Back injury

As you all may have guessed by now, from previous posts, I am no longer the spring chicken that I used to be.  With a variety of injuries coming in various forms, and taking longer to recover each time, it's become a serious hamper to my aspirations of achieving my Dan grade.

This time, luckily, it wasn't Judo related so I could get away with it at work and with the wife.

I made the judgemental error of bending over in the garden to pick something up off the floor, and 'bang' my legs went from underneath me.

It subsequently transpired that I had bulged a disc in my lower back which in turn had pressed against the nerves etc.

This left me in a state of pain, I can honestly say I haven't experienced before.  After a week of laying in bed unable to move, on a diet of morphine and diazepam, I finally managed to get taken to the Chiropractors, who after several (expensive) visits, have got me moving again.

I don't envisage much Judo over the next couple of weeks, as I still have to be careful about picking things up or turning awkwardly.  Hopefully I can return to light training soon.

When I did manage to visit the club last Wednesday, there was a 'Get Well Soon' card waiting for me signed by several members.

I was extremely pleased to receive this, at a time when I was starting to feel quite down about the whole affair, it managed to lift my spirits.

I would therefore like to take the opportunity to thank both the club and all of the members who took time to write in the card, it was very much appreciated. 

Hopefully I will be back on the mat soon.

Georges Black belt

A big congratulations to George who has succeeded in attaining his Dan grade.

I'm sure that everyone in the club, is extremely pleased for George, who has worked very hard for it.

Great to see all of the hard work paying off for him.

Winton Carnival

Just a short post to say that Winton Carnival was another great day for the club with a lot of support from the youngsters.

A big thanks to all who attended, and helped support and promote the club in this way.

I will get some photos up, I promise!

Winton Carnival

It's that time again.  Winton Carnival in which Nokemono will be appearing again this year.

I will keep you posted as to how it goes, and hopefully I will have some photos of both the carnival and the demonstrations we will be giving.

Lets hope for nice weather, and I look forward to seeing you there.

p.s.  It is 29th June starting at 10.15 at Sainsburys in Winton.  Please attend and help support the club.

Hi again

Hello again,

Sorry for taking so long between posts, but it has been a hectic year.  Work has gone mental and I have had a few family issues to deal with so I can only apologise for my absence.

Personal judo wise, I have attained my Brown belt and really should be competing for my Dan grade.  Got to say however that not only am I a little nervous of this, but I am a little worried about my fitness levels.

Because I have been so busy my attendance at class hasn't been brilliant.  When I can train again at least twice a week, I will start attending gradings and I will let you know how it goes.

On a very positive note, I would like to congratulate Nokemono Judokwai and all of those volunteers who have given up time and energy in the running of the club.  The reason for this congratulation, is that the club has just been awarded 'The Queens Award for Volunteers'.  In effect an MBE for the club.  Great news for all and nice to be recognised in such a way.

A big thanks to Emma for nominating the club in the first place.

If you want any further information on this please visit http://www.nokemono-judo.co.uk

Hopefully it wont be so long this time, until the next post. 

Speak soon

Referee practical exam

Follwoing my earlier attendance at the BJA referees course, I had to complete a 'practical' exam.

My practical was refereeing at the Hampshire Closed on the 16th March.  It's a bit of a 'baptism of fire' as you are literally, dropped in the deep end and referee in a live competition.

The juniors seem fine, even when you make an odd mistake its ok!  The seniors are a different ball game, especailly the ones who are 'professional' competitors.  The ones that have to win by any cost, or have to slightly bend the rules as often as possible in order to gain an edge.

With the support of several of the existing referee's I passed my practical, and I owe them thanks for helping me out during the day.

What I can definately say, is next time you compete, spare a couple of thoughts for the ref.  Firstly he is human, and will make mistakes.  Secondly he is probably a judoka himself and knows what he is talking about, and finally, not only are the competitors putting him under pressure, but also the pushy parents and loud coaches from the side. (you know who you are!)

Everyone has their opinion of the decisions made, but at the end of the day it is down to the referee.

Nokemono Rumble

The 2nd Nokemono rumble was held on the 17th March, and another good day was had by all.

Congratulations to all of those that competed, regardless of results.  It was nice to see so many people attending, and especially nice to see so many of the juniors compete.

