[Sportsandrec] judo experiences

[Heidi]

Hi Ashley, 
My name is Heidi and I am the Paralympic judo development coordinator for the US Association of Blind Athletes and USA Judo. I find judo clubs for blind and visually impaired people interested in trying it out. I also run a judo club and currently have 8 visually impaired students. Judo is, without a doubt, the best martial art for the blind and visually impaired as there are very few modifications needed to make it accessable. The VI players train with sighted players regularly and compete in both VI and sighted tournaments. There have been several VI players ranked amongst the able-bodied players in the US as well. 

Judo cannot be practiced in private. You need a variety of bodies to work with, so a class setting is the best. Depending on the school you may count in Japanese or English. The very first thing you learn is how to fall. The instructor or an assistant will take you aside and teach you specifically. You will not throw someone or be thrown until you can fall safely. This can be the hardest part for a blind person since you have spent your whole life learning not to fall down, and now there is this crazy person telling you to throw your self to the floor. 

Nothing gets you in shape for judo like judo, but for our athletes we also recommend weight training and running, if they are competitive. 

Let me know if you are interested in giving it a try and I will find a club in your area. 

Heidi 
judoheidi at comcast.net 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: bookwormahb at earthlink.net 
To: "Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List" <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org> 
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 4:24:39 PM 
Subject: [Sportsandrec] judo experiences 

Hi all, 

This list has been dead for some time. 
Hope everyone is staying healthy; I'm trying not to eat too many sweets at the holidays. 

Someday I've thought about trying judo or another martial art. 
I did aikido, a japanese art, for a while and found it hard to remember the precise moves even though I did it semi privately with another legally blind student. 

So what are your experiences in judo? Do you do it in a class or private? What are the warm ups like and do you count in Japanese when warming up? 

What do you learn in order to take falls? That would probably be hard for me. 
Does it cost monthly to go to the dojo or what? 

What do you do to stay in shape and prepare for judo during the week? 

Thanks. 

Ashley 
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