Sabaldan: Volleyball girls get judo lessons from Tancontian

SYDNEY Tancontian makes every session valuable with the step-by-step lessons in self defense at the Holiday Gym and Spa, home of the champions in Japanese judo and Brazilian jui jit su.

Her dad, 8th time national champion and Arafura Games gold medalist Paolo Tancontian himself is the master of the program as part of his own initiatives being the newly-elected president of the national sport association in judo.

It's all in the family. The three-day per week sessions at the karate and judo gym of HGS is managed by Paolo's dear wife Janet Sy-Tancontian.

Sydney and younger brother Chino, who are themselves Batang Pinoy national champions in judo, are the ones helping their parents impart the age-old lessons of the Japanese discipline with new innovations in Brazilian mix martial arts.

The Tancontians, the pioneering family of judo practitioners in Davao, also support the sports program of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte that they hailed as very practical and directly benefit the athletes down the line, just like when her father was the mayor.

Tancontian is also the first one to initially respond to the plan of Vice Mayor Rody Duterte to further intensify the program in sports in the hope of bringing more children and young people to a healthy lifestyle.

According to Janet Tancontian, the population in Davao City is fast growing and hopefully, sports can be an effective tool in stopping the rise of too many people already in their unhealthy obese stage at an early age.

Why? Condominium and high-rise residential living is not giving affluent families and their children time to play in the open field anymore. Add to that is the addicting influence of computer games and the oily and succulent taste of fast-food door-to-door deliveries. Parents are confident and happy to see their children fat and munching the chicken nuggets and the juicy hotdog. It’s balanced and healthy without the poor man's gulay? Then five-year old Rick Aquino of Rick's Car Wash has begged to disagree. The lean and speedy Aquino was the youngest participant and gold medalist in his category of 5 to 7 years old child enthusiasts of juijitsu at the previous sports camp in Campo Agua.

And if sports will not get into the picture of healthy lifestyle, this very progressive city of southern Philippines will also be in danger of raising up a new generation of sick people having to undergo serious medical attention at an early age due to clogging arteries.

And why is Alyssa Aldwin Alterado being idolized by her fellow volleyball players in Davao City for her quick and effective digging of the ball? It is because Alterado's family owns a school here which teaches judo to those who want to be in the team of the MATS College of Technology.

The Ateneo de Davao outside spiker's firm and sturdy physique is mainly due to his knowledge and practice of mix martial arts. She had been into judo falling lessons long before Lyle Darren Amora was like dancing tango with 12-year-old Chino Tancontian at the judo mats of HGS.

Solidad Torino, head coach of current Mindanao champion Davao City, has approved the cross-training initiative with verbal oks from parents of the players in the place where they get a feel of how national champions work in ukemi, the Japanese word for judo falling.

UAAP Beat: We have the right mindset. - Captain Gzi Gervacio