Grand Prix - Baku - 6 - 8 May, 2011

There are four Grand Prix events a year and one is currently being contested in Baku - Azerbaijan. In terms of points towards Olympic Qualification:

1st place = 200 points
2nd place = 120 points
3rd place = 80 points

There are no Australians entered in this event. With a Masters event, World Championships, 4 x Grand Slams, 4 x Grand Prix and in excess of 20 World Cups in a calendar year, its not possible both physically and financially to do all of them.

Looking at the draws, there appear to be no Japanese competitors which is unusual. I hope that they are able to overcome the recent disaster in their country and attend future events.

This competition can be watched on the IJF channel Judo TV.
Friday: Mens U/60kg, u/66kg Womens U/48kg, U/52kg, UI/57kg
Saturday: Mens U/73kg, U/81kg Womens U/63kg, U/70kg
Sunday: Mens: U/90kg, U/100kg, over 100kg, Wommens U/78kg, Over 78kg

http://212.227.28.227/live/index.php

You can also check out the live results at Ippon.org

http://217.79.182.227/www.judo-world.net/ijf/grand_prix/2011_baku/tta_menue.php?modus=1024&sprache=english

Updated World Ranking list at 29 April, 2011

Now that all the Continental Championships have been contested...the latest World Ranking List has been updated...Check it out at:

http://www.intjudo.eu/pictures/document/2011_04_27_ijf_wrl.pdf

Oceania Champs - Tahiti 12011

The 2011 Oceania Championships were held in Tahiti from the 16-17 April, 2011. As already mentioned this is one of the most important competitions for Australians who hope to gain selection for the 2012 London Olympics.

The team arrived late on the Wednesday night and had a solid training session on the Thursday and Friday before the competition. Men and women seniors and junior/cadets girls competed on the Saturday with the remainder on the Sunday.

In between in was great to relax in the resort pool or the beach that backed onto the resort. The facilities were awesome and my roomie and I somehow managed to snag a jacuzzi on our balcony!!

The Australians competed well with a number of gold medals in the seniors including:
Womens - U/52kg, Womens U/57kg, Womens, U/63kg, Womens, U/78kg and womens O78kg
Mens - U/60kg, U/66kg, U/81kg, U/90kg, U/100kg
The Australians also took out the mens and womens teams events.

Unfortunately there was very litle time to check out this island Paradise and the team flew out on the Monday.

From a personal perspective although I won my division, I was not satisfied with how I fought. However its important to always put things in perspective. 10 days out from the competition I was still unable to do randori after dislocating my finger in the ACT Open in February. You would think that a finger injury is a minor one...and to some degree it is...but when its your main gripping hand in judo...it makes things hard. So from February until the beginning of April I couldnt do randori and things were looking grim.

I was lucky to be referred to a Sports Doctor who specialises in PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma. There is a mountain of information on the net about this but in simple terms its removing your own blood, spinning it in a centrifuge to seperate the platelet rich plasma, then injecting this placelet rich plasma back into the injury. There is evidence that this assists with muscle, ligament and tendon injuries and is approved by WADA (World Anti Doping) I really dont understand the science behind it...but what I can say is that 3 days later my finger was not sore where the ligament was damaged, it bent more and I was able to do randori...it was unbelievable. This photo shows my finger 10 days out from the competition.

So on the bright side, things can only improve from here...a week off during Easter and back into it...theres definately a big year ahead!

...and a big THANKYOU to my coaches at UNSW, Warren and JB for getting me prepared for this one under crappy circumstances and also to JOLS ADIDAS for their continued support.

One week to Oceania Champs...

So its one week until the Oceania Championships are held in Tahiti. This event is closed to countries within Oceania region. It will include Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuata, Tonga and Samoa to name a few. For the seniors, this is an extremely important event towards their goal of Olympic qualification. In simple terms, a win is worth 180 points on the world ranking list. In comparison, a win at a World Cup is only 100....

During April, all regions are holding their continental championships. Last weekend saw the Asia Championships. Again this is an important event for athletes with the 180 points on offer. You can see the results here:

http://217.79.182.227/www.judo-world.net/jua/continental/2011_abu_dhabi/tta_menue.php?modus=1024&sprache=english

If you are interested in checking out how the Aussies go in Tahiti you can see the live results here:

http://www.intjudo.eu/index.php?Menu=Calendar&Action=List&lang_id=2&mid=8&m_calendar_type_id=6&m_calendar_id=728

As for training going into this competition...its been as good as it can be in the circumstances. Injuries are always going to be a part of Judo and you have to be prepared to compete with them.

Also, Ive had a few people ask about the Adidas judogi....yes they are in stock...and if you intend on representing at major international events, you will need one as of the World Champs this year. (The Adidas gi is IJF approved)

The benefits of music for your training

Any competitive Judo player knows the importance of having the right level of "arousal" when they compete. You dont want to be "overly aroused" to the point where you are too aggresive, and therefore are not thinking strategically. On the other hand, you dont want to be "under aroused" to the point that you have no spirit, no will to win.

The secret is finding the middle...and each training session, competition will be different. Some times you will need to tone down your arousal levels, and other times you will need to pick them up.

Music is a great way of helping you achieve this. Its always good to have a playlist that has a combination of songs, so you can choose something appropriate for how you are feeling.

You will find a good selection on You tube which gives you a start for your playlist. Check out this link for

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jwZBqGPgVE&feature=related

Do you really need a rest???

Sometimes you try and justify to yourself...why I cant train today...

Well check out this link and then see if you still feel that way.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA&feature=related

How does a judo player qualify for the 2012 Olympics?

Hi Guys,

I get a lot of questions about how a judo player qualifies for the 2012 Olympics. I kind of like the thought process of my 7 year old son who said, "So after all the competitions, does Warren get to pick the team for the Olympics?" Warren is my coach and dont I wish it were that easy.

As of this Olympics, qualification for Australian Judo players is a lot harder than in the past .

To qualify for 2012 you must:

*Female ranked in the top 14 on the World Ranking list is automtic entry.

*Male ranked in the top 22 on the World Rnaking list is automatic entry.

* There can only be one from each country. eg: If Japan has a player ranked number 1 in the womens U/63kg and a player ranked number 8, that player cant go and the position is given to the next highest on the list.

* After the above process is completed, Australia will get one more position. So if we have players in the top 14 (for women) and 22 (for men) they automatically qualify. Australia then get to send one other athlete. This will go to the man or women who has the most points on the World Ranking List.

At the end of 2010, the International Judo federation published an example of who would qualify for the Olymics as of the 31 December, 2010.

You can check out the results here:

http://217.79.182.227/www.judo-world.net/_ranking/tta_qualification.php?nation_field=AUS&action=Show

http://www.intjudo.eu/

In all 7 Aussies would have qualified including myself. But the next 16 months is the real test. Everyone will be coming out of the woodwork!