David Böhler: Judo Champion Turned Coach

David Böhler – half life for judo

David Böhler came to judo via detours. He tried out several sports at the beginning of his elementary school years, but couldn’t really get into it. Based on an article in the community newspaper about beginners’ judo courses, his father took him on a trial training course. He liked it so much that he stuck with it. He trained with great intensity and subsequently practiced judo as a competitive sport. His father, who had accompanied him to training several times a week for many years, eventually became infected with his enthusiasm for judo. He has been chairman of the club since 2014 and trains the youngsters himself. As a result of a serious injury in 2008, David Böhler had to give up his sporting ambitions. After a short period of thought, it was clear to him: he wanted to stay with judo and got involved as a trainer in the club. And he did it with the same dedication as he did as a top athlete. He sees himself as a tough trainer, but always tries to convey content in a fun way. When his protégés fight, he gets emotionally excited and sometimes calls in. “A bit like Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City,” he says with a grin. His own experience in competitive sports helps him a lot. He can pass on a lot of his fighting knowledge and is therefore a role model and an authority. He always tries to do his best so that his students can also achieve their best performance. The circle of teams he coaches has continued to expand. The fighting team U14, U16, U18, the elite team in Dornbirn and now also the state squad U15. In contrast to his early days as a coach, he is now more relaxed. He analyzes better and has a different perspective on the mostly inevitable defeats, after all, in every tournament there is only one person who doesn’t lose.

His tasks as a trainer also include conveying values ​​and attitudes that are important in judo. Discipline, respect for the opponent and above all fairness. “Judo is one of the fairest sports. There are actually only “approved” punishments such as inactivity, mock attack, passivity or incorrect grip types. In contrast to some other sports, there is no aggressiveness towards the opponent.” Overcoming self-control, fear and inner resistance are virtues that have helped him and his students progress in life. He never had to use his skills as a judoka outside of the mat. His size, his self-confident demeanor and his ability to protect himself well in an emergency, he believes, had a preventive effect. During the week he is in action almost every day, plus tournaments and training camps every 2nd or 3rd weekend. Of course, this immense commitment to sport also comes at a price and requires sacrifice from one’s private environment. His girlfriend no longer asks him, as he says, whether he is at training, but rather when he will be home from training. She supports this because she knows and understands what this sport means to him, namely – as he says – “half of my life”.

Information about the club

Judo is both a martial art and a mental training. It was developed in Japan at the end of the 19th century. The term “Judo” is made up of the Japanese words “JU” (gentle, giving in) and “DO” (way or principle) and could be summarized as “winning by giving in”. The Union Judo Club Dornbirn was founded in 1965. The club currently has around 200 members, 9 trainers and a board of directors with 16 officials. Courses are offered in a wide variety of age and combat classes. The men have been fighting in the Bundesliga since 2022. 400 judokas from 6 nations competed in the trade fair city tournament, which the club organized for the 11th time this year. You can find more information about the association, course offerings and the funding concept on the homepage at www.judo-dornbirn.at.

2024-01-05 00:10:48
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