Far Travelling Member Promoted
While many of our members were at tournament on November 9th, 2024, Jon Milledge was testing for, and promoted to, “rokkyu,” earning his yellow belt. Jon is a regular attendee of Thursday evening classes and Saturday open mats, who also trains in Bujinkan with Sensei Hilleshiem, and has both a wrestling and MMA background.
Jujitsu Promotion
Logan Ballanger was promoted this past Sunday, November 10th, 2024, at an open mat, receiving his first stripe on his white belt. Logan currently holds the rank of “gokyu” or orange belt in Judo and frequently represents the Des Moines Judo & Sambo Academy at competitions through out the midwest. Logan’s recent use of ground fighting techniques at the 2024 Iowa State Championship the day before his promotion, no doubt contributed to the decision to award his first stripe.
Jujitsu, unlike judo, does not , typically issue a new belt with each rank, instead adding stripes to a black area on the practitioner’s belt until they accumulate their 4th stripe, after which their next promotion results in them being awarded a stripeless belt of a new color.
Great Performance at 2024 Iowa State Championship
Des Moines Judo & Sambo Academy had seven Judoka compete at the 2024 Iowa State Championship, hosted at Teikiatsu Judo in Ames, Iowa, on November 9th, with several wounded members making an appearance to coach and support.
Junior competitors Brayden and Jayce Hanssen each earned silver in their respective divisions after obtaining a win each. Senior women’s medium competitor Olivia McBee also took silver in her division. Josh Pohl, the regular instructor for Thursday evenings, took to mat to claim gold in his division, winning both matches by throw for Ippon. Upon winning his first match via his well honed drop seoi-nage, some crowd member was heard to exclaim “it’s funny when it happens to someone else!” between burst of riotous laughter. Recently joined white belt, but long time wrestler, Christian Wilson was able to claim gold after stepping onto the tatami for the first time and looks to have a strong future in his new found passion.
Lastly, the long standing rivalry between training partners and close friends (some say too close) Logan Ballanger and Jacob van Cleaf had an unexpected upset, with Jacob claiming his first two victories on the competition mat, and the Masters Heavy weight gold medal over Logan. Ballanger found some measure of revenge in the Senior 220+lbs division, claiming victory by pin with Kesa Gatame.
Sunday Class November 3rd, 2024
Sensei Nick Formaro will be teaching class this Sunday, November 3rd, 2024. This will be an extra chance to workshop any techniques and combinations you might be planning on using in tournament on November 9th, 2024. As of the time of the time of this writing, at least 6 students plan on attending, with several others undecided.
Jujitsu Classes Cancelled October 30th and November 4th
The primary instructor for Jujitsu classes will not be available October 30th and November 4th, 2024. Open mats will be held at these times instead.
Alternative Host for Saturday Open Mat
The regular host for Saturday Open Mat, Jacob van Cleaf, will be unable to attend this weekend due to familial obligations. Sensei Jeff Volcheck will be hosting in his place this weekend. This is a great opportunity to get one on one training with a skilled and knowledgeable instructor, and to workshop some moves in advance of the upcoming Iowa State Championship.
Dojo Represented at 2024 Paul Owens Memorial Tournament
The Des Moines Judo & Sambo Academy was present at the Paul Owens Memorial Tournament, held Saturday, October 12th, 2024. A sole Judoka from our dojo, Jacob van Cleaf, made the trip to the Lincoln Martial Arts center to attend this annual event. In addition to the hosting school, several other dojos were present in force, including Uprise Judo Club from York, Nebraska, and Sempai Judo Academy from the Omaha area, both of which were welcoming and willing to adopt the rogue attendant from our Academy for the day. Numerous competitors of all sizes were present, offering the super heavy weight competitor not only several matches with new opponents, but the rare opportunity to compete in the masters age bracket, had he chosen to do so.
Jacob, an orange belt or “gokyu,” competed in the novice and open divisions for his weight, earning a bronze and silver medal respectively.
Upcoming Tournament in Ames
The Iowa State Championship will be held in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, November 9th, 2024. Check in and on site enteries 8:30 to 9:30am Nov.9th. Referees meeting will be held at 10am. Tournament competition will begin at 10:30am. All competitors should register via SmoothComp at the link below.
https://usajudo.smoothcomp.com/en/event/19661
Jujitsu Promotions!
Two students were recently promoted in Jujitsu! Congratulations!
Congratulations to Josh Pohl and Zac Strahl, both of whom were promoted in their Jujitsu training last night. Each of them received a stripe on their white belt, denoting a substantial increase in skill and understanding. Each has worked hard to achieve this, and has substantially improved their ground game in the process.
Jujitsu classes are available to all members of the Des Moines Judo & Sambo Academy as part of their membership. See class schedule for dates and times.
No Jujitsu Today
Due to unavoidable circumstance, there will be no Jujitsu class this evening, September 18th, 2024. Jujitsu class will resume normally next Monday. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Kids Place at Minnesota Classic
Hanssen Boys Place in Minnesota
Brayden (5th Junior Rank) and Jayce Hanssen (4th Junior Rank), students at the Des Moines Judo & Sambo Academy, and sons of instructor Ryan Hanssen, both participated in the Minnesota Classic. The tournament was held at the North Dale Recreation Center in St. Paul Minnesota on September 15th, 2024. The boys placed 3rd and 4th in their respective weight classes and generally made an impressive showing. Their proud papa was proud to show off footage of each taking down an opponent with “Koshi-Guruma” (“Hip Wheel”) a hip throw performed on an opponent held in a headlock. Both boys are regular competitors, and we look forward to seeing them on the mat more in the coming months.