Judo in the 1950s at Cotham Grammar School, Bristol

Judo at Cotham was the brainchild of Jerry Hicks, the master of the art. It was the first Judo school club in the city and one of the first in England. At 27, Jerry Hicks was every child’s idea of ​​a Greek god, tall, handsome, perfectly proportioned and at the peak of his physical form. Not surprisingly, judo became a popular activity once started and children could be seen practicing in the Upper Hall during their lunch break every day of the week.

Jerry Hicks was only the second man at Bristol to receive a blue belt in Judo. The first, Bob Taylor, had been shot and killed while chasing bank robbers on Blackboy Hill, near Durham Downs, and was remembered with an annual trophy contest in his name. Jerry became the first man at Bristol to win brown and black belts, and before the decade was out, he had been promoted to second dan. The guys practiced a lot, they all wanted to be like Jerry. They couldn’t imagine anyone capable of defeating their idol, but he prepared a solid dose of reality for them.

The ‘father of British judo’ was Gunji Koizumi, a Japanese expert who first came to Britain in 1906 and founded the country’s first judo club, Budokwai, in London in 1918. Koizumi was a legend in the sport that at that time time had advanced to the sixth dan black belt, a degree unimaginable for any European. When Jerry Hicks invited him to visit Cotham Grammar School, the kids couldn’t believe his good luck.

The venerable oriental guru could not have contrasted more with his local idol. Along with Jerry Hicks, Gunji Koizumi, in his 70s, looked like a frail old man. He led a class and put the children through standard exercises, adding words of advice and encouragement as appropriate. Then it was time for randori, or free practice, in which pairs of judokas participated in a friendly competition. Gunji stared at the class with Jerry at his side. Then Jerry steeled himself to ask the great man to practice with him. Given this, the carpet was cleared to give space to the elderly. The old man smiled sheepishly, ‘I don’t know if I’m good,’ he said.

There could not have been a more unequal competition. Jerry tugged and tugged with all his might, but Koizumi reacted like a heavily loaded cart. No matter how hard it was pushed or pulled, it moved only gently and partially in that direction, maintaining perfect balance. The boys began to wonder if they would see any other action. Then, with one swift, fluid motion, Jerry hit the mat with a resounding fall and proceeded to practice his landing for the next several minutes, until with a formal bow the two men returned the mat to the boys. Judo at Cotham and Bristol had proven its position on a world scale.