Wednesday 27 March 2019

Australia Update



Medalists at the Illawara Restricted Kyu Competition.  Noah did well,  Blue belt gets Gold, awesome. 

Restricted kyu competitions are a great idea.  We used too have them in New Zealand but can't remember one for a long-time. They are a great opportunity for people to gain competitive experience and feel the thrill of victory.  I notice that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions are organised by grade. 




Tuesday 26 March 2019

Big Judo Old Skool in Pukekohe



A nice photo of Tracey back on the mat after a maternity break. Tracey is another of our awesome female Judo instructors and tonight I was thinking about how nice and 'old skool' we are at Pukekohe.

Some readers will remember doing Judo in little clubs based in school halls, scout dens or church halls. Once upon a time there were lots of little clubs like that. Mats down dojos were rare so we all had to work together putting the mats down and lifting them up after training. It was hard and you had to be committed. 

In fact Nellie and I started at Mount Roskill Judo Club in 1982 before going to University and tonight I was feeling a little nostalgic.  

It was awesome to see senior people like Tracey, Todd and Geoff who like sharing their knowledge so much that they never moan or complain about putting out the mats.  Instead its all about teaching kids and other adults Judo. Even if the set up is a little basic the 'old skool' Judo principles of bravery, service and Judo excellence were being put into practice.  


Todd, Geoff and the big kids. 

Tracey and Geoff with the beginner kids class

I guess my reflection from tonight is that isn't a flash dojo that makes a good club but rather good people.  At Big Judo we are really lucky to have a great group of people who love Judo and are keen to help others learn.  Even if we don't have a mats down dojo in Pukekohe we certainly have a good 'old skool' approach and plenty of happy kids (and some happy adults) learning good Judo.  


Saturday 23 March 2019

Big Judo Kid Training in Sandringham




We had another nice Saturday in Sandringham this week.  I am back from Sydney and it was nice catching up with the kids again. One of the things that we are most proud of is the way that everybody pitches in and helps with the instruction. 

This Saturday we had Nelly help out with both kids classes.  Normally she focuses on the seniors, but we believe it is really important for the young female Judoka to have a connection with older female players in positions of authority.  So its wonderful to see her on the mat with the kids.

We also had Dave Mair on the mat.  He provides lots of great technical advice and really helps the rest of us deliver better quality Judo.


Awesome to have such a nice session after visiting the two big guys in Sydney.  They are getting stronger and tougher and behind them we have a strong family working together to build the next generation. 

Wednesday 20 March 2019

BIg Judo Classes




Ben was in Australia this weekend and the kids must have known because they showed up 'in numbers' at Sandringham. Nelly took the class and worked them hard out.

Meanwhile in Australia Ben caught up with Noah and Jacob who are having a great time in Sydney.

The guys are doing us proud training hard, being polite and humble and making the absolute most of being at Zenbu.  It made us all proud to get such positive feedback.  Especially when we have lots more kids coming through behind them!

Friday 1 March 2019

Good 2019 Sydney Open Photo


Nice photo of Noah in action at the Sydney International Open.  Next step Melbourne.  Then Auckland in May.

Big Judo Workshop Two 2019


This Friday Matt Rowley came and sheared technical knowledge with our young Judoka. It was a good night we had small group of our young people that are interested in developing their throwing technique learning from a really good instructor with excellent technical Judoka, 

Big Judo's focus is developing a strong base and this was another brick in our foundation, well done kids and thanks heaps Matt.