Grit (noun): a spirit that cannot be defeated

Making good grades, learning to play an instrument, getting a job promotion, or getting physically fit.  All of these achievements have one thing in common.  They all take hard work, lots of practice, and the internal strength to never give up.  In other words, they all require a lot of grit. 

Jigoro Kano, the father of judo, said the ultimate goal of learning judo is to learn discipline.  Why is discipline so important?  Because a person with great discipline can achieve almost anything.  And since discipline requires grit, the official Kodokan emblem was chosen to mean just that: “a spirit that cannot be defeated”.  By studying judo, we learn to push ourselves hard, to study hard, to think hard, and to always do our best, no matter what we are doing.  A real judoka never quits just because the going gets tough.

To this end, we challenge you to train to pass the Westlake G.R.I.T. test, a physical fitness challenge designed to test the strength of your spirit.  The practice and determination needed to pass this test will help build the foundation of internal strength and discipline needed for you to achieve anything in life.