Judo – More than a sport, a way of life

Judo

When you do something for fifteen years, it is no longer just a habit, it becomes a part of you.
For me, judo is exactly that. It is not just training, sweat and medals, but it is a way of thinking, discipline, respect, but also friendship and smiles after hard work.

I have training sessions three times a week, and in between I go to the gym twice a week, because physical strength in this sport is not everything, but it is the basis. Anyone who has ever stepped on the tatami knows how important it is to have strength, but also control.

What one of my training sessions looks like

Every training session starts the same way, with a warm-up. That first part seems simple and boring to many, but it is actually crucial. When you stand barefoot on the tatami, you feel the cold surface under your feet, but after a few minutes your heart starts to beat faster, your body warms up and your thoughts focus. It is very important that before we start with the more strenuous exercises, the body reaches a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

After that, we do conditioning exercises - running, jumping, strength exercises, working with a partner. Everything is designed to prepare the body for everything that will follow. Judo is not only a physical sport, but also a mental game.

Then comes what we all love about this sport, and that is the techniques. You learn how to control your partner, how to use their strength against them, how to fall without getting hurt and how to get up even faster than you fell. In those moments, everything else stops, only movement, concentration and that special bond with your partner, which is built over the years, remain.

Once the techniques are over, it is time for sparring, the most intense part of the training. Then everything you have learned is put into practice. The heart works like an engine, breathing becomes short, but every movement has its own purpose. Although it is a fight, there is no aggression in judo, only respect. When the fight is over, regardless of the outcome, we always say goodbye.

At the end of the training, there are strength and endurance exercises, and stretching, where the body slowly calms down and the mind returns to balance. That moment after hard work, when you sit on the floor, sweaty, but satisfied, is something that is difficult to describe in words.

During these 15 years, I have won numerous medals, both at tournaments in Serbia and at international competitions.
Each of them has its own story. Some were won easily, some after hard fights, but they are all deserved. However, real success is not only in the medal, but in how much you progress from day to day, how much you overcome yourself, your fear, your laziness and your ego.

A Brief History of Judo

Judo originated in Japan in the late 19th century, thanks to Jigoro Kano.
He took the traditional martial arts techniques of jiu-jitsu and transformed them into a system that relies more on intelligence, balance, and control than brute strength.
The name “judo” literally means “gentle way,” which perfectly describes the essence of this sport.

Kano believed that through judo, a person builds not only the body, but also character. Today, more than a hundred years later, this philosophy lives on in every club, in every gym, in every student’s gift before and after a fight.

Judo became an Olympic sport in 1964, but for many of us it is much more than that, it is a school of life.

Why I love judo

Judo taught me respect, patience, and calmness. It taught me that falling is not the end, but only part of the journey.
Every throw, every fight, every training, all of it shapes a person not only as an athlete, but also as a person.

When I stand in front of the mirror with my teammates after training, tired but smiling, I realize how valuable it all is.

That sweaty but fulfilling moment, when you feel like you've defeated yourself again, that's what makes judo special.