Up & up

Things have considerably improved steadily this month since my last posts high.
Have two competitions this month, both in a week and a half so I'm stoked about that.
Watched my crew from Rits Uni fight at the Kansai Uni games on the weekend, we did pretty well winning through our pool until we got caught against Tenri Uni in some sort of final (unsure if it was final or semi) Tenri took us out by winning all the 5 fights (it was a team fight competition) a couple they won easily but there was a couple we came close to getting them in. Kimura San's Seoi Nage (shoulder throw) came close to taking out his opponent multiple times but just wasnt Quiiiiiiiiiiite there, but bloody close. Another one of our guys (known as Tomo-nage San) dominated his fight by using drop techiniques like Tomo-Nage & other sacrafice throws to get his opponent to the ground where he dominated, getting a few small points by pins and coming very close to getting a good armbar and a choke. Unfortunately he got caught by a sneaky throw towards the end of the fight.

Tenri's a tough tough Uni team, so while the guys where obviously a bit gutted they did a pretty good job, especially considering they didn't put in their best team because of injuries they still put on their best effort. Tenri is really high level for Judo, having a much bigger pool of players and the National Coach of Japan Shinoharra coaching them I believe.


We have been day tripping on Osaka most Mondays recently to train at Daishin Dojo under Matsuura Sensei, who has been kind enough to enter us in the competitions and on Saturday night after the competion invited us over for a true feast of a BBQ, no one could finish what was on the table by a long shot. Lamb chops, Steaks, Chicken, Salad, red wine, champagne, white wine, beer, Sake, fish, sausages, giant sea snails (mmmmm!!!!) the list goes on. It was really good of Matsuura Sensei and His Wife to host us - plus his daughter Seiiko and her Samoan Fiance osefa (sorry I dont have the correct spelling for your name so I'm just winging it.) osefa's pretty keen to come train with us at Rits in the next week or so which will be good fun.


Hugo has spent the last 3 weeks or so off the mat due to a wrist injury when he crashed his bike of all things, haha. But its improving lately and he has just started coming along to do a bit of Uchi- Komi and light randori with kiddies and scrawny teenagers :P

Training has been on form for me lately, enjoying it immensley and everthing is back to normal times so I'm keeping occupied and got good focuss. Kasuga Sensei gave me a awesome bag full of Japanese cookie, including some so hard you will feel the pain at the back of your head when you bite them. Not to be attempted without a bit of tea to soften them.

Iv had a big swollen lump of fluid on my shin lately which really sucks! Its not stopping my training at all but when I go on my runs I can feel it bobbing around! gross!!! Also when someone happens to kick be in that spot it hurts like hell. Of course with my infinite ingenuity I have taken to rolling up a sock and taping if ontop of the lump for some protection (I tape it very heavily so you can't see the sock at all, before anyone says otherwise) and now I have a similar lump on my armpit, albeit much smaller (totally unrelated) might have a flu coming on according to google. Hope not.

It's officially Autumn now, so of course Autumn fashion is in! Big coats, leggings for ladies, scarves, long sleeves. Despite the fact that the temperature is still usually above 34 degrees, never mind that.

Decided to get some more protein powder since I'm weight training through a programme right now for more relative strength for Judo and explosiveness. I'm not actually sure if its the right stuff but it says Judo on the front and the lady at the shop said its recovery, and it was relatively cheap, ichiban Yasui.

We have Ivica Pavlinic from NZ arriving tomorow evening to stay and train here alongside us, should be good fun to have another face around the place.


J