The fight ended after only 1:20 of the first round with his opponents corner throwing in the towel.  J.P.’s leg striking was so powerful that the opponents legs buckled every time he kicked him.  His hands were moving fast and landing almost everyone of them to the body and head.

The opponent knew that he would never make it out of the first round and after J.P. chased him around the cage the towel was thrown in ending the fight and giving J.P. his first MMA victory.

J.P. trains his Judo with Chuck Wall 3rd Degree Black Belt, his BJJ under Steve Matias, and his striking under Troy Whitman and Dean Lavin, all at Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts.  J.P. has yet to lose a single fight or match in Judo, Kickboxing and now MMA.  Keep an eye on this young fighter because he is going to be a super star!

If want to learn to fight like J.P. stop in and start your training tomorrow it’s as easy as that!

Gallup’s Top 10 U.S. Wellbeing Discoveries in 2011

Highlights from the top 10 wellbeing findings Gallup.com published in 2011

Today, teens are exposed to many powerful things. Negative messages from the media and the Internet show teens the attractive party life of people who do whatever they want, when they want, without any major consequences.  Also, teens can easily obtain harmful substances such as drugs, alcohol or tobacco from almost anyone. Many teens look at these things and think that they are “cool” or “exciting” and want to try them; but if they are busy with something else, such as sports, they will not be able to be so easily influenced. Participation in an active sport takes up a lot of time, which means less time to get into trouble.  Every minute that a teen is playing a sport is a minute they could be doing something less productive or possibly even dangerous (Eshoff).

Two sports that are good at keeping kids busy are gymnastics and swimming.  Both of these sports require a lot of time and effort to perfect; teens will be too heavily involved to cause trouble.

As teens learn to perform better in their perspective sport or activity, the success and feeling of accomplishment leads to more activity and a desire to continue practicing.  As they excel teens have a tendency to stay out of trouble.  This can lead them to make a larger effort toward beating the competition (Wright).   Showing talent or interest in a sport will also assist to motivate them to practice more and become better.  Baseball teams from inner city schools gave teens something to do and reduced the crime rate dramatically (Wright). In Alexandria, Virginia, there was a reduction in crime among young women who participated a running program.  Many crimes or illegal acts especially among teens are usually committed because of boredom or teenage curiosity, however being involved in a sport has been shown to help keep teens active and out trouble.

Many teens are tempted to participate in risky behavior because of poor self-esteem but why is their self-esteem low?  Negative images by the media with beautiful skinny people having what looks like as fun can be very depressing to a teen going through hormonal changes.  Participation in sports can counter these negative feelings.  Research published from the archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine showed that teens involved in a sport have higher self-esteem and are more likely to stand up to peer pressure (Logan).  Many youth offenders that get involved in sports have shown significant increases in ratings of increased self-esteem.  Displaying talent in a sport raises confidence and gives youth a purpose or reason to improve their life.

Physical activity seems to increase the chances of a better life through academic and intellectual benefits (Travis).  To participate in school sports students must have a certain GPA, not fail any classes and be a good student citizen in their school and community.  According to the Caroline High School Student Handbook the requirements needed to tryout and stay on a sports team are, “earned five credits with a passing grade for the previous school year, currently taking three credits, a GPA of 2.0.  Although this doesn’t seem like a lot, if a teen starts getting into trouble it is very easy to fall behind and miss those requirements.  That is why playing sports is a good way to keep up grades as well.  Sports use up time so students have to study in order to stay eligible to participate.  Playing sports is a key factor of whether a teen goes to college and may encourage them to get out of small towns or poor neighborhoods to see the world.  Doing well in school and successful in sports are both significant ways to help raise the self-esteem of a teenager.

Participation in organized sports provides multiple benefits that will contribute to a team’s life.  Socially, teens are held to a higher standard when on a sports team.  No one wants to be remembered as the juvenile delinquent or drug addict on the football team.  Some sports that help build social self-esteem are hockey and even horseback riding.  Although hockey involves fighting the aggression is controlled and stays in the hockey rink, players tend to be very humble.  With horseback riding the commitment or caring, training, and practicing with a horse will build a lifelong friendship that will be extremely valuable.  Physically, team athletes pay more attention to nutrition than kids who do not partake in sports.  Who does not feel good when they are in fantastic shape?  Swimming is a great sport that helps take good care of their bodies.  Combat sports such as judo or kickboxing provide aggressive youths an outlet for their emotions and can leave teens with a better understanding of their body and aggression.

