Official Judo Thread

RJ Green said:
figure a few nights of judo class when they're a toddler saves a whole heap of ER bills when they're a kid
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I'm hoping so! Our kids classes start at 4 years old, but I'll for sure be teaching him all the breakfalls before then. He appears to be a natural already though.
 
Bluesbreaker said:
I'm hoping so! Our kids classes start at 4 years old, but I'll for sure be teaching him all the breakfalls before then. He appears to be a natural already though.
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Hang in there bro, it gets better. If you can get him into training, it'll be quality father-son time for the both of you. My son didn't show any interest until he was 5 and a half but he's really taken to it since (he's now 7). BJJ at an MMA gym but they teach the kids Judo and wrestling TDs. Watching him and his training partner swishing their little legs back and forth spamming osoto gari attempts on each other was adorable and priceless.

I’ve been trying to get his 5 yo sister into it as well but she staged a sit down strike during her trial class and is more interested in ballet, unicorns and mermaids.
 
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ChickenBrother said:
My son didn't show any interest until he was 5 and a half but he's really taken to it since (he's now 7).
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My parents forced me to train Judo (i started at age 6) and i absolutely hated it until i was 12. By the age of 14, i full-on loved doing it. Sometimes interests take a little while to click.
 
Patrick Jane said:
My parents forced me to train Judo (i started at age 6) and i absolutely hated it until i was 12. By the age of 14, i full-on loved doing it. Sometimes interests take a little while to click.
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Did you hate it because you weren't good at first? Or something about the gym experience put you off? Six years seems a long time to force a kid to do something he "hates" unless it's non-negotiable like doing your homework or something.

My kid was excited to start when he was 5 and a half but about 9 months in was telling me he wanted to quit. Like he kept complaining in the car for months and accusing me of "forcing" him to go. I told him to stick with it until he hit a year of training and then he could quit if he really wanted to. A year came and went and by the time he turned 7 and moved up to the older kids' class, he was getting the better of all the kids his size and now he loves it.
 
ChickenBrother said:
Did you hate it because you weren't good at first? Or something about the gym experience put you off? Six years seems a long time to force a kid to do something he "hates" unless it's non-negotiable like doing your homework or something.

My kid was excited to start when he was 5 and a half but about 9 months in was telling me he wanted to quit. Like he kept complaining in the car for months and accusing me of "forcing" him to go. I told him to stick with it until he hit a year of training and then he could quit if he really wanted to. A year came and went and by the time he turned 7 and moved up to the older kids' class, he was getting the better of all the kids his size and now he loves it.
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It wasn't really that my parents forced me to train Judo per se. My parents basically said "You're going to train sports once a week. You can choose which one.", and since any form of team based sports was absolutely out of the question for me because i could not tolerate the constant game of team members yelling at each other and blaming each other for losses but trying to take credit for every positive result, my options were limited to either Judo or Kickboxing. So i chose Judo not because i liked it but because i hated it the least.

My skill level had nothing to do with my dislike of it though. My dislike of it stemmed from a combination of 2 things: 1. Absolute disinterest in any type of grappling resulting in anhedonia regarding the activity itself, making it an unrewarding hassle. 2. I was extremely shy and over-anxious as a child, so i was constantly extremely fearful of doing something wrong (especially as i, because of my autism, took everything from the coach very literally, so for instance one time, when we did push-ups in the beginning of the class with him counting, i kept up and continued way beyond my limit until i had to get up and run out of the class to vomit. Then while throwing up, i was extremely scared that i might get in trouble for not finishing the exercise.).

I remember the very first class i did not hate. We were taught a hold called waki gatame which i ended up getting totally obsessed with. This was basically the turning point regarding my enjoyment.
 
Patrick Jane said:
My parents basically said "You're going to train sports once a week. You can choose which one."
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Ah that makes sense. That's basically what I told my son because otherwise he would have been sitting around wasting time or watching mindnumbing kid shows on ipad.

Patrick Jane said:
My skill level had nothing to do with my dislike of it though. My dislike of it stemmed from a combination of 2 things: 1. Absolute disinterest in any type of grappling resulting in anhedonia regarding the activity itself, making it an unrewarding hassle. 2. I was extremely shy and over-anxious as a child, so i was constantly extremely fearful of doing something wrong (especially as i, because of my autism, took everything from the coach very literally, so for instance one time, when we did push-ups in the beginning of the class with him counting, i kept up and continued way beyond my limit until i had to get up and run out of the class to vomit. Then while throwing up, i was extremely scared that i might get in trouble for not finishing the exercise.).

I remember the very first class i did not hate. We were taught a hold called waki gatame which i ended up getting totally obsessed with. This was basically the turning point regarding my enjoyment.
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It's interesting how different people learn in different ways. That's a cool story and glad you found a way to make the experience click and become enjoyable.
 
