logosize	spc
imagecaption	Kyuzo Mifune (l) and Jigoro Kano (r).
name	Judo柔道
aka	Kano Jiu-Jitsu, Kano Jiu-Do, Kodokan Jiu-Do
focus	Grappling
country	Japan
hardness	Full Contact
creator	Kanō Jigorō
parenthood	Various koryū jūjutsu schools, principally Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū and Kito-ryū
famous pract	Tomita Tsunejirō, Saigō Shirō, Mitsuo Maeda, Kyuzo Mifune, Keiko Fukuda, Masahiko Kimura, Anton Geesink, Yasuhiro Yamashita, Neil Adams, Hidehiko Yoshida, David Douillet, Kosei Inoue, Teddy Riner
descendant arts	Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kosen Judo, Sambo, Daido Juku, Nippon Kempo
olympic	Since 1964 (men) and 1992 (women)
website	International Judo Federation (IJF) The Kodokan }}

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Kano Jigoro. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking or by executing a strangle hold or choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defences are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori).

The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from . The worldwide spread of judo has led to the development of a number of offshoots such as Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Practitioners of judo are called judoka.

History and philosophy

Early life of the founder

The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanese polymath and educator . Kano was born into a relatively affluent family. His father, Jirosaku, was the second son of the head priest of the Shinto Hiyoshi shrine in Shiga Prefecture. He married Sadako Kano, daughter of the owner of Kiku-Masamune sake brewing company and was adopted by the family, changing his name to Kano, and ultimately became an official in the Bakufu government.

Jigoro Kano had an academic upbringing and, from the age of seven, he studied English, and the under a number of tutors. When he was fourteen, Kano began boarding at an English-medium school, Ikuei-Gijuku in Shiba, Tokyo. The culture of bullying endemic at this school was the catalyst that caused Kano to seek out a at which to train. Several years passed before he finally found a willing teacher.

In 1877, as a student at the Tokyo-Kaisei school (soon to become part of the newly-founded Tokyo Imperial University), Kano learned that many jujutsu teachers had been forced to pursue alternative careers, frequently opening . After inquiring at a number of these, Kano was referred to Fukuda Hachinosuke (c.1828–1880), a teacher of the of jujutsu, who had a small nine mat dojo where he taught five students. Fukuda is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kano's emphasis on in Judo.

On Fukuda's death in 1880, Kano, who had become his keenest and most able student in both randori and , was given the of the Fukuda dojo. Kano chose to continue his studies at another Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū school, that of Iso Masatomo (c.1820–1881). Iso placed more emphasis on the practice of kata, and entrusted randori instruction to assistants, increasingly to Kano. Iso died in June 1881 and Kano went on to study at the dojo of Iikubo Tsunetoshi (1835–1889) of . Like Fukuda, Iikubo placed much emphasis on randori, with Kitō-ryū having a greater focus on .

Founding of the Kodokan

In February 1882, Kano founded a school and dojo at the , a Buddhist temple in what was then the Shitaya ward of Tokyo (now the Higashi Ueno district of Taitō ward). Iikubo, Kano's Kitō-ryū instructor, attended the dojo three days a week to help teach and, although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name , and Kano had not yet received his in Kitō-ryū, this is now regarded as the Kodokan founding.

The Eisho-ji dojo was a relatively small affair, consisting of a twelve mat training area. Kano took in resident and non-resident students, the first two being Tsunejiro Tomita and Shiro Saigo. In August, the following year, the pair were granted grades, the first that had been awarded in any martial art.

Judo versus Jujutsu

Central to Kano's vision for Judo were the principles of and . He illustrated the application of seiryoku zen'yō with the concept of :

Kano realised that seiryoku zen'yō, initially conceived as a Jujitsu concept, had a wider philosophical application. Coupled with the Confucianist-influenced jita kyōei, the wider application shaped the development of Judo from a to a . Kano rejected techniques that did not conform to these principles and emphasised the importance of efficiency in the execution of techniques. He was convinced that practice of Jujutsu while conforming to these ideals was a route to self-improvement and the betterment of society in general. He was, however, acutely conscious of the Japanese public's negative perception of Jujutsu:

Kano believed that "Jūjutsu" was insufficient to describe his art: although means "art" or "means", it implies a method consisting of a collection of physical techniques. Accordingly, he changed the second character to , meaning way, road or path, which implies a more philosophical context than jutsu and has a common origin with the Chinese concept of tao. Thus Kano renamed it .

Judo waza (techniques)

There are three basic categories of in Judo: , and . Judo is most known for nage-waza and katame-waza.

Judo practitioners typically devote a portion of each practice session to , in order that nage-waza can be practiced without significant risk of injury. Several distinct types of ukemi exist, including ; ; ; and

The person who performs a waza is known as and the person to whom it is performed is known as .

Nage waza (throwing techniques)

Nage waza include all techniques in which tori attempts to throw or trip uke, usually with the aim of placing uke on his back. Each technique has three distinct stages: , the initial balance break; , the act of turning in and fitting into the throw; , the actual execution of the throw.

