Ever been tempted to try a judo class? We sent Hotcourses volunteer Senior Designer Neil Burgess to try out judo classes. Here’s how he got on…

Who: Neil Burgess
What: Judo
Where: The Budokwai Club in Chelsea
When: Tuesday 6.30-7.30pm and Saturday 3.30-4.30pm

‘I remember doing Judo for a short time when I was very young – I must have been about 10 years old – so I was interested in seeing how I would get on now. Generally I’m the kind of person that you’re more likely to see enjoying a couple of pints rather than pounding the running machines monotonously at the gym, so I was a little nervous going along for my first Judo class for many years as I really didn’t know what to expect when doing it as an adult. I was relieved that everyone seemed very friendly and welcoming. For Judo, all you need to get started is a Judogi (uniform) so I was soon ready.

The main characteristics of Judo are throws and groundwork (the phase once your opponent is grounded by a throw), with a focus on using an opponent’s strength, momentum and balance against them. Unlike many other martial arts, there’s no emphasis on punching and kicking; Judo is all about throwing and efficiency. For me one of the major appeals of Judo is that it provides a really good workout, but because there is an emphasis on perfecting technique it also provides some mental stimulation, which keeps it interesting.

At the start of a class we greet the Senseis Glen and Jackie by lining up and bowing and then start with the warm up which consists of light jogging around the room followed by a series of exercises including forward and backward rolls, then break falls (practising how to fall safely is as important as practising how to throw) down the length of the room. By the end of all this you’ve really worked up a sweat!

For the next part of the lesson, everyone pairs up and we start to practise our throwing techniques. Firstly you grapple your opponent, one hand on their sleeve and one on the collar, and take turns to practise your throws. When they are first demonstrated by the Sensei the throws may look almost effortless, but once you try them out for yourself, it can take quite a few attempts before you can get the timing, positioning and technique all in sync, with a bit of guidance from the Sensei. It’s also a good opportunity to practise your break falls when being thrown. On one of the first times I was thrown I landed partly on my shoulder, which was a mistake I will only make once!

After learning a few throws it’s time for some ‘randori’, which is a form of free-style sparring to practise the throws we have just learnt. This is where I first paired up with of the black belts who often sit in on the beginners class. Much to my relief I wasn’t thrown repeatedly to the ground every two seconds and instead he gave me a lot of very useful advice on things I was doing wrong. After pairing up with a few more people you get a really good idea of how you need to move while doing randori and by this stage, it’s becoming a really tough work out.

The next stage of the lesson is called ‘ne-waza’ which is groundwork, trying to gain a hold down or submission from your opponent from holds, chokes or arm locks. This is the most exhausting part of the training, and the hardest part. Again, when I came up against those with more experience than me, I got a lot of advice and help on what I was doing wrong.

If you want to try a martial art, I would definitely recommend anyone try Judo; it’s a fantastic workout, and beats the gym any day.’
Visit: www.budokwai.co.uk