Last week I was reffing a small team event between two unis. One of those teams was from the uni where I coach Judo. Thankfully the other uni's coach was in attendance and was fine about the situation - he promised ot let me know if I got call wrong! ;)
Anyway, being students the videos of the contests have been published to the club facebook page. So I took the chance to review my refereeing and thankfully there's only one score that I might change (scored waza-ari, probably should have been yuko), the throw was away from me so the landing was hard to see. It was towards the camera though which is how I know I might have been a bit generous.
Generally though I'm quite happy with decisions I made and I'm happy I was entirely impartial, which has to be good!
Who won? That would be the team I coach....
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Gaining reffing confidence
Today I was reffereeing at the Yorkshire and Humberside closed competition. Over the course of the last few events I have felt my skills as a referee have been improving bit by bit.
Today was a good day, I felt confident in my decisions, focused on improving basics like clear and sharp signalling as I have previously been told this is my weak area.
More than that, we had some trainee refs on the mat today who would ask me for advice and opinions on the rules/scoring etc. As a new ref (a year as a BJA C now) I have always shied away from these queries, encouraging the trainees to consult a more experienced ref. Well today was a new experience, I felt comfortable and confident offering opinion and advice to those starting their traineeships.
Does this mean I'm growing into my ref grade? Much like I tell players I coach that they will grow into their dan grade.
Today was a good day, I felt confident in my decisions, focused on improving basics like clear and sharp signalling as I have previously been told this is my weak area.
More than that, we had some trainee refs on the mat today who would ask me for advice and opinions on the rules/scoring etc. As a new ref (a year as a BJA C now) I have always shied away from these queries, encouraging the trainees to consult a more experienced ref. Well today was a new experience, I felt comfortable and confident offering opinion and advice to those starting their traineeships.
Does this mean I'm growing into my ref grade? Much like I tell players I coach that they will grow into their dan grade.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Another year is ending...
This time of year it seems traditional to review the previous year and work out if happy with it and what you might change.
It's been a very busy Judo year for me this year. Newly qualified as C ref, coaching, area committee commitments, maintaining area website (www.yhjudo.org.uk), competing.... in fact from September right through to early December I think every Sat/Sun was given to Judo.
As much as I enjoy most of these things and I do volunteer to do them, it's still nice to have a break. Coaching won't resume until mid-January when the students return then it's prep for our annual team competition. Talking of students... occasionally I get a thankyou after a session from one of the students and the last couple of years the student committee of the club I coach at has given me some beer to say thanks from the club. Just before Christmas I was given a nice bottle of Port from one of the guys at the club as a thankyou which I shall be enjoying this weekend with some mouldy cheese :)
I'd say I'm mostly happy with my Judo stuff this year, though competitive results could have been stronger. I think that having lost lots of weight I'm still trying to work out how my fighting is changing/should change. Down to 93Kg now from 105Kg in the summer. So I tend to be one of the lighter guys in the group now (I was never the heaviest! ;) ). "Only" another 4Kg or so to go and I can fight in the <90Kg group. That will be different.
So generally a good year. What about 2012?
Well I'd like to continue to try and pick up grade points (starting the year with 30 in hand), so obviously competing is required - maybe the British masters again. Getting under 90Kg has to be a target, having lost so much weight in the last 6 months it would seem a waste not to lose the last few to get under.
Having said that I need to be careful not to injure myself as I have secured a place in the 2012 London Marathon! No doubt that will help the weight loss as I do my training. If you want to follow my progress BTW you can at bensmarathon.com or on Twitter @bensmarathon of course the website has links to my sponsoring pages ;)
Well here's to another year of Judo, let's raise a glass to achievements in 2011 and to endeavours in 2012.
It's been a very busy Judo year for me this year. Newly qualified as C ref, coaching, area committee commitments, maintaining area website (www.yhjudo.org.uk), competing.... in fact from September right through to early December I think every Sat/Sun was given to Judo.
