Judo

About the Tutorial

Judo is a form of martial art that is used as an act of self-defence and is also played as
an international sport. The word judo itself means gentle way. Therefore, the sport
itself deals with attacking skills within the boundary of non-violence.

This is an introductory tutorial that will help you learn the fundamental aspects of Judo.

Audience
This tutorial is meant for anyone who wants to play Judo. It is prepared keeping in mind
that the reader is unaware about the basics of the game. It is a basic guide to help a
beginner understand this sport.

Prerequisite
Before proceeding with this tutorial, you are required to have a passion for Judo and an
eagerness to acquire knowledge on the same.

Copyright & Disclaimer

 Copyright 2016 by Tutorials Point (I) Pvt. Ltd.

All the content and graphics published in this e-book are the property of Tutorials Point
(I) Pvt. Ltd. The user of this e-book is prohibited to reuse, retain, copy, distribute, or
republish any contents or a part of contents of this e-book in any manner without written
consent of the publisher.

We strive to update the contents of our website and tutorials as timely and as precisely
as possible, however, the contents may contain inaccuracies or errors. Tutorials Point (I)
Pvt. Ltd. provides no guarantee regarding the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of
our website or its contents including this tutorial. If you discover any errors on our
website or in this tutorial, please notify us at contact@tutorialspoint.com

1
 Judo

Table of Contents
About the Tutorial ........................................................................................................................................... 1

Audience.......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Prerequisite ..................................................................................................................................................... 1

Copyright & Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................... 1

Table of Contents............................................................................................................................................. 2

JUDO – OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................... 3

JUDO – TRAINING ..................................................................................................................... 5

JUDO − TECHNIQUES ............................................................................................................... 6

JUDO – SCORING ........................................................................................................................ 9

JUDO – RULES........................................................................................................................... 10

JUDO − INJURY AND ILLNESS .............................................................................................. 12

JUDO – CHAMPIONS ............................................................................................................... 13

2
 Judo
Judo – Overview

Judo is a modern form of martial art which needs great balance upon one’s body and
mind. The word Judo means gentle way. The sport was originated in Japan in the 19 th
century and Jigoro Kano is known as the father of this sport. Earlier, it was confined to
only Japan but later due to its popularity it made its place in Olympics in 1964.

Judo was initially learnt as a self-defence martial arts technique. So it is quite obvious
that most of its steps are to hurt another person, but later on, suitable modifications
were made so that students can learn this art without hurting each other.

The person who practices judo is called judoka. The main objective of a judoka is to pin
down his opponent to the ground and immobilize him through locking body’s joint parts
or by choking him.

Judo − Age Group

The world championship for women and men has no particular maximum age boundary.
However; no person below 15 years of age is allowed to play in any competition of judo
as decided by International Judo Federation (IJF).

For Junior World Championship (under 20), men and women from 15-19 years old are
eligible. For Cadets World Championship (under 17), boys and girls of age 15 and 16
years are eligible.

3
 Judo

Judo Calendar
There are various types of competitions that are organized throughout the year by
International Judo Federation. The list is as follows:

 World Championship and Team World Championship

 Open World Championship
 Junior World Championship
 Cadets World Championship
 Summer Olympics
 Winter Olympics

Participating Countries
After gaining popularity in Japan, the game soon started to spread its wings throughout
the world and now it is being played by many Asian and Non-Asian countries.

Apart from Japan, many other Asian countries like India, South Korea, China, Mongolia,
North Korea, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Thailand, Kuwait, Indonesia, and Myanmar are also
taking active part in this game.

Asian Games for Judo are organized once in every four years. Its latest edition was
organized in Inchon, South Korea, in the year 2014.

4
 Judo
Judo – Training

Judo is not a simple game that one can learn in a day or a week. It takes heavy practice
to master the art. You would require an experienced coach having black or red belt to
become a professional Judo player. The coach will instruct you and let you practice with
the weight of the people of your own size.

