Only Packed Mats for The Cho Brothers Teaching Residency at High Noon and MASTERs Training Camp

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA —  In cooperation with Martial Arts for Social Transformation, Equity and Rights, the Cho Brothers, Cho Jun-ho and Cho Jun-hyun of HanpanTV  ran another successful training camp at High Noon Judo. This is not the brothers’ first visit to the Washington, D.C. metro area as Sensei Christopher Round has already hosted them several times to assist with the MASTERs fellows’ training.

The Cho Brothers are known for their approach to understanding judo, beyond what one thinks judo is and to how the art is actually performed. During the camp these celebrated instructors worked with MASTERs fellows Marley Garland, Chloe Williams, Rhadi Ferguson Jr, Kaiya Johnston, Jay Shimizu, Paige Han, Viktoria Evodkimov, Tim Spriggs, EJ Lynch, and Janelle Lynch. Athlete fellow and grappling coach Lakea Vargas was also in attendance, visiting from Florida. Stephanie Davis, a MASTERs coaching fellow also attended the camp. The Cho brothers specifically addressed the athletes’ throwing game and served as alternative perspectives from the main MASTERs coaches, Sensei Christopher Round and Sensei Rhadi Ferguson. Their invaluable insight gave the fellows, as well as anyone else in attendance, a more complete picture of elite judo at the international level.

This intense training camp and teaching residency ran from July 1 to July 17. Athletes and students trained twice a day for two to three hours honing their skills. The mat was sufficiently packed some hopeful participants were almost turned away. Everyone left with rave reviews. The team at Martial Arts for Social Transformation, Equity and Rights, as well as High Noon Judo, cannot endorse the Cho brothers as instructors enough.

In addition to the training camp, a USA Judo coaching certification clinic was held at High Noon. This allows for additional qualified judo practitioners to understand the rules and protocols as well as to coach at USA Judo events.

As part of the training camp, MASTERs fellows and attendees had the opportunity to attend a series of professional development talks. This included a discussion of Mental Performance with team mental performance coach Erin Herle, physical therapy with Open Mat Physio Dr. Diana Wang, nutrition for judo with registered dietician Janine Cotti of Judo Nutrition, and athlete marketing with our marketing director Christiano Bergara.

This event was made possible by our donors and our event attendees. In particular, we would like to thank Ray Wang for his donation and efforts to help bring about this event. A special thank you as well to Team Captain Madeline Solis. Solis, working through an injury, stepped up to provide support to her teammates.

A forthcoming instructional filmed during their time in Northern Virginia is available for pre-order now on the MASTERs website.

For media inquiries regarding MASTERs or High Noon Judo, please contact:
Dr. Christopher Round
Executive Director, MASTERs
roundce@martialartsforsocialgood.org
martialartsforsocialgood.org