Osagame
Conditioning Sucks
I know that conditioning and strength training is important to be as good as you can be. I know that it’s important to be as good as I can be, and I did a lot when I was competing regularly. But I really don’t like doing a lot of outside conditioning. I just don’t. For…
Stones in the River
I had a really bad knee injury in March of 2012. Then surgery. Then rehab, rehab rehab. When they first told me it would take a year to get back to the mat I didn’t believe them. I thought maybe they were exaggerating. But here’s the thing about doctors —- they go to medical school…
Getting Heavy
Almost exactly 6 years physicists discovered the Higgs-Boson particle, which had been predicted but not proven, and that is awesome. The Higgs-Boson particle is what gives us mass, which is what gives us weight. And ‘us’ is a big word here. By ‘us,’ I mean all tangible and theoretically tangible things. People, notebooks, mats, that…
Johnny Clegg and the UN of Judo
Johnny Clegg, and the UN of Judo Originally posted May, 2012 It’s been another strange week in America. Another week where we are reminded that not all Americans see diversity as a strength. And it’s been a sad week in the world of music, as we have seen the death of Johnny Clegg. Most Americans don’t know…
X Guard Series
X guard series We finally wrote it up OK, folks, here it is. The long awaited chart on Ray’s X guard series. Ray numbers each of these techniques according to Uke’s response to being put in X guard. 5 different responses, 5 different families of techniques. One note on the terms I used to discuss…
Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are
Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are I’ve been thinking about Lee’s commitment to bearing the weight of his black belt, and what it means that the belts get heavier. I was never coordinated as a kid, I always felt like other people had 2 thumbs and 8 fingers, but I had 7 thumbs and…
Bearing the Weight
Saturday July 6 was a big day at Osagame. It was our first, ever, Black Belt Promotion in Jiu Jitsu. We’ve had Black Belt Promotions in Judo, and everyone knows what’s involved in that, but this was our first ever, Black Belt promotion in Jiu Jitsu, so no one was quite sure how it was…
Congratulations are in Order
I’ll come back to Thursdays topic in a bit, but we had a few victories at a tournament this weekend, and so congratulations are in order. Tomone: Who continues her undefeated streak by going 2 – 0 and winning another Gold medal. Paul H: Who went 3-2 and came home with Bronze Ian: Who fought…
Floors, Ceilings and Spiritual Acceptance, Dammit!
Don’t You Wish You Could do that? I sure do . . . I originally wrote this in 2012, when I was just starting: Damn, I want to be good at this. I really want to be good at this. I have this competitive thing in me. I just want to win. It’s nasty, I know. …
Everyday Heroes
One of our members is what we call an everyday hero. He’s the kind of guy who will always put time and effort into helping someone else, and it will never even occur to him to ask for credit for doing so. He’s one of the guys who can work with anyone, from the newest…
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