| | NEWSLETTER November 12, 2025 | | |
New Club in BC!!! Bowen Judo Club on Bowen Island!
There’s a new club in BC, located on Bowen Island — Bowen Judo Club, led by Head Instructor, Cohen Hocking and Dave Hocking, Instructor.
Fitness, fun, and judo for any experience level. Bowen Judo Club believes martial arts training should be challenging, empowering, fun, and a space where everyone feels encouraged to grow at their own pace.
For more information and registration: bowenjudo.ca
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Article written by Alex Kurial in the Bowen Island Undercurrent:
Sports and life lessons await on the Judo mats
A local father and son team are bringing the sport they love to life on Bowen.
Cohen and Dave Hocking recently formed the new Bowen Island Judo Club, which will hold its first classes next week. The instructors have been busy setting up their new dojo – Collins Hall – to welcome both adults and youth to try out the ancient martial arts practice. It’s a labour of love for the pair, who both have an extensive history in the sport.
Judo is an unarmed grappling sport where opponents use their techniques in an attempt to flip, pin or force a submission from their opponent. It originated in Japan during the 1800s and has garnered a significant legacy since, including becoming an Olympic sport and inspiring several other martial arts forms including Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Cohen began his judo career at age 11 and quickly excelled, going on to win six provincial championships before capturing gold at the 2011 Canada Winter Games. He’s a black belt in the sport and has since trained with judo masters in Japan and Kazakhstan.
“When I first moved here I really wished there was a club, either Brazilian jiu-jitsu or judo, because they’re both very similar,” recalls Cohen on coming to the island. He would head to the mainland to practice but found the nighttime training sessions made for long days, especially with a young family.
Cohen also realized that with two kids – his son already throwing himself around the living room and attempting to wrestle his dad each night – he could help lay the groundwork for a club that island youth could take advantage of.
“The real catalyst was when my dad moved to Bowen,” says Cohen. Dave also has an extensive history in judo since beginning in the 1970s at the famed Steveston Judo Club in Richmond. While he’s been out of the sport for awhile, his recent move to Bowen provided the perfect chance to get back into it with his son.
The pair recently spent a Friday measuring and laying out judo mats at Collins Hall (in between bursts of flipping each other around) which will host the classes. Cohen acquired the mats from the New Westminster Judo Club when they were replacing their own. He explains he was aware of their availability (and the opportunity for a good deal) through his connections and friendships with instructors at the club over the years.
“The judo community is really close knit, and it’s wonderful to draw from those connections,” he says.
Initial classes will be on Friday nights, and are split between a teens and adults class for people age 14 and up, from 5:30 to 7 pm, and a junior class before that for ages 10 to 13 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Kids aged 7 to 9 can join the junior class if accompanied by an adult. Everyone is welcome.
“People who get into it really fall in love with it. There’s so much to learn and it becomes almost like playing chess with your body. You can choose to have nice hard rounds, or you can go loose and have a much more relaxed pace,” explains Cohen.
Many of the initial lessons will focus on proper falling techniques – primarily in a judo context, but which can also prove quite useful for unintended spills outside of the sport.
Cohen says many other lessons learned from judo apply far beyond the four corners of the mat. “There’s Japanese cultural aspects of respect, every match you have you bow on and you bow off… you’re not going to have a match with someone unless you bow on and you’re both consenting to it,” he explains.
“There’s aspects of respect when you bow at the end of the class, when we take care of the mats… respect for your partner, and then the confidence gained too. Over time you learn more skills.”
Dave lists that confidence and also humility as two of said skills. “Because you’re going to lose a lot of matches, you’re going to win some. And it’s all part of the game.”
“The feeling after judo class is one of the most positive atmospheres, because it’s both exciting as a workout – and very humbling. After you’ve been pinned or submitted or thrown – and everyone has been – there’s such a positive vibe,” says Cohen on the bond being flung to the mat creates with your fellow judo enthusiasts.
