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rodgerd
17th January 2005, 00:54
I'm curious about what a normal curriculum for Judo novices would look like; the reason I ask is I'm currently attending a dojo that has what seems to be a fairly high injury rate amongst it's low-ranked members, and I'm trying to get an idea of whether this is just a run of bad luck, or whether the dojo is perhaps a bit incautious with juniors, and I should look elsewhere.

Since I'm a novice myself, I've got no real way of telling what's normal beyond asking more experienced Judo players.

A typical session runs an hour and a half, and starts with all grades warming up together, with a mix of stretching,fitness, and falling exercises. This is generally set at a level well beyond novices, but people are encouraged to take breaks as necessary until their fitness reaches full level.

Classes will typically work on one or two tachi-waza exercises as a group. The exercise will be demonstrated, and then people will pair off to run through repititions. Once a number of exercises have been worked through, there will generally be tachi-waza randori, with the whole class rotating through until everyone has sparred with everyone else, usually for 3 -5 minutes each.

The same pattern is repeated with ne-waza.

Classes are generally run by the most experienced person present, usually a senior dan rank, but occasionally a first dan or brown belt.

(To clarify: in the past 2-3 months, with 10-15 people of mixed ranks, there have been some minor injuries - broken toes and the like - which don't concern me, but two broken arms and a serious rib injury, plus a tooth knocked out. The brokem arms were both white belts, one sparring with an orange, the other with a dan).

Budoka 34
17th January 2005, 03:17
The classes sound very similar to every Judo class I've every attended.
I have to admit the injury rate is a bit alarming. While I'll be the first to admit that Judo can be rough, injuries are frowned upon where I currently train.

We establish an "action level" early on for students and seniors are taught to work with new students not trundel them.

The action level works from 1 to 10.

1 being slow deliberate action to learn each part of a given technique.

10 being out of control.

Most randori is conducted at level 3 or 4 but can be allowed to push up to an 8 (fighting speeds).

No one is allowed to randori until their ukemi is up to standard and they understand the basics of the waza they are working.

Hope this helps.

:smilejapa

MarkF
17th January 2005, 09:46
Classes are generally run by the most experienced person present, usually a senior dan rank, but occasionally a first dan or brown belt.


The above quote bothers me the most. Who is your instructor? Are all classes like this? To whom do these "instructors" report? To whom are they responsible?

The lack of quality instructors goes back, at the very least, to the 1930s so it is hardly new.

If classes are taught like this, there will be problems. Perhaps I do not read your post correctly, but it seems you have no particular instructor to follow, and perhaps they play "short straw" to see who gets to be "sensei" for the night.

If this is the case (and while I am joking about the "short straw" thing, it can lead to badly done and dangerous Judo), and accidents such as those mentioned may continue to happen. It is just fine to have a senior student teaching when the teacher cannot be there, but it is anotherway, if it is just a bunch who get together as in a study group. It just does not work very well in Kodokan Judo. It should not be necessary, either. Generally, Judo is easily found. And it becomes even easier if you are willing to put some mileage on the car.

Remember what Jigoro Kano said when asked if Judo would be part of the 1940 Olympic Games: "Judo is not a game!" Just be careful. The 1940 games never came off, for obvious reasons.


Mark

rodgerd
17th January 2005, 20:48
Originally posted by Budoka 34
No one is allowed to randori until their ukemi is up to standard and they understand the basics of the waza they are working.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.

Most people at the dojo seem to start randori after 2-3 weeks.

rodgerd
17th January 2005, 21:03
Originally posted by MarkF
The above quote bothers me the most. Who is your instructor? Are all classes like this? To whom do these "instructors" report? To whom are they responsible?

The lack of quality instructors goes back, at the very least, to the 1930s so it is hardly new.

If classes are taught like this, there will be problems. Perhaps I do not read your post correctly, but it seems you have no particular instructor to follow, and perhaps they play "short straw" to see who gets to be "sensei" for the night.


I'm perhaps overstating the case. The dojo is run by an incroporated club, which also operates a jujitsu dojo; the founder of the club, now in his seventies, has dan rankings in Aikido, Judo, and Jujitsu, although Judo is his main focus. He is still an active international competitor, but does not teach.

There is effectively a principal instructor and an assistant. Both are in their forties and have a couple of decades (or more) of Judo. The run the bulk of the classes, but when the are unavailable, it falls to the most senior person present. This isn't especially common, no more than once or twice a month.

The club has the normal committees, member involvement, and is a member of the NZJF, so I assume there are national standards of some sort.


Originally posted by MarkF
Generally, Judo is easily found. And it becomes even easier if you are willing to put some mileage on the car.


There are several dojo within walking distance of where I live. Note that I don't think this is a bad dojo as such; it has quite a few long term, loyal members; the founder is highly regarded (invited to kata camps in Japan, fought on the national squad, etc), a number of members who are successful in competition, and generally has a good, down to earth atmosphere. I am concerned, though, that they may not be the best for beginners.


Originally posted by MarkF
Remember what Jigoro Kano said when asked if Judo would be part of the 1940 Olympic Games: "Judo is not a game!" Just be careful. The 1940 games never came off, for obvious reasons.

Mark

Indeed - I understand that Judo is more risky than playing computer games. But I have (touch wood) avoided problems in other risky pastimes by approaching them sensibly. I'd like to keep doing Judo, but I'd like to manage the risks involved. Doing things the right way generally achieves that. Unfortately my inexperience makes it difficult to make good judgements on what's the right way.

Thanks for your reply.

gabro
18th January 2005, 09:05
Hi,

I think I actually visited the club you are talking about a couple of years ago, and my girlfriend was training there regularly for a month or six weeks. You can PM me the name of the instructor if you want to confirm this.

Although I appreciate your concerns and agree that safety is extremely important for lower grades and beginners, I did not see any practice in this dojo that gave me cause for concern. I found them to be extremely friendly and that the higher kyu-grades were concious of what they were doing. It is my experience that injuries do not happen alone, but you seem to get a build up of them. That may be all this is. However, if you feel that your safety isn't in the best of hands, find somewhere else immediately. Feeling unsafe in class makes it very hard to learn (I know, I was terrified of falling for two years. Learned nothing in that period).

Cheers,

Mads