...catching up

November 7, 2010 5:44pm

Today Olga and I went to Gerisamov’s dojo. He asked me to come there and do a “master class” for some of his 12-16 year old Judo and Sambo champions. We spent about 2 hours going over grip fighting techniques and then another hour on grappling. The students worked very hard and displayed the discipline that is what champions are made of.

We took a lot of video, so I will put together a highlight video to post on youtube. The camcorder battery went dead before we finished the grappling portion, but there is still a lot of good footage.

Tomorrow I will go teach another “master class” for adult Judoka at a local university. I will probably go over some of the same stuff as I did with the juniors today. I have been told that tomorrow I will have some people my size to practice with. This makes me happy.

Gerisamov invited me to his banya tonight at 7pm. He has one of the best saunas I have been to here. Usually a Russian Banya experience means eating, drinking toasts, and sitting in the sauna with a group of peers. Many Russian business deals are done in the sauna. It is tradition as a way of showing that you are not hiding anything and everything is out in the open…literally.

Speaking of business, Gerisamov and I have begun plans to bring a Russian Judo/Sambo team to visit and train with us in the states, as well as getting things started for our 2012 Judo team coming to compete in the International Games of Asia.

When I return to the states, we will begin our tryout and training process for athletes and coaches.

Well, it’s off to the banya…

November 8, 2010 1:19 am

Wow…I should have taken the camcorder with me to Gerisamov’s banya (sauna). Tonight’s banya was not like the previous experiences I have had in the summertime. Tonight, it was -30 degrees Celsius, so this was a “winter banya”. The process went like this. First, we stripped down to nothing but a wool hat. Next we entered the heated up banya where we sat and discussed Judo, Sambo, BJJ, MMA, and future plans. Then Gerisamov beat us with eucalyptus branches (as a form of massage and exfoliation). After that, we went outside to the 30 below weather and rubbed snow all over our bodies. Then we return to sit in the banya for several more minutes. After cooling off and a quick shower, we got dressed and went into the dacha for dinner and more conversation.

At dinner, Gerisamov put together a schedule for my next few weeks here. I will teach Judo/Sambo “master classes” to the teens 2 days a week, to the adults 2 days a week, and train some MMA competitors on the weekends. I was also invited to help coach at an international Sambo tournament that is scheduled for later this month. Exciting stuff.

November 8, 2010 8:15 pm

I managed to go to the gym today. While I was running on the treadmill, Olga came over to me and asked, “Is the smoke in here coming from your machine?”

I thought, “surely I am not running so fast that I’m buring up the treadmill.”

About 10 minutes later, the treadmill stopped. I thought I had accidently pushed the stop button. I was only about 3 minutes short of finishing my run, so I decided that I would just be finished.

A couple of minutes later, a local came over to Olga and me and asked us if the machine was broken. Apparently, I had run the machine into the ground. I felt a small sense of pride along with my sense of guilt for breaking the treadmill.

Later in the day, Olga, Vitya, and I visited the “Sport University” where I taught a “master class” (seminar) to senior Judo students. I was amazed at how quiet the class was when I was demonstrating techniques. I am also always impressed with the work ethic of the Judo/Sambo students here.

We spent about an hour working on cross sleeve grip techniques and then about 45 minutes on groundwork. I found it ironic that I ended segment by teaching leg locks. I mean really…leg locks to the Russians?

Anyway, it was fun and I am looking forward to doing some randori with them tomorrow and then visiting Gerisamov’s banya again.

November 9, 11:12 pm Yakutsk time

Wow, I’m tired. We walked to the gym today and got in a pretty good workout. We then went to the big dojo in town for randori with some of the top talent in the area. We arrived too late for me to take part in the grappling randori.

Instead I got to do some 5 minute matches of tachi-waza (standing techniques) with some very tough opponents. I’m pretty sure I either broke or dislocated my middle finger while grip fighting with my first opponent. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow to decide whether I will see a doctor or not.

The grip fighting skills and grip strength of the first guy was amazing. Especially considering I probably outweigh him by 40lbs. Anyway, I got in some semi-good throws throughout the matches. I will post some highlight video. I might even include a couple clips of myself being thrown.

I felt really slow and sluggish on my randori today. However, I do feel that I did pretty well considering I was going against national champs that are 10 and 20 years my junior. Hooray for us old guys!

Even though I was looking forward to the ground work, it was the stand up that I truly needed. I will most likely go back for more this Friday.

I didn’t make it to Gerisamov’s Banya tonight. Instead, I will hit it on Saturday and Sunday this week. I will be sure to take the camcorder with me to get some film of what a Russian Banya looks like.