Judo (Olympic sport since 1964)

   About

   Judo means "the gentle way" in Japanese. Of course, it is derived in part from jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors, and everything is relative. While throwing opponents to the floor wins most matches, it is the only Olympic sport where submission holds allow choking an opponent or breaking an arm.

   Developed by Dr Jigoro Kano in the 1880s, the sport broke into the Olympic Games in 1964 at Tokyo. The host country could add one sport, and Japan chose judo. Four weight classes were established, and Japanese entries promptly won three.

   However, in the fourth, the open class, a 1.98-metre Dutchman named Anton Geesink defeated three-time Japanese national champion Kaminaga Akio before 15,000 people at Nippon Budokan Hall. And then he beat him again. It followed victories earlier in the year over other top Japanese opponents, deeply bruising the theory that a skilled judoka could defeat any opponent of any size.

   Competition

   Women's judo was added to the Olympic programme in 1992. Men and women now compete in seven weight classes each, and 400 judoka competed at the Sydney 2000 Games. Men's contests last five minutes. Women's contests last four.

   Judoka compete in a single-elimination tournament after being divided into two pools by a draw. An unusual twist is that two bronze medals are awarded. To determine them, all judoka who lose to one of the two pools' semi-finalists fall into a further single-elimination bracket within the same groups. The winner in each of those groups faces the runner-up of the opposite group in the matches for bronze.

   List of events

   -- + 100kg (heavyweight) Men

   -- - 60 kg Men

   -- 60 - 66kg (half-lightweight) Men

   -- 66 - 73kg (lightweight) Men

   -- 73 - 81kg (half-middleweight) Men

   -- 81 - 90kg (middleweight) Men

   -- 90 - 100kg (half-heavyweight) Men

   -- + 78kg (heavyweight) Women

   -- - 48kg (extra-lightweight) Women

   -- 48 - 52kg (half-lightweight) Women

   -- 52 - 57kg (lightweight) Women

   -- 57 - 63kg (half-middleweight) Women

   -- 63 - 70kg (middleweight) Women

   -- 70 - 78kg (half-heavyweight) Women

History

   Discipline's origin

   Judo is a traditional Japanese wrestling sport. The word ju-do means the "gentle way." The term first appears in the 1st century chronicles of Chinese emperor Kuang Wu. The first part of the word, ju, means gentleness or pliancy, and reflects the fact that judo emphasises yielding to an opponent's strength to overcome them, rather than attempting to defeat them by force. Do is a Japanese term meaning "the way" and is similar to the Chinese tao.

   Judo was developed in Japan from the older schools of jujitsu, a term meaning "gentle technique." In the 19th century, various judo schools began to develop techniques differing from jujitsu. Dr. Jigoro Kano (1860-1938) combined the features of the various schools of the sport and codified the rules. Kano stressed the philosophical tenets of judo and eliminated many of the dangerous parts of jujitsu. Kano developed what is termed Kodokan judo, opening his first school, or dojo, in 1882. Kano was a long-time member of the International Olympic Committee.

   Judo developed slowly in other nations, with the first international match taking place in 1926 between the Japanese Budokwai School and a German national team.

   Olympic history

   Judo made its first Olympic appearance in 1964, but then it was not included on the programme of the 1968 Olympic Games. However, Judo again returned to the Olympic fold in 1972, and women's judo was added to the programme at the 1992 Olympics. The sport, not surprisingly, has been dominated by the Japanese, followed by the French, and the Koreans have also won many medals. There are currently seven weight classes for both men and women. Originally, men also competed at the Olympics in an open class, which was open to judoka of any weight, but this event was discontinued after the 1984 Olympic Games.

Equipment

   Tape

   Two pieces of tape, one blue and one white, appear on the middle of the contest area.

   The mat

   The competition area in judo is comprised of vinyl-covered foam mats, or tatami.

   Uniforms

   The judoka wear loose-fitting judo uniforms called judogi, consisting of pants, a jacket and a belt tied at the waist

Glossary

   Armlock: The legitimate application of pressure to an opponent's elbow joint to gain a submission.

   Body drop: A common throw where a judoka, assuming a right handed stance, having turned forward to the left so the left foot is outside the opponent's left foot, places the right forearm under the opponent's left armpit, moves the right foot to the outside of the opponent's right foot so the leg is beneath the opponent's right knee and throws the opponent forward over the right outstretched leg; also called "tai-oshi".

   Bout: A contest between two judo competitors.

   Choke hold: Any legitimate judo hold where the main component is choking or strangling an opponent by encircling the neck with an arm, the legs or the lapels; also called a "strangle hold".

   Chui: A serious penalty awarded against a judoka for an offence, giving the opponent a yuko.

