Ford Judo Club

Nationals training

2010-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Training sessions for the GB National Championships.

To enhance our programme for the National Championships, we added a new dimension to the players programme. Tabata is a training programme devised and developed by Izumi Tabata of the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Tabata compared the effects of moderate intensity of endurance training with high endurance intermittent anaerobic training and what effect it had on VO2 max Capacity.

To cut a long story short, Tabata found that over a six week period with two groups working out 5 days a week, the moderate intensity group improved their VO2 max by 10% but then had marginally or even no effect on anaerobic fitness. On the other hand the high intensity group improved VO2 max to 14% but a huge leap of 28% for the anaerobic capacity. This system was brought to my attention from one of the parents and I thought it fitted in really well with the training schedule. From start to finish the whole routine only took fifteen minutes.

Training has started well and the players are looking forward to competing at the NIA for the Heart of England. Weights are checked and looking ok, ish!! Carly, our strength and conditioning coach has it all in hand, a good nutritional diet has been sorted out for them, and it’s not too much of an issue as I know they have just returned from holiday. Still working on fundamental movements as part of the class warm up instils and builds on the foundations of judo, plus it gives them a good sweat.

Each session will try and drive the players into knowing what they are actually looking for from hajime (start fighting), along with speed of transition from standing to ne waza (ground techniques) and also controlling the space between themselves and their opponent. Some good strategies and tactics were put into place and it was good to see that the Heart of England showed some very good signs that progress was going well.
Each player knew their task was going to be hard, especially the ones going into a higher age bracket, this mainly effects last year’s top C players going into D band.

Heart of England
This was a mixed bag for the club, with some great performances and some that needed tweaking for the Nationals, but previous HofE comp’s rang in my ears when the club had been very successful there and then went on to have a disastrous Nationals. So keeping the pressure off was the key and let them use it as a gauge as to where they were as far as preparation was going for the Nationals. They looked relatively fit, so training seemed to be going well, a couple of potential throws of the day, one being Matt Kavanagh’s seoi otoshi, superb.

After the traditional warm up from Mark, the players were ready to go, without their knowledge I was implementing the Hajime-Matte model that is being rolled out by the England squad managers. I like to see plenty of movement from the players so tasks of manipulating their opponents from certain positions around the mat were given without actually throwing. Dropping their weight and using good posture and footwork to pressure their opponents backward, feeling the resistance then again, dropping their weight to bring their partners on. This proved very useful, and each player seemed to adapt very well with pressuring and feeling direction.

Working in fours with one out the front, the other three players in turn tried to tie up tori (attacker out front) with a heavy overhead powerful grip. Tori would then try to manipulate his attackers with movement, using their body weight to create movement. This was really good to see being implemented at the Heart of England, each player has good judo, so developing their tactical and mental strength is very important.

This comp does not do us any favours coming so close after the holidays, we had a couple of players that had a couple of days to prepare after returning from their hols, but hey ho, all clubs have this problem I suppose. The youngsters moving up to D band had a mixed day, Richard, returning from his holidays was still there I think  well, in mind anyway. Matthew however was looking good, and arguably had the throw of the day, going on to win a bronze medal, a great achievement for Matt in his first Comp in that category. Maddy fighting in the Senior event looked very sharp, this being her first comps since her shoulder injury in March, taking a 5th place, just running out of steam and composure.

DJ was on form and showed a marked improvement in closing the gap when attacking, nothing like hard work to get improvements, it was good to see the difference in his attacks, positioning played a big part, much better on his behalf!! Although a weak attack in the final let his opponent in with some good transition work to hold DJ for the 25 second ippon (ten point win)

Charlie was a star on the day, seems to be getting better and better, again some self belief would go a long way in his development. Lots of movement and a lot of directional changes see Chaz dominating his space. This was a different player from last year, a bit more training, but he knows that, a good 5th place from Chaz. Some flashes of brilliance came from young James, but I do hold my hands up and forget he has only just come up from A band. Definitely a star of the future, he is getting faster and his technique is coming on and is strong as an Ox, a 5th place from James was well earned. Duncan probably had the least training time out of all the players, being a talented Rugby player and playing at a high standard robbed him of the right preparation for the HofE and the Nationals, but he accepted that and enjoyed the day.

Kelly was back on form, training was going well and she went in with a positive attitude. Reaching the final with relative ease, Kelly fought a controlled final to win the gold medal. All in all not a bad comp, but more than that gave everyone a clear prospective of where they were with their training.
It’s getting darker earlier now and the Tabata training may have to be cut a couple of weeks short of the Nationals, just for safety reasons. Don’t want an ankle twisting in a rut out on the field, a little more intense training on the mat with Mark should keep their fitness.

We decided it was best Chloe didn’t do the HofE as her shoulder was not 100%, a few more weeks should do the trick. Things are looking good, the players are looking fit and fast, it will all be in their and the referee’s hands. The last few weeks are handed over to the players, they know best how each of their rivals fight and feel, they pin point the problems they have and then we devise our game plans. It was good to see their confidence grow. Pressure training in these situations worked well, and the players looked happy with the sessions. It is not always possible to get the ideal grip and I believe a lot of opportunities are lost because the player has only 1 aim, to get his grip for their pattern of throws, but players are so adept at keeping grips off that it would destroy any judo you had. So, back up techniques, sode tsuri komi goshi, uki goshi and eri seoi nage are ideal techniques to use.
Following the Nationals I asked the players to give some anonymous feedback to me on how they felt training had gone leading up to the Nationals.

“I felt the sessions leading up to Nationals has been well thought out. I liked the fact we did lots of fitness exercises and randori a long time before the Nationals with different grip fighting and randori situations to get us ready to fight anyone. Then the last few lessons we got to work on the techniques and different situations we wanted to do that we knew we’d come across at Nationals so we were prepared”

“I think the training leading up to the Nationals has helped me with my judo. It has helped me to know what I want in a fight and not to go out there with nothing in your head. It has also helped me to deal with situations when I’m not in control so I can get in control. The training has also helped me to learn to protect the training has also me learn to protect from certain moves on the ground. The training also helped me see different ways to attack my opponent”

All in all not a bad Nationals as far as performance's go!!!

Bushido Class Master Easter Competition, Tonbridge

2010-03-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ford judo clubs youngster travelled to Bushido's Easter Competition held in Tonbridge, Kent the weekend.
Following in the footsteps of their more experienced club mates the 8 players ranging from the ages of 8 to 11 were competiing alongside 300 other competitors from around the south and south east took part in the event.

The inexperienced team see some exceptional performance especially from Dolce Jones. Dolce, 8, was taking part in her first competition. In a pool of 5 players Dolce won 3 of her 4 fights with maximum 10 point wins, giving her 30 point total. A great performance and a gold medal for Dolce.
The day started well for the Ford players with the first 4 players winning gold medals, they were Dolce, Isaac Gauld-Monseguz, Bret Jones and Joseph Kelly all producing fine performances to take the top spot.

Lewis Fong and Martia Medaglia both produced some good judo to win Silver medals, with Thomas Medaglia and Connor Schaffer both winning fights to take home bronze medals.

This is a great development competition for the Ford players, and all performed well gaining valuable experience to take back to the club giving inspiration to their club mates.

Well Done Everybody

Bill...

North West

2010-02-28T14:25:00.001-08:00

Saturday:- Charlie Jackson -42kg, flashes of brilliance from Charlie after a disastrous start, after losing his first fight Charlie went on to look impressive in his next 2 bouts. Controlling and maintaining good posture Charlie showed some mature judo winning both fights in good style. His 4th was hard fought but Charlie lost out on dubious decision from the 3 flags of the referees.

DJ Irving -38kg was in fine form and looked totally in control using excellent ne-waza to win his first 2 fight in quick time. In a extremely hard category DJ worked his way to the final. This was to be against the National Champion, it turned out an exciting bout with opportunities from both sides to score but good defence from both kept the scores at bay until his opponent caught DJ for ippon. A very well earned silver for DJ

Duncan Ward -60kg could not find his form from the Midlands. Carrying injuries into a competition at this level is difficult but Duncan showed his fighting spirit by fighting hard and with determination. It is always good to reflect after each performance and I know Duncan has done this and is more positive for the future.

James O'shea -55 A band, continues to show his promise for the future by giving another strong performance. Its clear James has a good judo brain and learns from each mistake that is made which will strengthen his judo ability for the future, a well earned silver from James.

Sunday. Richard Jackson also was under par for this competition. A bug picked up seemed to have drained Richard of the endless energy he had at the Midlands, an important comp for Richard as it was selections towards the Cadet Europeans. A 7th place for Richard which I know he will be disappointed with but hopefully it will make him stronger.

Matt Kavanagh -73kg Seems to be settling into his new weight category very well. 2 competitions and 2 medals, a bronze medal to go with his Silver from the Midlands. Matthew still has a few KG's to spare and this will enhance his performance in the future. Again Matt has been reflecting and has targets for the Cadet European trials which should get him peaking for the event.

Kelly Staddon -52kg, Kelly took part in a new weight category for her and did not look out of place in this weight. Winning her way to the final with ease. The final came to an abrupt end when Kelly was strangled, a little in experienced showed when the defence to the strangle was omitted. A good performance from Kelly, bodes well for the future for her and gave her important ranking points for the forth coming trials. Silver for Kelly.

