Judo UK

Hello, I’ve been doing tkd and Hapkido now for about 4 years, and I have always been interested in Judo. I heard Judo would help my Hapkido and I’ve also heard Hapkido is almost a Korean version on Aikido, and would correspond well with one an other. Please give me some insight on your take about Judo or Aikido & which one is more beneficial?

Anybody had any serious injuries from training or competing in Judo? Any chronic injuries for taking it so long? How safe is it?

You may be interested in forming a judo club, particularly as it will help your own studies to have a variety of opponents to practice with. The three things needed for a Judo Club are: members, premises and equipment. I shall say something about each.
(a) Members
If you wish to extend your numbers, advertise. A few shillings spent on advertisements in your local paper, or in postcard advertisements in shop windows, will almost certainly bring replies. Again, youth leaders, teachers, or clergymen may know of others interested, or the national Judo associations may have had inquiries from people in your district with whom they could put you in touch. Use discretion, however, about who you admit to membership of your club.
When you are established, your local newspaper might be willing to print news of your activities, or to do a feature article on your club, and this would be an excellent way of attracting new members.
(b) Premises
The hall in which Judo is practiced is called by the Japanese name, “Dojo”. Professor Kano’s original Dojo was a Buddhist temple, and the hall of practice has always been a near-sacred place to Judo students. “Dojo” to Buddhists meant a place of meditation and study. People who entered it were expected to be quiet, clean, and reverent.
However humble your own Dojo may be, it is a good thing to bear this in mind, and to encourage members before entering to see that they are not only physically clean, but that they cleanse their minds of prejudice and emotion. If they come tensed up with dislike of other individuals there, or with an over-eager desire to win all the time, they will be unable to achieve the calm, relaxed state needed for true progress, and they will disturb the atmosphere for others.
You will probably have to take whatever hall you can get, but it can be brought as near these ideals as possible, with a little thought and work.
If you can form your Judo Club within the framework of an existing organization, such as your Youth Club, or a Church, the problem of premises may be solved for you. If, however, you are an independent group, advertising may again be the answer to your problem. Quite humble premises can be made suitable with a little soap and water, paint, and distemper, given the enthusiasm of members. I have seen lofts and cellars transformed into excellent Dojos, and such places can often be rented quite cheaply. Another possibility is to get the use of school premises from the local authority. This is sometimes granted, if need can be shown to exist.
(c) Equipment
The main item of equipment needed for Judo is the mat. This should be as large as space will allow. The real Judo mats are made of rice straw, but they are unobtainable in this country. It is possible to buy mats of U.S. straw, or of rubber, size about six feet by three feet, and to build up your own area, by placing them side by side. A wooden surround is needed to keep them from sliding apart, which would be dangerous, as gaps would appear in which your foot might be caught. The mat should be covered with a sheet of canvas, stretched tight, and secured by roping, or by attaching to the floor or surround. Straw or rubber mats are expensive, and an area fifteen feet square would cost you about $90.
Proper Judo suits can be purchased from: Honda Associates, Inc., 66 West 47th Street, New York 36, N.Y., or Castello Fencing Equipment Co., Inc., 30 East 10th Street, New York 3, N.Y., amongst other firms. They will send price lists and catalogues on application. Canvas mats and mat covers are also obtainable from the latter firm.
Now you have member, premises and equipment, you have the start of a Judo club. Have fun!

Since it was created in 1882 by Kano Jigoro of Japan, Judo has become one of the most popular martial arts in the world. It is quite a rigorous and physically demanding sport, appearing in several major international sports competitions. As a result, when partaking in judo training, it is important that a high quality judo uniform, or gi in Japanese, be worn to avoid tearing and damage.

Judo uniforms are generally constructed out of 100% cotton, bleached white. Cotton is the best choice for breathability. Care should be taken when laundering, as most judo uniforms are not pre-shrunken and will shrink up to a full size from excess heat. Therefore, washing in cool water and air drying is highly recommended to avoid shrinkage.

