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J'allais commencer à pratiquer le judo.

J'allais commencer à pratiquer le judo.
I was going to start practicing judo.
From Lesson 271:Verbs followed by à (à + infinitive)·French

Questions & Answers about J'allais commencer à pratiquer le judo.

Why is there an à between commencer and pratiquer?
This is exactly what your current lesson covers! In French, many verbs require a specific preposition before a following infinitive. The verb commencer requires à when it is followed by an action, so 'to start practicing' becomes commencer à pratiquer.
Why is allais in the imperfect tense here rather than the passé composé?
The imperfect form J'allais translates to 'I was going to', showing a past intention or setting the scene. If you used the passé composé (Je suis allé), it would mean you physically went somewhere to start it, rather than just expressing your past plan.
Do I always need the article le before a sport like judo?
Yes, when using a verb like pratiquer, aimer, or détester, sports and general activities require a definite article (le, la, or les). In English we just say 'judo', but in French it must be le judo.
Could I say faire du judo instead of pratiquer le judo?
Absolutely! In fact, using faire de plus the sport (which combines into faire du judo) is the most common way to talk about playing a sport in everyday French. Pratiquer is slightly more formal but is often used for martial arts to emphasize the discipline and regular training.

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