Tom Williams -81kg, Tom looked in unstoppable form, winning his weigh with great control and technique. Tom through his fulltime training at Camberley is maturing into a top class player. This is an important year for the 18 year old as he is looking at being the number 1 ranked player to be picked for the Junior World and Junior Championships to be held later this year. Gold for Tom

Chloe Jackson -52kg, a complement for Chloe as she is making all the other girls in the weight raise their game. Still on form showed her fitness and speed by providing a barrage of attacks on her opponents. The final see Chloe against her rival from almost every competition she has competed in, changing her tactics to allow consideration for the new leg grab rules, Chloe dominated to take the gold by all 3 flags after the fight went to decision.

Maddy Chapman -57kg, this was a learning curve for myself and Maddy, although I had coached Maddy on previous occasions over the last few years, never for Ford. A strong performance from Maddy which will stand her in good stead for the future, after another dubious decision from the referee's Maddy was penalised out in golden score in the semi finals. A strong performance gained Maddy the bronze medal.

10 competed 2 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.... good result.....

Happy New Year to you All

2010-01-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

Well its been a little while so I thought I would fill you in on what has been happening. I have finally finished working for BT after 23 years of service to start a new venture. I am using my 45 years of judo experience to take judo into the local schools of Havering on a self employed basis. Unfortunately the schools I should have started this week are closed due to the weather conditions.
It has been a hectic time these last few months and I know that will continue for a while longer while I get established and show the benefits of judo in the local education system....

Ford Judo Club is going from strength to strength gaining more new members every week, its getting full to bursting. Some great little players look like they may come through, all looking good for the future squad players...

I will endevour to find time to keep my blog up to date this year.
I hope its a good one for you all, my best wishies for 2010 go out to you all...

Bill...

Flanders International Belgium

2009-11-03T01:01:00.000-08:00

5 players represented Ford judo club in Belgium the weekend with mixed results, from under performing to rising to the challenge and giving personal best performances.
Kelly Stadden competing in the -48kg was under par losing 2 of her fights then withdrawing from the 3rd due to a knee injury. Tom Williams -81kg competed in the under 20 section and the 18 year old looked impressive. Dominating his first fight and winning comfortably. His second was against an opponent he had met previously. His low wrestling style of judo spoilt William's upright judo this and took him out of his rhythm, a low leg grab from Williams opponent gained a minor score which he could not recover from, new rule changes due in 2010 will prohibit this style of judo which will bode well for the pure judoist. Tom won his next 2 fight convincingly but unfortunately came up against the same opponent he had lost to earlier, although a much better fought fight, the outcome was the same.

Sunday had 3 members fighting, Matthew Kavanagh - 66kg, Richard Jackson - 55kg and Chloe Jackson -52kg. Matthew beat the strongest 2 players in his pool but seemed to run out of steam in his 3rd just losing out on a minor score. His next fight which he needed to win to progress was over to soon when he was caught with a throw gaining maximum points to knock Matthew out of the competition. The 2 players he had beat progressed out of the pool and on to compete for medals.

Richard Jackson was on fine form, looking fit and fast and carried a positive attitude throughout his bouts. He won his first fight controlling his opponents with his grips and using forceful attacks to win by points, he then battled well on his next but lost to the eventual winner. This was a particular hard competition with 15 countries competing and the task was made harder as only one bronze medal was being contested for when normally there are 2. Jackson won his next 3 fights which would normally have given him 3rd position but not this time, the two 3rd place players had to fight off, a small mistake and a loss of control gave his opponent the upper hand and a small knock down resulted in Jackson getting pinned to lose the fight, but this was a solid performance from Jackson and produced one of the throws of the day.

No relation But Chloe Jackson was running on high from her recent National Championship title, Jackson won her first fight in 7 seconds with a lightning fast throw, this put her against one of 2 strong French players, this was closely contested, both giving their all. No score in normal time see Golden Score time added, first to score wins, this was to go against Jackson which only left a possible bronze medal to contend for. Winning her next fight meant she had to meet the other French player who had seemed to be the better of the 2 French girls. Knowing this was for the bronze medal and the last fight of the day, all eyes were on her mat. Finding her form once again she hit the French Player with very strong attacks, one of which gained Jackson 7 points, from here she pinned her opponent to finish the fight and gain maximum points. Her medal was presented by Neil Adams MBE, 2 times World Champion and 2 times Olympic Silver medallist.

The K2 Venue at Crawley hosted an Orange belt and under competition which gave the clubs less experienced players a chance to take part in a grade restricted tournament of Orange belt and under.

First up for was Thomas Medaglia, who again put in a good performance and although he lost both of his contests, fought some high graded fighters and gained some invaluable experience. James Allen was next up, competing well and displaying some great judo also showed that he has learnt from his last couple of competitions by eradicating a couple of technical issues, and in his second fight, was leading well until being caught by a very debatable ten point score which ended his progress. Next it was the girls turn with Martia Medaglia. Despite just about moving up to the next weight she showed great determination and fought against much more experienced girls, and took home a well deserved Bronze medal. Then Alana Stephenson fought amazingly well. Winning her first fight by maximum ten points in under ten seconds, and then her second fight with a 7 point throw, following the girl down to hold her to complete the maximum score. In the final, she faced a girl who beat her a couple of weeks ago. Alana fought extremely well, and took the fight to her opponent, but unfortunately lost by a small point in golden score, a fantastic performance by her. Finally, Sarah Allen took the gold medal in her merged category, fighting some girls a lot bigger than her, the highlight being her 1st fight showing real grit to dig deep and throw a much taller girl for two 7 point scores which gave her the outright win, and once again showed that when she is determined she can produce the results that we know she is capable of.

A great effort by all the kids.

Bill...

National Championships Sheffield

2009-10-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

Ford Judo Club have 3 new National Champions after they gave fantastic performances at the weekend at Sheffield. The 3 Havering youngsters showed their class beating all their opponents. The Olympic Combat Sport requires fitness, strength, speed and flexibility to overcome their opponents and all 3 of the Ford players demonstrated these elements to win all their bouts. Matthew Kavanagh 15, was fighting in the -66kg division, winning his first 4 fights, winning his first fight in an amazing 8 seconds throwing his opponent for a maximum ten points, this earned a place in the final, which was to be a repeat of the Heart of England final which was held at the NIA Birmingham which Matthew had won. The final was hard fought and Matthew went down a score halfway through the fight, but kept his composure to throw his opponent for a greater score with 20 seconds to go to take the National title.

Chloe Jackson - 52kg was on great form, looking fit and fast. Chloe worked her way through her first 3 opponents, dominating each fight with great control. Her speed and strength along with her technical ability gave her 3 victories to take her into the final. This was to be a repeat of the final from last year against the same opponent where Chloe had to withdraw in the early stages of the fight with a broken arm. Chloe put this out of her mind and concentrated on the task ahead. The fight was to go into golden score as neither player had a score at the end of normal time so 2 minutes of sudden death judo was to come, after a barrage of attacks from Chloe she threw her opponent for a 5 point score to take the title. Both Chloe and Matthew work with Carly Green, a strength and conditioning coach at David Lloyds, this really paid off for them.

Tom Williams fighting in the -81kg looked in great shape, the 18 year old moves a step closer to be in number one position for next years Junior World Championships. Tom won his first 2 fights convincingly then met the number one Scottish player, this was to be a great fight with Tom picking up a score against him. Keeping focused he lifted his game throwing his opponent for maximum score. His next fight was to be the semi finals against an old adversary, these are usually great battles that could go either way, but it went Tom's way with Tom throwing him for maximum score in the early stages of the bout. The final was a repeat of the UK School Games final in August which Tom also won. Totally dominating the fight it looked very one sided with Tom's constant attack, although his opponent avoided being thrown for a score, picked up enough penalties to make Tom National Champion. Tom is at Camberley Judo Centre training full time in preparation for the Junior World Championships and setting his sights of an Olympic place.

Brandon Tutthill -55kg, Brandon who is part of the England Talent Squad found himself in a new age category which did not cater for his former weight which was -50kg so had to fight up a class. Brandon's first fight was against the final winner, although giving away a lot of weight Brandon gave a great performance. The lose put Brandon in the knockout section, here he showed the confidence he had gained from the previous fight and went on to win his next 2 bouts with excellent performances. His forth fight was against the Scottish number 1, a mistake from Brandon was capitalised by his opponent who pinned Brandon to take the points, a great performance for Brandon.

Kelly Staddon -48kg and Richard Jackson -55kg Narrowly missed out on medals taking 5th places, both players missed out loosing their semi final matches by referee's decision as no score was gained in their fights the referee awarded the fights to their opponents. Also Danny Irving -38kg and Charlie Jackson -42kg both showed improvement in their contest judo gaining much needed experience in large events. Both players came away with a win under their belts and are eager to use this experience to further their competition judo.

The club members now join James O'shea who won the A Band Nationals the week before. Four National Champions, a great performance and hopefully will give encouragement to their club mates who are training hard along side the Champions..

Bill Taylor

Didn't You All Do Well

2009-10-07T03:50:00.000-07:00

Another National Champion for Ford Judo Club, James O'Shea gave an impressive performance at the Goresbrook Sports Centre where the age banded National Judo Championships were being held. 11 year old James beat all 4 of his opponents by maximum score to take the over 46kg title. James who weighed in at 50kg was giving away 10kg in the final but produced a fantastic throw in the early stages of the fight to take the title, hopefully this bodes well for his club mates who are participating in the older age bands this weekend at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield. Also taking part were James Allen and James Cliff, both gave very good performances in what were very high calibre weight categories, and are sure to be contenders for the future.

Also The National Masters Championships were being held at Goresbrook on the Saturday, Good performance came from George Madrick, Kenny Wickens and Mike Allen who was placed 5th in the -100kg division, which was a good result as Mike usually contested the -90kg division.