Patrick Jane said:
We were taught a hold called waki gatame which i ended up getting totally obsessed with.
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There's something intrinsically cool about Waki Gatame. It looks like some Steven Seagal shit, but actually works. Of the two occasions I have utilised my training in real life, one of them was a Waki Gatame.
 
Many of the entries and follow ups for Waki Gatame used by Yoshiaki Fujiwara in pro wrestling work surprisingly well.
 
ChickenBrother said:
Hang in there bro, it gets better. If you can get him into training, it'll be quality father-son time for the both of you. My son didn't show any interest until he was 5 and a half but he's really taken to it since (he's now 7). BJJ at an MMA gym but they teach the kids Judo and wrestling TDs. Watching him and his training partner swishing their little legs back and forth spamming osoto gari attempts on each other was adorable and priceless.

I’ve been trying to get his 5 yo sister into it as well but she staged a sit down strike during her trial class and is more interested in ballet, unicorns and mermaids.
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Bro, similarities itensify....my daughter is also 5, is obsessed with unicorns, did ballet and likes mermaids.
Would start thinking it s almost becoming creepy at this stage, but my son is younger...
 
KBE6EKCTAH_CCP said:
Bro, similarities itensify....my daughter is also 5, is obsessed with unicorns, did ballet and likes mermaids.
Would start thinking it s almost becoming creepy at this stage, but my son is younger...
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I guess those things are pretty common for little girls at this age but yeah, pretty big coincidences with everything considered. If your son were 7, we'd have to call the MultiVerse Authority to make sure our doppelgangers in other universes aren't being killed off by Gabriel Yulaw...
 
Nathan LaMontagne said:
Also if BJJ were to steal even more from judo they should steal the black belt process.

My personal example/story below

I had to: (or more accurately my instructor had to do for me:)

1. Get a full background check
2. Show my competition itinerary and accomplishments
3. Explain how long I'd been training
4: How long I'd been teaching
5: was supposed to get a kata certification through IJF (though I got an exemption)

And even after that there was some pushback due to the fact I'd only officially done it like 8ish years.

My instructor had to write them a formal letter explaining that in 20 years of teaching He'd never promoted to black belt and that his standards were very high.

The thing that tipped the scales into my favour were
1. He had luckily had competition records of me competing and placing in black belt divisions for abut 4 years

2. His father also sent in a letter
He was an Olympic alternate and he was in super tight and very well known In NANKA (Southern California federation of IJF)

----------

My BJJ belts, every last one, I just got told I was now that belt, luckily for me it was from instructors that were very legit.
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Saw your post in the McG BJJ thread but didn't want to derail it. Agree the Judo BB process makes a lot more sense and if you're down, wanted to better understand what you had to do for shodan in the U.S. for the benefit of others in this Judo thread, including me.

I've been ikkyu since mid 90's (college Judo competitor under USJA and USJI and HS wrestler before that) but haven't paid dues to IJF since then. Long gaps in training with infrequent drop ins, open mats and cross-training with BJJ and MMA guys. Regular BJJ training for past 6 and a half years and currently two years into purple.

How did you get your kata exemption? Unless it's been changed, I believe back in the 90's you had to perform nage no kata at U.S. senior nationals with your uke (you both had to fly there)?

And did they require you to have recent competition experience? I competed a lot in college including two collegiate nationals and two senior nationals as a brown but that was more than 25 years ago lol. IIRC in the 90's they wanted you to have 10 competition wins over browns or blacks for shodan and I know I didn't have that many, maybe 6 or 7. At this point I'm an older guy (late 40's) who would like to earn Judo shodan before someone gives me a BJJ BB (which won't be anytime soon).
 
ChickenBrother said:
Saw your post in the McG BJJ thread but didn't want to derail it. Agree the Judo BB process makes a lot more sense and if you're down, wanted to better understand what you had to do for shodan in the U.S. for the benefit of others in this Judo thread, including me.

I've been ikkyu since mid 90's (college Judo competitor under USJA and USJI and HS wrestler before that) but haven't paid dues to IJF since then. Long gaps in training with infrequent drop ins, open mats and cross-training with BJJ and MMA guys. Regular BJJ training for past 6 and a half years and currently two years into purple.

How did you get your kata exemption? Unless it's been changed, I believe back in the 90's you had to perform nage no kata at U.S. senior nationals with your uke (you both had to fly there)?

And did they require you to have recent competition experience? I competed a lot in college including two collegiate nationals and two senior nationals as a brown but that was more than 25 years ago lol. IIRC in the 90's they wanted you to have 10 competition wins over browns or blacks for shodan and I know I didn't have that many, maybe 6 or 7. At this point I'm an older guy (late 40's) who would like to earn Judo shodan before someone gives me a BJJ BB (which won't be anytime soon).
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I may miss a couple things you ask so if I forget something reply and I'll get to it.

