Medlemsinfo - Reportage

Christophe Indigne besökare från Belgien  

Vi hade besök av en speciell gäst från Belgien, Hans namn är Christophe Indigne. Christophe studerarde på högskolan i Halmstad och kommer att vara här ett tag. Här är ett reportage som handlar om Christophes judokarriär samt framtida mål.

Hello Everybody,

 My name is Christophe Indigne and I am from Belgium. More precisely, I am from the Flemish part of Belgium where they speak Dutch. I am now 24 years old and I have a black belt in judo. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to increase my Dan-grade, so I am still shodan shiken (first Dan).

 My hometown, Kortrijk, has about the same size as Halmstad. I could name a lot of small and large differences between both cities, but that would not be very interesting. Let’s just say that both cities have their advantages and disadvantages. Anyway, I am very happy to have been through a real Scandinavian winter since we are now experiencing the hardest winter in a long time in Sweden.

 I started with judo when I was 8 years old. A couple of friends had seen a brochure about “Judoschool Kortrijk” and they wanted to go there to see if this sport was any fun. None of those friends is currently still active in judo, but I never stopped doing this great sport. “Ju”-“do” (which means the soft road) makes me feel good, healthy and strong. What more would I need?

 When I think about my favourite techniques, I must admit that I have had a few. There has been a time that I was trying to get my harai goshi perfect. But then again, I have also had a time that I was more interested in ipon and morote seoi nage. So, it would be best to make a short list. Keep in mind however, that none of these techniques are effective when performed separated from a good kumi kata, a perfect balance, a decent preparation of feet and hands and the right concentration and motivation. 

-         Harai goshi with right arm under left arm of uki and hand on the back of uki. When you do this, it becomes easier to guide uki.

-         Eri seoi nage with ko uchi gari as a preparation to “open up” the position of uki.

-         Sasae tsuri komi ashi when uki least expects it. This technique does not require a lot of energy, but the result can be very nice if you really push-pull.

-         O goshi is also one of my favourites. 

In nage waza, I prefer to work towards strangling or arm locks. These take less time and provide larger results than trying to hold your opponent down for 25 seconds. Here however, I don’t really have favourites as situations change very quickly. On the ground, I most often just try and try and try with whatever the options are. If the opponent can stand a hard strangling, then I move to arm locks. If he has really strong arms, then I try strangling. If none of these work, I will prefer to continue the fight tachi waza. 

Between 15 and 18, I had my best results in competition. I became second in the Belgian national championships and got two third places in international youth competitions. One in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, and one in Wasquehall, France. Since a decent sporting career is hard to combine with university studies however, the results were not that good anymore after I started studying psychology. But, studying for five years and getting a diploma seemed more interesting than an uncertain judo career. 

Continuing with my studies, I started to get an interest in the psychology of sports. There is a large physical aspect in sports, but it’s impossible to deny the psychological aspect as well. I wanted to study these and subscribed for a specialization in sport psychology. Within this study, there is a European aspect. Me and my 15 colleague students could choose a foreign university where we would attend workshops, follow classes and write our thesis-dissertation. Normally, I would therefore stay studying at Halmstad Högskolan until the end of June. After that, I will have finished my student years and the search for a good job will commence.

No matter what I will do in my working days, judo will always be a part of me and my life. Sport is a necessity to stay healthy, and judo is one of the most complete sports I can think of. Your entire body is active while doing judo. That would be my first goal with judo: staying healthy. Secondly, I would like to use my sport psychological skills in judo. I would very much like to assist athletes who need some mental training. This can be concentration, relaxation, visualisation, etc. Another goal I have in judo is personal growth and maturation. Through the ideas and the philosophy of judo, not only the body is trained, but the mind can exercise as well. I love to think about eastern traditions and customs and judo gives me the opportunity to do this. A fourth and last goal I would have within judo, would be to pass on the ideas and knowledge I have. I will certainly become a trainer or a coach, but in order to become one, I should first finish my own studies. As you can see, many goals are possible within the wonderful world of judo.

Adding one final thing, I am very happy to be able to train in Halmstad. There is a very positive atmosphere in this club which is necessary to perform optimally. If there are lots of discussions or arguments, the athletes will not train in a good environment. And that would be bad for their performance. In Halmstad, everybody seems to be very friendly and enthusiastic. I truly hope that I can be an addition to this positive club and that athletes will be able to train hard with me. Speaking for myself, I really like the way the trainings are organised so you will most certainly see me trying to beat my opponents during training...

I hope you all enjoyed reading this text. I sure enjoyed writing it!

Kind regards

Christophe