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No Panties Allowed in Judo Class in Korea!

I’m rapidly approaching the two year mark here in South Korea.  One of the most memorable things, BY FAR, has been my involvement at my local judo (yudo 유도) school.  My master instructor is this hard-as-nails, old-school, 7th dan judo badass.  Excuse my hangul.  If you don’t believe me, watch this clip of his superhuman strength at 64 years old.

That short, shaky video landed him on a Korean variety show on national TV.  I couldn’t have scripted this story if my life depended on it.

It just happened.

And so did this next episode.

During an average after-practice workout, my instructor abruptly B-lined it for me to address what was in his mind a serious infraction of judo law.  Apparently I’ve been disobeying a hidden wardrobe rule of Korean judo.  I wear Under Armour athletic briefs each practice…for obvious reasons.  The spandex and mesh materials keep one snug and secure during a workout in a sport where odd bodily contortions occur regularly.  However, this is not permitted in Korea!  How was I to know?  After two years at this school, I’m left with a dilemma – how to roll.  What do I mean by this?  My rant below will clear it up.

It’s just another one of those rare moments for me here in Korea and I’m left with this conundrum:


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