INTERNATIONAL BUDO FEDERATION
BRITISH COMBATSOMBO ASSOCIATION
43rd Annual Summer Camp
August 2009
The Credit Crunch certainly hit this years Camp with just 24 students attending, the worst numbers in the camps history. Summer Camp was started by the late Nobby Clarke 6th Dan in 1966 starting at the Schools Journey Centre, St Mary’s Bay, then to the ACF Camp t Mary’s Bay and in the last 3 years we have been at the new ACF Camp at Dibgate, St Martin’s Plains, Folkestone on only one occasion we had to have a non residential course in Sittingbourne this was due to the first Iraq War where the camp we used was needed for troops being sent to war. His son Martin has run the course since the death of his Father.
Initially Nobby started the course for Judoka and invited many top Judo Coaches from Japan, Europe and the UK people like Watanabe, Gleeson, Jacks and Schonewille. When Pete Schonewille arrived in the Late 60’s he not only coached Judo but Tae Kwon Do, Karate and Jiu Jitsu, this led to a change of direction for the Camp which now became a proper Budo Camp offering all sorts of Martial Arts with many different Masters in attendance. Sadly with more Martial Arts organisation running their own Week Courses and with a dramatic drop in the numbers participating in Martial Arts plus the advent of cheap foreign holidays the numbers dropped. In our hey day we would have 2 weeks of Juniors and two weeks of Seniors a total of 600 hundred student over the 4 weeks in the last 15 years this dropped to two weeks. Since we moved to our new location we no longer offer a course for the under 12 year as legislation with regard to child protection has made it a financial and administrative impossibility. So now we have one week for Adults and Youngsters 12 and over.
Over the last 10 years Summer Camp has become mainly a grapplers week featuring Judo, Sambo/Sombo, Kurash, Combatsombo, Belt Wrestling, Submission Wrestling. With Tom Starling 7th Dan now in charge of IBF England/Wales Jiu Jitsu it is hoped next years course will become a Budo course again. As mentioned the Summer Camp suffered this year with lack of numbers to counter act that we will be offering a special deal to all next year, the normal price is £250 for the week if you pay before the end of April it is £200 and if you are aged 12 years to 16 years it will be £150.
Although the numbers are down the course was still packed
with enthusiasm from pupils and coaches alike, John Clarke 5th Dan
was Course Supervisor ably assisted by Colin and Danny Carrott 3rd
Dan plus we must not forget that old faithful Ian “Lurch” Durie
from Dundee Scotland who has been attending since 1991. During the week we had
visits from Judo Kata experts Trevor Davies 6th Dan and Greg Garside
4th Dan, highlight of the week was having Jiu Jitsu expert Tom
Starling giving us a morning of his style of Jiu Jitsu which was very well
received so much so that three of our Judo Dan Grades hope to start tr
aining
with Tom in the near future and opening a club in Bedford. What impressed us all
was that Tom brought his own Uke but instead of a the usual young athletic guy
who could throw himself round like an acrobat he brought with him an employee of
his who was a yellow belt and weight 19 stone to prove his techniques work and
they did. Tom has a wealth of experience not just in Jiu Jitsu but many other
arts especially Kobudo, but what is just as important is his life skills, ex
Paratroops Regiment, ex Prison Officer, his father started arrest and restraint
something he now does as a business to read up on this remarkable man go to his
web site which is
www.eccruk.com. Tom will be with us next year and I expect you will hear a
lot more about him in the future.
64 year old Dave Boulding 6th Dan also turned up
on Bash Night, he started his Judo in the mid sixties at the London Judo
Society, moved to Sittingbourne in 1971 and joined the Young Judo Club where he
was taught by IBF President Martin Clarke 8th Dan. In 1973 he became
a Coach for the YJC and has been one ever since, for many years he was Senior
Coach on Summer Camp Junior Week. Bash night is quite famous in the Judo/Sombo
world, it happens on the Thursday night of Camp and is a session of non stop
contest (fighting) and is done to STATUS QUO. Each time a record changes you get
a new partner, Judoka and Samboist travel from all over the country just to take
part, people like Tim Thomas a Judoka, Samboist and catch wrestler travelled
from East Anglia just to watch. The standard of Judo/Sambo was
exceptionally good this especially from the young lads who graded to Black Belt
last year they have improved beyond belief. As can see the Bash Night is a very
hard night so it came as surprise when Dave Boulding came on the Mat with his Gi
on and his words “Just thought I would have run round with the Youngsters” at 64
this was some achievement and credit to the youngsters they did not go hell for
leather at him. I am told in Japan very old men will train with the youngsters
in Shiai with the youngsters allowing themselves to be thrown and not throwing
the old masters, this allows the Old Masters to continue fighting without
injury. Hopefully more of this will be an encouragement and empathises of what
Judo is showing that Judo is much more then a competitive sport.
Camp is not all about training it is about having fun as well and the annual visit to St Mary’s Bay Beach for a swim is a must and once In the water it was not long before some one was debagged on this occasion it was Kieran Daniels (who else), the water was murky and rough but this did not stop every one having a good swim. The last day is always Grading/Promotions day, normally we have many attempting their Dan Grades but this year there were just 4 candidates 2 for Judo and 2 for CombatSombo.
It is usual foe IBF/BCSA members wishing to be examined have to attend Summer Camp for their Black Belt examination, this year was no different. Those attempting Judo Dan Grade are examined by the IBF Judo Technical panel which consist of Dave Boulding 6th Dan, Trevor Davies 6th Dan, John Clarke 5th Dan, Greg Garside 4th Dan, Colin Carrott 3rd Dan. Successful Judo candidates for 1st Dan were Kalem Hughes Spitfire Judo Club and Rebecca Passmore Woodside Judo Club
CombatSombo Examiner was the Founder of the System GrandMaster Martin Clarke he grade Ian Parker and Russell Dodds to 1st Degree Black Belt in what he said was the best demonstration of a 1st Degree Black Belt grading he has seen, it was obvious the two had worked hard for a full year to perfect their grading skills. Both hold Black Belts in Judo, Russell was and is a GB competitor for the World masters Sambo Championships and Ian has been selected for the World Sambo Senior to be held in Greece in November.
During the week Danny Carrott, Dan Diamond, Kieran Daniels gave their version of Pro Wrestling helped by John’s sons Lewis and Harry this can be seen on you tube.
The week finished of with a Dinner and Presentation of grades and awards some not always that serious, this proved very succesfull and it is hoped to run this on an annual basis.
Next Year Course will be August 22nd till 28th 2010
Go To YouTube IBFBCSA to see
John Clarke
Tom Starling
Sport CombatSombo
WWWWWWIBF Wrestling
Photo's
Picasa Web Albums - The Bear - Jiu Jitsu Sum...
Picasa Web Albums - The Bear - Summer Camp 09
Picasa Web Albums - The Bear - CombatSombo Sport...
Picasa Web Albums - The Bear - Summer Camp Wrestling
Picasa Web Albums - The Bear - Summer Camp Presentation
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