Ode to Tiny DekkerGrand promoter of self-defense for women
About
Ode by Patricia Werner Leanse & Yve du Bois to Tiny Dekker.
Tiny Dekker was a great promoter of self-defense for women, taught judo and jiujitsu classes at the Zuiderbad gym. In 1954 she was the 1st Dutch woman to achieve (at the same time as Anton Geesink) a black belt in the
judo sport. There were no international competitions for women then. So her fame quickly evaporated.
Tiny Dekker
Tiny was 11 years old when she moved to Amsterdam. Her mother's new husband was a greengrocer and moved around town with his cart. Tiny helped out. It was war time. She experienced the hunger winter. After the liberation in 1945, she felt truly liberated.
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Tiny Dekker : 1st woman with the black belt” ( 29 min.)
A film by Patricia Werner Leanse & Yve du Bois (BubbleEyes.co.uk)
Documentary film about an incredibly charming woman, composed of archive footage, photographs, interviews with philosophical slant, recent footage of Tiny at home and Tiny in action at her Amsterdam Bridge club “de Binnenstad”.