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What is Judo?
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This article is reprinted from the Judo Information Site by kind permission of Neil Ohlenkamp
Judo is many things to different people. It is a fun sport, an art, a discipline, a recreational or social activity, a fitness program, a means of self-defence or combat, and a way of life.
Judo was developed from the fighting system of feudal Japan. Founded in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano, Judo is a refinement of the ancient martial art of Jujitsu. Dr. Kano, President of the University of Education, Tokyo, studied these ancient forms and integrated what he considered the best of their techniques into a safe sport: the modern sport of Judo. The aim in judo is to subdue, not injure, the opponent. The first thing Judoka have to learn is self-control
Judo was introduced into the Olympic Games in 1964 and is practised by millions of people throughout the world today. People practice Judo to excel in competition, to stay in shape, to develop self-confidence, and for many other reasons. But most of all, people do Judo just for the fun of it.
As in all sports, Judo has a strict set of rules that governs competition and ensures safety. For those who want to test their skills, Judo offers the opportunity for competition at all skill levels, from club to national tournaments, to the Olympic Games
Contests are separated by weight divisions and skill level for men and women. In the Army we actively participate in Army and Inter-Service level competition with a great deal of success.
Contest Judo
The sport of Judo is combative, seeing two people engaged in a dynamic battle using position changes, offence and defence. Each Judoka (a person who does judo) has to plan and apply maximum strength at just the right time to catch the other off guard. The combination of their own strength with that of their opponent can work to their advantage, allowing them to take their opponent by surprise and apply one of the many control techniques.
Judo is best known for it's spectacular throwing techniques but also involves considerable grappling on the ground utilising specialised pins, control holds, arm locks, and Judo choking techniques. When two Judo players fight they are trying to win by:
- knocking the opponent over so that he lands hard and fast on the back (a throw) or
- holding the opponent on the back for 25 seconds or
- obtaining a submission by Strangle or Armlock
If any of these are completed successfully it is considered a Technical Knock Out and finishes the bout. How do the players hope to do it ?
To throw, they can spin the opponent over his own feet or over the thrower's hips or back. They can sweep the opponent's feet out from under him or they can drop down and spin the opponent over their own fallen body.
To pin the opponent, they press down from a face-down or side-down position on the opponent (generally holding the head or a limb) so that the opponent's back or a shoulder is on the mat.
To obtain a submission, pressure can be applied directly on the elbow of a straight arm or the arm bent at a right angle can be twisted in either direction. To strangle, pressure is applied to the sides of the opponents neck by one or both forearms or the opponents own collar. The legs may also be used to strangle provided the opponent's arm is also enclosed by the legs.
Partial scores can be obtained for throws and pins. Naturally on submissions, it is either success or failure. In each bout, however, it is the highest QUALITY score that wins; they have to be equal quality before considering the number of scores.
Judo emphasises safety, and full physical activity for top conditioning.
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