As I was writing this, I was in a bus, Shin still bruised, eye slightly blackened and thighs a bit sore. All from a comp week before. I was on my way to announce at a competition and after that compete in s asubmission comp the day before. But more on those in the next update, now it´s time to catch up on the Hokutoruy Jujutsu Nationals and the first week concentrating on weights after that.
The Hokutoruy Jujutsu Finnish Nationals with team Zanshinkan
We left with a group of eight men on the saturday morning, everyone except me and the team leader and Zanshinkan head coach Kimmo Nurkse were starving a little to get to their weight classes. I on the other hand opened the day with two plates of porridge and 15 slices of bacon! It never gets old mocking the weight cutters when you´re a superheavy yourself!
Journey was full of laughter and all kinds of game plans popped up. From slipping illegal blows to resorting in a singing and dancing distraction. Overall we were in good spirits, and everybody was in a decent shape. No terrible nagging pains or old injuries, thats always a bonus!
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| Otto and me comparing our tremendous muscle mass in the locker room |
Weigh-ins done we loitered for a while, had a rules meeting and then changed. The bouts started slowly, and our team was on fire one by one. Sadly, 4 out of competitors falled out of the tournament on the first round, 3 of their counterparts eventually made it to the finals so no shame in that.
Otto "Hulk" Saari won his first one by a choke, Sami"Foot Fetish" Saarinen kicked and took down his abnormally tall opponent to score a points victory, and I, although losing via points, still had a bronze match because my side of the bracket had lead straight to the semi-finals. Its often the same in superheavy, not too many competitors.
I am not pleased with my first bout. The guy I was facing was a Swedish hokutoruy black belt and a world champion, but his ground skills were at a level I should have been able to exploit. Stand up was his, and he scored couple of head kicks and some hard knees to my belly and that earned the points. Nothing really hurt to be honest, not during the bout. After the bout my shin was bloodied and swollen, because of his skillful blocking and my girly shins that aren´t yet hardened.
Overall I managed to pummel him I think with a bit more damage. Found out a completely new weapon to be used in striking with the gi to grab on. An ice hockey style hook with a large arc. Bushido bench hook Sami dubbed it! That I used successfully and even at some point felt I could knock him out with that, judging by the sounds he made and the sound my fists made when contacting his midsection. But he didn´t drop and scored a rightful points victory, in the Hokutoruy judging head kicks score high and he had a solid technique overall.
After the bout he declared that he cannot continue and asked the jury to let me continue to the finals instead. Jury rightfully declined, and pointed out to him that he has 5 hours to get back in shape for the finals and he should find the courage to do that if nothing is really broken.
That he did and stood in the finals like a man. I cheered him as he made through the full bout at the nights finals and lost on points. Clearly, but still by fighting, not a forfeit. And I felt small pride that even though I had a close points loss to him, I had done more damage than him to me and on top of that, the man who eventually won the tournament couldn´t finish him either. And he is a Judo, BJJ and Hokutoruy champion of Finland and an outstanding martial artist. It gave me some trust that maybe with a bit more skill my mindset will allow me to accomplish something small even on this sideline of my sports career.
Sami lost on points the next round, and went on to the bronze match which saw him also suffer a loss. But a great comeback to the accomplished fighter, and I truly await to see the old Sami in action again with his ferocity. Before the comp he joked about having his arm broken and taking a sick leave...
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| Picture tells more than a thousand words |
Otto continued to dominate with huge Judo skills and really did a superb job! Suplex, trips, takedowns, throws, he dished them all and spiced it up with kicks to the legs and strikes to the body. Did not envy his opponents.
I had a bronze bout ahead of me. I was devastated because I let the place in the finals slip from my hands, nothing takedownwise or in the groundwork was up to my standards, and the reason was the nerves. The first bout was hard on nerves, and my mental strength was all sapped just to keep in the right mode to be not afraid and ferociously hand out some punishment. It worked to a certain point, but it didn´t score enough points.
This time I was on. Sakke gave me great advice on kicking the legs when clinching, I had discovered I can throw mean hooks when clinching to a guys collars during the first bout and overall I wasn´t nervous, I was thirsty.
