Cobbe-Hoggan well on his way to international supremacy

“After the Nationals Camp I really started letting it heal fully,” he said. “Now it’s back to normal, hasn’t really been an issue at all.”

At 16 years old, and completely healthy, Cobbe-Hoggan says this is shaping up to be a huge year for his development.

He trains out of the Medicine Hat Judo Club three to four days a week. That’s on top of a heavy conditioning regime set for nearly everyday outside of the mat.

Last year, he shuffled between the Lethbridge Judo Club and the local training grounds located off 11th St. and 8th Ave. SE.

But there’s a new-found air of excitement surrounding the Medicine Hat Judo Club that stretches beyond just Cobbe-Hoggan’s development. They’ve brought on several more coaches to help give each athlete more selective training.

Cobbe-Hoggan is training hands-on with fellow club competitor Stev Young and says the intensity of the workouts have increased dramatically.

“He’s able to go a million miles an hour,” he said. “It makes training sessions a lot harder, a lot more beneficial though. The harder you work, the better it gets.”

Cobbe-Hoggan is setting his sights on not just a podium finish at the Canadian Judo Open Championships, but also a heavy medal haul at several international events as well.

“I think this is going to be a really good year,” said Donovan Hoggan, Ethan’s father who’s also one of the instructors at the Medicine Hat Judo Club. “Now that he’s recovered from (the shoulder injury), he’s focusing a lot more on those technical skills that apply to competition.”

A year older from last season still places Cobbe-Hoggan in the same age division (15-16). Squaring up in the <81kg bracket, Ethan says those who were 16 years old last year are no longer his competition, giving him a better shot at finishing on the podium.

“I had two guys who were really strong out of B.C. who’ve just moved up to the new age division,” he said. “Fighting up and getting more matches in, I’m still going to fight them. But they’re not in my nationals bracket anymore. I’m thinking it’s going to go quite well because of that.”

But although the two fighters out of B.C. are no longer his problem, he says a new slate of competitors entering the 15-16 year old division bring a tenacious presence to the floor as well.

“I do know another guy from Calgary who just moved up ages. He’s about maybe 1-2 inches taller than me. I’m kind of switching up what I work on more to ensure I have his style completely worked out,” continued Cobbe-Hoggan.

Being a shorter, broader fighter comes with it’s advantages and disadvantages, according to Donovan.

“There are a lot of throws that use height and distance that don’t really work well for (Ethan),” said the long-time instructor. “On the other hand, there’s a lot of throws that, being shorter, he can get in and under his opponents, lift them up and take them under more effectively.”

Doing that takes a ton of practice and training, along with a completely healthy physique.

But regardless of the final decision at the end of a fight, Cobbe-Hoggan says representing the Medicine Hat Judo Club is a victory on its own.

“To be able to go to these as a Med Hatter again and show that we still do judo and we are still able to pump out some strong athletes, it’s really exciting,” he added.

The competitive season ramps into high gear in January, but Donovan says there are a couple tournaments prior to the New Year on his athlete’s minds including the Quebec and Ontario Open’s set for November.

The 2018 Canadian Open Judo Championships are scheduled for next May in Calgary.

by Mitch Bach

Cobbe-Hoggan well on his way to international supremacy

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