Neil Ohlenkamp
Judo Background
"It has been said that a person may have ten years of experience, or one year of experience repeated ten times." -- Yukiso Yamamoto
Mr. Ohlenkamp holds a sixth degree black
belt in Judo with over 38 years of training and experience
as a competitor, instructor, team coach, and tournament official.
He has been awarded black belt rank certificates by the United States
Judo Association (USJA), United States Judo Federation (USJF), Southern
California Black Belt Association (Nanka Yudanshakai),
and the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, Japan. He is an active member of these
organizations, as well as USA Judo (USJI). He was promoted to first degree black
belt by Nanka and USJF in 1975, and by the Kodokan in 1976. Here's his first Kodokan
black belt certificate and
his first Kodokan membership card.
Mr. Ohlenkamp has been teaching Judo and jujutsu classes since 1973. He has been the head instructor of the Encino Judo Club since 1985 responsible for classes in five locations teaching hundreds of students each year. He has developed highly successful Judo, jujutsu and self defense programs for various health clubs, churches, schools, community centers, youth centers, and recreation centers throughout Southern California. He has trained athletes and coaches in national conferences, training camps, seminars and clinics at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and other cities in the United States, Costa Rica, Korea, Japan, France and England. He has trained national champions and international medalists, as well as thousands of recreational Judo players and martial artists. Many of his students have distinguished themselves as coaches and instructors as well. He is widely recognized as a leader in the teaching and promotion of Judo for sport and self defense.
Mr. Ohlenkamp has been a coach and advisor to the Braille Institute of America Judo Team since 1976. Due to the success of the local Judo program, he participated in the creation of a national Judo program for blind athletes, and served many years as head national coach and coordinator for the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes. He was the U.S. Team Coach at the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, Korea, the 1989 World Championships in Manchester, England, and the 1990 World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, Netherlands. Coordinator of numerous elite athlete training camps, national and local tournaments, and other training opportunities for the visually impaired, he has trained many blind national and international champions, as well as other coaches and instructors. He also served as the US Representative to the International Blind Sports Association Judo Technical Committee from 1988 to 1993 and was instrumental in creating the international rules for visually impaired competitors.
 |
| Yasuhiro Yamashita and Neil Ohlenkamp at the Kodokan, Japan in June 2003 on the occasion of the World Masters Championships. Yasuhiro Yamashita is one of the world's most successful competitors with an unbroken record of 203 wins. He is an Olympic Gold medalist, 4-time World Champion, and 9-time All-Japan Champion starting at age 19. |
As a pioneer in promoting martial arts around the world through the internet, Mr. Ohlenkamp created the first comprehensive web page devoted to Judo in 1995. The Judo Information Site at JudoInfo.com and the Judo Forum at JudoForum.com have helped over 5 million visitors learn about Judo. The Judo Information Site has established itself as the most highly acclaimed, most popular, and most comprehensive source of information about Judo on the internet. He is a featured advisor at ExpertCentral.com, and KarateAngels.com, has contributed to martial arts books, and has had articles published in many Judo publications in the US.
You can see Neil Ohlenkamp teaching a class, check out the report of his 2002 visit to referee and teach in Costa Rica, or see photos of his 2003 visit to the Kodokan in Tokyo, Japan.