KANGEIKO 2023
This is a great time to begin your judo education! Please contact me at joe@yjudo.com for more information and to reserve your slot. Start your new year with a healthier body and mind!
Kangeiko is a traditional Japanese martial arts term meaning winter training. The purpose of kangeiko is to begin the new year with a personal challenge, renew the spirit and set a tone of excellence for the entire year.
Why do we hold kangeiko?
With the short days and colder temperatures, our bodies decide that they want to go into a “hibernation” mode. Most of us have just come through the holiday season having enjoyed some big meals, sugar cookies and just the overall “good life" and are probably not operating at our optimum. Faced with the prospect of the colder temperatures and less sunlight, we need to force ourselves out of that cycle. During kangeiko, we face those challenges head-on, willing ourselves to get up early, exercise, eat healthy, cleanse our systems and learn some new skills. This is not a New Year’s resolution which we bail out on during day two. We set a finite time limit (one month), face the challenge together and set the tone for the year. We go through this with a group of people who tend to become lifelong friends.
How does it work?
At our Academy, Kangeiko lasts for the entire month of January. There are three main phases:
Judo skills - technical education and training sessions
Physical training - flexibility and movement, strength progression and interval training
Dietary cleanse - elimination of substances such as alcohol, soft drinks, etc. which create dependency and are detrimental to our health
There are two workouts per day on Weekdays (Monday through Thursday), a Saturday morning session and a Sunday self-paced session. Weekday morning sessions will begin at 5:30 am and the evening sessions at 7:00 pm. A more detailed calendar and workout routine schedule will be provided to the participants.
This is not “boot camp” style of training. It is definitely “come as you are”. We start very slowly and intelligently and build continually throughout the month. The entire goal is to make it through the month together with an enhanced skillset, stronger and healthier bodies and clearer minds. It is a challenge, but it is one that you can achieve no matter what your starting point.
This is the time of year when we get so many new people who have no judo experience whatsoever - this is a great opportunity to begin the journey. Our judo training during this time is technical and deliberate, which is good for beginners and advanced alike. It introduces the new people to the concepts and techniques while allowing the more advanced judoka to really hone their skills.