The judo clubs on the Hochrhein lost some members in the corona pandemic. During this time, however, new opportunities have also arisen. As for the Wutöschingen Judo Center, which increased cooperation with other clubs during the Corona period. Friendship training sessions (Randori) have developed with clubs from Tiengen, Lottstetten and Bonndorf, which take place regularly at different locations.
In the Alemannenhalle Wutöschingen, training has been running at full speed again since the corona restrictions were lifted in April. The judo center in Wutöschingen trains on Wednesdays in the smaller of the two separate areas, next door the gymnastics women are active, after that the old men train.
“We are currently having the Bonndorf Judo Club as a guest for the second time,” explains Chairman Dirk Büche. Since the Stadthalle Bonndorf was not available for the judoka twice in a row, they gladly accepted the invitation to train together with the Wutöschingers.
“Twice plus two weeks of autumn holidays is too much for the children who have just started training,” explains trainer Tobias Schwanemann from TUS Bonndorf. Together with assistant trainer Benjamin Bader and some children and young people, he took the opportunity to combine training with getting to know each other. “Just that you have a change of scenery.”
The chairman and trainer Dirk Büche (from left), assistant trainer Clemens Schulmeister (both Judo Center Wutöschingen) and the trainers Tobias Schwanemann and Benjamin Bader (Judo department of TuS Bonndorf) were happy about the joint training in the Alemannenhalle Wutöschingen. | Image: Yvonne Würth
Bonndorf belongs to the Schwarzwald-Baar district, Wutöschingen to the Hochrhein, so joint official tournaments are excluded. Since the journey only takes 20 minutes and is therefore much shorter than Donaueschingen, Lörrach or Constance to your own partner clubs, a training partnership between Wutöschingen and Bonndorf is definitely a good idea. “It was a change and was good for many, it was also good for us,” sums up Tobias Schwanemann.
“Wutöschingen is very open, many thanks to the community,” says Dirk Büche. He suggested a joint Randori with Bonndorf for 2023: “You can help each other regionally,” he explains. Warming up together, technique training and a randori or trying out new techniques together is conceivable.
“You’re a big family and you want to support each other from time to time. You are welcomed with open arms everywhere during training and you learn new things everywhere, and that’s the beauty of judo. You can learn so much, but you have to be open,” said Tobias Schwanemann, pleased about the offer.
Nevertheless, fighting should not be neglected and getting used to the competitions. As assistant trainer Benjamin Bader noted, the children are very much looking forward to putting their skills to the test in the last quarter of an hour of training: “Just working out.”
How is the review?
“The championships are still not running, or they would be at a higher level, you would have to travel all over Baden-Württemberg,” explains Dirk Büche. On the one hand, that is too far, on the other hand, the young athletes have not been able to gain any competition experience in the past two years.
In order to be able to train more again, the club invited the judo clubs from Lottstetten and Tiengen to the Randori in Wutöschingen in May. In return, the judoka from Wutöschingen and Albbruck were invited to Tiengen in October. In the Randori, the partners could meet every three minutes after warming up together, each against each other.
Falling correctly is one of the basic training principles at the Wutöschingen Judo Center. | Image: Yvonne Würth
According to Büche, the randori has another decisive advantage: while there are long waiting times between the individual fights in the competitions, the judokas can do something all the time with the randoris – across all age groups.
In the eastern district, the youth sector is more represented, less the adults. “We have it good in Wutöschingen, we also have some older youngsters who we can also keep by going on with coaching assistance. They give training very independently, it’s great that we have them.”
