dr. rick jjoosseph of m ichigan finds tim e to help teach! · g r o w in g ju d o dr. rick joseph,...
TRANSCRIPT
! GROWING JUDO
! WHY THE USJA IS GREATand Other True Facts
! DOJO NEWS
! LETTERS TO SHANE
! PROMOTING JUDO:Judo is Half-Time Show at
LA Pro Football Game
! DOJO OF THE MONTH:Southside Dojo
! AWARD WINNERS:Donor of the Year
Male Athlete of the Year
! ON THE MAT:Coach I Want To Be A
Champion!
! GRASS ROOT ClinicSeries
! TEACHING MATWORKTo Juniors
! WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT
! 1000 STRONG 2006
Dr. RickDr. RickJoseph ofJoseph of
MichiganMichiganfinds timefinds timeto helpto help
teach!teach!
James R. WebbPresident
Dr. AnnMaria Rousey DeMarsVice President
George WeersSecretary
Lowell F. SlavenTreasurer
Virgil J. BowlesMember
James S. BregmanMember
Michael L. SzrejterMember
Gary S. GoltzChief Operating Officer
Glenn NakawakiLegal Counsel
Katrina R. DavisExecutive Office Manager
Peter A. Contardo Sr.Member
Michelle B. HoltzeMember
James E. Pedro Sr.Member
Robert H. SpraleyMember
1
Growing Judo is what the USJA Development Program is all about,with very valued support from other USJA efforts such as ourcoaching program and our wonderful USJA clubs.
Here is what makes the USJA so special when it comes to development– wwee ggeett iitt. We understand that development is not about giving moneyto people who win gold medals. That is rewarding development thatalready occurred due to someone else’s efforts and it is a nice gesture,but it doesn’t grow judo. Development is about bringing people into thesport, nurturing their talent to win gold medals, or to be physician-pilot-father-judo instructors who are great role models for children.
This issue features photos from a joint workout for clubs in Ohio andMichigan. It illustrates a wonderful feature of judo. Kids from inner-cityclubs get together with children in the Ohio heartland for judo and socialactivities. Here is one way judo differs from other sports. If your child isa member of a soccer team or a swim team, usually they associate withother children in your community. Children from the inner city, ruralcommunities and very upscale neighborhoods rarely participate in eventstogether. This is extremely unfortunate, because prejudices die whenyou actually meet people from different groups and find out that theyare simply just that, people – that will teach you judo, throw you, takefalls and practice turnovers with you.
Dr. Martin Bregman took the time out of his busy schedule as collegeprofessor and international referee to write an article, not about his ownmany outstanding accomplishments, but about a friend, Pat Burris. Toquote from Martin’s article, “…Pat's emphasis, over and over, wasthat it was our job to help to train good citizens, good people.People that show respect to others. People that show goodsportsmanship. People that, when winning do so with class, andwhen losing do so with dignity.”
Now, it must be admitted that there are judo organizations other thanthe USJA (when I said this to Dr. Ronald Charles, he quipped, ‘Not real-ly.’). Pat and I have been friends a very long time. When I asked his per-mission to publish this article and told him I would understand if he didnot want to be seen as supporting the competition, he laughed and toldme, “AnnMaria, you can do anything you want.” Judo is unique. Youmeet people who are your friends for life. I was on my college trackteam and I can’t tell you where any of those women are today - but Ican tell you where most of my former judo teammates live and I still seethem several times a year.
WWHHYY TTHHEE UUNNIITTEEDD SSTTAATTEESS JJUUDDOO AASSSSOOCCIIAATTIIOONN IISS GGRREEAATTWWHHYY TTHHEE UUNNIITTEEDD SSTTAATTEESS JJUUDDOO AASSSSOOCCIIAATTIIOONN IISS GGRREEAATTAANNDD OOTTHHEERR TTRRUUEE FFAACCTTSS .. .. ..AANNDD OOTTHHEERR TTRRUUEE FFAACCTTSS .. .. ..
In the USJA, we have world-classcoach Jim Pedro, Sr. as our chair ofcoaching who takes a weekendaway from his job as a fire fighterand flies across the country to teachjudo to 75 kids and 25 coaches.Then he turns around, flies backacross the country and writes a let-ter thanking us for allowing him theopportunity to work with our chil-dren and coaches. We have JohnMoe, who organized judo as half-time entertainment for a profession-al football game. We have GerryLafon who teaches clinics aroundsouthern California, writes for ournewsletter and flies to tournamentsin Europe and Japan at his ownexpense to be sure that what he isteaching and writing about is cur-rent and works.