More than anyone else, females benefit from sports; participating in sports give teen girls higher self-esteem and helps them deemphasize beauty and to just be themselves (Logan). Young women report that playing sports help them expand their view on their future by breaking female stereotypes (Travis). Sports also give girls a wider range of role models, instead of movie stars and singers.  Through the sport and martial art known as Judo, I have been fortunate to meet several famous and world-class Judo players and Mixed Martial Arts athletes. These Judo players have been World Champions and even Olympic Gold Medalists.  One such person is Ronda Rousey; Olympic Bronze Medalist and current MMA superstar.  Ronda visited my father’s judo school where she conducted a judo clinic after which she met privately with me and some of the other girls in attendance.  She discussed with us the importance of being yourself, she told us her life story and how she had struggled with things like bulimia.  She talked about dealing with problems at home, being a teenager and how judo had saved her.  She encouraged us to always love who you are and never let anyone put you down.  Since that day I have never felt prouder than when I am doing judo or any other sport.  Personally, I can say that I never felt better about myself than when I am playing sports.

As most people know, supportive adults are important to the success of all teens, especially young athletes.  At risk youth often lack a positive role model, but sports can help proved one usually in the form of a coach or teammate.  Being in sports, it is easy to find additional positive models for teens to turn to and try to be like.  Research indicates that teens benefit from the stability of a trustworthy coach, constant supportive teammates and focusing on something outside of themselves (Logan).  Through judo, I have met many positive people who have influenced my life, from famous Olympians such as Ronda Rousey and Kosei Inoue (Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist and three time World Champion) to everyday people like Steve Matias, a father, firefighter and good friend to me.  There have been many others at our dojo that have also been close and positive influences to me.  I would never try to get into any kind of trouble because I know there would be consequences and I would not want to disappoint any of these people or my family.

Teens have friends and those friends have a large influence on what other teens say, do and how they act.  Unfortunately, sometimes this influence turns into peer-pressure, but sports can help prevent that. Involvement in sports introduces teens to a new group of peers with at least on common interest. This new group of friends may have a positive influence on the teen.  Team sports can help teens have healthy relations with their family and friends in a positive way by having fun and exercising instead of doing something dangerous or illegal.  Hockey is a great activity that can provide teamwork more than most sports.  Players have to work together in order to navigate the defenses of the other team and shoot the puck passed the goalie to score.  For girls it is very important to have that sense of friendship with other girls on their team.

Parents and coaches are large benefactors of keeping a teens life on the right track. It is important for a parent to be a part of a teen athlete’s life. Going to games and encouraging them to do well is a positive way for parents to be supportive and involved.  Even if a teen is not on a specific team, parents playing sport with their children is a good way to encourage physical activity and good behavior.  Martial Arts like Judo a perfect example of this scenario, Martial Arts are usually not age specific so parents and children can actually practice together at the same time.  Additionally, having an adult outside the of the family who is dedicated to helping a teen improve their life can reduce a youth’s chances of getting into trouble (Travis).  Having a good relationship with a coach is very beneficial to the improvement of a teen’s skill and life.  Many swimmers have a personal coach who is concerned with their athlete’s health.

In conclusion, organized sports help to keep teens out of trouble by occupying time that would otherwise be used to cause trouble, give teen’s higher self-esteem, and provide them with the opportunity to meet new people with a positive influence.  Sports also help teens to learn lifelong skills such as leadership and personal discipline.  Staying on the path of sports or other physical activities is a positive roadmap for teens to be on.  Sports help teens to feel empowered and create opportunities that they may not get in other activities (Carmichael).  Youth sports is one of the most dynamic mechanisms in society for transforming bad situations into good ones because sports engage youth of all ages, gender and social classes (Carmichael).  Organized sports programs provide an antidote for antisocial behavior and open teens up to a new point of view on people.  Finally, teens should be interested in the sport they enjoy participating in and try to always have fun.

Works Cited

Bass, Janece. “Does Participation in Sports Keep Teens out of Trouble?” modernmom.com. 4 January. 2011. 30 November. 2011 <www.modernmom.com>.

