I've entitled this blog The Road to Shodan. My intent here is to use this as a journal to track the progress of my return to Judo and my quest to get 'good'. I know that some of you might know me from the Judo Forum Boards or might have read my article on the Judo Information Site, but for those that don't know me, here is some a bit of a quick bio and backgrounder:
I started playing Judo a little over a decade ago as a Freshman at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, NY. I played for about almost four years and competed semi-regularly with the team. When I left Poly in 98', I had achieved my Sankyu - the lowest level of Brown Belt (at least in this area. Different areas and countries use different colors for the belts below black, but in 99% of them, at least IKKYU, the grade one before black, is brown).
Unfortunately, I gave it up for about 6 and a half years. Over that period I watch my body grow horizontally as it were, and this summer I decided that I needed to get back into shape. I tried going to the Gym, but it didn't work. I finally had an epiphany that Judo was where I wanted to be. So I went back. It has helped me with my diet (I am just a hair under 200 lbs, from 225 in june, and 220 when I started the south beach diet in august). My goal is to get down to 190. by February - and that is when I plan to compete next.
As part of that process, I thought I would share some of my Judo thoughts with the world as I work towards a hard-earned Black Belt.
My goals:
- Practice Regularly and use Judo as my main form of excercise
- Acquire new skills and knowledge
- Get into it, so that when my sons (aged 2.5 and 9 months) get old enough, dear old dad will be able to play with them.
- Compete 3-5 times a year and possibly win a couple of tourneys
- oh... and maybe get a new belt when my Sensei thinks that I am ready :)
I started playing Judo a little over a decade ago as a Freshman at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, NY. I played for about almost four years and competed semi-regularly with the team. When I left Poly in 98', I had achieved my Sankyu - the lowest level of Brown Belt (at least in this area. Different areas and countries use different colors for the belts below black, but in 99% of them, at least IKKYU, the grade one before black, is brown).
Unfortunately, I gave it up for about 6 and a half years. Over that period I watch my body grow horizontally as it were, and this summer I decided that I needed to get back into shape. I tried going to the Gym, but it didn't work. I finally had an epiphany that Judo was where I wanted to be. So I went back. It has helped me with my diet (I am just a hair under 200 lbs, from 225 in june, and 220 when I started the south beach diet in august). My goal is to get down to 190. by February - and that is when I plan to compete next.
As part of that process, I thought I would share some of my Judo thoughts with the world as I work towards a hard-earned Black Belt.
My goals:
- Practice Regularly and use Judo as my main form of excercise
- Acquire new skills and knowledge
- Get into it, so that when my sons (aged 2.5 and 9 months) get old enough, dear old dad will be able to play with them.
- Compete 3-5 times a year and possibly win a couple of tourneys
- oh... and maybe get a new belt when my Sensei thinks that I am ready :)
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