Sawtelle Judo Dojo is one of the oldest Judo schools in the United States. Sawtelle Judo Dojo is dedicated to introducing interested students to the principles of Kodokan Judo, not only as a practical sport and self-defense mechanism but as a principle that maximizes efficient use of the mind and body. The fine instruction and practice facilities have resulted in many junior and senior champions o
f whom we are very proud of. It is a modern adaptation of traditional jujitsu. The founder, Dr. Jigoro Kano, stated that Judo is the elevation of an art to a principle. In studying Judo, it is essential to train the body and to cultivate the mind through the practice of methods of attack and defense. The four basic areas of Judo are throws, hold downs, chokes and arm locks. What does the student learn? Each class begins with a series of warm-up and stretching exercises. This aids in developing flexibility. At first, students are taught to fall correctly to protect themselves from injury and to develop safe practice skills. Other exercises help to sharpen movements that will refine their Judo techniques. Lessons are given by one of the instructors or “Senseis.” The techniques are taught and practiced with other dojo members while being corrected by the “Senseis.”
After the lessons, “randori” or free practice occurs, where members improve their techniques in motion with full contact and learn counter techniques which are eventually used in tournaments. Beginning Judo students start at the white belt level. Children are promoted as they learn each curriculum for each level and show a degree of competence. The promotion levels progress from yellow belt to orange, green, blue and purple and for those thirteen years old and up, brown and black. Adult students begin at the white belt level and as the United States Judo Federation promotion standards dictates, the first level of promotion is to a brown belt. From that point, the student works towards his/her black belt. Judo tournaments
Judo tournaments are held throughout the year on a local, regional, national and international level. By competing in judo tournaments, points are earned toward promotions. All students are encouraged to participate in tournaments. We also host our Juniors, ages 6-12, in-house tournament once a month at our Dojo. The instructors
At Sawtelle Judo Dojo, the instructional staff is among the finest in the United States. Kenji Osugi, seventh degree Black Belt, is the head instructor. Other instructors are Thierry Dusigne, and Einhard Schmidt, both fifth degree Black Belts, Julius Bhang and Doug Baba, fourth degree, Jerry Hazemoto, third degree, and Mike Trelinski, second degree. Our head advisor is Norikazu Maeda (longtime member and black belt). Most Americans, influenced by Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan martial arts movies, assume Judo is about hitting, kicking and the total destruction of the opponents. Judo is far from that. Although Judo has its roots in martial arts, it has structured rules, strict safety regulations and adheres to the ethical philosophies of an educator and founder of Judo, Professor Jigoro Kano. In 1882, Professor Kano founded the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, Japan, which still is the international authority for Judo. It is a modern adaptation of traditional Jujutsu. There are four basic ways to win in Judo, by throwing the opponent on their back, pinning the opponent for 20 seconds, submission by chokes, and submission by locks to the elbow joint. Chokes and joint locks are prohibited for junior participants. Since 1964, Judo has been an Olympic sport. As with all Olympic sports, it takes many years of dedication and hard work to be competitive. More than competition and hard work, Judo is a way of life. The philosophy in judo is “Maximum, Efficient use of Energy of Mind and Body and Mutual Welfare and Benefit.” The practitioners of Judo not only apply these principals to Judo but to everyday life. Since 1927, Sawtelle Judo Dojo has trained our students based on these founding principles of Judo as a form of physical fitness, self-defense and to the application of these principles in any endeavor in your life and to the benefit of others and society as a whole. Its doors were closed during WWII. Later re-opened in 1950, Sawtelle Judo Dojo is dedicated to introducing interested students to the principles of Kodokan Judo, not only as a practical sport and self-defense mechanism but as a principle that maximizes efficient use of the mind and body. We practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning with Juniors from 6:00-7:30 pm and Seniors from 7:30-9:30 pm. Students may begin practicing Judo at five and a half years old or older. We work with Special Needs students in our Adaptive Judo class on Mondays from 5:00-5:45 pm. We also a Little Kids' class for ages 3-6 years old on Wednesday and Friday from 5:00-5:45 pm. All levels of experience are welcome to practice. Please come by and watch our practices at the Dojo in West Los Angeles;
Sawtelle Judo Dojo
2110 Corinth Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone;
(310) 463-4962
How does one join Sawtelle Judo? Please call or email us for enrollment information. For more information, you can also visit our website at SawtelleJudoDojo.com. We’re also on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
“Ju”- Gentle
“Do”-Path, Road
“Judo”-The Gentle Way-The path we pursue to shape and cultivate our lives
Sawtelle Judo Dojo is affiliated with the following organizations;
United States Judo Federation (USJF)
Nanka Judo Yudanshakai (Southern California Judo Black Belt Association)