   Cross armlock: A common armlock where a judoka lies on the back at right angles to the opponent, controlling the opponent's left arm between both legs while the left foot is under the opponent's right shoulder, the right leg is over the opponent's throat, and the opponent's left elbow is lying on the judoka's abdomen, then stretches the opponent's left arm and bends the elbow back; also called "ude-hishigi-juji-gatame".

   Dan: A grade of black belt.

   Danger zone: The one-metre red area that borders the contest area and alerts judoka that they are nearly out of bounds.

   Entangled armlock: A common armlock where a judoka lies to the right side of the opponent with the chest on the opponent's chest, grips the opponent's left wrist with the left hand, passes the other arm beneath the opponent's bent left arm and grips his or her own left wrist, then raises the opponent's left elbow and pulls the opponent's left wrist toward himself or herself; also called "ude-garami".

   Extra lightweight: A judo weight division where the maximum is 60 kilograms for men and 48 for women.

   Hadaka-jime: A common strangle or choke hold where the judoka chokes the opponent from behind, pressing the right forearm to the front of the opponent's neck with the front inside edge of the wrist on the throat; also called a "naked strangle".

   Hajime: The referee's command to start a judo bout.

   Half cross strangle: A common strangle or choke hold where a judoka strangles the opponent from the front by grasping the opponent's lapels with crossed hands (the top hand with the thumb inside the lapel) and pulling the opponent toward himself or herself; also called "kata-juji-jime".

   Half heavyweight: A judo weight division where the maximum is 100kg for men and 78 for women.

   Half lightweight: A judo weight division where the maximum is 66kg for men and 52 for women.

   Half middleweight: A judo weight division where the maximum is 81kg for men and 63 for women.

   Hansoku-make: A disqualification awarded against a judoka for an offence, giving the opponent an "ippon", or automatic victory.

   Harai-goshi: A common throw where a judoka turns forward to the left with the back toward the opponent, places the right hip against the opponent's abdomen, draws the opponent's upper body onto his or her back, then sweeps the opponent's leg up and backward with the right thigh and throws the opponent forward; also called a "sweeping hip".

   Heavyweight: A judo weight division for men weighing more than 100kg and women weighing more than 78.

   Hidari: Left

   Inner thigh: A common throw where a judoka, having turned forward to the left with the back toward the opponent, swings the right leg between the opponent's legs to sweep against the inside of the opponent's left thigh, then bends over and throws the opponent forward; also called "uchi-mata".

   Ippon: One point scored in a single manoeuvre to win a bout, either by throwing the opponent onto his or her back with force, speed and control, by holding an opponent for 25 seconds or by gaining submission to a strangle hold or armlock.

   Judogi: A competitor's judo uniform, consisting of loose-fitting pants and jacket and a belt tied at the waist.

   Judoka: One or more practitioners of judo.

   Kami-shiho-gatame: A common hold-down where a judoka approaches the opponent from behind and over the head, pins the opponent's arms to the sides and grips the opponent's belt on each side of the waist; also called an "upper four-corners or quarter hold".

   Kata-juji-jime: A common strangle or choke hold where a judoka strangles the opponent from the front by grasping the opponent's lapels with crossed hands (the top hand with the thumb inside the lapel) and pulling the opponent toward himself or herself; also called a "half cross strangle".

   Keikoku: A grave penalty awarded against a judoka for an offence, giving the opponent a waza-ari, or half-point.

   Kesa-gatame: A common hold-down where a judoka lies across the opponent's upper body from the side, encircles the opponent's neck with the right arm and holds the opponent's other arm tightly under his or her left armpit; also called a "scarf hold".

   Koka: A minor score, rated less than a yuko and given to a judoka for either completing a throw with only one of the four scoring criteria for an ippon or holding an opponent for 10 to 15 seconds.

   Kyo: A set of throws.

   Lightweight: Lightweight

   Major inner reap: A common throw where a judoka sweeps the opponent's left leg off the ground by using the back of the right leg from the inside in a semi-circular motion; also called "o-uchi-gari".

   Major outer reap: A common throw where a judoka steps forward to the left with the left foot and, using the back of the right leg, sweeps the opponent's right leg off the ground from behind; also called "o-soto-gari".

   Matte: The referee's command to stop a bout temporarily.

   Middleweight: A judo weight division where the maximum is 90kg for men and 70 for women.

   Migi: Right

   Nage-waza: Throwing technique or techniques.

   Naked strangle: A common choke or strangle hold where a judoka chokes the opponent from behind, pressing the right forearm to the front of the opponent's neck with the front inside edge of the wrist on the throat; also called "hadaka-jime".