Nicky Jackson who is training for her UKCC level 1 Coaching award was competing in her first veteran competition and although picking up a elbow injury in her last fight had done enough to secure the bronze medal position, a good result for Nicky which should secure her place on the Masters National Squad.

Tom Williams continues his International success winning a Bronze medal in Alicante, Spain. Tom is showing his potential for 2012 competing in a Senior event and medalling even though he is still classed as a Junior Player, just turning 18. Tom will be favourite to win his place in the -81kg division to compete in next years Junior World Championships.

Bill...

A Busy Weekend...

2009-09-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

It was a very busy and successful weekend for Ford Judo Club, with 3 competitions being contested by the club. The UK School Games were being held in Swansea and Chloe Jackson -52kg weight division was fighting for England while Tom Williams was competing in the -81kg division. Tom had the privilege of being captain of the boys team, an honour he relished. Tom narrowly missed out last year winning a Silver medal in the final, he made sure that was not going to happen again and went on to win the final bout for gold medal position.

Chloe Jackson was a bronze medal winner, losing out to another English girl in the dying seconds of the bout, a lack of concentration let her opponent in to make a minor score but was enough to prevent Chloe going through to the final, but a good performance was given by Chloe throughout the day.

Trials were held at the High Wycombe judo centre Saturday, with 6 players competing for a place in the National Championships to be held at the EIS Sheffield in early October. With some strong performances from Richard Jackson and Matthew Kavanagh who were both on top form. Tom Williams and Chloe Jackson, both got automatic entry as they were representing their country when the trials were being fought.

Danny Irving, Charlie Jackson, Brandon Tutthill and Kelly Staddon all won their place to compete in the national championship.

The busy schedule continued as the club members travelled to Birmingham to compete in the Heart of England Championships at the NIA. This is a huge competition and is a point scoring event for the National squads of the home countries and a forerunner to the national championships. The morning had Julianne Florey competing in the senior section +78kg. Julianne was carrying a wrist injury which prevented her giving the performance she was capable of but fought hard. The young 12-13 year olds see Sarah Allen, Danny Irving and Charlie Jackson competing. This was to be Sarah's first major competition and although nerves created some minor mistakes fought extremely well. As did Danny Irving, despite picking up a large bump on his cheek bone Danny fought well, building on his performance from the previous day.

Richard Jackson started well competing in the 15-16 year old section, winning his first 2 fights and was looking sharp but failed to find his for his next 2 fights but produced a 7th place. Kelly Staddon -48kg, was looking strong, and was controlling her fights extremely well in the 15 to 16 year old section, winning her first 3 fights to get to the final, Kelly was the younger of the 2 players and a small mistake was enough to let her opponent in to win the fight, but it was a well earned Silver for Kelly.

The 2 remaining players were fighting in the same age band, Brandon Tutthill was on supreme form competing in the -50kg division. He displayed a wide and varied array of techniques to take apart his opponents, a very good days work for Brandon taking gold.

Matthew Kavanagh to displayed a peak performance, -66kg. The work the players strength and conditioning coach, Carly Green of The David Lloyd centre has been doing with the players really showed as Matthew dominated all 5 of his opponents, Matthew threw all for the maximum 10 points in each of his fights, the equivalent to a knockout in boxing, he too won Gold.

All in all it was a good performance from the Ford Judo Club Players that are based at Bretons Farm, Upper Rainham Road, and the mistakes made will hopefully be ironed out for the National Championships in October.

Bill...

Ford 2 Day Training Sessions

2009-09-04T04:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the players that attended th 2 day sessions on the Bank Holiday weekend, Especially Eric who travelled all the way from Manchester. Thank you to the visiting coaches and parents, I hope they can all take away something from the weekend. Also to the clubs support team, as hard working as ever to make it happen.
Any feed back by the comments button would be appreciated, good or bad, in preparation for the next one.

Bill...

Dave Starbrook

2009-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

30 Aug '09 Open-Invitation Coaching Session & Randori

Dave Starbrook (9th Dan, Olympic silver and bronze medalist, multiple World and European champion) will be giving an open-invitation coaching session with open randori to be held at the University of London Union Judo Club on August 30, 2009 from midday to 3 pm. The cost is £5. Contact tel. nr. 07836 335 468.
For location details please refer to the ULU Judo website (http://www.ulujudo.co.uk/index.htm) under ‘Contacts’.

Website: http://www.ulujudo.co.uk/index.htm

2 Day Training Sessions

2009-08-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the clubs that responded to our invite, it looks as though it will be well attended. Can all players remember to bring with them trainers and such for some out door fitness work.
Also pack lunch and plenty of fluid.

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Bill...

Pre National Trials & Heart of England Training Days

2009-07-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

There will be a 2 day Training sessions on the 29th / 30th of August from 10 till 4 o'clock both days. Please bring a pack lunch and plenty of fluids.

These sessions are aimed at players competing in the National Trials and Heart of England the following weekend (A, B & C Band)
The places are limited so please reserve a place as soon as possible please. You can call or email using the numbers on our website www.fordjudoclub.co.uk stating Sex, Weight and Grade.

Good luck, see you soon..

Bill...

National Teams

2009-07-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Chloe Jackson who won Gold in the National Team Championships fighting for the Northern Home Counties. Chloe fighting in the -52kg category won all four of her fights, competing in the junior team. A great result for Chloe and now the D Band is back in the Nationals Chloe she is looking forward to the year ahead.

Also well done toJulianne Flory who was fighting in the Open weight for the London Senior Womens team, they took a 5th place. Julianne who has just come out of the junior section was against formidable players such as Simone Collander. Feed back is reassuring Julianne is making good progress.

Bill...

Summer Closure

2009-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Just to let you all know, the club will be closed for the summer break from the 27/07.09 until 17/08/09

We will be holding a 2 or 3 training days during the end of the holiday period in preparation for the National Trials and the Heart of England. I will publish the dates within the next few weeks, this will be non residential.

Class Masters Invitation Competition Tonbridge

2009-07-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

It was the turn of Ford Judo clubs little ones today and I came away pleasantly surprised. Starting the day was tiny Samuel Woodgate, all 17kg of him. Fighting 3 much bigger boys he gave a brave performance and really tried things we had been working on. He earned himself a Bronze medal and a 'Spirit of Judo Award'.

Also, twins Amy and Jade Dennis were up against bigger girls, but they were giving them a really good pull around working hard to break their partners balance, both picked up bronze medals.

Issac Gauld-Monseguz was back on form, looking very strong for his tiny frame was impressive with his fast transition, holding 2 of his 3 opponents and throwing the other to take Gold.

Joseph Kelly was an eye opener. Looking like he had been around for years gave a great performance showing a good range of judo. Joe listened to what was being instructed to him, at such a young age it was impressive, Joe won Gold.

Lewis Fong was taking part in his first comp as was most of the other players and it took his first couple of fights for him to get into the swing of things, he did exactly as planned for his last fight and looked good, winning with a knockdown and good transition gave him the hold which won him the fight.

Bailey Kirkham was on great form winning his first 2 fights with ease. It was clear to see Bailey had learnt from his weeks of training. He was to fight a boy who had also won both his fights in the final, Bailey lost out but took a well earned Silver and also a lesson learnt from the defeat.

Harry Cleminson was probably our most inexperienced player only doing judo a few weeks but displayed great determination and controlled his opponents fantastically. Looking very strong, he controlled with his grips and moved his players in to some great positions. Harry won his 3 fights and would have won Gold but in a pool of 5 lost his last fight But still earned himself a Silver medal.

Matthew Gallagher, who has just earned his yellow belt was put into the orange belt section as they were the nearest weight, the difference in the grade did show but Matthew put up 2 good fights but their experience was too much for him, he did earn himself a Bronze medal and a 'Spirit of Judo Award'
This was an inexperienced team for Ford but things look good for the future, these young ones will follow in the footsteps of our young England Squad Players...... WELL DONE EVERYONE

Bill,,,

Kent International

2009-06-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

We found ourselves back at the home of judo at Crystal Palace at the weekend competing at the Kent International. We were all hoping that the millions spent on the centre would bring it into the 21st century but unfortunately not, it was still sweltering hot in there, so everyone had to keep well hydrated.
Saturday see the younger players competing and for some it was only their second comp so was a good insight as to the levels they need to aspire to.

James O'Shea, the youngest member of the Ford Squad, showed flashes of brilliance and a good sign for the future, a very nice harai maki komi at lightning speed disposed of one of his players for ten.

After a little hic cup in his first fight George Seaton executed a fast twitch to throw his opponent for ten, George won a silver medal. Jack Carter had a tough group but put in a good performance, and came away a little wiser as did Reece Gould who had only competed in the Ford Comp prior to this, winning one of his fights to win a bronze in a round robin contest.

Charlie Jackson also had a mixed day, he is working hard on his posture and technique producing a couple of good wins to finish in 5th place. His brother Richard was looking sharper and controlled his players throughout his matches, fighting well Richard won his place in the final against a strong Dutch boy. A lack of concentration in the first seconds of the fight see an end to Richards Gold medal hopes.
Matthew Kavanagh also had a strong group but that is only to be expected at a competition of this standard. Matt battled his way to the semi finals where he met a Dutch player, unfortunately after a tough battle, Matt lost the fight and dropped down to compete for bronze. Here Matt was to meet an opponent he beat earlier, although a close fight again, Matthew did not get the result, a hard earned 5th place for Matt.