Carmichael, David. “Youth Sport vs Youth Crime.” fairplayforchildren.org. 2008. 30 November. 2011 <www.fairplayforchildren.org>.

Eshoff, Ryan . “Sports that keep kids out Trouble.” livestrong.com. 29 March. 2011. 01 December. 2011 <www.livestrong.com>.

Logan, Catalina. “Do Sports Keep Teens out Trouble?” livestrong.com. 14 June.  2011. 30 November. 2011 <www.livestrong.com>.

Travis, Eryn. “What are the benefits of organized sports for toubled youth?” ehow.com. 30 November. 2011 <www.ehow.com>.

Wright, Jacob. “Keeping Youth out of Trouble.” enzinarticles.com. 12 September. 2009. 30 November. 2011 <www.ezinarticles.com>.

JP is currently undefeated in Judo and Kickboxing, his last fight was last Saturday night.  While preparing for the fight he was dropping weight to fight at 185 and days before the fight his opponent dropped out.  The promoters offered another opponent at a heavier weight and JP stepped up even though his new opponent was easily head and shoulders taller and at 20 pounds heavier.

Fight time came fast, he was the second fight on the card, he stepped into the cage with opponent and spent the next three rounds exchanging punches and kicks.  Even with a taller and heavier opponent JP continued to push in close and land strike after strike, his blows were starting to take a heavy toll on his opponent and when the bell rang at the end of the third round there was no doubt in my mind that JP had won the fight.  A few minutes later the referee was raising JP’s hand in a unanimous decision.

JP is a Green Belt in Judo and was recently promoted to his Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitusu. He trains at Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts on Team Striking Unrivaled with Dean Lavin.  Stop in on any night and you will most likely find JP on the mat training hard.  It’s going to be exciting to see just how far JP can go in martial arts and in life.

With the leadership of our BJJ Instructor Steve Matias and the help of YJJ Black Belts Joe Cunningham, Mike Crawford and Klint Radwani our program will continue to grow and strengthen. From our club J.P. Saint Louis and James Huber were promoted to Blue Belt and I would like to personally thank them for their hard work and dedication.  It will be interesting to see who will be the group of people to be promoted in another six months!

This free download contains several good pictures and descriptions on how to get a proper grip for throws like Tai Otoshi (Body Drop).  Once you have a dominating grip Adam’s discusses breaking of balance, the foundation of Judo that we call Kuzushi.  “When done correctly, a judo throw should feel effortless because the other man’s balance has already been broken.  Although judo throws are usually executed while you’re on the move, you can practice kuzushi with a static partner. In this case, the clearest evidence of effective kuzushi comes when you succeed in pulling your partner onto his tiptoes if you’re going to throw him forward or pushing him onto his heels if you’re throwing him backward. You need to pull or push with your whole body to develop good kuzushi, but the arms play a subtle and important role in transmitting your force to him.”

While this is short guide, only 4 pages, it still provides some valuable information for someone that is just starting out or is interested in learning without having to purchase a book.  The advice is solid and easy to easy how it worked for him and helped him to become the champion he is.  The last paragraph is perhaps one of the most important statements about Judo training.

When you’re learning to throw—whether it’s to compete injudo or to augment your stand-up skills—there’s no substitutefor practice. Practice ad infinitum, ad nauseam. Practice until yourarms grow exhausted and your heart is pounding, then practicesome more because the key ingredient to all throws is beinginstinctive, seeing an opportunity and seizing it. When the mo-ment comes, you need to know you can trust your technique.”

Here’s a link to the article if you would like to download it, or you can go to BlackBelt.com where you will find this and other free guides. http://www.blackbeltmag.com/free-guides/

As coincidence would have it Neil Adams has recently completed a new book called Judo Evolution, A Guide to rule changes and innovations.  The book is currently available at Fighting Films website, I have not seen on local bookshelves as of yet.  The follow editorial gives you some more insight to the content.  For people that miss performing throws like Kata Garuma because of recent rule changes, this book will become a MUST HAVE.