Full class details, registration, and more about the history of judo can be found on the club website at bowenjudo.ca
| | Team BC and the Giant Sherwood Ford Canadian Circuit - Quebec Open, November 7-9 - RESULTS | |
Congratulations to all the athletes that competed at the Quebec Open, November 7-9, 2025. Here are the results:
NOVEMBER 8, 2025 - DAY 1
U14 -52kg Natalie Au - Gold (Peak Judo)
U21 -63kg Carla Van Zyl - Gold (Hart Judo)
U21 -73kg Lowan Le Bris - Gold (Peak Judo)
U21 -52kg Maegan Grooten - Bronze (Hart Judo)
U21 -60kg Amir Temirbaev - Bronze (Peak Judo)
U18 +78kg Olivia Wisniowski - Gold (Northern Capital)
U18 -52kg Megan Au - Silver (Peak Judo)
U18 -48kg Maxine Maruyama Prasad - Bronze (Peak Judo)
U18 -55kg Ewen Le Bris - Bronze (Peak Judo)
NOVEMBER 9, 2025 - DAY 2
U16 -55kg Ewen Le Bris - Gold (Peak Judo)
U16 -48kg Harper Park - Silver (Peak Judo)
U16 -44kg Sylvie Schimann - Bronze (Hart Judo)
U16 -66kg Leo Ji - Bronze (Abbotsford Judo)
Senior -63kg Carla Van Zyl - Silver (Hart Judo)
Senior +78kg Olivia Wisniowski - Silver (Northen Capital)
Senior -81kg Emil Schenk - Silver (Burnaby Judo)
Senior -52kg Hailey Ko - Bronze (Peak Judo)
Senior -60kg Amir Temirbaev - Bronze (Peak Judo)
For the full results and draws, click here. To view photos from this event, click here.
Next up on the Giant Sherwood Ford Canadian Circuit is Saskatchewan Open, January 23-25, 2026. All live draws and results can be found on judocanada.live
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Steveston Junior Tournament, Steveston, BC - November 29 - REGISTRATION DEADLINE NOV.22!
The Steveston Judo Club cordially invites Judokas to participate in the Steveston Judo
Tournament. This is a development tournament to encourage as many judokas yellow belt
and above to participate, which includes senior divisions up to blue belt (2 kyu). Yellow belt
is the minimum rank for all divisions.
The following divisions are offered: U12, U14 Novice (Yellow, Orange), U14 Advanced (Green minimum), U16 Novice (Yellow, Orange), U16 Advanced (Green minimum), U18 Novice (Yellow, Orange), U18 Advanced (Green minimum), U21 (Blue minimum) , Senior Novice (Yellow, Orange), Senior Intermediate (Green, Blue).
Tournament Location
Steveston Community Center, Net Shed Tennis Courts (behind the Steveston
Community Centre)
4111 Moncton Street, Richmond, B.C.
Regular Deadline is November 22.
For more information and the technical package, check the registration page.
| | | Girls Practice at Steveston Judo Club, November 15 - REGISTER NOW! | |
The Steveston Judo Club will be hosting a Girls Practice run by Yuki Yokosawa and Lisa Nakajima, two of the female instructors at the Steveston Judo Club. Here are some details:
Location:
Steveston Judo Club
4111 Moncton St, Richmond, BC V6Y 2C1
Time:
10:00am - 11:30am
Open to athletes who identify as female
Must be born 2016 and earlier (U12 and older) and have at least their yellow belt.
Registration deadline is November 12
| Judo BC Decentralized Winter Camp (Various Locations), Dec. 28-30 - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN | |
This year's Decentralized Winter Camp will be held in 4 locations: Abbotsford, Nanaimo, Prince George and Kelowna. Here is more info:
The primary focus of this camp will be to help prepare athletes for the 2025-26 competitive season and is recommended for athletes competing at Canadian Open Nationals 2026.
- Participants need to bring training gear (running, shoes, shorts, t-shirts) in addition to their judogi(s)
- Athletes, parents and/or club instructors are responsible for arranging their accommodations, transportation and chaperoning of minor aged athletes for all participants.
