January 2007 Monthly Newsletter of Nanka Judo Phone: (310) Fax: (310)

Transcription

1 Monthly Newsletter of Nanka Judo Phone: (310) Fax: (310)

2 Cover Photo: How to do sumi gaeshi, taught by Ronda Rousey at various camps and practices during Nanka events. Notice two points. First, Ronda, who is on the bottom, has her opponent pulled extremely tight to her, with her left hand gripping on the opponent s back. Second, she has slid completely under her opponent and it is mostly her momentum pulling the opponent down. She continues to pull down with her left hand and lift with her leg. TABLE OF CONTENTS Looking forward, looking back 3 Featured Photo 4 Frequently asked questions A guide for new families in Judo 4 What are you looking at? How I watch practice 6 Nanka scores big at USJA Nationals 7 For those who need Kata certification for promotion up to Sandan 7 What s Happening? 8 Practice in MEXICO! 9 Nanka Hall of Fame 10 2

3 LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK In January of 2006 we had sponsors supporting several of our Nanka players and a coach to attend camp in Lake Placid. Less than twelve months later, we had an incredible judo month right here at home. The USJA National Championships were held in Ontario, CA, with 470 competitors from around the U.S. and a half-dozen countries. Due to the outstanding success of this tournament, a success that was significantly due to the support from Nanka clubs and individuals, Goltz Judo Club was awarded the USJA Nationals again for In December we had the following additional events occur:! Kyle Taketa competed in the Juvenile Panamerican Championships and repeated as a medalist.! Jimmy Pedro, Jr., Jim Pedro, Sr., Ronda Rousey, AnnMaria DeMars and Jim Bregman gave a free athlete clinic at Ontario High School. (That is three world gold medalists, two Olympic medalists and a world team coach, if anyone is counting.)! Jim Bregman, Olympic and World Bronze medalist just dropped by Goltz Dojo and Venice Dojo on two different nights to run practice.! Jim Pedro, Sr. ran two practices at Gardena Dojo because he was in the neighborhood and a nice guy. I should probably mention that FOUR members of the 2004 Olympic team trained with Jim.! Ernie Smith, instructor of Barstow Judo Club, was one of only four recipients ever of the Spirit of Judo Award from the USJA, given to recognize extraordinary achievement and dedication in the field of judo.! A national level coaches clinic was held in Ontario with Jim Pedro, Sr., Gerald Uyeno, Jim Bregman and Jimmy Pedro, Jr.! The Taisei High School team visited for a week and had practices at Norwalk, Sawtelle, Gardena, Heisei and San Fernando Valley Dojos.! A two-day mini-camp was held in Temecula with Ronda Rousey, Gary Butts, Paul Nogaki, Lisa Guerrero, Jin Izumi and AnnMaria DeMars as clinicians.! Ronda Rousey (Nanka home girl ranked #4 in the world at 63 kg) and Pedro Dias (member of the Portuguese national team and the #8 player in the world at 66 kg) began a two-week stretch of practices, often two a day. They were at Hayastan December 26, Orange County Kodokan December 27, San Shi December 28 (two practices), Orange County Kodokan December 29 in the afternoon and Venice in the evening and two practices at Orange County on December 30. So, anyone who wanted could have practiced with top judo players from the U.S., Japan and Portugal this month and competed in a national championships without ever leaving home. For anyone who has ever complained that there were not enough judo players in Los Angeles, that I need to move so I can have the bodies to train with, I need to have Nanka pay for me to go to training camps in all I have to say is, You should have come to practice. We have an amazing schedule and anyone who did not take advantage of it lost an opportunity. Lucky for you we have a bunch more opportunities coming up!!!! Coming up next. Shorai practice (10 a.m.) and winter clinic (1 p.m.) January 13 in Orange County Kodokan, practice and tournaments in Fresno, Los Angeles and Tijuana. 3

