It was almost exactly three years ago that we embarked on a journey to build a different kind of judo club in Malaysia. We made some mistakes along the way and we've learned a lot of things during that time too.
One thing we're convinced about is that you've got to have the courage of your convictions and stick to what you believe is the right approach. At KL Judo, our core has always been -- and will always be -- competition judo. That doesn't mean all our players are aiming to win the National Championship. What it does mean is that our members train like competitors, even those who don't intend to compete anytime soon. We believe this is the best way to learn real, practical judo.
Along the way, we've had inquiries about all kinds of judo classes. Some asked about children's classes; some about women's only classes; and quite a few asked about judo to complement other martial arts (BJJ, MMA, Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai etc). We even had an inquiry about judo for older folks!
In the past, we had to say no to these niche classes because we wanted to focus on the competition class. Now that we have relocated to a new place, where we have more slots available for additional classes, we might just launch some of these classes. It helps that the Muayfit management is 100% behind the idea of expanding the range of judo classes that we offer and will be helping us to market these ideas.
We have many ambitious plans now that we have a bigger dojo and a collaborator that believes in our vision. We hope to organize a judo competition later in the year. This is something that, in the past, we could only dream about. Now, it may come true as our collaborative partner really wants to do this and will help with the different aspects of organizing a competition.
When you change your club's location to a different part of town, you're bound to lose a few members but we are very happy to note that we have managed to retain most of our members. These are the really keen ones, the ones who believe in our approach to judo and who like our training system.
Over the past three years, we've had members come and go. What we've learned is that while quantity is important, quality is even more so. Having the right club culture will ensure the survival and success of a club. The coach may set the broad direction and ethos for the club but it's the members who make up the culture of the club. We are delighted to say that our current team is absolutely awesome. No coach could ask for a better bunch of guys and gals to train.
The past three years was Phase 1 of our journey, which was the start-up stage. Phase 2, which we've just entered, is the growing phase. There's no way of knowing the future but we believe, with a lot of confidence, that the next three years is going to be a very exciting time for our club and our players.
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