Ball State Judo

Your first time on the Judo mat - what to expect

Whether you are attending one of our classes as a complete beginner or an existing practitioner of Judo you will find a warm and friendly welcome to the Ball State Judo Club. We pride ourselves on looking after anyone who is interested in practising Judo.

What to bring

1.) Always bring your Student ID in order to sign-in each practice. This is done by sliding your ID in the chip reader on the wall of the room.
2.) Bring a water bottle to drink water during breaks.

Arrival

Please arrive at the training hall (Dojo) approximately 15 mins before the session is due to start. This gives us a chance to introduce ourselves.

Paper Work

Before you can step onto the mat to participate in a Judo class you must first register online and sign the waiver which is located in Bennylink. These are two seperate items to be filled out. If you need help one of the Ball State Judo Club officers will be able to help you before class. Once this has been completed we will verify that you are officially signed in and will show you how to bow onto the mat.

What to wear

If you have not practiced judo before we would recommend that you wear tracksuit bottoms, sweats or shorts and a t-shirt or long sleeved top without a zipper or hood. Due to the nature of judo you need to wear loose fitting clothing to allow ease of movement. Be prepared for any clothing to be pulled on as Judo involves a lot of movement in exercise, throwing and grappling. If you are an existing Judoka (practitioner) Judo Suits (Gis) are preferred. (please stay away from using Karate gi's because they are made from a thinner material which can rip from the pulling done in Judo.

Judo is a close contact activity and as such we require a good level of personal hygiene, i.e. short clean fingernails and toenails. No jewellery should be worn for practice and long hair should be tied back with a soft non metallic band.

Typical session

A typical session will start and end with a formal bow. This is where the students line up on one side of the mat (beginners at the end of the line) and bow (rei) in a kneeling or standing position. We stand for our bows at Ball State. This traditional formality is done as a sign of respect from students to instructors for what they learn and from instructors to students for their time and attention.

This is followed by a warm up that will be specific to the planned session. The warm up prepares the body for action.

Typically the warm up would be followed by breakfall practice (ukemi). Breakfalling is the activity that protects you and allows you to land safely when being thrown.

The session could then continue with learning and practising the skills required for Judo which are then reinforced with specific training drills and directed free practice.

The sessions always conclude with a cool down, check for well being, notices and a formal bow (rei).

Most of all from your first day on the mat and the last day you practice as a Ball State student the main goal is to have fun and enjoy your training.

Have a great practice!!!