A Judo player is called a Judoka.
Judo is one of the most popular martial arts and combat sports in the world and was created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano.
The word “judo” is derived from the Japanese words Ju (gentle) and do (way or path).
Judo players can be referred to as many different things depending on their rank and how they perform in tournaments.
There are three main types of judo players: the forward, the center, and the backward.
The forward player is the one who moves forward and tries to take down the opponent.
The center player is the one who guards the center of the mat and tries to keep the opponent from attacking.
And finally, the backward player is the one who moves backward and tries to avoid getting taken down.
What do you call a judo fight?
A judo fight is called a match. A judo match is a competition between two people, or teams of two people, to see who is the better judoka.
There are three types of matches in judo: The first type is the elimination match.
This is a match between two people to see who will move on to the next round of the competition. The second type is the team match.
This is a match between two teams of two people each. Whichever teams score two points first, wins the match. The third type is the contested match.
This is a match between two teams of three people each. Whichever teams score two points first, wins the match.
There are three main types of judo fights – standing known as tachi waza, throwing known as Nage Waza, and grappling known as kateme waza
In a standing fight, both fighters are on their feet and use striking techniques to try and knockout or stun their opponent.
10 Important terms in judo
Judo is a physical and mental discipline that teaches self-defense, balance, and control.
To participate in judo, you need to be familiar with the terminology. Here are 10 important terms you need to know.
- Ippon
- Waza-Ari
- Yuko
- Koka
- Shido
- Hansoku-Make
- Kanstesu-Waza
- Nage-waza
- Atemi-Waza
- Ma-Sutemi-Waza
Ippon
Ippon is the term used in judo for a full point.
In judo, one point is equivalent to a knock-out or submission. Ippon can be earned in several ways, such as scoring a clean takedown, completing a throw with perfect form, or executing a joint lock or chokehold that causes the opponent to submit.
In competition, ippon is typically the final result that decides the winner.
Waza-Ari
Waza-ari is a scoring technique in judo.
It is usually the result of a throw that is judged to be clean and efficient, with sufficient force to cause the opponent to land on their back. A waza-ari scores two points for the thrower.
Yuko
Yuko is a scoring technique in judo that is used to win a match. It is executed by throwing your opponent to the ground with a sweeping motion and results in an Ippon (the highest score possible).
Koka
Koka is one of the most important terms in judo. It is basically the equivalent of a point in other martial arts competitions. The name koka comes from the Japanese word ko, which means point.
Shido
Shido is equivalent to a yellow card in football or a warning in boxing. It is issued when a judoka breaks the rules but does not deserve to be disqualified.
Hansoku-Make
Hansoku-Make in judo is equivalent to a red card in soccer. It’s a penalty that’s given to a judoka when they break the rules of the sport, and it results in them being disqualified from the match.
Kansetsu-Waza
Kansetsu-waza is a category of judo throws that focus on joint locks. This type of throw is incredibly powerful and can quickly subdue an opponent.
There are a few different locks you should be familiar with, such as the ikkyo, nikyo, and sokuto-nage.
Nage-Waza
Nage-waza is a general term used in judo that refers to all throwing techniques. These throws are what make up the bulk of judo and can be used to take an opponent down to the ground.
There are many different types of nage-waza, but all of them rely on using the opponent’s own momentum against them.
Atemi-Waza
Atemi-waza is a type of striking attack in judo. It’s used to stun your opponent or to set up a more powerful technique.
Atemi-waza is Forbidden in Competition but is widely practiced by judoka during randori and kata.
Ma-Sutemi-Waza
Ma-Sutemi-Waza is a term used in judo that refers to a sacrifice technique.
This is a move in which you deliberately lose balance and fall to the ground in order to effectuate a throw or other technique.
It’s a risky move, but can be incredibly effective if executed correctly.
5 reasons why you should practice Judo
There are many reasons why you should practice judo.
Here are 5 important reasons:
- Great for self-defense
- Judo improves your physical fitness and overall health.
- Judo teaches respect and discipline
- Judo helps to build determination and perseverance
- Judo is a great way to relieve stress and mental health
Great for self-defense
This isn’t a popular opinion but if you ever wish to engage in any martial arts for any benefits of such, then you should go for one that is great for self-defense.
Judo is one of the most effective forms of self-defense. It can help you protect yourself from physical and sexual assault.
Judo improves physical fitness and overall health
You might not see how this can be true enough from the outside as the punches and kicks are thrown are not that powerful but judo training is one of the most reliable types of martial arts that can improve your health.
Even the regular Judo exercises can easily make you sweat profusely and breathe heavily.
Randori, which is also called “Free sparring” is a type of judo training where you practice your techniques with another fully trained judoka. This is simply the toughest workout you’ll ever do.
Just like wrestling training, the more you engage your core and muscles the more it is excellently taxing on your body.
Imagine you have to throw someone who is more than 150Ibs and also trying to defend someone who is trying to throw you for more than 30 minutes.
Judo teaches respect and discipline
There is a built-in respect and discipline culture in the art of judo. This made it so different from other physical training and sports.
In fact, when the founder of judo; Dr. Jigoro Kano first developed Judo. It was to serve mental, physical, and moral academy teaching.
This has made respect and discipline to be part of judo since the beginning of its creation. And it’s not difficult to see these acts if you take a very close look at any judo training.
You take a bow before entering and leaving the dojo (training hall). Before a fight or match, you bow before and after the contest.
The Sensei (Judo instructor) normally gives a pep talk about respect before the opening of a training
Judo helps to build determination and perseverance
In judo contests and training, It takes a great extent of determination and perseverance to be able to escape bad positions, and pins, to get out of chokes and locks.
It equally takes the same determination and perseverance to try to pin your opponent or throw him to the ground or to even place you in a good position that will make your opponent submit, leading to your win.
Developing this value will also help you in the real world, as you must have known the fact that nothing in this life comes easily, and that you must work hard to get what you want.
It is not going to be a smooth ride, there will be failures. But you will have to stay determined to put your heads down and scale through it.
Judo is a great way to relieve stress and mental health
In today’s society, we don’t discuss much about stress and mental health. There has always been disapproval and discrimination against mental health issues.
I mean, it’s so easy to say you are a liar than agree to have mental health problems.
A typical judo training helps release a chemical known as endorphins in the body. These endorphins release positive feelings in the body that helps you relax both in your body and mind.
If you wish to take your mind off things that stress you out, you have to concentrate on getting better at Judo, set goals you wish to achieve in judo.
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