With our largest team outside of a national event thirteen of us travelled to neighbouring Oxfordshire to the small town of Didcot with a big power station filling the skyline. This was a very busy competition with everything from a red belt 'rumble' through to Dan grades. All run on only two mats it was a tiring day for the organisers, referees and officials but it was all done and finished before 6pm.
We came away with five Gold, five Silver and three Bronze - once again marking this club out as a successful competition club in a challenging championship.
Below are videos of some of the contests, both wins and loses. They are worth studying to see what works well and what does not. Particular attention to the times we lost and the lessons that can be learned from them will pay dividends in the long run.
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Video
Alex
Alex does rather tower above this opponent. But these contests are all grouped by weight and as we can see very quickly Alex is thrown with a O Soto Gari for Wazari. Alex tries to take control on the ground but his opponent who clearly knows what he is doing quickly is on top.
Upon restarting, Alex is forewarned and is able to better defend himself. He quickly throws the opponent for O Soto Gari and also gains a Wazari. He manages to gain a hold but after just a few seconds the opponent manages to escape. Alex tries a variety of techniques including an ill advised forward throw (because of the height difference Alex can not practically get below his opponent) and another attempt at O Soto Gari fails. A further attempt gains a Yuko and straight after this another attempt get Alex the second Wazari with which he wins the contest.
Alex
Alex
Having gained the confidence from his first contest he does not waste time now. He attacks straight away with a good O Soto Gari throwing his opponent for Ippon.
Alex
Alex
We start this contest just after it starts and see Alex and his opponent both attempt a throw which is just out of area (and off camera). As a result, after a brief discussion the referees agree that there is no score. The opponent brings his leg up for an attack and Alex makes his own attack with O Soto Gari in response and throws him for Wazari. Alex gets the opponent in a hold immediately and holds him for the duration thereby not only winning this contest but his category and thereby gaining the Gold.
Alex
Arya
Arya attacks very quickly with O Soto Gari but whilst he does bring his opponent to the ground, it does not result in a score. However, these attacks are quite dangerous as the attack makes one vulnerable to a counter with the same technique with which Arya is thrown earning a Yuko to the opponent. Upon restarting Arya tries Morete Seoi Nage but is unable to throw as he has not properly broken his opponents balance. Thereafter both contestants revert to O Soto Gari with which Arya is thrown for Ippon.
Arya
Arya
In this context Arya has an opponent who tower above him. Arya is thrown early on with O Soto Gari which gains a Wazari for the opponent. The opponent tries to get a hold but is unsuccessful. Upon restarting Arya spends most of his time trying to hold his opponent away which is not useful as it is counter productive to his own attempts to throw.
Upon restarting as Arya turns the opponent falls down but it was not really a technique so there is no score. Arya continue gamely but needs to improve his breaking of the balance. Arya now attacks repeatedly with Ippon Seoi Nage but because his technique is not quite right is unsuccessful. This underlies the purpose of the new syllabus in encouraging proper gripping with both hands as the removal of one hand for this technique frequently results in a loss of control. In the last half minute not much happens although there is plenty of effort. The opponent wins courtesy of his early Wazari.
Arya
Arya
In Arya's final contest of this competition he is trying very hard to hold the opponent at bay and as a result can not get close enough himself to make any technique work. After a while they fall to the ground but there is no score. Arya tries hard to gain control on the ground but us unable to do it and the referee stops the action and brings them back to the standing.
Arya does manage an O Soto Gari which scores a Yuko and with half the contest left is now in the dominant position. He manages the same again and gains a second Yuko but now manages to obtain a Kesa Gatame hold with which he holds his opponent for the required time and scores Ippon. Arya thus wins this contest.
Arya
Elliot
Elliot is pretty much in control of this contest. He gets his opponent to the ground without using a proper technique and does gain a hold but the opponent manages to escape before enough time has passed for a score to result. The referee allows Elliot quite a bit of time with which to regain control because he can see that Elliot has a 'plan'. But after a while he does bring them back to standing.
Upon restarting Elliot muscles his opponent over to the edge of the mat and then pulls off a poor Uchi Mata which scores Yuko but once on the ground gains a hold which must have been pretty uncomfortable for the opponent as he quickly submits thereby giving Elliot his victory.
Elliot
Elliot
As soon as this contest starts Elliot gains the grip he wants and then muscles in a Uchi Mata/Tai Otoshi which was scored as Ippon by the referee but the corner judges disagreed and the throw is marked down to a Yuko.
Upon restarting the opponent attacks and Elliot counters with a Utsuri Goshi which is scored as an Ippon thereby giving Elliot his win.