The idea of these competitions is to get the club ready to hold, larger, regional style competitions, but at the moment, with it being just the Judoka from the club, it is a great opportunity, to gain an understanding of competition judo, and how they are conducted.

Unfortunately due to the juniors competing, I cannot post any photos here, but if you wish to see any, then please browse to the Nokemono website/facebook page, where I'm sure several photos will be posted.

Once again, a big thanks to all of the competitors, and a big thanks to everyone who helped in order for the day to happen.

1st Kyu

Finally, I have achieved my 1st Kyu.  A moment of great satisfaction.  Now all I have to do is fight sufficiently well, to justify it in my head.

A big thanks to my sensei and all of the other teachers down the club for getting me this far, despite the various injuries along the way.

Got to try and get better now, as I want to go for Dan grade points soon, so it looks like I had better up my Judo standard.

Obviously as I go for points sessions, I will let you know how it progresses, although I've got a funny feeling, that it will not simply consist of completing my line up!

Two fights, maybe, three in a row, but five.  We will have to see.

BJA Referee course

I attended the BJA referees' course on the 2nd March at AWE Judo club, Aldermaston.

Along with two other seniors and several juniors, the course was run for all levels of referee.  It was a good day and I thoroughly recommend doing the course, to anyone who competes or is interested in Judo competition. 

Even if you do not wish to become a 'long term' referee it is excellent for explaining the rules, that everyone should know. 

The course was taught by an International level referee, and contained something for everyone, at the end of the day a theory test was given, which consisted of multiple choice questions and answers.  Different questions were for different referees', as a senior, mine were intended for the BJA Area referee award, but juniors completed various levels of junior referee.

I can honestly say, that for £7 I recommend this course for all, and it gives you another aspect to your Judo.

Christmas recognition

For those of you who couldn't make it to the belated Christmas party, the awards given out were as follows:

Certificate of Thanks

Samantha Scott

Graham Savill

 

Certificate of nokémono knockout

Wayne Nennstiel

Stuart Milburn

Rhiannon Lawrence

 

Certificate for the best newcomer

Edlina

Finn Johnson

Mike Clayton

 

Certificate for most Improvement

Brad Way

Mark Collins

Chloe Hughes

Courtney Way

 

Certificate for Most supportive parent

Pam Hewitt

 

Certificate for most Improvement

Sam Metcher

Grid 7 Certificates

Molly Butler Grid three

Jack Butler Grid three

Jacob Appleton Grid three

 

Wayne Nennstiel Grid five

Thanks again to all who attended!

IJF new rules

Here is a summary of the new rules introduced by the IJF which are being trialled at international competition for the next four years. These rules will not filter down to 'lesser' competitions until they are approved after trial, but it is worth noting them as they will effect you in the future.

The most worrying ones for me are the total ban on a gripping/blocking below the waist with hands, effectively removing several throws, and the inability to break the opponents grip with two hands.  This also applies to the bear hug notation, does this mean that ura-nage will be banned?

It is difficult to see why these rules are necessary, although I'm sure those people in power would give justification, but why are we narrowing the sport down even more, by continually removing throws and techniques. Surely we should always be looking forward and expanding our knowledge and range of techniques.

My personal favourite is the one which states Judoka should not shake hands before the contest.  What is that about!  Theres nothing like promoting the spirit of Judo........

1. No time limit on Golden score (aka overtime period). A match does not end until one of the contestants scores or gets a shido (penalty).
2. Old school ippon: Give the ippon score only to throws that result in “real impact”. Meaning, bring back the old school ippon.
3. No running from the pin or submission: Once the pin or “effective” submission starts inbounds and both contestant go out of bounds, the pin and submission attempt is allowed to continue!
4. Shidos don’t lead to points: It’s still 4 shidos for disqualification, but now getting 1, 2, or 3 shidos does not give your opponent points. Shidos are used only as tie breakers.
5. Shorter pin: Pin duration reduced from 25 seconds down to 20 seconds. (10 seconds for yuko, 15 seconds for waza-ari).
6. Penalized with Shido:
   -Breaking the grip with 2 hands.
   -Cross gripping should be followed by an immediate attack. Same rule as for the belt gripping and one
   side gripping.
   The referees should strictly penalize the contestants who do not engage in a quick Kumikata grip or who
   try not to be gripped by the opponent.
   -To hug the opponent for a throw. (Bear hug).
7. Penalized with Hansoku-make:
   All attacks or blocking with one or two hands or with one or two arms below the belt in Tachi-waza.
8. The bow:
   When entering the tatami area, fighters should walk to the entrance of the contest area at the same time
   and bow to each other into the contest area.
   The contestants must not shake hands BEFORE the start of the contest.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
    

referee course

There is a referee's course coming up, the details of which I have pasted below from the BJA website.  I will be attending regardless, but if anybody wishes to attend, then I will be more than happy to give them a lift.

