taraje.com

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What’s New
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Although it has been more than a month since my last post, I am still trying to make things happen. I have been spending a lot of time in the gym. Some days are better than others. Somehow there is a direct relationship between time spent and money made in the Personal Training Business. It is both tiring and rewarding. I have also been spending a lot of time in the club, and not so much time on the mat.

I am doing well though. I am currently the fastest ramper to reach full time status in hours/clientele at my location. I am enjoying my job; learning new things, meeting new people and helping them reach their goals.

A week or so ago I took a Kettlebell Certification from Pamela Macelree BS RKC, of Kettlebell America. I was initially skeptical of the value of Kettlebells in an elite athletes training program, partly because I had never touched one until I began working at a Fitness Club, but also because of the somewhat cult like following. Many people fall in love with them and forget about ever other tool in the gym. Although they are not the end all, KB’s have their place in a diverse training program.

The one thing that is without a doubt is that KB’s are fun to use. There are lots of movements with tons of room for creativity. Just the fact that they are able to keep your interest for long periods of time make them great tools for most sedentary people looking to get back in shape and also dislike working out.

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Personal
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For those of you who have been reading Taraje.com for a while, you may remember me writing about my breakup with the young lady who I was with while training for the Games. It didn’t go smoothly. I didn’t really put it behind me for a while. A little more than a month ago I ran into her on a NYC Subway platform.

Needless to say I was a little shocked. I hadn’t seen her since she moved her belongings out of my apartment. We were cordial despite how things ended, made small talk and went our separate ways. It threw me for a bit of an emotional ride for the next 24-48 hours, only to then have the best few weeks of my life. I guess it gave me some sort of closure.

So, I am getting things together. The aftereffects of the Games still show themselves. Now that I have had time to analyze it, I see that the ideals it took me so long to develop in preparation for the Games I now choose not to live by, although not always consciously.

Now that I have identified it I can begin to confront it. I call myself an idealist but I now make decisions out of necessity. I am a little disillusioned by it. I guess it could be considered an identity crisis. Whatever the case may be, despite it taking almost a year just to come to this realization, things are looking up.

Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari is being released to the public very soon and Ugly Judo 102: Kata Garuma is on its way. I have some big news coming later this week so my next post should be a good one.

I have had some complaints about my disappearance so, here I am. My time is very limited right now so I expect to be able to post 3-4 times a week.

P.S. If you haven’t already started to, follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook. I drop gems. Just search my first name!

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Priorities
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I have made my decision. I will complete a marathon in September of this year. I will also be investing more time into getting closer to my Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Out of all of my options these two are the only that are synergistic and will reap the most benefits to both my professional and athletic careers.

I am doing the research now and will begin a 20 week program in preparation for my marathon. Meanwhile, I plan on completing a 5k, 10k, and half marathon over the summer. I am excited about it but am sure I will lose a lot of weight in the process.

The biggest factor will be my diet and level of hydration. I still have some issues with muscle cramps and will have to be extra sensitive to what I put in my body.

I am also considering getting back on the most uncomfortable contraption ever. I spent 9 months on and off sleeping while breathing through a Hypoxic generator. It produces small but tangible results. The only reason I have considered it is that I have set a goal to complete my first marathon in less than four hours.

I have been advised not to set a time goal for my first and only plan to finish. I respect the fact that this is something new and different, but I must set my sights high or it would not be a fun or passionate experience for me.

As far as BJJ goes, I just need to get back on the mat. I have not been to practice in nearly a month and just need to get back in that routine. I will also have to pick out some competitions to hit in the next 9-12 months in order to get my next promotion.

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Ugly Judo 102:
Kata Garuma
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For those of you who have purchased or heard good things about Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari, you can start to look forward to the next edition in the Ugly Judo series. Ugly Judo 102: Kata Garuma is now in its early stages.

You can expect multiple variations, setups including combinations and gripping exchanges, as well as the finer points of why it is an integral part of lightweight judo. Stay tuned for more information, dates and reasons why every lightweight needs a good Kata Garuma.

For everyone else, take a look at Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari.

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WN?
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I needed the Nationals badly. I was happy to be on the medal stand but I took the time to watch my finals match and it made me a bit disappointed I didn’t finish the match out. That being said my preparations for the Nationals kept me occupied physically. This is supposed to be a week off but I am already feeling a little lost and need a new goal to set my mind to.

I have considered running a marathon, and fighting in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments. I would like to put on some more weight too, but there is no synergy between that and running a marathon or BJJ. I have the vigor to fight, but am still not thoroughly prepared to reinvest myself entirely in judo. Luckily, I don’t have to. I believe this is still part of the Post Olympic Stress and recovery from the depression. I need something on my plate to cure my addiction to pain.

