It all starts with grips...

Ashraf, in blue, was very helpful as a coaching assistant.

Yesterday, I gave a little introduction to competitive judo training at Alice Smith School where I will be helping to teach competitive judo starting in January, next year.

Their current coach, Dave Potts, have already trained them well in basic judo so they have a solid foundation. My aim for this sessions was to give them a glimpse of what they can expect in the coming year.

We only had an hour, so I didn't want to dwell on techniques. Instead I focused on something more conceptual: stance and gripping. I felt this was the best way to get started because when it comes to competitive judo, everything starts from the grips (and stance plays a very important role in gripping strategy).

When I was a brown belt and just starting out on my journey into competitive judo, one of the first things my competition coach taught me was grips. Prior to that, I had no idea how important grips were. I would just go up to my training partner, take hold wherever I could and try to do my judo. I didn't realize that if I didn't get my grips right, there was no way I was going to be able to fend off an attack much less successfully execute a throw of my own.

So that's where it all began for me. Grips. So, whenever I teach competitive judo, I always emphasize grips. I'm delighted that the students at the KL Alice Smith School Judo Club found the introductory session interesting. I was delighted to hear one of them say they couldn't wait for the judo sessions to start next year.

I've been involved in judo for all of my adult life and over the years, I've accumulated a lot of knowledge about judo. I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with those who are keen to learn. It's a privilege, really.