JJ Billups Earns Black Belt and Judo Club hosts 33rd Starrett Cup Tournament

For the first time in nearly 17 years, JJ Billups has become the first student from the Starrett Judo Club to earn a black belt.

Since they were little children, JJ and his twin sister Kelsey Billups have been sparring on the judo mat. From crawling to throwing, the siblings have earned their chops through years of discipline and dedication. Earlier this month, JJ Billups took the biggest step in his martial arts journey by officially earning his black belt.

Upon presenting the belt at the Brooklyn Sports Club, where the beloved program is housed, Coach Parnel Legros told him, “When you receive your black belt, that’s when you really start to learn judo.”
For nearly 30 years, Spring Creek Towers (SCT) has offered a judo program under the tutelage of Legros, a former Olympian and a United States Judo Federation Coach of the Year. Unlike many martial arts, judo is not only a physical discipline but also an ideology, combining moral codes of conduct with mental and physical training.

At its core, judo is a sport focused on throws, takedowns, pins, and submissions. But beyond combat techniques, Legros instills in his students, known as judokas, the values of discipline, respect, focus, and perseverance, encouraging them to apply these lessons both on and off the mat.

Training under Legros is rigorous. Judokas practice multiple times a week, following a strict regimen that includes warm-ups, running, plyometrics, short intervals of jumping exercises designed to build strength, and technical judo instruction. With each lesson, Legros emphasizes judo’s philosophy. The word judo translates from Japanese as “gentle way,” a seeming contradiction that reflects the balance of controlled movement within dynamic activity.

Legros teaches his students not to meet force head-on, but to respond with strength through gentleness. Judo mirrors real-life challenges: instead of reacting impulsively, judokas learn to assess situations thoughtfully and act with intention. Every defensive movement is designed to protect both the judoka and their opponent. Students are taught how to fall properly and how to rise stronger each time.

Adding to the significance of JJ’s achievement, the club also hosted its 33rd Annual Starrett Cup earlier this month. The tournament proved to be a major success, with the Starrett Judo team earning first place among competitors from several other dojos.

With the program’s continued success, and as JJ and Kelsey Billups continue to rise through the ranks, both siblings are on a path toward Olympic qualification when they come of age, according to Coach Legros.