Moving on after the Olympics has left a void for my athletic aspirations and I need some smaller things to fill it until I can decide if I can spend another few years and tens of thousands of dollars making another Olympic team. BJJ is one of my passions as well and it could be a good place for my energy.

I have goals in my personal and financial life that I am working on, but they are long term and the milestones I have set cannot be crashed. I have set a somewhat realistic goal to return to class for my masters by September of 2010. I need to pay off some of the debt that I have acquired over the past few years and repair my credit so I can own a home before the age of thirty.

These things will satisfy my mind, but not my body. The problem is that setting goals in my athletic career affect the goals in my personal and financial life. This is what Beyond The Rings is all about. I would not like to find myself in the same position in 2012 at the age of 27 still trying to reach the goals I have now. Something will have to be sacrificed.

For now I will divert my energy into getting my first solo project released within the next few months, Ugly Judo 102: Kata Garuma, the sequel to Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari. This was one of the things I set out to do at the beginning of the year and need to get done. I will consult with my mentors and advisor’s on where I will be best served athletically.

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Sidenote
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I was told that I am the first and only person to fight in both a -60kg final and -81kg final in U.S. history(as well as in consecutive years). Can anyone verify?

I just want to make it known that I believe that I am one of the best in North America and in the World. I should, and so should the other top competitors. I am a confident person, maybe even borderline arrogant, but I think that its a common trait in successful people. If I didn’t believe, I would not have fought -81kg or medaled.

Thank You to those who support me. You do not have to say I am THE best and I appreciate it. To everyone else, I only ask that you at least give me the respect I have earned.

Most people didn’t believe me. Some even laughed. Before I get into my choice to fight for the first time since the Olympics moving up three weight divisions, let me clear the air.

This was not a marketing ploy. Somehow a rumor had circulated the judo world within twenty four hours of me competing that I had a product on the way on how to gain twenty pounds and win Nationals. I am not sure why it is so hard for some people to believe that I would just compete because I love judo.

I competed because I like to fight. I competed because I love judo. Specifically, I wanted to get out there and brawl with Travis Stevens. I respect him a great deal as one of the toughest guys around and our best competitor currently.

I competed because there is always a lot of talk of which division is the toughest, and how there are less competitors at the far ends of the spectrum making it easier to be successful. I wanted to throw myself into the fire in the toughest division stateside and see how I faired.

Let me tell you, the fire is hot. It is a bit different when you have to fight four rounds to make it into the finals. I have always been pretty comfortable fighting bigger guys, but the amount of power that some of these guys have is a challenge to handle.

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The Lead In
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While commentating the finals of the -81kg NY Open Finals I got a chill. I wasn’t sure if I would ever compete again, but watching Travis lose a close one to the current Olympic Champion Ole Bischoff in a tough grinding match I realized that I missed the brawl. Macho, I know.

I spoke to Rhadi about fighting in Nationals and he discouraged it. I am working so it is difficult to get to practice even twice a week, but I have been in the gym lifting heavy and feeling strong. I am moving 150kg on Romanian dead lifts, 90kg on Lat Pulldowns and 106kg on the Bench.

So, I had to make the decision for myself. I was unsure up until about a month out. Once I decided I sat down, went through my notes and wrote myself a program that would get me in good enough shape to fight three tough matches only practicing judo once or twice a week. I knew if I got in three brawls early in the day, it would be tough to make it to the finals just because it would be difficult to maintain my power.

I did one day of circuits, a strength day, and a day of power endurance work. Rhadi gave me some advice to throw in some Farmers walks to get the grip strength I needed in addition to using the Power Sleeves in my other workouts.

I had second thoughts around the time of my last post as I was having trouble finding the time to get my workouts in, but I made it happen. I started to spread the word. I got mixed reactions, mostly screwfaces and laughter.

Most people don’t realize how much weight I was cutting to make -60kg. It was unhealthy. My testosterone was in the pits and I was destroying my body. Only three months after the Games my blood workup was normal and my testosterone had doubled.

But, I digress…

I weighed in at 75.7kg after drinking a liter of water to be sure I would make weight. I had been resting for three days and ate heavily the day before. I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the day having not competed in six months, but I shook the cobwebs off in my first match.

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The Finals
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I took it match by match and found myself in the finals. I had been watching these guys compete for a long time and did some scouting prior to fighting, so I had a plan to execute. Going up against Travis I intended to try and bang him early, but I found it incredibly difficult to get his feet off the ground, as you might have noticed.

The gripping exchanges were on key, but I was fighting for my life the entire time. I was using all of my strength to break his grips and hold on to mine. I was up late and shot a double. Now, I have made this mistake before. I did not have to attack. I know. I attribute this to some deeply nested feelings from my junior career that I really need to hash out.

