Judo

I started judo about a month ago. I have, thus far, been to about 8 training sessions and I am enjoying it immensely. I am conscious that I am very new at this (I am, as yet, unranked - not even a white belt), and so anything I say about the subject will probably seem embarassingly naive in a couple of years, so please don't judge me too harshly if you are a seasoned judoka.

I have been meaning to take up a martial art for years now and judo was my first choice as I did judo for a couple of years when I was about 7 years old, although I don't really remember any of it for that to be of any use to me.

This is certainly the first time I have taken judo seriously and I am very impressed with it. It seems elegant and graceful while at the same time being violent and aggressive. It is unlike anything else I have ever done.

For my first few sessions, we practised some basic throws and ground work. We also did a lot of very intense fitness work (one of the requirements is that we be able to do backwards rolls into handstands – which is even more difficult than it sounds!) but, all in all, it was kind of bland – there was a sense that we weren't being thrown hard and that our opponents were cooperating too much for it to be challenging. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it immensely and always looked forward to the next session.

In the last couple of sessions, however, things have been different. I got a new judo suit, as opposed to just wearing a tracksuit and a t-shirt (and it makes an incredible difference!), and we are starting to get thrown more often when we do randori (a kind of practise fight). One guy in particular is very satisfying to practise with. Whereas the higher-ranked members of the club would allow me to set up with grips and offer helpful advice as I made a mess of putting in attacks, this guy refused to let me have any grip at all and actively counter-attacked anything I put out there. Fighting him for 5 minutes was more exhausting than any other aspect of the training. And for that reason, it was all the more satisfying when I managed to successfully execute any throws.

Call me a testosterone-fuelled stereotype, but there is something greatly satisfying about grappling with an opponent of similar size and strength, then executing a manoeuvre and throwing him over your shoulder. I now wake up the day after training to find myself sore and covered in bruises, but I'm still craving another session. Last weekend, I found myself dreaming about judo and actually waking myself up because my body physically carried out the move I imagined in my head. I think this is a good thing.

The nezt training session won't be until Monday and I feel restless for having written this. I find myself looking forward to the adrenaline of the fight, the feeling in my stomach when my legs are swept out from under me and, most of all, the grace of a successful throw and the satisfying thwack that my opponent's body makes as he hits the mat.