It sounds like a parent’s nightmare: More than a dozen young children grabbing each other, trying to throw each other to the floor and either pin them there, choke them, or cause them so much pain they tap out.
And yet, no one is crying.
Tucked behind the State Farm office in the Tefft Center at 671 W. Tefft Street in Nipomo is suite 15, the meeting place for the Nipomo Community Baptist Church and C.E.M. Judo Studio. On Monday and Thursday nights, Paul Rush—who goes by Bob—teaches budding Judo practitioners and seasoned veterans alike.
“When I was a kid, my dad was a truck driver, and one thing I learned from my dad was a very strong work ethic. I watched him work himself to the bone. It was either feast or famine as a truck driver, so there were many times when I couldn’t afford to go to my lessons,” Rush said as he watched two of his students chuck each other around.
He never wants a student to be unable to train due to monetary issues. All he asks is that they pay the $45 for a year’s worth of insurance, and then whatever they can give toward a suggested monthly fee of $30—even if all they can throw down is five bucks.
Free martial arts classes aren’t often very competitive, but this isn’t a casual club. Not only is C.E.M. Judo Studio the 27th largest Judo school in the United States Judo Association, which consists of 910 clubs, but club members are tearing it up, bringing home about 25 medals a year.
“It’s changed my life in every way possible that I could even imagine. Self-confidence, boosted up self-esteem … it makes me think that I can do anything,” said Edgar Espinosa, who took the California State Games, one of the highest-level tournaments around.
Sergio Rodriguez, a senior at Pioneer Valley High School, has been training for five months and recently placed third at the California State Games in San Diego. He said he’s getting straight As in school now, which he hasn’t done since junior high.
After coming back and defeating an opponent who choked him unconscious last year, the tower of muscle also known as Sergio Mejia told Rush, “I feel like I could just do anything.”
“That’s it,” Rush said. “Teaching these guys to dream, hopefully teaching them to trust in the Lord along the way.”
He said he likes to use constant encouragement as a coaching method, preferring the “honey over vinegar” approach.
“It’s a ministry. My underlying principle here is to build up young men and women,” he said. “A lot of young men in particular don’t know how to man up. They don’t know how to work. They don’t know how to exist, really.”
“As a teacher and as a studio, I am so blessed to say that almost all of my goals haven’t been met, but they’ve been blown away,” Rush said.
C.E.M. Judo has grown from a small group that trained on a tile-floored room to a highly recognized club with Olympic mats and families bringing their kids in.
“I couldn’t be more proud. I went from, quite frankly, dealing with a number of underprivileged kids in the beginning to now, three of those guys—ages 12, 20, and 21—being national champions,” he said.
Rush still has some goals: He wants the club to become generational, continuing on after himself. He’s working on getting some of his guys to international competitions; they’re currently getting their passports and prepping for the Can-Am Tournament. And he wants to place at least one student in the Olympics. He also wants to start a college fund for his students.
As the children finish throwing each other to the ground, the expected torrent of cries never comes. While the adult class prepares to take the mat, the kids leave the studio sweating and grinning, ready to take on the world.
Intern Michael McCone compiled this week’s Community Corner. He recently began attending C.E.M Judo Studio. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 20-27, 2011.