As much as I enjoy most of these things and I do volunteer to do them, it's still nice to have a break. Coaching won't resume until mid-January when the students return then it's prep for our annual team competition. Talking of students... occasionally I get a thankyou after a session from one of the students and the last couple of years the student committee of the club I coach at has given me some beer to say thanks from the club. Just before Christmas I was given a nice bottle of Port from one of the guys at the club as a thankyou which I shall be enjoying this weekend with some mouldy cheese :)
I'd say I'm mostly happy with my Judo stuff this year, though competitive results could have been stronger. I think that having lost lots of weight I'm still trying to work out how my fighting is changing/should change. Down to 93Kg now from 105Kg in the summer. So I tend to be one of the lighter guys in the group now (I was never the heaviest! ;) ). "Only" another 4Kg or so to go and I can fight in the <90Kg group. That will be different.
So generally a good year. What about 2012?
Well I'd like to continue to try and pick up grade points (starting the year with 30 in hand), so obviously competing is required - maybe the British masters again. Getting under 90Kg has to be a target, having lost so much weight in the last 6 months it would seem a waste not to lose the last few to get under.
Having said that I need to be careful not to injure myself as I have secured a place in the 2012 London Marathon! No doubt that will help the weight loss as I do my training. If you want to follow my progress BTW you can at bensmarathon.com or on Twitter @bensmarathon of course the website has links to my sponsoring pages ;)
Well here's to another year of Judo, let's raise a glass to achievements in 2011 and to endeavours in 2012.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Samarai masters/high grades
I'm feeling achy today!
Yesterday I was at the Samarai Masters/high grade event. I'm a big fan of this event, it seems to be run with the specific intention of giving people good crack at getting dan grade points and it does that.
I fought in Masters group in the morning, then a 3rd dan event in the afternoon and an open event. In all must have had 10 or 12 fights. Only came away with 10 points, I really wasn't fighting to my best ability which is always frustrating when that happens.
Still, trying to be positive I did get 10 points and that was from a guy (Tom Walker) who I think is doing the top level circuit - he went on to take gold. There seemed to be quite a few guys that were regulars at top flight, but that's to be expected I suppose when I'm trying to get points for 4th dan!
So now I'm looking forward to next weekend when I shall be reffing at my club's kyu grade tournament (19th Nov 2011, contact me if you know of kyu grades wanting to enter! Split up to orange then green-brown, not point scoring), then the following weekend reffing again at the Bev Price team comp in the Midlands.
At some point I have to find time to do some more running (10km race on sunday 20th in Leeds) for my marathon training. Seems every weekend from Sept through to the end of the year is taken up with Judo.
Slight aside - the weight is still going on....
Yesterday I was at the Samarai Masters/high grade event. I'm a big fan of this event, it seems to be run with the specific intention of giving people good crack at getting dan grade points and it does that.
I fought in Masters group in the morning, then a 3rd dan event in the afternoon and an open event. In all must have had 10 or 12 fights. Only came away with 10 points, I really wasn't fighting to my best ability which is always frustrating when that happens.
Still, trying to be positive I did get 10 points and that was from a guy (Tom Walker) who I think is doing the top level circuit - he went on to take gold. There seemed to be quite a few guys that were regulars at top flight, but that's to be expected I suppose when I'm trying to get points for 4th dan!
So now I'm looking forward to next weekend when I shall be reffing at my club's kyu grade tournament (19th Nov 2011, contact me if you know of kyu grades wanting to enter! Split up to orange then green-brown, not point scoring), then the following weekend reffing again at the Bev Price team comp in the Midlands.
At some point I have to find time to do some more running (10km race on sunday 20th in Leeds) for my marathon training. Seems every weekend from Sept through to the end of the year is taken up with Judo.
Slight aside - the weight is still going on....
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Monday, 18 July 2011
Nominated ...
I got a letter from the BJA at the weekend. Yipee thinks me, my ref badge/papers have finally arrived (did my assessment 21st May!), but no.
It was a letter to say that I have been nominated for a BJA "Make a Difference" award. I didn't win it, but not too bothered about that. It's just lovely to know that someone feels I am doing something good for Judo to nominate me.
