UMA Newaza 2009 Part 2

I'm sure they won't mind the publicity, considering how well they did, but here is another video courtesy of Gracie Barra Sheffield at the UMA Newaza Championships 2009.

UMA Newaza 2009... Afflictions and Enlightenment

Firstly, apologies for not posting a blog in about 4 weeks. I guess life isn't that exciting sometimes :P

Yesterday was my first experience of full competition fighting. The UMA (United Martial Alliance) held their annual Back-to-Back Newaza Judo Championships over in Stoke-on-Trent (originally to be held in Derby). Having had a fair few games of back-to-back at Jujitsu over the years, I thought it would be a great experience because the competition was open to all styles and martial arts. If you could grapple, you could enter. This meant I could experience the expertise of Wrestlers, Judokas, Brazilian JiuJitsu practioners etc etc.

Due to my own naive little mind, I hadn't yet grasped the concept that these people were going to be slightly more seasoned at mangling bodies than a fair-weather roller such as myself. Either way, I paid my dues and made the trip to Stoke yesterday morning to what would be a very educational, albeit physically agonising event.

I arrived promptly at 9:30am, slightly earlier than I was meant to arrive, but it meant I could watch the juniors and soak up the atmosphere of the room. By 10:30 the juniors had finished their games and the seniors were appearing in their droves, the largest of these groups being the Sheffield Gracie Barra Brazilian Jujitsu Club.

Now, despite my apparently "innocent" frame of mind regarding how this day would pan out, I did have a fair idea that the Brazilian JiuJitsu competitors may wipe the floor with the rest of us, and that they did.

I was told my first fight would be around 1-2pm, so I told people to arrive at that time so they weren't forced to wait around for hours. This however turned out to be incorrect, because by 11:30 I was being called up for my first match. This would be against, Peter Yeo, one of the many skilled fighters from GB Sheffield. I was doomed.

After probably the fastest warm up of my life, and the most nerve racking walk onto the mat, I was sitting back-to-back with the blue-clad battler. The fight was completely new territory for me, and I put this down to my recent training in submission wrestling. At my new grappling club, it is no gi so all fighting is done through neck control. In this fight however, pressuring the neck was frowned upon and all control was done through the gi. This already put Peter at an advantage, but I managed to avert complete disaster for the full 3 minute round with some successful counters and passes. Peter was awarded the round and I have complete respect for him, he is a very accomplished fighter and I never stood a chance.

The second round was against Bushido Judoka Mark Donnelly. 5 minutes after the first round against Peter, my name was already being called again for the second fight. My breath still gasping, and my hands still trembling from the adrenaline, I walked back over to the mat and sat next to the intimidating Mark. Within milliseconds of the start of the match, Mark was on my back and the rest is quite frankly a blur. It wasn't long until my arms were wrapped up and I was being choked out, forcing me to tap with my face and my feet. I stood up, still reeling from the shock of it all as "Ippon" was awarded to Mark.

For the next couple of hours I sat at the side, licking my wounds and nursing my confidence, witnessing some of the most clinical fights of my life. To say some of these men were talented would be a complete understatement. They had the precision of maniacal surgeons.

By 1:30 the open weight fights had begun and I was again called up to compete, this time against the smaller but very skilled Paul Cole, again of GB Sheffield. After the initial "hajime", we were both on our knees and jostling for control, but the second Paul had my arm he launched into what could only be described as a flying arm bar and before I knew it, I was beating the mat with my fist. Within seconds of beginning, the fight was over and I was again walking off the mat, my head hung in shame.

I know I have made this event out to be a most miserable experience for me, but this is simply not the case. You learn more by losing than winning and this whole ordeal has taught me so much about where to improve my game so next year I may have a chance of actually winning a round or two. I had to start somewhere and I am glad that my first steps have been taken.

I would like to extend my congratulations and thanks to the UMA and Jim McSherry for organising such a stellar event and allowing me to participate. And finally to all those who competed yesterday, may I say well done and I hope to see you again next year. A list of all winners can be found here.

For those interested, here is a video of one of the fights yesterday, featuring Gregg Rogers of Gracie Barra Sheffield.

Another video...

For some odd reason, I seem to be awake early on a Sunday. So I have done what any trainee insomniac does with their time, splices together videos of grown men hurting each other. This is another from the "Uke Vision" range, with the stylish head cam being modelled by Sensei Joe, and the violent pseudo-cyborg smashing anger being modelled by Sensei Rich. Thoughts etc are always welcome =]