out and watch.
I was itching to do SOMETHING.

Glad to be doing something at all and real happy there's a great forum community here. I've been reading through all the topics & posts daily.

Domo.

Woke up feeling like 10lbs of ____ in a 5lb bag despite getting to bed before 11.
Did a half-assed morning warm up; just the loosening up stuff.
Don't know if I ate something bad, need more rest or if my mind is messed up but I am draggin' still. Booo. Hissss.

By get-home time I'm a lot better & dive in to the torture ch...dungeo....garage after a walk with the jackals. The little rabbit killers really miss their mama. They're being maniacs this week. A walk in the rain with pops was just what the doctor ordered.

Got about 30min+ of mostly conditioning work. Some db's & squats mixed in there as well.
Into the house for some less intense conditioning... I'd characterize it more like housefrau aerobics but I'd be giving housefraus a bad name. Anyway, it was cool-down stuff like jumping jacks & pretend kicks and all that Jane Fonda stuff. If only I had a headband and leg warmers.
Stretch a bit & fini.

Happy I am not still feeling sluggish. One good thing about last night, though-- I dug out my dojo gear & washed the rashguards & a couple gi trousers, made sure my bag had bandaids & tape & all that. That was actually exciting to do.

Garage tunage was fantastic:

Was up 'til almost 2am & was draggin' this morning.

Did the wake up shake up (ha! just made that up!) & after work did some tidying in the yard and some digging & replanting in wifey's garden.
Then went over to dad's to dismantle a deck. Can swinging a mini sledge and fighting with 2x6x16s count as a workout?
Crud. Didn't think so.
It kicked my butt, anyway. ...not that there was much of a butt to kick.

So home to the garage for a barely 20 min workout w/ medium weights & some conditioning stuff.
Everything is just screaming, "Let me lay down!" Tons of housework to catch up on, too.

So that's what's happening. Should be ko'd by 10pm if all goes well. blah

Oyasumi nasai!

Again had to be at church @ 8a so was up & out with the doggers at 0-dark-thirty doing a little walking.
Got home and did 30min with a show on FitTV. It was that jacked Israeli guy doing workouts on the beach in Hawaii, "Gilad."
It was a good mix of "aerobics" and strength. Girlieboy fell behind on the crunches. Boooo.

Also did the regular AM warm ups and loosening-ups.

Home from church & worked on putting up a fence that the wife's been wanting. She's away for a few days....when she's back I am getting major points for this. awwww yeah!
As with all projects, I was back & forth to the mom+pop down the street, Home Depot & Lowe's about 19x. Did some digging & hauling & the normal stuff that comes along w/yard work projects. Wish I could have counted it as a conditioning workout. Guess this falls under the old zen "chopping wood, carrying water" thing. Darn those guys.

Miraculously finished the fence & am actually happy with it!

Just did a 20 min body weight workout &added some stretching after to close out the night.
I'm pooped & my feet hurt. That's normal for a day I'm on my feet playing both services, though.

Excited that I'm signing up this week. Still undecided where, though. Well, that's probably not 100% true...

ISSUES:
Drank a lot of soda today. Got to get away from that.

0500 was at the park w/dogs & did my wake up loosening up stuff there along with some prisoner squats & some light sprinting.
Triceps work, push up variations & single leg presses on the bleachers.
Home for a 32min Jillian Michaels "shred" routine on 'Exercize On Demand.'
...truth be told, I did half the pushups off my knees (aka girl push ups) and stopped a couple of reps short on one of the lunge movements.
That is one tough broad. Sorry if that offends. I know some chicks don't like the term "broad."
Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Just messin'!


Long day auditioning musicians at church.

Finally got out again for a bike ride w/ the dogs.
Back in the garage & didn't get too involved tonight.
rev curls, mil press, calf raises, front squat, pull ups & knee tucks,
Tire: flips + sledge hammer swings
db triceps ext
jump rope

back inside for a 12min cardio "metabolism blast" or something or other on E.O.D. - turned out to be a really good one.
finished w/ ankle weights: hydrants, laying on side & did leg raises; both bottom & top legs to hit inside & outside of legs.

stretch

No tunes.