The real problem though is that I am now fighting bigger guys, but still doing my version of Morote Gari. I should be using Rhadi’s version. The driving version I have always used is not effective in the heavier weight divisions. Rhadi’s version would have been perfect and at least gotten me a knockdown rather then reversed.

We can say that my version is effect in the -73kg weight divisions while Rhadi’s Morote Gari is effective 81kg and above. It would require more explosiveness on my part, and a complete rewiring of the mechanics of a throw I have done one way my entire life. I did not spend the necessary time drilling in order to make that change prior to Nationals.

The threat of the Morote Gari slowed him down a bit on his approach, but I could not knock him down.

This is judo though, and these things happen. It is still a bit strange to see my name next to 81kg. Overall, I am happy with my performance and ecstatic that I set out to do something on my own, and came very close to accomplishing it.

My hat goes off to Travis. He is tough as nails. He fought the entire day with an injury and made the World Team. I left our match feeling like I had been in a brawl and I loved every minute of it.

Special thanks to my family, the New York Athletic Club, Dr. Rhadi Ferguson, Dr. Traci Ferguson and little Rufus, Hatashita Sports, Arkadiy Aronov, Jimmy Pedro, John Danaher, Jimmy Vinetti and everyone at International Training Center of NY.

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Work
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Work is work. I do not know what that means, but I hear people say it all the time. I have been working as a Personal Trainer for two months now, and I have taken two days off. The first few weeks have been a grind to build up clientèle, but I am starting to reach my goals.

In addition I have some clients whom I can really help, and that is satisfying in and of itself. The long hours have worn on me from day to day. I started to miss workouts and practices this week. I had thoughts of fighting soon, but I am not sure if I will be able.

I have to prioritize day to day, and if it comes down to choosing between my job and judo, at this point I have to choose the job. As you can see I have not written on taraje.com in over two weeks. If I have any aspirations of continuing to play judo in the long term, I need to get my financial life in order right now.

I am still undecided about fighting this year, but I have decided that now that Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari has undergone its first release, I am ready to get Ugly Judo 102: Kata Garuma shot and released ASAP. The Kata Garuma Doctor is coming soon.

I guess these decisions are a part of the Post Olympic Depression recovery process. I have a routine, rather, an area to focus my energies, and I am doing well. I have to admit though, I am still not quite sure where I am headed, and at times, when I take a moment to reflect, I am a bit unfulfilled.

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy. Things are changing for me, which is exciting, and I enjoy my day to day for the most part. I am starting to live by my ideals again, and I only have time with my Henn once a week, and for not nearly as much time as I used to.

But I still wonder when things will simplify themselves again. I’ve got bills to pay now. I did last year as well, but for some reason it seemed so much less daunting when I had the Games to look forward to. I knew everything would be fine. Now I only look forward to the point that I will be able to buy furniture, get back to school and put some money away. Then what???

I need more. I crave for comfort and I am chasing it. I wonder if when I reach these goals, will it be enough.

Note: Last week my eldest sister Kinanda was admitted to the NYS Bar. Congratulations Kinanda.

Watchout! Ive got a lawyer on call now!

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Personal
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I am damaged. I have been playing the dating game for a few months now and I have to say it is daunting. I was far less judgmental and unforgiving when I was a younger, (21 or so). I was so amiable and indifferent. Now I see there are certain things I just cannot accept from a woman, and my standards are pretty high for me to take anyone seriously.

In addition to how I have matured and changed post relationship, the Olympics has this wonderful way of instilling a ridiculous level of confidence in one, partly because you now have a reason everyone accepts and partly through the complete Olympic experience. It happened to me after I made my first team. It was so much more extreme then because of my young age, and I didn’t notice it until years later. But now, it is quite obvious and so amusing.

I maintain that EVERYONE is attracted to a confident individual, whether it be through love or hate, everyone is attracted and has some usually strong feelings about said individual. Look at Kanye West… Wouldn’t you agree?

I enjoy both the love and the hate. Just my rant for the day.

P.S. If you haven’t yet, grab your copy of Beyond The Rings to take a look at what it takes to make an Olympic Team and how it affects your life off the mat.

Hilarious. Congratulations Dr. Ferguson.

Just in case you haven’t already, visit www.BeyondTheRings.com and get your copy of Beyond The Rings today.

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NYO 2009
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This past Sunday the New York Athletic Club had their most successful NY Open Competition ever. I have long believed that the NY Open is the toughest international competition stateside, and possibly the Americas. The competition this weekend proved it.

There were full National teams, including past Olympic Champs, and World medalist. This has always been a tough tournament, but this year there were only four Americans in the Finals. Three wound up medaling, but none took Gold.

This was the first time I hadn’t competed in seven years or so. I have medaled five times, and won Gold twice. I have lost twice in the Finals and can tell you it is one of the worst feelings. Not only did you lose the competition, but you also lost $1000.

