Sports Recommendation

 

Judo

The first impression of people about Judo is usually that of a competition between two people wearing a white robe with a black belt tangled together. Some people even think that Judo is just about lifting people up and throwing them onto the ground. In fact, Judo is a sport with well-established competition rules that has emerged in modern times. There are many players participating in the international sports events.

The origin of Judo

Judo was created by a Japanese man. In 1882, Mr Kanō Jigorō, who was known as “the Father of Judo”, founded the Kodokan dojo and devoted himself to studying the various schools of Jujutsu. He made systematic improvements, created ranks and level divisions, established a judging and assessment system, and later formulated competition rules and the referee system. As his jujutsu was no longer the same as the other martial arts schools of ancient Japan after these improvements, it was renamed as Judo.

Under the vigorous promotion of the Japanese government, Judo was incorporated into the physical education curriculum of schools and extended to all parts of the country. Since then, Mr Kanō Jigorō’s students carried out a series of reforms, including weight-based divisions for competitions and revisions of adjudication methods. It was not until 1964 that Judo was listed as an official event in the Tokyo Olympics and gradually became one of the popular sports.

Characteristics of Judo

“Maximum efficiency with minimum effort” and “mutual welfare and benefit” are the mottos of Judo athletes as well as the fundamental principles of Judo. The goal is to train and educate the body and mind rather than simply focusing on competing and trying to win. “Maximum efficiency with minimum effort” refers to using one’s strength in the best way, namely, to overcome force with softness; “mutual welfare and benefit” refers to growing with fellow partners and learning from each other. During practice, in addition to pursuing the improvement of their own techniques, Judo athletes also need to grow with their team members to achieve the goal of training the body and improving spiritual cultivation. Etiquette is highly valued in Judo, with “beginning with etiquette and ending with etiquette” being the two requirements. Judo students must salute before entering the dojo, when they see their teacher, and to one another before practice.

Belt colour, kyu and dan

The kyu and dan of Judo are distinguished by different coloured belts with the colour representing the rank. The sixth kyu is the lowest grade and the tenth dan is the highest, and athletes who successfully attain a dan ranking can apply to become coaches.

Rank	Belt colour
Tenth dan	Red
Ninth dan	Red
Eighth dan	Red and white
Seventh dan	Red and white
Sixth dan	Red and white
Fifth dan	Black
Fourth dan	Black
Third dan	Black
Second dan	Black
First dan	Black
First kyu	Brown
Second kyu	Blue
Third kyu	Green
Fourth kyu	Orange
Fifth kyu	Yellow
Sixth kyu	White

Judo techniques and Kata (forms)

Judo techniques can be divided into three categories: throwing techniques, grappling techniques and body-striking techniques.  Throwing techniques are used to cause the opponent to fall down; grappling techniques are used to press the opponent on the ground and attack them with joint techniques or strangulation techniques; and body-striking techniques are direct blows with fists and feet.  Defence with weapons is also part of Judo, but it is only allowed to be used in Kata (forms) training due to its dangerous nature.  In competitive Judo (such as the Olympic Games), Judo events only allow the use of throwing techniques; and pinning techniques, strangulation techniques and joint techniques of the grappling techniques.

Throwing techniques and grappling techniques can be further subdivided into a number of techniques as follows:
Throwing techniques
Standing techniques			Sacrifice techniques
Hand techniques	Hip techniques	Foot and leg techniques	Rear sacrifice techniques		Side sacrifice techniques
Grappling techniques
Pinning techniques		Strangulation techniques		Joint techniques
Shoulder hold Scarf hold Upper four quarter hold down Vertical four quarter hold Side four quarter hold, etc.		Naked choke Reverse cross strangle Triangular strangle, etc.		Arm entanglement Back-lying perpendicular arm bar Triangular arm bar Leg entanglement, etc.

In Judo competitions, both contestants will use Judo techniques at will and there are no fixed moves.  However, Judo itself has a set of strictly prescribed practice methods called “Kata”, which are like martial arts routines. Kata illustrates the understanding and theory of Judo and is practised in pairs. Kata is mandatorily assessed in rank examinations.  Judo is very particular about the practice of Kata.  During practice, the two parties are divided into the tori (taker) and the uke (receiver), namely the person who performs the technique and the person to whom the technique is performed.  The moves, order and etiquette of both parties are subject to meticulous and rigorous rules to allow athletes to learn Judo techniques in a clear order.  Judo attaches great importance to the cultivation of Kata, and each dan has a different assessment range for Kata.  The athletes must be familiar with both roles as the taker and the receiver when using various techniques.

The types and basic contents of Kata are as follows:
Types of Kata	Basic contents
Forms of throwing	These are used for learning and demonstrating the theory of throwing, which include hand techniques that involve the use of the arms to throw the receiver, hip techniques that use upward movement of the hips to throw the receiver, foot and leg techniques that use leg movement to throw the receiver, rear sacrifice techniques, and side sacrifice techniques.  For sacrifice techniques, the taker will fall first to throw the receiver.  In order to learn how to use throwing techniques, the opponent will be substantially thrown or tripped onto the ground during practice.
Forms of grappling or holding	These are used for learning and demonstrating grappling techniques, which include pinning techniques, strangulation techniques and joint techniques that subdue the opponent through suppression with the use of the body, chokes or strangulation, joint locks, and even techniques that are prohibited in competitive Judo such as knee locks.
Forms of gentleness and flexibility	The key point is to overcome force with softness.  These are used to demonstrate understanding of Judo and present attack and defence techniques with slower movements.  For the purpose of education, anyone (including the young and the old) can practise the forms of gentleness and flexibility even if they are not wearing a Judogi.
Forms of decisiveness	Passed down from the time of the samurai, this Kata makes good use of various Judo techniques and samurai weapons such as long swords, daggers and short swords to attack.  There are many kneeling moves.
Kodokan skills of self-defence	Modern self-defence skills based on Judo, comprising unarmed combat and attacks with weapons (sticks, knives, and pistols).
The five forms	The movements are artistic and illustrate the movements of the universe.
Traditional forms	Derived from ancient jujutsu, this Kata was originally intended to be performed against armour-wearing opponents.  These are divided into front and back Kata.  The former focuses on elegance and dignity while the latter focuses on quick and rapid movements.

The benefits of Judo

Judo is a sport that trains strength, speed, physical fitness and body coordination.  The various movements of Judo involve multiple sets of muscles of the body which do not only increase muscle strength but also improve the elasticity of bones, ligaments and joints, which has certain benefits for maintaining bone health.  On the other hand, Judo focuses on etiquette and decent character which can cultivate good behaviour, such as athletes’ willpower, endurance and respect for others in the long run.

The development and promotion of Judo in Hong Kong

Judo is originated in Japan, which means that most of the participants in Hong Kong were Japanese nationals in the early days of its development.  In the 1960s, various Judo training classes were launched.  In 1966, the Judo master Mr Takeo Iwami set up a Judo dojo in Hong Kong, becoming the first Japanese master to establish a Judo dojo in the territory.  Judo has blossomed in Hong Kong since then with the establishment of various Judo associations that jointly promote Judo and establish systematic training plans.

The progressive learning method of Judo has resulted in a clear advancement model and has transformed traditional Japanese Jujutsu into a modern sport with a fair and just referee system.  The Judo Association of Hong Kong, China mainly assists in the promotion of Judo in the community and takes athletes to the international arena.  It also organises various competitions, provides a competitive platform for athletes to continuously engage in exchanges to improve their skills, and enhances the level of local Judo athletes.

For more information about Hong Kong Judo, please visit the website of the Judo Association of Hong Kong, China: