Inspirational Blind Olympic Judo Girl (Slow Motion Video)

Jordan Mouton

This is a bit of inspiration for anybody, no matter what you do or what level you're at.  I recently came across this slow-motion training video of USA Judo Paralympic Athlete, Jordan Mouton.  Many people in America don't really know about judo - hence the coined phrase "judo chop"!  Even more don't realize that judo is an Olympic sport and also has a blind organization.  Blind judo is practiced worldwide and there are many competitive venues including the Olympic Games.

Judo is a sport that you can practice with your eyes closed.  In fact, it can be beneficial to try and practice this way to develop a "feel" for the techniques and live play, rather than focusing on your opponent visually.  At the same time, it is very helpful to see an instructor perform a technique and this is one of the many obstacles in being a blind athlete.  You have to rely completely on feel.

To become proficient in a sport like judo while blind takes perseverance, mental focus, and the ability to live and think in airtight compartments.  Your natural mind will always have more than a feast of reasons why you should quit at something.

It's always been very easy for me make progress, only to plateau and fall into a comfort zone.  Whether it be work or training.  Watching Jordan Mouton reminded me how important it is to keep trying.  To actually put a meaningful effort into whatever you're doing and to fight the urge to just "show up" or even give up.  Most importantly, it helped me to keep from getting old before my time!