For the first time in three years, more than 10 students are on the mats consistently in my youth class. Actually, there are about 12. This development is absolutely wonderful to me because it means a lot of the fun aspects can happen. It also makes teaching very difficult with only one instructor on the mat, and no assistants!
We worked on a number of things on Tuesday night, including the first throw of the semester, O Goshi! We didn’t get a lot of time on O Goshi, but everyone got a chance to do the throw. Everybody did great, even though it was very awkward. We even go to play “Rats and Rabbits” from the 101 Judo Games DVD. Everybody loved that!
Comparing Tuesday night’s class to the educational philosophy of the Gracie Bullyproofing program, it wasn’t as smooth a process as it could have been. (You will probably hear a lot about the Gracie Bullyproofing program over the course of the year.) So, my question is this: How can O Goshi be developed through a game structure? For example, in the Bullyproofing set of games, one is called Spiderkid and starts with teaching the effective use of hands in maintaining “positional control” from the mount (Tate Shiho Gatame for you exclusively judo people). What sort of fun/game ways can O Goshi be broken down and, literally, played with?
Here’s how I break down the major elements of O Goshi for kids:
1. Foot movement and turn-in
2. Hand movement and placing
3. Hip movement
4. Throw
The parts that give me the most grief are the setups. Getting kids to fit in correctly, to me, is far harder that getting them to throw. They want to throw and try very hard to throw even when it’s very wrong! Are there any games to teach and help kids practice this? 101 Judo Games is has some wonderful games for throwing, but none to actually teach them!
If you have anything, please shoot me a description, some links, or, best of all, a video! I’d love to write a follow-up on the suggestions and how they worked for me and my club!
13 January 2011
10 January 2011
Why I’m not Episcopal and What US Judo Can Learn from It
The other morning my much anticipated order for Gracie Bullyproofing finally came to my door. You’re probably wondering why I mentioned the Episcopal Church and Gracie Bullyproofing without tying them together.
When I was young my father was heavily involved in the Episcopal Church and we all went to church regularly. Eventually this declined and, being a kid, I never wondered why. Several years ago, my father and I talked about that. His reason for our withdrawal was, among other reasons, because there was nothing for the youth! If the youth have nothing to engage or challenge them, they will fall by the wayside and the group’s growth will falter.
Now what does that have to do with judo or the Gracies?
When was the last time, coaches, that you lost a promising student to soccer, football, wrestling, or (dare I say it? DARE DARE) karate or tae kwon do? They came to your class looking for something like Karate Kid or UFC and they tried it for a week or two, maybe a month, and then disappeared. If you got the chance to ask them why they left, they said they didn’t have any fun.
Guess what coaches, if you’re teaching kids you better have FUN as your overarching goal. I know it’s judo o and it’s a “traditional” martial art which requires discipline and such, BUT that doesn’t mean you have to be stodgy!
That’s where DVD’s like the Gracie Bullyproofing and 101 Judo Games come in. They emphasize making learning fun! 101 Judo games is a great DVD that has a lot of games and training methodologies designed to help coaches and judo students have fun in judo classes. Unfortunately it is judo not complete. We judo instructors need more, especially in the United States.
Now, the Gracie Bullyproofing DVD set may be anathema to traditional judo schools and teachers because it’s (GASP) Brazilian JiuJitsu and has joint locks. BUT! And that’s a very big but, they tell parents how to teach, correct, and emphasize the fun when training. No matter your perspective on armlocks for kids (they eschew chokes for safety reasons); this program provides valuable insights applicable to any martial arts instructor who teaches children.
How can all this change judo in the United States? I believe too many judo teachers put tradition and ritualism in front of fun. Don’t get me wrong, the rituals and tradition have their (very important) place, but why can’t we teacher these rituals and traditions with fun in mind? To put it simply why can’t USJA, USJF, USA Judo, USMAA, Yawara JA, or the host of other judo organizations in the US develop a full curriculum and training program where the goal of students learning judo is achieved using 100% fun training?
Here’s my advice, go watch the Gracie Bullyproofing series. Your kids and/or students will love it, especially if you incorporate it into your judo teaching!
