September 27, 2012

• Energy Efficiency

  So now that judo is on the schedule about once per week, I’m starting to feel the toll.  Waking up the next morning is that much harder because my upper body just feels like a duffel bag full of small, chipped stones.  It’s just kinda tiresome to move.

  Yesterday’s class was much better than last week’s, because there was a black belt who was there to show a few of us newcomers the absolute basics.  Things like rolling and breaking falls in various directions.

  I’ve never been good at breakfalls, so this is a really good way to start me off right I think.  Somehow, I’m not sure if I’m doing it right because it seems like I’m still taking a shitload of damage from each fall, but the instructor says “excellent” when he watches what I’m doing compared to some of the other beginners, so maybe I’ll just give my body more time to get used to it and see.

   

  What surprised me is that second hardest part of the basics is the rolling.  Actually, I don’t have much issue with with the technique– I’m much better with the rolling than I am with the breakfalls.  However, I’ve never had to do 10 or 20 rolls in a row.  By the time I stand up, not only am I feeling very dizzy, but my stomach doesn’t feel so great.  I remember that when I first started doing Jeet Kune Do that I used to get dizzy during the spins at first as everyone does, but this stomach nausea is definitely something new.  Maybe I have to really make sure that I eat hours ahead of time before going to judo, beacuse otherwise it feels like everything in my guts is going through cold wash cycle.

  We learned several basic strangleholds as well, which are new to me, because I’ve never done any grappling that specifically made use of a gi before.  I very much like the instructor’s attention to detail.  He was explaining the principles of blocking off the arteries, but just as importantly, he was explaining ideal textbook techniques and how much energy you could save if you started off with a good grip, as opposed to a lousy one which you might still win because you powered your way through.

  Energy efficiency is very important to me.  I mean, it’s kind of the point of any martial arts, in my opinion.  If you could just power your way through every technique, you might as well just a get a weightlifting membership.

   

  Speaking of energy efficiency though, I’m rather dreading the bikerides to school for the next couple of days.  My body is just tired.  Days like this, I wish bus passes weren’t so damn expensive.

  • 5:58 pm
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