The Judo Kid..(aka. my first Judo Tournament)

14th Annual "Go Shibata" Judo Tournament

Well... the anticipation is over and I'm a bit sore, but I survived my first Judo Tournament which was this past Saturday. I weighted in at Texas A&M Rec Center on Friday night with a big 173lbs which was heaver than I thought, but not to heavy. I was placed in the most heavily stacked weight class for the comp... 81kg which is anywhere from 160lbs to 180lbs. Basically, really fit and strong 25-30 year old men who have been practicing judo from 2 weeks to 3 years!!! I've been doing this for two months?

Match One = Victory!!! with all of my adrenaline running full blast I got an Ippon, which is Japanese for "One Full Point" and this means you win!! I took the guy down with a double leg grab which put him on his back! This was my first fight in Life EVER!!!

Match Two = I got choked out... not only did I submit... but he had my neck so tight that I couldn't tap with my hands or shout... I had to tap out with my feet. I was thankful to stand up and bow after that one... I was really scared I was going to pass out.

Match Three = I was thrown using a hip throw and lost by Ippon... which mean the guy threw me to my back with force and control... aka. it hurt and he won. amen!

For my first Judo match I was really impressed and can't wait to do it again some time. I have never gotten my self into a fight (i have talked my way out of many... High School) but I didn't really understand what your body does in "Fight" mode. Each match maybe lasted 1-2 minutes and when I was done it felt like I had run a marathon carrying Jordan on my back breathing through a straw? AMAZING... AWESOME... DOMINATION!!! I can't imagine actually winning more than one round and having to fight 4-8 times at one tournament... crazy! There were 12 guys in my division and I only fought 3. It amazes me how strong and quick and experienced some people are... I can't wait to make someone think and feel that about me one day!!! I have one more tournament on Nov. 1st in Houston, but may not attend because of the wonderful wedding of Brit Norvell to Jen Moore!