By Doug Carman, Staff Writer
EAST WINDSOR — Michelle Arias acknowledges that few of her high school friends think of her as a fighter. Not that she ever had a need to use her judo skills at school, but with her slim 5-foot 1-inch frame, many people simply don’t believe she’d be the type to pin anyone.
”Everyone’s like, ‘oh, you fight?’…. They’re like, ‘no, you don’t’,” the 16-year-old Hightstown sophomore said. “When I’m hanging out with friends, they’re like ‘show me something!’”
Yet, Michelle is preparing to show other judo competitors something later this month at the Jason Morris Cup Judo tournament in Burnt Hills, New York.
Earlier in April, she won her fourth title after placing first in New Jersey’s Senior and Junior Judo Championship for the junior girls’ 13-16, 48 kg (105 lb) division. The event was held in Princeton.
Michelle said was juggling her school work with the tournaments, but “it felt great” going for her fifth win [jsa: win: ].
As a first-degree brown belt fighter, she is only two degrees from earning a black belt. Though seemingly following family tradition, Michelle’s father Lou Arias, who teaches judo at the YWCA in Princeton, said when she was little, Michelle would watch him training, [jsa: (train/fight/practice) : ]but was more interested in being a ballerina.
However, even then, Michelle said she always wondered about it. “I would see him with his duffel bag,” she said.
Lou said one day while she was in the third grade, she decided on her own to train with her dad. And she kept at it, trading away her ballerina slippers for something that involved a lot more grappling.
Today, Michelle’s father is also her Judo coach.
”(It’s) a dream come true,” Mr. Arias said of his daughter’s sudden interest in the sport.
Judo, a combat form of martial arts, focuses more on the grappling and throwing rather than striking [jsa: than traditional wrestling, to take down ]an opponent.
Though some variations of judo allow for thrusts and strikes using the hands and feet, in most forms those are forbidden during competitions. Instead, judo artists use throw-down techniques against opponents to force them into submission using leg and joint locks.
Black belts are also trained to use certain kinds of chokeholds to overcome their opponents. Since chokeholds can be deadly if done improperly, only black belt holders are allowed to use them at competitions.
Both daughter and father said they are happy to share their love of judo.
Mr. Arias said they often hold judo demonstrations, in addition to actively competing in title fights.
”We try to show what the sport’s like,” Mr. Arias said. “It’s called a gentle sport.”

