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What Makes Judo so Popular All Across the Globe
Judo, Japanese for gentle way, is a form of martial art that is
practiced by millions of people. Judo is
not only a martial art, it is also a discipline, an art, a
fitness program and for some, even a way of life.Kodokan Judo
traces its history back to feudal Japan and was developed by Dr.
Jigoro Kano from the
ancient art of Jujutsu. Dr. Kano studied and practiced Jujutsu
and incorporated the best of it, into a new
martial art he developed, which he called Judo.
A prominent feature of Judo is the competitive element. The
objective is to bring an opponent to the
ground, subdue or immobilie him by pinning him or force him to
submit with a choke or a joint lock.Thrusts and strikes with the
feet as well as hands and defending with weapons are also included
in
Judo, though in pre!arranged forms (kata)only. "ou cannot use
them in free practice or in judo
competitions. A person who practices Judo is known as a judoka.
#rom its simple beginning in Japan,Judo has now spread across the
world and has also caused the development of other forms of
martial
arts like $railian jui!jitsu and %amba.
The principles behind Judo
The main principle behind Judo is ma&imum efficiency with
minimum effort. Another principle is
mutual welfare and benefit. Kano said that if you try to resist
a powerful opponent, you will bedefeated, but if you adjust and
evade his attacks, he will lose his balance, his power to attack
you will
reduce and you will be able to defeat him. 'e said that with
this principle, a weaker opponent can
defeat significantly stronger opponents. 'e emphasies that
techni(ues should be e&ecuted efficiently.
Techniques in Judo
Judo basically has three techni(ues or waza-throwing techni(ues
)nage-waza*, striking techni(ues)atemi waza* and grappling
techni(ues )katame waza*. +nly throwing techni(ues and
grappling
techni(ues are allowed in Judo competitions.
any Judo practitioners devote a portion of their training
sessions to ukemior learning how to respond
to a throw )break!falls*, so that they can practice throwing
techni(ues without risking injury )the person
who is thrown is called uke*. There are several kinds of ukemi
such as rear break!falls, front break!fallsand rolling
break!falls.
Throwing techni(ues are further divided into standing
techni(ues, where the thrower is in an uprightposition or sacrifice
techni(ue, where the thrower has sacrificed his position to throw
the uke.
-rappling techni(ues are divided into pinning or holding
techni(ues, joint techni(ues and strangulation
techni(ues.
Randori in Judo
Judo also places emphasis on randorior free practice. There are
many kinds of randoriand its intensitydepends on the participants
level of e&pertise and intent. /n pre!arranged practice,
neither of the
participants resists the others attempts to throw. Another is
throw!away practice, where an e&perienced
judoka allows a less e&perienced partner to throw him.
Kata in Judo
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Kodokan Judo recognie ten types of kataor forms. These consist
of prearranged patterns and e&cept
for one type of kata )development of physi(ue*, all need a
partner for practice. The purpose of the kata
is to illustrate the basic principles, demonstrate how to
e&ecute a techni(ue and to teach the
philosophical techni(ues of Judo.
Did you know that the system of ranks was first created in Judo,
which was later adapted by other
forms of martial arts. These ranks recognie the persons ability,
leadership and knowledge. Juniors andseniors have separate ranks.
0olored belts are used to identify these ranks.
Simplicity
+ne of the reasons for Judo1s popularity is that unlike the
other martial art of karate, it does not involve
striking, kicking or punching. The fact that the game is simple
has drawn a lot of people to it,increasing its popularity.
Spreading the ord
'istorically, the credit of spreading Judo1s appeal outside of
Japan1s shores should go to Jigoro Kano.
'e visited 2urope and the 3nited %tates several times to draw
the attention of foreigners to the sport by
way of demonstrations. 4hen the Japanese Diet )5arliament*
passed a bill in 6789 making it mandatoryfor all middle school
students to learn either Kendo or Judo, the popularity of the sport
shot up. Around
the same time, Kano1s school, the Kodokan, started to see a lot
of students. any of them eventually
travelled abroad to teach the sport. After Kano joined the
/nternational +lympics 0ommittee as amember, he strived hard to
help Japan host the +lympics. 'owever, the %ino!Japanese war and
Kano1s
death meant Japan had to wait longer. 2ventually, the Tokyo
+lympiad was held in 679:, and Judo
became an +lympics event. +ver the years, Judoka from ;8 nations
have won medals in the +lympics,
which goes to show the popularity of the sport across the
globe.
!ontests
Judo tournaments are regularly held across the globe, the 4orld
Judo 0hampionships being the most
significant among them, apart from the +lympics. The 4orld
0hampionships are organied by the
/nternational Judo #ederation, and brings together participants
from all over the map. /f you areinterested in learning Judo, you
can find a school around your area on -o