So I'm not exactly sure how things have changed.

I think I got my Black Belt in Late 2008 (possibly 2009)

I basically quit Judo competition not much after due to the added rules, especially the leg grab rule (ironically I never shot or did many leg grabs outside of knee picks and ankle picks (kibusu Gaeshi) off of Uchimatas and the like)

I just didn't like what happened to the sport.

Point in case my info may be pretty dated.

So my Instructor was Greg Rubio, who's father is Mario Rubio, Mario was a pretty big name in Judo in the 80s. Especially the NANKA region (Southern California(

He would've gone to the Olympics in 1980 but the boycott. And was an Olympic alternate In 1984.

His son, my sensei, was also a very well respected member simply wrote in a big lengthy letter to make an exemption for me to get my black as I actually didn't have THAT many years officially training. Was around 8.

The big caveat was I had a very extensive competition history (I competed a LOT)

and I almost exclusively competed in black belt divisions (unless I did multiple divisions which I almost always did.)

I competed in black belt divisions since I was about 16, I got the black at 20.

The other HUGE thing was my instructor in 20+ years of instructing gave only one black belt out, which was to me.

We lived around 2 and a half to 3 hours from Los Angeles, so he asked for an exemption from Kata. I guess they went for it.


TL;DR
I had a very long lost of competition success at black belt so my well respected instructor that was insanely stingy about belt promotions was able to write in and pull a few strings so he didn't have to be there every time I wanted to compete at black belt.
 
ChickenBrother said:
Saw your post in the McG BJJ thread but didn't want to derail it. Agree the Judo BB process makes a lot more sense and if you're down, wanted to better understand what you had to do for shodan in the U.S. for the benefit of others in this Judo thread, including me.

I've been ikkyu since mid 90's (college Judo competitor under USJA and USJI and HS wrestler before that) but haven't paid dues to IJF since then. Long gaps in training with infrequent drop ins, open mats and cross-training with BJJ and MMA guys. Regular BJJ training for past 6 and a half years and currently two years into purple.

How did you get your kata exemption? Unless it's been changed, I believe back in the 90's you had to perform nage no kata at U.S. senior nationals with your uke (you both had to fly there)?

And did they require you to have recent competition experience? I competed a lot in college including two collegiate nationals and two senior nationals as a brown but that was more than 25 years ago lol. IIRC in the 90's they wanted you to have 10 competition wins over browns or blacks for shodan and I know I didn't have that many, maybe 6 or 7. At this point I'm an older guy (late 40's) who would like to earn Judo shodan before someone gives me a BJJ BB (which won't be anytime soon).
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But yeah, it was my competition record that really pushed me over the top.

I mean I think I had 10 black belt full tournament wins (my weight was I think 81 kg) and Black Belt open weight tournament wins. In jist the past few months of my instructor applying for me.

(As I said in the last post, the only time I didn't compete in 2-3 divisions was if it was a very big tournament.)
 
Nathan LaMontagne said:
I may miss a couple things you ask so if I forget something reply and I'll get to it.

So I'm not exactly sure how things have changed.

I think I got my Black Belt in Late 2008 (possibly 2009)

I basically quit Judo competition not much after due to the added rules, especially the leg grab rule (ironically I never shot or did many leg grabs outside of knee picks and ankle picks (kibusu Gaeshi) off of Uchimatas and the like)

I just didn't like what happened to the sport.

Point in case my info may be pretty dated.

So my Instructor was Greg Rubio, who's father is Mario Rubio, Mario was a pretty big name in Judo in the 80s. Especially the NANKA region (Southern California(

He would've gone to the Olympics in 1980 but the boycott. And was an Olympic alternate In 1984.

His son, my sensei, was also a very well respected member simply wrote in a big lengthy letter to make an exemption for me to get my black as I actually didn't have THAT many years officially training. Was around 8.

The big caveat was I had a very extensive competition history (I competed a LOT)

and I almost exclusively competed in black belt divisions (unless I did multiple divisions which I almost always did.)

I competed in black belt divisions since I was about 16, I got the black at 20.

The other HUGE thing was my instructor in 20+ years of instructing gave only one black belt out, which was to me.

We lived around 2 and a half to 3 hours from Los Angeles, so he asked for an exemption from Kata. I guess they went for it.


TL;DR
I had a very long lost of competition success at black belt so my well respected instructor that was insanely stingy about belt promotions was able to write in and pull a few strings so he didn't have to be there every time I wanted to compete at black belt.
Click to expand...

Nathan LaMontagne said:
But yeah, it was my competition record that really pushed me over the top.