Nage waza are typically drilled by the use of , repeated turning-in, taking the throw up to the point of kake.

Traditionally, nage waza are further categorised into , throws that are performed with tori maintaining an upright position, and , throws in which tori sacrifices his upright position in order to throw uke.

Tachi-waza are further subdivided into , in which tori predominantly uses his arms to throw uke; throws that predominantly use a lifting motion from the hips; and , throws in which tori predominantly utilises his legs.

A throw that places the opponent on his back with impetus and control scores , winning the contest. A lesser throw, where the opponent is throwin onto his back, but with insufficient force to merit an ippon, scores . Two scores of waza-ari equal ippon. A throw that places the opponent onto his side scores . No amount of yukos equal a waza-ari, they are only considered in the event of an otherwise tied contest.

Katame-waza (grappling techniques)

Katame-waza is further categorised into , in which tori traps and pins uke on his back on the floor; , in which tori attempts to force a submission by choking or strangling uke; and , in which tori attempts to submit uke by painful manipulation of his joints.

A related concept is that of , in which waza are applied from a non-standing position.

Kansetsu-waza is currently limited, outside of kata, to elbow joint manipulation.

Ippon is scored in ne-waza for pinning an opponent on his back with a recognised osaekomi-waza for 25 seconds and by forcing a submission through shime-waza or kansetsu-waza. A submission is signalled by tapping the mat or the opponent at least twice with the hand or foot, or by saying . A pin lasting for less than 25 seconds, but more than 20 seconds scores waza-ari and one lasting less than 20 seconds but more than 15 seconds scores yuko.

Atemi-waza (striking techniques)

Atemi-waza are techniques in which tori disables uke with a strike to a vital point. Atemi-waza are not permitted outside of kata.

Pedagogy

Randori (free practice)

Judo pedagogy emphasizes . This term covers a variety of forms of practice, and the intensity at which it is carried out varies depending on intent and the level of expertise of the participants. At one extreme, is a compliant style of randori, known as , in which neither participant offers resistance to their partner's attempts to throw. A related concept is that of , in which an experienced judoka allows himself to be thrown by his less-experienced partner. At the opposite extreme from yakusoku geiko is the hard style of randori that seeks to emulate the style of Judo seen in competition. While hard randori is the cornerstone of Judo, over-emphasis of the competitive aspect is seen as undesirable by traditionalists if the intent of the randori is to "win" rather than to learn.

Randori is usually limited to either tachi waza (standing techniques) or ne waza (ground work) and, when one partner is thrown in tachi waza randori, practice is resumed with both partners on their feet.

Kata (forms)

are pre-arranged patterns of techniques and in judo, with the exception of the Seiryoku-Zen'yō Kokumin-Taiiku, they are all practised with a partner. Their purposes include illustrating the basic principles of judo, demonstrating the correct execution of a technique, teaching the philosophical tenets upon which judo is based, allowing for the practice of techniques that are not allowed in randori, and to preserve ancient techniques that are historically important but are no longer used in contemporary judo.

There are ten kata that are recognized by the Kōdōkan today:

, comprising two kata:

Fifteen throws, practiced both left- and right-handed, three each from the five categories of nage waza: te waza, koshi waza, ashi waza, ma sutemi waza and yoko sutemi waza.

. Fifteen techniques in three sets of five, illustrating the three categories of katame waza: osaekomi waza, shime waza and kansetsu waza.

. Twenty techniques, illustrating the principles of defence in a combat situation, performed from kneeling and standing positions. Attacks are made unarmed and armed with a dagger and a sword. This kata utilises atemi waza, striking techniques, that are forbidden in randori. . The most recent recognised kata, comprising twenty-one techniques of defence against attack from an unarmed assailant and one armed with a knife, stick and pistol. This kata incorporates various jujutsu techniques such as wrist locks and atemi waza. . Fifteen techniques, arranged in three sets of five, demonstrating the principle of Jū and its correct use in offence and defence. . One of the oldest kata, comprising ten forms that illustrate the efficient use of force and resistance. Now rarely practiced. . An advanced kata, illustrating the principle of seiryoku zen'yō and the movements of the universe. . Derived from Kitō-ryū jūjutsu, this kata was originally intended to be performed wearing armour. Kano chose to preserve it as it embodied the principles of Judo. . A series of exercises designed to develop the physique for Judo.

In addition, there are a number of commonly practiced kata that are not recognised by the Kōdōkan. Some of the more common kata include:

kata of counter techniques developed at Waseda University in Tokyo, popularised in the West by Mikonosuke Kawaishi. Another kata of counter techniques, created by Kyuzo Mifune.

Shiai (contest)

History of shiai

is a vitally important aspect of Judo. Early examples include the Kodokan and the biannual , both of which started in 1884 and continue to the present day.

