# Hiatus over.... Back on the Mat



## JP3 (Jun 20, 2020)

In the summer of 2018 a bunch of stuff happened.  It wasn't all bad. But it ended up leaving me in a position where I had a buddy who could, and was OK with, being the main instructor at my place (Wasabi). That had previously been my position so I could take a hiatus for an indefinite time so as to get some quality time increase with my lady.

Scroll forward almost two years and she & I are out ith friends, and one of the guys tells me across the table, "Hey, man. I'm going to start going to judo. You want to come with?"  This guy is built for it, he's about 5'9" and weighs about 230 with aex-bodybuilder build, but not running to fat, so he's going to do well I thought.  I asked him how this came about, and long story made short, his wife's old boss had been chatting with him online about whatever politicohistory stuff and happened to mention his own dojo, and inviting my buddy to give it a try.  I asked him where it was... and ddern me if it wasn't Sense Karl Geis' old school on the West side of Houston.

Which brings me back onto the mat after a 104-week break.  I've always considered martial arts skill to be frangible, meaning they degrade over time and begin to do so immediately... but quite a bit of the muscle memory is still "in there." That made me feel pretty positive about it... first time in randori after the break and I floated a guy up pretty good with a foot sweep just like old times.  Planed him out about chest high, nice soft fall, great training partners. It's all good...


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## Buka (Jun 20, 2020)

The road all of us are on sometimes gets long, sometimes has stops, but no matter, it's the journey that counts. ( Gee, I must have read a cool tea bag tag this morning or something)

Great to hear you're still rocking, bro.


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## JP3 (Jun 20, 2020)

Buka said:


> Great to hear you're still rocking, bro.


I'll forgive the fortune cookie philosophy, it hits all of us once in a while...makes sense, too.

Yeah, it's good to be back on the mat with a decent group of guys just there, mostly, to learn etc.  Nothing like being part of a decent school/club/gym/dojo/dojang... and whatever the other names are.

It seems odd to me that the throws still seem intact.  I've easily found deashi-barai, the ashi-waza basic 4, ippon, harai-goshi, o-garuma, and sasae-tsurikomi ashi, but my groundwork is rusty, I noticed that.  Got tapped about 6 minutes into a roll with a 2D judo/bjj dude who was working a sliding lapel from this weird sort of facedown three-quarter north-south position I'd not felt before. It was cool, and as soon as he got it and I opted out of trying to fight it for an hour and losing, he showed me the transition... just like dudes do.

Best thing for my own self-preservation stuff for my head, the ukemi is still all there on autopilot. Most important self-defense skill anyone can have, in my opinion.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jun 20, 2020)

JP3 said:


> In the summer of 2018 a bunch of stuff happened.  It wasn't all bad. But it ended up leaving me in a position where I had a buddy who could, and was OK with, being the main instructor at my place (Wasabi). That had previously been my position so I could take a hiatus for an indefinite time so as to get some quality time increase with my lady.
> 
> Scroll forward almost two years and she & I are out ith friends, and one of the guys tells me across the table, "Hey, man. I'm going to start going to judo. You want to come with?"  This guy is built for it, he's about 5'9" and weighs about 230 with aex-bodybuilder build, but not running to fat, so he's going to do well I thought.  I asked him how this came about, and long story made short, his wife's old boss had been chatting with him online about whatever politicohistory stuff and happened to mention his own dojo, and inviting my buddy to give it a try.  I asked him where it was... and ddern me if it wasn't Sense Karl Geis' old school on the West side of Houston.
> 
> Which brings me back onto the mat after a 104-week break.  I've always considered martial arts skill to be frangible, meaning they degrade over time and begin to do so immediately... but quite a bit of the muscle memory is still "in there." That made me feel pretty positive about it... first time in randori after the break and I floated a guy up pretty good with a foot sweep just like old times.  Planed him out about chest high, nice soft fall, great training partners. It's all good...


Very cool. I’m jealous.


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## JP3 (Jun 21, 2020)

gpseymour said:


> Very cool. I’m jealous.


Jealous why? You're still training regularly, etc. right?


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## Gerry Seymour (Jun 21, 2020)

JP3 said:


> Jealous why? You're still training regularly, etc. right?


I haven’t gotten to be a student in years. When I have the money, I’m on the road too much. When I’m home, there’s little income.

I get to work with my students, but I haven’t had a senior student in years. And all we do right now is distanced movement work - kata and the like. 

I’ve been eyeing a Judo club nearby that charges a small fee per class, with lots of randori, but who knows when (or if) they’ll start back.


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## _Simon_ (Jun 22, 2020)

SO cool.... love hearing these stories... ENJOY it bro!!!


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Jun 22, 2020)

While it's awesome that you're able to get back to judo, I'd be cautious about restarting now, especially in houston. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Along with Texas reports largest daily COVID-19 increase as Greater Houston sees spike in cases Would make me concerned for you. I've seen enough people between 20 and 40 year olds, with no medical history, die, that being in good shape shouldn't make you unconcerned about the virus.


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## Flying Crane (Jun 23, 2020)

Monkey Turned Wolf said:


> While it's awesome that you're able to get back to judo, I'd be cautious about restarting now, especially in houston.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yup.  Striking methods and forms/kata/poomsae can be done spread out if you go to a park.  But hands-on grappling?  Now is definitely not the time.


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