Letters From The Past

When my Mother died in June 2004 we sold them her house to Pete Wise a 2^nd Dan in the YJC it seemed some what appropriate. Pete was recently clearing out the loft and found some old paper work.

The first piece which I have attached was a lesson plan from Nobby Clarke dated about 1963 although there is no date my father had not become a Professional Judo Coach at that time and it looks as though he scribbled a lesson plan on some works paper. The interesting point is that you could still use the lesson plan today but the most fascinating was that he used part of the lesson as a self defence session using throws as the basis of his techniques. I can not remember him doing this but in those days there was very little Jiu Jitsu about so it made sense that he utilised his knowledge of Judo to make in roads into Self Defence. My father was strange in a lot of ways he would bring new ideas into Judo once everybody was doing it he just forgot the idea, like self defence Judo another was Kata he was the first to introduce Kata into Kent, who would have believed that. He was very inventive in his outlook on Judo as was my mother she was doing Judo to music back in the 1960’s and laughed at. I learnt a lot from the two of them and when I found pieces of paper like this and look at what I teach and believe in I realise as youngster I must absorbed a lot of their knowledge.

Another piece was the programme on Terror Kampf dated 1968; this was a self defence system from Germany what I remember of it my mother gained her 1^st Dan in this art. What I remember, it h was just another form of Jiu Jitsu with one difference they would wear Black Gloves. Valerie remembered learning some of this art which she said was mainly using your hands to grab and twist ears, fingers, hair and other body parts to inflict pain. I have looked on You Tube it is still going but seems to have another name Anti Terror Kampf’.

The Young Judo club Philosophy when it started was:

This Yong Judo Club is open to all free from strife, animosity or petty jealousy and functions in the true spirit of Judo

Members are told to

To Brag Little to Lose Well

To Crow Gently if in Luck

To Pay Up To Own Up

To Shut Up If Beaten

Are the Virtues of a Sporting Man?

Author: Arthur Wendell Holmes

Also found was a letter from a school in Edenbridge asking for details of Felt from Bowater’s? Dry felt was used in the making of making paper and my father realised that this heavy Felt would make the ideal covering for his old feathered mattresses he had when he started the Young Judo Club in 1957 and when schools started doing judo they would use their old gym mats but these would slide all over the place but covering them with felt would keep then together. In those days the old Straw filled Tatami came from Japan and was expensive. I believe it was Milom who mad e the first reasonably priced Form Judo Mat with canvas and frame

Mother Margret Clarke started teaching Judo in Schools about 1961 Father Nobby started in 1965