In 1899 a committee of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai chaired by Jigoro Kano drew up the first formal set of rules for Judo contests. Wins were by two ippons, awarded for throwing the opponent onto his back or by pinning them on their back for a "sufficient" amount of time or by submission. Submissions could be achieved via shime-waza or kansetsu-waza. Finger, toe and ankle locks were prohibited. Contests were set at 15 minutes long. In 1900, these rules were adopted by the Kodokan with ammendments made to prohibit all joint locks for kyu grades and added wrist locks to the prohibited kansetsu-waza for dan grades. It was also stated that the ratio of tachi-waza to ne-waza should be between 70% to 80% for kyu grades and 60% to 70% for dan grades.

In 1916, additional rulings were brought in to further limit kansetsu waza with the prohibition of ashi garami and neck locks, as well as do jime. These were further added to in 1925, in response to , which concentrated on ne waza at the expense of tachi waza. The new rules banned all remaining joint locks except those applied to the elbow and prohibited the dragging down of an opponent to enter ne waza.

The were first held in 1930 and have been held every year, with the exception of the wartime period between 1941 and 1948, and continue to be the highest profile tournament in Japan. The first time judo was seen in the Olympics was at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, where Kano and about 200 judo students gave a demonstration.

Judo became an Olympic sport for men in the 1964 Games in Tokyo. The Olympic Committee initially dropped judo for the 1968 Olympics, meeting protests. Dutchman Anton Geesink won the first Olympic gold medal in the open division of judo by defeating Akio Kaminaga of Japan. Judo then lost the image of being "Japanese only" and went on to become one of the most widely practised sports in the world. Following lobbying by Rena Kanokogi and others, the women's event was introduced in 1988 as a demonstration event, and an official medal event in 1992. Men and women compete separately, although they often train together. Paralympic judo has been a Paralympic sport (for the visually impaired) since 1988; it is also one of the sports at the Special Olympics.

Current international contest rules

The traditional rules of judo are intended to avoid injuries to the participants and ensure proper etiquette. Some later additions to the rules were motivated by a desire to make the sport more interesting to observers.

Penalties may be given for being inactive during the match, or for using illegal techniques. Fighting must be stopped if a participant is outside the designated area on the mat (tatami). If the referee and judges need to discuss something during groundwork, the referee will call sono-mama (used in the sense "do not move", literally "as-is") and both fighters must stop in the position they are in. When they are done, the referee says yoshi and the match continues.

All scores and penalties are given by the referee. The judges can make a decision that changes the score or penalty given by the referee.

There are slight differences to IJF rules to accommodate blind judo.

Competition scoring

The object in a judo match is to throw the opponent to the ground on his shoulder; to pin him to the ground principally on his back; or to force him to submit to a choke, strangle or an armlock. Any of these score ippon (一本), immediately winning the match.

Judo has three grades of score: ippon, waza-ari and yuko. An ippon literally means "one point" and wins the match. An ippon is awarded for (a) a throw that lands the opponent largely on their back in a controlled manner with speed and force; (b) for a mat hold of sufficient duration (twenty five seconds); or (c) for opponent submission. A waza-ari is awarded for a throw that does not quite have enough power or control to be considered ippon; or for a hold of twenty seconds. A waza-ari is a half-point, and, if two are scored, they constitute the full point needed for a win.

Yuko is a lower grade of score, and only counts as a tie-breaker; it is not cumulative with other yuko scores. Scoring is lexicographic; a waza-ari beats any number of yuko, but a waza-ari and a yuko beat a waza-ari with no yuko. A fifteen-second hold down scores yuko. If the person who secured the hold down already has a waza-ari, they only need to hold the hold down for twenty seconds to score ippon by way of two waza-ari (waza-ari-awasete-ippon). Throws further lacking the requirements of an ippon or a waza-ari might score a yuko. So-called "skillful takedowns" are also permitted (e.g. the flying arm-bar) but do not score.

(There used to be a fourth score called koka but it was removed in 2009. When the koka was in use, it was a lower score than yuko. Like yuko, koka was purely a tiebreaker. It only counted when competitors had the same amount of waza-ari and yuko. A yuko would beat any number of koka.)

If the scores are identical at the end of the match, the contest is resolved by the Golden Score rule. Golden Score is a sudden death situation where the clock is reset to match-time, and the first contestant to achieve any score wins. If there is no score during this period, then the winner is decided by Hantei, the majority opinion of the referee and the two corner judges.

Representation of scores

Judo scoreboards show the number of waza-ari and yuko scores scored by each player. (A score of koka was also displayed until its use was abandoned in 2009.) Often an ippon is not represented on the scoreboard, because upon award of an ippon the match is immediately terminated. Some computerized scoreboards will briefly indicate that an ippon has been scored.

Scoreboards normally also show the number of penalties imposed on each player, and sometimes the number of medical visits for each. (Only two "medical" attentions are allowed for each competitor during a match—most often for minor bleeds.)

Electronic scoreboards also usually include timers for measuring both competition time and osekomi time.

