‘You Try to Break a Guy’s Arm’ : On Mat, Judo Champ Tosses Aside Civility

If you met this soft-spoken, polite young man, you would not think he dreams about putting people in armlocks or chokes.

Don’t be fooled. Richard Rose, a courteous 16-year-old, may smile ever so nicely, but if you ever cross him, he just may flip you on your back. That is, of course, if you meet him on a judo mat.

Just ask Ricky Shibuya of Hawaii, whom Rose recently defeated in the 15- to 16-year-old finals of the U.S. Judo Assn. Junior National Championships (132 pounds) at San Diego.

Or for that matter, ask Ludwig Bimont (France), Rose’s victim last month in the finals of the Junior International Invitational Judo Championships at Miami.

Rose won both matches by decision rather than throws, which is usually the case in such high-level tournaments, but it is the brutal aspect of the sport that most appeals to him.

“With very strong judo players, there’s not going to be a throw,” Rose explained. “But the reason I like judo is that I can do things like armlocks and tilts that you can’t do in other sports. You try to break a guy’s arm. You can break it if they don’t give up. It’s a tough sport and you have to be ready for anything.”

Still, in judo, a player is judged by a criteria of intangibles, which can be frustrating for a young athlete. Judo has made Rose become innovative.

“You must show the judges you want it more playing tougher and working harder. Most people know what they are looking for going into a match. But you really have to take what’s given to you,” Rose said. “If I can’t get the grip you’re looking for, I take the grip that they will give and work with that. You have deal with what they want to give or try to get what you want.”

According to his sensei (teacher), it is this attitude that has made Rose so successful.

“He’s not only a good physical athlete but an honor student as well. Part of his smartness is his creativity,” said John Ross, the head instructor at the L.A. Judo Center in Gardena. “Once he has been shown something, he knows how to do it. When he faces a problem, he creates an answer. One of the things a sport like this does is help you learn how to solve problems.”

During the school year, Rose’s biggest problem is finding time for all of his interests. Although judo is his primary sport, Rose, who will be a senior at North Torrance High School in September, is also a member of the high school wrestling team and boasts a 3.8 grade-point average. Somewhere between schoolwork and wrestling, Rose squeezes in time to train for the 1992 Olympics, spending six days a week either taking instruction or competing in addition to weightlifting and running.

“You don’t have time to go out, but that’s fine with me,” Rose said. “I’d rather get an Olympic goal medal than go out every Saturday night.”

Although forgoing some high school partying may allow Rose time to prepare for the Olympics, he concedes that his education may have to be put on hold after high school to seriously pursue the ’92 Games. Intent on eventually going to medical school, Rose realizes that a pre-med program and Olympic training may be incompatible.

“I want to go to med school, but the only way to balance the two things is very carefully,” Rose said. “I’m looking for a school that will have a judo program and be good for med school, but I can always go back to school and I can’t go back to the Olympics.”

Rose’s parents encourage his judo, but their feelings are tempered by other factors.

“He’s a good student, but if what he wants to do is try to go to the Olympics, we’ll support him. We do have a difference of opinion of how long he should devote to it,” said his mother, Karen. “In ‘92, he’ll be young. But if he doesn’t make that Olympic team, I think he should move on with the rest of his life.

“Judo is very time-consuming and so is keeping up with college. Even now in high school, he’s pushing himself.”

Ironically, Rose began judo lessons when he was 9 because his parents felt he needed something to do. They certainly solved that problem when they enrolled him at the Japanese Cultural Institute in Gardena, where he still takes lessons in addition to the L.A. Judo Center.

“He’s always been very active and so we tried to find something that he could get involved in that would allow him to get rid of some energy,” his mother said. “We looked at several sports and decided on judo.”

Rose explained it more simply: “It was to do something instead of always running around the house.”