Development is about those peoplewho take the time to teach judo, topromote judo, to work with coach-es, to write articles to share theirideas with others. UUSSJJAA –– jjuuddoo –– wwee ggeett iitt..
2
AA MMOONNTTHHLLYY NNEEWWSSLLEETTTTEERR OOFF TTHHEE UUSSJJAA DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE
BBuuiillddiinngg ggoooodd ppeeooppllee,, ssttrroonnggeerr ccoommmmuunniittiieess aanndd gggg rrrr eeee aaaa tttt aaaa tttt hhhh llll eeee tttt eeee ssss –– iinn tthhaatt oorrddeerr
GGRROOWWIINNGGGGRROOWWIINNGG JJUUDDOOJJUUDDOO
Dr. Rick Joseph, from Michigan, finds time to help teach at a joint workout designed to bring togeth-er kids from dojos throughout Michigan and Ohio. In addition to being a sandan, and an M.D., Rickis also a pilot who flies for American Airlines on the weekends and the father of two children whocompete in judo. The workout is held at Ameri-Kan Judo in Ohio, the fourth-largest club in the USJA.
3
IIt's a great time! Mark Hunter and Neil Simon put it together. Neil & the Currys both have intercitykids judo programs. They wanted a way that the kids could meet other kids and workout instead ofjust fighting each other at the tournaments. Mark Hunter’s dojo is about midway and he has lots of
kids in his program so they got together and invited folks to come out and workout together and havepizza for lunch too. It's cheap and fun!” is how USJA Instructor Subcommittee chair, Dave Wertheimerdescribes the program Instructors from the various judo organizations, including Jerry Wee, DaveWertheimer, Neil Simon, Ernie Curry and Mark Hunter teach at the joint workouts. Rather than showpictures of people in red and whitebelts standing around, we knewyou would like to see judo. Below,Mark’s photographer caught twoyoung orange belts just at the endof a right ippon seoi nage.
Another pair of beginning judoplayers is practicing a turnover theyjust learned.
Ameri-Kan Judo: Findlay, Lima, Bluffton,Columbus, Painesville, and Medina
441199--772222--33447766
A FAMILY THAT “THROWS” TOGETHERGROWS TOGETHER
wwwwww..aammeerr iikkaannjjuuddoo..oorrgg
DDOOJJOODDOOJJOO NNEEWWSS:: JJooiinntt MMiicchhiiggaann--OOhhiioo WWoorrkkoouuttssNNEEWWSS:: JJooiinntt MMiicchhiiggaann--OOhhiioo WWoorrkkoouuttssAArree tthhee PPiiccttuurreess ooff SSuucccceessssAArree tthhee PPiiccttuurreess ooff SSuucccceessss
4
LLEETTTTEERRSSLLEETTTTEERRSS TTOOTTOO SSHHAANNEESSHHAANNEE
Iwanted to share this correspondence from I had with a 10 year old yellow belt from my club. Itshould serve as an example to all judoka what's really important when it comes to competition.
Gary Goltz, Chief Operating Officer, United States Judo Association
----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary Goltz" <[email protected]>Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 11:14 AMSubject: RE: Tournament Yesterday (give to Shane please)
Shane:I am very proud of you. The division you were in was comprised of much bigger, stronger, andolder boys. It was very tough and you could have quit. I'm glad you decided to stay and fightuntil the end. There willbe many more tournaments and other opportunities for you to enter. Keepup your practice and love of judo competition. Some day you will breeze through all the boys youfought yesterday, I promise you! Thanks.
Sensei Gary
----- Original Message ----- From: "SHANE "
Thanks for being very proud of me. It means a lot to me.Next time I lose I will try my best not to cry. Thank for all your help!
