Summer Camp Still Alive and Kicking

Nobby Clarke's Summer Camp 

is still alive and Kicking

John Clarke 5th Dan is the third generation of Clarke's to run a Summer Course, the course was originally started in 1965 by John (Nobby) Clarke and held at the old Schools Journey Centre St Mary's Bay Romney Marsh, in the early 1970’s it moved to the ACF camp also in St Mary's Bay. The 1970's and the 1980’s was the hey day of the IBF Summer Camp with 4 weeks of Camp 2 weeks for Juniors and 2 weeks for Seniors. On junior weeks there would be up to a 100 people on a junior week and 60 on a senior week. The highlight of the last senior week would be the grading’s of Jiu Jitsu, Karate and Judo in latter years CombatSombo, Kickboxing and Sombo
.This would attract nearly 100 people to watch the spectacle; the exam would consist of demonstration of Techniques, Kata and Shiai (Contest) Once the grading was finished everyone would clear up and by 7pm the results was announced and then up to the pub, at the end of the night some of the more foolhardy would go to the beach for a midnight swim, great days.

Late 1970's

  

Early 1980's

 Founder of the IBF Peter Schonewille with Margret Clarke

Yet nothing ever remains the same as the years went by people attitudes changed to weeklong courses and many would not spend their holiday breaks on a Martial Arts Course so in 2011 we had just 24 players on the 1 week course a some what sad demise to this famous course. In 2012 we could not hire the Dibgate Venue because of the Olympics and 2013 the Army took over the ACF Camp and told us we could no longer hire the venue no reason was given as we had hired the two ACF camps for over 40 years one would have thought we would be given an explanation?  Yet they may have done us a favour with the decreasing numbers there was time for a change. So this year we held the Summer Course at the British Sombo Federations Centre of Excellence in Sittingbourne.  It started on the Friday night with the Annual Bash, this where we have 1.5 hours of Jacket Grapping a mixture of three styles Judo, Sambo and Kurash all to the tunes of Status Quo. The grapplers are divided into two groups and change when the music changes, Status Quo have the right beat and rhythm for the session. On the Saturday was the Course, this proved so successful it will be held on a regular basis but next year we include the Sunday with most of the players sleeping in the Dojo.

The IBF/BCSA is investigating a venue in Bedford which maybe be able to offer us simular accommodation to Dibgate

So the famous Summer Camp has not finished it has just changed and long may it reign.


Martin Clarke 8th Dan

The Last Summer Camp at the St Mary's Bay Venue 2003

Last Summer Camp 2011Dibgate

Summer Camp Founder Nobby Clarke 6th Dan 1983

For two years in the late 1970's we included weightlifting on the programme 

Martin Clarke with Ron Reeves Britain's most successful British Team Coach for Powerlifting

 1987

Martin, Nobby with Vladimir Schaklov Many Times World Sambo Heavyweight Champion

Martin was World Silver Medalist to him in 1986

Iron Man Trevor Roberts 8th Dan was a regular in the 1980's

The annual summer camp 2013

Report by John Clarke 5th Dan 

The camp started with its annual Bash night and there was 22 people on the mat for this yearly event. The fight night it's self consists of 45 minutes of ground work fighting, followed by 45 minutes of standing fighting to Status Quo, from which had the spectators clapping along to the music while on the mat people were being thrown around. Once the night comes to an end, it's is closely followed by a new form of Judo called Beerwaza till 4am!

The grading course on the Saturday was attended by 26 Judo & Sombo players hoping to move up a grade or gain a instructor qualification. The course it's self began at 10am and covered the 40 basic throws, new rules of Judo, how to learn how to organise competition pool sheet instructor for this was Keith Costa 4th Dan, as well as Judo Kata and basic of Sombo and Combat Sambo.

The course finished at 5pm with the people going for down grades having to show their Kata to the grading panel. John Clarke 5th Dan, chair man of the committee and seiner head coach of Sombo and Judo was very impressed with the standard of all the clubs that attended, their coaches should be very proud of their students. Well done to everyone that passed.

Results

Judo:

Miles Brown: 3rd Dan

George Holbrook: 1st Dan

Darren Eaton: 1st Dan

Ryan Sylvesta: 1st Kyu

Ben Reeves: 1st Kyu

Rob Hadley: 1st Kyu

Jamie Scott: 1st Kyu

Karl Harris: 2nd Kyu

Aysha Willson: 2nd Kyu

Koito Willson: Junior blue belt 3 tabs

Sombo:

Sombo:

Keith Brown: Brown belt

Matt Wood: Brown belt

Tanwir Kazimi: Blue belt

Lewis Clarke: Junior brown belt

Francesca Asapy: Junior blue belt

Combat Sambo:

Michael Hutchinson: 1st degree Black belt

Instructor Awards:

Level 3:

Michael Hutchinson

Level 2:

George Holbrook

Tanwir Kazimi

Darren Eaton

Keith Brown

Level 1:

Ryan Sylvesta

Matt Wood

Ben Reeves

Rob Hadley

Jamie Scott

Cayenne Eaton

Revalidation:

John Clarke

Daniel Diamond

Debbie Jackson

Daniel Carrott

Miles Brown

Collin Carrott

Keith Costa

Russel Dodds

George Holbrook

Trevor Davis

Greg Garside

John Clarke 5th Dan