What does Judo mean to me? To me, Judo is all about getting up after being knocked down. Every day during class I am thrown down to the mat countless times. The falls can be hard and painful, especially during Ronduri. These falls can also be demoralizing, causing me to question my ability as a martial artist. However, each time I get knocked down I have to get back up. I have to get up because I know that this is the only way to learn. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy and Judo is no different. The only way to get better is to take falls and go through pain. Nobody ever learned anything difficult without getting his or her hands dirty. This idea is nothing new to me. During high school I ran track and went through some of the most taxing workouts I have ever experienced. These workouts were hard and I always dreaded the end of the school day when I had to go to practice. But I knew that if I wanted to get better, then I would have to go though some pain. The motto of our track team was "You can't get to heaven without going through hell". This saying has stuck with me and I try to apply it to everything that I do. Judo is an extreme case because the learning experience can be very painful.
To me, judo is means mental toughness as well as physical toughness. It means always getting back up no matter how hard you may have been thrown down. Each time you hit the mat, you learn something about yourself or your opponent. You may see a flaw in your technique, or maybe a weakness of your opponent that you can take advantage of. Either way, no matter what you may learn, you cannot learn it without taking a few falls and getting back up.