Thrown into actionWeb Posted: 07/30/2007 06:07 PM CDT
Annie GetsingerExpress-News Staff Writer
It might seem odd to see parents watching their children attack each other, encouraging the youngsters to grab, trip and throw their opponents and cheering when one emerges victorious.
But when the National Judo Junior Olympics tournament comes to town, that's the norm.
But when the National Judo Junior Olympics tournament comes to town, that's the norm.
With nearly 600 competitors, the event, held July 21-22 at Freeman Coliseum, was buzzing with energy. It was sponsored by USA Judo, Texas Judo Inc. and the San Antonio Sports Foundation.
The two San Antonio judo clubs not on military bases, Alamo Judo and Universal Judo, sent their athletes to compete against others ages 6-19. Overall, the athletes from Texas managed to garner the most points and ranked as the top state in the national competition.
Universal Judo was founded by USA Judo's Junior Development Chairman Jim Hrbek. A native of upstate New York, Hrbek settled in the San Antonio area and built up his club. People showed up right away to train with the veteran coach.
Rhonda and Tim Green brought their sons Mason, 8, and Logan, 10, from Albany, N.Y., to South Texas to continue study under the seventh-degree black belt and former Olympic coach. The two brothers have a combined six years of training experience. They and the other boys at the club enjoy seeing who can do the most push-ups in their conditioning.
"Jim has a gift for coaching," Rhonda Green said. "He's good at getting kids not only excited about judo but technically precise about the judo they do."
Hrbek's club is small, with about 25 members, and he says that is important for proper training.
Among the members is Brittni Bradford, who is ranked first nationally in the over-172-pound junior and senior divisions. Bradford came to Texas from Florida to train with Hrbek. The 18-year-old has been doing judo for nearly 11 years. She picked up the sport after her dad, who learned hand-to-hand combat in the military, suggested it as an activity to teach self-defense and discipline.
"He's awesome," Bradford said of Hrbek. "His reputation precedes him."
In judo, a competitor wins a match by ippon — throwing an opponent to the mat flat on his or her back, pinning him or her to the mat for 25 seconds or inducing submission through a choke hold or arm bar — the latter of which can be done at ages 13 and 17, respectively.
All of those moves are worth one point. But a win also can come from a combination of half-point scores called waza-ari. Other techniques in the sport carry lesser point values but are not cumulative toward a match win.
Bradford took home gold in her division at the National Judo Junior Olympics after winning her final match by using an arm bar to force her opponent into submission.
"Doing those throws from one to the next to the next is resourceful and pragmatic," Hrbek said. "You go to the next thing that works."
He praised Bradford's technique and understanding of the sport's strategies.
"It's all in a day's work, especially for juniors," said Bradford, who began fighting for her senior division at age 14. She said she was planning to step up her competition the next weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to qualify for the Junior World competition — especially because the Chinese Taipei Judo Association was sending a team she expected to be really competitive.
Hrbek often refers to judo as "chess with bruises." He got into the sport in the 1970s when he couldn't find a place to wrestle. He hadn't intended to make judo his life's work, but his passion for the sport is infectious, even to a novice judoka.
He met his wife, Barbara, on a plane 18 years ago.
"He was going to a judo competition," she said. "I didn't know what judo was."
Now she coaches along with him at the club and said she appreciates the emotional and mental aspects of the sport. Her husband agreed, saying success in judo is about more than just physical strength.
"To make it to the top, you have to have a healthy body, a certain level of educability, your own dedication, a small group of training partners and the support of your family," he explained. "It's like the perfect storm of positive elements in sport."
Jonathon Stafford, 9, exemplifies those elements. He trains at Alamo Judo under Rene Zeelenberg and has been involved in the sport for two and a half years. Stafford started wrestling at age 5, and his dad convinced him to try judo. The smiling boy with the blond crew cut is easygoing off the mat, but after he bows to his opponent at the beginning of a match, he embodies intensity. The boy attacks with speed and wriggles out of his opponent's grasp to achieve a pin.
"It's stressful," said Jonathon's mom, Cindy Stafford, of watching him compete. "You want them to do good, and you don't want them to get hurt. But you want them to learn something in the same aspect."
Before one of his final matches, Jonathon jumped up and down in his thick white uniform and smacked himself lightly in the face with his hands to keep alert. Stafford watched her son with a furrowed brow as he grappled on the mat with another youngster. She said Jonathon's mat work is his strongest skill, perhaps because of his younger years spent wrestling. Training and quick reflexes paid off, and Jonathon came in second overall in his division.
Dave McComas, another judo parent, watched his son Orion, 14, during a match in the 132-pound division.
"It's awesome," he said. "It's great. He goes 100 percent for it."
McComas said he began to dabble in martial arts 18 years ago when he was looking for a physical activity he could take up for life. He encouraged his sons to get involved.
Orion, who just finished eighth grade at Stinson Middle School, was one of the top defensive players on Stinson's football team and sought to take on a more individual challenge. He has been studying at Alamo Judo for only about a year but was able to compete at the national level, placing fifth in his division.
