Judo - Page 3

**Ristaron** · 05-02-2008, 01:38 AM

As some of you know I am an avid fan of judo. Prior to this year I had done judo for four years and achieved a green belt. I feel that the sport is sadly misunderstood by many people, so, I will give you a brief history of the sport and attempt to dispel some myths.

A brief history:

Judo was founded by Kano Jigoro in 1888. Jigoro was a small man, weighing under 100 lbs. He studied two schools jujitsu prior to founding Kokodan, where his own fighting school (judo) was taught. Jigoro's school, which combined the better aspects of both schools of jujitsu he had studied, was quickly recognized as a new martial art.

Judo literally means the "gentle way". It earns this name through its decided focus on throwing, choking, and pinning rather than striking, and forcing submission rather than beating it out of the opponent. Judo does not teach use of weapons, rather it teaches how to disarm an opponent. It is, foremost, a grappling sport.

Judo is separated into two major forms. The first is randori, which is freestyle fighting. This form is designed to teach through experience and allow a judoka to practice their techniques. The second form is kata, which are traditional sets wherein one judoka (uke) advances and makes a predetermined attack (in this case sometimes with weapons) and the second judoka (tori) makes an appropriate disarm or counterthrow.

There are several techniques within judo, including Nage-waza (throwing), Osaekomi-waza (pins), Shime-waza (chokes/strangles), and Kansetsu-waza (joint locks). Within these techniques are different forms of techniques. For example: in Nage-waza you have Te-waza (hand/shoulder throws), Koshi-waza (hip throws), Ashi-waza (foot throws), and Sutemi-waza (sacrifice throws). An example of a shoulder throw would be Ippon Seionage, an example of a hip throw would be O Goshi, an example of a foot throw would be De Ashi Harai, and an example of a sacrifice throw would be Tomoe Nage. A list of judo throws can be found here.

Debunking myths:

#1: There is no "judo-chop"!
I cannot describe how enraged I get whenever I hear this expression. I also get furious whenever I watch Austin Powers perform a karate chop and announce "judo-chop"! The only time that striking is legal in judo is during kata, and as described above kata is not fighting.

#2: Belts are not the same as in other martial arts.
Yes, the same basic progression is followed in terms of colours (actually, other martial arts stole the idea of coloured belts from judo!), but earning another belt is a much slower process than in other martial arts. In judo, if you have a black belt you are expected to be able to open your own dojo. This is highly different than karate, where you can have your black belt by your mid-teenage years (or earlier). The names of the belts are also different. Below is the progression of belts (and the colour).

Ikkyu (White)
Nikyu (Yellow)
Sankyu (Orange)
Yonkyu (Green)
Gokyu (Blue)
Rokyu (Brown)

Beyond these are the dans.

Shodan (1st degree)
Nidan (2nd degree)
Sandan (3rd degree)
Yodan (4th degree)
Godan (5th degree)
Rokudan (6th degree)
Shichidan (7th degree)
Hachidan (8th degree)
Kudan (9th degree)
Judan (10th degree)

The dans traditionally wear black belts with red stripes, with the exception of the 9th and 10th dans, who wear red belts. (This was why the orange belt that I had, which looked rather red, earned many jokes when I was a sankyu.) Theoretically, the grading system can progress beyond judan, but since there have only been 10 people to ever receive their 10th dan belt, there hasn't been any need to expand the system. (See the bios of the 10 judans here.)

#3. Grappling is superior to striking.
Before UFC reverted to the same uniform style among all its fighters, there were several distinct categories of fighters. Boxers (including kickboxers), strikers, and grapplers primarily. During that time, if you had bet on a grappler for any given match, you had placed your money wisely. Obviously grapplers didn't win every fight, but the vast majority were won by people who knew how to force their opponents into submission rather than beat it out of them. While a karate practitioner can deliver a fearsome kick (some people can deliver 2 tons worth of force), knowledge of forcing your opponent into submission is some of the best you can have in a fight.

#4. You needn't be strong to do judo.
As I mentioned above, Kano Jigoro wasn't even 100 lbs. The mantra of every judoka is "Maximum force, minimum effort". In fact, a judoka often hopes for a strong opponent whose strength can be used against them. Much of judo is breaking your opponent's stance, but even more is manipulating momentum. A larger person has more momentum. Of course, there is a point where a larger opponent has a distinct advantage. I am at a severe disadvantage when fighting my friend Mark, who has 100 lbs on me (in a competition we would be in separate weight categories). That is, until we do ground-fighting. On the ground, in a competition of Osaekomi-waza, he and I are pretty evenly matched.

I may think of more later... but for now this should do.