Elliot
Jamie
This is a strange contest. Both opponents disappear off the mat and the referee has to bring them back again. However they do the same thing again requiring the referee to explain the importance of staying on the contest area.
Upon restarting Jamie tries to turn and then bizarrely tries to grab his opponent around the waist whereupon the opponent attacks with a large Tai Otoshi throwing Jamie to the ground for an Ippon. Jamie will probably not be trying that technique again.
Jamie
Jamie
Jamie is muscled over onto his back after again trying a strange method of holding his opponent which results in a Yuko for his opponent. Upon restarting Jamie does not make the same mistake and as his opponent tries to leg sweep him with De Ashi Harai, Jamie allows his leg to travel and turns for a Tai Otoshi taking the opponent down for Ippon. Very classy!
Jamie
Jamie
Jamie is up against a much taller opponent but this does not really matter. Jamie quickly gets his arm around his opponents back and uses this to haul the opponent around in a Tai Otoshi which is scored as a Yuko. Jamie tries to repeat this and as his opponent attempts a counter Jamie throws him with Tani Otoshi, a prohibited technique in junior competition for which Jamie is given a Shido. Jamie then attacks with an Ippon Seoi Nage but his legs are incorrectly placed which does not allow his body to properly rotate and thus the throw is doomed. They both collapse to the ground where Jamie gains a hold where one arm is wrapped under the opponents body. This is not terribly secure as it allows the opponents body to rotate and with this the opponent escapes. However, by the time he does just over twenty
seconds have elapsed and this results in a score of Wazari to Jamie.
Upon restarting Jamie attacks with Tai Otoshi but only succeeds in slamming the opponent into the ground front down. Jamie tries the same attack again and again. With this he risks not only this contest but any subsequent as opponents will start to associate him with this technique and will be prepared for him. In this contest we already see the opponent adjusting himself so that each attempt with this attack is less successful than the last. Jamie needs to add to his range of techniques and include the ability to throw to either side so that the opponent will not know which way he will be turning. By the latter stages of this contest Jamie is no longer able to throw at all or even fall to the ground with this Tai Otoshi attack.
At this point the opponent takes the initiative and he starts putting in Tai Otoshi attacks similar to Jamie's. At one point as they fall to the ground as a result of a counter that Jamie tries they roll along the mat. During this rolling around, off camera Jamie must have allowed his hand to pass across the opponents face as when bought back to the centre, he is given a Shido for this. In the final few seconds, Jamie as a counter to his opponents Tai Otoshi attack throws for a score of Ippon. To the narrator this looks very much like a Tani Otoshi for which Jamie has already received a Shido however the referee obviously does not agree and with this Jamie wins. Even if a Shido had been given, Jamie would still have won with the Wazari he gained earlier on.
Jamie
Jamie
Jamie attacks in a very bullish manner which if his opponent possessed greater skills, would result in an early loss to Jamie. But here Jamie has the opponent very much on the defensive as he is being pushed all over the mat. Jamie then makes a very reckless Tai Otoshi attack where he almost does a complete split with his legs and buries his own head into the ground. The referee brings them back to standing and awards a Shido (penalty) to Jamie for this attack. The exact reasons are unclear. Upon restarting Jamie manages to make a similar attack which is better founded and brings the opponent down for Ippon.
Jamie
Jay
Jay's opponent certainly charges around a lot but does not take care of his center of balance. Jay seems a bit over awed by his opponent as he does not do much for the first minute but then begins to take better control. Jay's belt falls off and after restarting Jay's opponent makes a good attack at Tai Otoshi but Jay is able to resist it and then shortly after Jay manages to throw his opponent with Ko Soto Gari and scores a Yuko. With less than twenty seconds to go Jay's opponent attacks with an O Soto Kake and throws Jay for Ippon.
Jay
Jay
In this contest Jay's stance is to wide. This makes it difficult for Jay to move fast enough as the first thing he has to do is move his balance back to the other leg. Jay needs to work on keeping his legs a bit closer together. Jay is thrown by the opponent with a Ko Soto Kake which is scored with a Yuko. The contestants seem to have trouble staying on the mat and frequently have to be bought back to the center. After a while Jay manages to throw his opponent with an O Uchi Gari which is scored with a Yuko also. So the contestants are now equal. But Jay also secures a Kata Gatame hold immediately upon reaching the ground and with this wins the contest.
Jay
Kieran
Kieran is attack by his opponent very strongly with a Tai Otoshi which luckily for Kieran fails. On the ground the opponent attempts to turn Kieran over but Kieran manages to turn onto his front. However the opponent is not giving up and after a couple more attempts is able to gain a hold and with this wins the contest.