Weight divisions

There are currently seven weight divisions, subject to change by governing bodies, and may be modified based on the age of the competitors:

Men
Under 60 kg	60–66 kg	66–73 kg	73–81 kg	81–90 kg	90–100 kg	Over 100 kg
Women
Under 48 kg	48–52 kg	52–57 kg	57–63 kg	63–70 kg	70–78 kg	Over 78 kg

Penalties

The first penalty is a warning, which is noted on the scoreboard. The second penalty is scored as "yuko" for the opponent. The third penalty is scored as "waza-ari". The fourth penalty is called "hansoku make," and is scored as an "ippon" for the opponent. With a "hansoku make" the match ends permanently. One can also get a direct "hansoku make" for serious rule violations. In this case, the player who got "hansoku make" is disqualified from the tournament.

In mixed martial arts

Related arts and derivatives

Kano Jigoro's Kodokan judo is the most popular and well-known style of judo, but is not the only one. The terms judo and jujutsu were quite interchangeable in the early years, so some of these forms of judo are still known as jujutsu or jiu-jitsu either for that reason, or simply to differentiate them from mainstream judo. From Kano's original style of judo, several related forms have evolved—some now widely considered to be distinct arts:

Olympic judo: This is the predominant form of Kodokan judo.

*Paralympic judo: modified for blind and visually impaired competitors.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ): In 1914, Mitsuyo Maeda introduced judo to Brazil. Maeda taught judo to Carlos Gracie (1902–1994) and others in Brazil. Gracie named their development of judo 'Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu' (one view is that at the time, in both Japan and Brazil, judo was sometimes known as 'Kano Jiu-Jitsu'). Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, considering itself independent of judo, did not follow later changes in international judo rules that were added to emphasize the standing phase of the fight, nor those rules that were introduced to ban the more dangerous techniques. Further, it evolved to greatly emphasize the ground aspect of judo, Judo Newaza, while disassociating itself with karate (see Gichin Funakoshi's friendship with Jigoro Kano) and various other forms of striking or attacking a vital point in favor of takedowns from both Judo and later from universal grappling moves such as double legs and virtually any form of takedown to get to the judo-newaza technique variations outlined by the Grace family. Maeda had other students in Brazil, e.g. Luis Franca who did not receive their black belts from any Gracie family member and who practised a very similar if not identical version of Judo, but certainly the art has been popularized internationally by the Gracie family.

Judo-do: In Austria, Julius Fleck and others developed a system of throwing intended to extend judo that they called "judo-do".

Kawaishi-ryū jujutsu: Teaching in France, Mikonosuke Kawaishi developed Kawaishi-ryū jujutsu as an alternative approach to instruction that continued to teach many techniques banned in modern Olympic/Kodokan judo competition.

: As a sub-style of Kodokan judo that became popularized in early 20th century Japanese inter-scholastic competition, Kosen style has the same range of techniques but greater latitude is permitted for ground technique. This style of judo—noticably similar to BJJ groundwork—is closer to the original early 1900s judo than current Olympic judo is.

Russian judo: This distinctive style of judo was influenced by Sambo. It is represented by well-known coaches such as Alexander Retuinskih and Igor Yakimov, and mixed martial arts fighters such as Igor Zinoviev, Fedor Emelianenko and Karo Parisyan. In turn, Russian judo has influenced mainstream judo, with techniques such as the flying armbar being accepted into Kodokan judo.

Sambo (especially Sport Sambo): Vasili Oshchepkov was the first European judo black belt under Kano. Oshchepkov went on to create Sambo partly from judo's influence, integrating native Russian wrestling and other combative techniques into his new system. Oshchepkov died during the political purges of 1937 for refusing to deny his education and dan-rank in Japanese judo under Kano. In their History of Sambo, Brett Jacques and Scott Anderson wrote that in Russia "judo and SOMBO were considered to be the same thing"—albeit with a different uniform and some differences in the rules.

Daido Juku: A hybrid mixed martial art which incorporates elements of both judo and Kyokushin.

Safety

Research shows that judo is a particularly safe sport for youths, though adult competitive judo has a higher incidence of injuries compared to non-collision or non-contact ball-sports for example, but similar to other competitive contact sports. In Judo, a majority of the time Judoka are taught to fall properly, although not many players actually use breakfalls in competitive judo (at a competition) as it is basically slamming your hand on the mat indicating to the referee that there has been an ippon scored.

Chokes

Although chokes are potentially lethal techniques, a properly applied choke hold, if released soon enough after submission or unconsciousness, causes no injury. Judo chokes are generally taught to the more experienced Judoka to help ensure the safety of the students. There is ample data demonstrating the safety of applying chokeholds, and training includes emergency care and resuscitation (kappo).

Throws

A properly applied throw performed in a controlled way should protect the opponent from injury. However injuries may result if, for example, the thrower (Tori) lands on the opponent (Uke) as a result of a sloppy or intentionally malicious throw, or if the tori performs a sloppy throw with disregard for uke's joints (e.g., improper Osoto gari or Tai otoshi applied with lateral force to the knee; or sloppy Soto makikomi or "drop" Ippon seoi nage resulting in excessive forces into uke's shoulder). To best prevent throwing injuries, proper throwing techniques should be thoroughly drilled by senseis before entering students into competition—via "fitting-in" drills (Uchi-komi's), prearranged forms (e.g., Nage-no-kata), and intense but controlled & supervised free-practice/sparring (Randori).

