Silicon Valley Judo :: Info

Thanks for your interest in Silicon Valley Judo. Please check out all of our info pages to answer any questions you might have about Silicon Valley Judo. Please contact us if you require any additional information.

Who can learn judo?
Judo is for Men, Women, Teens and Children - Judo students should be in reasonable physical condition for their age to join. Like any other exercise program, all prospective students should visit their physician prior to starting any exercise program. One advantage Judo has over other sports in general is that both men and women from junior to senior can participate. [Junior students must be at least 3½ years of age to join SVJ] Unlike other team sports, students do not get 'cut' from the team at anytime in their Judo career. Judo is a physical activity/sport/training program that can last you a lifetime.

What do I need to practice Judo?
The basic equipment needed to practice Judo is very simple - one needs a Judo Gi [Judo Uniform] and an Obi [Belt]. We do not permit anybody to wear street or exercise clothes at practice. We require our students to wear shoes or slippers while off the mat. All students or visitors are required to present a valid membership with the USJI/USJF/USJA in order to practice. Membership to the USJI is offered at SVJ and can be activated your first night at practice. Annual Membership to the USJI is currently $50 per year. The primary reasons students will want to join the USJI is medical insurance. Membership with the USJI will provide students with: "Excess Accident Medical Insurance for any injury occurring at a sanctioned event or scheduled training session. Membership includes a $25,000 medical insurance policy with a $2,500 deductible. 'Excess' coverage means that it goes into effect after any other health insurance that you might have."

What classes do you offer?
SVJ currently offers four separate classes for juniors [students under 18 years of age] and four classes for Adults/Seniors.

Judo Rangers: For students that are 3½ to 7 years of age, the class focuses primarily on developing the very most fundamental skills that young students require to effectively learn Judo. Examples of fundamental skills learned are: basic coordination, balance, hand eye coordination and spatial awarenes. Basic pinning falling, and throwing techniques are taught in this class.

Junior Judo: Instruction in fundamental Judo techniques for 3rd grade through junior high students. Class instruction includes: stretching, calisthenics, judo related exercises, ukemi [safe falling], throwing and pinning techninques. Instruction on choking techniques will be taught to students over 12 years of age.

Juniors Advanded Training: Students are eligible for this class after a minimum of 6 months to one year of training in the Judo Rangers or Junior Judo classes. Both of our advaned training classes focus upon competitive techniques and preparation for tournaments. Sensei recommendation required for this class.

Adult Beginner/Intermediate: Designed for the beginner without any prior Judo experience. The Beginner/Intermediate course curriculum focuses on instruction in fundamental Judo techniques and improving each student's overall stamina and coordination in preparation for the Adult Advanced or Adult Competitor class.

Adult Advanced Class: Focuses on improvement in execution of fundamental Judo techiques and continuing education in the hundreds of the throwing, pinning, choking and armbar techniques in the sport of Judo.

Adult Competitor Class: Heavy emphasis on tournament style techniques and physical preparation for competition. Students eligible for this class must complete Adult Beginner/Intermediate class and spend 8 weeks in the Adult Advanced Class prior to joining. Instructor recommendation is required. New students planning to join this class will be evaluated for level of Judo experience and conditioning prior to being permitted to join this class.

Kata Practice: Mat time for Judoka with prior Kata experience that require mat time for practice. Minimal instruction provided.

Ages are only a guideline for class assignment - coordination, strength, size, experience and maturity of the student will be the primary determining factors for which classes students are placed in. Class curriculum will be based upon the maturity level of the students in each class. Students between the ages of 15 to 17 may be moved-up to the adult classes based upon their coordination, strength and size.

Do you offer any free trial classes?
Yes, we offer one free trial class. Prospective students will be provided with a loaner Judo gi for their trial class.

What will I learn at Judo/What do you teach?
All students will learn proper Judo etiquette, basic warm up and stretching skills and some of the traditional Japanese words still used in Judo. Juniors will be taught throwing techniques, pinning techniques and choking techniques [shimewaza] as appropriate to their age. In addition to judo techniques, junior students will be taught life skills. Senior students will be taught throwing techniques, pinning techniques, choking techniques and arm locks [kansetsuwaza]. In addition, if students wish to actively compete, we offer several practices dedicated to free practice [randori] in order to prepare for tournament play.

What is the typical practice like?
All practices begin with a bow in followed by stretching and warm-up exercises. The bow-in consists of the instruction 'kiotsuske' [attention], followed by the command 'rei' [bow].

After the bow in, all class will start with stretching followed by several judo specific exercises that help support the improvement of each student's judo technique.

Once all exercises have been completed, students will either then receive instruction and work on their techniques or begin randori [free practice].

In the competitor class, students will first drill on their mat techniques and then engage in newaza [mat/grappling] practice. After newaza practice there is usually a short instruction period followed by throwing drills [uchikomi], throwing practice and finally tachiwaza randori.

Upon the completion of each workout, there is a short stretching/cool down period, followed by the bow-out.

How do I sign up?
Please stop by during practice hours listed on the schedule to review the different plans we have to suit your needs. SVJ is open Tuesdays through Saturdays.

How do I contact you?
Please click on to the Contact Us button at the top of this web page. Or call us at 408.297.JUDO or 408.297.5836.

How do I get my black belt?
Due to the competition structure in Judo, juniors [17 and under] usually do not receive their black belt unless they have an extraordinary tournament record. Our program for juniors is designed to get them to black belt by the time they reach their senior year of high school. For adults, we have a course curriculum that makes black belt an achievable goal within four to five years.

Can I watch practice?
Yes - Please stop by during our scheduled practice times to watch practice. At SVJ we want to make sure Judo is a 'good fit' with all of our students before they make the commitment to join. Currently the best time to observe practice is Tuesday evenings for the adults and Thrusday afternoons for the juniors [under 13 years old]

When do you practice?
SVJ is open 5 days a week Tuesday through Saturday. Typically local tournaments take place on Sundays and national holidays occur on Mondays, making the Tuesday through Saturday the most regular schedule we can offer for our Students.

Are there competitions that I can participate in?
There are over 12 tournaments in the bay area per year that children and adults can participate in. The coaching staff will attend all local tournaments if students are interested in competing. There is also a state championship for both Juniors and Seniors. Students that compete well at the state championships are eligible to compete at the national championships.

What makes Judo unique compared to other martial arts?
Unlike Tae Kwon Do, Karate and Gung fu or Kung Fu, all striking [kicks and punches] techniques have been removed from Judo techniques applied during practice. A few striking techniques still exist in Judo Kata's [forms]. By removing the strikes from Judo, its students are able to practice it at full speed and full effort without any need to 'pull punches' resulting in very effective physical training. Since Judo has it's roots in Jujitsu, many of Judo's techniques are similar to Ju-jitsu's. Jujitsu does not spend much time learning how to throw their opponent to the ground. Judo and Tae Kwon Do are the only two martial arts that are Olympic Sports. Judo has a well-organized and standardized set of competition rules for local tournaments.

We realize that there are a staggering number of martial art styles and schools to choose from in the San Francisco Bay/Silicon Valley Area. In order to help potential students gain a further understanding of the differences between Judo and other of martial arts, we recommend the Martial Arts FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions] compiled by Matthew Weigel. It provides a pretty fair description and assessment of most of the Martial Art Systems out there. [view the FAQ]

What is the cost?
We have plans that range from $60 to $200 per month. Please stop by to discuss with us which plan will work for you based on your goals and needs.