Judo: An Evolution of Martial Arts Styles
and a Self Defense System, From White Belt to Black Belt
Body, Mind, Life
Judo: An Evolution of Martial Arts Styles and
a Self Defense System, From White Belt to Black Belt.
Judo as One of the Martial Arts Styles
As is true with many of the modern martial arts styles, Judo
is an evolution of an earlier martial art—in judo’s
case, it evolved from the ancient Japanese art of jujitsu.
Expanding upon jujitsu’s techniques of redirecting an
opponent’s force and discarding those techniques that
relied specifically on strength, Judo has become known for
its grappling and throwing techniques based on energy leveraged
from the opponent.
Judo as a Self Defense
Since Judo techniques downplay strength as a prerequisite
for overcoming an opponent, it is considered an ideal self
defense regardless of an individual’s size. The fundamental
skills of Judo are important ingredients of self defense and
even early in their training, a Judoka (practitioner of Judo)
learns throwing techniques and how to fall properly. Outside
of sanctioned competition, self defense Judo teaches a full
range of punches, strikes, kicks, and blocking techniques
that are exceptionally effective.
The Practice of Judo
Sometimes referred to as “The Gentle Way,” teaches
that strength alone does not always conquer. Judo can be compared
to a small tree in a hurricane. When the brutal winds blow,
the lithe tree's branches sway and bend, and the tree survives.
A bigger, stronger tree, unable to adapt to the gusts, is
snapped or blown out of the ground. Similarly in judo, use
of skill and speed can win out over brute force, and a smaller
opponent can prevail through quickness, cunning and superior
technique.
A practitioner of Judo is called a judoka and men, women,
boys, and girls can be judokas.
Judo is practiced in two ways:
- Randori is a free-practice method that involves sparring.
Randori is the Olympic Judo style and is the most common
method of competition, called Shiai.
- Kata is a pre-arranged, formal demonstration of technique.
Kata shiai are also held.
In the practice of any method of judo, safety is always
prominent. Students are taught how to fall without getting
injured on forgiving (but not soft) mats. Children 13 and
under are not allowed to apply a strangle hold and armlocks
can only be used if a player is at least 17 years old. In
addition, flexibility, stretching and strength exercises
are a part of every judo practice.
Part of the tradition of judo is the wearing of the judogi
(often shortened to “gi,” which is pronounced
GEE). Students also wear a belt, with the belt color denoting
the students' grade (level of advancement and expertise).
Students' progress in judo is at their own pace with a new
belt color rewarded when they have perfected the required
techniques. Students begin with a white belt; a black belt
signifies the highest level of judo.
Respect for oneself, the teacher, an opponent and order are
primary in judo, whether it be a training session or contest
Mind Body Spirit
Of all the Martial Arts styles in the world, Judo is the most
practiced--from the beginner to the most accomplished black
belt, the judoka is a well rounded athlete and a skilled competitor—mentally,
physically, on the mat, and in self defense.
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