Shane-------------------------------------------------------------
To: "SHANE Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 3:41 PMSubject: Re: Tournament Yesterday
Shane:Crying is fine. More people need to do it. Quitting is what people need to avoid. By staying inthe tournament you made the right choice. That took courage and bravery. Those are charac-teristics that will someday earn you a black belt. Thanks. Sensei Gary
5
The LA Avengers are an indoor arenaprofessional football team that play inStaples Center. On Saturday
February 25, 2006 the half time showincluded a large judo demo in front of theestimated 10,000 spectators. USJA Clubsfrom Southern California took the fieldlead by John Moe of Discover Judo whoorganized the event. Gary Goltz of GoltzJudo, Greg Fernandez of Jundokai, PaulNogaki of Temecula Judo, and ButchIsihisaka of Cal State LA Judo along withstudents from their clubs demonstrated awide assortment of randori, kata and selfdefense techniques. Goltz drew lots oflaughs when he disarmed his attacker of anotorious thunder stick! Over 125 judokaattended. It was a huge hit.
PPRROOMMOOTTIINNGG JJUUDDOO::PPRROOMMOOTTIINNGG JJUUDDOO:: JJUUDDOO iiss HHaallff--TTiimmee SShhoowwJJUUDDOO iiss HHaallff--TTiimmee SShhoowwaatt LLooss AAnnggeelleess PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall FFoooottbbaallll GGaammeeaatt LLooss AAnnggeelleess PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall FFoooottbbaallll GGaammee
CCOOMMIINNGGCCOOMMIINNGG UUPP!!UUPP!!
May 6-7 – Fight Like a Girl Camp at Judo America. Co-sponsoredby California Judo, Inc. and the USJA. Camp Clinicians includeVal Gotay, Gerry Lafon and other stand out coaches. May 6 prac-tice begins at 1 p.m. – males and females. Sleepover and Sundaypractice are female only. Email [email protected] for details.
6
Southside Dojo is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit club not a business. We stillstrive to provide high quality train-
ing for the beginner to the possibleOlympic candidate. The club is morethat a collection of people, it is anextended family. It is not uncommon forparents to bring in snacks for the wholeclass, help with homework, and are quickto volunteer to help with tournaments,clinics, and outings.
Like Judo, Southside Dojo, has been inan evolutionary mode for over 20 years.The Dojo’s actual beginning was as theJudo program at the YMCA and wasreferred to as the Greater KalamazooJudo Association which includedWestern Michigan University Judo Club,as well as the Portage YMCA JudoProgram. In the early 90’s these pro-grams were in a steady decline. InJanuary 1995, a group of Judo playersdecided to throw caution to the wind andcreate a Judo Club of their own, and byApril they had put together a small facili-ty of about 1500 sq. ft. We had justenough mats and not quite enough peo-ple for the club to support it. A lot ofthought went into the name of our cluband since we were renting the south side
DDOOJJOO OOFF TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH::DDOOJJOO OOFF TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH::SSoouutthhssiiddee DDoojjooSSoouutthhssiiddee DDoojjoo
Deb Fergus(shown throwingwith o soto gari)
7
of the building we became SouthsideDojo. We have continued to grow andnow have a 4200 sq ft. facility. We arealso fortunate enough to have severalarts practicing under one roof. Theseinclude Aikido, Karate, Kobudo, MixedMartial Arts, Thai Chi, Yoga, and ofcourse Judo. Our total club is about 145members with about 60 being Judo play-ers.
In keeping with the family style atmos-phere of Southside Dojo Chris and AndySnyder and Joe VanDenBoom handle thejunior classes, as well as the more recre-ational players. Steve Smith, a formerworld Sambo Champion, heads up ourcompetitive workouts. Additional trainingopportunities have been offered throughclinics with Southside Dojo bringing inMike Swain, Lynn Roethke, Ron Angus,Bob Spraley, AnnMaria and RondaRousey. Southside also co-hosts anannual Judo Camp for the Blind, partner-ing with Western Michigan UniversityBlind Sport Camps. We also havemonthly women’s’ workouts run by DebFergus.
DDOOJJOO OOFF TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH::DDOOJJOO OOFF TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH::SSoouutthhssiiddee DDoojjoo ((ccoonntt’’dd))SSoouutthhssiiddee DDoojjoo ((ccoonntt’’dd))
Southside Dojo takes immense pridein hosting two high quality special-ized tournaments each year. In
February we host the Kids Snow ThrowShiai, which is designed to provide juniorplayers with a positive tournament expe-rience building confidence, skills, andcompetitive experience. We also provideone on one volunteers to help walk firsttimers through the tournament process.Our second tournament, after anabsence of several decades, is the AllWomen’s Judo Championships.November 12, 2005, marked the first AllWomen’s Tournament which showcasedwomen’s Judo and celebrated their con-tributions to the sport. The Women’sJudo Hall of Fame was also establishedat this time with the first inductees beingRusty Kanakogi, AnnMaria RouseyDeMars, and Francis Glaze. All threeladies were present to receive theirinduction plaques.
