Club Coach and Session Profiles

Coach in Charge:  Danny Harper, 4th Dan

Training Day/ Time:  Sundays 11am - 12.00pm onwards

Age:  Seniors aged 16+ years

Level:  All levels

Coach Biography:  Danny Harper started judo at evening classes in 1967, and joined Croydon Judo Club the year after.  A competitive 4th Dan, Danny brings an enormous wealth of experience to the mats; two times Southern area Gold medallist and squad player for 6yrs. The very first player to be presented with the Cliff Baker-Brown award for services to judo in the Southern area, British trials Bronze medallist and National squad Surrey squads player. In addition, he has twice taken Gold in the Southern Area Masters (and once bronze), won Gold in the High Wycombe Masters and Bronze in the Samurai Masters.

Danny gained his coaching award in 1972, has coached the Surrey squad men and boys, is a personal safety advisor and assessor and is a judo instructor for young players with special needs and behavioural problems.

Session Details:  "The Sunday class is geared for the more mature player with exercises to suit, and is therefore not ideal for beginners or those wanting a hard uninterrupted randori session. There is an emphasis on enjoyment and sharing judo skills - bearing in mind that we all have to go to work on Mondays!  Our favourite two words are 'Control' and 'Care' which means the session is also suitable for players returning from injuries or time-out.  We are particularly keen to boost the number of female players who train with us".

Notable Others:  Rebecca Harper (competitive 2nd Dan) is a qualified coach who assists with Sunday classes. She began judo in 1994, has been a National and Southern Area Squad player, Surrey squad player and coach and National Masters squad player.  Despite her tremendous experience, Rebecca is very modest! She is also a Personal Safety Advisor.

Mat Fees:  Standard - £4 for members, £6 for non-members; beginners may claim a free trial

In addition, we are also lucky to have other players with a wealth of experience

who join us for the session. Including …

Lesley Woods (2nd Dan Comp; pictured left) - a National squad player and medallist in the British trials, Southern area squad player and medallist in Southern area events and Surrey squad player - has been involved in judo for at least 25yrs and is still a formidable player (famous for her strangles; ask any of the men!).

Steve Smith (2nd Dan Comp; pictured left) has been at Croydon for at least 30 years and was always around the top 8 players in the UK. He was also a regular squad member in the Southern area and Surrey squads. Steve’s judo is a joy to watch as he is so supple and flowing on the mat; a great contributor to the Sunday sessions and great ambassador for Judo!
 

Paul Petty he is another Dan grade Sunday player who was a national squad player, Southern area champion and Surrey squad player.  Paul -  also known to our club members as 'Touchy' because of his past competitive spirit - started at CJC some 30 years ago as a junior and is still formidable on the mat.  Once again he is an asset to the Sunday session with an intelligent and classical approach to judo.

Another regular is Mark ‘Bomber’ McCullom (pictured right); also a 2nd Dan Competitive grade and has also been at Croydon for 30+ years. Bomber is a gentle giant with a great appetite for passing on his knowledge. He was a Southern area and Surrey medallist and squad member, and is also an asset to the Sunday sessions.