Intense Summer Training Plan Prepares Junior World Team Athletes

Preparation for the upcoming Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru, has culminated with U.S. team members participating in an intensive two-week training tour of top American dojos across the Eastern seaboard.

Under the guidance of USA Judo Director of High-Performance Ed Liddie, U.S. junior athletes have refined their game at select training camps under the watchful gaze of Olympians Colton Brown, Jimmy Pedro and Israel Hernandez.

“It was our plan this year to send our junior athletes to multiple international competitions and camps to gain that valuable experience they couldn’t receive by staying at home,” said Liddie. “The series of U.S. training camps relied on Colton, Jimmy and Israel all working together to create a successful concept that ensured proper training for our elite junior athletes ahead of the upcoming Junior World Championships.”

The training camp tour began on September 8, but the preparation began long before that. Following the qualifications of IJF Juniors at the USA Judo Junior Olympics in June in Chicago, members of the U.S. team embarked on gaining valuable international experience.

From July 4-10, Junior World Team athletes competed at the Prague Junior European Cup in Czechia, followed by a three-day training camp with international coaches and athletes.

 The event in Prague was highlighted by an all-American final in the men’s 60 kg division with Chris Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) and Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team). Velazco won the gold medal and Yang earned the silver medal, as did Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Los Gatos, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / Nakano Judo Academy) in the men’s 90 kg competition.

“This summer's program has helped me prepare the best way for my last Junior Worlds,” said Velazco, who will be the top-ranked athlete at 60 kg at Junior Worlds. “Being able to compete and train alongside the best athletes in the U.S. and the world has made me a better judoka and put me in the best shape for Lima.”

After Prague, the junior athletes traveled to Paks, Hungary, to compete in the July 11-14 Junior European Cup, and then returned to the United States for the U.S. Open competition and training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in late July.

The following month brought the Junior Pan American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, where Velazco, Yang, Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center) and Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) all captured silver medals.

“This summer’s training program helped me a lot,” said Yang, who won the Cadet World Championship title last year and is ranked #6 at 60 kg. “The program was tough, but it pushed me in the right ways. I feel like my conditioning, technique, and mindset all took a big step forward this summer.”

The final piece of international preparation took place during a week-long training camp in Valencia, Spain, August 17-23, which included more than 1,600 athletes from 14 countries. Then, back home in the U.S., three consecutive training camps from September 8-20 served as the final ingredients in the preparation of the Junior World Team.

More than 60 junior athletes trained at the Colton Brown Training Center in Warren, N.J., under two-time Olympian Colton Brown, followed by sessions at Pedro’s Judo Center in Wakefield, Mass., under two-time Olympic bronze medalist Jimmy Pedro, and at the U.S. Performance Center in Charlotte, N.C., under the guidance of two-time Olympic bronze medalist Israel Hernandez.

“Talking to the different coaches and hearing their insights was the most beneficial part,” Yang stated. “Each coach had a unique perspective on my judo, and being able to take little pieces of advice from all of them really helped me grow.”

“I became better, more confident, more resilient, and developed more of that killer mindset,” added Jaspe, who will enter the Junior Worlds at #3 in the 63 kg competition. “A big part of that came from the coaches, many of them spoke in a really motivating way and pushed me to believe in myself even when I was tired or didn’t feel motivated. Their support and energy helped me take things to the next level.”

“The recent series of training camps in the U.S. was fantastic,” Liubimovski (world #4 at 100 kg) added. “Definitely a great finish to a summer filled with training. These camps have mentally and physically prepared me for the tournaments I have coming up, and I am looking forward to more events like this in the future.”

Building a shared sense of team was also the goal of the summer training schedule, and it will serve as one of the keys to the success of the U.S. junior squad in Peru.

“The most beneficial aspect of this summer has for sure been being able to train and compete alongside my USA teammates for many tournaments in a row,” said Velazco. “It creates a sense of camaraderie within everyone and makes us work together as Team USA to get the best out of each other.”

With the intense preparation now complete, Junior World Team members can now focus on fine-tuning their skills in the weeks leading up to the Junior World Championships beginning on October 5.

“I can safely say I feel better than I have in a long time, and being the #1 seed coming into the tournament, I know the expectations are high,” said Velazco.

Added Jaspe: “This summer’s training program has been a great way to build confidence and stay focused leading into Worlds. I was able to get in a lot of rounds with high-level people, which was really beneficial for me. Training with strong partners pushed me to stay sharp, adjust to different styles, and stay competitive every day.”

The confidence sentiment was echoed by Yang and Liubimovski.

“I feel very confident not just in myself, but in all the people who have helped me up to this point,” said Yang. “I know that we all did our absolute best to push each other toward this goal, and I have a lot of faith in myself and the people around me. I’m excited to step on that podium once again, representing my country.”

“I have never trained this hard in my life, and I believe I’ve done everything to prepare myself,” added Liubimovski. “I feel very confident knowing I put in the work to achieve the result I deserve.”