To sum it up Southside Dojo is an everevolving family oriented Dojo that hasand will continue to push the envelope onwhat makes for a successful club, whichin turn leads to successful satisfied peo-ple, and a better community.
8
DONOR OF THE YEAR
Dr. James Lally has given tens of thousands of dollars tothe USJA. In addition, he has given thousands of hours tojudo, teaching the Beginning Judo class at Goltz JudoClub in Claremont, CA. After getting up at 4:30 a.m. tomake time for his patients, Dr. Lally still has energy 14hours later to teach children, and , as you can see, besmiling about it. Only those of us who have taught judo toclasses of small children and understand the very closeresemblance to trying to herd cats, understand what atruly remarkable person Jim Lally is.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Bobby Lee, of Ki itsu sai, in Florida.
Bobby won the USJA Junior National championships andrepresented the USJA on the team that competed inRhode Island at the Ocean State International, a team thatwas, coincidentally, funded from donations from donorssuch as Dr. Lally. The team placed second in the seniorteam competition, losing to a team from California andtying with a senior team from England. Bobby was unde-feated in the team competition and the team captain. Inaddition to his junior titles, Bobby won the senior 73 kgdivisions at the Golden State Open and Fall Classic. At 18years of age, Bobby has a bright future ahead of him. Hissuccess is also in part to what he has behind him – astrong family support, from mother Pam, his father, Dr.Wayne Lee and his sister, Shelby, herself a former elitecompetitor. From the first time I met Bobby, many yearsago on a business trip to Philadelphia, he was trainingharder than anyone in the room, being pushed by his thencoach Lou Moyerman and good old mom and dad. Nowthat he has moved on to Florida, he has carried that solidfoundation of judo Jim Pedro, Sr. spoke about in his arti-cle, and the unwavering support of his family. We expectto see them at the 2008 Olympics and at the GrandOpening of the Lee Dojo in 2012!
(All of those who, before they saw him, thought Bobby Leewas Chinese, raise your hand.)
AAWWAARRDDAAWWAARRDD WWIINNNNEERRSSWWIINNNNEERRSS
SEE MORE AWARD WINNERS NEXT ISSUE!
Also, we will include pictures from the GrassRoots camps conducted by Mayo Quanchiin Rhode Island on March 18-19 and byGoltz, Mountain Judo and Combined MartialScience in Claremont and Chino Hills onMarch 25-26.
SEND US YOUR STUFF!How do you get in GROWING JUDO? Sendpictures or articles on what is going in yourarea to [email protected] love to hear from you.
9
Those words can be music to my ears orthey can be the prelude to another disap-pointment. Claiming to want to be a
champion is the easy part. Understandingwhat is actually required to be a championrequires more work. Finally, the will to do whatis necessary to become a champion is thegreatest stumbling block.
Wanting to be a champion, wanting to excel atanything, whether it is in the arts, in education,in business or in sports requires the samebasic ingredients; an aptitude for the subject, alove for the subject, a strong work ethic, and awillingness to sacrifice in order to achieveexcellence.
“Excellence can be attained if you caremore than others think is wise, risk morethan others think is safe, dream more thanothers think is practical, and expect morethan others think is possible.”
It is rare when a participant in sport knows fromthe onset that he wants to be a champion.Usually, he stumbles upon the notion of beinga champion after years of playing a sport orhas it thrust upon him by parents, coaches andsports directors who recognize his potential. Inthe end, it doesn’t matter how the decisioncame about because the requirements ofbeing a champion will remain the same.