The second bout was mine. Timing on the kicks was off, legs sore from the first bout. My kick timing overall in the two bouts resembles more of an epileptic seizures than directed effort. But then I just used my rather fast for my size front leg when moving, and in close distance I dished out hooks and low kicks. That worked better than air kicking, and those strikes were enough to make my opponent pull his legs and body back which opened a chance for a takedown. I scored two of those, and while grappling on the ground I managed to land two really mean elbows.
Those elbows were the culmination point of the bout, and during the break between rounds my opponent showed his ribs to the doctor. He found out they´re broken and that was it, no second round needed! I would be lying if I´d say I didn´t enjoy a fair bit from delivering the elbows. Still its not the attempt ever to break anything. But we all know what we sign up so no apologies, just get well soon to him.
The competition had the finals in a grand night gala, It featured all kinds of exhibitions and competitions from group Kata to tile breaking. And Karate, Taido and Jujutsu Finnish National final bouts. So a great Budo feast with something for everyone.
Our hero of the night was the man who is known in training for his sloth-like calmness. But no sloth here, more like a tiger shark with methodological intent of handing out whoopass. Otto made sure work and with takedowns and ground and pound scored the gold medal for our team! We even opened a non-alcoholic sparkling for him before he had to rush for work.
I enjoyed this competition even more than last year. The team spirit and the whole trip was a complete experience. When we ate together and finally left Tampere, that´s when maybe the best point of the trip was. With swollen lips and eyes, broken elbows and bloodied shins. With exhaustion from the 15 hour long day. Never been big on team sports, but I am glad that Tuomas, Otto, Kimmo, Juuso, Sakke, Sami, and Kimmos youngest son were there to share this.
Already looking forward to next year. If THIS TIME I would actually train kicking and moving, not just the hokutoruy spirit and no steps back attitude. Although, all said and done, those are the foundations of success that the skill is built on. So, foundation is solid, now I only need skills and physique!
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| Heavyweight medalists |
Week has flown past now, spent with my godchildren and their parents, 5 weight training sessions, little wrestling and a meeting on which I agreed to have another youth group about once a week and do sports with them. Maybe arts later, but we`ll begin with that.
Now I have ahead of me a powerlifting comp to announce tomorrow, and come sunday I will drag my half-broken body to compete in the submission wrestling nationals, the last comp of the season I think!
Training:
29.3.
Hokutoruy Jujutsu Nationals, warm-up and two bouts.
30.3.
Very sore bench pressing
Warm-up raw until 5x120
With shirt 3x140, 160, 180, 200, 220, 235, all from a comfortable height
Raw gay bench: 5x5x100-140, 10x120, 20x100
Guillotine bench and pullovers with dumbbell superset 3x20x80kg+3x20x23.5kg
31.3.
Lockouts:
5x5x100-180, went well and locked out evenly
Chins neutral:6x6xBW
Hammer curls: 3x12x23.5
Pushdowns with a miniband around the neck as extra: 3x12x40-50
Abbas tris: 3x15x10
Incline dumbbell bis to stretch:3x15x10
Reverse curl: 2x25x25
Bench dips 2x20
Arms pumped!
1.4.
Shoulder and abs, 6 sets of abs, 14 sets of shoulder, stretching and pumping exercises
4x1-2min. in cold bath, 4x10-15min. sauna
50 minutes of stretching
2.4.
Morning:
50min. of tumbling and wrestling technique
Evening:
Back:
Emmas partials: 5x5x140, thumb couldnt hang on to the bar, still sore from the jujutsu comp and no straps...
Cable row with squeeze and stretch: 3x10x100
Inverted row wide:3x10
Pulldown wide: 3x10x70-100
pulldown behind neck and pullover with rope superset: 3x20+20
4 sets of abs
4x1-2min. of cold bath, 3x10-15min sauna
3.4.
Morning: 60min. of tumbling and sub wrestling, light sparring
Evening:
Legs:
Squat: without belt until 1x180, belt 12x165. Easy sets, was tired and saving energy.
High bar stop squat, no belt: 3x5x120
1-leg squat with back leg elevated 2x12 per leg
Overhead squat:3x20x20kg
Straight leg deads 5x10x60-100
Calves on a leg press: 3x25
1- legged calf raises 2x15
That has been my week, so weights all out, that is the priority now. No deloading for the submission wrestling comp, and hard taping needed for the thumb, By I post this the announcing and competing wil be done, but Ill leave those to the next update.
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