Also, here's an awesome judo video:

**Ristaron** · 05-09-2008, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [M]anorexia Nervosa

Yah, if we don't clip our nails, my dad get's pissed. And after a while, judo tournaments would ban kids with spiked hair because they were afraid it could poke someone's eyes out. I thought that was funny, until my mom poured water bottles on my head just so I could compete, and I had to walk around with gel still in my flattened hair. That shit sucks.

I remember a girl who never had to go through purple, so I'm pretty sure you're right. She went to a dojo in northern California, and she always fought my sister. She was ok, but my sister always kind of beat her. I don't think she really liked judo that much, but that's just my opinion.

Yah, I've never bled on the mat before. I've gotten my face slammed into the ground during groundwork because some asshole who was twice my size thought it was funny, but than that, I've never bled. One time I hyper extended my ankle, but that wasn't directly related to judo, that was just an idiot who decided it would be funny to trip me. Ummm...for warm up we usually just did a shitload of cardio. I hated having to do all the push ups and sit ups though. Running was ok, but everything else was really annoying. Plus, the other sensei was always really loud and liked to yell at people.

I remember one time I got a concussion at judo. One of the black belts who could only periodically show up was there and he did a variation of marote seionage where he dropped down to one knee for more momentum.
So... one moment I was flying through the air, the next I was staring up at three people with extremely concerned expressions on their faces and my head was ringing.
I always fucking hated fighting that guy. Not only was he really strong, but he was also really fast. I cannot count how many times I nearly had him in every fight and he would simply slip out and destroy me. More than once I was certain he was baiting me in/providing me an opening, which I always did my best to capitalize on because either he was purposefully leaving himself open to allow me to practice a specific throw I could accomplish from the position (or setting himself up for a counterthrow, which I was hoping to spring the trap to counter-counter) or he genuinely erred and I would finally have the chance to beat him.
And unlike when I would fight Mark, this guy would also dominate in groundwork. I don't think anybody has successfully choked me as many times as he did; not even my friend Brandy when I started and she was a green belt and helping me learn the techniques we were practicing at the old club I went to at first.

[M]anorexia Nervosa · 05-11-2008, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ristaron

I remember one time I got a concussion at judo. One of the black belts who could only periodically show up was there and he did a variation of marote seionage where he dropped down to one knee for more momentum.
So... one moment I was flying through the air, the next I was staring up at three people with extremely concerned expressions on their faces and my head was ringing.
I always fucking hated fighting that guy. Not only was he really strong, but he was also really fast. I cannot count how many times I nearly had him in every fight and he would simply slip out and destroy me. More than once I was certain he was baiting me in/providing me an opening, which I always did my best to capitalize on because either he was purposefully leaving himself open to allow me to practice a specific throw I could accomplish from the position (or setting himself up for a counterthrow, which I was hoping to spring the trap to counter-counter) or he genuinely erred and I would finally have the chance to beat him.
And unlike when I would fight Mark, this guy would also dominate in groundwork. I don't think anybody has successfully choked me as many times as he did; not even my friend Brandy when I started and she was a green belt and helping me learn the techniques we were practicing at the old club I went to at first.

Don't you hate that? When someone slams you so fast you don't even have time to tuck your chin in and you get slammed headfirst into the mat? God, I can't tell you how many times Kaci has done that to me. Her uchimata was fucking legendary, since not only was she a judo player, she was a dancer, so when her leg went up, you knew you were going to be flying. Juli was better at groundwork, and she would always bait me by giving me some sort of one-up in the beginning, like crouching down, and then I'd try to do a turn-over and BAM! I'd be flat on my back in a kesagatame or locked in a chokehold and then it'd just be lights out. I've never really been to any other clubs than the one I go to since my dad is the sensei, but I used to go to some workshops and it was ridiculous. My dad took me to this one with an guy on the Olympic Judo team, and it was rough. Those kids were like ready for the kill. Hardcore Judo moms and dads, yah know? Screaming from the sidelines, trying to coach and not knowing shit but just pissing their kid off more and more until one of them would snap and go berserk. I hated that shit.

**Ristaron** · 05-18-2008, 03:47 PM

I remember the one time I got an ippon against Mark. It was at a judo demonstration we were doing so that the community center we were at wouldn't tell us to get the fuck out. I did a combination of Uchi Mata (which Mark stepped out of) and followed it up with Kosoto Gari/De Ashi Harai (it's hard to really decide which of the two it was) when he was stepping onto the foot I intended to sweep. It was the first time I had tried the combination, and it worked!
There was a moment of stunned silence before the sensei announced that I had won.

oh my fucking shit... while I was refreshing my memory on the distinction between Deashi Harai and Kosoto Gari, I stumbled upon a YouTube vid with my first judo instructor :\

Brian Jones... he was an asshole, hence why I left his dojo.

