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Blind children introduced to judo

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Contributed by: Erin Feese/YourHub.com on 12/12/2008

"Now we are going to learn throws," says judo instructor Scott Moore to 12-year-old Isaiah Valdez.

Moore shows Valdez the proper positioning and boom! The boy lands on a squishy mat with a grin.

Moore exhibits such ease and precision with his teaching that one would never guess he is legally blind.

Moore and his wife Heidi, head instructors at Denver Judo, came to Chaparral High School in Parker on Dec. 8 to teach kids who are visually impaired about judo. Children were invited from all over the state to learn about judo, a Japanese martial art.

"It's part of who we are, to get blind kids involved in judo," Heidi Moore said.

Growing up, Scott Moore was encouraged to run, jump and play just like any other kid, despite his vision impairment, he said.

"I was lucky. My mother never treated me any differently. I never knew limitations," he said.

Moore was a wrestler in high school and started judo training in college. With support from the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, he has competed internationally and won a gold medal at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, the first American in the history of judo to do so.

Moore's success has inspired him to work to get kids who are blind or visually impaired involved in sports.

"I'm a firm believer in giving back," he said. "So many kids have no idea what opportunities exist."

Moore recalled encountering one little boy who had never been taught to run because he was blind. He said his message to his students is to never be limited by the expectations of others.

"If I help one kid get beyond their expectations of their limitations, it's worth it," he said. "We are only limited by what we will undertake."

The event was organized by Tim Cullen, who teaches a self-defense class at Chaparral. The class focuses on Brazilian Jujitsu, but exposes students to a variety of martial arts.

The high school self-defense class, offered for the first time this semester, was recently approved to be a district-wide course and counts for a PE credit, Cullen said.

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