Schedule:
Saturday, December 27th: 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm
Sunday, December 28th: 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm
Locations:
Abbotsford Judo Club
31410 Maclure Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2T 5G6
Coach: Layton Keely
Nanaimo Judo Club
110 Machleary St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2G5
Coach: Eloy Fiandor
Hart Judo Academy
6543 John Hart Hwy, Prince George, BC V2K 3A4
Coaches: Kouga Kagei, Bruce Kamstra & Aline Strasdin
Kelowna Judo Club Dojo
Unit #100, 1835 Gordon Dr, Kelowna, BC V1Y 3H3
Coaches: Joe Andres & Stu Leatherdale
For more information, check the registration page.
| | Selection Process has Already Begun for BC Winter Games 2026 | | |
The 2026 BC Winter Games will be held in Trail-Rossland, from February 25 to March 1, 2026 and the selection process has already begun. Here is the selection criteria:
Athletes must be a member in good standing with Judo BC. Minimum rank of 4th kyu (orange belt). Athletes MAY be invited to attend a second BCWG in Judo on an exceptional basis provided they have met the minimum criteria described below. Athletes that have medaled at the Open Nationals in 2024-2025 are not eligible to compete in the BC Winter Games for a second time.
Minimum criteria for games selection.
- Born (20011-2013) and resident of BC
- Compete at the Provincials in 2025 in Prince George
- Compete (u16 category) at a provincial or inter-provincial shiai
- Attend a provincial or regional camp
Collect 6 points between Youth Provincials in 2025 and Trials (Nov 2025)
- 1 point per Judo BC sanctioned or recognized out of province shiai (excluding Youth Championships but including BCWG Trials)
- 0.5 points per Judo BC recognized regional practice, provincial practice.
- if more than one camp is attended then each practice at an additional camp is 0.5 points
Selection Process (all zones)
The top 4 male and female athletes (by points) in each zone must be selected to the zone team. The next 4 athletes in points ranking will be selected to the zone team as wild cards provided they have met the minimum requirements and not yet attended games or won a medal at a National Championships. If less than 4 male or female athletes have met minimum requirements then selection of the remaining spots is at discretion of the Zone Representative to fill the zone team.
Remaining wild cards will be assigned based on provincial ranking (in points), gender balance and the following priority:
- #1 Athletes born in 2011-2013 that have not previously attended games or won a medal at the Nationals and have met minimum requirements.
- #2 Athletes that have met minimum requirements and are attending a 2nd games or are National medalists (that have not yet attended games) or athletes born in 2014 identified as early bloomers by the Provincial Coach.
- #3 Athletes not covered by #1 and #2 provided they have competed in at least one provincial level shiai in a U16 category.
New to 2026 - Kata Competition.
Kata Competition will be available to athletes selected according to the above criteria and that have met additional criteria to compete in kata. Provided the athlete has been selected to their zone team or as a wildcard above they may also compete in kata provided the following criteria is met.
- Both members of the kata pair have participated in at least one provincially sanctioned kata competition prior to Games; OR
- Both members of the kata pair of participated in a regional kata competition with at least one certified kata judge scoring the kata.
For more information, check the Judo BC page or the BC Winter Games page.
| | Need Mats? You're in Luck!...84 Used Mats for Sale! | |
84 used mats for sale:
14 mats are the old straw tatamis
35 mats (green) are in good condition
35 are older and in rough condition (good for underlay)
The good mats are $20.00 each and the others will be given away for free. Mats are located in storage in Langley.
For more information or if interested, contact Glenn Ford, phone: 604-825-9656.
| | | Judo BC Kata Team for 2026 Canadian Open National Championships | |
The JudoBC Kata Committee would like to help all teams interested in competing at the Calgary Nationals for Kata Competition. Last year, BC sent 3 teams to the Nationals and we would like to see more participation in the 2026 Nationals.
To qualify for the Nationals, teams need to compete in at least one approved tournament during the regular season, or at any regional level event. Please see the full Team BC selection criteria to qualify for the nationals on the Judo BC website.
