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THE MODERN IDEA - JUDO FOR FUN

There is no reason for continuing this attitude in America today. As has been madę increasingly elear in reports on the physical condition of Americans in this era of television watchers, sports spectators and generał mechanization of everything, we need desperately to involve morę and morę of our population in physical activities if we don't wish to degenerate into a nation of fat-backed dullards. (Lack of exercise, it is proven, affects mental activity, too). The flabby American is so much taken for granted, that even his physician is not shocked that the average person in his early thirties can't run around the błock!

Sport Judo is a participant's sport. The relati-vely smali, but enthusiastic, audience for Judo contests is mainly Judo players. Because of the naturę of Judo contesting, untrained people cannot really appreciate highly skilled play. They are en-tertained only by the actual, spectacular throw.

Ali of the preliminary skill is lost on them. Com-pare it to people watching a championship chess tournament who were not familiar with chess play. Plan of attack, positioning, methods of defense, etc., would be lost on such an audience.

Sport Judo is excellent for developing body-mind coordination and skills. It is superb for exercise and conditioning, It is ideał for men and women and children of all sizes and ages.

It is to be hoped that many, many morę new stu-dents will take up sport Judo than can ever expect to enter contest. There are devoted students of the Art who have not the time , the inclination or the ability to go further than friendly Judo play once a week. They are no different from the tennis player or once-a-week bowler. They enjoy their sport to the limit of their time and capabilities and we would not think of criticising them for not ma-king it a way of life,

The idea of Judo for fun seems to me to be par-ticularly appropriate for Americans. True, its

(Con't to P. 34)

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