Judoka (practitioner)

A practitioner of Judo is known as a , though traditionally only those of 4th dan or higher were called "Judoka". The suffix , when added to a noun, means a person with expertise or special knowledge on that subject. Other practitioners below the rank of 4th dan used to be called . The modern meaning of Judoka refers to a Judo practitioner of any level of expertise.

A Judo teacher is called . The word sensei comes from sen or saki (before) and sei (life) – i.e. one who has preceded you. In Western dojo, it is common to call any instructor of dan grade sensei. Traditionally, that title was reserved for instructors of 4th dan and above.

Jūdōgi (uniform)

Judo practitioners traditionally wear white uniforms called , sometimes the abbreviated as gi. The jūdōgi was created by Kano in 1907, and similar uniforms were later adopted by many other martial arts. The modern jūdōgi consists of white or blue cotton drawstring pants and a matching white or blue quilted cotton jacket, fastened by an , coloured to indicate rank. The jacket is intended to withstand the stresses of grappling and, as a result, is much thicker than that of a . Jūdōgi are designed to allow an opponent to hold onto it, while karategi are made from slicker material so that an opponent cannot get a grip on the material.

The modern use of the blue jūdōgi was first suggested by Anton Geesink at the 1986 Maastricht IJF DC Meeting. For competition, a blue jūdōgi is worn by one of the two competitors for ease of distinction by judges, referees, and spectators. In Japan, both jūdōka use a white jūdōgi and the traditional red obi (based on the colors of the Japanese flag) is affixed to the belt of one competitor. Outside Japan, a colored obi may also be used for convenience in minor competitions, the blue jūdōgi only being mandatory at the regional or higher levels, depending on organisation. Japanese practitioners and traditionalists tend to look down on the use of blue because of the fact that Judo is considered a pure sport, and the replacing the pure white jūdōgi for the impure blue, is an offence.

For events organised under the auspices of the International Judo Federation (IJF), jūdōgi have to bear the IJF Official Logo Mark Label. This label demonstrates that the jūdōgi has passed a number of quality control tests to ensure it conforms to construction regulations ensuring it is not too stiff, flexible, rigid or slippery to allow the opponent to grip or to perform techniques.

Organizations

: The international governing body for Judo is the International Judo Federation (IJF), founded in 1951. Members of the IJF include the African Judo Union (AJU), the Pan-American Judo Confederation (PJC), the Judo Union of Asia (JUA), the European Judo Union (EJU) and the Oceania Judo Union (OJU), each comprising a number of national judo associations. The IJF is responsible for organising international competition and hosts the World Judo Championships and is involved in running the Olympic Judo events.

Numerous non-IJF affiliated organisations exist, often having a more traditional focus than some of the IJF-affiliated organisations, which are sometimes criticised for over-emphasising the competitive side of jūdō.

Rank and grading

Judoka are ranked according to skill and knowledge of judo, and their rank is denoted by a system of ranks in modern systems these ranks are reflected by their belt colours. Ranks are split into kyū grades and dan (Black belt grades. This kyu/dan ranking system was introduced into the martial arts by Kano and has since been widely adopted by modern martial arts as was. As initially designed, there were six student grades ranked in descending numerical order, with 1st kyū being the last before promotion to shodan (first degree black belt) jūdan (tenth degree black belt) has no formal requirements and is decided by the president of the Kodokan, currently Kano Jigoro's grandson Yukimitsu Kano (Kano Yukimitsu). Only fifteen individuals have been promoted to this rank by the Kodokan. On July 28, 2011, the promotion board of USA Judo awarded Sensei Keiko Fukuda the rank of 10th dan, she is the first woman to be promoted to judo's highest level.

Although dan ranks tend to be consistent between national organizations there is more variation in the kyū grades, with some countries having more kyū grades. Although initially kyū grade belt colours were uniformly white, today a variety of colours are used. The first black belts to denote a Dan rank in the 1880s, initially the wide obi was used; as practitioners trained in kimono, only white and black obi were used. It was not until the early 1900s, after the introduction of the judogi, that an expanded colored belt system of awarding rank was created.

See also

Judo techniques, partial list of judo techniques

The Canon Of Judo, a book by Kyuzo Mifune (1960)

The Principle of Ju

World Judo Championships

Judo at the Summer Olympics

List of judoka

List of celebrity judoka

List of Olympic medalists in judo

Paralympic judo

U.S. intercollegiate judo champions

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links

IJF International Judo Federation. The worldwide governing body for judo

Kodokan Judo Institute – Headquarters of judo (Kano Jigoro's school)

Category:Combat sports Category:Gendai budo * Category:Olympic sports Category:Japanese martial arts Category:Sport in Japan Category:Grappling Category:Zen art and culture

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name	Ronda Rousey
other names	Rowdy
birth name	Ronda Jean Rousey
birth date
birth place	Riverside County, California, United States
residence	Santa Monica, California, United States
nationality	American
height
weight
style	Judo
fighting out of	Santa Monica, California, United States
team	Team Hayastan
rank	Olympian and 4th dan black belt in Judo
mma win	3
mma subwin	3
mma loss	0
url	http://www.rondarousey.net/
sherdog	73073
updated	}}

}}

Ronda Rousey (born February 1, 1987 in Riverside County, California) is an American judoka and mixed martial artist. She formerly trained at the Olympic Training Center in Wakefield, Massachusetts under guidance of Jimmy Pedro and is now part of Team Hayastan in Santa Monica, California. Rousey trains under Gokor Chivichyan, Leo Frincu, and Gene Lebell along with Team Hayastan fighters such as Manny Gamburyan, Karen Darabedyan, Sako Chivitchian and Sevak Magakian.

