Why you shouldn't convince someone to do judo

Recently I had a conversation with one of my students who was so keen about judo that he said he would try to convince a few of his friends to take up the sport.

I told him there is no point trying to convince them if they are not interested in the first place. The reason is that judo is such a tough sport -- in every sense of the word -- that unless someone, themselves, want to do judo, they will quickly give up on the sport.

Judo is very difficult to master. You can train for months on end and still not be able to throw anyone or catch anyone in groundwork. That can be incredibly frustrating. Not everyone has the patience and perseverance to stick with judo long enough to be able to do it well. It normally takes a long time. It really does.

It's also tough on the body. Let's face it, judo is not a gentle sport. It's a physically demanding sport, which should not come as a surprise. After all it involves slamming someone to the ground, pinning them, strangling them and armlocking them. Not exactly tai-chi.

Given how tough judo is, unless someone has a real interest in the sport, they will not stick to it. Some friends might try judo out of curiosity. Some might agree to do it out of courtesy or just to humor a friend. These people won't stick to judo. They'll do it once or twice or perhaps a few more times after that. But eventually they will give up.

So, there's really no point convincing people to do judo. They either want to do it or they don't. If you have to convince them, don't waste you time.