In a recent appearance on the She’ll Be Right MMA podcast, B Team’s Kenta Iwamoto shared deeply personal details about his early days in martial arts — including a disturbing period during his judo training in Japan.
Iwamoto, who has recently earned recognition for his strong showings at events like the Craig Jones Invitational trials, reflected on the challenges he faced as a teenager learning judo:
Judo in Japan is tough. I prefer wrestling…
Now, looking back, because I can use the technique that we trained (at judo), it’s good. But at the time I was still a kid.
He then shared a troubling experience that stood out from that period — one that clearly left a lasting impact:
If you do something bad in the school, (for example) I was playing cards with my friend and you’re not allowed (to do that).
And then going back to the dojo, the afternoon training, he (the coach) started just in sparring, he’ll choke me out.
The situation escalated beyond what most would consider discipline:
The coach wakes you up, does it again.
When asked if this kind of treatment was common, Iwamoto responded without hesitation:
It happens often.
It was used a lot.Well, not now, but back in the day.
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