Judo, “The Gentle Way”

Before I post how I did today at the Dragon’s Challenge Judo tournament in Delray Beach, I’d like to explain a bit about Judo, a martial art called the “gentle way.” It is a beautiful way to train your body in balance, timing, and power. Some principles of Judo are:

• Seiryoku zenryo: strive for maximum effect with minimum effort
• Jitta kyoe: strive for mutual welfare and benefit
• Jika no kansei: strive for perfection as a whole person

These principles are a testament to why I love practicing Judo – not only to kick butt, but for the philosophy of self-improvement.

To start off my day, I went up to the tournament with Phillipe and the rest of the Baragua Judo Kai, one of the best Judo clubs in Miami. Not only do they have solid Judo and many high-ranking belts, they love helping you improve. I will be sad to leave from such a welcoming yet competitive atmosphere that has been so stimulating to my growth in Judo.

[Warning: Boring Judo Competition Excerpt below if you don't know Judo]

Anyways, today I weighed in at 60 kg and actually didn’t eat anything except a small pear and a pack of 6 Captain’s Wafers until after the tournament. I had seven fights – two against a 55 kg judoka and four against three different 66 kg judokas. My first three fights ended without too much effort for a win so I was able to conserve my energy. My next fight I was ahead by a wazari and yuko but after the tournament was put on hold for a few minutes, my opponent was able to capitalize on the distraction with a morote-gari for ippon. He played smart and since he was down, the morote-gari was one of the best choices he could’ve made. I fought against another guy for second place and I beat him. Then I fought the guy who beat me again for first place. I was ahead like last time and then got thrown with the same move. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

Conclusion: 60 kg Gold medal, 66 kg Silver medal. My personal success of the night is when I threw ippon seoinage on one of the guys since it was a favorite throw that I was never able to really make effective until recently.

I love Judo.

Adapting my way toward my Goals

It is easy to see the connection between goals and a schedule so I can meet those goals. However, though I was brought up to believe in meticulous step-by-step planning with the discipline to avoid deviations from “the plan,” I have realized that many times the effort in creating that step-by-step bridge between goals and a schedule is wasted.

Though I believe that the best schedule is a guide, after a period of time, the schedule becomes a habit and a more definite schedule is in place. As this happens, the person might be closer to their goal, but the rigorous journey to reach these goals sometimes blind people from their real objective as we focus too much on achieving that stepping stone. For example, my goal to have multiple streams of passive income and a successful massage business is so I can travel, learn, and experience different cultures and people. However, because of my passion for massage, it will be easy to lock myself up in a massage business, delaying if not ending my dream of traveling the world. A better solution would be selling my business to a respected massage therapist in the area, and do massage as I travel for money or for fun. Reevaluation of goals and aspirations are regularly needed as humans are creatures of habit. After reevaluating what needs to be done, just do it. By just doing it, you will slowly become quicker and better at making decisions and reacting to what is presented to you.

Kyuzo Mifune, the “God of Judo,” believed that the strength of Judo lies in its flexibility and creativity to see, react, and adapt to opportunities. He called it the “flexible action of mind and body”. For instance, if someone starts pushing me, my reaction might be to pivot under the direction of his push and pull him over me, executing a seoinage or shoulder throw. Being able to follow an action with a quick flexible reaction that shifts disadvantage to advantage is something that can be applied from Judo to anyone’s everyday life.