“Unlike most martial arts, judo happens to be an Olympic sport as well. It has been since the 1964 when the Games were held in Tokyo. It is because of the sporting nature of judo that it has grown and evolved so much over the years. Rules have been adjusted and refined since the very beginning but the biggest and most dramatic changes happened in 2010 when the International Judo Federation introduced new rules that banned direct attacks on the legs. It would have been straight forward had it been a complete leg grab ban but exceptions were made that allowed leg grabs under certain conditions. This has led to much confusion over what is and isn’t legal.

This book clears the air on what is clearly banned and what is still allowed. Another important aspect of judo’s evolution is how the techniques have changed over the years. Modified versions of classical techniques have been employed by competitors from the very begining but in recent years, some truly remarkable variations have emerged to cope with the increasing competitive nature of the sport. And very occasionally, some completely new techniques have emerged as well. This book highlights the best of these

Ranting and Ravings of a Judo Instructor

This past Saturday my Judo club attended the Shufu open in College Park, Maryland.  It was a disappointing mess of a tournament.  I was embarrassed to bring parents from my club to this event.  Judo, in the US is on a downward spiral and tournaments like this are exacerbating this problem. The event was poorly attended and poorly produced.  Held in the normal location, a small recreation center that doesn’t even offer a respectable place for competitors to change into their uniforms, there is one men’s and women’s bathroom that everyone kids and adults have to use.  Kids throw their gi’s on the floor right where other people are going to bathroom.

When you walk into the competition area the first thing you notice is that it’s dark, the lights were turned off all day and the only light is coming from a dingy skylight leaving the mat area too dark for even the referees to properly see the action.  Around 4pm after kids’ competition was over some of the lights were finally turned on for the senior competition.

The real problem was the referees the tournament began with the referees essentially apologizing in advance to the kids, parents and coaches for the mistakes they were going make throughout the day.  Once the kids bowed in they were rounded up on mat and one of the referee’s told the crowd to keep in mind that referees are volunteers and mistakes happen. He asked that people not come down on them for those mistakes.  What a complete copout, what kind of message does that send to the people that are in attendance? Does apologizing in advance really make up for the gross incompetence of the errors made? Not in my book it doesn’t.  I watched countless errors and blatant bad calls made during the competition, scores being given to the other person, full points not being awarded and more.  This tells me that the one referee clinic that Shufu conducts each year is simply not enough.  It’s obvious that if these volunteers are going to continue refereeing that they need a lot more training and not at the expense of children trying to learn judo and enjoy their day.

The worse display of refereeing occurred when one of my young female students was thrown for Ippon with a clean but strong O’goshi (hip throw).  I could see immediately that my 10 year old student was hurt and laid there on her back crying and having difficulty breathing.  After 20 – 30 seconds there no one was attending to her, no medical staff and no referee.  Seeing that she was potentially injured I came onto the mat to attend to my student.  Still no medical personnel anywhere to be seen, although I heard people calling for someone no one came.  Instead two referees that weren’t even the referees on that mat thought it was much more important to push me off the mat.  The referee insisted that I leave the mat and forcibly tried pushing me off the mat because “that’s the rules”. By this time at least a full minute has passed and there is still not a medical person on the mat!  Thankfully this young girl is strong and brave and was finally able to get to feet and bow off the mat still crying and gasping for air.

After the kids were off the mat and the young girl was back with her parents I asked the referee that tried pushing me off the mat to step into the hallway and speak to me about this. In a direct way I informed him that if he ever put his hands on me again that would be a serious problem that included litgation.  The only response that he would continue to give was “that’s the rules”.  However, every tournament including this one has the ability to change the rules, as a matter of fact it states right on the tournament flyer that the tournament direct has modified some of the IJF rules already.  Doesn’t it make sense that this “rule” be modified for the safety of our kids? Since when are 10 years subject to International Olympic rules and what referee thinks that rules are more important than well being a young girl laying injured on the mat?

After reflecting on this event and speaking with numerous people about it, I know that I did the right thing and that I would do it again. There is nothing more important than the safety of our kids. Parents put their trust in me a teacher and coach; I have an obligation to protect their kids at all times, in the dojo and at competition. For someone to think that the IJF rules are more important that the safety of our kids is ignorant and ludicrous.