Sunday see our 2 Senior players Competing, Julianne Flory and Tom Williams, both players are young and Tom now training full time at Camberley Judo Centre is still only 17. Both just missed out on medals taking 5th places. A big step up with 5 minute fights and unfortunately the way the officials do the sheets Tom had 3 hard fights on the trot with only 5 minutes rest in between. Luckily this wouldn't normally occur in a foreign international, Tom knows where his improvements lays and is in the right place to address the issues.

Julianne has took a step up recently and is competing amongst top players from home and abroad. The improvements are there after each performance and she has a clear indication of what she wants and what she has to do to make things happen.

All in all not too bad, I as a coach need to see technique and tactics that have been worked on implemented into competition, this is what I want to see more so than medals. We are on the right track, its a case of getting and being consistent...

Bill

Harlow Under 8 Festival

2009-06-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

3 under 8 players visited Harlow Judo Club to take part in a Festival of Judo. The three 6 year olds had a great time and the competition gave them a good opportunity to try and put into practice what they have been learning at their club. Some grit and determination was shown giving some good performances.
The players were Isaac Monsegue Silver, Samuel Woodgate Bronze and Sophie Pinkney Bronze. This gives a good opportunity to reflect to see whether the children are concentrating in their lessons and trying things they have been shown.

Baby Girl

2009-05-14T02:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all, just to let you all know I am now a granddad... (pops) Vikki gave birth this morning to a baby girl, Jesamine, 7lb 9oz.. Probably be a 57kg player I think, ha ha ha.. Vinny, the proud father said mum and baby are doing well..

Cheers all

Bill...

ALL CLEAR

2009-04-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE HEARD TODAY THAT BUILDING WORK WILL NOT DISRUPT OUR TRAINING SESSION SO JUDO WILL BE ON AS NORMAL!!

BILL...

ANNOUNCEMENT

2009-04-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, we have just been informed we can not access the club this Thursday 30/04/09 due to building works. Sorry for the short notice, but we to have only just heard. Also as it is Bank Holiday Monday, there is non this Monday either.

Bill...

New Address

2009-04-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Bretons Outdoor Centre / Social Club
411 Rainham Road • Romford • RM13 7LP

Mondays
Beginners 6.30 - 7.30
Juniors 7.30 - 8.30
Seniors 8.30 - 10.30

Thursdays
Beginners 6.30 - 7.30
Juniors 7.30 - 8.30
Seniors 8.30 - 10.30

Carly's Update

2009-04-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

Please click on the chart to open it up for viewing.

Carly's Corner

2009-04-09T06:39:00.001-07:00

ATTENTION

2009-03-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

We have been informed by Harliquins that the hall is required on the 20th of March so there will be no judo that night. Members of the beginners class are welcome to come Wednesday 18.03.09 not to miss their training.

Bill...

North West Age Banded Championships

2009-03-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

9 players from the club travelled to St Helens, Liverpool. This was the second of the major home country championships which is used for selection for Co option on to the National squad and also selections for trials for the Cadet European Championships which are being held in Slovenia in June.
Saturday had our younger players competing and all put in great performances, Charlie Jackson just missing his weight category by .2 kgs fought in a new higher division and fought extremely well and both Duncan Ward and James O'shea showing great promise winning 2 of their 4 fights each.
DJ Irving was on great form representing our lightest category, -34kg, with a bad refereeing decision stopped dj's chances of gaining a place in the final, DJ kept his composure to win his next fight to gain a bronze medal.
Kelly Staddon added to her Gold medal from the Midland Championships recently another Gold, Kelly was impressive showing her strength & Conditioning program she is working to is paying off as she looked fast and strong.
Sunday had Ford's elder players where armlocks and strangles are permitted as well as throws and pins.
3 of the 4 players gained places in the final all of which are on the England Talent Squad. They were Tom Williams, Chloe Jackson and Brandon Tutthill.
Both Tom and Chloe gained Silver medals, both were disappointed with how the finals went with errors being made from both players resulting in their loss, lessons learnt as part of their development.
Brandon Tutthill was on confident form and looking sharp, his transition work from standing to ground work was impressive strangling two of his 3 opponents in to submission, with his 3 win coming from a clean 10 point win throw.
Matthew Kavanagh, showed true grit after a long trip back from a skiing trip with his school, travelled up to liverpool the same day to fight the following day.
His first fight see Matthew suffer from the travelling just losing to a fellow England squad member. Matthew dug deep to go on to win all his next 4 fights to win bronze, a great effort...
All in all a good weekend for Ford Judo Club, gaining 6 medals from the 9 players entered, a good start to the year so far.

Bill

ATTENTION

2009-03-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

We have been informed by Harliquins that the hall is required on the 9th of March so there will be no judo that night. Squad players and Seniors can participate in the technical and randori session at Dartford if they wish, I know several of the members will be going there.

Bill...

Carly's Corner

2009-02-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 25th Feb.

Firstly let me start by saying hi and thank you for welcoming me onto the Ford Judo Club blog. Before we go into the achievements of the athletes I am currently working with I thought it may be helpful to summarise my role. After spending 4 years at uni studying to become a Sports Rehabilitator (GSR) I found myself venturing into Strength & Conditioning and qualifying as a certified Strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS)

The Scope of Practice for a CSCS

Coaches with the specialist skills and competencies for planning and implementing training programmes for performance. It results in physical adaptations through integrating fitness components, which compliments other aspects of the performer's development. This includes, though not exclusively, strength, speed, power, endurance, agility and flexibility. Effective programming in strength and conditioning presents the best synergistic combination for optimum development in sport whilst preventing the risk of injury.

Athletes Development

I am currently working with Chloe Jackson, Frankie Goulding, Julianne Flory, Kelly Staddon, Matthew Kavanagh, Richard Jackson & Charlie Jackson on a weekly basis. Most sessions are shared between 2 athletes and this is for their primary strength & conditioning. The majority also attend the “Young Athlete Development Programme” that takes place on a Monday evening at 5.30pm. In this group session the athletes are trained on their cardio-vascular fitness, Core conditioning, stability & flexibility.

During their Str. & Con sessions the focus is on resistance training. I plan to bring you regular updates on the athlete’s progress including body fat % and current strength/ power improvements.

Carly
carlygreen01@hotmail.com

ATTENTION

2009-02-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Harlow Age Banded Competition

2009-02-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

Saturday see our younger players competing in an age banded competition at Sumners Sport Centre in Harlow.
The groups were under 8 year olds, Red Belts and yellow belt groups. For all but 1 yellow belt player it was their first taste of competition judo and for the 4 players in the under 8 section proved to be a great day for Ford. All 4 players were only aged 6 and had only been practicing for several weeks but there joy and enthusiasm shone through as 3 of them won gold medals and one obtained silver and that was because 2 Ford players had to compete against each other, so a great day for them.

Under 8's
Issac Monsegue Gold
Samual Woodgate Gold
Sophie Pinkney Gold
Michael Turner Silver

In the red belt section see great efforts from each Ford player, although it is classed as beginners, some taking part could have been doing judo a few years, most players do not grade until they are 8, but we choose this well established competition to teeth our players teeth on. I was very pleased with their performances, giving the more experienced opponents a good fight and winning over the players that were more on their level.

Red Belts
Vitaly Silver
Billie Sampson Bronze
Jamie Sampson Bronze
Luke Pinkney Bronze
Harry Johnson Bronze

Some well seasoned players in the yellow belt section and some great action, James was one of the smaller players in his group but fought with heart and soul. Each fight was very close and could of gone either way, a good result for James as he has been of the mat a few months.
It has come to light that James had fought on with a dislocated shoulder, which he did in his first fight, what a trooper.

Yellow Belt
James Cliff Bronze

It is great to see the younster on the first rung of the ladder in following their older club mates in to competitive judo and bodes well with the clubs future withing the National Squad set up. Each and every one of them showed promising signs and especially Issac Monsegue winning 2 of his fights with perfect 10 point wins.

Bill...

The Midland Under 20 Championships

2009-02-05T03:53:00.000-08:00

9 players in all competed From Ford Judo Club with some excellent performance's.
In this age banded competition see A and B band players fight on the Saturday, these would be under 12 and under 14 years of age.

Out of the 5 players, 4 took medals, they were Kelly Staddon fighting in the -44kg weight division Gold, DJ Irving -34kg Silver, James O'shea -46kg (A band) Bronze and Charlie Jackson -38kg (A band) the 5th player, Duncan Ward was placed at 7th winning 2 of his 4 fights.

A special mention for Charlie Jackson who put in a very mature performance, only just losing out to the current National Champion in his first fight, he then went on to win his next 4 to take the Bronze medal, a great performance, on his birthday too.

Sunday see the older players, C and D banders, under 17 and 20 year olds. Ford had 4 players fighting in this extremely hard competition, which see two medals taken and two 7th places. Matthew Kavanagh fighting in his new weight category started well beating the current National champion in golden score (extra time), an extremely exhausting fight for both players. Matthew won 3 of his 5 fights to gain the 7th place. Richard Jackson -50kg seemed a little under par on the day but still battled hard to try and pull back points that were awarded against him early in to the fights, Richard was Knocked out at the 7th place position but is determined to make amends in the forth coming event up at Liverpool.

Brandon Tutthill -46kg seemed to be on fine form, and looking very impressive, making easy work of his first 2 fights which got him to the semi finals, Brandon controlled the fight and took an early lead but a lack of concentration for a split second see the contest lost as Brandon was thrown for a 10 point score, a lesson learnt from that experience. Brandon then went on to win his next fight which gave him the Bronze medal position, on the whole, a very good performance.

