Description of the activity and experience:

Kudo is a Japanese hybrid martial art that is practiced by people to achieve both safety and practicality. It is a full contact combat sport which requires the usage of both hands and legs. I wanted to indulge myself into physical activity as it is really important to maintain fitness in my teenage years so that it helps me later in life. I also wanted to learn Kudo because it will help me become independent and teach me how to protect myself. Hence, I began my training in Athletica, a sports center under the Coach Vispy Kharadi. Once I began with my training, I could see major improvement in my strength, resistance level and endurance.

Learning outcomes I catered during my training:

Learning outcome 1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

I was able to identify my own strengths and weaknesses during the training sessions. It is important for us to understand our strengths and weaknesses so that we can grow in the areas that are not our best. My strengths were my resistance level, my ability to grasp onto techniques and my endurance. With my previous training of dance, I had built a strong resistance level. I used to practice dance for hours without a break hence my body was used to the harsh training that was similarly done in Kudo. Along with that, my ability to grasping onto techniques is another quality I developed from dancing. Like Kudo, dancing is extremely technical hence I had to learn the exact techniques in order to perform properly. This quality helped me in my Kudo training. I had been practicing sports when I was younger. I did long jump, running tracks and played basketball. These past experiences helped me increase my endurance.These sports require high amount of exertion which is why I developed a solid endurance at a young age. The endurance I built when I was younger helped me during my Kudo training. My weaknesses were strength and flexibility. I never did any kind of fitness training or workouts before joining kudo classes hence my arms and legs were weak. My weakness made the training process longer for me as I had to practice much more than others in order to build my strength. I lacked flexibility in my body which was a hindrance for me because I was unable to perform some moves that required extending the leg or stretching the body. Improving these weaknesses would be beneficial for me because I will be able to learn advanced moves that require body flexibility and strength. I will have to work upon these weaknesses in order to do better in my training.

Learning outcome 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Kudo was challenging for me because it is a high intensity sport and requires full body effort. Putting all of this work into Kudo resulted into muscle pain and body ache which hampered my schedule. I could not put my energy into any other activities since I barely was able to cope up with my studies. I was so drained after Kudo which led to me not completing some assignments on time and having a hard time practicing extra for academics. Kudo also impacted my social life in a way. Like I mentioned, I was not able to give my best in academics hence I stayed home on the weekends to work on my studies and complete the remaining assignments. I did not have the time to meet my friends and socialize. I overcame my challenges by balancing my diet. By eating nutrition and healthy food, I was able to gain more energy which got me through the day. Along with that, I made some changes in my schedule like studying before Kudo class so that after Kudo, I could rest and my work would also be completed. I also slept early since I would be tired after Kudo and wake up early to study extra so that on weekends I could take time out to socialize. This way, I would complete my work, balance my social life and did not stretch myself too much. I am glad that I went through this challenge because I learned time management and balancing skills.

Learning Outcome 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Commitment and Perseverance was needed in this activity because if I didn´t show consistency, my progress would go down. Hence, to maintain my progress and make sure that I respect the art of Kudo and learn it appropriately, I showed the commitment of attending every single class even though I faced difficulties and had to use my problem-solving skills to balance everything. It is not easy for me to be persistent in my tasks because of my laziness. However, I understand that persistence and commitment in anything is important so that my ability to grow as an individual is not restricted. I overcame my weakness of not showing commitment and proved to myself that I can become persistent.

Learning Outcome 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

The global issue that I can connect to is Women´s Safety. One of the main reasons I wanted to learn this martial art is because India is not safe for girls. In fact, the average amount of rape cases reported everyday across India is 77. Women have restrictions like not being able to go out at night, not being able to wear dresses or crop tops and more. This issue is faced by girls all over the world. Therefore, it is important for women to learn self defense and build up strength so that they are prepared to face any situation.

Final Takeaway

Learning Kudo taught me management skills and problem-solving skills. It helped me develop my physical strength and endurance which increase my self-esteem. Kudo gave me the confidence I need to become independent. I developed the learner profile attribute knowledge since I gained knowledge about an art form of another culture. To conclude, Kudo was very helpful for my personal growth.

Evidence from Kudo Class