The level of excitement is elevating day by day as we are approaching 2016 when the third edition of the Judo Festival will begin in Porec, Croatia. The festival which brings a wider broad of the judo family together, first began two years ago in a city of Antalya.
The European Judo Union (EJU) believes that the education and development of judo club coaches/teachers should be treated with the same importance as that which is currently given to the growth of national teams and coaches. Therefore, throughout the ten days, visitors will have the opportunity to be involved amongst various of entertaining and valuable programs where some of those activities will involve for instance sharing thoughts with some of our EJU experts who will also gather around in Porec to deliver intensive workshops.
MEET WITH ONE OF OUR EJU EXPERT – SERGIO OLIVERIA
During the past two occasions everyone who took part in the Judo Festival had the privilege to meet with judo experts like yourself. What would you say are the key responsibilities of our judo experts during the period of the Judo Festival?
What we did in the past together in Antalya was a special moment to recover old friends and to discover a few new, an opportunity to do a continuous learning process and to interchange information about our personal experiences in Judo, like high level athletes and/or professional’s trainers and/or teachers. We began to create a concept for Judo adapted for a new century. Once that we have a good root, we can begin to grow, what’s means that we look for the future, without to forget the past.
When we say: Judo more than Sport, we can imagine, what’s means exactly? If Judo can be one sport activity like other one, only with the eyes on the high level performance, why can it be different? Since that it was born, Judo had principles to be a discipline to maintain the body in balance, mentally and physically, keeping certain standards cultural behaviors, adapted for everyone, every time, men and women, children and ancients, light and heavy, tall and short, …an important mechanism of integration and social inclusion, a body contact fight, that preserve the physical, emotional and moral integrity, and develop the physical and psychological skills and capacities.
Our responsibility is to transmit all these points through our actions on Dojo. A sub-linear information of moral and ethic behavior, self-knowledge, self-confidence, self-esteem, one lesson of overcoming daily, friendship, cooperation, …the fall and rise of life, as a learning routine.
Why do you think it is important to have seminars delivered by judo experts during the Judo Festival and how it can influence on certain development programs/development areas?
It’s a simple question to answer: It’s not everyone that think like us and also it must not be, otherwise we will have never a development. Nevertheless, a Judo society/family need a basic principles of acquaintanceship, keeping the tradition and history we preserve our existence, our family, a continuous exercise of wellness. It is a constant learning process and the valorization of life. Our Rei (reverence) does not mean to be less than anyone, reverence means to be present and open to learning, we preserve our history and tradition, …we learn more, we stayed greater, …it’s a mutual respect. We all have something to learn and to teach, at anytime, at anywhere.
Looking back in the past two editions of the Judo Festival, what do you think has changed within your field and what else can we expect this year to be brought as an additional bonus?
In the private sphere, in our Olympic Center in Germany, I have organized an year trainings group project with children from basic school, 8 years old: “Judo without Gis” – where we teach the principles of Judo and we practice it, but adapted to do without judogis. After that the group can be integrate in our normal performance Judo Group. To the Festival, I want to bring a mix of individual and group games activities and specifics Judo details, but also with fun, that we also having discussed on the last 2 years.
If you would have to describe your overall experience of the Judo Festival in three words, what those three words would be?
Opportunity to learn!
Author: Sören Starke