TOUGH ENOUGH SMALL FOR A SUMO, BUT DON'T COUNT HIM OUT.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer Troy Collins got his first dose of raw sumo power  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . in 2001. Primed for battle, he carried his 6-foot-2, 245-pound frame into the ring with his sights set on a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize in his first amateur sumo competition. He glanced at his opponent. Standing before him was the 6-foot-7-inch, 740-pound Emmanuel Yarbrough, the former world amateur sumo champion. ``He was huge,'' Collins said. ``I thought this was a small tournament just with local guys. I never thought that I'd be wrestling him.'' Collins is a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police officer who does not like being the little man on the mat or on the streets. He's a training officer in the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division by day and a sumo wrestling junkie junkie Popular health A popular term for a person, usually an IV narcotic abusing addict, whose life is disorganized vis-á-vis family and societal structure, whose existence revolves around obtaining–often through theft, prostitution or other illicit on his days off and by night. He's a self-professed sports-aholic. He's done track, swimming, and Greco Roman wrestling Roman Wrestling appears to have been an import of Greek Wrestling. However, the Romans seem to have scorned the nudity of the Greeks, and adopted loincloths. In the Northern reaches of the Empire, where the climate was colder, fully clothed versions may have been the precursors to at annual police and fire games. He may be a little guy compared to sumo lore, but he's got courage. Even the crooks Collins arrests give him a look of disbelief when he tells them he's a sumo wrestler. ``They're used to seeing the stereotypical 3, 4, 500-pounders, and they see that I'm obviously not Japanese,'' said Collins, who is African- American. A fellow cop got Collins into sumo wrestling nearly three years ago, and he is hooked. He finished his season Aug. 3, taking second place in the open weight category and third in the middleweight category at the Third Annual U.S. Sumo Open in Manhattan Beach Manhattan Beach, city (1990 pop. 32,063), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1912. It is a residential and beach community with an oil refinery and nearby factories that produce transportation and electrical equipment, computers, and pottery. . He said sumo even helps him with his work as a cop. ``If somebody is coming at me very hard, I know I can get out of the way and still be able to grab them and take care of business,'' said Collins, 36. He has a commanding presence on the streets, and a penchant for pain in the ring. ``He's like a machine - go, go, go, go, go,'' said LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Lt. Ernest Eskridge, a Foothill Division watch commander who follows Collins' sumo exploits. ``His sense of confidence makes him well-respected. It also makes suspects think twice before they do anything to him.'' Collins is one of scores of men and women who've taken up the ancient Japanese sport. It is gaining popularity in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and around the world. ``The popularity has skyrocketed in the last few years,'' said Andrew Freund, the director of the 6-year-old California Sumo Association. ``Anyone who is in relatively good shape and has competed in similar sports can compete in a sumo match.'' Collins went into his first sumo competition undeterred undeterred Adjective not put off or dissuaded Adj. 1. undeterred - not deterred; "pursued his own path...undeterred by lack of popular appreciation and understanding"- Osbert Sitwell undiscouraged . He learned tough lessons about sumo against Yarbrough and remembers the five seconds of pain and defeat. He entered the ring, bowed to his formidable foe, squatted, and clapped and rubbed his hands together, just like he had seen in numerous sumo documentaries before. Then he crouched ready for a fight. The referee yelled, Hakkeyoi - go ahead - and the match was on. Like a ram in battle, Collins burst off the line, and hit Yarbrough with both hands square in the chest. The force of the blow caused Yarbrough to lean back Verb 1. lean back - move the upper body backwards and down recline lean, tilt, angle, slant, tip - to incline or bend from a vertical position; "She leaned over the banister" fall back - fall backwards and down a little, but then the giant leaned forward. He stepped forward and hit Collins in the chest and right shoulder, shoving the LAPD cop out of the ring. Yarbrough remembers the fight. He said Collins stood out. Most of the people who face him give up before they even enter the ring. ``He went into that fight with no trepidation,'' said Yarbrough in a telephone interview from Vancouver, where he was competing in the Seventh North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Sumo Championship. ``That was the difference with Troy. He went in determined to win. ``He could do well on a world level,'' said Yarbrough, who was invited to Collins' August wedding. ``Troy's my man now.'' Jason Kandel, (818) 713-3664 jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com RULES OF THE RING -- RULESIn both pro sumo and international sumo, the rules are simple: Knock your opponent out of the 15-foot diameter ring or make your opponent touch the ground with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet. Punching, gouging Gouging can be:
-- TECHNIQUES Pro sumo recognizes 70 ``kimarite'' (winning techniques), divided into pushing/thrusting, throws and other general techniques. Although 70 kimarite are identified, almost all victories are achieved by the most popular dozen or so kimarite. Techniques are very important in sumo, since technical expertise allows rikishi
Rikishi (力士) is a term most commonly used to describe a professional sumo wrestler. to defeat opponents who are larger, stronger, or faster. -- EQUIPMENT All sumo competitors wear a mawashi In sumo, a mawashi (Japanese: 廻し) is the belt that the rikishi (or sumo wrestler) wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a kesho-mawashi (see below) as part of the ring entry ceremony or (belt). Grabbing an opponent's mawashi can provide leverage and balance. Whereas pro sumo wrestlers wear nothing but the mawashi, international sumo athletes can wear tight shorts underneath, and tops for women. Source: California Sumo Association. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) LAPD Officer Troy Collins shows off some of his sumo wrestling medals. The 245-pounder is sometimes hundreds of pounds smaller than his competitors. John McCoy/Staff Photographer (2) LAPD Officer Troy Collins, left, grapples with Emmanuel Yarbrough, a former world amateur sumo champion. The 740-pound Yarbrough won the match in five seconds. Courtesy of Troy Collins Box: RULES OF THE RING (see text) |
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