3 April 2025
Training at the Combat Institute of Australia’s National Performance Centre with world-class coaches and instructors is a Judo fighter’s dream, one that Private Obian Laidlaw has worked towards his entire life.
He is the ADF’s first soldier to undertake a full-time combat sports training schedule while serving full time.
The driver and lifelong judoka – one of his first words was judo, much to his father’s delight – said the prospect of training and working was intimidating, but he loved the experience.
“It was daunting at the start, because they’re the best in Australia – former and current Olympians – but everyone has been super friendly and accommodating,” he said.
“I was prepared to change my judo when I got down there, but they have given me a good structure, not changing it too much but shaping it to give me a plan on how to properly attack or defend.”
He splits time between training five days a week with national coaches for the majority of the day and conducting driving tasks between sessions.
Judo training consists of heavy strength and conditioning in the morning, followed by technique and strategy developments in the afternoon.
Private Laidlaw was selected after an impressive string of high-level domestic victories caught the attention of the ADF Judo Coach and ADF Combat Sports Association Vice-President Major Derek Morris.
As part of an initiative to attract high-level athletes to the ADF, Major Morris worked with Combat Australia to secure the full-time training position at the National Performance Centre in Melbourne.
'It was daunting at the start, because they’re the best in Australia – former and current Olympians – but everyone has been super friendly and accommodating.'
Key to the initiative is the support of the Defence Force School of Signals, which agreed to Private Laidlaw’s flexible work arrangement, according to Major Morris.
“I expected we would get maybe three or four people interested over the next 12 months, but after only two weeks we had a large portion of the national squad saying ‘I want what he’s got’,” he said.
“That has led to a half dozen or so national squad members submitting applications to join ADF – some reserve, some full time.”
The initiative has the support of Judo Australia’s national coaching staff at the National Performance Centre, who compared the initiative to how many European countries approach joint Olympic and military pathways.
Major Morris said the endgame was to have Olympic-level athletes competing in national and international events wearing the ADF brand.
“The attraction value of seeing members of the ADF on the Olympic stage is immeasurable,” he said.
Unlike other sports that Defence personnel compete in full time, such as AFL and rugby, Olympic sports like judo are amateur only, meaning it can be difficult for athletes to train full time without financial support.
“This is where ADF can absolutely step in and support our Olympic athletes, rather than focusing only on our professional or semi-professional athletes in sports that already remunerate them well,” Major Morris said.
After already winning state championships, Private Laidlaw said his next goal was to win a national championship and compete overseas.
“I just want to keep getting better. Everyone’s dream in judo is the Olympics so that’s always a far dream for me, with lots of mini steps before that, so we’ll see,” he said.
“I feel so grateful for the opportunity. I never could have done this without Defence.”
For more information about combat sports in Defence, contact ADF.CombatSports@defence.gov.au