Although athletes at the highest level of com-petition are remaining in their sport of choice
OONNOONN TTHHEETTHHEE MMAATT:: CCooaacchh,, II WWaanntt TToo BBee AAMMAATT:: CCooaacchh,, II WWaanntt TToo BBee AA CChhaammppiioonn!!CChhaammppiioonn!!bbyy GGeerraalldd LLaaffoonn,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAAbbyy GGeerraalldd LLaaffoonn,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA GGrraassss RRoooottss DDeevveellooppmmeenntt GGrraassss RRoooottss DDeevveellooppmmeenntt
until an older age, the window of opportunity insports is still small compared to other endeav-ors we may undertake in life. To make the mostof that small window of opportunity, especially ina Judo poor country like the United States,adherence to the basic elements listed belowwill go a long way toward helping you reach thegoal of being a champion.
SacrificesWhat you are willing to sacrifice may ultimatelybe the deciding factor in achieving your compet-itive goal. Are you willing to change clubs ormove out-of-state to provide yourself with a bet-ter training environment? Are you willing to behome schooled while still in your teens or todelay your college education for a few years?Are you prepared to max out your credit card ifneed be? Will you train while your friends party,celebrate or go on vacation? Will you give upfriends or perhaps jeopardize a steady relation-ship to pursue your passion? These are just afew of the sacrifices you may have to make ifyou want to reach your goal.
“If you’re going to be a champion, you mustbe willing to pay a greater price than youropponent.” Bud Wilkinson, University ofOklahoma Football Coach
Once you understand the sacrifices necessaryto become a champion, you are ready to planfor your success.
10
Goal Setting and Planning
The first order of business is knowingwhere you want to go, when you want toget there, and how you plan on getting
there. While goal setting and planning in vagueand general terms can certainly be implement-ed for athletes as young as 6-10 years old, thetype of goal setting and planning we willaddress is more appropriate for the player witha substantial background in competition and alevel of maturity that make it possible toachieve his goal within 4-8 years. To makemore sense of the planning involved, let’sassume we have a 14-year old competitor whohas repeatedly placed at the junior nationallevel but doesn’t dominate the division. Thisplayer wants to be an Olympian.
“The reason most people never reach theirgoals is that they don't define them, or everseriously consider them as believable orachievable. Winners can tell you where theyare going, what they plan to do along theway, and who will be sharing the adventurewith them.” Denis Waitley, author of ThePsychology of Winning
The Olympic cycle is a four-year cycle, with twoworld championships and four national champi-onships contained within. This cycle, theOlympic quadrennium, should form the basisfor your plan. The first decision is whether thegoal is to make the 2008 or 2012 Olympicteam. Frankly, when you take into considera-
tion the qualifying standards for the OlympicGames which involve a quota system based onpoints earned in international competition,making the 2012 team is more reasonable thanmaking the 2008 team. So now we have to cre-ate a 7-year plan that will culminate with anOlympic berth in 2012. The levels of perform-ance might look something like this:
2005 Top 3 at junior nationals
2006 Participates in first senior nationals, jun-ior national champion, participates in some jun-ior international events
2007 Top 5 at senior nationals, junior nationalchampion, places in some junior internationalevents
2008 Top 3 at senior nationals, participates insome senior international events and U.S.Olympic Trials
2009 Top 3 at senior nationals, junior worldchampionships participant, places in somesenior international events
2010 Senior national champion, #1 rankedU.S. athlete in the division
2011 World championships participant
2012 Olympic team berth winner
OONNOONN TTHHEETTHHEE MMAATT:: CCooaacchh,, II WWaanntt TToo BBee AAMMAATT:: CCooaacchh,, II WWaanntt TToo BBee AA CChhaammppiioonn!!CChhaammppiioonn!!bbyy GGeerraalldd LLaaffoonn,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAAbbyy GGeerraalldd LLaaffoonn,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA GGrraassss RRoooottss DDeevveellooppmmeennttGGrraassss RRoooottss DDeevveellooppmmeenntt
11
OONNOONN TTHHEETTHHEE MMAATT:: CCooaacchh,, II WWaanntt TToo BBee AAMMAATT:: CCooaacchh,, II WWaanntt TToo BBee AA CChhaammppiioonn!!CChhaammppiioonn!!bbyy GGeerraalldd LLaaffoonn,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAAbbyy GGeerraalldd LLaaffoonn,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA GGrraassss RRoooottss DDeevveellooppmmeennttGGrraassss RRoooottss DDeevveellooppmmeenntt
Of course, the above is just one of manyscenarios. For some precocious 14-year-old phenom, 2008 might be a rea-
sonable long shot. For others, 2012 might betoo soon. At any rate, once you have estab-lished a timeframe for your performance objec-tives, plan for achieving them. Set up short-termgoals that will lead to your long-term goal. Setgoals for camps and tournaments to attend,training volume and intensity, physical fitness,technical acquisition, mental skill training, restand recuperation modalities, cross-training, etc.