   Ne-waza: The act of grappling with the opponent in an attempt to secure a legitimate hold.

   Obi: The belt worn by practitioners of judo.

   Osaekomi: The referee's command to begin timing a hold.

   Osaekomi-toketa: The referee's command to stop timing a hold.

   O-soto-gari: A common throw where a judoka steps forward to the left with the left foot and, using the back of the right leg, sweeps the opponent's right leg off the ground from behind; also called a "major outer reap".

   O-uchi-gari: A common throw where a judoka sweeps the opponent's left leg off the ground by using the back of the right leg from the inside in a semi-circular motion; also called a "major inner reap".

   Reap: To sweep an opponent's legs from under him or her.

   Safety zone: The three-metre-wide outer area of the competition area, which is out of bounds.

   Scarf hold: A common hold-down where a judoka lies across the opponent's upper body from the side, encircles the opponent's neck with the right arm and holds the opponent's other arm tightly under his or her left armpit; also called "kesa-gatame".

   Seoi-nage: A common throw where a judoka turns forward to the left with the back to the opponent, bends the knees and inserts the right forearm under the opponent's armpit, then throws the opponent to the front over the right shoulder; also called a "shoulder throw".

   Shido: A minor penalty awarded against a judoka for an offence, whereby the opponent scores a koka.

   Shoulder throw: A common throw where a judoka turns forward to the left with the back to the opponent, bends the knees and inserts the right forearm under the opponent's armpit, then throws the opponent to the front over the right shoulder; also called "seoi-nage".

   Side four corner or quarter hold: A common hold-down where a judoka lies on the stomach at right angles to the opponent with the upper body over the opponent's upper body, places the right arm between the opponent's legs and grips the belt from underneath, then passes the left arm under the opponent's neck and grips the opponent's jacket on the left shoulder while bringing the right knee into the opponent's right hip; also called "yoko-shiho-gatame".

   Sono-mama: The referee's command to freeze, with the judoka stopping all action and holding their positions.

   Soremade: The referee's command to end a bout.

   Strangle hold: A common throw where a judoka turns forward to the left with the back toward the opponent, places the right hip against the opponent's abdomen, draws the opponent's upper body onto his or her back, then sweeps the opponent's leg up and backward with the right thigh and throws the opponent forward; also called "harai-goshi".

   Tai-oshi: A common throw where a judoka, having turned forward to the left so the left foot is outside the opponent's left foot, then places the right forearm under the opponent's left armpit, moves the right foot to the outside of the opponent's right foot so the leg is beneath the opponent's right knee and throws the opponent forward over the right outstretched leg; also called a "body drop".

   Tatami: The vinyl-covered foam mats that make up the competition area in judo.

   Tori: The judoka on the offensive.

   Uchi-mata: A common throw where a judoka, having turned forward to the left with the back toward the opponent, swings the right leg between the opponent's legs to sweep against the inside of the opponent's left thigh, then bends over and throws the opponent forward; also called an "inner thigh".

   Ude-garami: A common armlock where a judoka lies to the right side of the opponent with the chest on the opponent's chest, grips the opponent's left wrist with the left hand, passes the other arm beneath the opponent's bent left arm and grips his or her own left wrist, then raises the opponent's left elbow and pulls the opponent's left wrist toward himself or herself; also called an "entangled armlock".

   Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame: A common armlock where a judoka lies on the back at right angles to the opponent, controlling the opponent's left arm between both legs while the left foot is under the opponent's right shoulder, the right leg is over the opponent's throat, and the opponent's left elbow is lying on the judoka's abdomen, then stretches the opponent's left arm and bends the elbow back; also called a "cross armlock".

   Uke: The judoka on the defensive.

   Upper four comers hold: A common hold-down where a judoka approaches the opponent from behind and over the head, pins both of the opponent's arms to the sides and grips the opponent's belt on each side of the waist; also called "kami-shiho-gatame".

   Waza: Technique

   Waza-ari: A half-point, awarded for either a throw meeting three scoring criteria or holding the opponent for 20 seconds.

   Yoko-shiho-gatame: A common hold-down where a judoka lies on the stomach at right angles to the opponent with the upper body over the opponent's upper body, places the right arm between the opponent's legs and grips the belt from underneath, then passes his or her left arm under the opponent's neck and grips the opponent's jacket on the left shoulder while bringing the right knee into the opponent's right hip; also called a "side four comers hold".

   Yoshi: The referee's command to continue a bout after a stoppage.

   Yuko: Meaning "almost waza-ari", a score given to a judoka for either completing a throw which has two of the four scoring criteria for an ippon or holding an opponent for 15 to 20 seconds.