what makes a good judo club

Discussion in 'Judo' started by warren, Jan 11, 2004.

  1. warren

    warren Valued Member

    when you choose a club what do you look for first,how do you know how good the tuition is if your a novice.
    no doubt there are articles on this however that is just one persons idea,i would like more than one persons veiw so which is the most important,

    a good atmosphere,
    what grade the instructor holds,
    how long the instructor has been teaching,
    how many high grades there are,
    how many comps have been won in the club,
    the overall skill level in the class,
    are you made welcome,
    perhaps you can only tell by taking a class,

    let me here your views and may be why that is important
     
  2. Andrew Green

    Andrew Green Member

    Are they playing or fighting? I don't want to train somehere that people are trying to hurt each other.

    Rank - don't really care. But can the guy throw me and teach me to throw other people better?

    Teaching style, does it match the way I learn things?

    Competition, not important to me, but if I wanted to compete then yes. But attitude towards competition would be as important as competitive record.

    Mats - Good mats = less injuries.

    Attitude of seniors when working with juniors, are they training dummies, or people to assist?
     
  3. TheMachine

    TheMachine Valued Member

    good learning atmosphere which means good students and a very good teacher.

    Rank is secondary as a high rank does not necessarilymean a good teacher.

    mats, as long as they're not too hard or not too soft

    price, value for money
     
  4. warren

    warren Valued Member

    adding to what i first wrote what about the size of the class,do you prefer a small class where you can have more of the instructors time or a large class so you have plenty of different body types to throw
     
  5. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    If I'm in a fightin' mood a large class, better mix in size, build and also when people start to wane from the fighting they do it at different rates so theres always someone to fight.

    For technique I prefer a smaller class.

    This is why I train at 2 Judo clubs, each one fits one of the criteria ;)

    Col
     
  6. zumtream

    zumtream Valued Member

    The first thing i think you need to find out is how much you are going to learn. This means taking the class for a couple of weeks and seeing how good a teacher the sensei is. My Sensei has been teaching Judo for over ten years and runs four clubs so i know i will get a lot out as long as i put the effort in.

    However atmosphere of club, equipment, location and cost should also be considered when choosing a club.
     
  7. Captain_Coward

    Captain_Coward Ne-Waza Worm

    Sup

    FreeForm what is the other Judo club you go to,

    Kiwi
     
  8. lwicks

    lwicks New Member

    Agree in parts and disagree in parts with all the postings.

    I'd like to comment .

    Grade of the Instructor
    This is not really relevant. It is the ability of the coach/instructor to runa good class that matters. I have seen clubs run by high grades that were awful and classes run by parents with no grade at all that were excellent!

    What makes a good club in my opinion is how well the people running the club cater to the varying needs of the members.
    If the players are there to have a fun social time, a excellent compeditive coach would be useless! (And vice versa)

    I have seen this happen, a social, primarily novice club (mainly students) hired an instructor who was teaching froma compeditive perspective. The result was that the players did poorly as did the Judo level in the club and also the players performance in Shiai.
    An instructor who had catered to the clubs need for social Judo, with lots of emphasis on basics and technique would have achieved more.

    ANyway, thats my two cents.
     
  9. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Re: Sup

    The Carnagie Club up in Dunfermline, you should come up sometime. Hoping to train on Saturday morning at the Edinburgh Uni club too.

    Col
     
  10. Captain_Coward

    Captain_Coward Ne-Waza Worm

    Bit of a Trek dunfermline isn't it. When do you train there, is it a really big class. I am glad the numbers at the commie are beginning to pick up again was getting very thin on the ground.
    Oh, and are you going to the next grading in Feb.

    Kiwi
     
  11. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    I go to the sunday class at carnagie which is normally only 6/7 people mostly Dans grades. Its good for a theory session and only half an hour in the car.

    Col
     
  12. lwicks

    lwicks New Member

    Re: Re: Sup

    Ahh... memories!!
    Have enjoyed a bash at both Carnegie & Edinburgh Uni.

