Back to Home Page

  JUDO Judo was originally known as Kano Jiu-Jitsu or Kano Jiu-Do, and later as Kodokan Jiu-Do or simply Jiu-Do or Judo. In the early days, it was also still referred to generically simply as Jiu-Jitsu. While judo includes a variety of rolls, falls, throws, hold downs, chokes, joint-locks, and strikes, the primary focus is on throwing (nage-waza), and groundwork (ne-waza). Throws are divided in two groups of techniques, standing techniques (tachi-waza), and sacrifice techniques (sutemi-waza). Standing techniques are further divided into hand techniques (te-waza), hip techniques (koshi-waza), and foot and leg techniques (ashi-waza). Sacrifice techniques are divided into those in which the thrower falls directly backwards (ma-sutemi-waza), and those in which he falls onto his side (yoko-sutemi-waza). The ground fighting techniques are divided into attacks against the joints or joint locks (kansetsu-waza), strangleholds or chokeholds (shime-waza), and holding or pinning techniques (osaekomi-waza). Using their knowledge of ne-waza/grappling and tachi-waza/standing-grappling, accomplished judo practitioners have also competed in mixed martial arts matches. Former Russian national judo champion Fedor Emelianenko is usually ranked as mixed martial arts' best heavyweight. Karo Parisyan fights in UFC's welterweight
division, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic gold medalist in 1992 and World Judo Champion in 1999, were also fighters in the now defunct PRIDE FC. Other Olympic gold medalist and world champion judokas such as Pawel Nastula, Yoon Dong-Sik and Jung Bu-Kyung also fight in MMA. Undefeated WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho has credited judo and jiu-jitsu for his success. Fighters Sanae Kikuta and Hayato Sakurai also come from judo backgrounds.
From Kano's original style of judo, several related forms have evolved:

                        • Olympic Judo
                        • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
                        • Kawaishi-ryu jujutsu
                        • Kosen Judo
                        • Russian Judo
                        • Sambo
   

 








Interesting Facts about Judo:

  • Men's Judo has been in the Olympics since 1964; Women's Judo was a demonstration sport in the Seoul Olympics and has been a full medal sport since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
  • Judo is the widely practiced martial art on the planet.
  • Judo is the second most practiced sport worldwide (Soccer is #1).
  • According to the American college of Sports Medicine, Judo is the safest contact sport for children under age 13.
  • U. S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell was captain of the 1964 Olympic Judo Team.
  • WWE Wrestler "Bad News Brown" is Allen Coage, 1976 Olympic Bronze Medalist.
  • Actress Hillary Wolf (Home Alone I &II) is a 1996 Olympian ranked #1 in the USA.
  • Theodore Roosevelt became a brown belt in Judo during his administration and actor James Cagney was a black belt in Judo.
   

 

 
Back to Home Page
Website Designer