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Love Judo Magazine
Letter from the Editor: Hello and Welcome to Issue number 1 of Love Judo magazine
Kind regards Matt D’Aquino
Contents:
Judo for Peace - Nepal Competition Interview Feature Nutrition MMA Self defence
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Kata
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Judo world Fitness
Judo for Peace – Nepal In December 2012 I travelled to Nepal to trek my way to Mount Everest base camp. It was such an incredible experience to be so high in the Himalayas away from the bustle of daily life back home. We trekked for 15 days and upon returning to Kathmandu I met up with a few local Judo players who are doing some amazing things amongst the under privileged children in and around the Kathmandu region. Within Nepal’s social climate is an undercurrent of political corruption, terrorism and overall insecurity resulting in many children being left or abandoned to fend for themselves. Scores of children are left to beg on the streets, (many with physical disabilities) but some are lucky enough to gain admittance into an orphanage. Within these orphanages the children are given the basics to live such as food, shelter and an education and although that is great many of the children grow up with anger and hurt in their hearts due to the mistreatment they have suffered. In 2008, Manoj Bahadur KC and Rajesh Karmacharya, decided to implement a Judo for Peace program into a few orphanages as a way for the children to gain confidence, loyalty, teamwork, respect, selfcontrol and of course self-defence. Through the training sessions the children are encouraged to work together as a team, overcome their fears and show courage under pressure, this in turn will help develop the children become a positive contributor of society. Since the year 2009 the Judo for Peace program is now in 11 orphanages in Nepal.
Currently there are 11 orphanages running the Judo for Peace program but there are only 7 with tatami – the other 4 orphanages are forced to run sessions on concrete and they must adjust the sessions so that there is no throwing and the ground game is not taught at all. Although despite their hardship and lack of equipment the children do Judo three times a week and many of them recently came back from the cadet Asian games with medals. I was very impressed with
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One major problem that faces the Judo for Peace program is the lack of funds available to buy equipment needed to run basic Judo classes. As a 2008 Olympian the facilitators of the program thought it would be great if I visited and taught Judo at a few of the orphanages as a way to inspire the children to achieve all they can through the sport of Judo. Upon arriving at the first orphanage I was amazed to find that the tatami they were using was made out of a plank of wood covered with a bit of foam and a bed sheet sewn over the top to hold the foam in place. The Judogi’s (Judo uniform) they were wearing looked like they had not been washed in several months and many of the children simply wore the gi jacket with no belt or pants as there are none available.
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the children’s’ discipline, excitement and respect for each other. I taught a variety of techniques and played a few games they had never played but I was very impressed with their throwing techniques as well as their eagerness to learn. I taught a variety of combinations as well as a ground work technique and the children were very receptive and picked up most of the techniques in minutes. Nepal is situated in a pretty good location (there is good training and competitions nearby) and I believe with a bit more financial assistance and more international exposure Nepal could snatch a medal at the Asian games, World Championships or Olympic Games one day. I was very impressed with the work that the volunteer coaches Rajesh Karmacharya , Mohan Bam and Ranju Rai (below) If you would like to learn more about the Judo for Peace program or would like to contribute in any way please contact Mohan at truelife4judo@gmail.com
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Author: Matt D’Aquino
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Competition Review
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Tournei de Paris
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Fitness
Tabata intervals to improve your gas tank.
Tabata intervals are a really simple training method. - 5 minutes warm up - 20 seconds of an exercise followed by 10 seconds rest - Repeat 8 times - 2-5 minutes cool down (*If you are looking at participating in a longer workout then simply perform between 8-20 sets of 20 second bursts.) The idea is that in the 20 seconds of exercise you must give 110% for all 8 sets. This type of training protocol is designed to be done using a full body, functional movement or exercise such as deadlifts, box jumps, burpees, battle rope, Kettlebell swings, skipping, sprints, body weight squats. If you are looking to add some of these into your training MMA sessions at the gym you can add in some technical work such as sprawling, hitting pads, escaping mount,
escaping back control or even continuous takedowns. For those that have never performed Tabata intervals I recommend doing so under
professional supervision. For first timers I recommend starting on an exercise bike, elliptical or rowing machine and gradually build up to using Kettlebells or adding in a more technical movement. One of my favourite Tabata intervals I do with fighters at my gym is to get one of the heavyweights to pin a lightweight to the mat with either mount, side mount or back control. From here the fighter on the bottom has 8-12 sets of 20 seconds to try to escape the position – this increase the fighters’ cardio as well as improves their ability to escape from various positions. Tabata Intervals are to be done by experienced trainers only as it is a very intense form of exercise and can seriously injure an un-trained person. Be sure you have an adequate warm up before attempting these sorts of workouts Love Judo Magazine
If you find yourself too busy to hit the gym for an hour or so then I highly recommend you try implementing the Dr Izumi Tabatas’ protocol into your regular conditioning program. Dr Tabata was a Japanese sport scientist from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Japan. In 1996, Tabata reviewed some high level endurance athletes and came up with the Tabata interval training system as a program designed to increase your V02 max in a short amount of time. Your V02 max is the maximum capacity at which your body uses and transports oxygen during exercise. The higher you VO2 max is, the fitter you are. Conditioning is crucial to anyone looking at stepping into the cage and as it starts getting late into the second round you start to see who the more conditioned fighter is.
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Nutrition
I know a few top elite athletes who wake up in the morning and go straight to training without consuming any energy beforehand. I know for a fact that if I went to training without having breakfast I would not only feel tired and lethargic, I couldn’t train as hard as I would like to. I highly recommend eating at least 60 minutes before you train so that you have something to fuel your training session. You pre-workout meal should be made up of mostly low GI foods and some protein. The size of the meal depends on how big you are. Obviously a bigger person would have a larger pre workout meal compared to a smaller person. Whatever the size, it is important that the food you consume actually satisfies you long enough to get through your workout. This will take a few weeks of trial and error but getting the right size meal is crucial. Too small a meal and you will be hungry half way through your training session. Too large and you will spend most the session feeling bloated and sluggish. Finding what you like to eat before, during and after exercise is all trial and error. Some athletes may get stomach pain and gastrointestinal problems with different foods. A pre-workout meal doesn’t have to be a fancy feast. But it must contain carbohydrates (where you get your energy from) and Protein (to help rebuild muscle tissue). Sports nutritionist recommend having 1-4grams per kilogram of bodyweight of carbohydrate, and this should be consumed 1-4 hours before training. The following are great pre workout meals: cken and salad sandwich
All of these meals can be easily kept in your training bag or in the fridge at work. If you are in a rush you may like to consume a scoop of protein powder in a glass of milk. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. Try a few different strategies to see what fits you and your lifestyle the best
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Should I eat before I train?
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