Why Judo?
I made the decision many years ago that Judo would be the martial art for me. I came to this conclusion in Junior High School during PE class. We were learning to wrestle from our teacher Mr. Shone. Mr. Shone was a big guy (to a puny Junior High kid--he was a giant). He must have been
275 lbs and he was strong like an ox. During class he demonstrated a backward ukemi that he learned in Judo. He leaped up and landed with a huge slapping thud. It was awesome. That did it for me. If a guy his size can land on his back without suffering pain and anguish, Judo was my kind of sport.
Judo is physically and mentally demanding. Strength and flexibility are major focuses of Judo along with a sense of balance. Mentally, Judo is very much like a game of chess. You may know all of the moves, but if your opponent is not in position for you to execute a move, you must finesse your opponent into position.
I have never been as agile and stong as when I study Judo. When a 200+ lbs Judoka moves with grace and speed, it can be awe-inspiring. But, when a 200+ lbs Judoka gets thrown, it will make your knees shake. Getting thrown by Ouchi Gari......will take your breath away.

The Purpose of these pages

I started taking judo (beginnning on 4/23/01) at 29 years old. I work out with the Santa Clara PAL Judo Club.
These pages are a way for me to take notes during my training.
If the information is useful to you, please send me an email (quashnsa (at) yahoo (dot) com) and let me know what you think.

Terms and Vocabulary

• Do means "the way of" or "the art of".
  
• Gokyo no waza (it means "five groups of instruction") are the first 40 official techniques that were developed before 1920.
  
• Ju means gentle or giving-way.
  
• Judo means "the giving-way art" or "the gentle way".
  
• Judogi is the Judo uniform.
  
  
• Kachi is said to announce a winner during shiai.
  
• Kata means Forms.
  
• Kiotsuke, rei is the command to bow.
  
• Nage no Kata (Forms of Throwing) is practicing throws in a controlled step-by-step manner.
  
• Randori (free practice) is sparring to improve your skills.
  
• Rei is a bow.
  
• Shiai is a competition.
  
• Tori is a term used in Kata, it means taker or thrower. See Uke.
  
• Uke is a term used in Kata, it means receiver or "the one being thrown". See Tori.
  
• Ukemi is the practice of falling with minimal injury.
  
• Waza means Techniques.
  
• Wazaari is a half point during a shiai.
  
• Wazaari Awasete Ippon is that call made during shiai when one judoka has scored a second wazaari for the win.
  
  

Numbers

You should know these so when you are doing warm-up exercises, you can count in Japanese. It is embarasing to be the only one (or one of a few) who can't count to ten.

Word		Apporoximation
one	ichi	each
two	ni	knee
three	san	san
four	shi	she
five	go	go
six	roku	rock, rook
seven	shichi	see-ch
eight	hachi	haw-ch
nine	kyuu	queue, cue
ten	juu	chew

Judo Waza (Techniques)

Judo Waza are general techniques that are applied to a broad spectrum of attack and defence.
They fall into three general categories:


Nage Waza - Throwing techniques

Katame Waza - Grappling techniques

Atemi Waza - Striking techniques



These categories are further subdivided by the action taken or by the part of the body used.

• Nage Waza - Throwing techniques
  
  
  
  • tachi waza - standing techniques
    
    
    
    • koshi waza - hip techniques
      
    • te waza - hand techniques
      
    • ashi waza - foot techniques
      
    
    
  • sutemi waza - sacrifice techniques
    
    
    
    • ma sutemi waza - supine sacrifice techniques
      
    • yoko sutemi waza - side sacrifice techniques
      
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
• Katame Waza - Grappling techniques
  
  
  
  • osae komi waza - hold down techniques
    
  • kansetsu waza - joint techniques
    
  • shime (jime) waza - strangling techniques
    
  
  
  
• Atemi Waza - Striking techniques (never used in randori)
  
  
  
  • ude-ate - arm strikes
    
  • ashi-ate - leg strikes
    
  
  
  

Randori Waza (free practice)

During this "free practice", it is best to keep in mind that you are not setting out to hurt your training partner.
No Atemi waza can be used during randori and all malice should be wash away when you bow (rei).
Remember that this is a learning experience where each participant is learning from the others actions.

What I have seen is three types of randori: with a partner of similar skill levels,
with a partner of lower skill levels, and with a partner of higher skill levels.
The reason for the three types is to give three types of training. With younger, smaller, or less skilled partners, you should work on perfecting your forms and realize they are practicing their falls.
With people of higher skill levels, you should practice your ability to fall with minimal damage and learn from your partners skillful forms.
Last, partners of similar skill levels should practice their aggressive and gentle skills to be ready for competition.

Shiai (competition)

Tournament Description from JudoInfo.com [1, 2]
Tournament Description form Kodokan.org

Shiai Scoring

Points For	Points Against
Ippon (you win)	Hansoku make (very serious violation [you loose])
Waza ari (half Ippon)	Keikoku (serious viloation)
Yuko (almost Waza ari)	Chui (violation)
Koka (almost Yuko)	Shido (minor violation)
Wazaari Awasete Ippon 2 Wazaari = 1 Ippon

For further reading consult the Penalties page at JudoInfo.com.
Also, read the IJF Refereeing Rules for 1998. This is a good read for all beginners.

Judo Ranks

Adult Ranks English Japanese Belt Color Alternate Color 6th grade rokyu white 5th grade gokyu white green 4th grade yonkyu white purple 3rd grade sankyu brown 2nd grade nikyu brown 1st grade ikkyu brown

Black Belt Ranks English Japanese 1st degree shodan 2nd degree nidan 3rd degree sandan 4th degree yodan 5th degree godan 6th degree rokudan 7th degree shichidan 8th degree hachidan 9th degree kudan 10th degree judan

Kata (Forms)

Kata is one method of teaching judo; it is like a dance. Each partner has a role to play and all actions are pre-arranged.
This method involves simulated tactics to demonstrate the proper mechanics of a particular waza (technique).
Kata are illustrations of specific attacks and defenses.

Latest Moves

I have moved my class notes to a separate page (notes.html).

Judogis and Judo Supplies

References

1. Jigoro Kano, "Kodokan Judo", Kodansha International Press, 1994
   
2. http://www.JudoInfo.com
   
3. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA JUDO ASSOCIATION, INC. HOKKA JUDO YUDANSHAKAI
   
4. Santa Clara PAL Judo Club
   
   
   
   • Sensei Keith Watanabe (Godan)
     
   • Santa Clara Gymnastics Center
     
   • Earl Carmichael Park
     
   • 3445 Benton Street
     
   • Santa Clara, CA
     
   • Hours: M/W, 7:00 - 9:00pm
     
     
   
   
5. Judo Discussion Board
   
6. Links to other Judo information