This week Bill Carne chats to Barry Watson, a highly respected Black Belt Second Dan at Neyland Judo Club, who is very close to achieving the hugely coveted Third Dan status...

BARRY Watson is quiet and unassuming in life but put him on a judo mat and you would see the controlled aggression, commitment and dedication that has seen him earn a coveted Black Belt Second Dan as reward for his two decades of involvement.

At seven years of age Barry moved to Neyland from Reading and was looking for something to keep him occupied in his new town and so he trundled down to the local youth club because he had heard judo was going on there under the expert guidance of Bill and Joyce McGarvie.

In recent conversations with parents Sue and John he told them he thought they had encouraged him because they had watched top exponent Neil Adams on the television but they say that he just came in one day and said he wanted to take part in judo.

He was met at the door by Bill, who told him he was too young and to come back in a year's time, which Barry did - and was made welcome with open arms by Mr and Mrs McGarvie and their bunch of judo participants.

For the first four months he just trained in track suit bottoms and a tee-shirt but then his parents bought him a judo suit, known as a 'Gi' and he was up and running in his quest to move through the various grades.

If you ask Barry if he took to it straight away he would show the quiet honesty that is part of his make up by saying that even then he was not naturally gifted but had to work very hard as he learned the throwing techniques and their names, attack and defence, plus the principle notion that one always shows total respect for every opponent, win or lose.

His only voluntary break from judo came in his late teens when he took a year out because of work but was soon back helping out with the juniors before competing himself, and was soon moving through from yellow, green, blue and both brown belts to enable him to set his sights on that coveted Black Belt First Dan that marks out the top judoka.

Now judo uses a grading system whereby participants must show their worth by beating ten opponents of an identical grade over a set period of time, thus earning ten points for each, and a hundred in total, or for gaining five victories in one grading session.

"When I went to Walsall, where the British Judo Centre of Excellence is situated, I beat four opponents but just missed out on a fifth as I got tired - but on three other occasions I had two, three and three wins to set the seal on my success and so I had achieved Black Belt Status!"

It is typical of the club's ethos, however, that when Damon McGarvie, who has taken over the running of the club from his father Bill, presented Barry with his black belt which had his name embroidered on it, his success was celebrated by his being thrown on the mat by every member of the club, from youngest to oldest, just to remind him that he was still only a club member!

From that moment Barry decided he could gain his Black Belt Second Dan and enjoyed a good start by winning his first bout, again at Walsall, against a real giant who had little skill but threw him about the mat until Barry managed to gain the initiative and throw his much larger opponent and the crowd cheered on Barry as the underdog!

But in his next bout he was thrown directly on to his shoulder and knew straight away that he had dislocated it.

"It meant four months of physio and I was unable to compete for almost a year but I gradually regained my confidence and gradually built up my points, some also in bouts at Cardiff, until I needed just 10 points to move to second dan status.

"I went to Walsall again seeking to gain the vital victory but found I was the only first dan there alongside five second dan black belts so I agreed to wait until they had all finished and then I took on one of them.

"I was very nervous by that time but beat him to join them as a Black Belt Second Dan - and it was a pleasure to go back to Neyland Judo Club to be thrown by everyone again after Damon had presented me with my embroidered black belt - where some of the small juniors involved previously were much bigger and stronger this time!"

The only spell out from judo since his teens came when Barry decided to take a year out, travelling in Canada but missed being involved and when he reached Vancouver decided to go to the judo club there run by Antonio Guzman, who had been the coach to El Salvador in the Barcelona Olympics and competed previously in the Pan American Games.

"I might have been a second dan but that counted nothing to Antonio and Co, who gave me the greatest of welcomes and total respect but with Russians, French, Koreans and Canadians all great exponents of ground work as well as throwing techniques, they taught me new techniques that were borrowed from mixed martial arts and even pro wrestling!

"It was a wonderful experience as well a great learning curve and we have kept in touch ever since - and I'm really looking forward to going back to Vancouver in the near future!"

So what of the future for Barry? He still loves his judo as much as ever and joins long-standing colleagues like Ria Jones and Craig Bennett in setting the example to youngsters on commitment to training and respect for everyone in the sport.

As Damon McGarvie told us,

"Craig is a credit to himself, his family and club as he shows all the best qualities of our sport that rubs off on juniors and others joining the club. We are very proud of his exploits and are looking forward to his joining the Black Belt Third Dan grade in the near future."

Such high praise says it all about Barry Watson, who is now just two wins away from reaching Black Belt Third Dan and we wish him every success - and we hope to be there to see him thrown on the mat by all at the club to recognise that huge achievement!