Unfortunately the letter doesn't tell me who nominated me so I can't thank them.
I nominated someone for an award and I got letter regarding that last week but I better not say too much in case that person hasn't received notification yet!
It was a letter to say that I have been nominated for a BJA "Make a Difference" award. I didn't win it, but not too bothered about that. It's just lovely to know that someone feels I am doing something good for Judo to nominate me.
Unfortunately the letter doesn't tell me who nominated me so I can't thank them.
I nominated someone for an award and I got letter regarding that last week but I better not say too much in case that person hasn't received notification yet!
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
BJA Masters 2011 and weight loss
The British Masters tournament is fast approaching (17th July IIRC). I fought in British masters a few years back, taking gold in the <35 <100Kg category. That was when I was 30 and 6 months. Some would argue there shouldn't be a 30-35 group in the masters competitions, but that's a discussion for another day.
I'm now 33 and miss being able to wear that shiny badge on on kit so I was hoping to enter the masters again this year. Unfortunately with too much of my Judo mat time devoted to coaching I've found myself in the unenviable place of having to try and lose 5 or 6 Kg between now and 17th. This morning I was just under 104Kg on my bathroom scales, but of course I want a 'safety' margin so need to lose a bit more than 4Kg.
So it's minimal eating, lots of exercise and no beer for me for a few weeks. Even then it will be touch and go.
I'm using a weight tracking application (Libra) on my phone and have been for a month or two. It plots a trend of weight changes using data provided. So while my while is going down, the trend is still upwards apparently. :(
This is going to be an uncomfortable few weeks.
Even if I do manage to shift the excess blubber in time, I then need to find money for the entry fee and the accommodation the night before (I don't fancy a 2 hour drive before an 8am weigh in!) ....
... donations/sponsorship always welcome!!!
I'm now 33 and miss being able to wear that shiny badge on on kit so I was hoping to enter the masters again this year. Unfortunately with too much of my Judo mat time devoted to coaching I've found myself in the unenviable place of having to try and lose 5 or 6 Kg between now and 17th. This morning I was just under 104Kg on my bathroom scales, but of course I want a 'safety' margin so need to lose a bit more than 4Kg.
So it's minimal eating, lots of exercise and no beer for me for a few weeks. Even then it will be touch and go.
I'm using a weight tracking application (Libra) on my phone and have been for a month or two. It plots a trend of weight changes using data provided. So while my while is going down, the trend is still upwards apparently. :(
This is going to be an uncomfortable few weeks.
Even if I do manage to shift the excess blubber in time, I then need to find money for the entry fee and the accommodation the night before (I don't fancy a 2 hour drive before an 8am weigh in!) ....
... donations/sponsorship always welcome!!!
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Wednesday, 15 June 2011
End of another academic year
So another academic year comes to an end at Sheffield University Judo Club. A fairly successful year for the club I feel. Not just in the competitive arena (it was, we got a number of medals and entered a good number of events) but the club core grew substantially.
Of course now is the hard part - saying goodbye to those students that are leaving to go home for the last time as they graduate. I can only hope I have instilled an enthusiasm for Judo that leads them to find a club at home/wherever they end up working.
Bring on the Sports Fair in September!
PS. Just noticed the strange formatting of my last posting. I must try and find the editor to correct that!
In the last session I decided to have a go at the 1st set of Nage-no-kata as it's been a while since we looked at it. Post warm-up I tried an exercise involving moving down the mat on own trying to perform the foot movement of the 3 wazas in the 1st set of Nage-no-kata. I think it worked. The lower grades seemed to pick up the kata version of techniques much more easily than usual, they almost understood the balance/timing!
Maybe I'll try and work on the rest of Nage-no-kata with the club over the summer.
Of course now is the hard part - saying goodbye to those students that are leaving to go home for the last time as they graduate. I can only hope I have instilled an enthusiasm for Judo that leads them to find a club at home/wherever they end up working.
Bring on the Sports Fair in September!
PS. Just noticed the strange formatting of my last posting. I must try and find the editor to correct that!
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