ISSUES:
feeling the knees a little. especially the bad one.
lower back is aching like a mutha but it comes and goes. trying to stretch it often and pop a few ibuprofen.

Boring reading but want to track my workouts...

Did the morning calisthenics before work (see prev post for list).

Home from the salt mines and took dogs for 15 min walk.
Back to the garage for a circuit of exercizes. Some are targeting (absolute) strength via high weight/low rep but most are in the medium weight/8-12 rep range...trying to increase stamina, muscle endurance. Getting the ol' hinges moving a bit by moving from movement to movement with little/no rest in between but for set up.

morning loosen up routine (roll neck, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles)
jump rope, burpees, mountain climbers (repeat mini circuit 3x)
one arm db swings -heavy
side bends w/db -heavy
dead lift heavy, shrugs, calf raises (repeat circuit 2x)
pull ups, suspended knee-tucks (2x through)
db bent over row -heavy
side bends w/db
single leg Romanian dead lift
db lunges
Romanian dead lift (both feet on ground this time)
db snatch
alt. db overhead press (some single leg and some normal ones)
bodyweight triceps ext
BAND WORK:
(I have spring hooks fastened to the wall at 8", 3' & 8' heights & attach one end of the elastic band to the hook.)
band around ankle; face 4 diff directions to work ham/butt, adductor, quad & that outside of the leg muscle
face pulls, lat work & rotational work with explosiveness

split jumps (guess that'd be plyo work)
hold two 45lb db for time
back to the loosening up stuff & some minor stretching

in the house to do a 10 min ab routine on 'exercize on demand'

ttl time 50minutes or so. def got sweating & out of breath.

Most important part: "Knock Yer Block Off" by Sloppy Seconds is the workout tunage of the day.



About to do 10 minutes of stretching as I get into the Gatti/Ward Trilogy marathon (I, II & III!!!) on HBO2.


oyasumi nasai

Up @ 5:15/5:20 and do some stuff to remind the joints they gotta stay lubed up.


Standing Calisthenics
neck roll
shoulder roll
waist/hip swivel
knee swivel
shake out ankles

endurance strength + muscle activation
10 judo push ups (I remember why I hated these as a kid)
25 or so 'regular' push ups
20+ body weight squats
plank (probably 30 seconds if I'm lucky)
bicycles (20 or so)
fire hydrants (butt exercize done on all fours)
bird-dogs (on all fours, stretch out right arm & left leg simultaneously, same w/ left arm+right leg)
buck-ups (lay on back and thrust hips upward)


If I have time (usually not) I take the dogs for a quick walk (10 min) before work.

Point of the blog...
I'm thinking of getting back on the mat.



"Kung-Fu" (which is what I thought David Carradine's Kwai Chang Cain's name was) and dad were my inspiration. Dad took judo and a little karate (same sensei) when I was little and mom& dad enrolled me in judo when I was 7 or 8.
It was a fantastic club. 1) it was free 2) the talent was (or would soon be recognized as) world class
Did some regional travelling, won medals and trophies and loved it.
I have no idea why I stopped after 2 years or so. I think guitars and girls had something to do with it. Come to think of it, they seemed to push everything else aside for the next 25 years but that's a whole nutha sordid tale in itself.

I trained in aikido (at another amazing dojo with a fantastic sensei & a wonderful family of akidoka) 10 years later. I did that for 3 years I believe. My shoulder rolls/ukemi was rusty but really not bad those first few months. Good ol' judo from my youth came through!

