Six months of Judo — here is what actually changed

I started Judo six months ago with zero background in the sport. The first few weeks were humbling — I couldn't do seoi-nage shoulder throw properly and had no idea what randori even meant. My coach kept pulling me back to fundamentals, which was frustrating at the time but clearly the right call.

By month three something shifted. landing a clean ippon throw. That was the moment I understood why people stick with this. The ear guards for groundwork sessions investment was worthwhile — don't cheap out on that. finding competitive clubs outside Japan or France is real and took me longer than I expected to work through. If you're thinking about starting, just go. The learning curve is real but so are the rewards.