So much has happened since we opened the dojo May 11 that it is hard to imagine that we've only been around for about a month. A lot of positive developments have taken place and the KL Judo Training Centre has emerged to become something far beyond what Lim and I could have imagined when we first started the club.
For one thing, we have excellent core members who are very committed and extremely loyal to the club. We also have a few really top notch competitors who help to elevate the competitiveness of the club. To have achieved this in the first month is really beyond our expectations.
We also never thought we'd end up supplying judo-related merchandise but the need to source for various judo-related items (mats, crash pads, posters, judogis) for our own use had made us realize that we could help other clubs and individuals by supplying them with these items. It's also a way to raise funds for our competition team. This is something we didn't foresee and we certainly didn't plan for. It just happened.
One thing that I'm personally very heartened by is the very positive culture that we've managed to foster amongst our members. I've been in clubs where players (colored and black belts alike) actually try to avoid doing randori. When you ask them for a randori, it's like pulling teeth. They will give you 101 excuses to avoid fighting. Not only do I find that ridiculous, I find it to be shameful.
Once such a negative culture pervades a club, everybody becomes like that. The juniors see the seniors avoiding randori and they follow that example. I'm delighted to say that most of our members -- and certainly all of the core members -- love to randori. They want more of it, not less.
Another great thing about our members is many of them thirst for more training and more knowledge. I've been to clubs where at most the players will come once a week or twice. Very rarely do players train three times a week. At KL Judo, many of the core members come at least three times a week and quite a few come for more than that (extra training on non-class days). At most clubs, this is inconceivable but at KL Judo, it's very real. I regularly get requests from my players for more training, not less.
The trainings at KL Judo are intense to say the least. But my players wouldn't have it any other way. They have been used to that from Day 1 so they are very accustomed to it. In fact, many of them have become intensity junkies.
Our trainings are tough. They are non-stop and they last for three hours. Yet, nobody makes excuses not to train. Every single member pushes themselves to keep up with the training and stick with it til the end of session. This is something I'm particularly proud of. We are a club where the players really want to train. I can truly say my players have the fighting spirit of judo in them.
For one thing, we have excellent core members who are very committed and extremely loyal to the club. We also have a few really top notch competitors who help to elevate the competitiveness of the club. To have achieved this in the first month is really beyond our expectations.
We also never thought we'd end up supplying judo-related merchandise but the need to source for various judo-related items (mats, crash pads, posters, judogis) for our own use had made us realize that we could help other clubs and individuals by supplying them with these items. It's also a way to raise funds for our competition team. This is something we didn't foresee and we certainly didn't plan for. It just happened.
One thing that I'm personally very heartened by is the very positive culture that we've managed to foster amongst our members. I've been in clubs where players (colored and black belts alike) actually try to avoid doing randori. When you ask them for a randori, it's like pulling teeth. They will give you 101 excuses to avoid fighting. Not only do I find that ridiculous, I find it to be shameful.
Once such a negative culture pervades a club, everybody becomes like that. The juniors see the seniors avoiding randori and they follow that example. I'm delighted to say that most of our members -- and certainly all of the core members -- love to randori. They want more of it, not less.
Another great thing about our members is many of them thirst for more training and more knowledge. I've been to clubs where at most the players will come once a week or twice. Very rarely do players train three times a week. At KL Judo, many of the core members come at least three times a week and quite a few come for more than that (extra training on non-class days). At most clubs, this is inconceivable but at KL Judo, it's very real. I regularly get requests from my players for more training, not less.
The trainings at KL Judo are intense to say the least. But my players wouldn't have it any other way. They have been used to that from Day 1 so they are very accustomed to it. In fact, many of them have become intensity junkies.
Our trainings are tough. They are non-stop and they last for three hours. Yet, nobody makes excuses not to train. Every single member pushes themselves to keep up with the training and stick with it til the end of session. This is something I'm particularly proud of. We are a club where the players really want to train. I can truly say my players have the fighting spirit of judo in them.
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