Anyway here are 3 questions I received this week that I thought i’d share with you.

Question 1:
Hi Matt, both my teenage sons are getting more and more invested into bjj and Judo competitions and we are starting to raise funds for them via crowd funding sites and facebook posts. Do you have any other suggestions? (Greg)

Hi Greg, good work on both of your sons going so well in Judo. As well as crowdfunding sites and FB posts it is important for your kids to give back to the people who helped them on their way. For example they could give the givers a signed photo of themselves, they could come over and do the gardening OR they could come past a dojo or two and help run a kids class. People like to help people who aren’t out to only help themselves. Also for some great tips on how to get sponsorships in Judo and BJJ check out the Ultimate Guide to Getting Sponsored book HERE.

Question 2:
I have to cut 2/3 kilos, and since now i was able to do it. But every time i did it, I lost energy and after the weigh-in i gain every time more weight. Have you got any tips? (Vittorio)
Hi Vittorio thats a great questions and one that requires me to write a huge blog post one day (when I have time) on how to cut weight properly. And I guess that leads into my answer. It is called ‘cutting weight’ because you are essentially cutting corners to make weight. To make weight you should be following a calorie restricted diet to drop excess body fat, and you should only need to sauna a few kgs if you need too. I suggest you check out Cutting weight for MMA by Eric wong and the Combat Sports Nutrition by my mate Reid Reale for help on making weight for Judo.
Good luck

Question 3:
Hey Matt, I was wondering if you had any Advice for fighting a fighter that is taller and likes a right handed high grip and stands almost side on ? (Craig)
Hi Craig,
You pretty much explained one of the most annoying styles of fighters. Tall top grippers who have an extreme stance are very hard to fight. My suggestion is to control their power hand first BEFORE they get a top grip on you. Also attack their front foot quite a lot as this unsettles your opponent and stops them from turning in.
Lastly if they are a top gripper with their right hand start looking at doing uki goshi when they throw that top hand.
So when you’re fighting a right top gripper you must:
– stop the power hand (the right hand)
– if you can’t stop the power hand then post on their right shoulder with your left hand
– if you still can’t stop them then look at doing an uki goshi
– if you do manage to stop the hand then start attacking their front foot to unsettle them.

Check out www.gripfightbasics.com for help on grip fighting.

Good luck with it all, try these tips and let me know how you go,

Question 4:
Hey Matt, I am about to start a gym program, what weight training exercises should I do and are there any I should avoid? (Sally)
Hi Sally,
Your gym program should include variations of the squat, deadlift and overhead press. So bodyweight squats, front squats, back squats, zercher squats. Try and avoid overhead squats as they are way too technical for a judoka to do (and risky).
Deadlifts – sumo deadlifts, partial deadlifts, depth deadlifts, suitcase deadlifts
Over head presses – push press, push jerks, military press, single arm db shoulder press, seesaw press etc
Try to avoid doing too much chest and shoulder and not much back. Try and incorporate 2 pulling to every one pushing movement. So if you do 1 chest movement such as bench press, try and balance that with 2 pulling movements such as deadlifts and chin ups. If you do bench press AND shoulder press, then do deadlifts, chin ups, seated row and maybe a bent over row. On this blog post I talk about 5 strength and conditioning principles that should be include in each Judo gym program,
I have over 30 gym programs in my Strength training for Judo package.

Also check out some of my other strength articles HERE <==

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If you ever have any questions you want answered please email me at support(at)judostrength.com

Matt