Łukasz Machura

How long have you been training in Jodo and how long have you been the coach of the National Team?
My first Jodo training took place in 2002. It was a supplement to my Yoshinkan Aikido training, and I participated in it every Saturday. I started training Jodo seriously in Augsburg with Sensei Henry Schubert in February 2004. So, depending on how you look at it, I have been training for 22 or 20 years. I was the coach of the Polish National Jodo Team from 2009 to 2017. Throughout my coaching career, I was a coach-athlete.

How did you become the coach of the National Team?
I became the Jodo Team Coach at the beginning of 2009, replacing Marcin Wojtasik, who took over my then role as Team Manager. I don’t really remember the reason for the change; maybe that’s just how we decided over a beer ;) Back then, everything looked different; there wasn’t even an official Jodo Commission, which was established only in December 2009.

How do you assess the level of Polish Jodo?
I believe there is no better place in Europe to train Jodo. There may be equally good places, but none better. We have very hard-working athletes who are dedicated and focused on their goals. It’s great to train with them.

What is the key element of a competitor's success in Jodo?
Training 😉 but conscious training, not mindlessly repeating forms, although such training is also necessary. However, keiko should have a specific goal. A concrete thing to work on. I gain the most from such training sessions. Of course, a good teacher or coach makes things much easier, but many things in Jodo can be achieved simply through conscious, hard training.

What qualities are most important in Jodo practitioners?
When I think about it, I can answer this question in two ways—what Jodo gives and what qualities I would wish for a Jodo practitioner. First, Jodo provides an understanding of distance and timing. It teaches reaction and patience, the ability to wait for an action and respond appropriately. Finally, at a more advanced level, it teaches how to influence a partner so that the kata unfolds under our command. Such a thing is not found in other martial arts. I would wish a Jodo practitioner as much time as possible to dedicate to training, perseverance, the ability to listen with understanding, shoshin (beginner's mind), and perhaps not to be discouraged by inevitable failures, whether in exams, competitions, or simply when unable to master a technique. Everything will come with training.

Which coaching achievements are you particularly proud of?
I am proud of every medal that a Polish athlete has won. Many of these medal achievements are the result of the hard work of the athletes themselves and their teachers in the clubs. I feel happy when we win medals; each one is important, regardless of its color. However, I only felt a tear in my eye once, at the last European Junior Championships in Magglingen, Switzerland, when the Polish team won gold in beautiful style, winning all the matches during the finals. Although I am no longer a coach, the sentiment remains, and it was an extraordinary experience for me. For this reason, if I had to choose just one, it would be the team gold at the 2023 European Junior Championships, an achievement of which I am most proud, even though I was only part of it administratively and in training, serving as a ‘sparring partner’ for our team.

Describe the role of the National Team Coach in Jodo.
We have a typical team meeting once a year, just before the European Championships, and it mainly serves as a joint training session to slightly fine-tune before the competition. Several Jodo meetings throughout the calendar year set the main training points, creating an annual development plan. To this day, we do not have a situation in Poland where the Jodo Team Coach is responsible for conducting training for the team; rather, they serve as the selector for the members of the National Team. This role allows one person to look at the entire group simultaneously to establish a sort of hierarchy. The responsibility for conducting training lies with invited teachers. In the past, as Poland was developing, training was based on invited teachers. Of course, the most time was dedicated to us by Andy Sensei, but Jock Sensei and Momi Sensei also come to Poland, and at one time, this list of guests was even longer.
I believe that the role of the Coach as a person overseeing the nationwide Jodo training, introducing a long-term development plan into the training, and enforcing that plan from the instructors is the best option for us. It allows one person to make independent decisions about the shape of the National Team and provides the opportunity to utilize the continually growing Polish instructor cadre.

Does competitive experience in the National Team help in fulfilling the role of a coach?
I think it is absolutely essential. It is hard to understand how to prepare someone for competition if you have never been a competitor yourself. A lack of competitive history means that the coach is more of a theorist without experience, doomed to failure. It is even harder to motivate someone for victory if you have never won anything yourself, and it is difficult to win without being a competitor. The mindset for success, for victory, is not something that can be easily conveyed or explained; it’s a tough matter. However, regardless of victories and defeats, I believe that experience in competitions at the level of European Championships is essential.

What goals should the Jodo team set for the future?
The minimum goal is clear—all finals of the European Championships filled by Poles ;) But seriously, I am far from setting sports goals for any Jodo practitioner. That’s not what it’s all about. It’s about training, and competitions are just one element of training, one of the most challenging when it comes to stress. The European Championships elevate the stress level to the highest possible, and we cannot create such a situation during keiko. That’s how I approach competitions; I never prepare for them in any special way, maybe apart from participating in the Jodo Team training before the European Championships, but usually, I lead that training and don’t have the opportunity to benefit from it. The goal for the team should be mutual development, motivating each other, and fair competition for a place in the National Team. We have great athletes in Poland, and regular training with them will allow anyone to achieve success. The most important thing is joint training and a good atmosphere within the team.

What advice would you give to athletes who want to join the National Team and achieve success?
Jodo training is quite specific; it combines two seemingly incompatible worlds—the world of budo and the world of sport. The first is associated with many unwritten but very demanding rules regarding the student-teacher relationship, which is paramount. The second involves the athlete's relationship with the sports association. One must be able to reconcile both roles. In short, we need to learn to work with every teacher we encounter, sometimes seeing a completely different explanation of a technique than what we know from our dojo. Sometimes that explanation will contradict what our teacher tells us. Initially, we may want to reject conflicting information, but I believe that is a mistake. I have always tried to understand and practice every piece of advice I received at training camps. After some time, this gives an incredible ability to change the way a technique is performed almost immediately. Those who approach new knowledge this way are usually the best technically skilled Jodo practitioners I know. On the other hand, those who train only with one teacher generally do not even participate in the celebration of Jodo that the European Championships represent.
From this, my advice follows: train. As much as possible and with everyone, not just in the student-teacher relationship; it’s best to dedicate all your free time to training. Seriously. Then, good sports results are just a matter of time and patience.