Sensei Jin Iizumi

Head Judo Instructor - 7th dan Judo

After starting his training in Judo at the age of eight, Iizumi Sensei quickly became a serious student at the Kodokan learning directly from Jigoro Kano's finest pupil - Kyuzo Mifune (10th dan). Iizumi Sensei is one of the last remaining links to the way Judo was originally taught in Japan. He breaks down techniques to give details rarely seen in the Judo world today.

A few words from Iizumi Sensei

"Sixty-three years ago in a temple in Japan, I began studying Judo. At age seventy one, I am still training and teaching. It is my hope that I can pass on the traditional style of Judo that I learned as young man.

Over the years, Judo has been changed by international competition. Strength and power have been favored over balance and timing. I would like to demonstrate how the techniques of Judo can be done effectively with minimal effort. I feel today's Judo practitioners would benefit from studying Judo fundamentals, such as Kuzushi, Tai Sabaki, and timing, in greater detail.

If these few fundamentals are correctly understood, then doing the many techniques of Judo will be easy. So, when we practice techniques, we should make sure we understand the basic principles involved. This requires patience and many, many hours of practice."