    Am also glad to hear numbers at the RCP are on the up, is Craig still coaching there?

    Lance
     
  13. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Re: Re: Re: Sup

    Yep, Craig still coaches at the commonwealth. When did you train there?

    Col
     
  14. lwicks

    lwicks New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Sup

    From 1998 to about three years ago.
    I taught there for a year or so for the original coaches, Jim & Sheila, when they were out of the RCP good books. They came back briefly but left to start Shishikai at the Eric Liddell centre. This was when big Craig took over.

    Say hello to Craig for me, he should remember me I suspect.

    Lance
     
  15. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Will do Lance :D
     
  16. Captain_Coward

    Captain_Coward Ne-Waza Worm

    Yeah,

    Will talk to him on thurs,

    I just watched a video of him in '99 Scottish open, you should see his celebration what a toss, i am gonna do my best rendition of it on thurs.
    I might not be able to make it tho so might have to give you the videos to take back Colin. Oh and are you gonna go to the Ne-Waza class on fri, maybe have a sauna and a few beers after should be a laugh.

    Kiwi
     
  17. Chishirou

    Chishirou New Member

    as for atmosphere, in my opinion it all depends on what you're looking for. for me, i like an atmosphere where things are based on strict dicipline where students are expected to take training seriously. One thing I hate most in over westernized dojo's is the total lack of needed dicipline. The last thing I want, is to be in a class with a bunch of goof offs, where the instructor doesn't notice/doesn't care that the students are running around like it's recess or chatting while the instructors are talking. If that's the kind of atmosphere you want then good for you, but to avoid this when looking for a school there are a few things to notice. Like the way the instructor handles bad behavior. if they pretend not to see it, then they are weak willed and won't have the confidence to correct it, which means there's most likely a low level of expectations. Which also irks me about some classes. I don't think it's all about socializing and acting like a bunch of kids at recess. Though there is fun in martial arts, there's a level of dicipline that is important for the developement of students. I guess it varies in each school. so i think it depends on what you're looking for.
     
  18. lwicks

    lwicks New Member

    Chishirou,

    Hmm... I agree partially at least with your comments.

    An instructor needs to be able to control a class, especially if these are juniors. Allowing kids to run wild is not useful.

    I have in only one case seen an instructor manage to control a group of kids who are running about as you have described. Every other time that I have seen similar situations the instructor had lost control of the group.

    You say...
    "if they pretend not to see it, then they are weak willed and won't have the confidence to correct it, which means there's most likely a low level of expectations""

    I would say that this is a bit of a generalisation and probably unfair. (giving the instructors out there the benefit of the doubt).
    I would be very cautious in making this sort of sweeping statement about instructors, they all have "their way".
    An example of this is the instructor I mentioned above, he would perhaps have given the perception to you that everything was out of control but I know for a fact he was not weak-willed nor did he or his club have low expectations. In fact his club was one of the higher performing clubs in the country at the time.

    What he had mastered was creating a unique coaching style that worked in the environment of his Juniors focussed club.


    All the above said, I would agree with you that in Judo there is often a lack of discipline as displayed by Karate, etc. Especially (if not only) in the western world.
    We do not on the whole treat instructors and Masters and bow and scrape. This is good and bad I think. I think we could benefit from an increase of our perceived discipline from a marketing persepective. Ie Parents love seeing their kids in rows, bowing and being quiet.

    On the other side of the coin, I would suggest that Judoka are far more disciplined than we give credit. We compete and train in an intensely hard situation and yet it is virtually never that a bout ends up in punches.

    I myself have never in 20 years seen a Randori or Shiai fight end in shouting or punching. (except for the video of Pedro Vs. Gill from some years ago).
    Compare that to football (rugby or Soccer). Especially soccer where it is theoretically non-contact! We have seen boxers bite each other and brawl.

    When you consider I am including world level and kids in this and have never personally seen a brawl erupt on the mat, its kinda an impressive display of the discipline of all Judoka to control their tempers.

    Just my two cents.

    Lance
     

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