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Next I visited Judo. Their sessions take place on Tuesdays at 1830-2030pm and Sunday at 1800-2000pm in the Sports Centre Dance Hall. Not knowing anything about Judo before the visit, I was a little apprehensive but I quickly picked up what was going on.
After everyone had put the mats out, the two-hour session started with a 20 minute warm-up. All parts of the body, from head to hips to toes, were stretched. Then everyone ran around in a circle and finished by doing press-ups and sit-ups to completely loosen all muscles.
The first exercise of the session was stand-up rolls: after bowing and shaking hands, members practised falling onto their sides onto the mats, as well as backwards, sideways and forwards rolls.
Next, beginners were separated from the more experienced members and the coach, Chaz Ashby, demonstrated various moves for them to work on in pairs. Chaz is a professional accountant but has also taught judo for over 30 years and so offers an abundance of experience to the club.
Chris, the club’s president, explained to me that “not a lot of strength or aggression” is involved” but instead the aim is to use balance to exploit opponents. To win a point in a Judo fight, you must lock your opponent down and control them on the floor for 15 seconds. Judo is a grappling martial art – meaning there is no striking – and is very good for self-defence.
Member Kayla, who has practised Judo for 12 years, told me the keys aspects are “relaxation, moving and flowing” to keep your balance but disrupt your opponent’s and, despite there being a lot of physical contact involved, “minimum effort for maximum output” is the aim.
The session ended with free-fighting, where members put together moves they have learnt into any routine they wish to try to outsmart their opponent. A quick warm-down after completes the evening.
Judo club caters for all levels and competes in BUCS and inter-University competitions, as well as Yorkshire and International Championships. For more information and to get involved, visit www.yusu.org/judo.
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