Adam Kitkowski

Where and when were you born? 
December 24, 1958, in Szubin.  

You are one of the pioneers of Jodo in Poland. When and how did you start training, and what rank did you achieve?  
Jodo appeared in Poznań and probably in Poland in 2000 when Jarosław Wolny, after returning from Japan, introduced Jodo classes at the Poznań club. We practiced what Jarek remembered and relied on video material. We traveled to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to train and learn more. I took my first Jodo exam for the 1 kyu rank in Slovakia, where the teacher was Vic Cook sensei from England. It was May 2003. In the autumn of that year, I went to the European Jodo Championships in Paris. The experience from that trip helped me win a bronze medal at the European Jodo Championships in Stockholm the following year. It was the first medal for the Polish Kendo Federation. In 2017, during the XVI European Jodo Championships in Heidelberg, Germany, I served as a judge. I currently hold the rank of renshi 6 dan.  

When did you realize that training in Jodo was more than just a hobby for you?  
The beginnings are always associated with the general concept of a hobby. Later, the more we learn about a given art, the more it draws us in. With each passing year, we acquire new skills and a higher level, until we eventually start teaching others. At that point, we are responsible for the development of our students—both physically and mentally. In this way, a hobby becomes a way of life. I had previously trained in Kendo and Iaido, so training in Jodo came naturally."**

What did your own training in Jodo look like outside the dojo (seminars, competitions, trips...)? 
For me, the First European Jodo Championships in Paris took place in 2003. It was also the first meeting on the European stage. The next championships were held a year later in Stockholm, where I met Sensei Takao Momiyama. At those Championships, I won a bronze medal in the shodan category, and two years later, I also won a bronze medal in the nidan category.  

How did you establish contact with your teacher? 
It can be said that since 2007, there has been a continuous collaboration with Sensei Takao Momiyama.  

What does Jodo mean to you, what is its significance, and what does Jodo training give you? 
For me, Jodo is more than just fighting; it is a passion that I want to share. We always do what we like, what brings us joy. At some point on this journey, we become teachers, so it is up to us to ensure that new practitioners of the art shape their character in an untainted way, and one day they will teach as well.