Learning
judo is one of the toughest (and most rewarding) things I have ever
done.
Falling
over, getting out of breath, getting sweaty and experiencing some
discomfort are part of the price we pay to progress along the 'gentle
way' as judo translates from Japanese.
That
being said, as an adult coming to judo, I found making clumsy and
slowwwwwww progress to be the most difficult things I have had to
overcome.
Here's
a few thoughts on my experience to date...
Unconscious
incompetence
I
found judo at the start to be particularly challenging.
The
lucky few (as with anything) will get 'it' right away.
Most
people will take time to learn each technique. Then relearn it when
they forget how to do it (or is it just me?)
In
short, progress will be slow until they practice and work, over and
over and over (oh and over yet again) or is that also just me?
Conscious
incompetence
This
is the point where progress starts to be made, but it for me, it has
often felt like 'one step forward, three steps back'.
Where
tai otoshi (Body Drop throw), ippon seio nage (one armed shoulder
throw), kesa gatame (scarf hold) etc. can be delivered upon request
but more in study than in randori (sparring).
In
randori (literally 'chaos taking' in Japanese), an opponent is aware
of and able to stop your techniques while trying to improve his own
techniques.
I
like the 'stress test' element in randori, more often than not, my
technique will crumple in the face of opposition, but when it works,
WOW what a sense of achievement!
And
yet again, then there is no guarantee (and reason why) techniques
will deteriorate for me from one session to another.
My
tai otoshi is still not as good as when I first started judo, when it
was rock solid.
Why
this is, I have no idea!
Add
to this, a wealth of new techniques to be learned along with
combinations, counters, entries, variations etc. and this stage can
be the most difficult to get through.
The
thought of quality deteriorating as the quantity of techniques
increases is also a constant concern.
Unconscious
competence
Then
one day, something CLICKS!
A
throw, a movement, a combination come together then don't work again
for a good while ;-((
Now
I might be a little pessimistic here.
In
the ideal world, a technique can be learned and improved upon.
Variations
and combinations can be added and this can be immensely satisfying
and encouraging.
I
truly hope this is the case for you.
And
yet...
For
me, a technique can be achieved sporadically, or maybe not at all.
Then,
all of sudden, after a LOT of work it finally clicks.
I
will write about unconscious and conscious competence when I get
there.
For
now, I would say the main things I have learned from judo (so far)
have been:
Patience,
ability to bounce back, persistence, teamwork and collaboration to
achieve objectives, the value of really, REALLY hard work, consistent
focus on improvement, learning from success and failure, supporting
other people who face similar or new challenges to myself and getting
my sorry self up off the mat despite hitting it hard and working to
improve each time.
Oh
and I've learned some breakfalls, throws and groundwork techniques
too!
I
hope that I have come across as positive in my judo practice.
My
approach is that hard work, determination and practice WILL help me
along as I learn the 'gentle way'.
In
fact, the more difficult things are, the more we learn.
As
Kahlil Gibran wrote:
''Perplexity
is the beginning of knowledge."
Bye for now and would be GREAT to hear your experience of learning judo.