Rousey is currently the #9-ranked 145-pound female MMA fighter in the world according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.

Olympic judo career

At just 17, Rousey qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the youngest judo player in the entire Games.

Also in 2004, Rousey won a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

In April 2006, she became the first U.S. female athlete in nearly 10 years to win an A-Level tournament as she went 5-0 to claim gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain. Later that year, the 19-year-old won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, becoming the first U.S. athlete ever to win two Junior World medals.

In February 2007, Rousey moved up to 70kg where she is currently ranked as one of the top three women in the world. She won the silver medal at the 2007 World Judo Championships in the middleweight division and the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan Am Games.

In August 2008, Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She lost her quarterfinal to the Dutch ex-world champion Edith Bosch but qualified for a Bronze medal match through the repechage bracket. Rousey defeated Annett Boehm by Yuko to win a bronze medal (note: Judo offers two bronze medals per weight class). With the victory, Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's judo since its inception as an Olympic sport in 1992.

Mixed martial arts career

Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur on August 6, 2010. She defeated Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds.

She entered the quarterfinals of the Tuff-N-Uff 145 lbs women's tournament on November 12, 2010 and submitted promotional veteran Autumn Richardson with an armbar in 57 seconds.

Rousey faced Taylor Stratford in the Tuff-N-Uff tournament semi-finals on January 7, 2011 and won by technical submission due to an armbar in 24 seconds. She then announced plans to turn pro and was replaced in the tournament.

Rousey made her professional mixed martial arts debut on March 27, 2011 at King of the Cage: Turning Point. She submitted Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds.

Rousey faced kickboxing champion Charmaine Tweet in an MMA bout at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship: School of Hard Knocks 12 on June 17, 2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She submitted Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds.

Rousey was scheduled to make her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D'Alelio on July 30, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The fight was pushed back and eventually took place on the Strikeforce Challengers 18 main card on August 12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rousey defeated D'Alelio by technical submission due to an armbar early in the first round. The victory was controversial as referee Steve Mazzagatti only stopped the fight because Rousey said "She said tap! She said tap!" In the replays it was proven that D'Alelio never submitted or verbally submitted.

Personal life

Ronda is a vegan and has a pet Dogo Argentino. Ronda's mother, Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, also has quite a decorated Judo career--including being the first person to represent the United States and win a World Judo Championship.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record

|- | Win | align="center" | 3-0 | Sarah D'Alelio | Technical Submission (Armbar) | Strikeforce Challengers 18 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win | align="center" | 2-0 | Charmaine Tweet | Submission (Armbar) | HKFC: School of Hard Knocks 12 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:49 | Calgary, Alberta | |- | Win | align="center" | 1-0 | Ediane Gomes | Submission (Armbar) | King of the Cage: Turning Point | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:25 | Los Angeles, California | |}

Amateur record

|- | Win | align="center" | 3-0 | Taylor Stratford | Technical Submission (Armbar) | Tuff-N-Uff: Las Vegas vs. 10th Planet Riverside | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:24 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win | align="center" | 2-0 | Autumn Richardson | Submission (Armbar) | Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win | align="center" | 1-0 | Hayden Munoz | Submission (Armbar) | Combat Fight League: Ground Zero | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:23 | Oxnard, California | |}

References

External links

Official Website

USA judo - Ronda Rousey bio

IOC - Ronda Rousey bio

Pedro's Judo Center

Ronda's blog

Video clips with Ronda on judovision.org

Interview with Ronda Rousey at JudoInfo.com

Category:1987 births Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:American judoka Category:American vegans Category:Judoka at the 2007 Pan American Games Category:Judoka at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic judoka of the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Living people Category:Olympic medalists in judo Category:Female mixed martial artists

fr:Ronda Rousey pl:Ronda Rousey pt:Ronda Rousey uk:Ронда Роузі zh:龙达·鲁西

Masahiko Kimura
Career Snapshot
Born
Died
Total Fights
Won
Lost
Draws
Tournaments Won		*All-Japan Collegiate Championships (1935)	*7th All Japan Judo Championship (1937)	*8th All Japan Judo Championship (1938)	*9th All Japan Judo Championship (1939)	*Ten-Ran Shiai tournament (1940)	*1947 West Japan Judo Championship	*1949 All Japan Judo Championship	*

name	Masahiko Kimura
birth date	September 10, 1917
birth place	Kumamoto, Japan
death date	April 18, 1993
death cause	Lung cancer
nationality	Japanese
height	170 cm
weight	85 kg
style	Judo
rank	7th dan Judo and Karate
occupation	Professional wrestler
university	Takushoku University
website
updated	}}

was a Japanese judoka (Judo practitioner) who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time. Kimura (5 ft 7in 170 cm; 85 kg, 187 lb) was born on September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto, Japan. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the reverse ude-garami arm lock is often called the "Kimura", due to his famous victory over Gracie Jiu-Jitsu co-creator Hélio Gracie.

