Marcel Clause-sensei, Kodokan 8 dan

A very nice film of the sublime technician Marcel Clause-sensei, Kodokan 8 dan.

To me this sensei is a technician with very few equals inside or outside Japan. He has worked so hard all his life he reached the point where he could make judo look simple. I can think of no greater compliment. I deeply regret having not even heard of him until seeing this clip on the JF many years ago? One of the Wests best kept judo secrets, unfortunately.

Mike

Simply brilliant.

I can only wholeheartedly affirm what Hanon and Doug wrote.

Here's Clause-sensei's last (known) recorded seminar before he sadly passed away in 2004:



You may be surprised why there isn't more footage, but as I have already indicate before in a few other posts, unlike in some countries like the US it's simply not the culture to come to a jûdô clinic or seminar and just videotape everything. Instead, people mostly just listen and practice. The feeling I remember always was that you wanted to get most out of the presence of the sensei by doing stuff and having him correct you, rather than videotape and think you can just copy everything at home.

I do not know if everyone sees this but there is a lot in this clip, one of the very important things the demonstration of how kuzushi emerges from the hara and whole body movement rather than from just arm action. The symbiosis between kuzushi, tsukuri and debana is also amply illustrated.

One also very regrettable issue is that no videotapes have been released demonstrating Clause-sensei's fabulous kata teaching and practice skills, the most impressive I have ever seen from any Westerner, a perfect combination of form, purity, effectiveness and martial arts spirit.

When he used to teach it was evident for all of us that he did. Only now we realize it wasn't, and memories are all we have left, memories and that what our own limited abilities allow us to transfer from his brilliance ...

There is no way he was taught by Westerners? Who did teach him judo? Where. Why or how was he so unknown?

Mike

Hanon wrote:There is no way he was taught by Westerners? Who did teach him judo? Where. Why or how was he so unknown?

Mike

Abe Ichirô. Together with the late Daniel Outelet (4-time European champion who committed suicide in the 1960s) he was Abe Ichirô's most accomplished and finest technical student. He was taught in Europe where Abe Ichirô was technical director from 1952 onwards. Domestically he was very well known, internationally he wasn't, likely because he wasn't active in English-speaking countries, but mostly in French-speaking areas. Also, he was never the subject of films or DVDs or books. It is still good though these clips exist or people internationally would not have learnt about him or would have thought I would have exaggerated if I would have described this.

Cichorei Kano wrote:I can only wholeheartedly affirm what Hanon and Doug wrote.

Here's Clause-sensei's last (known) recorded seminar before he sadly passed away in 2004:



You may be surprised why there isn't more footage, but as I have already indicate before in a few other posts, unlike in some countries like the US it's simply not the culture to come to a jûdô clinic or seminar and just videotape everything. Instead, people mostly just listen and practice. The feeling I remember always was that you wanted to get most out of the presence of the sensei by doing stuff and having him correct you, rather than videotape and think you can just copy everything at home.

I do not know if everyone sees this but there is a lot in this clip, one of the very important things the demonstration of how kuzushi emerges from the hara and whole body movement rather than from just arm action. The symbiosis between kuzushi, tsukuri and debana is also amply illustrated.

One also very regrettable issue is that no videotapes have been released demonstrating Clause-sensei's fabulous kata teaching and practice skills, the most impressive I have ever seen from any Westerner, a perfect combination of form, purity, effectiveness and martial arts spirit.

When he used to teach it was evident for all of us that he did. Only now we realize it wasn't, and memories are all we have left, memories and that what our own limited abilities allow us to transfer from his brilliance ...

Beautiful words Sensei.
Thank you very much for share with us.