Recently, I've done some "brazheelian zhuzheetzu" (that's my Portuguese accent slipping through again). By "recently" I mean I took about 14 months worth in the last 4 years. Injuries, illnesses & plain ol' sucktastic life happenings kept interfering. I'd have a good 4 month run...take 2 months off. Back for 6 months, 6 months off. Anyway, I really, really enjoyed it & loved my school & teacher. A+ all the way.
That being said, I had the little judo fairy on one shoulder telling me to go check out a judo club about 40 minutes away.
Once my BJJ membership was up I checked the club out & liked it. Again, what a cool community we have in m.a. Sensei was a patient, interesting guy who really cared about his students.
I finally quit smoking a week prior & on the Tues. before Thanksgiving (about 3 weeks into my membership) a higher belt (well, they were ALL higher than me...way higher) weighing about 60lbs more than me & I were doing some "randori." It wasn't 100% or even 80%. He was very good but I overestimated my ukemi & tried to stall/counter a throw but he powered me over. My foot zigged as my pelvis zagged and the recipient of that incongruity was what was in between the two: my MCL.
Boy did I want a nice Marlboro. ahhhhhhh
I stayed strong through the entire rehab/being laid up process, though, and never lit up. Unbelievably.

In the last 2 years I've visited a few dojos ("dojo" ?) and tried those "trial week" things but haven't plunked down for any long term commitments. I'm gunshy about whacking my old, rusty, dry, creaky, I-think-it's-a-gonna-rain-this-afternoon knee.
I want to do it right: church, some really ill family members, dogs, house, wife, bills & job are all time-sucks. Some very rewarding time-sucks...but let's be honest. Training 1x/week or a whopping 6x/month if things are quiet in my life is practically useless and it sure isn't going to get me the training I'd want for the money I'd spend. The moola is a hy-uge consideration.

So, I scrounged a little money together and got the ok from the boss to indulge myself in something I really enjoy. God bless that woman!
I'm more than a tire-kicker...I'm a bon-i-fide prospect!

One of my fellow students from way back owns a school nearby (30 minutes drive or so) and I stopped in last week. Top notch, boyeee. Top notch.

The choices are:

• go to the strictly judo school (which is World Class)?
• back to my BJJ school (high quality, no break falls for the old bones, similar price as the 1st choice)?
• back to the place where I messed up my knee (they do a little BJJ + judo and don't cost very much at all...quality is "decent")?

I've been trying to do a press up or two before bed and see if I can bang out a set of sit ups so as not to be a total 'old guy' once I'm back and it's been going ok. The only way to get my mat legs (and lungs!) back is to GOTDM (that's 'Get On The Darn Mat' for the government school kids out there) but I'd like to get a start on the physical conditioning.

That being said... I'm stoked (told ya I was old) about getting back to it. The plan is to sign up for a 3 month membership starting in August.
I'll start posting what little things I'm doing to get my wind back.



p.s. at this point I'm not comfortable naming names ie: the schools I've attended or am thinking or attending

Glad I found the JudoForum!

I think I'm looking to put thoughts into words and to have a tool to help me stay on track.
(the old 'What Get's Measured Gets Done' goal setting mantra thing)
I'll record my take on training, my discipline, class instruction and any workout logs I can muster.
If all turns out as planned it'll end up as a nice way to look back and laugh at what a dimwit I was.
Any comments, thoughts, criticisms, suggestions would be welcomed!

The T.O.T.T. (that's tale-of-the-tape for you publicly-schooled folks...like I was):

• I'm 40, male
• Scrawny: 6' & never broke 170lbs. I seem to fluxuate between 155ish & 165ish (when I can be arsed to even pay attention).
• I have Lupus... so far it's only affected me superficially (can't go into the sun, cuts/dings/bruises/abrasions seem to heal slowwwwly, hair falling out sporadically & nails are brittle & deformed). "Systemic" Lupus attacks the joints (fantastic for a martial artist, I hear) and organs, drains one of energy... all sorts of happyshiney stuff...but I have not developed that aspect of Lupus. Thankfully.
• I broke a knee 4 years ago (a gravity/ladder/roof/cement experiment) & then tore the MCL on the same knee 2 years ago.
• I smoked from '99-'07.
• Married-very happily thankyouverymuch- for 2 years.
• Active in church.

...and with that, #1's in the books.