SRJC Judo Club

SRJC Judo Club is about mutual benefit and the perfection of the human character. In Judo, when we grapple, we are trying to find the most efficient way to throw and pin someone without using all of our energy. Judo is a fun and easy sport designed for all. One way to describe judo is like a Japanese style of wrestling. Yes, there are chokes, arm bars, pins, and flips, but it's about more than that. It's also about connecting with yourself, and finding out what you are capable of. We encourage you to stop by and check out the club.

CLUB MEETINGS LOCATION AND TIME: Friday, 6-8 PM IN THE  TAUZER GYM, ROOM 958 

If you are new and don't have a judo gi, please come prepared and bring:
 * comfortable workout clothes (preferably sweat pants)
 * water bottle
 * medical tape (optional)
 * a positive and open mind

Judo
Judo is one of the most fascinating sports I've ever tried. The most fascinating part of it all is the competition aspect of it. It is incredible to watch and even crazier to be a part of. It is easy to get caught up in the competitive aspect of it. SRJC Judo club trains hard to be in shape for when competition rolls around. We are such a supportive club, so when you are out on the mat, you will surely hear us screaming your name. We often take field trips to local tournaments that are in places like San Francisco, Alameda, Petaluma, and more. But there are also other fairly interesting aspects of judo, like the Katas. A kata is just a Japanese word for prearranged judo routine. It's like choreography for judo. There are tons books and videos on how to properly perform one of these types of tasks. They are challenging because every single movement has to be in uniform with the rules. It really makes you think, but it also looks really nice when the routine is put together and everything falls into place. Definitely a more advanced approach to judo, but equally as fun as competition.

Competition
A lot of people from the judo class on campus usually like or are interested in competing as well as just learning judo in the classroom. And even if you are not enrolled in any of the judo classes, you are still very welcome to learn about judo and be a part of our team through the club. In order to compete, you must sign up with one of the few judo organizations, usually either IJF (International Judo Federation), USJF (United States Judo Federation) or USJA (United States Judo Association). Typically, we tend to set you up with the USJA organization. These organizations are mainly active for insurance/liability purposes, so if you get hurt at a tournament for whatever reason, you will be covered financially and medically. Being a member with the USJA also means you can graduate in rank, too. If you don't become a member, you will stay at a white belt until you decide to join. Memberships are 50$, and are good for a year.

Freestyle Judo
In contrast to competition-style judo, there is a prohibited style of judo called freestyle judo. When I say "prohibited," I mean the techniques in freestyle judo cannot be used in formal competition. However, there are specific competitions dedicated to freestyle judo that you can practice for and attend. Basically, freestyle judo allows you to do all of the throws that have been banned from regular competitions because of one reason or another. A lot of the time, the throws, pins, and chokes that are now "illegal" in formal competition are the moves that have been perfected by a certain group (majority) of judo players, and have disadvantaged the rest of the population of judo competitors. For example, leg picks have been banned from tournaments because wrestlers were used to that type of technique and would take advantage of it. Once they went out into competition, they would keep winning many tournaments with that single technique, leaving the judo players with no wrestling experience to go home trophy-less. Of course there are many other (and more accurate reasons; I simply provided an example) reasons why certain moves were banned. A lot of techniques were prohibited because people weren't properly trained in the right way to use them, and would create injuries due to unsafe situations, either on themselves or for their partners. In order to keep people safe, the official rules change regularly, according to trends/observations. Anyway, Freestyle judo is a lot of fun because there are virtually no restrictions on the game! (aside from the fundamental rules of judo-- no punching, kicking, hair pulling, eye jabbing, you understand what I'm talking about). Freestyle judo truly allows the mind to take off in it's own direction, as there are so many more opportunities to take down your opponent. I would have to say freestyle competition is definitely my absolute favorite type of competition.

Our Club
All of our club members are very passionate about judo. It makes it so much more fun when people share the same level of excitement with you about a common interest. We often have 20-25 members attending on a regular basis and working out, so it is easy to choose the perfect-sized partner for practice. All of our members take judo seriously and strive for perfection in technique. But aside from the hard work and dedication that goes into this sport, we also like to have fun, too. :)  * There are approximately 65 different throws that we are taught in the SRJC Judo club!*    Everybody is at a different skill level, so we usually divide into groups and learn different throws for different ranks. There is no cap on learning-- you can advance as slowly or as quickly as you would like! We don't always work on the throws; we also work on pins, chokes, and arm bars! Eventually, after every member has learned a few moves, we start to apply them in standing grappling and matwork. We practice grappling to prepare ourselves for judo competitions. We mainly focus on competition-style judo, but recently we have been incorporating freestyle judo into our curriculum because it is fun! Anything you would like to learn can be taught here; we are an easy-going club. Have something specific you want to work on? Just ask!

