If you have been cleared by your GP to engage in contact sports and general physical activity you can take up Judo.
It’s very common to worry one is not ‘fit’ enough to start, or that sports like Judo aren’t ‘for people like you’, or that you would be ‘holding back’ other attendees or that people might resent your attendance. Often people feel like they won’t ‘pick it up’ quickly enough, or maybe think that the only people practicing Judo as adults have been doing all their lives.
People also worry about very basic things. Issues founded in social anxieties (‘what if I break wind’, ‘what if I sweat too much’, ‘what if I scream when I am thrown’, ‘what if I have to partner with a man/woman’, ‘what if I can’t get a training suit that fits me’) are very common.
Martial Arts Misfits was founded precisely for the people who don’t feel like they ‘fit’ within the current three main stream popular conceptions about martial arts, namely Professional Mixed Martial Arts, Action Films, and Olympic / Champion level sports competition.
All of the Coaches at Martial Arts Misfits have an interest in, and have attended multiple courses on, inclusivity and adaptive Judo. Our goal is to bring Judo to the attendee, rather than expecting the attendee to ‘fit’ some preconceived idea of a ‘martial art student’.
Martial Arts Misfits is currently closely associated with the Tokei Judo and BJJ clubs, which have many members who have competed in national and international competitions. The Tokei clubs include coaches that have coached for and/or played on national teams. Coaches and regular attendees at the Tokei also include Personal Trainers, professional Stunt Performers, and Physical Therapists, all whom share their experience and knowledge with other attendees. We can facilitate your martial arts journey to the highest levels of performance and completion... if that’s what you want, and if that’s what you feel is a realistic path for you.
However, if what you are looking for is to simply try something new and fun, to take up an activity which will give you more confidence falling and moving your body, to feel like you are better able to stand up for yourself in difficult situations, and to build functional fitness in an environment where you don’t notice you’re even exercising: Martial Arts Misfits has sessions for you.
While there are no guarantees in life, you will probably find after a few months training that the person you feared you are isn’t who you really are. It’s likely you’ll discover that you’re the kind of person who is not only able to do Judo, but to get better than you ever hoped, and maybe even compete. But that would be a ‘spoiler’ for the journey ahead of you.