When I was young my father was heavily involved in the Episcopal Church and we all went to church regularly. Eventually this declined and, being a kid, I never wondered why. Several years ago, my father and I talked about that. His reason for our withdrawal was, among other reasons, because there was nothing for the youth! If the youth have nothing to engage or challenge them, they will fall by the wayside and the group’s growth will falter.
Now what does that have to do with judo or the Gracies?
When was the last time, coaches, that you lost a promising student to soccer, football, wrestling, or (dare I say it? DARE DARE) karate or tae kwon do? They came to your class looking for something like Karate Kid or UFC and they tried it for a week or two, maybe a month, and then disappeared. If you got the chance to ask them why they left, they said they didn’t have any fun.
Guess what coaches, if you’re teaching kids you better have FUN as your overarching goal. I know it’s judo o and it’s a “traditional” martial art which requires discipline and such, BUT that doesn’t mean you have to be stodgy!
That’s where DVD’s like the Gracie Bullyproofing and 101 Judo Games come in. They emphasize making learning fun! 101 Judo games is a great DVD that has a lot of games and training methodologies designed to help coaches and judo students have fun in judo classes. Unfortunately it is judo not complete. We judo instructors need more, especially in the United States.
Now, the Gracie Bullyproofing DVD set may be anathema to traditional judo schools and teachers because it’s (GASP) Brazilian JiuJitsu and has joint locks. BUT! And that’s a very big but, they tell parents how to teach, correct, and emphasize the fun when training. No matter your perspective on armlocks for kids (they eschew chokes for safety reasons); this program provides valuable insights applicable to any martial arts instructor who teaches children.
How can all this change judo in the United States? I believe too many judo teachers put tradition and ritualism in front of fun. Don’t get me wrong, the rituals and tradition have their (very important) place, but why can’t we teacher these rituals and traditions with fun in mind? To put it simply why can’t USJA, USJF, USA Judo, USMAA, Yawara JA, or the host of other judo organizations in the US develop a full curriculum and training program where the goal of students learning judo is achieved using 100% fun training?
Here’s my advice, go watch the Gracie Bullyproofing series. Your kids and/or students will love it, especially if you incorporate it into your judo teaching!
05 January 2011
Kayla Harrison, PR, and Judo in the United States.
I checked my e-mail yesterday and received a press release about Kayla Harrison. If you don’t know who Kayla Harrison is, well, let me tell you she is the current World Champion and only the fourth World Champion from the United States (AnnMaria DeMars, Mike Swain, and Jimmy Pedro are the other three). I’ve never met her, but I’ve watched her (search for her on YouTube!) and I can’t wait for her to rock on through this year and next in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.
That being said, apparently she secured a public relations manager to put out information about her. Some judo people might think this is a bad thing. Personally, I think it’s a great idea and more of our USA Judo athletes should! Look at someone like Michael Phelps a guy who won like 8 gold medals and got hordes of endorsements. Do you think he has someone to help build his image? Especially after the whole bong thing…
I really hope that the PR works out for her and for judo in the United States. I hope that any little bit that I can do helps her to get what she needs to get to the Olympics. I also hope that the PR helps judo grow in the United States, especially to reduce the confusion between judo, karate, tae kwon do, and all the other martial arts. (You notice I didn’t mention Brazilian or Gracie JiuJitsu – I think they have a good enough marketing scheme going for them!)
That being said, apparently she secured a public relations manager to put out information about her. Some judo people might think this is a bad thing. Personally, I think it’s a great idea and more of our USA Judo athletes should! Look at someone like Michael Phelps a guy who won like 8 gold medals and got hordes of endorsements. Do you think he has someone to help build his image? Especially after the whole bong thing…
I really hope that the PR works out for her and for judo in the United States. I hope that any little bit that I can do helps her to get what she needs to get to the Olympics. I also hope that the PR helps judo grow in the United States, especially to reduce the confusion between judo, karate, tae kwon do, and all the other martial arts. (You notice I didn’t mention Brazilian or Gracie JiuJitsu – I think they have a good enough marketing scheme going for them!)
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