Reminder that Tuesday (5/20) is weigh-in for the tournament this weekend.
You should register here.
See all competitors on Tuesday! (and all the regulars as well)
Judo Grip and Domination Camp – June 13-14 with Toni Lettner and Jenn Badertscher
Hi Judo Family,
Ready to own every exchange from the very first grip? Join powerhouse coach Toni Lettner in beautiful Athol, Idaho (Home of the Northwest’s Largest Theme Park – Silverwood!) for two action-packed days dedicated to grip domination, big throws, and seamless Ne-Waza transitions.
Why you can’t miss this camp
· Master same side vs. opposite-side gripping, with tricks to out-grip even stronger opponents.
· Unlock new takedowns: modified Te-Guruma, Sumi-Gaeshi and Foot Sweeps.
· Elevate your own Tokui-Waza game from various grip positions.
· Tons of randori to pressure test every skill you learn.
Seminar Plan
Friday June 13
|
Time |
Group |
Focus |
|
2 pm – 4 pm |
Ages < 13 |
Grip basics (kumikata fundamentals), footwork games, and intro to modified Te-Guruma |
|
5 pm – 7 pm |
Ages 13 + |
Advanced same-side & opposite-side gripping chains, Sumi-Gaeshi setups, transitions to quick holds & armlocks |
Saturday June 14
|
Time |
Group |
Focus |
|
10 am – 12 pm |
Ages < 13 |
Grip reaction drills, breaking strong collars, throws to hold-down flow |
|
1 pm – 3 pm |
Ages 13 + |
Dominant first-contact strategies, linking grips to your Tokui-waza, fast ne-waza finishes |
|
3:30 pm – 5:30 pm |
OPEN MAT (all ages) |
Randori gauntlet & live situational rounds, apply everything you learned! |
Quick Facts
· Dates: Friday–Saturday, June 13-14, 2025
· Venue: Athol Elementary School 6333 Menser Ave, Athol, Idaho 83801
Lodging: Camping at Farragut State and Ravenwood RV Resort are great
options. Airbnb and Hotels can be found in Athol, Spirit Lake, and
Coeur d’Alene.
· Eligibility: Current USJF, USJA, and USA Judo members, all belts, ages 6
(sessions split by age)
Lock in your spot now
Registration opens today and will cap quickly. Click below, grab your teammates, and get ready to dominate the grip battle:
https://usjf.smoothcomp.com/en/event/20389
Questions? email t.lettner74@gmail.com or Lakelandjudoclub@gmail.com and we’ll help you out.
Can’t wait to see you on the mats in Idaho’s lake country, let’s make every grip count!
See you soon,
Jenn Badertscher & Toni Lettner
Judo Grip and Domination Camp 2025
Practice Tomorrow
Reminder that we will be back at practice tomorrow evening: 6:30 for kids and 7:30 for adults.
Also just a note that we will again have practice on Saturday this week at 9:00-11:00.
Looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Reminder about Class Schedule
Class schedule
We have some changes to our normal class schedule and I wanted to remind everyone.
Thursday 5/8, tomorrow
We will have practice as normal. Kids at 6:30 and adults at 7:30.
Hope everyone will be there.
Tuesday 5/13, next Tuesday
We have to cancel practice. Senseis Anna Marie and I will be out of town.
After Tuesday, back to normal
We will be back to regular practice.
Reminder: No Practice Tuesday (5/6)
Wanted to send out a reminder that we have to cancel practice this Tuesday 5/6/2025.
We will have practice on Thursday, so see everyone then.
Return of Saturday Practice (5/3)
We are starting up Saturday practice. This will only be every other Saturday for now depending on attendance/interest.
Time: 9:00-11:00.
Who can come: anyone with a valid USJF card
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning.
2025 Inland Empire Judo Classic
2025 Inland Empire Judo Classic
Pacific Judo Academy is excited to announce the 2025 Inland Empire Judo Classic! We are thrilled to host this highly anticipated event and can’t wait to welcome our judo friends and families for a weekend filled with competitive spirit, camaraderie, and unforgettable memories. Set in the vibrant heart of downtown Spokane, this event promises to be an exciting and fun experience for all. Join us for a weekend of excellence, sportsmanship, and community as we celebrate the art of judo!
Date: May 24, 2025
Location:
- Spokane Convention Center, 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA 99201
USJF Sanction: 25-05-04
- Open to current paid members in either USJF – USJA – USA Judo.
- Online pre-registration will require image or scanned copy of your federation membership of either USJF, USJA, USA Judo. Submit image of proof in pdf, jpeg, png formats.
- USJF Membership Link
Eligibility
- Open to Male and Females age 5 yrs. old and older.
Registration and Fees
- The registration fee will be $55 first division, $25 second division
- Two division MAX
- Registration ends at midnight Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- No walk-ins and no exceptions.
For
Registration questions or assistance, email:
- Leigh Yamada, pacificjudoacademy@comcast.net
- NOTE: Divisions and weights may be changed or combined at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. Any changes will be discussed with the coaches, competitors, and/or parents.
