Judo Competition!

I have just disfigured yet another part of my body. Yes... It just seems that I can't help adding ugly scars to my body. My mother says.. 我有做好我的部分，我把你交给自己时是完完整整的。then liling went to add the egg to her left knee, the line to her face and now the little egg to her right arm. really 很丑。

Maybe I made it worse by playing on sunday?? but I really had a great time on sunday. I think my natural ability is still in Judo. Doesn't matter how diligent or how long I've been in softball, handball or hockey, it's just not the same. cannot shoot, dribble or throw like the seasoned players. It's a pity, I can't just jio people, esp girls, that easily and go, hey, let's go judo a bit? like I can for softball, handball or even hockey.

recap of my 5 bouts. Cannot remember every point, just the major ones in a match.

Somewhat boring entry, cos somehow only I will understand what Iam writing and maybe yy and mel? =)

1st bout: Brown belt, ex hwa chong player, looks very small. Gauge of 52kg. Cannot throw her.. Alamak, cos she keeps running ard. How? Cannot even enter before she does. panic cos maybe it means I cannot make it anymore. Nightmare of being out by first round. (knockout system). happens consecutively that she throws and we both get to the ground, but I cannot grd work her successfully cos she has her legs crossed around my leg. Argh.. no time.. then suddenly, for one time, I manage to pin her without her legs around me. Heng ah.. Unglamourous win, no throw, just some grd work, after her entering all the time. But the job is done.

2nd bout: Brown belt, ex Cjc player, now in NUS with me, selene. Selene should be 80 kg plus. We both look like idiots, playing a slow motion game. We both enter, but no throw is made. Think people outside think we are wasting their time. Selene tugged hard on my right a few times and I winced slightly. Then a bit later, Selene hurt her leg while playing with me and backed away a little. Bet NUS people think we are killing ourselves. After 3 minutes over, we are drawn and we continue the match, for golden throw (first throw wins). Then ok, I throw tani-otoshi and the guy says yuko. From side referees decision, it is changed to koka. Yucks, but okay, did the job again, I am through once again.

3rd bout: Black belt, smu, SEA games silver medalist. Alamak, somebody comments, aiyah, just get thrown and don't hurt yourself. I go in and keep dodging her grab for my collar. (advice from friends that once she grabs my collar, I am finished) Then I enter the fastest I do ever.Think you have less apprehensions when you play with a stronger player. If you don't enter, you give the person the chance to enter and throw you. So I enter like mad, before she has chance to grab my collar. Think it was tani-otoshi first, then later I entered the left sholder throw. DId not know why everyone outside, even aside from NUS started cheering for me?? confused, then alamak, game is over in the next 1 minute, cos on my next entry, she somehow pins me down for grdwork. No throw from sea games medalist at least. Jianhao is very excited when I come out! He says everyone thought I wld win? eh why!? Cos when you threw your left shoulder throw, she flew over your head, but pity her face smashed into the ground, so her body cannot turn already, so only koka in the end. Ah? really ah?? Sigh.. everytime I play with her, i want to meet her again, dun even remember how I got pinned underneath. Game is less than a minute again! it's a great challenge and honour to play with her.

4th bout: team event, black belt, smu, ex-hwa chong player, ok-sized but tall, zai player again, but hand is injured I hear. many say zai, but I have never seen her before, so I'm not really affected. She keeps using this hooking technique, duno is what, looks like osoto-gari, but can't be. it gets me slightly off balance most of the time, but is not enough to throw me. She succeeds in pulling my leg muscle and giving me a sprained toe though, and my bandage for my egg starts falling off halfway through the match and I have to take it off. This is the longest and most intensive match for the day. No points for a long time, even though we were both attacking. Though, from my side, I felt she attacked more and was more threatening, then suddenly I did a left shoulder throw again. Not a spectacular throw, but still a yuko, and it manaegs to get me in position to grd work her, just a little, I had to push a lot to get into position, and I cld hear my team mates telling me to give up, cos they are afraid I will be grdworked instead. It tends to look dangerous from outside, but I already had her slightly in position so just try lah. Hahahaha.. when referee calls for grd work, I am very pleased. Heng, all over, my arms are damn tired.

5th bout: team even, brown belt, rather big-sized but never heard of, don't think is zai. not afraid at all. Go in and throw her a series of throws. Think 2 tani-otoshis for yuko and one left shoulder for koka and yess finally, one right shoulder for wazari. then time is up. There was a moment of time, my friends say I give them heart attack, cos when she was doing her throw I kept standing behind her, but its okay, I felt stable though it looks scary. There was one instant, where she kept trying to do harai, and I kept escaping. At that moment, I shld have done harai myself! Harai is my old major throw, but sigh.. when you are already winning, you get a bit cowardly, and don't want to take the risk. My harai cannot make it during competition, always end up getting countered cos of it, so I have reservations. But it was the perfect chance! Argh! the distance between us was so tight, shoulders locked, perfect chance! but sigh.. do not want to take the gamble.

Am happy, because today, I managed to win 2 good players with shoulder throw, both left and right today. And I won all my bouts, except the one against SEA no.2. Not that I want to, but no one will miss the chance to win, even if it was with a less glamourous method. The last 2 times I played for IVP, I alwaays won either by counter, grdwork or tani-otoshi on experience players. My shoulder throw only works on beginner belters that keep lunging forward and, basically are asking to be thrown majorly. Yes!! I am excited over shoulder throw now. Too bad my harai is still lurking somewhere in my haunted memories. Will definitely try that out too, during less tense situations.

Yes, so just for the record, we won team gold!! YEsSS!! and I have an individual bronze, which isn't all that bad. =)

and yes, I made a lot of new friends the last week from the judo competition and the one judo training I went for. Cailing, Cherilyn, Carrie, Huili, Salene, that noisy guy who i duno his name and the medic Jerry just to name a few. Pity I only got to know you guys better now, but sometimes, time does not allow us to do as many things as we would like to acheive. Dear medic Jerry, who helped me wrap up my arm, broke his arm during his 3rd or 4th bout today, don't think he will ever read this, but I just hope that the pain goes away and that he heals quickly and with no complications. You seriously have a lot of potential! and thanks ron for coming to watch the competition!

a link to a video with some nice highlights from a competition. most throws are uchimata and harai though, think only one low shoulder throw inside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBZEuJAG3AQ&search=judo