The Way of Judo Judo is sometimes called "The Gentle Way." This means that sometimes victory can be obtained by giving way, rather than by pitting force against force. An example is sometimes given that a small flexible tree will bend and survive in a hurricane, whereas a much stronger, stiffer tree will snap in two. Similarly, in Judo, a person who can't possibly be as strong as his opponent because of a difference in size, can still come out ahead by using quickness, cunning, and superior technique to get the opponent off balance and then immediately taking the advantage and applying a throwing technique. Of course, the smaller player must train diligently in order to be as quick, fast, strong and smart as possible for his or her size. In Judo, we learn that no one can be perfect at everything, but through training, you can discover your weaknesses and overcome them, and also realize your limitations and devise ways of being successful, in spite of them. These kinds of lessons can be applied in all aspects of life, including school, work, and personal relationships.

How is Judo Practiced? Judo is generally practiced in two ways: Kata or pre-arranged, formal demonstration of technique; and Randori or free practice (sparring). Competition, called SHIAI, is usually in the form of Randori, but Kata competitions are also held. Olympic Judo is Randori-style competition only. First and foremost, Judo is practiced with safety in mind. Students are taught methods of falling on a resilient (but not soft) mat without being injured. Flexibility, stretching and strength exercises are part of every Judo practice.

A Brief History of Judo Competition In 1948, the first World Championships for men were held. Currently, World Championships for Men and Women are held in odd-numbered years. Junior World Championships for men and women under 20 years of age are held in even-numbered years. In 1964, Men's Judo was included in the Olympic Games. In 1988 Women's Judo was a demonstration event and in 1992 became a full medal event in the Olympics. Every year USA Judo holds National Championships for Adults (minimum of 15 years old), Youth (under 20 years old), and Masters (30 years old and above).

Watching a Contest So, you're at the Judo Tournament. What the heck is going on? Hopefully, the following will be an easy introduction to the rules that will help you to understand the tournament. What are they trying to do? Quite simply they are trying to Knock the opponent over so that she / he lands hard on the back (a throw); or Hold the opponent on the back (pin) for 25 seconds; or Make the opponent submit (using strangle holds [chokes] or armlocks). If any of those three things are done successfully, the score given is called "Ippon" and the match is over, like a knockout in boxing or a pin in wrestling. How do competitors hope to do it? There are hundreds of various throwing techniques. Some throws use mostly legs, some mostly arms, some a combination of arms, legs and torso. Some judoka (competitors) throw their opponent over their own hips, shoulder, or back. They can also sweep the opponent's feet out from under him, or they can drop down and throw the opponent over their own fallen body. To pin the opponent, they must press down from a face-down or side-down position on the opponent (generally controlling the head and an arm or leg) so that the opponent's back or a shoulder is on the mat. To obtain a submission, pressure can be applied directly on the elbow of a straight arm or the arm bent at a right angle can be twisted in either direction (arm lock). To strangle or choke, pressure is applied to the sides of the opponent's neck (not the windpipe) by one or both forearms or by using the opponent's own collar. Strangle holds are only allowed on players 13 years or older. Arm locks can only be used if the player is at least 17 years old. Although strangles and arm locks may seem dangerous, the players are trained to know when they are in danger, and will submit by tapping either the mat, or the opponent, twice before any damage is done. The referees are extremely alert when one player attempts to apply a choke or an arm lock. If the referee thinks the technique is about to cause serious injury, he can stop the match and declare a winner.

Who Decides? One referee and two judges determine the degree of success for all techniques. The two judges sit at opposite corners and the referee moves around the mat to observe the players. The referee also controls the bout/match and signals the results. Each decision is agreed upon by at least two of the three officials, or it is changed. For identification, one player will wear a completely blue uniform (Judo-gi, or Judo clothing); the other will wear a white Judo-gi. The contest area is a square 8 x 8 meters on a side. The outer meter ("danger area") is red and is inside the playing area, but competitors can only remain in that area for a few seconds before attempting a throw or they will be penalized. There is a 3 meter "safety area" in which players can be thrown as long as the thrower generally remains inside the contest area.

Are There Partial Scores? Yes, for throws and pins. Naturally on submissions, it is either a success or failure. In each match, however, it is the highest quality score that wins; scores have to be equal in quality before the number (of scores) is taken into account. With throws, partial scores are given if the opponent does not land largely on the back, or not hard or fast enough, but still have some of the required qualities. Pins broken before 25 seconds, but after 10 seconds are awarded partial points.

How Can You Tell a Technique's Score? Watch the center referee's hand signal and listen to the call. The higher the signaling arm, the higher the score. The score, in order from highest to lowest quality are: Ippon - arm straight up. Waza-ari - arm out at shoulder level Yuko - arm 45 degrees out from the side Koka - arm against the side; hand in sort of stop or greeting signal

Contest Area

Who is Ahead? One or two scoreboards will show the state of play. In Judo, it is always the highest quality score that wins. The scoreboard is laid out left to right to show the scores like a three-digit number. Waza-ari Yuko Koka Medical   Shido 3 Shido 2 Shido     Keikoku Chui Shido   BLUE 0 3 1 ++ WHITE 1 0 0 +   Shido 3 Shido 2 Shido   Looked at in this way, the score is 100 to 31: White's single waza-ari beats the lesser quality of Blue's three yukos and one koka. Other features of the scoreboard are as follows: 1. The Ippon score is not shown on the scoreboard because there can only be one Ippon and scoring it ends the match. 2. If two waza-aris are scored by the same person, it is considered the same as an Ippon and the match ends. 3. On the above scoreboard, Blue has two medical time-outs; White has one. If Blue needs another medical time-out, the match will end and white will be declared the winner. 4. The boldface shido on the White side indicates that one of Blue's yukos was as a result of White's shido penalty. If White received another penalty, the shido 2 would be removed and the shido 3 would appear in boldface; on the Blue side, one yuko would be removed and a waza-ari would be added. Penalties are explained in more detail in the next section. 5. If an Ippon has not been scored by the end of the time limit, the player with the highest score wins; if tied, the 'Golden Score' Rule goes into affect and the first judoka to score wins. If there is no winner at the end of the allotted time, then the referee and two judges decide who is the winner using a majority decision. They will each hold a blue flag in one hand and white flag in the other. On the referee’s command of "HANTEI" (HAHN-TAY), each will indicate their vote by raising the flag having the same color of the uniform of the winner.

What Aren't They Allowed to Do? There is a long list of penalties. Mainly, players are expected to play fair and continuously attack. They will be penalized for things like intentionally going out of bounds, refusing to attack (stalling), being too defensive, making any comments or gestures, and performing dangerous acts (like not giving the opponent a chance to submit). The rules are rarely broken except in the tactical areas, such as stepping out or stalling. Penalties in judo are severe; a repeat of any transgression results always in the next higher penalty, the lower one being removed. The equivalent score is given to the opponent. Again, listen to the referee. The four possible signals, lowest to highest: 1st Shido: Koka to opponent 2nd Shido: Yuko to the opponent 3rd Shido: Waza-ari to the opponent Hansoku-make: Ippon to the opponent (Disqualification) Because of the escalation of penalties, only 4 minor transgressions will result in Hansoku-make.