Kieran
Kieran
Kieran manages to throw his opponent with a very nice O Soto Gari for Wazari within the first few seconds. Kieran continues to try to attack with a variety of techniques and his opponent does likewise. However, after about thirty seconds the positive attacking that we saw degenerates to a lot of pulling and pushing. At about the minute mark the opponent manages to get a nice Tai Otoshi which is scored at Wazari. The contestants are equal. Upon restarting Kieran loses his balance somewhat with all the pushing and pulling and slips to the ground. This does not get any score but after a few seconds his opponent gains a hold just inside the contest area. Kieran does put in a very good effort at trying to escape and as a result, the hold is broken and regained several times. But eventually, the
opponent does get a deserved win with this hold.
Kieran
Noah v Jonathon
Early on Jonathon attempts to turn in on Noah and then combine this with a O Uchi Gari with a leg grab. This doesn't work as in any event he failed to get his leg into the correct position. Jonathon continues to attack Noah primarily with Ippon Seoi Nage and Tai Otoshi but most of these are not very well formed. Noah also puts in a lot of attacks but they are equally flawed. His Tai Otoshi fails to break Jonathon's balance and the other techniques also suffer likewise. After about half a minute they fall to the ground and Noah attempts to gain a hold. Jonathon correctly traps Noah's leg but Noah does succeed in extricating it and then secures a Kami Shio Gatame. Jonathon knows the escapes from these holds and does work through them requiring Noah to change to Yoko Shio Gatame and from there,
Jonathon using the classic escape that he has been taught does break the hold within the last second from which he would otherwise lose this contest. As a result Noah now has a score of Wazari in his favour.
With less than half of the contest to go the contestants restart and move off camera where we can not see what transpires on the ground. They continue to try a variety of techniques with equal lack of success. Then Noah makes a foolish O Soto Gari attack and this results in him ending up in a defensive position on the ground but Jonathon is unable to convert this before being called back to standing. With just thirteen seconds left Noah attacks with Hiza Gurama and then O Soto Gari neither of which work but with the end of the contest, he wins courtesy of the Wazari from the hold down earlier.
Noah v Jonathon
Oliver
Oliver attacks from the off with O Soto Gari and scores a Wazari. He immediately gains a hold with Kesa Gatame and as it is very securely on, he holds the opponent for the twenty seconds required and wins his first contest.
Oliver
Oliver
In this contest Oliver attacks with a wide range of techniques which is gratifying for his coaches to see. After a short while Oliver manages a throw with Uchi Mata, a technique that Oliver has not yet been taught which is particularly interesting as he scores Wazari with it. After a while, Oliver attacks with O Soto Gari but his opponent twists his hip and counters with Tai Otoshi and throws Oliver for a score of Wazari. This demonstrates the dangers of O Soto Gari unless it is done correctly. A short while later Oliver attempts a Tsuri Komi Ashi which fails and both contestants fall to the ground. Once there, Oliver does gain a hold but only keeps it for a few seconds before his opponent escapes. With time running out Oliver is trying very hard to gain the vital last point and is showing a far more
aggressive attitude than in previous contests. However, his opponent does manage to get the last word in with a O Uchi Gari with which he scores Wazari thereby gaining the opponents second which allows him to win this contest. Nevertheless, Oliver should take his performance at this competition as a very positive sign of his improvement.
Oliver
Tessa
This is Tessa's first contest and she is rather nervous. However she is attacking very gamely and is putting up a good show. Her stance is not quite right and she does tend to bend in her attacks incorrectly but this will all come with more experience. At about the minute mark she attacks with a Morete Seoi Nage on the opposite side but her legs are placed incorrectly and this serves to block her own throw. Tessa continues to put in a lot of attacks, mainly with Tai Otoshi and with about half a minute left one of them comes good for her and she scores a Wazari. An important factor in Judo is that if you put in a lot of attacks, there is a chance that one of them will work whereas if you do little, then you will not get much in the way of results. the important thing is to attack without exposing
yourself to your opponent and this is what Tessa is managing quite well here. She wins the contest courtesy of her Wazari and this is a very good start to her competition career.
Tessa
Tessa
Tessa who is in red again attacks early on with Tai Otoshi but immediately combines it with O Uchi Gari and throws her opponent for Yuko. She tries to take advantage on the ground but has not yet got the techniques for turning her opponent over quite right. Upon restarting she attacks again but it is not properly placed and the opponents balance is not broken. She continues to attack and falls to the ground where she and the opponent roll around a bit until they are bought back to standing. Tessa is given a Shido for placing her hand inside the trouser leg. This Shido will serve as a warning only. Tessa continues to make all the attacks but when she slips to the ground the opponent is unable to take any advantage. In the final stages of this contest both contestants are clearly tired as they are
moving more slowly. The time runs out and Tessa wins as a result of the early Yuko.
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