JUDO

Judo, in the form that we know today
as an olympic sport, is a fairly recent martial art. It was founded in Japan in the late nineteenth century by Japanese educator Kano Jigoro (1860-1938).
Early in life Kano, studied jujutsu (jujitsu) meaning the "art" or "science" of softness. As he developed his own style he eventually called it judo - meaning "way" of softness. The use of "dō" meaning way, road or path has distinct spiritual and philosophical overtones. Kano's judo extended beyond its physical principles, evolving into a "path of life". In this respect, judo is seen as an approach to life extending beyond the confines of the dojo.
Judo techniques include a variety of rolls, falls, holds, chokes, joint-locks, and strikes, with the primary focus on throwing and immobilizing ones opponent. It uses the indirect application of force to defeat an opponent. More specifically, it is the principle of using your opponent's strength against him, by making use of superior leverage.
One of judo's most prominent features is its competitive element, which has enabled it to develop into a world class sport. In 1932, at the Los Angeles Olympics, Kano and about
200 students gave a demonstration to enthusiastic crowds. Judo, has since,become an Olympic sport - for men in 1964 at the 1964 Tokyo games, and for women as well, in 1988.
200 students gave a demonstration to enthusiastic crowds. Judo, has since,become an Olympic sport - for men in 1964 at the 1964 Tokyo games, and for women as well, in 1988. Early on, the terms judo and jujutsu were quite interchangeable, so some of the forms of judo are still known as jujutsu or jiu-jitsu. Today, however, judo is considered a separate art form. Several other related distinct martial arts forms have also evolved. Of these, Olympic Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are the most commonly recognized.
Today, all practitioners of judo are commonly known as a "judoka". Traditionally, however, only those of 4th "Dan" or higher were called "judoka". Those below the rank of 4th dan were called "kenkyu-sei" or "trainees". A judo teacher is called "sensei ". The word sensei comes from "sen or saki" (before) and "sei" (life)..i.e. one who has proceeded you. In western dojos it is common to call any instructor of dan grade sensei.
Judokas are ranked according to skill and knowledge of judo. One's rank is reflected by
their belt color, a system originally introduced into martial arts by Kano. There are two divisions of rank - those below black belt called "grades" or "kyu" in Japanese, and black belt "degrees" known as "dan". Today the student levels are represented by a variety of colors, usually in the order of - white belt, yellow belt, orange belt, green belt, blue belt, purple belt, and finally brown belt. These can vary somewhat in meaning and level from different countries and styles, but the brown belt is generally the last level before promotion to first degree black belt or "shodan".
their belt color, a system originally introduced into martial arts by Kano. There are two divisions of rank - those below black belt called "grades" or "kyu" in Japanese, and black belt "degrees" known as "dan". Today the student levels are represented by a variety of colors, usually in the order of - white belt, yellow belt, orange belt, green belt, blue belt, purple belt, and finally brown belt. These can vary somewhat in meaning and level from different countries and styles, but the brown belt is generally the last level before promotion to first degree black belt or "shodan".
There are 10 dan degrees, which are ranked in ascending numerical order, 1st degree black belt, 2nd degree, 3rd degree, and so forth. Theoretically the ranking system is not limited to 10 black belt levels, however, since there has never been any promotion above 10, judo effectively only has 10 dans. There have only been fifteen 10th degree black belts awarded in the history of Judo. Three of those, Toshiro Daigo, Ichiro Abe, and Yoshimi Osawa, were promoted simultaneously in January of 2006.

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