Łíídlı Kųę
Fort Simpson
TETSUYA NUMATA
The NWT Judo Association provides in school and out of school judo programming throughout Fort Simpson in partnership with the DDEC (Dehcho Divisional Education Council) with the goal of introducing judo to indigenous students, athletes and practitioners of all ages and guiding them in judo, whether that be in recreational programs or developing them towards high performance sport.
Judo in Fort Simpson is currently being lead by Tetsuya Numata. Numata Sensei arrived in Yellowknife in March 2023 where he spent four months facilitating the plethora of programs we offer at our privately run Kam Lake Dojo. In June 2023, he relocated to Fort Simpson to take over operations from Josh Hagen.
Tetsuya is a lifelong judoka (practitioner of judo), from Japan with international competition experience. A true student of judo that loves to follow the current international circuit. His affinity for newaza (ground work is made obvious by his social media tag @newazalove. Growing up a fan of the world famous Flavio Canto OLY of Brazil and Travis Stevens OLY of USA, both Olympic medalists known for their mastery of ground techniques. Tetsuya arrives after spending a year and a half teaching judo in Edinburgh, Scotland as well as running multiple clinics and training camps in Greece. He is incredibly excited for the next stage of his judo career and has so far survived his introduction to a northern winter.
Since the begging, there has been an overwhelming amount of support and excitement surrounding the judo program across the Territory, which in no small part was generated by Mario Desforges who laid the groundwork for the foundation and growth that we are now starting to see. While most recreational programs in the country naturally hit some lulls in participation due to the covid-19 pandemic, the NWT Judo Association was able to triple its participation.
Tetsuya has relocated to Fort Simpson to support and grow the already established program in the community.
NWT Judo strives to increase the physical activity of people throughout the territory with Judo, and is dedicated to developing judoka from grassroots to high performance athletes. We work to provide a fun learning atmosphere both in the school system, specifically throughout the Dehcho District, as well as hubs in Yellowknife and Inuvik.
