Daidojuku/Kudo MMA tournament

[Dragn]

Last Sunday I competed in the Tokyo region Daidojuku/Kudo open tournament. It was full contact MMA type rules, and I was up against a field of the top Daidojuku fighters in the Tokyo area, to decide the representatives for the national comp.

It was my first time to compete under full Kudo MMA rules, so I was pretty nervous in the weeks leading up to it. To get an idea of the kind of comp, check out the "sparring video" thread in the Karate section.

I was really happy with my first fight. I was aggressive and managed to keep the fight at the range I wanted, most of the time.(kicking range) Landing solid low, mid ,and high kicks, and combining them with good hand combinations, landing uppercuts and hooks. Also used my MT clinching skills to land some knees and even pulled of a nice "catch his kick" takedown.

Unfortunately I didnt have the ground skills to finish. I secured a mount from behind but couldnt get my arm under his face gear to get the choke. If I had known a gi choke I could have easily scored an ippon tap out. In another ground clash he nearly got me with an arm bar due to me making the silly mistake of extending my arms at him while in his guard. A valuable lesson learned.

I won the fight by unanimous decision.

Second fight wasnt so easy. My oponent was fast and used range superbly to draw me in, catch me off ballance, and launch rushing punching attacks. I managed to tie him up and throw him a number of times, but again couldnt finish on the ground.

He took away my best weapon, my kicks, while exploiting my worst weakness, punch defence. He won by unanimous decision.

He went on to defeat 2 more fighters before facing my own dojo sempai in the finals. They fought to a draw and went into an extra round when my sempai, who was a Japanese rep in the last world tournie, tapped him out. So I felt no shame in losing to him. He was a tough cookie.

I really learned alot from this tournie, about both my strengths and weaknesses. Its really given me a good understanding on what I need to work on to reach the top level in Kudo competition.

When I first started competing in kickboxing and full contact Karate, lack of heart was a big issue for me. I just couldnt muster up the necessarry aggression ,and felt overwhelmed by the aggression of my opponents.

Sometimes finding it hard to attack with confidence. Or sometimes going the opposite, and just trying too hard to KO, swinging wildly, in an attempt to end the fight ASAP!

Even when I won , there were times in the fight where I was on the verge of just wanting to give up. Getting in the ring was something I feared, but I forced myself to do it because I was determined to face my fears and overcome them.

I had heard arguements from people saying that heart was something you're either born with or never get it.

Others argued it could be built through hard work. Well I chose to listen to the later opinion, and worked hard to forge my fighting spirit. Each fight I got a little stronger.

This last fight I totally overcame my past inhibitions and fought with courage and determination. I know for alot of you that may just come naturally, but for me it was a great acheivement. I finally proved to myself that I have got what it takes, and I actually found the whole experience an increadible thrill. I cant wait to compete again!

Heart can be attained through hard work.

Anyway sorry for rambling on. I just felt compelled to share this and hope somebody out there can benifit from it.

[Superfoot]

Thanks for sharing that Drag'n, I can relate to the circumstance where one needs to muster up (controlled) aggression and develop the fighting spirit. That's one of the hallmarks of DaidoJuku, Kyokushin, and many other martial arts, true achievement lies not only in supplementing what facets of combat you already have, but finding the perseverance to develop and actualise more as a martial artist through determination, drive, grit, and as you so rightly put it, hard work. Im glad you had a great time, and performed well. I was recently watching a Daido Juku movie, and abrigded addition of all the best knockouts and tapouts. Are those rushing punches taught explictly in Daido-Juku and do you guys sometimes prefer palm strikes, I saw those being used on the video as well. Also, how is the art of Kudo developing these days? Last I heard, MT and BJJ were being incorporated, and Sensei T. Azuma himself made mention of "Pankration and Sambo". Did you get to met Sensei T. Azuma?

Again, that was a great post, it's comforting sometimes to know we all strive to get through the same things. Thats why we return to class eh?

Superfoot.

[Dragn]

Thanks for the reply bro. Glad someone could relate to it.

