"MINIMUM FORCE, MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY"

Christian Thabot is a French judo master. The holder of the sixth dan, he demonstrates great strength and agility at 81, and is the epitome of joie de vivre.

Monsieur Thabot has witnessed many turning points in French and European history - World War II, the resistance movement, the creation of the Gaullist Fifth Republic and the upheavals of the new millennium. But through all the vicissitudes of life, he carries the love of judo, which became his life's mission. "The way of flexibility", which this Japanese martial art represents, was chosen by Christian Thabot in his distant youth. He is taking the same path today, but as a recognized judo ace and advocate and practitioner of a healthy lifestyle.

We are talking with him in a Paris dojo where Monsieur Thabot holds regular classes with his students - people of all ages who, not least because of their authoritative teacher, are devoted followers of this ancient and wise tradition of martial arts.

Monsieur Thabot, judo is very popular in Azerbaijan. We love this kind of wrestling, which can be seen in the success of our judoku at prestigious international competitions. Therefore, the readers of our magazine will be interested to get to know you as one of the prominent figures of French judo.

Thank you. I am aware of the achievements of Azerbaijani judoku. And, of course, I am very glad that judo is so popular around the world, including in Azerbaijan.

- Tell us how you began your journey in judo. Why did you decide to dedicate your life to this martial art?

- I took up judo when I was 19 years old. That was in 1949. In post-war France, like elsewhere in Europe, there was a great interest in Japanese martial arts, primarily judo. In France, a variety of judo clubs began to operate, and Japanese masters were at the beginnings of this movement, in particular, the great Mikonosuke Kawashi, who is rightly considered the founder of judo in France. I also became interested in judo. At first, I tried a lot of clubs before I went to the Titon club which was located in Paris's 11th arrondissement. This club was the fourth in a row which I joined in search of a better hall for judo. It is Titon that was destined to become the place where I decided to stay. I remember: March 1949, half of the hall is full, everyone sweating, tired and at the same time, satisfied with the classes that brought indescribable joy. You know, the place where you do martial arts is of great importance to a student. After all, a club is like a woman: you like her or not. Titon was a great club. All people training here felt like a single entity.

I was a mechanic by profession. But in 1955, six years after I took up judo, I realized that it brought me more joy than mechanics. Moral support from my parents played its role in the fact that I chose judo for my career. They kept a bar. Having learnt about my decision to completely dedicate myself to judo, they supported me. I am grateful to them for this to this day.

- What success have you achieved in judo?

- I became a black belt holder in March 1953. A year later, I got the second dan and in 1956, the third dan. That is I decided to become a professional master of judo as a holder of the third dan. Five years later, I got the fourth dan. In 1971 and 1981 I got the fifth and sixth dans, respectively. Subsequently, I was awarded the seventh dan. I was even to take part in demonstration matches to gain the seventh dan. But I gave it up because I did not agree with the terms of awarding dans established by the French Judo Federation. This is a long conversation, but I must say that these dans do not mean much to me. This is not the most important thing on the judo path.

- And still, you will agree that your six dans mean a lot? How long have you been working as a judo teacher?

- I've been doing it since 1952, i.e. for more than half a century. When I became a judo teacher - and I first taught in the Air France club at Le Bourget Airport - I did not have a black belt, I had only a brown one. The fact is that it was the time of the birth of French judo and there were very few black belts in the country. After Air France, I coached the Voltaire club for three years. Since October 1955, I have been teaching in Paris.

- What did judo teach you personally? And if someone takes up judo as a way of life, what is the main idea of this martial art that can be used as a guide in everyday life?

- You know, as a teenager I was pretty aggressive and uncontrollable. But thanks to judo, I learned to control myself. And since then, if someone wants to get me, I take it much more quietly. Judo certainly tempers one's character, strength and will. Although I must say that I'm quite critical of competitive judo. I believe that in many ways, it kills the essence of judo, which, in its original idea, should strengthen the mind and body. Today, unfortunately, a judo athlete often becomes disabled at 30. You need to engage in judo all your life in order to learn its meaning. It is this approach that prevails in Japan where many are engaged in judo even at 80.

- Speaking of Japanese masters, is it true that they hide the deep secrets of their martial arts, including judo?

- Of course, the Japanese do not disclose the very secrets of judo, although much can be learned from them as the founders of this martial art. My teacher was a famous judo master, Haku Mishigami, who made a great contribution to the spread of judo in France. From 1953 to 2007, he gave weekly lessons in Paris, but only for black belts. Those were great lessons. Though Japanese artists keep many secrets of the martial art under lock and key, they provide the necessary room for improvement. And, finally, we must remember that a teacher, no matter how good and talented he is, will not be doing for a student something that the student must seek himself. The teacher gives you a lamp and a cord, but you've got to go down the well of knowledge yourself.

- So is it possible to achieve excellence in judo?

- You can get closer to perfection, but it is not possible to achieve it, just as with everything else in life. And do not forget that even if you are very strong, there is still someone even stronger. In judo, you need to remember one of its most important principles: minimum force, maximum efficiency. This is the path to success. The physically weaker you are, the more skills you need to overcome the enemy. That is, if you're not strong enough, you must compensate for this with technical skills. Perhaps, with this in mind, people who seek to master the art of judo will achieve great heights.