Sensei Satish Sharma is a well-known name in the Indian Judo fraternity for his training and the success of his pupils in the international arena. He commands respect all over the country for coaching some of the most impressive judokas in India.The fourth Dan Black Belt, also a Judo Federation of India (JFI) technical committee member, has been associated with Judo for 40 years and aims to give back to the sport that has made him what he is today.
Initially, the sensei was requested both by K N Babu and Venkat Namishetty, Secretary and President of the Andhra Pradesh State Judo Association to visit Anantapur and share his knowledge. But on learning about India’s second JFI Training Centre being set up in Anantapur at the Anantapur Sports Village (ASV) he was convinced and decided to visit Anantapur and conduct a camp here for the Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA) judokas along with other young judokas from rest of Andhra Pradesh.
The sensei finally arrived, and with him was his pupil and apprentice Judo coach, International Judoka Savita Gurung. The duo stepped foot into Anantapur on the morning of 23 September 2016 for a weeklong camp.
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juThey were to train 25 of the Rural Development Trust-JFI Training Centre along with 50 grassroot level judokas from in and around Anantapur, the recent sub-junior and junior state championship winning judokas from other parts of the state and about a dozen more grassroot level coaches including six black belts. They planned their sessions to accommodate close to 100 participants with prime focus being the RDT-JFI training centre judokas.
The experienced coach began his camp the same evening, allowing his apprentice to conduct the introductory session with the very basics, while he oversaw the session to meticulously assess the skills and physical fitness of the participants.
He observed that the judokas had a fair knowledge of their throwing and gripping but possessed little knowledge of judo’s choking, submissions, attack and counter-attacking.For which he planned his schedule for the upcoming days of the camp and also taught the judokas about finer elements of body language, concentration and focus.
Sensei Satish Sharma who attained his Black Belt from Kodokan, Japan in 1983 has seen the sport grow over time. He shared “I came here with the intention of taking the students that I get and refine them to be better. The judokas were disciplined, obedient and diligent which is why I have felt a sense of attachment to them. They displayed good temperament and fitness but lacked the knowledge of the technical aspects of judo and I am looking to groom them further and provide them competition exposure at my Judo academy in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Rural Development Trust through its ASA has an impressive infrastructure for the growth of these young judokas and I would like to support it by organizing more such camps for these young children”.
