JUDO
FOR PEOPLE
WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS
IN SWEDEN
One
of the most difficult problems with reaching people with special needs and to
let them try judo, is to convince their parents, assistants, or the people
working at different 'homes' or schools that we don't teach our students to
become 'killermachines'. I don't know if it's that they are ´overprotecting´
or if they are afraid that their people will be 'to strong to handle'? They know
judo as a martial art and mix it up
with karate, kung-fu and so on.
Information is a very important thing in our work. One big task for us today is to visit youth-centers and to show everyone what we are doing. We have to show that judo is a sport for almost everyone. Of course there are people with a handicap that make it impossible for them to perform any sport. But for most people judo is a good sport!
They get physical and mental training. They learn how to contol their body, arms/legs. They learn the (sometimes difficult) social language, how to behave and to control their feelings and so on. Of course it takes time, and you have to work slow with a lot of repetition.
In Sweden, we started with judo for children with special needs in 1970. It started with judo for visual impaired. Now we have lessons for people with almost any kind of handicap.
Our students are very devoted! We have some judoka that have practiced over 20 years, and they hardly miss any lesson!!! Judo is a must!!! It's almost their only life, the only thing they do during the week. Practicing 2-4 times a week. For most of our students it's a way to get a social life with a lot of new friends.
In
the last 5 years we've (in our club) started to compete in Tachi-waza (standing
up).
I noticed so much bigger pleasure
among my students when all the students that were able to stand up, got a chance
to do a lot of different throws and to try them in a competition.
They said: 'At last we're doing real judo!' and they had big smiles all over
their faces.
Before that we only competed in Ne-waza (kneeling). Some people say this is wrong and are afraid of injuries and that it could be dangerous. Some said that it is becuase it's more equal for everyone, if everyone is on their knees. But I think that forcing people that can play judo standing up, to do judo kneeling down, is to give them an second handicap. My believe is that everyone wants to practice a sport so close to the original as possible. That's why I and my club are working in a different way.
There are some more clubs in Sweden with groups for judoka with special needs, that are practising tachi-waza (standing up) and we are working on a way to connect our clubs together so that we can arrange camps and competitions. At the moment we don't have any official competitions in Sweden for judoka that want to compete in Tachi-waza and we have a greater exchange with other countries and their clubs, than clubs in Sweden. Now we travel around Europe to get a chance to compete. We have been to Holland, Wales, Finland and Germany. Our club also arrange a camp and competition every year and we have people from other countries visiting them.
And I enjoy my work VERY much!!!!!!
Tomas Rundqvist
Handicapintructor
IKSodra Sweden
also
Chairman of the Commision for Special Needs,
Swedish JudoFederation