Warning! Be careful when emulating thetraining of champions. How a seasoned, 25-year-old world champion trains should notentirely form the basis for how you train as a 13-year-old junior player or as an 18-year-oldnational level player. All athletic training shouldbe progressive and should be governed by theprinciples of individuality and overload, whichcan be summed up by different strokes for dif-ferent folks. For example, don’t fall into the trapof going to Europe or Japan to train before youare ready to benefit from such an exposure.Exhaust your domestic resources before youspend a fortune going overseas. When you dogo overseas, make sure that it is somewherethat is appropriate for your level of skill, trainingand fitness. Along the same lines, don’t getcaught up in the notion that if something isgood, more of it is better. If one and one-halfhour of randori is good for you, two hours maynot be better. In fact, it may be detrimental toyour progress. You will understand these issuesbetter when you become a student of the game.
TO BE CONTINUED …. (Next month… howto become a student of the game).
Below is a photo of Jin Izumi performing afootsweep on John Moe, our USJA webmaster.
This clinic was part of the Grass Roots Clinicseries hosted by Goltz Judo Club. The next clin-ic features Gerald Lafon and Valerie Gotayon April 15.
12
Saturday Apr i l 1 5 , 20069 :00AM to 1 1 :00AM
V A L E R I E G O T A YV A L E R I E G O T A Y and her coach G E R A L D L A F O NG E R A L D L A F O N! 6X USA Judo Nat ional Champion
! 2X U.S. Wor ld Team member (1991 and 2005)! 1992 U.S. Olympian (2004 a l ternate)
! 1991 Pan Amer ican Games s i lver medal is t! 26 in ternat ional medals (10 go ld medals)
GGOOLLTTZZ JJUUDDOO CCLLUUBBALEXANDER HUGHES COMMUNITY CENTER
1700 Danbury ROADCLAREMONT, CA 91711
909-399-5490
Fee: $ 5 USJA members$10 non-USJA members
Sanctioned by the USJA
Upcoming USJA Grassroots Clinics: Saturday May 13 9 to 11AM – Butch Ishisaki Saturday June 17 9 to 11AM – Steve Bell
For More Information Contact:
Gary Goltz909-985-0486
Proceeds will go towards the USJA Grassroots Funding efforts.
13
Last month, I outlined my program forteaching standing techniques to juniors.This month I added a few ideas on teach-
ing matwork. As I said last month, building agood foundation of basics is key. I emphasizeseveral points in teaching my juniors. Theseare ‘mutual benefit and welfare’, escapes, com-binations and situation drills.
Mutual benefit and welfare: If you are largeror more skilled than the other player, matworkmay not benefit either of you if you do it incor-rectly. How often have you seen this – oneplayer gets another in a pin and holds him orher there for the entire two minute round? Thisis a waste of time, and, as a coach, I try to drillinto my players that each of them should ben-efit. If you have the other person pinned, easeup so they can try to escape and then you try acombination to another pin. That way, they getto work on their escapes, you get to work onthe combination and if they get out, so what?You learned something. You learned that youneed to work on that combination. Maybe youcan figure out why it didn’t work.
Escapes: Give each escape a name and teachit directly.
1. An inside roll. When you are pinned withkesa gatame, you need to turn in toward theother person.
Your arm has to come inside also. You can’tescape when your left arm (assuming theyhave you pinned with right kesa gatame) isacross the other person’s back. Their body isin your way! I often hear coaches say thingslike, “Turn in!” but you need to do more thanthat. You also need to get your arm on theinside. When you tell your player “Inside roll”they know the exact technique you want per-formed.
2. An outside roll. When you are pinned withyoko shiho, you turn outside, away from theother person.
TTEEAACCHHIINNGG MMAATTWWOORRKK TTOO JJUUNNIIOORRSSTTEEAACCHHIINNGG MMAATTWWOORRKK TTOO JJUUNNIIOORRSSJJiimm PPeeddrroo,, SSrr..,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA CCooaacchhiinnggJJiimm PPeeddrroo,, SSrr..,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA CCooaacchhiinngg
14
Force your players to work on escapes.No one wants to do it. It does not lookcool to be lying there pinned. Make it
part of practice. Let the other player pin youand then try the escapes. Like everything, itrequires repetition. Escapes are part of yourbasic foundation.