Oh my fucking christ, I forgot an integral part about judo!

I'll try to keep the technical lingo down, but the Japanese name for it is kazushi, which roughly means "breaking the balance". In judo, you must break your opponent's balance before you can attempt any throw on them, because otherwise they will be immovable (or, worse, will counter your throw). The way you use kazushi is entirely up to you, but every throw has a "best way" for your opponent to be off-balance. An example would be if you were sweeping someone's leg; you're going to want to force all their weight onto that leg so that they fall when you sweep it. Therefore, you're not going to push someone onto their other leg, you're going to push them onto the one you intend to sweep.

[M]anorexia Nervosa · 05-19-2008, 12:56 AM

I was more a taiyotoshi kid, but I never really followed through so the person would always step out and my sisters would get pissed off because either they'd be instructing me at judo or else they'd be coaching me on the mat. I was never really big on combinations, and usually just threw in whatever seemed to work at that moment in time, because for some reason whenever I tried to plan shit out, it never went the way I wanted on the mat and so I'd have to improv, which I fucking suck at.

I remember this one time when I was trying to do an osoto and this guy just wouldn't fucking go down so I flipped it around and tried a seionage which didn't work at all so I was just like, "fuck it" and just turned around, dove for both his legs, and got him with the only wrestling move I know. Pulled his ankles up right out from under him, got a koka, and then pinned him for the countdown.

Also, remember to learn how to fall correctly if you ever do take judo (obviously this is not directed at Dad). You may not think so, but there's a right way and a wrong way to falling when you're thrown. If you don't tuck your chin in or leave your arm out to far you can knock yourself out or even break your arm. That's why if you ever go to a judo dojo, the first few lessons, they might just have you doing some weird ass stuff where all you're doing is throwing yourself onto the floor. If they don't explain it well enough, the purpose of all those exercises is to make sure you don't get a concussion on the mat because you were too stupid to tuck in your chin. Learning to fall correctly can save you a lot of pain later on.

Edit: When I did seoi, I usually got in closer, got down lower, and turned more. It's supposed to give you more leverage when you throw him.

**Ristaron** · 05-19-2008, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [M]anorexia Nervosa

I was more a taiyotoshi kid, but I never really followed through so the person would always step out and my sisters would get pissed off because either they'd be instructing me at judo or else they'd be coaching me on the mat. I was never really big on combinations, and usually just threw in whatever seemed to work at that moment in time, because for some reason whenever I tried to plan shit out, it never went the way I wanted on the mat and so I'd have to improv, which I fucking suck at.

I remember this one time when I was trying to do an osoto and this guy just wouldn't fucking go down so I flipped it around and tried a seionage which didn't work at all so I was just like, "fuck it" and just turned around, dove for both his legs, and got him with the only wrestling move I know. Pulled his ankles up right out from under him, got a koka, and then pinned him for the countdown.

Also, remember to learn how to fall correctly if you ever do take judo (obviously this is not directed at Dad). You may not think so, but there's a right way and a wrong way to falling when you're thrown. If you don't tuck your chin in or leave your arm out to far you can knock yourself out or even break your arm. That's why if you ever go to a judo dojo, the first few lessons, they might just have you doing some weird ass stuff where all you're doing is throwing yourself onto the floor. If they don't explain it well enough, the purpose of all those exercises is to make sure you don't get a concussion on the mat because you were too stupid to tuck in your chin. Learning to fall correctly can save you a lot of pain later on.

I thought I covered break-falling, didn't I? If I didn't... I really need to slap myself.
If you take one thing away from judo, it should be break-falling. Learning to fall properly not only serves you well in judo, but is a valuable skill for any potentially-injuring fall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [M]anorexia Nervosa

Edit: When I did seoi, I usually got in closer, got down lower, and turned more. It's supposed to give you more leverage when you throw him.

*snickers*

[M]anorexia Nervosa · 05-22-2008, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ristaron

*snickers*

IMMATURITY!
...
...
Heheheh.

How funny is it that 95% of pins and turn-overs look sexual?

**Ristaron** · 05-22-2008, 08:41 PM

In one of the first few classes I took with Brian Jones I had already met and worked with my friend Brandy and knew her rather well. Therefore, when he was demonstrating an escape from a pin and told Brandy to "straddle" him, it took all my effort to suppress a rather violent laugh that I nearly died (on the inside) from when Brandy shot me a really, really dirty look...

Anyways, yes... we later concluded that judo is "kama sutra for a masochist" and went back to practicing the techniques.

[M]anorexia Nervosa · 05-26-2008, 01:21 AM

What's the pin where you basically get in the position to 69 the person? That one always made me laugh hysterically.

Edit: Can we just rename the thread to "Judo: Sex For The Starved Warrior" or something?