Profile: Melissa Myers prepares for judo world championship after 16 years of fighting

Before stepping on the mat, Melissa Myers slips on her headphones.

She bounces up and down, slapping her muscles to the beat of Bruce Springsteen — he always puts her in a 'good fighting mood,' she said.

The University of Iowa sophomore has been practicing judo since she was four years old. At 16, she earned her black belt. Now, the 20-year-old second-degree black belt is training to compete at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi in late October.

Derek Ikoma, Myers's 21-year-old roommate and 'judo brother,' as Myers put it, has been training with her since he was nine.

He described her fighting style as 'very observant,' like a tiger waiting to pounce. First, she watches. Her feet are steady on the padded floor as she circles her prey, analyzing each movement.

'You have you to feel where your partner is,' she said. 'You want to find the laziest way to throw them. You don't want to go just brute strength against brute strength. You want to use momentum, so that way you're not tired at the end.'

The objective is to immobilize your opponent. There's no punching or kicking, Myers explained. But you can grab, throw, choke, arm-bar or pin your opponent.

Myers's eyes dart to her opponent's GI — a traditional robe-like garment worn in martial arts. She reaches for the collar, but her partner reacts just in time, jumping back.

A bead of sweat drips from her nose.

Once she 'feels out the territory,' Ikoma said, she 'finds the weak point and attacks.'

Again, Myers sees an opportunity. Her hands meet her opponent's arm, pulling it up and tucking her own under it. Her knees bend and she falls forward, loading her competitor onto her back.

The pair slam to the ground — a victory for Myers, her partner pinned beneath her.

One of the most important things to learn is how to properly fall so that you don't get hurt, Myers said. The key is to tuck your chin, arch your hips and slap the ground hand first to help absorb the shock.

The sport is both physically and mentally challenging. You have to be disciplined, Myers said, because you can't give up in the middle of a match, regardless of how tired you are.

'She has always been aggressive on the mat,' said John Gussman, her sensei who taught her everything she knows about judo. She's not a 'one-dimensional fighter,' he said, explaining that she's tough whether she's fighting upright or on the ground.

But she is challenged by her height.

Standing at just five-foot-three, the women she fights are usually much taller, so she has to get creative to dodge their longer, reaching arms.

'We call it moose judo because I have to fight these big women,' Myers said with a laugh.

But being built low to the ground has at least one advantage — it's difficult to get under and throw her.

In male-dominated dojos, Myers isn't always challenged the way she should be. Sometimes, she's treated like the 'little sister,' she said.

'They're like, 'Oh, she's a girl, I'm going to go easy,'' she said, sighing. 'It's like fighting a wet noodle.'

At the world championship, she'll face her greatest challenge yet. She'll compete at the junior level — against other women aged 19 and below — on Oct. 26. This is her last year in the junior league, before moving into the seniors.

Very few women continue into their senior career, Gussman said, mostly due to social strictures.

'Society tells women it's not a good thing to know how to fight or to roll around on the ground with men,' he said. But Melissa never really bowed to those pressures.

Though she's competed at international events before, this will be her first time at the world championships.

She's hoping to win, of course, but also is excited to learn 'how different countries fight,' so she can be prepared for future matches and, who knows, maybe the Olympics some day.

'My gut feeling is she'll do well,' Gussman said. 'She has all the potential.'

With great focus, drive, ability and ambition, he said, 'There's no telling how far she'll go.'

After all, Myers doesn't see an end in sight for her judo career. After 16 years, she said she's addicted.

'You know how runners get the runners high? I think I get a judo high,' she said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8364; elizabeth.zabel@thegazette.com