And of course, none of this would be possible without our amazing teachers! They put a lot time into creating a curriculum that will benefit us in the most efficient way, so we can move onto other things, faster!

We teach the harder techniques, like arm bars, to our more advanced judoka, but with the proper safety training and knowledge, it is fairly easy to advance in rank.



Destinee has been a part of the judo family for many years and has an abundance of knowledge on the subject. We have a wonderful judo family on the SRJC campus, and we would love for you to be a part of it too!

We appreciate everyone for wanting to try our favorite sport. It is very easy to get lost in the beauty of judo. It is not always about competing and learning how to defend ourselves, but we also strive at the perfection of the human character, maximum efficiency with minimal effort, and the mutual benefit and welfare of the people. Judo improves our community more than you might think. By understanding what we are capable of, and having respect for anyone and everyone, we are developing an environment that is safe for people to feel welcome-- judo is about the improvement of oneself just as much as its about having fun and fighting in competition.


 * All of the techniques that are performed here are taken from the classical judo style approach.

Get to Know Our (and Your Soon-To-Be) Judo Family
These are some of the people that have been in judo for a long time and have grown mentally and physically through their journey in judo. They are all very friendly and loving. These fine people are very approachable and would love to talk your ear off about all things judo! Get to know the team you will be working closely with for a very long time. We've interviewed them about their thoughts/feelings towards judo.

Serena has actively been a part of the judo club for a few years now. She is currently a green belt, working toward her brown belt. She is inspiring, wise, and a joy to be around. Serena leads warmups, along with club member Kelsey Claybrook, and is definitely one to turn to if having trouble with something, both judo related and life related.

Serena is one of our strongest players, that really works hard at what she does. Feel free to stop by the SRJC Judo Club to introduce yourself and to start getting to know her!

Question: "How has the sport aspect of judo affected your life in the past year?"

Serena: "Judo has helped me develop better balance, as well as a clearer mind. When I am [grappling], I always concentrate on my game plan and attack when I can." Patrick has been a part of the judo family for about 5 years now. He has the pleasurable experience of working with other top level judo dojos, as well as being extremely knowledgable with a jiu-jitsu background. He always brings a lot to the table and is willing to teach anything and everything you want to learn. His level of enthusiasm is incredible and makes learning so much more fun. Patrick is a silly and fun man; he loves to make jokes and just have fun. But when it comes to the workout, he is focused, hard-working, and serious.

Patrick is currently working towards his black belt, go Patrick!



Question: "What do you love most about judo?"

Patrick: "I love teaching new throws because I can connect with people on a judo level."



Luke recently achieved his orange belt, and is happily working towards his green belt. He is a very strong player with a soft and gentle heart. When he sets his mind to truly understanding a throw, or any goal for that matter, he works really hard until he accomplishes it. Luke is a very loving genuine man who appreciates teamwork and likes to have fun. He came into the judo club not too long ago, and has already improved so much!

Luke is always working hard to get in shape for competition.

Question: "What is your favorite part of judo?"

Luke: "My favorite part of judo is throwing!"

Coach Destinee has been doing judo for many years now, and she started teaching judo at the SRJC just about five years ago. She has competed in a number of tournaments-- both local, like San Francisco and Petaluma, and even international, such as Italy, Brazil, and Canada. She has a huge collection of medals and trophies from all of the tournaments she's won. Before sensei Destinee started teaching at the JC, she was a student here for a while, too! When she was starting judo at the JC, she looked up to her coach. After he passed down the knowledge of judo to her, our current club has had the honor of receiving that knowledge now. She is a very wise woman, and has a lot to say about judo. Coach Destinee lives by judo-- she applies it to her everyday life, like in her job as a massage therapist, in her law school study, and even in some of her favorite hobbies, like ballroom dance! Judo plays a big part in her life, and because of it, she has grown into an wonderful teacher, mentor, and mother to our judo family.

Question: "If you had one piece of advice to beginners, what would it be?"

Destinee: "My advice to the beginners would be to learn the language of the sport, and as Dr. Kano said, 'Never miss a day of practice.'"

Every student is valued at the SRJC Judo Club!