Holiday bingo: Share a hobby or sport - Judo

Hello guys! The next activity on my bingo is to share a hobby or sport and post it on my blog. I am going to talk to you about JUDO!! I bet that after reading this post you can't wait to come along and try out.

You might think that judo is kicking and karate chopping, but it surprisingly isn't. This non-kicking and karate chopping sport is actually a gentle and controlled fighting sport without weapons as dangerous as the World Wars.  

In nearly everything you do there are grades like school years, piano grades, swimming grades, and that includes judo too! In this amazing sport you tell/show what grade you are with the colour of the belt you wear. The reason that we have special belts is that the rest of the suit is white for everyone. Just before these Easter holidays I was graded and got my yellow belt (see the photo!). My sister now has a yellow belt with an orange slip. The colours of the full belts are: white to yellow to orange to green to blue to brown to black. When I say a slip, it means that there are other grade steps in between the full belts. E.g. yellow belt one orange slip, then yellow belt with two orange slips and then the orange belt. The slips are sewn onto the two ends of your belt. 

This interesting and challenging, which makes it impressive sport, is from Japan. We have to be able to count to ten in Japanese. We also have to know how to say teacher in Japanese. Last of all we have to be able to say the names of the break falls, hold downs, escapes and throws we are meant to do. Sensei is teacher in Japanese. The way our training goes is sensei, as serious as a herd of stomping elephants, teaches us different throws, as harmless as possible, and the students, as tired as sloths who just climbed up a tree and back down again, practice these throws together on the mat. We practice our hold downs, throws, turnovers, escapes and fights on the ground+ standing up. 

I have already been doing this fun sport for one and a half years! Stella and I do judo once a week at the ASB Stadium. Mum and Dad help us to practice at home for the gradings, so that we know the names of the throws like judokas need to.

To finish off this blog post I will tell you why we do this fantastic sport. Just like the Tongariro Crossing, we do this for our fitness and self-confidence. Another reason is for our balance and body control. Last of all we do this for growing power as amazing as anything.