I went through many phases: inspiration, excitement, feeling engaged, then feeling lost, feeling disillusioned, finding my way again, and finally (?) an injury that made me throw in the towel.
Here’s what I’d do the same (✅) and what I’d do that I didn’t before (🚨) if I could start over:
- Mindset: It’s better to be the strongest white belt in the world than to be the weakest black belt. Don’t be in a hurry to get promoted; stay where you are and master the basics. Be a lifelong white belt, it’s way cooler. 🚨
- Show up as regularly as possible ✅
- Don’t skip warm ups no matter how much of a hurry you are in. Working out cold is the most dangerous thing you can do in judo. 🚨
- Learn ukemi / breakfalls deeply ✅
- Let everything else you’re being taught fall to the sidelines, and become obsessed with mastering kuzushi at a deep and fundamental level. 🚨
- There are different kinds of kuzushi, but they’re all about identifying the space your opponent needs to get thrown, and getting in or out of the way such that they can have that space.
- For example, for a sasae tsurikomi ashi, you have to literally “get your body out of the way” of your opponent to the left or right, so he can fly straight forwards.
- In a seoi nage or ippon seoi nage, you need to be lower than your opponent, but not bent over, so that you don’t block him as he’s flying forwards with momentum.
- In uchi mata, your anchor foot position and grips have to create space for the partner to easily go where you want him to.
- While doing uchikomi, focus on clean kuzushi and nothing else. 🚨
- While doing randori, focus on clean kuzushi and nothing else. Successful throws will automatically follow suit. 🚨
- Eat a lot of food and get good sleep. Don’t underestimate recovery. 🚨