Combinations: There are many, many mat-work combinations. Here is the simplest one Iteach all of my juniors. Get the opponent inkuzure kesa gatame (where, instead of aroundthe opponent’s head, your right arm is on themat, under the opponent’s armpit). As theopponent executes an inside roll, you let go oftheir right arm you have been holding with yourleft, and hook the left arm coming toward you.It is a very natural move to just continue follow-ing your own left arm, turn on your stomach tokami shiho gatame. This is a simple drill fromone pin to another. However, it allows the play-er on the top to work two different pins –kuzure kesa gatame and kami shiho – which isgood because juniors tend to want to do noth-ing but kesa gatame. It also allows the playeron the bottom to work on an inside roll escape.
TTEEAACCHHIINNGG MMAATTWWOORRKK TTOO JJUUNNIIOORRSS ((ccoonntt’’dd))TTEEAACCHHIINNGG MMAATTWWOORRKK TTOO JJUUNNIIOORRSS ((ccoonntt’’dd))JJiimm PPeeddrroo,, SSrr..,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA CCooaacchhiinnggJJiimm PPeeddrroo,, SSrr..,, CChhaaiirr,, UUSSJJAA CCooaacchhiinngg
Situation drills: Again, there are many ofthese. A basic one I teach to juniors goes byvarious names. I have heard it called aRussian roll, a Cuban roll or a wrestler’s roll.Especially juniors, but even seniors whoshould know better, will reach over an oppo-nent’s back, setting up the opportunity for thisturnover. When they opponent reaches, theplayer who is on all fours locks the arm reach-ing over under his armpit, grabbing in thesleeve. The other shoulder must drop low, pre-venting the opponent from getting a half-nel-son. Rolling, the player who was on all foursnow ends up in ushiro kesa gatame. Manyplayers are taught this move but they don’t doit in a tournament because they aren’t used toreacting fast enough. I have the two playersside by side on all fours. When I yell, “reach”the player on the right reaches over and theother player immediately executes the roll.After a few repetitions, we switch and it is theother player’s turn to execute the roll.
TRY THESE DRILLS FOR 10 MINUTES EVERY NIGHT AT THEEND OF PRACTICE. IN A FEW MONTHS,YOU WON’T BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE.
Irecently attended a coaching clinic in Oklahomagiven by Pat Burris (2 times Olympian, USJAmember and member of the USJI National
Coaching Staff).Perhaps, surprisingly to some, coming from
one of the toughest competitors the U.S. has everturned out, his emphasis to the coaches presentwas not how to train great competitors. InsteadPat's emphasis, over and over, was that it was ourjob to help to train good citizens, good people.People that show respect to others. People thatshow good sportsmanship. People that, when win-ning do so with class, and when losing do so withdignity.
I have know Pat Burris for 29 years. Wewere introduced to each other at the AtlantaSenior Nationals in 1973 by Jim Wooley the cap-tain of my team from the Karl Geis School of Judoand an Olympic teammate of Pat's. From that timeon I was able to observe Pat, an almostindomitable competitor and watch his develop-ment as one of the most respected coaches in theUnited States. I have often mentioned to my ownclub that if I ever got into a street fight, Pat is theone guy I would like to have backing me up. Hegave no quarter as a competitor and I was there tosee him become the last U.S. Grand Champion,the last year before the Grand Championshiprounds were eliminated from the Senior Nationals.When my juniors grow old enough to go to collegeI am always confident that if they decide to attendthe University of Oklahoma they will continue Judoat Pat's Dojo.
He was the coach of World Team memberRon Tripp who later (and currently) became thePresident of USJI. He has produced numerousstate champions here in Oklahoma, and several
WWHHAATT IISS IITT AALLLL AABBOOUUTT??WWHHAATT IISS IITT AALLLL AABBOOUUTT??bbyy MMaarrttiinn BBrreeggmmaannbbyy MMaarrttiinn BBrreeggmmaann
National Medalists. Yet with all of the competition background,
as he gets a bit older and can look back at an illus-trious career his message is "build good citizens".With the help of Assistant Coach Kristi Springer hehas developed a wonderful group of youngsters.Many are national junior medalists. They are all
respectful young peo-ple that try very hard,win or lose, and manyof them have beenwith Pat and Kristi fora number of years.(PHOTO: PatrickMitsugi Burris in hisgrand champion days.My seven-year-oldthinks he looked likeElvis. You be thejudge.)
