Judo is a martial art and Olympic sport. It is a physical and mental discipline using Judo technique aided by balance and leverage to defeat an opponent. Although, size imparts a natural advantage, Judo training allows smaller and weaker people to overcome bigger and stronger opponents.
The origin of Judo comes from the fighting systems of feudal Japan. During the feudal period each fighting system jealously guarded their techniques until they met in combat. As the feudal period ended, Professor Jigoro Kano was able to learn secret techniques from several of these fighting systems. In 1882, Dr. Kano open the first school, to teach what he called Kodokan Judo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department took notice of Judo and sponsored contests between Judo and Jui-Jitsu to determine which system their officers should be trained in. Judo won! Within ten years of Judo’s founding, police officers were being trained in Judo.
In 1964, Judo became an Olympic sport. The sport is played on mats and consists primarily of throwing and grappling (pins, chokes & arm locks) techniques. In addition, Kodokan Judo also includes kata[1] as a means of advanced study of striking techniques, joint locks, and weapons techniques.
[1] Kata is a choreographed series of techniques. The precision and teamwork of a choreographed kata performance is comparable to a figure skating pairs competition or a ballet performance.
Training in Kodokan Judo emphasizes mental, moral and character development as much as physical development. Dr. Kano based Judo on the scientific principles of leverage, balance, efficiency, momentum, and control. He was the first to recognize that by applying a small amount of strength to off-balance an opponent, he could throw or hold down someone bigger and stronger.
This is one of the many areas where Kodokan Judo has direct applications to self-defense. After learning how to throw an opponent in class, it will work particularly well on an assailant who doesn’t have a soft mat to fall on.
Your confidence will soar the first time you perform a perfect throw and realize how effortless it was to throw your opponent. Train with us and find out for yourself why we like it!