4 LOOKING FORWARD CONT. There are three tournaments a novice tournament on January 14, a tournament in Reedley (near Fresno) on January 21, with a practice between central and southern California teams on January 20. Come stay and have a good time. On January 28 is the San Fernando Invitational tournament, open to all ages and all ranks. There is MUCH more happening. Read our calendar to see more. FEATURED PHOTO Nanka athletes from Venice and Goltz Judo Club traveled to Temecula for an overnight camp at Temecula Valley. It was a great time for kids of all ages. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS A GUIDE FOR NEW FAMILIES IN JUDO 1. Can my child go to the Nanka practices or do you need to be invited or recognized as someone special? We believe everyone in judo is someone special. The practices are open to all. We do recommend that you ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR and also be sure you check the age range for the practice. Some are for all ages and some are for 14 and under or 13 and over. Notice the overlap? Your instructor may tell you that a very mature 12 year old should go to the older practice. A newer or smaller 13-year-old might be better off going to the younger practice. It is not a life-long commitment. Even during the middle of a clinic, if you think your child is in the wrong group, please mention this to one of the 4

5 instructors. If you want to just move from one group to another yourself, ask! If you are eight years old, the instructor will probably say no. 2. When is my child ready to go to tournaments? Again, ask your instructor. Usually, within six months or less of competition a person will compete in their first tournament, but a young child or someone who cannot practice regularly should probably wait. 3. Can I come to the Nanka practices and clinics if I am not a competitor? Absolutely! In fact, not everyone wants to compete and these practices offer a great opportunity for you to get to know other people, get better and have a good time. 4. What is all this kg stuff? International weights are in kilograms. There are 2.2 kilograms to a pound. The international weights for senior competitors are 60, 66, 73, 81, 90, 100 and 100 and over for men and 48,52,57. 63,70, 78 and 78 and over for women. Nanka has nationally ranked players in many divisions including Ronda Rousey at 63 kg, Sueheidi Vargas at 52 kg, Emily Lilly at 70 kg and open, Aaron Kunihiro, Frank Sanchez, and Jeff Fujimoto at 60 kg, Ross Nakamura at 66 kg. That s Emily throwing above, by the way. 5. Should my child compete in the regular division or the novice division? There is a novice division for a reason. I highly recommend competing in the novice division at least your first few tournaments. 6. What is the view on practicing at other clubs? Ask your instructor before you visit another club. It is only polite. He or she may give you good advice about what club has people around your age, size and skill level. Most clubs will ask you to complete a waiver form the first time you come. They may also ask to see your USJF, USJA or USJI card. Some have a mat fee, usually $10 or less. Almost every club is very welcoming to visitors. 7. How do I get my child s picture in the? Send it in! We love pictures, results and news. However, we do NOT have a paid reporter or photographer. Drannmaria@fractaldomains.com is the address. 5

6 WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? HOW I WATCH PRACTICE by AnnMaria De Mars The other day I mentioned that I was not terribly impressed with some people because I watched them practice. I am a little person and sometimes I stand in the corner of the dojo, sit up in the stands or by the side of the match, and just watch. People don t notice me and you can tell a lot about a person by watching how he or she trains when they think no one is watching. Our Nanka President, Hayward Nishioka, suggested I write an article on what I look at when I am watching practice. Here is what I am looking at in an athlete: 1. Do you go almost every round? (Taking one or two off to catch your breath is okay, or get a drink of water. Real judo players don't miss many opportunities to train.) 2. Do you stalk the hardest people in the dojo? If I was anywhere around 63 kg, I would be in Ronda's face every opportunity. Ronda has been home over a month and at practice nearly every day somewhere, often twice a day. Some people I have not seen even once and some people I have seen so often that I am wondering if perhaps they have been adopted into the family and no one bothered to inform me. Going to Japan or Lake Placid or Colorado to train but not driving half an hour to fight one of the top people in the world near your weight is an odd choice. The people I have to push toward the harder players don't impress me much. In contrast, Justin Flores said when Ronda would go to San Shi when she was fourteen years old, "She was like a little tick. I couldn't get her off me. She wanted to go with me every round." 3. Do you go all out during practice? This doesn't mean necessarily throwing 140 times a minute. It might mean doing five throws a minute but each one trying! to figure out something you are having a problem with. It means never wasting time standing around joking unless it is during a water break or at the end of practice. It means trying to throw the other person instead of dancing around. I watched practice today with Pedro Dias, Ronda Rousey, Aaron Kunihiro, Jeff Fujimoto,Jeff Sato and Ross Nakamura. Some people tried to grab one of the best players every round, and there was a line up on Pedro where he had his next match three or four in advance, which shows great promise for Nanka spirit. Still, there were other people who pretty much tried to avoid them. 4. Do you go to extra practices and events - camps, clinics, practices, tournaments? 5. Do you show the same weaknesses in your judo time after time? For example, if you are poor at transition or grips, do you work on that during practice, do you get better at it over time, or do you get thrown or pinned the same way over and over? 6