I will be advertising this around the club as well, as it would be beneficial for the club to have more referees.  Let me know if you are interested.

Hampshire Junior and Senior Referee Course

From: Saturday, 2 March, 2013 - 09:00 am

To: Saturday, 2 March, 2013 - 05:00 pm

Event Location: AWE Judo Club, Recreational Society, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4PR

Tags: Course, Refereeing, Technical,

Contact: Andy Tremlett, 07779988353 Mobile, 01256 817370 Evenings
This course is suitable for applicants wanting to gain Junior Level 1 and 2 awards and Seniors wanting to gain Area award.

Participants will need to bring with them their licence, judogi and a packed lunch.

Course Cost: £7.00
Fee payable to: Hampshire Judo
Bookings should be sent to:
8 Inglewood Drive, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke, RG22 4QZ
Closing Date: 25 February 2013

Christmas Party

Well, after several postponements, the Nokemono belated Christmas party was finally held at the weekend.

There was generally a good turn out, by both the kids and their parents.  Well done to both of those groups and let me take this opportunity, to say a big thank you for your attendance and support.

As a side note, and to any of those adult Judoka who read this, it would be nice to see some more of you at the social events.  The club is more  than Judo instruction, it has a really vibrant and welcoming social side, so please get involved and you will get a lot more out of your time with the club.

The morning was filled with some very nice home made cakes, teas etc, games for the younger ones and a presentation award for yearly certificates and Grid 7 sections.

Well done to all of you who achieved and had your efforts rewarded.  I will try and get the full list from Pete and post them on the blog.

On a personal note, I was most pleased to receive the Nokemono Knock-out award, for most injuries at the club last year.  It is an achievement I will try not to repeat next year!

Sods law

Welcome back to reality, finally an end to Christmas.

The club started back on Saturday 5th January for anyone who is still unsure, but I recommend looking at the Nokemono website to check current sessions and the like, due to the sports hall refurbishment.

Great session on Saturday.....  off I went down to the hall feeling full of new year high expectations and enthusiasm. 

And..................... yep, you guessed it.  Injured again.  I don't care whether you are in to fatalism or existentialism, but sometimes it just feels like sods law.  Just as I was feeling optimistic and that I might get somewhere this year, I have broken 4 separate bones in my foot, due to a collision with Lisa's shin.

If Lisa reads this, I'm very sorry about the sweep, and your shin, but if it's any conciliation, I think my foot has come off worse.

6 Weeks off now which is a shame as I was hoping to grade soon and start my attempts at becoming a Dan grade but it will have to wait.

As a side note the class was good and it was nice to see so many Judoka turn up for the first session of the year.

For those of you who attend Nokemono, can I take the opportunity to advertise here, Pete's personal tuition.  If you feel that personal tuition with Pete can take your Judo one step further then he is offering a 4 week course.  There is a cost for this, but if you are interested, please put your name down at the club, and all enquiries will be dealt with.

December update

Hello all.

Just a short update.

What with the sports centre, rather unhelpfully refurbishing our dojo location, we have unfortunately had to cancel several December sessions and Wednesday sessions are now in the main hall.

It's not perfect but it's the best that could be arranged.  If you don't already know, all cancelled sessions are listed on the Nokemono main website.

Due to the fact that the sessions on Wednesday are in the main hall, we have had to combine the juniors and adults classes in to one session on one mat.  I know that several of the adults have been unimpressed by the fact that so many people are on one mat and that there isn't really the room for randori or groundwork.

Personally I prefer to think of it as a time for learning.  Christmas is in the air and whilst there are so many children on the mat willing to learn, it's a great opportunity for the adults to demonstrate what they have learnt and pass on some knowledge to the youngsters.  This also includes the new adult members which is nice to see attending.

