Month

The move-in of gymnastics equipment into the new gymnasium is now scheduled on Sunday 5 February @ 10:00 am. The move will move storage from Inglewood to its new location.

Flip1stGymnastics

1908-C Lincoln Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA. 90405

We already have at least twelve people planning on assisting with the move throughout the day. We will load two 26’ trucks filled to the brim with gymnastics equipment. With more people, the loading and unloading process will be much faster. Last month, we moved out of the JIS into storage in two and a half hours.

Gym sprung floor

Tumbling track

Assorted mats & crash pads

Parallel and uneven bars

Other assorted equipment

Furniture

Office equipment & supplies

Etc.

A contractor will first load and move the gym sprung floor panels and install the floor in the new location.

During the following week of 6-12 February, Flip1stGymnastics, will be setting up for its brand new, spacious 6,800 sq. ft. facility in Santa Monica and hosting its Grand Opening on Monday 13 February.

For those available to assist with the move on Sunday 5 February, please contact via email or text for more detailed moving information. Along with assisting in the move, you will have a preview of what the vast facility will look like.

We begin Judo practice @ Flip1stGymnastics 13 February

It’s official. Flip1stGymnastics has announced its Grand Opening on Monday 13 February.

Which means for Sawtelle Judo Dojo, we will resume there at our regular practice times & dates, in just two weeks.

Little Kids’ (4-6 years old)-Wednesday, & Friday 5:15-5:45 pm

Juniors’ (6-12 years old)-Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 6:00-7:00 pm

Seniors’ (13 years old and older) Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 7:30-9:30 pm

We will be using the gymnasium sprung floor, 40’x40’, a little larger than at the JIS. However, we may half to split the floor for their gymnastics classes at times. Remember that we are guests in this facility. Please do not use any of the gymnastics equipment. At times, we will be sharing the gymnasium, its sprung floor especially, with Flip1stGymnastics. Do not abuse this privilege.

Flip1stGymnastics is on the southwest corner of Lincoln and Pico Blvd., about 3-1/2 miles west of old location at the JIS. It is located in the back corner of the strip mall where a Starbucks Coffee sits on the street corner. Flip1stGymnastics is just blocks away from Santa Monica High School and about a mile from Santa Monica Beach and Pier.

Dan Levi, the owner of Flip1stGymnastics, has generously opened his new gym to our Dojo on a temporary basis. At our holiday party, we thanked him with a standing ovation for his generosity. So, we look forward to some exciting times ahead.

For new people planning to join our Dojo

New people may join our practice on Monday 13 February at Flip1stGymnastics. We will accept new members beginning on Wednesday 8 February. For further enrollment information, contact via email, sawtellejudo@gmail.com or phone, 310 463-4962.

Please include age, height, and weight for correct fitting Judogi.

Hollywood Scrimmage V

For our Seniors, if you are interested in participating in the Hollywood Scrimmage V on Sunday 12 February at noon, please let us know by replying to this email. The 1^st ten respondents will be able to compete.

Joint Venice/Sawtelle Judo practices

We will continue to work out at Venice until Friday 10 February.

Venice Judo Club

Venice Japanese Community Center

12448 Braddock Dr.

Los Angeles, CA. 90066

For the next few weeks, we will be practicing there.

Their hours

Tuesday 7:00-8:30 pm

Friday 7:00-9:00 pm

At Venice Judo Club, their entire membership workouts at the same time, Juniors & Seniors at the same time. They have enough mats to cover an entire basketball court, which would be 3 times the area of our mat area. So, we should have space to split the mat area for a joint Juniors & Seniors practice.

Please make sure that you turn in your COVID waiver forms and parking instructions for the Venice Japanese Community Center. The forms were sent to our active membership in a prior email. You will be denied access if you do not complete these forms and present them to the Venice Judo Club administrator, Kevin Murchan.

COVID requirements

You must be COVID vaccinated and boosted in order to practice Judo with Sawtelle Judo Dojo.

Mask recommendations

Due to rising cases of COVID, and other respiratory illnesses, LA County Health Dept. has issued an advisory to wear masks indoors.