Frankie Goulding-90kg, made light work of his first opponent but was feeling a little poorly, this was evident with his next fight against a lad he had never lost to before, Frankie, looked a little out of salts lacking any kind of speed in his judo, the loss knocked Frankie out of the semi finals and in to the Bronze medal position, again, not looking 100% Frankie still dug deep to produce a knockout throw to put him on the rostrum.

Arlon

Also, Chloe Jackson was fighting for Great Britain at Arlon, in Belgium. Chloe had a great performance fighting in the Junior Under 20 squad winning out of her pool in to the quarter finals where she met the Belgian National Champion. Although Chloe, 16, lost this fight it is her first competitive fighting since injuring her wrist in October. A great result for Chloe and again one of the GB squads better performers on the day in that category.

Bill...

DUE TO BAD WEATHER

2009-02-02T02:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all, hopefully people read this blog?
There will be no judo tonight due to the weather conditions. If you have contact with anyone you know who may attempt to get there, please let them know it is not on.
Please watch this space for Wednesday...

Bill...

National Under 20 Trials

2009-01-11T02:01:00.000-08:00

Frankie Goulding and Tom Williams where the only Representatives from Ford as Chloe Jackson has only just returned to full training from the injury she received at the National Championships in October.
The day did not start too good with a lose from Tom. After starting the fight well and looking very sharp and alert. Tom dominated his opponent controlling him with good kumi kata. Then a lapse of concentration let his opponent drop in for a seoi nage, thinking he could ride it and looking for the shime waza, tom was cought for
10.
A mistake but, a lesson learned, he went on to win his next 4 fights to get him to the fight off for the bronze medal. Tom lost this fight to take a fith place but on the whole, after a mistake made, this to me was one of the best performances to come from Tom for a long time.

Frankie was looking sharp from the off, looking very strong and he had a good pace to his performance. maneuvering his partner he set him up for an explosive drop seoi nage for 10 points, a good positive start.
His next started much the same, as with Tom, both had vast improvements in their transition work. Frankie pull off a shime waza for 10 after dropping with his opponent after a failed attack, this was very concise and was very effective.
Reaching the semi final see Frankie against an old adversary with Frankie yet to get a win from their meetings. Frankies kumi kata has improved tremendously over the last year and controlled most of the fight. Again, a lack of concentration for a second , see his opponent drop for a kataguruma which scored ippon.
Frankie's next fight was for bronze, this was against a player that seemed almost a foot taller than Frankie and looking for the over head grip. He handled this well, although throwing in couple of lose attacks Frankie still manage to disrupt his opponents performance. Frankie snatched a quick grip and attacked simultaneously with a seoi nage, a very good 10 point score to take bronze.

All in all, a very good performance from the 2 Ford players and I believe when we look at the video analysis they will see a marked difference from past performances.

Well done boys

Bill...

Training Times For Friday 02.01.09

2008-12-31T03:09:00.000-08:00

There has been a change in times for Friday as a gymnastics class starts at 1 O'clock.
Training time will now start at 11 and finish at 1 O'clock. Can you leave a comment or text me please to let me know if you will be attending.

Thank you

Bill...

Training Times Over Christmas

2008-12-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

The club is opening for under 20 and Cadet training on the 27th and 28th of December from 12 noon till 2pm.
And again will be open same times on Tuesday 30th and Friday the 2nd of January.

Any questions call me on 07845030876
Leave a message if I don't answer please.

Bill...

Northern Home Counties Championships

2008-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday see 4 Ford players take part in the NHC Championships. Great performances from the players. It was a good oppertunity to try and put in to place some of the technical changes we have been doing in the club, it will take time but I'm sure the benefits will come when they become second nature.
Duncan Ward, -46kg, put in a great performance, the young 12 year old was in a pool of 4 but 1 withdrew leaving 2 14 year squad players in the pool. Duncan gave both a very good fight and it was only his lack of competitive experience that he got caught on the ground, something we can work on, considering the age difference, a great performance.

Richard Jackson -50kg, also had a good day, 3 strong wins see him see him in to the final. the fight was well fought but trying to engage movement and technique that had been worked on put Richard a little of key and just lost a very close fought contest to take silver.

Matthew Kavanagh, -60kg, had a good performance too, going up in to a new weight group See Matt winning through his group with very good command, implimenting moves we had been working on, a bit hesitent at times but this was due to getting his head around new stratages.. Matt won through to the final and face the current National Champion, It was an entertaining fight were Matt was caught early for a yuko score. Keeping the pressure up through the fight Matt got close, but not close enough, which gave Matthew the silver, a good performance.

Tom Williams, +81kg, had 2 other players in his both good players. His first fight was an 18 year old 105kg player, very strong but Tom handled him very well picking up a few minor scores with diferent techniques. A nice ippon came from Tom when his opponent put his weight in to an O Soto Gari, with great hands, Tom took control replaced his left foot and countered with an O Soto Gaeshi for a big ippon..
His second fight was a 90kg squad player again Tom dominated from the start producing a couple of minor scores before scoring wazari with sumi gaeshi and then another a few seconds later.. Good performance to take gold.

Well Done all...

Bill...

European Masters in Prague

2008-12-03T04:11:00.000-08:00

Myself and Mike Allen travelled out to Prague recently to compete in the European Masters. This was a well run competition in a new venue which held four mat area's and enough seating for about 1200 spectators, and was located about 15 minutes from the official hotel.
Mike had a hard draw with a very fit looking Frenchman first fight, Mike had a bye previously so could see what he was to be facing. The Frenchman was fast and strong but Mike was coping well until he dropped into a seoi nage, this was blocked and the Frenchman applied a strangle for a submission..Mike was pulled back in, then fought a tall Slovenian, Mike dominated the fight and with no golden score got all 3 flags. His next fight was against the Czech, a great performance see Mike win this comfortably.
We then had a repeat of the first fight, a Frenchman, a drop seoi nage and a strangle. a good performance and a 7th place...

I on the other hand, had a German first fight, I dont want to seem disrespectful and I know you cant go by looks but remember thinking, if I dont win this fight I'm retiring..
After a little grip fighting I set him up for a drop seoi nage and threw for 10.
My next was a Turk who had had a bye. I must admit, I did let him frustrate me, by just dropping all the time, 3 minutes was not long enough for me to get in to the fight. I received a penalty for pacivity and he received one for dropping, although in my opinion, he should of received another. Any, he got the decision on flags, he lost his next against the Russian which put me out..
NOTE TO SELF, MUST START DOING SOME JUDO!!

Bill...

Belgium and Holland Comp's

2008-10-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend see Ford Judo Club travelling to Holland to compete in 2 competitions, 1 in Belgium for the Flanders Cup and the other in Holland to Meilo. Saturday at Flanders was a mixed day, with some players looking a little out of salts while some strong performances were given by others. Kelly Staddon, although not complaining was feeling poorly and lacked her usual sparkle, even fighting well under par, it showed her mettle by getting in to the final but was not able to perform to her usual standard but credit to her still took silver.

Dru Oakes fighting Europes number one first fight was caught cold and was armlocked early in to the fight, although putting in a good performance on his second fight was unable to progress further.
Tom Williams got a couple of good wins under his belt before meeting Belguims number 1 player, unfortunately Tom received a penalty near the end of their fight for a infringement they were both doing, Tom had no choice but to chase the score. A good performance from Tom who is in a transition period trying to address his style of fighting..

Both Matthew Kavanagh and Richard Jackson fought well under their normal standard but this was accepted as a bad day and redemption was possible as they were both entered in the comp the next day..
Frankie Goulding had a good day, giving away a few kilo's in his category he never looked out classed in any of his fights. His semi final fight went in to golden score after the referee's neglected to award what was in my opinion a score before the final time. The fight went against Frankie in golden score but a good performane by Frankie.
He went on to win the bronze medal, giving a strong performance and some good judo..

Sunday at Meilo was a good day as judo was concerned. In my opinion it was some of the best judo I had seen from the age groups attending. Many ippon scores were being seen on each of the 6 mat areas and I believe this spurred on the Ford players to raise their game.
Charlie Jackson was the first to fight Having a bye first fight, with restrictions in place Charlie had to tighten up his performance, and he certainly raised his game, winning the next 3 fights to take gold.

Matthew and Richard were fighting at the same time but there timing was good as one finished the other was going on. Matthew had an extremely hard fist fight with his opponent attacking with strong seoi nage's but Matt was able to ride them and controlled the fight and went on to win. losing out in the semi finals Matt dug deep to put in a great performance to win the bronze medal.

Richard had a bye first fight and then caught his next opponent with a fast ippon seoi nage for ten in the first 30 seconds of the fight, next was the semi finals and again Richard dominated with his grips and unsettling his partner with some good judo.
Richards transition work in the final was superb and good to watch. After a knockdown Richard was able to turn his partner with a sangaku turnover, although Richard held on long enough for a yuko score his opponent escaped only for Richard to repeat the feat and hold for ten..

A contrast in the boys performances from the previous day, but it was more of a reflection on what they are capable of acheiving....

Well done to all, a great weekend overall..

Bill...

