BAM!
I shook my head and peeled my sore body off the mat.
“Good”, the instructor said, “Now try it again but with a little more force.”
My partner grabbed my arm, twisted his hips and threw me to the mat again.
BAM!
Fortunately, I remembered to tuck in my chin so my head didn’t slam against the mat.
“Alright, a little better that time”, the instructor commented. “Do it another ten times then take a break. You both need to master this throw for your upcoming belt test.”
Just as I started to groan, thinking about how sore I was going to be tomorrow, my partner grabbed my wrist again and tossed me over his hip.
BAM!
I was a couple months into judo training at the local YMCA. My oldest son started taking judo. I thought it looked like fun so I joined the class too.
One of the things I really like about martial arts is that there’s a very clear path to mastery. You start as a white belt and as you master the skills, you progress up the ranks. Eventually, after a lot of sweat and…