The 28 of October is World Judo day every year, and Siobhan Lloyd has created this poem In her own words. Siobhan attends a different Judo Club but she is a good friend to Hollywater Judo Club and gave permission for her poem to be shared on Hollywater Judo Club pages.
Without jigaro and his study of judo there wouldn’t of been a way of life for me with my autism it is a sport like no other I love how challenging it can be and i stand by judo very highly of the morals and most of all the learning and helping people out.
There is a path of a journey and a story to tell with one’s judo and what judo means to me.
It all began to a creation by jigaro Kano who shaped a study into a way of life
A way of life to tradition and culture
a way of life for an Olympic and Paralympic sport
a way of life for mental health
a way of life for people with disabilities
A way of life to a hobby
what is the gentle way in a sport such as judo?
It is a symbol of an art to a throw of standing to a ground movement so precisely timed handled in control to a landing of submission telling a story of one’s journey.
A journey of a pathway from the very beginning exploring opportunities to develop and progress in routines of training oneself to bowing , adujusting the gi ,tieing ones obi,
to the zoris that stand beside the mat facing the order lineup of grades ;
to the start of a competition on the mat against one’s mentality to challenge themself in fitness and strength to learn how to fight the competition of one’s partner of practice applying techniques from observation of one’s coach catering around judo for all from children to adults to masters to veterans .
It is from that time of practice and guidance that turns into a passion of fondness of the sport from a community of people with some friendships and memory’s made ,
that gather other then training to extend on what they already know from training under their club or other clubs for a masterclass of a course to take up fighting even more.
A match yet to come to define one’s journey yet again to stepping onto the contest area of randori as if it was the first time the journey started facing fears.
Eventually the fight goes on through the highs and lows in emotions of attempting scoring to defending and trying to find a balance within the contest ,
it is at that moment as time passes in the contest that one’s journey is decided even more by the very position one finds themself in of a gentle art the gentle art of life creating there own study of judo from what they have learned partaking in the sport.
as jigaro Kano quotes ‘’before and after practicing judo or engaging in match opponents bow to each other bowing is an expression of gratitude and respect in effect you are thanking your opponent for giving you the opportunity to improve your technique’’.
