| ABOUT
JUDO Quick
Facts
 An Olympic
sport since 1962
Est.
1882 in Kodokan Japan
Practiced by
young, old, men and women everywhere
A great sport,
self-defense skill and fun recreation
Doesn't include
bunching or kicking attack techniques
Judo
means the gentle way, in Japanese. It was developed by Professor Jigoro Kano in
the 1880ˆ¢’Ǩ’Ñ¢s, and was derived from Ju-Jitsu (the gentle art). However, Ju-Jitsu
was anything but gentle. It was principally a fighting art for combat, with roots
extending back 1000 years to China.
Professor Kano was an educator in the Japanese school system and an expert in Ju-Jitsu. He
found that Ju-Jitsu was far too hazardous for the average participant, resulting in many  injuries. Professor Kano sought to develop a martial art, which
could be safely practiced by everyone as a sport and for physical fitness. He removed from
Ju-Jitsu all of the dangerous techniques. What remained were the throws, chokes and
grabbling techniques, which he further refined into what he called Judo.
The principle of maximum efficient use of power is the
foundation of Judo. Power, in this sense means both mental and physical power. Simply put,
it means to make the most efficient use of your and the opponents power ˆ¢’Ǩ’Äú against him
utilizing leverage and off-balancing, together with your opponentˆ¢’Ǩ’Ñ¢s size, strength, and
momentum, to throw him to the ground. Unlike Karate, Judo does not use any kicks or
punches.
Professor Kano began his Judo
in February 1882, and three months later The Kodokan Judo Center was established. Today,
The Kodokan is located in Tokyo in a modern eight-story building. The Kodokan has nearly
1.5 million members ˆ¢’Ǩ’Äú worldwide. The U.S. Judo Federation, the U.S. Judo Assoc., and
U.S. Judo Inc. govern Judo, here in America.
The goal of Professor Kano was to develop a
martial art, which could be utilized in physical education. In Japan, Judo is an integral
part of the physical education for many children and university students. In the U.S. it
is widely practiced in clubs and tournaments.#
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