One man's meat is another man's poison

There's a famous saying, "One man's meat is another man's poison", which basically means things that one person likes might be hated by another person. All rabbits may like carrots and all dogs may like chasing the postman. But as human beings, we don't all have the same tastes, be it with regard to food, music, movies etc. For example my mother loves onions but I can't stand them. We have different tastes.

And so it is with judo as well. I once had an online chat with someone from a judo club in Singapore who connected with me probably because of my Facebook postings on judo. I asked him what his club's training was like. He said his club is a more traditional type and that they liked doing "soft" judo, not the hard, competitive stuff.

That's perfectly fine. For them. But I wouldn't like to do that kind of judo. Power to those who do like it though.

If you happen to live in an area where there is only one club around, you'd better hope they have the kind of training that you like. If not, either you tolerate it or you quit because there's no other option around.

In Malaysia, generally there's not a lot of options when it comes to judo clubs. As I've mentioned in previous blog postings, in many states, there's only one club around. Klang Valley has the most, which is not to say that there are a lot but at least there are some choices.

I run a particular kind of judo club that's in line with my experiences as a judo athlete. I was trained in the West (initially in the US and later, more extensively in Europe). As a result, my judo is naturally more European in nature. That is reflected in not only the types of techniques I teach my players but also in terms of the way we conduct our training.

I also view judo as a sport, not a martial art. I recognize that it has some martial arts influences but a lot of people forget (or don't know) that the founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, was not some martial arts mystic but an educator who spoke excellent English and worked for Japan's Ministry of Education. He was also the first Asian to become a member of the International Olympic Committee (which he served from 1909 until 1938).

Although part of my responsibilities is to teach people judo techniques, my main role is that of a coach, which means it's my job to teach my players how to win a contest. It's not enough that they know how to properly demonstrate techniques on a cooperative partner. They must be able to execute techniques against a fully-resisting partner.

I make a point to familiarize my players with the latest IJF rules. I teach them contest strategies that take into account those rules. I also teach them gripping techniques and strategies based on what's allowed and not allowed in competition. I prepare them mentally to overcome their fears so they can fight their opponents well. That's what a coach does.

Those who have experienced my sessions know me to be not very traditional. We do bow at the start and end of each session and of course we use Japanese terminology. But other than that, our sessions are like that of a sports club not a martial arts club.

People are encouraged to take regular water breaks and properly hydrate themselves (none of this "no-drinking until the training is over" crap). We use crash pads during nagekomi (none of this "real judokas don't use crash pads" horse manure). We play music during drills and randori (I know, heresy, right?).

I'm also pretty strict when it comes to randori. Unless a player is injured or ill, they don't have the option to not do randori. I also don't like it when players avoid doing proper randori. That can manifest itself in many ways. We all know of big-sized players who like to randori with small players only. Or black belts who like to spar with colored belts only. Or strong guys who like to spar with smaller-sized girls only. If I see this happening, I put a stop to it immediately.

Is there any point in a 100kg black belt guy sparring with a 48kg white belt girl? Is there any benefit to him beyond boosting his ego that he can throw her around like a rag doll? Is there any benefit to her not being able to even come to grips with this guy, let alone move him, let alone throw him? We don't allow any of this nonsense at KL Judo. In fact, I make a point to pair-up the right sparring partners so that everyone gets the most out of our randori sessions.

Is this the kind of club for everyone? Of course not. For those who prefer to spend their time doing endless uchikomis instead of situational drills, sorry KL Judo is not the right club for them. For those who like to be able to choose easy targets for randori, KL Judo is also not the right club. And for those who like to be able to say "no" to randori itself, KL Judo is most definitely not the right club.

The good news for judo players who don't fancy our approach is that there are other clubs which might cater to their needs. I know of a few clubs where randori is practically non-existent or is limited to 15 or 20 minutes. I also know of one club where players can -- and regularly do -- say no to randori and are allowed to relax and sit out the sparring session. I know of many clubs that spend a huge portion of their sessions doing uchikomis.There are players who prefer such approaches and fortunately for them, there are clubs like that for them in the Klang Valley.

In my years as a judoka, I've trained at many clubs where I loved the atmosphere, the culture and the training systems there. I've also been to a few where the culture and their whole approach to judo were at odds with what I understood judo to be about.

I told myself back then that if I were to ever run a judo club of my own, I would put into practice all the things I liked about the good clubs I've trained at. So, I make no apologies for being passionate about the sport of judo and wanting my players to achieve their full potential as judokas.

Perhaps because of this KL Judo will never become a huge club with many members, but that's okay. As I told one of my players during a discussion about recruitment, I always prefer quality over quantity. There's a certain type of player I want for our club -- and I'm not even talking about physical prowess or attributes. I'm talking about attitude.

I'd rather take on a player who is not very athletic but has the right mindset for learning and training than a naturally-talented player who acts like a diva and believes they can do whatever they like during training. I want players who look forward to training, not those who look for excuses to skip it.

As a private club we have to make money to keep the club running. So we do need to have a certain critical mass of members. But as long as we are able to cover expenses I prefer to train a small bunch of dedicated players who believe in my program than to sell out and try to be all things to all people just to have bigger membership. That would totally ruin judo for me.