Badgerlina's first shiai is today!!!

My daughter started judo a few months ago and today is her first tournament! If you have a moment share some advice or encouragement and I'll pass it on to her!
Also, pics and results are guaranteed after the event. So excited!!!

All the best to her, but a tournament after a few months is perhaps not a great idea?

My thoughts:
-shiai is just a chance to try what you've learned, and we focused on getting through rather than winning.
- she's a sensitive little thing but she's also my daughter and much like me. Competing motivates her, and recently she's needed the motivation.
-her sensei was all for the idea
-if I had put her in a different sport...soccer, for example...she'd be expected to play the games. If it was music lessons, she'd have to have a recital. She chose judo, so to me shiai is an expectation, and a growth opportunity.

Oh-and she won! 2 ippons, and making daddy proud she didn't wait for the point but transitioned straight into osaekomi!
It was a small tournament, not the greatest challenge, but her technique and aggressiveness were great and she's a happy kid who's excited about judo. I regret nothing.

Great stuff - delighted she had a positive experience.....

Thanks for your concern. I understand what you are saying. In this case, for this particular girl, I think it was the right move but I can appreciate that for some kids it may not be.

I should also add that I knew the vibe at this tournament. The community of judo players in my area is very nice and supportive. The boy that she fought was older and larger but allowed her to work and get her throws. He didn't plant her like he could have (I saw him hit a beautiful ippon seoi to win his own division) I would not have started her so early if it was a larger and more competitive area. Though I thought there would be at least one kid my daughters age and size.

As long as she came away with a positive experience and lots of hugs from Dad, all the power to her. How the hell did she get old enough to be in judo, let alone a shiai?

Enjoy it while you can, and don't knock music lessons, too, especially if you or your wife play an instrument. As she already knows from judo, playing with family is fun.

oh, and hug your girl for me - congratulate her on being a female judoka!

I'm all about music lessons too. Probably looking at starting something in a year or two.
And don't worry. The hugs were quite prevalent.

1.
Congratulations!

2.

Rightintheface wrote:... The boy that she fought was older and larger but allowed her to work and get her throws. He didn't plant her like he could have (I saw him hit a beautiful ippon seoi to win his own division. ...

Sounds like a nice boy, with a sensei worth this designation, as the latter seems to not only teach techniques, but also to impart other important things. Things like mutual benefit and ego-control for example. Do I smell budō?

He was a really good kid. From what I've heard, he made the decision on his own. One of our other kids told him it was her first shiai. He checked that ego and acted like a REAL class act.
When he went to shake her hand she hugged him. Daddy melted.

If this kid really had been such kind of a person, already before he even started training: all the better! But his sensei at least is responsible for allowing and to encourage such an attitude within his school or club. If the boy has (only) learnt this kind of behaviour during his jūdō-activities, his teacher did a great job! The goal of such an education is EXACTLY that the student is enabled to make such decisions on his own, WITHOUT having to be told beforehand to act so and so ...

Yep. Didn't mean to diminish the role of the sensei. Wherever this behavior came from, it's commendable. I was really grateful.

Here's one of her matches, I'll try to post the other in a moment.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4FJEAWy7Kfw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Match 2
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=ADqTt_oC6Iw

Wow, how sweet!

And BTW, Badgerlina seems to have kept MUCH cooler during her engagements than daddy. Especially in the first match.   
The boy was great, indeed.

Yeah, I know I get hyped :blush:

Congrats on the fun experience for your daughter. It's hard to believe that you have been involved in judo this long now. Way to go...

And I'm getting back into training judo too. Little miss asked me after the tournament why I didn't compete. I told her "Today was your first, and it needed to be all about you. If you would like, I'll think about doing one sometime soon."

Plus, the judo advantage standing is a WONDERFUL benefit in my submission and BJJ tournaments.

Thanks you guys for the support. Really happy for my little one. She needs that confidence boost.

Good God...Her First Shiai.....
it's not so long ago that the entire JI forum was awaiting her arrival,
Has our little Badgerlina grown up so much already.

CONGRATULATIONS TO HER ON HER SUCCESSES