Welcome mat - July

[Mtripp]

WELCOME MAT ONLINE NEWSLETTER
July, 2009
By Steve Scott

This issue's quote; "It's not what you can do before you're tired, it's what you can do after." Chris Clugston

AAU GRAND NATIONALS JULY 17-18, KEARNEY MISSOURI (NEAR KANSAS CITY)
The AAU Judo Grand Nationals are July 17-18 in Keanrey, Missouri. Call Kenney Brink at (9816) 969-9019 or e-mail him at kbrink8952@aol.com . You can also download the pdf entry form from his website at www.BrinksWelcomeMatJudo.com . If your entry form is postmarked by July 6, you save $20.00 on the entry fee. Entry deadline is July 13. there is competition in the regular AAU rules as well as in the Technique Tournament. Look at the entry form for complete information.

USJA COACHING CLINIC FEATURING DR. ANNMARIA DEMARS
USJA President and 1984 World Judo Champion AnnMaria DeMars will be the featured coach at a USJA Coaching Clinic, Sunday, July 19 in Kearney, Missouri. The time is 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cost is $40.00 per person. Held at the Kearney High School wrestling room the day after the AAU Judo Grand Nationals, this clinic is for anyone who wants to know more about effective coaching and teaching. All coaches and athletes are welcome (and I encourage all of Welcome Mat's jujitsu and judo athletes and coaches to attend). Bring your gi, some water and pen and paper for notes. I'll have copies of the book COACHING ON THE MAT at the clinic for sale (special price of $10.00 each).


AAU JUDO NATIONALS AUG. 16, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
The AAU Judo Nationals will be August, 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and hosted by Norm Miller. This is different than the AAU Judo Grand Nationals and the AAU Freestyle Judo Nationals. As AAU Judo matures, more national events are being offered on the very real theory that the more tournaments, the more opportunity for athletes and coaches to excel. Call Norm at (414) 354-1898 for information. If you want more informatino on AAU Judo, you can go to www.aaujudo.org.


DDD Summer Judo Tournament, Kansas City, Missouri-Aug. 15, 2009. It's the same weekend as the AAU Nationals, but if you're not planning on going to Milwaukee, you can go to this AAU judo meet hosted by Chris and Michelle Heitmann. For information, contact Chris at sensichris@aol.com.


A PLUG FOR A GREAT DVD
Absolutely the best DVD I have seen on groundfighting is the one John Saylor put out last year called HOW TO CREATE CHAMPIONS OR BECOME ONE YOURSELF. The stuff John has in this DVD applies to jujitsu, submission grappling, judo, sambo or street fighting...pick your fight. An informative booklet comes along with the DVD. The reason I bring it up now is because I've been watching it again lately and marvel at the common sense, serious, functional and practical coaching John offers on this DVD. I'm not sure what it costs, but knowing John, it is priced too low. Call John Saylor at (419) 938-6089 or go to his website at www.JohnSaylor-SJA.com to get a copy.


MARTIAL CONVERSATIONS WEBSITE
Mike Darter got me interested in a great website at www.martialconversations.com. There are a number of groups listed and one specifically for Freestyle Judo. If you're interested in expanding your knowledge and reading some interesting points of view (and adding your own), this is a good place to do it.


ANNMARIA DEMARS' BLOG
If you want to read a lively, interesting and intelligent blog about judo, go to Annmaria DeMars' blog at http://drannmaria.blogspot.com/ on a regular basis. AnnMaria's been friends with Becky and me since the early 1970s. One of the smartest people in judo, her blog is well-written and definitely worth your time.


ADVICE FROM MY OLD COACH
Years ago, back in the 60s, Ken Regennitter told me "There's very little difference between good jujitsu and good judo." Ken taught Kodenkan (Danzan-ryu) Jujitsu as well as judo in his dojo, and there was a fine, blurred line separating jujitsu and judo on his mat. He worked us hard in that small dojo-on all phases of jujitsu, judo and what later came to be known as submission grappling. In the days before it was considered "cool" to roll around "no gi" we did it. It made it easier to control an opponent who was wearing a gi. And, all these years that I've been coaching, I've taken his advice to heart (and added sambo in the mix). What Ken implied was that function dictates form and we shouldn't limit ourselves to labelling what we do. Sure, there are specific differences in the various martial arts, and not everyone has the same approach to jujitsu that I do (or Ken had). In 1984, when John Saylor started his Shingitai Association, he had the same philosophy. Call it jujitsu, call it judo, call it submission grappling...anything you want; if it works, it works. John's 3-phase philosophy was identical to the philosophy we had (and still have) at Welcome Mat. Shin (fighting heart, the mental/emotional/strategic aspect), Gi (applied technical skill, functional skill), and Tai (the physical aspect; fitness, conditioning, intelligently and scientifically physically preparing yourself) are three common sense aspects that comprise effective martial arts training.
As time goes on, we are seeing Ken's words becoming more relevant.


