“Being thrown like that from his height felt like falling from the second floor, and I nearly fainted several times.”
“Sparring with Shihan Aso Part 2”
Another thing that left a lasting impression on me during sparring with Shihan Aso was the sheer variety of his techniques.
Of course, his ground techniques were exceptional, just as I wrote in my last blog, but his throws and takedowns were also remarkable.
He utilised his large physique to his advantage, employing techniques typically favoured by larger wrestlers, such as the Osoto Gari, Hane Goshi, and Greco-Roman wrestling-style takedowns.
Furthermore, Shihan Aso possessed exceptional leg and hip strength and flexibility, making him adept at techniques usually favoured by smaller wrestlers, such as the Seoi Nage (shoulder throw).
His Seoi Nage was unique; he would squat down to get below my waist, and instead of just dropping his upper body down to throw, he would squat right back up, lift me onto his shoulders completely, and slam me onto the mat.
Being thrown like that from his height felt like falling from the second floor, and I nearly fainted several times.
It was truly a devastating, one-hit knockout throw.
Shihan Aso always emphasised the importance of throwing techniques to us students, saying:
“The tatami mats we practice on are like boxing gloves in boxing; they are protective gear that shields both you and your opponent.
That’s why we can practice throws and have competitions relatively safely.
However, in a real fight, the ground is almost always concrete, so a powerful throw can be fatal. SAW is a martial art, so throwing techniques are considered as important as, or even more important than, ground techniques.”
As the name ‘Submission Arts Wrestling’ suggests, people tend to think that we just focus on submission techniques, but we have always spent as much time practicing throwing and takedown techniques as we did on the ground, or even more time.
