Judo club gets physical, not violent

Judo club gets physical, not violent
Students learn Japanese technique of gentle battles, safe falls.
The KU judo club may focus on safety, but members say the matches are intense just the same. The club meets three evenings a week in the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
By Jeff Deters
Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Ryan Hilger’s hands grip the blue collar of his opponent Chris Steele’s judogi. The two stand about a foot apart inside the Martial Arts room in the Student Recreation Fitness Center. Hilger sidesteps and pulls back with his hands, flipping Steele onto his back. Steele quickly bounces back up, and the two spar again.
Hilger and Steele are among a handful of students who battle each week in the KU judo club practices.

In Japanese, judo means “the gentle way,” and unlike more traditional martial arts like karate, judo combatants do not strike each other with punches or kicks. But Hilger, assistant coach of the judo team, said that didn’t mean there was no contact.
“It’s still very physical,” he said. “There’s just no striking or traditional combat stuff, but it’s still multiple throwing, armbars, grappling and choking.”
Hilger, a brown belt, has been involved in judo since 2004. He said that even without violent punching, hitting or kicking, there was one thing competitors would often notice when they left practice.
“Bruises are very common here,” Hilger said. “It’s just a fact of life.”
Hilger said the first area of his teachings focused on safety. Students first learn how to safely fall and roll. Hilger said students shouldn’t fear getting injured because no serious injuries had taken place in the club.
Another safety precaution is that competitors can tap two times on their side at any point during the match to indicate to their opponent that they have had enough, and Hilger said the club never viewed that as giving up.
“We completely respect that,” Hilger said. “You’re not looked down upon badly for tapping out. It’s all about safety here. We teach very, very safe ways of practicing judo.”
To win a match, competitors need to score one point. By throwing an opponent to the floor, a fighter is awarded one point, and thus wins the match.
Points also are tallied in smaller increments like half-points for various knockdowns and pins.
Steele, Lawrence senior, has been involved in judo since 2002. He enrolled in the health, sports and exercise science judo class his freshman year.
“I thought it was great,” he said. “I was hooked.”
Steele said that when he first started, he had to learn how to manage the difficulties of the sport, particularly stamina.
“It’s real technical, exhausting,” Steele said. “It’s probably the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done. You can run around and play basketball, but judo is killer.”
The intense matches usually last about three minutes, and combatants fight in short bursts of adrenaline. Steele said his favorite move was the “tai-otoshi,” where he pulls opponents over his leg and twists them around, sending them down to the mat.
The club averages about 10 students each semester. Students pay $25 in dues each semester and must also purchase the judogi, or robes, which are made thicker than traditional robes for durability. Robes can be bought for about $25 at the KU Bookstore in the Kansas Union.
Nick McMullen, Liberal junior, has participated in judo since his freshman year.
“I wanted to try some kind of competitive thing and I figured I’d try something new,” he said.
McMullen said that participating in the sport had been beneficial to him in more than one way because not only did it give him a good workout and keep him in shape, but it also taught him self defense techniques.
The club practices from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in the Martial Arts room in the recreation center.
McMullen encouraged students to stop in to see the action for themselves.
“Just try it,” he said. “You’re not going to know if you like it until you get out there and do it. And we’re all real nice people, most of the time.”
— Edited by Tara Smith

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