A Band Nationals

2008-10-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday the 5th of October see 3 players from Ford Judo Club travel to Walsall to take part in the under 12 National Championships. Charlie Jackson, Tom Thurston and James O'Shea all fought and hopefully one way or another come away wiser than before they fought? Charlie had a bad day and just did not have a chance to get in to his stride. The results of his 3 matches did not reflect in his judo ability at all, and we've heard it many times before, it was just one of those days..
James had some tough fights and was in a pool of 5. James is relatively new to competitive judo but made a good account of himself which bodes well for the future. James won his last fight securing him the Bronze medal..
Tom, also in a pool of 5 looked strong from the beginning, looking sharp and ready for action. He won his first 2 fights which would have been enough to put him through in the other pools which had four players. He then lost his next 2 unfortunately and was then knocked of of the comp.
I have high hopes for these players, they show committment and skill and are very eager to make it to the top..

Well done everybody..

Bill...

National Championships

2008-10-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well done to all who competed in this years National Championships. What a contrast to last year. Saturday see 5 Ford players fighting with great performances from all. Our 2 youngest, DJ Irving and Duncan Ward both gave their heart and soul with both of them placing. DJ gained a 5th place while Duncan a 7th, both very entertaining to watch and both gained essential experience for future competitions.
Great performances from our three squad players see all 3 gaining medals and valuable points to get them re appointed to the National squad.. Richard Jackson put in another strong performance and collected a Bronze medal to go along with the Bronze he won at the Heart of England.
Matt Kavanagh had a good days and was a far reflection of last years Nationals, much more focused and positive. matthew won his way through to the finals but I think the long wait between the rounds and the finals took its toll and Matt had lost a bit of his sharpness, but did very well to win the silver medal.
All 3 had some great throws on the day and Brandon Tutthill was ammong them, not sure what the referees were looking at but thanks to Mike Varey the photographer we had an instant reply of one of the best ippons of the day, but yes you guessed it, the ref's gave it wazari? Again a good perfromance from Brandon see him through to the finals.. Unfortunately, again Brandon was caught a little flat footed, a good Silver to go along with his Silver he earned at the Heart of England.

Sunday see the elder players fighting and the B and D band girls. Again, I was pleased with all their performances, it was touch and go whether Frankie and Dru would compete as both had picked up tummy bugs leading up to the weekend. I think this had a larger effect on Dru as he was not he's usual self, although he won 3 of his 5 matches he never really looked himself.
Mistakes are made to learn from and hopefully Frankie has learnt from his mitake in his first fight, completely dominating the fight and several scores ahead, including 1 wazari, Frankie attempted a very weak attack which his partner gladly took advantage of.. Frankie then came back putting that fight behind him to win the Bronze medal, a good performance.
Ryan had been given a task to go out and play his partners. Move and hit, move and hit.. His 1st fight see him against the evential silver medallist but gave him a great fight achieving what he set out to do, nearly catching his opponent in the opening seconds.. A good performance from Ryan and we hope he gets to reach the potential I know he has.
Tom's weight were called early and Tom was first up, although his opponent was at the same disadvantage as Tom, he seemed to cope with it better than Tom. After Tom collected a penalty, the fight slipped from his control.
After a little disagrement whether he did or did not want to continue, Tom returned to the fighting area and continued to win his way through to the Bronze medal.
Shaun Fauzens had a good day winning 4 of his six fights in a new weight category for him. A change in fighting style is required for Shaun and we see the biginnings of this at the weekend, a good effort and a 7th place gained.
Kelly Staddon too fought very well in her early rounds winning some in the first few seconds of the match. Her final pitched her against an opponent who Kelly had lost to at the H of E quite early in the fight with a nice ashi-waza. It was a much closer fight this time with Kelly doing much of the attacking, unfortunately they were not to be decisive enough for points. Another strong performance from Kelly and a well earned Silver medal.
Chloe Jackson was again on form and was looking forward to meeting some of the older girls in the group, although not 16 till November Chloe was a strong contender for the finals. She won though the quater finals to meet the Scottish player that had beat her in the H of E, controlling the fight very well and as planned, Chloe had won her place in the final. Unfortunately Chloe picked up a wrist injury in the first seconds of the fight but continued to fight on until the wrist got caught up in her opponents gi which then falsed Chloe to withdraw from the bout and visit the hospital where it was discovered she had a fracture of the Radius bone? just above the wrist...

All in all, apart from a couple of mishaps a good weekend, and if I believe the information I have received is correct finished 2 in the medal tally?
Good job everyone...

Bill...

Bills Funeral

2008-09-27T03:21:00.000-07:00

What a day!!! Bill would be smiling from one ear to the other with the send off he got. A very sad but beautiful day, the sun shone like it has not shone all year, so much warmth. I couldn't count how many people attended, far to many but each one did Bill proud. I know Bills family were so brave, it is hard to put in to words my admiration I have for all of them, all so strong...

I have attached a letter I received from Derek Hopkins...

Unfortnately I could not attend the Funeral but I thought I'd write something on Bill

I haven't known Bill Ward long and I don't know him very well but he will always be with me following one day in Toronto.

I lost my Father in May 2005 and fought at High Wycombe two weeks later and I was a disaster. So I go to the World Masters in Mississauga, Toronto not in the best of shape mentally. First round I have the previous years Gold medallist who beats me. So only a bronze to aim for. Then along comes Bill and he decides to be the matside coach. I think he was trying to be everyone's but he seemed to be mine.

We decide just to take things as they come and the 1st and second rounds were relatively easy - well I don't remember much anyway I only have video of one 16 second fight so...

Then comes the famous or infamous fight with Aziz Bendriss, who fights out of the NYAC Judo Club. We had a hard fight which Bill and I had decided I would fight tactically as Bill had seen that Aziz had won his previous fights by making his opponents look passive. So I worked hard and Aziz was given 2 shidos, I got a bit tired and I got one too. So scoreboard should say 2 Koka's to me and 1 to Aziz, but when the referee signals that Aziz as won we are dumbfounded to find that the scoreboard has the score 3 to 2 in Aziz's favor. Aziz says to the referee that this is wrong but he is waved away. Bill's first words are "Stay There, Do Not come Off" and stalks round the mat to the officials.

30 minutes I stand in the middle of the mat (well I think it was that long but it seemed longer) and Bill fought my case including finding video evidence that the scoreboard was incorrect and Aziz backing Bill up that the result was wrong. The result was changed and thanks to Bill and my opponent that fight is won.

Next fight with a Brazilian gets me a photo in The World of Judo thanks to Bob Willingham and Bills instructions from the side and into the Bronze medal fight. My opponent is a Canadian who won the weight category in Japan, George Jobb.

We have a very hard fight that due to neither of us being able score goes to golden score. Bill is giving me instructions the whole time giving me great confidence. Off we go again and Georg attacks with Uchi Mata and I counter with Ura Nage for Ippon. My wife goes nuts and a lot of others are very pleased.

I com off and thank Bill for his help and he then tells me that as I was doing the counter he was going NO, NO, NO, in his head and when we landed it was a big YES....

I met George at the World Masters this year and he asked where Bill was. After telling him that Bill was not well he told me that he remembered Bill as the only matside coach he did not want to have against him. Bill's constant instructions and insight into what my opponent was trying to do was in his words "a pain in the ass".

My thanks and thoughts will always contain Bill for that single day which we did for my Father.

Bless the man his smile and his Judo

Derek

Ron and Tracy Angus Bill Ward

2008-09-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have just receive an email from Ron and Tracy Angus who are Canadians. As you can see by the attached letter, another player that has fond memories of Bill...

Bill Ward

I’m greatly saddened by the news Bill Ward passed away. He was a long time friend and Club mate. In facted he was one of the first judoka to befriend me on my arrival in Great Britain in 1976. Bill often went out of his way to show me the ropes while training in London, England.

As a training partner I recall Bill as a tough and intense opponent, that in the middle of an intense fight would break into a big cocky boyish grin leaving you with the uneasy feeling he just craked the secret to how he was going to throw you.

After many years, I recently had the pleasure to catch up with Bill at the World Masters held in Canada. We talked of Families, jobs, and mortgages. Joking how we must be getting old as there was little to no talk of judo.

However while watching Bill that day and admiring that he still had his great tactical abilities, I was very pleased to see during a tough fight, Bill break into that BIG cocky smile, showing that the young man I new in the 70’s with the boyish enjoyment of competing was still strong and alive in him.

That was the last time I saw him and I will remember Bill Ward as a Friend, a Training Partner and a Real Character in all the very best sense of the word .

Bill was one of a kind!

My sincere sympathy goes out to his family

Ron Angus
Canada

Funeral Details For Friday

2008-09-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Bill's funeral will take place at South Essex Cemetery (Corbets Tey) Okendon Road,
RM14 2UY at 10.30. From there we will travel back to St Lukes Church for the Memorial Service at 11.30. St Lukes is in Front Lane, Cranham, RM14 1LL

The family have asked for no flowers but if people would like to make a donation to St Francis Hospice where Bill was looked after in his last days, that would be greatly appreciated.
All monies donated can be forwarded to B.F.Mulley & Sons, 254 St Mary's Lane, Upminster, essex, RM14 3DH. Please make cheques payable to St Francis Hospice.

Thank you all

See you soon

Bill...

Rest in Peace Bill

2008-09-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness to tell you Bill Ward lost his greatest battle yesterday morning. Bill was admitted to St Francis Hospice on Thursday, Bill past away peacefully at 9am Saturday morning.Our thoughts go out to Pippa and all the children. It is a pleasure to have known Bill and as of many of you will have some very fond memories.. Rest in Peace Bill, you are no longer in pain..

God bless

Bill...

Beginners and post codes.

2008-09-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

This a message for Katrina and also for those who have sat nav's and require the post code of Harlequins Gymnastic Club...

Post Code Rm3 0ap

Katrina, any Senior beginners can come along to the Theory mat, Mondays at 7.30pm. Once they have been a few times then there are other classes they can join in with. I hope this helps.

