Judo Forum Summit Clinic and Camp

I've decided to try this blogging thing. Perhaps it will help me to keep track of what I've thought about and am planning.

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Let's see, where should I start? I think I'll start with judo.

A couple of weeks ago (20-22 June) I had the opportunity to go to San Diego (Carlsbad, actually) for the Judo Forum Summit and Camp 2008. I haven't been to any judo camps for nigh onto 14 years. This was nothing like the ones I'd been to previously.

Instead of people I know and who know me and who know my dad, everyone was new to me, at least in person. There were Olympians, World Champions, Kohaku holders, and people from all over, including Australia. It was an incredible experience for me. I probably stuck out more as a country bumpkin than I'd like to admit. But I do live in Roswell!

So many things were going on! I was split between what do I do for me and what do I do so that I can teach my students! I hate having that choice. I chose things to teach. They help me too, but I'm getting a little past the prime of competitive judo.

Some of the things that were covered were grip fighting with Jacob Flores, Coaching with Paul Nogaki, Tai Sabaki and correct nage waza with Jin Iizumi, Ne Waza with AnnMaria DeMars, Games with AnnMaria and Ronda, Conditioning, and a variety of others that I didn't get near enough to remember.

I can hardly wait to figure out how to afford to go to the next one! It was an incredible experience.

I did learn somethings about myself, however.

1. My shoulders need work, I couldn't last very long in the gripping practice, expecially the randori.
2. I desparately need to work strength training and endurance training.
3. I've got to learn how to grip fight, a green belt, no matter the competitive level, should not be able to control randori with me.
4. I need to work ne waza, especially escapes.
5. I am never going to send my children to school at the Army-Navy Academy if NMMI is a viable option.
6. If it weren't for the price of gas, real estate, and the psychotic vehicle laws in California; it would be a really cool place to live.
7. I have got to compete.
8. I have got to work on financing mats for my club.

It was a really wonderufl experience overall, despite having to fly.



People I met:
Ronda Rousey, Olympian and all around neat-o person.
AnnMaria DeMars, World Champion, incredibly smart statistician, neat-o person, and Ronda's mom.
Jacob Flores Jr., really neat-o person.
Jacob Flores, Sr., neat-o person, Dr.
Rick Hawn, Olympian, neat-o person
Paul Nogaki, really interesting person, learned more than I believe he was trying to teach. also a really neat-o person.

(okay, pretty much everybody was a neat-o person, so I'm going to stop putting it on. If you're name is listed, figure yourself neat-o.)

N. Karl Maluf
Jess, from Denver Judo
Aaron Kunihiro, mean seoi nage, I liked it, too bad my arm was killing me.
Jin Iizumi
Ian, Rei-Boot
and a host of others whose names slip my mind

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Things to keep in mind:
1. Shut up and pay attention. You'll learn more if you're receiving and processing than talking and outputting.
2. You do not know everything and no one else does either, but that doesn't mean that you can't learn from someone else.
3. Sometimes you just have to work through something to get it.