Happy May! I hope you had the opportunity to enjoy our US Sr. Nationals in person or via the internet. A special thank you to Mrs. Corinne Shigemoto and her staff for an excellent event. I am so pleased to see that our athletes are growing and becoming increasingly sophisticated in their abilities. I was especially impressed with our younger athletes. 23 Junior athletes placed in the 2015 Sr. Nationals. Our coaches are doing an outstanding job guiding the future of American Judo.
I would also like to commend Sensei Robert Fukuda and his referee staff for a job well done at the 2015 Sr. Nationals. In my opinion, the referees were consistent and accurate in their calls throughout the event.
Finally, I want to express my sincere appreciation to USA Judo Coaches for your professionalism throughout the Nationals. You are doing a great job.
USA Judo broadcasted much of the preliminaries and the entire finals online. I was honored to co-commentate the event with Leo White, 18 time National Champion, 2 time Olympian and USA Judo Board of Director Member. (Yes, 18 time Senior National Champion!) If you missed it live, you can still watch it online– the links are listed below.
USA Judo International Coach and Olympic Coach Jim Hrbek provided the following data regarding our junior athletes;
At present there are AT LEAST 21 Juniors on the Senior Men's Roster and AT LEAST 27 on the Senior Women's Roster. Last year, by year's end, there were 30 and 30. This year some of the 30 aged out of Juniors and most REMAIN on the Senior Rosters as Juniors-once-removed.
Coach Hrbek went on to tell us “When I began working with the Junior Committee, more than ten years ago, the policy I advanced at the time was one of guidance and enablement - the idea was to have Juniors begin to raise their sights, expectations and accomplishment levels. We specifically stated that the goal was for the Juniors to be relentlessly pushing into the Senior ranks. The fact that today we have nearly FOUR dozen Juniors who are listed on the Senior rosters, and this has been so for a number of years, is strong testimonial to the growth and development of our Juniors, their Coaches and their Club programs”.
To the judo community:
Our friend and Sensei Jimmy Takemori passed away this morning after a brief illness.
A celebration of Jim Takemori's life will be held:
Saturday, May 23rd at 1pm
Alexandria Scottish Rite Temple
1430 W. Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22302.
Sensei Takemori left behind a legacy that will last many lifetimes including his daughters Chrissy, Miki, Robin and Teri.
Additional details will also be available on the Shufu website,
Shufujudo.org.
__________________________________________________________________
FEMALES COACHING MALES – PART 2
Last month, we discussed the topic of Males Coaching Females. A sincere thank you to all of the coaches who participated. The general consensus of the females who responded is shown below in red.
If you missed last month’s Coach NewsNote, you can read it here:
1) One question that frequently arises during coach education seminars is; “Are coaches supposed to treat male and female athletes the same?” As an athlete, did/do you prefer that your judo coach treat you in the same manner as your male teammates?
PB: The answer is both yes and no. While Coaches must treat all athletes with the same level of attention, focus and consideration, male and female people require different approaches. Actually, every athlete on your team requires an approach that is tailored specifically for them.
2) In Canada and Japan for example, genders train separately. Do you think this policy is better for females?
“I personally preferred to train alongside of men. The intensity factor was different when we trained in the same space”
“I liked the separation. I felt like I could focus without distraction of any type”
3) As an athlete, did/do you feel comfortable talking to your coach about women specific health issues? Can you explain what the coach did right or wrong to enforce this opinion?
“Some of my Coaches were so hard-core that they seemed to ignore the fact that girls have different bodies than boys. They would almost mock the subject of female issues. I know now that that attitude was a mask for their discomfort with the topic”.
“My Coaches have always been understanding. But, back in the day, we didn’t discuss girl issues with our Coaches”.
“I’ve actually had Coaches who were a little too concerned and would over compensate by allowing girls to sit it out at the mere mention of lady issues”
PB: As Coaches, we have to address every issue that may have an impact on our athletes. I try to teach my adolescent and adult athletes, both sexes, that they have to know their bodies. They need to push their limits at every opportunity in order to know how far their limits can be exceeded. I usually ask an athlete who is experiencing some physical difficulty if they feel they can go on. Based upon their answer, we determine the level of intensity for that practice.
4) We all know that boys cry too, but some coaches are leery of working with females because they are concerned about handling emotional issues. How would you advise a coach to help a female athlete who is in emotion turmoil?
PB: I believe the best thing we can do for athletes who are struggling emotionally is to; 1, acknowledge the turmoil, but in a very subtle way and 2, give the athlete a chance to regain composure without drawing a lot of attention to them. Something that I’ve done for years, but didn’t realize it until this topic came up, is I say “go wash your face”. This lets the athlete know that I understand they are struggling, but also gives them a chance to pull themselves together.
