Judo

Judo is a form of martial arts which originated in Japan, and was founded by Kano Jigoro in 1882. The word Judo is comprised of two kanji: ju, which means gentleness or giving way, and do, meaning way of life. Thus Judo literally means "the gentle way" or "the way of giving way". Judo borrows from jujutsu the principle of using one's opponent's strength against him.

Kano saw jujutsu as a disconnected form of martial arts, and sought to unify it using the principle of "maximum efficiency." Jujitsu techniques which relied solely on superior strength were discarded or adapted in favor of those which involved redirecting the opponent's force, off-balancing the opponent, or making use of superior leverage.

The major component of judo is throwing techniques, along with some groundwork. The throwing techniques are comprised of standing moves, which include hand, hip, and foot/leg techniques, and sacrifice moves, which are divided into those in which the thrower falls backwards, and those in which he falls onto his side. The groundwork moves are divided into attacks against the opponent's joints, and holding techniques.

During practice, students use a sparring technique known as randori, which means "free practice." During randori, students, known as judoka, may attack each other with any jodo throw or grappling technique. Striking techniques, such as kicking and punching, along with knife and sword techniqes, are allowed during randori, but are forbidden in contests for reasons of safety. Also, the use of chokeholds and jointlocking, which can be very dangerous, are often restricted to those 13 years or older.

The object in a judo match is to throw opponents to the ground so that they land flat on their backs. Doing so results in the award of a full point that wins the match. Anything else, such as landing opponents on the hip or shoulder, are not scored as fractional points, but are used as tie-breakers in case neither competitor scores a full point.

Judoka are ranked according to skill and knowledge of judo, and the rank is shown by the color of the belt. There are two divisions of grades: student grades, known as kyu, and master grades, known as dan. Kyu colors traditionally start at white and progress through yellow, orange, green, blue, and brown. Dan grades may may continue through to black belt. All students wear a white uniform called Judogi for practice, but have the option to wear blue colored uniforms in international competitions.