Beginner Bliss

Last night I had the pleasure of welcoming three new beginners to our judo club—two five-year-old boys and a woman in her twenties. Since our judo club has grown over the past few years and we retain most new members, it isn't often that we take beginners anymore, especially kids.

When we were first starting out, there was a constant flood of newbies, only about a quarter of whom stayed more than a month or two. It was exhausting and frustrating teaching them how to fall, along with the other basics they needed to survive on the mat, all the while knowing only a fraction would stick with it long enough to really benefit from judo. But we made it through that period, building a strong team, one newbie at a time.

Now, nights like last night are a real treat. Those two five-year-olds? They have older siblings in judo and they've been playing by the matside since they were babies, waiting for their turn. There was a gleam in their eyes as they put on their judo gis and bowed onto the mat for the first time. Nerves turned to smiles as they fell into place next to the others they'd been looking up to for so long and began moving through the drills like little pros.

Then there was the young woman, who'd never found a sport she loved, who was truly starting from square one. She was full of questions. She pointed to a couple of other adults who were grappling nearby. "Do that to me!" she said. "Show me how to do that."

After I showed her some basic grips, pins, and escapes, she felt the rough fabric of her borrowed judo gi. "Why does it feel wet?"

"Um, that's sweat."

"I'm sweating!" she said. "This is really fun!"

Yes, it's fun. And I get to be a part of it, sharing in the joy and growth of new teammates, from those kids I've known from infancy to adults I've just met.