5) Obviously, self esteem issues are not limited to females, but, one issue that some coaches have is dealing with young female judoka who are overweight. The concern is that if not approached correctly, a male coach may inadvertently reinforce a negative self-image that the female may have. The general consciences seems to be that any discussion of weight should come from a female. Do you agree with this? If not, how would you advise a male coach to approach the topic of cutting weight with young females?
PB: Weight classes are a fact of life in our sport. Obviously, a degree of tact and decorum is required when dealing with cutting weight. Taking the time to explain why you believe one division is best for an athlete helps maintain perspective. I try to place young athletes in divisions they naturally fall into. Very young athletes cutting weight is not necessary. When it starts to make a difference with regard to making teams, etc., athletes must learn the discipline of making and maintaining weight.
ONLINE MOTIVATION FOR COACHES
Here is a playlist of 11 Ted Talks that are sure to provide motivation. I was especially moved by Amy Purdy – a Snowboard athlete who lost her legs to meningitis. Her ability to visualize herself into her ideal life is inspiring.
From her web site – amypurdy.com
AMY’S STORY
At 19, after experiencing flu-like symptoms, Amy was rushed to the hospital in a state of septic shock. En route, she experienced respiratory and multiple organ failure, which caused her to lose circulation to her extremities. When she entered into the hospital she was given less than a 2% chance of survival, put on life support and placed into a coma.
After multiple blood transfusions, and the removal of her ruptured spleen, doctors diagnosed Amy with Meningococcal Meningitis, a vaccine preventable bacterial infection. Due to the lack of circulation she had suffered, doctors had to amputate her legs below the knee. She later received a donated kidney from her father a week before her 21st birthday.
After going through this life-altering experience, Amy challenged herself to move on with her life and attain goals that even those who have both legs struggle to achieve. Just three months after her kidney transplant, Amy entered the USASA National Snowboarding Championship where she won medals in three events. Today, she is one of the top ranked adaptive snowboarders in the world, and was the 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist. She is the only double-leg amputee competing at the world-class level.
Amy’s creativity, positive outlook and her never-give-up attitude have opened doors to many other opportunities, including being featured in a Madonna music video, a lead actress role in an award-winning independent film and multiple creative modeling projects including a photo shoot with musician and artist Nikki Sixx where her legs were custom made from steel to look like ice picks.
Amy has evolved into a powerful inspirational and motivational speaker who has literally been seen by millions of people and invited to share her story to audiences around the world. Amy’s TED x Orange Coast talk, “Living Beyond Limits” is the number one recommended video by TED x OC to incoming TED speakers formulating their own presentations.
Amy’s story and images have been featured in numerous national and international publications, and in 2012 she and her longtime boyfriend, Daniel Gale, raced around the world on CBS’s The Amazing Race.
In May of 2013, Amy was named by the International Olympic Committee as one of the top 15 most marketable para-athletes in the world.
Although Amy has numerous accomplishments, she is most proud of co-founding Adaptive Action Sports. Created in 2005, AAS is a non-profit organization that helps those with permanent disabilities get involved in action sports. AAS has partnered with ESPN and runs “adaptive” action sport competitions at the summer and winter ESPN X Games. These events were instrumental in getting adaptive snowboarding added to the 2014 Paralympic Games.
In the spring of 2014, Amy inspired millions of fans with her stunning performances on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, eventually becoming the show’s runner-up. Amy is now in the process of launching a new clothing line in partnership with Element Eden (due out for Spring 2015) and recently completed her first book (due out in December).
Amy’s latest adventure will be sharing her remarkable story alongside Oprah Winfrey, as part of Oprah’s The Life You Want Tour. She will tour with Oprah from September through November through cities across America.
AND THE WINNER IS…
Last month’s trivia question was “who was the first American Female to win a medal in the Olympics”. The first responders replied with;
Lynn Roethke – Silver 1988
Margaret Castro – Bronze 1988
Ronda Rousey – Bronze 2008
Marty Malloy – Bronze 2012
Kayla Harrison – Gold 2012
Lynn Roethke – 1988 Silver Olympic Medalist
Ms. Roethke is owner of Club Olympia Fitness in Fond du Lac, WI
Margaret Castro – 1988 Bronze Olympic Medalist.
Ronda Rousey – 2008 Bronze Olympic Medalist
Ms. Rousey is a world famous UFC Champion, author and movie star
Kayla Harrison – 2012 Gold Olympic Medalist
Ms. Harrison is currently working to be the first USA Judo athlete to win back to back Olympic Gold.