Yes Mr Azuma was there watching my fight. I've listened to his speeches at a few tournies. Havent talked to him personally or trained with him though.

Yes some guys do use palm strikes. Probably because those hard plastic face shields can really damage your knuckles! 1 guy broke his knuckle at the last tournie. Most of us get bruised, painfull knuckles, so palms are a smart alternative. Also some dojos are actually employing old kobudo techs to their training, so that could have some influence on the use of palms too.

My dojo is heavily Muay Thai influenced. Not typical Daiaojuku at all, and I havent had the oportunity to check out what other dojos are doing lately. So I dont really know. Each dojo seems to find its own speciallities, depending on the instructors own personal preferences.

Some are really good with throws and on the ground. Some use JKD like straight blasts, others use very traditional 1 strike attacks. Some employ TKD like spinning kicks. I even saw 1 guy doing the jinga (capoeira) at the last world champs! It really is MMA!

Some guys (like me) bring their skills from past MA training and combine it with the Daidojuku techs thereby further diversifying the art. Thats what I like about it. The freedom to experiment with what works.

But generally there is a strong Kyokushin, Muay Thai, Judo and BJJ basis to the training at most schools.

[Superfoot]

The Jinga in a Kudo bout?! Wish I could have seen that. Just goes to show that behind that Gi could be any number of stance or weapons you might not have seen or be ready for.

I re-read your posts, as I found them a good learning resource, especially as I also want to enter competition. To be honest, I am always nervous when sparring, or even non-related MA practices, such as rock-climbing. However, I force myself to do these things to overcome my fear. In practise, one cannot really realise bravery if they have no fear to contend against, so you really do deserve a great amount of respect. Many people never admit to times in fights when they just want to quit, but part of them refuses to give up. It's funny how these traits will only reveal themselves in the heart of combat. When I first started Jiu Jitsu, the sparring was very ground orientated, and as because I was a novice, I was only allowed to use pinning techniques (Osaekomi Waza) against my opponents, and vice versa. On my second lesson, we had an In-class tournament, where all the Jitsuka would come out and grapple. I had to participate in three bouts that night, and I managed to win all three, however, the second bout was no real win on my part, as my opponent accidently chipped his tooth on my shoulder whilst we were rolling. I had one final bout, but time ran out. I remember that being new, all the other students would cheer on their friends against me, but as I continued to participate, they begain to cheer mine. Unfortunately, no one knew my name, so they cheered "GO NOVICE!"

From the moment I stepped onto the matt I was nervous, and throughout the fights I fought to my best. However, it was during the long pauses in the match (reset position, pause so ref can see what moves are being used) that I felt nervous. At one stage I too also felt like giving up, which was actually quite early in the tournament. However, I decided to continue, because if I didn't, I would never know how far I could have taken myself, nor learned from the experience that would result from giving up, which as you have also stated, is vital, to learn from the experience, especially a plentiful one that results from competition.

In summary, I think you should be very proud of yourself, not only because of your accomplishments, but also because of your honesty into admitting the times you wished to give up. Many of us, including myself have been there. Also, you are right on the money, where people swing for the KO, because they want to finish the fight quickly, because as time goes by, not only to you get exhausted, but your opponent becomes more accustomed to your moves and your techniques. Which is why, as I have learned that patience is vital when executing your gameplan. It's even harder to remain so under adrenaline. But again, this is where perserverance comes in: to stick at what you intend to do, rather than going off on a tangent.

Once again, thanks for posting this topic, Im sure many other aspiring athletes can learn from this.

Superfoot.

[Dragn]

Well thankyou for the positive feedback. Its true it can be hard to get fighters to admit to the fear they feel before and during a fight. Alot more of us feel it than will admit.

Its like any high adrenalin sport really. When I'm surfing and looking down a charging 10 foot wave that looks, like its going to just drill me, theres a rush of fear and excitement. A split second hesitation, that if you give in to, can mean you miss the ride of your life, and sometimes still get drilled anyway because you hesitated too long.

And in the end getting drilled isnt that bad anyway. Its something you get used to.