There are three pieces to the judo uniform: the jacket, the belt, and the pants. The jacket is quilted with a thick pliable collar and wide sleeves. Two short splits are on either side of the hip, which are reinforced with extra cloth. The jacket is secured with a belt, coloured according to level, wrapped tightly around the body and knotted. The pants feature an elasticized drawstring waist with wide legs to allow for movement. In areas where there may be a lot of friction or stress from pulling, reinforcement at the seams and additional padding is vital to prevent damage. These include the shoulders, collar, knees, and crotch of the pants.

The cloth for gi’s comes in a variety of weights and textures. For training purposes, judo uniforms are made out of single weave cloth. The appropriate weight for a Judoka (Judo practitioner) is measured in ounces or grams, and depends on their ability and age. Usually, beginners at a younger age opt for lighter weights while older advanced students and instructors choose heavier ones. Weights can vary from 7 ounces or 198.44 grams to 40.57 ounces or 1150 grams.

For competitions, double weave cloth is ideal for judo uniforms, making them thicker and heavier. Judo uniforms for competition use tend to be more durable, and as a result, much more expensive than single weave. While training judo uniforms come in white, competition level uniforms also come in blue.

Higher quality judo uniforms should not weigh down the practitioner and restrict their movement. They should fit loosely and comfortably on the body.

We know that there are many kinds of force around us. How are they made use of in judo? Let us now study two of them.
Muscular force
According to Newton’s second law of motion, you have an advantage over your opponent when your body is larger than his. Besides that law, however, there is another factor that gives you advantage over a smaller opponent. This is the large muscular force with which a big man is usually gifted. He can carry a heavy block or lift it easily with both hands, whereas the same feat may be difficult for a smaller man.
Although we can say that large muscular force is very convenient for breaking the opponent’s posture in judo, muscular force alone does not encompass all the forces used in judo. To make use of muscular force normally and effectively, you must study its nature.
One of the important facts about judo is that successful employment of techniques is the result of total body muscular movement – as, for example, in the execution of an over-shoulder throw.
The same thing can be said about making one’s opponent fall or about strangling him. Defensively, too, it might be difficult to save yourself from your opponent’s attack were it not for your ability to use all your muscular force. In bending your opponent’s joints in reverse, the same rule applies. We can therefore understand that the exertion of a strong force means that muscles must act together by the use of the force of the waist and abdominal region.
Expert judo is characterized by a large variety of techniques. As you observe, you will notice that the expert makes good use of many kinds of forces. Since judo employs many forces, such as those of gravity, momentum, and friction, you must not mistake muscular force for the only effective one. If you do, your judo will become hard, heavy, slow, and ineffective.
Gravity
In judo it is important to throw your opponent by making use of his loss of balance. One of the laws at work here is the law of gravity. We know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation by seeing an apple fall from a tree. All bodies in the universe attract one another.
Now let us consider the application of the law of gravity to judo. The heavier the opponent, the more difficult it is for you to move him horizontally. It is even more difficult for you to move him vertically. On the other hand, a larger gravity acts on him to make him fall.
In judo gravity may be represented as a force pulling the opponent downward. If you want to make him fall, you make him lose his balance; that is, you cause his center of gravity to go outside the base. Then the gravity that acts on him works for you to make him lean or fall. Let us study the action of the law of gravity by illustrations.
You (A) and your opponent (B) are standing face to face. He advances toward you to take hold of you by the left lapel. At the same time you withdraw as much as he advances. If he is mentally or physically unable to let his advanced foot advance again, he will lean forward, lose his balance, and fall. Also, it is obvious that the same thing will happen when the stability of the legs supporting the trunk is taken away.
When your opponent takes a larger step forward than usual, you merely sweep his advanced foot away in the direction of his advance (de-ashi-harai, or advanced foot sweep). By doing this, you will drop him with the gravity acting on him directly.
Many forces can be used in judo, but muscular force and the force of gravity are two of the most crucial.

I know that ju-jitsu has “Part 1″ which has some basic strikes, but aside from that, is there any difference between judo and ju-jitsu?

I hear that Brazilian Jiu jitsu was based on judo and japanese jujitsu.

I have thought about taking judo recently. The closest judo tournaments are infrequent and far away. I have seen more bjj tournaments available. Would it be impractical for me as a judo player to take on bjj players? I realize the rule differences. I know bjj is more ground oriented than judo. But I think judo could do alright. Has anyone seen judo players in bjj tournaments? How did they do? Any thoughts/opinions?

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