"Judo is the most honest sport there is," Hrbek said. "You can push yourself to new levels of achievement, and there's all sorts of doors that you can open for yourself."
The two San Antonio judo clubs not on military bases, Alamo Judo and Universal Judo, sent their athletes to compete against others ages 6-19. Overall, the athletes from Texas managed to garner the most points and ranked as the top state in the national competition.
Universal Judo was founded by USA Judo's Junior Development Chairman Jim Hrbek. A native of upstate New York, Hrbek settled in the San Antonio area and built up his club. People showed up right away to train with the veteran coach.
Rhonda and Tim Green brought their sons Mason, 8, and Logan, 10, from Albany, N.Y., to South Texas to continue study under the seventh-degree black belt and former Olympic coach. The two brothers have a combined six years of training experience. They and the other boys at the club enjoy seeing who can do the most push-ups in their conditioning.
"Jim has a gift for coaching," Rhonda Green said. "He's good at getting kids not only excited about judo but technically precise about the judo they do."
Hrbek's club is small, with about 25 members, and he says that is important for proper training.
Among the members is Brittni Bradford, who is ranked first nationally in the over-172-pound junior and senior divisions. Bradford came to Texas from Florida to train with Hrbek. The 18-year-old has been doing judo for nearly 11 years. She picked up the sport after her dad, who learned hand-to-hand combat in the military, suggested it as an activity to teach self-defense and discipline.
"He's awesome," Bradford said of Hrbek. "His reputation precedes him."
In judo, a competitor wins a match by ippon — throwing an opponent to the mat flat on his or her back, pinning him or her to the mat for 25 seconds or inducing submission through a choke hold or arm bar — the latter of which can be done at ages 13 and 17, respectively.
All of those moves are worth one point. But a win also can come from a combination of half-point scores called waza-ari. Other techniques in the sport carry lesser point values but are not cumulative toward a match win.
Bradford took home gold in her division at the National Judo Junior Olympics after winning her final match by using an arm bar to force her opponent into submission.
"Doing those throws from one to the next to the next is resourceful and pragmatic," Hrbek said. "You go to the next thing that works."
He praised Bradford's technique and understanding of the sport's strategies.
"It's all in a day's work, especially for juniors," said Bradford, who began fighting for her senior division at age 14. She said she was planning to step up her competition the next weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to qualify for the Junior World competition — especially because the Chinese Taipei Judo Association was sending a team she expected to be really competitive.
Hrbek often refers to judo as "chess with bruises." He got into the sport in the 1970s when he couldn't find a place to wrestle. He hadn't intended to make judo his life's work, but his passion for the sport is infectious, even to a novice judoka.
He met his wife, Barbara, on a plane 18 years ago.
"He was going to a judo competition," she said. "I didn't know what judo was."
Now she coaches along with him at the club and said she appreciates the emotional and mental aspects of the sport. Her husband agreed, saying success in judo is about more than just physical strength.
"To make it to the top, you have to have a healthy body, a certain level of educability, your own dedication, a small group of training partners and the support of your family," he explained. "It's like the perfect storm of positive elements in sport."
Jonathon Stafford, 9, exemplifies those elements. He trains at Alamo Judo under Rene Zeelenberg and has been involved in the sport for two and a half years. Stafford started wrestling at age 5, and his dad convinced him to try judo. The smiling boy with the blond crew cut is easygoing off the mat, but after he bows to his opponent at the beginning of a match, he embodies intensity. The boy attacks with speed and wriggles out of his opponent's grasp to achieve a pin.
"It's stressful," said Jonathon's mom, Cindy Stafford, of watching him compete. "You want them to do good, and you don't want them to get hurt. But you want them to learn something in the same aspect."
Before one of his final matches, Jonathon jumped up and down in his thick white uniform and smacked himself lightly in the face with his hands to keep alert. Stafford watched her son with a furrowed brow as he grappled on the mat with another youngster. She said Jonathon's mat work is his strongest skill, perhaps because of his younger years spent wrestling. Training and quick reflexes paid off, and Jonathon came in second overall in his division.
Dave McComas, another judo parent, watched his son Orion, 14, during a match in the 132-pound division.
"It's awesome," he said. "It's great. He goes 100 percent for it."
McComas said he began to dabble in martial arts 18 years ago when he was looking for a physical activity he could take up for life. He encouraged his sons to get involved.
Orion, who just finished eighth grade at Stinson Middle School, was one of the top defensive players on Stinson's football team and sought to take on a more individual challenge. He has been studying at Alamo Judo for only about a year but was able to compete at the national level, placing fifth in his division.
"Judo is the most honest sport there is," Hrbek said. "You can push yourself to new levels of achievement, and there's all sorts of doors that you can open for yourself."
FONTE: San Antonio Express - San Antonio, TX, USA
This info is priceless. How can I find out more?
ResponderExcluirMy blog post :: laser cellulite treatment