Look forward to seeing you, where has that time gone?

Bill...

Medal Haul For Ford

2008-09-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

14 players from Ford Judo Club competed in the first Identifying competition of the year held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on the 07.09.08. points are gained for medallist and 5th placed players. These points are carried forward to the National Championships where more points are gained by the same system. This is how the British Cadet Squad is selected for the following year. Very good performances were given by the clubs players, many moving up to age band categories they had not competed in before, making them the youngest in that class.
The performances bodes well for the National Championships that will be held in October at the Ice Hockey Stadium in Sheffield, this has been the events venue for the last couple years since moving from Crystal Palace which is having major repairs carried out.

The medallists were Tom Williams -81kg Gold, Dru Oaks -73kg Gold, Brandon Tutthill -42kg Silver, Chloe Jackson -52kg Silver, Kelly Staddon -44kg Silver, Frankie Goulding -90kg Bronze, Matthew Kavanagh -55kg Bronze and Richard Jackson -46kg Bronze.

Also picking up valuable 5th place points just narrowly missing out on Bronze medals were Abbie Willis and DJ Irving both giving promising performances.

Other members of the team who fought extremely hard and gave a very good account of themselves were Jon Jackson -73kg, Sean Fazons -60kg, Duncan Ward -42kg and Ryan Conroy -55kg. The lessons learnt from these tournaments are invaluable to each players future development, which help to build on strengths and improve weaknesses.

Bill...

First Night

2008-09-02T03:08:00.000-07:00

Our first night at Harlequins went with only a few minor hitches, which hopefully will be ironed out over the next couple of weeks. The first class was surprisingly quiet but maybe kids were returning to school today after their summer break? Remember, we need new members for this mat, so if you know anyone, bring them along!
The sprung floor was great but the matter of the mats opening up needs to be rectified, hopefully velcro will solve that issue.

Not sure how many people, (if any) are looking at this site, please leave your names in the comments so I have an idea please...

See you all tomorrow night...

Bill...

The Day is Here

2008-09-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

I would just like to thank John, Mike, Nicky, Keith and Mike for their help in moving clubs over the weekend, a very long day yesterday but we got there, thank you guy's, it was very much appreciated.

Well, the day is here, it will be our first night training at the Harlequins Gymnastics club tonight and I am hoping all our old members will find their way there without much problems. Ford Sports and Social Club have now closed their doors for the last time and our dojo is to be no more, over 40 years of judo history gone but hopefully some fond memories. Onwards and Upwards as they say, and Christine Evans who owns Harlequins has been very accommodating in helping us to set our club up at her club.

It will take a couple of weeks to settle down but I'm sure things will work out fine, you can even do your shopping will the kids do their training.. ha ha ha..
Make sure you are here for your first week and remember, if you know anyone who wants to start, bring them along. Also, if you used to do judo and was thinking of coming back, the new intermediate class would be great for you..

Look forward to seeing you all soon...

Bill...

UK School Games

2008-09-01T02:04:00.000-07:00

Not a bad weekend for Frankie Goulding over 81kg, Tom Williams -81kg and Dru oaks -73kg as they competed at Bath in the UK School Games, representing England. All 3 reached the semi finals with Frankie just losing out by a koka score, this gave Frankie the bronze medal. Some good scalps were taken by Frankie in the earlier rounds, so not a too bad a day for him.

Tom reached the semi's and his opponent was an old adversary but Tom with a much more focused mind this time than the last 2 occasions which he lost took control, won and earned his place in the final. A close fought contest again with a player Tom had met several times, although Tom missed out on gold on this occasion too he was very pleased with his days performance and said he had learnt some valuable lessons.

Dru to earned his place in the finals meeting his co England team mate, this was going to be a tough run out for Dru as he aggrevatted an old shoulder injury and pulled his groin in his earlier fights. Although Dru had performed great through out his earlier matches he found himself hindered by the injuries which took its toll on his performance. Nether the less, a silver for Dru was a good result of a good days fighting.

All in all, a good weekend for the boys, this is the first comp of the season, so gives them a good base for the Heart of England and the Nationals. WELL DONE BOYS!!!

End Of An Era

2008-08-27T01:01:00.000-07:00

Well that was it, Ford Judo Club closed its doors last night on the place it has called home for the last 40 years or so. It would have been nice to have seen out my 25th year of coaching there which would have been next year, but it wasn't to be. I have seen many come and go over the years and I suppose that is the circle of life, if they all stayed we would need Crystal Palace as our dojo.

We have been thrown a live line by Christine Evans at the Harlequins Gymnastics Club and I am looking forward now to getting the club set up there and recruiting new members, so if anyone knows of friends or relatives who would like to take up judo, now is a good time!!

See you all next week, Bryant Avenue, next to Tesco!!!

Class Days and Times

2008-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have restructured the Classes so we can get more from our judo time. Please find below the new timetable. We will be trying to generate new members for our beginner classes so if anyone knows of relatives or school friends that would like to take up judo, now is a good time.

Mondays
6.30pm - 7.30pm Beginners 5-15 years of age (anyone doing judo less than 1 year)
7.30pm - 8.30pm Ladies + Elite Squad (Technical)/ Dan Grade Theory
8.30pm - 10.00pm Senior

Wednesdays
6.30pm - 8.00pm Intermediate + 1 year of judo experience
8.00pm - 9.30pm Advanced Judoka, Squad members and High Grade

Friday
6.30 - 7.30 Beginners 5-15 years and Intermediate
7.30 - 8.30 Advanced Judoka, Squad members and High Grade
8.30pm - 10.00pm Open Randori Senior and Advanced Youth

Here's to the future everyone. Hope to see you all at the New (Temporary)Club from 01.09.08

Bill...

Club Profiles

2008-08-21T08:19:00.001-07:00

Stuart Stvenson
Age 29
Grade 2nd Dan
Achieved 1st Dan 1997
Age started judo 7
qualified club coach 1999

Why Choose Judo?
Needed to take up a sport and wanted to do something a bit different from the football and stuff. Not very insperational but that is how it was. I didn't have a clue what judo was and sometimes I still think the same.

John Debono
Age 46
Grade 4th Dan
Achieved 1st Dan 1981
Age started judo 8, with John Hall 3rd Dan at Durning Hall, Forest Gate.
Qualified club coach in 1999

I started at Ford Judo Club in 1995 and been a club coach for 9 years and at the moment am working hard to becoming a Senior Examiner and getting my 5th Dan.

Frank Goulding
Age started judo 10
First grading 1965
Age started judo 10
Present grade 2nd Dan gained in 1982.

Introduced to judo by my father, Dennis who was also a coach. I attended many clubs including Upton Manor, Kensington Youth, The Highway and Stratford. I represented Newham and London. My coaches in the early days were Sid Gogbern and Terry Pumfrey then John Ryan, Colin Gilbert and Pat Walker.
Junior honours 14,16 and 18 British Team Champions and under 16 and 17 Individual Champion.

Craig Ringer
I have been a member of Ford Judo Club since 2000 and became a Table Official in 2001 as a Time Keeper. I got promoted to a Competition Recorder in 2003 and then a Senior Recorder in 2005 and am now able to run 2 Star Events.
I officiate all over the country in both National and International event including GB World Cup and the European Masters.

Debbie Ringer
I have been a member of Ford Judo Club since 2000
Gained my coaching cetificate in 2006
Obtained my 1st Dan in October 07'.
Become a member of the British Masters Squad in 2006 after winning a silver medal and then medalled again in 2007 to retain my place.

Fantastic News

2008-07-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Good news everyone, as of the 01/09/08 we will be relocating to the Harlequins Gymnastics Club at Bryant Avenue, Gallows Corner.. This is right next to Tesco.. We will be training 3 nights a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday... The structure of the classes will be posted in a couple of weeks.. A new biginners will start and a second senior night too.. We will have the use of the sprung floor for our Elite and adult classes... Fantastic..

Please find link to map of Bryant Road, the gymnastics club is clearly marked with a sign outside..

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bryant+avenue+romford&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=10.729059,26.630859&ie=UTF8&ll=51.592109,0.217259&spn=0.001376,0.003251&t=h&z=18>

Please pass our site on to friends and family, let them see the latest news from the club...

Bill...

Medal Haul for Ford

2008-07-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

While 2 were over sea's we had 4 players over the water... Matthew and Joe Kavanagh were fighting this weekend in the age banded USA Open, some Brits have gone, and failed!! But the two brothers were in with the medals with Joe winning a bronze medal and Matthew silver, Matthew on the end of some dubious refereeing in the final...

If that wasn't enough Matthew entered the under 20, winning his first fight against a 19 year old, not bad considering he is only 14 and a half. This all bodes well for their future in judo and Matt with his eye on selections for the World Youth Olympics in 2010.

While the boys were fighting over the Atlantic four Ford players were fighting over the Thames.
Neimah, Tia, Thomas and Kane were all taken part in Bushido's Class Masters Competition in Tonbridge in Kent..
Great performances from the youngsters see Tia and Kane both win gold while Tia's little brother obtained a silver and a good effort from Neimah got here the first bronze place... Nikki Jackson reported back saying the kids fought brilliant with Tia winning all her fights by ippon.. some great combinations from the youngsters and excellent transition work proved that all their hard work at the dojo is paying off...

Roles were reversed for the Kavanagh brothers as they entered their second comp while they were "Holidaying" in the States. Joseph stepped up a gear to win Silver while Matthew was close behind with a Bronze medal. A great haul for the brothers and will hopefully keep them on track to medal in the Heart of England and the National Championships in some weeks time...

