Judo – The Gentle Way
Martial art uniforms are basically the same, the same white canvas. Regardless of the type of martial art, whether karate or judo or even tae kwon do, they all use the same uniform.
Judo is a highly specialized form of unarmed self-defense. It is a milder form of jujitsu, a rather violent type of martial combat from which it evolved. The origin of jujitsu is lost in history. Old Japanese chronicles record the development of this skill by Chinese monks living in the twelfth century. Because their religion forbade the use of arms, they devised a method of protecting themselves against personal attack without the use of weapons.
The art of jujitsu was introduced into Japan in the latter part of the twelfth century where it became an important form of fighting among the Samurai warriors. With the breakup of the feudal regime and the emergence of feudal Japan, the systems of self-defense that continued to be taught were many and varied, with no standards of regulations.
In 1882 Professor Jigoro Kano established in Tokyo a school called Kodokan and named his sport “ju-do” or “gentle way.” He laid great stress on the “do” of judo, which means a way or concept of life. He believed that considerable mental as well as physical training could be accomplished, since the competitors had always to be on the alert to discover the weak points of their opponents and were taught to exercise perseverance and a respect for others.
Japanese immigrants introduced judo to the United States. A great thrust was given to its development in the year 1904 when a Mr. Yamashita of the Kodokan visited the United States. He gave public demonstrations and taught the sport, having as on of his students President Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1932 a visit by Professor Kano to the United States resulted in the organization of several yudanshakais (associations). In 1952 Judo was accepted as a sport by the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States. The first national championships were held at San Jose State College in California.
Awards for efficiency are given as follows: as the judoka progresses from the sixth kyu (rank) up through the first kyu, he is allowed to wear belts of different colors to denote his degree of accomplishment. The sixth through fourth kyu students wear white belts, and the third through first kyu students wear brown belts.
With further training the student may qualify for shodan or first-degree black belt. In this black belt division there are ten degrees.…
Krav Mag a Self Defence system which originated in Israel. It is the official tactical combat system of the Israeli Army. The name roughly translates to ‘Close Combat’ all Israeli Army Recruits including Women, receive basic Training in Krav Maga.
Mixed Martial arts is the combination of several different disciplines where the only weapon you have is your own body. The unique thing about mixed martial arts is that you do not have to be an expert in all of the different disciplines. Many of the best fighters only use a few. However, to be a great fighter, you should have a basic knowledge of all disciplines. This knowledge will help you when you face an opponent that may have different skills than you. You will be able to anticipate his moves better and provide a counterattack of your own.
Sometime when you have absolutely nothing else to do, look at the Yellow Pages under self-defense classes. There you will see listings for hundreds of people who can teach you self-defense. It involves a big time and money commitment on your part. There’s not only the class time but the time getting there and back. Then there’s the money. They are not cheap. And on top of that you have absolutely no idea what background the person has who is teaching the class. He may be the real estate agent in town or the barber down the road. And nothing against barbers or real estate agents but…
While getting your body into peak condition is essential for competing in mixed martial arts, there’s a lot more to MMA conditioning than just the physical side.
I recently attended a seminar given by a very famous martial artist. During the seminar, the participants partnered up and worked on drills that he demonstrated. One of his most impressive skills was his ability to land every kick in the EXACT same spot, consistently. My partner and I, both black belts with multiple years of experience in martial arts, struggled to merely execute the techniques properly, let alone to be concerned with consistency. And yet, isn’t consistency the key to success or failure?
“Enter the Dragon” is the final released movie of Bruce Lee before his tragic death. Bruce Lee is recognized around the world as the ultimate exponent of the ancient Oriental art form of self-defense, which was a combination of the best techniques from Karate, Judo, Hapkido, Tai-Chih and Kung-Fu.
Martial arts are becoming increasingly popular in this current day and age. This is partly due to ever increasing crime rates and rising obesity levels. Martial arts are a great way not just in regards to self-defence but also with keeping fit. It is a great way for children to get involved with martial arts from an early age. There are many benefits associated with this such as keeping fit, being able to defend themselves against the school bully. Learning martial arts gives your children a new found confidence which can help them overcome many obstacles which they face in life at that early age such as shyness and even concentrating on their homework. It also enables them to learn a skill which they can carry on into their adult life.