r/judo • u/douglasbarbin shodan • Jul 23 '25
Other Got my Shodan last weekend
I hope this post helps inspire some people who are considering Judo but are doubting themselves. Whenever some of the younger people at the dojo say, "I can't do this", I tell them that if I can do it, they probably also can. For context, I started my Judo journey in 2019, almost exactly 6 years ago, at age 37 (almost 38 at the time). I am currently 43 years old and will be 44 in about a month.
After white belt, the next few belts (yellow, orange, and green) came pretty easily to me. However, brown belt (Sankyu, Nikyu, and Ikkyu) was more of a grind for me. I had an old shoulder injury flare up during the end of Ikkyu, and I was doing physical therapy for a while until my shoulder pain improved. I believe some dojos (especially outside of the United States) have blue and/or purple belts before brown belt in the kyu ranks, but I am aligned with USJA and their ranking system has Sankyu, Nikyu, and Ikkyu all as a solid brown belt, so my belt color didn't change for a few years until last Saturday.
Shodan is the first Dan grade in Judo. While it does not signify mastery (like a black belt "automatically" does for some martial arts), it does signify a high level of competence in Judo. All of that to say, if I can do it, you can at least get to that next kyu rank! Keep getting on the tatami and practicing until the belt changes color.
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u/Key_Goat2311 Jul 23 '25
What an achievement 👏 Congratulations man
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u/ExtraTNT shodan (Tutorial Completed) Jul 23 '25
You completed the tutorial, welcome to the game, you may start building your own play stile…
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u/justkeepshrimping shodan Jul 24 '25
I love seeing adult beginners graduate to shodan. Congratulations, and I hope you have another 40 years on the mat.
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u/Few_Advisor3536 judoka Jul 23 '25
Your coach looks like a younger version of my father in law, its uncanny. Nice going dude, you are living evidence that judo isnt just for young people.
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u/d_rome Jul 23 '25
Congratulations. James tested me for my nidan seven years ago. I also interviewed him on my podcast years ago. He's a good guy and a good coach who also has a really good mind for business.
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u/douglasbarbin shodan Jul 23 '25
Really cool! What's your podcast? I think I might have heard it, where he is discussing using various games to "trick" the junior students into doing Judo without realizing it. They think it's just a fun game, but they are actually doing Judo for part of it.
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u/Serkonan_Plantain Sandan Jul 23 '25
Congrats!! Excellent story of dedication and perseverance!
I also did a double-take: I recognize your dojo! I no longer live in Louisiana, but I used to work out at Heiwashin in Baton Rouge (sadly no longer practicing) and would often compete in LA Open in Denham Springs. You guys do great work!
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u/Tinedwing Jul 24 '25
Seems like my journey might mirror yours quite a bit. I started 4 months ago at the age of 37 and have just attained my yellow belt.
I started because my two boys aged 8 and 6 took up judo and I thought if I trained too it might keep them motivated and I’d get some fitness out of it as well. Turns out judo has resonated with me in a way I didn’t think it would.
Attaining belts is not my goal but seeing someone else start at my age and attain a black belt has just given me even more motivation
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u/douglasbarbin shodan Jul 24 '25
That's awesome! I didn't mention this, but my son actually started Judo about 2 weeks before I did, when he was age 6. He is 12 now and has his orange belt.
Attaining belts was never my goal, either. At one point, I wasn't sure if I would even make it to yellow belt, but I stuck with it. The journey is so much more important than the destination, IMO. I strongly encourage you to stay motivated and spend time on the mats. I'm definitely glad that I did (and will continue to do so).
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u/BrenTen0331 Jul 24 '25
That's awesome. I just started Judo in my mid 30s and it's be such an awesome experience.
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u/JudoJitsu2 ikkyu Jul 23 '25
I know Chuck Wall from way back when he would cross-train at David Jacobs academy. Interacted with him a bit less but had a connection through his relationship with the Sasaki family. Chuck is one of the greats, so I know that black belt has some quality behind it. Congratulations.
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u/Ok-Temperature-7544 3d ago
congrats. in the same age bracket as you. did you find yourself ever taking time off or significant time off due to injury and life?
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u/douglasbarbin shodan 3d ago
Thanks. I never really took significant time off, never more than maybe 2 weeks at most. I had a knee injury where I wore a brace for a while, but I stayed on the mat and took it easy until I healed up. The dojo I belong to also shut down for a week or two during covid, when basically everything was shut down at the beginning. But other than that, I have been extremely consistent.
I do know a guy who is about 10 years older than me who had to take a year off due to injury/surgery, but he has been back on the mat for a while now and he says he feels better than he did before his surgery. He got his green belt last night, in fact.
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u/Ok-Temperature-7544 3d ago
Yes I’m in that boat. At 47 and at brown belt I have not trained in a month. I am even contemplating retiring all together from the sport. Or maybe just take another month off I am feeling so much better and don’t want to regress and he tower back pain again.
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u/Nidoran-F Jul 23 '25
What's a shodan? The one that should give to you is your federation, first the regional one and then the national one.
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u/dazzleox Jul 23 '25
Shodan is the first black belt. The US doesn't have regional federations, and the belt system varies here between theee national federations. Instructors can generally give shodan rank out however they wish, though.
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u/KataGuruma- Sandan Jul 23 '25
I enjoyed reading your entry. Congratulations, OP!👏