A lifelong Las Vegan is bringing one of the most popular forms of martial arts to the youth in his neighborhood, a part of town not known for recreation opportunities for kids.
John Weiner was born and raised in Las Vegas and has practiced and taught judo for 53 years, since he was 5 years old. He recently started the first judo club in the East Las Vegas area in approximately 20 years, according to his best guess.
The Ozeki Judo Club -- ozeki is Japanese for "champion" -- held its first class on Sept. 10 with three members. At the end of the club's first six-week session, membership is up to 14 students ranging in age from 4-13.
"I don't care where it stops. I hope it gets as big as possible," Weiner said of his club's quick growth. "There's no size limit. I'd love to see 200 kids out there."
He's hoping to get a little more exposure for the club when its members visit a regional judo tournament scheduled for Saturday at Garside Junior High School. Ozeki students won't be competing at the event, but they'll get a chance to see where their newfound skills could take them.
Weiner is a fifth-degree black belt in judo and seventh-degree in jiu jitsu. He started his judo training at a very young age.
"When I was a kid, my neighbor was an FBI agent. He took me with him to his judo classes," he said.
His training extended to his own family, as he still works with his son, local mixed martial arts fighter Kenny "The Shark" Heuer. Judo's spectacular throwing techniques and grappling moves are particularly potent in the world of mixed martial arts fighting.
A 26-year Nevada state policeman, Weiner always taught judo to students of all ages. But at the high point of his police career it became too demanding, so he took a break. Now retired from law enforcement, he decided it was time to give back to the community once again.
He started Ozeki at the Sunrise Recreation Center, 2240 Linn Lane, one of the city's oldest recreation centers.
"Judo is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer," Weiner said. "I teach it the traditional way, the Japanese way. I teach discipline, which is very important to younger students. But they also learn timing, balance, coordination and teamwork. It's an individual sport, but the club is a team, so they learn to work together."
Nichole Good, another Sunrise area resident, practiced judo as a youth, but hadn't competed or taken a class in 14 years until she found out about the Ozeki Club. Now she's serving as Weiner's second-in-command, bringing her kids -- Jeff, Amanda and Steven -- along for the ride.
"I started judo when I was 14 because my older brother was doing it," she said. "When I came to Las Vegas, I looked all over, but couldn't find a club close to home. Now we live about three blocks away from (the recreation center). We're hoping to get a lot more kids coming in."
Thirteen-year-old Jeff, one of the oldest students in the club, already is taking a liking to his new sport.
"I think I'm going to stick with it," he said. "I really like the throwing, especially throwing people. I especially like throwing my little brother around."
The Ozeki Judo Club's next session is starting soon and Weiner is looking for new students. For more information, e-mail ozekidojo@hotmail.com or call 286-1335.
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