So it’s ok for the referees to make mistakes but it’s not ok for young judokas to make mistakes? These referees are holding our junior competitors to “International Judo” standards. I mean come on, these are not national champions, and they are not international Olympic competitors. These kids are still learning and developing.  How about we help the kids to understand, how about we give them a chance to make mistakes without being so quick to punish them? So we want hold the kids to the IJF standard but we don’t hold the referees to a standard? How fair is that and who does it really serve, the kids or the referees?

To make matters worse the medical person that was supposed to be there turned out to be an actual physician.  He too tried to explain the rules, my question to him was whether he felt the rules of this tournament were a higher priority than his Hippocratic oath.  Perhaps he didn’t understand my question, but his answer was YES the rules were more important the caring of a 1o year old girl that is lying on the middle of the mat.  My next question was where was he? Why wasn’t he running on to the mat? No answer of course.  Obviously the tournament coordinators did not plan the medical staff properly.

Perhaps it’s time for professional referees, why is Judo still relying on volunteers to referee our competitors? Why can’t we pay them? I would rather have a dozen paid qualified referees than have 30 unqualified volunteers.

While we are at how about we make the ratings of these referees public? Let’s see how these referees are being rated if they are being rated at all? Where is the jury system that is supposed to be the referee backup system? Most of them aren’t even paying attention at these small tournaments. Corner judges that just sit there and don’t perform one of the most important functions to call a throw in or out of bounds, so many times action would move out of bounds and corner judges would just sit there.  No signal or indication of whether the score should have counted or not, partial hand and arm signals that show uncertainty.

Other sports seem to be able to pay their referees, why can’t Judo? Why is Judo such a poor man’s sport? Instructors are demonized if they charge too much; commercial Judo clubs are called sellouts by other clubs.  It’s time for Judo to become more professional with its referees, coaches and instructors.  I’m not suggesting that I am perfect by any means, I know my weakness and faults, and I know where I have to improve.  I know there are some really good referees out there that try hard to do a good job. They have the best intentions and concerns of competitors.  Unfortunately, they seem to be the minority, there just aren’t enough of them.

I don’t teach Judo to win tournaments, I don’t force my students to compete and often I discourage some students from competing all together.  Too many Judo instructors teach kids “tournament Judo”, poor techniques and heavy emphasis on counter throws.  When I hear a coach telling a 7 year girl to perform and “ear-pinch” turnover I have to question the why this person is even allowed to coach.  For those of you that don’t know this turnover it involves digging one’s fingers into the soft area behind the opponents ear while grabbing the leg with the other hand and driving your head into the opponents side or ribs.  The pain causes the opponent to turn into towards you so you can pin them.  It’s a good turnover for older students that understand what they are doing and the pain that is being caused but is this really the type of turnover we should be teaching and encouraging a 7 year old to perform against another child?

As the kids competition came to an end I could see that this mess was going to continue. The space was so small that the medals had to be given out behind one of the score tables adding to the confusion.  Robbing the kids of their chance to properly celebrate, taking away the opportunity for many parents to get a decent picture of their child. The competitors received the same cheap medals that Shufu has been handing out at every tournament for the past 10 years.  The few trophies that were given out for outstanding player and team winners looked even cheaper and older.  I think I have the same trophies from my competition days in the 70’s and 80’s.

Other grappling tournaments are giving out everything from championship belts to great looking trophies and medals.  What motivation is there for kids to compete when they get bargain basement awards? Every parent pays good money to participate, because the turnout for these tournaments has been on the decline for several years parents are now registering their kids for multiple categories just so they can get more than two fights for the $40 they spend.  All this does is create an imbalance in the categories either by weight or age increasing the risk for injury.

It’s time to take back Judo! I’m ready to take the lead and work with other coaches and instructors, referees, competitors, students and even parents.  We are losing students all the time; there are plenty of other sports for kids to play. We need to do more to make it more enjoyable, help kids to develop and learn while competing, there has to be an incentive for the kids and the parents.

If you are interested in becoming a positive influence and want to help build Judo contact me. I want to be part of the process to make things bigger and better and I know there are others that feel the same way.  What some people do not fully understand is that we have to reach the hearts and minds of more than just the kids. We have to convince the parents that Judo is having a meaningful effect on their children. Attending a cheap event like this sends a bad message and it makes the rest of us look bad.

Chuck Wall
Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts
Wall.chuck@gmail.com