This weekend the highlight of the competition had to be Travis Stevens. He looked sharp and explosive and gave current Olympic Champ Ole Bischoff all that he could handle in the finals. I think Travis has a very good chance of not only making it to the 2012 Games, but making some waves if he continues to progress.

This has nothing to do with his matches against Ole, but due to the fact that he has a great coach in Jimmy Pedro with Team FORCE, and is tough as nails. If he can stay healthy and focused, we will see some big things from him.

I had the privilege of commentating the Finals for USA Judo’s Webcast along with Rhadi. It was an absolute blast. I might have a future in broadcasting.

The most disappointing part of the competition was I only saw 1-2 successful Morote Gari’s completed all day. It seems everyone is avoiding it due to the rule changes and unknowingly costing themselves a huge advantage. No Hand judo is still legal!

This is the first day in a long time I have been home before night fall and I feel good about it. I got some great news yesterday from my good friend and mentor Rhadi Ferguson that he also shared with all of his readers. Rhadi has earned the right to add some more letters to the end of his name.

I met Rhadi in Italy in 2001 I believe, at the Tre Torri judo tournament, and I have to tell you, I did not like him one bit. I was very young, but it seems a good amount of people come away from interactions with Rhadi with the same feeling. Rhadi, like myself, is a book you have to actually read, maybe even twice, in order to understand and appreciate.

I have known him for eight years now and can’t say enough good things about the man. He was the greatest contributor to my second Olympic berth, and a major driver in my continued education. Our relationship has evolved from opposing personalities, to teammates, to Coach/athlete and mentor/mentee, to business partners and finally, friends.

I am happy to call him Dr. Ferguson. So congratulations Rhadi, you are one of the smartest doctors I know… next to Traci of course.

P.S. To see how Rhadi helped me make my second Olympic team and some of the training I went through grab a copy of Beyond The Rings at www.BeyondTheRings.tv

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Clinic
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Today I had the wonderful privelege of being Jimmy Pedro’s uke for his clinic in Long Island City, NY at the International Training Center. I teach and practice at ITC now and some judoka I coach at the clinic. It was a great opportunity for all of the students to get instruction from a World Champion and hopefully noticed Jimmy is the source for the core of my gripping game.

I had to make some changes to accommodate my style, but the basics are the same. Jimmy gave me the opportunity to teach one of my variations to a sequence he used and teaches now. It felt great to have him introduce me to the class and have me teach. I still look up to him a lot having accomplished things I aspired to in my judo career.

It is very similar to how I look up to Rhadi in the BJJ/Grappling and most recently the Fitness world with my new job. I am still studying to become a Strength and Conditioning Coach, hopefully I will be done by the end of March.

Also, I have started training BJJ twice a week again.

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Renzos
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I have been training at a Renzo Gracie Acadamy with John Danaher. It has been great to roll again after a 18 month hiatus. There is great instruction and tons of good guys. As a purple belt, I still have a lot to learn but it is great to have a place to practice in NY and relatively close to my job.

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Life
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Things are at high speed for me currently. I don’t sleep very much and spend nearly all of my time in Manhattan either working or going from place to place trying to get my life on cruise control. It feels good to be busy when so many others are looking for work, but it is also tiring.

I leave my house at 7am and return home at 10pm exhausted but, the payoff is on its way. I will hopefully be adding some more new things to my plate this month that I will keep you posted on.

Now that I feel as though I am nearing recovery from my Post Olympic Depression, my professional life is starting to resemble my judo life from Beyond The Rings.

If you haven’t seen it yet then you don’t know what I mean.

Back to studying again. I am taking training classes for my position as a Personal Trainer. I am familiar with the material, but the classes are mandatory. It will be good for me to review the basics as I prepare to take the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam next month.

Relearning the anatomy has been pretty smooth. Unfortunately the information that I am most familiar with will be worth the least on the exam. I will be forced to really cram and make sure I am comfortable with all of the content.

Being in the gym all day is interesting. You get to watch people lift, and see what type of programs they are on, or see how they just wing it everyday. Some people really get in the gym and go for it, which always gets me excited.

I am impressed by how many second term pregnant woman I see on treadmills and ellipticals. They refuse to let the baby take them out of their figure. It is truly wonderful to see.

I have been spending a lot of time at work, and in Manhattan in general. moving around the city during rush hour is time consuming and a huge hassle. I haven’t been home very much over the past week. It is always good to feel busy, but my routine changes daily and I am constantly afraid of being late for an appointment.

All in all, things are on an upswing. I know this post doesn’t make up for disappearing for four days, and I am sorry. Last night was my first judo practice in nearl two weeks and I haven’t gotten to use the gym since Saturday. I am being forced into retirement. If it is at the cost of making some change, that is a sacrifice I might have to make.