Judo in the time of Covid-19: William Schrimsher (USA)

William Schrimsher (right) is an American judoka and part-time coach based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

A: I'm based in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area now but I'm from North Alabama. I work out at several judo clubs, namely Striker Fight Center, Miki Judo Club, Fit to Fight Atlanta, CMAC Judo, and a couple other places when I have time. I travel pretty frequently back to Alabama and help coach at Decatur Judo Club and Huntsville Judo Club.  I try to be doing judo at least five or six days out of the week, and here in Georgia I managed to get in at least one workout every day.

Q: What are these clubs like?
A: Most of the clubs have between five and 10 adults on the mat for any given practice. Usually at least three of them are shodan or higher. Most of the places only meet two or three times per week, which is why I go to so many clubs.  

Q: How's the Covid-19 situation where you are at?

A: The number of confirmed cases is relatively low, but I think that's because not a lot of people are getting tested. Most of the stores in Atlanta have sold out of microwave meals, fresh meat, pasta, toilet paper and hand sanitizer. 

Q: Are the clubs closed now? By order of the government or voluntarily?

A: Every place that I train at has voluntarily closed. I think in South Carolina the government has restricted gatherings larger than 10 people. 

Q: If the clubs had stayed open would you have trained?

A: If the gyms had remained open, I would absolutely still be training but I would not train if I felt sick and I would hope my training partners would do the same. That's probably not particularly prudent though, given that from what I understand of this particular virus, you can be sick for quite some time before you feel sick. To be frank, I think the odds of me getting it are pretty high because my work as a field technician in an environmental company puts me in contact with lots of people and I’m always out and about. So, I don't think that the gyms have made the wrong decision. They're probably protecting me from myself because I wouldn’t have stopped training though I know I should.

Q: Do you think the clubs will get through this shutdown intact?

A: I don't know. Maybe some places can open back up if the shutdown is only for a couple of weeks but if this things lasts longer than a month, I think some places are going to go out of business. I don't know if that's the case for any of the places I work out at, but I suspect that this is going to be pretty devastating to judo clubs in general. The judo club in Decatur is paid for by the city, so that one probably has the best chance of surviving a long shut down. Privately run judo clubs will have a harder time.

Q: What are you doing judo-wise now that you are not able to train?

A: Several different websites and judo personalities have made training material available online for free, so I'm digging through that and trying to keep my brain sharp and learn some new things. It's very hard for me to stay motivated to stay in shape without other people around, so I expect a struggle with the fitness aspect while the gym is closed. I should probably do jogging or running, which is my least favorite activity. One solo activity I do enjoy practicing is ouchi-gari into a forward breakfall. It ends up being like a burpee and is very exhausting. I can go to the park and do that and jog.

Q: Are you watching a ton of judo videos?

A: I'm trying my best but my work schedule is still really full. I have some free time in the evenings because classes are cancelled and I'm using that time to watch judo videos, but it's just not the same. I think watching too many videos in a short period of time can just overload your brain and you won't remember hardly any of it, so I'm trying to keep it balanced.

Q: Do you thinks the Tokyo Olympics will be cancelled?

A: My gut says that it will be cancelled. I do not want that because I was really looking forward to watching the judo, but I have this nagging feeling it will be called off. If this Covid-19 thing goes on for six to eight more weeks I don't see how they can justify keeping it open.

Q: Anything you'd like to say to Malaysian judokas?

A: Mutual welfare and benefit takes many forms. I think we should not forget that  judo is a means to help us be our best self. In times like this, judo may look a little different but we can still be good judokas.