2009 Program News
10/21/09: Igor Paskoski Earns 3rd DAN Black Belt After Successful Examination by ICECP Judo Peers
Igor Paskoski, the Macedonian national senior judo team head coach, earned his 3rd DAN black belt at the US Olympic Training Center on Wed, Oct 20. The certification exam was administered in the dojo by Nabil Elalem (6th DAN, Libya) and Ian Weithers (5th DAN, Barbados).
The examination had six components, each designed to test Paskoski’s knowledge and execution of judo technique.
The first component, nage-no-kata, was a prearranged sequence of throws broken down into five sections. It included hand throws, hip throws, foot sweeps and rear- and side-sacrifice techniques.
Next, in katame-no-kata, Paskoski demonstrated a variety of predetermined ground techniques, which included holds, chokes and arm and joint locks.
Paskoski's throwing technique was studied further during the goky0, which has five sets.
In the gokyo-ne-waza, Elalem examined Paskoski’s holding techniques and ground transitions. That was followed by renzoku-waza, in which Paskoski executed continuation technique and his ability to transition from one move to another.
The final two components, renraku-waza and kaeshi-waza, tested Paskoski’s knowledge of combination techniques and counter techniques, respectively.
Throughout the examination, Elalem examined Paskoski’s control, movement and execution of each technique. Afterwards, he was convinced that the Macedonian was more than qualified for the increase in ranking.
“He gave me what I wanted to see. This shows that Igor has a good understanding of principles, which is what makes him a good coach,” Elalem reported.
Weithers agreed, saying that Paskoski was “crisp” in his execution and that his technique was “flawless.” And as Paskoski’s demonstration partner during the examination, Weithers knows first-hand how well he can do each and every one of those techniques.
“I am confident [Paskoski] will be an asset for judo in Macedonia and internationally,” Elalem praised. “He will be able to raise the level of judo in his country.”
Paskoski was pleased with his performance as well, saying he was “very satisfied” with how the examination went. The increase in ranking from 1st to 3rd DAN made Paskoski “feel excellent.” He added that the certification was a “big step for [himself] and for Macedonian judo.”
“With this new ranking, I am seriously considering establishing a high-level grading system in Macedonia because now I know the way it should be done and I have the qualification.”
Planning for the examination began in Miami, where the ICECP judo coaches went for their apprenticeship. When Weithers and Elalem recognized Paskoski’s knowledge and talent exceeded his belt, they offered to administer a certification based on IJF guidelines to help him earn the rank he deserved.
“I want to thank Ian and Nabil for all the help and creating this opportunity for me,” Paskoski said. “I also want to thank the Macedonian Olympic committee for the opportunity to participate in ICECP, and I am also grateful for the support from the ICECP staff in allowing us to do the examination.”
Several other ICECP participants and program administrators were on hand to support Paskoski and observe the certification.
Paskoski described the combination of the coaching education program of ICECP and the opportunity to increase his rank through his ICECP judo peers as a “double gain.”
“I can say for sure that this program has had a great impact on my life,” Paskoski said.
