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 seventh degree black belt in Judo with over 45 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 was promoted to first degree black belt by the USJF in 1975, and by the Kodokan in 1976.
Mr. Ohlenkamp is the author of the groundbreaking instructional book Judo Unleashed published by McGraw-Hill in the U.S. and Black Belt: Judo Skills and Techniques in Great Britain.
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 multiple 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, Belize, Korea, Japan, France and England. He has trained an Olympian, Paralympians, 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 from 1976 to 2006. 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.
Mr. Ohlenkamp has been certified by the United States Judo Association as an instructor, referee, rank examiner, and coach. He was named United States Judo Coach of the Year for 1999. He has also been designated as a Master Coach by the US Association of Blind Athletes. In 2009, Neil Ohlenkamp was elected to the Board of Directors of the United States Judo Association. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Child Development from California State University, Northridge.
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 millions of visitors learn about Judo. The Judo Information Site has established itself as the most highly acclaimed, popular, influential, and comprehensive source of information about Judo on the internet. He is a featured advisor at ExpertCentral.com, and has had articles published in many Judo publications in the US.