Biography

Promoted to yodan (4th dan) at the age of 16 after six years of Judo. He had defeated six opponents (who were all 3rd and 4th dan) in a row. In 1935 at age 18 he became the youngest ever godan (5th degree black belt) when he defeated eight consecutive opponents at Kodokan (headquarters for the main governing body of Judo).

Kimura's remarkable success can in part be attributed to his fanatical training regimen. He reportedly lost only four judo matches in his lifetime, all occurring in 1935. He considered quitting judo after those losses, but through the encouragement of friends he began training again. He consistently practiced the leg throw Osoto Gari (Large Outer Reap) against a tree. After six months his technique was such that daily randori or sparring sessions at various dojos resulted in 10 people with concussions. Fellow students frequently asked him not to use his unorthodox Osoto Gari. At the height of his career Kimura's training involved a thousand push-ups and nine-hours practice every day. He was promoted to 7th dan at age 30, a rank that was frozen after disputes with Kodokan over becoming a professional wrestler, refusing to return the All Japan Judo Championship flag, and issuing dan ranks while in Brazil.

Kimura also entered Karate in his pursuit of martial arts, believing that karate would strengthen his hands. First he trained what today is known as Shotokan Karate under its founder Gichin Funakoshi for two years, but eventually switched to training Goju-Ryu Karate under So-Nei Chu (a pupil of Goju-ryu karate legend Chojun Miyagi) and finally became an assistant instructor, along with Gogen Yamaguchi and Masutatsu Oyama in his dojo. In his Autobiography, Kimura attributes the use of the makiwara (a karate training implement) as taught to him by So Neichu and his friend and training partner Masutatsu Oyama, as being a significant contributor to his consequent tournament success. He began using the makiwara daily prior to his first All Japan success and never lost another competition bout.

Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie

In 1949 after winning multiple fights against boxers and Savate fighters in Europe Kimura decided to go to Brazil after an invitation by Helio Gracie. In 1951, Kimura defeated Hélio Gracie of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu family in a submission Judo match held in Brazil. During the fight Kimura threw Gracie repeatedly with Ippon Seoinage (one arm shoulder throw), Ouchi Gari (major inner reap), Uchimata (inner thigh throw), Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw), and Osoto Gari (major outer reap). However, Helio Gracie had made sure the ground was heavily padded to prevent Kimura from being able to knock him out with throws. Unable to subdue Helio through throwing alone, the fight progressed into groundwork. Kimura maintained a dominance in the fight at this point by using techniques such as kuzure-kamishiho-gatame (modified upper four corner hold), kesa-gatame (scarf hold), and sankaku-jime (triangle choke). Thirteen minutes into the bout Kimura positioned himself to apply a reverse ude-garami (arm entanglement, a shoulderlock). Gracie did not submit to this technique which resulted in his elbow being dislocated as well as the radius and ulna bones being broken. Gracie's corner threw in the towel at this point, where it has been speculated that they delayed this action due to being instructed not to by Gracie.

In a 1994 interview with Nishi Yoshinori, Helio Gracie admitted that he had been rendered unconscious very early in the bout by a choke although Kimura released the choke and continued the bout. It is said that Kimura was so impressed by Helio's technique that he invited Helio to teach at the Imperial Academy of Japan.

As a tribute to Kimura's victory, the reverse ude-garami technique he used to defeat Gracie, has since been commonly referred to as the Kimura lock, or simply the Kimura, in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, more recently, mixed martial arts circles.

Kimura describes the event as follows:

"20,000 people came to see the bout including President of Brazil. Helio was 180cm and 80 kg. When I entered the stadium, I found a coffin. I asked what it was. I was told, "This is for Kimura. Helio brought this in." It was so funny that I almost burst into laughter. As I approached the ring, raw eggs were thrown at me. The gong rang. Helio grabbed me in both lapels, and attacked me with O-soto-gari and Kouchi-gari. But they did not move me at all. Now it's my turn. I blew him away up in the air by O-uchi-gari, Harai-goshi, Uchimata, Ippon-seoi. At about 10 minute mark, I threw him by O-soto-gari. I intended to cause a concussion. But since the mat was so soft that it did not have much impact on him. While continuing to throw him, I was thinking of a finishing method. I threw him by O-soto-gari again. As soon as Helio fell, I pinned him by Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame. I held still for 2 or 3 minutes, and then tried to smother him by belly. Helio shook his head trying to breathe. He could not take it any longer, and tried to push up my body extending his left arm. That moment, I grabbed his left wrist with my right hand, and twisted up his arm. I applied Udegarami. I thought he would surrender immediately. But Helio would not tap the mat. I had no choice but keep on twisting the arm. The stadium became quiet. The bone of his arm was coming close to the breaking point. Finally, the sound of bone breaking echoed throughout the stadium. Helio still did not surrender. His left arm was already powerless. Under this rule, I had no choice but twist the arm again. There was plenty of time left. I twisted the left arm again. Another bone was broken. Helio still did not tap. When I tried to twist the arm once more, a white towel was thrown in. I won by TKO. My hand was raised high. Japanese Brazilians rushed into the ring and tossed me up in the air. On the other hand, Helio let his left arm hang and looked very sad withstanding the pain."