Marty Malloy – 2012 Bronze Olympic Medalist
Ms. Malloy is currently training to add a Gold Medal to her Olympic Medal collection.
The first appearance of women’s judo in the Olympics was considered to be a demonstration sport in the 1988 Olympics. It is hard to believe, but I am old enough to recall that in 1964, when men’s judo made it first Olympic appearance, it was also listed as a demonstration sport. However, history has since recorded the 1964 Men’s Judo as a true Olympic Sport, while the 1988 Women’s Judo remains a demonstration sport. In any case, the trivia question was a bit of a trick question, so I’m giving the first responders who replied with Lynn Roethke, Margaret Castro or Ronda Rousey a USA Judo Coach Polo Shirt.
The winners are: Coach Kevin Butler, Coach Rich Mignogna and Coach Henry Okamura. Please let me know what size you would like. We have another great giveaway this month. If you would like to win, please read on.
Concerning girls in judo from USA Judo Coach Roger Anderson:
1. I have a small group at present. 8 students total including 2 girls. They are younger sisters of boys in the class. I would not have the time for two different classes separated by gender. I have also had a group several years ago of about 5 boys and 5 girls.
2. My biggest "athletic hero" in my class is a girl. She was 6 years old at the time. She was one of two girls in her division. This was her first tournament. The other girl had much more experience. She lost her first match to the other girl. She seemed scared for the rematch. Both her parents and I told her that she did not have to go out for a rematch. She decided to go out and she did loose. She is brave. Several years earlier, I had a boy in the same situation. He chose to not go out which is OK too.
3. I was injured in my first match in a major tournament about 25 years ago. I had to withdraw. I spent the next 10 minutes crying on the shoulder of my coach out of frustration. I was under 50 at that time.
Roger Anderson, North Shore Judo Club, Two Harbors, Minnesota
FREEBIE
In honor of female Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey, I am giving away a copy of her new autobiography “My Fight, Your Fight”
THE ONLY OFFICIAL RONDA ROUSEY BOOK
“The fight is yours to win.”
In this inspiring and moving book, Ronda Rousey, the Olympic medalist in judo, reigning UFC women's bantamweight champion, and Hollywood star charts her difficult path to glory.
Marked by her signature charm, barbed wit, and undeniable power, Rousey’s account of the toughest fights of her life—in and outside the Octagon—reveals the painful loss of her father when she was eight years old, the intensity of her judo training, her battles with love, her meteoric rise to fame, the secret behind her undefeated UFC record, and what it takes to become the toughest woman on Earth. Rousey shares hard-won lessons on how to be the best at what you do, including how to find fulfillment in the sacrifices, how to turn limitations into opportunities, and how to be the best on your worst day.
Packed with raw emotion, drama, and wisdom this is an unforgettable book by one of the most remarkable women in the world.
I ordered this book in advance of it’s release date of May 12, 2015. I have not read this book yet so I am not recommending it, but I did want to support Ms. Rousey in her endeavors and encourage you to do the same. If you want to buy this book, it is available here;
The free copy of Ms. Rousey’s book will go to the first certified coach who can tell me which 2015 USA Sr. National match was decided by a hansoku maki and what the penalty was for.
INTERESTING WEB SITE
The Belmont Kodokan Judo Club in North Carolina has a very interesting web site. A very smart person has included audible pronunciation of Japanese words. Check it out here;
UPCOMING COACH EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
May 26, 2015
Clinician Patrick Burris
State, Regional and National Levels
Contact: Randy Russell 573-864-8998
June 5, 2015
Orlando Florida – in conjunction with Florida Judo Camp
Clinician Patrick Burris
State, Regional and National Levels
From Dr. Stout;
Dear Coaches, regarding the 6th Florida Judo Camp and Coaching clinic; It looks we will have a few outstanding Judoka from the North East, and Midwest joining us. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Please let me know if you will attend this Free event so that I can get a head count. We are limited to 100 participants. Thanks
Respectfully,
Jeff
Jeffrey R. Stout, PhD, FNSCA, FACSM
Professor
Program Coordinator,
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in Sport and Exercise Science
Director, Human Performance Lab
College of Education and Human Performance
University of Central Florida
Education Complex & Gym
12494 University Blvd
Orlando, FL 32816
407-823-0211
July 15-16, 2015
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Clinician Patrick Burris
State, Regional, National, Continental and International Levels
Official Coach Polo Shirts are available for purchase as well - please use the attached form to order. Please be sure to indicate if you would like a light blue or navy shirt.
