Judo Martial Arts

Judo is the grappling and tumbling system developed by Kano Jigoro in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. It arises from earlier systems of jujutsu but it is a modern scientific system based on imported Western principles of mechanics and empiricism. Although often inappropriately translated as "The Gentle Way", there is nothing gentle about Judo. The meaning of the name is "The Flexible," or "Adaptable Method," where flexibility refers not to physical flexibility, but to mental/physical and tactical agility.

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There is no difference in principle between the skills of Judo and those of any other system of jujutsu. They consist in striking, grappling and tumbling skills including:

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• Forward rolls, backward rolls, and break falls (prone, lateral and supine).

• Posture, stance, footwork, body shifting, and maneuver.

• Grip, breaking balance, traps, trips, takedowns, throws, holds, pins, and strangulation.

• Attacking bodily targets with blunt impact.

• Monitoring, tracking, checks, blocks, parries, evasions, reverses, and escapes.

• Revival from unconsciousness, bone setting, and massage.

Most of the lethal skills of earlier jujutsu methods intended for warfighting purposes have been eliminated from Judo. Yet its tactical agility makes it an excellent framework into which to reintegrate these methods at will, which has been done with good results by many military establishments in the last century.