Dojo & tournament schedule

For links to major regional and national tournaments, clinics, and seminars, please visit the Nanka Judo Yudanshakai (Southern California Black Belt Association) website @ https://www.nankajudo.com/calendar/list/

2023

Kata practice Saturday 4 February, 9:00-12:00 pm, Anaconda Academy, Gardena, CA

San Fernando Valley Judo Kohaku Shiai Sunday 5 February, Pacoima, CA

Hollywood Scrimmage V, Sunday 12 February, 12:00-2:00 pm, Hollywood Judo Dojo, Hollywood, CA

Dojo Grand Opening @ Flip1stGymnastics, Monday 13 February, Flip1stGymnastics, Santa Monica, CA

Kata practice Saturday 18 February, 9:00-12:00 pm, Anaconda Academy, Gardena, CA

Hollywood Juniors’ Scrimmage III, Sunday 26 February, 12:00-2:00 pm, Hollywood Judo Dojo, Hollywood, CA

Cerebral Corner

For our Juniors’ learning

O Goshi

Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi

Find the technique you want to learn. Remember what it means in English.

Click to watch the animation.

Visualize. Shut your eyes and picture the technique in your mind’s eye.

Practice. Start slowly. Build skill before speed.

For everyone’s review

Here are demonstrations videos published by the Kodokan and approved by the IJF Academy.

O Goshi

Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi

IJF Judo Rules, 2022-2024, next Olympic cycle, Paris 2024

Here is the latest YouTube video hosted by Neil Adams, the main commentator of IJF events, reviewing the latest rule changes.

The Rules of Judo (Don’t Do This)

This video, The Rules of Judo (Don’t Do This), is more entertaining. But don’t do this, especially in front of Osugi Sensei. Then, you’ll surely remember not to do it, again. For Juniors, it could mean winning a white belt.

Hiroyuki Akimoto is a former 2010 World Champion @ 73 kg and now designs his own line of BJJ/Judo gear, Kimono Fighter.

“When you are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

-Victor Frankl-

January 17, 2023

Joint Venice/Sawtelle Judo practices

Posted by By Jerry Hazemoto

Posted in Uncategorized

We are eternally grateful to start Judo practice this year at Venice Judo Club as we await the Grand Opening of Flip1stGymnastics. Thank you to the Venice Judo Club, especially to Trace, Trent, & Tara Nishiyama Senseis to your club to our membership.

We began Judo practice last Tuesday 10 January @ 7:00 pm at Venice Judo Club. Our initial plans to begin practice at Flip1stGymnastics on Monday 9 January have changed due to construction delays. We will now plan on start Judo practice at Flip1stGymnastics in late January/early February. For the interim, Venice Judo Club has opened their Dojo for us to practice.

Venice Judo Club

Venice Japanese Community Center

12448 Braddock Dr.

Los Angeles, CA. 90066

For the next few weeks, we will be practicing there.

Their hours

Tuesday 7:00-8:30 pm

Friday 7:00-9:00 pm

During the school year, they finish earlier on Tuesday nights.

In the spirit of Jita Kyoei, mutual welfare, and benefit, we request that everyone from Sawtelle Judo Dojo, Senior members and the parents, relatives, and friends of our Junior members assist in the setup and cleanup the mats as soon as the basketball session ends at 7:00 pm. With everyone’s assistance, it should take about 10-15 minutes to rollout the mat pallets, layout the mats in rows of 11 across, and with a red mat area on the far end. Once the mats are down, get ready for practice. In advance, you may get dressed in the Women’s room on the far end of the gymnasium on the left side. The men may change in the restroom in the glass foyer visible to the left of the main gym entrance to the left. The blue Men’s room sign is visible on the left side of the foyer.

The Venice Japanese Community Center has a very true sense and value of community. It shows in their mutual circle of trust. Let’s show our extreme gratitude for letting us practice there while we wait for Flip1stGymnastics opens.

January 9, 2023

Joint Judo practice at Venice Judo Club for now

Posted by By Jerry Hazemoto

Posted in Uncategorized

Displaced by the renovation of the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle, Sawtelle Judo Dojo will start practicing at Venice Judo Club tomorrow night, Tuesday 10 January.

Venice Judo Club

Venice Japanese Community Center (VJCC)

12448 Braddock Dr.

Los Angeles, CA. 90066

Here are their hours.

Tuesday 7:00-8:30 pm

Friday 7:00-9:00 pm

This is a temporary joint practice session as we wait for the completion of Flip1stGymnastics later this month.Once Flip1stGymnastics opens, we will return to our regular schedule on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings.

