Often when kids are grappling, grabbing and throwing each other around in a gym, detention is involved. For judo instructor Josh Wiens, it’s just another normal class.
Wiens, who has a black belt in the martial art, has started holding judo classes at the Ruth Betts Community School gym on Monday and Wednesday nights. Kids and adults can come by and learn the basics of the Olympic combat sport.
Based heavily on motion, agility, sweeping takedowns and ground work, judo – translated from Japanese, the “gentle way” – can be a fun activity for all ages.
Judo is a family pastime for Wiens. Both his father and brother are black belts, and several members of the family have taken part in judo competitions across Canada. Once he moved to Flin Flon from Moose Jaw and started a family, he noticed there was nobody practising or teaching judo in the north.
“We had anywhere from 110 to 130 members at one time,” said Wiens, talking about his old gym in Moose Jaw. “We were running two classes each night, class on Saturday, tournaments on the weekend, training on Sunday. I’m aware of where it can go.”
When Wiens had the idea to teach classes, he went to the Flin Flon School Division and the City of Flin Flon to gauge interest and see if any facilities could be used. When he was told the Ruth Betts gym was open and available, things fell together fast.
“It was all in a matter of a couple of weeks, how it came together,” he said.
Now, Wiens hopes to show his passion to the next generation of his family – his children, son Jacob and daughter Josie, both take part in the class.
Wiens begins by teaching students the basics – how to fall and to prevent injury.
“If we can teach them how to fall and not injure themselves, then we can do this all night and nobody’s going to get hurt,” said Wiens.
“I’ve learned how to break fall when people are throwing you on your back, learned how to get out of lots of moves,” said Liam Ferris, a student who finished up his second class on Jan. 29.
The pace is not too fast, but it can be a lot to take in. Wiens goes through the basics of each individual hold and throw, using crash mats and close tutelage to teach his students in fine detail.
Wiens hopes more people can turn out for classes and learn about the activity that is so close to his heart.
“We’re hoping when word of mouth gets out there and people are more aware of what we’re doing here, hopefully we’ll bring out a few more people,” he said.
“The more people we get, the more we can bring it together and the more ideas we can have. Yeah, I’m a black belt, but if somebody has something to contribute, by all means –
my way is not the only
way to do it.”
“The more minds we have in here, the better the club is going to be.”
As the sport becomes more established in the region, Wiens plans on ordering gis – the traditional martial arts garment, usually white – and entering competition. While Wiens hopes those who come into the class can one day compete at a high level, his first goal is to help participants in the class improve themselves.
“Not everybody who comes in here has the same goals. Some people want to get themselves to a certain level of fitness, while other people want to be Olympians. I want to try to provide that platform for everybody. Now, I’m not the guy who will make you an Olympic champion, but I can set the groundwork for you and put you on the track to get you to that place. We’re trying to provide a little bit for everybody,” he said.
