Last weekend, we were fortunate to have Chuck Jefferson to Oklahoma for a clinic. Chuck was the 2008 US Olympic Judo alternate at 73kg, was a former World Team Member, and has won numerous other tournaments to include the US Open (2x), the Pan Am’s (2x), and New York Open to name a few. I have watched him play for some time now, and have always been impressed with his technical style. He was a former member of the San Jose University Judo team, led by Yosh Uchida.

The clinic was a refreshing look at familiar techniques and drills. The entire clinic was focused on a small group of techniques, and was put together from the foundation of warm ups, including chest crawls and ebi’s, or shrimps that are commonly done in judo. The first half was a series of drills, including the before mentioned warm ups, which led into a few ne waza, or ground (mat) techniques. Each built on the basics of drills completed in the warm up. The techniques consisted of: Read more →

This past weekend, several members of OKCDT attended a clinic featuring World Champion and 4 time Olympian Jimmy Pedro. It was a great clinic and was attended by over 100 judoka. The sessions covered Ne Waza, or groundwork in the morning, followed by Tachi Waza or standing in the afternoon. The day ended with an hour randori session. Jimmy Pedro has some great DVD’s and books out, be sure to check out his site above for more info. For a video from the clinic, be sure to visit The Judo Podcast, or click the pic above. Enjoy!