"It's good, we can go to contact this time! Mixed Martial Art (MMA) trainer Gary Decorde congratulates himself as he walks through the glass doors of the Free Fight Academy. As in this club in Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne), boxers, judokas and other fighters find the very essence of their discipline: contact. Since July 11, the practice of combat sports has resumed normally on French territory, with the exception of Mayotte and Guyana. Normally, or almost. "We do not forget the hydroalcoholic gel at the entrance", recalls Gary.
As of today, in territories that have emerged from the state of emergency, the practice of all sports, including combat sports, is now authorized. Good news which should not prevent us from remaining careful and responsible đź‘Ť @ jmblanquer
- Roxana Maracineanu (@RoxaMaracineanu) July 11, 2020The same story goes for the Nihon dojo (Paris 12th century), which humorously tests the temperature of young graduates: “Come here and test your IQ. 36? It's good, you pass, ”jokes Sébastien Argence, judo teacher, letting young Roman access the tatami mats. Once the course has started, wearing a mask, deemed "incompatible with the practice of an intense sporting activity", is not compulsory in these closed places.
At the Free Fight Academy, practitioners returned to the gym for four weeks, but had to content themselves with muscle strengthening or exercises on the punching bags. “It was really frustrating because the whole fight was going by the wayside. How good it feels to take back! »Enthuses Léa, at the club for a year.
"The ground is earned"
The beginner group first works their footwork (shuffle) until the climax: the fight. “You have to earn the ground,” Gary slips after four months without contact. The first face-to-face meetings are hesitant, less rigorous. "Are we allowed to bang each other there?" »We hear between two shortnesses of breath. "Well yeah, it's a fight now", laughs Léa.
This recovery is an opportunity to find your marks, review some basics, or learn everything for some. Of the ten fighters, four of them take their first steps in the discipline. "People are back well," appreciates, in any case, Gary, himself trained at the Free Fight Academy.
Regarding the Nihon dojo, the resumption was not obvious "We hesitated, but people would not have understood if we had not done it after having had the authorization", considers Sébastien, professor at the dojo since 2004. The private structure is one of the few in Paris to reopen its doors. “We are not dependent on gymnasiums in the city, but we pay rent. 14,000 euros since confinement, it's hard, ”he explains.
An uncertain recovery in September
On the tatami mats of this Parisian hall, the session takes on the air of a private lesson for the three young judokas present. Normally, it can accommodate up to 20 fighters. “Families have gone on vacation, parents are also afraid to return their child to the club for the moment,” says the coach. Raphaël, 9, did not wait until September to return. On the tatami mats since he was 4 years old, he explains “having done elastic, abs, push-ups and cardio”, to maintain himself during confinement. “But what he lacked the most was the fighting,” guarantees his father Guy.
In both rooms, courses are offered part of the summer. The shadow of a second wave hangs over a definitive recovery in September. Sébastien Argence concludes: “We fear a drop in licensees because parents want to put their children on contactless sports. "