What is Judo?
You may already know that judo is a martial art originally created in Japan. What separates judo from other martial arts like karate or tae kwon do, however, is that judo is designed specifically with sport competition in mind. Whereas sparring in other martial arts generally requires use of pads and other protective equipment or light contact (pulling of punches or kicks), judo techniques can be performed at full speed and full force while maintaining safety.
Judo in Japanese means "the gentle way," and is known as such because many of the techniques in judo rely on giving way to the force of your opponent. Don't be fooled, however, by the term "gentle." Judo is an intense sport, a wonderful form of exercise, and can be adapted to serve as effective a powerful form of self-defense.
Judo techniques include throws, the most spectacular and recognizable elements of judo, as well as grappling techniques such as pins, chokes and arm locks. Perhaps most importantly, judoka must learn to fall properly. Judo falling techniques not only protect a judoka's precious internal organs from the powerful throws of efficacious opponents, but are also extremely useful when rollerblading, biking, free-style walking, curling, or hurdling fences.
Judo was founded by Dr. Jigoro Kano in 1882. In creating judo, Kano drew techniques from jujitsu that could be used safely in sport competition and that also subscribed the principle of seiryoku zenyo, meaning maximum efficiency through minimum effort. According to this principle, all judo techniques are best performed when the desired effect is produced with the minimal possible expenditure of effort.
Along with seiryoku zenyo, Kano's other underlying principle of judo is jita kyoei-mutual benefit and welfare.
Judo is now practiced by millions of people around the globe and has been an Olympic sport since 1964
So you want to be a judoka..
First things first, show up to practice. That's all you really need to do to get started in judo. You'll find practice times here. Saturday is the best day for beginners, but you're welcome to come to any of the practices.
What you'll need..
You're welcome to come and watch first, but we highly recommend that you get out on the mat and try your throwing and falling skills. For this, you'll probably want to wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt, or anything sturdy with long legs and sleeves that you don't mind getting torn.
If you decide to stick around, and you most assuredly will, you'll want to buy a judogi or gi. These can be purchased online or at some local martial arts shops and start at about $50.
If you just can't wait and want to get your gi right away, here's some things to note:
- • Any judogi will work, but don't get a gi designed for another martial art (say, karate) because judogis are made to withstand the abuse a lot of grabbing and pulling that is unique to judo. Judogis also have loose sleeves for easy gripping.
- • If you already own a gi from another martial art, you'd still probably be better off wearing a cheap sweatshirt until you buy a judogi. A gi designed for striking arts will likely rip. The pants should be okay, though.
- • Gis most commonly come in white and blue (though they can be purchased in other colors for those with more lavish tastes). Your first should be white, even if Labor Day has already passed.
- • The washing instructions on the gi are important! A gi will shrink in warm watter; it will shrink a lot. Unless you want this, wash it in cold water and always hang dry. Never wash your belt.
Note:
Judo practice is held at the St. Paul Gym, so you'll need a U of M ID card and an active rec membership to get into the building. If you're a full-time student, or have paid student service fees, you already have a rec membership, so come on down.
What to expect..
After laying out the judo mats (tatami), we'll begin practice with a formal bowing-in.
You'll notice a lot of bowing in judo. Bowing serves to shows respect to your sensei (teachers) and fellow judoka. It is also a way of thanking those who practice with you for throwing you around or allowing you to throw them around, and it can be a nonverbal way of saying, "hey, I'm about to toss you onto your back so you'd better be ready."
After bowing in, we'll run through a variety of warm-up and stretching exercises. Some of the warm-up techniques may seem a little weird, but are designed with particular judo techniques or situations in mind, so just do as you're told.
As a beginner, you will be working on falling techniques and a few throwing techniques with one of the sensei. As your skills progress, you'll join the rest of the class in the activities listed below.
Class will vary slightly from day to day, but we'll be doing each the following quite often:
- • Uchi Komi - Fitting in practice: practice getting into position for a throwing technique without actually throwing your partner.
- • Throwing Line - Throw and be thrown in an orderly manner.
- • Learning of new techniques and practicing of old ones.
- • Randori - Free practice: the judo word for sparring. We usually do either nage waza or tachi waza (throwing or standing randori) or ne waza or gatami waza (grappling techniques on the ground).
- • Mock Shiai - Shiai means competition. In mock shiai, we go through the motions of an actual judo competition. This is usually done in preparation for an upcoming tournament.
- • Self Defense Training - learn to disarm a knife, take down a would-be assaulter, or single-handedly save the planet from a malicious sect of world-destruction bent bad guys.
Regardless of your age, sex, or martial aptitude, you are encouraged to show up to one (or more) of the practices and see for yourself what judo at the U of M is all about. Whether you want to be the first U.S. Olympic gold medalist (we don't have one yet) or just out to have some fun and throw some people around, you're more than welcome to bring your bare feet to our tatami.