Judo
Something great that you can do for yourself
and especially for your kids.
"Yesterday while he was riding his bike on the Galloping Goose trail, Kigen looked back over his shoulder, lost his balance, and took a tumble down a hill entangled with his bicycle. Completing two full somersaults, he was a bit shaken up, but aside from a red mark where his handlebars hit him right in the centre of his chest, he was completely uninjured.
Kigen has been practicing Judo at Kokushikai dojo for 3 or 4 years now, and when he wiped out, he just rolled, as he has been trained to do through Judo.
Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo envisioned his art as being the greatest means for overall physical fitness and emotional preparedness for life. Unfortunately, Judo's image suffers from it's deceptive simplicity and fundamentally gentle approach. From the outside, there isn't much to see. There are no boards being broken, no jumping high flying kicks, and no blood curdling screams. There is a lot of sweat, a lot of pushing and pulling, a lot of crawling, rolling and working on the ground. There is a lot of falling down, and a lot of standing back up afterwards.
When I look back over my life, there haven't been many physical altercations. I've avoided those for the most part by using my wits, and developing an awareness of what a bad situation looks like, and going the other way. The ones that I have experienced almost always involved some substance use, which I chose myself, and a good dose of hormones and stupidity. I have never been forced into a situation where I have had to break a board or brick or block of ice with my bare hands. Although I have done enough training to deliver high flying kicks accompanied by ferocious battle cries, well, it's never happened.
I have, however, fallen down. Plenty. Physically, mentally, emotionally. It's not such a bad thing if you know how to do it well, and the better you are at falling down, the easier it is to get up. Over and over again. The practice of Judo gets into your bones and muscles, and will serve you best when you forget about it entirely. Like when you take a spill. A friend of mine told me a story about hiking with his aging mother in-law, when she suddenly stumbled on a root and fell off the path, and rolled down the hill. When she reached the bottom she stood up, dusted herself off, and laughed. You see, when she went to school as a child in Japan they had a word for gym class - Judo.
Anyway, my son goes to Kokushikai Dojo in Westshore. His main teacher there is Sensei Michael Turner, who is, from what I have seen a true disciple of(in the sense that the heart of his teaching is consistent with) the Dojo's founder Sensei Mark Grant, who also teaches there when he can. Sensei Mark's Son, Sensei Jeremy Grant is also on the mats working with the kids regularly. I can't say enough about how these men work with the kids, and how this dojo and art has become a caring family for my son, and for our family.
Sensei Mike runs Judo classes in the Westshore area, in Mill Bay, and starting in September at the Gordon Head Rec Centre in Victoria. You can find out all about them at
If you aren't in this area, google Judo in your neighbourhood and I am sure you will find a club. Check it out, and stick with it, I am sure you won't be disappointed."
- Eshu Martin
August 11, 2011
