The Gentle Way 柔道

Judo – 柔道,- The Gentle Way

Let’s start with some vocabulary, each with their own important message.

Waza-ari ( 技あり) is a Japanese word meaning half point which is the second highest score a fighter can earn in a Japanese martial art, judo. Lesson: half credit can win but full credit is better. Never let the good be sacrificed for the perfect. Yet, strive for perfection.

Ippon(一本) is a Japanese word that means “one point” and is used in the scoring system of judo. When an ippon is scored the match is over. Sometimes we continue on even though we have reached our limit only to find we have then done damage.

Tatami (畳)are types of mat used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. There are special places for special activities. A martial artist will bow before they step on the mat to show respect for where they are. Places can be sacred and can engender appropriate behavior.

Shido (指導 (する) -penalty. 3 and you are out. Most often in Judo a shido is given for lack of engagement. Let life just happen to you is never a good thing.

Hajime (はじめ) is the Japanese word meaning “beginning”. The referee (shimpan) will announce the beginning, not buzzer, no gun going off just a person saying begin.

Matte (待って) is a Japanese word that means “wait” or “stop”. It would be wonderful if it were that easy. That there would be someone who could help us proceed and when to stop and that we could hear and heed it clearly.

There is an aphorism that says, “more than a person rescues a dog, a dog rescues their human.” The same can be said of career and of course, sports. The extremely successful person is often a person who has the right skill set for the job they love doing. Maybe a sport picks the athlete rather than an athlete choosing their sport. Yannik Sinner the current #1 in the world was initially a great skier and says he chose tennis over skiing (if you want to be the best in the world, you have to choose one sport) “In skiing, if you make a mistake you’re out; it’s a dangerous sport and you need to get up early in the morning and venture outside in frigid temperatures. Tennis is a bit more accessible. And in the end I think I made the right choice.” (https://apnews.com/…/jannik-sinner-italy-australian…)

We know that it is the unique combination of the athlete and the right sport that makes for greatness. And it is true of our lives as well. Being in the right place at the right time isn’t enough, you have to be the right person for the job and that is what makes greatness.

Yesterday was the 90kg Men Judo event. And here is where language becomes important. What sports call things helps us get into the right mindset for watching. Basketball has a court and so does tennis. Football (American) has a field and football (European or soccer in America) has a pitch. (Not to be confused with what a thrower in baseball does, “pitch” which ought not be confused with a pitcher in cricket, who is called a bowler. But I digress.) In Baseball there is a field also but it can sometimes be referred to as the infield which is the diamond. And Judo is done, fought, played (all acceptable terms) on a mat or better a tatami, which speaks to its Japanese origin. Like many sports, Judo is competed in weight categories. I competed at 141 lbs. Yesterday we watched Georgia’s Lasha Bekauri win GOLD and we were treated to a beautiful match between Murao Sanshiro and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou.

While they waited in the tunnel to be announced I was surprised to witness an uncharacteristic behavior on the part of the judoku (a practitioner of Judo) Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou, representing France. While Murao Sanshiro maintained a quiet, calm disposition. Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou was yelling (like he was doing his own personal Haka (Maori posture dance that involves the entire body in vigorous rhythmic movements) but not really. He was jumping up and down and banging his chest. I say uncharacteristic behavior because most judoku are tranquil in demeanor.

The word Judo, while a form of combat, means gentle way. Developed relatively late in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, it was a type of sport that utilized the other’s energy against them. And that is exactly what happened. And this is an important life lesson, it is always best to meet aggression with calm.

While Ngayap Hambou continued that energy of constant aggressive movement, Sanshiro quietly went about his business. Ngayap Hambou at one point was penalized (called a shido and three shidos and you are out like strikes in baseball) but lost by Sanshiro successfully completing a technique, in this case a throw called an ippon.

By the way, Judo is one of the few sports in which two bronze medals are awarded in every category. Those defeated in the quarterfinals will remain in the competition with a repechage draw resulting in double bronze-medal matches awarded to the judokas. Therefore, while Sanshiro took the silver, both Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou and Theodoros Tselidis took bronze.

Then undisturbed Sanshiro bowed to his opponent, accepted the victory and left the tatami. No jumping around, no yelling, no putting his hand to his ear imploring the spectators to cheer louder as has become a thing.

It is the elegance and ritual of martial arts that has been the casualty of modern day mixed martial arts with its bravado and aggression. For the traditional martial artist, the sport of it is not something you devote a few hours a day to. It is a lifestyle. It is about how they conduct themselves whether on the mat or off of it. And we see this in the truly great representatives of each sport. Sport can be an opportunity for the development of character. While there are those who claim they never wanted to be a role model (Charles Barkley – https://sports.yahoo.com/iconic-sports-commercials…) ,

I will leave that for another blog (watch for it entitled Unsportsmanlike Conduct).

Sports is a way of life for the athlete. It determines how much and when they sleep. It is about how they eat and how they structure their day. There are specific preparations made for practice and for competition. There is the emotional/psychological work that is done alongside the physical work. There is the balancing and synthesizing of it all.

It is why sports means so much more.

For more sports insights go to:

Musings