https://gracieraleigh.com/getting-started/This past Saturday, one of our BJJ students stepped onto the mat for something he’d never done before: a judo tournament. Paul competed at the 2026 ATJA National Judo Tournament in Wendell, just outside Raleigh, and walked away with a memory he’ll have for a long time.

His first match couldn’t have gone better. Paul faced an orange belt, someone with real time on the mat, and caught him with a tomoe nage, the sacrifice throw where you drop to your back and use your foot to launch the other person over you. He followed it up with a pin to seal the win. Beating a more experienced opponent in your first-ever match is a strong way to start a tournament.

The rest of the day was tougher. Paul lost his following matches, but anyone watching could see he never stopped competing. He kept attacking, kept hunting for throws, kept looking for a submission any time the match hit the ground. That’s the part we’re proudest of. Tournaments have a way of separating people who show up to survive from people who show up to compete, and Paul competed all day.

Here at Gracie Raleigh, judo throws are part of how we teach takedowns in our BJJ classes. Getting a fight to the ground safely and on your terms is its own skill, and guys like Paul who put in the extra work cross-training judo tend to bring that back to the gym in a big way. It shows up in how they handle the standup portion of a roll, and it shows up in moments like Saturday, when a tomoe nage he’d drilled in class turned into a real tournament win.

Congratulations, Paul. First tournaments are never easy, and you represented the gym well.

Want to build skills like Paul’s, on the feet and on the ground? Come try a class at Gracie Raleigh and see what our BJJ and takedown training can do for you.