At the End of Semester Awards Dinner, a $100 scholarship award will
be presented to the CCSF Judo Student who best reflects the philosophy
and spirit of Sensei Benjamin G. Palacio.
***Donations to the Benjamin
G. Palacio Scholarship can be sent to the United States Judo Federation,
Attn: Benjamin G. Palacio Scholarship.***
Sensei Palacio was a very special person because he was such a great
teacher. He knew how to teach students and he possessed an open mind
and an engaging personality. He is remembered through this Perpetual
Judo Scholarship because he was a positive influence in the lives of
his Judo students. He taught and trained his Judo students to see how
Judo was beneficial to one's life. He believed that Judo is essential
to the development of the mind, body and spirit and groomed many Judo
Sensei Palacio was a great man, a generous Judo teacher and a great
judoka. He lived and radiated the Judo spirit. He mastered the art of
teaching many different types of students Judo.
SENSEI'S JUDO BACKGROUND
Sensei Palacio had great respect for his own judo instructors. They
were Sensei Higami, Sensei George Hamamoto and Sensei Okazaki, Sensei
Sakabe, Sensei Yamada and Sensei Mits Kimura. He began his study of
judo in 1948 on the Big Island of Hawaii. He continued to study and
practiced jujitsu at Hibiscus Dojo in Honolulu with Sensei George Hamamoto.
He also studied judo and shiatsu massage with Sensei Okazaki in Honolulu.
KOYUKAN JUDO DOJO
In 1959, he established the Koyukan Judo Dojo in San Francisco. He
named his dojo "Koyukan" - which means "mixture of people coming together".
And for the next forty years, Koyukan was that kind of gathering place
for his Judo students of all cultures and backgrounds.
He taught Judo to junior and senior students, Monday through Saturday,
and attended Judo tournaments on Sundays. He worked full time at the
San Francisco Hilton and together with his wife, Yukino, raised six
He led each of his Judo classes with firm discipline, precision, ease
and gentleness. He personalized his teaching techniques and adjusted
them to the individual student. Sensei Palacio studied Judo as intensely
as he taught his students thoroughly about Judo as art and sport. He
taught them the principle of maximum efficient use of mind and body.
He encourage and demanded dignity of his Judo students on and off the
mat. He had compassion and charisma and a natural talent for story telling
when he instructed his students in Judo.
He taught training drills at every level of practice. He simplified
each throw by diagramming basic steps and taught his students each part
of the throw over and over as a drill until they could connect all steps
into a graceful physical throw with intent and purpose. He knew how
to completely warm up a Judo class. And, he took his time through each
level of practice. He taught by example and by taking the time to relate
to his student.
Sensei Palacio always encouraged discipline of mind and body and taught
his students to sit and mediate on the mat for a set period of time
during practice. Students were drawn to his irresistible humanity. He,
in turn, paid attention to each of his students and was acutely aware
of a student's strengths and weaknesses. He treated his students with
dignity and respect and they flourished under his directed attention.
He was a strict teacher but he was never mean. He was a stricter Judo
instructor when he was younger; and he was gentler as he aged. He taught
his students the art of knowing oneself. He often challenged his students
beyond the obvious when he saw their true potential.
Sensei Palacio knew how to teach and he taught his students how to
be neat, how to fold a judo-gi, how to sit and stand straight and how
to walk tall in and out of the dojo. Sensei Palacio taught each of his
six children judo from an early age and taught each child how to teach
Judo, thereby instilling Judo deeply in each child's character. And,
each one of his children earned a black belt.
Judo students responded to Sensei Palacio because they were drawn
to his life force, his strong and good spirit, his integrity and character.
He was an egalitarian man. He motivated his Judo students to prepare
for local, regional and national competitions because he knew that contests
in Judo have as their rational that the lessons taught in matches will
find applications not only in future training but in the world at large.
Sensei Palacio was an exceptional Judo teacher because he was open
to learning new things from his students and through his students became
a wise and experienced teacher. He also taught Judo at the Daly City
Recreation Center, South San Francisco Recreation Department and the
Burlingame Recreation Department to many youngsters, in addition to
his own Koyukan Judo Dojo. In 1997, he joined the Makimoto Judo Club/Vacaville
Police Athletic Club. In addition, the United States Judo Federation
National Promotion Committee subsequently promoted him to Rokudan. (6th
Degree Black Belt)
MECHANICAL TIMERS AND SCOREBOARDS
He invented the electric timers and scoreboards for Judo competition
with the help of his Koyukan Judo Dojo parents. The scoreboards and
timers allowed judokas and their supporters to view the scoreboards
from both sides of the mat efficiently and fairly.
Sensei Palacio was one of the first to teach women's Judo and was
considered maverick for teaching women Judo as sport, art and way of
life. He was ahead of his time and in line with the gentleness and discipline
of Judo when he also taught his women judo students traditional kata
and randori as well as self-defense movements.
He adopted the Kodokan's then-newly developed system for physical culture
and mental training as well as winning contests. He taught his women
students the taisabaki and seriokyu zenyo kokumin as part of daily judo
practice. He also taught his women Judo students the history of Judo,
jujitsu and aikido.
SENSEI PALACIO'S PHILOSOPHY
Sensei Palacio believed that one should pay close attention to the
relationship between the self and others as well as be aware of one's
own strengths and weaknesses while critically assessing one's surroundings.
He was very conscious of the people around him and was aware of a greater
consciousness. He believed that Judo taught one how to use maximum efficient
use of power.
He believed in both kata and randori as forms that contribute to the
intellectual training of young minds. Sensei Palacio believed in "in
yielding is strength" He believed in taking the lead-the strategy of
making a move that will entice the other player to move a certain way.
Sensei Palacio taught that Judo gives each student the same potential
for success and often guided as student out of lethargy and disappointment
to a state of vigorous activity.
Sensei Palacio radiated with the Judo spirit and on February 27, 1999,
when he passed on to eternal life, he left a lifetime legacy of his
Judo spirit with all his students and friends.