Every Judo journey starts with a first step.

On December 18, 19 & 20th this year (2009), the Hampshire Judo Academy, will with the support of the Hampshire Judo Association be holding a development camp for young Judo athletes from Hampshire. The preparation for the camp is starting in earnest now we have official support from teh association and I, along with the other volunteers working on this exciting project are looking forward to it all immensely!

I am bringing up this camp on this website because I believe that the audience of this blog is one that will appreciate the concepts behind the camp.

The camp, is a beginning for the Academy project; it will also be a starting point for some young Judo athletes in Hampshire. Hence the blog post title, this is a small step that I hope will take the Academy project and the young Judo athletes in Hampshire down a road on a journey that starts now. This journey I hope will take these young 12-18 year olds on a path to their greatest potential. I also see that journey being one that they are on for the rest of their lives.

The camp is aimed at young Judo athletes; those young people who have an inclination to try the competition path.
The camp will for some be their first introduction to the concept of being an athlete, as opposed to simply doing Judo. It will appeal for some and not for others; some will flower as athletes, some will not. But time will tell.

In the UK, Judo athletes reach their competitive peak in their mid to late twenties, so for those coming to us as 12 year olds have a long exciting journey ahead of them. Within the Academy they will have at most 6 or 7 years with us, before we pass them carefully onto a more appropriate environment. We are only a stepping stone along their journey.

The camp and the academy is very much about inspiring these young people, showing them what is possible and the avenues they might pursue; and educating them so they make smart decision for the long term objectives they might have.

The camp, is also a starting point along a journey for those of us helping bring it together. For us it is the physical manifestation of a shared vision that has become apparent within the Judo community in Hampshire. That vision is to make Hampshire a place where young athletes are cared for and nurtured and once they are ready, passed carefully to other places for them to strive for gold.

Of course, we also envision these young athletes coming back to Hampshire after they have fought and won, or fought and lost. We see them coming back and taking their place within the volunteer base of the academy as coaches, mentors, support staff, etc. This si true also of those young athletes that become involved, but decide not to try for Olympic glory. Those that decide that for them Judo is perhaps something they do in the evenings only. Those that later in life might be lawyers or accountants who “did Judo”. These people too we see as part of the project, we look forward to seeing them return to the Academy years form now and being able to use their unique talents to help nurture a new generation of Hampshire Academy players.

It is a long circular journey we envision for young athletes who become involved in the Hampshire Judo Academy.
We look forward to helping train, educate and prepare athletes not only for competition and the training for competitions; but also for life.

It will be a long journey and it starts with this first small step, our Hampshire Judo Academy Development Camp!

Lance

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For more information please visit http://HampshireJudoAcademy.com where you can find more information.
If you would like your child to attend please contact us. If you would like to help, again please contact us; all volunteers will be appreciated hugely!!!