Judo instructors give back

  • Published
  • By Airman Allison M. Boehm
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
The base Kodokan Judo class teaches students self defense with the help of enthusiastic instructors.

Ten years ago, Col. Mark Duffield, director of 8th Air Force standard and evaluation division, decided to give back to the art of Kodokan Judo by teaching classes at the fitness center on base .

"I've been practicing this sport for so long, teaching allows me to give back to this sport," he said. Colonel Duffield has been practicing this sport for 25 years and has no plans of stopping.

This self-defense sport teaches discipline and fitness to the students. "It is an all around sport," Colonel Duffield said.

Judo also strength trains and teaches self defense. For children, judo gives them self-confidence. "Judo is for the little guys to defend themselves against bigger guys," said Airman 1st Class E.J. Dino, 2d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft maintainer, as he demonstrated moves to the younger students.

Colonel Duffield, who teaches the class as Sensei, works alongside three other instructors to teach students the fundamentals and skills needed for this sport.

Classes are held twice a week at the fitness center. There are two different classes that breaks up age brackets. The first class taught is for juniors, which has students from ages five to 15. The junior class is usually comprised of 10-15 kids. The adult class usually has eight to 10 students.

During each Tuesday and Thursday hour-long class, students get a full body work out while practicing this self-defense sport.

Before joining the class, Colonel Duffield encourages interested students to watch a class. If they are still interested, he hands out pamphlets about the sport and forms to fill out in order to join the club.

Students wear Gis to practice. A Gi is a white two-piece uniform with a colored belt that helps distinguish skill level. To gain skill level, students are scored on a combination of attendance and knowledge.

With the amount of practice the students take part in, the club holds tournaments twice in the fall and twice in the spring. Tournaments allow the students to display their skills and compete for awards.

The instructors not only are passionate about the sport of judo, they believe it is an important sport to be skilled at.

"I think military should learn this art because it was popularized in the United States by the Air Force Strategic Air Command during Gen. Curtis Lemay's command," Colonel Duffield added. "He selected judo because in the 1950's during the Cold War, if an aircraft was shot down they would need some form of self defense. Now we are in an estate that everyone that is deployed would need a form of self defense."