The Battalion works hard, but it also plays hard!

Judo

The 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment (Staffords) has its own Judo Club and resident instructor.

In 1860 Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, was born in Japan. During that time, peasants used forms of ju-jitsu to defend themselves, and when he was 23 years old, Kano began instructing his own form of ju-jitsu. He called it Kano Judo.

The judo that Kano showed his pupils was not just a sport but a way of life. He based his teachings around the principles of gentleness. In his own words, "Victory over the opponent is achieved by giving way to the strength of the opponent, adapting to it and taking advantage of it, turning it, in the end to your own advantage."

In 1964 Judo became an Olympic sport.

3 MERCIAN Judo Club trains on a Wednesday afternoon in the Tidworth leisure centre. It is coached by Lt Shergold, who is a former Amateur Judo Association National Champion and British Judo Association 1st Dan (Black Belt).

Triathlon

Triathlon is a growing sport in the Army, and no more so than at 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment (Staffords). Events comprise a swim, a bike and then a run over various distances.

The standard race distances are a sprint (400m, 20km, 5km), olympic (1.5km, 40km, 10km), middle (1.9km, 90km, 21km) and long/Ironman (3.8km, 180km, 42km).

Most sprint events are held in swimming pools, whilst all other distances are 'open water' requiring a wetsuit designed for swimming and goggles. Whilst a mountain bike is fine to try triathlon, a race bike is essential to do well. To run simply requires a good pair of trainers. Most triathletes wear 'tri-suits', a Lycra outfit that can be worn during all three disciplines, minimising time spent changing.

'Team Mercian' has competed over every distance from Sprint to Long in the last 12 months. In May 2008, they sent a team to race the Ironman Lanzarote - a gruelling long distance event in the Canary Islands.