Saturday Morning Judo in Pukekohe

 

It might not be a 'mats down' dojo but the training sessions at Pukekohe are gaining momentum and the are providing people in South Auckland with an opportunity to do Judo.  Today was our first Saturday morning session and we had nice turn out.  Including four Black Belts!  

We are focusing on teaching good Judo basics and enjoying ourselves which seems to be working well. 

Good Training at Puni

Big Judo training on Tuesday night was really good. We have a solid group of Cadets and lots of older players all training and enjoyed learning Judo. 

Noah and Scott visited and shared some thoughts about what Noah has learnt overseas.

It was good session with plenty of 'sweat' and lots of learning.  Great fun. 

Big Judo Pukekawa

 

A nice photo of Tracey's team at Pukekawa, lined up and demonstrating their self control.  Tracey has done a wonderful job of keeping this dojo running and between Pukekawa and Puni we have a strong, growing group of Judoka in the south.  

Big Judo's main effort at the moment is to get everybody registered and catch up on our gradings now that COVID is no longer hampering our activities. Next year, we aim to be starting to build up our competition presence.   

Big Judo Update

 

Its been a little while since we posted.  In the last year, Big Judo has re-structured because our lease at St Martin's in Sandringham was terminated. During this time our focus has been on that activity.

The crew at Sandringham merged with 3 Kings Judo and together created a strong club with lots of kids and adults on the mat. It is good win for Judo because instead of shutting down a club we worked together to keep a large group of Judoka 'on the mat'.

It also means that Big Judo in Pukekohe is getting more attention and we are growing the club in the south. Tracey's kids in Pukekawa are strong and as well as kids there is a nice group of adults in Pukekohe.  By early next year, we aim to start entering people in competitions and rebuilding a Big Judo competitive presence. 

Big Judo Saturday Sessions

 

When Big Judo started the only time we could train was Saturdays. Over time we added Tuesday and Thursday nights but our Saturday session is the longest running class. 

In recent months, it is becoming a good practice. Last week we had 17 adults (Cadets up) on the mat,  the week before we had 19 so the class is getting the number to provide a good opportunity for our players to work and develop their skills.

We are all pleased with the progress that our Judoka are making. 

Auckland International Open

 

Its been a little while work has got in the way of Judo, but the highlight of July was the Auckland International Open. 

We got a great photo of Noah hard at work winning both the Junior Mens - 100 Kg and Senior Mens - 90kg categories.  Noah's performance was fantastic and we are all very proud. 

This competition was also important for the club because following behind Noah we had a string of younger medalists in the Cadets, Senior Boys and Girls and Junior Boys. 

Big Judo, had a big turnout, and a big day winning lots of medals and having a great time.  It is our first big outing since the 2020 COVID lockdowns. Check out the team below. Everybody was excited and proud of the work done on the mat by our competitive players.

Big Judo also looked awesome thanks to sponsorship from Ward Demolition.  Thanks heaps Ward  we really appreciate the support!

Big Trees Grow from Small Seeds

 

Good training session on Saturday. The thing that was good about it was that school holidays meant that most of our regular seniors were away so we had a generally low graded class.  The standard of Judo and enthusiasm was still there and it reminded me that 'big trees start from small seeds'.  

Recently, I was looking through some old photos and I saw this photo of Noah. See the little dude with the circle round him standing on the seat behind the team. 

Now we are more used to seeing him looking like this!  So it was a poignant reminder of the importance of putting effort into beginners and juniors.