Jasmin Cagol black belt 1st Dan, approached this discipline (Judo) back in 2006 at the age of 6 out of pure curiosity, at the beginning she took it as a game, an extra-curricular activity (as is normal that all children do) but then growing up she became more and more intrigued and fascinated by this discipline, thus making it her greatest passion. Today, after 14 years, she still practices it and is more and more curious and eager to go on, because as in life, even in judo you never stop learning.
“He judo – explains – it is much more than a sport, personally I see it as a school of life because it teaches the main values and respect right away. The principles of this fundamental discipline are “Growing together with others (Ji Ta Kyo Ey)” and “The best use of energy (Seryoku Zen Yo)”, and it is precisely from this that the athlete benefits, both at in person and in character both physically (since it is one of the sports where you work most with the whole body) “.
“To achieve the black belt 1st Dan – goes on – you have two possibilities: the first is to obtain the rank through sporting merits (ranking on the podium at the Italian championships) or there is the possibility of acquiring it through an exam that each athlete has the opportunity to do at the regional fijilkam committee of their region . The exam consists in the execution of the kata, then it is necessary to have a knowledge of all the judo techniques, of the Japanese terminology of the latter, of the history of judo. There are many topics and things to prepare. I acquired the 1st Dan black belt degree in 2016 at the age of 16 after 10 years that I started (but this is subjective, everyone takes their time). For the qualification of aspiring coach, on the other hand, I attended a course with a final exam always organized by the regional fijilkam committee; the minimum requirements is to be of age e have the degree of black belt 1st Dan ”.
This year was a difficult season due to Covid and – as the athlete explains – “For an athlete who is used to being in the gym every day on the mat (which is now like a second house) is daunting, especially the early period where the end of the lockdown was a big question mark for everyone. In judo even more (like all contact sports) we were very hindered by the decrees and ordinances that kept changing leaving us at home without knowing when it was possible to reopen the gym. Towards mid-September we had begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel (or so it seemed) until towards the end of October, after barely 4-5 weeks that we had reopened and had restarted with the courses we were again forced to close. It’s frustrating. Like any athlete, in these months I continue to train at home with ropes, weights, elastic bands or using my friend as uke (partner) to perform simple entrances and exercises (just to remember and keep mobility and agility trained. ). Let’s just hope that 2021 will be a year of rebirth where we can all start together again, not only for sport but also for the economy and all the other sectors that are suffering too much from it ”.
Speaking of Judo as a form of self defense he states: “Certainly some ideas can be taken and help to avoid certain unpleasant situations, but unfortunately seeing the circumstances often (being alone with several people who come on you, perhaps using blunt objects or other) does not always help and is effective. The best thing (if possible) is to prevent by moving away from certain situations as much as possible ”.
Looking at the future. “For the future, I would like my passion for martial arts and judo to become a real job (the idea was to join the police and apply myself to the world of uniforms), then as another goal that I set myself is take the rank of 2nd Dan and the qualification of Judo Coach. For the moment, given the covid situation, it is a bit difficult to move, but with the determination and the desire to grow I am sure that sooner or later I will reach all my goals; it’s just a matter of time”.
