By Karsten Nielsen, Member until 2016
The alarm on my phone rang. It was with a somewhat tired body that I turned around, looked at the clock and turned off the alarm. Even though the clock said 05:30, it was with a good feeling in my body that I got up and got ready. The reason the alarm rang a little earlier than usual was that we had to go down and get the mats to be used for jujutsu course no. 2.
When we had driven somewhere between an hour and a half, we arrived at Tjørnelyskolen in Greve. After we had said good morning to the other Shindenkaners, we immediately set about preparing the mats. It wasn't long before more happy people showed up and as people got dressed the course could begin in earnest.
The course started with an information meeting about why it was a good idea to participate in jujutsu 2 and how this was "a piece of the whole pizza". It was also shown and explained how throwing and falling techniques can be performed in different ways, depending on the level of the athlete.
After the meeting we went down to the dojo (training hall). Down in the dojo we started with a common warm-up, after which we started doing some different fall techniques that we had in jujutsu 1. This was a good way to get us focused on the throws that we had to work on Today. The first fall techniques went very well for me, and it didn't take long before we were asked to find a partner, of approximately the same height and length.
When everyone had found a partner, Kimu Sensei with Jens Kyoshi as partner went through the first throw. Then we had to make the same throw, which was not as easy as it first seemed. On the course we got to try our hand at a number of different throws, e.g. Seio-nage (throw via lapel and arm) and O-goshi-nage (hip throw), in several variations. We also tried to get our partner to immediately look towards the ground, or rather the mat, using a wrist bend.
Oops, what did I just write there: "we got to try out POWERS with...". It is actually wrong, because it was not the strength that should be emphasized, but rather the good technique. The technique is very important, for various reasons. In addition to helping to give you better control, it can also make you save energy. The throw will also work faster for him or her who is thrown if the technique is good.
One of the things I really like about these courses is that there is plenty of time to learn the technique, and that this happens through many throws, as there are many things to keep track of. The many repetitions often give me an aha experience and a better understanding. This of course requires that you listen and try to do everything right. However, this is usually not a problem, as everyone's concentration is high.
The more details that are in place, the better the technique. You can possibly try to find out how to grab your partner, see how close they are to each other - body contact, when he looks down to the ground and last but not least, where is the partner's tipping point. When you have looked and listened, and you are facing your partner, you can try to feel for yourself: "Now I have to look downwards" or "My partner lost his balance", etc. I am looking forward to coming home to the club and practice even more on the throws we were taught so I can try to feel the technique.
Finally, I would like to give some good advice. My advice is that you have to trust the technique, not only when it comes to throws and falls, but in general, as it is a great help. For me, good technique and routine are very important.
All that remains is to say thank you. Thank you for a great course. Thanks to Kimu Sensei for the demonstrations and teaching. Thank you to all the happy and positive people who participated in the course, you also help make it a good experience.
