Come fly with me!

Picture by David Finch

I remember seeing the above picture in a judo book when I was just starting out in judo. As a beginner I had no idea how two people could end up airborne like that (it was only later that I learned that the technique used was uchimata) but that picture sure captured my imagination.

Since then, I've continued to be fascinated by the endless possibilities of judo. As an Olympic sport it has continued to grow and evolve. Some people don't like new rules because in some cases they do fundamentally change how the sport is played. But with each set of new rule changes comes innovation too.

Rather than be held back or handicapped by the rule changes, athletes and players come up with new ways of doing things. So, you could say that rule changes have sparked innovation. And that's what keeps judo dynamic and exciting.

The judo I played as a beginner was very different from the judo I played as a competitor, years later. And the judo of today is very different from the judo of my competition days. I don't see that as a bad thing. I view it as proof that judo has not stagnated.

This openness to new things and different possibilities is also the ethos of the KL Judo Centre. I have a certain philosophy of training based on my knowledge and experience but I am not adverse to adapting and modifying our approach along the way. Just as judo has not stayed stagnant, judo clubs must not be so either. When we reopen the club in December, we will continue to innovate to offer the best judo training program around.