You will be required to wear Judo uniform commonly known as Gi; it is designed in a
manner to make you comfortable while making Judo movements during a match.

During the training period, the first and foremost thing that one should learn is ukemi
which is otherwise known as break falls. This will protect you from getting yourself hurt
while falling over the ground.

Keep learning new techniques every day. It is important to learn the basics first but then
don’t stop at basics. Make your mind and body to get ready to learn new techniques
every day. It will keep you motivated and energized throughout the training session.

When you are making yourself ready for an international tournament, learn some basics
of Japanese language to know what your opponent is saying. It is important that you
learn all the rules of Judo because breaking a rule may get you disqualified from the
entire tournament.

5
 Judo
Judo − Techniques

Different techniques in Judo are known as waza. Three different types of waza are as
follows.

 Nage-waza (Throwing techniques)

 Katame-waza (Grappling technique)
 Atemi-waza (Attacking Techniques)

Atemi-waza is not popular because it is designed to hurt the opponent. The person who
performs this waza is known as tori and upon whom this waza is applied is known as
uke.

Nage-waza
In this technique, the tori tries to throw the uke on the ground. This also involves
various stages. The act of balance breaking under this wazas is known as kuzushi.
Similarly, the act of turning in and fitting into the ground is known as Tsukuri. The act
of successfully executing and throwing upon the ground is termed as Kake.

6
 Judo

Katame-waza
This process involves the art of holding someone firmly and seizing him. This waza is
further divided into many categories such as osaekomi-waza (holding technique),
shime-waza (act of choking the uke by the tori) and kansetsu-waza(tori tries to
make uke down by manipulating his joint parts).

Leg Sweeping Techniques

Leg sweeping is a process in which a player tries to put his opponent on ground using his
legs. Mastering this technique will be very handy for you and it can be a key factor in
winning a match. Here are some cool techniques that you should learn and try.

Foot Sweep
 Step 1: Make the opponent to step
forward towards you.

 Step 2: Before he steps back, just

catch one of his ankle with your leg.

 Step 3: Now swift the ankle through

your leg towards the appropriate
direction and let it go so that he will
fall on his back on the ground.

7
 Judo

Nice Leg Sweep

 Step 1: Apply your whole weight on
the body of your opponent such that he
will tilt towards his left.

 Step 2: Make sure that he applies all

his weight on the left leg, right leg
being in air.

 Step 3: Sweep the supporting leg with

strong force, resulting in an instant fall
back of your opponent.

Spin Hit Technique

 Step 1: Put your leg side wise between the two legs of your opponent.

 Step 2: Turn back towards your opponent.

 Step 3: Move your hip closer towards your opponent to support his entire weight
on you.

 Step 4: Now put your leg near his leg and tilt him up in the air for a clear and
easy sweep.

This technique is also known as Harai Goshi. Although these techniques are useful but
often come with price when we use them without proper guidance and precautions. It is
always a wise decision to practice these under the guidance of a master. Apart from this,
you should learn how to defend when your opponent applies the same upon you.

8
 Judo
Judo – Scoring

To score an ippon, one has to throw other on his back with impetus and control.
However, if the throwing is done with lesser force then it results in a waza-ari. An ippon
or two waza-ari is sufficient to win the match. If the contestant gets successful in
throwing his counterpart side wise then, he/she will be awarded with a yuko. This yuko
has no effect until the match ends in tie.

At the end of the match, if the scores result in a tie, then golden score rule applies. In
this rule, the clock is reset to the match time and the first contestant to get any score is
declared as winner.

Judo − Rules Regarding Scoring

One full point in judo is otherwise termed as Ippon. The competitor who gets awarded
with one full point or Ippon is declared as the winner of the match. To the contrary a half
point is termed as Waza-ari. When two half points are awarded in a match, then it is
equivalent to Ippon and the match comes to an end.

The smallest score that can be awarded in judo is termed as Yuko. Some scoring points
were removed by IJF. For example, Koka was introduced as a scoring point in 1975 but
was removed by IJF later in 2008.

