Meet Philippe Morotti | Head Instructor Hollywood Judo Dojo

We had the good fortune of connecting with Philippe Morotti and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Philippe, what inspires you?
I think that you have to be passionate about what you do. I’ve seen parents that pushed their kids into a sport or an education that the child didn’t want. Ultimately this leads to resentment. When you have a passion for something, inspiration comes naturally. When a job doesn’t feel boring, it’s easier to get things done. I also think that its important at a young age to have good role models. Parents or people in the community that inspires you. Judo is a sport that is person to person, with human interaction. In Judo, you develop a skill while experiencing human interaction. I think that there are too many people today relying on internet technology. Technology is helpful in many ways, to get things done faster. However, people interact less and less with each other, and I think that a sport like judo and a club like Hollywood Judo is helpful in bringing people together through personal interaction. We make friendships, we also get together for outside activities like dinners and bbq. It inspires me more than anything to be able to have an impact on society and to see people from all walks of life getting along. Our club represents some 20 different nationalities, different religious beliefs, different social groups, and here at the dojo we all get along.
If you can have a positive impact on a club, a neighborhood or a city, the rest of the world will ultimately benefit from it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born is Stockholm, Sweden to an Italian Father and a French Mother. I began practicing judo at the age of 12. My first teacher was Jozef Michlewicz, a Polish judo Champion and an immigrant to Sweden. After my first judo class I went back the every day and I never stopped. The sport and the art of judo was for me love at first sight. I trained 4-6 hours per day and I ended up being selected to the Swedish National Team 1976-1986. During those years I worked random jobs as a bouncer at clubs, as a bodyguard at Securitas Inc, I worked as a dish washer, anything that would pay my bills so that I could practice judo. I traveled to competitions and training camps all over Europe, practicing and learning from the best in the world.
When I arrived to the USA in 1989, I began working as a personal trainer at In Training Private Fitness on Beverly boulevard. I am still working there with my private fitness clients, now 35 years later.
I came to Hollywood Judo Dojo in 20120. The club was founded in 1932 and had experienced great success over many years, but at this time was pretty ruined down and having few members left.
Together with board members and co-instructors, and with funding from the Ahmanson Foundation, we acquired new mats, we built a fitness area, and we started signing up new members.
We also started competing locally and nationally. We stared to win medals, and Hollywood Judo was back on the map. We are now California Team Champions 5 years in a row, we have National Champions and we went from 25 members in 2010 to 150 members in 2024.
We now have classes 7 days per week. Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Competitors.
We have a kids program that is very popular with enthusiastic parents that support us. We serve our community.
Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo was an educator. Judo is on the school programs in Japan, France and in other countries.
Hollywood Judo Clubs mission statement reads;
“Our mission is to teach traditional Judo. We shall strive to provide a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels. The Dojo will teach its members Judo principles to develop their physical and mental abilities, so that they may in turn benefit their families and communities”.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
What I love about California, is that it’s one of the few places in the world where within a couple of hours drive you can experience the City, the Desert, Mountains or Beaches. Big Bear is popular for skiing, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree is great for visiting the desert. In Los Angeles I always recommend visitors to see the Petersen Car Museum, Across the street from there you find the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The Observatory is great for getting a view of this immense city.
In Pasadena I’d recommend the Huntington Gardens and Library, the Norton Simon Museum, both great and unique. Over the years I’ve taken road trips. My favorite is driving along the coast, Highway 1, Between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Stopping in Cambria which is half way and visit Hearst Castle, which is unique in the world. You should watch the Orson Welles movie Citizen Kane before heading to Hearst Castle. There’s also wine tasting all along the coast till you reach Napa and Sonoma valleys. In Napa I had the best meal of my life at The French Laundry. You must make reservations well in advance and it’s expensive but a once in a lifetime experience. In Los Angeles, because of the very multi ethnic and international population that we have, there’s an abundance of any type of food you can wish for. For Italian food, check out Angelini’s on Beverly boulevard, for Mexican tacos, try Escuela Taqueria, also on Beverly Blvd, and next door you have the best burger place in town called Burger She Wrote.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to thank my parents that are no longer here. They instilled in me values and manners that guided me along the way.
My first Judo instructor not only taught me the sport of judo, he also shared valuable life lessons with his students and cared for us deeply. In life you need good friends, especially when you don’t have much family. The friendships I made early in life in judo are still my friends today. The success of building Hollywood Judo Dojo is credited to hard team work, by myself and by our board members, instructors and volunteers. It’s difficult to do everything by yourself in life. You must recognize the talent of others and then delegate the work. Hollywood Judo is now at 150 members and growing. We have a beginners program for kids and adults, an intermediate program for kids and for adults, and advanced competition classes. We are open 7 days per week.
You can check us out at hollywoodjudo.com and you are always welcome to come visit in person.

Website: https://hollywoodjudo.com

Facebook: Hollywood Judo Dojo

Other: Contact Philippe Morotti at;
philippemorotti@gmail.com