Q: Can you tell us a bit about your judo journey?
A: I started judo as a child and loved it from day one. Being able to throw people around a room and not get in trouble for it was a huge draw for me! I was fortunate enough to compete at events such as the European Youth Olympics Festival and Cadet European Championships but never managed to achieve the same heights at senior level. This was due to a combination of injuries and possibly just not being quite good enough. I retired from competitive judo at the age of 24 and went straight into coaching. I loved judo and wanted to be a positive part of the sport.
Q: Do you have your own club?
A: My wife, Samantha, and I run Fighting Fitness Judo, which is our judo club and business which we set up in 2015. There are two elements to our business. The first is a judo club that runs evening and weekend classes as well as training camps. We also bring our players to competitions. The second is a school program where we go to different schools to run judo classes there.
Q: Do you still do some randori?
A: Unfortunately, no. I love randori but my body does not! Also, I teach anywhere from 20 to 30 classes a week so I cannot risk injuring myself.
Q: How are you coping with the lock-down which obviously affects your business?
A: We believe in this difficult time our members need routine, structure, a friendly face and a welcomed distraction. Since we cannot run judo classes for the time being, we’ve moved it all online. We send our members lessons, tasks, challenges and so on.
Q: Why not just take a break during this down time?
A: It’s important to remember the power and the need for judo. Judo is more than a sport, more than just a game you play. Judo is about community, togetherness, resilience, hard work, overcoming difficulties. If we stop providing these lessons to our members where else are they going to get them from, especially during these difficult times? More importantly, if we stop now, how are your players going to take you seriously when you talk about all those good judo values like hard work, resilience and so on? We have to lead by example.
Q: Judo online is something alien to many judo coaches. What advice can you offer them?
A: Most of your members turn up to judo class to see their coach, to see each other, and to learn the values and skills provided by judo. This does not have to stop just because we are now unable to hold judo classes like we normally do. Be creative, think outside-the-box, and make full use of the tools available on the Internet. If you’re going to ask your members to continue paying fees, don’t ask them to do so out of charity. Give them value so that what they are paying for is a quality judo experience delivered online during this time of lock-down.
Q: You’re planning to launch a blog. Why a blog?
A: I've been posting videos online for a while now through Facebook, Instagram and YouTube but I feel I can convey even more judo knowledge through a blog. There will be a lot written by me about judo, training and competition analysis but there will also be guest contributors including IJF referees, athletes and others. It’s not live yet but it will be launched soon. (www.vinceskillcorn.co.uk).
Q: Your YouTube channel was mentioned by the IJF recently as one of the video channels to watch. How did that make you feel?
A: Yes, I was really pleased with that. There’s not much production value that goes into making those videos but I do believe there’s some great content there – but I would say that, wouldn’t I? Some of the others recommended by the IJF have bigger budgets and bigger names attached to them or have been online for a much longer time. So, to be mentioned alongside them is great.
Q: You’re working on developing an online video course. How will it be different from your YouTube channel and will it be a paid service?
A: I use my YouTube channel for two things. First, it acts as a kind of video notebook. When I'm teaching a class I sometimes film what I’m doing so that it gets recorded down and I won’t forget about it. I also use my YouTube channel to do competition analysis. This aspect of it is very active right now as I am doing free competition analysis during this lock-down period. This will help people understand the structure of competitions and how competition techniques are done. My online paid courses will be much more in-depth and structured. It will allow you to go on a journey of learning compared to if you were to just drop in on a class and don’t know what’s been taught before, etc.
Q: Any words to Malaysian judokas who are stuck in a lock-down like you?
A: Hello, I guess... stay safe and remember judo is more than turning up to your dojo two or three times a week. It's a way of life. So live it in your daily life, and we will get through this before you know it.
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