Danny
I cannot stress just how coachable Danny has become over the last few months. He shows real maturity towards learning the techniques, but also keeps the cheeky grin and sense of fun.
A simple mistake against Haley cost Danny this match – his hips are too high and he’s reaching for the underhooks. You need to push those hips in much more aggressively to stop big Judo throws that SBG Northside thrive on.
Download here (mpg, 22 secs, 3.2MB)
Danny made the same mistake with Nikita, keeping his legs too straight and going for a headlock throw. He didn’t keep a shoulder of justice on when he had Nikita in side control which meant he got reversed and didn’t pick up the points. He did manage to escape Mount with some quality shrimping so I’m proud of that.
Download here (mpg, 45secs, 6.5MB)
Against Alan Danny stepped up a notch, he has great posture in his shoot and changes to take the back brilliantly. Alan ended up winning that division but Danny was the only one who took him down – twice
Download here (mpg, 1:01, 8.8MB)
Nikita
Against Caoimhe, Nikita got a nice takedown with a single leg, and went to Mount. Roddy’s kids have clearly worked some very competition specific work as Nikita found it hard to take the back. Nikita wasn’t in any trouble but couldn’t secure his hooks. He needs to try and get more fluid in his movements and he jumps away from opportunities he nearly has.
Download here (mpg, 56 secs, 8.1MB)
Nikita showed really poor clinch against Haley, keeping at arm’s distance and trying to trip. This is more suited to Judo, but really poor for submission wrestling. On the ground, Nikita managed to scramble out of three back takes by Haley. Given the timeframe (a 5 count) this is a testament to this fighting spirit.
Download here (mpg, 59 secs, 8.5MB)
Conor
Conor was very popular amongst the other coaches and parents at the Dublin. Being the smallest in his weight category, he put in some solid performances. Textbook double under takedown against Stephen and a strong mount saw him chalk up an early victory
Download here (mpg, 39 secs, 5.7MB)
Against Cilan Conor again secured his double unders and went for a big throw, but Cilan rolled quickly and took mount. Now this is exactly how NOT to escape mount, holding on and bridging after he’s secured his position. Methinks it has more to do with his father than his coaches 
Download here (mpg, 33 secs, 4.9MB)
Sulan represented a much tougher challenge, and was able to handle Conor’s underhook game. Conor got Sulan to the ground with a snap down, but never secured position to get the points. He also was close to choking Sulan, so that’s why I shouted at him to release the grip. In guard, he leaned forward to much, which makes it hard to keep his balance. While Sulan couldn’t sweep him, Conor couldn’t pass. A draw.
Download here (mpg, 1:05, 9.4MB) – Although the video doesn’t sound like it, this was a very loud match, and I could see the kids getting very excited/nervous.
Conor and Sulan were tied for 2nd place, so a rematch was necessary. In the rematch, Sulan fell back over his ankle as Conor performed a takedown to mount. Sulan tapped, but was okay in a minute.
A thank you to Richie Moore for coaching some of the guys while I was reffing, I appreciate it, thanks. It’s great that the day can be a celebration of the sport over any rivalry between the clubs.