This week I only had one session, but what a session it was!
On Wednesday, I took part in a class focusing on guard sequences and muscle strengthening.
After 27 years away from the tatamis, each movement is both a rediscovery and a challenge.
Working on pivots on yourself and controlling your opponent’s hand reminded me just how much judo is an art of precision.
I’m starting to feel an improvement in my physical condition.
It’s subtle but real, like a rusty machine gradually getting back up and running.
Warming up feels more natural, less laborious than it did at the very beginning. The muscle-strengthening session on Monday is already bearing fruit, particularly for my musculature and the use of my arms.
At 43, my body doesn’t react the way it did at 16, but it responds, and that’s already a small victory.
Group cohesion
What strikes me is the social dimension of this recovery. The group is becoming tighter as the weeks go by.
It’s nice to create links with people around my age who come regularly.
We share not only techniques, but also the common experience of coming back to judo or discovering it as adults.
Everyone with their own strengths and limitations, without judgement.
Physically, I feel a slight fatigue after training, but it’s a healthy fatigue, accompanied by a certain lightness in the body.
My movements are gradually becoming more fluid.
It’s as if the nerve connections are gradually being reactivated, making each movement more natural and less calculated.
Confidence is also returning, little by little, allowing me to try movements that I would have hesitated to do a few weeks ago.
To move forward, I need to keep practising these sequences to gain fluidity, strengthen my judo-specific muscles, and also visualise the movements when I’m not on the tatami.
An important aspect of this recovery is the feeling of constant evolution.
Judo isn’t just a technique to master, it’s also a way of reconnecting with yourself, taking care of your body and mind.
It’s a simple and sincere moment, shared with others, away from screens and daily obligations.
On the tatami, there is only the present moment, and this is perhaps the most beautiful lesson that judo offers me again after all these years.
Smooth progress, growing confidence
I trained as a judoka with the Arlésien Judo Club in the 90s, and discovered the rigour, humility and collective spirit of this martial art at a very early age.
After a 27-year hiatus, I decided at the age of 43 to put on my judogi again and start practising again, at my own pace and with an adult’s eye.
This website is the diary of that resumption, with the rediscovery of techniques, personal reflections, physical pain and deep satisfaction.
My goal: to achieve my black belt before I’m 50 and prove that you can always progress, whatever your age or background.