It has been a year since the opening of the Seijitsu Judo Dojo - its membership constantly being put to the test. About two months after the first batch of judoka, 6 out of 9 dropped out. The reason, the inability to cope with the rigid training program being implemented. For the next months to follow, another batch of judoka came to be baptised on the mat. After a few sessions of hard repetitive training only about 2 were left to continue. And then came the next months where word of our dojo has reached people of diverse martial arts background and they came to enlist.
Today, Seijitsu Judo Dojo's membership continues to grow as we teach Judo as an art, science, and a discipline. On June 5, 2010 we celebrated our first year anniversary and in line with this we celebrated the Nage 2000 Festival where members gathered together and feast over a sumptuous buffet and participate in an endurance run, circuit training, and each perform 2,000 throws to test throwing skills and the limits of endurance. Only members with good performace ratings were allowed to join the red and white randori. This is a tradition Seijitsu Judo Dojo intends to maintain through the years.
The June 5,2010 Event by Pictures and Video
Sensei and Senior Judoka James Infante. James Infante was the only judoka to stay steadfast as all others who started with him dropped out.
Sensei with Senior Judoka James Infante and the new wave of judoka who took their baptism of fire by running an 8 storey building for 2 laps, doing circuit training and nage for at least 3 hours with no breaks.
Opening to Taiso
Mental Preparation
Practicing Nage
From Uchi Komi to Randori
It has been a good one year since we started the Dojo. To date we are proud to say: We do not teach fad nor go with the hype. We simply teach and do Judo. With risk and uncertainty constantly creeping at our door, in our pursuit of Judo with sincerity and gentleness we had always continued to push and persevere.
Email from Mr. Rudy Vivero (one of the 15 pioneer judoka of Negros) dated May 2, 2010 upon learning of our dojo and the standards we have set. The email was posted verbatim.
Dear Henried,
I’m glad to know that you are the torch bearer for the guys, including your dad and me, who started one of the earliest judo clubs in Bacolod City , actually in Negros Occidental.. Notice that I said JUDO. Judo as you no doubt knew all along came from jujutsu, an ancient martial of Japan , the aim of which is to be victorious in combat—blood and gore kind of combat, hence the term jutsu. But through the modifying genius of Jigoro Kano, he modified the art of combat into a sport. He extracted “safe” techniques from deadly jujutsu, which can be played as a sport. I suspect that he thought of Japan ’s contribution to the world of sports—the Olympics. Sensei Kano , of course, succeeded.
Note that I said Jujutsu is deadly. Come to think of it, this was the martial art your dad had in mind when he joined in as one of the founders of the nascent Judo club. Your dad was on the look out for fighting techniques that can paralyze or maim, if not kill outright, an opponent. Only in this case, the term we should use should be “enemy,” not “opponent,” which connotes besting somebody within the pre-agreed rules as in all sports, the Olympics kind of sports.
Since my Judo days, I knew that to be good in combat, it is necessary to practice a martial art—any martial art—as a sport. Only when one plays by pre-arranged rules can one learn a movement or movements as if it were second nature. This means that a good learner can develop speed, balance, and other finer things like a sense of balance and movement of the opponent itself. Sport in whatever form can develop the brain into reading the movements of the opponent, no matter how slightly it is. You know why the brain can be trained better in sport? It can because the opponent is not only resisting your strike, your push, your pull, but he is also trying to do the same to you. It’s a matter of smart vs. smart, come to think of it.
In Judo, it is not just a matter of attacking your opponent; your opponent is planning or is expected to do the same to you. It’s just a matter of who will initiate the first move, which could either be a sincere, all-out attack, or just a faint or a ruse. As a Judo man, you should develop your counter attack. And you should also expect your opponent to have a counter-attack to your counter attack. And so-on until one of you can score an ippon.
So you see, Henried, all is in the brain. The chess player, like Tony Aguirre, may have full use of his brain while sitting down and pushing wood on the board, but in Judo, you use your brain in conjunction with you sinews and muscles. And there is another thing about Judo men, karate men, even chess players—all martial artists—each of them are individualists. They want to be responsible for winning or losing anything in their lives. I don’t begrudge team sportsmen, like baseball and basketball players, to name two, but we individualists love to do it on our own. We simply love the glory of victory but are ready to accept ignominious defeat. We take responsibilities for our own actions.
Most martial artists love to know much, much more. The martial arts world is replete with all sorts or kinds or styles. Most martial artists want to know them all—everything. Personally, I don’t. But, if I want to be an instructor, I’ll have to know or familiarize with them, at least. Luckily, I am not. But you are. So it’s best to know every conceivable way you can get into each fighting technique, even the arcane ones. For me, I’m satisfied with the two—Judo and Karate. Even in one of them, much has to be desired. But then, that’s life. Our time is limited on this mad, mud ball we call earth. Just do what you can. You don’t even have to do your best, just plod along…until…until you know that all these endeavors come to naught when life’s journey is about to be over. Pare Bert, your dad, no doubt, knows what I mean.
One advice, Henried, don’t mix martial techniques in one go. For example, warn your students not to mix Judo techniques with Jujutsu. Injuries may result when the heat of the battle really heats up. Using real jujutsu move to win in a Judo contest is a no-no. In closing the Lamayo family seems bent on knowing and mastering the arts of defense. And, if pare Bert will have his way, of attack as well. I’ve said this before; you are related to Tio Jose Vinas. So, looks like martial arts are in your blood.
Have a great life, Henried. I send my regards to your dad. My warmest regards, RUDY
p.s. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. It happens to the best of us. Ditto.