Spokane Judo

Author: Brett Lewis

  • Spokane Judo Shines at the Inland Empire!

    Saturday’s Inland Empire showcased all we are so proud of in Spokane Judoka ~ your technique, drive, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit are awesome!!

    Syd’s fighting is really beginning to take shape ~ she use multiple techniques and kept the pressure on ~ good job Syd! She brought home the Bronze😊

    Warren wowed us with his stamina, grit, and outstanding tai-otoshi! His efforts paid off ~ he too brought home the Bronze!

    Adam distinguished himself with excellent standing and newaza technique, scoring Ippon and Wazaari, respectively. He earned Silver!

    Miles – after a loooong hiatus – returned to judo and competing with zeal! He earned Gold in men’s novice and Bronze in Senior Men!

    Dan fought hard in two fierce brackets and triumphed with a Silver among Senior men ~ way to go Dan!

    And rounding out the strong performances, John executed beautiful osoto-gari’s in his matches, resulting in a well-earned gold!

    We are grateful to our friends at Pacific Judo Academy for all their work in putting on the Inland Empire and for creating this fantastic opportunity!!

  • Tournament registration and weigh-ins

    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)

  • 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

    Event on Smoothcomp

    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

    link to event on Smoothcomp

    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

  • 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!