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Return to judo update


With the ongoing struggles as a result of the increase in Covid19 cases our plan to return to judo in Q4 2020 is looking more and more unlikely with each day that passes.


As per the government guidelines full contact sports/martial arts such as judo are still not permitted in the UK, with the only form of training allowed being non-contact socially distanced solo drills. Whilst this type of training is permitted by our insurance, the current 'lockdown' schedule at the Sobell centre means that our dojo closes before our session begins, making it impossible for our judokoa to return to training - even if it is socially distanced.


A further issue we face is the fact that our dojo has a lack of ventilation meaning that even if we were able to return, the sharing of unventilated air as students exercise would be fairly dangerous, especially as the number of infections has once again begun to increase.


As a result a return to judo at the Sobell Judo Club is still not possible, nor safe under the current circumstances.


Considering that our dojo normally closes in December for the Christmas break it looks unlikely that we will be returning to judo in the next 2 months. We are therefore targeting a return to judo in Q1 2021 subject to the Covid19 situation.


We understand that this is extremely frustrating for all of our students so we urge you all to stay in touch via Facebook, Email and via our Whatsapp groups as although you may feel alone, we are all in this together.


We'd also like to remind you that head coach Sampson has prepared a number of videos online which can help you to stay judo fit during this period; which you can watch by clicking here ---> www.youtube.com/sampsonjudo.


Whilst the lack of training has been disappointing to endure, this period has given us time to plan and explore new ideas for training at the Sobell Judo Club, as well as other ideas to engage with the club off the tatami which we are excited to share with you in the coming months. When the time comes to return we will ensure that we make up for lost time and all of our students will be stronger than ever.


If anybody has any queries please do not hesitate to reach out.


Stay safe,

The Sobell Judo Club team


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