KL 1.0 in Cheras. We've come a long way since then.
If all goes well, our first session at our new location in Activ Studio (Bangsar) will be on Dec 9. All of this depends on whether our mats arrive on time. We had ordered some roll-out mats from China which are on their way to Port Klang at the time of writing. They should arrive early this week. But then there's the paperwork and customs clearance, which may take some time. Hopefully, we will get them delivered to Activ Studio in time for Dec 9.
If not, Dec 9, then it would be Dec 11 that will be our first day. But of course Dec 9 is better because it's a Sunday and more people are able to attend on a weekend. So, fingers crossed. Let's hope the mats get here on time. For our grand re-opening, it would be nice to get as many of our members together as possible.
The first iteration of KL Judo, based in Cheras, came about more than three years ago. We started really small and at one point, our membership consisted of three or four students only. The fact that we focused on training working adults made it pretty hard to grow the club. No other judo club in Malaysia has managed to build their membership based on that demographic. All the other clubs are aimed at juniors, not seniors.
But just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Sometimes, you do it because it is hard. So, we stuck to our guns and pursued our vision of building a judo club where adults could come together and enjoy training judo with each other.
Over time, through hard work, perseverance and a bit of luck, we did manage to build up a critical mass of players, mainly working adults but also a few teens who are happy to train with grown-ups. In order to take KL Judo to the next level, we felt we need to collaborate with a partner that could offer us more value and who supported our vision for the club.
KL 2.0 was when we moved into Muayfit in Damansara Perdana. The cost was higher but the benefits were good. Below the dojo was a gym with exercise equipment that our players could use (the fees included use of the gym equipment). The mat area was big and they had nice roll-out mats that provided good cushioning. They were very flexible and accommodating when it came to scheduling and use of the mats. They also expressed a lot of interesting in helping us grow the judo club. Although they didn't end up promoting judo all that much, we were generally happy with the location and facilities. Our membership grew, a bunch of our beginners got their belt promotions and training was good.
We thought we'd be there for a long time. Then, out of the blue, the gym closed down and relocated to another place where the facilities were just not suitable for judo. With a higher rent and unsuitable facilities, we really had no choice but to move yet again.
I'm not one who believes in fate. I don't believe in the notion that "things happen for a reason". But I do believe in the notion that sometimes, not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck. Being forced to look for another venue led to our partnership with Activ Studio, which will be KL Judo 3.0.
How will it be different? Our core mission of building up a judo club for grown-ups is still the same. Our values and club culture will of course still be the same. The training program will also be pretty much the same, although training methods are always a work in progress. I am constantly fine-tuning the training modules so our members can learn effectively and have fun in the process. What will be different is that we will have a Judo Fitness program that will run in parallel with the regular KL Judo Centre's competitive judo training. In a nutshell, it is an exercise program based on judo movements and techniques but is not judo training per se. The objective is fitness not fighting.
The thinking is that this approach will make judo more accessible to the general public. Of course we do hope that those who try this will become intrigued with judo and will over time, decide to try out judo proper. This is something completely new and we don't know if it'll work but our partner in this effort, Activ Studio is keen to give it a try. And so are we.
If all goes well, our first session at our new location in Activ Studio (Bangsar) will be on Dec 9. All of this depends on whether our mats arrive on time. We had ordered some roll-out mats from China which are on their way to Port Klang at the time of writing. They should arrive early this week. But then there's the paperwork and customs clearance, which may take some time. Hopefully, we will get them delivered to Activ Studio in time for Dec 9.
If not, Dec 9, then it would be Dec 11 that will be our first day. But of course Dec 9 is better because it's a Sunday and more people are able to attend on a weekend. So, fingers crossed. Let's hope the mats get here on time. For our grand re-opening, it would be nice to get as many of our members together as possible.
The first iteration of KL Judo, based in Cheras, came about more than three years ago. We started really small and at one point, our membership consisted of three or four students only. The fact that we focused on training working adults made it pretty hard to grow the club. No other judo club in Malaysia has managed to build their membership based on that demographic. All the other clubs are aimed at juniors, not seniors.
But just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Sometimes, you do it because it is hard. So, we stuck to our guns and pursued our vision of building a judo club where adults could come together and enjoy training judo with each other.
Over time, through hard work, perseverance and a bit of luck, we did manage to build up a critical mass of players, mainly working adults but also a few teens who are happy to train with grown-ups. In order to take KL Judo to the next level, we felt we need to collaborate with a partner that could offer us more value and who supported our vision for the club.
KL 2.0 was when we moved into Muayfit in Damansara Perdana. The cost was higher but the benefits were good. Below the dojo was a gym with exercise equipment that our players could use (the fees included use of the gym equipment). The mat area was big and they had nice roll-out mats that provided good cushioning. They were very flexible and accommodating when it came to scheduling and use of the mats. They also expressed a lot of interesting in helping us grow the judo club. Although they didn't end up promoting judo all that much, we were generally happy with the location and facilities. Our membership grew, a bunch of our beginners got their belt promotions and training was good.
We thought we'd be there for a long time. Then, out of the blue, the gym closed down and relocated to another place where the facilities were just not suitable for judo. With a higher rent and unsuitable facilities, we really had no choice but to move yet again.
I'm not one who believes in fate. I don't believe in the notion that "things happen for a reason". But I do believe in the notion that sometimes, not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck. Being forced to look for another venue led to our partnership with Activ Studio, which will be KL Judo 3.0.
How will it be different? Our core mission of building up a judo club for grown-ups is still the same. Our values and club culture will of course still be the same. The training program will also be pretty much the same, although training methods are always a work in progress. I am constantly fine-tuning the training modules so our members can learn effectively and have fun in the process. What will be different is that we will have a Judo Fitness program that will run in parallel with the regular KL Judo Centre's competitive judo training. In a nutshell, it is an exercise program based on judo movements and techniques but is not judo training per se. The objective is fitness not fighting.
The thinking is that this approach will make judo more accessible to the general public. Of course we do hope that those who try this will become intrigued with judo and will over time, decide to try out judo proper. This is something completely new and we don't know if it'll work but our partner in this effort, Activ Studio is keen to give it a try. And so are we.
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