Little Kids 5:15-5:45 pm (Wednesday & Friday only)

Juniors 6:00-7:00 pm

Seniors 7:30-9:30 pm

Flip1stGymnastics
1908-C Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA. 90405

Get ready to block out one of the upcoming weekends to help Flip1stGymnastics move in and prepare their gymnasium for their grand opening and preview the new facility.

January 9, 2023

Timeless

Posted by By Jerry Hazemoto

Posted in Uncategorized

Here is an interesting, tattered artifact lost in history that was removed from our community board as we vacated the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle. This frail piece of paper documents the By Laws of Sawtelle Judo Dojo written back in the day, probably in the late 1920’s or early 1930’s considering some of the written language used in this document is very old and not used now. We first occupied the original community center building in 1929.

It outlines the Board membership structure with one President, four Vice-Presidents, two accountants, six supervisors, one Secretary and a number of other roles. A 2/3 majority vote was required for any motion to be approved.

It shows the membership tuition structure as follows.
Initiation membership fee-$15Single membership-$5/monthSecond family membership-$8/monthThree family membership-$10/month
It seems like a very small amount.

However, if this document was posted in 1929, those amounts adjusted in today’s dollars (2023) would be the following.

Initiation membership fee-$261

Single membership-$87/month

Second family membership-$139/month

Three family membership-$174/month

However, if this document was posted in 1950 after Kikuchi Sensei & company resurrected our Dojo after World War II, these amounts adjusted in today’s dollars (2023) would be the following.

Initiation membership fee-$185

Single membership-$61/month

Second family membership-$99/month

Three family membership-$122/month

There’s our history lesson of the day.

#judo #sawtelle #losangeles #legacy #nonprofit #communitybased #volunteer #backintheday #lostintime

January 2, 2023

Quo Vadis-Judo?

Posted by By Jerry Hazemoto

Posted in Uncategorized

When I first got into Judo, it was considered a true martial art from Japan and was not even thought of as a sport. At this time, and in the area that I grew up, the Sensei’s who taught Judo were all from Japan and therefore the language that they used to convey techniques (was) in Japanese. Consequently, the devotees, students or Judokas, however that you would like to call them, were predominantly of Japanese extraction. It was also a common practice among the Japanese families who lived in the rural farming areas that the boys would learn some form of martial art and the girls would learn the classical Japanese art form for girls such as flower arrangement or Japanese Dance or Tea Ceremony, etc.

It was thus that I had to sacrifice some of my precious playtime to enter into this strange world of Japanese martial arts. As I progressed, I slowly came to realize that judo is not just learning to fall, throw, and get thrown or whatever else that can be seen. This is the simple part of Judo. Judo has taught me that one is not alone in this world, and in order to survive, one must give as well as take.

You learn from your predecessors, from your peers, and yes, even from your subordinates. One must not only be grateful for the learning experience, which really is a never-ending process, but be ready to pass on his expertise to others, willingly, to the benefit of others who ask for it. “JITA KYO-EI” is one of the two most important mottoes that we, in Judo, follow. It means, “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch your back and we’ll both be happy for it.” The experienced will teach the inexperienced and in this way, both will benefit and improve themselves.

In 1964, Judo was accepted by the Olympic Committee on a trial basis, and has since then received permanent status as an Olympic sport. This, I believe, was the turning point for Judo. This is when it turned a form of martial art into a sport. This is when “To win” became the most important priority in Judo. When Judo was still a martial art, to win in competition was important, but it was not the most important commodity. It was how one achieved victory. It was victory with honor. It was a victory achieved through superior execution of techniques or physical endurance.

Today, this has changed. Today, victory is achieved through one-upmanship. The need for superior execution of techniques and physical endurance has not changed, but what has changed is the attitude or thinking of what superior techniques mean. It seems that today, this means that is okay to put your opponent’s body in jeopardy in order to achieve success, because a lot of the techniques I see used today can cause injuries. The prevalent use of arm-bar techniques are not only encouraged, but are used indiscriminately. Before Judo became a sport, arm-bars could not be used by a black belt against a brown belt, and rarely would he use the choke hold against a brown belt, because of the disparity in rank and expertise. Today, it is winning at all cost, without a thought given to the well-being or future or your opponent.

“Quo Vadis” is Latin for “Whither goest thou?” or “Where are you going?”(Article reproduced from Sawtelle Judo News, April, 1996, p.1-2) by the late Ed Osugi, Rokudan