 |
Gerald Lafon
Director of Coaching, 6th Dan, USJA Master Coach
He was born in New York City in 1951. In 1961, his family moved from Secaucus, New Jersey to Paris, France. Since his father Pierre had been a judoplayer in the 1940s in France and England, he too got the “Judo bug” and started his training in 1965 under Jacques Bardel, 2nd dan. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1969, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1970-71, spending one tour of duty in Vietnam as a field radio operator. In 1972, he continued his Judo training under Benso Tsuji, 6th dan and became the head instructor of San Diego City College Judo Club, a newly formed student club. Promoted to black belt in 1974, he became the first certified coach (USJF) in the San Diego area. In 1978, after six years of teaching at San Diego City College and at various local YMCAs, he established a permanent training site for the club. Early in his coaching, he was heavily influenced by the innovative ideas of Geof Gleeson, a British coach and author, who is considered the father of modern Judo training methods. Gleeson's greatest contribution to the sport of Judo was to encourage coaches to think “outside the box” and to reject many traditional methods unsuited to the participants from the Western hemisphere.
He is a voracious reader who believes that he who dares to teach should never cease to learn. He has been very involved in coach education, having served as a member of the USJA Coach Certification Committee for over twenty years. He continues to work and correspond with coaches throughout the world. He has authored many articles, which have appeared in USJA Coach, American Judo, Growing Judo, and many Internet sites interested in his training ideas.
Coach Lafon reached the pinnacle in his coaching career when his daughter Valerie represented the U.S. in the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Olympics. He continues to use Judo to improve the lives of many children and adults, and is still looking for that next Olympian.
Additional credentials:
- Technical Consultant to the Bahamas Judo Federation
- USJA Coach of the Year 1990
- International Judo Coaches Alliance Founder
- California Community Colleges Teaching Credential
|
