 |
| All participants |
For 45 years the annual Summer Camp has
been running. It was first held at St Mary’s Bay but for the last few years it
has been at the Army Cadet Camp Dibgate Folkestone. This year we could not get
the Camp because of the Olympic Games, it seems foreign teams had been
allocated some ACF Accommodation and we were left out. So we altered the course
to a 3-day event and the venue was the Swale Martial Arts Club, Sittingbourne.
Those who did not mind roughing it slept in the Dojo on Mats but this added to
camaraderie.
The Instructors for the Camp were John
Clarke 5th Dan Judo, Master of Sombo; Colin Carrott 4th Dan
Judo, Master of Sombo; Ian Parker 3rd Dan Judo. The main
theme of the Course was Judo with a little bit of Sombo; many had attended the
course to improve on their Judo and Sombo Grades.
Every year we have an Annual Bash; this
is where Jacket Grapplers (Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sombo, Kurash) turn up to
fight each other. The session is about 2 hours, starts with Ground Work and
then finishes with Up Standing, all accompanied on by the pumping music of
Status Quo. This was started by Martin Clarke some 30 years ago and has always
been a popular part of the Camp with people from far and wide attending, not
just fighters but Coaches and players too old to fight and who want to be
reminded of their past glories.
John Clarke is now the Senior Coach on
the Camp, taking over from his father, Martin Clarke, as Martin did in the late
1970’s from his father John (Nobby) Clarke. The 3rd generation
of Clarkes! And waiting in the wings is John’s son Lewis who only 12 years old
and is training with the Adults -could he be the 4th generation?
Let’s hope so.
Everyone was successful in their
grading with the exam done over the whole 3 days but the grading everyone was
waiting for was the Black belt grading late Saturday afternoon.
Vinney Drogoff, Bedford Grappling
Academy, was attempting his 1st Dan /Degree Black Belt. Vinney
comes from Lithuania and is a top class Sombo Player and his fighting ability
was well worthy of a Black Belt in Judo; in fact if he joined an organisation
that did not believe in the tradition of Judo, believing Judo is just a sport;
he would have obtained the coveted Black Belt some time ago.
The IBF believes that the theory, moral
and philosophical parts of traditional Judo are as important as the competitive
side if not more important. So those who are going for a competitive grade have
to show:
- Competition Record
- Theoretical Knowledge
- Kata (Sequence of pre-set movements)
For Competitive 1st Dan
the Kata required is Nage No Kata. For competitive 4th Dan it’s
Goshen Jutsu Kata. Non Competitive Grades would be expected to do Kata to a
higher standard and each Dan Grade level would be expected to perform all Kata’s
done in previous gradings.
All Kyu Grades (student Grades) are
also expected to perform certain sections of the Nage No Kata (Formal Display
of 15 throws done left and right) including juniors.
The Grading panel for the Dan Grading
were Martin Clarke 8th Dan, Trevor Davies 6th Dan,
John Clarke 5th Dan, Colin Carrott 4th Dan and
Ian Parker 3rd Dan. A candidate only passes if there is 100%
agreement by all panel members.
Vinney performed some extremely good
techniques which we expected of an International standard Sombo player. His
hard part was the theory and Kata but with hard work he passes to 1st Dan
successfully.
 |
| Ashley with his dad Keith |
Ashley, at 31 years of age has a wealth
of experience in Sombo, Judo and Kurash, starting his Judo at the age of 5. His
father Keith Costa is also a 3rd Dan Judo and is one of the IBF’s leading
Junior Coaches. His training at the Young Judo Club/Warriors Grappling Academy,
Sittingbourne has been invaluable; coached by Martin Clarke and in later years
by his son John. Ashley is proof that learning Kata, theory etc. doesn’t hinder
your competitive ability, in fact it enhances it. As mentioned before Ashley
had to do just the Goshin Jutsu Kata, which he did perfectly but Martin Clarke
insisted that he do Nage No Kata as well, he selected 26 year old Danny Carrott
as his UKE (Throwing Partner) who also is an International Judo, Kurash, Sombo
Player. They had never worked together on the Nage No Kata and neither had done
it for some time. Yet they presented a very passable Kata, once again proof
that if you understand Kata you do not forget it.
Kata teaches you the discipline of
correct perfection of technique and the realisation that some things in
life can never be perfect; this in itself can enhance your skill level.
Results of Grading:
Ashley Costa
4th Dan
Andy Smith
Brown Belt
George Watt
Brown belt
Keith Brown
Blue Belt
Mike Rudkin
Green Belt
Keith Hadkin
and Ollie Bruton Orange Belt
Richard
Seaman Blue Belt 4 tabs
Lewis Clarke
Blue Belt 1 tab.
Vinnie Dragan
1st Dan
Adam Dodds
Brown
Anyone
Interested in Judo/Sombo contact John Clarke on 07825224940
For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/ Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk
