Judo Grip and Domination Camp – June 13-14 with Toni Lettner and Jenn Badertscher

Posted on by Brett Lewis

Hi Judo Family,

Ready to own every exchange from the very first grip? Join powerhouse coach Toni Lettner in beautiful Athol, Idaho (Home of the Northwest’s Largest Theme Park – Silverwood!) for two action-packed days dedicated to grip domination, big throws, and seamless Ne-Waza transitions.

Why you can’t miss this camp

· Master same side vs. opposite-side gripping, with tricks to out-grip even stronger opponents.

· Unlock new takedowns: modified Te-Guruma, Sumi-Gaeshi and Foot Sweeps.

· Elevate your own Tokui-Waza game from various grip positions.

· Tons of randori to pressure test every skill you learn.

Seminar Plan

Friday June 13

Time

Group

Focus

2 pm – 4 pm

Ages < 13

Grip basics (kumikata fundamentals), footwork games, and intro to modified Te-Guruma

5 pm – 7 pm

Ages 13 +

Advanced same-side & opposite-side gripping chains, Sumi-Gaeshi setups, transitions to quick holds & armlocks

Saturday June 14

Time

Group

Focus

10 am – 12 pm

Ages < 13

Grip reaction drills, breaking strong collars, throws to hold-down flow

1 pm – 3 pm

Ages 13 +

Dominant first-contact strategies, linking grips to your Tokui-waza, fast ne-waza finishes

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

OPEN MAT (all ages)

Randori gauntlet & live situational rounds, apply everything you learned!

Quick Facts

· Dates: Friday–Saturday, June 13-14, 2025

· Venue: Athol Elementary School 6333 Menser Ave, Athol, Idaho 83801

Lodging: Camping at Farragut State and Ravenwood RV Resort are great

options. Airbnb and Hotels can be found in Athol, Spirit Lake, and

Coeur d’Alene.

· Eligibility: Current USJF, USJA, and USA Judo members, all belts, ages 6

(sessions split by age)

Lock in your spot now

Registration opens today and will cap quickly. Click below, grab your teammates, and get ready to dominate the grip battle:

https://usjf.smoothcomp.com/en/event/20389

Questions? email t.lettner74@gmail.com or Lakelandjudoclub@gmail.com and we’ll help you out.

Can’t wait to see you on the mats in Idaho’s lake country, let’s make every grip count!

See you soon,

Jenn Badertscher & Toni Lettner
Judo Grip and Domination Camp 2025

Reminder about Class Schedule

Posted on by Brett Lewis

Class schedule

We have some changes to our normal class schedule and I wanted to remind everyone.

Thursday 5/8, tomorrow

We will have practice as normal. Kids at 6:30 and adults at 7:30.
Hope everyone will be there.

Tuesday 5/13, next Tuesday

We have to cancel practice. Senseis Anna Marie and I will be out of town.

After Tuesday, back to normal

We will be back to regular practice.

2025 Inland Empire Judo Classic

Posted on by Brett Lewis

Event on Smoothcomp

2025 Inland Empire Judo Classic

Pacific Judo Academy is excited to announce the 2025 Inland Empire Judo Classic! We are thrilled to host this highly anticipated event and can’t wait to welcome our judo friends and families for a weekend filled with competitive spirit, camaraderie, and unforgettable memories. Set in the vibrant heart of downtown Spokane, this event promises to be an exciting and fun experience for all. Join us for a weekend of excellence, sportsmanship, and community as we celebrate the art of judo!

Date: May 24, 2025

Location:

  • Spokane Convention Center, 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA  99201

USJF Sanction: 25-05-04

  • Open to current paid members in either USJF – USJA – USA Judo. 
  • Online pre-registration will require image or scanned copy of your federation membership of either USJF, USJA, USA Judo. Submit image of proof in pdf, jpeg, png formats.
  • USJF Membership Link

Eligibility

  • Open to Male and Females age 5 yrs. old and older. 

Registration and Fees

  • The registration fee will be $55 first division, $25 second division
  • Two division MAX
  • Registration ends at midnight Wednesday, May 21, 2025
  • No walk-ins and no exceptions.

For
Registration questions or assistance, email: 

  • Leigh Yamada, pacificjudoacademy@comcast.net
  • NOTE: Divisions and weights may be changed or combined at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. Any changes will be discussed with the coaches, competitors, and/or parents.

