Team FORCE Judo

Team FORCE members spend 21 days touring and training in Japan

Team FORCE members Dan McCormick, George Pissimissis,
Gerhard Zeitler and Radu Brestyan at Odawara Castle in Japan.

March 30, 2007

Four members of Team FORCE; Radu Brestyan, Dan McCormick, George Pissimissis, and Gerhard Zeitler; trained at Tokai University in Japan for three weeks in preparation for the upcoming US National Championships and World & Pan Am Games trials.

Many days training consisted of double session judo practices with a minimum of 10 randoris per session.

While in Japan, Team FORCE members kept a travel log of their travel and training experiences to share with their fellow judoka.

"The first thing I have to say about Japan is that the food portions were small, which I was not happy about, other then that I had a great time.

Training was good. There were a lot of athletes on the mat and they all seemed eager to throw the Americans. We were not the only foreigners, and thankfully so. There were athletes from China, Great Britain, Guam, and our friendly neighbors to the north (Canada) had guys there. One of the Canadian athletes spoke Japanese, which was very helpful with judo sessions, getting around the city, and ordering food.

All the Senseis were very helpful and friendly, and they made sure we always had somebody to go with. We never really got the infamous "red belt," instead they switched it up and gave us different colors. I assume they were trying to be funny by giving us hope.

Overall I had a great time and can't wait to go back." - Dan McCormick

"Everything is ok here in Japan. Today we went to Odawara Castle, as you can see from the pictures, we are having fun.

Training is different then in Europe, but still good. While in Japan I realized how important grip fighting is and my grip fighting skills improved in every training session. I try to focus on grip fighting first and then on uchi-mata and taoi-toshi with the grip on the neck. I also focused on fighting left handed opponents as much as possible. I am gaining experience with gripping and o-uchi-gari and cross gripping. I feel my training experience in Japan has helped me improve my technique." - Gerhard Zeitler

"The USA Judo National Team FORCE Program directly supports our member athletes as they travel the world to broaden their judo knowledge and skills. This three week training trip to Japan gave our athletes a chance to test their skills against top ranked Japanese judoka as well as develop a wider appreciation for the the tradition of Judo and the Japanese culture. Through Team FORCE, our athletes gain unique experiences that help strengthen their judo skills, enable them to grow as individuals, and ultimately help them become better leaders," commented Head Coach Jimmy Pedro.