The Barometer Online

Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Cory Reed Sensei Edward Szrejter, now 80, is known to be one of only three living ninth degree black belts in the country. He was on hand at the annual OSU Judo Clinic last weekend.

The OSU Judo Club held its annual Judo Clinic Friday and Saturday in the Dixon Recreational Sports Center. As part of the event, Sensei Edward Szrejter, one of only three living ninth degree black belts in the U.S. was on hand to instruct those in attendance.

Jigoro Kano created a martial arts school in 1882, and focused on throws of which there are 67 in judo developed judo, a derivative of the martial art Jujitsu, 11 choke holds and 11 different types of arm bars. Judo is one of the few martial arts that does not teach any "striking" blows, such as punches, kicks, and does not use weapons.

Instead judo focuses on defensive techniques designed to protect and not attack. Kano, "took out things out of Jujitsu that could hurt people," said Szrejter, who was promoted to his current rank in July of 2000.

Szrejter was on hand to instruct members of the OSU Judo Club and the Corvallis Judo Club in several difficult throwing katas, as well as formal techniques for competition.

"Katas are particular forms that are executed very precisely, and in competition they're judged that way too," Szrejter said.

One particular kata Szrejter taught was one he invented himself; the Renraku kata or combination kata, which involves two consecutive throws instead of the traditional single throw.

"I was incapacitated in 2000 and I was at a camp in North Carolina sitting on my butt while watching different katas being performed, and I said to myself, 'well there's one kata missing'," Szrejter explained. "So I just started writing them down on a piece of paper and all of a sudden it just came to me, 'why not a combination kata'?"

Judo was one of the first martial arts to create a system of ranks denoted by colored belts. It is divided up into two groups, one called "kyu" for the various ranks below a black belt and "dan" for the various ranks of black belts.

These ranks range from white (lowest), to yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and brown for kyu's. For dan's, a Judo adherent can achieve several more promotions up to the level of what's called a 10th degree black belt, of which there have only ever been 15 bestowed in the history of Judo.

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