From complete beginner to first grading in Judo

I had zero athletic background when I started Judo. First class I was completely lost — everyone seemed to know the language of grip fighting and I didn't. My harai-goshi was nonexistent. I nearly didn't go back.

I did go back. And the first grading 10 months later was one of the proudest moments I've had in sport. how hip positioning changes everything had become natural by that point, which I wouldn't have believed at week one. finding competitive clubs outside Japan or France is still something I work on. But it no longer feels like an obstacle — it feels like the game.