As a child I was fortunate enough to learn Judo and thoroughly enjoyed my time on the mat, but like so many things in life other pursuits and commitments got in the way and my time playing Judo was cut short. Fast forward 20+ years and my daughter comes home from school with a flyer from the AJC offering a free introductory session, as I still remember the core values and beliefs that I learnt from my time as a player I wholeheartedly supported her choice and was more than happy to add Judo to the litany of after school activities.
After a year of sitting on the sidelines and watching her grow and develop as a player, I noticed that I was getting itchy feet and wishing that I was on the mat. I took the decision to regrade from a novice, as honestly how much are you going to remember after 20+ years, well the answer to that is actually quite a lot and amazingly there is still some muscle memory left from the techniques I learnt and was drilled on as a youngster.
In April 2017 I achieved my 2nd Kyu (blue belt) and was asked by Sensei Siobhan if I would be interested in taking a more active role in the club; assisting with the coaching of the Junior session. I jumped at the chance and am proud to say that as of September 2017 I have passed my BJA level 1 coaching assessments and am now an assistant coach at the AJC.
In my wildest imagination, I never thought I would become a qualified Judo coach when I first decided to get back on the mat. So why not come on down, give Judo a try and see where your journey takes you.