7 NANKA SCORES BIG AT USJA NATIONALS Nanka absolutely rocked the USJA Nationals. There were a great many Nanka gold medalists in the junior division. Kyle Taketa of Gardena, Michael Fujimoto of Sawtelle and Julia DeMars of Venice were three of them. Hayastan Dojo took home a total of 33 gold, silver and bronze medals in all divisions combined (junior, senior and masters). Andre Robles and Brian Herskowitz both took home medals for Tenri Dojo and both competed in both the masters (over 40 year old) divisions and the regular senior divisions, demonstrating either great judo spirit or insanity. Okay, we did lose out on the 60 kg division where standout Mexican team member Guillermo Figueroa defeated Jeff Fujimoto in the finals. Khachur Arekelyan of Hayastan Dojo did win the 66 kg division while teammate Roman Michyan won 73 kg. The 90 kg division was won by Tony Comfort from Los Angeles City College. On the women s side, Annemarie Kelleghan (Venice) won the 48 kg division, with Ronda Rousey bringing home two more golds at 63 and 70 kg. At left, Ross Nakamura of Valley throws with seoi nage. FOR THOSE WHO NEED KATA CERTIFICATION FOR PROMOTION UP TO SANDAN:! If you need Nage no Kata or Katame no Kata certification for your promotion and you need lessons, there are 2 more sessions of the Southern California Kata Class prior to the February 10th Nanka Junior Promotion input deadline.!the fees for the Southern California Kata classes are as follows:! Individual - $60 for 4 session series or $20 per session! Partners(2 people) - $80 for 4 session series or $30 per session! If you test for the certification, there is an additional $20 per person for Nanka Testing and Certification fee NOTE: If you ready and just need to be tested, you can pay the $20 testing fee and class fee will be waved. Nage no Kata and Katme no Kata normally average 12 to 18 hours of classroom instruction to be able to pass for certification. However, it is possible to complete it in less time if you do some studying before coming to the class. Class length can be greatly reduced if you have the kata sequences memorized. 7

8 KATA CERTIFICATION CONT. For information on kata, here are the urls: Nage no Kata go to Katame no Kata, go to You can also go to The Southern California Kata classes offer instructions on all the Kodokan Judo Kata. March 3 rd is the deadline for the Nanka Senior Promotion. If you are coming up for your next promotion and require kata for yodan and up, sign up now, don t wait until the last minute.!! For information on kata classes, please contact Brian (714) bkmarks@comcast.net or Kenji (310) Kenji.Osugi@sbcglobal.net WHAT S HAPPENING? NOTE: For more information on all Shorai practices and Nanka practices, contact Tyrone Taketa: (310) or nktaketa@aol.com Fernando Gazzani: (818) or nankashoraiprog@yahoo.com JANUARY 2007 Jan 6 (Sat) Nanka Jr. & Sr. practices from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM At San Fernando Dojo. Jan 7 (Sun) Nanka Hall of Fame Banquet, 5:00 PM at the Sheraton Delfina Hotel, Santa Monica, CA. Jeff Bruner: (818) or jeffbruner@charter.net Jan 13 (Sat) Nanka Board Meeting 9:00 AM at LA City College,Los Angeles, CA. Hayward Nishioka: (310) or Nishioka7@earthlink.net Agenda items: Mary Lou Fuertsch (562) or cfuertsch@msn.com Jan 13 (Sat) Nanka Shorai Practice (10-Noon) & Nanka Winter Clinic (1-4pm) At Orange County Kodokan 5241 W. Lincoln Ave., Unit B, Cypress, CA Jan 14 (Sat) Nanka Novice Judo Tournament, Esther Snyder Community Center, Baldwin Park, CA. Akbar Fakourfar (310) or Akbar-Fakourfar@peoplepc.com Jan 20 (Sat) CJI Meeting at Fowler Buddhist Church and CJI practice with Central California.Dr. AnnMaria Demars, drannmaria@fractaldomains.com or Tyrone Taketa (310) , nktaketa@aol.com Jan 21 (Sun) Reedley Invitational Tournament, Reedley HS, Reedley CA Jan 24 (Wed) Parent Federation Meeting, 7:30 PM. at Nishi Dojo, Los Angeles, CA. Nan Taketa: (310) or NKTaketa@aol.com Jan 27 (Sat) Nanka Jr. & Sr. Practices from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM At San Fernando Dojo. Jan 28 (Sun) San Fernando Invitational Tournament, San Fernando, CA. Tim Whitesell: (818) or tlw@att.net FEBRUARY 2007 Feb 3 (Sat) Nanka Jr. & Sr. practices from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM 8

