Who's that guy in the cool black belt? It's Kenny Hashimoto, star of the second most popular sport in the world—judo! Kenny is a 16-year-old from Thornton, Colorado. He loves judo...and is totally good at it too! Judo is a martial art that was founded in Japan. It's full of wrestling moves and also teaches you how to be mentally strong.

Kenny first tried judo when he was five because "it was a family thing." (His dad and his uncle were into it.) He always had fun, but like most judokas (judo players), he started to get into competition too. He qualified for a national competition in Hawaii when he was just seven!

Kenny practices his judo moves as much as he can—about three or four times a week. All of that training takes discipline and helps him to develop a strong body, mind, and spirit. He is now a shodan black belt, the first of five black belt levels. (It took Kenny about 10 years to get his judo black belt, but in some martial arts, you can get your black belt way sooner than that.)

Kenny says, "Judo makes me feel great. I like staying fit and healthy. Judo is just what I love to do." For Kenny, one of the best things about judo is traveling and meeting new people around the country. He says that what he doesn't like so much is that "a lot of times you fight the same person time and time again, and they begin to learn what you do. It can get to be almost a rivalry." He says that when he's out on the mat before a match, he tries to "remember what the other guy does. But I try not to think too much about the match. It might make me more nervous."

Kenny explains that in judo, guys compete against guys, and girls against girls. Also, only people that weigh about the same amount can compete against one another. Kenny tries to stay within his weight class (60 kilograms—about 130 pounds), but he doesn't stress too much about it. He says, "Where I'm at is where I'm at. I can't do anything about it really."

Kenny has won tons of competitions and honors, including 22 national and international titles. He is also ranked seventh among adults and recently won the bronze medal at the U.S. adult national championships. Judo is the only martial art included in the Olympics, and Kenny dreams of earning a spot on the team some day. For now, Kenny will just keep practicing judo, working hard for his high school wrestling team, trying to get into college, and catching every episode of Friends and The Simpsons!

If you want to try judo out, Kenny has some words of wisdom for you... "The first thing is to have fun. Relax. No pressure. When you get older, if you want to get more serious, work hard and push yourself."

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