Ivar Nilsson, 2D, started practicing Judo in 1981. Is active in Budo Club Yoi as chairman, graduation manager, coach, instructor, referee, competitor, facility master, and all in all. Went in the middle of a child’s 2nd intruder’s education, judged for a few years as a Domar aspirant, sat in the Västergötland Judo League as secretary and then chairman for a few years. Spends 9h / week on tatami, mostly instructing.
Movement is important. To move, run, walk or at worst crawl.
The secret is to find the joy of the movement. To find that movement just you find so nice that you continue day after day, evening after evening. I myself found my movement in Judo a little over 30 years ago. Moving together with the mission of spreading the joy of movement to others as a coach and instructor. Therefore, I state that the most important thing in our sport must be the joy of moving.
In Judo, this applies twice as we also touch each other in context with balance breaks before throwing or other techniques. This causes the next step in my mind chain: Balance! Balance is as important as motion, but neither one nor the other. See it as Yin and Yang in its simplest expression. Movement in balance and balance in the movement. Sometimes less of one, sometimes more, but always both.
The balance applies to the body as well as mind, if both of these are not in balance, you rarely get pleasure in the movement. In order to keep the body in balance, physical movement is required. In order to keep the mind balanced, mental training is needed.
The physical movement we have in all Judo we do, standing and in the mat, from simple beginner to tough Randori or even competitions. The mental training is everything from the simple relaxation of the bow in the beginning and end of the exercise, to the repetition training of nudging movements, to the concentration required to perform well in a Kata.
All of this motion and balance training is not done alone; you usually have clubmates and training partners with whom you interact. One learns to take care of each other as damage leads to fewer training. This leads to learning how to socialize and develop social life. You learn so simple things that it does not cost anything to be nice, because a good mood on the mat makes it more fun to move. You learn to take profits like losses.
Winnings can come when you finally succeed in the technique you worn for weeks to get to. Losses can be when you start to beat by your students, which is a gain in itself when you clearly managed to convey some wisdom about movement and balance.
So Judo includes:
Movement that gives physical exercise and thus also physical well-being.
Body balance that strengthens body posture.
Mental exercise which strengthens self-perception.
Mental balance which builds self-esteem.
Social interaction since it is difficult to exercise Judo alone.
Jigoro Kano summarized this in 2 basic theses:
Seiryoku Zenyo – Best possible use of body and psyche
Jita Kyoei – Mutual help leads to mutual prosperity and
understanding.
Which for me compares my innermost thoughts with Judo. Or as I had expressed myself in an attack of simplicity: “Balance and Movement”. / Ivar Nilsson
