Wednesday 29/7/15 Session (Tai-Otoshi)

It's time to start preparing the players for grading. On Wed we practiced Tai-Otoshi, a classic judo technique that is well-known though not that often seen in competition.

Getting players to adopt the right leg positioning is often the most difficult part. Many players tend to insert their hips too deeply.

We believe in using crash pads. If you want the players to throw repeatedly, you need crash pads or it will be too painful for them.

To get them to learn to pull hard, we have them doing 3-person uchikomi. Much more relevant doing this than pure weight training.

Wednesday 23/7/15 Session (Drills)

Wednesday's session was the last practice before the Penang competition this weekend. So, we didn't do any randori. Instead, lots of drills.

Here you can see the players doing ura-nage pick up drills. Uchikomi actually. Very tiring stuff.

And here, they are working on side takedowns.

We use crash pads extensively. We believe in having our players throw with full force. For that, you need crash pads.

We generally don't do a lot of uchikomi. Instead, we focus on nagekomi on crash pads. But 3-person uchikomi is useful too.

Leg insertion ippon-seoi-nage. Not very traditional but it works!

The small contingent going to Penang. Also on hand were two guests Chee Yau and Chee Hui.

This is very good for a sore back after a hard workout.

Suan Wah getting some "stepping on" massage and enjoying it!

KL Judo Family

The KL Judo Family -- judo crazy members who come for almost every training, rain or shine...and even when injured!

And below is the rogue gallery, just taken today.

Trains with an injured shoulder. 68kg but aiming for 60kg. Aiming for a Bruce Lee body.

Keeps training despite a fractured finger or two. 64kg aiming for 60kg. Fighting baldness.

Comes for training even when exams are around the corner. Can't stop eating carbs. 61kg.

Team manager and co-founder of the KL Judo Training Centre. Current weight is top secret.

Works in Johor. Comes to KL on weekends to train instead of spending time with his wife.

Coach and co-founder of KL Judo Training Centre. Ex-60kg (now a "bit" heavier at 75kg).

Training despite injured ankle. Ex-52kg, now considering 57kg but actually preferring 52kg.

12-year old who gets injured every training (but keeps coming back). 60kg aiming for +100kg

Training despite injured hand. Full-time student, soon to be full-time player. Oh yeah! 63kg.

Saturday 4/7/15 Session (Randori Nite)

We had two visitors today, Navesh and Simon, both of whom had some jujitsu background but wanted to learn some judo.

Navesh & Simon dropped by for the first time to train with us.

Almost all the players are overweight. So, on with the garbage bags for some sweat-inducing runs round the neighborhood before the session starts.

The players were pretty tired after the run so I let them watch some judo videos before the session started.

I taught them how a sticky-foot kosoto works. Many of them managed to do it quite well.

We also worked on some grip breaking exercises.

Simon gave our players some good fights during the randori session.

Like Simon, Navesh also loves his newaza and they did a lot of groundwork.

Nice workout. Everybody exhausted.

Wednesday 1/7/15 Session (Competition Training)

Good crowd today. Our core team all trained super hard to lose weight and also to get ready for competition at the end of the month.

I started by having them do drills designed to train them to avoid drop-seoi-nage.

I also had them work on mat edge drills.

Who says judo is tiring?

Taught them a special variation of drop ippon-seoi-nage.

We had some shiai-style randori. The players on the sideline watch intently as two players battle it out.

This looks worse than it is. Our Saudi Arabian player gets a calf cramp.

Next up is newaza randori.

Again, who says judo is tiring?

Everybody say "Hungry!"