Being the first child in the family has its benefits and drawbacks. My parents got me enrolled in all possible classes, from improving vocabulary to table tennis and chess. Reading my blogs would have made you realise that most of them were not really useful.

I never planned on getting coached in judo. It started when I was 6, practising roller skating at a local club. While I was at it, I was fascinated with other kids practising judo at the same club and spent a lot of time watching them. Seeing my interest in the sport, my parents got me enrolled in the judo class. For a 6-year-old, judo was just about going to class regularly and winning medals at competitions. This went on for a few years when I realised that this constant training had shaped my personality. I must have been 14 or 15 years old when I started seeing the benefits.

The first thing it taught me was to respect everyone. It doesn’t matter if that person is your coach, or someone younger to you, or your opponent, or what the person does outside the dojo (the area where judo is practised). Everyone works equally hard and so each person commands equal respect. To show this respect, all sorts of judo practices begin and end with a rei (bow as a mark of respect). I believe that I have been able to carry this idea and apply it to my everyday life as well. If you feel I haven’t, let me know in the comments below (Yeah, that’s one way to get more comments)

Moving on to the next judo lesson.

I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times

Most of you might know that Bruce lee said this. I completely agree with this. To execute one move perfectly in a tournament, it has to be practised thousands of times. My coach used all means to ensure that I got this into my mind at a very young age. After the first few years, it had become completely normal to have a set training routine for months to get a gold medal at a tournament. Standing on the podium with that medal around my neck made all that practice worth it.

Now, after practising for almost 16 years, judo has become a part of my life. It’s something I can never completely detach from. Despite not being able to practice actively, I am trying to stay in touch with the sport as much as I can. I started assisting my coach in teaching kids who joined the club. Now I understand what teachers have to go through to get a children (less than 12 years of age) to listen to them and I don’t blame them any more for losing their temper or sending students to the principal’s office just to get them out of the class. But teaching kids does have it’s benefits. Watching them win medals at competitions has made me feel more fulfilled than ever before.

One last thing that judo taught me was

It’s not over till it’s over

A fight/bout in Judo lasts for 5 minutes. Even if the opponent is leading (has an advantage in terms of points gained) throughout those 5 minutes, it just takes one perfectly executed move to win the fight. At the same time, you cannot afford to get complacent and lose focus if you have an advantage. By being in such situations numerous times, the one thing that I have understood is that nothing is permanent and it takes only one moment for the tides to turn.