Fighting is the same. If you give in to the fear and hesitate, it gives your opponent the opportunity to take advantage. So your fears become actualised through your own inaction. And they can drain you of your will to fight when you most need it.

On the flip side if your fears push you to over react and just try to KO, you end up telegraphing, losing balance, and wearing yourself out quickly.

One of the most important issues for me in competition fighting has been finding that right balance of aggression and relaxation. You have to be aggressive enough to push forward when necessary and take the fight to your opponent, but maintain enough cool to be loose and fast ,see his openings, and not gas yourself out.

And alot of the fear is just pshychological too. I used to really over react to getting hit. Especially in the face. In Daidojuku we wear head gear so getting hit in the face isnt really painfull, but the shock of taking the blow can freak you out a bit at first. Once you get used to it its not as bad as you thought. Of course I'm not saying that you should just let guys hit you and try to take the pain, or that you can condition your head to taking blows. You can get KOd. Its just that perhaps your own fears can cause you to over react a bit. I've found that I can actually take alot more punishment than I thought. The fear of getting hurt is a reaction inhibiting obstacle. When you overcome it, it gives you the freedom to react smoothly and efficiently and thus avoid receiving the blows you were afraid of.

One of my dojo sempai competes as a pro kickboxer. I always admired the way he was so calm and calculated in all his fights. His confidence seemed to shine out of him. When my wife mentioned this to him he laughed and said he was always scared when he fought. Its just a matter of feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

[Dragn]

I just received a letter today saying that I've been accepted to compete in the all Japan national tournament! Wahoo!

I didnt think I would get in, seeing as I lost my 2nd fight. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my oponent went to the finals, or my good first fight. I dont know how the selection process works. But I aint gonna argue. It came as a real surprise, but I'm stoked!

Well no more time for chatting. The tournament is only 4 weeks away. I gotta go train!

[younwhadoug]

congrats

[Dragn]

I found out today that only the top 4 guys from Tokyo were selected. I wasnt in that 4, but it seems probable that someone had to pull out due to injury, and I got selected as the replacement. I must say I'm flattered but man, I dunno if I'm ready.

Going up against Japans top fighters in full contact is a dream I've had since I was a kid. And the Hokutoki( Daidojuku All Japan champs) is one of the most hard core Karate tournaments I know of.

I nearly blew my chances of ever realising it when I stopped training for most of my mid 20s. Now at 35 I'm approaching the end of my competition career, and I've finally reached one of my long time goals.

Theres just so much I need to work on though! Stamina is a big issue.

I'm good for 4 or 5 rounds of heavy sparring, but after that, I start to get real tired and my technique just turns to slop. Its like hitting a wall. And all my old bad habits resurface.

Today in sparring I was on fire! Landing combos, elbows, knees, and high kicks at will on my partners. It was like everything fell into place and I was in total control.

That is until Kitazawa san, an all Japan kickboxing champ walked in.

After sparring everybody else I had to put on the 16 ounce gloves and go a couple of rounds with him. Boy he just owned me!

Felt like he could see what I was going to do before I even did it. Couldnt land anything. And he was crushing me with everything! What a feeling of hopelessness...

From heaven to hell.

My legs are all bruised up from his low kicks. And he was being nice!

Tomorrow Ill head into the honbu (head dojo) to do some more sparring.

See what I can learn there....

[Superfoot]

Congrats on your offer Drag'n. Aside from the sparring, shadowboxing and bag/pad works, how does the rest of your training plan look like for this new endeavour?

[Dragn]

Basically I just do everything with alot more intensity. Sparring is harder than usual. Tonight my sensei sparred with me really punishing me with body shots to toughen me up and test my spirit.

The pad work is super intense with sets of 10rep kicks to start off with, and just 30 sec breaks between rounds, which are filled with push ups and jack knives.

I do more morning runs focssing on doing sprints. And some interval training, combining pushups, jump squats, jack knives, burpees etc.

I'm also focusing on more specific counters and strategies for the type of competition. Using the gi to control my opponent, sabaki moves, clinching techs to counter throws etc.

Plus more specific ground fighting strategies also.

Everyday is just a gut breaking challenge!