Glory Days: A Plan for Judo, A Plan for Life 仰げば尊し 2012

©ytv

The success story of no elite Judo team. Despite his unusual appearance, Hikari Miwa is a part-time high school gym teacher. He became famous after his judo team, starting out with only three students, won first place in a national judo competition for part-time high schoolers. Most of the students had no prior judo experience, and many of them had lost their way in middle school.
None of the students were elite athletes, but Hikari encouraged them to aim high, believing that "Real confidence can only be achieved through winning, and once you gain real confidence, your life will change."
The road to victory is never simple, and the team is faced with various hardships. One of the more promising students, Leo, even injures his right knee 10 days before the competition...

-Award Winner at the 10th Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival