Case Study: How Sensei Connie Halporn uses the resources to help adults learn judo
Koka Kids is NOT just for kids!
In this post, I’d like to focus on one judo coach who has been using Koka Kids for some years now: Connie Halporn.
Sensei Connie Halporn, a pioneer for women coaching judo, teaches at New York University Judo. Most of her students are youths and adults. No matter - they love Koka Kids!
As Connie keeps telling me: Koka Kids is NOT just for kids. Connie says the adult students at New York University are finding the materials so useful for themselves.
So how does she work the material into her teaching?
First up, Connie asks all her students to download the Koka Kids app. This is so they can study for their rank requirements.
The Koka Kids app has animated throws of the full Gokyo, and is free to download on Android or App Store.
Connie also uses the teaching cards. After technical classes students receive the step by step cards. Recently, the class learnt Uchimata and each student took home a print out.
The Uchimata Teaching Card
The Shoulder Roll teaching card
Recently I chatted with Connie to find out more about her life in judo and how she uses the Koka Kids resource to encourage the big kids as well as the little ones. Here’s what she said:
Interview with Sensei Connie Halporn,
New York University Judo
How did you get into judo?
I went to a private school called St. Ann’s in Brooklyn, NY USA, which required physical activity for all students every single day. One of the choices was judo. Here I was, a short kid, who wore glasses, couldn’t do a back walkover, nor was much of a runner.
Judo didn’t require that you needed to see well, run fast or be amazingly flexible. It was a safe, fun, interesting and connected me to a group of people who cared deeply about you.
After High school I looked for a college that had a Judo program and found Kirkland College in upstate NY. I thrived in that program, and saw my first female Sensei. Up until then, all of my teachers were male. I was also a participant in the Empire State Games which was a sort of NY State Olympics for the average athlete. I met my now husband as a teammate in the Central New York region Judo team.
When I returned to New York City, I joined the Columbia University Judo club, and over time my husband and I became the head instructors. Columbia University decided to end the Judo club (as they could make more money using the space for aerobics), but we were lucky to be able to join the Polytechic Institute for Engineering’s Judo club. The head instructor there, was looking to retire and wanted to keep the program alive. Shortly after that, New York University purchased Polytech and made the decision to keep Judo as a club sport. We’ve been with them since 2007.
Judo is how I met my husband, many of my wonderful close “family by choice” and the precepts of Judo are an integral part of how I run my own life. This is a short version of my Judo life.
How many students do you teach?
The New York University Judo club runs every Fall and Spring semester, two classes a week for two hours each. We’ve averaged 50-70 students on our roster for the past couple of years, with actual attendance being 20-25 students a night. For the most part, we have adults (as it’s a night time class).
My husband and I will be retiring form NYU at the end of this semester, but we built in a legacy by having a third instructor with us, and they will be adding two more instructors in the Fall. This ensures that the NYU Judo cub will thrive for many years to come.
How are you using the Koka Kids judo resources with your adults?
Even though the focus with Koka Kids is for kids, the adults have been finding the materials so useful for themselves.
We require that our students download The Koka kids app so they have a useful resource to compliment the paper test for rank. The drawings on our test papers do not hold a candle to what the app gives them.
One of my adults is using it to help him study for his yellow belt test.
We use the Koka kids certificates and teaching cards to encourage our students as well. We generally hand out the teaching cards after we’ve done the initial lessons in the dojo.
We also place the “How to Tie your Obi” teaching card in every single judo gi bag we sell.
We use the Koka kids flyers and banners on the Club Days, as door signage as we’re in a wrestling room with a plain door, so it lets people know where we are!
Going forward, are there any particular resources you would like me to design?
I would LOVE it if you could do a matwork app! Basic holds, chokes and arm bars. It would be such a great compliment to the existing app.
Would you recommend the resources to another judo coach?
I already have! I’ve posted the Koka kids link to my Facebook page, and emailed many of my friends in Judo to make sure they understand that these are also just as good for adults. My students LOVE them!
Do you have a unique way of using the resources at your club? If so, I’d love to interview you. Please get in touch with me, Nik Fairbrother (nicola@kokakids.co.uk)