Nail them!!! That seems to be the new mantra of a large group of ‘A’ referees and their acolytes, who care more about punishing players than they do seeing Judo survive as a sport. Two San Diego County national referees, one of whom is my student, tell me that’s the atmosphere they work in, at least in California.
Archive for the ‘Judo Development’ Category
Nail Them!!!
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010A Dash of Color
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010As part of the opening ceremonies to the 2000 European Championships held in Wroclaw, Poland, dozens of young children wearing blue, black, red, yellow and green gis ran onto the floor and quickly formed the five Olympic rings. Into each ring stepped one of great Polish European, World, or Olympic champions. Each then proceeded to randori with the children in his group. It was an unforgettable, colorful ceremony that to this day still resonates in me.
Olympics or Survival?
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010I had the pleasure of attending the referee meeting during the USJA-USJF Junior National Championships in Irvine, California. Although I couldn’t stay for its entirety- I needed to head over to the USJA Board meeting, which unfortunately was held at the same time as the referee meeting- I gathered a wealth of information, which reinforced my opinion that Judo is committing suicide by rules. Needless to say, I didn’t leave the meeting with warm fuzzy feelings.
Judo and Soccer
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010Over two billion people worldwide are now watching the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. That includes me. You’re probably wondering what that has to do with a Judo blog. Well, there are things that the soccer world can teach the Judo world. If we are perceptible enough, soccer also serves as an example of what Judo should not be.
Growing Judo the USA Judo Way
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010Last month, many of us received this announcement from USA Judo. “As you may have already heard, the International Judo Federation, due to the respect United States has earned in developing and promoting Judo has been awarded the hosting of one of the IJF World Cup which is an Olympic Qualifier for the 2012 London Olympic Games.” I nearly choked on my raspberry-filled doughnut when I read that. The only thing the IJF respects is how much money it can make off national Judo federations, and how many of their votes can be bought off though minor gifts like hosting one of a plethora of World Cup events.
Promotions Run Amok
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010It’s no secret that high dan promotions have been spiraling out of control for decades in the United States. Formerly, the USJA was pretty much the sole culprit when it came to issuing unmerited high dan promotions. Recently, however, I have noticed some questionable promotions made by the USJF and USA Judo that make me think that the floodgates are now wide open on all fronts.
The Sissification of Judo
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010Let’s be honest. In an attempt to overprotect participants and redefine the aesthetics of Judo, we are witnessing as never before the sissification of Judo. We have removed and penalized so many things that we are left with a sanitized version, a shell, of what used to be one of the most comprehensive forms of grappling. For those of us in areas where Brazilian jiujitsu and mixed martial arts are popular, today’s sport Judo is not helping our cause one bit.
What’s Up With The USJA?
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010AnnMaria De Mars and Jim Pedro, respectively the president and vice-president of the USJA, resigned a few weeks ago. Pedro did so during a conference call meeting of the USJA Board of Directors, and De Mars resigned the following day.
Emotions are running high. Some USJA members are threatening to pull out of the USJA and join USA Judo. Makes sense to me- NOT. If there was ever a dysfunctional, worthless group to join, it would have to be USA Judo. So guys, knock yourselves out and join USA Judo if you think it’s going to care more about your opinions and welfare.
Youth Technical Director
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010“Player development continues to be the core of what we do. By its very nature it’s a long-term process, so it may not be as sexy as announcing a national team competition or coach or winning medals, but it’s actually probably the most important thing we do.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if this were coming from USA Judo? Well, it didn’t come from USA Judo. It came from U.S. Soccer’s president, when he introduced the federation’s newly appointed youth technical director.
