Judo. My journey to discover oriental martial arts continues.
Judo is a martial art born in Japan in the late 1800s and arrived in Italy in the 1920s. It derives from the ancient ju-jutsu. It was Jigoro kano, a fragile-looking professor, who modernized the rules and called it judo; which in Japanese means “the way of agility”. And in fact in this oriental discipline what matters is not strength but the ease of movement and balance. It is therefore also very suitable for little girls because it gives them elasticity and elegance.
The best age to start practicing judo is around ten years old. But only from the age of thirteen/fourteen can one undertake competitive activity.
The aim of this martial art is to make the opponent lose balance and then attack him and make him fall to the mat (tatami). Or when you are both on the ground you try to immobilize him. However, don’t worry: accidents in this discipline are very rare and never serious.
The techniques used are many, but the secret is only one: to follow the opponent’s moves with intelligence and flexibility, to win him. Akiyama, a master of the 1600s, loved to remember that the willow bends but does not break during the typhoons that periodically hit the coasts of Japan. On the contrary, the oak, which is much more massive than the slender willow, falls to the ground with ease.
Obviously, at least as far as learning this noble martial art is concerned, one must immediately learn to fall lightly and gently: in this way there are no risks. But judo, like all sports, must also be fun and games, especially for the younger ones; the little ones who are approaching this activity for the first time. And the masters know this! The only sore point, if I may say so, was that women once could not be admitted to the Olympics. Furthermore, men were only admitted in 1972. The admission of women’s judo to the Olympics dates back to 1992 and since then the format has evolved with the introduction of more weight categories and the mixed team event. Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 we moved to a greater number of weight categories reaching the current seven for men and women.
To train and compete you need the judogi : a white costume consisting of a jacket and trousers. The belt to tighten at the waist changes color according to the student’s skill: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black, white and red, red. Cheating is prohibited!! The belts depending on the color must be purchased only after passing the exam to move to the higher color.
Small judo glossary:
AND it is the degree of skill of the black belts: the others are divided into Kyu (i.e. into classes)
DOJO it is the martial arts gym. In ancient times it was also the place where the bonzes meditated
JUDOKA is someone who practices judo. This noun remains unchanged in both gender and number
KODAKAN it is the most widespread style of judo in the world. It was created by Jigoro Kano in 1882
KUMI it is the opponent’s grip: with the right hand you grab his collar and with the left his right sleeve
OBI it is the judogi belt on which one’s name is embroidered in Japanese characters
REI it is the greeting that teachers and students exchange at the beginning and end of each training session
SENSEI he is the master who teaches martial arts. This title is only available to black belts
TORI it is the student who performs the various techniques by attacking the partner in front of him
UKE he is the student who suffers Tori’s attacks and who naturally tries to parry them
He came they are the techniques of judo. Each has its own name
ZEN it is the Buddhist sect from which the J udoka draws inspiration for meditation after training. And….until the next martial art……
Article by: Marinella Chiorino
