Submission Arts Wrestling

Geordie and Jess participated in a training session at the Japanese SAW Dojo, Tokyo Setagaya branch last night, and deepened their friendships with Japanese SAW members.
It was great to hear that they had a meaningful training session.

Congratulations on your successful grading!!
Cody had a grading for the SAW Senior 6th Kyu last night, and successfully graded.
You've improved so much in the last few weeks.
Keep this momentum going and continue to work hard and evolve!

Memories of Shihan A*o

"Sparring with Shihan A*o Part 2”

Another thing that left a lasting impression on me during sparring with Shihan A*o was the sheer variety of his techniques.

Of course, his ground techniques were exceptional, just as I wrote in my last blog, but his throws and takedowns were also remarkable.

He utilised his large physique to his advantage, employing techniques typically favoured by larger wrestlers, such as the Osoto Gari, Hane Goshi, and Greco-Roman wrestling-style takedowns.

Furthermore, Shihan A*o possessed exceptional leg and hip strength and flexibility, making him adept at techniques usually favoured by smaller wrestlers, such as the Seoi Nage (shoulder throw).

His Seoi Nage was unique; he would squat down to get below my waist, and instead of just dropping his upper body down to throw, he would squat right back up, lift me onto his shoulders completely, and slam me onto the mat.

Being thrown like that from his height felt like falling from the second floor, and I nearly fainted several times.

It was truly a devastating, one-hit knockout throw.

Shihan A*o always emphasised the importance of throwing techniques to us students, saying:

"The tatami mats we practice on are like boxing gloves in boxing; they are protective gear that shields both you and your opponent.
That's why we can practice throws and have competitions relatively safely.
However, in a real fight, the ground is almost always concrete, so a powerful throw can be fatal. SAW is a martial art, so throwing techniques are considered as important as, or even more important than, ground techniques."

As the name 'Submission Arts Wrestling' suggests, people tend to think that we just focus on submission techniques, but we have always spent as much time practicing throwing and takedown techniques as we did on the ground, or even more time.

Checkout the new Youtube video!!
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“SAW Powerful Double Leg Takedown”
https://youtu.be/X_gW5oax4tY

A double-leg takedown is a very powerful and effective takedown technique in grappling matches, MMA fight, and even in street self defence situations.

Because it's such a powerful technique, it can be a one-hit knockout in a real fight and is very dangerous.

SAW Powerful Double Leg Takedown A double-leg takedown is a very powerful and effective takedown tec...

Memories of Shihan A*o

"Sparring with Shihan A*o"

I'd like to share a few memories of Shihan A*o.

In the 1980s, when I became his student, he was still in his 30s and still did all the training with us students.

When I sparred with him for the first time, he didn't even assume a fighting stance; he just stood there normally.

Even when I went for a tackle, he didn't defend himself and let me in easily.

However, despite the force of my tackle, his body didn't budge, and I felt like I was hitting an immovable wall.

From there, he grabbed my head and threw me backward with one arm.

After this happened several times, when I tried to clinch him and as soon as I stepped forward to get close to him, he did foot sweep to me, sending me spinning around and landing on my shoulders.

Next, he let me grab him, but at that moment, with his favourite Judo throw called “Hane Goshi 跳腰” he sent me spinning again and threw me.

Next, we went straight into ground fighting, but he quickly locked my arm and I tapped out.

From there, he executed every kind of submission hold imaginable, changing his position as he went.

I tapped out every ten second.

In the end, he locked my neck and finished me off with a choke.

Then he said, "In an extreme real street fight situation, even if you lock and break your opponent's arm, they might still come at you. In the end, you'll have to either break their neck or choke them out."

Afterwards, I thought about that sparring session with him, and I realised that in that single sparring session, he had locked every joint in my body (elbows, knees, shoulders, wrists, ankles, hips, spine, neck, etc.).

And I thought, if this were a real fight, my joints would be broken one by one, and when I could no longer resist, I would be finished off by either a broken neck or a choke (actually, I would have been finished from getting thrown and smashed onto the ground anyway).

The thought sent shivers down my spine, but I vowed to myself that I would definitely master his techniques.

This is a video of our “MMA Circuit Class”, which we do every Thursday.
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https://youtu.be/V1Cg9CubJCg

We start with standing wrestling footwork drills, then move on to takedown drills, ground and pound technique practice, and finish the class with a circuit.

It's a very effective class for developing the skills and fitness needed for MMA fights, and it’s so much fun.

MMA Circuit Class This is a video of our “MMA Circuit Class”, which we do every Thurs...

Congratulations on your successful grading!!
Nicolás from Uruguay has passed the SAW senior 6th Kyu grading test.
It is a great pleasure to see your dedication to SAW.
Continue your wonderful martial arts journey!!

I've been uploading a lot of YouTube short videos lately.
Please visit the MMA ITO DOJO YouTube channel sometimes to check out our new YouTube short videos.
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNZH_JKf49EHmzjm7I6Rh4Q