Hebib: Croatia introduced judo in schools, how far is BiH from that?

UNICEF declared judo the best martial art for young people, so it's no wonder that this sport is one of the most popular in the world today – explains to the Patria agency the coach of the cult Sarajevo judo club „Bosna“ and president of the ON 1 sports organization, Karim Hebib.

ON 1 is a team of promising judo fighters, which operates as part of Bosna and trains some of the most decorated young judokas in the country. In the last month alone, they have brought home numerous medals from prestigious international competitions. The last one was held in Slovenia at the end of December, where seven competitors from the ON 1 team brought 11 medals to BiH.

The first medal in BiH after the war was brought by judoka Vlaškovac

In BiH, explains coach Hebib, judo is quite popular, but nowhere near as developed as in the West, or even in neighboring Croatia. The federation is making efforts to popularize judo among young people, but there is still no real strategy or state support.

Finally, it has long been forgotten that the first medal from a European competition in BiH after the war was brought by judoka Davor Vlaškovac.

- In large European countries like the Netherlands, France, Germany... judo is among the most popular sports. In Japan, the birthplace of this sport, too. In these countries, children have regular judo classes in primary and secondary schools. Croats also recently introduced judo as an elective subject in schools, although statistics already show that not a single child wants to miss a judo class – explains Hebib.

BiH, he says, must follow such practices or it will be left without this sport. It is not enough to invest only in professionals; it is important for the country to have strong sports schools. After all, says Hebib, not only those we watch on TV channels are important athletes. The state should draw good police officers, politicians, managers... from sports clubs.

Zidane and Putin are fond of judo

Judo originated as a collection of selected techniques from jujutsu, which at that time in Japan was a common name for all martial arts (striking and grappling). The founder is Jigoro Kano, who selected the best from several jujutsu styles.
The popularization of judo worldwide was later contributed to by many famous personalities who fell in love with judo, such as the celebrated footballer Zinedine Zidane. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also a judoka, as are many others. Today, in many European countries, there is not a single larger town without a hall built for judo training.

- Experts have assessed that of all sports, judo contributes the most to the development of psychophysical abilities in people. During training, all muscles are equally engaged, and the athlete's intellect is strengthened simultaneously – explains Hebib.

It is clear that many see this martial art as violent, but coach Hebib explains that judo is anything but a violent sport. It is, he is sure, a combination of martial arts characterized by measured movements, high acuity of the athlete, a high degree of self-confidence, purity... In a word, there is no wildness in judo. Competitions look like the most prestigious world conferences.

Judo has grown so much in the world today that, in addition to professional fighters, there is a whole spectrum of judokas organized into various business leagues, student leagues, veteran leagues, and others. Practically, says Hebib, there is no person in the world who cannot find a place for themselves in judo, writes Patria.