I mean I think I had 10 black belt full tournament wins (my weight was I think 81 kg) and Black Belt open weight tournament wins. In jist the past few months of my instructor applying for me.

(As I said in the last post, the only time I didn't compete in 2-3 divisions was if it was a very big tournament.)
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Thank you for breaking it down for me - it sounds like your shodan promotion was very well deserved!

I've never been a fan of the leg grab ban either and it pains me that an entire generation of judoka (and informed casuals) think Judo has no doubles, singles, high crotches, ankle picks, etc. on the curriculum. Just a few years ago (when our gym used to offer a Judo class), I got admonished once for being "disrespectful" by attempting single legs during randori. The instructor (who apparently started training in the 00's, didn't even realize they were a part of Judo before that era.

For the life of me, I never understood why they banned them outright instead of keeping the 3 second rule they implemented in the mid 90's i.e. you were allowed to grab legs/pants but needed to score within 3 seconds or let go of the grip or you get shido. Same as the current restrictions on unconventional kumikata. That at least makes everything fair game and encourages quick action.

I grew up in SoCal but haven't lived there since leaving for college and from what I remember, Judo was much more prevalent there than elsewhere in the U.S. barring pockets of the NE. Where I now live there's no real Judo available and I've considered entering tournaments (that I'd have to travel for) as "unaffiliated" lol. I'll be veteran 5 next year so am rapidly approaching the age of being too old for this shit. Am also aware that BJJ will be the ruleset I can train long after I'm too old for standing randori and it would really suck if I never achieve shodan while my knees are still intact. I'd much rather be Judo BB + lifetime BJJ purple than Judo brown + BJJ BB. Takedowns and top game just make more sense for self defense and I've always believed playing guard should be plan B.
 
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ChickenBrother said:
Thank you for breaking it down for me - it sounds like your shodan promotion was very well deserved!

I've never been a fan of the leg grab ban either and it pains me that an entire generation of judoka (and informed casuals) think Judo has no doubles, singles, high crotches, ankle picks, etc. on the curriculum. Just a few years ago (when our gym used to offer a Judo class), I got admonished once for being "disrespectful" by attempting single legs during randori. The instructor (who apparently started training in the 00's, didn't even realize they were a part of Judo before that era.

For the life of me, I never understood why they banned them outright instead of keeping the 3 second rule they implemented in the mid 90's i.e. you were allowed to grab legs/pants but needed to score within 3 seconds or let go of the grip or you get shido. Same as the current restrictions on unconventional kumikata. That at least makes everything fair game and encourages quick action.

I grew up in SoCal but haven't lived there since leaving for college and from I remember, Judo was much more prevalent there than elsewhere in the U.S. barring pockets of the NE. Where I now live there's no real Judo available and I've considered entering tournaments (that I'd have to travel for) as "unaffiliated" lol. I'll be veteran 5 next year so am rapidly approaching the age of being too old for this shit. Am also aware that BJJ will be the ruleset I can train long after I'm too old for standing randori and it would really suck if I never achieve shodan while my knees are still intact. I'd much rather be Judo BB + lifetime BJJ purple than Judo brown + BJJ BB. Takedowns and top game just make more sense for self defense and I've always believed that playing guard should be plan B.
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No problem? If you ever have a question, just ask.

Yeah that's why the Olympics is one of the worst things for any sport.

Viewers and entertainment matter far more than the sanctity of the sport.

I mean the fact Kata Guruma is a banned technique is some of the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

I think it's the large amount of Asian communities and Armenian communities that probably make southern California a big Hotspot for Judo.
It's still not that many even then.

I still think with as much experience you already have Shodan is a pretty realistic goal.

I'm 34 now, and I sometimes worry about standing randori, granted my knees are shot.

Anyway, I better finish this message before the main event starts.

If you ever want any tips or tricks or anything even remotely related, i love sharing knowledge so PM me or tag me in here or something.

Have a good one and best of luck!
 
Nathan LaMontagne said:
No problem? If you ever have a question, just ask.

Yeah that's why the Olympics is one of the worst things for any sport.

Viewers and entertainment matter far more than the sanctity of the sport.

I mean the fact Kata Guruma is a banned technique is some of the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

I think it's the large amount of Asian communities and Armenian communities that probably make southern California a big Hotspot for Judo.
It's still not that many even then.

I still think with as much experience you already have Shodan is a pretty realistic goal.

I'm 34 now, and I sometimes worry about standing randori, granted my knees are shot.

Anyway, I better finish this message before the main event starts.

If you ever want any tips or tricks or anything even remotely related, i love sharing knowledge so PM me or tag me in here or something.

Have a good one and best of luck!
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Thanks bro, will definitely hit you up. This forum is the only way I can even talk Judo with folks in the know. All the BJJ/MMA guys I train with think I'm speaking in tongues or something lol.
 
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