Q AND A
Question: "I can run for long distances but really get winded when I roll on the mat. Why does this happen?"
Answer: It's a very real fact that aerobic fitness for fighting or grappling is different than for any non-agressive activity. One reason is the "fight or flight" reaction the body has in real or simulated combat. The fact that another human being is trying to slam you hard to the mat, crank your arm or leg, or try to choke you or pin you...and you're doing the same thing to him...places a lot of stress on the body. The psychological aspect of fighting places additional stress on the body along with the physical stress, so it's a good idea to not only perform cardio training off the mat, but to "fight yourself into shape" as well. Interval training performing a variety of drills on the mat, as well as in randori (going live or free practice) is recommended. I would also refer you to John Saylor's great book STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SECRETS OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST FIGHTERS, available from John at (919) 938-6089. This book has a lot of information on effective fitness training for any fighting sport, martial art or for self-defense. Think of yourself as an engine. You can be the biggest, fastest, most powerful engine around, but if you don't have gas in the tank, you're not going anywhere.


TAP OUT TEXTBOOK
If you want a "go to" book on armlocks, chokes/strangles and leglocks, this is it. The book is 8 1/2 by 11 inches in size, 480 pages and over 1,900 photos showing aobut 430 different ways to armlock, choke or leglock someone else. Turtle press has priced it at $29.95, and it's one of the best bargains on the market. Go to www.TurtlePress.com or to Amazon Books.com to order yours.


CONTEST RULES AND WHY THEY AFFECT HOW WE DO JUDO
Whether we like it or not, the contest rules of judo (or any activity) directly affect how we study it, practice it and teach it, even if you're not involved in judo as a competitive sport. While it's true that good judo is good judo and the technical foundation of it really doesn't change all that much. It's also true that athletes/coaches won't work on a move if it doesn't benefit them in a comepetitive situation. If the rules don't allow something, there's no need to train on it. If the rules allow for something, then work on it so you can use it to win. Whether we like it or not, if something's not useful, we human beings tend not to do it. Art and aesthetics aside, if something's not functional, then we tend not to use it. When it comes to the contest rules of any given activity, this is definitely the case. If the rules of judo don't allow much time for groundfighting, guess what; people tend to do less groundfighting...and newaza suffers. If any phase of judo's technical base suffers, then the whole activity suffers. While the technical foundation of judo may not change, what will change is that people will stop doing a particular technique or range of techniques if they don't see the benefit of doing it. An example of this is that no serious sport judo coach has his team work on Kani Basami (Crab Scissors Throw) anymore. The reason for this is it's illegal in the contest rules (and for good reason; it's a throw that can break legs-and has...I've seen it happen). A major reason we developed the rules for freestyle judo the way it's been done is to allow judo athletes to use as many different aspects of judo (technically and tactically) as possible in a contest setting. Right now, it's simply a fact that judo athletes/coaches work less on groundfighting than they did in the past. This is directly because the current rules of judo that emphasize standing techniques. It's only human nature that you work on the skills that will benefit you in any given athletic event. In the short-term, this affects only contest judo, but in the long-term, it affects judo as a whole.
Since I first stepped onto a mat in 1965, judo has seen several major rule changes (and a lot of minor ones). A good technique is a good technique, no matter what the contest rules of any given sport are (in this case, judo). However, as I said before, the rules of contest judo very much influence how people practice judo. If little credit is given to groundfighting, people tend to practice less groundfighting. If referees award an Ippon for a soft throw, then people will tend to practice that way and not throw with the control and force as done previously. In this way, contest rules can inhibit growth; and in my opinion, the current rules of IJF judo do just that.

STUFF YOU'LL SEE ON MARTIAL CONVERSATIONS
Below is my rambling reply I sent on the Freestyle Judo group on www.martialconversations.com. It's more on freestyle judo and if you're not bored of reading about this subject, you might like it. Please forgive all the typos.

