Brunel Judo

For those of you that have read the syllabus and thought “But what the hell is a kouchi-ouchi-mata-wibbly-makikomi”, help is at hand.

These throws are apparently named specifically by the BJA, so you might not be able to find them outside of the syllabus, but there’s a handy PDF with a lot of these fancy “competition” throws in it if you click on this sexy link right here.

For those of you who aren’t currently a 2nd kyu or higher, you’ll be wanting to take a look at the new syllabus, published today (this is not an April Fools):

Click here for the new syllabus

As expected there are now 6 kyu grades instead of 10. Competition has been removed as a requirement, but you’ll still be examined during randori. Whatever colour your belt currently is will convert across to the new system, e.g. a 6th kyu lower green belt will become a 3rd kyu.

Also as expected, the theory will be much harder than before, but it’s nothing a bit of training and researching can’t get past. Apparently the BJA are releasing a book to go with the syllabus - 320 pages with lots of colour pictures - which will hopefully make the swotting process a little easier.

This will probably be announced in training as well, just so people know about it.

Starting April 1st, the BJA will be introducing a new grading scheme. Some of the details are still unclear even though it’s less than 1 month away, but in short, it will result in a new technical syllabus. The theory is going to be made much stricter, and presumably cover more techniques than before, as well as their application and variations of them. Most people are still unsure what will be happening to the competitive portion of the grades, although it looks like it will still be an option for those that wish to take it.

More details will be appearing once the new system is in place in April.

All the information we have at the moment can be found in the following post on JudoForum.com:

Click here for more information

(Note the implementation of a 6 kyu system - each belt colour will probably only represent one grade)

If anybody wishes to nominate a club member for colours, let Rob know ASAP - the deadline is the first week of March.

The main requirements for club colours are that the receiver be in their graduating year, and has made a significant contribution to the club. For half or full colours, they must have competed regularly on a national or international basis, and as far as I know, nobody at our club is eligible for that.

Here’s to Sean’s injury not being too serious, and hoping that it’s not put him off of Judo altogether.

I’ve had several people ring me and text me today trying to get his number so they can find out how he is, but I don’t have it so I can’t pass it on. Sean, if you read this, send me an email at the chairman address and let me know if you want me to pass on your details (and give them to me..)

Another reminder to ANYONE that is a Brunel student and trains with us - you NEED to join the club. Go to www.brunelstudents.com, go to the Shop, and buy the Sports Federation Membership and the Judo Club membership. If you don’t, the club WILL disappear, and then you won’t be training at all. If you have any trouble, send one of the committee an e-mail - Rob is usually available. If you’re told by the shop that you aren’t a student, or if you need to pay in cash, or if you just hate the Internet, you can go to the Sports and Student Activities office opposite Loco’s and pay in person.

Also, Judo will be hosting a Cops and Robbers Academy night in February. We don’t have all of the details yet, but they’ll be posted here when we do.

Remember to keep checking the News page for updates to training. It’s possible that some sessions may be cancelled over the next few weeks.

Congratulations are in order to Vic, who has recently become a grandfather to two aspiring Judoka, Reece and Tommy. We should expect to see them training at the club in a couple of weeks

Right, now that we’re comfortably into the swing of training and covered in mat burns, time to sort out some paperwork.

Those of you that are planning to stick with Judo, especially if you’ve attended both of the sessions so far, please join the club. Doing it later won’t save you any money, but it will get us told off by the Union, and then we’ll have to bug you about it. All club memberships are managed through the brunelstudents.com website, but since they’ve made it particularly confusing this year, you can find some instructions on their website. You’ll need to go to the E-Shop, and we count as a sport (funnily enough). Remember to buy your Sports Fed card FIRST, or you won’t be able to join, and you’ll need a Sports Fed card in order to join ANY sport on campus, not just us.

If you’re trying to get your hands on a gi (the uniform), Vic will sort that out over the next couple of weeks. They’re roughly £25 for entry-level kits thanks to Vic’s club discount. If you can’t get to training to sort it out with Vic, e-mail Rob about it and he’ll pass on your details or questions.

Also, because we aren’t stealing enough money off of you, there’s the small matter of the British Judo Association (BJA) license. The BJA is the main governing body for Judo in England, and the one that governs our club. In order to hold a grade, compete, and to provide personal insurance, you’ll need one of these licenses. You can find the membership details on the BJA website, and it looks like they now accept online applications. That’s another £29 of your hard-earned loan money, but you don’t need to buy this immediately. We just ask that if you plan to stick with the sport, you buy one within a few weeks. They subtly raise the membership price every now and then, thinking we won’t notice, so it’s in your best interests not to put it off for too long.

If you are applying for your BJA license, our club number is 16036, club name is Brunel University Judo Club, and area is Middlesex / NHC.

Finally, for the lottery winners amongst you, you can also buy our sexy club hoodie! We actually have some of these in stock this year (first come, first served), but when they’re gone we’ll have to order some more. You should have seen one by now if you’ve attended training - they’re another £25 (we pay that to have them printed), and they’ll be available all year, but you might want to buy one in time for winter instead of waiting until March. You can ask one of the committee in person, or you can ask Rob via e-mail if you can’t wait the extra session. Sizes are the usual XS, S, M, L, XL, etc - Rob wears a medium if that’s any help.

Those of you who registered your name and e-mail address at the Fresher’s Fayre have been sent an e-mail with information about the club.

If you registered your details but did not receive an e-mail, it’s because I can’t work out what your address is, and all of my guesses were wrong. You can e-mail me through the chairman address on the contact page if you want a copy of the e-mail, but most of the information is already available on the website.

Short post because I am ENORMOUSLY busy.

Go and look at this forum post for details of the social. Long story short, 6.30pm, Uxbridge, Wednesday 13th December.