There is a magnificent judo hall on the second floor of the Chiyoda Ward Sports Center, a facility designated for management by Mizuno. Starting in May 2024, a seminar called “Fall Prevention and Healthy Exercises for Seniors in Judo Halls” will be held there. A judoka belonging to the All Japan Judo Federation, a public interest incorporated foundation, will be the instructor for this seminar, and exercises that make use of judo movements will be performed on the tatami mat. By maintaining muscle strength through exercise and taking advantage of the characteristics of ukemi, the aim is to learn how to fall in a way that will prevent serious injury even if you fall.
The author, who turned 57 in June and has no prior experience in judo, will share his experience of attending this seminar.
The lecturers on the day were, from the left, Yuri Sugimoto, Mikiyoshi Kobayashi, Hiroyuki Tanaka, and Sayumi Masuda.
(All Japan Judo Federation)
It is said that muscle mass decreases with age starting from the legs. In this seminar, we start with leg training. First, you can put your hands on the wall and stand on one leg. Do this twice on each side, then do it with your eyes closed. I could only stand for about 2 seconds with my eyes closed (pathetic)!
After that, we did squats and tiptoe stands five times x four sets, which leads to the leg sweep movement we did at the end of today’s seminar, assuming we are grappling with an opponent. We do this several times on both sides, which requires a sense of balance. Start by placing your hands on the wall, and once you get used to it, sweep without assistance, touching the sole of your foot against the opponent’s ankle. It’s OK if you can do it large enough to brush your pinky toe against the ankle. I was hesitant, as I have no experience in judo, but I managed to do it.
Movements that incorporate judo movements to develop a sense of balance
This exercise involves lying down on the tatami mat with your legs hugged to your chest and rocking back and forth. The key points are: 1) tuck your chin in and look at your belly button, 2) curl your body and roll. You roll backwards so that the back of your head touches the tatami mat, then rock forwards so that you stand up using the recoil, which surprisingly uses your abdominal muscles. It’s like a pillbug, but as an advanced version, you can fall diagonally backwards or sideways. Falling doesn’t just have to be forward and backward. Ideally you should be able to fall 360 degrees so that you can fall in any direction, and after doing it diagonally and sideways a few times you’ll get the hang of it.
Mr. Masuda showing a sample
This time, perhaps as an application of the sleeping technique, you lie on your back, lift your legs, and pedal a bicycle. You do the same in the opposite direction, which is a great whole-body exercise. Your legs are quite heavy, so you need to tense not only your abdominal muscles but also your back muscles. I couldn’t do it for even a minute.
Even more difficult was the exercise of rotating the toes around the knees. The left and right legs are rotated inward and outward at the same time, but I couldn’t finish this. *Please watch the video below as it is difficult to explain in words.
It’s a harder move than it looks.
In this seminar, I learned three important things: “Maintaining muscle strength,” “Maintaining a sense of balance,” and “If you fall, tuck your chin in to protect your head and curl your body to disperse the impact.” By practicing the movements I learned today, even if not every day at home, just once until the next seminar in two weeks, you can start at a slightly higher level next time. By repeating this, you can develop a lower body that is less likely to fall, and you will be able to move in a way that will prevent serious injury even if you do fall.
There’s a saying that goes, “Fall seven times, get up eight.” I want to learn how to fall in a way that allows me to get up, and continue taking on new challenges no matter how old I am!
Starting in May 2024, the Chiyoda City Sports Center will be holding this seminar on the first and third Wednesday of every month from 9:30 to 11:00 (a total of 12 sessions are scheduled until the third Wednesday of October). Although participation is required for the entire session, it is possible to join in mid-session, so if you are interested, please contact the Chiyoda City Sports Center listed below (registration will close once capacity is reached).
2024-06-28 01:49:41
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