http://www.Ninjalicker.com The latest updates from said site en-en http://www.Ninjalicker.com http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=207 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=207 Some people shouldn’t join Judo. Falk was one of them. Not because he was prepared to do Judo, but because he wasn’t prepared to listen. There are a few types of personality that just don’t make it. A couple that spring to mind are; The guy who thinks he is tough. Sure, we all probably think we are tough, but at the same time, I don’t think we all believe it. The guy who thinks he is a hard ass and really believes it shouldn’t join most combat sports because when you start one, you lose. You ... Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:22:00 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=206 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=206 You meet a lot of colorful people in every sport, but the coaches are always the best. All the coaches I have ever had have always been really great, but there are less than shining moments that I can recall throughout my Judo career. Coaches often stand on the sidelines of a match and scream instructions. Most often the players don’t even register these things, but when you are out there fighting and you do it’s either because it is really invaluable information or just odd stuff. I had one c... Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:21:14 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=205 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=205 If I have gotten anything across to the casual reader of these stories I think it should be that the people I have met in Judo are not squeamish. Judo is actually a surprisingly safe sport, and when the stats are worked out for injuries in correlation to people Judo comes out pretty low. I am going to try and make this my last injury story unless I get or see something new. Not that I want to tempt fate or anything. The reason these two stories came to mind was because the other day I went t... Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:20:09 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=204 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=204 I was hesitant to write this story down because whenever you tell a really embarrassing story to people and it’s about someone else people immediately assume that your friend should have quotes around it so it becomes “friend” and you are really telling a story about yourself. Luckily I play a small logical roll in this story so it makes perfect sense that I would know about it and be able to tell it without self-implication. The other reason I was slow to get this one on the page is that it ... Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:13:19 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=203 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=203 Most of the stories I have posted have been humorous in nature, or at least I have hoped they were. This story isn’t funny, but it is pretty interesting all the same. This was the scariest moment I have had in Judo for sure, perhaps it is the most scared I have been in my life. In Canada they had these big work-outs with the British Columbia team coaches and pretty much anyone who could fit in the dojo showed up. The fighting was particularly rough because a lot of people feel they had to show... Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:17:40 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=202 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=202 I any sport the people you play with will hopefully become your friends. I was lucky in that I found 2 of my best friends through Judo. I think it is natural that the people you feel closest to will be the people who are at a similar level as you, with the same skill set etc. There is a natural kinship there. The only problem in a fighting sport is that these friends who are at a similar level are the people you will have to fight in competition. Judo, in Canada, separates people by weight, bu... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:40:06 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=201 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=201 When you travel probably one of the highlights is talking to odd people. To be more accurate, it is usually odd people talking to you. I was in the changing room at the gym where I do Judo on Thursday, the changing room being where all the oddest conversations have taken place in my life, and a man starts staring at me. Luckily I am not naked at the time, so I don’t take too much offense. He has met me in the changing room before and has asked me the same question every time. ‘Are you German?’ I... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:37:17 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=200 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=200 Judo is a psychologically intense game. You have to have the confidence of winning even when you know deep down inside that you are about to get splattered. How does that work, I don’t know, but you honestly put a guy in front of me that is twice my size, all muscle and has been practicing judo since conception and a part of me is completely confident in my ability to beat him. You just have to make sure that part speaks louder than the part that is using a scale to measure up opponents and tel... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:30:36 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=199 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=199 There are a few things in life that are universally entertaining, other peoples pain being very high on the list. This is why home movie shows consistently show people getting hit in the balls, basically variations of the same move over and over again, without any falter in their ratings. Judo has afforded me many such experiences, intensely personal experiences that other people seem to delight in. What follows is my harshest and most brutal groin injury ever. I say ever because even if I ge... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:28:36 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=198 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=198 To get good at Judo you have to fight a lot of different people, and that means roadtrips. Basically during university I would go out on the road with my two best friends and we would go to competitions in other places and get beat. The competition was really just an excuse for us to get out with each other. About a 9 hour drive from Vancouver is Spokane Washington in the United States. Every year they have a fairly big competition and one year we went. Since it is 9 hours you have to stop and ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:27:16 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=197 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=197 Having done Judo in many places I have experienced the joy of walking into a new dojo several times in my life. Introductions are pretty standard, the top guy will say your name and tell everyone you have joined the club and then everyone will clap as if they are really happy you are there. There is, of course, the eyeing. They all are thinking one unified thought, how good is he, and to be more specific, can I beat him? This is a lot pressure when you walk into a new place. What usually hap... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:25:22 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=196 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=196 You may have been a dedicated reader of the ninjalicker and for that I am thankful. If you are you will notice the last three stories have appeared in the 'judo stories' section of the site. I am doing some updates and putting all the content together so for the next few days you can expect all 14 old judo stories along with all 15 olf kunf-fu movie reviews. I am sure somewhere along in there I am going to mess stuff up, but then I will focus on new content. This comes, of course, along with s... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:47:55 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=195 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=195 My Judo career was on and off when I was young and starting out. I would do it for a bit and then drop off from it. I basically didn’t do any during high school when I was trying to help young women liberate their breasts from the confines of their bras. Call it confused dedication to multiple goals. When you are really young you need someone to drive you places, mainly because you don’t have a car and can’t drive. This loathsome task usually falls to your parents as they basically pay for you... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:44:31 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=194 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=194 I showed up for Judo and as my personal tradition I went to the bathroom. I figure it's a good idea in any fighting sport to evacuate your bowels before you go out there. Tonight there were some of the little kids hanging around and after I left I heard them laughing and saying 'The foreigners shit stinks.' in Japanese. I am wondering if that was some sort of a surprise to them. Then while I was out fighting I got kicked 'there'. I don't hold it against the guy, it was obviously an accident, b... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:43:40 -0700 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=193 http://www.Ninjalicker.com/single.php?pst=193 Judo is a tough guy sport, but unlike most there isn't a lot of trash talking. Sports like basketball and whatnot seem to have a lot of repressed aggression, but Judo puts it right out there in the front. Last week this guy comes into the club and you can see his targeting system lock in on me. First off, he doesn't bow to me when I do to him. This is disrespect in the utmost in Judo. Then he starts trash talking me in Japanese. I am catching words, but I know most of this I am not understan... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:42:53 -0700