About me
My name’s Julien, I’m 44, and I’m back on the tatami… 27 years after leaving judo.
The beginnings and discovery of a passion
When I was a kid, like many at that age, I had to choose a sport.
After trying archery and tennis, and putting aside team sports, judo was the obvious choice. The martial arts aspect, the white kimono, the salutes, the fights: I got hooked straight away.
And it was at the age of 11 that I joined the Judo Club Arlésien, in the Griffeuille district.
Judo, a school of life
Very quickly, it became my sport, my reference point.
I met an incredible coach (sensei): Maître Louis Vial (black belt, 4th dan), charismatic, demanding, respected.
He taught us to fall. Over and over again. Ukemi was sacred to him. I remember the bruises, the sweat, but also the pride when you finally mastered your body.
One belt followed another. White and yellow. Yellow and orange-green. And then the first competitions. The nerves, the Sundays in the gym, the friends who became a real gang. We were on each other’s backs, but we had each other’s backs.
It was also at this time that Pascal Tual, then aged 21, took over at the club. His energy, availability, and teaching style enabled me to take the next step.
With him, I continued to evolve, to refine my technique and to better understand judo. Today, he is still at the head of the Judo Club Arlésien.
Little by little, I climbed the ranks, green, blue. Then purple: the last one I had, after a podium finish at the inter-regional championships in Martigues in 1998.
At the time, I was training two or three times a week. It was intense, but I was ready. I had a clear path to the black.
And then… I gave up
One summer, I made other choices. Adolescence, life, other desires. I walked away.
I did try to come back a few months later. But in the meantime, I’d lost fitness, my friends had continued to progress, and the pace was too hard.
I dropped out for good.
Judo was put on the back burner, without disappearing altogether. The Olympics, the world championships… always followed with interest. The idea of returning was never far away.
That day has come
At 43, I decided to put on a judogi again.
Despite doing plenty of endurance sports like running and cycling, I wasn’t
really sure about my physical condition.
That’s why I decided to stay humble at first and put on a white belt. In the end, I wanted to start from scratch, with a body that’s 27 years older.
However, from the very first training sessions, the breakfalls came back. A strange feeling of déjà vu, with a tatami that felt as familiar as ever.
The first year, I even (re)passed my yellow belt. Then, after quite a few back-and-forths, I managed to get an attestation of my blue belt from my former instructor in France.
Today, I’m a blue belt, and I’m aiming for black before I turn 50.
I haven’t got everything back, if I compare to where I was 27 years ago.
But the joy, the connection to the body and the respect for others, those values are still very much there.
Why this site?
When I came back, I realised I wasn’t the only one in my age bracket.
In my club, there are about twenty of us over 40, and some are discovering judo later in life.
Others, like me, are coming back after 10, 20 or 30 years away — with the same questions, the same aches, the same doubts.
“Will my body hold up?” “What belt should I wear?” “Am I going to get injured?”
I created RestartJudo to answer these questions. Not as a sensei or a coach (I’m neither).
As someone who’s been through it, a few steps ahead on the path and happy to share what I’ve learned along the way.
What you’ll find here:
• Practical articles on getting back into judo after 40 (body management, injury prevention, recovery, and more)
• Technique cards to help you find your bearings again
• Equipment advice tailored to adults
• My training journal on the road to black belt
Judo isn’t just a sport for young people or competitors.
It’s an art that has its place in adult life.
And judo is something you can come back to.