Today I thought I would write a basic overview of Ohayo Sumo practices to maybe help other clubs get a sense of what, for us, makes a solid practice. I feel I can say without pretension that Ohayo Sumo has gained somewhat of a reputation for our style of sumo and the intensity of our practices.
So what goes in to a practice.
Here is the basic layout and then I'll expound on some philosophy.
- 40-50 Shiko
- 5 Minutes Surashi
- 5 Minutes Surashi variations
- Matches
- Matches
- More Matches
- Butsukari
We try to keep instruction limited to the individual needing the instruction, meaning that we don't stop the entire practice to give a 5 minute dissertation. Everyone keeps practicing and moving their bodies.
We try to limit chatter during practice and just stay as focused as we can. This isn't always the case, but it's an ideal.
If a person has a specific thing he wants to work on, he can grab a partner and do so, but again, it doesn't interrupt the flow of the rest of the practice. Nobody should be standing around unless they're waiting for another chance to get in the ring.
Our practice philosophy is pretty basic : Get as many matches in as you can.
Something Darius said early on when we started the club was that for those years he trained by himself he felt deprived of matches. We try to do as much of our practice like the pros, but unlike the pros, we don't practice every day for 8 hours. You can weight train and work on conditioning stuff at home, but you usually only get one chance a week to go against another opponent and this is the most valuable training there is.
Our practices are pretty intense, and usually by the end everybody is completely exhausted. We joke that it isn't a good practice unless Austin Goode is laying on the floor gasping for air.
I hope this helps to give a basic overview of what it is Ohayo Sumo values in a practice session and maybe will help you structure your own practice sessions!
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