Judo nerves!

Hi all,

New to the forum and was just looking for some thoughts/reassurance about joining judo!

I’ve decided to join my local judo club but I am literally scared stiff of learning the rolls and ukemi, which is obviously the most important part of judo.

I think this is because of my physical size, I’m 5’8 and 18 stone, 36 years of age and I’ve never trained martial arts before, just powerlifting. I have a gut and short legs and I’m not too flexible, and looking at people doing these front and back rolls on YouTube is literally like rocket science. Like how the hell am I gonna do that! Needless to say I have pondered whether to forget going but another side of me wants to go and learn these rolls and achieve something! People have said going judo is a fantastic workout and will aid in weight loss, I just don’t want to embarrass myself and be “untrainable” for the coaches, like will I get the hang of these rolls or what?! On the other hand I’ve also been told by a few people that my height/build could be an asset to judo, despite me not having any interest in competing at all.

So should I go along to class, or try and diet down a bit before going, or try rolling around the grass lawn beforehand? Lol

IMHo rolling is one of the most natural arts. You'll have no problem.

Typically thin people that have long arms and legs have problems.

You sound more like a natural ball, if you excuse my exaggeration.

Lmao!

So you think the Sensei or coaches will be able to properly show me the technique, not to sweat learning  it before joining?

Tekken_Player wrote: So should I go along to class, or try and diet down a bit before going, or try rolling around the grass lawn beforehand? Lol

Taking care of yourself, f.e. eating properly, is ALWAYS a good idea.
Especially before working out.
Simple example : the day of training, I always eat a light meal of pasta (or rice) with water (no alcohol of any kind).

Try rolling around the grass, that is a good idea. When you can accomplish them with ease, you can start rolling in reverse, toward your back, then simple side rolls, etc.
Don't do too many at first, you could feel dizzy quite fast.

The idea is to HAVE FUN while rolling around, it has to become second nature, as in small children if you will.

Enjoy,