Kudo is an exciting martial art form. It has its origins from Japan. What makes Kudo exciting is that it takes elements from almost all forms of combat sports. It has elements of Karate, Judo, Boxing, Kick-boxing, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu and others. The sport is practiced in over 60 countries
The sport is still in its nascency in India. It arrive in India around early 2010s mainly due to the efforts of superstar actor Akshay Kumar. The sport has now been recognized by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of Government of India.
Akshay Kumar’s efforts has inspired Sohail Khan, who has achieved considerable success in the sport. The Kudo athlete hails from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh and has earned the moniker “Golden Boy of Madhaya Pradesh” for his stellar success in the sport.
To Sohail’s credit he is a Junior Kudo World Champion and has holds the remarkable feat of 22 consecutive National Gold Medals. The young man is now gearing up to represent India at the Kudo World Cup in Bulgaria.
Ahead of his departure to Bulgaria, Sohail spoke to The Sportz Planet where he talked about his journey in the sport, his career, the sport and much more.
Excerpts of the interview are below:
Q: Could you start by telling how did you come to know about Kudo, the sport?
Sohail: I was already in a combat sports, Karate. I think I started my martial arts journey with Karate in 5th class. I played Karate upto international level. But due to some sports politics, I wasn’t seeing a bright future for myself in the sport. Then I shifted towards Kudo. At that time Kudo was a very new sport in India. And my guruji, Dr. Mohammad Ijaz Khan ji was working hard to establish the sport in Madhya Pradesh. He brought that game into Madhya Pradesh and he introduced that sport to me.
Kudo has punches, kicks and throws. So I found that attractive. There were many reasons to drop Karate. I think sports politics was the one, I wasn’t seeing my future in the sport. Also when I was playing Karate, I was only playing with a few techniques only. That means only punching and kicking techniques. But in Kudo I learnt a lot of other skills from other combat sports and martial art forms. So I found that interesting.
Q: Who was the biggest influence for you to get into Kudo?
Sohail: My biggest influence was Akshay Kumar sir .Whether it is his action movies or his martial arts, we started with him. He was my biggest influence not just because he is the current chairperson of India’s Kudo federation. After watching him, I started getting attracted towards his action movies and martial arts. And then Akshay Kumar sir himself brought this game to India and he was the promoter. So he had influenced me a lot.
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Q: Can you explain the sport Kudo?
Sohail: Kudo is a full contact martial art form. It came from Japan. It’s a mixture of all the different martial arts. It also has things from some combat sports as well. It has punches of boxing, kicks of taekwondo, throws of judo, locks and chokes of jiu-jitsu. It has a feel of Mixed Martial Arts or MMA. But a big difference is that this sport is is played with some safety equipment to avoid serious injuries.
Q: What role has Akshay Kumar played in promoting the sport in India?
Sohail: Akshay Kumar sir’s first role was to bring Kudo to India so that we can learn a martial art form for self defense. I think it is the best in terms of self-defense. His first motive was to develop a sport in India in which our kids can learn and do self-defense. He also started a Kudo tournament in India which is called Akshay Kumar International Kudo Tournament. So he has backed this sport a lot.
I think self defense techniques should be taught in schools. Also children should learn some life saving techniques like swimming.
Q: So which countries are really good at Kudo?
Sohail: I would say that there are many dominating countries in this sport. The first country that I can think of is Russia. A lot of martial arts comes from Russia. Japan, Cuba and America are also great in Kudo.
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Q: What can India learn from these countries to become good at Kudo?
Sohail: I feel Kudo is in a growing stage in India. I would say there is a lot of cultural difference between us and countries like Russia and Japan. There is a difference in the mentality. In India we think we cannot have a career in sports. Now we have started realising that athletes can have a career in sports. But that was not always the case. There is always a pressure to excel in studies. We need to excel in sports.
Q: You are called “Golden Boy of Madhya Pradesh”. From where did you get this title and how do you feel about it?
Sohail: It is a great feeling when someone calls me “Golden Boy of Madhya Pradesh”. This title was given to me by the editor of Danik Bhaskar Sandeep Tiwari. I once interacted with him. Dr. Mohammad Ijaz Khan ji made that interaction possible. At that time I had continuously won around 15 to 16 gold medals at the national level. So it was Sandeep sir who gave me the title of “Golden Boy of Madhya Pradesh”.
With the grace of God I have kept on winning medals at the national and international level. And the title has stuck with me. And I am now recognized with that title.
Q: Because of your achievements in sports, you have also got the job of Income Tax officer. How does that feel?
Sohail: It is a really great feeling. All credit goes to the sports ministry, the federation of the sport and Kudo International Federation. It is because of their hard work that I have reached the place where I am today. It is because of their hard work that the sport has grown to such an extent. They have put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes which we don’t see.
Sports is in a growing phase in India. So when people see such examples so they get inspired. So people start seeing a good and secured future in the sport.
Q: What has been your proudest moment in the sport so far?
Sohail: It was in 2017 when I won the gold medal in the junior World Championship. I defeated a French athlete 8-0 in the final. That French athlete had dominated the tournament.He had defeated all his opponents in commanding style. In the final I defeated him by a score of 8-0 which is a clear margin. That was a big moment for me. I felt really proud that day. That tournament was hosted in India only.
Q: You will soon be representing India in Bulgaria at the Kudo World Cup. How have you prepared for the tournament. And what are you aiming at?
Sohail: The perpetration has good. We went through a lot of hard work. A lot of hard training. We had a pretty good camp in Guwahati, Assam. That was followed by a camp in Madhya Pradesh. I have worked on the skills where I was lacking. We have prepared really well this time. We are hoping to bring home the gold medal this time. We are going to write history this time.
Q: Who is your role model in combat sports or beyond it?
Sohail: In combat sports my role model is UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov. From India in sports, I really admire MS Dhoni.
I believe that we should not only excel in sports but we have to be a good human being overall. You can win hundreds of gold medals in your sport, but it is who you are beyond sport that is what matters to me a lot.
Q: Anything you have planned for your future. Have you thought of what you will do once you stop actively playing Kudo?
Sohail: I am long way away from getting done with the sport. I want to be in the sport for as long as I can. My bench mark is Mary Kom. How she retired from boxing very late. I want to be in Kudo for that long. If body keeps going then I will be in the sport for a long time. Then I want to train young boys and girls in the sport. I want to get the next generation of the Kudo players in India ready.
Q: Finally a message for young boys and girls who want to be in Kudo?
Sohail: You have to work really hard.You have to belong to mat. You have to be on a mat first. You have to belong to that field, you have to make yourself, you have to be comfortable with that field and you have to keep on improving and working hard.
Prakhar Sachdeo
The Sportz Planet Desk
