Member News

June 18, 2007

It Takes a Club… USA Judo Club Spotlight: A New Feature on www.usjudo.org!

USA Judo is pleased to announce a new feature that will appear every month of the USA Judo Web Site, www.usjudo.org.  “It Takes a Club” will highlight a USA Judo member club every month that typifies the success and dedication of those coaches in the grassroots trenches working tirelessly and selflessly to grow the sport to new heights of popularity.  This month’s featured club is Silicon Valley Judo in San Jose, Calif.

Silicon Valley Judo: Breaking the Mold

By John Serbin 

With most judo clubs in California being run out of volunteer-operated recreation centers and Buddhist churches, Silicon Valley Judo (SVJ) is breaking the mold. When it opened on October 4, 2004 as a fully dedicated judo school in San Jose, its founders were looking to do something different.  The brainchild of Head Sensei Lorne Mayeda, Silicon Valley Judo is not a new idea, but a refreshing change to the other types of judo clubs in the area.

The Beginnings

Lorne Mayeda, founder of Silicon Valley Judo.

Silicon Valley Judo is the newest USA Judo club in the predominantly USJF-based judo community in the San Francisco Bay area. Lorne Mayeda is a product the San Jose Buddhist Church judo club as well as the San Jose State Judo team. After his competitive years were over and having graduated with an accounting degree from San Jose State, Mayeda began work in the accounting industry and was a volunteer coach at the San Jose Buddhist Judo club.

“[We] looked at San Jose and knew it had such a strong tradition of judo,” Mayeda said.  “[We] felt it was an excellent area to open a facility where players could practice more than twice a week, [which is] the number of times most clubs practice in the Bay Area.”

With rental prices in San Jose being very expensive, finding a space with enough room to run a judo club took a lot of searching and planning. They found the perfect location near San Jose’s HP Pavilion Arena. From then on, Mayeda’s father Ron, brother Tyson helped to run SVJ like a family endeavor with daily practices as well as private lessons offered.

What Makes SJV Unique

With most recreational judo clubs having practice two to three

nights a week Silicon Valley is setting a new standard with five days of judo a week. Having more options for days to practice is a major convenience for many of its members who have varying schedules and commitments. Classes are also separated by age and experience levels, with opportunity for more individualized attention.

Another facet of SVJ that sets it apart is the level of service provided to its members. Amenities not commonly associated with a judo club like a retail area, children’s birthday parties, separate locker rooms for men and women and laundry service for judo gis are just some of the many ways that this judo club is setting itself apart from the recreational judo clubs of the area.

“Since we are located in the technology capital of the world, we are trying to do small technological advantages for our students and their parents like offering free, secure wireless broadband service for our club members,” Mayeda said.

SVJ makes watching practice more comfortable for spectators by providing magazines, comfortable seating and videos for children to watch.

Mayeda adds: “Many of our parents take a short work break to bring their children to our afternoon practices and are often seen answering their e-mails and working on projects on their laptops while waiting for their sons or daughters to finish their practice.”

In addition to providing wireless internet access to spectators and parents, SJV uses technology for the benefit of members by providing a web page with a bulletin board that posts schedule changes as well as dojo and judo news.

People considering judo are always welcome to SVJ.

“We offer a free lesson – so those interested judo do not make an investment of time and money just to give it a try. The free lesson helps many of our potential students make a decision about whether judo and this dojo are right for them.”

Diversity in the Silicon Valley

With San Jose being a center for the global business community, Silicon Valley Judo is home to many international judoka who have emigrated to the area. Players from countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan, Venezuela, Vietnam and the UK have all found a home at Silicon Valley Judo.

“We have seen it for ourselves, no matter what the first language students learn to speak, at SVJ, they all know the language of Judo,” said Mayeda.

In fact, on occasion Olympic Gold Medalist and All-Japan Champion Isao Okano has visited Silicon Valley Judo.  

“We always tell our students not to miss practice because you never know who's going to be there,” Mayeda said.

In addition to the international judoka SVJ attracts, many San Jose State judo alumni who find their way to practice. Once a month, SJV hosts a San Jose State judo alumni night where you might find any number of alums and current students practicing with SVJ members. This gives added value to the members’ experience at SVJ because they have the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the country.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where college clubs and volunteer-based groups are in the majority, Silicon Valley Judo aims to run its judo club differently—a difference its members can appreciate.

For more information on Silicon Valley Judo, visit www.svjudo.com.