What I notice most about my aging body is the time it takes to recover from a hard workout.
"What do you mean by this? Were you getting hurt physically or in terms of your progress in judo? Was there ever the threat of anyone else you practiced with getting hurt?"
I mean that new guys, myself included, do stupid or dangerous things. All in an attempt to save ego or pain by not taking a fall.
Well for one thing ranks can bring out the best or worst in people. A lot of it is perception and how students and instructors act within certain belt levels. I know for example that being a green belt in our Judo school is highly respected because our Sensei is very strict on handing out ranks. He told me once that other Martial Arts organizations hand out ranks and train just for the sake of getting the next rank and I am sure I am not the only one who has gone through that.
If you go into a Karate or TKD school and say you are a green belt people are like "so what" The pereception of "Black Belt" to the general public means something mysterious or that the person is some kind of master. In Judo I have found out things are just not that way. It is based more on hard work and how you have conducted yourselves in and out of class. I'll tell you one thing that compared with other MA's most of our test feel like BB gradings in other styles!
"... If I can't assume that (for instance) a 100-pound shodan has some certain minimal level of skill, what's the point of the black belt?
I'm not saying a 100-lb black belt should (or should not) be able to consistently beat the 250-lb green belt. I'm just saying that if it really does totally and completely depend on the individuals, then that seems to remove any useful meaning from the belts. "
Ah, no. There are weight classes in Judo and all other combative sports for a reason.
Ed
"Ben R: "It depends on the black belt and the green belt, totally."
""So then, doesn't that dilute the meaning of belt levels, especially of a black belt? If I can't assume that (for instance) a 100-pound shodan has some certain minimal level of skill, what's the point of the black belt?""
Black belt in Judo can mean a lot of things. It doens't mean that a person is particularly skilled. Shodan is just the beginning. You could be talking about a 100 lb. 17 year old girl fighting a 250 lb wrestler, who although he is a green belt in Judo, has substantial grappling skills. Or a 55 year old man who started Judo at 48 y/o, and practices mainly kata and has a heart murmur.
The "belts" in Judo designate, for the most part, that you have fulfilled the rank requirements, not that you are some sort of super fighter who can beat everybody.
Ben R.
I'm not saying a 100-lb black belt should (or should not) be able to consistently beat the 250-lb green belt. I'm just saying that if it really does totally and completely depend on the individuals, then that seems to remove any useful meaning from the belts.
While there is certainly no formula, the bigger the experience advantage one player has, the bigger the weight disadvantage he/she should be able to deal with. Assuming, of course, roughly equal levels of athleticism and dedication to training.
Greg