Teimoc Johnston (born in 1954) is an Olympic Judo competitor and master instructor. With a lifetime of experience as a student, a teacher, and a competitor in Judo, Jiu Jitsu, and Sombo, Teimoc has a diverse and unique perspective on martial arts training.
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Teimoc's martial arts training started during the summer of 1960 in the basement of a Buddhist church. His father believed Judo, Kendo, Aikido, and Kyudo were essential parts of an education, so at age of 6 he began his lifelong study of Judo. Four years later, at the 1964 World's Fair, he demonstrated the art of Judo and Kendo at the Japanese pavilion, and over the following years he progressed rapidly in both disciplines. Amongst his instructors were Kiyoshi Shiina , Wally Jay, and Jimmy Bregman. [1]
At the age of 16, Teimoc became one of the youngest Judo practitioners to receive the rank of Black Belt, winning titles in the Junior and Senior divisions, and in the High School Nationals the same year. He remained an accomplished high school wrestler and undefeated practitioner throughout his wrestling junior and senior career. Amongst his coaches was 8th dan, Kiyoshi Shiina.In 1971 he qualified as an alternate for the 1972 Olympic Games, which earned him the nickname "The Kid". Four years later he captured a coveted spot on the 1976 Olympic Judo team.
Teimoc retired from competition in 1990 to become Head Coach of the US Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, and two years later he returned to his home in New York City to direct the Chelsea Piers Martial Arts program. He has also maintained a teaching, coaching, and representative position for the New York Athletic Club for over 40 years. As of 2009, he is head trainer of the 5 Points Academy in Chinatown, NYC. [2]
After a 14-year layoff, Teimoc returned to international competitions. In order to adapt himself, he was forced to redefine his training methodology. His new approach worked well as he is not only still active in competition, but has a winning record to prove it. Today he does the majority of his strength training and conditioning at the Parisi Speed School alongside athletes from the UFC, the IFL, and the NFL.
In 2003 Teimoc went to Brazil to compete in the World Masters Jiu Jitsu tournament, which he won. To date, he is undefeated and the only non-Brazilian to win both the Black Belt division and the Absolute Black Belt division. Returning in 2006, 2007 and 2008, he consecutively took back home first place awards in both divisions. He also received his Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2006 under Fabricio Martins Costa. Teimoc is the only practitioner to win the prestigious World Masters competition in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Teimoc's brothers, Genji Ito and Teiji Ito were accomplished Japanese composers and performers. His mother, Teiko Ono, was a traditional and classical genre dancer.