9 At San Fernando Dojo. Feb 10 (Sat) Nanka Junior Promotion Application Deadline. Aki Yokoyama: (626) or Feb 4 (Sun) West Clovis Invitational Tournament Feb 10 (Sat) Shorai Practice, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Industry Sheriff Judo Club, 841 Seventh Avenue, City of Industry, CA Feb 10/11 (Sat/Sun) San Jose Buddhist Tournament, San Jose, CA. Feb 17 (Sat) Nanka Spring Clinic, TBD. Tyrone Taketa: (310) or nktaketa@aol.com Greg Fujimoto: (805) or Gfuji2000@aol.com Feb 18 (Sun) West Covina Open Invitational Tournament, Norwalk, CA. Aki Yokoyama: (626) or AkiYko@verizon.net Feb 24 (Sat) Nanka Jr. & Sr. Practices from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM At San Fernando Dojo. PRACTICE IN MEXICO We have been invited to join in junior national practices with players training for the junior nationals in Mexico. All training will be held at: Universidad Autonoma de Baja California! UAVC Calzada Tecnologica Mesa de Otay, Each weekend will have three practices on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. and two practices on Sunday. Weekend camps are scheduled for the following dates: January February 3-4 March March April 7-8 NOTE: Two very important notes. First of all, after January 23 you will need a passport to go to Mexico. So if you don t have a passport and are planning on going, better go next weekend or apply for your passport. Second, this is a TRAINING CENTER and entry is controlled. Camp is targeted to judo players ages Access to the training center is limited to athletes and coaches. If you are interested in attending, by the WEDNESDAY before the camp, contact Guillermo Figueroa (760) or Fernando Gazzani nankashoraiprog@yahoo.com 9

10 NANKA HALL OF FAME Nanka, the Southern California Black Belt Association held it's Hall of Fame Dinner last night in Santa Monica. Many well known local judo leaders were honored. It was a very emotional meeting, recognizing that We are here now because they were there then, the Pioneers and foundation of judo in southern California and, indeed, the country. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU. A keynote address was given by Nanka President Hayward Nishioka. Certificates of Recognition from Los Angeles City Counsel Member, Tom Labonge were presented by his representative and USJA COO, Gary Goltz. If you have photos you would allow us to use next issue, please to Drannmaria@fractaldomains.com New Honorees: Tom Akiyama Steve Bell Dr. AnnMaria De Mars Frank Emj Charles and Marylou Fuertsch Lucille Hagio-Shinohara Jerry Hays Harry Kaisaki Gene LeBell Past Honorees Al Holtman Tasuke Hagio Masaru Harada Keiji Horiuchi Yusei Inoue Ted Kawasaki Takashi Kikuchi Kenso Kiyohiro Kenneth Kuniyuki Kenso Kiyohiro Sachio Matsubara Elizabeth Lee Gene Mauro Keigo Morishita Sumikichi Nozaki Wataru Namba Edward and Jean Osugi Ernie Smith Isao Wada Dr. Osvaldo Zarantonello Roy Moore Seigo Murakami Kiro Nagano Masaaki Nakaoka John Ogden Shag Okada Hal Sharp Shigeo Tashima Toshi Tosaya Ben Tsuji Yoshi Uchida 10

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