I just received the following comments from David Gordge, vice-president for World Judo Federation Oceania, in response to my post “Move over IJF!” Rather than bury it under the comments section, I’ve decided to highlight it as a new post. Let’s hope that the WJF is not just the IJF with a different name.
Rest assured that Iâm not talking about Kiss, the rock group, but rather the acronym that stands for âKeep it simple, stupid!â KISS is the opposite of information overload. Itâs a simple principle that seems to elude many coaches who feel the need to show off the depth of their knowledge, rather than make it easier for students to learn. The Japanese call this kuchi waza. I call this diarrhea of the mouth.
The Judo team at Tsukuba University is coached by alumnus Hirotaka Okada, a 2-time world champion, and Olympic bronze medalist in Barcelona in 1992. To give you a feel for how productive the Tsukuba University Judo team is, wrap your arms around this. Current students and alumni of Tsukuba University brought home ten medals in nine different weight categories from the 2010 World Championships: 4 Gold, 2 Silver, and 4 Bronze! Tsukuba also had two players on the Japanese women’s World Cup soccer team that defeated the U.S. last month.
From time to time, I get requests to post this and that or link my site to someone else’s. Recently, I received such a request from a professor at Tsukuba University in Japan. Since I had visited Tsukuba right after the 2010 World Championships in Tokyo, I was already familiar with its Judo program and campus. It also helps that Kae Takei, a former player of mine, is currently training at the university. Since it isn’t often that judoplayers get offers for academic assistance as well as training opportunities abroad, I was sure that our national organizations would be willing to distribute the information. Much to my surprise, it turns out I was wrong. Thus, I volunteered to spread the word. Here is the initial letter of introduction I received.
As more people become disenchanted with IJF, and now EJU, the word “mafia” is starting to be associated more often with these organizations. Coaches and players are feeling the brunt of the economic demands imposed by IJF and EJU. We in the United States also got a taste of this “stay in the hotel we designate or else we’ll charge you a ridiculous sum of money to compete in our event” mafia mentality. Here’s what Kent Gustavsson, a courageous coach from Sweden, has to say on the subject. He posted his comments on EJU’s website.
A few weeks ago, Japan’s women’s soccer team won the World Cup beating the favorite American team in a penalty shootout after twice coming from behind. Along the way, Japan had eliminated another favorite team: Germany, the host of the 2011 World Cup and winner of the last two Cups. What’s remarkable is that just twelve years ago, Japan was routinely losing to the U.S. by scores of 9-0 and 7-0. So how did the Japanese close the gap so quickly with only 25,000 females playing the sport, while 7 million do so in the Unites States? That’s a story that should be of interest to American Judo.