I had a brief chat with one of the instructors during the class the other day about splitting lower grade members with high grade or Dan grade members for each session (a sort of mentoring scheme I suppose) and he was informing me that some Dan grades are not overly keen on training lower grades and that when they come to sessions they may wish to train themselves against other Dan grades.

That's all good, and I fully understand the reasons, but to those Dan grades out there who may be reading this, some one at some stage has taken the time to pass on their knowledge, skills, tricks and tips to you.  You wouldn't be a Dan grade without that support from someone else, surely there can be no greater satisfaction and recognition of your grade, than being asked by lower grades for instruction and you being able to pass on that knowledge.

It's a very individual thing, teaching, but whilst the class is combined, we could all chip in and raise the standard of the whole club, rather than keeping our tips to ourselves so we don't get thrown in Randori sessions.

It is the season for giving, so lets all help out.  To those of you who have turned out early in order to put the mats out, can I personally say on behalf of the committee, club and members, many thanks.

Finally, just in case I don't get round to posting again before Christmas, I wish you all well, and hope you have a great Christmas,  enjoy yourselves and take care.

TOCS course

Today I attended a TOCS course ran by the BJA but requested by Nokemono Judokwai for the Judoka.

What a great course.  Easy to learn, and some very good simple instruction from the BJA representatives.

Terri and Steve (the BJA instructors) talked us through it and made it fun for the kids which attended.  Generally it was meant to be for younger members between 10 and 24 but we had a mixed bag there, from 5 up to about 40, which just goes to show the commitment to learning the club has engendered in it's students.

The idea of the course was to get as many people qualified to time keep at competitions so we have a larger knowledge base at the club and we will find it easier to run our own competitions next year without hiring people in.

It all went very well and on behalf of Nokemono I would say thanks to Terri and Steve and also a big thanks to all of the Judoka and parents who were there in support of Nokemono.

The next step is to get more people at the club trained as referees and we will be well on the way to leading Dorset back on to the Judo map through competitions and the like. 

November

Hi all.

Sorry for the lack of recent posts.  I haven't purposefully ignored the blog, it's just that I have been absolutely snowed under at work meaning long days and working weekends, which in turn means I haven't been able to make the Judo classes.

Don't worry, I will be back to it soon.  Hopefully just another week of madness.

In the mean time I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to all of those people that supported Nokemono Judokwai with the Kicksport competition.

For those of you that followed it, we received a massive 600 plus votes which I thought was excellent.  Obviously it would be nice if all 600 people would turn up for a randori session as it would make a cracking night.

I won't comment on the winners (it wasn't us),  regardless of the number of votes.  I will leave that all up to you to decide.

Once again, a massive thanks to all of you, and as you can see from the photo, we are all winners regardless.

Kicksport Competition Photo

Hello all.

I have copied in a link see below:

http://www.kicksport.com/shop/photo-comp-voting.php?disc=jdo

 

This link takes you to Kicksport Website, they are a company which stock martial arts equipment and as part of a competition I have entered a photo from my Judo club.  If enough people vote for the photo then the club will  win £300 of martial arts equipment for kids.

In light of this can you all please vote if you have a FACEBOOK ACCOUNT.  You need a facebook account to press the like button on the photo.  Or alternatively, if you are on Twitter you can also Tweet about the photo.

Could you please paste this link on your own facebook profiles and let everyone know, that you know, to vote for this picture.

The picture is for NOKEMONO JUDO just in case you  wondered which photo!!! Although you might be able to see me in it at the back, if you know me.

Thanks everyone.

Saturday 3rd November

A short class update.

Saturady 3rd Novembers class turned out to be a randori session.  Excellent class again, no air conditioning though which made randori, that little bit harder.

It's always good to have randori sessions, just to try and get in to the swing of it.

More reports to come as hopefully I will be there this Saturday coming.

Back again

Back again.

Sorry it's been so long since my last post but work has gone mental and unfortunately that means missing Judo classes.  Still, I managed to atten last night, where Graham led us through a series of defence moves against guns and knives.

A good class all in all, and it's nice to see some practical applications, and a side of judo that isn't always taught due to the preference of 'competition' judo.

I put in an extra order for lessons on striking technique and some Kata.  Hopefully that will come about and I will let you know more when we do them.

As a side issue, watch out when playing with rubber knives as they are heavier and sharper than you first think.