Neil,
I appreciate you buying some of my books. The book THROWS AND TAKEDOWNS has been well-received by the judo community. Specifically, I always looked at judo apart from the rules of contest judo. As any activity, one can perform the functional skills of an activity under different sets of rules. Wrestling is the most obvious example. Freestyle and Greco-Roman rules in the international level offer different opportunities for wrestlers at that level. The rules of high school and college wrestling differ from the international rules, but are popular in the United States. Basically, good wrestling is good wrestling, no matter what the rule set is. I used to work in public recreation and years ago, a group promoted youth tennis using a different scoring system from the traditional one used in tennis. It was based on points and the emphasis of the program was to teach good technical skills in tennis for kids. A great idea that caught on. As I recall, this was sponsored by the national governing body for tennis and it helped recruit new people into the sport of tennis that might never have played it before. The program also had an adult division. My point is that we, in judo, should present judo to the public in a variety of ways to make it more popular and educate the public to the benefits of participation in judo. Saying this, I realize that judo has sramatically changed in the last 40 years. A judo contest today is different than in the 1960s. However, what hasn't changed is the fundamental technical base of judo. One of judo's strong points is its resiliency. It has adapted to many different influences since it became a truly international sport/activity (especially since the arly 1960s). What I've observed, however, in the last 4 to 8 years is a decrease in functional (and skillful) newaza as well as what may be a "predictable" approach to tachi waza. Saying this, It's clear that the rules of the sport definitely affect how the sport is "played" and how athletes and coaches prepare to win under the established rules. With freestyle judo rules, we're making an attempt to allow judo athletes to use a wider range of technical skills, both on the mat and in standing judo. Freestyle judo's use of points is one aspect of this approach. The major consideration in what we're trying to accomplish is to offer a format where athletes can fully do judo. Another major aspect of freestyle judo's rules is to offer a contest format that is as objective as possible. The less subjective the rules, the fewer "interpretations" are made by individual referees/judges. Simply, a set of rules that is more objective in awarding scores and penalties, the fairer it is for everyone (and safer).
Thanks for your input Neil. I enjoy discussing this subject (obvious from my ramblings here). If you want to get my monthly online newsletter (it's free), e-mail me at stevescottjudo@yahoo.com and I'll put you on the mailing list.
Steve Scott


GRANT FOR WOMEN'S JUDO DEVELOPMENT
This was recently received and I'm passing along to you.

Dear Steve Scott,

The Women’s Sports Foundation and Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi are proud to announce the newly established Rusty Kanokogi Fund for the Advancement of U.S. Women’s Judo Grant. Judoka in need of financial assistance for items such as travel, uniforms and specialized coaching may request up to $5,000. All applications for this grant must be sent in to the Women’s Sports Foundation office on or before September 30, 2009. The winners of the grants will be selected and awarded in November 2009.

We recognize that you have a great program and training center for women and men alike that teaches them the fundamentals of judo, and aims to make them better judo competitors. Because of this, we are asking for your help in promoting this valuable and exciting opportunity. Here’s what we are asking you to do: Place a brief grant description on your Web site, in your schedule/events calendar or in your e-newsletter, and link it to the guidelines and application for the Rusty Kanokogi Fund for the Advancement of U.S. Women’s Judo Grant.

Also, discussing this grant with any and all female judo competitors that you know would help spread the word immensely. We want to make this as easy as possible, so feel free to use the grant description provided (see below electronic signature).

Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated, and we would like to thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth L. Flores
Program Officer

Women's Sports Foundation
Eisenhower Park
1899 Hempstead Turnpike, Suite 400
East Meadow, NY 11554
t 516.542.4700, ext. 115

[datdamnmachine]

Question, after reading this article, I'm interested in the books available. Specifically, the "Throws and Takedowns" and "Drills for Grapplers" books. I was wondering Mr. Tripp if I could get your view of those books.

[Mtripp]

Question, after reading this article, I'm interested in the books available. Specifically, the "Throws and Takedowns" and "Drills for Grapplers" books. I was wondering Mr. Tripp if I could get your view of those books.

ANYTHING from Steve Scott should be in your collection. They are outstanding!

[datdamnmachine]

ANYTHING from Steve Scott should be in your collection. They are outstanding!

Well, I guess it's time to checkout from my BudoVideos cart...unless you know where it's being sold for cheaper...:)

[Mtripp]

Amazon usually...

[datdamnmachine]

Amazon usually...

Ordered. Last time I had looked, I could only find the Kindle version. Not trying to get pwned by DRM (nor do I even have a Kindle). Did an author search and found the paperbacks.