Dyspraxia, Judo, and Mindfulness
Dyspraxia is a neurological difference that often results in poorer-than-average motor coordination skills, spatial awareness, and organisation capabilities. This often results in difficulties in learning sports or physical activities. Additionally, dyspraxic individuals can also struggle with organisation in the workplace and day-to-day lives. Sometimes this also extends to emotional regulation and feeling overwhelmed.
Anyone reading who has been part of an organisation during the pandemic or mental health week is probably aware of ‘Mindfulness exercises’ in the form of short meditation or breathwork sessions. However, it is so much more. As a concept, The NHS describe mindfulness as:
“Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you.”
This includes being aware of our mental state, emotions, aches and pains, breathing and posture. Mindfulness as a practice can therefore be quite beneficial to those of us with dyspraxia or other neurodivergent conditions. This does not have to be meditation, but could include finding a quiet space to assess our mental and physical state. Another option is to adjust your seat or stand up for a while.
Judo is a martial art derived from Japanese Ju-Jitsu alongside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). It focuses on grappling: Gripping, off-balancing, and throwing your opponent onto their back (called an ippon). If your opponent does not land on their back, then matches can be won by submission- via pinning, choking or armlocks. It is an art dependent on timing, speed and good application of technique. It also has a strong philosophical component, with the founder of judo intending it as an educational tool.
I am not an expert so cannot say for sure that Judo helps generally with dyspraxia, however purely from my own experience it has helped with my strength, balance, coordination and confidence. In general, for everyone - regardless of neurodivergence – regular exercise has a host of similar benefits. However a sport with an emphasis on breathing, foot, hand placement, and body positioning will naturally develop the areas many of us with dyspraxia struggle with.
Similarly for mindfulness. I have turned my judo sessions into something of a ritual – the morning before a class I trim my beard, shave my head, shower and ensure my nails are short and filed. I get the tube to my dojo, where entering a space that has a singular purpose, and wearing a uniform also helps focus the mind. I am not worrying about work, or the news, or past regrets or any other number of things I usually have racing through my head.
Then onto the warmups; a time to identify how I and my body is feeling, and assess if I’m able to start being thrown around and likewise do some throwing. It’s hard to describe, but I can very much feel myself getting ‘in the zone’.
After the warm-up, it is on to learning some techniques, which much like dance moves I struggle to do naturally or without looking at my feet. My partners and I help each other out to improve our technique. The last half an hour or so is then randori, or ‘free practice’ – essentially sparring, but it can vary in intensity. This is by far the area of judo I struggle most in- the difficulties associated with dyspraxia are compounded- but this is also where I learn the most. I can count on one hand the amount of times I have thrown someone in randori in the year and a half I have been training, but I am slowly getting better- which is more important. Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.
After training, I take great care folding my gi, washing myself with a flannel and cooling down – again an opportunity to inspect my body for injuries or bruises and readjust my mindset. I’m fortunate in that my club goes for coffees and a chat after training. I often struggle to make small talk like many Neurodivergent people, and so an opportunity to socialise in a group with a shared interest is invaluable.
So that is how Judo has helped me work on mitigating my dyspraxia, while also practising mindfulness. It is not for everyone, and being thrown over someone’s shoulder can be an intimidating prospect. Some lower-intensity alternatives that could also work are Yoga to help with posture and breathing, gymnastics to develop mind-muscle connection, or even just dancing- especially if you want to socialise. I hope to try all of these at some point as a way of continually pushing myself out of my comfort zone, but ultimately we all need to find what works best for us.
Written by Connor King