Chief Referee
- Pat Lo, International A
- Referee and coaches’ meeting will begin at 8:30 am.
Awards
- Gold (1st), Silver (2nd) and Bronze (3rd) place medals will be awarded in each division.
Tournament Director/Coordinator
- Leigh Yamada: pacificjudoacademy@comcast.net
Questions regarding the Event
- pacificjudoacademy@comcast.net
2025 USJF National Kata Conference
2025 USJF National Kata Conference
This year marks the 23rd year of our Annual USJF National Kata Conference! Please join us for this great event!
June 26-29, 2025
Intermountain Yudanshakai (Black Belt Association) & United States Judo Federation hosts its 2025 National Kata Conference. We strongly encourage everyone to attend this conference regardless of your kata experience. Sensei Bradic judges at the IJF World Veteran Kata Competition. Sensei Shepherd travels all over the country and the world teaching and judging kata. Take this opportunity to learn from these two outstanding kata practitioners.
USJF Sanctioned Event: 25-06-01
Clinician: Slavisa Bradic (7th Dan) – Sensei Bradic is a teacher with the IJF Academy and Kata specialist. He is also the director of the IJF military and police commission and is the EJU kata commission head.
Clinician: Eiko Shepherd (8th Dan) – USJF and IJF Class A Kata instructor and coach. Sensei Shepherd is also the founder of this Annual USJF Kata Conference.
Venue: Les Bois Junior High School
Address: 4150 E. Grand Forest Dr.
Boise, Idaho 83716
Eligibility: Open to registrants with current USJF, USJA or USA Judo membership. Ages 13 and over.
Cost: $220 (4 days), $180 (3 days), $110 (2 days), $55 (1 day)
Contact: Benjamin Ott (bcottjudo@gmail.com)
Schedule
Schedule is subject to change.
(Each day will also include a discussion of the IJF changes from 2024-2025.)
Day 1 – Thursday, June 26
12:00-1:00 PM – Registration and Check-in
3:00-6:00 PM – Dr. Kano’s Kata history and IJF 2025 New Kata Criteria for evaluation
Day 2 – Friday, June 27
8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and Check-in
9:00 AM-12:00 PM – Nage no kata & Katame no kata
12:00 PM-1:30 PM – Lunch
1:30 PM-5:00 PM – Ju no kata
Day 3 – Saturday, June 28
8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and Check-in
9:00 AM-12:00 PM -Kime no kata
12:00 PM-1:30 PM – Lunch
1:30 PM-5:00 PM – Goshin Jutsu
Day 4 – Sunday, June 29
8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and Check-in
9:00 AM-12:00 PM -Itsutsu no kata
12:00 PM-1:30 PM – Lunch
1:30 PM-5:00 PM – Koshiki no kata
Battle by the Lake Videos
-
Mat 1 matches on Smoothcomp - Mat 1 YouTube video
- Mat 1 video download link (6.2 GB MP4)
- Mat 2 matches on Smoothcomp
- Mat 2 YouTube video
- Mat 2 video download link (6.1 GB MP4)
- Mat 3 matches on Smoothcomp
- Mat 3 YouTube video
- Mat 3 video download link (10.8 GB MP4)
These are all thanks to Sensei Ryan Jones
Instructions for finding your match
The videos for all three mats are ready to rock! Smoothcomp match results and video download links are in the description of each video. I’d recommend that people find their match numbers in Smoothcomp, and then look at the match number on the TV while advancing through the videos to find their matches. YouTube allows you to clip parts of a video, but I imagine people will want to share their matches elsewhere. Downloading these enormous 5+ hour video files and using a video editor to clip their match will be too much for most people. People could always play the match on a big screen and record that with a phone. 🙃
Spokane Judo Fighters at the Battle by the Lake!
Syd’s tournament started off slow, but with every match she fought harder and harder. Her last match was the best by far ~ she brought her skill and determination, going after her opponents and trying combinations. Syd brought home 2 Bronze medals!
Warren also brought home Bronze! As the lightest in his division, this was impressive! He won his first match ippon, with an excellent yoko shiho gatame ~ he fought very, very hard in his remaining matches. Well done!
Adam strolled onto the mat in his very first shiai and DOMINATED! He won his matches handily, winning by ippon in both standing and ground fighting~ way to bring home the gold!
John likewise kept a cool head about him his first shiai ever, bringing home the bronze by trying combinations and adapting quickly to sacrifice throws he’d never seen before. Great fighting!
Tay was on FIRE! Winning every match by ippon. Tay cleaned up in his Senior Men’s brown/black division ~ way to go Tay!
Dan was AWESOME! Using combinations as well as strong standing and newaza skills, Dan won gold in his Senior Men’s brown/black division and silver in the surprisingly tough men’s novice division. Well done Dan!
And last, but very much NOT least, Sensei Sam demonstrated an effective clock choke to take silver in the Veteran Men‘s brown/black division – nice job Sensei!
We could not be more proud of the fierceness, focus, skill and sportsmanship of all our tournament judoka! Fantastic!