Judo studio offers unique safety training for older adults

He recently completed a six-week class that combines safe falling techniques with strength and balance training, all grounded in judo principles.

Bilodeau’s wife, Sherry, took the class with him at Atlanta Judo Midtown.

“I think it made us both feel a little better about helping each other in a potential fall,” she said.

While recovering from surgery, Bilodeau, 77, fell at the couple’s home, rupturing tendons around his knee, dislocating his kneecap and requiring more surgery.

Falls aren’t always that severe. But they’re alarmingly common among older adults. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1-in-4 seniors — or more than 14 million Americans over 65 — report falling each year.

Credit: Phil Skinner

Credit: Phil Skinner

A program born from necessity and martial arts expertise

Matthew “Matt” Scheib, owner of Atlanta Judo Midtown, grew up steeped in martial arts. His father, former Marine and Atlanta police Officer Dennis Scheib, signed him up for his first class at age 4. By 13, Matt was deep into judo.

In 2012, he took over AJM, a long-standing part of the Piedmont Heights community in Midtown that his father had built.

Scheib said he had wanted for some time to create a fall-prevention program tailored for older adults. But he couldn’t make it happen until a surprising email landed in his inbox.

Michael Kessler, a retired internist, had known since med school that one of the biggest causes of seniors’ deaths is complications from a fall. Now retired and facing his own balance challenges, Kessler searched the country online for a solution.

“I’m basically doing this for myself, for my family and for other seniors in the area,” he said.

Not finding any programs in the U.S. on mitigating the injuries from a fall, he looked abroad and struck gold in the Netherlands. There, he discovered a program he believed could be replicated stateside.

Scheib was the most enthusiastic of the experts he contacted — so much so that he and his wife, Gabriella Marvin, AJM’s operations manager, flew to the Netherlands in May to be trained by program veterans Binnie and Tom Willemsen.

Credit: Phil Skinner

Credit: Phil Skinner

Tom Willemsen said programs have only recently taken off in the Netherlands, likely thanks to government funding aimed at keeping seniors out of hospitals and in their homes.

“Even at 75, 80 or 90, if you train one or two hours a week, your muscles and brain can still learn to protect you. It’s not just physical; it’s about connecting with your body differently.”

Bringing the program home

In Atlanta, the “Strong and Stable Safe-Falling Program” launched with a small pilot group earlier this summer. A new class began in mid-August. The cost is $219 for the six weeks.

Glenn “GT” Taylor hadn’t even completed that first class when he had to put his training to the test.

One Saturday, while descending a ladder in his yard, he missed the last step. Instinctively, he tucked his chin and crossed his arms to soften the impact.

“It was just interesting because, if I had not been taught this technique, I might not have done that,” said Taylor, 66. “I would have probably fell back and knocked myself out or something.”

Credit: Phil Skinner

Credit: Phil Skinner

Taylor, currently developing a new game show in Atlanta, said the class also helped him in another significant way.

“My ability to get up and down off the floor has improved 80%,” he said.

Taylor and the Bilodeaus all said they wanted to take the class again to reinforce all they learned. Time or traffic has thus far stood in the way.

Marc Bilodeau said right now he’s not certain he’ll remember all he learned. But he does think the class drilled into him that he should never use his arms to try to break a fall. That can cause a broken arm but is often the usual reaction.

Scheib acknowledges the challenges of launching a niche program. “We tried a few false starts over the years,” he said.

But with the Dutch model as a guide, he said he and his wife have refined the program’s pace and approach.

“We realized many seniors hadn’t been on the ground since they were kids. They’re slower and gentler, with preexisting conditions to consider.”

Scheib said he believes his instructors’ backgrounds in stunts informs the program’s unique approach.

“We use techniques that stunt performers train for, but adapted for seniors’ safety and comfort,” he said.

To learn more, go to Atlantajudomidtown.com. Click on Strong and Stable for program details.