Honokaa Seigikan Judo Club

Another day of competition for our small band of judoka from Honokaa. Koji, Yuji and Ronson have been regularly coming to practice and working on polishing their tokuiwaza (best throws) and newaza.  I was hoping that endlessly doing uchikomi helped create new habit. Koji got 1st place in his weight class.  He's been working on Uchimata and starting to get comfortable with the technique.  He's been afraid of falling backward or getting countered, but finally he is more balanced in execution.  He also added more varieties to newaza techniques and seems like his body automatically moves.  Yakusoku geiko or situational practice really seems to help him. Yuji's been endlessly polishing his morote seoi, kumite for seoi and combinations, and he is noticeably getting more smooth and crisp in his movement.  In fact, he scored with seoi-nage 1 ippon, 3 waza ari.  No other throws got any points.  Not bad.  Starting to fully trust and commit in ...

Each year in first Saturday of June is Puna Hongwanji invitational Judo competition.  This year we had several members from our dojo participated.   Some did good while others could do better, but it's all learning practice.   Yuji was the only one who got 1st place in his weight class, but his overconfidence makes me wonder.  He thinks he wins every match even the matches he later finds out that he would lose.  Perhaps it's an important attribute for winner.  No one is going to win a match thinking he is going to lose or he is weaker that his opponent.   It reminds me the quote by Jigoro Kano. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, says, " Walk a single path, becoming neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat, without forgetting caution when all is quiet or becoming frightened when danger threatens." 

Ukemi is a breakfall technique to diffuse attacker's force by gracefully landing.  It is one of the very first things learned in Judo because it prevents injury in practice and competition.  We practice ukemi over and over until it becomes part of our automatic bodily movement and upon falling ukemi naturally happens. As I get older and notice more and more that being able to fall safely is very useful technique to have in life.  I've got hit by a truck or falling off high places without any major injuries.  All thanks to years of judo training. In judo matches and practices it is more fun to throw others and win matches, but as I age, I realize the importance of being a good uke (receiver of throws) and practice falling in all kinds of ways.

At Honokaa Judo Club - SEI GI KAN we honor the teachings of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, and focus on training both mind and body through Judo practice.  Our dojo's name "SEI GI KAN" means the building of justice and rightousness.  We believe that Judo practice is a great way to build one's character and teach excellence, mutual respect, and humility as well as physical fitness and martial art skills.