Keep up the good work kids

O What A Night

2008-07-19T03:07:00.000-07:00

What a Great night, if you were there I hope you enjoyed yourself?, I know I did...
A Fantastic presentation, Bill receiving his 6th Dan from Dave Clark, representing the BJA. Bill was a star as always and did really well seeing the night out. Bill received a certificate and his 6th Dan in a great presentation case made by Nigel, Bills brother in law.

Chris Bowles gave a great speech and gave a little insight to their great rivalry as competitors in the early days, it was touch and go between them who would go to the 1980 Olympics and Chris just pipped Bill to go....
Chris made a presentation to Bill giving him his Olympic tie, a nice gesture and I think appreciated by Bill.

Ford judo club also made a presentation of a commemorative medal for his outstanding achievements in his judo career...
It was a sad night as this would be the last gathering in the club, it was rather fitting it went out on such a special occasion...

I will post the new location on the blog as soon as I know where we are relocating to...
I'm of to Bath Uni now for 2 weeks, wish me luck!!!

Bill...

The Essex Youth Games

2008-07-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

While Chloe is fighting in major championships 10 of our younger players fought in the Essex Championships in Harlow, Ford Judo club collected 6 gold, 3 silver and one bronze medal which was a great haul from the endangered club.
A good performance by assured that all players took a medal home with them.
Gold medals went to Charlie Allen, Lizzy Allen, Charlie Jackson, James Cliff, Chelsy Cliff and Tom Thurston. While Silver medals went to James O'Shea, Lucy Allen and Kane Maloney and Kate Smith won her Bronze medals.
This was a good performance from the young players from Ford Judo Club, there ages ranging from 9 to 14 years old.

Cadet European Championships, Sarajevo.

2008-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from Sarajevo, Bosnia where Chloe Jackson competed in the -48kg weight category for Great Britain. Chloe won a 7th place beating FOUR of her 6 opponents in what was a very strong weight division. Chloe was part of a 16 strong GB team, Chloe along with another female squad member were the highest placed GB squad players.
Chloe experienced this event last year and after reviewing her performance decided that she should follow a Strength and Conditioning program for preparation for this years event.
Chloe worked with Carly Green one of the countries top female Strength & Conditioning coaches based at Next Generation, Gidea Park and the hard work paid off as without a doubt Chloe's performance was by far the best to come from the GB squad. This bodes well for Chloe's future prospects and brings nearer Chloe's dream of competing in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Big Bill Gets his 6th Dan....

2008-07-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Kent International on Sunday see Bill Ward receive his 6th Dan, a fantastic achievement in recognition of Bill's exceptional competitive record. Bill had won many titles along with 3 British Open wins, this was when the British Open was one of the main events on the European Judo calendar.
A presentation night is being held at the Ford Judo Club on the 18.07.08 there will be a disco to, the night will mark the end of an era as we prepare to leave the grounds where the club has been established for 40 years or so.
Congratulations Bill....

Kent International 22/06/08

2008-06-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Good performances from our clubs 3 players, Tom Williams and Jon Jackson entered in the youth section while Frankie Goulding fighting in the senior section.
All 3 were looking good and they were coping under pressure from their opponents..

Jon had some good strong fights in the early rounds winning his way to the semi finals. Jon has been working hard on his ashi waza's and he really put it to good use. Also his transition work was sharp scoring a wazari knockdown and quickly controlling his opponent and held him for a further 20 seconds to win his fight. After strong performances won his place in the final only to loose out in golden score to the young Dutch player but really made a great account of himself.

Tom also looked sharp winning his first fight in about 20 seconds, a very strong and fast Ouchi Gari for ippon. Winning his way to the semi's Tom had an old rival, they are both evenly match and previous bouts have always been entertaining and eventful and this was no different.
In my opinion and several others Tom was denied a score as the corner judges deemed the throw outside the area but as our video footage confirmed it started well within the area.
This Knocked Tom down to fight for Bronze, this was against a very strong Dutch boy.
Tom had previously been beaten for ten by this lad in Sweden so we knew it would be hard.
Again it was very evenly matched and each lad gave all, full time was up and golden score went the distance to.. Tom got the decision 2 to 1 for bronze..

Frankie was looking in good form to, he was fighting in the senior event. A couple of good ippons took Frankie to the Semi finals at this point as far as I was concerned to get 3 of our players all through to the semi finals is a good achievement and showed me they are developing well.
Confusion struck as a small score was given against Frankie but penalties were given against both players, Frankie was leading but unfortunately got caught with just a couple of seconds left on the clock. This should give Frankie a massive boost as his opponent is number one in the country in under 20's.
Frankie gained a 5th place and was very unlucky not to medal but lessons were learned by all..

Well done everyone, a good day!!

Bill...

Ford Judo Club

2008-06-13T03:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all, Bill here from Ford Judo Club. just to keep you up to date with what is going on with the club in respect of its impending closure.. The club will be shutting its doors on the 31/08/08.. A sad day but hopefully we will have something in place by then, if only temporary for the time being. It is a shame as I would have liked to have seen my Silver Anniversary there as a coach next year... Will just have to do elsewhere.

I have attached a write up that came out in our Local Paper today, just an insight on what is happening.

Ford Judo Club has been in existence for over forty years and has produced some great judo players. I trained there from about the age of 8 till 12 years of age. I never dreamed I would end up being the coach there one day. I am a 5th Dan and current Nation Masters Champion, I won a bronze medal recently in the Commonwealth Championships in Mauritius and also the reigning British Open Masters Champion and the Senior Club Coach at the club.

I have been coaching at Ford for 24 years now and the club has grown beyond recognition of those early years. One of my early students Stuart Stevenson started at the age of 8 and is now one of my coaches, 29 years old. Some parents started because either their children did it and wanted to understand it more or they to did it as children and wanted to get back in to the sport.
Some have gained their black belts and become assistant coaches too.
It is a shame that a long stand club such as Ford is being shut down with non or little support from anyone. The communication between the Ford Management and ourselves has been appalling, we have been kept in the dark and my many emails have either been ignored or given back poor replies that have not answered my questions, very frustrating.

Ford had offered to relocate us at Basildon or allow us to use a squash court at their Newbury Park site, both are not practical for the club and was very disappointed with their solution. The club has several one parent families as members and travelling to far a field would not be possible for them so we are looking for premises roughly in the same geographical area, 1 or 2 miles radius from where we are if possible?

I have been trying to get contact numbers for West Ham to see whether they may be doing something within the community but apparently not as Ford would not pass any details on, saying West Ham wanted sole use only. I know judo is a minority sport but it seems football presides over all sport.

We take kids off the street and give them a sport that develops their fitness, mental health and respect for their opponent, it is a confidence builder to, many children start judo because they are being bullied, it is rewarding to see the changes in the kids as they get older and become more self confident. people of all ages, shapes and sizes can participate in judo and from all walks of life. It is a sport where you never stop learning and developing.

The club had just received a grant from the Veolia Trust and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gary Baker of the Trust who has been working closely with the club to try and find new premises, he seems to be the only genuine person trying to help the club.
The grant was to refurbish an old pavilion just outside the main hall we use. This would have given us additional training facilities for our elite players with a permanently laid mat area with sprung flooring essential for the standard the players are competing also a Strength and Conditioning area, vital at this stage of their development.

Of course the money was withdrawn when the news broke of the impending sale of the site to West Ham which we totally understood.
The club has 8 players on the World Class Start Program, 3 on the World Class Talent Program, all fighting for Great Britain, and 2 on the under 20 Great Britain squad, this is a fantastic achievement and puts us amongst the top clubs in the country. We have 5 veterans on the Great Britain Masters squad, 3 of us represented England recently in Mauritius where the Commonwealth Judo Championships were held, we returned with 1 gold medal, 1 silver and a bronze medal, a great haul for the club.

Several of our young players are on a Strength & Conditioning program working closely with Carly Green, the S & C coach at Next Generation Gidea Park, this is an essential part of their development as we are now focussing on the 2010 World Youth Olympics, this is a new event and several of our players will be eligible to trial for this, many coming from Havering.
A young Havering girl by the name of Chloe Jackson is doing particularly well, and is representing Great Britain in the Cadet European Championships in July, this is being held in Bosnia this year.
Brothers Matt and Joseph Kavanagh, both Havering lads are competing in the US Open this year, they both won silver medals when they entered 2 years ago, a great achievement.

We are looking for full time premises where the mats can be left down and not taken up each night this is time wasted where we could be teaching. We need full training facilities, Any one out there that knows of maybe an old warehouse or disused church hall, I know they are few and far between.
Also, anyone interested in sponsoring a successful club, we are self funded, we travel up and down the country and at least once a month fight abroad in either France, Belgium, Germany or Holland.. We have fought in Canada, Japan, USA and Mauritius, yep, we get about!
Judo is an Olympic sport and representing Great Britain in the -100kg weight category this year is Peter Cousins from JSC judo club in Averly. Peter and his twin brother Thomas were regular visitors to the club from the age of 11 and Peter who recently won a silver medal in the World Championships in Rio De Janeiro is hitting peak form so we would like to take this opportunity to wish him good luck for the 2008 Olympics.

Although we are a competitive club we have many recreational players that do not enter competitions and do judo for the enjoyment and the fitness aspect, we also have a ladies only class. Anyone interested in finding out more details can find our website http://www.fordjudoclub.co.uk/

If there is anyone out there that can help our cause please do not hesitate to contact us.