Kimura in Professional Wrestling

In the early 1950s, Kimura was invited by Rikidōzan to compete as a professional wrestler. They performed both as tag team partners and as opponents, but Kimura was not marketed or publicized as much as Rikidōzan. The Rikidōzan vs. Kimura match for the Japanese Professional Wrestling Heavyweight title was the first high-profile match. The match, according to Kimura, was supposed to go to a draw and set up a series of rematches. But Rikidōzan, whether it was premeditated or in the heat of the moment, shot (began fighting for real) on Kimura and battered him unconscious with a series of open hand strikes, punches, and kicks (some of which were to the groin), and won the match by knockout. Kimura never received a rematch with Rikidōzan. Kimura describes the events as follows:

"''In November 1951, I founded Kokusai Pro Wrestling Association. After I came back from US doing pro wrestling matches, I did pro wrestling shows throughout Japan. In those days, Rikidozan also started a new organization called Japan Pro Wrestling Association. So, mass media started to talk about Kimura vs Rikidozan match. I met with Rikidozan and asked his opinion. He said, "That is a good idea. We will be able to build a fortune. Let's do it!" The 1st bout was going to be a draw. The winner of the 2nd will be determined by the winner of a paper-scissors-stone. After the 2nd match, we will repeat this process. We came to an agreement on this condition. As for the content of the match, Rikidozan will let me throw him, and I will let him strike me with a chop. We then rehearsed karate chop and throws. However, once the bout started, Rikidozan became taken by greed for big money and fame. He lost his mind and became a mad man. When I saw him raise his hand, I opened my arms to invite the chop. He delivered the chop, not to my chest, but to my neck with full force. I fell to the mat. He then kicked me. Neck arteries are so vulnerable that it did not need to be Rikidozan to cause a knock down. A junior high school kid could inflict a knock down this way. I could not forgive his treachery. That night, I received a phone call informing me that several ten yakuza are on their way to Tokyo to kill Rikidozan. ''"

On December 8, 1963, while partying in a Tokyo nightclub, Rikidōzan was stabbed with a urine-soaked blade by gangster Katsuji Murata who belongs to Bōryokudan Sumiyoshi-ikka. He died a week later of peritonitis on December 15.

Kimura formed International Pro Wrestling Force (IPWF), a promotion based in his hometown of Kumamoto, as a local affiliate of The Japan Wrestling Association (JWA). Although JWA later took over operations, IPWF is remembered for being the first Japanese promotion to introduce Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers.

Some biographers note that his professional wrestling career began shortly after his wife was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and it is speculated by some that he began professional wrestling to pay for her medication. Indeed, the predicament was likely beyond the financial means of a police instructor, which was his paying job prior to professional wrestling.

In the Korean film about Rikidozan released in 2004, Kimura is portrayed by Masakatsu Funaki but his surname is written Imura rather than Kimura.

Kimura vs. Valdemar Santana

Kimura went to Brazil again in 1959 to conduct his last Professional Judo/Wrestling tour. He was challenged by Valdemar Santana to a "real" (not choreographed) submission match. Santana was a champion in Gracie Jiujitsu and Capoeira. He was 27 years old, 6 feet tall, and weighed 205 lb. Santana had twice fought Hélio Gracie and won, both fights lasting more than three hours. Kimura threw Santana with seoinage, hanegoshi, and osotogari. He then applied his famous reverse ude-garami (entangled armlock), winning the match.

Santana requested a rematch under vale tudo rules—the first fight was apparently grappling only—and this time, the result was a draw after 40 minutes in a bout in which both competitors reportedly drew blood. Kimura fought this match despite having an injured knee, and was pressured by the promoter and police to fight against his doctors orders.

Death

Kimura died on April 18, 1993, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 75 years old.

Footnotes

Sources

Jim Chen M.D. Masahiko Kimura Biography

Masahiko Kimura (1984) Excerpt from My Judo

Hélio Gracie recalls the famous challenge match against Kimura - interviewed in 1994 by Nishi Yoshinori from Kakutou Striking Spirit

External links

Do you know Masahiko Kimura? - Long TV documentary of Japan

Performing the reverse ude-garami (Kimura) from closed guard

Performing the reverse ude-garami (Kimura) from top half-guard

Performing the reverse ude-garami (Kimura) from north-south position

See also

Takushoku University

Armlock

Shoulderlock

Kimura Masahiko Category:Japanese professional wrestlers Category:Takushoku University alumni Category:1917 births Category:1993 deaths Category:Deaths from lung cancer

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