Chief Referee

  • Pat Lo, International A 
  • Referee and coaches’ meeting will begin at 8:30 am.

Awards

  • Gold (1st), Silver (2nd) and Bronze (3rd) place medals will be awarded in each division.

Tournament Director/Coordinator

  • Leigh Yamada: pacificjudoacademy@comcast.net

Questions regarding the Event

  • pacificjudoacademy@comcast.net

2025 USJF National Kata Conference

Posted on by Brett Lewis

link to event on Smoothcomp

2025 USJF National Kata Conference

This year marks the 23rd year of our Annual USJF National Kata Conference! Please join us for this great event!

June 26-29, 2025

Intermountain Yudanshakai (Black Belt Association) & United States Judo Federation hosts its 2025 National Kata Conference.  We strongly encourage everyone to attend this conference regardless of your kata experience.  Sensei Bradic judges at the IJF World Veteran Kata Competition.  Sensei Shepherd travels all over the country and the world teaching and judging kata.  Take this opportunity to learn from these two outstanding kata practitioners.

USJF Sanctioned Event: 25-06-01

 

Clinician: Slavisa Bradic  (7th Dan) – Sensei Bradic is a teacher with the IJF Academy and Kata specialist.  He is also the director of the IJF military and police commission and is the EJU kata commission head.

Clinician: Eiko Shepherd (8th Dan) – USJF and IJF Class A Kata instructor and coach.  Sensei Shepherd is also the founder of this Annual USJF Kata Conference.

 

Venue: Les Bois Junior High School

Address: 4150 E. Grand Forest Dr. 

Boise, Idaho 83716

Eligibility: Open to registrants with current USJF, USJA or USA Judo membership. Ages 13 and over.

Cost: $220 (4 days), $180 (3 days), $110 (2 days), $55 (1 day)

Contact: Benjamin Ott (bcottjudo@gmail.com)

Schedule

Schedule is subject to change. 

(Each day will also include a discussion of the IJF changes from 2024-2025.)

Day 1 – Thursday, June 26

     12:00-1:00 PM – Registration and Check-in

     3:00-6:00 PM – Dr. Kano’s Kata history and IJF 2025 New Kata Criteria for evaluation

Day 2 – Friday, June 27

     8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and Check-in

     9:00 AM-12:00 PM – Nage no kata & Katame no kata

     12:00 PM-1:30 PM – Lunch

     1:30 PM-5:00 PM – Ju no kata

Day 3 – Saturday, June 28

     8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and Check-in

     9:00 AM-12:00 PM -Kime no kata

     12:00 PM-1:30 PM – Lunch

     1:30 PM-5:00 PM – Goshin Jutsu 

Day 4 – Sunday, June 29

     8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and Check-in

     9:00 AM-12:00 PM -Itsutsu no kata

     12:00 PM-1:30 PM – Lunch

     1:30 PM-5:00 PM – Koshiki no kata

Battle by the Lake Videos

Posted on by Brett Lewis

Spokane Judo Fighters at the Battle by the Lake!

Posted on by Brett Lewis

Syd’s tournament started off slow, but with every match she fought harder and harder. Her last match was the best by far ~ she brought her skill and determination, going after her opponents and trying combinations. Syd brought home 2 Bronze medals!

Warren also brought home Bronze! As the lightest in his division, this was impressive! He won his first match ippon, with an excellent yoko shiho gatame ~ he fought very, very hard in his remaining matches. Well done!

Adam strolled onto the mat in his very first shiai and DOMINATED! He won his matches handily, winning by ippon in both standing and ground fighting~ way to bring home the gold!

John likewise kept a cool head about him his first shiai ever, bringing home the bronze by trying combinations and adapting quickly to sacrifice throws he’d never seen before. Great fighting!

Tay was on FIRE! Winning every match by ippon. Tay cleaned up in his Senior Men’s brown/black division ~ way to go Tay!

Dan was AWESOME! Using combinations as well as strong standing and newaza skills, Dan won gold in his Senior Men’s brown/black division and silver in the surprisingly tough men’s novice division. Well done Dan!

And last, but very much NOT least, Sensei Sam demonstrated an effective clock choke to take silver in the Veteran Men‘s brown/black division – nice job Sensei!

We could not be more proud of the fierceness, focus, skill and sportsmanship of all our tournament judoka! Fantastic!