Judo

Judo ({{ll|Japanese}}: 柔道 Jūdō; literally "gentle way") is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. Judo was developed from Jujutsu, and was founded by Dr. Jigoro Kano (嘉納治五郎) in 1882. The sport became the model of the modern Japanese martial arts, gendai budo, developed from old koryu schools.

Sport and beyond

Despite the literal meaning of judo being "the gentle way", competition judo is one the roughest and most demanding of sports. A World Championship or Olympic match lasts only 5 minutes, but will leave participants exhausted.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Without the kicking and punching so common to other martial arts, except in atemi-waza, which is taught to black belts, judo is often portrayed as friendlier than, for instance, karate. Proponents believe this contributes to judo being underrated as a method of self-defense. However, while throws executed with proper break falls on soft mats can seem light and graceful, their more practical application on a hard surface (and potentially with greater intent to harm) could be very dangerous. Even in the controlled environments of a match or dojo training session, injuries can easily occur due to a lapse in focus or overzealous application of a technique.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~