Pozerať sa súperovi do očí

Standing on the edge of the tatami, face to face with an opponent, is no easy task. Imagine our “little ones,” standing on the mat for the very first time, about to fight all on their own. The coach and usually the parents are by the tatami, but now all they can do is cheer. The child has to rely only on themselves and their own abilities.

The referee gives the signal, the young judoka steps forward to the center of the mat. They bow to their opponent as a sign of respect, size each other up, the command “Hajime!” sounds, and the match begins. Victory goes to whoever proves better.

The goal of a judo match is to throw your opponent with a perfect and safe technique, landing them flat on their back, and earn an Ippon (10 points). If the throw isn’t perfect, the judoka receives a score for a “nearly ippon”—a Waza-ari. If a competitor shows they can throw their opponent for Waza-ari twice, the scores combine and they win: Waza-ari-awasete-ippon.

Now picture the tension: The judokas are evenly matched. They grip each other’s uniforms, trying to execute the right techniques, avoiding being thrown. Suddenly, our little judoka manages a beautiful off-balance, the opponent falls, but manages to twist—Waza-ari. Parents cheer, the coach yells: “Great! One more time!” But not always does “one more time” work out.

The fight continues. This time, the opponent makes the perfect off-balance, our judoka falls, but also manages to turn—Waza-ari for the opponent. Now it’s 1:1, and the fight moves to the ground—ne-waza. The young judokas roll on the mat, each trying to pin the other. The opponent secures a hold. Parents clutch their heads, holding their breath in suspense, while the coach shouts for our judoka to turn. They have 10 seconds, and the timer ticks down mercilessly: 10, 9, 8… The referee straightens up and declares firmly: “Waza-ari-awasete-ippon, soremade!” The match is over.

Our little judoka rises sadly, sometimes with a small tear rolling onto the tatami. The referee points to the winner, and our judoka still hopes it will be them. Not today. Today it didn’t happen. But that, too, is part of sport. And judo is even more than just sport.

The young judokas bow to each other and shake hands, showing that while they fought as rivals, they leave as friends. It is not unusual to see the little winner pat their opponent on the shoulder in sympathy, or for a match to end with a hug. That says it all: we are not enemies—we are friends who have just given each other valuable new experiences.

And that’s what our “little,” “children’s” competitions are all about. Experiences, friendship, learning to accept both defeat and victory.

This year, the judokas of Judo Club Rohožník took part in 13 competitions, with one more—the St. Nicholas Youth Olympics—still ahead of us. From these events, we brought home 19 gold medals, 44 silver medals, and 38 bronze medals. Our most valuable trophy was won by our judoka Elenka Kučerová, who became the second runner-up in the younger girls’ category at the Slovak National Judo Championships in Poprad.

We thank all the children for representing themselves, our judo club, and our community. And in return, we thank our municipality for its support, which allows our judokas to train, compete, and gain new experiences, memories, and the right attitudes toward themselves and others.

Author: Zuzka Rečná