Some suggestions Pat made to coaches:1. Make a big deal about promotions, when theyearn a promotion have a celebration about it. Leteveryone know they earned it. Every rank isimportant to the one that earns it. Don't give itaway.2. Be an example to your players. The burden ison you.3. Don't coach other coach's players unless asked.That is encroachment.4. Don't steal players from other coaches. Eachcoach works a long time to develop a player. Youdo the same.5. Support other local & regional club's activitieswith your attendance. If the other clubs fold, yourclub will have no competition to prepare them for
In July 2005 the 1000 STRONG fund raising programwas initiated. At almost the same time a vigorouspolitical campaign began taking place. With the
election of the new USJA Board of Directors over, it isprudent that this program start moving again.
Numerous people have voiced concerns aboutexactly where and on whom these funds will be spent.The fear, once again this will be a program for the eliteathletes is understandable. The unspoken belief thatall other levels will be left out will not be the case. Thelargest push will be for support at the local and region-al, then national level. We are a diverse group of indi-viduals on the committees—for that matter the JABOD—who all agree that our future lies with our base.Funding for mini camps, coaching seminars, clubdevelopment, referee training, masters training,women’s programs, scholarship programs for summercamps, etc. are the primary goals of this fund. It wouldbe great if our Regional Coordinators could offer aspecial weekend training camp for selected kids fromeach club in a regional area. They have a regionalperson as the clinician. The DC (DevelopmentCommittee) pays the clinician. Each club selects twokids, they go to “X Club” on Friday night, train then theyare sent out to “volunteers” who take a group of 4-6 ofthem up for a sleepover. They go back to X Club on
Saturday and then Sunday morning. The clinician ispaid, the dojo is paid and the kids train for free.Obviously, there are more details…but this a very doable idea.
Requests have been made to finance mats; thisis a great idea, but it takes cold hard cash. Researchinto the feasibility of setting up such a program isunder way now. Purchasing quality mats is a majorexpense. The USJA has about 500 clubs. If each club had one
1000 STRONG contributor we would have 50,000beans in the bank! If each club contact will post thisin their club and begin asking for donations, we couldbe well on our way to substantive development. If wecould get two people from each club, we would reallybe on our way.
I am going to ask Jim Webb, USJA President,that a list of donors and dollars amounts be posted tothe JA website. We will also post the specific eventsthat are being funded.
Please send in your donation today.
Thanks,Bill Montgomery1000 STRONG Funding
WWHHAATT IISS IITT AALLLL AABBOOUUTT??WWHHAATT IISS IITT AALLLL AABBOOUUTT??bbyy MMaarrttiinn BBrreeggmmaann ((ccoonntt’’dd))bbyy MMaarrttiinn BBrreeggmmaann ((ccoonntt’’dd))
11,,000000 SSTTRROONNGG CCAAMMPPAAIIGGNN11,,000000 SSTTRROONNGG CCAAMMPPAAIIGGNNbbyy BBiillll MMoonnttggoommeerryybbyy BBiillll MMoonnttggoommeerryy
the Nationals. Pat has always sent a large contin-gent of players to every tournament we have everheld in Oklahoma, and as many players as possi-ble to events in Texas and Arkansas.
Another topic Pat & I have discussed overthe years is to have your players learn the rules.Produce referees. His players, when theybecome of age become certified referees. ClintDake, one of Pat's State Champion players,recently passed his National Referee Exam. He is
cool and collected on the mat, knows the rules asa competitor and appears to have a strong futureas an official if he chooses to have one. CharlieNguyen, another of Pat's strong competitorsrecently passed his Regional Referee exam.
There were other topics covered at the clin-ic & discussed (over the years), but the mainemphasis was for coaches to build better citizens,and perhaps in the process become better citi-zens themselves.
USJA BOARD MEETINGHouston, TX (April 19)
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL CAMP(May 6-7)
GRASSROOTClinic Series Continues!