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.
My interview with Nadine Encarnacion continues.
When it comes to your Judo training at Tsukuba, how big was the culture shock?
Training itself did not shock me because the training had not changed since I first came to Tsukuba but the players and how they interacted with each other was a bit shocking for me. The Japanese culture is really one culture that is taking time for me to adjust because it is essentially the opposite of American culture. Being with the judo players really made me learn more about the Japanese and their ways compared to being with the Japanese outside of judo, at least in my opinion. It may be because I am almost always with the team but I feel like they really exemplified what Japan’s culture is like, which in some ways share similarities to the Western culture but in many ways the opposite.
Nadine hanging on for dear life!
Any recommendations for the Judo athletes who may be thinking of studying at Tsukuba?
Studying in Tsukuba is easy. It is the daily life that one has to worry about such as the social life, food, etc. There is no assurance that when you get here that you will be accepted into the team. Practicing with them is no problem, but getting used to their ways and being accepted as part of the team is another story. Physically preparing for training is no problem. Just be prepared to train often in the morning and afternoon whether it is during school or vacation. Depending on your schedule you can train full time with the team.In general, it is not only the physical aspect that you have to be prepared for but the mental as well. Like I’ve said, Asian culture is extremely different from Western culture, especially the Japanese.
You mention culture shock several times. Could you give us some examples of that?
One example of culture shock is the public showers. Because there were no shower rooms inside our dormitories students usually had to take showers at the public showers, which was in another building. It was unlike in the U.S. where there were individual shower rooms with curtains to give the individuals privacy. In Japan people bathed openly. When you shower in the public showers you would shower together with everyone else with no barriers whatsoever.That was the major thing that took time adjusting to. Now they have individual coin showers installed in the dormitories so the incoming students don’t have to worry too much about the public showers. Another thing that was shocking were the squat toilets. I was used to the westernized toilets. Using the squat toilets daily can be difficult more so for girls than guys. Another part of the Japanese culture that surprised me was the educational system/atmosphere. Studies were easier than what I was used to in the U.S. I would always wonder about my Japanese classmates and the judo team players’ studies. They never seemed to really study much even around the time of finals. I have always heard how tough Japanese schools could be but I did not realize that when it comes to college that was usually not the case. I was always hearing about how hard my classmates were studying back in the U.S., while I on the other hand wasn’t working as hard as them.
A view of the large dojo at Tsukuba
I spoke with an American player of Japanese descent who is studying and training at Tenri in Japan. He is not thrilled with the sempai-kohai relationship that permeates the Judo club. How are you handling your sempai-kohai relationship?
From what I have heard, sempais at other universities treat their poorly compared to the University of Tsukuba. I’ve heard many stories about sempais bullying their kohais physically, socially, and mentally. At the University of Tsukuba the sempai-kohai relationship is more friendly and the kohais are treated considerably well, most times and in regards to the women, I cannot speak for the men. I have seen the men of Tsukuba team specifically bully one of the kohais, and even one of the sempais that were of the same age or were a kohai to one of the sempais. I understand that the sempai-kohai relationship is part of their culture and so I usually do whatever the freshmen were required to do (when I was a freshman) and/or told to do by the sempais. I haven’t been bullied in any way. Sometimes I feel like I’m exempted from some things that kohais are required to do because I’m an international student. In general the women sempais are more friendly and open and I am happy with the way they treat me.
Sports facilities at Tsukuba
Seeing Nadine featured in your Tsukuba spot was a pleasant suprise. My son and I were invited by Nadine and her father to train with them at Tsukuba back in 2008, since I was married to a Japanese and was conversant in the language, not to mention being a judoka. Nadine at the time was evaluating Tsukuba to determine if she could easily adapt and survive, unassisted in Japan.
We had no real concept of the differences between Japanese judo and the Western approach – although we were expecting it to be a grueling experience.
Once there, the experience was mind-blowing to say the least. What I learned in terms of their training styles I caught on about 40 hours of video and brought back to our own dojo. To this day I learn new and suprising reasons as to why they train the way they do.
We are now emphasizing judo concepts with our own kids that appear to be largely ignored by many clubs in our area. Many national teams routinely train at Tsukuba – such as the British, the Swedish, New Zealand, the Koreans, not to mention Japanese police groups and local high schools. In the end everybody benefits because of the cross-pollination of styles and philosophy. It truly is a unique incubator for better judo. Going back to the essence of judo – really understanding the *proper* application of kuzushi, timing, speed, and power has helped my personal journey immensely.
I can only hope that we will have more exchanges of students between that outstanding judo school and the US in the future. Did you notice that Okada-sensei also teaches at Tsukuba United on the weekends – a family-focus dojo, with young children? Many of the sempais that work out with the international-level players also took time to work with the little Japanese kids on the weekend – and that is where you see the true essence of how they instill their training and work ethic. I can only hope to transplant that atmosphere and work ethic to our dojo here in the U.S.
I would be very interested in which training concepts you feel most Judo clubs in your area are ignoring.
Upon return to the States, the single biggest contrast I saw here vs. over there, was the unawareness about how important it is to relax. I spent a lot of time looking at the lights over there, after being tossed with an uchimata or a seoinage that I never saw coming. This drove me nuts until I realized they were using my own power and stiffness against me – yes, judo done gently. This was predicated with the Tsukuba kid gaining an absolute *relaxed* yet powerful dominant grip on me….followed by a blindingly fast execution of almost perfect form. Relax, relax, relax. How? their training, or course. Mostly moving drills, working to the point of exhaustion where power is no longer an attractive option. Once one stops trying to win during practice and starts trying to feel the timing, then the real learning begins.
I worked with one kid that specialized mostly in foot sweeps. We would do randori together and most of the time he looked like he was half asleep, with his eyes partially closed. However his sweeps usually put me at about 180 degrees parallel to the floor – they were devastating. His timing was impeccable. One can only be jealous until you realize that world-class judokas train differently – and it’s mostly about attitude and perserverance…attention to minute details, and a lot of repetition. This kid felt the moment for the sweeps by closing his eyes and sensing my movement. Many of the Tsukuba kids have developed their tokuiwaza to this degree. And none of this was associated with power. Conditioning, yes. Power, no.
Relax, relax, relax is a function of having to go 10 rounds of 6 minutes of randori with only 30 seconds in between rounds….followed by 20 minutes of ne waza and more stuff after that. You can’t play that long without having to relax. BTW, the speed you mention is part of the power equation. What you are trying to say is that strength was not a great part of their game. Power certainly is.
I stand corrected. Absolutely.
I am an international student studying at the tsukuba university.
I would love this judo club. How do I join??
I would imagine that you just need to show up at Judo practice, and talk to the sensei there to see what steps you must take. Good luck.
Is it possible to train at the university judo club without being a student or member of a team ?
I’m considering going to Japan on my own by the end of the year and I’m looking for places to practice.
I’m sure it is. The only question is whether there is room in the dorms to house temporary players. Best to check with the Judo program itself.
It’s great to here about your experience at Tsukuba University, it sounds like you had a great time. I am 18 and I am currently sending of my application to the university, to study an undergraduate degree. I hope I’m able to get accepted because I would love to train there. I was just wondering, what does the university look for most in prospective students and what kind of grades to you need to have to get in? Also, how good do you have to be to train with the Judo team?