the "I Ain't Dead Yet" judo clinic

Shortly after I was diagnosed with lung cancer, Steven Zerr, the head coach (sensei) at Gentle Ways Judo Bismarck, messaged me about the judo syllabus that we had been using and wondering if we had time to preserve it.  This was July of 2017.

The syllabus that we had been using was shared with us by
Steven Cunningham sensei.  He studied with Sone Taizo, who emigrated from Japan in 1926.  Sone sensei had studied at the Kodokan, the home of judo, prior to arriving in the United States.  He brought with him a syllabus that he learned there, from Kano Jigoro, the founder of judo, that has since been lost.  Japan was entering a very turbulent time just prior to its entry into World War Two.  Dr. Kano was trying his best to keep the Japanese Army from taking over the Kodokan, as it had taken over most martial arts dojos.  I think that the turbulent times were the reason that the syllabus was lost.

I/we studied with Steven Cunningham sensei from 1996 through his retirement in 2006.  The syllabus is called the "Gokyo no Waza" and contains 40 throws of increasing difficulty, designed to teach situational movment.

I did a seminar in September of 2017 in Dickinson about the syllabus, then another one in October for my good friend Tom Crone, the head sensei at North Star Judo at Doc's Gym in Minneapolis.  If interested, here is the video posted from that seminar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC98gtAp8_k&t=2017s

courtesy of Candace Decker, Dec 19, 2018, Dickinson Rough Rider Judo Club

That was followed by Kangeiko, our annual winter training festival in February 2018, where I had two hours to teach.  We had a six hour seminar in April of 2018 in Bismarck and then six seminars, two hours or less, that I taught on the way to and from Fargo, in Dickinson and Bismarck.

courtesy of Candace Decker, Dec 19, 2018, Dickinson Rough Rider Judo Club

The last two mini-seminars, this past April,  were tough on me because my physical condition no longer allows me to do the throws.  I dressed in my judo gi for the first one and was so disappointed with my performance that I didn't dress for the second one... the first time in over 40 years that I have done that.

I have been working on two papers about the Gokyo no Waza, one about the history and the other the practical aspects of the syllabus.  The first paper is about 30 pages and the second is about 40 pages.  Hopefully I will complete both of them before I go to that great judo dojo in the sky.

courtesy of Candace Decker, Dec 19, 2018, Dickinson Rough Rider Judo Club

courtesy of Candace Decker, Dec 19, 2018, Dickinson Rough Rider Judo Club

So recently we (our study group, four sensei from Dickinson and Bismarck) had been talking about wrapping up the research and having one more study session for a select group at our home in Custer.  It would be less doing and
more talking.  Carol and I were coming home one night from supper out and we were talking about this and she suggested one last seminar and the idea kind of stuck.  So I contacted the sensei in Bismarck and Dickinson and we are planning for the "I Ain't Dead Yet... I Don't Want to Go in the Cart" seminar in Dickinson on October 12th.


They are going to set up a chair on the side of the mat, I will have my oxygen machine on and plumbed to the side of my chair and I will do my best to yell and scream our way to perfection.  We are planning for two hours in the morning, followed by a two hour lunch, so I can return to the hotel and take a nap, followed by 3 more hours on the mat.  Another nap and then a social hour.  At least that is the plan, if I run out of energy we may have to modify that.


Thanks to Candace Decker, a former judo student, for allowing me to use her pictures for this blog.