Here is a list of the upcoming tournaments that will also include Kata competitions:
- Steveston Junior (November 29, 2025)
- BC Kata Championships (January 18, 2026)
- Saskatchewan Open (January 23-25, 2026)
- BC Provincials (February 6, 2026)
- Edmonton International (March 6-8, 2026)
- Pacific International (March 13-15, 2026)
- Prince George Open (April 10-11, 2026)
- Kata clinic - Steveston (date TBA)
We want to make sure you have all the resources and training necessary to succeed, so please reach out to us at kata@judobc.ca.
| | NCCP DA/DI Courses - December 12-14 Nanaimo - REGISTRATION OPEN | | |
Here is some info for the upcoming Nanaimo session, held at the Nanaimo Judo Club in Nanaimo, BC:
DOJO ASSISTANT INTEGRATED THEORY AND TECHNICAL COURSE
Friday, 12 December 2025 & Saturday, 13 December - until 10:00 (depends on number of DA coaches)
Overview: The DA training requires completion of the following two professional development modules:
- Module # 1: Making Ethical Decision, Safety and Liability
- Module # 2: Teaching & Learning Judo: Fundamental, Technical and Mental skills.
This Learning Experience prepares the participant to assist in delivery of Judo practices for judo players of all stages of development, with an emphasis on participants under 13 years old. It is recommended that the assistant works under the supervision of a certified Instructor. Assistants under the age of majority must work under the direct supervision of a certified instructor.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum age of 16.
- Minimum rank of Green belt with a working knowledge of the judo techniques included in the DA program and as identified by the Judo Canada Kyu syllabus.
- Canadian Records Check – for details please contact Katie Thompson at Judo BC. The check is required only if the length of time between the last check done was done more than 3 years earlier.
DOJO INSTRUCTOR INTEGRATED THEORY AND TECHNICAL COURSE
Saturday, 13 December - starting at 10 am (exact time on Saturday will be determined based on coach registrants) & all day Sunday, 14 December 2025
Overview: The DI training requires completion of the professional development modules required for the Dojo Assistant training, plus the following three Professional development modules:
- Module # 3: Lesson and Season Planning and basic nutrition
- Module # 4: U8/U10 Active Start and Fundamentals Judo Programs module on tatami
- Module # 5: U12/U14 – Learn to Train module on tatami
The length of the Module # 3 depends on the preparation of candidates in advance of the course. The basic nutrition electronic module is offered at: http://www.judocanada.org/introduction-to-nutrition/
The nutrition module must be completed prior to the start of the DI course. Modules 4 and 5 require candidates to present a number of different teaching and training methods.
The “Instructor” course provides the participant with knowledge to instruct technical, physical, and mental aspects of judo and, via completion of an ON-LINE learning module, basic nutrition. The course prepares the participant to be a club instructor responsible for providing judokas with the basic physical literacy skills with emphasis on children under the age of 14; and judo skills as described in the Judo Canada syllabus; and to introduce young judoka to competition.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum age of 18.
- Minimum rank of Brown belt with a working knowledge of the judo techniques included in the Judo Canada Kyu syllabus.
- Complete the on-line “Nutrition for Judo Coaches” E-learning module.
- Trained DA.
For more information, check the registration page.
| | CALENDAR - UPCOMING EVENTS | | |
November 13-16 - Montreal Continental Cup/Open, Montreal QC
November 15 - Girls Practice, Steveston BC
November 21-23 - Nanaimo Regional Camp + BCWG Selection, Nanaimo BC
November 26 - Pre-Approval for January 2026 Black Belt Grading
November 29 - Steveston Junior Tournament, Richmond BC
December 5 - Friday Fight Night #5, New Westminster BC
December 5-7 - USJF Winter Nationals, LA US
December 6 - North Grading + Kata Clinic (tentative)
December 7 - Judo BC AGM , Virtual
December 10 - January Black Belt Grading Deadline
December 12-14 - NCCP DA/DI, Nanaimo BC
December 14 - Mudo Mini Shiai, Langley BC
December 28-30 - Judo BC Decentralized Winter Camp, various locations
January 10-11 - Black Belt Grading, Steveston BC
January 18 - BC Kata Championships, Abbotsford BC
January 23-25 - NCCP DA/DI
January 23-25 - Saskatchewan Open, Regina SK
January 25 - Kensington Teen/Adult Mini Shiai, Vancouver BC
February 6-8 - BC Provincial Championships, Abbotsford BC
February 22 - Peak Senior NeWaza Mini Shiai, Burnaby BC
February 25 - March 1 - BC Winter Games, Quesnel BC
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