Judo
- (Contributors:
Neil Ohlenkamp, Michael D'Auben)
Intro:
Judo is a sport and a way to get in great shape, but is
also very useful for self-defense.
Origin: Japan.
History:
Judo is derived from Jujutsu (see Jujutsu). It was
created by Professor Jigoro Kano who was born in Japan
in 1860 and who died in 1938 after a lifetime of
promoting Judo. Mastering several styles of jujutsu in
his youth he began to develop his own system based on
modern sports principles. In 1882 he founded the Kodokan
Judo Institute in Tokyo where he began teaching and
which still is the international authority for Judo. The
name Judo was chosen because it means the "gentle way".
Kano emphasized the larger educational value of training
in attack and defense so that it could be a path or way
of life that all people could participate in and benefit
from. He eliminated some of the traditional jujutsu
techniques and changed training methods so that most of
the moves could be done with full force to create a
decisive victory without injury.
The popularity of Judo increased dramatically after a
famous contest hosted by the Tokyo police in 1886 where
the Judo team defeated the most well-known jujutsu
school of the time. It then became a part of the
Japanese physical education system and began its spread
around the world. In 1964 men's Judo competition became
a part of the Olympics, the only eastern martial art
that is an official medal sport. In 1992 Judo
competition for women was added to the Olympics.
Description:
Judo is practiced on mats and consists primarily of
throws (nage-waza), along with katame-waza (grappling),
which includes osaekomi-waza (pins), shime-waza
(chokes), and kansetsu-waza (armbars). Additional
techniques, including atemi-waza (striking) and various
joint locks are found in the judo katas. Judo is
generally compared to wrestling but it retains its
unique combat forms. As a daughter to Jujutsu these
techniques are also often taught in Judo classes.
Because the founder was involved in education (President
of Tokyo University) Judo training emphasizes mental,
moral and character development as much as physical
training. Most instructors stress the principles of Judo
such as the principle of yielding to overcome greater
strength or size, as well as the scientific principles
of leverage, balance, efficiency, momentum and control.
Judo would be a good choice for most children because it
is safe and fun.
Training:
Judo training has many forms for different interests.
Some students train for competition by sparring and
entering the many tournaments that are available. Other
students study the traditional art and forms (kata) of
Judo. Other students train for self-defense, and yet
other students play Judo for fun. Black belts are
expected to learn all of these aspects of Judo.
Sub-Styles:
Because Judo originated in modern times it is organized
like other major sports with one international governing
body, the International Judo Federation (IJF), and one
technical authority (Kodokan). There are several small
splinter groups (such as the Zen Judo Assoc.) who stress
judo as a "do" or path, rather than a sport.
Unlike other martial arts, Judo competition rules,
training methods, and rank systems are relatively
uniform throughout the world.
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Jujutsu