9
 Judo
Judo – Rules

Judo was initially being used as a self-defence technique involving much deadly practice.
Later, it has been modified for safe practice among the students. So International Judo
Federation added many rules to make it safe.

Judo − Rules on Safety

The rules regarding safety in Judo are as follows:

 Intentionally harming an opponent is abandoned.

 One cannot punch or kick his opponent.

 You cannot touch the opponent’s face.

 Attacking the joints other than elbows is not allowed.

 Head dives are also not permitted.

 Some techniques like Kawazu gake and Kami basami are not allowed.

 Neither of the competitors is allowed to wear any hard metallic object during the
competition.

Etiquette in Judo
Before stepping into the mat, the contestant must bow. Before starting and after ending
the game the contestant must bow to each other and also to the competition area. If
anyone will use bad body gesture or use foul languages, then he/she will be debarred
from the tournament.

10
 Judo

Stalling is not permitted in the game. One cannot use defensive posture either. If one
disregards the order of the judge, then he/she will be disqualified for the entire
tournament.

Judo − Competition Area

It must be played upon a stage of having a minimum size of 14×14 meters. The rules
also say that the stage must be built from tatami. It is a mat that is used for the
flooring purpose of the traditional martial arts of Japan.

Penalties in Judo
Generally, two types of penalties are there in Judo. One is shido and another is
hansoku. Shido is awarded when a competitor remains in longer period of non-
aggression. It is also awarded for minor rule breach. After two warnings, one shido is
awarded. Number of shidos decides the winner in case the match ends in tie.

On the other hand, four shidos will make one hansoku. Hansoku is also awarded for
major rule violation. There may be a chance that he/she may get disqualified from the
tournament.

11
 Judo
Judo − Injury and Illness

As this game involves rigorous physical activity and joints manipulation, minor injuries
and illness do occur to the players. However, some injuries may be severe if a player
does not play with careful measures and concentration.

The International Judo Federation has very strict rules regarding the handling of the
cases of medical treatment of the injuries because the nature and cause of the injuries
may affect the award and ending of the match.

 Unless the mat judge allows, the medical team is prohibited from entering into
the playing area.

 A contestant once opts for medical treatment automatically forfeits the match.

 If a contestant becomes unconscious on the floor, without the application of

choking technique, then the medical team is bound to attend the case even if the
contestant has not opted for it.

Nose bleeding cases do not get medical attention. Contestants have to use cotton balls
in the nostrils by themselves.

12
 Judo
Judo – Champions

Many countries have their own Judo federations and tournaments. The USA has six Judo
events that are being conducted every year. In this chapter, we will discuss briefly about
some of the champions of Judo who wondered the world from time to time with their
amazing skills and talents.

Teddy Pierre-Marie Riner

Teddy Pierre-Marie Riner is a judo champion
from France. He has won many medals in
different tournaments. He won two gold
medals and a bronze medal in Olympics.

In World Championships, he won seven gold

medals and a silver medal while in World
Openweight Championships he won one gold
medal.

He has also won five gold medals in European

Championships. He also participated in
Mediterranean Games in 2009 and won one gold medal.

Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa is a judo champion from Japan
who has won a silver medal in Olympics. He is
popular as a mixed martial artist and a
professional wrestler.

Naoya has won four golds and three bronzes

in World Championships. In Asian
Championships, he won a gold medal while in
Asian Games, he won a bronze medal.

While studying in Meiju University, Naoya

became the youngest freeclass champion in
the year 1986.

Yasuhiro Yamashita
Yasuhiro is the most successful Judo champion
from Japan who is now an instructor in Tokai
University.

In his career, he has won five gold medals.

Along with that, he has the achievement of
having 203 consecutive victories.

He is also the achiever of Japanese National

Prize of Honor. He started learning judo when
he was in primary school and became black
belt holder when he was in junior high school.

13