Annex Judo Academy
suspended training until spring 2020

Hello everyone!

How we miss you.  We are confident that you are all thriving despite the life adjustments you have made and are making during this extended state of adverse global and local conditions with Covid-19.  We know how strong and adaptable each of you are with your own unique strengths and talents. We know you have forged stronger relationships with the members in your household and you have made many self-discoveries.  You have found joy in places you had never thought to look before, tried things you may not have otherwise thought to try. And you have grown!  Your judo has been part of that process for you. You have prepared yourself to face life’s challenges through your study and training in judo, it has been part of your growth as an individual and global citizen.  You never unlearn your lessons in judo. 

Having said that. I’m guessing that many of you are like me, feeling more than a little frustrated and impatient for a return to judo on the mats you’re your AJA friends and family.  We know this because we feel the same.  We want to be back on the mats with you.  Did you know that Sensei Tami, Sensei Guy, Sensei Michael and myself have a combined 100 years of judo experience? We want to be on the mats!

I personally have been asked a number of times by students of our club and sensei from other clubs, when will the Annex Judo Academy open again for onsite/mats training.  How to answer this question has been on my mind for six months now, and I think about it every day.

We cannot, in good conscience, restart physical contact judo until a vaccine, or effective treatment for covid-19 has been produced and provided to all the members of our community at large and all the appropriate government health agencies have declared judo a safe activity to engage in. I’m sure this is very disappointing for everyone, it is disappointing for me. Our judo club has been my life’s dream. Sensei Tami has shared this dream with me for 15 years, along with sensei Guy and sensei Michael, this is our labor of love.  I am disappointed, but it is the only course of action to ensure we do our part in keeping everyone in our circles and our extended circles safe.  We were the first to suspend training at the beginning of the covid era, we will not be the first back for the same reason. Safety for all our members and all of their friends and family will remain our primary priority.  We will be leaders here, we will set the right examples.

It will be difficult for some to understand especially when they hear other judo clubs are reopened or reopening under extremely modified conditions.

We will not return to on-mat training for the 2020/2021 season.  We will re-evaluate again in the spring 2021.

Our club is still our club, and we will offer a variety of online opportunities for adults and children as well as some small group outdoor physical group workouts in the park, while strictly adhering to all social distancing rules and protocols.  And we will offer safe social gathering opportunities for our students to stay connected to their judo friends.

We will be back on the mats again in time, our dream isn’t over yet!


Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out any time. Please keep in touch, through email, social media, etc. We love to hear from you all! Enjoy the rest of your summer and hopefully we will see you on a Zoom meeting in September. David Miller Sensei and Tami Dacks Sensei